Month: November 2009

PIPELINE BLAST HALTS IRAN GAS EXPORT TO ARMENIA

Tehran Times
Nov 12 2009
Iran

TEHRAN – Iran’s gas exports to Armenia was temporarily interrupted
Wednesday due to an explosion which took place in the Armenian section
of the conveyance pipeline.

On Wednesday morning the Armenian officials informed Iran that an
explosion has occurred at some segment of the Iran-Armenia pipeline
which lies inside Armenian border, according to SHANA news agency.

Iran will resume gas export to Armenia as soon as the Armenians repair
the pipeline.

Iran started the exportation of natural gas to Armenia in May.

According to the deal signed in May 2004, Armenia will pay for the
gas with electricity it produces at a Soviet-era nuclear power plant.

Based on the agreement, Iran is supposed to transfer three million
cubic meters of gas per day to Armenia by the end of 2010, and from
the beginning of 2011 raise this volume up to four million cubic
meters per day.

The volume of gas exports could gradually rise to 6.3 million cubic
meters per day.

In exchange, Armenia will transfer three kilowatt/hours of electricity
for each cubic meter of the Iranian gas.

The Iran-Armenia pipeline has a diameter of 30 inches and runs for 113
kilometers from Tabriz, East Azerbaijan Province to the Iran-Armenia
border.

The two countries had originally agreed to finalize the project in
January 2007, but the Armenians later said they were not ready

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

STEPAN GRIGORYAN: THERE WILL BE NO DOCUMENT ON KARABAKH TILL DECEMBER

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.11.2009 14:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The talks on resolution of the Karabakh process
have been intensified, said Stepan Grigoryan, head of analytical
center on globalization and regional cooperation (ACGRC).

"The OSCE MG Co-chairs were in the region to organize a presidential
meeting. Nevertheless, there will be no progress till December,"
he said.

ARMENIA SET TO CURB FOREIGN OWNERSHIP OF LAND
Irina Hovannisian

Armenia Liberty
Nov 11 2009

The opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun)
has secured a crucial government endorsement of its proposal to
essentially ban Turkish and other foreign companies from buying land
in Armenia’s border regions, it emerged on Wednesday.

The Armenia constitution and other laws do not allow foreign citizens
to own land anywhere in the country. However, the ban does not extend
to companies and other legal entities owned by foreigners.

Under a package of amendments to the Armenian Land Code drafted by
Dashnaktsutyun, those entities would need a special permission from
the government and the Defense Ministry to buy plots of land located
up to 25 kilometers from the borders.

Dashnaktsutyun lawmakers acknowledged on Wednesday that the amendments
are connected with the possible reopening of the Turkish-Armenian
border. The nationalist party has long warned that an open border
could hurt the Armenian economy and jeopardize the country’s national
security.

"It’s not just about Turkey and Turks," said Ruzan Arakelian. "It’s
a matter of national security. A country is protected by its border
regions, and our border regions can be at risk at any moment. You
can acquire land not only through war."

Another Dashnaktsutyun deputy, Ara Nranian, said Turkey itself
restricts foreign ownership of land. "In Turkey, ownership of land
by foreign organizations is not allowed without the military’s
permission," he told RFE/RL. "Things are even stricter there."

In a letter sent to the National Assembly last week, Prime Minister
Tigran Sarkisian described the Dashnaktsutyun bill as largely
"acceptable" but said the Armenian government believes the proposed
restrictions should be even tighter. He said they should cover not
only land but also all "facilities needing special protection."

What is more, that would apply to such facilities located all over the
country and not only border areas, according to a copy of the letter
obtained by RFE/RL. Sarkisian also confirmed that the government is
now looking into relevant Turkish legislation.

In an interview with RFE/RL late last month, Justice Minister Gevorg
Danielian said the increasingly real prospect of border opening
necessitates changes in Armenia’s criminal, civil and land codes.

"When we study [Turkey’s] domestic legislation, we understand that
whether we want it or not, from the viewpoint of a proper protection
of the country’s security and citizens’ rights and freedoms, there
will emerge a need to revise legislation," he said.

OSKANIAN QUESTIONS GOVERNMENT COMMITMENT TO ‘EUROPEAN VALUES’
Karine Kalantarian

Armenia Liberty
Nov 11 2009

Armenia — Former Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian.

Former Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian questioned on Wednesday
successive Armenian governments’ commitment to "European values"
such as democracy and human rights, saying that he was increasingly
embarrassed with having to justify their undemocratic practices during
his decade-long tenure.

Oskanian said the lack of such commitment has been the main hurdle to
Armenia’s democratization and integration into various European bodies.

"The government is the most important thing," he said during a public
discussion on the matter organized by the Civilitas Foundation, his
Yerevan-based think-tank. "I was in it, and one of the reasons why
I’m not now is that things reached a point where it was difficult to
explain the difference between words and actions to the Europeans.

"That problem always existed, especially after elections when there
were some undemocratic developments in Armenia. You can imagine the
plight of the foreign minister every time the issue was brought up
in Europe."

