Gabriel Sargsyan in the lead
Armradio.am
23.03.2007 12:10
Armenian Grand Master Gabriel Sargsyan scored another victory in the match
against Spanish Peres Kandelario held in the framework of the international
chess tournament after Reui Lopes under way in Spain. He is leading in the
tournament, gaining 5.5 points out of 6 possible.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Seminar on Innovation Technologies to be held in Yerevan
Armradio.am
23.03.2007 14:21
Seminar on "Innovation Technologies in Industrial Sector of Armenia"
will be held in Yerevan on March
The seminar is aimed to understand current level of innovations
utilization in the Armenian industrial sector, to present selected new
technologies and their application in the production process, as well
as to develop discussion on the potential of cooperation between
private companies and research and development organizations to
increase enterprises competitiveness and produc tivity.
The seminar is held within the framework of Science and Technology
Entrepreneurship Project implemented by Enterprise Incubator
Foundation jointly with US Civilian Research and Development
Foundation.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Peter Semneby visiting Armenia
ArmRadio.am
23.03.2007 10:06
The Special Representative of the European Union for the South
Caucasus Peter Semneby arrived in Yerevan on a one-day visit
today. During the visit he will have meetings with the leadership of
the republic.
Next month the EU Special Representative intends to visit
Azerbaijan. Visit to Nagorno Karabakh is also envisaged. Let us remind
that Semneby visited Armenia earlier this month.
AAA gifts manuals to the NATO Information Center in Armenia
ArmRadio.am
23.03.2007 13:30
The Armenian Atlantic Association (AAA) gifted a number of teaching
manuals to the NATO Information Center in Armenia.
Mediamax was told at Armenian Atlantic Association that henceforth the
visitors of the NATO Information Center will have the opportunity to
get the manuals issued by the Association free of charge. These
include: `The North-Atlantic Treaty Organization,’ `The North-Atlantic
Treaty Organization and Euro-Atlantic Cooperation’ and the
`North-Atlantic Treaty Organization: Collection of Educational
Materials.’
All the manuals are in Armenia.
U.S. air shield possible only with Russia’s involvement – FM
12:24|23/ 03/ 2007
MOSCOW, March 23 (RIA Novosti) – U.S. plans to deploy air defense
missiles in Europe could negatively affect Russia’s relations with
NATO if implemented unilaterally without Russia’s involvement or any
consideration of collective interests, Russia’s foreign minister said
Friday.
The United States said in January it would place elements of its
missile defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland to counter
possible attacks from Iran or North Korea. Moscow has strongly
criticized the move, saying it threatened Russia’s security, and
warned it could revise its military doctrine accordingly.
"We are against ‘strategic games’ in Europe, which could all but
create a potential for confrontations and align European policies in
accordance with the friend-or-foe principle," Sergei Lavrov said in
his newspaper article.
Washington also said March 1 that it would place other elements of its
missile defense system in the South Caucasus, but did not specify
which of the three former Soviet countries it would choose – Armenia,
Azerbaijan or Georgia – with the latter being anxious to join NATO.
Lavrov said a confrontation with the U.S. was not predetermined, and
there were no objective grounds for a new Cold War. The words came as
a follow-up to his statement earlier this week, in which the minister
accused the U.S. of using a Cold War approach by uniting other
countries against a common "Soviet threat."
The U.S. insists that the European shield is not aimed against Russia
and is needed to counter possible attacks from the so-called "rogue
states," including North Korea and Iran.
But Lavrov said Russia wanted the U.S. actions to be consistent and
logical. "We are being called upon to fight against a hypothetical
threat, while a real threat to our security is looming," he said.
The minister voiced his concerns that structures and instruments –
NATO, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),
the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty and others -which have
been inherited from the previous era, were being converted into means
to conduct a bloc policy.
Lavrov warned that there was a threat that the reform of the European
architecture of security would be folded, which might predetermine a
new split in Europe for decades coming.
The reform has been promoted by Russia and other states since 2004,
which have accused the OSCE of bias, poor governance and lack of
initiative. Along with early warning, conflict prevention, crisis
management and post-conflict rehabilitation, the 56-nation grouping
also monitors elections, human rights, arms proliferation, and
democracy.
Anatolia News Agency
March 22 2007
Turkish Speaker’s letter to US Speaker says Armenian bill will damage
relations
Ankara, 22 March: Turkish Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc sent a
letter to the US House of Representatives Speaker, Nancy Pelosi,
expressing (Turkey’s) concerns over the resolution on so-called
Armenian genocide submitted to the House of Representatives.
In his letter, Arinc noted that there have been sound friendly
relations between Turkey and the United States for more than half
century, stressing that Strategic Vision Document, which was approved
last year, was the most concrete expression of common values and
ideals shared by the two countries.
"Global developments have made bilateral cooperation and strategic
partnership (between the two countries) indispensable," he
emphasized.
"On the other hand, I would like to express our concerns over a
resolution which was submitted on 30th January 2007 to the US House
of Representatives to support Armenian allegations on 1915
incidents," Arinc noted.
Stating that if the resolution is approved, it will also be announced
in a way that baseless allegations on 1915 incidents are also
"recognized by the United States", Arinc said, "Such a development
will deeply damage bilateral relations between Turkey and the United
States."
