Author: Andres-Papazian

TURKISH PM WARNS OBAMA BILL ON ARMENIA COULD HARM TIES

Anadolu Agency
Dec 20 2010
Turkey

Ankara, 20 December: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sent
a letter to US President Barack Obama about the draft resolution
supporting Armenian claims about incidents witnessed in 1915.

According to a written statement issued by the Press Centre of the
Prime Minister’s Office, Erdogan expressed his concern that efforts
being made by the Speaker of the US House of Representatives to
ensure that the draft resolution numbered “H. Res. 252” is tabled at
a plenary session for ratification may hurt strong relations between
Turkey and the United States.

From: A. Papazian

AGBU Europe
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Contact: Flora Hakobyan
Tel: (331) 45 20 03 18
Fax: (331) 40 50 88 09
Web:
Email: [email protected]

ENROLL NOW FOR WINTER TERM 2011!

The AGBU Armenian Virtual College (AVC) is pleased to announce the
opening of its enrollment period for Winter Term 2011.

The following courses are offered in multiple languages (including
Eastern Armenian, Western Armenian, English, French, Russian and
Spanish) and on multiple levels:.

Eastern Armenian;

Western Armenian;
History of Armenia;

Introduction to Armenian Architecture;

Introduction to Armenian Music.

The classes start on January 10, and end on March 15.

For enrollment, please visit the AVC portal at
; create your log-in and submit your
enrollment application.

The enrollment closes on December 26, 2010.

For more details, please contact: [email protected]

AVC enables Armenian education anytime anywhere!

If you do not wish to receive e-mail notifications, please reply to this
message with `Unsubscribe’ in the subject bar.

INSCRIVEZ-VOUS MAINTENANT AU SEMESTRE D’HIVER 2011!

L’Université Virtuelle Arménienne (UVA) de l’UGAB est heureuse
d’annoncer l’ouverture de la période d’inscription pour la session
d’hiver 2011. Les cours suivants sont offerts en plusieurs langues (y
compris

Les cours d’arménien oriental et occidental, d’histoire et
d’architecture arméniennes sont offerts en plusieurs langues (arménien
oriental, arménien occidental, anglais, français, russe et espagnol).

Les cours commencent le 10 janvier, et se terminent le 15 mars.

Pour s’inscrire, aller sur le site de l’AVC
, créer votre nom d’utilisateur (log-in) et
remplir votre formulaire d’inscription.

Les inscriptions se terminent le 26 décembre 2010.

Pour plus d’informations, merci de nous écrire à
[email protected]

L’AVC offre une éducation arménienne n’importe où et n’importe quand.

Si vous ne souhaitez pas recevoir des notifications par e-mail,
répondez à ce message avec `désabonnement’ (“Unsubscribe”) dans le
sujet.

From: A. Papazian

SANTA CLARA BOY, 9, BECOMES YOUNGEST U.S. CHESS MASTER
By Lisa Fernandez

San Jose Mercury News
December 20, 2010 Monday
California

A 9-year-old boy from Santa Clara has earned himself the title of the
youngest “National Master” in United States Chess Federation history.

Samuel Sevian officially obtained the title Dec. 11 in San Francisco
when he received a rating of 2,201 at the precise age of 9 years,
11 months and 15 days. He’ll turn 10 on Sunday.

“It feels good,” said Samuel, a chess prodigy, fourth-grader at Don
Callejon School and a child of few words.

His father, Armen Sevian, 37, also an avid chess player, explained
that in chess, a rating of 2,900 is the best, a rating of 2,200 is
master, and 2,000 is expert.

“I’m not as good as Sam,” his father said, explaining that he only
has attained the “expert” level, while his son is a “master.:

Father and son often play chess together, when the elder Sevian,
a physicist, isn’t developing lasers at Coherent in Santa Clara,
where the family moved two years ago from Orlando, Fla. They’re the
only two in the family who enjoy the game.

Neither Sevian’s wife, Armine, 37, nor his 8-year-old daughter,
Isabelle, are chess-o-philes. Isabelle prefers to dance and play
violin, her father said.

“Every attempt to teach her to play chess fails,” he said with a laugh.

Samuel spends at least two hours a day studying chess moves in
books, playing with his dad, and practicing on Skype with his coach,
International Master Andranik Matikozyan, who lives in Los Angeles,
where the Sevians are heading for Christmas.

