News from Turkey

State visit sends message to Turkey

By Nicholas Witchell Royal correspondent, BBC News

It's a well-established fact that Queen Elizabeth doesn't do politics or diplomacy. Except, of course, that she does, most especially when she is on a state visit to a foreign country.

All such visits are chosen and controlled by the British Foreign Office. Their unashamed purpose is to further what British diplomats perceive to be Britain's interests abroad.

And there are few more potent message-bearers in the British diplomatic arsenal than its veteran head of state, widely recognised - by virtue of her 56 years on the throne - as the Western world's senior statesperson.

In coming to Turkey, the Queen is - at the behest of the Foreign Office - sending a very clear message in support of Turkey's aspiration to join the European Union and, by implication, to be Westward-facing.

But the underlying message of this state visit is both more subtle and more important than that.

Embracing democracy

It is a diplomatic cliche that Turkey stands at the crossroads between Europe and Asia - a country of 72 million people whose strategic significance is hard to overstate but which is sometimes overlooked.

So far as the West is concerned, Turkey can be said to be the most successful example of a Muslim country which has embraced democracy.

Potentially, as one Western diplomat put it, the country is an example to the rest of the Muslim world of how democracy can work.

In military terms, Turkey occupies an important strategic position, as was demonstrated in both Gulf wars.

It is also of considerable significance in terms of counter-terrorism and the international efforts to defeat the smugglers of drugs and people - quite apart from its role as a route for vital energy supplies.

In short, Turkey matters.

But things are happening within the country's society which are worrying the West.

Ever since the modern Turkey was created in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the country has prided itself on its secularism. Politics and religion have been kept completely apart.

Today, though, the demarcation is becoming increasingly blurred. Last year Turkey elected a new president, Abdullah Gul, whose background is in political Islam.

The changes in the country manifested themselves in a small but highly symbolic moment on the first day of this visit.

When the president and his wife, Hayrunnisa, welcomed the Queen and Prince Philip to their official residence, Mrs Gul was wearing a headscarf - notwithstanding well-established protocols in Turkey that headscarves amount to a religious statement and therefore may not be worn in public buildings.

The gesture by the wife of the Turkish president will inflame the sensitivities between the country's Islamists and its secularists.

European values

Already Turkey's army which, for generations, has regarded itself as the principal guardian of the country's secular constitution, has issued subtle warnings that it will not stand by and allow Turkey to become an Islamist state.

In the past the military has not hesitated to intervene to overthrow governments of which it had disapproved.

So there is a pressing need, in Britain's view, to bolster Turkey's ambitions to join the European Union and, thereby, to encourage European values and freedoms and to hasten fundamental changes in the areas of economic efficiency and political stability.

Among those, of course, are the important issues of human rights and freedom of speech.

To that end then, Queen Elizabeth has been pressed into service.

Her presence in Turkey and Britain's strong support for the country's EU candidature (in the face of strong opposition from France and others) will reassure the secularists and those Turks who are westward-facing, that they have influential allies.

It is also evidence that, at the age of 82, Britain's head of state can still cope with four days of engagements in Turkey's early-summer heat, and that she still packs quite a diplomatic punch.

The Queen's Turkey Visit: Second Day

Source:Turkey - UK

The queen of the United Kingdom, currently on a four-day visit to Turkey with her husband, Prince Philip, yesterday visited the historic northwestern city of Bursa, once an Ottoman capital and now home to Turkey's automotive and textile industries. Queen Elizabeth II arrived in Bursa at 11:40 a.m. on a British Airways private jet, accompanied by First Lady Hayrünnisa Gül and Foreign Minister Ali Babacan's wife, Zeynep Babacan. The queen was met in Bursa by Mayor Hikmet Şahin and Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Celal Sönmez and his spouse. Two children presented the queen with flowers upon her arrival, while a folklore dance group and a Janissary band performed. Queen Elizabeth II started her Bursa trip at Koza Han, or the "silk cocoon market," an ancient caravanserai built in 1491, where she was given a silk scarf adorned with the seal of an Ottoman sultan. Later, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited a local vocational high school for girls, where they watched artist Nuray Yıldız work on a piece of marbled artwork --- ebru in Turkish -- as institute officials informed the queen on the history of ebru. State Minister Mehmet Aydın and British Ambassador to Turkey Nicholas Baird also joined the queen during her tour of Koza Han. Bursa Hakimiyet, a local newspaper, used an English headline, "Welcome to Bursa Your Majesty," in yesterday's issue. "We are honored by your visit. We hope to host you in the best way possible," the newspaper wrote. The front page of the paper was printed in both English and Turkish. After the visit to Koza Han, the queen attended a traditional Ottoman shadow puppet show and a fashion show and visited the Great Mosque where she listened to a recitation of the Quran. * Turkey a bridge between East and West Queen Elizabeth on Tuesday praised Turkey, positioning it between the West and the Islamic world. "For us, Turkey is as important now as it has ever been," Queen Elizabeth II said in a state banquet held in honor of her visit, her second in 37 years. "Turkey is uniquely positioned as a bridge between East and West at a crucial time for the European Union and the world in general." Wearing a tiara and dressed in a white gown embroidered with beads in the form of grape bunches, Queen Elizabeth said, "You are playing a key role in promoting peace, political stability and economic development in some of the world's most unsettled areas," a reference to the Alliance of Civilizations initiative. Turkey, which is vying for EU membership, is -- along with Spain -- a co-sponsor of the UN-backed project aiming to increase dialogue between Western and non-Western cultures and to address the causes of conflict between them. In a gesture of respect, President Abdullah Gül wore a tuxedo and a silver-colored bow tie to the 300-guest banquet. Gül thanked Britain for backing Turkey's EU bid. "The United Kingdom has become one of the most loyal supporters in Turkey's march toward membership in the European Union," he said. "We are grateful for this unwavering and permanent support." Earlier, the queen visited the mausoleum of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and laid a wreath at the tomb, a tradition expected of all visiting dignitaries. "It is an honor to pay my respects to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, a much beloved friend of the United Kingdom and one of the great figures of modern history," she wrote in the visitor's book at the mausoleum. At the monument, the queen was presented with an album of photographs of her uncle, King Edward VII's visit to Turkey in 1936 as well as her last visit, in 1971. During their stay the queen and her husband will see some of Turkey's most revered national monuments and take part in religious and cultural traditions, highlighting her country's good relations with Turkey. * 'Did you see me as I waved?' Meanwhile, an interesting detail came out during a conversation between the queen and President Gül when they met at the presidential palace yesterday. According to sources close to the presidency, Gül recounted a memory from his youth, recalling that when the queen had visited Turkey the first time in October 1971, he had waved to the queen in İstanbul's Çemberlitaş area. Gül was at the time a 21-year-old student in the department of economics of İstanbul University. "I was a university student -- one among the many -- waving at you when you visited Çemberlitaş. Such is fate that I am now receiving you as president." 15 May 2008

QUEEN ELIZABETH II PRAISED TURKEY'S ROLE AS A BRIDGE BETWEEN WEST AND ISLAMIC WORLD
PanARMENIAN.Net
14.05.2008 14:46 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Queen Elizabeth II praised Turkey's role as a bridge
between the West and the Islamic world on Tuesday during her first
visit to the predominantly Muslim country in 37 years.

