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1. Final Artsax Election Results Announced by CEC

STEPANAKERT (Noyan Tapan)--On June 21, the Nagorno Artsax Republic Central Election Commission published the final results of the elections to the Nagorno Artsax Republic National Assembly. The voter turn-out in the regions is as follows:

 

Town of Stepanakert - 39,8%

 

Martuni Region - 73,0%

 

Martakert Region - 68,8%

 

Askeran Region - 74,2%

 

Hadrut Region - 66,5%

 

Kashatagh Region - 72,0%

 

Shushi Region - 71,8%

 

Shahoumian Region - 78,7%

 

Total in the Republic - 59,7%

 

Thus, according to the results of the June 18, 2000 elections, the following candidates for deputies to the Nagorno Artsax Republic National Assembly were elected:

 

Sarkisian A. Artur - Stepanakert, polling district N.1

 

Galstian G. Janna - Stepanakert, polling district N.2

 

Soghomonian I. Arkady - Stepanakert, polling district N.3

 

Hayrapetian H. Seiran - Stepanakert, polling district N.4

 

Hayrapetian E. Yury - Stepanakert, polling district N.5

 

Adamian M. Karen - Stepanakert, polling district N.6

 

Mirzoyan M. Maxim - Stepanakert, polling district N.7

 

Petrosian V. Ararat - Stepanakert, polling district N.8

 

Ghalayan L. Lernik - Stepanakert, polling district N.9

 

Petrosian R. Gagik - Stepanakert, polling district N.10

 

Grigorian E. Garik - Stepanakert, polling district N.11

 

Hakopian G. Arthur - Shahoumian, polling district N.12

 

Daniyelian A. Mayor - Shushi, polling district N.13

 

Gabrielian G. Alyosha - Askeran, polling district N.14

 

Ohanjanian G. Mushegh - Noragyugh, polling district N.15

 

Aghabekian A. Eduard - Shosh, polling district N.16

 

Barseghian V. Kamo - Aygestan, polling district N.17

 

Khasapetian R. Arpik - Hadrut, polling district N.18

 

Hayrian A. Levon - Mets Taghlar, polling district N.19

 

Hambartsoumian Kh. Albert - Ukhtadzori, polling district N.20

 

Mosian A. Arthur - Martouni, polling district N.21

 

Azarian M. Roudik - Berdashen, polling district N.22

 

Balayan R. Vahram - Gishi, polling district N.23

 

Alibabayan A. Genady - Tchartar, polling district N.24

 

Yesayan E. Oleg - Sos, polling district N.25

 

Babourian Z. Karen - Karmir Shuka, polling district N.26

 

Atajanian A. Vasily - Martakert, polling district N.27

 

Babayan I. Valery - Maghavuz, polling district N.28

 

Sarkisian Kh. Suren - Drmbon, polling district N.29

 

Atanesian S. Vahram - Arachadzor, polling district N.30

 

Ohanian M. Seryozha - Haterk, polling district N.31

 

Kyureghian S. Tigran - Berdzor, polling district N.32

 

Yeghoyan M. Azat - Hakary, polling district N.33

 

The day before the parliamentary elections in the Nagorno Artsax Republic, on June 17, "The Independent Newspaper" which is published in Moscow issued the article "Artsax And Democracy", in particular, saying:

 

On June 18 the elections to the National Assembly, which is a 33-seater Parliament, will take place in the Nagorno Artsax Republic. According to the Artsax authorities and the greater part of political figures' convictions, these parliamentary elections are to become another confirmation of the fact that democracy has taken place in the Nagorno Artsax Republic and its commitment to the building of a civil society. The most important result of the voting must, in fact, become the sign of the era of the priority of a civil power over a military one in Nagorno-Artsax, which is a significant achievement for the half-recognized Republic.

 

It is symptomatic that this characteristics of the Nagorno Artsax Republic status in the international scene today, is de-facto, being supported by almost all the states and international organizations "involved" into the Transcaucasian processes."NG" has already informed that on the basis of statutes passed by the USA Congress, the official Washington renders direct governmental assistance to Nagorno-Artsax and the humanitarian organizations representing the American government sign treaties on the cooperation and coordinating realization of projects directed to the Republic's economy restoration and development with the corresponding ministries and departments of the Artsax government. We shall note at the same time the foreign diplomats accredited in Yerevan, the ambassadors of Russia, USA, France, Greece, and Iran began contacting more often with "gestures of good will, respect, and good mood" towards the Nagorno Artsax Republic political leadership.