"My experience has shown that our successive governments have not
been prepared for a full adoption and application of these values,"
said Oskanian. "This is a fact. They have at best been very selective."

"The authorities have regarded the full adoption and application of
European values as a threat to their power. This will remain the case
until we manage to create counterweights in our political system,"
he added.

Oskanian served as foreign minister in the administration of
former President Robert Kocharian throughout his 1998-2008 rule,
a period that saw three disputed presidential elections and other
political upheavals. Various European bodies criticized the Kocharian
administration’s handling of the polls as well as its human rights
record.

Ever since leaving office in April 2008, Oskanian has increasingly
distanced himself from this and other controversial episodes of the
Kocharian era. The Syrian-born former U.S. national has also been
increasingly critical of domestic and foreign policies pursued by
the current president, Serzh Sarkisian.

Oskanian said on Wednesday that the Council of Europe, which Armenia
joined in 2001, and the European Union should be "more consistent"
in pressing the authorities in Yerevan to honor their commitments on
democracy and human rights.

In Oskanian’s words, the Armenian public, for its part, should exert
similar pressure on both the government and the Europeans, he said. "I
think that we should be more assertive in demanding a more serious
engagement by them," he said.

THIRD PLAYER IN THE ARMENIAN COMMUNICATION MARKET TO CREATE HEALTHY COMPETITION

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.11.2009 14:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The appearance of the third player in the mobile and
fiber-optic networks market will create healthy competition f Armenia,
the minister of transport and communications Gurgen Sargsyan said.

"I think its major part of activities will be launched in 2010, and
we will feel its impact on the mobile market then," he said a press
conference in Yerevan.

The minister informed, that another player – GNC Alfa has appeared
in the fiber-optic communication market. The company has paved the
optical cable from the Iranian border to Yerevan and now, according to
the government decision, the organization can stretch the cable – from
Yerevan to the Georgian border. "It will be a third service provider,
which will deliver the Internet in Armenia, and I think that this
will lead to healthy competition and soon have positive impact on
prices and quality of services in Armenia," Gurgen Sargsyan said.

OPPOSITION LEADER DEFENDS PRESIDENT

news.am
Nov 11 2009
Armenia

Addressing his party mates, the leader of the Armenian Opposition,
Chairman of the Armenian National Congress (ANC) Levon Ter-Petrosyan
harshly criticized the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF)
and the ex-foreign minister Vartan Oskanian for being "insincere"
in protesting against the Armenian-Turkish protocols.

"I cannot understand how the ARF can protest against the modern-day
Armenian-Turkish border of it is they that signed the Alexandropol
Treaty thereby drawing the borders. How can they demand that Turkey
respect Armenians’ historical rights if they renounced them by
repudiating the Treaty of Sèvres? This all applies to Vartan Oskanian.

Why has he, all of a sudden, recalled his historical homeland,
Western Armenia, Marash, whereas, when Armenian Foreign Minister, he
never responded to Robert Kocharyan;s statement that Armenia had no
territorial claims to Turkey. Why did not he say that was betrayal,
violation of the Armenian people’s right?" Ter-Petrosyan asked with
indignation.

Strangely enough, the Opposition leader tried to defend RA President
Serzh Sargsyan from the ARF’s attacks. "Besides the previously
committed sins, it is unfair to accuse Serzh Sargsyan of sins he
has not committed. He was not the first to recognize the modern-day
Armenian-Turkish border – Dashnaks and Bolsheviks did it by means
of the treaties of Alexandropol and Kars. He was not the first
to renounce territorial claims to Turkey – Robert Kocharyan did it
before. He is not the one who, in response to the demand to admit the
Armenian Genocide, received Turkey’s proposal for forming a scientific
committee – Robert Kocharyan and Vartan Oskanian are the persons. He
is not the one who ousted Nagorno-Karabakh from the negotiations
– Robert Kocharyan, Vartan Oskanian and Arkady Ghukasyan are the
persons. Finally, he was not the one who got the Madrid principles
submitted to the sides – he inherited them from Robert Kocharyan and
Vartan Oskanian," Ter-Petrosyan said. He pointed out Serzh Sargsyan’s
responsibility as a key figure of the Robert Kocharyan regime.

According to Ter-Petrosyan, the political forces that were in power
under Robert Kocharyan, but "have turned into Opposition now," are
responsible as well.

ONE SPORTSMAN TO REPRESENT ARMENIA AT KUDO CHAMPIONSHIP

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.11.2009 14:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ World Kudo Championship will kick off in Tokyo,
Japan, on November 14. 150 sportsmen from 60 countries will be
participating.

Armenia will be represented by Arnold Kostanyan, who came 3rd in
Central Asia Tournament in Dubai, Armenian Kudo Federation President
Karen Bagyan told PanARMENIAN.Net.