"For us, Turkey is as important now as it has ever been," the British
monarch said at a state banquet.

"Turkey is uniquely positioned as a bridge between East and West at
a crucial time for the European Union and the world in general."

Wearing a tiara and dressed in a white gown decorated with beads,
the queen said Turkey is "playing a key role in promoting peace,
political stability and economic development in some of the world's
most unsettled areas."

She referred to the Alliance of Civilizations initiative, a UN-backed
project - cosponsored by Turkey and Spain - aiming to increase dialogue
between Western and non-Western cultures and to address the causes
of conflict between them, the AP reports.

PRESS RELEASE
2 May 2008
Turkey: Article 301 Reforms Pallid - It Should Be Abolished

ARTICLE 19 condemns as wholly insufficient recent moves by the Turkish government to amend the infamous Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code. The article, which still criminalises denigration of the Turkish Nation, has been grossly abused in the past, including to convict leading Turkish writers such as Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk, and leading journalist and editor Hrant Dink, who was murdered in January 2007.

„Article 301 is inherently offensive to the right to freedom of expression and should simply be repealed in its entirety,‰ said Dr. Agnès Callamard, Executive Director, ARTICLE 19. „It seems clear that the recent tinkering with Article 310 is aimed at improving Turkey‚s image abroad, particularly with the European Union, rather than addressing the real problems with this provision.

On

30 April 2008, the Turkish Parliament approved changes to Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which had criminalised „Denigration of Turkishness, the Republic, the institutions and organs of the State‰. After all-night deliberations, Turkish MPs finally agreed to substitute ŒTurkish Nation‚ for ŒTurkishness‚ and ŒThe State of Turkish Republic‚ for ŒTurkish Republic‚. The maximum sanction was also reduced from three to two years‚ imprisonment, with the possibility of a suspended sentence for the first time offenders.

ARTICLE 19 welcomes this demonstration of some commitment on the part of the Turkish Government to reform. At the same time, we stress that the whole article represents an illegitimate restriction on freedom of expression, as guaranteed under international law, and that it should be repealed in full. Free and open criticism of the State and its organs is central to democracy and criminal proscriptions on such criticism cannot be justified.

The problem is far from theoretical and the evidence shows that Article 301 is applied frequently. According to the Independent Communication Network (BİA), cases against journalists, publishers and activists under Article 301 rose from 29 in 2005 to 72 in 2006. Many others were charged under a variety of criminal laws, ranging from Article 216 of the Penal Code, prohibiting „inflaming hatred and hostility among people‰, to Law 5816, which criminalises Œinsulting the memory of Atatürk‚. Between July and September 2007, 22 charges were laid under Article 301, mostly against journalists.

ARTICLE 19 joins its voice to those of the numerous other human rights groups and intellectuals who have called on the Turkish government to repeal Article 301 entirely. We also call for the repeal of other provisions that inhibit open criticism of government or the State.

ARTICLE 19 is an independent human rights organisation that works globally to protect and promote the right to freedom of expression. It takes its name from Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees free speech.

ARTICLE 19
6-8 Amwell Street London EC1R 1UQ United Kingdom
Tel: +44 20 7278 9292 - Fax: +44 20 7278 7660 - info@article19.org - www.article19.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Catholicos Visit to Vatican

Catholic News Service

May 9 2008
Pope tells Armenian Orthodox God can work miracle of Christian unity
By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- God can work miracles, including the miracle of
Christian unity, Pope Benedict XVI told the Armenian Orthodox
patriarch and 18 bishops.

"If our hearts and minds are open to the Spirit of communion, God can
work miracles again in the church, restoring the bonds of unity," the
pope said May 9 during a prayer service with Catholicos Karekin II,
patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Catholicos Karekin was visiting the Vatican along with Armenian
Orthodox bishops from Armenia, Russia, Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Turkey,
Egypt, Syria, the United States, Canada, Brazil, France, Italy and
Germany.

Some 100 Armenian pilgrims from around the world joined Pope Benedict
and the Armenian bishops for the midday prayer service in the
Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace; afterward, the patriarch
joined the pope for lunch.

Speaking during the prayer service, Pope Benedict looked toward the
May 11 celebration of Pentecost, saying, "We will pray earnestly to
the Father, asking him to send his Holy Spirit, the Spirit whose task
it is to maintain us in divine love and lead us into all truth."

The pope said that while the path to restoring Christian unity appears
long and difficult and there are "deep and painful divisions" still
needing to be healed the Holy Spirit can unite people as occurred on
the first Pentecost.

The Spirit "can open doors that are locked, inspire words that have
been forgotten, heal relations that are broken," he said.

Pope Benedict prayed that the work of the international
Catholic-Oriental Orthodox theological dialogue "will bring us closer
to full and visible communion and that the day will come when our
unity in faith makes possible a common celebration of the Eucharist."
The Armenian Apostolic Church is an Oriental Orthodox church.

The pope also praised the Armenian Orthodox for the "remarkable
pastoral results that have been achieved" since the breakup of the
Soviet Union.

Catholicos Karekin raised political questions that the pope did
not. He said the people of Armenia are suffering from the results of
an embargo imposed by Azerbaijan and Turkey related to ongoing
tensions in the region, specifically the independence efforts by
ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave in Azerbaijan.

Turning to the importance of ecumenical relations, Catholicos Karekin
said, "Faithful to the holy church fathers and their legacy, despite
our differences and unique characteristics, we shall place greater
importance on that which unites us."

While theological differences remain, he said, Christians have an
obligation to work together because "many environmental, social,
political, economic and moral issues urgently need attention."

"True respect for life and man and love for God is diminishing," he
said. "Only through inclusive cooperation shall we be able to better
serve the establishment of peace in the world and to better defend
human rights and the rights of nations, families and those classes of
society which are at risk," he said.

Speaking to reporters after his lunch with the pope, Catholicos
Karekin said his visit was a further example of "that warm atmosphere
of love and respect" that exists between Catholics and Armenian
Orthodox.

The warm relations, he said, are found not simply between church
leaders, "but also among the communities, parishes and dioceses
throughout the world."

Archbishop Avak Asadourian, primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church
in Iraq, was asked about the situation of the faithful in his
violence-torn country.

