Month: July 2007

Abkhazia during the Georgian Golden Age and Renaissance

322/63/
Saturday, 30 June 2007

By George Nikoladze

Reign of Queen Tamar was the peak of Georgia’s might in the whole
history of the nation. In 1194-1204 Tamar’s armies crushed new Turkish
invasions from the south-east and south and launched several successful
campaigns into Turkish-controlled Southern Armenia. As a result, most
of Southern Armenia with the cities of Karin, Erzinjan, Khelat, Mush
and Van, was put under Georgian control. Although not included into
Georgian Crown lands and left under nominal rule of local Turkish Emirs
and Sultans, Southern Armenia became a protectorate of the Kingdom of
Georgia.

The temporary fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1204 to the Crusaders
left Georgia the strongest Christian State in the whole East
Mediterranean area. The same year Queen Tamar sent her troops to take
over the former Byzantine Lazona and Paryadria with the cities of
Atina, Riza, Trebizond, Querasunt, Amysos, Kotyora, Heraclea and
Sinopa. In 1205, the occupied territory was transformed into the Empire
of Trebizond with Tamar’s’ relative Prince Alexius Comnenus crowned
Emperor. Although officially called an Empire the new state was
Georgia’s dependency for more than two hundred years. In 1210 Georgian
armies invaded northern Iran (today’s Iranian Azerbaijan) and took the
cities of Marand, Tebriz, Ardebil, Zenjan and Kazvin putting part of
the conquered territory under Georgian protectorate. That was the
maximal extent of Georgia throughout her history. During the described
period of time Queen Tamar was addressed as `The Queen of Abkhazians,
Kartvels, Rans, Kakhs and Armenians, Shirvan-Shakhine and
Shakh-in-Shakhine, The Sovereign of the East and West’. Georgian
historians often refer to her as `Queen Tamar the Great’.

According to the Georgian chronicles, Queen Tamar granted the lordship
over part of Abkhazia to the Georgian princely family of Shervashidze.
According to traditional accounts, they were an offshoot of the
Shirvanshahs (hence allegedly comes their dynastic name meaning "sons
of Shirvanese" in Georgian). The ascendancy of this dynasty in Abkhazia
would last until the Russian annexation in the 1860s.

The Genoese established their trading factories along the Abkhazian
coastline in the 14th century, but they functioned for a short time.
The area was relatively spared from the Mongol and Timur’s invasions,
which terminated Georgia’s golden age. As a result, the kingdom of
Georgia fragmentized into several independent or semi-independent
entities by the late 15th century. The Principality of Abkhazia was one
of them. The Abkhazian princes engaged in incessant conflicts with the
Mingrelian potentates, their nominal suzerains, and the borders of both
principalities fluctuated in the course of these wars. In the following
centuries, the Georgian nobles of Abkhazia finally prevailed and
expanded their possessions up to the Inguri River, which is today’s
southern boundary of the region.

Le Parisien, France
Samedi 30 Juin 2007

Arnouville-les-Gonesse; Les Arméniens ouvrent leur école

par Corinne Belpois

CET APRÈS-MIDI, à 16 h 30, l’association arménienne Sainte-Croix de
Varak ouvrira les portes de son école, à Arnouville-lès-Gonesse, une
ancienne imprimerie aménagée pour accueillir trois classes de
maternelle à la rentrée prochaine. Seize enfants de 3 à 5 ans sont
déjà inscrits dans cet établissement qui porte le nom de Hrant Dink,
le journaliste arménien assassiné le 19 janvier dernier à Istanbul.
L’inauguration doit avoir lieu en présence de l’ambassadeur d’Arménie
en France, Edward Nalbandian, et de la veuve de Hrant Dink, Rakel.