 

"Today the Artsax confrontation is not only the struggle for military superiority, geopolitical priority, economic development, but the struggle for democracy as well." "Azerbaijan still loses it to both Armenia and self proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Artsax", told the "NG" journalist to the western diplomat the activity of whom is directly connected with the settlement of the Artsax problem. According to him, "today the west clearly shows to Azerbaijan that it does not any longer intend to close the eyes to the policy of aggressive totalitarianism conducted by the authorities, terror towards opposition, the evident restriction of the freedom of word". The Europe Council Commission on the Human Rights recommended repeatedly not to admit Azerbaijan to this organization. "However, I am sure that eventually Azerbaijan will be admitted to the Europe Council together with Armenia but, at that, they will demand more concessions from Baku than from Yerevan", said interlocutor noting that the west "demands" may touch political and economic spheres as well as the Artsax problems. In this light the holding of the parliamentary elections in the Nagorno Artsax Republic gains special significance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Composer Alan Hovhaness Dies at 89

SEATTLE (Associated Press)--Alan Hovhaness, a prolific composer who melded Western and Asian musical styles to create a unique melodic blend of his own, died Wednesday. He was 89.

 

Hovhaness died at Swedish Medical Center, according to Gerard Schwarz, music director of the Seattle Symphony. Hovhaness had been a composer-in-residence with the orchestra. Schwarz said Hovhaness had suffered from a severe stomach ailment for the last three years.

 

``His music reflects the kind of gentle, wonderful soul that he was, but also has the turbulence that one sees in an eruption of a volcano or a tremendous thunderstorm,'' Schwarz said.

 

Hovhaness wrote more than 400 pieces, including at least nine operas, two ballets, more than 60 symphonies, and more than 100 chamber pieces.

 

His works include ``Lousadzak'' (1944), for piano and orchestra; ``Wind Drum'' (1962), a music-dance drama; ``And God Created the Great Whales'' (1970); and ``The Way of Jesus'' (1974), a folk Mass.

 

He was born Alan Vaness Chamakjian, in Somerville, Mass., in 1911. His mother was Scottish and his father, an Armenian chemistry professor.

 

Throughout his career, Hovhaness exhibited a distinct affinity toward his Armenian heritage, composing several important works such as "The Torchbearer" (Chahagir) for violin, "The Van Sonata" violin concerto, "Armenian Rhapsody 1, 2 and 3," "St. Gregory the Illuminator's Prayer" and the "Etchmiadzin" symphony.

 

Well-known pianist Sahan Ardzruni performed Hovhaness' works with great passion.

 

Hovhaness demonstrated musical precociousness at an early age, devising his own method of notation by age 5. Three years later, when the family moved to the Boston area, he began studying piano with Adelaide Proctor and later took instruction from Heinrich Gebhard.

 

In 1932, he went to the New England Conservatory on a scholarship and for two years studied composition there with Frederick Converse.

 

His early compositions were thoroughly Western. But the influences of Eastern musical styles became more evident after he attended Bohuslav Martinu's master class in composition in 1942 at the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood.

 

Hovhaness was the first Western composer asked to write music for an orchestra comprised entirely of Indian instruments. He served for six months as composer-in-residence at the University of Hawaii and became a composer-in-residence with the Seattle Symphony in 1966.

 

It should be pointed out that since its inception in 1989, the Horizon Armenian Television program has begun with one Hovhaness' great works.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Treasures Of Armenian Church In St. Petersburg

ETCHMIADZIN (Noyan Tapan)--An exhibition entitled "The Treasures of the Armenian Church", dedicated to the 1700th anniversary of the proclamation of Christianity as a state religion in Armenia and the 290th anniversary of the Armenian Church of St. Catherine, was inaugurated in the Alexandrov Hall of the Winter Palace inside the Hermitage in St. Petersburg on June 22.

 

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin again presented the sacraments dear to the Armenian Apostolic Church, as well as to the whole Christian world, and other objects having liturgical-worship significance that are being used in the Armenian Church. Among them being masterpieces of the Armenian art of silver works' making and embroidery. Earlier, similar displays were held in the Kremlin of Moscow, in Athens (Greece), Helsinki (Finland) and the Vatican.

 

Beside the seventy exhibits presented by the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, other relics kept in the Hermitage and related to the Armenian Church, will be demonstrated during the exhibition, among them a reliquary from Scevra and two stone memorials.

