RIA Novosti, Russia
March 11 2004
GEORGIAN PRESIDENT TO PAY OFFICIAL VISIT TO ARMENIA
YEREVAN, March 11, 2004. (RIA Novosti). Georgian President Mikhail
Saakashvili will arrive in Armenia on Friday on a two-day official
visit at an invitation from his Armenian counterpart Robert
Kocharyan.
The Georgian delegation includes the ministers of foreign affairs,
energy, infrastructures and development, the President’s
representative in Samtse-Dzhavakheti (a Georgian region inhabited
mainly by Armenians) and parliamentarians, the press service of the
Armenian President said on Thursday.
On Friday the two leaders will hold private and extended talks.
Mikhail Saakashvili is to meet with Armenian parliamentary speaker
Artur Bagdasaryan and Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan.
The Georgian President is also scheduled to meet with Catholicos of
All Armenians Garegin II and to attend the memorial to the victims of
Armenians genocide in the Ottoman Empire in 1915.
Mikhail Saakashvili’s visit will focus on a wide range of bilateral
and regional issues, in particular, transit tariffs on Armenian
cargoes.

RIA Novosti, Russia
March 11 2004
PUTIN TAKES UPON HIMSELF FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR GOVERNMENT’S
ACTIVITY, ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARIAN SAYS
YEREVAN, March 11, 2004. (RIA Novosti correspondent Gamlet
Matevosyan) – Russia’s incumbent President and the presidential
candidate at the coming elections on March 14, Vladimir Putin has
taken upon himself the full political responsibility for the
government’s activity. This opinion was expressed to RIA Novosti on
Thursday by Amayak Ovannisyan, chairman of the Armenian Association
of Political Scientists, member of the republican National Assembly
(parliament) when he commented on the formation of a new Russian
government.
“At the same time, being a charismatic leader, Putin underscored his
adherence to the principle of a collective leadership of the country,
believing it necessary to show to the constituency before the
elections with what team he was going to work after his election to
the second presidential term,” Mr. Ovannisyan said.
According to him, looking at the composition of the new Russian
government, one notices that it has been formed not on a party basis,
but on the principle of professionalism.
“All members of the Cabinet, beginning with its chairman Mikhail
Fradkov, who has a big experience in governance, and Vice Premier
Alexander Zhukov, and ending with all the ministers, all of them are
highly skilled professionals in their fields,” noted Mr. Ovannisyan.
In his opinion, time will confirm the correctness of Putin’s point of
view to form the government on the principle of professionalism, not
on the party-coalition basis, which typical of the present situation
in Armenia.
The Armenian government, said the parliamentarian, is a coalition
government and has been formed from among the representatives of
three parties, Republican, Orinatz Yerkir and Dashnaktsutyun.

RIA Novosti, Russia
March 11 2004
NEW CABINET’S FIRST SESSION LASTED 40 MINUTES
MOSCOW, March 11, 2004. (RIA Novosti) – The first session of the new
Russian government chaired by Mikhail Fradkov lasted forty minutes.
For this time, the cabinet members considered four issues. The main
issue dealt with measures to implement the Russian President’s decree
“On the System and Structure of Federal Bodies of Executive Power.”
Besides, the government approved the agreement with Ukraine’s
government on settlement of claims that aroused in the wake of the
air crash on October 4, 2001.
The protocol on extension of the term of validity of the agreement
between the Russian and Armenian governments on the regulation of the
voluntary migration process was approved as well. Besides, the
government took a decision on giving state housing certificates to
the North Caucasian autonomy, Ingushetia.

Anadolu Agency
3/10/2004
Talat: Give-and-take Process Will Start On Friday
LEFKOSA – TRNC Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat said on Wednesday that
give-and-take process in Cyprus negotiations would start on Friday.
Talat said that they were at a different and important stage, and
there was the need to make an assessment prior to that stage, adding
that they would visit Ankara due to that reason.
Talat received the same day a crowded delegation composed of
Azerbaijani and Armenian journalists who came to the island to cover
the developments about Cyprus in the right place.
Speaking during the meeting, Talat said that they desired to reach an
agreement which could be accepted by the two sides, particularly by
the Turkish Cypriot people, and they worked to this end. ”We’ve
entered a road with no return,” he said.