Arinc underlined that parliaments, peoples and countries should act
with an understanding of boosting friendship, peace and prosperity,
recalling that Turkey supported all efforts for neutral researches.
Parliament Speaker Arinc reminded that 69 American historians and
academicians issued a statement in 1985 which stressed that Armenian
allegations were unacceptable.
"The incidents of 1915 have been discussed freely and historians are
encouraged to conduct study in regard to this matter in Turkey," he
noted.
Prime-Tass English-language Business Newswire
March 22, 2007 Thursday 6:18 PM EET
Armenia to sell 10% in ArmenTel to VimpelCom for 38 mln euros
The government of Armenia has decided to sell its 10% stake in
telecom operator ArmenTel to Russia’s VimpelCom for 38 million euros,
Armenian media sources reported Thursday, citing a spokesman for the
country’s government.
The deal will give Russia’s second largest mobile operator full
control of ArmenTel. In November 2006, VimpelCom bought 90% in the
operator from Greece-based Hellenic Telecommunications Organization
for 341.9 million euros and assumed ArmenTel’s debt of about 40
million euros.
VimpelCom is currently in talks with Armenia’s government over the
terms of the deal, a spokesman for VimpelCom said, without providing
timelines.
ArmenTel is a fixed-line and mobile operator in Armenia with licenses
in the GSM-900 and CDMA standards. ArmenTel’s subscriber base
includes approximately 600,000 fixed-line subscribers and 400,000 GSM
subscribers.
Nottingham Evening Post, UK
March 21, 2007 Wednesday
He made cello sing and dance
Beethoven and Rachmaninov were both keyboard players.
Beethoven’s Sonata in A major for cello and piano has features in
common with his Fourth Piano Concerto.
And Rachmaninov’s Cello Sonata, opus 19, recalls his Piano Concerto
No. 2.
But the cello writing in each work is of a high order, and it had in
the young Armenian soloist Alexander Chaushian a player who united
passion with elegance.
Versatile pianist Anthony Hewitt displayed the deftest of touches in
Beethoven, especially in the rhythmic scherzo. The early Rachmaninov
piece drew from him a suitably romantic weight of tone, and a
fluidity of pulse in keeping with the rhapsodic statement.
Chaushian seemed to make his instrument sing and dance. His phrasing
and dynamics were a delight. He opened the concert – the final in
Nottingham Music Society’s season – with the prelude and dances of
Bach’s Fifth Cello Suite. Their baroque splendour was realised with
conviction.
ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
March 21, 2007 Wednesday 04:45 PM EST
Russia’s FM to focus on broad range of multifaceted ties with Armenia
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will make an official visit to
Yerevan on April 3-4 to discuss a broad range of bilateral and
international issues, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartain Oskanian told
a news conference here on Wednesday.
“Bilateral relations that are multifaceted and embrace security,
economy, culture, and education will be at the top of the visit’s
agenda,” Oskanian said, stressing, “The Karabakh problem will
undoubtedly be among the themes at the upcoming talks.”
The parties are going to discuss all events that occurred in the
region recently, specifically in terms of energy and transport
security, Oskanian said.
While visiting Armenia, Russian foreign ministers usually pay
specific attention to “global problems that are related to the
situation in Armenia or the region,” in particular Palestine,
Kosovo, NATO enlargement, and the U.N. and OSCE reforms, the minister
said.
ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
March 21, 2007 Wednesday
Russia plays positive role at talks on Nagorno-Karabakh-Azerbaijan
Russia plays a constructive role at the talks on settling the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict around Nagorno-Karabakh. This opinion
was expressed by Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov,
speaking on Wednesday in the Institute of Central Asia and Caucasus
at the John Hopkins University in Washington.
“Guided by the experience of my talks with co-chairmen (Minsk Group
of the OSCE on Nagorno-Karabakh), I can say that the Russian
representative plays a very constructive role,” the foreign minister
noted. “There was a meeting in Moscow before the last round of talks
at the ministerial level in Geneva.
“Russia’s position, which was corroborated by my meeting with
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, coincides with ours: a forward
movement is necessary:” “I appraise Russia’s role as positive,”
the minister emphasized again.
Mamedyarov noted that Azerbaijan has no greater priority task in
implementing its foreign policy course than a settlement of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. “Nagorno-Karabakh is a very sensitive
question for the peoples of the two countries,” he continued.
“We were close to concluding an agreement a couple of times over the
past 15 years, during which the talks have been conducted, but some
events, interfering with achieving peace, would pop up at the last
moment. I personally believe that it is the most propitious time now
to settle the conflict. We should do it step by step, moving to
greater confidence between the two nations.”
According to the minister, Baku claims that the earliest settlement
of the conflict “is in the interests of Armenia and its national
security”. “It’s clear that a political decision should be made,”
the minister added. “A decision to consolidate gradually confidence
between the two countries, to step up economic cooperation, to
withdraw troops and to deploy international peacekeepers. These are
actualities of life.
“The quicker the Armenian leadership understands this, the better it
will be for Armenians themselves and for the region as a whole.”
“We continue work on principles of a settlement for the time
being,” the minister underlined. “Much has been done, but we should
do even more. We should look into the future.”