Azerbaijan urges drive to resolve Karabakh dispute
ISTANBUL, June 26 (Reuters) – Azerbaijan called on the international
community to help resolve its chronic dispute with Armenia over
Nagorno-Karabakh on Saturday, arguing that the region was a potential
hotbed for drug-running and terror.
Azeri President Ilham Aliyev clashed at a conference in Istanbul with
an Armenian official who described the territory as an “established
entity” with governing institutions and a ceasefire that has held for
a decade since a six-year conflict.
“Nagorno-Karabakh is an entity which is not recognised by anyone in
the world,” the president responded to a comment from Armenian foreign
ministry official Garen Nazarian.
“It is an unrecognised, self-proclaimed, illegal so-called entity.
Azerbaijan will never agree with the loss of its territory, we will
get these territories back.”
Nagorno-Karabakh is a territory wholly inside Azerbaijan, populated by
Christian ethnic Armenians, which broke away from Baku’s rule as the
Soviet Union collapsed. The Azeris, their country controlling large
oil resources, want it back.
The Minsk Group of 11 countries, led by France, the United States and
Russia under the mandate of the Organisation for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, has so far failed to settle the problem.
Aliyev said that “Armenian occupation” had left one million of
Azerbaijan’s population of eight million as either refugees or
internally displaced persons, and Nagorno-Karabakh had become one of
the southern Caucasus’s “uncontrolled lawless zones.”
“Nagorno-Karabakh poses a very serious threat for the region –there
is no international control, no international monitoring and no rule
of law,” he told the security conference which set the stage for a
NATO summit in the Turkish city next week.
“This is a very comfortable place for criminal elements. There
is…some very significant evidence of illegal drug trafficking in
Nagorno-Karabakh, of terrorism camps.”
Aliyev appealed for more active efforts to resolve the dispute from
the “broad international community,” including the European Union, the
Council of Europe and other international institutions.
Asked by Nazarian why he was not satisfied with the mediation efforts
of the Minsk Group, Aliyev replied: “Because there is no result.”
06/26/04 13:53 ET

MINISTER DENIES USA HOLDING “TERRORISTS” IN AZERI PRISONS
Trend news agency, Baku
25 Jun 04
Azerbaijani National Security Minister Namiq Abbasov has denied the
local media reports which quote the foreign mass media as saying that
the USA is holding some of the arrested international terrorists
outside Baku. According to Trend, Abbasov told journalists on 25 June
that this was not true.
(Passage omitted: reported details)
Abbasov also described as realistic the statements about the
possibility of exchanging an Armenian citizen recently detained near
the Azerbaijani border for Azerbaijanis held in Armenian captivity.
“We do not have Armenian hostages. But Armenia might give us hundreds
of hostages. This is realistic if they hand them over,” the minister
said.
Touching on the plight of Armenian fugitives Roman Teryan and Artur
Apresyan who are being held at the National Security Ministry’s remand
centre, he said: “The issue will be resolved soon.”
(Passage omitted: minor reported details)

*FRIDAY June 25, 2004*
* *
Raptors take Rafa at No. 8
Former Brigham Young center Rafael Araujo, right, was chosen by the
Toronto Raptors with the No. 8 pick in the NBA draft. (Danny Chan La
/The Salt Lake Tribune)
By Patrick Kinahan
The Salt Lake Tribune
Things turned out well the last time Rafael Araujo left his native
Brazil for another country.
Araujo will go foreign again, as the Toronto Raptors took the former
Brigham Young center with the No. 8 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft. The
6-foot-11, 292-pound Araujo, who has never been to Canada, will receive
a three-year contract worth a total of $6.7 million.
Sitting in the Green Room at Madison Square Garden, Araujo broke
into a wide grin after NBA commissioner David Stern announced Toronto’s
selection. He enjoyed congratulations from his wife, Cheyenne, and his
parents, Tadeu and Neuza, each visiting the United States for the first
time.
Since the college season ended, Araujo toured the country, staging
impressive workouts for 18 teams. His agent, Diron Ohanian, predicted
this week the Raptors could take him.
