RIA OREANDA
Economic Press Review
March 17, 2004 Wednesday
Iran Increases Gas Export
SOURCE: Tehran. VREAMYA NOVOSTEI
Iran intends to increase natural gas export as a whole and in
European countries, in particular. The Iranian authorities have
already negotiated the issue with Ukraine , Bulgaria and Romania to
deliver gas via the Iran-Russia-Ukraine-Europe pipeline. The
Iran-Turkey-Romania-Bulgaria route may be the alternative. Within the
following 10 years roughly $45 billion will be required for Iran to
make investments into the petroleum branch and $4billion into the gas
branch, claimed an Oil Ministry spokesman. By the end of the current
year they may start to construct the Iran-Armenian gas pipeline which
will be one of the main energy sources for the country after closing
the Armenia Nuclear Power Plant, said Vardan Khachatryan, the
Armenian Minister of Finance and Economy.

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:
March 17, 2004
___________________
TALKING ABOUT FAITH & INSPIRING OTHERS IS FOCUS OF ACYOA CONFERENCE
How can you tell someone about Christianity if you don’t first feel the
spirit?
That was the question underlying the fifth annual National Young Adult
Leadership Conference, co-sponsored by the Armenian Church Youth
Organization of America (ACYOA) and the Diocese of the Armenian Church of
America (Eastern)
The sessions focused on the two sides of Christian witness: experiencing the
Holy Spirit at first-hand, and then communicating it to others. “This
conference really helped me understand what witnessing is and why we need to
witness,” said Justin Ajamian, 20, a participant from St. Leon Church of
Fair Lawn, NJ.
The conference, held from March 12 to 14 in Stony Point, NY, brought
together 48 young adults from 22 parishes. More than half of the
participants were new to the leadership conference. Four parishes sent
young representatives for the first time: Baton Rouge, LA; Livingston, NJ;
Springfield, MA; and St. Petersburg, FL.
“It was interesting to hear different opinions about religion, our culture,
and different parishes,” said Leana Garibova, 18, from St. Hagop Church of
St. Petersburg, FL. “It was enlighteningan experience every young Armenian
should have.”
BUILDING LEADERSHIP THROUGH WITNESS
The goal of the annual conference is to find and develop future leaders for
the ACYOA and the Armenian Church. Each year the presentations and
discussions focus on one of five features of Christian life: worship,
fellowship, education, service, and witness — which serve as basis for
programming by ACYOA.
“The leadership conference expanded my knowledge and strengthened my faith,”
said Johnny El Chemmas, 19, of St. John Church of Southfield, MI. “I can
take back this understanding of witness to my parish.”
This year, the group focused on the idea of witnessing, finding personal
faith, and then sharing your Christian feeling with others.
The tone of the weekend was set by Fr. Vahan Hovhanessian, pastor of the
Church of the Holy Martyrs in Bayside, NY, who defined witness as the living
and sharing of our Christian faith and experiences with others.
“It was great to see a such a large group of young folks open to exploring
the beliefs, values, and spiritual depths of the church,” said Jason
Demerjian, college ministry facilitator for the Eastern Diocese. “Thats
the first step of sharing your faith with other people–of witnessing your
faith.”
During the three-day conference, held at the Don Bosco Conference Center in
Stony Point, NY, Demerjian led a workshop in which participants were asked
to examine how they witness through consumerism, lifestyle, attitudes, and
actions.
Witnessing one’s faith in the workplace was the focus of a panel discussion
featuring Becky Bagdasarian, Sevan Topjian, and Greg Tashjian. They
explained how they came to know Christ and witnessed in their everyday lives
at school, in the workplace, and with family and friends.
Another panel, led by Arda Nazerian Haratunian, a communications
professional, focused on developing a communication plan. She worked with
small groups for setting goals that would help the ACYOA communicate its
ideas, objectives, and faith.
Witnessing as an organization was also the focus of a session led by Nancy
Basmajian, executive secretary of the ACYOA, and Saro Kalayjian, former
Central Council chairman of ACYOA. Along with ACYOA Central Council members
Daron Bolat and Rita Akaraz, the participants discussed how the organization
should witness its faith.
“It is important that we, as an organization, step forward and witness our
faith,” Basmajian said. “We are a Christian organization and our main
purpose is to bring others closer to God.”
