Author: Andres-Papazian

EX-METALLICA BASSIST, HIM GUITARIST ADDED TO WHOCARES ‘ALL-STAR’ PROJECT

Blabbermouth.net

Oct 15 2010

Former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted and Mikko “Linde” Lindstrom,
guitarist for the Finnish “love metal” band HIM, have recorded guest
appearances on the track “Out Of My Mind” from the all-star charity
project WHOCARES – featuring BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi and
DEEP PURPLE singer Ian Gillan alongside keyboardist Jon Lord (DEEP
PURPLE, WHITESNAKE) and drummer Nicko McBrain (IRON MAIDEN).

In 1989 Iommi and Gillan were just a few names in a long list of
talent involved in the recording of the DEEP PURPLE track “Smoke
on The Water”. This song was re-recorded to raise money for those
affected by the Leninakan earthquake that struck Armenia in 1988.

In October of last year, Tony and Ian traveled to Armenia to see how
the funds raised had helped the local community. On their trip they
visited a music school only to find it being run out of temporary
accommodation, with its only location not having been rebuilt 20 years
after the earthquake had struck. While in the country, they were also
awarded the Orders Of Honor – which were delivered to them by Prime
Minister of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan – for the Armenia Grateful To Rock
program. The objective of the program, was to express gratitude to
those musicians who 20 years ago participated in the Rock Aid Armenia.

Earlier this month, Tony and Ian headed back into the studio, joined by
Lord and McBrain to record “Out Of My Mind” to raise money to rebuild
the Armenian music school. The details of the song’s release will be
made available soon.

Lindstrom is engaged to Tony Iommi’s daughter Toni-Marie Iommi,
former singer for the band LUNARMILE and current frontwoman of the
Finland-based rock outfit HALO.

From: A. Papazian

SAFARYAN DEEPLY CONCERNED BY OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS’ DEFINITIONS

Panorama
Oct 15 2010
Armenia

The political statements made through months leave a certain
trace which is not so easy to abandon, hence, NA “Heritage”
faction leader Styopa Safaryan said it’s hardly possible that after
November 7 elections Azerbaijan changes its disposition towards the
Nagorno-Karabakh.

“I don’t think Aliyev who longs to get Yerevan a day earlier will
change his opinion,” NA deputy said.

Talking about the field assessment mission, Safaryan said, “the
situation in the negotiating process is getting changed.”

The NA Deputy said he’s deeply concerned by MG co-chairs’ statement –
“occupied territories” and “Stepanakert/Khanknedi.”

“The co-chairs’ definitions are unacceptable, particularly
“Stepanakert/Khanknedi” definition; this is in fact the defeat of
our diplomacy,” Safaryan said adding that the process is “threatened.”

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA TO ATTENDS CSTO RAPID REACTION FORCES TRAININGS

Panorama
Oct 15 2010
Armenia

Russian region of Chelyabinsk will host from October 23-28 CSTO
rapid reaction forces trainings under “Cooperation-2010”, Regnum
agency reported.

According to the source military servicemen from Armenia, Russia,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will attend the trainings,
and Belarus will have its participation via mediators. It’s said that
the unique thing over the trainings is going to be the same uniform
for all the participants.

CSTO has already tested its new uniform during Kazakh trainings in
the previous year.

From: A. Papazian

AZERBAIJANI DEFENSE MINISTRY: ARMENIAN SOLDIER WAS KILLED IN MILITARY BASE SHOOTING

APA
Oct 15 2010
Azerbaijan

By spreading misleading information that Vitaly Igityan was killed
by Azerbaijani Army, Armenians try to conceal the incident

Baku – APA. Armenian reports that Azerbaijani Army killed an
Armenian soldier are not true, spokesperson for the Defense Ministry
of Azerbaijan Eldar Sabiroglu told APA. He said Armenians tried
to change motives of the incident took place on October 14 and to
present different story about that. Sabiroglu said ceasefire regime
was not violated in Hadrut direction at all. “We have intelligence
reports that there was shooting between the soldiers in the Armenian
military base 38401 resulted in death of one soldier and seriously
injuring two others. They are trying to conceal this crime because
tragic events in the Armenian army happen frequently”.

