PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
May 20, 2004
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BAPTISM DISPLAYS CONTINUANCE OF ARMENIAN FAITH
There were a few unusual aspects to the baptism at St. Vartan Cathedral
on May 13, 2004. First off, it wasn’t a child being baptized, it was a
24-year-old named Sergey Grigoryan. Secondly, since he is a pastry chef
who works on the weekends, he had to get baptized on a Thursday. And
that meant that along with his family, the St. Vartan Cathedral Avaks —
who normally meet on Thursdays — were in attendance for the
celebration.
Grigoryan was born in Russia and came to America in his teens. His
mother is Jewish, his father is Armenian. He decided to receive baptism
after years of reflection and more recently discussions with Fr.
Mardiros Chevian, dean of St. Vartan Cathedral.
“It was just my free will,” said an emotional Grigoryan, who took on the
additional Armenian name of Sarkis. “It feels good; very good.”
After the baptism, Grigoryan and his family were congratulated by the
Avak members who attended. With hugs and kisses, they welcomed their
newest grandson into the church.
“This is a great chance to join two generations of Armenian faithful,”
Fr. Chevian said. “Through this unusual Thursday baptism, we were able
to welcome a new member to our church family, and the Avaks were witness
to the fact that our faith does live on.”
— 5/20/04
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable on the Eastern
Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Members of the St. Vartan Cathedral Avaks group
attended the baptism of Sergey Grigoryan on Thursday, May 13, 2004, at
the cathedral in New York City.
PHOTO CAPTION (2): An immigrant from Russia, Sergey “Sarkis” Grigoryan
decided to be baptized at St. Vartan Cathedral on Thursday, May 13,
2004, in front of his family and the members of the Avaks, his newly
adopted church family.
# # #

Melkonian on the agenda in talks with Armenian minister
By Jean Christou
Cyprus Mail
May 21 2004
THE CLOSURE of the Melkonian Educational Institute (MEI) in Nicosia
was discussed yesterday during discussions between Foreign Minister
George Iacovou and his Armenian counterpart Vartan Oskanian, who is
on an official visit to the island.
Speaking after the meeting, Oskanian said the issue was discussed with
Iacovou, as well as Interior Minister Andreas Christou and Nicosia
Mayor Michael Zampelas.
“This is an issue that concerns the Government of Armenia and I simply
heard the views of the Cypriot government officials as to what they
think about the future of the school; I should also say that I met
with the community members yesterday and I focused on the Melkonian’s
closure,” he added.
“We in Armenia like to see a solution to this issue that will meet
the needs of everyone,” the Armenian Foreign Minister said, adding
Armenia was ready to offer its good offices, if it could be of any
help, to reach a positive conclusion to this issue.
Last month, the government slapped a preservation order on the
Melkonian, giving the school, slated to close next year, a temporary
reprieve from the developers, but so far there are no assurances
about the school’s continuation beyond June 2005, after which a good
number of Armenian students living in Cyprus would be deprived of a
national-language school, while boarding students would be sent home.
The central board of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU)
in New York said in March that the 78-year old school should close
in June 2005.
The loss-making Melkonian is sitting on a £40 million plot in the
capital’s commercial district and reports have been rife that it is
up for grabs by developers.
The AGBU said in November that the school was not for sale but
then changed tack and announced the closure. The schools alumni are
convinced the foundation’s only aim is to “take the money and run”.
Staff at the school are also outraged over comments by the AGBU
that the standard of education at the MEI was not up to scratch,
and threatened this week to take industrial action.
Iacovou and Oskanian also discussed the Cyprus issue, the island’s
EU accession and relations with Armenia during yesterday’s meeting
Oskanian stressed the importance of Cyprus’ accession to the EU for
Armenia. “We see Cyprus as a friendly country, as an insider in the EU
and that we can rely on its help to further advance our integration
processes with European structures and particularly with the EU,”
he said.

ARMENIAN, TURKISH SPEAKERS FOCUS ON DIPLOMATIC TIES
Mediamax news agency
20 May 04
Yerevan, 20 May: The first ever meeting of the Armenian and Turkish
speakers took place on 19 May in Strasbourg.
The major topic of the meeting between the Armenian and Turkish
speakers, Artur Bagdasaryan and Bulent Arinc, were prospects for
establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries. Moreover,
the press service of parliament said that Bagdasaryan and Arinc
discussed the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict settlement and the Armenian
genocide.
The National Assembly speaker expressed his wish that Turkey
should take an unbiased position on the Karabakh settlement
process. Bagdasaryan also said that the annihilation of 1.5m Armenians
as a result of a policy of genocide was an indisputable historical
fact. At the same time, he said that territorial claims to Turkey
are not on the agenda of Armenia’s foreign policy at the moment.