Talat stated that people would say the final word and give the
decision. ”We are trying to bring out an agreement text which could
be accepted and which would give a positive result,” Talat said.
Talat stressed that they felt the need to make consultation at this
stage and they would go to Ankara this evening together with TRNC
Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Serdar Denktas. Talat said
they would have meetings in Ankara all day tomorrow and return back
to TRNC in the evening.

Syrian Arab News Agency
Wed 10 Mar 2004
Syrian Students in Warsaw and Yerevan/ Celebration

Yerevan, Warsaw, March. 10 (SANA)
The Administrative Office of the National Union of the Syrian
Students (NUSY) in Armenia and the Organization of al-Baath Arab
Socialist Party (OBASP), in cooperation with the Syrian Embassy in
Yerevan, held on Wednesday a speech rally on the occasion of the 41st
anniversary of March 8 Revolution.
Participants disclosed the American false pretexts used to justify
the war on Iraq , pointing out to the dangerous situation in the
Middle East.
They also stressed Syria’s firm national stances under the leadership
of President Bashar al-Assad.
Attending the rally were Charge D’ Affairs at the Embassy Ghassan
Raslan , Embassy staff and Arab ambassadors in Armenia.
Also in Warsaw the NUSY and OBASP in Poland held a similar
celebration on this occasion.
Attending the celebration were the Syrian Ambassador Mohammad Ali
al-Hamwi, Embassy Personnel, members of the Syrian community.
Batoul

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
03/11/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Uruguay Parliament Recognizes Armenian Genocide 2) Tuncboyaciyan's Armenian Navy Band Performs in Yerevan 3) Iraq Interim Constitution Guarantees Armenian Instruction 4) Rwanda Invites Aram I to Commemorate 10th Anniversary of its Genocide 5) MKR Parliament Turns Down State Property Privatization Program 6) Sako, Joseph Krikorian to Perform at Hye Hopes Event for Ghapan 7) Assemblymember Carol Liu and ANC Pasadena Chapter Announce Human Rights Teacher Training Workshop for Pasadena Public Schools 1) Uruguay Parliament Recognizes Armenian Genocide YEREVAN (Yerkir)--The lower chamber of Uruguay's parliament approved a bill on March 10, which indirectly recognizes the Armenian Genocide. The bill calls for April 24 to be "the commemoration day of Armenians martyred in 1915," and obligates the state owned media to "cover those events" on that day. There is no reference to "genocide" in the wording of the bill, though parliament speeches in favor of the bill did not avoid calling the genocide, a "genocide." The resolution will become a law with the president's signature. In 2000, Uruguay's Senate unanimously passed a resolution marking "April 24 a national day of remembrance for the Armenian Genocide." In 1965, the Armenian National Committee of Uruguay advanced the passage of an Armenian Genocide resolution in Uruguay's parliament--to mark the first time a country officially recognized the genocide of Armenians. At the time, the author of that resolution Senator Dr. Alberto Sid, said that the bill aimed to register Uruguay's official position on the Armenian Genocide as a crime against humanity. Interestingly, the world's first April 24 demonstration also took place in Uruguay, in 1964. 2) Tuncboyaciyan's Armenian Navy Band Performs in Yerevan YEREVAN (Combined Sources)--The Armenian Navy Band, founded by the percussionist and vocalist Arto Tuncboyaciyan, is in Armenia to perform at the March 13 opening of Avant-garde Folk Music Club, and to present their latest CD, The Voice of Our Life. The Armenian Navy Band's compositions are all original and written by Tuncboyaciyan, who insists the pieces "have the sound of my life." This music is founded on Armenian and Anatolian musical traditions and infused with jazz and contemporary culture. Arto's compositions embrace sounds from generations past as well as present; he calls it "avant-garde folk." As such, the Armenian Navy Band represents the synthesis of Arto's musical journey and life experiences. "When people accept me as who I am, I feel like the World is my country," says Tuncboyaciyan. Born to an Armenian family, Arto's life began in Turkey, where at a very early age he became a well-known studio musician. He was the youngest in his family which lived near Istanbul, and was exposed to diverse cultures from an early age. Growing up as a member of Turkey's beleaguered Armenian community meant that Arto and others like him were unable to explore their own cultural heritage. Although Arto's father was a shoemaker, his brother, Onno, became a bass player and composer, and Arto soon followed in his footsteps. He immigrated to the United States in 1981, and has since performed and recorded with an array of outstanding jazz and world music artists, including popular Greek artists such as Eleftheria Arvanitaki, as well as the Spanish guitarist Gerardo Nuñez, and Joe Zawinul, Al Di Meola, Oregon, Joe Lovano, Wayne Shorter, Don Cherry, Arthur Blythe, Omar Faruk Tekbliek, Naná Vasconcelos and many others. The sudden loss of Arto's brother Onno in a plane accident in 1996 gave birth to two albums created by Arto with Ara Dinkjian, recorded in Greece. Arto has also recorded with Dinkjian as a