Author: Andres-Papazian

RENOWNED PIANIST SOFYA MELIKYAN TO PERFORM IN ARAM KHACHATRYAN CONCERT HALL

Panorama
Nov 18 2011
Armenia

Aram Khachaturian Philharmonic Concert Hall hosts a concert Friday
of the Armenian State Philharmonic Orchestra dedicated to the 140th
birth anniversary of Alexander Spendiaryan. During the concert “Three
Palms”, for symphony orchestra, Crimean esquizes, parts from “Almast”
opera will be performed.

Soloists, sopranos Marine Deinyan, Magda Lazarian, Christine Sahakyan
and tenor Perch Karazyan will perform at the concert. The concert
will be conducted by Harutyun Arzumanyan.

On November 25 Aram Khachatryan concert hall will host another concert
dedicated to the 85th birth anniversary of renowned Armenian violinist
Anahit Tsitsikyan. Soloist Sofya Melikyan, laureate of international
contests, renowned pianist, will perform in the concert.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN LAWMAKERS DENY RUMOURS ABOUT PRESIDENT’S RESIGNATION

Vestnik Kavkaza
Nov 18 2011
Russia

Armenian lawmakers denied on Friday rumours about possible resignation
of the country’s president, Serzh Sargsyan, News-Armenia reports
on Friday.

Representatives of ruling and opposition political parties say there
is no such possibility.

Previously several Armenian experts said that recent resignation of
the parliamentary speaker, Ovik Abramyan, showed that the president
is going resign himself.

From: A. Papazian

ROAD TO EURASIAN UNION WILL TAKE FIVE YEARS
by Alexandra Bayazitova

WPS Agency
Nov 17 2011
Russia

Source: Izvestia (Moscow issue), No 215, November 17, 2011, p. 2
[translated from Russian]

UNITED RUSSIA IF FOUNDING A NEW ALLIANCE, FORERUNNER OF THE FUTURE
PARTY OF THE EURASIAN PARLIAMENT; United Russia organized a roundtable
conference to discuss establishment of the Eurasian Union.

The United Russia faction of the Duma arranged an international
roundtable conference. Its participants decided that the CIS Court
of Human Rights and ruling party of the new international alliance
ought to become the first institutions establishment of the Eurasian
Union would begin with.

Duma Chairman Boris Gryzlov said, “It’s time we stopped talking the
Eurasian Union and launched realization of this project.”

Gryzlov emphasized that leaders of the Customs Union had backed the
idea of the Eurasian Union. They had even expressed political will to
participate. Consequently, establishment of new international power
structures could be safely launched already.

Population of the future Eurasian Union might amount to 230-250
million.

Yuri Shuvalov, Assistant Secretary of the Presidium of United Russia
General Council, said that the ruling party was already putting
together a new alliance that might become a “party within the
future Eurasian legislature”. Shuvalov said that United Russia’s
Social-Conservative Union intended to establish an international
conservative confederation that would initiate a dialogue with
societies of the countries comprising the Eurasian Union.

Agency of Political and Economic Communications Director General
Dmitry Orlov said, “A vast country needs a large political party. This
integration will promote United Russia internationally. It might
become a magnet for the elites of several countries at once.”

The CIS Court of Human Rights might become another institution
establishment of the Eurasian Union will begin with. The idea of
such a court belongs to Federation Council Deputy Chairman Alexander
Torshin. “This court will complement the European Court of Human Rights
rather than displace it,” said Torshin. He explained that appeals
to the court in Strasbourg were too expensive and time-consuming and
thus were more than most people could afford.

Vladimir Pligin, Duma Constitutional Legislation Committee Chairman,
said, “As a matter of fact, the idea of an international court really
belongs to an Armenian from our committee. He encountered some problems
with national courts here and thus suggested this concept.”

Lesja Karatayeva, Assistant Director of the Kazakh Institute of
Strategic Surveys, pointed out that the future integration could not
be expected to be entirely smooth and problem-free. More than 50%
residents of the Customs Union countries supported the idea of the
Eurasian Union but there were also skeptics there who dismissed it
as folly.

“We ought to address the problem of the existing phobias,” said
Karatayeva.

Valery Konovalyuk of the Ukrainian Rada said that the matter of
Ukraine’s participation in the Eurasian Union might be decided on
December 19. December 19 is the day of the Ukrainian-EU summit.

