RA Police Intensifies Road Control Starting May 21

RA POLICE INTENSIFIES ROAD CONTROL STARTING MAY 21

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 20, 2010 – 15:36 AMT 10:36 GMT

On occasion of the School Graduation Day, Armenian Police will
intensify control starting May 21.

"Patrol cars will be near all schools. The traffic in the streets
leading to Republic Square will be blocked in the afternoon," head
of Yerevan Traffic Police Norik Sargsyan told journalists on May 20.

He also called on parents of the school-leavers not to give cars to
their children. "The drivers without driving license will be fined
AMD 10 000, while the cars will be take to police compound. Those who
give their cars to school-leavers will be fined AMD 20 000," he said.

New Medical Plant To Be Built In Yerevan

NEW MEDICAL PLANT TO BE BUILT IN YEREVAN

ARKA
May 11, 2010
YEREVAN

Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan was present today at the foundation
stone laying ceremony for construction of a new plant in Yerevan to
produce disposable medical equipment.

Zhirayr Apoyan, head of SMT company, which is part of Russian Athena
Pallada company, said the first batch will be produced in the first
quarter of 2011. He said the plant will be producing syringes, blood
containers that do not need storage.

Zhirayr Apoyan said part of the products will be sold at local market
and other part will be sold abroad.

The plant will create about 800 new jobs with an average wage of
150,000 Drams or $380. Armenian economy minister Nerses Yeritsian
said the plant’s products will meet highest international requirements.

Obama Appeases Turkey On Armenia

OBAMA APPEASES TURKEY ON ARMENIA
Susan Cornwell and Arshad Mohammed

The Sunday Independent (South Africa)
March 07, 2010

WASHINGTON: The administration of US President Barack Obama has
sought to limit fallout from a US resolution branding the massacre
of Armenians by Turkish forces in 1915 as "genocide", and vowed to
stop it going further in Congress.

Turkey has recalled its ambassador after a House of Representatives
committee approved the non-binding measure condemning the killings
on Thursday.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Congress should drop the
matter now. "The Obama administration strongly opposes the resolution
that was passed by only one vote in the House committee and will work
very hard to make sure it does not go to the House floor."

The resolution squeaked through the House Foreign Affairs Committee
23-22 despite a last-minute appeal against it from the Obama
administration, which feared damage to ties with Turkey. The Nato
ally is crucial to US interests in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and the
Middle East.

The issue puts Obama between Turkey, a secular Muslim democracy
that looks toward the West, and Armenian Americans, an important
constituency in states like California and New Jersey, ahead of the
November congressional elections.

After the committee’s vote, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan
warned of possible damage to ties with the US.

Muslim Turkey accepts that many Christian Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks, but denies that up to 1.5 million died and that it
amounted to genocide.

The US envoy in Ankara, James Jeffrey, distanced the Obama
administration from the resolution after being invited for talks
by Turkish officials. "We believe that Congress should not make a
decision on the issue," he said.

The resolution urges Obama to use the term "genocide" when he delivers
his annual message on the Armenian massacres in April.

He avoided using the term last year, although as a presidential
candidate he said the killings were genocide. – Reuters

Sergei Paradjanov season at BFI Southbank

Sergei Paradjanov season at BFI Southbank
This online supplement is produced and published by Rossiyskaya Gazeta
(Russia), which takes sole responsibility for the content.

Nadia Kidd, Ksenia Galouchko, Russia Now

Daily Telegraph/uk
Published: 4:24PM GMT 04 Mar 2010

This March the British Film Institute on London’s Southbank will host
a season of Armenian film-maker Sergei Paradjanov’s works. The
festival will include Paradjanov’s acclaimed features, short films and
documentaries.

Elisabetta Fabrizi, curator of the festival, has long nurtured a
passion for the director. Having completed her university dissertation
on his works, since 2005 she has been engaged by the idea of making
Paradjanov known to a wider international audience.

Paradjanov’s legacy has shaped the styles of several British
film-makers, including that of Derek Jarman, whose works were inspired
by The Colour of Pomegranates. Other `followers’ include the Brothers
Quay, whom Fabrizi calls `the real masters of animation’.

Although prominent in his influence on film-makers of the 20th
century, along with fashion designers, musicians and artists,
Paradjanov is virtually unknown among film lovers.

To Fabrizi, the director’s ability to bring together a variety of
cultures and religions, such as Islam and Christianity, in his films
makes them topical and modern in today’s political and social context.

So when Fabrizi met Layla Alexander-Garret, a London-based Russian art
promoter who was also searching for a venue to host a Paradjanov film
festival, she knew it was a dream come true. Together, the two
Paradjanov admirers pooled their contacts and experience, and finally
made the long anticipated two-and-a-half-month Paradjanov festival
happen.

