Author: Andres-Papazian

“ARMENIAN EYECARE PROJECT” DOCUMENTARY WINS THE PRESTIGIOUS CINE GOLDEN EAGLE AWARD

Asbarez
Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

The Armenian EyeCare Project (AECP) and Art Simon Productions announced
on Tuesday that the “The Armenian EyeCare Project” documentary has
won the prestigious CINE Golden Eagle Award, which has been widely
recognized as a symbol of excellence in professional and independent
filmmaking for over 50 years.

The AECP Documentary was Produced and Directed by Art Simon of Art
Simon Productions and was awarded the CINE Golden Eagle for the Spring,
2010 competition-one of two competitions conducted by CINE each year.

Winners of the CINE competitions are chosen through a rigorous, tiered
jury system, based on criteria reflecting storytelling, production
value, artistry, purpose and overall excellence. The award ceremony
took place on June 3 in Washington D.C.

Since its foundation in 1957, CINE has been dedicated to discovering,
rewarding, educating, and supporting established and emerging talent
in film and video. Among great talents whose first films were awarded
CINE Golden Eagles are Steven Spielberg, Ken Burns and Ron Howard, and
filmmakers such as Robert Zemeckis, Mike Nichols, Martin Scorcese,
Mira Nair, Charles Guggenheim, Stanley Nelson, Albert Maysles,
Frederick Wiseman have also been recipients of the Golden Eagle Award.

“The Armenian EyeCare Project” documentary has been recognized by
CINE as the best under the category of Motivational films, aiming at
inspiring people to take action. The documentary joined the archive
of CINE winners, which can be found at

Click here to view “The Armenian EyeCare Project” documentary.

“The Armenian EyeCare Project” documentary tells about the overall
operations of the Armenian EyeCare Project (AECP), including stories
about AECP medical missions arriving in Armenia and the work of the
AECP and its counterparts in the way of providing quality eye care
to Armenian people. More importantly, the film presents thrilling
patient stories with people, treated by the AECP, telling the audiences
about the changes they experience after the sight-saving surgeries
and treatment.

“When it came time to edit this film, I had over 60 hours of footage,
which I had to cut down to about ten minutes. Editing this film
was one of the most difficult editing jobs that I’ve done. Not in
a technical sense, but because of my emotional connection to the
subjects and their stories,” said Art Simon, the producer of the film.

About Art Simon Productions Since 1996, through the use of
Cinematic Storytelling, Art Simon Productions has helped hundreds of
clients sell, raise funds, inspire, lead and turn adversaries into
believers. Some of the clients and projects include: NASA, Honda,
RedBull, Discovery Channel, PBS, MTV, GE, The State of California,
Red Cross, Legal Aid Foundation, USC, Freddie-Mac, and many celebrity
stories for; Liza Minnelli, Milton Berle, Gladys Knight, Tupac
Shakur, and Ice Cube. Some of the epic results include, helping spur
One-Billion dollars for building new K-12 Schools, raising over one
million dollars for children in poverty, and getting acceptance and
recognition for new cancer treatments that will save hundreds of
lives. The industry and peers have consistently awarded Art Simon
Productions for its creativity and effectiveness in communications,
with more than 27 awards including 3 Cine Golden Eagle awards and 18
Telly Awards.

About the Armenian EyeCare Project Founded in 1992, in the United
States by an American-Armenian ophthalmologist Roger Ohanesian, M.D.,
the Armenian EyeCare Project (AECP) is a California based nonprofit
corporation dedicated to the elimination of preventable blindness
in Armenia. In 2003, the AECP established an office in Yerevan and
launched its program “Bringing Sight to Armenian Eyes.” The Initiative
has five comprehensive, integrated components developed to eliminate
preventable blindness.

They include direct patient care, medical education and training,
public education, research and capacity building. More than 265,000
people have been screened and over 11,000 sight-saving surgeries and
laser treatments have been performed in the Mobile Eye Hospital. The
AECP has been a USAID partner since 2004.

From: A. Papazian

INACTION ON DJULFA IS BRYZA’S BLUEPRINT FOR UNBIASED DIPLOMACY
by Ara Khachatourian

Asbarez
Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

In March 2006, three months after reports surfaced that Azeri
Army units systematically destroyed an Armenian cemetery in Djulfa,
Nakhichevan, President Obama’s current nominee for the US ambassadorial
post in Baku, Matthew Bryza, who at the time was the Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State, chimed in for the first time and shrugged off
the incident as something, with which the US cannot be bothered.

