Author: Andres-Papazian

RTE, Ireland
March 26 2011

Armenia 0-0 Russia

Saturday, 26 March 2011 17:16

Russia were held to a 0-0 draw by hard-working Armenia in their Euro
2012 qualifier on Saturday, handing a boost to the Republic of Ireland
in Group B.

The top-seeded Russians now have 10 points from five matches while
Armenia surprisingly moved into second place with eight points.

Russia have now failed to score for a third consecutive match after
losing two friendlies to Belgium (2-0) and Iran (1-0) in the last five
months.

After a slow opening, the Russians took control, creating several
scoring chances but failed to find the target.

Yura Movsisyan wasted Armenia’s best chance early in the second half
when he fired wide from close range.

Alexander Kerzhakov, who scored for Russia in each of their two
previous qualifiers against Ireland and Macedonia, missed the top
corner when he was sent clear a few minutes later.

Russia captain Andrei Arshavin had a quiet game, missing the target
with his only shot at goal late in the game.

The two teams meet again in their next qualifier on 4 June.

From: A. Papazian

The Canadian Press
March 26 2011

Armenia holds Group B leader Russia to 0-0 in 2012 European
Championship qualifying

YEREVAN, Armenia – Armenia held visiting Group B leader Russia to 0-0
in their 2012 European Championship qualifier on Saturday.

Russia remained on top while Armenia, enjoying its best-ever
qualifying campaign by playing its last four games unbeaten, climbed
to second, two points behind.

Other Group B contenders Ireland and Slovakia played late Saturday,
against Macedonia and last-place Andorra respectively.

Russia enjoyed most of the possession and missed a host of chances,
while the host was visibly jittery when attacking, opting for
long-range shots that rarely troubled Russia goalkeeper Igor
Akinfeyev.

Armenia had the first chance but Henrik Mkhitaryan fired low and
straight at Akinfeyev from 20 metres in the seventh minute.

Russia’s Alexander Kerzhakov connected too lightly when he glanced
wide from a Roman Shishkin cross in the 15th. Minutes later Akinfeyev
parried away a long-range drive from Ghazaryan after a neat buildup.

Russia’s first meaningful effort came on 23 minutes with a low drive
straight at the goalkeeper from Alexander Kerzhakov after Alan Dzagoev
played him through.

Armenia nearly handed the lead to Russia when an interception from
defender Hrayr Mkoyan forced goalkeeper Roman Berezovsky into a reflex
save after a Yury Zhirkov cross from the left.

The close call inspired Russia into a sustained period of pressure.
Zhirkov beat two defenders and curled a shot toward Berezovsky’s top
corner, but he tipped the shot away. On the half-hour Igor Denisov
played a one-two with Roman Shirokov to burst through, but dragged a
shot wide from the edge of the area.

The visitors missed a double chance just before halftime when
Shirokov’s goalbound drive was blocked by Mkoyan, and his followup
shot was palmed away by Berezovsky.

Armenia came out with greater intent after the break with Ghazaryan
shooting straight at Akinfeyev. Soon after, home midfielder Marcos
Pizzelli squared a ball to striker Yura Movsisyan, but the striker
fired wide from six meters with Akinfeyev beaten.

After Kerzhakov struck over from a tight angle, home substitute Edgar
Manucharyan responded in kind from 20 metres despite being in acres of
space on the edge of the Russian penalty area.

Dzagoyev came close on 66 minutes but an Armenian defender lunged to
block, deflecting the ball just over the crossbar.

Berezovsky again rescued Armenia on 72 minutes, diving to smother a
Kerzhakov shot after a surging midfield run and pass from Shirokov.

The goalkeeper watched a power drive from Kerzhakov 25 metres from
goal sail just wide, then Shirokov’s placed shot also narrowly missed.

Andrei Arshavin, ineffective for most of the match, curled a
right-footed shot wide with 10 minutes left. Armenia defended
resolutely throughout the final minutes despite Russia coach Dick
Advocaat sending on attackers Pavel Pogrebnyak and Diniyar
Bilyaletdinov.

___

Lineups:

Armenia: Roman Berezovsky, Sargis Hovsepyan, Robert Arzumanyan (Artak
Edigaryan, 67), Hrayr Mkoyan, Levon Airapetyan, Karlen Lazarian,
Edgar Malakyan (Edgar Manucharyan, 48), Marcos Pizzelli (Artur
Edigaryan, 57), Gevorg Ghazaryan, Yura Movsisyan, Henrik Mkhitaryan.

