Entries for April 2004

Bush avoids the G-word | April 27, 2004
Once again Bush has avoided using the G-word in his speech to commemorate the Armenian genocide. He came close, but not close enough. "The 20th century was marred by unimaginable brutality, mass murder and genocide. History records that the Armenians...

Armavia begins new routes | April 27, 2004
Armenian airline Armavia has announced routes, including Yerevan to Novosibirsk, and Gyumri to southern Russian towns. (Via ArmenPress)...

On the road again | April 26, 2004
I will be travelling down to Tatev over the next few days to deal with my Zangezur Ashkhar project, and therefore there will be few posts here. I'm hoping there won't be much to report on while I am away!...

Kocharian goes to Paris | April 26, 2004
Kocharian has left Yerevan a day after the Genocide memorials for a visit to France, reports Itar-Tass. One wonders about the timing....

April 24 | April 26, 2004
ArmeniaNow.com has some pictures of the events to remember the genocide at Tsitsernakaberd....

Canada Recognises Armenian Genocide | April 24, 2004
Canada's parliament has passed a resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide. The Globe and Mail has a story on it, and the apparent opposition of the government, which tried to get all its MPs to vote against. Tension in the chamber...

Call for Dialogue | April 22, 2004
In another article on ArmeniaNow.com, they give a good recount of the events of the past two weeks in Yerevan. From the skirmishes on April 12th to the international criticism, and the governments rebuttals of these criticisms....

Demos good for business | April 22, 2004
ArmeniaNow.com has this article about the difficulties of getting into Yerevan and how it has been good for taxi drivers. "This week I've earned good money," says one Echmiadsin taxi driver who, like many in these tense days, doesn't want...

Armenia's Temporary Protests - Kocharian | April 21, 2004
Kocharian has called the protests in Yerevan "temporary" in an interview. "Our opposition, under the impression of Georgia's events, has decided to stage a similar situation in Armenia," he said. "But our reality cannot be compared with Georgia's."...

Highways blocked into Yerevan | April 21, 2004
This via Groong on how the police are blocking highways into Yerevan in anticipation of rallies today. The police are trying to persuade people not to take part in rallies before they even get to Yerevan....

Armenia Tree Project Celebrates Earth Day | April 21, 2004

Shouting 'bout the revolution! | April 21, 2004
Chloe Arnold, British freelance reporter based in Baku, has this interesting article in The Moscow Times, on the latest round of streets demonstrations in the Caucasus. "Opposition groups say they will continue their protests until Kocharyan resigns, but I can't...

More European Investment? | April 20, 2004
ITAR-TASS has this report about the The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) planning more investment in the "the seven poorest CIS nations", including Armenia. more tan 50 percent of people in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan and...

Joschka Fischer in Armenia | April 20, 2004
Europe joins the fray. German ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Armenia Hans-Wolf Bartels gave an interview to Noyan-Tapan, urging cooperation between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Apparently Germany is the second biggest investor in Armenia after the US....

Anti-Smoking Drive? | April 20, 2004
ArmenPress reports that Armenia will join an international anti-smoking convention. They give these incredible figures: According to official statistics, 67 percent of men and 3.1 percent of women smoke in Armenia. Specialists say cigarettes cause 30 percent of cancer and...

Armenia's Braindrain | April 19, 2004
The BBC has an in-depth look into the issue of global migration. They look at migrant labour, refugees, and the money that migrants send back home. There is a page about Armenia's refugees from Azerbaijan. The brain drain is of...

Kars - Gyumri Railway Line | April 19, 2004
Armenian Communication and Transport Minister Andranik Manukyan has said that "reconstruction" is being carried out on the Kars-Gyumri line. (via A1 Plus) Now if Turkey does the same on the other side of the border, and lifts the blockade... I...

TARC Winds Up | April 19, 2004
Apparently TARC (the Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Commission) is being wound up. Asbarez has a page of information about TARC. "We feel that advances in civil society contacts are now permanent and will only grow in time. We also feel that beyond...

On The Road | April 16, 2004
I'm heading for New York so no posts for a short while. Going to the Armenian Film Festival on Sunday. Will post something about the films and the buzz....

Putin and Kocharian | April 16, 2004
According to ITAR-TASS, Russian President spoke with Kocharian by phone. Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed confidence that "the leadership of friendly Armenia will succeed in utilizing the country's substantial potential for democratic reform to maintain stability and legality". I...