FAITHFUL SERVICE
The weekend also touched on the importance of serving the Lord and
community. One panel discussion featured clergy speaking on their journeys
of service to the church. The discussion included Fr. Diran Bohajian,
pastor of St. Leon Church in Fair Lawn, NJ; Fr. Daniel Findikyan, dean of
St. Nersess Seminary; Dn. Sebuh Oscherician, from St. Leon Church; and
Diocesan staff members Jason Demerjian and Nancy Basmajian.
“This experience changed me for the better,” said Niree Kaltakdjian, 18, of
St. Garabed Mission Parish in Baton Rouge, LA.
Through multi-media presentations, participants also explored ways each can
serve individually. Karen Khatchadourian, of the St. Thomas Church in
Tenafly, NJ, spoke on the ACYOA’s Armenia Service Program, where
participants help run a summer camp for needy children in Armenia. Anna
Demerjian, originally from Armenia and now a member of St. Gregory Church in
White Plains, NY, spoke about the Armenian Volunteer Corps, a Peace
Corps-like program pairing volunteers with social service organizations in
Armenia. Lori Hovsepian, from St. Leon Church, spoke about her first-hand
experience in Armenia with Habitat for Humanity.
“It’s exhilarating to witness the variety of ideas, diverse levels of faith,
and genuine love shared here this weekend,” said Areg Bagdasarian from Holy
Trinity Church of Cambridge, MA. “This weekend was great, especially for
anyone wanting to understand their own faith better.”
FAITH-FILLED WEEKEND
Along with discussions of witness and fun and games, the weekend also
included many worship opportunities. Martins, Vespers, Lenten Evening
Vigil, and Sunday Midday services were all led by Dn. Diran Jebejian, ACYOA
Central Council chairman.
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese, presented each
participant with a copy of a book on the sacraments of the Armenian Church.
The Primate spoke to the participants following the Vespers service,
focusing his remarks on one of today’s most noticeable acts of witness: Mel
Gibson’s new movie, “The Passion of the Christ.”
“We find ourselves in a remarkable moment,” he said to the participants.
“We find ourselves in a time when people are talking about the meaning of
Christ’s sacrifice. A truly unexpected turn of events, made even more
remarkable because this interest has been sparked by the release of a
movie.”
Organizing the conference was Yn. Arpi Kouzouian, youth outreach coordinator
for the Diocese; Nancy Basmajian, ACYOA executive secretary; and Central
Council members Diran Jebejian, Rita Akaraz, Jennifer Morris, Maria
Derderian, Daron Bolat, Tammy Bagdigian, and Chris Tashjian. Since it’s
inception five years ago, the conference has served as a key to ACYOA’s
effort to strengthen its leadership.
“Coming to this oasis of Armenian Christian fellowship has given me so much
to strive for,” said Julie Hoplamazian, 25, a parishioner at the St. Mary
Church of Livingston, NJ, and student at Princeton Theological Seminary.
“Now I am so much more aware of the leadership task that lies ahead, for my
parish and the ACYOA as a whole.”
For more on the ACYOA, go to its website:
— 3/17/04
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable on the Eastern
Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Almost 50 young leaders from throughout the Diocese of
the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) gathered from March 12 to 14 for
the annual ACYOA National Young Adult Leadership Conference, where they
explored the idea of witnessing: living and sharing of our Christian faith
and experience with others.
PHOTO CAPTION (2): Speaking to the ACYOA National Young Adult Leadership
Conference on witnessing in the real world are, from left, Greg Tashjian,
Becky Bagdasarian, and Sevan Topjian.
PHOTO CAPTION (3): Archbishop Khajag Barsamian speaks about the presence of
Christ in our everyday lives to the participants of this year’s ACYOA
National Young Adult Leadership Conference.
PHOTO CAPTION (4): The ACYOA National Young Adult Leadership Conference,
held in Stony Point, NY, from March 12 to 14, featured many worship
opportunities.
