Author: Babajanian Karo

The Beautified Project to voice about Armenian Genocide at acoustic concerts

10:12, 4 September, 2014

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS. The Beautified Project rock band
will raise the issue of the Armenian Genocide at their acoustic
concerts, which are due to be held in various countries of the world
in 2015. In a conversation with “Armenpress”, the founder of the band
Andre Simonian stated that it is considered to hold concerts in the
UK, Germany, France, Austria, and possibly in Poland and Latvia.

Responding the question about the possibility of laying obstacles to
the organization of the concerts by some groups, Andre Simonian
underscored that anybody, who’ll try to do that will have no success.

The Beautified Project is an English-language Melancholic Alternative
Rock band formed in London in 2005 by singer/songwriter Andre
Simonian.

The permanent members of the band are Andre Simonian, Armen
Shaverdian, Arlen Shaverdian. The Beautified Project is the first
internationally recognized English-language band out of Armenia.

In 2006, The Beautified Project, Andre Simonian’s solo project at the
time, released its first demo album, ‘Serenades for Insanity’ in
London. In 2008 the band recorded and released its first official
album, ‘Behind the Happy Mask’.

‘Behind the Happy Mask’ is the FIRST English-language album ever
released in Armenia. The album gained much success that the band went
on to release six official music videos off of this album, one of
which went as far as being aired by the MTV and PMC.

In 2010, the band released its 2nd official album ‘Beyond the
Butterfly’ to a critical acclaim. The first single off the album
‘Butterfly’, became the band’s biggest hit to date, gaining them a
place on MTV. The success of the album was followed by several
successful concerts in London, Vienna, Georgia and Armenia. During the
band’s UK tour, the international branch of BBC made a documentary
about The Beautified Project.

In May 2011, The Beautified Project recorded a duet, ‘Broken Smile’,
with the lead singer Mick Moss of the world-known English Melancholic
rock band Antimatter.

In December 2011 the band signed a deal with St. Mongoose
Entertainment, becoming the first rock band out of Armenia who got
signed with an American Record Label.

In 2011 The Beautified Project recorded a cover of the famous Armenian
song KILIKIA which became the most watched rendition of that song on
youtube.

In 2012, The Beautified Project won a national award in Armenia as The
Best Armenian Rock Band.

In early 2012 the band made its first few steps in the American market
by appearing on several American Radio Stations.

In 2013 the band won The Ambassadors of Armenia in the World Award at
Radio Van Awards.

In 2013 The Beautified Project won an Award as The Best Armenian Rock
Band out of Armenia.

The Beautified Project released its new album, entitled ‘United We
Fall’ in October 2013. The album release is being followed by a
European tour.

Artsakh celebrates the 23rd anniversary of the Artsakh Republic
proclamation (photos)

September 2, 2014 12:56

The series of events dedicated to the 23rd anniversary of the NKR
proclamation began early in the morning with Defense Army soldiers’
solemn march through the main streets of Stepanakert.

Since early morning a flow of people have already visited the Memorial
complex of Stepanakert and laid flowers at the monument for martyrs of
World War II and Artsakh liberation war.

As “Artsakhpress” reports the RA delegation headed by the President of
the RA Serzh Sargsyan who are presently in Artsakh on a working visit
together with NKR President Bako Sahakyan accompanied by the top
officials of the republic walked from the Renaissance Square of the
capital to the Memorial and laid flowers at the memorial and graves of
soldiers, who died for freedom and independence of Artsakh. Afterwards
the Army honor guard ceremony was held.

In the framework of celebration festive events will be held in all
regions of Artsakh. The celebrations will end in a concert in
Stepanakert and firework display.

Daily Sabah, Turkey
Sept 2 2014

PRESIDENT ERDOÄ?AN PAYS A VISIT TO TURKISH ALLY AZERBAIJAN

In line with Turkish political tradition, President Recep Tayyip
ErdoÄ?an held one of his first visits abroad to Azerbaijan to further
bilateral relations based on history, brotherhood and strategic
cooperation

Daily Sabah
Published : 02.09.2014 22:33:27

ISTANBUL ‘ With a move to show Turkey’s continued support to
Azerbaijan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an paid a twoday
official visit to Azerbaijan upon the invitation of Azeri President
Ä°lham Aliyev as the second visit abroad as president.