IT in Armenia | April 16, 2004
An "Armenian IT" day will be held in Silicon Valley (via Groong): Armenia-based branches of several US IT companies have given their preliminary consent to organize "the Armenian ITDay" at the famous Silicon Valley in California, which they hope will...

Giragosian on why Armenia is different from Georgia | April 16, 2004
Georgian Online Magazine Civil has an interview with Richard Giragosian, a Washington-based analyst and a frequent commentator on events in Russia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. It's another piece about how the political situation in Armenia is different from Georgia....

Will They - Won't They? | April 16, 2004
There has been a lot lately about the possible opening of the Turkish border with Armenia. Azerbaijan has been asking the Turks to "stand firm". Now one Azeri MP is predicting the border will be opened. (via Groong)...

Baku Today has that picture | April 16, 2004
Baku Today has that picture in this article, saying that the US is being cautious on criticising the ruling party in Armenia. Not a report from their own reporter, of course, but Radio Free Europe....

Bloody Bapstisms | April 16, 2004
The Moscow Times has this article by Kim Iskyan, explaining some of the differences between Armenia and Georgia when it comes to politics. Part of the problem is that Armenia's opposition hasn't convinced the cynical electorate that it is more...

Oskanyan bites back | April 15, 2004
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan has rebuffed the US for its previous criticism of Kocharian's crackdown....

Next Up in the Caucasus | April 15, 2004
David Pillips (who serves on the Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Committee) has this article at The Wall Street Journal the 'Velvet Revolution' and the border issue with Turkey. It's a good primer on politics in Armenia. The Karabakh conflict represented a departure...

Violence on the Streets | April 15, 2004
The Association of Investigative Journalists of Armenia have another statement on their website. WARNING: There is a nasty picture of one of the journalists who was apparently beaten by the police. On April 13 th at 2:00 a.m., the Armenian...

Armenia Edges Away | April 14, 2004
There is some good commentary over at RosBalt. They also report that Russian media has been censored in Armenia. Articles about Artashes Gegamian (of the National Unity Party) appeared in the paper, but no copies could be found in Yerevan....

Imports, Exports on the Rise | April 14, 2004
Interfax is reporting that Armenia's trade deficit grew 13.5% in Q1. Foreign trade amounted to $445.9 million, up 14.5%, First Deputy Trade and Economic Development Minister Ashot Shakhnazarian said at a press conference Tuesday. Exports increased 9.6% to $152.6 million...

US raps Armenia | April 14, 2004
The events in Yerevan are raising eyebrows in Washington. "Physical assaults, raids on political party offices and widespread arrests and detentions of opposition activists by the police do not contribute to creating an atmosphere conducive to political dialogue," Boucher said....

Making it onto the World Stage | April 14, 2004
It seems the unrest in Yerevan is getting more coverage. Until now, it has been mainly the Armenian or Russian press which has been reporting. The New York times covered it last week, and now The Guardian from London has...

Panic And Mass Arrests | April 14, 2004
Emil Danielyan and Hrach Melkumian write about panic and mass arrests in Yerevan. Things are getting nasty. Armenia's opposition faced the worst ever government crackdown in the early hours of Tuesday after its peaceful demonstration in Yerevan was brutally dispersed...

Aliyev's Grave | April 13, 2004
Chloe Arnold, freelance journalist and sometime reporter for the BBC, reports from Baku on Aliyev's grave, and the desecrated Armenian cemetery on the other side of town. From the Moscow Times....

Karabagh Movement, Genocide, and Armenian Identity | April 13, 2004
Dr. Harutyun Marutyan will give a lecture at the Center of the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, Mass., on Wednesday, April 21, at 8 p.m. Dr. Harutyun Marutyan will describe the crucial and...

Caucasus Blogs | April 13, 2004
The Argus, a blog about Central Asia and the Caucasus, has a post about the protests in Yerevan. I particularly like the website logo which changes if you reload the page. There is another interesting blog, LivingWithCaucasians, based in Tbilisi....

Genocide 90th Anniversary | April 13, 2004
Novosti has this report from the Armenian Government's Press Department that a variety of events to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Genocide are planned. These events will be scheduled from May 2004 until April 2005....

Micheline Aharonian Marcom | April 12, 2004
Aharonian's new book,The Daydreaming Boy, is getting good reviews. The Daily Californian: "With such a powerful, unique style, the story, although somewhat gruesome, is enthralling." San Francisco Chronicle "Marcom's seamless, ethereal prose is suffused with raw emotion; there is heartbreak...

