Azeri spiritual leader denounces “destruction of shrines” in Iraq
ANS TV, Baku
20 May 04
(Inserting missing words “religious rites” in third paragraph. A
corrected version of the item follows:)
[Presenter] The chairman of the Board of the Muslims of the Caucasus
[BMC], Sheikh ul-Islam Allahsukur Pasazada, issued a statement on the
destruction of the holy shrines of the Muslims in military operations
in Iraq.
[Correspondent over video of Pasazada] The destruction of the holiest
shrine of the world Shi’is, the Imam Ali mosque, by US troops, should
not only worry the Muslim states.
[Pasazada] In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. We
would not like it if our shrines were the targets of fire, and were
destroyed or damaged. I am calling on both sides, the Western states,
if they want to earn the respect of the Muslim world, and restore
democracy there, they should those religious rites and holiest shrines
[as received – changes tack] because, today Imam Ali [the Lord of
the Faithful, the first Shi’i imam] not only belongs to Shi’is, he
is the greatest pearl for the world. Pasazada considers that what is
going in Iraq is also affecting Azerbaijan’s interests.
[Pasazada] There is a cemetery and currently military operations
are underway near it, tanks are around, there is destruction, may
be, there Azeris lay there too, there lie the tombs of our greatest
ancestors. If we speak about Karbala, we should also think of [Azeri
poet of 16th century, Mahammad] Fizuli.
[Correspondent] The sheikh fears that the Iraqi people, waiting for
democracy, may be facing a blood-stained democracy and this gift may
rebound on the coalition forces.
[Pasazada] Together with the killings of people, people’s confidence
is also lost, i.e. those forces which say I want to come with democracy
[changes tack], every such bullet means a weakening of democracy. Every
bit of damage, every single bullet, fired at the shrines of Imam Ali,
Prophet Husayn, every single step against it [changes tack], I call
it a stick democracy.
[Correspondent] The chairman of the Board of the Muslims of the
Caucasus (BMC), Sheikh ul-Islam Allahsukur Pasazada, has already spoken
to the US ambassador to Azerbaijan about these issues. He called on the
coalition forces to observe peace and the Muslims to show solidarity.
[Pasazada] There is another point that worries me deeply. The voice
of these democracies is coming from Iraq, it may come from Syria
tomorrow and other places. Because its foundation was laid in Xocali
[Azeri settlement razed to the ground by Armenian and Russian troops
in 1992]. However, there was no support from the Arab states, they
did not say that I missed such [tragedy] in Xocali and it hit you. Now
we do not know whom it will hit after Iraq.
[Correspondent] The sheikh added that together with the holiest
shrines, Iraq is in need of repair, both from statehood and a spiritual
point of view.
Zamina Aliyeva, Elxan Huseynov for ANS.

Washington not to hamper US companies working in Karabakh, envoy says
Ekspress, Baku
21 May 04
Text of Alakbar Raufoglu report by Azerbaijani newspaper Ekspress on
21 May headlined “Are the politics and trade separate?”, subheaded
“Washington does not intend to prevent the US companies working in
Nagornyy Karabakh”
Washington is not going to apply economic sanctions against US
companies operating in Azerbaijan’s occupied territory of Nagornyy
Karabakh, US ambassador to Azerbaijan Reno Harnish has told a news
conference on the results of the US-Azerbaijani intergovernmental
working group yesterday [20 May]. According to him, the US government
believes in independent trade and “we do not support imposing any
trade restrictions on independent countries”.
At the same time, the ambassador said if Washington applied sanctions
against Nagornyy Karabakh, then those sanctions had to be addressed
to Azerbaijan, since US laws had not experienced the application of
sanctions against any autonomous establishment.
For this reason, US companies can continue their activities in
Nagornyy Karabakh.
The ambassador, who declined to answer questions about the recognition
of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity by Washington, said: “It is not
worth speaking about politics in such issues. We support efforts on
the Nagornyy Karabakh resolution. The US government wants to see a
lasting, but just solution to the problem.”