"When we speak of Iraq today and the severe difficulties Iraqis face,
we do not want to differentiate between the different religions
because the plight is common to all. Terrorism or bullets do not
differentiate between religions," the archbishop said. "The
difficulties are the same for everyone across the board."

ANSA English Media Service
May 9, 2008 Friday 2:29 PM CET
ARMENIAN PATRIARCH IN TALKS WITH POPE
Vatican City

(ANSA) - Vatican City, May 9 - The head of the Armenian Apostolic
Church, Karekin II, on Friday invited Pope Benedict XVI to visit
Etchmiadzin, the Armenian Church's equivalent of the Vatican. Karekin
arrived in Rome with a delegation of bishops from the Armenian Church
earlier this week and on Friday met with the pope ahead of an
ecumenical service at the Vatican attended by both religious
leaders. Speaking at the event, Benedict expressed his gratitude for
the excellent relations between Catholics and the Armenian Church, but
said that ''there is still much to do to calm the deep and sorrowful
divisions'' between the various Christian churches worldwide.

''The road towards the re-establishment of full and visible communion
between all Christians remains long and arduous,'' he said. The pope
also highlighted the struggle of the Armenian Church, echoing an
appeal to the international community he made on Wednesday in St
Peter's Square to condemn the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians at the
beginning of the 20th century during a Turkish campaign of
''denationalisation''. ''The recent story of the Armenian Apostolic
Church has been written with the contrasting colours of persecution
and martyrdom, of obscurity and hope, of humiliation and spiritual
rebirth,'' said Pope Benedict. He also noted that the patriarch and
his bishops ''have personally undergone these contrasting experiences
in their own families and lives''. The pope praised Karekin II for
reconstructing the Armenian Church ''with significant pastoral results
over a short time, in Armenia and abroad, for the Christian education
of the young, the formation of a new clergy, the construction of new
churches and community centres, charitable aid and the promotion of
Christian values in social and cultural life''. ''The restoration of
the freedom of the Church in Armenia has been a source of great joy
for us,'' Benedict said. On Thursday Karekin visited the basilica of
St Bartholomew - one of the first preachers who came to Armenia -
where the saint is buried on Rome's Isola Tiberina. The small former
Soviet republic of Armenia is one of the oldest Christian nations in
the world, having adopted Christianity in 301 AD, and is surrounded by
predominantly Muslim nations. The elected patriarch, or Catholicos, is
head of all the Armenian communities throughout the world and has his
seat at at Etchmiadzin.


Pope Recalls Armenian 'Martyrdom'
AFP

Pope Benedict XVI on Friday recalled the "martyrdom" of the Armenian
Apostolic Church during a visit by its leader Garegin II, avoiding the
word "genocide" pronounced several times by his predecessor John Paul
II.

Garegin II, on the fourth and final day of a visit to the Vatican, had
on Wednesday urged "all nations to universally denounce the Armenian
genocide" in a speech to some 20,000 people gathered in St Peter's
Square.

On Friday, however, the pope said: "The recent history of the Armenian
Apostolic Church has been written in the contrasting colors of
persecution and martyrdom, darkness and hope, humiliation and spiritual
rebirth. "The restoration of freedom to the Church in Armenia has been a
source of great joy for us all," the 81-year-old pontiff added.

In November 2000, a meeting at the Vatican between John Paul II and
Garegin II ended with a joint statement condemning the Armenian
genocide.

The following year, at Garegin II's invitation, the Polish pope traveled
to Armenia where the two religious leaders again spoke of "the
extermination of one-and-a-half million Armenian Christians in what is
generally called the first genocide of the 20th century." John Paul II
also spoke of the "annihilation of thousands of people that followed
under the former totalitarian regime," referring to Soviet-era religious
persecution.

On Friday, Garegin II invited Benedict XVI to visit Armenia both in his
own name and on behalf of new President Serzh Sarkisian. The two
religious leaders had private talks after the pope led an ecumenical
celebration in the Apostolic Palace's imposing Clementine Hall.

The Armenian Apostolic Church, one of the world's oldest independent
churches, numbers some seven million adherents of whom more than two
million live in present-day Armenia.

AT VATICAN, ARMENIAN SPIRITUAL LEADER DECRIES GENOCIDE DENIAL
Ecumenical News International
May 14 2008
Switzerland

Rome (ENI). Catholicos Karekin II of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
visiting Pope Benedict XVI in Rome, has spoken of the "genocide"
suffered by his compatriots in the Ottoman empire, and said that those
with power should ensure that justice prevails. "We ... appeal to
all nations and lands to universally condemn all genocides that have
occurred throughout history and those that continue through the present
day," Karekin said in St Peter's Square on 7 May, where he had been
invited by Pope Benedict to speak at the pontiff's general audience.

"The denial of these crimes is an injustice that equals the commission
of the same," noted Karekin, who holds the title of "Supreme Patriarch
and Catholicos of All Armenians".

Armenia says 1.5 million of its people died between 1915 and 1923
in a systematic genocide initiated by the Young Turks' government
ruling then in Istanbul. Turkey, however, rejects the term "Armenian
genocide" and says mass removals were intended to clear people from a
war zone. It acknowledges that people died, but holds that the number
was far less than that given by Armenia.

Karekin was accompanied by Armenian bishops from North and South
America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East for his 5-12 May visit to
Rome, which followed an earlier visit to the Vatican in 2000, when
he met Benedict's predecessor, Pope John Paul II.

"Today many countries of the world condemn the genocide made by the
Ottomans against the Armenian people, as John Paul II said when I
was in Rome," noted Karekin, who received Pope John Paul in Armenia
in 2001.

Two days after Karekin spoke at St Peter's Square, Pope Benedict
received the Armenian delegation at the Vatican. At the meeting,
Benedict said, "The recent history of the Armenian Apostolic Church has
been written in the contrasting colours of persecution and martyrdom,
darkness and hope, humiliation and spiritual re-birth."

Still, noted the Agence France-Press in a report, Pope Benedict did
not employ the word "genocide" that had been used by his predecessor.

The Pope and the Catholicos underlined the achievements of the
Armenian-Catholic ecumenical dialogue during the past 12 years to
seek greater Christian unity.

Karekin II invited the pontiff to visit Armenia, and expressed the
hope that the international community would support the right to
self-determination of Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-populated region
situated in neighbouring Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliev, suggested earlier during
2008 that his country could use force to regain control over
Nagorno-Karabakh. The area has been under ethnic Armenian control
since a 1994 cease-fire ended a six-year war.


CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS CONCLUDES HIS VISIT TO VATICAN
Noyan Tapan
May 13, 2008

VENICE, MAY 14, NOYAN TAPAN. Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of
Armenians Karekin II on May 13 concluded his 4-day visit to the head
of the Roman Catholic Church Benedict XVI and returned to the Mother
See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

During the visit, on the morning of May 7 Karekin II went to the tomb
of Pope John Paul II and prayed for the peace of his soul. Then His
Holiness went to St. Gregory the Illuminator Square in St. Peter's
yard where a statue of St. Gregory the Illuminator was set up in the
days of Pope John Paul II.

