Month: August 2008

REPRESENTATIVES OF ARMENIAN CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS OF IRAN TAKE PART IN "ONE NATION, ONE CULTURE" FESTIVAL

Noyan Tapan

Au g 19, 2008

TEHRAN, AUGUST 19, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. 38 members of the
Union of Arts of Tehran’s "Ararat" Armenian cultural organization
are taking part in "One Nation, One Culture" festival being held in
Armenia on August 18-23.

"Ararat" chorus of the organization, as well as its "Qavaran" vocal
music band and performer Rebeka Ashughian arrived in Yerevan.

"Karavan" dance group of "Sipan" union is also participating in the
festival. It will perform the following dances: "Rebirth", "Musa Ler",
"Ethnographic Dance", "Karabakh" and "Ameno".

CATHOLICOS ARAM I RECEIVES REPRESENTATIVES OF SHEIKH KABALAN

Noyan Tapan

Au g 19, 2008

ANTELIAS, AUGUST 19, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. Catholicos of
Cilicia Aram I on August 18 received three representatives of Lebanon’s
top Shiite Muslim cleric Sheikh Kabalan: his son, the Chairman of
the Imam Musa Sadr Organization and the Mufti of Baalbek’s Shiite
community at Bikfaya’s Surb Astvatsatsin Monastery. The head of
Lebanon’s Armenian diocese Bishop Gegham Khacherian, Bishop Norayr
Ashghian and member of the Islamic-Christian National Dialog Committee
Jean Salmanian were also present at the meeting.

An event in memory of Imam Musa Sadr will be held in Lebanon soon. In
this connection two representatives of Shiekh Kabalan handed a personal
invitation to His Holiness to take part in and make a speech at this
memorial event.

A discussion on Christian-Islamic dialog took place between the sides,
with the meeting turning into a dialog on mutual respect and trust
between the two religions.

Catholicos Aram I and the representatives of Sheikh Kabalan underlined
the importance of this dialog and the work done so far in the name
of co-existence and co-operation of the Lebanese communities.

DEBACLE IN GEORGIA

The Washington Times
August 18, 2008 Monday

Russia’s invasion of Georgia is a damaging blow to the prestige and
reputation of the U.S.-led NATO alliance – a major cornerstone of
U.S. military security strategy in Europe since the end of World War
II. The decision by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and the government
he dominates to attack Georgia serves a number of critical Russian
strategic goals.

First, it is a warning to other nations in Europe and the Caucasus that
they put themselves in mortal danger if they seek to join NATO and
align themselves with United States. Target number one is Ukrainian
President Viktor Yushchenko – who like Georgian President Enhanced
Coverage LinkingGeorgian President -Search using: Biographies Plus
News News, Most Recent 60 Days Mikheil Saakashvili Enhanced Coverage
LinkingMikheil Saakashvili -Search using: Biographies Plus News
News, Most Recent 60 Days is the democratically elected leader of a
formerly Soviet-occupied nation and has applied to join NATO. Second,
it is a step toward seizing monopoly control of major energy pipelines
supplying the West which run through Georgia: The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
(BTC) oil pipeline, opened two years ago, which transports oil from
Baku, Azerbaijan, through Georgia to Ceyhan, Turkey, and the South
Caucasus gas pipeline, which runs parallel to the BTC pipeline. Third,
it is part of a longer-range effort to create a sphere of influence
in the former Soviet Union and beyond. Fourth, it is part of a policy
that emboldens Iran by intimidating neighboring states away from
military cooperation with Washington.

Over the past 15 years, Washington has provided close to $2 billion in
military assistance to Georgia, and Tbilisi has sent troops to fight in
Iraq and Afghanistan alongside U.S. forces. Just last month, U.S. and
Georgian military forces conducted two weeks of training in Georgian
territory, while the Russian military conducted exercises of its own
to the north – which virtually mirrored the operation Russia launched
against Georgia in recent days. Yet the U.S. intelligence community was
apparently caught by surprise when Russia launched its blitzkrieg –
an invasion that has gone well beyond the stated aim of protecting
residents of South Ossetia from the Georgian government. Russian
troops have driven to within 20 miles of Tbilisi and have bombed the
BTC pipeline – located more than 50 miles from South Ossetia.