“That was as high as he could go,” Ohanian said from New York. “They
seem to really like him. They were on him for a while, but I really
didn’t know what to expect. They didn’t give us a great indication.”
Araujo indicated a desire to play for the Jazz, noting he felt
comfortable in Utah after his two years in Provo. Ohanian took it step
further, saying he wanted the Jazz to draft his client.
A salary increase of $2 million over three years, based on Araujo’s
draft slot, offset any disappointment. The Jazz wanted to draft Araujo,
but he was long gone before the team’s first pick at No. 14.
“It worked out great,” Ohanian said. “He would have loved to play
for Utah.
You can’t be disappointed to go that high at No. 8 when a team shows
that kind of respect.”
Indicative of his mid-lottery position, Araujo has a chance to play
immediately. Toronto’s primary big men last season were rookie Chris
Bosh, Donyell Marshall and Corie Blount, none of whom can match Araujo’s
size.
Bosh, who left Georgia Tech after his freshman season, averaged 11.5
points and 7.4 rebounds as the starting center. A former member of the
Jazz, the 6-9 Marshall became the starting power forward after being
traded by the Chicago Bulls.
Toronto officials said they expect Araujo to begin next season
playing 15 to 20 minutes a game.
Even a hint of an NBA career seemed far-fetched four years ago.
Araujo’s ascension into the world’s best basketball league culminated a
remarkable journey that began in Sao Paulo. The first stop was at remote
Arizona Western College, a two-year school far removed from any
basketball hotbed. The path included two years at BYU, where he helped
the Cougars land consecutive NCAA Tournament berths and graduated as the
Mountain West’s co-player of the year.
Noted for a strong work ethic, Araujo improved substantially at BYU.
He averaged 18.4 points and 10.1 rebounds last season and displayed a
degree of nastiness that impressed NBA scouts.
“It was a lot of hard work,” Araujo said. “It paid off.”
Araujo becomes the highest Cougar selected since the Philadelphia
76ers took Shawn Bradley at No. 2 in 1993. Bradley attended the draft in
New York and spoke to Araujo after Toronto picked him.
He is the sixth BYU player to be taken in the first round. Araujo,
who learned English after arriving in the United States, earned a
bachelor’s degree in recreation management in April.

* *
*© Copyright 2004, The Salt Lake Tribune. *
All material found on Utah Online is copyrighted The Salt Lake Tribune
and associated news services. No material may be reproduced or reused
without explicit permission from The Salt Lake Tribune.

PRESS RELEASE
Tufenkian Hospitality
21/1 Tumanian St.,
Yerevan Armenia 375001
Contact: Lilit Hakobyan
Tel: 374 1 520 911
Fax: 374 1 520 913
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
THE FIRST NATIONAL WINE FESTIVAL
Second Saturday of October (2004 10 09)
Vayots Dzor region, Areni Village,
Armenia
USDA and Tufenkian Hospitality are glad to announce the first national wine
festival in Armenia, with the aim to introduce an ancient Armenian tradition
of winemaking to the World.
More than just a showcase for great wine, the festival is a major event for
traditional food making and tasting, traditional crafts-making, and
folkloric performances.
The event program includes traditional dancing, singing, tight-rope
performances, a Marionette Theatre, food-making and tasting, wine-making and
tasting, traditional games, contests, art work, carpet weaving, and craft
items: their creation and presentation (materials used include stone, wood,
and local ceramics).
Villagers will sell home-made products, in their houses – yogurt (matsun)
and cream, honey, nuts and walnuts, vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, baked
goods, lavash, home-made jams and jellies, sweet sujukh, herbal teas
(including hip-rose & thyme), and all the other products that a typical
Armenian household usually prepares for its members.
Armenian companies will present such products as wine, cheese, dried fruits,
meat and fish products, and soft drinks.
Craftsmen will present their work, and visitors may try their hand at
replicating this art.
Armenian restaurants and cafes will organize an area for a one-day operation
of their businesses.
