Author: Andres-Papazian

RENOWNED PIANO, VIOLIN DUO SET TO PERFORM AT GLENDALE HOMENETMEN EVENT

Asbarez
Wednesday, January 12th, 2011
GLENDALE, CA

Renowned virtuoso performers, violinist Khatchik Babayan from Tehran
and pianist Serouj Kradjian from Toronto will be performing alongside
Soprano Knarik Nerkararyan at the First Baptist Church of Glendale
on January 30 as part of a debut concert organized by Glendale~Rs
Homenetmen ~SArarat~T chapter.

Khachik Babayan The program will include pieces from Schubert,
Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorak, Tartini, Kreisler, Edward Mirzoyan,
Khachaturian and Komitas.

The First Baptist Church of Glendale is located at 209 North Louise
St Glendale CA 91206. The concert is set to begin at 7:00 PM, with
doors opening at 6:30 PM. Ticket prices are $25, $40, $60 and can be
purchased at

Khachik Babayan was born in 1956 to a musical family in Tabriz, Iran.

In 1972, he entered the Tehran Conservatory of Music and in 1974 he
was awarded the first place in the Iranian Violinists Competition,
being offered a scholarship of musical studies in England.

In the recent years, Babayan has appeared as a soloist with the
Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra and The National Chamber Orchestra of
Armenia under the baton of Maestro Loris Tjeknavorian. On November of
2009, Babayan accompanied by Serouj Kradjian, performed to a sold-out
audience in his Canada Tribute concert at the Glenn Gould Studio. The
January 30 concert in Glendale will mark Babayan~Rs debut concert in
the United States.

Serouj Kradjian Serouj Kradjian is a Juno award winning and
Grammy-nominated Canadian pianist and composer. He has been described
as ~Sa keyboard acrobat~T of ~Scrystal virtuosity,~T having a ~Sfiery
temperament and elegant sound~T with ~Sa technique to burn.~T

Kradjian began his studies at the age of five, and by seven had won
a National Competition for Young Musicians. At fourteen he earned
a scholarship to study in Vienna, and later studied with Marietta
Orlov at the University of Toronto~Rs Faculty of Music, where he
earned a B.A. in Piano Performance in 1994. Kradjian~Rs talent has
been acknowledged by the Chalmers Grant of the Ontario Arts Council
and the Canada Council. In the 2008-2009 season Mr. Kradjian became
co-artistic director and pianist of the Amici Chamber Ensemble. Their
recording of chamber music by Armenian composers will be released in
2010 on the ATMA CLASSIQUE label.

With more than 2,000 members, the Homenetmen Glendale ~SArarat~T
Chapter is the largest Armenian-American youth organization in Los
Angeles, providing healthy and clean programs for teenagers and young
adults through sports, scouting and after school activities.

From: A. Papazian

EX-PACE OFFICIAL LOBBYING AGAINST KARABAKH IN EUROPE

Asbarez
Wednesday, January 12th, 2011
YEREVAN

The former head of an influential committee in the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe is working for the Azerbaijani lobby
in Europe to sway politicians and organizations in the EU to support
a resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict favoring Azerbaijan,
News.am reported Wednesday.

“The project includes meetings with my colleagues in the European
Council and European Parliament,” said Goran Lindblad, who headed
PACE’s Political Affairs Committee. “I have already discussed it with
politicians from Finland, Belgium, Netherlands and Spain, and I am
planning to appeal to all members of the EU and PACE.”

According to Lindblad, the lobbying initiative will be coordinated
through the Azerbaijani-European Community (TEAS), an Azerbaijani
public affairs organization based out of London.

The main objective, Lindblad said, is “to strengthen the propaganda
among European policy makers regarding the resolution of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict.” According to him, the current the relative lack of
pressure from the EU to resolve the Karabakh conflict in Azerbaijan’s
interests is a sign of the low level of lobbying conducted on the
issue.