Thus, Harnish thinks that the operation of foreign companies in
Nagornyy Karabakh is a “trade issue” and this should not be confused
with political processes. From this viewpoint, the ambassador recalled
the proposal to open borders between Turkey and Armenia advanced by
US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage during his visit to
the region last month.
“He said that borders should be opened so that trade relations can
be established,” the ambassador said and added that he was against
the presentation of the US companies’ operation in Nagornyy Karabakh
as a success of the USA.
Harnish said that the USA wanted to show once again its close relations
with Azerbaijan in the economic sector and that “an intergovernmental
agreement was achieved on the preparation of new programmes”.
It is interesting that the USA can easily confuse “trade relations”
with politics when this is beneficial for it. For instance, when
Washington applies sanctions against numerous countries in the world,
it bans private companies from keeping ties with those countries.

Azerbaijan refuses to attend CIS sitting in Armenia
Bilik Dunyasi news agency
21 May 04
Baku, 21 May: Azerbaijani representatives will not take part in a
sitting of the council of the heads of CIS Chambers of Commerce and
Industry which is due in Yerevan on 2 June. The leadership of the
Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce and Industry officially notified
the council of its decision not to take part in events held on the
territory of the enemy state, the chamber said.
[Passage omitted: Issues related to business information exchange
will be on the sitting’s agenda]

Georgian-Turkish railway link would benefit the entire region – president
Imedi TV, Tbilisi
21 May 04
[Presenter] Before leaving for Istanbul, Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili held a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah
Gul in Ankara today.
The parties discussed common interests in the region and long-term
prospects, including the [proposed] construction of Kars-Batumi
railway line which caused some irritation on the of Armenia. The
president commented today on Yerevan’s reaction to the proposed
construction. Saakashvili said that, if the Georgian railways are
linked to the Turkish railways, this will benefit both Georgia,
Turkey and Armenia.
[Salome Zourabichvili, Georgian Foreign Minister, interviewed] There
was a very interesting exchange of our views that our policies in
this region are basically the same. We also share the same aspiration
towards Europe, the same desire to have normal and constructive
relations with Russia, and the same partnership with America.
[Saakashvili, interviewed] When we are talking about railways, first
of all, I care about the interests of Georgia. Georgia should extend
the railway line and link it with the Turkish railway system. If
the Turkish railway system is linked to Georgia, this will benefit
Azerbaijan, Armenia, Central Asia, and absolutely everyone. This is
certainly in the interests of the entire region. This is one thing.
Second, we should manage to turn [the Ajarian capital] Batumi airport
into an international airport like Geneva airport. This would enable
Batumi airport to provide services to passengers from the border
areas of Turkey. An international-level terminal should be created
there. There were similar plans in the past, and we should be able
to reconstruct these plans.
From: Baghdasarian

Russian defence minister envisages no expansion of CIS security organization
ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow
21 May 04
Yerevan, 21 May: It is not planned to accept new members to the
Collective Security Treaty Organization comprising Armenia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan . This was announced
today by Russian Defence Minister Sergey Ivanov after the session of
the CIS Council of Defence Ministers.
“There are no such plans,” the Russian defence minister stressed. “At
present there are no applications from new members to join the
Collective Security Treaty Organization,” he concluded. In this
connection Ivanov recalled that the permanent staff of this
organization had been set up and was functioning in Moscow.
In addition to this, the Russian minister announced that following a
decision by the Council of Defence Ministers, the term in office of
the chief of the staff coordinating military cooperation of the CIS
states, Army Gen Vladimir Yakovlev, had been extended.

U.S., NATO aim to calm Caucasus turbulence
BY Brian Whitmore, Boston Globe
Star Tribune
Last update: May 20, 2004 at 4:55 PM
May 21, 2004CAUCASUS0521
GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, GERMANY — U.S. Army Col. Michael Anderson has
Georgia on his mind. He spends a lot of time thinking about Armenia
and Azerbaijan, as well.
