Yo-yo Ma, Silk Road make stop in Seoul
By Warren Lee
THE KOREA HERALD
June 17, 2004, Thursday
A program featuring Armenian folk songs, Romany melodies and a Korean
12-stringed zither or “gayageum” thrown in for good measure may appear
chaotic, but there is a common thread that unites these sounds. All
were heard along the Silk Road, the ancient trade route that connected
the people and traditions of Asia and Europe.
For the past six years acclaimed cellist Yo-yo Ma has led the Silk
Road Project on a nomadic concert series devoted to music from lands
along the historic route. Ma has helped unearth and introduce a
diverse range of isolated musical traditions that remain as exotic
to contemporary ears as they were to European travelers like Marco
Polo several hundred years ago.
The Silk Road Project will make its first appearance in Korea at the
Seoul Arts Center on June 24, with Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble
performing music stretching from Azerbaijan to Korea with stops
in between.
Ma originally created the Silk Road Project, which has gone on to
successfully capitalize on the exoticism shrouding the Silk Road’s
historical legacy, as an earnest study of how musical ideas travel
through various geographic and cultural terrains. It has become
more than a mere travelogue in sound and aims to underscore more
similarities than differences among traditions, while integrating
Western classical works with ties to those traditions.
The concert will begin with a pair of Korean artists. Kim Ji-hyun’s
performance of “gayageum byeongchang,” traditional Korean singing
with accompaniment on the gayageum, will contrast with a newly
commissioned work by composer Jacqueline Kim. “Tryst,” written for
the gayageum, oboe and cello, is a love song sung between the famed
scholar and poet Jung Chul and the beautiful courtesan Chin Ok. The
vocal cries are brought to life by the gayageum, with the cello and
oboe mirroring the traditional ensemble functions carried out by the
“piri,” a Korean wind instrument.
The second half of the program features the music of Azerbaijan,
Armenia and Roma arranged for string quartet, performed by Ma, violist
Nicholas Cords and violinists Jonathan Gandelsman and Colin Jacobsen.
In “Mugham-Sajay for String Quartet,” composer Franghiz Ali-Zadeh
mimics the sounds of traditional Azerbaijani and Middle Eastern
instruments, transforming a Western string quartet into a small
Azerbaijani folk band. Her piece evokes the spirit of her native
mugham, a collection of suites that form the backbone of Azerbaijani
classical music. Ali-Zadeh, who received a doctorate in musicology
from Baku Conservatory, exemplifies the Western-trained composer who
straddles two musical worlds. Chinese virtuoso Wu Tong will perform a
traditional work on the sheng, a Chinese mouth organ made of bamboo or
bronze pipes. In “The Prospect of Colored Desert” written for Chinese
lute, violin, cello and sheng, Chinese composer Jia Daquan, a painter
who turned to music when his vision became impaired, imagines a black
ink brush painting a desert.
The Silk Road Project represents another step in Ma’s musical journey
that extends well beyond performance of the classic cello repertory.
Fascinated by how ideas evolve when they travel over geographic and
cultural distances, Ma founded the organization to study the flow of
ideas along the Silk Road. The Silk Road Project is now an umbrella
organization and common resource to a variety of artistic, cultural
and educational projects.
Yo-yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble will perform June 24 at 7:30 at
the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall, located near Nambu Bus Terminal
Station, Subway Line No. 3, Exit 5. Tickets start at 30,000 won. For
more information, contact (02) 720-6633 or visit
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Palestinian shuns pageant after threats
by Tia Goldenberg
The Jerusalem Post
June 17, 2004, Thursday
After inviting Dina Emal to participate in Tuesday night’s “Miss Green
Line” beauty pageant in Jerusalem’s Gilo neighborhood, coordinator
Asi Nagar told the Palestinian contestant from Beit Jala to stay home,
in response to her mother’s fears for her safety.
Nagar had invited Emal, who also goes by the last name Mahariz,
to participate in order to help build on the pageant’s theme of
coexistence.