The festival will be the biggest Paradjanov celebration ever held in
the UK. The most recent Paradjanov-themed cultural event in the UK
goes back to 10 years ago, when the Lumiere cinema put on an
exhibition and screenings in memory of his craft.

The festival will host screenings of Paradjanov’s and
Paradjanov-influenced films, including documentaries by Russian,
Ukrainian, French and German film-makers. Some screenings will be
followed by Q&A sessions with Paradjanov’s friends and collaborators,
along with Paradjanov scholars.

According to Fabrizi, the festival films will be introduced by, among
others, director Patrick Cazals and film critic and writer Tony Rayns.

The March 6 symposium will bring together a large variety of guests,
including the director of the Armenian-based Paradjanov museum and
those who have worked with Paradjanov.

Contemporary artist Mat Collishaw has been commissioned to produce a
moving image installation for the festival.

The project unites sculpture and the moving image in an atmospheric
work inspired by Paradjanov’s craft. According to Fabrizi, Collishaw,
whose show runs until May 9, has managed to poetically convey the
spirit of Paradjanov’s artistic endeavour.

Some events at the festival are being organised exclusively by
Fabrizi’s Russian partner Alexander-Garret, including the photo
exhibition by a Georgian artist Yuri Mechitov, which contains rare
pictures taken during his long friendship with Sergei Paradjanov, in
addition to a memorial concert at the Armenian Church, and a set of
events at the Pushkin House, Russian cultural centre in London, and in
Bristol.

And what could be Fabrizi’s next artistic project? Considering the
successful professional collaboration with Alexander-Garret, the
curator might opt for a season of Russian film classics.

Armenian Foreign Ministry Welcomes Adoption Of Resolution 252

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY WELCOMES ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION 252

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.03.2010 01:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ We highly appreciate the decision by the Committee
on Foreign Affairs of the United States House of Representatives to
adopt Resolution 252 on the recognition of the Armenian genocide,
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said.

This is another proof of the devotion of the American people to
universal human values and is an important step toward the prevention
of the crimes against humanity.

US House Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted Armenian Genocide
resolution (H.Res.252) (23 for; 23 against). After it was put to the
vote in Profile Committee, the Resolution will be submitted to the
House of Representatives for final vote.

Azerbaijan And USA Discussed Development Of Relations

AZERBAIJAN AND USA DISCUSSED DEVELOPMENT OF RELATIONS

RIA Oreanda
Feb 25 2010
Russia

Baku. OREANDA-NEWS . February 25, 2010. President Ilham Aliyev
received a delegation led by U.S. Under Secretary of State for
Political Affairs, William Burns.

The president underscored the existence of high-level partnership
relations in various fields between Azerbaijan and the U.S., and
expressed assurances for further development of these relations.

President Ilham Aliyev noted the significance of William Burns visit
for development of bilateral relations and expansion of connections
between the two countries.

U.S.Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns
said that his country attaches great importance to relations with
Azerbaijan, pointing out to the determination of his country to
further strengthen these relations.

During the meeting, Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh, bilateral energy cooperation, and regional and
international issues were discussed.

First Meeting of Supervisors of South Caucasus Railway in Yerevan

First Meeting of Supervisors of South Caucasus Railway in Yerevan

2009-12-05 15:01:00

ArmInfo. The supervisors of the railroad, car and locomotive services
of the South Caucasus Railway (SCR) have met for the first time in
Yerevan, SCR told ArmInfo.

Marat Khakov, SCR CJSC First Deputy Director General, opened the
meeting. In his welcoming speech, M. Khakov highlighted the role of
supervisors in the railway economy and presented the nowadays
requirements to the supervisors. "Supervisors are a link between
technical workers and managers," he said. Social policy of the company
for 2010, optimization of the work, and supply with spare parts has
been discussed at the meeting. M. Khakov said that alongside with
development of freight and passenger traffic, the company is trying to
develop production of spare parts in Armenia. "The railway has already
been supplied with spare parts made in Armenia by 50-60%. This reduces
the cost of the spare parts, cuts the delivery time and allows
creating new jobs," he said.

For his part, SCR Director General Shevket Shaydullin said the meeting
of supervisors summed up the activity of the railway, formed
collective view and discussed the company’s positioning as a national
transport company. As a result, our international partners, business
and public will expect more from the company. SCR must realize these
expectations as a company with an accurate and effective mechanism of
functioning. He said the company will introduce merit rating of
supervisors of technical services. The leading specialists of the
company were awarded with prizes and money gifts.

South Caucasian Railway CJSC is the subsidiary (100%) of the Russian
Railways CJSC. The contract of concession of the Armenian Railroad
CJSC for 30 years with a 10-year renewable period was signed in
Yerevan on February 13 2008.