member of Night Ark. The Armenian Navy Band is composed of twelve of Armenia's finest contemporary musicians, ranging in age from 20 to 45. The instruments include the traditionalduduk, zurna, kemanche, kanunand the contemporarytrombone, alto sax, tenor, soprano sax, trumpet, bass, drums, keyboard, and piano. Together with the unique vocals and percussion and sazabo of Arto, the band's sound is a sort of aural journey from the past to the future. Arto himself says: "The project was born in 1998 after the meeting in Yerevan with young Armenian musicians coming from different music experiences (ethnic and contemporary Armenian music)." The band's first European tour in February/March 2000 was successfully received in Italy, Germany, Austria, and Spain. Their next tour, later that year, included Sardinia, France, Brussels, and Holland, ending with a stop in Istanbul for the recording of the album "New Apricot" under the Turkish label "Imaj Muzik," followed by another brief tour in March 2001 and an extended European Summer/Fall tour through to November 2001. 3) Iraq Interim Constitution Guarantees Armenian Instruction ARTICLE 9 OF THE RECENTLY SIGNED IRAQI INTERIM CONSTITUTION, RECOGNIZING ARABIC AND KURDISH AS THE TWO OFFICIAL LANGUAGES OF IRAQ, NEVERTHELESS GUARANTEES THE RIGHT TO IRAQI CITIZENS OF ETHNIC ORIGINS, INCLUDING ARMENIANS, TO TEACH CHILDREN THEIR ANCESTRAL LANGUAGES IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS. THE FULL TEXT OF ARTICLE 9: Article 9 Official Languages The Arabic language and the Kurdish language are the two official languages of Iraq. The right of Iraqis to educate their children in their mother tongue, such as Turcoman, Syriac, or Armenian, in government educational institutions in accordance with educational guidelines, or in any other language in private educational institutions, shall be guaranteed. The scope of the term "official language" and the means of applying the provisions of this Article shall be defined by law and shall include: 1. Publication of the official gazette, in the two languages; 2. Speech and expression in official settings, such as the National Assembly, the Council of Ministers, courts, and official conferences, in either of the two languages; 3. Recognition and publication of official documents and correspondence in the two languages; 4. Opening schools that teach in the two languages, in accordance with educational guidelines; 5. Use of both languages in any other settings enjoined by the principle of equality (such as bank notes, passports, and stamps); 6. Use of both languages in the federal institutions and agencies in the Kurdistan region. 4) Rwanda Invites Aram I to Commemorate 10th Anniversary of its Genocide ANTELIAS--The government of Rwanda has invited His Holiness Catholicos Aram I to participate in the 10th anniversary commemoration of the Rwandan genocide. The event, which will take place in the capital city Kigali, will be held April18-2. In a letter inviting Catholicos Aram I, foreign minister of Rwanda Dr. Charles Murigande writes, "You stood by the people of Rwanda as they struggled to deal with the terrible consequences of genocide. Join us to reflect on how to prevent and banish genocide for ever through active universal solidarity." Catholicos Aram I will address an international conference on "Genocides in the 20th century and lessons to humanity," as well as an ecumenical worship to be held at the Kigali stadium, and will meet the president of Rwanda and church leaders. According to the Catholicosate of the Holy See of Cilicia, His Holiness will present the issue of genocide, referring to the Armenian Genocide as the first Genocide of the 20th century, and the Rwandan genocide as the last. A high ranking delegation will accompany the Armenian Catholicos, including the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Dr. Sam Kobia, the director of the Department on Africa affairs Dr. Andre Karamagali, the General Secretary of All Africa Council of Churches Bishop Dandala, WCC Church Relations Director Teny Pirri-Simoniana, and the Director of the Catholicosate's Information and communication Department Rev. Krikor Chiftjian. His Holiness will also travel to Nairobi, Kenya to present a public lecture on "The challenges facing the ecumenical movement and Africa," and to meet with the president and church leaders, visit the headquarters of all Africa Council of Churches, and present an ecumenical workshop. 5) MKR Parliament Turns Down State Property Privatization Program YEREVAN (Yerkir)--The parliament of Mountainous Karabagh Republic rejected a proposed national privatization program, despite the backing of parliament's majority Democratic Liberal Party. It was stricken down when parliament's Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) faction member Artur Mosiyan demanded a detailed report be submitted on the implementation of the current privatization program during the past years, including data on the number of new jobs created as a result of the program, as well as information on reprimands of officials not fulfilling their obligations. Another ARF faction member Levon Hayriyan, said that Stepanakert residents--unlike all others from former Soviet countries--have not received any benefits from the privatization. Since the proposed program was rejected, the law already in place adopted a few years ago, will continue to be in force. 