In April, Washington, joined by Eastern European countries, pushed
to invite Georgia and Ukraine into joining NATO. But thanks largely
to opposition from France and Germany, the effort failed, and it is
unclear whether things will be any different in the near future. In
recent days, there has been an undertone of complaints from European
officials suggesting that "rash" behavior from Georgia provoked Russia
– thereby vindicating French and German opposition to admitting Georgia
and Ukraine into the alliance. It would be difficult to imagine a more
intellectually dishonest reading of the situation. While Georgia’s
recent behavior in South Ossetia has been far from perfect, Heritage
Foundation scholar Ariel Cohen notes that Moscow has been planning a
land invasion of Georgia for at least two-and-a-half years. Its goal
has been to topple Mr. Saakashvili – or better yet, to create so much
hardship for the Georgian people that they oust Mr. Saakashvili in
favor of someone who would do Russia’s bidding.

One of the most disturbing aspects of Russia’s attack is the threat
it poses to the flow of energy to American allies in Western Europe
and Israel. The BTC pipeline was advocated by President Clinton and
the current President Bush as a way to make the Caucasus states of
Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia less dependent on Russia and Iran
by linking them economically with the West. As The Washington Times
reported last week, at least three other major energy pipelines now
under consideration in the region face greater difficulties in the
wake of the Russian invasion, which could well scare off oil companies
and investors. "If what is happening now had happened in 1996, the
BTC pipeline would not have been built," Mr. Cohen told The Times.

Russia’s invasion of Georgia serves yet another purpose: protecting its
ally Iran. Moscow has long sought to deny the United States airfields,
bases and other forms of cooperation from Georgia and Azerbaijan which
could be used in a military operation against Iran. At the same time,
Moscow is expected to deploy S-300 long-range anti-aircraft missiles
in Iran next year – greatly complicating any military strike against
Iranian nuclear-weapons facilities.

One bit of good news is the fact that, following Russia’s move
into Georgia, Poland moved to defy Russia by signing a missile
defense agreement with the United States. That is a step in the
right direction. But NATO will not remain a viable alliance if small
democracies like Georgia are left twisting in the wind while France
and Germany are congratulating themselves for their cravenness. For
starters, Georgia and Ukraine should be admitted to NATO sooner rather
than later.

NEW STAGE OF CSTO EXERCISES BEGINS IN ARMENIA

Interfax
Aug 19 2008
Russia

The third stage of command post exercises of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO), Rubezh- 2008, is beginning in Armenia on
Monday, the organization’s secretariat told Interfax-AVN.

"This is the continuation of comprehensive joint exercises. The first
stage was held at the beginning of July in Armenia and the second at
the end of July in Moscow. The exercises will end on August 22 at a
firing range in Armenia," a CSTO spokesman said.

Yerevan will also host a meeting of the CSTO Council of Defense
Ministers on August 21.

Rendering military and military-technical assistance to Armenia in case
of an act of aggression against is being refined during Rubezh 2008.

Earlier CSTO officials said that the scenario of the exercise is
theoretical but takes into account the current military-political
and military-strategic situation in the region.

It is the first time Rubezh exercises are held in the Caucasus,
not in Central Asia.

In line with the Collective Security Treaty aggression against a
member-state shall be regarded by other member-states as aggression
against them all.

OUTSIDE VIEW: RUSSIAN AIR POWER — PART 2
By Nikita Petrov

United Press International
Aug 19 2008

Past problems with lack of funding for pilot and crew training have
led to strange incidents in the Russian air force.

A few years ago, a Maj. Troyanov lost orientation in the Baltic sky
and, instead of Kaliningrad region, flew over Lithuania and had to
eject from the aircraft when his plane ran out of fuel. It was later
established that Troyanov had had just seven hours of flight experience
in the year preceding the incident. Lack of combat experience was
among the reasons for the loss of two planes during the peacekeeping
operation in South Ossetia.