# # #

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
March 16, 2004, Tuesday
Egyptian stabs three Armenians to death in Cairo
CAIRO
An Egyptian man stabbed to death three Armenians – an elderly man and
two women – Tuesday after a dispute over who would use an elevator
first in Heliopolis neighbourhood of Cairo, police said. The sources
said the man, unemployed for eight years, had disputed with a
75-year-old Armenian man and his 40-year-old daughter over the
elevator. A relative of the Armenians who came out of her apartment
after she heard screaming was also stabbed to death. Police said the
man was mentally disturbed. dpa ye sc

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
March 16, 2004, Tuesday
Surabaya’s Mandarin Oriental Majapahit Hotel the best thing in town
By Peter Janssen, dpa
Surabaya, Indonesia
Surabaya – Indonesia’s second largest metropolis – is a classic
example of modern Asian urban ugliness. With its estimated 3.5
million people, Surabaya offers visitors horrendous traffic, plenty
of concrete office buildings, a plethora of shopping malls and a
collection of international hotel chains that can be found in just
about any other bustling Asian city. Unique to Surabaya, however, is
the Mandarin Oriental Majapahit Hotel, arguably the classiest
“historic” hotel remaining in Indonesia. The Majapahit was built in
1910 by Lucas Martin Sarkies, son of Martin Sarkies, eldest of the
famed Sarkies brothers who launched some of Southeast Asia’s finest
hotels. The Sarkies, including brothers Martin, Tigran, Aviet and
Arshak, were Armenian merchants who in the 1880s starting building
classy hotels in the main entrepots of England’s former colonies in
Southeast Asia. Their first establishment was the Eastern & Oriental
Hotel in Penang, built in 1884, followed by Raffles in Singapore,
1887, and finally by the Strand in Rangoon, now Yangon, in 1901.
Those three Sarkies’ “gems” still stand today, embodying the good old
days of colonial splendour in their respective cities. All three have
undergone extensive renovations, under new owners, (the Sarkies went
bust in the late 1930s), to position themselves as five-star
establishments catering to tourists and businessmen with a taste for
the past at today’s prices. Less well known within the Sarkies’
historic hotel chain is Surabaya’s elegant Majapahit Hotel, a
veritable oasis of quietude and greenery in what has always been a
busy, noisy port city. Lucas Martin Sarkies originally called the
establishment the “Oranje Hotel”, sensibly catering to its chiefly
Dutch clientele. In 1936, an Art Deco style lobby was added to the
hotel in an apparent effort to modernize the property, which accounts
for its rather drab frontage today. Luckily the rest of the hotel was
spared. The Majapahit was extensively renovated in 1996 after being
bought in 1993 by the Sekar Group of Indonesia and the Mandarin
Oriental group of Hong Kong. Hong Kong-based Mandarin Oriental, which
owns the posh Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong and superlative
The Oriental in Bangkok, now holds 25 per cent of the Majapahit plus
the management contract. The interior of the Majapahit was completely
renovated between 1994 to 1996 at a cost of 35 million dollars, but
the building itself was left untouched as it is a protected historic
site. Luckily for preservationists, the hotel represents more than a
nostalgic throwback to Dutch colonial times. The Majapahit hotel
secured itself a mention in Indonesian history on September 19, 1945,
when a group of Dutch expats raised their flag on the hotel’s main
flagpole to symbolize the retaking of Indonesia as a colony after
World War II. The gesture outraged the Surabaya citizenry, who
stormed the hotel and raised Indonesia’s red and white flag of
independence over its Art Deco lobby instead. Historians claim this
incident sparked the Indonesian independence movement, earning
Surabaya the nickname of the “City of Heroes.” While many historic
Dutch buildings in post-1945 Indonesia have been torn down to make
way for the new, the Majapahit has been preserved thanks to its
revolutionary past. However, in its post-renovation incarnation,
prices have not been set to attract the hoi polloi. “We are the most
expensive hotel in Surabaya, but we’re also the best value hotel in
the Mandarin Oriental chain,” said Gerd Knaust, general manager of
the Mandarin Oriental Majapahit Hotel. The Mandarin Oriental, owned
by the Jardines trading conglomerate of Hong Kong, currently boasts
11 hotels in Asia, three in Europe and nine in the Americas. Prices
at the Majapahit start at 550,000 rupiah (65 dollars) for their
“standard” rooms, of which the hotel has only four. The remaining 146
rooms are suites, including the two-storey, 800-square-metre
Presidential Suite, which claims to be the biggest of its kind in
Asia. Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri and her predecessor
Abdurrachman Wahid have been recent guests, but not too many other
country or company presidents are visiting Surabaya nowadays.
