AGBU PRESS OFFICE
55 East 59th Street, New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone (212) 319-6383
Fax (212) 319-6507
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Webpage
Monday, April 19, 2004
AGBU PRESIDENT BERGE SETRAKIAN’S REMARKS AT THE 2004 ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
AGBU, along with the Eastern and Western Dioceses of the Armenian
Church, joined the Armenian Assembly of America in the organization of
the National Conference and Banquet, which was held in Washington
D.C. from April 18-20, 2004.
AGBU President Berge Setrakian addressed the convention during the
Gala event and below is the full text of his speech.
* * *
It is a sincere and rewarding pleasure to be here this evening with a
most outstanding and dedicated audience. The Armenian Assembly has put
much effort into arranging this important and worthwhile event. It is
an event that allows dedicated Armenians such as yourselves to become
advocates for the issues of importance to all Armenians. As President
of the Armenian General Benevolent Union, I am particularly proud that
our organization is a cooperating partner in the conference, along
with both the Eastern and Western branches of the Armenian Church of
America. Armenian organizations worldwide must establish vital
relationships with one another, and this conference serves as a great
example of how we can work together closely to create a momentum of
improvement in our community. In fact, at the AGBU worldwide
convention in New York two years ago, I called on our own membership
to begin a strategic process of working hand in hand to facilitate
cooperation-not competition-among A! rmenian organizations. This
spirit of cooperation must be encouraged and expanded, as it has the
potential to be one of our greatest sources of strength.
In the complex and changing world we live in today, it is even more
imperative for us to unite and strengthen our voices as we express our
concerns within the American political arena. Widespread understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues among our fellow Americans is an
important goal for each and every one of us. We must do all we can to
tell people about such issues and the need for their support from the
American government. The way we do that best is by remaining united
and remaining active, as we have been over the course of this
conference.
I would like to take this opportunity to share another major goal of
the AGBU at this moment, a goal with which I hope you can agree. More
and more at our organization, we are renewing our commitment to
serving the community by coming up with new ways to address its
needs. There is so much need in our community that we must constantly
reevaluate how to put our resources to their best and most effective
use. As we push to preserve our Armenian identity through cultural,
educational, and humanitarian efforts, we come to the conclusion that,
so to speak, doing ‘business as usual’ will no longer work. We face
new challenges, new conditions, and new parameters. We exist in a
world that is constantly changing, and we must adapt accordingly to
ensure our strength and survival indefinitely. To every challenge we
face in every program we run, we must design new responses that can
more effectively achieve our mission of serving the Armenian
people. This requires from us a certain vigila! nce-a promise that we
will create new programs and institutions to fulfill our urgent needs,
and dedicate our existing resources to that fulfillment.
Our need to evolve as a community and as individual organizations is
part of our responsibility to the Armenian youth, the new generation
who may not be as tightly linked to the traditional forms of identity
and heritage. Today, we serve a generation of young Armenian-Americans
who are more, if not fully integrated in American society. These are
young people who, even more than those of us who arrived as
immigrants, have an allegiance and loyalty to their native United
States. If a dedication to the Armenian homeland of their ancestors is
to exist, it will exist alongside an equal dedication to their
American homeland. Being Armenian-Americans does not mean that they
are 50% Armenian and 50% American. No-it means that they are 100%
Americans, who feel a strong and full commitment to their Armenian
identity. Therefore, as we work together in the future, we must take
into account that the next generation feels and lives its Armenian
identity in ways that are different from those! of our older
community. Our programs must understand this and take it as a premise
of how they operate and what they hope to achieve. We must commit
ourselves to building programs that make not only great Armenians, but
great Americans.
I believe that this conference has been an activity of that
nature-here, we have come together as full and active Americans
dedicated to the causes of Armenian concern. We have honored the goal
of unity, of service, and of being good American citizens and loyal
Armenians.
In closing, let me again express my gratitude and that of the AGBU to
the participants and supporters of this landmark event. We are proud
and grateful to have been part of this Conference in Washington and
look forward to moving together into a bright and prosperous future.