Armenian newspapers reported that on October 14, at bout 19.00, Igityan
Vitaly Ashotovich served at the military base 38401 in Hadrut region
of Nagorno Karabakh was wounded in head as a result of shooting by
the Azerbaijani side and died on the way to hospital.

From: A. Papazian

AZERBAIJAN’S FM UNAWARE OF RECENT POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS

Panorama
Oct 15 2010
Armenia

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadiarov declared during a
joint news conference in Georgia with his Georgian counterpart, that
Baku is still waiting for an answer over the NK conflict resolution
business recommendations.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister’s statement is surely ridiculous. Yet
on June 17 during the meeting of Presidents of Armenia, Russia
and Azerbaijan, Dmitry Medvedev suggested to the parties business
recommendations banes on the Madrid principles, which were supported
by the Armenian side and the negotiations continued.

Azerbaijan had some complaints over “Petersburg recommendations.”

First, Azerbaijan claimed that the recommendations were suggested
by the co-chairs ensemble. But later when the co-chairs spoke about
their support to the document, Azerbaijan just ceased.

To conclude, it’s really interesting whether Elmar Mammadiarov isn’t
informed about those developments?

From: A. Papazian

AZERI, GEORGIAN FMS DISCUSS KARABAKH, ABKHAZIA AND SOUTH OSSETIA

news.am
Oct 15 2010
Armenia

The unresolved conflicts in the Caucasus pose a threat to regional
security, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told a
joint press conference with his Georgian counterpart Grigol Vashadze
in Tbilisi.

According to Mammadyarov, they had an in-depth discussion on
Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

“We considered issues of concern for both parties. We spoke in detail
about the unresolved conflicts in the Caucasus, stressed they are
associated with regional security. Vashazade briefed on Abkhazia and
South Ossetia,” Mammadyarov said.

The meeting also focused energy issues, Mammadyarov said. He emphasized
Azerbaijan and Georgia were involved in major infrastructure projects,
singling out the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, due to be completed in
late 2012 or early 2013, Georgia Online reports.

From: A. Papazian

MEDIATORS RULE OUT NAGORNO-KARABAKH’S RETURN TO AZERBAIJAN

news.am
Oct 15 2010
Armenia

By and large, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ latest statement is not
different from the previous one. The only difference is the wording
“occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh” – the Co-Chairs
had not used this phrase in their written statements before, Giro
Manoyan, Head of the Hai Daht (the Armenian Cause) office, Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) (ARF-D), told NEWS.am.

“In this aspect, the OSCE Minsk Group’s latest statement arouses
some concern. What arouses concern is also the Co-Chairs’ tendency
to call the Nagorno-Karabakh capital ‘Stepanakert-Hankendi’. This is
the mediators’ second statement mentioning Stepanakert in parallel
with Hankend, which is bewildering,” Manoyan said. The most dangerous
is, however, the co-chairs’ “field mission”, its real aim being the
monitoring of the territories under the Armenian side’s control for
the purpose of returning Azerbaijani refugees there. Manoyan stressed
that the mediators’ actions are ineffective – they are dealing with
the consequences, not the causes, of the conflict. “Moreover, the
mediators do not say anything about Armenian refugees or of the need
for their return,” Manoyan said.

On the other hand, he sees positive aspects for the Armenian side.

“Speaking of the ‘occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh,’
the co-chairs actually admit the fact that Nagorno-Karabakh
itself cannot be part of Azerbaijan, and this issue is not to be
debated,” Manoyan said. The negative aspect is that the mediators
see Nagorno-Karabakh only within the administrative borders of the
former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region. “The Armenian side is
to a great extent responsible for the situation. Neither Armenia
nor Nagorno-Karabakh has ever unequivocally stated the territories
under the Armenian side’s control are not to be returned. So the
international community has the impression the territories are not part
of Nagorno-Karabakh’s administrative borders and must be returned to
Azerbaijan. The situation would be different if the Armenian side had
assumed a different position and resettled the territories in time,”
Manoyan said.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY: ARMENIAN-IRANIAN COOPERATION GAINS IMPETUS

news.am
Oct 15 2010
Armenia

On October 15, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received
Iranian Energy Minister Majid Namju.