6) Sako, Joseph Krikorian to Perform at Hye Hopes Event for Ghapan GLENDALEGlendale public high schools' Armenian students have organized an evening of music and dance to support Glendale's sister city of Ghapan in Armenia. The event, "Hye Hopes," will take place on Friday evening, March 12, at the Glendale Civic Auditorium, and will feature entertainment by popular artists Sako, Joseph Krikorian, and DJ Alfred Nazarian. Appetizers and refreshments will be served. Becoming aware of the dire needs of the schools in Ghapan, and because Glendale and Ghapan recently became sister cities, the Glendale students decided to host a fundraising event to provide much needed funds to fellow Armenians. When members of an official Glendale city delegation returned from Ghapan in October 2003, the students heard first hand accounts about the difficulties of Ghapan students, and the debilitated state of their learning environments. Following the event, the students will work with the Glendale Ghapan Sister City Association (GGSCA), a "Hye Hopes" sponsor, to determine a specific school improvement project to fund. The Glendale Ghapan Sister City Association, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, was created to foster a mutually beneficial sister city relationship between Glendale and Ghapan. GGSCA works closely with the city of Glendale to collect equipment and resources that would benefit the city of Ghapan and to create opportunities that would benefit the city of Glendale. The organization also raises money from private contributors in order to fund improvement projects in Ghapan's k-12 schools, post-graduate schools, parks, hospitals, community centers, and other public infrastructure. "Hye Hopes" will be held from 7 pm to 11 pm at 1401 North Verdugo Road in Glendale. Tickets ($10) may be purchased at Paradise Pastry, Pizza Man, and at the door. For further information about "Hye Hopes," visit <; For further information about the Glendale Ghapan Sister City Association, email [email protected]. 7) Assemblymember Carol Liu and ANC Pasadena Chapter Announce Human Rights Teacher Training Workshop for Pasadena Public Schools Pasadena--The first Teacher Training Workshop on the State's approved Human Rights and Genocide Curriculum will be held Friday, March 12, at the Pasadena Tournament of Roses House. Sponsored by Assemblymember Carol Liu (D-La Cañada Flintridge), and the Pasadena Armenian National Committee (ANC), the workshop will provide history teachers with lesson plans and materials concerning human and civil rights violations. Teachers will also receive training on how to incorporate these lessons into the classroom curricula. "In this era of increasing violence and intolerance, young people need to understand what atrocities arise from hate and prejudice," Liu said. Participants will be invited to join an informal seminar to discuss and analyze the California State Department of Education's model curriculum for teaching about human rights and genocide, including the Armenian Genocide. State law requires schools to provide a learning framework that includes material concerning civil rights, human rights violations, genocide, slavery, and the Holocaust. "Despite the severe budget cuts our schools are facing, this project is evidence that we can provide our students with quality education through a collaborative effort between the community and Pasadena Unified School District", said Shahan Stepanian, Chairman of the Pasadena Chapter of the ANC. "We appreciate Assemblymember Liu's leadership and support in this joint effort." The workshop will cover topics including the histories of the Native Americans, European Jews, Cambodians, Rwandan Tutsis, and Bosnian Muslims. In addition, participants will hear about the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the Great Famine of the Ukraine, the Rape of Nanking, and the Chinese agricultural disaster that occurred under Mao Tse-Tung's "Cultural Revolution." Keynote speaker Dr. Richard Hovannisian, Armenian Education Foundation Chairholder in Modern Armenian History at UCLA, will provide the historical context of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. Other participants include Facing History and Ourselves, a non-profit organization that works with teachers and students to understand the past and recognize the need for participation and responsible decision making. Samuel Kadorian, a Genocide survivor born in 1907, will share his experience and thoughts. In addition, the workshop will include the Exhibit of Armenian Genocide Survivor Portraits and their Stories by The Genocide Project. Portraits will be placed throughout the room for participants to view. "I would also like to recognize The Southern California Gas Company, and Southern Bell Communications, who has graciously agreed to serve as the main corporate sponsor for the workshop," said Assemblymember Liu. The workshop begins at 8:30 am and will run until 3:30 pm. People interested in learning more about the Teacher Training Workshop or in supporting the event should contact Diana Mangioglu at Assemblymember Liu's District Office--(626)577-9944. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.