Democracy – beyond the market
Throughout the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, Richard Swift finds a
new breed of activists are struggling for sustainable democracy.
Eleanora Manandyan – social justice worker
Eleanora explains how her agency for helping poor youth in Armenia got its
name quite simply. ‘We face a severe psychological problem here in Armenia.
Everyone will tell you they have no hope, no belief in the future. “New
Armenia” gives the idea of hope.’
The agency does casework with young people but its ambitions go well beyond
that of a Westernstyle social agency, fundamentally challenging the corrupt
political oligarchy that runs her country.
As a former student activist herself, Eleanora is enthusiastic about
building a network of pupil councils throughout Armenian high schools to
empower youth. She talks despairingly of the aid money that disappears into
a black hole. ‘Money for schools is stolen. Electricity privatization money
disappears. Enough money is given to fund 20 HIV education centres, [but
only] 2 get funded. And if anyone gets close to this problem they disappear.
‘ She quotes a police inspector who told her in confidence: ‘It is possible
to solve all Armenia’s problems in 24 hours – put all these oligarchs in
prison and put their money back into the state budget.’
Eleanora doesn’t let her frustration overwhelm her. ‘We must create new
hope. Our only hope is to work with children.’
—

Life After Communism: The Facts
In the ‘transition’ from communism, the suffering of the people of Eastern
Europe and the former Soviet Union has been great, while the hoped-for
freedom from exploitation and autocracy remains elusive.
The NI maps some of the costs of market-driven shock therapy.
Post-communist meltdown in Russia
– Throughout the entire Yeltsin transition period, flight of capital away
from Russia totalled between $1 and $2 billion US every month.1
– Each year from 1989 to 2001 there was a fall of approximately 8% in Russia
‘s productive assets.1
– Although Russia is largely an urban society, 3 out of every 4 people grow
some of their own food in order to be able to survive.2
– Male life expectancy went from 64.2 years in 1989 to 59.8 in 1999. The
drop in female life expectancy was less severe from 74.5 to 72.8 years.3
Transition costs – shock therapy
– The increase from 1990 to 1999 in the percentage of people living on less
than $1 a day was greater in the former communist countries (3.7%) than
anywhere else in the world.4
– The number of people living in ‘poverty’ in the former Soviet Republics
rose from 14 million in 1989 to 147 million even prior to the crash of the
rouble in 1998.2
Economic success
Poland was the only ‘transition’ country moving from a command to a market
economy to have a greater Gross Domestic Product in 1999 than it did in
1989.1 GDP growth between 1990 and 2001 was negative or close to negative in
every country of in the region with Russia (-3.7), Georgia (-5.6), Ukraine
(-7.9), Moldova (-8.4) and Tajikistan (-8.5) faring the worst.4
Equality
Slovakia tops the Gini index as the most equal country in the world. Russia
and Armenia are amongst the most unequal.4
Privatization
Between 1993 and 1995, 20,000 out of 27,000 Russian state enterprises were
privatized. The Government sold them for about 10% per cent of their true
value.1
The state rolls back in
Despite its transition to a market economy the bureaucracy in Russia has
grown dramatically. The Soviet bureaucracy under Brezhnev (Soviet
centralism) made up about 12 million people. It ballooned to 18 million
under Gorbachev (restructure). Under Yeltsin (transition) the number of
state functionaries in Russia alone exceeded that for the whole Soviet Union
in Gorbachev’s time.1
Soviet resurrections
Of the 20 current presidents of Eastern European nations (excluding the
former Yugoslavia) and countries which used to be part of the Soviet Union
11 are former party insiders (called nomenklatura).
The Ego of them all
Turkmenistan ‘President for Life’ Saparmurat Niyazov has erected a golden
statue of himself that rotates 24 hours a day so that it always faces the
sun and has renamed the months and days of the week to honour himself, his
mother and his favourite national heroes.
All monetary values are expressed in US dollars.
1 Boris Kagarlitsky, Russia Under Yeltsin and Putin, Pluto, London 2002.
2 Stephen Cohen, Failed Crusade, Norton, New York, 2001.
3 Martin McCauley, Bandits, Gangsters and the Mafia, Longman, London, 2001.
4 2003 World Development Indicators, World Bank, Washington.
5 World Guide, 2003/2004, Montevideo 2003.
—