“Unfortunately, the big investment is missing in Indonesia at the
moment, so why should a CEO from a multi-million dollar company come
to Surabaya when there are no multi-million dollar investments,”
noted Knaust. To keep the hotel occupancy rate at its current 45 per
cent average, the Majapahit has been catering more to the Indonesian
market which is less prone to the lure of nostalgia than their
European counterparts. “I prefer the Shangri-La but one of my friends
from Holland likes to stay at the Majapahit because of the nostalgia
thing,” said Winarto, a Surabaya-based businessman. dpa pj blg bw

Polish Press Agency
March 17, 2004 Wednesday
Sejm MPs, Bagdasarian discuss international affairs
Warsaw, March 17
Head of the Armenian National Assembly
Artur Bagdasarian met in Warsaw on Wednesday the presidia of the
Sejm foreign affairs and European committees to discuss
international policy and bilateral relations.
Foreign affairs committee head Jerzy Jaskiernia told PAP
the talk focused on Polish-Armenian cooperation in trade,
science and culture with both sides acknowledging huge potential of
their countries that fell short of the actual state.
According to Jaskiernia, Bagdasarian said both countries
should establish closer inter-parliamentary cooperation.
Head of the Sejm European committee Janusz Lewandowski said
that Armenia showed clearly its European aspirations.
The Armenian guest also met with Sejm Speaker Marek
Borowski and Foreing Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz. He is also to
be received by President Aleksander Kwasniewski and PM Leszek
Miller.

PRESS OFFICE
Armenian Church Endowment Fund (ACEF)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: George Kassis, Executive Director
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 54; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
March 17, 2004
___________________
SUPPORT OF PEOPLE LIKE SARKIS BEDEVIAN STRENGTHEN ARMENIAN CHURCH
When he first came to America from Jerusalem in 1959, Sarkis Bedevian was
just a student. He shared a small apartment with a handful of other recent
Armenian immigrants. They lived in a building that stood on the site that
is now the headquarters of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
(Eastern).
He spent his time volunteering as the Diocese and the St. Vartan Cathedral
grew up around him. He stuffed envelopes, ran errands, whatever needed to
be done. Later on he would attend New York University, with the help of
scholarships from Armenian organizations, to study accounting and finance.
Today a success in business, Mr. Bedevian is still not afraid to roll up his
sleeves to help the Diocese and related Armenian organizations succeed.
Though his schedule is easily filled by his work as a developer and
syndicator for real estate investment projects, Mr. Bedevian continues to
give of his time, energy, and skills.
“Sarkis is truly a exemplary leader for this church and the Armenian
people,” said Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese.
“He understands that the organizations that keep our Armenian culture alive
here in the great nation of America are powered by the dedication and
support of volunteer leaders. He continues to serve at all levels of the
church, because this is his home.”
A strong supporter of his local community, Mr. Bedevian has been served his
parish, St. Leon Church of Fair Lawn, NJ, for many years as parish council
chairman, a Diocesan delegate, and co-chairman of the parish’s community
center building committee.
SERVICE TO ACEF: SUPPORTING THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE
Mr. Bedevian has also stepped forward to assume a variety of larger
leadership roles in the Diocese. A member of the Diocesan Council since he
was reelected in 2001, Mr. Bedevian was the Council Treasurer from 1982 to
1990. From 1988 to 2002, he also served on the Board of Trustees of the
Armenian Church Endowment Fund (ACEF), which is responsible for raising and
investing the endowments that provide an annual income for the Eastern
Diocese, local parishes, and a variety of other related organizations.
As a member of the ACEF Board of Trustees, Mr. Bedevian helped manage the
investments and promote the establishment of endowments. In the past few
years the board successfully steered the fund through the stock market’s
darkest days. The years 2000 to 2002 were the three worst years since the
Depression. However, with the board’s proactive planning, ACEF faired
remarkably well and rebounded from that dark time to hit historic highs. In
2003 ACEF distributed $2.7 million to recipient organizations. The fund has
grown now to $65 million.
Managing the fund is just one responsibility of ACEF Board of Trustees.
They must also encourage people to start new endowments. In the past six
years alone more than $25 million dollars have been raised as new
endowments. Not just encouraging others to give, Mr. Bedevian has
generously instituted an endowment with ACEF to benefit his local parish in
Fair Lawn, NJ, and St. Nersess Seminary.