Russia: Igor Akinfeev, Vasily Berezutsky, Sergei Ignashevich, Roman
Shishkin, Igor Denisov, Konstantin Zyryanov, Roman Shirokov, Alan
Dzagoev, Yuri Zhirkov, Andrei Arshavin (Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, 90),
Alexander Kerzhakov (Pavel Pogrebnyak, 78).

From: A. Papazian

Kuwait Times, Kuwait
March 26 2011

Kuwait, Armenia plan to cement cultural relations
Published Date: March 26, 2011

KUWAIT: Minister of Information and Chairman of the National Council
for Culture, Arts, and Letters (NCCAL) Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah
Al-Sabah stressed yesterday the importance of developing ties between
Kuwait and Armenia in various fields, particularly the cultural and
cognitive ones.

Al-Abdullah, also Minister of Oil, made the previous remark during the
signing ceremony of a cultural cooperation agreement with
representative of the visiting Armenian delegation, and Minister of
Culture Hasmik Poghosian in the presence of the NCCAL Secretary
General Ali Al-Yoha, and Armenian ambassador to the State of Kuwait
Charchoglyan.

Al-Abdullah also stressed the necessity of developing cooperation
between the two countries in the field of exchanging the organization
of plastic art shows, publications as well as exchanging expertise in
the domains of protecting manuscripts, popular heritage along with
fostering cooperation in the fields of publishing, translation,
museums, and antiquities.

Additionally, Kuwaiti top cultural official asserted the Government of
Kuwait took interest in the cultural development through constructing
the National Library of Kuwait which uses state-of-the-art techniques
in the world of libraries, alongside the construction of an Opera
House and a number of theatres in order to upgrade such kind of art,
noting that the Islamic Art Exhibition which Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyya
that has recently opened in Austria in what reflects Kuwait’s efforts
on conserving heritage.

Further, Al-Abdullah reviewed the role played by Al-Arabi magazine in
cultivating culture and fine arts which have a wide-scale appeal to
spectators, besides Kuwait’s relentless efforts on the restoration and
maintenance of historic buildings, and heritage landmarks, and
transforming them into cultural centers and conservation of ancient
Kuwaiti architecture style.

On her part, Poghosian stressed the necessity of Kuwait’s
participation in the ceremony organized in 2012 and marking the 500th
anniversary of printing the first Armenian book as well as selecting
the Armenian capital of Yerevan as the capital of world books for the
same year. — KUNA

From: A. Papazian

Voice of Russia
March 26 2011

Russians play away match against Armenia in Euro 2012

Mar 26, 2011 04:22 Moscow Time

The Russian football team is playing an away match in the qualifying
round of Euro 2012.

For the moment, the team led by coach Dick Advocaat boasts a maximum
number of points after 3 away matches – against Ireland, Macedonia and
Andorra, only losing at home to the Slovaks.

The Armenian team in four games scored 7 points. Slovakia and Ireland
also each have 7 points.

All of these teams trail behind Russia by just 2 points.

Bookmakers favor the Russians in today’s match.

At the press conference Dick Advocaat said he would be pleased to see
his charges beat their opponents with a score of 2:1.

From: A. Papazian

Times of India
March 26 2011

Armenian threat for Anand now

Hari Hara Nandanan, TNN | Mar 26, 2011, 06.10am IST

MUMBAI: Magnus Carlsen is being touted as Viswanathan Anand’s main
challenger for the world chess title but a closer look at the
contenders will reveal that it is not the Norwegian who is likely to
pose a serious threat to the World champion but Levon Aronian of
Armenia, who has just won his third Amber tournament in four years.

Winning the Amber does not make Aronian an instant threat to Anand
because it is a random event that combines rapid and blindfold
varieties of chess and which has absolutely no bearing on a chess
player’s ranking or strength in the Classical format. But Aronian’s
overall record against Anand is probably not matched by any of his
competitors including Carlsen.

Since 2004, Anand and Aronian have played 34 games in all formats.
Aronian has an enviable 9-4 record (with 21 draws) against the Indian
and a 5-1 Classical score that is even more significant.