Plagued by ethnic conflicts, political instability, organized crime,
and porous borders, the volatile South Caucasus region has long been
viewed by Western officials as a hotbed of chaos and of instability
in Europe’s backyard.
The U.S. military and key NATO allies are now laying the groundwork for
an unprecedented engagement in the region that will include coordinated
military and humanitarian assistance, education, and training aimed
at eventually bringing these troubled nations and their armed forces
into Europe’s mainstream.
“We want these nations to ultimately be able to stand on their own and
to be secure and stable states,” said Anderson, the U.S. military’s
European Command point man for policy in the Caucasus.
The emerging initiative in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan is part of a
focus on what military commanders call “an arc of instability” ranging
from the Caucasus through the Middle East to the Gulf of Guinea in
West Africa. Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, U.S. armed forces
worldwide have been taking steps to redirect their resources to fight
the war on terrorism more effectively.
Officials at the U.S. European Command say that because they do not
anticipate a major war in their area of responsibility in the near
future, they are focusing on preventing conflicts on and beyond the
continent’s hinterlands before they become full-blown security crises.
In the South Caucasus, and in North Africa, U.S. military officials
say they are seeking to use “the prudent application of soft power”
— gaining access and influence in these regions by exposing nations
there to Western thinking and values — to advance the interests of
the United States and its allies.
“We are applying a regional, cooperative approach … helping nations
help themselves,” Air Force Gen. Charles Wald, deputy commander of
U.S. forces in Europe, said in a statement.
At a two-day conference this month at the George C. Marshall European
Center for Security Studies in this southern German Alpine town,
U.S. defense officials met with their counterparts from key NATO
allies to coordinate their efforts to assist a defense overhaul in the
region. Officials from Georgia and Armenia also attended. Officials
from Azerbaijan were invited but did not attend amid the continuing
animosity with Armenia over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabach.
By helping stabilize the South Caucasus and assisting in improvements
in the region’s armed forces, officials say, the initiative contributes
to the war against terrorism.
“Terrorists are looking for areas of instability where they can play
the East-West cultural card, and the Caucasus is a region that is ripe
for that,” a senior British defense official said on the condition
of anonymity. “If we don’t turn our attention to it, they will.”
The new emphasis on the Caucasus seeks to build on recent
U.S. initiatives in the region. From May 2002 until last month,
U.S. soldiers trained four Georgian light-infantry battalions and a
tank company under a $64 million program called the Georgia Train and
Equip Program. The program aimed to professionalize Georgia’s armed
forces and to equip them to root out suspected terrorists linked
to Al-Qaida in the country, most notably the Pankisi Gorge region
near Chechnya.
U.S. military officials have since identified illicit weapons,
narcotics, and human-trafficking across the region’s porous frontiers
as other key security concerns. Easy access to smuggling routes
empowers organized crime groups, compromises the authority of central
governments and destabilizes the region, the officials say.
Protecting the flow of oil out of the region is also a top security
concern for the United States and its allies. A major pipeline running
from Baku, Azerbaijan, through Tblisi, Georgia, to Ceyhan, Turkey,
is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. Analysts say
the pipeline will reduce the West’s energy dependence on the Middle
East and the Persian Gulf but could also become a potential target
for terrorists.
Longtime NATO allies like Britain, Germany, and Turkey — as well as
new alliance members Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania — are contributing
with assistance programs in the region.
The former Soviet republics of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, which
have reformed their militaries sufficiently to join NATO this year, say
they are now prepared to help Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan do the
same. The Baltic nations are also offering to help train border guards.
Nikoloz Laliashvili, head of defense policy and NATO integration for
Georgia’s Defense Ministry, said it is his country’s “aspiration”
to follow in the footsteps of the three Baltic countries.