« Des activités en français et en arménien pour les tout-petits » «
L’idée a toujours existé au sein de la communauté arménienne de la
ville, explique Alice Rusdikian, membre du conseil d’administration
de l’association et adjointe au maire d’Arnouville. La vente des
locaux a joué un rôle de déclencheur. » Avec Alfortville
(Val-de-Marne), Issy-les-Moulineaux (Hauts-de-Seine), Sevran et Le
Raincy (Seine-Saint-Denis), Arnouville est l’une des villes de la
région parisienne qui compte le plus d’habitants d’origine
arménienne. Les premiers arrivants, qui avaient fui la Turquie après
le génocide de 1915-1917, sont allés à Marseille d’abord, puis dans
les villes industrielles à la recherche de main-d’oeuvre. C’est ainsi
qu’ils arrivent en Ile-de-France au début des années 1920.
Originaires pour la plupart d’Ankara et d’Istanbul, ceux d’Arnouville
s’installent dans le quartier de la gare. Ils construisent deux
églises : la première, catholique, Saint-Grégoire-l’Illuminateur,
située rue de l’Union et la deuxième, apostolique,
Sainte-Croix-de-Varak, qui fêtera ses 75 ans en novembre. Et
développent un véritable réseau associatif. « C’est dans ce cadre que
s’inscrit l’école bilingue avec des activités en français et en
arménien pour les tout-petits », précise Tanya Yapar, secrétaire de
l’association. Le coût du projet s’élève à un million d’euros, bouclé
grce à deux emprunts et aux donations de particuliers et
d’entrepreneurs ou de commerçants locaux. « La scolarité coûte 150
par mois. Pour ceux dont les parents ont des revenus modestes, nous
avons mis en place un système de parrainage. Nos grands donateurs ont
accepté de leur accorder des bourses », précise Tanya Yapar. Un
comité pédagogique est chargé de recruter deux institutrices et de
veiller au respect du programme de l’Education nationale pour
pouvoir, dans cinq ans, signer un contrat avec l’Etat et bénéficier
de subventions. L’objectif est de réussir à ouvrir une classe chaque
année pour avoir à terme un cursus primaire complet.

Russian nuclear official opens talks with Iranians on power plant

IRNA website
1 Jul 07

Tehran, 1 July: Head of the Russian state-owned Atomstroiexport
company, the nuclear contractor of Iran’s Bushehr power plant, Sergei
Shmatko started talks with Iranian nuclear officials.

Head of Public Relations Department of Iran’s Atomic Energy Development
and Production Company Kamran Kamrani made the remark in an exclusive
interview with IRNA on Sunday [1 July].

He said that Shmatko, who arrived in Tehran early Sunday at the head of
a technical and financial delegation, started talks with officials of
Iran’s Atomic Energy Development and Production Company.

"The sides are to discuss reasons behind delay in executive operation
of Bushehr power plant, in southern Iranian Bushehr Province," he added.

The Iranian delegation to the talks is headed by Deputy Head of the
Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ahmad Fayyazbakhsh.

Atomstroiexport started construction of the first nuclear power plant
in Iran’s Bushehr city on 8 January 1995. It has so far postponed its
commissioning five times under different pretexts.

Based on a primary agreement, Bushehr power plant was set to be
inaugurated in 1999.

Based on the fifth agreement signed by Head of the Atomic Energy
Organization of Iran Reza Aqazadeh and Russia’s atomic energy chief,
Sergei Kiriyenko, on 26 September 2006, the first phase of the power
plant was to be test-operated by end of September 2007 by the Russian
contractor.

The Russian side also agreed to finally inaugurate the plant in
November 2007 and send its fuel to Tehran six months ahead of its
inauguration.

The Russian company had earlier claimed that it could not complete the
project on its due time because Iran had not complied with its
financial commitments on time.

Iran dismissed claims by the Russian contractor and declared that it
had fulfilled its commitments according to the schedule.

Birmingham Post, UK
June 30, 2007, Saturday
1ST Edition

Derry face crippling trip to Armenia after draw

Derry director Michael Burns admits the Champions League first-round
draw is a "nightmare" for the club.

The Candystripes must travel to the other side of Europe to face
Armenian champions Pyunik, with the reward for the winner a
second-round clash against Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk.

And Burns, the club’s secretary, revealed the pairing "could not have
been worse" for City both on and off the field.

He said: "Logistically speaking it’s a nightmare. We are having to
charter a plane, we’ve got a hotel sorted and we’re still trying to
get the transportation sorted out.

"Some of our people have played in Georgia in the past. One of our
players Paddy McCourt, a Northern Ireland Under-21 international, was
in Armenia and he has already spoken about the difficulties we could
face over there.