 

The exhibition will last till August 27, 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Reparations Refused for Stalin-Era Criminal

YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)--The Russian Supreme Court Wednesday ruled against a reparations-grant motion filed by the relatives of Stalin-era criminal Lavrenty Berea.

 

Berea, a Georgian national, was considered Soviet leader Joseph Stalin's "right-hand man," and was responsible for carrying out orders of deportations and pogroms against Soviet citizens at the time. Hundreds of Armenian intellectuals were murdered or deported at the hands of Berea.

 

Commenting on the Russian court's ruling, Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze said that "My generation will never allow for reparations for the former internal secretary Lavrenty Berea."

 

The Georgian president added that while he served as foreign minister of the Soviet Union he had opportunity to review Soviet archival material on Berea's activities during the Stalin reign of terror and was acquainted with "horrible crime committed by Berea."

 

"God forbid that such acts are repeated without legal action," said Shevardnadze.

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Armenian Parliamentarians Comment On Artsax Elections

YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)—Member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation parliamentary faction Armen Rustamian, and member of the "Unity" faction Grigor Harutiunian, were among the seven members of the Armenian National Assembly invited to Nagorno Artsax as local observers, called the parliamentary elections held in the Nagorno Artsax Republic on June 18 fair and transparent. At their June 21 news conference they pointed out that there were some problems with the voters' lists in Stepanakert, but it did not considerably influenced the results of the elections.

 

The population was quite active. Sixty percent of the voters participated in the voting process throughout the country, Stepanakert being an exception (33 percent), which, according to Rustamian and Harutiunian, is due to the fact that Samvel Babayan's supporters did not participate in the elections. The Armenian parliamentarians had no information on whether Samvel Babayan or members of his family participated in the voting, but they said that five of those accused of the attempted murder of Nagorno Artsax Republic President Arkady Ghukassian kept in the Shushi prison participated in the voting.

 

Rustamian refuted the supposition that as a result of actual isolation of the Artsax opposition (represented by Samvel Babayan's supporters) it was mainly the pro-presidential candidates that won the elections. He stressed that only 13 of the 33 newly elected members of the Nagorno Artsax Republic Parliament represented the pro-presidential "Democratic Artsakh" Union; nine candidates are the ARF representatives who, according to Rustamian, cannot be considered pro-presidential, and the others are independent candidates. Rustamian holds the opinion that no political force can be said to have won the elections, as, according to the Nagorno Artsax Republic legislation, the parliamentary elections were held by the majority system.

 

In his turn, Harutiunian stated that the issues of the elections in the Nagorno Artsax Republic should not be "politicized", stressing that important is not what political forces form the parliamentary majority in the Nagorno Artsax Republic. "The most important thing is that they are pro-Armenian," he said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Atlas Of Armenian Health Resorts Drawn

YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)—To help balneologists, an atlas of Armenian health resorts has been drawn up and edited by Director of the Research Institute of Balneology and Physical Medicine, Professor Yuri Tounian and Professor Reanos Mkrtchian. The atlas includes 150 maps drawn on the basis of the data provided by the Hydrometeorological Service as well as information provided on mineral waters of Armenia.

 

The maps allow one to follow the changes of any climatic element (atmospheric pressure, radiation, temperature, cloudiness, humidity, precipitation, snow cover, sunny days , etc.) in Armenia's regions, depending on the season of the year.

 

The atlas is drawn to enable a balneologist to prescribe spar treatment depending on a particular disease and the season. For instance, the atlas allows one to follow the change of such an important factor as the contrast of climate and weather which influences the human health.

 

The drawing of the atlas is in its final stage. However, it is not yet clear when it will be published for the authors have not yet found a sponsor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Serge Jilavian Turns A Deaf Ear To Court's Appeal

YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)—At the court hearing of the "Others minus Vano Siradeghian" case on June 22 testifying was Karen Rafaelian's mother, Zhenya Khogeyan. She said that eight months after her son's disappearance she had met with the then minister of the interior, Vano Siradeghian. According to her, he was glad to tell her that the Moscow-based businessman Serge Jilavian had been arrested. According to the materials of the case, Siradeghian ordered Jilavian to be killed, but Jilavian learned about the plan, and the attempted murder failed. For the traces of the crime to be covered up, Artur Hovhannissian and Karen Rafaelian were "invited" to the Department of Internal Troops and, by the minister's order, shot dead.