Children can draw in a nearby meadow.
At the Information Desk, visitors can learn about the history and historical
monuments of the region, including Gladzor Museum, the Selim Pass and
Caravanserai, and Noravanq Monastery. Find out more about the local climate,
the flora and fauna of the region, and the village itself. The Djermuk Spa
will also be present.
A qualified trilingual guide will take visitors to the local church for a
tour. This will be done according to a set schedule throughout the day.
For more information please contact us at 374 1 520 911, 105 ext., or e-mail
[email protected]

New York Times
June 26 2004
Dithering as Others Die
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

LONG THE SUDAN-CHAD BORDER – The ongoing genocide in Darfur is
finally, fortunately, making us uncomfortable. At this rate, with
only 250,000 more deaths it will achieve the gravitas of the Laci
Peterson case.
Hats off to Colin Powell and Kofi Annan, who are both traveling in
the next few days to Darfur. But the world has dithered for months
already. Unless those trips signal a new resolve, many of the Darfur
children I’ve been writing about over the last few months will have
survived the Janjaweed militia only to die now of hunger or diarrhea.
I’ve had e-mail from readers who are horrified by the slaughter, but
who also feel that Africa is always a mess and that there’s not much
we can do. So let me address the cynics.
Look, I’m sure it’s terrible in Darfur. But lots of places are
horrific, and we can’t help everyone. Why obsess about Sudan?
The U.N. describes Darfur as the No. 1 humanitarian crisis in the
world today. The U.S. Agency for International Development estimates
that at best 320,000 more people will still die of hunger and disease
this year – or significantly more if we continue to do nothing.
Moreover, apart from our obligation to act under the Genocide
Convention, acquiescence only encourages more genocide – hence the
question attributed to Hitler, “Who today remembers the Armenian
extermination?”
Haven’t we invaded enough Muslim countries?
The U.S. is not going to invade Sudan. That’s not a plausible option.
But we can pass a tough U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing
troops, as well as more support for African peacekeepers. If Germany,
France and Spain don’t want to send troops to Iraq, then let them
deploy in Darfur. And we must publicly condemn the genocide.
What good is a speech in the U.N.? Why would Sudan listen?
Governments tend to be embarrassed about exterminating minorities. In
Sudan, a bit of publicity about Darfur coupled with a written
statement from President Bush led Sudan to agree to a cease-fire in
April and to improve access for aid agencies. More publicity prompted
it to promise to disband the Janjaweed raiders.
Sudan lies and wriggles out of its promises, but its genocide is
still calibrated to the international reaction. Likewise, it is still
denying visas and blocking supplies for emergency relief, but
pressure has led it to improve access.
So, Mr. Bush, if a single written statement will do so much good, why
won’t you let the word “Darfur” pass your lips? Why the passivity in
the face of evil? You could save tens of thousands of lives by making
a forceful speech about Darfur. Conversely, your refusal to do so is
costing tens of thousands of lives.
If the Sudanese were notorious pirates of American videotapes, if
they were sheltering Mullah Omar, you’d be all over them. So why not
stand up just as forcefully to genocide?
Mr. Bush seems proud of his “moral clarity,” his willingness to
recognize evil and bluntly describe it as such. Well, Darfur reeks of
evil, and we are allowing it to continue.
What can ordinary Americans do?
Yell! Mr. Bush and John Kerry have been passive about Darfur because
voters are. If citizens contact the White House or their elected
representatives and demand action, our leaders will be happy to
follow.
Readers can also contribute to one of the many aid agencies saving
lives in Darfur. (I’ve listed some at
, Posting 489.)
Be realistic. We don’t have our national interest at stake in Darfur.
But we do. Sudan’s chaos is destabilizing surrounding countries,
especially Chad, which is an increasing source of oil for us.
Moreover, when states collapse into chaos, they become staging
grounds for terrorism and for diseases like ebola and polio (both
have broken out recently in Sudan).
In any case, America is a nation that has values as well as
interests. We betrayed those values when we ignored past genocides,
and we are betraying them again now.