U.S. and other Western officials concede privately that Georgia,
Armenia, and Azerbaijan have made uneven progress. Georgia, which
tossed out its Soviet-era leaders in favor of the pro-Western
government of Mikhail Saakashvili in a peaceful revolution in
November, has shown the most serious commitment to an overhaul,
the officials say.
Earlier this month, Georgia peacefully seized control of the rebel
province of Ajaria, in the country’s southwest corner, although
Saakashvili is still struggling to bring other breakaway regions like
Abkhazia and South Ossetia under Tblisi’s control.

Spain coach Saez opts for a defensive Euro 2004 squad
The Star
Friday May 21, 2004
MADRID: Spain coach Inaki Saez opted for a conservative Euro 2004 squad,
naming eight defenders and leaving out Arsenal striker Jose Antonio Reyes
yesterday.
Experienced players from Real Madrid and champions Valencia made up the
backbone of the 23-man squad which will play hosts Portugal, Greece and
Russia in Group A.
The coach said 20-year-old Reyes, who has won four caps and scored two goals
for Spain in the Euro qualifier against Armenia in October, had not yet
reached maturity.
“Reyes is a man of the future for the national side,” Saez said.
As well as Reyes, Saez left out Valencia attacker Mista, the highest-scoring
Spaniard in this year’s Primera Liga with 19 goals. Mista’s stunning form
helped his side seal a league and UEFA Cup double this season.
“My experience of international tournaments is that central defenders always
receive the most punishment, and in the final – which is what we aim to
reach – you are always short of defenders,” Saez said.
“So I have put another man in at the back.”
Saez named Raul despite the Spanish captain’s poor season with Real Madrid.
Fellow striker Fernando Morientes of Monaco also won a place after a
brilliant Champions League campaign.
Saez opted for versatile Barcelona defender Gabri to plug any holes in the
Spanish defence, saying he was familiar with the player from coaching the
Spanish youth team who won the 1999 World Cup in Nigeria.
Defensive stalwarts Ivan Helguera and Michel Salgado of Real Madrid, and
Carles Puyol of Barcelona are included and Betis’ Juanito won a place
despite his side’s indifferent league form.
Spain, who have not lost in nine internationals, will rely on first choice
goalkeeper Iker Casillas of Real Madrid.
Athletic Bilbao’s 24-year-old goalkeeper Daniel Aranzubia was named in the
squad for the first time.
THE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Santiago Canizares (Valencia),
Daniel Aranzubia (Athletic Bilbao).
Defenders: Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Ivan Helguera (Real Madrid), Carlos
Marchena (Valencia), Michel Salgado (Real Madrid), Gabri (Barcelona), Raul
Bravo (Real Madrid), Cesar (Deportivo Coruna), Juanito (Betis).
Midfielders: Juan Carlos Valeron (Deportivo Coruna), Xabi Alonso (Real
Sociedad), Ruben Baraja (Valencia), Vicente (Valencia), David Albelda
(Valencia), Joaquin (Real Betis), Xavi (Barcelona).
Forwards: Raul (Real Madrid), Albert Luque (Deportivo Coruna), Fernando
Torres (Atletico Madrid), Fernando Morientes (Monaco), Joseba Etxeberria
(Athletic Bilbao). – Reuters

“Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund Convenes its Annual Summit
FOR IMMEDATE RELEASE
May 21, 2004
CONTACT: Sarkis Kotanjian
Phone: (818) 243-6222
Fax: (818) 243-7222
E-mail: [email protected]
Glendale, CA – The Board of Trustees of “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund
held its annual general meeting in Yerevan on May 6, 2004. The meeting
was part of a week-long summit (May 4th-May 11th) which brought together
representatives of the Fund’s eighteen overseas affiliates from Canada,
South America, Europe, the Middle East and the United States.