In contrast, Anand has almost a similar plus record against Carlsen in
the 48 meetings between them since 2005. Anand leads 14-9 (with 25
draws) and a majority of those wins were in Classical. Aronian
dominated the Amber in its farewell edition right from the beginning
and one of his wins was against Anand.

The 29-year old Armenian is currently the No. 3 ranked player in the
world and recently crossed the 2800 rating (in the latest list he is
at 2808). In the 2008 Amber, Aronian bagged first place by a whopping
margin, 2.5 points ahead of Vladimir Kramnik, Veselin Topalov, Peter
Leko and Magnus Carlsen . The next year, he edged out Anand and
Kramnik by half a point to win the title.

Aronian won the FIDE Grand Prix in 2009 and is currently in the
Candidates tournament (May, 2011), the qualifier for the 2012 World
championship.

From: A. Papazian

news.am, Armenia
March 26 2011

When will Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian FMs meet?

March 26, 2011 | 10:58

The Armenian Foreign Ministry neither confirmed nor refuted the
information on Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian Foreign Ministers’
meeting, scheduled for March 25.

`We inform of the ministers’ meetings in due course,’ Spokesman for
Armenian Foreign Ministry Tigran Balayan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.
The Ministry declined to comment on the information that the meeting
was put off on the initiative of one of the sides.

Referring to a source at the Russian Foreign Ministry, Interfax agency
had reported earlier that the meeting of Armenian, Azerbaijani and
Russian Foreign Ministers scheduled for March 25 was put off.

`The trilateral meeting was scheduled for March 25. However, the date
was not convenient for one of the sides. For this reason, the meeting
did not take place and was put off,’ a Russian diplomat told Interfax.

From: A. Papazian

news.am, Armenia
March 26 2011

Turkey’s attempts to advance Genocide denial policy failed at Paris Book Fair

March 26, 2011 | 02:23

After the incident at the recent Paris Book Fair, where booklets
denying the Armenian Genocide were distributed, the French Bureau of
the Armenian Cause issued a statement strongly condemning such actions
are unacceptable in France, `Nouvelles dArménie’ reports.

On March 20, `Nor serund’ union of Armenian Revolutionary Federation
Dashnaktsutyun met with the Commissioner-General of the book fair and
protested against the spread of this controversial book. Due to the
union’s rapid response, it was removed from the stand of the Ministry
of Culture and Tourism of Turkey.

On March 21, the delegation of the French Bureau of the Armenian Cause
visited the office and met with the leadership of the Book Fair to
convey the concerns of the Armenian community.

As it was a cultural event held under the auspices of French Ministry
of Culture and Communication of France, the French Bureau sent a
letter to French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand. The Bureau
asked a meeting to discuss this issue and consider appropriate
measures to prevent such incidents in the future.

In parallel, the Bureau conducted a campaign to draw 343 French
senators’ attention to urgent need for the law criminalizing denial of
Armenian Genocide. They asked the senators to vote for a bill passed
by the National Assembly and blocked in the Senate in 2006.

From: A. Papazian

news.am, Armenia
March 26 2011

Signs directing to Armenian Genocide Martyrs’ Monument placed in Montebello

March 26, 2011 | 05:28

Freeway signs directing drivers to the Armenian Genocide Martyrs’
Monument were installed on Tuesday along the 60 freeway in Montebello
(California), Asbarez newspaper reports.

On April 1, the State of California will hold an opening ceremony of
the signs, following a reception held at the Montebello Armenian
Genocide Martyrs Monument at Bicknell Park.

The Monument will become a historical landmark in 2015, coinciding
with 100the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument was open in April, 1968 to
honor the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Turkish
government from 1915 through 1921, as well as to honor all victims of
crimes against humanity.

From: A. Papazian

The Desert Sun, CA
March 26 2011

Event to focus on Armenian genocide

The Tolerance Education Center, 35-147 Landy Lane, will host a
presentation on the Armenian genocide 2 p.m. Sunday, featuring guest
speaker Yeghig Keshgishian and excerpts from the documentary film
`Screamers.’

The event is being held in cooperation with the Armenian Assembly of
America and the Armenian General Benevolent Union-Young Professionals
of Los Angeles.