Then a meeting presided by Pope Benedict XVI and Catholicos of All
Armenians Karekin II took place in St. Peter's Square. They addressed
their words of welcome to more than 35 thousand faithful who had
gathered in the square.

On the same day Catholicos of All Armenians went to the Pontifical
Salesian University where he delivered a lecture. His Holiness received
a doctorate in recognition of his activities in the "theology of
youth pastoral care".

The ceremony was attended by the Vatican's Secretary of State Cardinal
Tarcisio Bertone and the head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity Cardinal Walter Kasper.

On May 8 Karekin II accompanied by the prefect of the Vatican's
Congregation of Eastern Churches Cardinal Leonardo Sandri went to the
Pontifical Oriental Institute and conveyed his blessing and greetings
to the participants of the congress on "holy sacrifice in the Armenian
tradition". Armenian and Catholic scientists from Europe and North
America made speeches at the congress organized by efforts of Father
Robert Tafti.

Early on May 9, the Armenian delegation went to the Vatican Apostolic
Palace to participate in the meeting of Catholicos of All Armenians
Karekin II and Pope Benedict XVI. During the meeting, the two leaders
spoke about close links and cooperation between the Armenian Apostolic
Church and the Roman Catholic Church. Then the two church leaders
presided over a short prayer.

At the end of the meeting, Karekin II and Benedict XVI had a private
talk to discuss a number of problems of importance to both churches.

At noon of the same day, Catholicos of All Armenians met with the
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams in the Vatican's hotel. During
the meeting, Supreme Patriarch and the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke
about the upcoming Lambeth conference of the Anglican Church and the
relations between the sister churches.

At the conclusion of the visit, a ceremony of ecumenical prayer took
place at the tomb of Apostle Paul. Bishops and clergymen of the Roman
Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church took part in the
prayer presided over by Catholicos of All Armenians.

Accordng to the infomation service of the Mother See of Holy
Etchmiadzin, during the official visit, Karekin II and the Armenian
delegation visited Armenian and Catholic churches and sacred places.

Early May 10 Catholicos of All Armenians accompanied by high-ranking
clergymen left for Milan where His Holiness met with the Armenian
community.

On May 11-12 Catholicos of All Armenians was in Venice, in the island
of San Lazzaro where a meeting with the Mechitarist Congregation
was held.

Political & Semi-Political News from Armenia

NEW ARMENIAN CABINET UNVEILS STRATEGY
by Natalia Leshchenko
Global Insight
April 29, 2008

The Armenian parliament is discussing today the five-year
development strategy proposed by the newly formed government of
Tigran Sarkisian. The programme pledges the strengthening the rule
of law, improving the business environment and implementing other
"second-generation" reforms. Economy Minister Nerses Yeritsian said
that the programme aims to sustain Armenia's economic growth by
guaranteeing fair business competition and taking other measures to
improve the overall investment climate. The main locus of such reforms,
the Prime Minister pointed out, will be the improvement of the work of
the tax and customs agencies that are still often accused of arbitrary
action. The parliament is highly likely to pass the strategy since it
is worked out with the representatives of all parliamentary factions,
and the government controls the parliament to a nearly full extent.

Significance:The governmental programme is a predictable continuation
of the policies of President Serzh Sargsyan, who had stepped into
the position from having been prime minister. Anti-corruption
reforms are much needed, as well as the streamlining of the fiscal
and customs policies implementation. The governmental commitment to
the declared goals of improving the investment climate, however, will
need to be verified by action, as corruption will be hard to root out
given its strong penetration into the administrative bodies of the
country. Finding social peace will also be a major task, after the
bloody crack-down on post-election protests this March. The programme
put forward to the parliament by Armenian government has all the right
words in it--the question is whether the government will prove able
to sing to its own hymn sheet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ARMENIA: OPPOSITION SETS TALKS TERMS
Two months after Yerevan bloodshed, Armenian opposition lays out conditions for dialogue.
By Gayane Abrahamian in Yerevan

Former president Levon Ter-Petrosian was met by hundreds of his supporters

with applause and shouts of "Levon - president", outside the government building

where the Armenian opposition held a congress on May 2.

Some made the comparison with Ter-Petrosian's return to Yerevan after six months

in prison in Moscow in 1989, following his arrest as a nationalist dissident leader.

The meeting was a chance for Ter-Petrosian, who has been restricted from appearing

in public since the March 1 violence in Yerevan, in which ten people died, to address

his supporters and set out his strategy.

The congress, which unites 23 parties under the name Movement Heralding National

Awakening, opened with a minute's silence for those who died on March 1.

Ter-Petrosian called the events of that day a "massacre" and accused the former

president Robert Kocharian of responsibility. He went on to say that the incoming

president Serzh Sarkisian - whose legitimacy the opposition disputes - should have

stopped the killings, but his level of culpability will depend on whether he sanctions

an unbiased investigation into the March 1 bloodshed.

"There is no more convenient and useful way to prove his innocence than to agree to

holding an international independent investigation," said Ter-Petrosian

The former president proposed that a new "Armenian National Congress" should be

formed, which would develop into a party that could play a "decisive role" in Armenian

politics and put forward candidates in elections.

"It is quite possible that in the future this 'congress' will turn into a centrist party with a

strong structure," he said.

Some analysts are sceptical, however, about how feasible it is for the opposition to

unite.

"It looks as though he is just playing for time and this is just a step to keep his supporters

in the game," said political analyst Eduard Antinian. "I am sure that at least two key

parties of the 20 that are forming the movement - the Heritage and Social Democratic

parties - will definitely not become centrist."

Vardan Khachatrian, a Heritage member of parliament, the only opposition party

represented there, was cautious about the idea of a united party.

"Further events will make things clear," said Khachatrian. "At the moment, we are

standing alongside the national movement but we simply see no need in a merger.

Today it's more important for us to be in dialogue on equal terms."

The key question currently in Armenia is whether a dialogue is possible between the

opposition, led by Ter-Petrosian and the new administration of Serzh Sarkisian, and

on what terms.

"If no dialogue between the authorities and the opposition takes place in the next six

months, then the parliamentary opposition will collapse," said former presidential

candidate Arman Melikian.

Ter-Petrosian said that he does not recognise the "legitimacy of the administration that

has seized power" but agrees that they should be engaged.

His main demand is that the government carries out a resolution adopted by the

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, on April 17, which calls for an immediate

"independent, transparent and credible inquiry into the events of 1 March and the

circumstances that led to them, including the alleged excessive use of force by the police

and violence by the protesters".