OSCE Supports Armenian-Turkish Reconciliation

OSCE SUPPORTS ARMENIAN-TURKISH RECONCILIATION

Aysor
Dec 3 2009
Armenia

Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan, who was on visit to
Greece for participation in the 17th OSCE Ministerial Council in
Athens, has met with some counterparts, the press office of the
Armenian Foreign Ministry said.

Foreign Minister Nalbandyan discussed items of regional cooperation
and Armenia-EU relations with Greek Prime Minister Georgeos Papandreus.

Edward Nalbandyan presented to OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de
Brichambaut the Armenian activities and involvement into organisation’s
works. Marc Perrin de Brichambaut said he hopes the Armenian-Turkish
protocols will be ratified soon. OSCE supports Armenian-Turkish
reconciliation, he added.

Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan has a number of meetings
with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjoern Jagland,
Foreign Minister of Belarus Sergey Martynov, and with the chief of
Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun Greek Office.

The Illusive ‘Positive’ Outcome Of Peace Talks

THE ILLUSIVE ‘POSITIVE’ OUTCOME OF PEACE TALKS

Asbarez
Dec 2nd, 2009

Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian speaks to reporters at
the OSCE Ministerial summit in Athens on December 2, 2009.

Public statements made by foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan
at the OSCE Ministerial Council in Athens call into question the
"progress" that was touted Tuesday by that organization’s Minsk Group
Co-chairmen, who also pressed the sides to intensify negotiations to
resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

With the 17th meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council as a stage,
Azeri and Armenian foreign ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and Eduard
Nalbandian presented conflicting views on the process with Mammadyarov
characterizing Armenia as an aggressor, while Nalbandian condemning
the terse military rhetoric directed toward Armenia by Azerbaijan.

"The Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict still remains a
major source of instability and impediment to the economic development
and integration of the entire region of the South Caucasus into the
European and Euro-Atlantic architecture," said Mammadyarov.

"As a result of this conflict almost 20 percent of the territory
of Azerbaijan has been still occupied by Armenia, around 1 million
ethnically cleansed Azerbaijani population has become internally
displaced and refugees, thousands of Azerbaijani historical-cultural
heritage items on the occupied territories devastated and looted,"
the Azeri leader added.

Mammadyarov also said that "Providing self-governance for
Nagorno-Karabakh within Azerbaijan will be a just and durable solution,
as well as it can dramatically reduce tensions and challenges for
peace and stability in the region," and the "withdrawal of Armenian
troops in a fixed time framework from the occupied territories of
Azerbaijan will open a tremendous opportunity for the region.’

All of this came after Mammadyarov urged his international colleagues
to fully adhere to the Helsinki principles, based on which the OSCE
was founded in 1975.

"The pattern of non-compliance of one State, Azerbaijan, to the core
arms control regime, particularly by substantially exceeding maximum
levels of holdings in at least two categories of armaments set by the
Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, combined with the war
rhetoric, raises concerns about that country’s real intentions.

Azerbaijan violates one of the basic principles of the OSCE – the
principle of non-use or threat of use of force," emphasized Nalbandian
in his remarks to the Council.

"We [Armenia] are convinced that in order to create an opportunity
for the progress in the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, the parties should commit to refrain from the steps that
could hamper the peace process, including the attempts, which have been
made here in the speech of the Azerbaijani minister, to misinterpret
the essence of the conflict and of the ongoing negotiations," added
Nalbandian, who also blasted efforts to use the Karabakh resolution
as a precondition for the Armenia-Turkey rapprochement process.

"Armenia is committed to a peaceful solution of the conflict, based
on the norms and principles of international law, particularly the
principles of non use or threat of use of force, self-determination
and territorial integrity, which were reflected yesterday in the
Joint Statement by the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chair countries, Armenia and Azerbaijan," emphasized Nalbandian.

And then there was Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu who told
the Council that Armenia-Turkey relations could not normalize without
a resolution to the Karabakh conflict. He also expressed the same
sentiment to Mammadyarov in a separate meeting, but, reportedly,
did not discuss Karabakh while meeting with Nalbandian.

Nalbandian’s comments at the OSCE Council were a mere slap on the wrist
for Azerbaijan, whose president Ilham Aliyev last week threatened war
again ahead of a presidential meeting, which, according to conventional
wisdom, should have never taken place in light of the threats.

Armenia’s position on the military threats has been soft, at best. If
Mammadyarov’s remarks are an indication, Azerbaijan is unwilling to
budge from its position and Turkey continues to insist that without
a Karabakh agreement there will be no ties with Armenia.

We can analyze ad nauseam about which minister was more forceful
in his diplomatic overture, but the truth remains that despite the
illusive inroads in the talks, the true harbinger of things to come
is the joint statement by the Co-chairmen, who unanimously call for
the intensification process. This can only mean one thing: a deal on
the conflict is imminent and Armenia, once again, will be cornered
to sign an agreement that will compromise its national security.