International News
Monthly Newsletter of the Utah-Russia Institute
and the Office of International Affairs
September 2005
Volume 6
Issue 9
The United Nations
The name "United Nations", coined by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt,
was first used in the "Declaration by United Nations" of 1 January 1942, during the Second World War, when representatives of 26 nations pledged their governments to continue fighting together against the Axis Powers.
The forerunner of the United Nations was the League of Nations, an organization conceived in similar circumstances
during the First World War, and established in 1919 under the Treaty of Versailles "to promote international cooperation and to achieve peace and security." The League of Nations ceased its activities after failing to prevent the Second World War.
In 1945, representatives of 50 countries met in San Francisco at the United Nations Conference on International Organization to draw up the United Nations Charter. Those delegates deliberated on the basis of proposals worked out
by the representatives of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the
United States at Dumbarton Oaks in August-October 1944. The Charter was
Inside This Issue:
signed on 26 June 1945 by the representatives of the 50 countries. Poland,
which was not represented at the Conference, signed it later and became one of
Focus:
2
the original 51 Member States. The United Nations officially came into existBaktybek Abdrisaev
ence on 24 October 1945.
Recipe of the month:
2
This year marks the United Nations 60th Anniversary. The General Assembly
of the United Nations will be opened September 13th, 2005 at the United NaCurrent:
3
tions Headquarters in New York City. The General Assembly is one of the six
September 1
principal organs of the United Nations. It is made up of all United Nations
Riding the TransSib
member states and meets in regular yearly sessions under a president elected
Consular Corner:
4
from among the representatives. The first session was convened on 10 January
UVSC Teacher Denies Defecting
1946 in the Westminster Central Hall in London and included representatives of
51 nations. The regular session usually begins on the third Tuesday in September and ends in mid-December.
The 2005 World Summit, a High Level Plenary Meeting of the 60th General AssemContact
bly will be held September 14-16. Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, said “The 2005 World Summit is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the
Office of International
world to come together and take action on grave global threats that require bold glob- Affairs and Utah-Russia
al solutions. It is also a chance to revitalize the United Nations itself. It is, in short,
Institute:
an opportunity for all human kind.”
Eggplant Caviar
Info source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wikiUnited_Nations#Background.2C_history_and_structure and
http://www.un.org/aboutun/unhistory/
SLC Rotary Club is hosting a group of Russian journalists and publishers September
29-October 22, 2005. They are seeking home hosting volunteers (full or half of the visiting period). It would be best (but not mandatory) if host families lived reasonably
close to the Sugarhouse/Holladay area, as they will need to gather each morning at 88:30 am at the Forest Dale Golf Club cafe, and they will need to be picked up there in
the evenings by approx 5-6 pm. Anybody who is interested in hosting, please contact
Paula Bell at [email protected].
Utah Valley State
800 West University Pkwy
Orem, UT 84058
Ph: 801.863.8897
Fax: 801.863.6021
Email: [email protected]
www. uvsc.edu/russia
Editor: Maryna Storrs
Assistant Editor:
Rebecca Moreno
UV International News page 2
FOCUS
B A K T Y B E K
Professor Abdrisaev is coming to teach at
UVSC after 9 years of serving as an Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to the US and
Canada. His diplomatic career also includes
being an expert and the Head of
Professor Abdrisaev
is coming to teach at the International Affairs Department of the President’s AdUVSC after 9 years
of serving as an Amministration in the Kyrgyz Rebassador of the Kyrpublic. He is also a former
gyz Republic to the
member of the Kyrgyz ParliaUS and Canada.
ment.
A B D R I S A E V
UVSC Teacher Denies Defecting
By Laura Hancock
Deseret Morning News
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Utah Valley State College officials deny reports
that a visiting professor from Kyrgyzstan has defected
and is seeking asylum in the United States. News reports in Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union suggest that Baktybek Abdrisaev — the former
Kyrgyz ambassador to the United States and Canada —
sought a post at the Utah County college in order to
Prior to his diplomatic career, permanently leave his native country.