It also demanded that people in custody on "seemingly artificial and politically motivated

charges" should be released and amendments to legislation restricting public meetings

should be revoked.

The resolution warns that if these changes are not carried out, "the credibility of Armenia

as a member of the Council of Europe is put into doubt" and the Armenian delegation risks

losing its voting rights in the parliamentary assembly.

The authorities called the resolution "tough" and Tigran Torosian, speaker of the Armenian

parliament, said it "does not fully correspond to the picture of the events" that took place.

US-born former foreign minister Raffi Hovhannissian, leader of Heritage, has called for a

dialogue between government and opposition on the basis of the resolution.

"The country is in a state of crisis and I see the way out from it as being real, radical and

genuine reforms, which are possible through dialogue," said Hovhannissian.

In the meantime, a commission was formed in parliament to study the Council of Europe

resolution, of which Hovhannissian is not a member.

"This is one more step designed to isolate the opposition," said Heritage member Anahit

Bakhshian. She said that Hovhannissian is currently out of the country and that the commission

will not accept other members of his party.

"The commission includes people who have damaged and compromised our country by their

actions and incorrect decisions," complained Bakhshian, naming Grigor Amalian and Aleksan

Harutiunian, two unpopular figures at the head of state television. "Entrusting the demands

of the resolution to this commission is like entrusting wolves with lambs."

Some analysts say that dialogue may be impossible, especially as, according to the prosecutor's

office, 58 opposition activists are still in jail.

"This is a vicious circle as the authorities won't release the prisoners so easily as many of them

have criminal charges laid against them and in that case the former president will not engage in

dialogue," said political analyst Levon Shirinian.

Both sides are very suspicious of the other. Eduard Sharmazanov, spokesman for the governing

Republican Party, accused the opposition of bad faith, saying, "The leaders of the opposition are

presenting ultimatums in stead of dialogue."

Gayane Abrahamian is a reporter for Armenianow.com in Yerevan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kocharian Rounds On `Immoral' Predecessor
By Emil Danielyan

In his first public comments since leaving office, former President
Robert Kocharian on Monday defended the use of deadly force against
supporters of opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian and accused his
predecessor of `immorally exploiting' the resulting loss of life.

In an interview with the Mediamax news agency, Kocharian sought to
disprove Ter-Petrosian's claims that the March 1 violence in Yerevan was
orchestrated by the government to suppress opposition street protests
against official results of Armenia's disputed presidential election.

Addressing hundreds of loyalists earlier this month, Ter-Petrosian
brushed aside government claims that the clashes, which left at least
ten people dead, were part of his plot to use the February 19 election
for returning to power. He said Kocharian is chiefly responsible for
what he called a `slaughter' of peaceful demonstrators.

`Only a weak-headed or a deeply immoral person may state that the
authorities can deliberately plan the use of arms,' countered Kocharian.
He insisted that his administration was never interested in putting a
bloody end to the country's post-election crisis and had no choice but
to use force against thousands of Ter-Petrosian supporters who gathered
outside the Yerevan mayor's office just hours after the break-up of
their non-stop protest in the city's Liberty Square.

`The use of force by the authorities in such cases can only be a forced
measure, which is to prevent grosser consequences,' said Kocharian.
`This is true especially for me, since I was the outgoing president
then.'

`Levon Ter-Petrosian and the [former ruling] HHSh hungered for blood as
a tool to continue the political struggle,' he charged. `By the way -
others' blood. Ter-Petrosian did everything to provoke unrest and make
the police use force.'

The Armenian authorities say security forces that tried to disperse the
angry crowd were not only pelted with stones and Molotov cocktails but
also came under gunfire. Two of the ten people killed in the clashes
were interior troop servicemen. The authorities also point to the
looting of several shops and burning of dozens of cars that followed the
police retreat from one of the streets leading to the area.

However, the official version of events has been questioned by Armenia's
human rights ombudsman, Armen Harutiunian, and international human
rights organization. In an extensive report issued late last month,
Harutiunian said that the Armenian police have so far failed to
publicize any evidence of the use of firearms by the protesters. None of
several dozen Ter-Petrosian supporters arrested since March has been
charged with firing at security forces.

According to Kocharian, this is so because `many important figures are
still hiding from the investigation.' `Attempts to cast doubts on the
fact of the use of arms, whereas two policemen and soldiers were killed
and 41 were wounded, are just foolish,' he said.

Kocharian also insisted that Ter-Petrosian was not placed under de facto
house arrest after riot police dispersed his tent camp in Liberty Square
in the early morning of March 1. The opposition leader says that is the
reason why he did not join the crowd that barricaded itself outside the
mayor's office later in the day.

`He was clearly told that he could go wherever and whenever he wanted,
but the participation of security officers [guarding Ter-Petrosian] in
illegal rallies, which had grown into mass unrest, was impermissible,'
said Kocharian. `He could have released his security guards and joined
the people who trusted him.'

`The myth about house arrest is a justification of a coward who avoided
responsibility,' he added.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MELKONIAN MUST REOPEN IF WE WANT DIASPORA TO

SURVIVE", FORMER PM TELLS CONFERENCE
AZG Armenian Daily
26/04/2008

Diaspora

Greeks and Turks more concerned with school's fate

A leading member of the Armenian Diaspora believes that if the
Melkonian school in Cyprus does not open some time soon, it will
spell disaster for all Armenians around the world.

Speaking at the sixth meeting of the Organising Committee of the
Western Armenian National Council that ended in Nicosia on Sunday,
Anoushavan Danielyan said that he would try to convince the AGBU
in New York to reopen the historic school. He said it would be to
the benefit of present-day Armenia to maintain such a high-calibre
educational centre within the European Union and so close to the
Middle East and Russia.

"I know what it costs to maintain a school for a community, for all
Armenia and Western Armenians. In the Diaspora we must have educational
and financial centres to support the Republic of Armenia in every way,"
Danielyan said.

"If there are 1,200 schools in Armenia, adding one more would simply
bring the total to 1,201, while closing a school in the Diaspora
will be a national loss," the former prime minister of Nakorno
Karapagh said.

Danielyan was commenting on the AGBU decision to reallocate the funds
of the Melkonian Trust in order to open a 'Melkonian Summer School'
near the capital Yerevan to teach the Armenian language and culture
to 400 Diaspora youths for three months each year.

"It would be better to have a school that enjoys the moral and academic
support of the friendly government of Cyprus and its people, to which
we are all thankful," he added.

But his optimism was countered by some of the six speakers who told
the 40-member central committee meeting held at the Holiday Inn in
Nicosia that the AGBU never wanted to discuss the school's fate.

"The reason for the closure was neither financial trouble nor falling
academic standards. It was their intention to exploit the valuable
land the school was sitting on," said one panelist.