Light refreshments will be served following the discussion. The event
is free but seating is limited.
Information: (760) 328-8252 or

From: A. Papazian

Naples Daily News, FL
March 26 2011

Mostly made up of seasonal residents, Armenian Church of Southwest
Florida community happy to have place to worship

By CANDACE ROTOLO
Naples Daily News, Posted March 26, 2011 at 6 a.m.
.

On a recent Sunday afternoon during Lent, Carole Meghreblian and a
host of volunteers are busily preparing the sanctuary of St. Mary’s
Episcopal Church in Bonita Springs for service. There are gold
chalices to bring in, liturgy books to organize, an altar to move and
a Lenten lunch to prepare in the Parish Life center next door.

The volunteers do their best to get everything ready in less than one
hour, after the final Episcopal service of the day has ended.

After all, they’re guests in this church.

For the last decade, these members of the Armenian Church of Southwest
Florida have used the sanctuary of other churches such as St. Mary’s,
for monthly services, called Badaraks, during tourist season.

This mission parish is one of a handful in Florida. The state only has
three Armenian churches, the closest in Pinellas Park. During tourist
season, the Southwest Florida parish swells to about 80, although more
than 100 attended the recent Sunday service, the last one of the year.
About

40 members live in Southwest Florida year-round.

With a mostly transient congregation – most parishioners spend the
rest of the year in New York, Michigan or Wisconsin – the parish can
only afford to cover the expenses of having a mission parish director.
The Rev. Tateos Abdalian, who’s based at the denomination’s New York
City Diocese, oversees services four to five times a year.

`It’s important to them that they have the opportunity to come to an
Armenian church and worship in the Armenian community,’ said the Rev.
Abdalian of the parishioners, many of whom are retirees and active in
their Armenian parishes back home. `It’s the preservation of the faith
and our culture. It’s what we do.’

This committed mission parish has come a long way in 10 years. When
Harry Torosian and his wife, Pam, moved to Naples from Milwaukee in
2001 and realized there was no local Armenian church, Harry Torosian
worked diligently to set up the current mission parish, recruiting
fellow Armenians Robert and Sylvia Raubolt.

About 40 people attended the first service, an Easter celebration in
April 2001, and the mission parish has steadily grown over the decade.
Although Harry died in 2003, his wife, a Roman Catholic, and the
Raubolts continue his legacy.

Church members find the Southwest Florida mission parish by word of
mouth from other Armenians or researching it on the diocesan website.
Michael and Queenie Mullian traveled from Sarasota to attend the
recent Sunday Badarak.

`It means everything to us,’ said Queenie of being able to worship
with fellow Armenians in their native language. `We were raised with
this church. I hear the music and I’m home.’

A Badarak is similar to a Catholic Mass or Episcopal Eucharist. In
fact, the Armenian Church is considered an Apostolic church – that is,
its clergy is in a succession that dates back to Christ’s apostles.
Members recite the Nicene Creed, the Lord’s Prayer and receive
communion during the 90-minute (or longer) service.

However, the liturgy is conducted in Armenian. The priest and deacon
do not face the parish except during the homily, and the celebrants
are behind a curtain during part of the service, a part of the liturgy
the Southwest Florida mission parish has to forego in a borrowed
sanctuary.

Music is an important component of the Armenian Church service, with
its beautifully haunting hymns and responses.

`The music is something you can’t replace,’ commented Meghreblian,
chairperson of the parish council and a full-time Naples resident.

But it’s more than notes and a Mass that brings this congregation together.

`These people miss having other Armenians to associate with,’ added
Meghreblian. `There’s a bond and it’s hard for a non-Armenian to
understand.’

Despite celebrating the mission parish’s 10-year anniversary, members
say building a church of their own is a highly unlikely option.

`That’s always a dream,’ said Pam Torosian, one of the parish
founders. `But clergy is limited, there are no funds and it’s not
really a reality right now. Our focus is to provide Badarak services
for residents and visitors.’

For now, parishioners are just pleased to have the opportunity to
celebrate their faith, and pray that their congregation continues to
grow.

`They’re wonderful people here,’ said the Rev. Abdalian `They’ve taken
what they’ve learned in their home parish and brought it here to
satisfy the spiritual needs of the people here.’

For more information about the Armenian Church of Southwest Florida,
call (239) 348-3804 or go to

From: A. Papazian