President of the Republic of Armenia and Chairman of the Board of
Trustees of “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund, H.E. Robert Kocharian, and the
President of Nagorno Karabakh Republic H.E. Arkady Ghoukasian
participated in the sessions and activities. The key objective of the
summit was to assess the Fund’s current programs and to chart out the
5-year and 10-year plans to enhance the Fund’s activities.
Armenia Fund, Inc. (AFI), the Fund’s affiliate in the Western United
States, was represented by its Chairperson, Maria Mehranian and
Vice-Chairman Ara Aghishian, Esq. In her report, Mehranian discussed
the challenges facing AFI and outlined the organization’s development
strategy for the upcoming five years. She said that while the Western
U.S. has a sizable active Armenian population, it also has the
responsibility to create and maintain a complex network of its own
cultural, educational, religious and administrative institutions that
cater to its local communities. Recognizing this reality, she stressed
that the Fund’s key messages should emphasize the inseparable link
between Armenia and the Diaspora. The diversity of the Armenian
communities in the Western U.S. necessitates a strong public outreach
program that establishes and maintains the credibility of the Fund,
while staying connected to its constituency.
“AFI does not view these challenges as obstacles rather as factors
that offer unique opportunities that can enhance our activities”, said
Mehranian. For example, the expansive geographic area and the diverse
population in the Western region are powerful sources of assets and
capabilities for specialized assistance to the Fund’s programmatic and
targeted projects. At the same time, the large number of single and
multi-purpose organizations in the region offer opportunities for
strategic partnerships to sponsor specific projects.
Presenting AFI’s strategic development plan for the upcoming five years,
Mehranian stated that the organization’s Board of Directors will
concentrate its efforts on achieving several important goals: expand and
diversify the donor base by developing a multi-level fundraising
strategy, educate the public about Armenia’s critical needs and the
range of the Fund’s projects that target those needs, and establish
strategic partnerships to implement joint projects with other Armenian
organizations currently involved in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. She
emphasized that these goals can only be achieved by maintaining
political independence and neutrality, adhering to strict accountability
and financial transparency, and by professional management of
fundraising and fund allocation at the executive level.
During an interview with Ara Aghishian, Esq., Vice-Chairman of AFI,
Inc., upon his return from the Summit, he stated that “I was very
pleased with the rate of progress our projects in general are being
implemented in Armenia. I was there at the last Summit in September of
2003, and observed a tremendous amount of improvement the Fund has done
from September 2003 to May of 2004. I am certain that the leadership
will continue this important task with the same vigor and dedication.”
Armenia Fund, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation, is
the West Coast affiliate of the “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund
headquartered in Yerevan, Armenia. Since 1994, AFI has generated over
$20 million for various large-scale humanitarian and infrastructure
development projects in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

NATO is preparing for major war
Pravda Ru
05/21/2004 17:03
Vice-president of Academy of geopolitical problems, colonel- general
Leonid Ivashov says on NATO approaching Russian borders in Utro
interview. Utro NATO approached Russian borders, but young generations
of Russians doubt if this is a threat to Russia, recent public opinion
surveys demonstrated. Where do you see the threat to Russian security?
Leonid Ivashov As for young people”s opinion, I am teaching at Moscow
State Institute of International Relations and know that students
are given too contradictory and scarce information. Professors have
shortage of textbooks interpreting different doctrines, opinions
and approaches. Young people are confused, they are disoriented and
cannot see the long-term threat. Yes, NATO troops do not shoot and
bomb Russia today, and this creates the impression that the threat
is not real.
One more thing: mass media, especially TV channels, do not create the
“image of the enemy”, and young people do not read newspapers. For
these reasons, it is hard for young people to determine their position
on NATO.
In addition, Western values are being planted in Russia, while its own
historical and cultural roots are coming into oblivion. Currently our
young people see Chechen terrorists are much bigger threat than NATO.