Speaking to the press ahead of his Azerbaijan visit, ErdoÄ?an said that
the two leaders will hold talks regarding the latest regional and
international developments concerning both Turkey and Azerbaijan along
with further opportunities for cooperation between the countries.
ErdoÄ?an pointed out that during his visit, the leaders will compare
notes over the Nagora-Karabakh issue under the scope of Azerbaijan’s
indivisible integrity.
ErdoÄ?an noted that the leaders will touch on the joint investments
between Azerbaijan and Turkey during his visit.

Echoing that he will head towards the NATO summit to be held on Sept.
5-6 in Wales after his Azerbaijan visit, ErdoÄ?an said that he will
draw attention to the Russia-Ukraine crisis and the latest
developments on Turkish borders at the summit.

A statement issued on the presidential website read, “Our President’s
[ErdoÄ?an] visit is a great opportunity to further the exemplary
Turkey-Azerbaijan relations based on history, humanitarian ties and
common interest.”

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), when ErdoÄ?an headed toward the
country, New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) Deputy Chairman SiyavuÃ…? Novruzov
said that ErdoÄ?an’s visit would reinforce the Turkish-Azerbaijani
brotherhood.

Highlighting that the visit is a message to the entire world regarding
Turkey-Azerbaijan relations, Novruzov said, “No one can spoil our
[Turkey-Azerbaijan] relations.”He added that significant evaluations
over regional issues concerning the countries will be held during the
meeting.

The non-parliamentary opposition Equality Party leader Ä°sa Gamber said
that ErdoÄ?an’s visit to Azerbaijan as the first directly elected
president is significant.

Gamber emphasized that Turkey-Azerbaijan relations are important to
both countries and to the stability of the region. “Both Azerbaijan
and other countries in the region are concerned over the crisis
between Russia and Ukraine. There is conflict in the Middle East. That
is why Turkey and Azerbaijan’s strategic alliance is of vital
importance.I think important decisions will be made for cooperation.”

In April, as a Turkish political tradition, ErdoÄ?an visited Azerbaijan
right after the March 30 local elections resulted in a decisive
victory for his Justice and Development Party (AK Party). During the
visit, ErdoÄ?an and Aliyev reiterated their commitment to the
Trans-Anatolia natural gas pipeline project (TANAP), which aims to
fulfill both Turkey and Europe’s energy needs. The leaders said they
are aiming to begin the building of the pipeline by the end of the
year and start transporting gas by 2018.

Emphasizing the significance of TANAP, ErdoÄ?an said Turkey is doing
its share in the project and is launching the expropriation program of
the fields through which the pipeline will pass. Experts say that
TANAP, which is a multi-dimensional project, has much significance for
Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Highlighting the magnitude of the project, experts note Turkey and
Azerbaijan are attempting to build TANAP in a period during which
governments are tightening their belts all around the world. “We will
firmly preserve our attitude on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, which we
have had up to now,” said ErdoÄ?an.

Meeting in Baku, the leaders discussed various topics from large joint
economic investments to the Gülen Movement’s harmful actions in both
countries.

In the meeting, ErdoÄ?an stressed that both governments should take
urgent steps to confront the movement and prevent it from spoiling
cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan. Aliyev confirmed that the
Azeri government is conducting an investigation into Gülenist
structures in his country.
In a press conference following the meeting, ErdoÄ?an said that the two
countries would never let anyone harm their relations.

During the bilateral discussion between the two leaders, ErdoÄ?an
brought a file to the table focusing on Gülenists who infiltrated
large joint projects. As sources reported, the leaders agreed to take
steps against those infiltrators who could threaten the crucial and
costly projects. Both leaders acknowledged their confidence in one
another and the importance of close relations between Turkey and
Azerbaijan.

When asked about the Gülen Movement, Aliyev replied that a wide range
of issues was discussed at the meeting. “We will never allow anything
to harm our relations, even in the least,” said Aliyev. “We stand by
each other in every matter. We will support each other in both good
and bad times. This is what brotherhood requires.”

Trend, Azerbaijan
Sept 2 2014

Turkey, Azerbaijan – strategic partners, Turkish president says

2 September 2014

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.2
By Rufiz Hafizoglu – Trend:

Turkey and Azerbaijan are strategic partners, Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on the eve of his visit to Azerbaijan.

He stressed that the two countries are bound by not only economic
ties, but also brotherly ties in general, Turkey’s TRT Haber TV
channel reported.

Erdogan said that during the visit to Azerbaijan, he will discuss the
economic and political issues, as well as the development of the
bilateral relations.

