Azeri, Iranian chief clerics discuss Karabakh, mutual ties
Azadliq, Baku
23 Jun 04
“I hope your visit will give an impetus to the further strengthening
of Azerbaijani-Iranian relations,” the head of the Azerbaijani
Spiritual Board of the Muslims of the Caucasus, Allahsukur Pasazada,
said at a meeting with Ayatollah Golpayegani, head of the executive
staff of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamene’i.
Saying that religion brings the Azerbaijani and Iranian peoples
closer, Pasazada expressed the hope that it will also enable the two
states to further strengthen political relations. Pasazada talked
about the Nagornyy Karabakh problem and called on official Tehran to
help Azerbaijan generously in this issue. Pasazada touched on the
religious situation and stressed religious tolerance in Azerbaijan. He
said that various religions and faiths were being practised
simultaneously in the country, and spiritual leaders state that their
main aim is to maintain religious stability in the region.
Ayatollah Golpayegani reiterated recent serious progress in
Iranian-Azerbaijani relations and expressed his confidence that these
relations will develop in the future as well. As far as the Karabakh
problem is concerned, Golpayegani said that Armenia had been described
as an aggressor by the Organization of the Islamic Conference which
unites both Iran and Azerbaijan.
[Passage omitted: the guests were given presents]

Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:
PRESS RELEASE
June 23, 2004
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: [email protected]
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC REPORTING INCLUDES TERM: “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE”
Turkish Protests Fail to Overturn Editorial Policy
Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly commended National Geographic
magazine for continuing to characterize as “genocide,” the events of 1915 in
its July issue, thereby rejecting Turkish accusations of bias following a
22-page report in its March issue entitled, “Armenia Reborn.”
In an introductory note to its “Forum” section, the editors said the March
article and photos, “inspired more than 1,600 letters – the most mail
elicited by any one story in the past five years,” and published four
responses including a joint letter from Armenian Assembly Board of Trustees
Chairman Hirair Hovnanian and Board of Directors Chairman Anthony Barsamian.
The editors also reported that the magazine received “hundreds” of positive
letters from the Armenian community.
The Assembly letter said in part:
“[Armenian Reborn] captured the essence of the Armenian identity
historically and the values that animate our people today. As for the
cataclysmic event in our past – the Armenian genocide under cover of World
War I – National Geographic has not only told the truth, but is also in good
company.”
Armenian Assembly Executive Director Ross Vartian, along with Public Affairs
Director David Zenian and ANI Director Dr. Rouben Adalian, also expressed
appreciation and praise for the magazine report during a face-to-face
meeting with Washington editors in March.
The magazine’s last major report on Armenia was published in 1978.
In addition to the subject of the genocide, “Armenia Reborn,” written by
Frank Viviano and photographed by Alexandra Avakian, looks at the 3,000 year
history of Armenians and leads up to current events including independence,
the 1988 earthquake and the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
But it was the magazine’s coverage of the Armenian Genocide and by
extension, Turkey-Armenia relations, which sparked a Turkish outcry. Both
the Turkish government and Turkish lobby in the United States voiced their
criticism, mounting a worldwide letter-writing campaign challenging
accuracies in the story. The publishers of the magazine’s Turkish language
edition excluded “Armenia Reborn” from their March issue.
The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide
organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian
issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
NR#2004-060
Editor’s Note: Below is the published text of the Armenian Assembly letter
to National Geographic editors.
March 12, 2004
William L. Allen
Editor in Chief
National Geographic
1145 17th Street
Washington, DC 20036.
Dear Sir:
The article captured the essence of the Armenian identity historically and
the values that animate our people today. As for the cataclysmic event in
our past – the Armenian Genocide under cover of World War I – NATIONAL
GEOGRAPHIC has not only told the truth, but is also in good company. One
hundred and twenty-six Holocaust and Genocide scholars signed a petition on
March 7, 2000, calling the Armenian genocide “an incontestable historical
fact.” As recently as February 2003, the International Center for
Transitional Justice concluded that what happened to the Armenians includes
“all the elements of the crime of genocide … and legal scholars as well
as historians, politicians, journalists and other people would be justified
in continuing to so describe them.” The “controversy” today lies squarely
with the Turkish government as it continues to attempt to coerce the world
to be complicit in its denial. Turkey’s aspiration to be fully accepted as a
full member of European society will not be realized without facing its own
history – just as coming to terms with the destruction of Native Americans
and the stain of slavery made America what it is today: more humane and
just.