From: A. Papazian

OBAMA’S APPOINTMENT OF AMBASSADORS TO BAKU AND ANKARA MUST BE CHALLENGED
By Harut Sassounian Publisher, The California Courier

16:23 – 12.01.2011

Armenian-Americans must strongly challenge Pres. Obama’s unilateral
appointments of Matthew Bryza as Ambassador to Azerbaijan and Frank
Ricciardone as Ambassador to Turkey. The President circumvented
the U.S. Senate by taking advantage of the holidays to make these
“recess appointments” on December 29.

While Pres. Obama has the legal authority to make such temporary
appointments when the Senate is not in session, his unwise decision
could have several serious consequences:

— Undermining the legitimacy and credibility of the new U.S.

Ambassadors in the eyes of their host countries due to their
appointment through an archaic loophole in the law rather than proper
Senate confirmation.

— Antagonizing two prominent Senators of his own party – Barbara
Boxer of California and Robert Menendez of New Jersey – who had
placed a “hold” on Bryza’s nomination. Having already lost the
Republican-controlled House, Obama now desperately needs every single
vote in a Senate with a razor thin Democratic majority.

— Alienating the entire Senate by depriving the Senators of their
mandate to confirm ambassadorial nominees.

— Burning all bridges between himself and Armenian-Americans who were
some of his staunchest supporters in the last presidential election,
having already broken his pledge on the Armenian Genocide, Artsakh’s
self-determination, and financial assistance to Armenia.

Fortunately, Pres. Obama’s recess appointments are of a temporary
nature and not considered full-term ambassadorships. They are only
valid for one year rather than the usual three years. In order
for Bryza and Ricciardone to serve as Ambassadors beyond 2011,
Pres. Obama has to resubmit their names to the Senate and have them
properly considered.

The Senate and the Armenian-American community have ample time to
take all necessary steps to ensure that the President’s slap in their
face does not go unnoticed and unchallenged. Both ambassadors should
be sent back home by the end of this year.

Here are the steps that could be taken to derail Bryza’s Senate
confirmation in the coming months:

— Closely scrutinize Bryza’s public statements, press conferences,
and interviews in Baku to ensure that he is properly representing the
interests of the United States in Azerbaijan rather than Azerbaijan’s
interests in Washington.

— Publicize the documents submitted to the European Court of Human
Rights by an Azeri journalist who claims that Azerbaijan’s former
Minister of Economic Development had paid the expenses for Bryza’s
lavish 2007 wedding in Istanbul. During the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee hearings, Bryza testified under oath that his family had paid
for his wedding. Should the European Court find that the government of
Azerbaijan had indeed financed Bryza’s wedding, he would be indicted
for lying under oath, not reporting to the IRS the gifts as income,
and violating U.S. government’s gift acceptance and disclosure policy.

— Investigate all his oral and written statements made to the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee last year in order to verify
their truthfulness.

— Search for evidence of conflict of interest related to the
employment of his Turkish-born wife, Zeyno Baran, as Director of the
Center for Eurasian Policy at the Hudson Institute, a Washington-based
think tank that has received funding from ExxonMobil and other energy
companies doing business in the Caspian region. The Armenian National
Committee of America has accused Bryza of violating federal ethics
rules because of his wife’s connections to Turkish and Azerbaijani
business interests.

— Contact Senators Boxer and Menendez who had placed a “hold” on
Bryza’s nomination last year, urging them to block his confirmation
once again, when Pres. Obama resubmits his name to the Senate. By doing
so, the two Senators would be reaffirming their initial conviction
that Bryza is not qualified to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan.

The Armenian community had not originally objected to Ricciardone’s
nomination. However, since Pres. Obama has opposed several
major Armenian initiatives and broken his promises on all of them,
Armenian-Americans may consider expanding their opposition to the Obama
administration on many fronts. They should support those Senators who
may be inclined to place a “hold” against Ricciardione’s confirmation
later this year. In view of Republican Senator Sam Brownback’s “hold”
on Ricciardone’s nomination last year and the objection of leading
conservative spokesmen to his recess appointment, Armenian-American
organizations now have a unique opportunity to work closely with
Republicans in opposing his confirmation later this year.