“She really wanted to participate, but her family was afraid, so
I had to make a decision on their behalf,” Nagar said before the
pageant. “I’d rather have a friend living in Beit Jala than a beauty
queen living in fear.” He said Emal cried when he told her not to
come to the event.
A band comprising Jews and Palestinians welcomed the guests to the
pageant, playing both Israeli and Arabic songs. While the guests were
mostly Jewish, Nagar said some Arabs had come from the Palestinian
town of Beit Jala and Jerusalem’s Beit Safafa neighborhood. After
Emal’s withdrawal, only one non-Jewish participant, Arpi Krikorian,
an Armenian Christian from Jerusalem’s Old City, remained.
“Dina really wanted to participate, but the security situation
couldn’t allow for it,” said Krikorian, who came in fourth place.
“She was very disappointed and so am I.”
Ayelet Fishman, first runner-up in the competition, said the fact
that a Palestinian woman would participate in the pageant is what
pushed her to join.
“If the Arab girl wasn’t a part of this, I wouldn’t have done it,”
Fishman said, before being notified of Emal’s absence. “It was a
once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
Before the competition, Labor MK Colette Avital spoke to the
audience. “Dina has a place in all our hearts,” said Avital. “I hope
that next year the atmosphere will be such that we will be able to
live as neighbors.”
The participants, ranging in age from 14 to 21, strutted onstage in
dresses, bikinis, and wedding gowns.
Ortal Balilti, 17, from Gilo, took the crown.
GRAPHIC: Photo: ISRAELI YOUNG women don evening dresses to
participate in a beauty contest Tuesday night in Jerusalem’s Gilo
neighborhood. (Credit: Lefteris Pitarakis/Ap)

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
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 17, 2004
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: [email protected]
ASSEMBLY BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIRMAN BARSAMIAN ARRIVES IN YEREVAN
Washington, DC – Armenian Assembly Board of Directors Chairman Anthony
Barsamian arrived in Yerevan June 17 for a 10-day visit to Armenia, Nagorno
Karabakh and Georgia for high-level meetings with government officials.
Barsamian, together with Assembly Country Director for Armenia and Nagorno
Karabakh Arpi Vartanian, is scheduled to meet with Presidents Robert
Kocharian and Arkady Ghoukasian, as well as members of their
administrations, to continue discussions on the economic and security
elements of the U.S.-Armenia and U.S.-Karabakh relationships.
Before his departure, Barsamian said: “The Assembly values our ongoing open
exchanges with Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. I look forward to a busy and
productive week.”
Barsamian will also meet U.S. Embassy officials in Yerevan before traveling
to Georgia for talks with President Mikhail Saakashvili, Prime Minister
Zurab Zhvania and Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili. Those discussions
will include the U.S./ Georgia/ Armenia relationships and center on
Tbilisi’s plans for Javahk, a region in southern Georgia populated largely
by Armenians.
Last month, a five-member Assembly delegation, headed by Assembly Board of
Trustees Chairman Hirair Hovnanian, took part in the Armenian Foreign
Ministry’s Conference highlighting the country’s foreign policy objectives,
then attended U.S. Ambassador John Ordway’s continuing series of roundtable
talks with Diasporan leaders. Trustee representative Jirair Haratunian,
Board of Directors Vice Chair Lisa Esayian, Executive Director Ross Vartian
and Country Director for Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh Arpi Vartanian were in
attendance.
And this week Barsamian headed an Assembly delegation that conferred once
again with Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian during his three-day official
visit to Washington, DC.
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#2004-055

The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
June 17, 2004 Thursday
MaryAnn’s music makers;
Awards to honor students in memory of lover of the arts
By MERRY FIRSCHEIN, STAFF WRITER, North Jersey Media Group
PARAMUS
Orthodontist Robert V. Kinoian loves music and art. He also loved his
wife, MaryAnn, who died of breast cancer four years ago. So Kinoian,
a classical guitarist who has played at Carnegie Recital Hall, has
created The MaryAnn Kinoian Memorial Scholarship Fund to reward
children in their music and art studies.