“I met Samuel three years ago in Santa Monica at a tournament when
he was 7,” Matikozyan said. “When I saw him playing, I was amazed. I
thought, ‘This kid is really talented.'”

Sevian said his son does very well in school, too, often maxing out
on his math scores.

“He is obviously very gifted,”said Don Callejon Principal Hans Barber.

“On Thanksgiving break, we gave kids a math challenge, and he won. He
has a problem-solving mind.”

Barber gave Samuel lots of credit, too, for attending tournaments,
doing so well in school and “holding it all together.” Samuel is
“too intense” to participate in the school’s chess club, but Barber
is sure that he inspired other students to take up the game.

Samuel said he likes to read when he’s not playing chess; his favorite
fantasty-adventure series is “The Sea of Monsters,” and when he’s
allowed to watch TV, he enjoys Disney’s “Suite Life on Deck.”

Sometimes, he plays recreational soccer.

But for the most part, Samuel’s life passions set him apart.

Who else in Ms. Amanda Watson’s fourth-grade class has a Wikipedia
page, which outlines his chess accomplishments, including the fact
that with this latest title, he nudged out Nicholas Nip from the
record as the youngest National Master by 11 days?

And this wasn’t Samuel’s only major chess milestone. In February 2009,
Samuel became the youngest U.S. chess “expert,” at the age of 8 years
and 64 days.

He’s been playing since he was 5.

“I like the tactics and the combinations,” said Samuel, who comes
from a culture where chess players are held in high esteem. The Sevian
family is from Armenia.

“In Armenia, chess is very big,” Armen Sevian said. “It’s certainly
not a geek sport. Chess players are compared to rock stars.”

From: A. Papazian

LEAGUE OF ARAB STATES BACKS AZERBAIJAN`S POSITION ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT

State Telegraph Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan
December 20, 2010 Monday

Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov has met today head
of the European Department of the League of Arab States, ambassador
Faris Musallim Abdulkarim and his accompanying delegation.

Mammadyarov said his country attaches great importance to expansion of
cooperation with Arab States. He praised cooperation between Azerbaijan
and Arab States in various spheres, particularly economic one.

For his part, Faris Musallim Abdulkarim said Azerbaijan and the
Arab world were bound together by common historical, cultural and
religious roots.

He said Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Amr Moussa
and generally the Organization supports Azerbaijan`s position on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The sides also exchanged views on regional issues.

From: A. Papazian

WORLD BANK SUPPORTS FURTHER REVAMPING OF HEALTH CARE IN RURAL AREAS OF ARMENIA

Targeted News Service
December 20, 2010 Monday 12:45 AM EST

World Bank issued the following news release:

The World Bank Board of Executive Directors today approved a US$
19 million loan for the Additional Financing of the Second Phase of
the Health System Modernization Project for Armenia. The project will
support the Government of Armenia efforts to expand primary health care
(PHC) services on the basis of family medicine, and upgrade hospital
networks in the regions. The aim of the project is to provide the
population, in particular the most vulnerable groups, with improved
access to quality health care services, and also to better manage
public health threats.

The project will continue supporting the Government’s Health Reform
Program of streamlining, consolidating and upgrading health care
facilities, fully restructuring the PHC network, and also improving
the allocation of limited financial and human resources to expand
free access to essential health care services for the most of the
population. In particular, this project will:

* Upgrade the physical conditions of additional 14 rural ambulatories,
provide modern equipment, and retrain medical personnel (family
physicians and family nurses) on family medicine;

* Finance purchase of equipment, supplies, and furniture for four
regional hospitals in Ararat, Armavir, Aparan, and Goris;

* Fully equip the Gavar and Gyumri medical centers;

* Finance the construction of a new hospital building in Gyumri;

* Equip five regional hospital networks in Meghri and Kapan (Syunik
region), Abovian (Kotayk), Alaverdi and Vanadzor (Lori), and Berd
(Tavush) with modern technology. The medical staff of the hospitals
will be trained on clinical case management and provided with reference
materials.