He underscored that the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the stability in the South Caucasus is
among the priorities of Turkey’s foreign policy.

The president went on to add that his country closely watches the
developments in the South Caucasus and will always support the
stability in this region.

EurasiaNet.org
Sept 2 2014

Putin Gives Nod for Armenia’s Eurasian-Union Membership

September 2, 2014 – 8:29am, by Giorgi Lomsadze

Russia’s Vladimir Putin has issued an ukaz on authorizing an agreement
to accept Armenia into the Eurasian Union, a planned back-in-the-USSR
bloc, but this may or may not make Armenia’s membership actually
happen.

Armenia’s membership in the Russian- championed Eurasian Union, and
its already active element, the Customs Union, has long smacked of a
Nordic epic song, with multiple characters and events putting the
spokes in Armenia’s wheel. Customs-Union members Belarus and
Kazakhstan are Armenia skeptics, and generally less keen about the
Kremlin’s everyone-with-a-Soviet-past-is-welcome policy.

Putin’s September 1 order, though, includes unnamed, “minor” changes
to the terms of Armenia’s membership. It is unclear if this refers to
concessions on the Armenian-championed breakaway territory of
Nagorno-Karabakh. Kazakhstan, with an eye to Turkic ally, Azerbaijan,
which claims Karabakh as its own, strongly opposes Armenia’s attempts
to bring breakaway Karabakh into the Customs Union..

Recent statements by both Putin and Kazakh President Nursultan
Nazarbayev, though moderated by courtesies, suggest a muffled
disagreement between Moscow and Astana. Some believe that Russia’s
stance on Armenia and its campaign in Ukraine have contributed to the
reported chill.

Nazarbayev said that he would quit the Eurasian Union if the terms of
membership are changed or if the membership poses threat to
Kazakhstan’s independent statehood. Putin issued a reminder that
Kazakhstan “had never had statehood” before Nazarbayev.

In the meantime, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev cancelled a
trip to Yerevan, and the planned talks about Armenia’s membership were
postponed to a summit in Minsk in October. Armenian Foreign Minister
Eduard Nalbandian insisted that Armenian membership in the Eurasian
Union and its structures remains a work in progress.

Indie Wire
Sept 2 2014

Venice Reviews: Fatih Akin’s ‘The Cut’ Stars Tahir Rahim, Saverio
Costanza’s ‘Hungry Hearts’ Stars Adam Driver

Festivals
by Tom Christie

“The Cut” is Fatih Akin’s reach for the big time, and sad to say he
comes up short. The popular German-Turkish director has made a lot of
different kinds of films, from inter-cultural dramas (“Head On”) and
comedies (“Soul Kitchen”), to romantic comedy/road-trips (“In July”)
and documentaries (“Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul”). “The
Cut” is meant to be his big, beautiful epic tale, but it falls
mysteriously flat straight out of the blocks.

It’s 1915 and WWI has cast its long shadow on Turkey. Nazaret
Manoogian is an Armenian blacksmith, played here by the
French-Algerian actor Tahar Rahim, who was so wonderful in “The
Prophet.” We have barely met Nazaret and his family when Turkish
soldiers haul all the men off to be a soldier, which means that they
are used as slave labor until they either die or are killed, their
women and children meanwhile sent to a remote camp where most of them
starve to death. As their great fortune would have it, Nazaret and his
daughters manage to survive, and once that is established the film
follows his search for the girls – across the Middle East to Cuba to
Minnesota. Honestly, there is not much more to it than that.

Of course, the survival and search is moving, and sometimes harrowing
(well, a bit) and you very much want Nazaret to succeed (more or
less). But that is not to say that you feel greatly for this
character, or any other in “The Cut.” Sadly, Rahim seems a bit out of
it, not quite able to muster the necessary emotional connection to the
audience or anyone else. It doesn’t help that when Nazaret was nearly
killed, his vocal chords were damaged and he loses his ability to
speak, so this is largely a silent performance.

In one sense, this is a blessing. After consulting Roman Polanski,
who once used the same strategy, Akin chose to have all of the
Armenians speak English, which gives the film a cheesy old-Hollywood
feel. (In one early scene, Nazaret and his daughters painfully bid a
woman to “have a nice day”!) But unfortunately Rahim’s mute serves as
a moment-to-moment reminder of the distance between the character and
his audience.