KYRGYZ DEFENCE MINISTER TO ATTEND CIS MEETING IN ARMENIA 21 MAY
AKIpress news agency web site, Bishkek
20 May 04
Kyrgyz Defence Minister Esen Topoyev is to attend a regular session
of the CIS Council of Defence Ministers in the Armenian capital,
Yerevan, on 21 May, Kyrgyz news agency AKIpress reported on 20 May.
The CIS countries will be discussing more than 20 questions relating
to military and technical cooperation.
They will also be looking at the question of coordinating the positions
of CIS states on the problems of nuclear proliferation within the
context of preparations for an international conference in 2005 on
the implementation of the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear
Weapons, the agency added.

RUSSIA NOT TO PARTAKE IN NATO WARGAME IN AZERBAIJAN IN SEPTEMBER – SERGEI IVANOV
RIA Novosti, Russia
May 20 2004
YEREVAN, May 20 (RIA Novosti) – Russia will not take part in the
military exercise of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation within
the Partnership for Peace programme due to be held in Azerbaijan
in September, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov told the press
conference in Yerevan on Thursday.
“We participate in an exercise only when we see practical benefit
for us proceeding from the national interest, otherwise we are not
interested”, he said.
In turn, the Armenian head of the military establishment, Serj
Sargsian, said: “Armenia it ready to participate but only as a
full-fledged member”.
“What is proposed now – the observer status – is unacceptable”,
Sargsian said.
Sergei Ivanov sees no serious problems in Russian-Armenian relations,
which have been developing dynamically in recent time.
“There are not a single big problem existing in our mutual relations”,
he told journalists.
During the two-day visit, Sergei Ivanov is going to discuss with his
Armenian analogue interaction in the military field, regional security
and the situation in some flashpoints.
Russia has no plans for the build-up of the numerical strength of
the 102nd military base in Armenia, the Russian defence minister
said. It is not quantity but quality, the provision of arms, the
military hardware that matter, he said Serj Sargsian said that he
sees it as a rhetoric matter.
“The answer to this question is certainly ‘no'”, said the Armenian
foreign minister. “We have many times said that we view military
contacts with Russia as a component of our national security. This is
why the answer will be plain and clear – there will be no withdrawal
of the Russian base from Armenia”.
As regards the Russian bases in Georgia, there will be no haste with
their pullout from Georgia, the Russian foreign minister said.
He recalled that the relative talks with Georgia have of late slowed
down due to the objective reasons — the governments in both the
countries have changed. “The talks will be continued, and not only
on a timeframe for withdrawal but also on a status for the bases”,
Sergei Ivanov said.
He said that Armenia has bought two military transport planes Il-76
at the domestic Russian prices in line with the mechanism existing in
the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (its members are Belarus,
Russia, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Tajikistan, Armenia). “The two Il-76
planes, bought by Armenia from Russia according to the CSTO methods,
have today landed in Armenia”, Sergei Ivanov said.
The Russian defence minister voiced surprise over the information on
the possibility of the joint use by Russia and the United States of
the Gabaliski radar in Azerbaijan.
“However imaginative, I cannot think of it”, Sergei Ivanov joked. He
recalled that the Gabalinski radar is Russia’s military installation
working in the interest of the Russian Federation. The agreement on
its use has recently been concluded with Azerbaijan.
Asked by journalists about his approach to the GUUAM association
(Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Moldova), Sergei Ivanov
said that he “just does not have any”.
“It is, to put it mildly, premature to talk of its military-political
component”, Sergei Ivanov said.

CYPRUS SATISFIED WITH GREEK PREMIER’S MEETING WITH UN SECRETARY-GENERAL
Cyprus News Agency
20 May 04
Nicosia, 20 May: Nicosia is satisfied with the discussions Greek
Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis had with UN Secretary-General Kofi
Annan during their recent meeting in New York, according to Cyprus
Foreign Minister Yeoryios Iakovou.
Answering questions after today’s meeting with Armenian Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian, the minister also said that Annan’s report
on the latest developments Cyprus was expected by the end of the month.
He expressed the view that it would present an impartial outline of
the facts in relation to the UN-led talks, which concluded at the end
of March and led the people of Cyprus to separate referenda on a UN
proposal for a solution which was rejected by the Greek Cypriots and
approved by the Turkish Cypriots.
Iakovou said the government was informed about the Karamanlis-Annan
meeting by the republic’s permanent representative to the UN, who met
Greek Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis, and by Greece’s Ambassador
in Nicosia Khristos Panagopoulos.
“It seems the meeting was constructive and productive”, he said,
noting that a large part of it was dedicated on Cyprus.