“The process of modernization of hospitals in the regions has already
resulted in a consolidation of services, improvement in efficiency
and reduction of costs, better access to quality health care in five
regions of Armenia,” says Asad Alam, World Bank Regional Director
for the South Caucasus countries. “Based on the lessons learned and
encouraged by the success of the project, this second phase will
scale up the process of optimization in the country’s remaining ten
regions in order to deliver better quality care to the population.”

“The project will also help improve the governance and management
structures of health care facilities,” says Susanna Hayrapetyan, Head
of the World Bank Team that designed the project. “Strengthening the
Health Ministry’s effective stewardship in policy making, regulation
and accountability will ensure better and targeted use of public
resources.”

In addition, the project will address activities of institutional
capacity strengthening critical to the reform agenda. Those include:
human resource development and licensing of medical facilities;
completion of health services costing study; piloting case-mix hospital
financing system; introduction of hospital Quality Assurance system;
establishment of a computerized student examination system at the
State Medical University; and independent financial audits at each
project hospital and public disclosure of audit reports.

Under the World Bank project, 1200 family doctors and more than 1300
family nurses have been trained. New out-patient facilities were built
in 79 communities of Armenia. In 66 communities, these facilities
were completely refurbished. All 255 out-patient facilities and
health centers received new medical equipment, furniture and other
necessary items.

Total financing of the Project is US$ 25.3 million, of which the
Government of Armenia will finance US$ 6.3 million from its own
resources. The IBRD Loan of US$ 19 million has a maturity of 25 years
and a grace period of 10 years included.

Since joining the World Bank in 1992 and IDA in 1993, commitments to
Armenia total approximately US$ 1.409 billion.

From: A. Papazian

PREMIER ERDOGAN :ARMENIAN RESOLUTION MIGHT STRAIN RELATIONS BETWEEN TURKEY AND US

Trend
Dec 20 2010
Azerbaijan

Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to U.S. President Barack
Obama warning that the Armenian resolution could strain relations
between two countries, Anadolu English reported.

Erdogan told Obama in the letter that the resolution “H. Res. 252”
–labelling the 1915 incidents which took place shortly before the
fall of the Ottoman Empire as genocide– could strain relations
between the two countries.

“H. Res. 252” was approved by the Foreign Relations Committee of the
U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 23 against 22 last March.

The adoption of the resolution stirred wide reaction in Turkey which
strongly rejects the allegations and regards the events as civil
strife in wartime which claimed lives of many Turks and Armenians.

Turkey had recalled its ambassador to the United States as a response
after the incident. Ambassador Namik Tan returned to Washington one
month later.

Now the alarm bells are ringing once again for Turkish-U.S. relations
as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, wants
to bring the resolution to the House floor in 48 hours.

The resolution is not binding even if it is voted and accepted in the
House of Representatives. It is only recommendatory. U.S. President
Barack Obama and the administration do not have to abide by this
recommendation even if it is accepted.

From: A. Papazian

GPN ISSUED FOR GOODS,WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YEREVAN METRO REHABILITATION PROJECT

Tendersinfo News
December 20, 2010 Monday 6:30 AM EST

General Procurement Notice by The Board of Directors of Yerevan Metro
for goods, works and services for Yerevan Metro Rehabilitation Project.

The Republic of Armenia and Metropolitan Karen Demirchyan CJSC
(Yerevan Metro) intend to use the proceeds of a loan from the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (“the Bank”) for
the procurement of equipment like power supply cable and rectifiers
(Supply and Installation), water pumps, motors, valves, connecting
pipes, control panels (Supply and Installation), timber sleepers,
timber bearers, stock & switch rails, frogs, contact rail protection
(Supply and Installation), small plant (tools and equipment) for track
maintenance (Supply of Goods), backhoe loader excavator, tipper/dumper
lorry (Supply of Goods) Tender procedure for the power supply cable
contract is expected to begin in the 4th quarter of 2010.

Contracts to be financed with the proceeds of a loan from the Bank will
be subject to the Bank’s Procurement Policies and Rules and will be
open to firms from any country. The proceeds of the Bank’s loan will
not be used for the purpose of any payment to persons or entities,
of for any import of goods, if such payment or import is prohibited by
a decision of the United Nations Security Council taken under Chapter
VII of the Charter of the United Nations or under a law of official
regulation of the Purchaser’s country.