Ironically, the most life we see out of him is when he catches a
Charlie Chaplin film, but beyond that there is a passivity the film is
unable to overcome right up to the end. As Nazaret and his remaining
family walked off into the Midwestern landscape, I felt no elation,
just sadness – for the director. To say this is an anti-climax is to
be understated. With its grand historical and geographical scale,
nicely rendered by cinematographer Rainer Klausmann and the production
team, “The Cut” will find an audience, just not the one Akin was
hoping for. (NYT feature here.)

I had no expectations for Italian director Saverio Costanza’s “Hungry
Hearts,” having not seen his earlier “The Solitude of Prime Numbers”
(2010), so it was a pleasant surprise when it spooled out in such a
charming manner – an Italian woman, Mina (Alba Rohrwacher), meets Jude
(Adam Driver) in the restroom of a New York Chinese restaurant when
the door gets stuck. It’s not exactly love at first sight – or smell –
but soon there is sex and then a pregnancy and then a wedding, nicely
mixed over “Oh, What a Feeling!” All is happiness: Mina is lovely and
Jude is ecstatic. (Never mind the weird dream Mina has about a hunter
shooting a deer outside of the restaurant where they had their wedding
reception.) Finally, there’s a baby boy, and here’s where things start
to get a little hinky.

It turns out that Mina has very strong feelings about giving birth and
raising her child in a natural manner, even to the point of risking
her and the boy’s life in the birth process, which begins at home and
ends up in the hospital with a caesarean – something Jude promised her
he would not allow. (Now consider his name…) Seven months later,
Mina is feeding the baby rather strange natural foods and oils, no
meat, and both mother and son are worryingly thin. She has not taken
the baby outside in all of this time, for fear of contamination, and
when Jude comes home he has to wash his hands before she allows him to
hold his son. Is she depressed? Crazy? Jude rebels (betrays?) and on
her first day back at work he takes the baby to the doctor, who
recommends an immediate catch-up diet of meat and vitamins. At home
again, he tells Mina what he’s done and what the doctor said, and
insists that the new diet be followed. So begins an epic struggle.

It goes to extreme – some might say absurd — levels of insistence,
distrust, hurt and anger, building to a climax that, like the one in
Francesco Munzi’s “Black Souls,” feels a little too writerly, a little
forced, and quite unnecessary. Rohrwacher and Driver are terrific,
nevertheless, and Costanza certainly knows how to tell – and show – a
story, particularly in the details. He should do more of it, but next
time with a story that doesn’t force its audience to either buy in or
buy out. No more dreams about dead deer, please.

Greek Reporter
Sept 2 2014

Anti-racism Bill: Changes in Genocide and Sexual Discrimination Issues

Politics by Nikoleta Kalmouki

On Tuesday morning, Greek Justice Minister Charalambos Athanasiou
tabled the anti-racism bill in Parliament and announced the included
amendments.

The amendments concern genocide and sexual discrimination issues.
According to the bill, apart from Holocaust deniers, there will also
be sanctions for the deniers of the genocides against Armenians,
Pontians and Christians of Asia Minor, which have been recognised by
the Greek Parliament.

Those who urge or incite actions that may lead to discrimination,
hatred or violence against a person or group, based on their sexual
orientation, will face imprisonment.

Both issues had caused strong reactions between New Democracy party
members who had sent a letter to Prime Minister Antonis Samaras.
SYRIZA MPs expressed their satisfaction with these amendments.

On Monday, Democratic Left (DIMAR) submitted its proposal to include
four amendments in the anti-racism bill. These amendments concern
civil partnerships, acquisition of Greek nationality, exploitation of
seized bank accounts and abolishing the in flagrante procedures for
debts towards the state.

The Church of Greece had also expressed its support to the bill, while
it had requested that the genocides against the Greek Pontians and the
Christians of Minor Asia also be included.

Young Scholars Quit Armenian State Jobs Over Pension Reform

September 2, 2014

Azatutyun – Dozens of young specialists are resigning from Armenia’s
state-run universities and research institutes in order to be able to
opt out of a controversial national retirement plan introduced by the
government.

The new system requires workers born after 1973 to earn most of their
future pensions by contributing sums equivalent to 10 percent of their
gross wages to private pension funds until their retirement. The
reform, initially introduced in January, met with fierce resistance
from many affected Armenians, most of them employed by private firms,
and was effectively blocked by the Constitutional Court in April.

The government responded by making the pension reform mandatory only
for 65,000 or so public sector employees. A government bill approved
by parliament in June allowed people working for private entities not
to be covered by the new system until July 2017.

The vast majority of private sector employees are believed to have
opted for a three-year deferment. But those of them who also have
part-time public sector jobs are denied such a choice, with tax
authorities also making the sizable deductions from their wages paid
by private employers.

Among them are young academics and scientists. Several dozen of them
have decided to quit state-run universities and research centers that
are part of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences.

Four such specialists have until now taught at the microelectronics
department of the State Engineering University of Armenia (SEUA),
while having well-paid jobs in the country’s burgeoning information
technology sector. The department chief, Vahe Buniatian, admitted on
Monday that he will have serious trouble replacing them by other
skilled lecturers.

Ara Simonian, the rector of Yerevan State University (YSU), said on
Monday that a dozen of his young lecturers also employed in the
private sector have likewise tendered their resignations. He said many
others are ready to follow suit if the authorities fail to make the
reform optional for them before the end of this year.

“We have raised our concerns with the education minister [Armen
Ashotian,]” Simonian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).
“Mr. Ashotian is aware of the problem. The minister believes that the
problem is understandable and he hopes that it will find some
solution.”

The YSU rector could not say, however, what concrete solution could be
proposed by the government.

“You can’t solve a problem with concerns,” said Tigran Grigorian, a
young scientist leaving the National Academy of Sciences. “Concrete
steps are needed.”

UCOM modernizes network to increase data transfer rate to 100 gbit/s

YEREVAN, September 2. / ARKA /. Ucom Armenian telecom provider said
today it is installing the optical technology of Alcatel-Lucent in
order to meet the growing demand for network capacity prompted by an
abrupt increase in the number of devices and applications used by
local customers.

Alcatel-Lucent will help Ucom to upgrade the network infrastructure by
installing the 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) as a key element of
transport solutions 100G WDM / Optical Transport Network (OTN).

“Thanks to the new optical IP network Ucom will be the first Armenian
telecom to ensure data transfer rates at up to 100 Gbit /s. The new
network will be able to cope with the growth of data traffic and will
also accelerate and reduce the cost of deployment of new broadband
services, needed by individual and corporate clients in order to use
new devices and applications, as well as work with the cloud, Ucom
said in a press release.

Alcatel-Lucent will also provide professional services for the design,
engineering, installation and commissioning. The deployment is planned
for the period from August to November 2014, according to the press
release.

Ucom has built the first FTTH (Fiber-to-the-Home) network in Armenia,
providing “3 in 1″ service, including access to the Internet, IPTV and
digital telephony. The company is also one of the largest transit ISPs
in the country.

‘Alcatel-Lucent has demonstrated that its solution is the best to meet
the growing subscriber demand for bandwidth. We look forward to the
implementation of new joint projects with it,” Ucom CEO Hayk Yesayan
was quoted as saying in the press release.

Alcatel-Lucent chief manager for Ukraine, Georgia and Armenia, Alexey
Khakhlyuk, said the project is the first joint project, performed in
collaboration with Ucom.

“Upon the completion of the project Ucom will be able to run a single
converged network, in which the new 100-gigabit and higher speed
services will be provided economically and efficiently, ensuring
maximum availability of network resources. The project will also help
meet the growing demand for network capacity, due to the increase in
the number of devices and applications that require more and more
bandwidth,’ said Khakhlyuk.

Ucom (Universal Communications) was founded in 2007 and is engaged in
the provision of telecommunication services. With assistance from
Ericsson, the company has established a broadband network, providing
Internet services, IPTV and fixed telephony. -0-

Armenia FM: It’s hard to say when Turkey president will respond to invitation

18:40, 01.09.2014

YEREVAN. – It’s hard to say what decision Turkish president will make
regarding invitation to visit Yerevan on April 24, Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian said.

President of Turkey Erdogan was handed over Serzh Sargsyan’s official
invitation to attend the Armenian Genocide commemoration ceremony,
which will take place on April 24, 2015 in Yerevan.

“There is still enough time. When the former Armenian president
invited his Turkish counterpart to attend a football match in Yerevan,
the invitation was sent in May, and the answer came back in September.
It took four months to receive the reply that came only two days
before the match. It’s hard to say when and what decision would be
made,” Nalbandian told RFE/RL Armenian service.

Minister Nalbandian handed over a formal invitation after inauguration
ceremony in Ankara last week.

Armenia News – NEWS.am