At a press conference in Yerevan, when Bryza was asked about the
incident and his subsequent actions and stance on the matter he called
it “a tragedy,” adding: “It’s not really up to the US to take steps to
stop it. I mean, this is happening in a foreign country.” He continued
that, “we are hopeful that the guilty will be justly punished…”

Fast forward four years. Bryza is at a confirmation hearing in front
of a Senate panel and the thorny issue of the Djulfa desecration,
which he wishes would go away, comes back in the form of questions
from senators, especially Barbara Boxer, who spearheaded calls for
investigating the matter back in 2006.

At first he railroaded the Senate Foreign Relations Committee members
by telling them that the quality of a video that details the Azeri
army’s destruction of the cemetery was grainy and he could not easily
make up his mind. It is important to note that the same video was
enough for international bodies to express their outrage at what
Bryza called “a tragedy.” Furthermore, an EU fact-finding delegation,
dispatched to Azerbaijan to investigate, was turned away by Azeri
authorities in January of 2006, a month after the so-called grainy
video surfaced.

On August 4, at Sen. Boxer’s urging, the Foreign Relations Committee
postponed a vote on Bryza’s nomination. During this time, Boxer
submitted more questions for Bryza to clarify his position on the
Djulfa matter and other critical issues that have become an obstacle
for a smooth confirmation.

Boxer asked Bryza whether the delay in his response to the Djulfa
incident was, in fact, the result of grainy footage or was he trying
to handle the matter quietly. Boxer also asked Bryza whether his delay
was a diplomatic move so as to not have the US government criticize
the Azeri leadership at a crucial time in the Karabakh peace process.

Bryza provided the following answer: “I made my public statement
condemning the attack on March 7 at a press conference in Yerevan. I
did so during my first visit to the region following the initial
reports of the desecration of the Armenian cemetery in Djulfa in
December. I also used the visit to raise serious concerns about this
incident in person with Azerbaijan’s top leaders. These conversations
constituted my face-to-face follow-up of the phone call I made to
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister to register U.S. concern immediately
upon receiving the December 2005 report of the desecration at Djulfa.

It appears that Azerbaijani authorities were responsible for the
destruction at Djulfa. The response to the Djulfa desecration was
unrelated to the conduct of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.”

Although Bryza insists he made a statement on the matter in March 2006,
the reality is that if he were not asked by a reporter in Yerevan,
he would have maintained his silence on the matter. It has taken
four years for Bryza to half-heartedly find the Azeri government
responsible for the desecration of the Armenian Cemetery in Djulfa,
the destruction of which began back in November of 1998.

As a key player in the Caucasus at the time, Bryza chose to further
embed himself within Azeri leadership circles rather than speak for
US concerns in that region, which were articulated by then Secretary
of State Condoleeza Rice, before his March 2006 statements in Yerevan.

In February 2006, the Associated Press quoted Azeri President Ilham
Aliyev regarding Djulfa as saying that it was “an absolute lie;
slanderous information, no basis in truth…” He further claimed that
“not one cultural-historical monument, not one Armenian cemetery in
the autonomous Nakhichevan republic has been destroyed.”

It is clear that, at the time, Bryza was being guided by Aliyev’s
posturing and not according to what a key US representative in the
region should have done. If confirmed as ambassador, what is to stop
Bryza from putting Azeri concerns ahead of those of the US? Nothing! A
confirmation vote by the Senate would grant Bryza carte blanche to
do as he sees fit and continue to evade the American government and
the people, while advancing his self-serving agenda in the Caucasus.

A no vote by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which has returned
from its summer recess this week and may vote on the matter as early as
next week, will send a clear signal that the American people cannot-and
will not-allow rogue envoys to represent US in foreign lands.

From: A. Papazian

COURT: TURKEY MUST PAY SLAIN JOURNALIST’S FAMILY

The Associated Press
Tuesday, Sep. 14, 2010
ANKARA

Turkey Turkey must pay about $170,000 (euro133,000) to the family
of a slain ethnic Armenian journalist, the European Court of Human
Rights ruled Tuesday, saying the state failed to protect him despite
threats against his life.

The verdict also awarded the compensation to Hrant Dink’s family
because of a lack of respect for freedom of expression, and for failure
to conduct a thorough investigation into the murder, the court said.

Dink was shot by an alleged hardline nationalist teenager outside
the Istanbul office of the minority Agos newspaper on Jan. 19, 2007.

The journalist had sought to encourage reconciliation between Turkey
and Armenia, but angered Turkish nationalists with assertions that the
mass killings of Armenians around the time of World War I constituted
genocide.

His killing led to international condemnation and debate within Turkey
about free speech. The gunman and several others have gone on trial
for his death.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that the country
would not appeal the decision and that it “would abide by the ruling
and take measures to prevent reoccurrence of such violations.”