Sincerely,
Hirair Hovnanian
Chairman, Board of Trustees
Anthony Barsamian
Chairman, Board of Directors
Armenian Assembly of America

The Journal News.com, NY
June 23 2004
Team USA brings message to Yonkers
By CHRISTOPHER HUNT
YONKERS – Ron Siler remembered it – the small, hot gym. The walls
covered in fight mottos and pictures of former champions. He could
remember the musty smell of sweat.
He smiled when he thought of it. He had been there. He was much like
the kids that now looked at him like a rock star but probably didn’t
know his name.
But his warmup jacket read “USA Boxing.” That was enough.
Siler, along with the rest of the U.S. Olympic boxing team, visited
the Yonkers Police Athletic League yesterday to give youngsters hope
that success is attainable.
“I’ve probably seen the same things they’ve seen,” said Siler, a
flyweight (112 pounds). “I hope that by us coming here and
representing the United States, that’ll hopefully have a positive
effect on them that they can make it.”
Siler, 24, has four children and remembers growing up on the streets
of Knoxville, Tenn. He thought his experience could help the younger
boxers relate to him, and that his message would be clear.
“If you have dreams, stick to them,” he said. “As long as you stay
positive, you’ll make it in something.”
Vanes Martirosyan (152) stood in a corner after signing autographs,
telling the teen-agers surrounding him to stay focused. He fielded
questions about training and fighting but forced in reminders about
not quitting.
“It doesn’t matter where you’re from,” said Martirosyan, who was born
in Armenia but moved to Glendale, Calif., when he was 4 and started
boxing at 7.
“If you want to be the best, you can be the best.”
Chazz McDowell, a 14-year-old fighter who started boxing at 8, asked
Martirosyan how many rounds he fought and if he had to run as part of
training.
“I hate running,” McDowell said, but he listened when Martirosyan
stressed its importance.
USA Boxing president John Woluewich of New Rochelle thought it would
be beneficial for the kids to see athletes with similar backgrounds.
“I wanted to show them that they can reach their dreams the same way
these guys did,” Woluewich said.
Sal Corrente, who runs the PAL boxing program, echoed the idea.
“A lot of these guys come from really bad neighborhoods and (the
kids) see guys like them who go on and make a name for themselves,”
he said.
Two-time Golden Gloves champ Angel Torres (125) worked out alongside
a few of the boxers and said seeing the Olympians motivates him to do
better.
“Most of those guys come off the streets like me, so I’m glad to see
them doing well,” said Torres, a 20-year old from Yonkers who lost in
the semifinals at the Eastern trials.
With the American flag painted onto his white Nikes, Andre Direll sat
on the edge of the ring happy to sign posters for kids who ran into
the gym after playing basketball.
Direll was raised by his grandparents in Flint, Mich., and used
boxing to stay out of trouble. His grandfather brought him to the gym
as a 10-year-old.
“I kept trying to quit,” Direll said. “But he just kept making me go
to the gym.”
Direll said his grandfather always provided him with encouraging
words and thinks that is what kids need to succeed.
“It’s always a boost of confidence to know I’m showing kids that
there’s more to do than hang out on the street,” he said. “I like to
know I have more fans.”
Still, the parting words that Martirosyan gave to the young, aspiring
boxers in the corner summed up the message of hope.
“See you in the future,” he said as he walked away.

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
June 23 2004
Azeri Foreign Ministry Refutes Parliamentary Speaker’s Statement
Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs refuted a statement by the
parliamentary speaker, Murtuz Aleskerov, that Armenian officers
arrived in Baku secretly, ANS reported on Wednesday.