In my last three columns, I wrote about Magboula Muhammad Khattar, a
24-year-old woman struggling to keep her children alive since her
parents and husband were killed by the Janjaweed. Each time I visited
the tree she lives under, she shared with me the only things she had
to offer: a smile and a bowl of brackish water.
Is a cold shoulder all we have to offer in return?

Burbank Leader , CA
LATimes.com
June 26 2004
Officials keep parade date
Burbank on Parade keeps date, but will consider move in 2010 and
2021 to avoid overlap with Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.

By Jackson Bell, The Leader
BURBANK – Burbank on Parade will continue its tradition of running on
the fourth Saturday in April, but will reopen talks of rescheduling
the parade the next time it conflicts with Armenian Genocide
Remembrance Day on April 24.
Keeping the fourth Saturday in April is necessary because other
events and holidays – including Fire Service Day and National Police
Week, school band competitions and Easter weekend – make it difficult
to permanently switch the parade, event Chairwoman Joanne Miller said
Friday. But the parade will consider rescheduling in 2010 and 2021,
the next two years the occasions coincide.
The somber day of remembrance is a time when many of the city’s
estimated 10,000 Armenian-American residents spend the day at homes,
churches or rallies throughout the area, remembering victims who died
during the 1915 massacre, local Armenian leaders said. The parade
this year was on April 24 and drew criticism from the Armenian-
American community.
“My personal opinion is that this is the best decision because the
parade will go in a normal fashion without upsetting every other
community event or school event,” Miller said. “And at the same time,
it’s not offending the Armenian-American community by disregarding
their day of mourning.”
Miller met with about a dozen parade organizers, leaders of the
city’s Armenian-American community and city officials Thursday to
discuss the parade organizers’ decision.
Some Armenian-American leaders, however, felt the parade’s proximity
to April 24 still will exclude many in their community who are
usually active in various activities to commemorate the genocide.
“It’s very ironic that it is supposed to be an opportunity to bring
all Burbank together and the net result is to exclude some 10% of the
community,” said Garen Yegparian, chairman of community relations for
the Armenian National Committee’s Burbank chapter.
The controversy started in mid-February, when organizers failed to
consider the conflict when setting this year’s parade to run April
24.
The planning gaffe upset the Armenian-American community and prompted
Mayor Marsha Ramos to have a meeting April 1 to open dialogue between
the two sides.
Planning was too far along to change the date, because $25,000 was
already spent and the parade was already being publicized when the
error was discovered, officials said.
Ramos said Thursday’s meeting ended the three months of dialogue to
resolve the conflict.
“Both sides came to the terms they discussed very thoroughly,” she
said. “Because they were involved in the decision-making process,
there is a clear direction for the future.”

Glendale News Press, CA
LATimes.com
June 26 2004
FROM THE MARGINS
No, really — that is my real name, darnit!

by PATRICK AZADIAN
We all have our stereotypes of what certain names should mean, and
what kind of names people should possess. It is perhaps human nature
to try to conform everything to our set of understandings, otherwise
we may feel uncomfortable or even intimidated.
My first name often evokes the question, “Hey, how did you get an
Irish name?” This particular inquiry is understandable, considering
more Americans trace their roots to the “green isle” than any other
region of the world. My curt response is often, “Well, it is actually
a Latin name. And I mean ‘Latin’ as in ancient Latium in central
Italy and not Central America.”
My initial research on the name confirmed my suspicion that it was
derived from the Latin patricius, from patres, plural of pater.
Recently a dear friend sent me a cynical note on this issue:
“Your attitude stems from your name:
patrician puh-TRISH-un,
noun:
1. A member of one of the original citizen families of ancient Rome.
2. A person of high birth; a nobleman.”
What are good friends for, right?
I also come across another type of inquiry: “What is your real name?”
Depending on my mood, I have different answers for this line of
questioning. If I have gotten off on the right side of the bed that
specific morning, the response can be as simple as, “It is Patrick,
although I should really spell it without the ‘c.’ ” And if I am
pressed with a follow-up question such as, “No, really, what is it?”,
my response can be as rude as: “What would you like my name to be?