"You are basically talking about going to the Middle East, it’s
neighbouring Iran which is as far away in Europe as you can go. It is
a nightmare, it’s going to cost us a fortune."

And if the thought of crippling costs and traumatic travel
arrangements were not enough, City also face the daunting prospect of
trying to defeat a side which boasts nine Armenian internationals.

Elsewhere, Rangers will meet the winners of the match between Zeta
and Kaunas, with the games to be played over two legs on July
31-August 1 and August 7-8.

Irish Premier League champions Linfield have been drawn against
Swedish side Elfs-borg, while Welsh Premier League winners The New
Saints will face Latvian champions Ventspils with the ties to be
played on July 17-18 and 24-25.

The winner of that tie will meet Austrian side Salzburg, while
Hungarian side Debrecen await Linfield should they progress.

The Guardian (London) – Final Edition
June 30, 2007 Saturday

The accession: Profiles: Ministerial surprises

[parts omitted]

Ara Darzi

While other ministers hold surgeries in their constituencies,
Professor Sir Ara Darzi will be carrying them out for real. On
Fridays the new junior minister at the Department of Health will
continue to practise as surgeon. The 47-year-old, Armenian-born
pioneer of keyhole surgery will be paid by the government for three
days a week, but work four. Any money received from his international
private practice will be donated to research at Imperial College,
where he has been head of the surgery division. "He is a world
renowned surgeon in some of the most hi-tech areas of surgery but he
also combines this with great experience of leading change in the
NHS," the prime minister’s spokesman said. Mr Darzi is a former
member of the NHS modernisation board, and has led controversial
reviews on NHS services in Kidderminster, the north-east, Yorkshire
and London. He once demonstrated technological improvements in rectal
probes to the then shadow health secretary, Ann Widdecombe.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Irish Times
June 30, 2007 Saturday

Derry face daunting trip to Armenia

by Emmet Malone

SOCCER/Champions League draw: A year ago a run in the Uefa Cup gave
them a taste for European football in the likes of Gothenburg,
Glasgow and, even as they went out, Paris. The downside of Derry
City’s elevation to the Champions League this year, however, was
highlighted yesterday when the draw for the first round of the
competition was made.

The club’s first, and perhaps last, port of call this summer will be
the Armenian capital, Yerevan. If things go well, a trip to Ukraine’s
Donetsk awaits a couple of weeks later.

City will play FC Pyunik twice in successive weeks during the middle
of July. "I don’t really know what to make of it, to be honest," said
the captain and caretaker manager Peter Hutton. "We have to organise
the trip and familiarise ourselves with the team in a very short
space of time and neither will be easy.

"It’s disappointing for the fans, though. We brought a lot of
supporters with us everywhere we went last year but not too many of
them are likely to make it along on this trip. Having said that,
though, if it means that we have a better chance of making it through
to the next round then so be it, that’s the main focus."

The club’s chief executive, Jim Roddy, admitted the draw has left the
club with a lot of work to do. "Getting drawn at home first is
disappointing from a sporting point of view but there is some
consolation here because it gives us an extra week to get everything
organised."

Having talked to people in the know at yesterday’s draw in Nyon,
Roddy said that the general view is that the standard is broadly
similar to that here. Beyond that, however, he conceded it was early
days in terms of gathering information about a team that has won its
championship for the last six years running.

The Pyunik captain, Sargis Hovsepyan’s observation, however, that
"Derry City are not the strongest opponents we could have got in but
Irishmen are very good in the air" at least suggests that current
levels of mutual ignorance are roughly equal.

In the Uefa Cup, Drogheda United and St Patrick’s Athletic enjoyed
starkly contrasting fortunes with the former landing a first-round
tie with SP Libertas, the second best side in San Marino last year,
while John McDonnell and his men have the rather more daunting task
of taking on Denmark’s Odense.

"They are the most difficult team in the seeded pool, they have a
good pedigree," said the club’s director of football, Brian Kerr, who
was in Nyon for the draw. "They have beaten Shels in Europe, they
have gotten to the group stages of the Uefa Cup – and, last season,
they beat Copenhagen in the Danish Cup final. So they’re strong."

Both Irish clubs have been drawn at home although it is understood
the order of United’s games will be reversed over the coming days.

