ARMENIAN LANGUAGE MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP DEVELOPED
Panorama.am
19:54 22/03/2007
Be Line, representative company of Microsoft in Armenia, and prime
minsiter affiliated council on development of information technologies
have developed Armenian language Microsoft Windows XP. Government
language inspection service and 108 specialists supported the
initiative. At the moment, Be Line is working on adaptation of Windows
Vista and MS Office 2007, which the company plans to complete in 2008.
AFTER ELECTIONS TSARUKYAN PLANS TO CUT CHARITY
Panorama.am
18:05 22/03/2007
Gagik Tsarukyan, chairman of Prosperous Armenia (PA) party, will not
engage in charity actions, Vardan Bostanjyan, PA political board
member, told a press conference today. "We will engage in opening
new job places and solving different serious social problems.
Under that conditions, there will be less charity missions," the
board member said.
Bostanjyan said many people join PA because they respect Gagik
Tsarukyan. He is sure all 370,000 memberS of PA will vote for
the party. "We do not count their family members and relatives,"
PA representative said expressing hope to have many seats in the
parliament.
US CONGRESSMAN WEXLER: "THE US NEEDS TURKEY’S SUPPORT"
Turkish Press
Turkiye
March 22 2007
US Congressman Robert Wexler, a Florida Democrat, said yesterday
that the US needed strong relations with Turkey for the sake of its
own interests. "No one should forget that we need Turkey’s support
from Europe to Iraq," said Wexler. Wexler, founder and co-chairman
of the Turkish-American Friendship Group, speaking at a gathering
in New York, said that Turkish community would continue to play an
important role in the US. Stressing that the Friendship Group had
71 members in the House of Representatives, Wexler said that they
try to explain to fellow congressmen why Turkish-US relations are so
important. He stated Turkey has been an ally of the US for more than
50 years, and that the two countries have lent support to each other
on many international issues. He added that the Congress should not
pass Armenian resolution so as not to damage bilateral relations.
TUSIAD HOLDS MEETINGS IN WASHINGTON
Turkish Press
Aksam
March 22 2007
Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association’s (TUSIAD)
officials are holding meetings to work against the so-called Armenian
genocide resolution before the US Congress both in Washington and
New York. The delegation includes TUSIAD Chairperson Arzuhan Dogan
Yalcindag, Vice Chairs Ferit Sahenk and Umit Boyner, board members
Haluk Dincer and Ali Kibar, member Cem Duna and advisor Soli Ozer.
COMPOSER’S WORK SENDS A MESSAGE
By David N. Dunkle
Patriot-News, PA
March 22 2007
manner of speaking
When Tigran Mansurian writes music, in his mind he is carrying on a
conversation with his wife.
"It is a way of speaking to her," the Armenian composer, 68, said.
"She is in all my work."
Nona Mansurian passed away about a year ago, and since that time,
Tigran has composed four pieces, an unusually high output. "Usually,
I write with a lot of difficulty," he said.
His latest work, a sextet titled "Con Anime," which is Italian for
"Within the Soul," will premiere Saturday night at Whitaker Center
by the chamber music ensemble Concertante. Also on the program are a
clarinet quintet by Johannes Brahms and a string sextet by Bohuslav
Martinu.
"Con Anime" is the second of six pieces commissioned by the New
York-based ensemble, as part of its three-year "One Plus Five"
project designed to create six new sextets.
Each member of Concertante is commissioning one of the pieces.
Mansurian’s work was sought by violist Ara Gregorian, who also will
be the soloist for the piece.
"The wonderful thing about this process is that you get to help the
piece come to life as a performer," Gregorian said. "At the core of
being an artist is this idea of creation."
Gregorian does not know Mansurian well — they’ve met just once and
have exchanged correspondence — but they share Armenian roots.
Gregorian’s father is from the former Soviet republic, which gained
its independence when the Iron Curtain fell.
While the state is new, Armenian culture dates thousands of years.