Ambassador Nicholas Makris, a member of the Council of Europe committee
that drafted the Charter for European Minority Languages, told the
conference that the Melkonian must reopen otherwise the Armenian
community of Cyprus faces extinction. He said that the government
of Cyprus has an obligation to implement the Charter, primarily by
reopening of the school.

"The (CoE) committee will be visiting Cyprus again later this year when
they will have to assess any progress on the efforts to preserve and
safeguard the Armenian language on the island," the former diplomat
said.

Dr. Akabie Nassibian-Ekmekdjian, historian and principal of the
school in the 1980s gave a historical overview, saying that the
Melkonian Education Institute, founded in 1926 as an orphanage for
Genocide survivors, has produced hundreds of scientists, academics,
artists and authors who are among the leading personalities of the
Western Armenian Diaspora. Yeran Kouyoumdjian, editor of a community
newspaper, and Armen Urneshlian, an educator from Lebanon, argued
that the closure of the Melkonian was not for financial reasons and
that it is already having a negative effect on the Armenian Diaspora.

"Schools in the U.S. need tens of Armenian language and history
teachers and we are seeing the last of them," Urneshlian added.

Talat's surprise

Vartan Tashjian, former headmaster of the Nareg elementary schools,
spoke of his personal experiences and explained how Cypriots in general
were angered by the closure and how they supported the struggle to
save the school.

"In a chance meeting on Ledra Street after the checkpoint opened,
I came face-to-face with (Turkish Cypriot community leader) Mehmet
Ali Talat the day he crossed over to our side," Tashdjian told the
conference delegates.

"I greeted him in Turkish and Talat asked my name.

When I told him I was a school teacher he immediately asked, 'What
has happened to that school? It's a shame it closed' to which I had
to explain that I was not a teacher at the Melkonian. I felt ashamed,"
Tashdjian concluded.

The final speakers of the session included Masis der Parthogh,
journalist and alumni association member, who said that the school's
closure was planned years in advance with the intention to exploit
the land, and Manouk Yildizian, journalist, who explained the legal
aspects of community and minority rights in Cyprus and gave an overview
of the government's pledge to support the school, both financially
and academically.

"Have any of the old established schools in England ever closed for
financial reasons? Never, but they are maintained to produce the
future leaders of the country, with the occasional one or two prime
ministers," Yildizian added.

Present among the community members observing the conference was
former AGBU Central Board member Benon Sevan, who said that it was
"unfair" that only one side of the argument was heard and that the
AGBU came under vicious attack from the panelists.

The session's chairman argued that the AGBU's positions were very clear
and that the committee members wanted to hear about the prospects of
reopening the historic school.

Dr. Ekmekdjian added that the worldwide Melkonian alumni and friends
had always wanted a dialogue, but it was the AGBU that refused for
years to discuss keeping the school open.

Asked by the panel to elaborate on the fate of the 25,000 books of
the Melkonian library that have supposedly perished and the late 19th
century newspapers and documents that were reportedly burned, Sevan,
who is also a member of the Melkonian Administration Committee,
said he would "come back later with an answer." Last year, the
University of Cyprus had asked Armenian Representative in the House,
Vartkes Mahdessian, to intervene to help save the historic library and
provide a temporary shelter to the books until the school reopened,
but the AGBU refused to discuss the matter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Worrying Economic News from Armenia

PRICE RISES BEGIN TO BITE IN ARMENIA
New president and government damaged by steep price hikes.
By Naira Melkumian in Yerevan

Armenia's new government is on the defensive following a 40 per cent rise in the price

of gas which will hit consumers hard.

The new price, 27 US cents per cubic metre compared with the previous 19 cents, is the

result of an end to two years of government subsidies, and together with rising food costs,

is hurting the poorest members of society.

Sixty-seven-year-old grandmother Hasmik falls into this vulnerable category. Every morning,

she sweeps the streets outside local shops in the capital Yerevan, so as to earn the money

she needs to supplement her meagre pension.

"Ah, my girl, when they put up my pension at the start of the year I was very happy that I was

getting 15,000 drams [around 50 dollars] rather than 9,350 drams," she told IWPR's contributor.

"But then food got more expensive, and now they say the price of gas is going up. Next it will

be electricity and water.

"No one needs me - my children aren't helping any more, nor is the government, so that's why

I'm sweeping the streets to support myself. But when winter comes, all my money will go on

heating."

Hasmik lowered her grey head and carried on sweeping.

According to Armenia's national statistics agency, the price of food products, alcohol and

tobacco has gone up seven per cent since the beginning of the year, non-food items have

seen 1.7 per cent inflation over that period, and utility prices have gone up 6.3 per cent.

In April 2006, the government introduced a temporary subsidy on natural gas to offset the

effect on consumers of a rise in the price of gas imported from Russia. The authorities

initially intended to keep the subsidy in place until the end of 2008, but the funds allocated

for it have run out as gas import volumes were higher than anticipated.

The end of the subsidy coincided with the start of the presidency of Serzh Sarkisian - who

came to power in a controversial election in February - and the appointment of a new government.

New prime minister Tigran Sarkisian (no relation of the president) was forced to announce

the news of the end of the subsidy and the consequent rise in gas prices at the first press

briefing he gave, in mid-April.

The public will not feel the full extent of the change until they get their winter heating bills. To

cushion the blow, Sarkisian announced that the government was to spend 3.9 million dollars

on alleviating the cost to 130,000 families currently on poverty benefits.

Vardan Bostanjian, a parliamentary deputy with the pro-government Prosperous Armenia party,

admitted the authorities found themselves in a difficult situation.

"Armenia doesn't have the financial or budgetary resources to mitigate the difficult situation

caused by the rise in prices," he said.

Economist Eduard Aghajanov argued that the gas subsidy was misconceived from the start because

it did not address the needs of the poor. "The main beneficiaries were the well-off because they

use more gas for their daily needs," he said.

Another economist, Tatul Manaserian, warned that the prices of other items were about to take off.

"The end of subsidies on gas rates is leading to a chain reaction, which is causing a rise in the price

of agricultural produce and transport fares," he explained.

Most of Yerevan's shared minibuses and taxis run on compressed natural gas, which has led to

predictions that the fares they charge will go up.

An inter-departmental commission in the capital is already discussing a possible fare rise. In

other areas of Armenia, fares have already risen by 50 per cent.

Prime Minister Sarkisian has commissioned a report on whether the country's 214 gas filling stations

are artificially inflating their prices in order to rake in profits.

The price rises could not have come at a worst time for the new government, which is trying to regain

the public's trust after the political crisis that hit the country in February and March.

"My salary has stayed exactly the same time and prices just keep on rising," said 35-year-old single

mother Marina. "Now we are waiting for gas prices to rise, then the price of everything else. I feel

completely unprotected in this state."