The World is a co-production of the BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Boston.
Books — The World
Thusady, March 11, 2004
The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America’s Response
Author: Peter Balakian
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060198400
Available from Public Broadcasting One
The poet and memoirist Peter Balakian has written a passionate,
well-researched history of the first modern genocide and the various
American reactions to it. `Who today, after all, speaks of the
annihilation of the Armenians?’ Hitler asked, setting in motion the
Final Solution for the Jews in Europe. Balakian makes clear the
continuing costs of the Turkish government’s attempts to erase the
memory of this tragedy-which we must nevertheless remember. As the
Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet said to himself in a famous poem:
The Armenian citizen has not forgiven the slaughter of his father in
the Kurdish mountains. But he loves you, because you also won’t
forgivethose who blackened the name of the Turkish people.
What this history reveals is that there can be no forgiveness without
a full accounting of the crime-a reckoning the American government can
andshould demand.

French ambassador named Georgian foreign minister
TBILISI, Georgia (Reuters) – Georgia’s President Mikhail Saakashvili
picked France’s ambassador in Tbilisi to be his foreign minister
Thursday, saying he had cleared the appointment with French President
Jacques Chirac.
Saakashvili said 51-year-old Salome Zurabishvili, a descendant of 19th
century Georgian writer Niko Nikoladze, was a diplomat of
international standing whose family had emigrated to France early in
the 20th century.
He told a news conference he believed the appointment was
“unprecedented in the history of diplomacy.” Diplomats are normally
expected to remain loyal to their own country and not take up jobs in
foreign governments.
He said he would grant her Georgian citizenship in addition to her
French passport, a dual status the constitution allowed in special
circumstances.
Zurabishvili has worked in the United States, the European Union and
NATO and headed the international department of France’s national
security general secretariat until taking up her post in Georgia.
After the fall of communism, many people whose families had migrated
to Western Europe and the United States returned to their Eastern
European roots. A U.S. lawyer, for instance, served for a short time
as foreign minister in Transcaucasian neighbor Armenia in the 1990s.
Saakashvili himself is a U.S.-trained lawyer who led a bloodless coup
last November that brought down veteran leader Eduard Shevardnadze, a
former Soviet foreign minister.
Saakashvili won a landslide election victory in January and promised
to integrate the republic into NATO, the European Union and the
European mainstream.
03/11/04 14:14 ET

Armenia: Women Do Time in “Model Prison”
Almost half the inmates of the country’s only women’s prison are serving
sentences for murder.
By Karine Ter-Saakian in Abovian (CRS No. 222, 11-Mar-04)
Just outside Yerevan, there is a small zoo whose inmates include a llama, a
peacock and a couple of pythons. What’s unusual about it is that it’s part
of a woman’s prison, the only one in Armenia.
The authorities claim the Abovian camp is a model prison and that its 70
inmates have some of the best conditions in the former Soviet Union. Human
rights activists agree that things are a lot better than they used to be,
but say much more needs to be done for conditions to meet international
standards.
An IWPR contributor who visited the prison camp last week found it a strange
place, with a large aquarium as well as a zoo, and an area where pigs and
rabbits are raised for food.
But perhaps the most extraordinary aspect of the prison is that nearly half
the women are in for murder rather than the more usual lesser crimes.