New Internationalist
April 2004
Armenian Lives
A photo essay on poverty and transition by Onnik Krikorian
Throughout the former Soviet Union, the transition to a market economy has
incurred a heavy price. In Armenia, according to official statistics, 50 per
cent of the people live below the national poverty line and 23.7 per cent of
the population lives on less than $1 a day. The National Statistics Service
reports that 70 per cent of Armenians live on a staple diet of macaroni,
bread and potatoes. Armenia has the most unequal distribution of wealth in
all of the former Soviet Union. The new World Bank-initiated Poverty
Reduction Strategy (2003) has identified endemic corruption and a shadow
economy that accounts for up to 60 per cent of all business dealings in the
Republic.
Pic 1: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) identifies urban
poverty as a growing concern in Armenia. In Yerevan, this family lives in a
dilapidated hostel. One week after this photograph was taken, the child
sitting on her mother’s lap died.
Pic 2: Armenian refugees from the conflict with Azerbaijan lead a precarious
existence. According to the Armenian Government, there are 245,106 refugees
registered in the Republic and over 70,000 who have been displaced from the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
Pic 3: A man living in dilapidated housing in the Armenian capital, Yerevan,
removes copper wire from old appliances to sell. He will earn 300 dram
(about 50 cents) for every kilo of copper he retrieves.
Pic 4: A pensioner catches fish in a lake near the southern town of Sisian.
With pensions standing at approximately 5,000 dram a month (less than $10),
he will sell the fish for around 20 cents each to businesses that will then
sell them for considerably more in Yerevan.
Pic 5: After having their three children taken and placed in a children’s
home, this couple work sweeping the streets for 15,000 dram a month
(approximately $30) in order to provide for a family home they and their
children can return to.
Pic 6: Life for some, however, is not bad. Corruption, as elsewhere in the
former Soviet Union, is endemic in Armenia and especially in the police
force. Although salaries for police officers stand at around $20 a month,
bribes from passing motorists are commonplace and are passed up in a chain
that leads straight to the top.
Pic 7: Twelve years after Armenia declared independence from the former
Soviet Union, internal social tensions escalated during the presidential
elections held in 2003 as a result of poor living standards. The Council of
Europe considered that the elections fell far short of international
standards. More than 40,000 Armenians took to the streets in support of the
main opposition candidate to protest the announcement of a second term for
the incumbent, Robert Kocharian.
—

Pravda.RU:World
Armenia and USA sign military agreement
18:30 2004-04-26
Armenia and the USA have signed a military agreement on rendering mutual
services, Mikhail Arutyunyan, the Head of the Command Staff and the Senior
Deputy Defense Minister of Armenia said at today’s briefing. There has been
created a legal basis, which will allow both countries to render logistic
support to each other during joint actions and military exercises on the
terms of mutual compensation, he noted. “The rights and duties stipulated in
the agreement are mutual and will allow military forces of the two states to
establish allied relations during joint actions and exercises,” Arutyunyan
mentioned.
In his turn, U.S. General Charles Wald, the Deputy Commander of U.S. Forces
in Europe, declared that this agreement was important for military forces of
the USA as Armenia and that cooperation between the two states was
developing in a stable way.
© RBC

ITAR-TASS, Russia
April 26 2004
Decision to send Armenian army transport company to Iraq

YEREVAN, April 26 (Itar-Tass) – The Military Command of Armenia has
decided to send an army transport company to Iraq, where it is to
take part in the country’s rehabilitation, Chief of the General Staff
of the Armenian Armed Forces and First Deputy Defence Minister
Colonel-General Mikhail Aratyunyan stated here on Monday.
`This decision is yet to be considered by the Armenian parliament and
endorsed by the president,’ the general noted. Ready to be sent to
Iraq is a company of sappers and three army physicians, he added.
`We cannot overlook the fact that there is an Armenian community in
Iraq, we must think of our future and must contribute to the
restoration of Iraq,’ the Chief of Staff believes.
In conformity with the Armenian-American agreement on reciprocal
purchases and deliveries, which was concluded on Monday, the
Americans will provide the Armenian army trucks in Iraq with fuel on
account of mutual settlements, Deputy Commander of the U.S. Forces in
Europe Charles Word has explained in Yerevan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ITAR-TASS, Russia
April 26 2004
Armenia, US armed forces sign agreement on purchases and supplies