Mohammed, Habib, Ahmet?”
Overall, I don’t mind explaining, as long as the question comes from
people whose initial experience with the name is via the Irish route.
What I was not prepared for, however, was when my Jewish Moroccan
associate asked me the same question: “Patrick, what is your real
name?” By the way, her name is Valerie! I tried not to react by a
counter question such as: “How come you don’t have a Sephardic or a
Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) name? Something more Hebrew, such as Yaffa
(beautiful), Zahava (gold) or Chaviva (beloved).
So I asked her if she had some time to go over this very important
issue.
“Yes I do, I have all the time in the world. Tell me how you got your
name.”
“Okey-Dokey.”
I was determined to make sure the story was long enough so that the
question never came up again.
–
When my grandfather, Sahak, settled in Iran after fleeing the
deportations from western Armenia, he eventually found time to go to
the Iranian authorities and get himself a birth certificate. The
official at the desk asked him for his last name.
“Petrossian,” Sahak replied.
“Petrossian, aye? You immigrant Armenians have too many of these
names. Petrossian, Petrossian, Petrossian! Why don’t you change it to
something else?”
“Like what?”
“Well, since you’ve fled mass murder and you are free now, why don’t
you change your last name to ‘Azad-ian.’ ”
Incidentally, the word Azad means free in Persian (the spoken
language of Iran) and Armenian, as well as many of the region’s
Indo-European languages. What a coinkidink!
“Hmmm, ‘Azadian.’ Has a nice ring to it. ‘Sahak Azadian.’ I’ll take
it.”
Years later, Mr. Azadian had second thoughts about changing his
family name, and when his first grandson was born, he was determined
to reverse the grave error. Per ancient Armenian tradition of Sahak’s
birthplace, every couple of generations, the last name of the family
reverted back to the first name of the grandfather. Sahak figured, if
he named me Petros (or Bedros), in a couple of generations our family
last name would be back to the original Petrossian. What he was not
prepared for was my mom’s fierce opposition.
So my parents, after consulting the extended Armenian dictionary,
conspired against Sahak and named me Patrik. Pronounced with “P” as
in spoon, “a” as in talk, “t” as in stalk, “r” as in car, “i” as in
chic, and “k” as in kernel. My mom had her mind set on something
“princely.” The second choice was Asbed (also “prince” in Armenian).
–
“Valerie, are you awake?”
“Yes, Patrik. I am with you. You still haven’t told me why it’s an
Armenian name.”
“Well, initially I thought the name entered the Armenian language, as
Rome and Armenia had close relations in ancient times. But it seems,
it was the Byzantines who introduced the term into the Armenian
vocabulary. Byzantines bestowed Armenian rulers with the title
Patrik, the most famous of whom was Vard Patrik Mamikonian, Patriarch
of Armenia in the early sixth century. From then on, the term patrik
was interchangeable with “princely.” And although the noun is not
Armenian in the absolute sense, it has Armenian memory, as well as
history.”
“I see.”
So is Patrick an Irish name? I would say so. Is it an Armenian name?
Well, I would also say so, certainly more Armenian than Hovhannes
(John), Bartoughi- meos (Bartholomew), Boghos (Paul) or Yeghsapet
(Elizabeth). But somehow, I know Bartoughi- meos would not have
elicited as many questions about my name as Patrick.
– PATRICK AZADIAN lives and works in Glendale. He is an identity and
branding consultant for the retail industry. Reach him at
[email protected].
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Zaman, Turkey
June 26 2004
Turkey to name Saakashvili ‘Democracy Hero of the Year’
Georgian President Mikhael Sakaashvili, who arrived in Istanbul
yesterday for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit,
will be presented the ‘Democracy Hero of the Year’ award.
Saakashvili assumed the Georgian presidency after last November’s
‘Velvet Revolution’ that ousted former president Eduard Shevardnadze.