Currently the Russian air force has enough fuel, three-star
Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin, the commander of the Russian air force,
told a recent news conference in Moscow. By now, the average flying
time among tactical and army aviation pilots has risen to around 90
hours a year. Special attention is paid to young pilots.

The flying time for the crews of strategic bombers has also increased
considerably. Starting from Aug. 17, 2007, Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack and
Tupolev Tu-95MS Bear war planes resumed flights over the Atlantic,
Pacific and Arctic oceans. Since then, the crews have conducted
more than 150 patrols amid "counteraction by aviation of neighboring
countries," Zelin said.

NATO fighters approached very close to Russian planes, sometimes
beyond safety regulations, aiming their weapons, and the Russian
crews responded, although they had no combat missiles on board, by
simulating firing at the "potential adversaries," practicing repelling
"hostile" attacks. In fact, it was joint combat training.

During the 2007-2008 joint drills with Russia’s Northern and Black
Sea fleets in the Atlantic, long-range aircraft for the first time
in many years saw intensive action far away from their bases. They
rehearsed the destruction of naval targets together with ships,
naval aviation, air defense and shipboard missile systems.

This year Russian army aviation crews have conducted a few dozen
tactical training exercises with live firing of missiles at aerial,
ground and naval targets. The exercises were usually part of joint
drills with motorized infantry, coastal units and navy vessels. This
proves that the Russian armed forces command is focused on simultaneous
multirole combat employment of troops on the ground, in the air and
at sea.

Joint drills of long-range aviation and navy ships are scheduled to
be held in the Indian Ocean this year. Last year’s cruise will be
repeated, but with new objectives and in new conditions.

Another priority is the further development of the joint air defense
system of the Russian-led Commonwealth of Independent States, which
is the only operational defensive system within the C.I.S. countries,
Zelin said.

Besides Russia, this system comprises the air defense troops of
Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Armenia and
Ukraine. The C.I.S. countries are now facing the task of improving
the control system of the joint air defense and securing mutual
information exchanges concerning the situation at the frontiers of
the commonwealth.

Currently a universal automation equipment complex for command and
control centers is under development on request by the C.I.S. Air
Defense Coordination Committee. Air defense troops from the member
countries are engaged in joint combat duty. Around 100 warplanes at
a time take part in drills within this system.

The Russian air force still has a lot of problems to be solved,
Zelin said. Nevertheless, it is clear that it is recovering, he added.

CIS DEFENSE MINISTER TO MEET IN YEREVAN TO DISCUSS COOPERATION ISSUES

The Times of Central Asia
August 18, 2008 Monday

Tajik Defense Minister, Colonel-General Sherali Khairulloyev, will
attend a regular session of the council of the CIS defense ministers
that will be held in Yerevan, Armenia on August 21.

According to the Ministry of Defense (MoD), the ministers are scheduled
to discuss issues related to providing security within the CIS area
and interaction between the defense ministries of member nations
of the CIS in different fields. The session participants also plan
to discuss the recent developments in South Ossetia as well as the
cause and consequences of the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict. We
will recal that by resolution of the CIS heads of state the council
of the CIS defense ministers was established on February 14, 1992.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

IN OPINION OF ARMENIAN URUGUAYAN COACH, UNLESS NECESSARY STEPS ARE TAKEN IN SECURITY ISSUE, ARMENIA-TURKEY FOOTBALL MATCH MAY HAVE TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES

Noyan Tapan

Au g 19, 2008

MONTEVIDEO, AUGUST 19, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. Armenian
Uruguayan Sergio Margarian, a famous football coach, does not consider
the presence of Turkish fans desirable at the Armenia-Turkey football
match to be held in September. He said that during an interview with
Radio Liberty:

"When I was the coach of Panathinaikos (Greece), we went to Turkey
to play with Turkey’s Fenerbahce for UEFA Cup. I can’t forget the
violence we were subjected to both on the pitch and outside it, due to
which the return match in Athens was held in the absence of Turkish
fans – based on a decision of the UEFA," Margarian said, adding:
"We should be cautious and not confuse the dark pages of the history
of the Armenian people with sports. The most important thing is that
we should show to the world that Armenia is a civilized country and
we can win by playing a good football match," he noted. According to
Sergio Margarian, unless all necessary steps are taken in security
issue, the match may have tragic consequences.