Cyprus reunification | April 12, 2004
Armenian representative to the Cyprus Parliament Bedros Kalaydjian argues against Kofi Annan's reunification plan. the fifth version of the Annan plan as an unfair distribution of interests, to the disadvantage of the Greek Cypriot side and the benefit of the...

Preservation of Ancient Monuments | April 11, 2004
The following article talks about money allotted to restoration of Vorotnavank on the banks of the Vorotan river in Syunik, amongst others. I went there last October, and was shown around by a man from the local village. He showed...

Genocide Events | April 10, 2004
OK, I was planning on doing a round-up of events for April 24th, but there's no point after seeing this site. genocideevents.com has an exhaustive list by location. Only thing is I can't find any events in the UK, and...

Friday's protests | April 10, 2004
Just how many people turned out for Friday's protests? The BBC says thousands, while Associated Press say 10,000. Not to be outdone, Reuters says (via Groong) the number was 20,000. Whatever the number was, it was a significant protest. Even...

Groong reports from the streets | April 09, 2004
Groong has this report on the April 5th rally. There is an interview with Interview with Astghik Bedyevyan from Kentron TV, who corroborates the story of many others about the intimidation of journalists....

Karabakh mine clearance | April 08, 2004
Azat Artsakh has this story about the mine clearance effort being undertaken by the HALO trust. Read the full text....

Reporters Without Borders | April 08, 2004
Reporters Without Borders have this on their website about the attacks on journalists. "Journalists beaten up covering opposition demonstration"...

Journalists attacked | April 08, 2004
More on those attacks from HETQ online. (The Association of Investigative Journalists of Armenia) In the aftermath of yesterday's attack on journalists and photographers covering the rally organized by the National Unity Party of Artashes Geghamian, HETQ feels obliged to...

Preemptive Roundup of Opposition Activists | April 08, 2004
Eurasia.net has an article on the ongoing political protests in Yerevan. The site also has some good archive articles if you want to read up on the history behind this....

System of a Down | April 07, 2004
The Armenian group will play a concert on April 24th to oppose Bush and commemorate the Genocide. Their show 'Souls 2004' will raise money for the Armenian National Committee of America. Souls 2004 will take place at the Greek Theater...

Blogging from the front lines | April 07, 2004
I found this blog by Ara Manoogian who blogs about life in Karabagh and occasional politics. His last post is about travails with a police officer near Sevan. The next story is more serious. It's a statement by Onnik Krikorian,...

Summer Volunteering | April 07, 2004
The Land and Culture Organization is recruiting volunteers for its 2004 summer campaigns. The deadline is May 21st, and this year they have programs at Dprevank, Vardenis and Shoushi Hospital. For over 27 years the LCO has organized summer programs...

Cheapest place on earth? | April 07, 2004
Robert Kurkjian, who co-wrote the Edge of Time: Traveling in Armenia and Karabagh guide, has this piece on MSNBC.com, called "Cheapest places on earth: Armenia". Why should you plan a visit here? Besides being ultra-affordable, Armenia offers an interesting glimpse...

April 24 | April 06, 2004
The online encyclopedia WikiPedia has this entry for April 24. The Genocide appears about halfway down the page. There is a detailed page on the Genocide. WikiPedia is actually an online-only encyclopedia, written by its users. There is an interesting...

April 24th events | April 06, 2004
AWOL has a short list of events to take place on April 24th. I'll post more as we get nearer the date. This comes via Groong....

Armenia reiterates demand for Abkhaz railway opening | April 06, 2004
The Yerevan-Moscow railway has been out of service ever since the Abkhaz conflict began. An article in the April 5th edition of the The Georgian Messenger talks about Armenian efforts to reopen it. The article is in PDF format....

Forum on US-Armenian affairs and relations with Karabakh to be held in Washington | April 06, 2004
There will be a forum on U.S.-Armenian relations April 18 in Washington. This from Yerkir Online....

Armenia's oil | April 06, 2004
In this article at a1plus.am, Armen Zatikyan talks about the Diaspora as the "oil" of Armenia. Georgia has a sea, Azerbaijan has oil, and we have a Diaspora. Neither the first president, nor the present Authorities or Opposition profited by...

Trouble on the street of Yerevan | April 06, 2004
As rosbalt reports, police blocked protesters from entering into the centre of Yerevan. In addition, police surrounded Yerevan's Matenadaran museum....