Additionally, as a result of Saakashvili’s decisive policies,
Adzharia Autonomous Republic leader Aslan Abashidze was forced to
leave the country. Pro-Saakashvili parties claimed victory in last
week’s first independent parliamentary elections in Adzharia.
Mustafa Sarigul, Mayor of Istanbul’s Sisli district, will present the
award to Saakashvili during a ceremony tomorrow. The Georgian
President will also be given the key to the city of Istanbul.
Saakashvili will speak at a conference entitled ‘Atlantic Alliance at
a New Crossroad’. The conference is co-organized by the
American-German Marshall Fund and The Turkey Economic and Social
Studies Foundation (TESEV).
Meanwhile, within the framework of the NATO summit, Foreign Ministers
from Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey will meet to discuss the
Nagarno-Karabag (Karabagh) issue. The Turkey-Armenia border entry
issue and bilateral relations will also be taken up.

ArmeniaNow.com
25 June 2004
Drams and Drama: Armenians bet EuroCup is a cash championship
By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow reporter
Football fever means gambling fever in Armenia, as EuroCup 2004 brings
out the bettors in numbers that would defy impressions of a country
suffering economic hardship.
“In the streets of Yerevan people talk only about money won or lost as a
result of betting,” says 46-year-old engineer Albert Arakelyan “They say
people win from $20,000 to $50,000. I have no idea whether I should believe
or not as I myself have hardly won $40 and then on a bet that was a little
less than that sum.”
Throughout the capital, storefronts that might once have been cafes or shops
have been turned into gambling parlors since June 12, when the first round
of European Championship play began. Punters are invited to risk their drams
at places called “Toto”, “Eurofootball”, “Vivaro” or “Parimatch”.
“It took a little time (almost three years) for this new phenomenon to
successfully find a place in lives of Armenians, especially within the last
time period,” says the manager of one of the Vivaro parlors. “And then when
they are opened and begin functioning it means that it is done exactly at
the proper time and people need them.”
During every football match gambling parlors turn into small football fields
with passionate fans and game-addicts. Ten to 15 minutes before a match
begins (which, here, means midnight) people queue to get to a person who
registers their bets. After that heavy smoke of cigarettes begins gently
curling in the air and throughout the hall the smell of beer mixes with the
smoke and the noise of hope riding on the feet of foreigners.
Vardan Sargsyan, 31, says he prefers watching matches at gambling parlors
with his friends, because at home there’s a struggle for the TV with women
and children of the house.
“Of course, I make my bets but I don’t bet for money. I like watching
matches. And when you bet you get all excited in watching matches,” he says.
This EuroCup season (it occurs every four years), Armenians have also
discovered on-line betting ().
Artur Lazarian, manager of an Internet club in Echmiadsin, says 40 visitors
a day come to check their winnings and loses in cyberspace.
Plenty of places for betting on football
“Many of them visit the club many times a day. And often when they see they
lost they begin to curse, forgetting where they are,” Lazarian says.
Though emphatically a male-dominated environment, a few brave Armenian women
have cracked the gender boundaries of football gambling.
Lianna Manukyan, 25, says she was infected with football fever by her
husband, Ashot. They make bets together and are fairly successful.
“It is easy money. You win without spending, of course, it is necessary to
make bets constantly,” she says.
Football gamblers are offered a variety of betting opportunities, including:
Which side would win, which side would score, in what minute a team would
score, who would score the goal, would there be a penalty kick, would there
be yellow card . . . Every bet has its odds.
Anahit Margaryan, 40, complains that under age children, including her 13
year old son, become involved in football wagering.
A note “bets are not taken from those under age of 18” is attached in every
such gambling parlor. However, the reality is different.
Anahit’s son, Vahe, says if parents give him 100 drams (about 2 cents) he
together with his friends runs to make bets.
“Sometimes we win, and go to eat ice cream,” he says.