On Monday, six children – two each from Ridge Ranch Elementary
School, East Brook Middle School, and West Brook Middle School – will
receive small monetary prizes meant as a pat on the back for their
hard work.
“The award says, ‘Look, you’re interested in music and this is
something that has value. People are recognizing your ability, and
it’s worth pursuing,’-” said Kinoian. “They might say, ‘Maybe I
should keep up with this, because someone did recognize me.’-”
MaryAnn Kinoian waged a 10-year battle with breast cancer and
succumbed in September 2000 at age 45. Robert Kinoian is now raising
their daughter, Lucine, who is 14..
MaryAnn was a nurse administrator and operating room supervisor and
instructor at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City
and in New Jersey at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.
When MaryAnn was in high school, she played the violin for the
all-state orchestra in New York. And she was the chairwoman of the
art exposure program at Ridge Ranch from 1995 to 1999, when Lucine
was a student there.
“We would have posters of pieces of fine art, either paintings or
sculpture,” Kinoian said. “We would write up the background on the
paintings and give questions to the parents to ask the kids.”
Robert Kinoian is a classical guitarist who studied with Andres
Segovia, an innovator of the modern classical guitar. Kinoian has
performed at Carnegie Recital Hall and Merkin Concert Hall. By his
late 20s, he changed careers and became a dentist. He still plays the
guitar.
“I started at 8 years old,” he said. “I remember seeing the Beatles
in 1964. I always wanted to play guitar. There are even photos of me
with a toy guitar.”
When MaryAnn died, Robert Kinoian came up with a way to honor her. “I
thought it would be nice to give a little prize to children who
showed an interest in music and art,” he said. “In the spring of
2001, I approached [Ridge Ranch Principal] Meryl Barrett with the
idea. She was very pleased and enthusiastic about it.”
Administrators at each school choose the children, usually graduating
students, who will receive the award. Their names are kept secret
until the graduation ceremony, when Kinoian presents each child with
a plaque and a check.
“The child must be someone who has excelled in music and someone who
has excelled in art, and showing enthusiasm for these subjects,”
Kinoian said. Ridge Ranch students receive $50 and the middle school
children receive a $75 check.
Kinoian also gives a small award to two students at the Sunday school
of his church, St. Leon’s Armenian Church in Fair Lawn.
Kinoian’s goal is to distribute prizes to children in each of the
district’s elementary schools and middle schools. Currently, he funds
the awards himself. He hopes in the future to use money given in
honor of his wife.
“My main thrust is to support the younger children, to encourage them
that this is a worthwhile pursuit even if it doesn’t turn out to be
their career,” he said.
An award like this, even such a small one, is so important, Kinoian
said. “There seems to be so little support for the arts in financial
support from the government,” he explained. “We don’t see a lot of
art or music programs in schools. It’s peripheral.
“I always had a love for music,” he said. “It’s been such an integral
and important part of my life, I want to support children who have
those feelings, too.”
GRAPHIC: PHOTO, CARMINE GALASSO, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER – Robert V.
Kinoian, shown in his orthodontics office in Paramus, is honoring the
memory of his wife by rewarding children who excel in music and the arts.

The Washington Times
June 17, 2004, Thursday, Final Edition
EMBASSY ROW
By James Morrison, THE WASHINGTON TIMES
[parts omitted]
Beneficial embargo
Turkey’s economic embargo on Armenia has had an unexpected positive
effect on the economy, said Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian.
Turkey’s embargo is meant to force Armenia to relinquish land it
captured from Turkey’s ally, Azerbaijan, in the 1990s during a civil
war in the ethnic Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, which declared
independence from Azerbaijan in 1988. One million Azerbaijanis were
displaced, and the conflict has yet to be resolved. An unofficial
cease-fire has held since 1994.
Although State Department reports say the embargo has devastated
the economy of landlocked Armenia, Mr. Oskanian said his country
has diversified.
“We are developing and developing well. We are more efficient, more
effective,” he told our correspondent Tom Carter in an interview at
the Armenian Embassy this week.
“We have strengthened our [information technology] industry. We have
diversified into diamonds and jewelry: things that can go out on
satellite or in small pouches on airplanes.”