Opposition members arrested in Armenia | April 06, 2004
Rosbalt is running this story. Opposition activists are being rounded up in Armenia, according to the press secretary of the opposition bloc Justice, Ruzanna Hatchatrian. As reported by a Rosbalt correspondent, she said more than 10 members of opposition parties...

Key European Parliament panel revises report on South Caucasus | April 05, 2004
The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy has put out this press release. This in reference to Turkey's long standing application to join the EU. It also called on Turkey to reopen its borders with Armenia and promote good...

Is the US Afraid of Missing the Armenian Revolution? | April 05, 2004
Rosbalt has a good article about American policy towards Armenia. Considering the mounting tensions in Armenian society, when the opposition began threatening to launch an impeachment process in April to remove the government from power, the suddenly reawakened US interest...

Raffi's Blogs | April 04, 2004
I've just been looking at Raffi's blogs, there are 3 of them in all: Hayastantsi Log Diaspora Log Diaspora in Armenia Log The Diaspora in Armenia Log is particularly interesting, especially to me because they are discussing the purchase and...

Enough is enough! | April 03, 2004
The Minneapolis Star Tribune describes Armenia thus: ...a country that throughout history has been ravaged by war, poverty, substance abuse, emigration and crime. Now this was part of a review of a movie, but we've got to tell everyone the...

John Hughes trip to Georgia | April 03, 2004
John Hughes, editor of ArmeniaNow, has just returned from Tbilisi and gives his own view on Armenia's "Faux Revolution" Read the article....

Yerevan mayor says no anti-constitutional rallies to be sanctioned | April 03, 2004
ArmenPress has this report. This site was very slow for me so I have pasted in the story below: Yerevan mayor Yervand Zakarian joined today a cohort of government representatives to denounce the opposition's plans to stage mass protest rallies...

Georgia overrun by Jews and Armenians? | April 03, 2004
      This comes from KavkazCenter.com website: Georgian Labor Party claims that the days of 'black tyranny' have come to Georgia. In this connection Georgian Labourists are starting the fight against 'tyranny of Saakovism'. This is the statement that leader of the...

Armenian Assembly: Reference To Armenian Genocide Clouded By Turkish Influence | April 03, 2004
The Armenian Assembly of America has put out this press release about the ongoing controversy over wording in a recent State Department report on Turkey. Here is the offending page. It's interesting that in their page on Rwanda, they are...

Travel by GPS | April 02, 2004
I stumbled upon this today. Raffi has listed his top Armenian tourist attractions, and has listed their GPS coordinates too! Thanks Raffi... Now I will bring my GPS on my next visit to Tatev and Zorats Qarer....

Armenia Braces For Political Upheaval | April 02, 2004
More on Armenia's political situation, this time from Eurasianet.org: Armenia's leadership and opposition are gearing up for a potentially violent confrontation. An opposition coalition is planning to hold massive anti-government protests in early April. Some opposition leaders have publicly called...

Armenia's opposition announces plans to overthrow president | April 01, 2004
This story was put out by Agence-France Press and posted by ChannelNewsAsia.com: Armenian opposition deputies, who had boycotted parliament since February to protest against the rule of President Robert Kocharyan, returned there to announce that they intended to peacefully overthrow...

EU launches IT development project in Armenia | April 01, 2004
The extensive SiliconArmenia website has this report (from ArmInfo). The project, which is to be completed in 2005, costs 1.2mln EUR. It has two components: training and retraining of personnel and the drafting of necessary laws. The Armenian office of...

Caucasus Gallery | April 01, 2004
I found the Caucasus Gallery by Heidi Bradner on the website of Institute for War & Peace Reporting. Rather dour but stirring images....

New Dawn for Armenian Cinema? | April 01, 2004
Got this from Groong. It's an article called New Dawn for Armenian Cinema? It appears on the website of the Institute for War & Peace Reporting. The Caucasus page has some interesting articles. Well worth a read. In English and...

Armenia back on the radar | April 01, 2004
Alan Kellogg has posted this blog piece about a reporton RosBalt. I've seen this story a few times, about the US-Azeri relationship. The military one, that is. Azeri Grandfather to His Grandson: Them? They are Americans. When they say you...

American Armenians dissatisfied with Bush Administration | April 01, 2004
YERKIR has this story about Armenian-American's view of President Bush and his unfulfilled pledge to recognize the genocide....