Economist Eduard Aghajanov predicted that annual inflation would reach nine or ten per cent as a

result of the price rises. It is already exceeding government forecasts.

Energy Minister Armen Movsisian said on Public Television that the government was doing everything

in its power to ensure electricity prices did not rise.

However, the worst may yet to be come.

Alexei Miller, head of the Russian gas monopoly Gazprom, Armenia's main supplier, is due in Yerevan

soon for negotiations on next year's price.

Gazprom has agreed not to put up its prices before then, but Armenians are bracing themselves for an

increase from next January that would inflict more pain on consumers.

Naira Melkumian is a freelance journalist in Yerevan.

Feeling the World’s Pain: Armenia part of international trend in food costs
International food market is in crisis
By Gayane Mkrtchyan, ArmeniaNow reporter
Published: 02 May, 2008

The rise in food prices on the world markets unavoidably provokes inflation in small countries like Armenia.

Prices for imported foodstuffs particularly grow here. According to Armenia’s National Statistical Service,

in the course of three months, from December 2007 to March 2008, prices for foodstuffs grew by 7.2 percent.

The results of a longer-term monitoring show that in the period from March 2007 to March 2008 the growth

of prices for baked products in Armenia increased 33.9 percent, animal and vegetable oils – 33.32 percent,

vegetable and potato – 5.6 percent, coffee, tea and cocoa – 9.6 percent.

Economist Tigran Jrbashyan thinks that one of the culprits of the world food crisis is the deformed agricultural

sector.

“Many of the developing countries today have a food problem and have found themselves on the verge of famine,”

he says. “The cost of wheat has increased by 130 percent during the past year, the cost of rice has grown by

80 percent.”

Rising oil prices as well as expensive fertilizers used in agriculture, according to the economist, have a

shorter-term impact.

“The world already went through this stage once in the late 1970s, early 1980s when the peak in oil prices led to

a high cost of agricultural products,” the economist explains.

Doctor of economics Zoya Tadevosyan describes the current situation of the world economy as critical. The rise

in prices for energy resources, according to her, “pushes forward” the world economy crisis the consequences

of which unavoidably affect all economies, especially those that lack energy resources and have to import them.

“If one barrel of oil sold for 40-45 USD on world commodity exchanges, then today one barrel of oil hits the level

of 118 USD. It is an unprecedented high price. The rise in fuel prices is accompanied with rising transportation

costs; consequently commodity prices, especially of imported goods, grow up.”

Tadevosyan says that the next cause of the lingering crisis is the gradual fall of the dollar’s exchange rate

[against the world’s major currencies].

Tadevosyan thinks Armenia cannot avoid the impact of such objective processes. “If we consider the circumstance

that our country fully imports fossil fuel and oil and, for example, in 2006 the share of import of that commodity group

in gross imports was 16 percent, then of course, Armenia cannot,” she says.

According to Jrbashyan, the state should offer mechanisms of subsidizing that won’t deform the market (as happened

with the gas subsidy), but will alleviate the first blow, i.e. it should clearly target socially vulnerable strata. In the

economist’s opinion, it is a fundamental issue.

“If a fall in prices is observed on the world market, it is not observed on our market and will not be observed. We lack

an effective link between our prices and international prices. It is a deformed link because of the uncompetitive price

formation,” he says.

Economist Eduard Aghajanov says that the rise of prices in Armenia is a gross result of the electoral processes.

“It is a typically Armenian phenomenon regardless of whether the price on the international market grows or not, in

Armenia after every election a hike in prices takes place. There is only one explanation to it – oligarchs who mainly

spend their own money participate in the election and they have the purpose of recovering the money they spend.”

The State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition has conducted daily monitoring of prices for

consumer goods, including butter, cooking oil, rice, bread, flour, granulated sugar.

Commission Chairman Ashot Shahnazaryan says that there have been no illegal rises in prices. The highest price

growth in the recent period was observed on the pork market, reflecting world trends as a consequence of such

conditions as swine flu.

In connection with vegetable and animal oil markets Shahnazaryan says that prices have grown by 1-2 percent,

which is connected with fluctuations observed on the world market.

“Inflation pressure in Armenia is not higher than in the world, on the contrary, the rate of inflation here, if compared to

similar countries, has always been less, and it is registered both in international reports and regional analyses. In

this sense, inflation in Armenia has always been on a low level and I think that it will be continued,” said Prime

Minister Tigran Sargsyan.

Economist Tatul Manaseryan also thinks that objective causes of inflation should be sought in international markets,

but there are also causes that exist in the country’s internal market conditioned by monopolies and other tightly

restricted influences.

Aghajanov shares this opinion: “Those are monopolistic positions of certain producers and the clan-based economy

system. Add to these two the external factor and the ‘burden’ of our economy becomes heavier. For this reason,

if in Russia, for example, inflation is 20 percent, then in Armenia is it doubled,” he says.

Inflation in Armenia in 2008 is projected at 7-7.5 percent, however, prices for a number of staple food products,

such as breadstuff, flour, dairy products, animal and vegetable oil, granulated sugar have risen by 15-20 percent.

Challenge: Concern lingers over Millennium Account funding
By Gayane Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
Published: 02 May, 2008

Among concerns since the February 19 presidential election has been whether Armenia can meet requirements

of the Millennium Challenge Account and earn the balance of $235 million earmarked for Armenia pending qualification.

The US-designated funds would be applied to programs aimed at reducing poverty and improving living conditions

in rural Armenia.

But as has been widely reported and infamously commented on by former president Robert Kocharyan doubts have

arisen over whether the funds will ever be released to Armenia, due to questionable impositions on human rights

during the 20-day state of emergency in March and other reasons.

“The program is seriously threatened and the damage will be quite significant. The problem is that because of the

closure of the program Armenia will both be deprived of millions of dollars and of a unique opportunity to develop

agriculture. It will also be defamed because of falling short of meeting those not so big requirements,” member of

the program beneficiaries’ council and the chairman of the Gyumri Asparez club Levon Barseghyan told ArmeniaNow.

Three of the program beneficiaries’ council members Levon Barseghyan, Seyran Martirosyan and Artur Sakunts have

disseminated a statement expressing their concerns over the future of the program. They underline they have been

concerned since the end of the last year “with the 17 items of the index of the situation in the Republic of Armenia that

the Millennium Challenge Corporation takes into account when financing countries: 9 of the 17 items are on the level

of ‘threatened’.”

The program became a matter of speculations before the parliamentary elections as the American side threatened

with its closure, and the opposition called for holding clean elections not to deprive the people of the program.

However, the program that overcame the challenge of the parliamentary elections and the dram appreciation faced a

challenge one after the latest election.