Konovalyuk surmised that this summit was bound to dispel President
Victor Yanukovich’s “illusions” with regard to membership in the
European Union.

“On the other hand, the Eurasian Union will ensure new jobs for the
Ukrainians,” he said.

Duma Committee for Culture Chairman Vladimir Medinsky said that the
processes of integration would be swift. Medinsky said, “The decision
to form the Eurasian Economic Community was made in 2000. In other
words, it took us only 12 years to accomplish what had taken the
Europeans 40 years. I’m convinced that we will be able to keep up
this pace. Time is running out, you know. We have only five years to
wrap up the project.”

“Only fools may think that we will fail to unite again,” said Maxat
Kunakunov, advisor to the chairman of the Kyrgyz parliament.

From: A. Papazian

SENIOR BRITISH OFFICIALS MEET ARMENIAN OPPOSITION MEMBERS

news.am
Nov 18 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Chairman of Pan-Armenian National Movement party Aram
Manukyan met on Friday with the Head of South Caucasus Team of the
Foreign & Commonwealth Office of Britain Josephine Gauld and British
Deputy Ambassador to Armenia Gareth Wynn Owen.

The sides discussed socio-economic and political climate in the
country, amendments to Electoral Codeб as well as implementation of
demands of oppositional Armenian National Congress.

The sides also touched upon regional issues, particularly related to
the opening Armenian-Turkish border.

From: A. Papazian

“WOUNDS OF KARABAKH”

AZG DAILY
19-11-2011

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan yesterday participated in the
presentation of the “Wounds of Karabakh” documentary series by the
Bulgarian journalist Tsvetana Paskaleva.

The Armenian leader stressed the great role of Tsvetana Paskaleva’s
work during the Nagorno-Karabakh war of liberation. According to
tert.am, he expressed his gratitude to the Bulgarian journalist for her
‘heroic efforts.” The Armenian president hopes that Tsvetana Paskaleva
will go on working in the same spirit.

The Bulgarian journalist, who recorded the most heroic moments of
the Nagorno-Karabakh war of liberation and thus made them go down in
history, presented the first DVD copies of her 7-part documentary to
the Armenian president. Serzh Sargsyan is one of the people she passed
through the crucible of the Artsakh war with, Paskaleva said. “The
20 years I have lived in Armenia have been the most important in my
personal life,” she added.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA’S ARONIAN BEATS UKRAINE’S IVANCHUK IN MOSCOW

Tert.am
18.11.11

Armenians chess grandmaster Levon Aronian has won over Vasily Ivanchuk
at the 3rd round of the Mikhail Tal Chess Championship held in Moscow,
Russia.

Aronian earned two points as he beat the Ukrainian rival at the 57
step of the game.

Aronian was playing with black figures.

The results of the other games are as follows: Viswanathan Anand –
Ian Nepomniachtchi – 05:05 Vladimir Kramnik – Magnus Carlsen 05:05
Hikaru Nakamura – Piotr Svidler 0:1

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN AND GEORGIAN FMS DISCUSS ISSUES OF MUTUAL INTEREST

ARMENPRESS
NOVEMBER 18, 2011
BATUMI

BATUMI, NOVEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan departed today for Georgia on a two-day visit. At Batumi
International Airport he was welcomed by Georgian Prime Minister Nika
Gilauri. Armenpress’ correspondent in Batumi reports that an official
meeting of the heads of governments of the two countries was held.

Welcoming Tigran Sargsyan, the Georgian FM noted that a sitting of the
Georgian-Armenian Intergovernmental Commission will be held tomorrow,
and expressed hope that it will run in a productive atmosphere.

In his turn, Tigran Sargsyan expressed gratitude for warm reception
and noted that opportunities for expansion of cooperation have been
created. The heads of governments of the two countries discussed a
range of issues of mutual interest.

The sitting of the Georgian-Armenian Intergovernmental Commission
will be conducted November 19, after which the Armenian Prime Minister
will also meet with the Armenian community of Ajaria.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN CHAMBER OF ADVOCATES CREATES A SPECIAL GROUP TO DEFEND DIASPORA BUSINESSMEN
By Gayane Lazarian

ArmeniaNow
18.11.11 | 15:54

A group of Armenian attorneys are collaborating to form a foundation
to defend the rights of Diaspora investors. Announcement came Friday
in a press conference called in the Chamber of Advocates.