 

Siradeghian told Khogeyan that Karen Rafaelian was in Bulgaria, though he had been killed eight months before. He asked why no measures were taken to find Rafaelian and bring him to Armenia, Siradeghian said, "Turn to whomever you want, but do not turn to me any more."

 

The lower court of Yerevan's Malatia-Sebastia districts chaired by Judge Razmik Tovmassian made two unsuccessful attempts to summon Serge Jilavian. The court intends to summon Jilavian a third time. Another citizen, Garnik Voskanian, who was head of the Department for Struggle against Ethnic Crimes at the moment of failed attempted murder of Jilavian, will also be summoned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Delegation Of Russian State Duma Arrives In Armenia

YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)—A delegation of the State Duma of the Russian Federation headed by Vice-Chairman of the Commission for Affairs of Public Unions and Religious Organizations, member of the "Unity" block Alexander Chuev arrived in Yerevan June 21.

 

During the four-day visit the Russian parliamentarians will hold meetings with the leadership of the National Assembly, representatives of parliamentary factions and commissions, leaders of political parties, government officials, as well as with the Russian ambassador and the Russian community.

 

Visits to St. Echmiadzin, Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex, other historical and cultural places are also scheduled.

 

A delegation of the Russian State Duma headed by "Yedinstvo" bloc member Alexander Chuyev, is paying a four-day working visit to Armenia. He met with the top members of the "Unity" faction of the Armenian parliament on June 22.

 

The sides emphasized the need for developing and deepening bilateral and particularly interparliamentary relations, finding it necessary to develop economic cooperation.

 

The Russian and Armenian parliamentarians told each other about the work of their parliaments, in particular, in the economic sphere and in improving tax legislation as well as about the line-up of political forces representative in the two countries' parliaments.

 

The sides conferred about ways to expand the ties between the two legislative bodies and to develop cooperation between commissions in making laws concerning various spheres.

 

The Russian deputies assured their Armenian colleagues that the problems connected with the Council of the Federation's failure to ratify the agreement between Armenia and Russia regarding the legal status of citizens would be solved. They also expressed certainty that it won't affect the relations between Armenia and Russia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. State Dept. Softens Stance On Armenia's CE Admission

YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)—The resolution of the US Department of State on the terms of the admission of Armenia and Azerbaijan to the Council of Europe was submitted not only to PACE but also to Armenian authorities. Hovhannes Hovhanissian, Chairman of the Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee, Head of Armenia's Parliamentary Delegation to PACE, stated that the resolution suggests postponement of the discussion of the issue in PACE. He pointed out that the resolution was received ten days ago. He assessed this resolution as a political step of a large state.

 

The resolution suggests that the issue of Azerbaijan's membership in CE be discussed after the parliamentary elections in the country. Considering that certain progress has been observed in democratic processes in Armenia, the US Department of State proposed that the issue of Armenia's membership in the CE be settled simultaneously with Azerbaijan's admission. Hovhannissian said the US Department of State believes that after the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, the country's membership in the CE will be found inadvisable, and only next autumn or spring will the issue of Armenia's membership be considered.

 

According to Hovhannissian, due to the serious work carried out by the Armenian authorities, the US Department of State softened its position and agreed to the previously proposed schedule of PACE according to which the discussion of the issue of Armenia's membership in the CE is to start at the meeting scheduled for 2 p.m. June 28. The member of the PACE Political Commission, Reporter on Armenia Demetrio Volchich is to present a document whose first part deals with the human rights situation in Armenia, democracy and elections, and the second part is the list of commitments assumed by Armenia in connection with its admission to the CE. The document is to be discussed article by article. Before the resolution is put to vote, the chairmen of the PACE Political Commission, Commission for Legal Affairs and Human Rights will express their attitudes.

 

Hovhannissian is hopeful that the issue will be positively settled after which the Armenian delegation intends to organize a reception for almost 400 delegates and foreign ambassadors at 7:30 p.m. At 9:00 p.m. PACE Chairman, Lord Russel Johnston will organize a reception in honor of the Armenian delegation.

 

Hovhannissian said that the issue of Azerbaijan's membership in the CE cannot be considered removed from the agenda. The issue will be clarified on June 26, at a joint meeting of the two aforementioned permanent commissions of PACE.

 

Armenia's parliamentary delegation headed by Hovhannes Hovhannissian will leave for Strasbourg on June 24. On June 27, a delegation headed by Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly Armen Khachatrian will also arrive in Strasbourg. The delegation will include representatives of Armenia's executive power. The PACE plenary meetings will be held from June 26-30.