March 14, 2005 - 09:04 AMT
NO XENOPHOBIA IN ARMENIA
"There was no xenophobia in Armenia and will not be", Rimma Varzhapetian, the chairperson of the Jewish community of Armenia stated. However, in her opinion, there are some forces in the republic for which xenophobia is a way of manifesting themselves. In her words there are only 5 or 6 persons in Armenia, who are trying to create an image on the wave of anti-Semitism. However, according to her, if they are anyhow supported by mass media the consequences can be rather tragic, Rimma Varzhapetian noted. She also said the Jews of Armenia do not face any manifestations of anti-Semitism. In his turn Rabbi Burstein stated that the Jewish community did not send any document to the US State Department recording of anti-Semitism allegedly available in the republic. The round table participants consider that the Americans picked out the information from some mass media reports in Armenia.