RUSSIA TO KEEP MILITARY BASE IN ARMENIA, DEFENCE MINISTERS CONFIRM
RIA news agency, Moscow
20 May 04
Yerevan, 20 May: Russia has no plans to increase the number of
servicemen at its 102nd military base in Armenia, Russian Defence
Minister Sergey Ivanov told journalists today.
“We have no plans to increase the number of Russians stationed at the
102nd Russian base. This is the best number. It is not quantity but
quality and provision of weapons and equipment that is important,”
the minister said.
“We are striving to ensure that the 102nd base is well equipped
militarily and that it carries out combat training on schedule. We
attribute priority importance to this,” Ivanov underlined.
Armenian Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan, for his part, declared
that the Russian base would not be withdrawn from Armenia. Asked
about the possibility of a withdrawal of the Russian military base
from Armenian territory, Sarkisyan told journalists that he regarded
this as a purely rhetorical question.
“This is a question to which we already know the answer – no,”
Sarkisyan said. “We have repeatedly said that we regard military
relations with Russia as an integral part of our national security. I
can therefore give you a precise and clear answer – there will be no
withdrawal of the Russian base from Armenia.”

RUSSIAN DEFENCE CHIEF RULES OUT “HASTY” WITHDRAWAL FROM GEORGIA
ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow,
20 May 04
Yerevan, 20 May: Russian Defence Minister Sergey Ivanov says that
there can be no question of a hasty withdrawal of Russian servicemen
from the military bases in Georgia.
“There can be no hasty withdrawal of Russian military bases from
Georgia. There can be no question of this. In this case, there will
be no repetition of what happened in the early 1990s when Russian
troops withdrew from Germany,” Ivanov said after meeting his Armenian
counterpart, Serzh Sarkisyan.
“For the withdrawal of the Russian military bases from Georgia,
time and large financial resources are needed so that the troops
that are being withdrawn can be relocated on Russian territory,”
Ivanov went on to say.
Ivanov said that recently the process of withdrawal of Russian military
bases from Georgia had “slowed somewhat for objective reasons due
to the change of governments in both Russia and Georgia”. “As soon
as the composition of the delegations has been changed, talks on
withdrawing the bases will be continued,” he said. “The talks will
turn on the time-frame for a withdrawal and, first and foremost,
on the status of the bases which form part of the group of Russian
troops in the Transcaucasus.”

RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTER UPBEAT ON TALKS WITH ARMENIAN COUNTERPART
ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow
20 May 04
Yerevan, 20 May: The Russian and Armenian defence ministers have at
their talks “taken yet another important step on the way towards
deepening the Russo-Armenian strategic partnership, the security
of our countries and the maintenance of peace and stability in the
Transcaucasus”, Russian Defence Minister Sergey Ivanov said today,
summing up the results of his meeting with his Armenian counterpart
Serzh Sarkisyan.
“We reviewed a broad range of issues relating to implementing
accords reached earlier on military and technical cooperation,
ensuring the operation of the Russian military base on the territory
of the Republic of Armenia and interaction in the sphere of military
construction and personnel training,” Ivanov explained. In addition,
he said, “we exchanged opinions on the development of the military
and political situation in the Transcaucasus region and clarified
positions on combating international terrorism”.
Ivanov pointed out that the decisions adopted during the talks
“were the natural result of the sides’ mutual interest in developing
all-round military contacts”. “They are a logical continuation of the
intensive work which the presidents of our countries are conducting
in order to develop interstate relations,” Ivanov stressed.
The Russian defence minister arrived in Yerevan today for a two-day
visit. On 21 May he will chair a meeting of the CIS Council of Defence
Ministers. The participants will afterwards be received by Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan.

CYPRUS CAN BE “BRIDGE” BETWEEN EU AND NEIGHBOURS – SPEAKER
Cyprus News Agency
20 May 04
Nicosia, 20 May: Cyprus can act as the bridge between the European
Union and its neighbours, including the Republic of Armenia, agreed
both Cyprus House President Dhimitris Khristofias and Armenian Foreign
Affairs Minister Vardan Oskanyan.
Speaking after their meeting, Khristofias said they discussed the
latest developments in the Cyprus problem as well as prospects of
enhanced bilateral cooperation.
“Friendly relations, development of economic and cultural exchanges,
when accompanied by practical steps, become more solid. I wish to see
the soonest possible such results so as our cooperation and friendship
can be further strengthened,” said Khristofias.
He said Oskanyan conveyed to him a message from his Armenian
counterpart and said that he would visit Armenia soon.
Oskanyan thanked Khristofias for the meeting, saying it was short but
very constructive, during which they outlined their vision as to how
they saw the future of bilateral relations.
“In future, we will focus on economic cooperation. There are no
political differences between our two countries. Just the opposite,
I think we have a lot in common in our vision and approaches to the
resolution of conflicts and regional peace and stability so we will
continue to work together in international organizations to advance our
common causes and continue to provide support to each other”, he said.
He said he looked forward to the visit by the House president to
Armenia, noting that the president of the National Assembly had
already visited Cyprus.