The ministry said Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov had made a
statement about the Armenians’ expected visit three days before the
Baku-hosted planning conference for NATO’s `Cooperative Best
Effort-2004′ military exercises began on Tuesday.
The exercises are planned to be held in Azerbaijan in September.
The arrival of the Armenian officers, Colonel Murad Isakhanyan and
Senior Lieutenant Aram Hovhanesian, caused outcry among ordinary
Azeri citizens, with a group of activists from Karabakh Liberation
Organization breaking into the hall of Baku’s Europe hotel where the
planning conference was taking place. As a result, the work of the
conference stopped for about ten minutes.
Reinforced police forces eventually forced the protestors out of the
hotel, arresting 12 people, including the KLO chairman Akif Naghi.
Police said a criminal case has been filed into five of the detainees
who are accused of hooliganism.

MOSNEWS, Russia
June 23 2004
Journalist Sues Russian Pop Idol Over Public Outburst
Russian pop star Filipp Kirkorov is being sued by Irina Aroyan, a
Russian journalist whom he had insulted at a press conference in the
South Russian city of Rostrov-on-Don. The preliminary consultation in
the process is scheduled for June 29 and the hearings are to start on
July 5.
Aroyan filed a suit under the article 130 part 2 of the Russian
Criminal Code which stipulates responsibility for insults and
degrading someone’s honor and dignity. The journalist is seeking a
punishment in the form of correctional labor – if sentenced, 20
percent of the singer’s income will be confiscated by the state for a
certain period of time.
The legal move was caused by Kirkorov’s behaviour at a press
conference in Rostov-on-Don on May 20. `Gazeta Dona’ journalist Irina
Aroyan asked Kirkorov why he has recorded so many cover versions
lately, wondering if he had a shortage of original material. Kirkorov
responded with a string of obscenities. Among other things, he
questioned Aroyan’s professionalism, said that he was `sick of [her]
pink sweater,’ made sexually suggestive comments, and made fun of her
Armenian accent, telling her that she should `learn to speak Russian’
before coming to press conferences with stars. He then ordered her to
leave the hall.
According to Aroyan, she was then cornered and threatened by two of
Kirkorov’s bodyguards who broke her camera and promised to `shut her
mouth’.
After the story appeared in the Russian media (first hitting Internet
news sites and then spreading to television and the paper press). The
New-York based Russian language newspaper Novoye Russkoye Slovo
published a report of a concert in New York City’s Radio City Music
Hall which Kirkorov had been hosting.
According to the paper, Kirkorov repeatedly voiced provocative and
insulting remarks, many of them of an anti-Semitic character. When
the world-famous philanthropist Dr. Ruth Westheimer came on the stage
to greet the performers, Kirkorov made some sexually explicit
remarks. When the US senator Chuck Schumer presented his speech to
the Russian-speaking population of the city, Kirkorov kept talking
simultaneously with him, pretending to translate the words of the
politician but instead commenting suggestively about women he could
see among the audience.
Novoye Russkoye Slovo writes that top boxing brothers Vitaly and
Vladimir Klichko had to interfere to silence the showman.
Filipp Kirkorov is one of Russia’s highest-profile pop stars and the
husband of the legendary singer Alla Pugacheva. He has long had a
scandalous reputation for arrogant behavior and has had a number of
run-ins with journalists, but he has always come out with his
popularity intact.

Bellona, UK
June 23 2004
EU is freezing 100m euros of aid to Armenia after refusal to shut
down its nuclear plant.
“Our position of principle is that nuclear power plants should not be
built in highly active seismic zones.”
It was said by Alexis Loeber, head of the EU’s delegation in Armenia,
BBC reported. The European Union, as part of its general policy
seeking the closure of elderly nuclear plants constructed in
territories of the former Soviet Union, agreed to give the grant aid
($122m) to Armenia for finding alternative energy sources and for
helping with decommissioning costs at the plant. In return, the
government in Yerevan would commit to a definite date for the plant’s
closure. “We cannot force Armenia to close the plant,” says the EU’s
Mr Loeber. “We feel that should definitely be well in advance of the
end of Metsamor’s design lifecycle in 2016.” The Metsamor plant has
no secondary containment facilities, a safety requirement of all
modern reactors, BBC reported.