From: A. Papazian

TURKEY CONCERNED ABOUT U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN’S ARMENIA INITIATIVE

Xinhua General News Service
December 20, 2010 Monday 4:10 PM EST
China

Turkey said Monday that it was concerned about a U.S. congresswoman’s
plan to bring a resolution over the killings of Armenians under
Ottoman rule to the agenda of the House of Representatives, local
media reported.

Turkey was uneasy about the initiatives of some U.S. circles to
bring up the issue for internal political considerations, Deputy
Prime Minister and government spokesman Cemil Cicek was quoted by
the semi-official Anatolia news agency as telling reporters after a
cabinet meeting.

It was wrong for the United States to use the incidents as an
instrument to disturb Turkey, like a means of torture, he said.

Cicek’s remarks came after Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House
of Representatives, expressed her willingness to bring the resolution
labelling the World War I-era killings of Armenians as genocide.

“Turkey attaches importance to its relations with the United States
and we believe this relationship is for the best interests of the
two countries,” Cicek said.

Turkey believed the U.S. administration would behave more calmly and
with common sense and would not let some lobbies to harm relations,
he said.

Turkey and Armenia have been bogged down in a row over the World War
I-era killings of Armenians under Ottoman rule, which Armenia says
was a genocide. Turkey denies that charge and insists the Armenians
were victims of widespread chaos and governmental breakdown as the
600-year-old Ottoman Empire collapsed before modern Turkey was born
in 1923.

Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic nor economic ties since
Armenia declared its independence in 1991. Turkey closed its border
with Armenia in 1993 to support Azerbaijan, which had a territorial
conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Turkey and Armenia signed protocols to normalize relations and open
borders last year but the pacts need to be approved by both countries’
parliaments before taking effect.

From: A. Papazian

BAKU PROTESTS AT EU’S DESIRE TO RESOLVE NAGORNO-KARABAKH’S CONFLICT

news.am
Dec 21 2010
Armenia

Head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan Ambassador Roland Kobia,
and Polish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Michal Labenda were summoned to
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan. A note of protest was
handed over to them in connection with EU Rapporteur on Armenia Tomasz
Poreba’s visit to Nagorno-Karabakh on December 19.

The MEP was blacklisted by Azerbaijan for visiting Nagorno-Karabakh.

“As a rapporteur on Armenia in the European Parliament, I was obliged
to visit Nagorno-Karabakh in order to prepare an objective report,”
Tomasz Poreba, European Parliament MP, European Conservatives and
Reformists Group, told NEWS.am after his visit to Karabakh.

During his two-day visit to Nagorno-Karabakh, he met with leadership
of the republic, but the MP considers his main objective was to
communicate with Karabakh people. Poreba said that he intends to share
his impressions about the visit with the European counterparts. He
also stressed that the Karabakh problem should be solved within the
framework of the OSCE Minsk Group based on Madrid Principles.

The MP also noted that after his visit to Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh
he plans to visit Azerbaijan and Georgia as well. “Despite the fact
that I am the rapporteur on Armenia, the three countries are linked
with each other,” he said. By the way, after a visit to Karabakh,
Poreba was included in a “black list” by Azerbaijan. Asked how he
intends to visit the country being in a black list, the MP said,
“My duty is to meet with all parties, to hear their position on
the Karabakh issue. That is my job which I take very seriously,
and nothing will stop me to prepare an objective report.”

From: A. Papazian

CATHOLICOS KAREKIN II AND EUROPEAN OFFICIAL DISCUSSED PROBLEMS OF ARMENIAN CHURCHES

news.am
Dec 21 2010
Armenia

On December 20, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II received
European Parliament’s rapporteur on Armenia Tomasz Poreba accompanied
by MP Artak Zakaryan.

His Holiness Karekin II spoke of the difficulties that Armenian
Apostolic church faced during the 1915 Armenian Genocide and Soviet
period, consequences of which are still notable, press service of
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin informed NEWS.am. He also touched
upon relations between church and state, as well as cooperation in
different spheres for the good of Armenian people.

Regional problems and efforts taken by the Armenian church to resolve
them were discussed as well. They also stressed importance of peaceful
resolution of the Karabakh conflict, destruction of Armenian cultural
heritage by Azerbaijan, as well as problems concerning return of
Armenian churches in Georgia and legal status of Armenian diocese
of Georgia.

From: A. Papazian