Utro This is all mass media”s fault…
Leonid Ivashov Mass media are a tool not only for expansion in
peaceful period, but also for war. For example, mass media created
demonic image of Slobodan Milosevic and Serbs in Europe and in
America. As a result, the public did not protest when the aggression
against Yugoslavia started in violation of international law. Then the
principle of creating the image of demon was applied to Iraq. This
is informational warfare, and its weapons are so powerful that any
democratic leader loved by his people can be made a monster and demon
in 2-3 weeks.
Let us ask a question – for what reasons is NATO moving Eastward? NATO
is a military machine increasing its potential, having many thousands
of tanks and cannons, more than 5,000 military aircrafts, nuclear
weapons. This machine is near our borders. A question to young people:
why is NATO approaching Russia? For what reasons are the six aerodromes
in the Baltic states being modernized for NATO”s strategic aviation
landing (including aircrafts carrying nuclear weapons)?
Utro Using the military language – for possible military actions in
Eastern regions…
Leonid Ivashov Certainly, and international terrorism is a good excuse
for this. Earlier Communism was this excuse. Why can”t Americans
find bin Laden? He is very convenient for them. Taliban has been
defeated, and if al-Qaida is defeated, there will be no source of
terrorism. Americans need this source.
40 countries are the members of the Council for European Partnership
which is affiliated to NATO. Several years ago one of the NATO generals
was speaking at the Council about the threat for NATO and Europe. The
general named spreading weapons of mass destruction, drug trafficking,
illegal migration and terrorism as the threats, and said that NATO will
concentrate on eradicating them. At that point, I asked a question,
“Could you tell how mechanized division, Air Force and Navy will
fight against spreading nuclear weapons, drug trafficking and illegal
migrants. Could you share your experience of this?” They were confused,
because no military organization will deal with these issues. I asked
again, “70% of all NATO exercises are about starting a big war,
winning domination in air, conducting defense operations and then
attacking. Does your statement mean that you will turn to peace-keeping
operations and fighting drug trafficking now?” No reply again.
We received NATO”s invitation for some of its military exercises, such
as Balttops or the maneuvers in Poland. But all exercises always have
two stages. First – when Navy is capturing terrorists” submarine. By
the way, how can a sub with terrorists appear in the Baltic Sea? After
capturing the sub, the commanders drink Champaign and say good-bye
to the guests. Then the second, real stage of exercises starts –
landing on the seashore with aviation support and destroying enemy”s
objects, taking over settlements, destroying enemy”s aviation. All
this is aimed against Russian Baltic Fleet.
We can also see NATO working on the strategic purpose of controlling
Russian Northern Fleet. Russia has the most powerful Navy carrying
nuclear weapons, in the North. NATO set many radar stations in
Norwegian Spitsbergen islands and in the Baltic States. There is
an idea that at the last exercise of Russian Northern Fleet, Russian
missiles could not be launched because of some electronic interference.
The reaction of Russia is mainly about soothing itself. I believe
that somebody should be prosecuted for undermining our military.
Utro Can you say that so-called “NATO belt” is created around Russia
of the Baltic States, Central Asia and the Caucasus region?
Leonid Ivashov Yes, just draw the line connecting these regions. The
only protuberance there is Belarus. Ukraine has already given its
territory for NATO troops deploying. Georgia allowed NATO to use its
territory and air space.
We saw Chechen terrorists creating their bases, training camps and even
command posts in Georgia. In fact, Georgia is involved in anti-Russian
campaign. Chechen terrorists are not just bandits already, they are
well-organized anti-Russian special force having strategic goals and
using the territory of Georgia.
Americans are analyzing the option of establishing their tactical
military bases and posts in the Caucasus region, in Georgia, Azerbaijan
and later in Armenia. They are unable to have big bases there as
they need many troops in Iraq, but will bring equipment and groups
of specialists to prepare the conditions for quick deploying their
troops in the area.
Utro Media wrote about the CIA report predicting Russia”s
disintegrating into 6-8 states by 2015. Your comments?