First Round (to be played July 17/18th and 24/25th): Khazar Lenkoran
v D Zagreb; Apoel FC v Bate Borisov; FC Sheriff v FC Ranger’s;
Hafnarfjodur v HB Torshavn; New Saints FC v FK Ventspils; FK Pobeda v
Levadia Tallinn; Olimpi Rustavi v FC Astana; FK Zeta v FBK Kaunas;
Tampere United v SS Murata; F91 Dudelange v MSK Zilina; Linfield v IF
Elfsborg; Derry City v FC Pyunik; Marsaxlokk FC v FC Sarajevo; NK
Domzale v KF Tirana.

Second round (to be played July 31st/ August 1st and August 7/8th):
Derry City/FC Pyunik v Shakhtar Donetsk; Crvena Zvezda v FK
Pobeda/Levadia Tallinn; Rangers v FK Zeta/FBK Kaunas; Debreceni VSC v
Linfield/IF Elfsborg; Zaglebie Lubin v Steaua Bucuresti; KRC Genk v
Marsaxlokk FC/FK Sarajevo; New Saints FC/FK Ventspils v FC Salzburg;
Olimpi Rustavi/FC Astana v Rosenborg; BK Hafnarfjodur/HB Torshavn v
Apoel FC/Bate Borisov; FC Coepenhagen v Beitar Jerusalem; F91
Dudelange/MSK Zilina v Slavia Prague; Tampere Utd/SS Murata v Levski
Sofia; NK Domzale/KF Tirana v Khazar Lenkoran/D Zagreb; Besiktas JK v
FC Sheriff/FC Rangers

Surgeon appointed as minister

Story from BBC NEWS:
/6254724.stm

Published: 2007/06/29 15:11:44 GMT

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has appointed a practising surgeon as a minister
at the Department of Health.
Professor Sir Ara Darzi, who is charged with improving patient care, has been
promoted from his previous role as National Advisor on surgery.
Sir Ara, chair of surgery at Imperial College London, supports government
plans to reconfigure NHS services.
When he took over as prime minister, Mr Brown said he planned a broad-based
government of "all the talents".

My working life has, is and will continue to be centred on patient care
Sir Ara Darzi

But the Conservatives have criticised the appointment, accusing Sir Ara of
having a poor record of supporting access to services for patients and
rubber-stamping the demands of the Department of Health.
In a report published earlier this year Sir Ara said 80% of operations should
be carried out on patients in their local area, with the remaining complex
cases undertaken at specialist centres by highly skilled surgeons.
Ministers have already embarked on a policy of reconfiguring services along
these lines – leading to controversial decisions about individual NHS units
which have been bitterly opposed by critics.
Sir Ara will combine his ministerial duties with his research and clinical
commitments, including the supervision of students.
Sir Ara, 47, said: "It is a great honour and privilege to be asked by the
Prime Minister to continue that work for patients across the country.
"I will be working closely with Alan Johnson to map out the next steps of the
reform agenda that has achieved so much in the last 10 years. But we can do
better."
Frontline experience
He said he would draw on his experience from the frontline to fulfil his new
responsibilities.
"I am not a politician by profession. My working life has, is and will
continue to be centred on patient care."
Sir Ara is internationally respected for his innovative work in the
advancement of minimal invasive surgery and in the development and use
of allied technologies including surgical robots and image-guided
surgery.
Dr Jonathan Fielden, chair of the BMA’s consultants’ committee, said: "Having
a focus on improving patient care is a positive step forward.
"We will be looking forward to him listening to our concerns and working
closely with him to ensure that the concerns of the profession and the public
are utilised to improve patient care."
Mr Bernard Ribeiro, President of the Royal College of Surgeons, said: "I am
delighted that a practising surgeon, who deals with patients on a regular
basis, has decided to take such a high position.
"It is an opportunity for government to engage directly with the profession."

The prime minister’s spokesman said Professor Darzi would work Monday
to Thursday as a minister – being paid for three days – and continue
to work as an NHS surgeon, unpaid, on Fridays.
Any income from his international private practice will be paid direct to
Imperial College to fund research, the spokesman said.