RENOWNED LOS ANGELES FAMILY LAW FIRM NAMES TWO ASSOCIATES

PR Newswire

August 18, 2008 Monday 1:30 PM GMT

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 18 /PRNewswire/ — Jeffrey P. Bollinger and Karnig
Greg Dukmajian have been named associate attorneys at the highly-lauded
Los Angeles family law firm of Phillips, Lerner, Lauzon & Jamra, LLP,
according to Stacy D. Phillips, managing partner.

As promising associates, Bollinger and Dukmajian will handle a variety
of family law matters ranging from dissolution of marriage to paternity
matters to domestic partnerships.

Mr. Bollinger enhances the Phillips firm with his expertise in
family law, a practice area in which he focused exclusively for
the three years prior to joining the firm. He offers a versatile
background consisting of a degree in English from Brandeis University,
participation in the International Moot Court Competition, and years of
experience in entertainment public relations. Currently, Bollinger is a
board member of the Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association of Los Angeles
and has recently served as president. Bollinger holds membership in
the Los Angeles County and Beverly Hills Bar Associations and is also
the current chairperson of the Multicultural Bar Alliance of Southern
California, an affiliation of minority bar associations working to
promote diversity in the profession and in the community.

Mr. Dukmajian returns to the Phillips firm after initially working
in 2006 as a summer law clerk. Since then he performed admirable work
for the Harriet Buhai Center, one of the largest providers of family
law to low-income persons in Los Angeles, thus expanding his legal
experience. Dukmajian, fluent in both Armenian and English, also worked
at the Los Angeles City Attorneys office offering Armenian-speaking
victims assistance with translating services. Furthermore, Dukmajian
touts a connection to the firm’s entertainment clientele where as a
student at Loyola Law School, he held the eminent position of Note and
Comment Editor of the Loyola of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Review.

Phillips, Lerner, Lauzon & Jamra, LLP, known for handling celebrity
and high-profile individuals, offers clients legal assistance in all
family law matters including dissolution of marriage, annulments and
legal separation; child custody disputes on a regional, interstate
and international basis; post judgment proceedings; paternity matters;
guardianships; domestic partnerships and all gay marriage issues.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN IRANIAN MOUNTAINEERS CLIMB ATOP OF MOUNT ARARAT

Noyan Tapan

Au g 19, 2008

TEHRAN, AUGUST 19, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. Suren Keshishian,
Rubik Ter-Avanesian and Alen Khosrovian, mountaineers of "Nairi"
Armenian cultural union (Iran) climbed atop of Mount Ararat early
August 13. "Aliq" daily reported that they returned to Tehran on
August 15.

AZARBAYJANI BEATS ARMENIAN TO ADVANCE TO QUARTER-FINALS

Canwest News Service
August 18, 2008 Monday

BEIJING – Saeed Azarbayjani’s Canadian Olympic dream, 13 years in
the making, is off to an impressive start.

The 33-year-old from of St. Catharines, Ont., who left his native
Iran 13 years ago and fled to Canada as a refugee, dominated two-time
Olympian Martin Berberyan of Armenia 2-0 in round-of-16 action in
men’s 60-kg freestyle wrestling Tuesday at the China Agricultural
University Gymnasium.

Berberyan, 28, finished sixth at the 2000 Sydney Games and was also
a bronze medallist at the 2005 world championships.

"It was a great tactical match, but I thought he handled the pressure
very well," said Azarbayjani’s coach, Marty Calder. "(Monday) he
was pretty nervous, but (Tuesday) he settled down and wrestled a
fantastic match."

Interestingly, Azarbayjani’s quarter-final opponent later Tuesday
will be Iran’s Mohammadi Seyedmorad, the 2006 world champion in this
weight class.

"They just keep coming," Calder said. "It’s good competition at this
weight class, but so far, he looks great."

To qualify for the Olympics, Azarbayjani, the assistant wrestling
coach at Brock University, defeated three-time Canadian Olympian
and 1996 silver medallist Gia Sissaouri of Montreal at the Canadian
Olympic trials.