Part of the explanation may be that women are very rarely imprisoned in
Armenia, and the country’s new criminal code stipulates that they should not
serve more than 15 years. But those convicted of grave crimes such as murder
are not eligible for early release under amnesty.
Voski is a 78-year-old woman serving a sentence for murder. “I was born in
Azerbaijan and became a refugee. My husband used to abuse me so I went and
killed him,” she told IWPR. Another inmate recently killed her
mother-in-law.
In the prison it’s widely believed that you can tell who is serving a murder
sentences because they are the most beautiful.
“Women are more cruel,” said deputy prison governor Rostom Mnatsakanian, a
man. “There is one woman here who killed her husband and cut him into 90
pieces, into tiny bits. And when they asked her why, she said she was fed up
with him.”
The prisoners are held in large rooms lined with beds rather than small
cells. The atmosphere gloomy and with so many people around, privacy is
almost non-existent.
Prisoners told IWPR that life has improved at Abovian since the camp was
transferred from the jurisdiction of the interior ministry to the justice
ministry.
Prison officials say that inmates have the right to work and earn a small
wage, and that they also have computer classes and use of the internet,
access to a psychologist and a health clinic, and regular visits by Armenian
priests.
“We have here what many people outside don’t even have – hot water, enough
food, and the right to see our children,” said Arevik, a pleasant young
woman who is another of those serving time for murder. Her sister is doing
time in the prison, and she also has her young daughter who was born here.
“We understand that nothing can replace freedom, but we are still trying to
provide them with a human existence,” said Mnatsakanian. “Thank God, there
is much more order in the [prison] camps in Armenia than in other
Commonwealth of Independent States countries.”
A few days after IWPR’s visit, the prison marked International Women’s Day –
March 8 – with a gift of pearls for all the women from Armenian church
leader Catholicos Garegin II and a concert, and children were allowed to
visit their mothers for a couple of days.
However, Avetik Ishkhanian, head of Armenia’s Helsinki Committee, said that
the Armenian prisons including this one did not yet measure up to
international standards.
“It’s true, it’s become somewhat better now, but the inmates are still
deprived of newspapers, books and any contact with the outside world. They
can only use the telephone for 20 minutes a month,” he said.
Mikael Danielian, who heads another human rights group, the Helsinki
Association, agreed that overall, conditions have improved at Abovian, but
he noted,”There is no decent room here for meetings. And when they complain
about this to the management, they say there is no money. It’s interesting,
there’s money for an aquarium and greenhouses, but not for normal rooms.”
Danielian continued, “The furniture is old, the cells don’t get any air,
there are 10 to 15 people in one room, and in the [nearby] children’s
[detention] camp, all 68 inmates sleep in one room.
“They [the women] have hot water, but bath day is only once a week, so
standards of sanitation are terrible. And why do they have computers if they
can’t use them?”
Each cell also has an informer who listens to everything the others say –
they won’t say who she is or point her out, but simply call her “mother”.
Everyone agrees, though, that life at Abovian is much better than in the men
‘s prison at Kosh, where tuberculosis is rife and general living conditions
are much worse.
“We always hope that those who have served their sentence won’t come back
here, but it doesn’t always work that way,” said deputy governor
Mnatasakanian. “Around a quarter of the prisoners come back. Maybe they’ve
got used to it here.”
Karine Ter-Saakian is a journalist with the Respublika Armenii newspaper in
Yerevan

Disappearing Horses of Karabakh
Dilbaz (top) and Karabakh horse at the Baku hippodrome.
Azerbaijanis breeders are struggling to keep alive a centuries-old horse
rearing tradition.
By Kamil Piriev and Samira Husseinova in Lenberan (CRS No. 222, 11-Mar-04)
The green pastures of this village 360 kilometres west of Baku used to be
home to cattle and sheep. Now a group of stables and barns dominates the
landscape and herds of Karabakh horses graze across it, guarded by a
herdsman and a dog.
The village of Lenberan has been transformed by the arrival here of the
staff of what used to be the stud farm of Aghdam, the Azerbaijani city now
occupied by the Armenians and located on the other side of the Nagorny
Karabakh ceasefire line.
The famous Karabakh horses have suffered from the conflict, too. There are
now just 130 of them, compared with some 400 twenty years ago.