Nalbandian expressed content with the mutual visits between the
two countries and sustainable development of mutually beneficial
bilateral cooperation. He stressed the energy cooperation gains
impetus, as new programs are implemented, RA Foreign Office press
service informed NEWS.am.

The Iranian Minister thanked for warm reception and noted Iran’s
Government attaches great significance to cooperation with Armenia and
the evidence thereof are recent mutual visits between two states. He
presented Iran’s steps to expand bilateral energy cooperation.

Nalbandian made a point of the construction of Iran-Armenia third high
voltage transmission line and Armenia-Iran business forum in Yerevan.

The sides also touched upon economic cooperation issues and discussed
preparations for Armenia Premier Tigran Sargsyan’s impending visit
to Iran.

From: A. Papazian

PHRASE “TERRITORIES SURROUNDING NAGORNO-KARABAKH” UNACCEPTABLE, HERITAGE STATES

news.am
Oct 15 2010
Armenia

The leader of Heritage parliamentary group Stepan Safarayan considers
that it is unacceptable for the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to use
phrase “the occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh” in
their statement, as doing so they speak for one of the sides. The
Minsk Group has refrained from using such terms so far and yesterday’s
statement is unprecedented, the MP told a press conference today.

According to him, the MG’s clear statement on legal status of the
territories testifies to failure of the Armenian diplomacy.

He considers that such conduct of the Co-Chairs urges to break off
the Karabakh peace process. “First, they are conducting a unilateral
mission on investigating the facts on one territory only. The mediators
do not carry out the mission in the territories occupied by Azerbaijan:
Nakhchivan, Shaumyan, Martakert, Getashen and Martunashen.

Simultaneously, they are conducting mission on the territories which,
under republic’s constitution, are a part of Nagorno-Karabakh,”
he said.

Safaryan believes that the negotiation process is jeopardized. “One
can feel a breath of new situation, when there is simulation that all
the issues are agreed on, only technical issues on house conditions
of the refugees who should return are to be solved,” the MP added.

“In case the Armenian authorities continue opposing bill on Karabakh’s
recognition it would mean capitulation from the Karabakh issue. The
facts prove that international community is on the leash of Azerbaijani
caprice. The Armenian side fears taking a step which is in its state
interests,” Safaryan concluded.

“The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs carried out their planned
Field Assessment Mission to the occupied territories surrounding
Nagorno-Karabakh. This Mission took place October 7-13, 2010, along
modalities they had previously discussed with all sides involved. The
Co-Chairs` Mission was supported by OSCE Personal Representative of
the Chairman-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk and his staff,
working with de facto local authorities. On the Co-Chairs` invitation,
three technical experts, including two from the United Nations High
Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), assisted them in their tasks.

Prior to undertaking their Mission, the Co-Chairs met separately
on October 6, 2010 with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and
Armenian President Serge Sargsian to present details of the Mission
and introduce their team. They also had a similar meeting October 7,
2010 with the de facto authorities in Stepanakert/Khankendi,” reads
the statement issued by the OSCE MG CO-Chairs.

From: A. Papazian

AZERI SNIPERS TO BE NEUTRALIZED

news.am
Oct 15 2010
Armenia

The Ministry of Defense of Armenia intends to take the necessary
military and diplomatic measures to neutralize the activities of
Azerbaijani snipers on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Line of Contact,
says a statement issued by the RA Ministry of Defense.

The Armenian defense office addressed the murder of the Armenian
serviceman Vitali Igityan by an Azerbaijani sniper. The RA Ministry
of Defense strongly condemns Azerbaijan’s acts of sabotage aimed at
heightening the tension on the Line of Contact.

“Such actions by on the part of Azerbaijan immediately after the
field assessment mission by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs show that
Azerbaijan is ignoring not only U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s
appeals for withdrawing snipers from the Line of Contact, but also the
concern over the previous victims of Azerbaijani snipers expressed by
the OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, thereby
trying to thwart the international community’s efforts to settle the
conflict is a peaceful way,” the statement says.

On October 14, Vitaly Igityan (born in 1988) received a perforating
head wound as a result of sniping from the Azerbaijani side in the
south-eastern direction (Hadrut). He died on the way to hospital.

Vitaly Igityan served in Military Unit #38401 of the NKR Defense Army.

From: A. Papazian