Dr. Abdrisaev taught at both the Bishkek
The reports were broadcast by radio station Echo of
Moscow and published in Russian on news Web sites
Polytechnic Institute and the Institute of
Physics in the Kyrgyz Republic. He is cur- such as www.ferghana.ru. But the claims of defection
rently a director of Central Asian Studies for are absolutely not true, say Abdrisaev and UVSC leadthe Global Scholarly Publications located in ers.
"When I was dismissed (from the ambassadorship), I
New York City. Dr. Abdrisaev will be
was free to do what I wanted,
bringing a unique perspective on the politics and I thought I would be helpful
of Central Asia as he teaches “International for the country to be here,"
Relations of the Middle East” course at
Abdrisaev said during a recepUVSC’s Political Science department for
tion Monday night to celebrate
the 2005-2006 academic year.
his arrival at UVSC. "It's not to
hide."
Recipe of the Month: Eggplant Caviar
Poor Man’s Caviar
Continued on page 4
heat for 6 to 8 minutes until they are soft but not
brown. Stir in the green peppers and garlic and
Caucasus Cuisine
cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes longer.
Ingredients to make about 3 cups
Remove the skin from the baked eggplant, then
chop the eggplant pulp finely, almost to a puree.
1 large eggplant (about 2 pounds) 1/2 tsp sugar
Stir in the tomatoes, sugar, salt, onions, green pep1 cup finely chopped onions
2 tsp salt
pers and garlic, and black pepper to the taste.
6 tbsp olive oil
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
Heat
the
remaining
2 tbsp of oil in the skillet over moderate
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
black pepper
heat
and
pour
in
the
eggplant mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
constantly,
then
turn
the heat to low, cover the skillet and
2 large ripe tomatoes
simmer
for
an
hour.
Dark rye or pumpernickel bread or sesame-seed crackers
Remove the cover and cook and additional half hour, stirring
Instructions
from time to time, until all the moisture in the pan has evapoPreheat the oven to 425º. Bake the eggplant for about an hour, rated and the mixture is thick enough to hold its shape in a
spoon. Stir in 2 tbsp of lemon juice and taste for seasoning.
turning it over once or twice until it is soft and its skin is
Chill the “caviar” and then serve on squares of bread or on
charred and blistered.
Meanwhile, cook the onions in 4 tbsp of the oil over moderate crackers.
UV International News page 3
Russian Cultural Page
The Day of Knowledge
Unlike in the U.S., all Russian schools, colleges and universities re-open
across Russia on September 1, the day when the country marks Knowledge
Day. Children of all ages are dressed up in their best clothes carrying bouquets for their teachers. The first lesson in all schools was devoted to Russia, peace, and friendship between nations.
The above was true until September 1, 2004. Vadim Fotinov, a special correspondent in Canada for The Muscovite, writes the following:
http://petersburgcity.com/city/photos
“ Until the recent carnage staged by a group of terrorists in the Northern
Ossetia town of Beslan in southern Russia, I had some very special feelings about September 1, just like many other
Russians did. The Day of Knowledge that traditionally marks the beginning of the new school year in Russia, the
date always brought back fond memories of my first day in school, my first teacher and my new friends. Later on in
life it came to signify other things: instead of "back to school", September 1 served as a reminder to me that the lazy
hazy days of summer were almost over. It was time to go "back to the office", to think about new plans and new
beginnings. All these memories and feelings have been shattered now. For me, as for millions of Russians, September 1, from now on, will bring to mind the images of agony and despair of the three days in September that have
changed Russia. The barbarian act in Beslan has imprinted 9/01 upon the collective memory of the people of Russia
the same way that 9/11 did on the collective memory of peoples throughout the world.” (http://www.cdi.org/
russia/323-11.cfm).
On September 1, let us all remember the victims of Beslan and their families in our prayers.
Riding the TransSib
By Mike Buscher
Russian Life, July/Aug 2005
Yekaterinburg where Tsar Nicholas II and his family
were murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918. In Tomsk, we
met two young men who took us to a biker bar that featured large portraits of Lenin and Marx, both clad in
leather motorcycle jackets. We explored the Jewish Autonomous Region of Birobidzhan, the tree-lined boulevards of Khabarovsk, the unassuming town of Svobodny, the Buryat city of Ulan Ude, and, of course, mighty
Novosibirsk, where I was reunited with my old friend.