Another concern is that due to border and railway closures with
surrounding territories, nuclear material to feed the plant is flown
into Armenia from Russia. “It is the same as flying around a
potential nuclear bomb,” says Mr Loeber. “It’s an extremely hazardous
exercise.” Areg Galstyan, the country’s deputy minister of power,
says $50m has been spent on upgrading safety at Metsamor. “It was a
big mistake to shut the plant in 1988,” says Mr Galstyan. “It created
an energy crisis and the people and economy suffered. Electricity
industry specialists say that due to the expansion and updating of
existing thermal and hydro-energy plants, the country has become an
electricity exporter in recent years. A major new power source will
come on stream in 2006 when a pipeline supplying gas from
neighbouring Iran is due to be completed, BBC reported.
At the same time PACE prepared four documents urging to close the
station. Despite some calls of international organizations to close
the station, the Armenian government did not respond to them.
European Union many times suggested Armenia to close Metsamor but
Armenia rejected them. As a result, European Union had to impose an
economic sanction on Armenia by refusing to allocate $100 million.
the
Armenian Trade Minister Chshmaritian reiterated Yerevan’s rejection
of the offer, saying that as much as $1 billion is needed for safely
shutting down Metsamor safely and putting in place an alternative
source of inexpensive energy. He added the Armenia-EU body decided to
set up a working group that will look into the issue in detail and
present its findings by the end of this year, Baku Today reports.
The Metsamor Nuclear Power plant produced 1.9 billion kilowatt hours
of electricity in 2003, or 36 percent of the total generation of
electricity in Armenia. ZAO Inter RAO UES, a subsidiary of Russia’s
Unified Energy System, and Armenia signed a contract in September
2003 to hand over trust management of the plant to Inter RAO UES.

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
June 23 2004
ISRAELI AMBASSADOR MEETS MEMBERS OF MM’S DELEGATION TO PABSEC
[June 23, 2004, 20:01:08]
Ambassador of Israel to Azerbaijan Eytan Naye met members of the
Milli Majlis /MM/ delegation to Parliamentary Assembly of the
Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation /PABSEC/.
Deputy Chair of the MM Standing Commission on Regional Affairs, Chair
of the PABSEC Committee on Cultural Affairs Shaiddin Aliyev informed
the Ambassador on the recent Assembly meeting in Jerusalem, and
pointed out its importance for the two countries. Touching upon our
country’s position in the region, Shaiddin Aliyev told of the
problems caused by the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani lands, role
of international structures and parliaments, as well as Diaspora
organizations in the settlement of the conflict.
Deputy Chair of the MM Standing Commission on Economic Policy Ali
Alirzayev noted the importance of expanding inter-parliamentary
cooperation and stressed Azerbaijan’s interest in development of
links with Israel.
Ambassador Eytan Naye noted that his country shows particular
interest in expanding cooperation with Azerbaijan. He also announced
that the Speaker of Israeli Parliament had sent to the Milli Majlis
Chairman a letter inviting its parliamentary delegation to visit
Jerusalem.
During the meeting, a number of other issues of mutual interest were
discussed, as well.

Eurasianet Organization
June 23 2004
GEORGIA’S TREATMENT OF AZERI MINORITY RAISES CONCERNS
Fariz Ismailzade: 6/23/04
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s recent summit meeting with
President Mikheil Saakashvili took place amidst growing reports of
official harassment of Georgia’s Azeri minority, the country’s second
largest ethnic group. Promises made by Saakashvili to improve living
conditions for these Azerbaijanis have not been fulfilled, community
leaders say. The controversy comes as Saakashvili’s corruption
crackdown zeroes in on ethnic Azeri traders in the southern
Kvemo-Kartli region who are suspected of running smuggling operations
into Azerbaijan.