Leonid Ivashov I believe that Russia is moving on the way of degrading,
disintegrating and destroying as a state. In this respect, the
long-term strategy has been applied to Russia for decades. Russia is
going to be isolated along its borders, then Northern Caucasus region
will be taken from it. Formally, Russia will own it, but all over the
region Chechnya-like instability will take place. Kaliningrad region
and the Far East will have the same scenario. Powerful strategy
is applied to Russia, and Russian leadership and political elite do
not respond.
What was Defense Minister Ivanov doing in Georgia during the recent
conflict in Adzharia autonomous republic? Was he pursuing Russia”s
interests? Certainly, the war in the area is not in Russia”s best
interests, but negotians should have been arranged for settling the
contradictions between the leaders of Georgia and Adzharia autonomous
republic. Americans are backing Georgian leader Saakashvili, and we
should have backe Adzharian leader Abashidze as Moscow mayor Yury
Luzhkov did some time ago. Earlier, Mr. Luzhkov came to Batumi and
made equal balance of power. Defense Minister Ivanov just overthrew
the elected head of Adzharia, and in this way he pursued the interests
of Americans.
As for American military bases in Central Asia, neither Russia nor
Iran nor China benefit from them. We invited Americans there and
persuaded the Heads of Central Asian countries to allow US troops
to be deployed there temporary. Even in the case of NATO expansion,
we are not protesting, but misleading our own people by saying that
there is no threat. Lately the agreement has been reached that NATO
forces will be deployed in Russia. What next?
Yury Kotenok

PRESS OFFICE
ARMENAN CHURCH OF NORTH AMERICA WESTERN DIOCESE
3325 North Glenoaks blvd.
Burbank, CA 91504
Tel: (818) 558-7474
Fax: (818) 558-6333
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
May 21, 2004
COMMUNIQUE
SERIES OF LECTURES AND EVENTS
WITHIN THE WESTERN DIOCESE
Upon the decision and special arrangements of His Eminence
Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the
Armenian Church of North America, the following events and series of
lectures will take place in the Western Diocesan Headquarters, as part
of the “Tarkmanchats Lsaran”:
A) Beginning in September 2004, a two year curriculum has
been organized for candidates into the Order of Priesthood, that
includes the following subjects relating to the Armenian Church and the
Armenian Religious culture:
Biblical Studies
History of the Armenian Church
Pastoral Theology
Armenian Liturgy and its Theology
Sermon and Preaching
Universal Church Fathers
Armenian Religious Literature
Monasticism and Christian Spirituality
History of Armenian Monasticism
Armenian Monastic Spirituality
History of Armenian Religious Art
Armenian Historiography and
Ideology of Armenian Identity
Classical Armenian or Grabar
B) On October 20, 21, 22, 2004, a three-day Conference will be
held, strictly for the clergy of the Western Diocese. Deacons will also
be present. Over the course of the three days prayers will take place,
as well as four lectures per day (a total of 12 lectures), which will
cover theological, ecclesiastical, spiritual, pastoral, executive,
ethical, social, instructional and various other religious topics.
C) Beginning in October 2004, another series of lectures will begin
in the evenings, which will be open to the public. These lectures will
take place ONCE A MONTH and will include a series of presentations
dedicated to the Bible, as well as topics relating to religion,
ecclesiastics, history of the church, ethics and the Armenian religious
culture,
D) In October, 2004 on the occasion of the 1600th anniversary of
the CREATION OF THE ARMENIAN ALPHABET, a three-day event will be held at
the Diocesan Headquarters, titled “THE ARMENIAN BOOK” which will
underscore the importance and significance of the Armenian Book in our
personal and ethnic lives. At the same time a book sale will take place.
This event will be open to the public.
Very Rev. Dajad Dz. Vartabed Yardemian is in charge of the
abovementioned events.
The exact dates will be published in due time.
DIVAN OF THE DIOCESE
May 19, 2004
Burbank, California