YEREVAN, April 26 (Itar-Tass) – Armenia’s Armed Forces and the U.S.
European Command signed an agreement on purchases and supplies on
Monday.
First Deputy Defence Minister Colonel-General Mikhail Arutyunyan,
chief of Armenia’s General Staff, said on Monday the agreement will
make it possible to provide logistical support to each other during
different exercises with the following compensation on a mutual
basis.
All obligations `are of mutual nature and allow the armies of the two
countries to establish ally relationship,’ the Armenian general said.
General Charles F. Wald, deputy commander of the U.S. European
Command, said the agreement is very important both for the U.S. and
Armenia. The agreement envisions fuelling up of American military
planes at Armenia’s airfields. Armenian aircraft will be fuelled up
at U.S. military bases in Europe.

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
April 26 2004
PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN ILHAM ALIYEV RECEIVES UK SPECIAL
REPRESENTATIVE ON SOUTH CAUCASUS BRIAN FALL
[April 26, 2004, 21:39:44]
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev received at
the Presidential Palace Mr. Brian Fall, the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland special representative on the South
Caucasus, April 26.
President Ilham Aliyev highly appreciated Mr. Brian Fall’s activity
and noted that his visit to the region would contribute to expanding
cooperation between the two countries. Speaking of rapidly developing
political and economic relations between Azerbaijan and the United
Kingdom, the Head of State mentioned active involvement of British
companies and investors in the large-scale energy projects being
implemented in Azerbaijan. In this connection, he expressed special
satisfaction with activities of British Petroleum in realization of
oil and gas projects of not only regional but also global
significance.
Touching upon regional problems, President Ilham Aliyev pointed to
unsolved Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resulted in
occupation of 20% of Azerbaijan’s territories and existence of over
one million refugees, and expressed hope for international
organizations to intensify their efforts for its urgent solution. He
also stressed the necessity of the UK representative’s active
contribution in peace process.
Mr. Brian Fall especially emphasized that British companies invest in
not only oil and gas sector but are also actively involved in
development of other spheres of Azerbaijan’s economy. He noted as
well that during this second visit to Azerbaijan he had become a
witness of great progress and positive changes occurred in the
country.
The guest siad that Azerbaijan, which had created favorable
conditions for not only British but also a number of respectable
investors from other countries, has bright and prosperous future.
Expressing concern over the long-lasting Armenia-Azerbaijan,
Nagorno-Karabakh problem, the UK special representative on the South
Caucasus Mr. Brian Fall described the refugees and IDPs as those
suffered most from the conflict, and highly appreciated President
Ilham Aliyev’s efforts for both its peaceful settlement and
improvement of the people’s living conditions.
A comprehensive exchange of views on a number of other issues of
mutual interest was also held during the meeting.
Mr. Brian Fall expressed gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for the
sincere conversation.
Present at the meeting were Chief of the Presidential
Administration’s International Relations Department Mr. Novruz
Mammadov and Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Azerbaijan Mr.
Laurie Bristow.

Rolling Stone
April 26 2004
System Honor Armenian Souls
Benefit seeks to raise awareness of genocide