"That’s why I originally asked Mr. Mansurian to write the piece,
to be in touch with that part of my culture," Gregorian said. He has
never visited Armenia, but lists it among his goals.
Mansurian, who was born in Beirut but raised in Armenia, now spends
part of his year with his daughter in Southern California. He often
incorporates Armenian musical traditions into his compositions and
said he has done so again with "Con Anime."
He said the piece is about "confession and redemption," built around
a repeating pattern using F sharp and G flat.
"The atmosphere changes when F sharp becomes G flat," Mansurian said.
He said the music flowed out of him, "like words lined up, letter by
letter. It was just inside me."
Gregorian said he can understand Mansurian’s conception of the piece,
but is reluctant to say too much about it during this learning phase.
"It’s a tough thing to put into words," he said. "Until I know a
piece really, really well, I’m reluctant to say it’s exactly this or
exactly that."
Mansurian is expected to attend the premiere in Harrisburg. The piece
will be performed later in New York City.
The decision to premiere "Con Anime" in Harrisburg is an outgrowth of
the acclaimed ensemble’s decade-long history. Harrisburg Symphony
Orchestra concertmaster Odin Rathnam was a founding member of
Concertante, and while Rathnam is no longer involved with the group,
it remains the resident chamber music ensemble at Whitaker.
The first One Plus Five commission, by composer Lowell Lieberman,
made its debut last fall, featuring Concertante violinist Xiao-Dong
Wang as soloist.
Upcoming composers, and the Concertante member who commissioned them,
are: Richard Danielpour, for violinist Ittai Shapira, fall 2008;
Gabriela Frank, for violist Rachel Shapiro, spring 2008; Kevin Puts,
for cellist Alexis Pia Gerlach, spring 2009; and Shulamit Ran, for
cellist Zvi Plesser, spring 2009.
‘US SHOULDN’T BE INVOLVED IN ARMENIAN GENOCIDE’
Jerusalem Post
March 22 2007
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that the United
States should not be involved in a dispute between Turkey and Armenia
over whether the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians almost a
century ago constituted genocide.
Under intense questioning from Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, sponsor
of a resolution that would declare that Turkey’s Ottoman predecessor
state committed genocide, Rice repeatedly avoided answering whether
she believed there was any basis for historical debate on the matter.
"What we’ve encouraged the Turks and the Armenians to do is to have
joint historical commissions that can look at this, to have efforts
to examine their past, and in examining their past to get over it,"
she said in a congressional hearing. "I don’t think it helps that
process of reconciliation for the United States to enter this debate
at that level."
The dispute involves the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Armenians
during the waning years of the Ottoman Empire. Armenian advocates,
backed by many historians, contend they died in an organized genocide;
the Turks say they were victims of widespread chaos and governmental
breakdown as the 600-year-old empire collapsed in the years before
Turkey was born in 1923.
RICE: US SHOULD NOT BE INVOLVED IN ‘GENOCIDE’ DISPUTE
Today’s Zaman, Turkey
March 22 2007
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday that the United
States should not be involved in a dispute between Turkey and Armenia
over whether the killing of Armenians almost a century ago constituted
genocide.
Under intense questioning from Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, the sponsor
of a resolution that would declare that Turkey’s Ottoman predecessor
state committed genocide, Rice repeatedly avoided answering whether she
believed there was any basis for historical debate on the matter. "What
we’ve encouraged the Turks and the Armenians to do is to have joint
historical commissions that can look at this, to have efforts to
examine their past, and in examining their past to get over it,"
she said. "I don’t think it helps that process of reconciliation for
the United States to enter this debate at that level."
Turkey categorically dismisses charges that Armenians were victims
of genocide at the hands of the late Ottoman Empire during World War
I and says the killings took place when the Ottoman authorities were
trying to quell an Armenian revolt in collaboration with the Russian
army invading eastern Anatolia.