Should the Armenian-American community flex its political muscle
and show that it is ready and able to defend its interests, it is
likely that U.S. government officials would then be more attentive
to Armenian issues.

From: A. Papazian

USA “OWES” ARTSAKH $25MIL.

13:01 – 12.01.2011

USA is one of the countries of the world that donates Artsakh. In 2011
the amount of the donation will be around $10mil. which is the greatest
since 1988, when the US helped internationally not recognized Artsakh.

In passing 10 years the amount of the donation of the US to Artsakh
was about $60mil., $25mil. of which remained unspent.

In this way the american side tries to restrain Azerbaijan’s anger,
which responds histerically to the contribution of America to Artsakh,
perceiving it as an indirect recognition of Artsakh’s independene.

From: A. Papazian

REWARDS TO SPORTSMEN OF ARTSAKH

17:46 – 10.01.2011

Starting from January 1 this year all those sportsmen of Artsakh
and their coaches who will take leading places, i.e. from 1-3, in
the Olimpic games, in World and European championships and cups,
in International series of competitions, in RA championships and
all-Armenian games will be rewarded according to the stated order
given at the end of 2010 by government.

According to the order, the winner of the olimpic games will receive
a reward of about 20 million drams, and the coach will receive 10
million drams. The winner of the World championship will be rewarded
10 million drams, and the coach 5 million drams. The winner of the
European championship will be rewarded 8 million drams, and the coach
will receive half of it, and so forth. It is hard to say how many
sportsmen from Karabakh will be rewarded, but the fact is that we
have the wxperience, in 2010 a sportesman of sambo Ashot Danielyan
became the world champion. By the way he has also bacome the European
champion.

If more than one sportsman of the World and European Championship
become champions, then the number of armenians are big. By the
odrer given above those who have come to the first place in the RA
championships and in all-Armenian games, will receive one hundred
thousand drams, the second place fifty thousand and the third place
thirty thousand drams, and their coaches correspondingly will receive
half of it.

From: A. Papazian

“CST 2011” INTERNATIONAL TOURISM EXHIBITION TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN

AZG DAILY #3
13-01-2011

International exhibition “Country of Talking Stones 2011” will be
conducted in Yerevan in spring. The organizer is “The Armenian Union
of Tour Operators”. Coordinator of the exhibition Lusine Stepanyan
told Armenpress that participants from different countries of the
world will be invited to participate in the event.

Tour agencies, airlines, tour operators, hotel complexes, rest
houses will participate in the exhibition. Lusine Stepanyan says
the exhibition gives an opportunity to exchange useful information
and experience. She says companies representing different countries
may establish new business ties as well as come forth with joint
initiatives. The participants will present products, services and
programs relating to tourism.

RA Economy Ministry assists in the organization of the exhibition,
the source reports.

From: A. Papazian

SEVEN ARMENIAN-AMERICANS ELECTED AS DEMOCRATIC PARTY DELEGATES

AZG DAILY #3
13-01-2011

Even Armenian-Americans were elected as Democratic Party delegates in
elections throughout California this weekend, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America – Western Region.

Based on unofficial results, Armenian-Americans were elected from the
43rd, 53rd and 58th Districts. In the 43rd District: Michael Kiaman,
Juliette Minassian, Nayiri Nahabedian, and Adrin Nazarian were elected
out of 47 candidates. In the 53rd District, Varo Asorian won in a
field of 47 candidates and in the 58th District: Alexandra Ananian
and Murad Minassian won in a field of 26 candidates. Alexandra Ananian
was also elected to the influential Executive Committee of the State
Central Committee.