Mr. Oskanian met with Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, National
Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and a variety of senators during
his brief “working” visit.
He said that Armenia was gratified that it had met the qualifications
necessary to be a part of the Millennium Challenge Account, which
will give Armenia access to U.S. financial aid in the next three to
five years.
“There are billions of dollars available, which will be extremely
valuable to our economy,” said Mr. Oskanian, predicting that his
country will continue to liberalize the economy, invest in “human
capital” and improve human rights and the rule of law.
Mr. Oskanian said Armenia supported the U.S.-led effort to liberate
Iraq, although it did not provide troops. Armenia granted permission
for coalition planes to fly over its territory and is prepared to
send a specialist team to help remove land mines.
Mr. Oskanian also said Armenia’s relationship with the European Union
improved this week when the union welcomed Armenia, Azerbaijan and
Georgia under its “neighborhood policy,” which is aimed at encouraging
ties with the European bloc. However, he added that the designation
does not guarantee membership.
“This was a first signal saying, ‘Why not?’ It has not been ruled out,
but there is no firm commitment,” Mr. Oskanian said.

Armenian opposition holds new protest
Associated Press Worldstream
June 16, 2004 Wednesday
YEREVAN, Armenia — Opposition leaders in Armenia held the latest
in a series of anti-government protests on Wednesday and accused the
authorities of trying to fool European human rights representatives
by easing a crackdown against opponents during their visit.
About 5,000 people gathered in the capital for a protest in central
Yerevan, the capital of the former Soviet republic, where speakers
denounced the foreign and economic policies of President Robert
Kocharian and his government.
Opposition leader Stepan Demirchian said the authorities “imitated
democratic reforms” during a recent visit by representatives of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, or PACE.
An opposition party leader was released from jail the day the
envoys arrived in Armenia, and prosecutors dropped a criminal case
against official of the same party the day they left, speakers said.
Wednesday’s protest was the first this year to be held with government
permission.
Opposition leaders in the small, poverty-plagued Caucasus Mountain
country have organized a series of protests this spring aimed at
forcing the resignation of Kocharian, who won a second term last year
in an election they claim was marred by fraud.

EurAsEc integration committee drafts legislation adjustment agts
By Oral Karpishev
ITAR-TASS News Agency
June 17, 2004 Thursday 4:44 AM Eastern Time
ASTANA, June 17 — The integration committee of the Eurasian Economic
Community (EurAsEc) is working on two agreements to coordinate the
legislations of the community’s member-states, Kazakhstan’s Deputy
Prime Minister Sauat Mynbayev has said at the integration committee’s
meeting underway in Astana.
Mynbayev said “the signing of at least two agreements is expected,
when the EurAsEc interstate council will meet in session on Friday.”
One concerns the securities market and the coordination of EurAsEc
legislations in that sphere, and the other, coordination of
legislations related to the conclusion of foreign agreements.
The treaty to establish EurAsEc was signed in Astana in October 2000.
Its participants are Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and
Tajikistan. Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine have the observer status.
The community’s main goal is the creation of a customs union and a
common economic space.
The EurAsEc’s permanent body is the integration committee consisting
of the member-countries’ prime ministers.

El Pais, Espana
June 17, 2004
La policia investiga a empleados de un empresario muerto en Orihuela
R. LL.
Alicante
Un empresario de la construccion, de 45 anos y de nacionalidad
armenia, fue asesinado el martes a cuchilladas en la puerta del
garaje de un hotel de su propiedad, en la costa de Orihuela (Vega
Baja). La victima, que residia en la localidad desde hace 12 anos,
era un potentado empresario que poseia diversas mercantiles con
numerosos empleados a su mando. La policia judicial investiga en el
entorno de sus trabajadores. En principio, la hipotesis del ajuste
de cuentas a cargo de la mafia rusa ha perdido fuerza dado que, segun
la investigacion, los negocios de la victima son aparentemente legales.
La Guardia Civil tomo ayer declaracion a trabajadores de la victima.