A delegation from Turkey’s leading business group, the Turkish
Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association (TUSÝAD), is currently
in Washington as part of lobbying efforts to prevent passage in the
US Congress of a resolution that urges the US administration to label
the World War I events as genocide.
Arzuhan Yalcýndað, the TUSÝAD chairwoman, said Tuesday that the
prospects for Turkey preventing the passage of the resolution were
better now than they were two months ago, although the risk that it
could be passed was still in place.
Yalcýndað likened the resolution to a "dark cloud" over US-Turkey
relationship; she said, however, initiatives on behalf of Turkey to
prevent the resolution’s success have been successful so far.
Answering questions at a news conference after the TUSÝAD delegation’s
meetings at the US State Department and think tanks, she said relations
with Armenia could be improved and that TUSÝAD has been developing
ideas in that regard but the present situation does not allow it.
"First, the dark clouds should be dispersed, then the Turkish Foreign
Ministry will evaluate the circumstances," she added.
–Boundary_(ID_TVAk2yLlMk3+NGHr+FtdTQ)–
ARMENIAN FM, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR DISCUSS POSSIBILITIES OF BILATERAL COOPERATION
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 21 2007
YEREVAN, March 21. /ARKA/. Israel’s Ambassador Ehud Gol (residence in
Jerusalem) handed copies of credentials to Armenia’s Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanian.
The RA Foreign Minister’s press service reported that the sides agreed
on the opinion that practical steps are necessary for activating
bilateral cooperation. Mutual visits, consultations between the
countries’ Foreign Ministries as well as the development of bilateral
contractual basis will contribute to that.
The sides discussed regional issues as well as the prospects of
settlement of Palestinian-Israeli and Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts.
Ehud Gol was born in 1946 in Jerusalem. He was the Consul on the
issues of press and information in Israel’s General Consulate in
Chicago, then – consul in New York. In 1986-88 he held the office
of the Speaker and Head of Media Department in the Foreign Ministry,
Councilor of Israel’s President.
In 1988-1991 he was Consul General in Rio-de-Janeiro. In 1991-1992
he was Israeli Foreign Minister’s Councilor on media issues.
In 1995-1999 Gol was Israel’s Ambassador to Spain and Andorra. In
1999-2001 he held the office of Foreign Ministry’s Deputy General
Director on the issues of Western Europe, and in 2001-2006 Israel’s
Ambassador to Italy. In 2007 he was appointed Ambassador to Armenia,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
PACE CULTURE DELEGATION’S VISIT TO SOUTH CAUCASUS POSTPONED
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 21 2007
YEREVAN, March 21. /ARKA/. The visit of a PACE delegation for science
and education to the South Caucasus has been postponed.
The Public Relations Department, RA Parliament, reports that Head of
the Secretariat of this PACE Commission Christopher Grayson informed
the Armenian delegation to PACE that the visit of Reporter of the
Subcommittee for Cultural Heritage Edward O’Hara to the region
scheduled for April 2007 has been postponed.
The reason for the postponement is the report’s business in his
election district.
The new terms of the visit will be specified at the Subcommittee’s
next meeting to be held as part of the PACE session in April.
TURKEY: ARMENIAN PATRIARCH SAYS GENOCIDE BILL MIGHT HARM DIALOGUE
Anatolia News Agency
March 22 2007
Kayseri, 22 March: The resolution on (so-called) Armenian genocide
submitted to the US Congress will be no use to anybody, said Mesrob
II, patriarch of Turkish Armenians.
Speaking to Anatolia correspondent today, Mesrob II noted, "I don’t
find reasonable any move that will have a negative impact on the
dialogue process which could not even be launched between the two
nations."
Letter to prime minister regarding Akdamar Church
Stating that he wrote letters to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and Culture and Tourism Minister Atilla Koc regarding the
Akdamar Church in eastern Anatolian region, Mesrob II suggested that
a festival should be held there every September.
Mesrob II stated that Turkish-Armenian relations will certainly be
normalized one day and argued that an Armenology Institute, to be
opened in Istanbul, can boost relations.