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th Street NW Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:
PRESS RELEASE
June 24, 2004
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
HOUSE FOREIGN AID PANEL VOTES TO MAINTAIN PARITY IN U.S. MILITARY
ASSISTANCE TO ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN
— Allocates $65 million in Economic Assistance for Armenia; $5
Million for Nagorno Karabagh
WASHINGTON, DC – A key House Appropriations Subcommittee, yesterday
evening, voted to maintain parity in U.S. foreign military
financing (FMF) assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan, reported the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). The decision
counters President Bush’s FY 2005 budget proposal, which would have
broken an earlier agreement between the Administration and
Congressional leaders to ensure balanced military assistance to the
two countries.
The House Foreign Operations Subcommittee, chaired by Arizona
Republican Jim Kolbe, voted to allocate $5 million in military
assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan, respectively, as opposed to
Pres. Bush’s request of $8 million for Azerbaijan and $2 million
for Armenia. The Committee also supported a hard earmark of $65
million in U.S. assistance to Armenia, and $5 million for Nagorno
Karabagh. By contrast, the Bush Administration had requested $62
million for Armenia and had not specified any funds for Nagorno
Karabagh. The Subcommittee’s decision would effectively reduce
U.S. assistance to Armenia by $10 million from FY 2004 levels. The
reduction reflects an overall reduction of U.S. assistance to
former Soviet countries.
In the months leading up to the Subcommittee mark up of the foreign
aid bill, Armenian American activists from across the country
participated in ANCA WebFax campaigns calling attention to
potential repercussions to breaking U.S. military assistance parity
between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In February, activists noted that
the brutal murder in Hungary of 26-year-old Armenian Lieutenant
Gurgen Markarian during a NATO language course underscored the
dangers posed by adopting President Bush’s policy. That tragedy
was followed by disturbing rhetoric by the Azerbaijani leadership
threatening to resolve the Nagorno Karabagh issue militarily. As
Armenians and Azerbaijanis were marking the 10th anniversary of the
Nagorno Karabagh ceasefire on May 12th, Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev announced that, “We [Azerbaijan] must increase our military
potential. Our army is able at any moment to free our territory.”
Aliyev went on to note that military expenditures have grown over
the past several years and “it will keep increasing in the future”.
In a briefing paper faxed to House and Senate members earlier this
year, the ANCA noted that “a tilt in military spending toward
Azerbaijan would destabilize the region, emboldening the new
Azerbaijani leadership to continue their threats to impose a
military solution to the Nagorno Karabagh conflict. More broadly,
breaching the parity agreement would reward the leadership of
Azerbaijan for walking away from the OSCE’s Key West peace talks,
the most promising opportunity to resolve the Nagorno Karabagh
conflict in nearly a decade.”
Members of Congress concurred with this assessment, with over 30
House members cosigning a February 24th letter to President Bush,
initiated by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone
(D-NJ), stating that they “strongly believe that providing unequal
military assistance to Azerbaijan and Armenia will contribute to
instability in the region and could unintentionally tip the
military balance.” Earlier that month, on February 11th,
Representatives Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mi), Grace Napolitano (D-CA),
Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Brad Sherman (D-CA) pressed Secretary of
State Colin Powell to explain the Administration’s reasoning for
the proposed break in Armenia-Azerbaijan military parity in spoken
and written statements submitted during his testimony before the
House International Relations Committee.
In April, Rep. Pallone and New York Republican John Sweeney
initiated a letter to Foreign Operations Subcommittee Chairman Jim
Kolbe and Ranking Democrat Nita Lowey (D-NY) urging that military
parity be maintained. Foreign Operations Subcommittee member and
Congressional Armenian Caucus co-Chairman Joe Knollenberg (R-MI)
was outspoken in his efforts to maintain a balance in military
assistance to the two countries. During the ANCA Capitol Hill
Observance of the Armenian Genocide, Rep. Knollenberg stated,
“every single time we have gotten the federal government’s dollar
numbers for Armenia, they have always been down and we’ve always
had to bring it up. And we aren’t going to stop fighting to bring
it back and to ensure there is parity on the military issue.”
The foreign aid bill will likely be considered by the House
Appropriations Committee on July 9th, followed by a full House vote
thereafter. The Senate version of the bill will follow a similar
path.