Azerbaijan’s first stud farm was built near Aghdam in 1949 to rear the
valuable Karabakh breed of horse. The farm was hard hit by the 1991-94
conflict. The remaining horses were evacuated to Baku before Armenian troops
captured Aghdam in 1993.
It was only four years later that a proper new farm was built for the horses
at Lenberan. However both the location and the farm leave much to be
desired. The lowland climate is not ideal for the horses, and the farm is
rather cramped.
“Karabakh horses were bred in the mountains for centuries,” farm manager
Maarif Husseinov told IWPR. “That is why, apart from their beauty, these
horses are valued for their endurance and ability to travel narrow mountain
paths. Lenberan is not good for them. The climate is too humid and the grass
is different here.”
The beautiful golden-brown Karabakh horse, believed to be of very ancient
pedigree, is of medium height with a small head and strong muscles. Over
many centuries the Muslim khans of the Karabakh highlands took great pride
in breeding them.
Traditionally the breed has been prized for its hardiness and its loyalty to
its owners. Because of its size and temperament it has always been popular
with woman riders. Its fame persisted into modern times and in 1956, Queen
Elizabeth of Britain received a Karabakh stallion named Zaman as a gift from
the Soviet government, along with an Akhal Tekke horse from Turkmenistan.
There are some 65,000 horses in Azerbaijan, but only about 1,000 of them are
thoroughbred. As well as the relocated Aghdam stud farm, there are two farms
at Agstafa and one at Sheki which breed the grey Dilbaz, another famous
Azerbaijani breed.
But all the stud farms have fallen on hard times, because although they are
officially run by the state, in reality they were left to fend for
themselves years ago. Selling just a few horses a year, they can barely
afford to buy food for the horses and pay their employees.
This worries the experts. “Unless conditions improve, the Karabakh and
Dilbaz may lose their pedigree status and become diluted in a few years,”
warned Handam Rajabli, deputy director of the pedigree breeding department
at the agriculture ministry.
“Professional horse breeding in Azerbaijan suffers most from the lack of
customer interest in our local breeds,” complained Rajabli. “Many private
customers these days prefer the English thoroughbred and the Turkmen Akkal
Tekke to the Karabakh and Dilbaz.”
Azerbaijan’s racing and breeding industries continue to suffer from a
presidential ban on betting on horses that followed a big casino scandal in
Baku five years ago. As a result racing lost popularity and racecourses and
stud farms lost revenues. To maintain the Baku racecourse complex, the
management has had to lease part of the premises to private businesses.
Another major problem is the continuing export ban on Azerbaijani horses
because of their failure to meet international identification standards. As
an exportable commodity, horses need to come with all the necessary
vaccinations properly documented, which is not the case with Azerbaijan’s
horses.
This year, the agriculture ministry came up with a plan to improve breeding
conditions for thoroughbred Azerbaijani horses and asked the government to
foot the bill. The plan calls for around 400,000 dollars to be allocated to
the horse breeding industry and the ban on horserace betting to be lifted.
The government is still considering its response.
But some enthusiasts think there is no time to be lost. Yashar Guluzade, an
entrepreneur, has been breeding the Karabakh for seven years. On the 50
hectares of land he owns outside Baku, he keeps 28 Karabakh horses and two
Dilbaz.
Yashar owes his love of horses to his father Alihussein, but never dreamed
of owning his own stable. Then in 1997 he saw Senat, a young Karabakh stud
horse, at the Baku racecourse and was so impressed by its beauty that he
decided to buy it. After that he became so fascinated with local breeds that
he travelled from village to village in search of pedigree animals.
Guluzade, 39, is worried that the Karabakh and Dilbaz horses may be on the
road to extinction. “I’m an amateur, but even I can see how the thoroughbred
population has been dwindling year by year,” he said. “Unless the government
and real experts take action, the purity of these breeds will not last much
longer.”
Experts at the ministry, while conceding that action must be taken, are more
optimistic about the future. “I find it alarming that the government does
not provide enough cash to stud farms and line breeders,” said Rajabli. “But
to talk about thoroughbred Karabakh and Dilbaz being close to extinction
would be premature. These breeds have survived for centuries; they cannot
just vanish into thin air.”
Kamil Piriev reports for Radio France Internationale and Samira Husseinova
is a freelance journalist; both are based in Baku.
To see photographs of two horses look at the web version of this story on
our Caucasus website,