El asesinato de A. G. se registro sobre las seis de la tarde,
cuando el constructor procedia a entrar a la puerta del garaje de su
aparthotel, en la urbanizacion Villamartin. Un individuo le asesto tres
punaladas, dos en el abdomen y otra en el costado, que le ocasionaron
la muerte. La urbanizacion Villamartin, en la costa de Orihuela, es
un enclave donde residen un gran numero de inquilinos extranjeros,
singularmente britanicos. La victima vivia alli con su mujer y sus
hijos. Es el segundo constructor asesinado en la Vega Baja este ano.

Armenian school puts students in multicultural USA
School honors rich heritage; Southfield’s Manoogian emphasizes Armenian
culture and history
The Detroit News
Neighborhood News (Southfield / Oak Park, MI)
June 7-13, 2004
Section U
Page 7U
By Andrea Bogos, The Detroit News
SOUTHFIELD — Armenian culture is everywhere at the AGBU Alex & Marie
Manoogian School.
It is on a stage with the kindergarten students rehearsing for their
upcoming graduation singing “I wish I could fly to Armenia.”
It is in the classroom with the eigth- and 11th-grade students
presenting projects about the future of Armenian heritage on topics like
an Armenian monastery and a famous Armenian artist.
It is also on the walls of the school, with pictures of past graduates
and the painted words “It’s easy to be born Armenian, but it is
difficult to remain one.”
Heritage is everywhere at this Armenian General Benevolent Union Alex &
Marie Manoogian School, and it is weaved into a curriculum that offers
students from kindergarten through 12th grade a unique education.
“It teaches me about my heritage,” said Vatche Bassmagian, 16, of
Southfield. “You’re a name here and not a number.”
The school will turn 35 in October and this summer will undergo an
expansion and renovation project, including a new media center and new
classrooms.
Started by Armenian philanthropist Alex Manoogian of Detroit, the school
stands by its mission to provide a quality education while enriching
students about Armenian history, regardless of whether they are of
Armenian heritage. About 65 percent of students are Armenian.
The Manoogian School offers free classes for students in grades K-12 and
a tuition-based prekindergarten program. Since the school became a
charter school 10 years ago, enrollment has jumped from 150 to 370.
Families typically find out about the school through word of mouth, said
Hosep Torossian, the assistant principal. With a population of 30,000
Armenians in Metro Detroit, the need for the school is there, he said.
“The community is strong and there is a demand to perpetuate the
culture,” Torossian said. “Not only are we exposing them to culture, but
also they learn world history.”
Coupled with the education is the close bonds students make while at
school, said Principal Nadya Sarafian.
“They know who they are and where they came from,” Dr. Sarafian said.
“Many of the students build life-long relationships.”
The school commemorates the Armenian genocide and has hosted guest
speakers, like a popular Armenian pop singer. Faculty and students agree
the experience at the school is well-rounded.
“The teachers care about you here,” said Rusha Waad, 16.
Sebouh Avedikian teaches Armenian language and history classes. He said
what students learn can be applied in many ways in their lives.
“It is a multicultural USA,” he said. “Here they learn about their
neighbors and most importantly, tolerance.”
One of the seven members of the first graduating class, Dr. Linda Darian
Karibian, now sends her daughter Ani to the school and volunteers for
field trips and to give students free dental check-ups.
“The aspect of preserving our Armenian heritage is very important,” she
said. “It’s a caring and nurturing environment, which is important for a
child’s development.”
You can reach Andrea Bogos at (313) 222-2613 or ([email protected]).
ABOUT THE SCHOOL
– Where it is: 22001 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, Michigan.
– Tuition: Free for students from kindergarten through 12th grade.
– Students attending all grades and preschool: 370
– Class size: The range is 19 to 28 students per classroom.
– Age: The school celebrates its 35th year in October.
– Phone: (248) 569-2988.
Source: Assistant Principal Hosep Torossian.
Photo caption: “The Armenian General Benevolent Union Alex & Marie
Manoogian School in Southfield teaches Armenian heritage to students
like Paulina Sidi and Alex Baljian. ‘You’re a name here and not a
number,’ said student Vatche Bassmagian”. Photo credit: Elizabeth Conley
/ Special to The Detroit News.