On May 25 more than 400 ethnic Azeris gathered in the district of
Marneuli to protest what they claim is an ongoing campaign of
repression by Kvemo-Kartli’s governor, Soso Mazmishvili, a member of
Saakashvili’s ruling National Movement bloc. Kvemo-Kartli contains
most of Georgia’s 500,000 ethnic Azerbaijanis, who work primarily as
rural laborers.
Protestors said that Saakashvili’s campaign promises that they would
see significant improvements in their living conditions have led to
little change since the reform leader was elected president in
January. Power sharing has yet to occur, they say.
“Azerbaijanis are forced out of their jobs and new people, who belong
to the ruling clan, are appointed. It does not make a difference if
these new people can work or not,” said Alibala Askerov, the head of
the national movement “Geyrat” (Honor). “Thus, the new regime is
trying to make a full change at all of the levels of the governmental
hierarchy and Mazmishvilli is in charge of this process in
Kvemo-Kartli.”
Land distribution drives concerns in this regard. More than 70
percent of local Azeris still are not able to privatize or rent plots
of land. Locals say that Georgian authorities disproportionately
favor Georgian farmers in land privatization, thus leaving ethnic
Azerbaijanis without land or forcing them to rent it from Georgian
farmers at high prices.
Resentment at land privatization has been simmering in Kvemo-Kartli
since ex-President Eduard Shevardnadze’s time, but a more recent
government policy has fanned the flames higher. As part of the
anti-corruption campaign, security and police forces in early June
raided the houses of several Azerbaijani businessmen in Kvemo-Kartli
region and arrested them on charges of trans-border smuggling. Trade
in agricultural products is the main source of income for Azeris
living on both sides of the border.
Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani media is expressing worries about the
situation in Georgia. Analysts in Baku often see Saakashvili as less
sympathetic to Azeri Georgians than his predecessor and more intent
on using nationalism to bolster Georgian morale. On June 8, the
independent daily Zerkalo warned that the ethnic tensions in
Kvemo-Kartli region paralleled those that had occurred in Armenia in
1988 prior to the start of the Nagorno-Karabakh war, a conflict that
left some 200,000 Azerbaijanis refugees. [For background see the
Eurasia Insight archive]. Other media outlets have speculated that
continued discrimination against ethnic Azerbaijanis in Georgia could
lead to a flood of refugees crossing into Azerbaijan.
Both Azerbaijan and Georgia have rushed to deny reports in the
Azerbaijani media of increased discrimination against ethnic
Azerbaijanis in Georgia and to dispel rumors, reported in the
Azerbaijani media, that a border checkpoint has been closed.
Embassies of both countries have released statements asserting that
the arrests were only intended to combat smuggling and have no
relationship with ethnic discrimination.
Instead, both countries are resolutely pushing friendship as their
official line. Since Saakashvili came to office in November 2003,
bilateral trade between Georgia and Azerbaijan has tripled to an
estimated $106 million, and plans to slash railroad freight fees and
construct a proposed $700-800 million railroad from Azerbaijan to
Turkey via Georgia could eventually boost that figure higher.
Saakashvili and Aliyev have also agreed to expand the two countries’
joint energy projects, a potentially lucrative field currently
dominated by the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhran oil pipeline, scheduled for
completion in 2006, and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum natural gas
pipeline, scheduled for construction in 2004.[For background see the
EurasiaNet archive].
Official Azerbaijani media outlets and Georgian media appear to have
skirted the issue of ethnic Azeri complaints altogether in their
reports of a June 16 visit to Marneuli by President Aliyev to meet
with representatives of Georgia’s Azerbaijani population. “[T]he warm
brotherly relationship established between Presidents Ilham Aliyev
and Mikhail Saakashvili is a graphic evidence of [the] inviolability
of the Azerbaijani-Georgia relation,” the official news agency
AzerTag reported about the event.
Editor’s Note: Fariz Ismailzade is a freelance writer on Caucasus
geopolitics and economics based in Baku.

Internews
June 23 2004
Internews Armenia Produces a Radio Show to Investigate Citizen
Concerns
(June 23, 2004) Twelve-year old Margarita did not imagine she could
lose her eyesight when she bought a bottle of mineral water last
summer, but when the bottle exploded on her way home her eyes were
permanently damaged. Her family was not compensated when they filed a
lawsuit against the mineral water company, but when their story
became the subject of a radio story on Internews Armenia’s new
program `Aniv Radio Investigation,’ radio stations that aired the
program received a flood of feedback from listeners.