The 9,289-kilometer train trek
from Vladivostok to Moscow was
full of memorable moments. On the train, we watched
with amazement as the barren landscape unfolded before
us. I was surprised when a picturesque wooden village or
a drab housing block temporarSiberia was much more than I
ily interrupted the seemingly
ever had imagined. I discovered
never-ending taiga or steppe.
warmth beneath its cold exterior.
We met Russians who shared
with us their meat, bread, vegAfter almost two months in Rusetables and vodka. During
sia, we rolled through the Urals
lengthy stops, we joined the
and towards Moscow, where we
crowds on the platforms to buy
would collect ourselves and prehot pirozhki and pelmeni from
pare for our onward travels. I felt
the babushkas who have made
sad as we left Asia. I looked foran art out of selling food to
ward to Moscow and St. Peterstravelers. Off the train and away from the tracks, we
burg, but I knew that they would never compare to my
wandered through several large cities and through some experiences in Siberia.
villages so small that they are not even considered worA week later, on a fancy Finnthy of most maps.
ish train bound for Helsinki, a
With camera in hand, I set off with Cate [editor’s note:
Russian official glanced at my
Cate is Mike’s fiancée ] to document life in places such passport and asked a few rouas Bolshiye Koty, a village of only a few hundred people tine questions as we left the
on the shores of icy Lake Baikal. We visited the spot in country.
UV International News page 4
UVSC Teacher Denies Defecting Continued
The government under which Abdrisaev worked was removed during a revolution in March. The new
leadership dismissed Abdrisaev, who had been an ambassador for the central Asian country since
1996. Abdrisaev knew Rusty Butler, UVSC's associate vice president for international afCONSULAR
fairs. UVSC had a friendly relationship with Abdrisaev's old boss, President Askar Akayev.
CORNER
The former Kyrgyz president had visited UVSC in September 2004.
Butler thought Abdrisaev's experiences would enhance the political science department. At
a recent college Board of Trustees meeting, UVSC chiefs discussed the possibilities of offering political science degrees by fall 2006.
"We brought him here as a J-1 visiting scholar — that's the visiting scholar classification
given by the State Department," Butler said. "He will teach foreign policy and Islamic issues
and Middle East and Central Asian studies."
Russian Federation
Abdrisaev arrived in Utah from Washington, D.C., last week. The visa allows Abdrisaev
Consulate General -Utah
to stay in the United States for two years, Butler said.
Abdrisaev said that he does not know whether he'll return to Kyrgyzstan when the teaching job is over.
He probably could be safe at home, he said.
"I don't want to say it would be hostile," he said. "The situation is really improved."
Abdrisaev, 47, has a doctorate in applied physics from the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.
Prior to serving as an ambassador, Abdrisaev served in Kyrgyzstan's parliament for five years. He had
worked as an expert in the country's international relations department.
September
Calendar of Upcoming Events
September 25—Daylight Savings Ends (Russia)
September 1—First Day of School or Day of Knowledge
(Russia)
September 5—Labor Day (U.S.A.)
September 27—Elevation of the Christ Cross (Russia)
September 30—Vera (Faith), Nadezhda (Hope), Lyu-
September 9, 10—8 p.m. Utah Symphony: Shostakovich—Festive Overture, Op. 96, Rachmaninoff—
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
September 11—Patriot Day (U.S.A.)
September 11— Grandparent’s Day (U.S.A.)
September 13—Opening of the General Assembly of the
United Nations in New York
September 21—Nativity of the Virgin (Russia, Orthodox)
September 22—First Day of Autumn
Mission Statement
The purpose of URI is to promote mutually beneficial humanitarian, cultural, educational, commercial and technological projects in order to foster greater understanding,
friendship, free enterprise, civil society and a strong democracy among and between the citizens of the Russian
Federation and the state of Utah in particular and the United States in general.
Utah-Russia Institute
Chief Executive Officer
Kerry Romesburg
Executive Director-Utah
Dr. R.E. “Rusty” Butler
Executive Director-Russia
Dr. Vladimir Dmitriev
Founded in 1993
by Former Russian Federation Prime Minister and
Minister of the Economy, Yegor T. Gaidar and by
Former Utah Governor Michael O. Leavitt with the
assistance of George Lendrihas