ARMENPRESS

RESULTS OF `YEREVAN IN 5 DAYS’ YOUTH CIVIL EDUCATION
PROGRAM SUMMED UP

YEREVAN, JUNE 29, ARMENPRESS: The results of the
`Yerevan in Five Days’ Youth Civil Education Program
held in Yerevan from June 25-29 were summed up today.
Within the framework of the program around 31 young
people from ten Armenian provinces visited a number of
state establishments and got acquainted with their
activity.
The young people met with the representatives of
the President’s staff, National Assembly, courts,
Foreign Ministry, Sport and Youth Affairs Ministry,
visited `Armenpress’ news agency and Central Bank.
They also participated in interactive
workshop-meetings and had an opportunity to exchange
ideas with each other.
The program is being carried out within the
framework of `Youth and Community Action Program’
(`YCAP’) which kicked off in September 2004 and is
being carried out by the Academy for Educational
Development (AED) funded by USAID.
The head of the `Youth and Community Action
Program’ Nicolas Bruno said that the main aim of the
program is to increase the civil activity of the young
people, as well as expand the involvement of residents
of communities in the process of regulation of public
issues. He noted that this program is being carried
out for the second time and has tendency for becoming
a traditional one.
The participants of the program said that during
the past five days they not only acquired new
knowledge and ideas but also new friends and
acquaintances. One of them said that though the issues
of their communities are different, similarities
exist, and this program, according to him, gives
opportunity to unite and solve the issues by joint
efforts.

A1+

NA ADOPTS THE BILL
[05:08 pm] 29 June, 2007

June 29, 2007- The National Assembly endorsed the
amendments to the laws `On Television and Radio’ and
`On State Duties’ with 79 votes for, 16 votes against
and 7 abstentions. The Orinats Yerkir members, as well
as Victor Dallakyan, Khachatur Sukiasyan and Martun
Grigoryan voted down the bill.

To remind, the adoption of the law implies termination
of RFE/RL’s Armenian-language broadcasts on the Public
radio.

A1+

IN PROTECTION OF RFE/RL
[06:40 pm] 29 June, 2007

The draft laws on `Introducing Amendment to the RA Law `On Television
and Radio” and `On Introducing an Addition to the RA Law `On State
Duty”, presented at the extraordinary session of the National
Assembly upon the initiative of the RA Government, signify that the
Armenian authorities are consistent in adhering to the vicious policy
of the recent years, aimed at restricting and suppressing the freedom
of expression and media.

For many times already has the Government hastily submitted draft
media-related laws to the National Assembly – in secrecy, without
consulting the civil society, media representatives, experts, even
without the opinion of the appropriate committee of the National
Assembly. What issues, vital for the country and the society, are
these two draft laws to solve that they had to be necessarily
considered at an extraordinary session, instead of being included into
the agenda of the ordinary session, following all the procedures that
the law provides for? The draft authors have not presented any
convincing arguments as to the urgency of their adoption at this very
moment.

This way of acting, when hasty amendments are proposed in broadcasting
legislation, with no heed for the domain specifics and the legislation
rationale, is becoming a tradition: it suffices to remember that in
September 2006, too, the Government presented to the National Assembly
the draft law `On Introducing Amendments and Additions to the RA Law
`On Television and Radio” with the same haste. The draft caused the
dissatisfaction of the journalistic community and was ultimately
rejected by the NA. However, in February 2007, the Government had
another unacceptable draft law passed, ignoring all the proposals
made.

The analysis of the draft laws, presented to the NA today, shows that
they are primarily directed against the only broadcast medium out of
the control of the RA authorities – the Armenian Service of Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty, because their adoption in essence will stop the
broadcasting of the programs of the Service on Armenian radio
waves. The adoption of these draft laws will also damage the
reputation of the newly-elected National Assembly that will have
displayed itself as the adversary of democracy, of freedom of
expression by the very first laws passed.

We have always insisted that legislative changes in this sphere be
made systemically, according to a unified concept, and hence we call
on the RA NA deputies not to vote on the drafts presented by the
Government and to hold public hearing of the legislative package that
seeks to reform the sphere.

The statement was developed by a group of organizations, membering in
the Partnership for Open Society initiative and is open to be joined
by other organizations and individuals at the following address:
[email protected]