Radio producer Robert Balayan from station Interkap, Vanadzor said,
`We had lots of phone calls from our audience. They insisted that the
problems of our city should be covered as well.’
`Aniv Investigation’ was inspired by Internews Armenia production
manager Harutyun Mansuryan’s desire to expand the format of two other
popular shows, `Aniv Talk Show’ and `Aniv Radio Hour.’ `We constantly
came across striking and impressive stories that we couldn’t explore
to the end because the program format didn’t allow us.’
`Aniv Investigation’ is produced by the Internews team and
freelancers. Other topics have included the safety of dairy products
in Armenia, the issue of adoption, and the suicide of a prisoner
accused of the October 1999 assassinations in the parliament.
Internews Armenia is funded by grants from the United States Agency
for International Development.

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
June 22 2004
SPEECH BY ILHAM ALIYEV, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN
[June 22, 2004, 18:14:47]
Esteemed Mr. President,
Dear guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I do extend my cordial greeting to you once again and wish you
welcomed here.
Today, a new page is being opened in the relations between the
Republic of Azerbaijan and the Hellenic Republic. Useful political
dialogue is being held. Relations are developing fast. We want these
relations would cover all areas.
Dear Mr. President, I highly appreciate your official visit to
Azerbaijan and I am confident that this visit will pave ground for a
new level of relationship between our countries. It goes without
saying that the conducted discussions and meetings will define new
areas for mutual activities and contribute to the further expansion
of the relation in future.
Expansion and the development of relations between our countries in
political, economic, humanitarian, cultural and tourism fields are of
paramount importance. I wish to express my hope that the ties to be
established between Greek businessmen and Azerbaijani entrepreneurs
during the Greek-Azerbaijani business Forum will give an impetus to
our cooperation. Relationship will strengthen after your visit.
Today, Azerbaijani State continues the foreign and home policy
founded by the national leader Heydar Aliyev. From this points of
view the integration of Azerbaijan into the Europe and Euro-Atlantic
structures, to the international organizations has an important
place.
Thanks to the wise policy of Heydar Aliyev, today Azerbaijan takes
its well-deserved place in the world. Our country is the member of
Council of Europe and successfully cooperates with the NATO in the
framework of “Partnership for Peace” program and with the European
and Euro-Atlantic structures. Azerbaijan has been included into the
EU ” Wider Europe and neighbors” policy.
Today, the biggest energy projects of the world are being implemented
in Azerbaijan. The transportation of the energy resources from the
Caspian basin to the West, implementation of TRACECA Program, the
restoration of the Great Silk Road, the projects like the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline
are wonderful examples to this. After the implementation of these
projects a new stage of integration into Europe and the development
in Azerbaijan, as well as the countries of the region will start. The
operation of Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline will significantly
expand Azerbaijan-Greek relations. This pipeline will not only make
our countries to prosper, but it will also have a positive impact on
their relationship.
Azerbaijan is closely co-operating with all the countries of the
region. Only Armenia has isolated itself from such co-operation. As a
result of military aggression of this country, 20% of our lands has
been occupied, more than 1 million refugees and internally displaced
people were ousted from their native places. Four UN Security Council
Resolutions and OSCE decisions regarding the conflict remain
unfulfilled. The Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh conflict must
be solved soon based upon the international law norms and the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan must be restored.
It is with pleasure I wish to note that the Olympic games in the
current year will be held in its historic Motherland-Greece.
Azerbaijani sportsmen, as well as people form cultural and artistic
communities are having special preparation for this noble event.
Esteemed Mr. President, once again I want to express that I do attach
a high importance to your official visit to the Republic of
Azerbaijani and wish you good health and permanent development and
prosperity to your country. I raise my glass, Mr. President to You,
to the development of sincere friendship and mutually beneficial
relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Hellenic
Republic.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress