Author: Andres-Papazian

RUSSIAN PRESSURE UPON ARMENIA WILL DRAW EU RESPONSE – LITHUANIAN MEPS

Baltic News Service / – BNS
September 4, 2013 Wednesday 11:04 AM EET

VILNIUS, Sep 04, BNS – The European Parliament (EP) may adopt a
resolution on Russian pressure upon post-Soviet countries involved
in the European Union’s (EP) Eastern Partnership program, Lithuanian
members of the EP told BNS.

“During a meeting in Strasbourg next week, we should adopt a resolution
on Russian pressure upon Eastern Partnership countries,” said
Lithuanian MEP Laima Andrikiene of the European People’s Party group.

She attended meetings between MEPs and representatives of EU
delegations and special representatives on Tuesday.

In her words, the meetings addressed the Armenian decision to join
the Russian-led Customs Union, thus thwarting its hopes of signing
the Free Trade Agreement with the EU.

“Of course, there will be response from the EU, however, if this is
followed through, it will have very serious consequences for Armenia,”
said the MEP.

In Andrikiene’s words, the Russian actions can be viewed as pressure
upon the EU.

“By pressing Armenia into joining the Customs Union, Russia does not
act against the Eastern Partners countries but against the whole
EU, as the Eastern Partnership policies are among the EU’s most
active policies and one of the banners of EU’s foreign policies,”
she told BNS.

Social Democrat MEP Zigmantas Balcytis, a member of the EP Socialist
group, maintains that Armenia’s decision on the Customs Union and
possible pressure on Russia’s side will not go unanswered by the EU.

“I believe the issue will be included into the EP Strasbourg plenary
session,” he added.

“The event, which brings major changes to preliminary agreements and,
in the end, the essence of Eastern Partnership – extensive efforts
may be made, however, things can change overnight,” Balcytis told BNS.

Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsian announced the plans of joining
the Customs Union on Tuesday after meeting with Russian President
Vladimir Putin. Putin emphasized Russia will provide “full support
to the process.”

Armenia was initially expected to initial the Association and Free
Trade Agreement with the EU during the Eastern Partnership summit in
Vilnius in the end of November.

From: A. Papazian

HOVER CHAMBER CHOIR TO PERFORM IN BELGIUM

10:58, 5 September, 2013

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS: Hover Chamber Choir, which has
recently returned from Taiwan International Festival, is preparing
to win the hearts of the Belgians. Besides, the Armenian fans will
be provided with the opportunity to enjoy numerous premieres and
surprises by the end of the year of 2013, about which Armenpress was
informed by the Artistic Director of the Choir Sona Hovhannisyan.

– Hover Chamber Choir has recently participated in the Artsvaberd
opera premiere held in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. What do you
and the members of the Choir feel after the performance in Shushi?

– We returned from Artsakh two days ago. It was a perfect initiative.

You can watch the results on September 20 by the Public Television.

Such events in Shushi are being held quite seldom, unfortunately. The
people were very enthusiastic and happy.

– In August the Choir performed in Taiwan…

– In the beginning of August we took part in the Taiwan International
Festival. It was very well organized event. We have very good memories
connected with Taiwan. Our 9-members choir performed four concerts
there. We tried to introduce our modern music to the foreign audience.

During the Festival it was noted that our music is unique and differs
from the ones of the other cultures. We got stormy and warm reception,
as well as we got new invitations to participate in other events.

– What concerts are you preparing for now? Dou you have tours in the
nearest future?

– On September 17 we will perform spiritual music in the framework of
the “100 concerts commemorating victims of the Armenian Genocide”. On
September 26 we are leaving for Belgium to participate in a festival,
where we will present only Armenian spiritual music. By the end of
the current year we will have several concerts in Armenia. On December
12-19 we will leave for France and will hold three concerts there.

(THE FULL INTERVIEW IS AVAILABLE IN ARMENIAN)

Interviewed by Roza Grigoryan

Photos by Felix Arustamyan

The Armenian word Hover (wind) frequently occurs in beautiful folk
songs by Komitas, a revered name in Armenian sacred and folk music,
which is part of the choir’s core repertoire. Wind is a primordial
element of nature and a life force – it is part of the ‘ecology of
the soul’, a spirit sweeping through time and, like an epic, legend
or tale.

This youthful, musically progressive chamber choir is proud to be
able to present Armenian music to the wider world. Both old and new
music from the Armenian nation has been a very well-kept secret. Hover
has been privileged to be able to be one of the most active Chamber
choirs in promoting Armenian music and the wealth of treasure with
which this beholds.

The internationally acclaimed, award-winning Hover: Chamber Choir of
Armenia was established in Yerevan, Armenia in 1992 as a performing
arts group, consisting of 26 singers many of whom are students,
or graduates, of the Komitas National Conservatory in Yerevan, Armenia.

The choir is supported by donations and honoraria. The tale of Hover
began over ten years ago, and continues to evolve.

Hover is a musical ambassador for Armenia and Armenian music, winning
diplomas at the International Polyphonic Music Festival in Arezzo,
Italy in 1997 and the International Competition in Tours, France as
well as the gold medal at the International Choir Olympiad in Linz,
Austria in 2000. In September 2003 Hover toured Great Britain,
presenting concerts in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cambridge and London.

Among the major works it has performed in the past five years
are Bach’s St John and St. Matthew Passions, Britten’s Cantata
Misericordia, Buxtehude’s Magnificat, Ludwig Basil’s setting of St.

Gregory of Narek’s Book of Lamentations, Requiems by Mozart and
Cherubini, Avet Terteryan’s Sixth Symphony, as well as numerous
collections of Armenian sacred and folk music.

2003, Hover present Armenian music to the general public of the
United Kingdom, singing in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cambridge and London
to critical acclaim.

In 2003 Hover performed “Six Fables,” a choral performance of Armenian
fabulist Vardan Aigektsi’s Fables composed by Stepan Babatorosyan,
which has been characterized as a new genre in music culture.

2002, Hover performed with the renowned London Sinfonietta, singing
in the world premiere of Stephan Rostomyan’s ‘Entrance’, conducted
by Diego Masson.

2001, the male staff of Hover were recorded for the soundtrack of
the eminent Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan’s movie, “Ararat”.

Music critics in Armenia, Russia, France, Italy, Austria and the
United Kingdom have praised Hover for its timbre, precision and
sophisticated handling of close harmonies and complex rhythms of
Armenian, classical and especially modern works. The choir has a rich
and varied repertoire of Armenia and Western sacred and classical
works, folk songs and popular music. Hover’s youthful energy and new
genres make an immediate connection with the larger listening public.

From: A. Papazian

NEW YORK ASA TO HOLD “JUXTAPOSITION: CONTEMPORARY ARMENIAN ARTISTS” EXHIBITION

14:33, September 5, 2013

The Armenian Students’ Association of New York will be holding its
63rd annual exhibition entitled Juxtaposition: Contemporary Armenian
Artists from September 5-14.

The exhibition will take place at Denise Bibro Fine Art (Chelsea,
NYC) and will launch the opening of its Platform Space.

The exhibition features works of 13 contemporary artists of Armenian
descent: Eozen Agopian; Gagik Aroutiunian; Arne Balassanian; Nora
Chavooshian; Linda Ganjian; Christopher Gasparian; David Kareyan;
Susan Kirby; Sassoon Kosian; Alex Lerian; Yevgine Martirosyan; Arthur
Sarkissian; and Judith Simonian.

A portion of the proceeds from all sales will benefit Friends of Warm
Hearth, the only group home in Armenia providing holistic care for
orphans with disabilities. For more information, please refer to the
organization’s website:

Artists of Juxtaposition not only share Armenian roots, but also
are integral proponents of the visual fabric of the 20th and 21st
artistic community assimilating various Armenian and international
influences in their own visual language.

Also, join New York ASA for wine, food and live painting during a
private reception at the gallery on September 7, 5-7pm.

For tickets and more info visit: All proceeds from
ticket sales will also benefit Friends of Warm Hearth.

From: A. Papazian

ALASHKERT’S MAIN PRIORITY: TURNING WINDOWLESS HULK BACK TO A CULTURAL CENTER

Kristine Aghalaryan

14:30, September 5, 2013

Travel to Alashkert, a village of some 1,800 in Armenia’s Armavir
Province, and local residents are more than willing to point out the
problems they face.

First off, there’s the road, a mixture of gravel and asphalt,
which leads to the village. They’ll next point to the dilapidated
kindergarten and a large building without windows in the middle
of Alashkert.

“Guess what that building is,” a resident tells me. The man says it’s
the village cultural center which now mostly serves as a public urinal.

The walls stand and residents claim it can be renovated, but it
remains neglected and abandoned.

Village Deputy Mayor Derenik Gabrielyan says the cultural center
is high on the list of priorities, but quickly mentions a number of
reasons why nothing has been done.

“We don’t have the resources,” he says, adding that the entire annual
budget for the village is 18.7 million AMD, of which 10 million is
in state subsidies.

Municipal Staff Secretary Ara Manukyan says they petitioned the
national government in 2010 for assistance with the cultural center.

“A bunch of specialists came and drew up blueprints, but that’s the
last we heard from them,” Manukyan says.

Deputy Mayor Gabrielyan then launches into naming the other problems
of the village.

Topping the list is that the local well water is overly alkaline
and villagers have been forced to buy water for drinking at 100 AMD
per pail.

“Our people have progressed and now want quality water to drink,”
Manukyan jokes.

Hailstorms also hit Alashkert hard this spring, damaging most of the
seasonal fruit crop, but Manukyan tells me residents are a hardy lot
and have bounced back.

As our conversations come to an end, Ara Manukyan turns to me and
whispers, “Please get us some help with our cultural center.”

From: A. Papazian

GEOGRAPHY WAS THE MAJOR DETERMINING FACTOR IN ARMENIA’S DECISION TO JOIN THE CUSTOMS UNION

18:07 05.09.2013

Anna Nazaryan
“Radiolur”

Geography was the major determining factor in Armenia’s decision to
join the Customs Union, considers political scientist Levon Shirinyan.

There remaining factors are subjective, he said.

“Armenia’s decision to join the Customs Union made clarifications in
the country’s foreign policy course, and this should neither rejoice
the pro-Russians, nor sadden the pro-Europeans,” he said.

According to him, it’s necessary to think about the results. He
believes that the move could lead to decreased gas tariffs.

“Armenia should continue its complementary policy, and Europe should
show understanding of this,” Levon Shirinyan said.

Many fear that the decision to join the Customs Union could harm
Armenia’s sovereignty. “If we have a good political leadership,
our sovereignty will not suffer, as it was the case with Belarus and
Kazakhstan,” he said.

Political scientist Ruben Mehrabyan considers that the step was a
fatal mistake and insists that it was a serious blow to Armenia’s
reputation and international standing.

Nevertheless, he says that the EU astern Partnership Program does
not envisage a security component, which has made Armenia shake
Russia’s hand.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA’S ACCESSION TO CUSTOMS UNION TO LEAD TO 30% GAS PRICE REDUCTION: EDB

YEREVAN, September 5. /ARKA/. Armenia’s accession to the customs union
and the joint economic area will bring the gas prices 30% down, will
attract major investments into the country and will help it out from
the transport deadlock, director of Centre for Integration Studies
at the Eurasian Development Bank Yevgeniy Vinokurov said.

Armenia’s and Russia’s presidents made a joint statement after their
negotiations Tuesday saying Armenia intends to enter the Customs Union
and participate later in formation of the Eurasian Economic Union.

According to Vinokurov, accession to the customs union and joint
economic area will help solve a number of problems, and particularlwill
provide access to a fairly spacious and protected market for products
with high value added.

If built the North-South corridor will help establish reliable
communication between the customs union countries and Iran and South
Asia, Vinokurov said.

He also said prices will go down for gas (from the current $270
to $180), for a number of sensitive goods and draft diamonds in
particular.

This implies also major targeted investments in Armenian economy
(energy, transport, industry), Vinokurov said.

The preliminary calculations of EDB Centre for Integration
Studies show that economic effect of integration with the
customs union will be about 4%. Construction of the new nuclear
power plant, with support from the customs union, creating
of rail communication with Iran and re-opening of the one
with Georgia will help bring the GDP to much higher levels
and enhance Armenia’s economic security.-0– – See more at:

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA’S JOINING CUSTOMS UNION WILL EXCLUDE COUNTRY’S PARTICIPATION IN KARABAKH TALKS – ANALYST

September 05, 2013 | 13:45

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s joining the customs union will remove country’s
participation in Karabakh peace process, Armenian political analyst
said.

The customs union appears to be a super-government structure that will
not only coordinate single customs policy, but will approve legal acts.

“This will mean lack of independence on foreign policy issues. In
this case, we can forget about Armenia’s participation in solving any
issues concerning Karabakh. Once Robert Kocharyan and Vartan Oskanian
removed Nagorno-Karabakh from the peace process, and now Armenia is
excluded. Baku will solve problems with Moscow, not Yerevan,” Davit
Shahnazaryan said.

Shahnazaryan, the head of Konkord analytic center, noted that Russia
achieved its goal by exerting pressure on Armenia. The evidence
of this pressure was weapon sales to Azerbaijan and Sargsyan-Putin
meeting during which direct threats of war from Azerbaijan were voiced.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

From: A. Papazian

ARTSAKH LEADER DISCUSSES CONSTRUCTION OF VARDENIS-MARTAKERT HIGHWAY

10:33 05/09/2013 ” SOCIETY

Un September 4, Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan convened a
consultation on the construction works of Vardenis-Martakert highway.

President Sahakyan rated as important the highway’s role in the
republic’s life, emphasizing that this road of strategic importance
should fully correspond to the international standards. The President
gave instructions to the concerned structures for the proper
implementation of the activities.

Prime Minister Ara Harutyunyan, executive director of the Hayastan
All-Armenian fund Ara Vardanyan and other officials attended the
consultation, the presidential press service reported.

Source: Panorama.am

From: A. Papazian

HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK: ARMENIAN PRESIDENT’S DECISION ‘A BRILLIANT MANY-MOVED COMBINATION’ – ARTASHES GEGHANYAN

10:16 05.09.13

Alexander Arzumanyan, an opposition member of the Standing Committee
on Foreign Relations, Parliament of Armenia, entered the assembly
hall and welcomed Artashes Geghamyan, who was sitting alone.

“Good day,” he said in Russian.

Geghamyan answered in Armenian. Aware of Arzumanyan’s ironic tone,
he added: “If you have any changes, of course.” At the meeting,
the opposition members of the Committee – Nikol Pashinyan, Tevan
Poghosyan and Alexander Arzumanyan – insisted on inviting Armenia’s
Premier Tigran Sargsyan and FM Edward Nalbandian for explanations.

In his turn, Geghamyan said: “The elected president of a sovereign
country made a decision. It was a brilliant many-moved combination. We
should be grateful to our president for finding a perfect solution
under the circumstances. We have no alternative.”

Armenian News – Tert.am

From: A. Papazian

ANCA VOICES ARMENIAN AMERICAN OPPOSITION TO U.S. STRIKES AGAINST SYRIA

12:18 05.09.2013

ANCA, Syria, US

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), citing the Armenian
American community’s profound concern for the fate of Syria’s
Armenian population and the welfare of all of Syria’s citizens,
circulated letters today across Capitol Hill calling on Members of the
U.S. House and Senate to oppose legislation authorizing U.S. strikes
against Syria.

“As our nation’s elected representatives gather this week to consider
potential U.S. actions against Syrian targets, we wish to add our
voice, as Americans of Armenian heritage, to those of our fellow
citizens who oppose American military strikes and are against any
escalation of violence. Such an escalation would very likely create
further challenges and lead to serious additional harm to Christian
communities, including Syria’s Armenian minority,” said ANCA Chairman
Ken Hachikian in letters to U.S. legislators. “We take this stand
mindful of the horrific human suffering that armed conflict has
already visited across Syria, including the death and destruction
being endured, to this day, by Armenians and other Christian
communities. There has already been too much bloodshed, too much
brutality, and too much suffering. An escalation in aggression can
neither save lives nor help bring about peace.”

The ANCA message went on to stress that, “We believe that the
advancement of our national interests, the enhancement of U.S.

standing, the strengthening of the international rule-of-law system,
and the promotion of stability and humanitarian and democratic
values in this vital region, will not be facilitated by American
attacks. We look to our government to seek a diplomatic settlement,
and to reinforce our nation’s call upon all parties to cease any
attacks on civilians, to limit armed operations to military targets,
and to refrain from violence, intimidation, and discrimination against
Christians and other vulnerable minorities.”

As a follow up to longstanding ANCA advocacy for effective, needs-based
delivery of humanitarian aid to Armenian and all at-risk populations,
Hachikian noted that Armenian Americans “remain troubled that,
despite the expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars, serious
gaps remain in terms of U.S.-supplied and funded relief aid actually
reaching at-risk Armenian and other minority populations, in Aleppo and
throughout Syria.” He added that Equally troubling has been the very
limited U.S. support for landlocked and blockaded Armenia’s efforts to
support and resettle thousands fleeing the Syria crisis. We urge you,
in cooperation with your colleagues and our community (which is very
actively engaged in relief efforts), to work with the Administration
to urgently address these shortcomings.”

From: A. Papazian