“It is thanks to the guidance of ACEF Board of Trustees members such as Mr.
Bedevian, that the Armenian Church Endowment Fund has continued to grow and
go from strength to strength.” said George Kassis, executive director of
ACEF. “With their input, the money raised is soundly invested, ensuring a
sustained level of distributions through market ups and downs. ACEF ensures
support to our Armenian Christian ministry for generations to come.”
Other organizations Mr. Bedevian has served include the Diocesan Stipend
Committee, the Diocesan Auditing Committee, and since 1980 the St. Nersess
Seminary Board of Trustees. He has also been a commander with the Knights
of Vartan and an active member of the Armenian Assembly of America.
DEDICATION TO ARMENIANS WORLDWIDE
In 2002, Mr. Bedevian and his wife, Ruth, sponsored the construction of the
Mother Cathedral in Vanadzor, Armenia. They’re also benefactors of a youth
center, medical facility, and soup kitchen in Vanadzor.
For their dedication to their faith and selflessly giving, not only from
their business success but also of their time and skills, His Holiness
Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, bestowed the St. Gregory the
Illuminator medal — the highest honor of the Armenian Church — on Sarkis
and Ruth Bedevian in a ceremony in Armenia on May 24, 2002.
The Bedevians have three grown children: Peter, Debra, and Peggy.
— 3/17/04
# # #

Armenian leader replaces prosecutor-general
Mediamax news agency
17 Mar 04
YEREVAN
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan dismissed Aram Tamazyan from the
post of prosecutor-general today.
Robert Kocharyan has appointed Agvan Ovsepyan Armenia’s new
prosecutor-general, the press service of the Armenian president has
told Mediamax.
Agvan Ovsepyan has already occupied the post of prosecutor-general
several years ago.

Armenian foreign minister accuses Azeri leader of obstructing talks
Mediamax news agency
17 Mar 04
YEREVAN
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan said today that the
“contents of the negotiations between the Armenian and Azerbaijani
presidents, Robert Kocharyan and Heydar Aliyev, had justified the fact
that representatives of Nagornyy Karabakh were not involved in the
negotiations”.
Mediamax reports that speaking at a joint briefing with the OSCE
chairman-in-office [Solomon Passi] in Yerevan today, Vardan Oskanyan
explained that this was the reason for a recent statement by the
Armenian Foreign Ministry which said that “if Baku wants to start the
talks from scratch, it has to talk exclusively to Stepanakert
[Xankandi]”.
The Armenian foreign minister sharply criticized Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev for “trying to cross out what had been achieved by his
father [Heydar Aliyev] and Robert Kocharyan over years”.
Oskanyan said Armenia was trying to take advantage of visits by the
leaders of international organizations in order to bring Azerbaijan
back into the path of previous agreements.
The minister added that consultations between the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairmen and the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers would
be held in Prague on 29 March. He expressed the hope that the meeting
would “help us understand how exactly Azerbaijan wants to continue the
negotiations”.

Ajaria crisis to affect Armenian economy – paper
Azg, Yerevan
17 Mar 04

Text of Tatul Akopyan report by Armenian newspaper Azg on 17 March
headlined “Saakashvili promises to gain a victory over Abashidze in
two weeks”
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s ultimatum to Ajarian leader
Aslan Abashidze expired on Monday [15 March]. Following tension
between the Georgian and Ajarian authorities after President Mikheil
Saakashvili proposed abolishing the Ajarian ministry of state security
and demanded that the autonomous republic’s leader Aslan Abashidze
detain those who attacked an opposition rally on 20 February,
Saakashvili presented Abashidze with an ultimatum to accept his
demands, otherwise “severe repressive measures will be taken”.
Moreover, as he was barred from entering Ajaria, Saakashvili added
more points to his ultimatum, the first of them being to allow him
(Saakashvili) to travel freely on the territory of the autonomous
republic to meet his voters (parliamentary elections in Georgia are
expected on 28 March).
