Europe exerts influence on region, conflict – separatist Karabakh spokesman
Golos Armenii, Yerevan
20 May 04
In an interview, separatist Nagornyy-Karabakh presidential advisor
Manvel Sarkisyan tells the De-Facto news agency about his view of
the new European-influenced politics of the South Caucasus. In
the ideological vacuum that followed the break-up of the USSR,
he says it is Europe that is now assessing and becoming involved
in the region. The Europeans’ view is that territorial claims and
ethno-political history can be destructive and that settlement of
conflict in the region should be based only on the principles of
“human rights and legality”. Following is a report from a De-Facto
news agency report in the Armenian newspaper Golos Armenii on 20 May
headlined “The human factor is a priority”
An interview with the NKR president’s advisor on political issues
Manvel Sarkisyan. He said that “symmetrical” assessments of the Minsk
Group have been revoked.
[De-Facto correspondent] Mr Sarkisyan, you have recently taken part in
a seminar in Stepanakert [Xankandi] dedicated to the 10th anniversary
of the cease-fire in the Karabakh conflict zone. Its theme – “European
integration as a guarantee of peace and stable development”, could not
help but become a reason of public interest, raising many questions
that are topical for the region as a whole, as well as for the Karabakh
settlement. How can you explain such an active introduction of European
structures into the political life of the region recently?
[Manvel Sarkisyan] After the USSR collapsed the nations of the South
Caucasus region, that started construction of independent states, did
not immediately understand their basic psychological and political
state. The ideological vacuum, that appeared against the background
of the collapse of communist ideology, immediately meant that since
proclaiming independence, national policy found itself under the
strong influence of the ethno-political ideas.
The Urgent desire of the nations to build a national state according
to their ethno-political traditions finally turned into bloodshed and
conflict. On the other hand, a gap appeared between the tendencies
to international integration and an age-long desire of the nations
to have independence. This widening gap had a destructive effect on
the regional processes. The situation created big complications for
Europe, which from the very beginning had declared this region in
its zone of interest. In addition, incompatibility of the political
outlook of the South Caucasus nations with the established values
and norms of the European political world, formed the attitudes of
European politicians towards the countries of the region.
The most typical European assessments is perception of the region as
“territorial illegality where the dictator’s power was established
on ethnic lines”. By the way, such assessments are not concerning
only the unrecognized states, but also the three recognized states.
[Correspondent] Let us nevertheless agree that there is truth in
these assessments, and it is not quite correct to accuse Europeans
of biased views. Naturally, a certain reaction to this should be
expected from the side of the political elite of the region. Was it
adequately accepted in the region?
[Sarkisyan] During the last two years the South Caucasus countries have
felt the real affect of the political factor of Europe. Just at that
time the European structures, first of all PACE, was determining the
course of many domestic political events in all the countries of the
region. As for the political elite of these countries, which always see
“Moscow’s hand” everywhere, they suddenly found themselves something
unusual for them – the interference of the European structures in
their interior affairs. The local politicians could not understand
whole range of changed realities in the region.
Insight, that gave birth to some confusion, came during last year’s
presidential elections in Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as during
a changing of power in Georgia: it became clear that a new player had
entered the game – United Europe. A flow of harsh European resolutions
with strict assessment of the authorities actions and with no less
harsh demands, caught the political elite unaware. New rules of the
play have appeared that had to be taken into account. Along with
it they understood that Moscow, which was the traditional “owner
of state” in the region, is also starting to take these rules into
account, especially now that it is becoming more and more difficult
to explain its actions in the South Caucasus.
The relations of the region with Europe have become clear in connection
with the decision of the European Union to involve 10 new members
and an announcement about a project “New neighbours” of Europe. The
prospect of the future sight of integration of the South Caucasus
region into the European political space has become realistic. At the
beginning of this summer it will become clear if an agreement on “New
neighbours” of Europe will be adopted, and what they specifically mean
by this grandiose political project. Political regimes of the countries
of the region come across an increasing flow of demands stemming
from Europe. Testing, harsh rules and unusual values of the political
world that is attractive but has not yet fully disclosed itself.
[Correspondent] As the South Caucasus politicians start to try on
the suits made according to European designs, what can they and the
countries of the region expect from further development of events?
[Sarkisyan] It is not accidental that the first forms of established
relations of Europe with the countries of the region had a form of
uncompromising diktat in all the areas, though formally these relations
are called monitoring. It is not accidental either, that along with
practice of the legal ideas and norms being introduced into internal
life of the countries of the region, the European countries started
dealing thoroughly with the conflict zones in the South Caucasus. The
ethno-political traditions are the most destructive in the sphere of
conflict. And conflicts restrain not only economic development of the
region but also a process of state construction in the conflicting
countries.
It is not difficult to notice that the policy of the United Europe
towards the countries of the region has the following four strict
approaches:
cultivation of the European forms national legislation and stimulation
of the constitutional forms of domestic political relations;
stimulation of inter-parliamentary relations; development of business
at a regional scale; looking for means of conflict settlement on the
principles of human rights and legality.
Let us also add a strategic programme of attraction of the armies of
the region into joint international security programmes (“Partnership
for Peace”) – the purpose of the United Europe will become more clear:
to remove the ethno-political ideas from the national policy of the
regional countries. And this means that a traditional perception of
the national interests in the region may be changed substantially. It
is evident that the Western world will do everything to radically
transform the South Caucasus region. At the same time the opportunities
for choice for the countries of the region have reduced.