“The ANCA-WR would like to congratulate all the Armenian-American
candidates who ran for Delegate this weekend,” said Haig Hovsepian,
Government Affairs Director. He continued, “we are encouraged that
so many Armenian Americans participated in this weekend’s elections
as candidates and as voters”.

In the Glendale/Burbank based 43rd Assembly District, two competing
slates of candidates included four Armenians as a part of their teams,
while two Armenian candidates ran as a part of neither slate. Over
300 Democrats voted in the tightly contested race, which went into a
recount late into the night. The 43rd AD race saw Armenians elected
from both slates.

From: A. Papazian

FAO: ARMENIA AMONG 10 COUNTRIES WITH HIGHEST FOOD PRICES

news.am
Jan 12 2011
Armenia

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) included Armenia in
top ten of countries with highest food prices as of second half of
2010, Jean-Michel Happi, the World Bank Country Manager for Armenia,
told the journalist today.

According to him, Armenia’s economy is rather open which results in
fast penetration of price increase from external markets. Bad weather
conditions in Armenia also caused decline in agriculture resulted in
price increase for agricultural products.

The WB forecasts decrease in inflation rate, price rise will range
between 4 to 5% against 9.4% in 2010.

From: A. Papazian

TURKISH CANDIDATE DEFEATED ARMENIAN IN TWO-HORSE RACE IN HAMBURG

news.am
Jan 12 2011
Armenia

Three Turkish candidates participated in the parliamentary elections
in Hamburg, Germany.

A leftist Mehmed Yildiz was opponent to the representative of the
Armenian community of Hamburg, a member of the same party Toros Saryan.

During the inner-party discussions Saryan asked Yildiz about his
position on the Armenian Genocide. Yildiz stressed in 1915 Turkey
committed a crime against the Armenians and perpetrated a genocide,
Turkish Sabah newspaper reports.

Yildiz was elected to represent the party due to this bold statement.

From: A. Papazian

CHINESE OIL COMPANY BUYS 35% STAKE IN ARMENIAN MINING FIRM

Asbarez
Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

YEREVAN (Stockopedia news)-Hong Kong based Fortune Oil has acquired
a 35% stake in a company that owns three iron ore mines in Armenia.

Wednesday’s deal will see the London-listed group pay $24 million for
a 35% equity interest in Bounty Resources Armenia Ltd, which owns mines
with proven, probable and inferred reserves of 1,832 million tons.

Fortune has the option to increase this holding to 50% for an
additional $16 million investment. Bounty’s first mine, Hrazdan,
contains high quality iron ore at 40% iron concentration and is
expected to be profitable in 2014.

The move follows a decision by Fortune last November to diversify
its established gas production and oil processing operations. Under
a new strategy it is planning to capitalize on the demand for energy
and resources in China by investing in high growth commodities such
as oil, gas, coal, iron ore, copper and other metals, in countries,
which are close to China.

“We are extremely pleased to have begun implementing our new
Resources Strategy with our investment in these three iron ore mines
in Armenia,” said Fortune’s chief executive Tee Kiam Poon. “The
ever growing demand for resources in China, in addition to these
mines containing a significant amount of reserves, makes this a very
exciting opportunity. This is truly a “step-change” for the company
and its shareholders. We look forward to this acquisition making a
positive contribution in years to come.”

Shares in Fortune rose by 9.5% to 11.5p Wednesday morning on news
that it had acquired Bounty Resources. Fortune shares hovered between
6 points and 8 points for much of 2010 before jumping as high as
12.5 points in December. That was triggered by news of promising
drilling results from its Liulin coalbed methane project in China
and a restructuring of its natural gas business, which could free up
funds for further investment totaling £24.2m.

China is the world’s largest importer of iron ore, with imports
accounting for 60% of China’s total iron ore consumption in 2010.

Between 2000-2010, China’s iron ore imports increased from 69 million
tons to 619 million tons. It is expected that the country’s iron ore
imports will increase to approximately 712 million tons in 2011.

From: A. Papazian