His family welcomed the decision and said it would donate the money
to educational charities.

“He has been cleared,” his wife, Rakel Dink, said in tears. “Today’s
decision has confirmed that he was right.”

Turkey, a candidate to become a member of the European Union, is
trying to prove its commitment to democracy.

From: A. Papazian

MORE EVASIVE ANSWERS FROM BRYZA AS SENATORS CONTINUE CONSIDERATION OF U.S. AMBASSADORIAL NOMINEE

Asbarez
Tuesday, September 14th, 2010
WASHINGTON

President Obama’s controversial nominee to serve as U.S.

Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Matt Bryza, in his second round of written
responses to Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Barbara
Boxer (D-CA), again fell short of addressing key concerns about his
diplomatic record, including his longstanding pattern of failing to
challenge Azerbaijan war rhetoric and outright attacks on Nagorno
Karabakh, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

“Mr. Bryza, with every new dodge, digs himself a deeper and deeper
hole, demonstrating why he is so clearly the wrong choice to be U.S.

Ambassador to Azerbaijan,” said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of
the ANCA. “Our nation’s interests in Baku and throughout the Caucasus
would be best served by a fresh start, with a nominee that doesn’t
bring such baggage and bias to this important diplomatic posting.”

In written responses, Bryza attempted to explain why he had stepped
back from a statement made at his July 22nd confirmation hearing,
during which he correctly described the June 18th Azerbaijani attack
against Nagorno Karabakh. “While I said that the Azerbaijanis moved
across the line of contact (LOC), the full details of what triggered
the June 18 incident are unknown. Unfortunately, there are a number
of LOC violations each year by both sides,” noted Bryza, in a manner
consistent with his habit of blaming both sides for Azerbaijan’s
mounting threats and aggression.

Sen. Boxer, who was outspoken in 2006 in calling on then U.S.

Ambassador to Azerbaijan Reno Harnish and Ambassador Designate Anne
Derse to investigate the Azerbaijani destruction of the 1300-year-old
Armenian cemetery in Djulfa, asked Bryza to clarify why it had taken
him three months to publicly condemn the desecration and only as
a result of active questioning from Armenian journalists. Bryza
sidestepped the question, though admitted that “it appears that
Azerbaijani authorities were responsible for the destruction at
Djulfa,” offering no insight into any additional U.S. diplomatic
inquiry about the crime.

Bryza’s responses were equally disconcerting regarding Azerbaijan’s
continued blockade of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh and the U.S.

Administration’s waiver of Section 907 restrictions on U.S. aid
to Azerbaijan. In his response to direct questions about whether
Azerbaijan was in compliance with Section 907, Bryza simply explained
the nature of the Section 907 waiver criteria, but made no attempt to
address the Senator’s concern about Azerbaijan’s blockade or threats
and attacks against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

Sen. Boxer’s questions and Bryza’s complete
responses are available on the ANCA website at:

Incomplete and evasive responses to extensive questioning by Senate
Foreign Relations Committee members Boxer, Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
and Jean Shaheen (D-NH) during his July 22nd confirmation hearing
and to subsequent written questions by Senators Boxer, Menendez,
and Russ Feingold (D-WI) led Senator Boxer to ask for a delay in the
consideration of Bryza’s nomination, giving Senators additional time
to review his candidacy. No date has yet been announced for final
Committee consideration of his nomination.

A review of the ANCA’s detailed 9-page review of the
shortcomings of the Bryza nomination can be found at:

From: A. Papazian

POST-SOVIET LEADERS SEND BIRTHDAY GREETINGS TO MEDVEDEV

RIA Novosti
September 14
MOSCOW

The leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Abkhazia and
Transdnestr congratulated Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on his
45th birthday on Tuesday.

Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev, Armenia’s Serzh Sargsyan and Kazakhstan’s
Nursultan Nazarbayev wished Medvedev a happy birthday on the phone,
and Abkhazia’s Sergei Bagapsh and Transdnestr’s Igor Smirnov sent
him telegrams.

From: A. Papazian

Glaciers On Mount Ararat Are Shrinking

Glaciers atop snow-capped Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey have shrunk 30
percent in surface area over the last 3 decades, a researcher said
Wednesday.

Geologist Mehmet Akif Sarikaya, an assistant professor at Istanbul’s
Fatih University, told AFP: “We used satellite images to analyze the
response of glaciers at the summit of Mount Ararat to climate change.”

“The glacier surface area decreased from 3.04 square miles in 1976 to
5.5 square 2.09 square miles in 2008, a loss of about 17 acres a year,”
said Sarikaya, who also lectures at the University of Omaha, Nebraska.