Defiantly, in response to an official “warning” that the funds were in jeopardy Kocharyan said, “We have much bigger

programs aimed at the development of provinces, rural areas; the Challenge is only part of them.”

However, at the meeting with Ambassador Danilovich on June 12 on the program launch occasion, the former President

stated: “The scale and efficiency of this program is unprecedented among the list of programs supporting agriculture

in Armenia.”

Barseghyan questions the argument saying if there were money, why didn’t authorities realize programs to achieve the

aims set out by the Challenge funds?

“If Armenia had alternative means, why would it wait for (Challenge Ambassador) Danilovich or anyone else to impose

pressure on it?”, says Barseghyan, underlining even if there are other means and the program is temporarily suspended,

a year or two are enough to harm the already realized programs.

In reality, though this is the largest grant program providing a large-scale development plans for rural communities like this.

Experts say this program is the most specialized and will both give an opportunity to raise the agriculture industry

deteriorated after the collapse of the Soviet Union and significantly improve the life of the rural population.

The US State Department has said it will withhold a decision on whether to disperse the funds, pending Armenia’s new

government’s behavior during it first 100 days in office (a traditional grace period that will expire around the middle of July).

“If the program is suspended, the rural population will once again feel disappointed giving way to a new wave of emigration,”

says Shoghik Arustamyan, expert of social monitoring and analysis of the Ararat province administration “The reason is

people from rural areas who used to leave their homes because of the lack of irrigation water and lack of any perspective

in agriculture, are at least hopeful today they will be able to cultivate soil and provide for themselves in several years.”

About three-fourths of the rural areas of Armenia would be beneficiaries to the program. It plans to restore 943 kilometers

of rural roads, 200 kilometers of main water canal, and 30,000 hectares of irrigation territory, 18 gravity flow systems,

7 reservoirs, and organizing special trainings for about 60,000 farmers. Farming entities will get $8.5 million loans, as well

as other support.

“The threat of droughts grows every year. Drought is expected also this year, which means the program is very important,

because the major part of the irrigation system in the republic was built in the Soviet times and is so exhausted that it causes

about 50 percent loss of water,” says member of the program council and chairman of the National Association of Farmers

Vanik Soghomonyan.

Rights activist Artur Sakunts qualifies the possibility of the program continuation 50/50. He underlines if the authorities do not

undertake real changes, do not meet the requirements of the PACE resolution, the suspension of the program will be

inevitable harming the people first of all.

The authorities are more optimistic. Gagik Minasyan, the chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee for

Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs believes the program will not be withdrawn.

“The US is highly motivated to have a stable partner in the South Caucasus like Armenia. On the other hand, Armenia is

highly motivated to have normal relations with the US that stems directly from our principle of complementary [politics] and

I think this mutually beneficial cooperation will have its development.”

National Assembly member and former ombudswoman Larisa Alaverdyan, however, does not share this optimism: “the

authorities threaten the realization of the program and that may bring to serious losses, depriving the agriculture and the rural

population of a unique opportunity for development.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2008 IPA Freedom to Publish Prize goes to Ragip Zarakolu

Seoul, Amsterdam, Geneva
During the closing ceremony of 28th IPA Publishers Congress in Seoul, Korea, IPA President Ana María Cabanellas announced that publisher Ragip Zarakolu was voted recipient of the 2008 IPA Freedom to Publish Prize for his exemplary courage in upholding freedom to publish.

The International Publishers Association (IPA) Secretariat from Seoul.

The 2008 IPA Freedom to Publish Prize goes to Ragıp Zarakolu

During the closing ceremony of 28^th IPA Publishers Congress in Seoul, Korea, IPA President Ana María Cabanellas announced that publisher Ragıp Zarakolu was voted recipient of the 2008 IPA Freedom to Publish Prize for his exemplary courage in upholding freedom to publish.

The board of the International Publishers Association (IPA) meeting in Seoul, Korea, selected Ragıp Zarakolu as Prize-winner from among many highly commendable candidates, announced IPA President Ana María Cabanellas.

IPA established the IPA Freedom to Publish Prize to honour a person who has made an important contribution to the defence and promotion of freedom to publish anywhere in the world. This year’s award will be formally presented during the opening ceremony of the international seminar on neo-censorship in Amsterdam on 18 September 2008.

Ana María Cabanellas declares: “Ragıp Zarakolu's work as a publisher and his wholehearted support of freedom to publish have often brought him into conflict with the authorities and endangered his personal safety. Ragıp Zarakolu has persistently continued to tackle controversial issues, thus encouraging healthy debate in Turkey. We award this Prize to Ragıp Zarakolu in deep respect for his courage as a publisher and as a salute to the passion, the integrity, and the steadfastness that he so marvellously demonstrates”.

IPA Freedom to Publish Committee Chair Bjørn Smith-Simonsen adds: “Ragıp Zarakolu has long been exposed to legal harassment for publishing books on minorities and human rights. We hope this Prize will encourage him to continue his publishing work“.

The other short-listed candidates nominated by IPA members, individual publishers and human rights’ organisations were: Marc Falkoff (USA), Carsten Juste (Denmark),

More about Ragıp Zarakolu, recipient of the 2008 IPA Freedom to Publish Prize:

Ragıp Zarakolu is a Turkish publisher born in 1948. Since starting his publishing house Belge with his wife Ayse Nur in 1977, he has been subjected to harassment from the Turkish authorities. Despite a three-year jail sentence, Zarakolu refused to abandon his campaign for freedom of thought, striving “for an attitude of respect for different thoughts and cultures to become widespread in Turkey”. Over the years, the charges brought by the Turkish authorities against Zarakolu and his wife resulted in further imprisonment for the couple, confiscation and destruction of books, and the imposition of heavy fines, endangering the survival of his publishing house. Ragıp Zarakolu is the chairperson of the Freedom to Publish Committee of the Turkish Publishers Association.

More about the IPA Freedom to Publish Prize:

IPA established the IPA Freedom to Publish Prize to honour each year a person or an organisation that has made an important contribution to the defence and promotion of freedom to publish anywhere in the world. Recently, the 2006 IPA Freedom to Publish Prize was awarded to Iranian publisher Shalah Lahiji during the Göteborg Book Fair, and the 2007 Prize went to Zimbabwean publisher Trevor N’cube at the Cape Town Book Fair in South Africa. Special posthumous prizes were also given to Anna Politkovskaya and Hrant Dink.

The 2008 IPA Freedom to Publish Prize is sponsored by the Dutch Publishers Association (NUV).

More about IPA:

The International Publishers Association (IPA) is the global non-governmental organisation representing all aspects of book and journal publishing worldwide. Established in 1896, IPA's mission is to promote and protect publishing and to raise awareness for publishing as a force for cultural and political advancement worldwide. IPA is an industry association with a human rights mandate. IPA currently has 65 member associations in 53 countries.