Photo caption: “Kindergartners rehearse a song and dance for graduation
ceremonies. The school stands by its mission to provide a quality
education while enriching students about Armenian history.” Photo
credit: John M. Galloway / Special to The Detroit News.
Photo caption: “Mher Tcholakian stretches his muscles on the Manoogian
school playground. The heritage-based school turns 35 in October.” Photo
credit: John M. Galloway / Special to The Detroit News.

Under pressure and under fire, Zhvania perseveres
The Georgian Messenger
Thursday, June 17, 2004, #111 (0635)
One of the main intrigues in Georgian politics at the moment is
the intensification of criticism directed at Prime Minister Zurab
Zhvania. The PM meanwhile does not perceive himself to be in danger
and considers “Zhvaniaphopia” to be a temporary phenomenon. In any
case, Zhvania’s political future will be largely dependent on the
success or lack thereof of the government’s economic team over the
course of the not-so distant future.
The latest wave of anti-Zhvania sentiment has led some to insist
that parliament take a vote of confidence in the government. Staunch
Zhvania foe MP Koba Davitashvili maintains that the prime minister
does not have the faith of the people. The newspaper Rezonansi quotes
Davitashvili as saying “I have become convinced of one thing – the
people to not trust Zurab Zhvania. Since the people don’t trust him,
I don’t trust him either.”
The media has long ruminated about forces conspiring against Zhvania,
citing the tense relations between him and President Saakashvili,
and has even discussed candidates for his replacement such as new
Economy Minister Kakha Bendukidze and new Interior Minister Irakli
Okruashvili. It is also frequently pointed out that Zhvania as
a politician enjoys much less sympathy in the Russian government
than Saakashvili. In a word, the prime minister is under fire from
all sides.
It must be said, however, that despite his unpopularity in society
and consistently low rating over the years, Zhvania has been at the
forefront of Georgian politics for 15 years and remains one of the
nation’s most influential political figures. His career has followed a
steady upward path, if we don’t count the three years that he toiled
in Shevardnadze’s opposition. But even this proved a wise long-term
strategy, as after the Rose Revolution he occupied the second highest
post in the government.
Zurab Zhvania is a unique figure in Georgian politics. He performs
the role of lightning rod. At any time the president can point the
finger of blame towards the prime minister for any failure of the
government. Zhvania is first and foremost associated with economic
policy, an area in which many analysts believe that thoughts of
success belong to the realm of fantasy.
Seven months have passed since the Rose Revolution and Zhvania’s
Cabinet of Ministers has been in existence for roughly three
months. In this period, the government has not experienced any economic
catastrophe, which is in itself a certain kind of success. At the same
time, the government can boast of achievements that, though modest,
were unthinkable during the Shevardnadze administration.
Society judges the success of economic policy based on the improvement
or lack of improvement of their own living conditions. Though the
standard of living in Georgia has not improved dramatically, over
the last few months pensions and salaries have been distributed
faithfully, monthly budget revenue plans have been fulfilled, the
IMF has revived its program in the country, U.S. and western aid has
increased and it seems that the donor conference underway in Brussels
at the moment will also emerge with positive results. In addition, a
new variant of the tax code has been presented for public discussion,
one that is liberal and designed to boost economic advancement. In
short, Zhvania has a lot to be proud of, but what’s important is
not momentary successes, but rather the concrete results of these
successes several months down the road.
The basis for stability in the new government has been the fact
that despite expectations to the contrary, the “Rose Triumvirate”
has managed to maintain a united front. After the revolution, many
feared that this triumvirate would split up and consequently place
the country in a difficult situation. But the past 7 months speak to
the contrary. Despite numerous confrontations and clashes of egos,
Mikheil Saakashvili, Zurab Zhvania and Nino Burjanadze still find it
in their interests to work together rather than separately for the
betterment of the nation.
*Note: Zhvania has recently come under attack because he has had to
defend his maternal Armenian roots.