Temperature changes might eventually wipe out the ice fields, warned
Sarikaya. “We sought the reasons for the melting and found that the
temperature had increased by 0.05 degrees Fahrenheit per year” during
the period studied, he said.

Increased precipitation and sunshine might have also contributed to the
glacial melting, he added.

Previous research has found accelerating glacier erosion in the European
Alps and South American Andes, stating global warming caused by man
attributed to the loss.

Mount Ararat is believed to be the final resting place of Noah’s Ark,
which settled on the mountain top after God flooded the Earth because of
corruption that plagued the world. Once the waters receded, the Ark came
to rest on a mountain that believers contend is Mount Ararat, the
country’s highest peak at 16,853 feet.

Many expeditions have scoured the mountain in search of the lost Ark,
without any convincing results so far. Sarikaya declined to comment on
whether the melting of the glaciers would provide opportunities in the
quest for the biblical ship’s remains.

Published: 2010/09/09

© RedOrbit

From: A. Papazian

PHILIPPE LE HOUEROU: WB’S PORTFOLIO IN ARMENIA IS BEST IN REGION

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 13, 2010 – 13:20 AMT 08:20 GMT

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan met with WB Vice President for
Europe and Central Asia Region Philippe Le Houerou in Dilijan resort
(Tavush region, Armenia), which hosted Post-Crisis Armenia: Challenges
and Perspectives international forum on September 11-12.

Wide range of issues concerning further cooperation between the WB
and Armenia was in the focus of the meeting, the RA President’s press
service reported. The Armenian President hailed cooperation between
Armenia and the WB. “On one hand, the WB implements programs in
Armenia. On the other hand, it brings advanced experience to Armenia,
what is of keen importance for us,” said Mr. Sargsyan. He estimated
highly the work done during the forum, as certain ways were offered
for problems resolution.

For his part, the WB Vice President noted that despite his busy
schedule, he decided to participate in the forum. He said that during
his previous tenure, he often used examples of the WB’s successful
cooperation with Armenia, as a sound reason during negotiations with
donors around funds allocated for the WB programs. “I have held the
current position for a year. I studied portfolios of our programs
in the region and can state that Armenia has the best portfolio of
programs in the region,” he said.

The two men expressed confidence that the accumulated experience
of effective cooperation between the WB and Armenia will allow
implementing larger programs in future.

From: A. Papazian

TURKMENISTAN STUDYING POSSIBILITIES FOR ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLY TO ARMENIA, KAZAKHSTAN, PAKISTAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 13, 2010 – 14:05 AMT 09:05 GMT

Turkmenistan is studying possibilities for power supply to Armenia,
Kazakhstan and Pakistan, Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly
Berdimuhamedow stated.

As the President noted in his address timed to Power Engineering Day
in Turkmenistan, “Currently, increased energy consumption has been
reported worldwide. Foreign countries are intensifying activities
for constructive cooperation with Turkmenistan in energy sphere.”

“Turkmenistan is systematically increasing electric energy supply
volumes to Iran, Afghanistan and Turkey. We are also studying
possibilities for power supply to Armenia, Kazakhstan and Pakistan,
the latter states being the most economically profitable directions
to Turkmenistan,” the Berdimuhamedow stressed.

From: A. Papazian

GEORGIA INTENDS TO ESTABLISH TOURIST ALLIANCE IN CAUCASUS WITH PARTICIPATION OF ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN AND TURKEY

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 13, 2010 – 14:44 AMT 09:44 GMT

Head of Tourism and Resorts Department at the Georgian Ministry
of Economy and Sustainable Development Maia Sidamonidze said that
Georgia intends to establish a tourist alliance in Caucasus with
participation of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. According to her,
the alliance will promote tourism development in the member countries.

Sidamonidze noted that a special package offer will appear in the
market with the launch of the alliance to attract local and foreign
tourists to the region, tourprom.ru reported.

From: A. Papazian

BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE TO SHARE NPP CONSTRUCTION SKILLS WITH ARMENIAN STUDENTS

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 13, 2010 – 15:35 AMT 10:35 GMT

State Engineering University of Armenia (SEUA) and Battelle Memorial
Institute, Columbus, Ohio have signed a collaboration contract. The
contract envisages a number of events including lectures, seminars
as well as an international forum, to be organized by SEUA with the
assistance of Battelle Institute.

According to the contract signed, Battelle Memorial Institute will
share nuclear power plant construction skills with Armenian students,
providing best students from departments of Heat and Power Engineering
and Automation and Management with internship opportunities in foreign
universities.

From: A. Papazian