SINFONIA TORONTO’S SERIES PRESENTS ANI BATIKIAN 12/11

Broadway World
ofonia_Torontos_Series_Presents_Ani_Batikian_1211_ 20091111
Nov 11 2009

Sinfonia Toronto is pleased to present Armenian violinist Ani Batikian
in her Canadian debut on Friday, December 11. The repertoire: PUCCINI:
Three Minuets; HOVHANESS: Violin Concerto; KHACHATURIAN: Masquerade
Suite; STRAUSS: Die Fledermaus; BARTOK: Rumanian Dances.

Hovhaness wrote his Violin Concerto in seven short movements. The
titles of the movements are self-descriptive: a Pastoral, two
movements titled Aria, a Hymn, a Recitative and Lullaby, a Presto
and an Allegro. Throughout the piece the solo violin soars over a
variety of complex accompaniments in which Hovhaness uses a variety
of compositional techniques such as free polyphony, polyrhythm and
polymelody, occasionally even using these techniques simultaneously in
two different layers of the score. He obtains a great range of tonal
colours as well, with imaginative use of special string techniques
like pizzicato and tremolo.

The concerto was given its Canadian premiere in 2002 by Sinfonia
Toronto with violinist Jasper Wood and Nurhan Arman conducting. CBC
Radio 2 broadcast the performance; one movement can be heard at

American composer Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000) was an idiosyncratic
musical pioneer who sought a musical reconciliation between East and
West, spiritual and mundane, long before it was fashionable to do so.

Born near Boston to an Armenian father and a mother of Scottish
ancestry, his upbringing was "all-American". As a boy he composed
in secret. "My family thought composing was abnormal, so they would
confiscate my music if they caught me in the act." Jean Sibelius was
an early mentor from whom Hovhaness acquired his love of long lyrical
melodies. The composer’s exposure to Armenian culture was around 1940
when he became organist at an Armenian church in Boston. From that
point forward, he composed works with Armenian titles or subject
matter. In the 1950s Hovhaness’ style became more Westernized, but
some Armenian and also Indian influences remained prominent, such
as his pioneering use of Indian cyclic rhythm concepts. Following
extended visits to India, Korea and Japan from1959 to 1962, Hovhaness
incorporated Indo-Oriental idioms throughout the 1960s. From the
1970s, Hovhaness remained very prolific, reaching around Opus 450
by the time of his death. His output comprises music in almost every
conceivable genre, from large-scale oratorios, operas and symphonies
down to piano sonatas and solo works for Oriental instruments.

Armenian violinist Ani Batikian entered the State Conservatory in
Yerevan, Armenia at the age of 15, the youngest student ever to study
there and supported by a local scholarship. At the age of 19 she
received her undergraduate degree and at the age of 20 a postgraduate
diploma with honours. Her charismatic personality and artistry go
hand in hand with her violin, making her performance impressive and
unforgettable. Ani displays boldness in her choice of repertoire,
which ranges from baroque to contemporary.

For more information, please visit

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EXPENSES IN TRANSPORT SPHERE TO BE REDUCED BY 12% IN 2010

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.11.2009 14:55 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Under 2010 State Budget, expenditures in transport a
will make up AMD 34 billion instead of the AMD 38.8 billion envisaged
for 2009. This is a 12% decrease in comparison with current year,
Transport and Communication Minister Gurgen Sargsyan told a press
conference in Yerevan.

Next year’s budget mainly envisages reconstruction highways of state
importance. Allocations to be made for that purpose will comprise AMD 2
billion. The sum will be spent on repairing and building roads with a
total area of 63 km., as well as reconstructing transport facilities,
particularly 8 bridges. "ADB-funded road reconstruction program will
continue in 2010. As a result, we’ll put in commission reconstructed
rural roads with a total area 118-120km. Expenditures will make up
AMD 4 billion," Minister said.

At that he noted that the second, World Bank-funded road reconstruction
program costing AMD 18.8 billion will be launched in 2010 for repairing
roads with a total area of 100 km.

Minister also informed participants about another key program aimed
at construction of south-north corridor. Budgetary allocations for
this program will comprise $60 million.

In addition, Minister said that $70 million rural road reconstruction
program is currently being negotiated with a Chinese company.

"Negotiations will be followed by signing of agreement, and very
probably, this program too, will be launched in 2010," Sargsyan said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ANNUAL MERCHANT LUNCH ON THURSDAY

CBS47 News
erchant-Lunch-on-Thursday/M_Ln2aAB6UKfTOz1Vx14vw.c spx
Nov 11 2009

The Valley is home to so many wonderful cultures including a vast
Armenian population.

If you are Armenian or just enjoy the food, then you should head over
to the First Armenian Presbyterian Church on Thursday for their Annual
Merchant Lunch.

Jane Bedrosian with First Armenian Presbyterian Church stopped by the
CBS47 studio to talk about their annual event. Bedrosian said, "The
purpose of this lunch, of course, is to bring our community together.

We like to serve this to our business people and local people that
enjoy a delicious Armenian meal, that basically gives you a sampling
of our culture".

The lunch is from 11:00 a.m. am to 2:00 p.m. and an Armenian lunch
of lula kabob, pilaf, cheese beoreg, salad, rolls and baklava is $12
per person.

First Armenian Presbyterian Church is located at 430 S. First Street.