Before System of a Down wrapped up their Souls 2004 benefit with the
song “P.L.U.C.K. (Politically Lying, Unholy, Cowardly Killers),”
frontman Serj Tankanian yelled from the stage, “I want to thank you
guys for making this one of the best fucking shows!”
The sold-out concert, held Saturday night at Los Angeles’ Greek
Theater, raised awareness of the World War I-era mass murders of
Armenians by Turkey’s Ottoman Empire, which Turkey and several other
nations, including the U.S., refuse to recognize as genocide.
System began with a five-song barrage that began with “Aerials” and
ended with “Chop Suey.” During a high-octane version of “War?,”
Tankian chanted “Bush is gonna let us all mother fuckers die” to
thunderous applause.
Guitarist Daron Malakian then addressed the crowd: “We ain’t fucking
around. We’re not gonna gyp you like all those fucking bands on MTV.”
Malakian surprised his bandmates by singing an Armenian love song and
concluding “P.L.U.C.K.” with a solo guitar version of the Armenian
national anthem that moved bassist Shavo Odadjian to tears.
It was one of two times on this night the bassist admitted to letting
his emotions go. “My grandpa walked backstage and when he was hugging
me he was crying,” he said backstage after the show. “And it made me
start bawling. He witnessed it. He had to eat grass for weeks. He
doesn’t know his age, we don’t know his birthday and we don’t know
our family trees. To be able to make our families and all these
people we don’t know feel this way is so important to us.”
If there was one downside for fans, it was that the band, which is in
the midst of writing a new album, due by the end of the year, didn’t
play any of the new songs. Odadjian said it wasn’t for lack of
material. “We have a lot of songs, but we’re not going to play them
and perform them until they’re really ready.”
System of a Down set list:
Aerials
Suite-Pee
Suggestions
Psycho
Chop Suey
Kitt
Soil
Forest
War?
Mind
Mr. Jack
Sugar
Chick ‘N’ Stu
Innervision
ATWA
Prison Song
Needles
Deer Dance
Toxicity
Science
Roulette
Unnamed Armenian Ballad
P.L.U.C.K.
STEVE BALTIN
(April 26, 2004)

Associated Press
April 26 2004
Clinton’s Memoirs to Be Released in June
HILLEL ITALIE
Associated Press
NEW YORK – The suspense is over, almost. Former President Clinton’s
memoirs will be published in late June, and promotion will begin a
few weeks earlier with a speech at BookExpo America, the industry’s
annual convention.
“It is the fullest and most nuanced account of a presidency ever
written, and one of the most revealing and remarkable memoirs I have
ever had the honor of publishing,” Sonny Mehta, president and
editor-in-chief of Alfred A. Knopf, said in a statement Monday.
“He talks with candor about his successes, as well as his setbacks,
looking at both his career in public service and his life.”
The book, for which Clinton received a reported $10 million to $12
million, will be called “My Life.” Knopf is planning a first printing
of 1.5 million, a realistic number given the success of “Living
History,” the memoirs of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Nearly 1.7 million copies of the hardcover of “Living History” are in
print and a 525,000 first printing was announced for the paperback,
which just came out.
If the former president should fail to sell more books than the first
lady, he won’t be alone. Memoirs by Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan
both proved less popular than those written by their wives.
No precise date has been set for the book, which Clinton is still
completing. Details on the book’s length, cover and promotional tour
are also being worked out. One event has been scheduled: Clinton will
speak at BookExpo America, which takes place in Chicago from June
3-6. Then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke at BookExpo in
1995.
Like Bob Woodward’s “Plan of Attack” and Richard Clarke’s “Against
All Enemies,” Clinton’s book will likely make its way into the
presidential campaign, especially if the former president defends his
record on fighting terrorism.
The book was edited by Robert Gottlieb, who has worked with such
Pulitzer Prize winners as Robert Caro, Toni Morrison and Katharine
Graham.
But it will be an admittedly hurried production, with Knopf having
just two months to convert the manuscript into a finished book, a
process that often takes several months.
If Bill Clinton turns out a first-rate memoir, especially about his
presidential years, he will be a true path breaker. The only highly
regarded presidential memoir is by Ulysses Grant, who devoted the
vast majority of the book to his triumphant Civil War military
leadership and wrote virtually nothing about his often disastrous
presidency.
Most presidential works have the dull, self-serving tone of a
prepared speech. They suffer from the impersonal hand of a ghost
writer or from the impersonal tastes of the president. The memoirs of
Herbert Hoover, for example, include balance sheets on food
assistance to Armenia and Lithuania and estimated totals of dried
fruit exports.
Timing and luck have kept some of the more eloquent leaders from
telling their stories. Four early, literary presidents – Thomas
Jefferson, James Madison and John and John Quincy Adams – never
published full-length memoirs largely because it was considered in
poor taste to dwell on one’s accomplishments.
Abraham Lincoln and John Kennedy were assassinated; Franklin
Roosevelt also died in office and Woodrow Wilson finished his
presidency in such poor health he never got past the preface of an
intended book.