Editor-in-chief of Zhamanak (Time) daily Arman Babajanyan, one of the
initiators of the idea says the group hopes to “achieve the creation
of an atmosphere in Armenia where a Diaspora Armenian feels defended
and not deceived.” He went on to chastise the Ministry of Diaspora
for its “pompous speeches”, and implicitly suggest that the ministry
should uphold the cause.

Attorney Lernik Hovhannisyan presents American-Armenian business
Edmond Khurdian’s case.

“Khurdian made an investment to construct a 13-storied building on
Mashtots Avenue; however, he has received no money back. The head of
the company and its employees have robbed him and some other investors
– about 20 people, whom Khurdian has involved in the case. A total
of $7 million has been stolen from them,” Hovhannisyan says.

Khurdian who joined the press conference via Skype, said with regret
that he was deceived by his Armenian partner Vladislav Mangasaryan,
who had been introduced to him by Levon Sargsyan (brother of President
of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan).

“They have generally appropriated $5 million. They have also shown
that they lent Khurdian $2 million, however, in fact he did not sign
any document about it,” Deputy Chairman of the Chamber of Advocates
Nikolay Baghdasaryan says.

A court claim was lodged yet in March; however, the director of the
company has not been examined by now.

From: A. Papazian

Todmorden Today, UK
Nov 19 2011

Music of rivers – and remembrance
Published on Saturday 19 November 2011 19:24

RIVERS and remembrance framed Saturday’s packed Todmorden Orchestra
concert at Todmorden Town Hall.

Smetana’s Ma Vlast is a patriotic, poetic and testing celebration of
the river that is to Prague what the Thames is to London. The music
rises in mellifluously swirling, intricate eddies, writes Rob Barnett.

It’s an unforgiving piece with which to warm up a concert and
conductor Nicholas Concannon Hodges took it quickly. In loud sections
details became opaque which in part is down to the reverberant
acoustic.

Armenian composer Arutiunian’s testing trumpet concerto was played by
Brian McGinley. Some of the climactic orchestral writing in the first
movement has tremendous symphonic weight. At one point McGinley’s
invincible brilliance had to compete with it to be heard over the
Shostakovich-style heroics.

After this came Ballet suite 4 by Arutiunian’s teacher Shostakovich.
This three movement light-hearted suite is drawn from the ballets and
film scores. The first of these is The Limpid Stream – rivers again.
The middle movement starts with Tchaikovskian balletic delicacy and
rises to a rousingly big noise.

After the interval the 57-strong orchestra turned to a composer they
have championed before – in June 2009 they gave an excellent reading
of Vaughan Williams’ Fifth Symphony. A London Symphony was dedicated
to the composer George Butterworth killed by a sniper on the Western
Front in 1916.

It opens with the merest murmur and rises to a thunderous whirlwind.
By no means picture-postcard stuff the music is often sinister,
murderous and infernal.

The 12-strong brass were exemplary in phalanx as well as individually
and by section just as the Todmorden catchment has come to expect. The
magically hushed backdrop for the deeply moving cor anglais in the
second movement and the brief duo between the leader and harpist at
the end of the first were sensitively done.

It’s a work shot through with tragic march episodes: bloodied but
unbowed. The extended silence after the epilogue before the first
burst of applause was eloquent.

If the quiet moments were laced with distant bells from St Mary’s it
remains an indelibly memorable evening especially for a remarkably
fine performance of the Vaughan Williams.

From: A. Papazian

President Sahakyan rated high the role played by the Great House of
Cilicia in preserving Armenian national identity in America

(Noyan Tapan – 19.11.2011)

On 18 November President of the Artsakh Republic Bako Sahakyan visited
in New York Prelacy of the Eastern USA of the Armenian Apostolic
Church’s Great House of Cilicia and met prelate of the Diocese
Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, members of the diocesan council and
representatives of the local Armenian community.

Issues related to life in Artsakh, Motherland-Diaspora and
church-society relations were discussed during the meeting.

President Sahakyan rated high the role played by the Great House of
Cilicia in preserving Armenian national identity in America and
strengthening ties with the Motherland.

Head of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church
Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan, permanent representative of the
Republic of Armenia to UN Karen Nazaryan, head of the central
information department of the office of the Artsakh Republic President
David Babayan, NKR permanent representative to USA and Canada Robert
Avetisyan partook at the meeting, the Central Information Department
of the Office of the Artsakh Republic President informs.

From: A. Papazian