[Correspondent] A time has come to ask the main question: how can be
the Karabakh conflict settled against this background?
[Sarkisyan] What I said makes the Karabakh issue clear and the
conflict with Azerbaijan remains one of the key problems of the
South Caucasus. After the cease-fire the status-quo in the conflict
zone remains against a background of diplomatic settlement, within
the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. In spite of the absence of
progress in the matter of a settlement, the Minsk Group has managed to
fulfil one of its important missions – preservation of the cease-fire
regime. But at the same time a “philosophy” of settlement, taken from
the very beginning, that makes an accent at a priority of territorial
component of the conflict, remains. The package as well the stage by
stage projects of settlement were based on the matter of control over
the territory of Nagornyy Karabakh and adjoining territories.
Since 2003 the Karabakh problem has become one of the main problems
of the Council of Europe. It was then that the first PACE rapporteur
on Nagornyy Karabakh was appointed. Later rapporteur were also
appointed in the European parliament. The PACE rapporteur Terry
Davies visited the region in the spring of 2003, but he did not dare
to visit Nagornyy Karabakh. That time he said that he would assess
the Minsk Group activity, that is, he made us understand that the
European initiative has its ideas about this conflict zone, that
differ from ideas of the Minsk Group.
Soon it became clear what he meant. In January 2004, in one of the PACE
resolutions the following wording appeared: “Nagornyy Karabakh and
other occupied territories of Azerbaijan”. This formula demonstrated
a sharp changing of positions of the European countries in assessment
to the key aspects of the Karabakh problem. I would like to point out
that in the resolution of the European parliament dated 11 March 1999,
they demonstrated a more balanced approach. Furthermore it became
evident that the even-handed assessments of the Minsk Group were
fully revoked in the European approaches.
[Correspondent] What do the European structures offer in an
exchange? What is the principle difference of their proposals?
[Sarkisyan] First of all I should say that the activity of the European
structures in the matter of the Karabakh conflict settlement has
risen sharply since the beginning of 2004.
[Passage omitted: Sarkisyan says that representatives of all the
political structures of the United Europe have started visiting the
region. If earlier they were avoiding direct meetings with the NKR
leadership, this time they were searching them out. The names of
officials are mentioned and the dates of their visit to the NKR.]
More over, the British “Linx” public organization started acting on
the region. It declared its main mission – activity on stimulation
of the societies of the conflicting countries to contacts.
Just at that period the key principle in the position of the
European structures was displayed. The formula of Terry Devis –
“I am not interested in territories, I am interested in people”,
has become an expression of a fundamentally new approach of Europe to
the conflict, an approach which may be called “humanitarian”. Further
activity on the matter of a settlement has confirmed the fact that
in their approaches they follow just these principles, based on the
principle of “human rights and legality”.
It is clear that the Minsk Group approach, which is usual for the
political elite of the region, and gives priority to the territorial
aspects of the conflict situation, has been rejected forever. So,
activation of the European structures in the matter of the settlement
of conflicts in the South Caucasus region has radically changed the
politics of the Karabakh problem. It has become evident that the
challenge of conflict settlement has been connected with the general
complex of problems of political development in the South Caucasus
region. A universal approach has been displayed towards all the key
issues of the region: state building, development of democracy,
economic and political integration. The era of a “traditional”
geo-political approach towards the region has been ended.

CIS defence ministers agree on WMD, air defence system
ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow
21 May 04
Yerevan, 21 May: The defence ministers of CIS countries have supported
the initiative of the Russian Foreign Ministry to coordinate the
positions of the CIS states on the issues of non-proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction.
Russian Defence Minister Sergey Ivanov, who chaired the meeting,
said that the participants of the session “unanimously supported
the proposals to coordinate the positions of our countries on this
essential international issue”.
When summing up the meeting of ministers, Sergey Ivanov announced that
a great deal of attention was paid to the issues of the functioning
of the CIS unified air defence system. Yet another important and
effective measure for perfecting multilateral cooperation in this area,
he said, “will be the adoption of a targeted programme for ensuring
the comprehensive countering by the armed forces of the CIS of the
forces and means of an aerial attack” by a potential enemy. “Its draft
was approved today and will be sent to the council of the heads of
government of the CIS countries,” the minister noted.
According to Sergey Ivanov, the participants in the meeting took
important decisions on joint actions on operational preparations of
the armed forces of the CIS for 2005, on organizing the activities of
collective forces to maintain peace in the CIS, increasing the safety
of air force flights, creating a unified communications system and
improving cooperation on hydrometeoroligical support.
The meeting of defence ministers was attended by all CIS countries,
with the exception of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.
The defence ministers were today received by Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan. As the chairman of the session, Sergey Ivanov briefed the
president on its results. He stressed that the decisions adopted
at the meeting “will facilitate the strengthening of security and
stability in the entire space of the CIS”.
Sergey Ivanov, who arrived in Yerevan on a working visit, yesterday
held talks with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisyan. “Yet
another important step has been taken on the way towards deepening the
Russian-Armenian strategic partnership, the security of our countries
and the maintenance of peace and stability in the Transcaucasus,” he
said when summing up the results of the meeting with his counterpart.

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.