Saakashvili also wanted to “disarm illegal armed groups” of 1,500
guerrillas in Ajaria and to allow the central authorities of Georgia
to “carry out their duties in the autonomous republic and control the
region’s borders and customs”, particularly the port of Batumi and the
Sarpi checkpoint between Georgia and Turkey. As was expected, Aslan
Abashidze did not give in to Tbilisi’s pressure and rejected the
ultimatum. An economic blockade was imposed on the defiant region of
Georgia on Monday with the Georgian navy barring ships from entering
the port of Batumi and the authorities freezing all the bank accounts
of Ajarian banks and organizations linked to the Ajarian
authorities. Air and sea communications were also cut off in a move
that Saakashvili described as a bid “to exhaust the Ajarian regime’s
resources in two weeks”. “In two weeks the Ajarian leadership’s
resources will be exhausted as a result of these sanctions,”
Saakashvili added, saying that “this is the first time that Georgia
has used these measures”.
The closure of the port of Batumi will have its direct impact on the
everyday market of the three South Caucasus countries, for most of the
products coming from Europe are sent, for example, to Armenia via the
port of Batumi. Anxiety about a possible fall in the volume of
products coming into Armenia was voiced by Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan at yesterday’s news conference where the Armenian leader
expressed the hope that the Ajarian and Georgian authorities will to
negotiate ways out of the current situation as soon as possible.
Fuel, grain, sugar, construction materials and various household goods
are shipped to Armenia via the port of Batumi. If the port stops
operating, this will naturally lead to a rise in the prices of
different products in Armenia.

Strong army guarantees peace in region – Armenian leader
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
16 Mar 04
[Presenter] The commander-in-chief of the Armenian armed forces,
President Robert Kocharyan, visited the Vazgen Sarkisyan Military
School today.
[Correspondent over video of meeting] The director of the institute,
Maj-Gen Stepan Mirzoyan, greeted Robert Kocharyan. Early in the
morning today, the cadets of the Vazgen Sarkisyan Military Institute
met the commander-in-chief of the Armenian armed forces, Robert
Kocharyan, and marched in front of the president. The institute, which
was formed 10 years ago, accepts 250 young men every year. The defence
minister noted that the role of the institute is inestimable as it
trains officers for the army.
[Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan] People who come and see the
institute say it is unbelievable that such an institute has existed
for 10 years. We also know that we have various tasks and problems –
starting from military personnel to technical facilities. There are
the best conditions in this institute.
[Correspondent] The commander-in-chief was shown around the
institute. Robert Kocharyan stated that he was visiting the institute
to see the results of work carried out in the last three
years. Armenia was the only country that did not have such a military
structure in the region before. This gap has been filled in today and
the commander-in-chief is pleased with the activities of the military
institute.
[President Robert Kocharyan] I am sure that it was very important to
establish this military institute. Such military institutes are not
formed in one or two years, this is a long and laborious process that
requires a technical base and traditions, and it is impossible to
establish it even in one generation. I think that we have filled in
this gap and now we have to work more actively every year to improve
its quality.
The recent meeting with the students of Yerevan State University
prompted me to visit the military institute. The students put forward
many proposals on the recent law on alternative military service, on
visiting a military unit once a week and spending several hours there
in order to receive the rank of officer. If I had suggested studying
law or economics, it would not have been taken so seriously. It is
impossible to prepare any specialist in this way, especially here, as
it requires a deep and comprehensive education.
If we think about our security and our role in this region, then our
army must have serious officers who are being educated in the military
institute.
[Correspondent] Robert Kocharyan noted that despite the law on
military service, his sons, who already have sufficient physical
training, will serve in the army too.
[Robert Kocharyan] My sons will not have physical problems. Yes, they
will serve.
[Correspondent] Then Robert Kocharyan visited the cadets’ canteen,
library, museum and familiarized himself with the living conditions of
the cadets. The commander-in-chief of the Armenian armed forces stated
once again today that an organized and competitive army is needed for
secure, stable and peaceful life in the region.
Lilit Setrakyan, Aylur.
[Presenter] The Armenian president also spoke about the situation in
Georgia during his visit to the Vazgen Sarkisyan Military
Institute. Robert Kocharyan expressed the hope that the Tbilisi-Batumi
conflict will be settled peacefully.
[Robert Kocharyan] I think that they will resolve this problem at a
negotiating table. This is our wish as Georgia at large and the Black
Sea ports of that country are of extremely special importance to
Armenia.
[Serzh Sarkisyan] Stability in Georgia is very important to us. We
want stability in Georgia. I do not want to share the thoughts that a
new war will start in the region. We hope that there will be stability
in Georgia.