Author: Babajanian Karo

Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian isn’t being held hostage, he just has a new
girlfriend

15:57 17.05.2013

A Tracinda spokesman says there are no facts to support Lisa
Kerkorian’s claims and `therefore, no merit whatsoever to the
allegations she has made,’ Quartz reports.

The ex-wife of 95-year-old billionaire Kirk Kerkorian has filed a
lawsuit making claims that sound more like a scene from a Hollywood
movie. Lisa Kerkorian is accusing Tracinda Corp., the private
investment firm founded by the elder Kerkorian, of holding him
hostage, according to the report by TMZ. Lisa Kerkorian is claiming
that Tracinda managers are controlling her ex-husband and have kept
him from seeing Lisa’s 15-year-old daughter for the last five years.

Sources close to the firm said Kirk Kerkorian is well and has a new
girlfriend, which may be why his ex-wife is upset. Lisa Kerkorian is
seeking the appointment of someone to oversee Kirk Kerkorian’s affairs
and hopes to reestablish a relationship between him and her daughter,
whom he raised as his own.

The suit also claims that Kirk Kerkorian hasn’t been seen in public in
almost a year. But Kerkorian is actually known as a fairly private
person. And he just may not want to go out that much because of his
age. He and his ex-wife had one of the most public, and bitter,
divorce battles, which involved wiretapping allegations, private
investigators and paternity tests.

Parents protesting against murder of serviceman attempt to break into
Government building

ARMINFO
Saturday, May 18, 17:40

A group of people have gathered in front of the government building
to protest against the murder of serviceman Luks Stepanyan.

His parents tried today to bring his body from Verin Vernashen to
Yerevan and to put it in front of the Government building.

The protesters insisted on a meeting with Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan and even attempted to break into the Government building but
the police prevented the attempt and began patrolling the building.

Chief of the Yerevan Police Ashot Karapetyan spoke with some of the
protesters. They said that they would like to meet with Military
prosecutor Gevorg Kostanyan. Meanwhile, public activist Vardges
Gaspari was running round the building and yelling “Serzhik is
Murderer!”

To remind, on May 15 at 3:30pm, soldier David Khachatryan fired at
Luks Stepanyan from his automated gun. Stepanyan died of the wound in
the head. Another soldier Hrachya Sargsyan was hospitalized with
gunshot wound in the head. He is currently at the reanimation
department of the Central Clinical Hospital of the Defense Ministry.

Earlier, father of the killed, resident of Verin Getashen, Gegharkunik
Region, Ishkhan Stepanyan said that he intends to deliver the body of
his son to the government building in Yerevan and demand explanations
from the defense minister. Road Police and officers of the Defense
Ministry of Armenia obstructed entry of a cortege
carrying body of the killed soldier Luks Stepanyan to Yerevan. The
cortege stopped on Sevan- Yerevan highway and the relatives of the
killed soldier squabbled with the police. As a result, the relatives
and the villagers of the killed soldier damaged the police vehicle.

Head of the Military Police Samvel Ghoukassyan, Defense Minister
Seyran Ohanyan and Police Head Vladimir Gasparyan have left to meet
with the relatives of the killed Luks Stepanyan. Minister Ohanyan
promised the relatives of the killed soldier that the tragedy will be
thoroughly inquired into and all those guilty in it will be
published. The minister promised open investigation.

On the basis of the criminal case initiated over the incident, charges
will be brought against David Khachatryan on Article 104.2 and Article
112.1 of the Criminal Code of Armenia. In addition, a petition will be
made to the court for Khachatryan’s arrest. An action of protest is
currently underway in front of the Government building.

NKR President, Armenia’s Deputy FM discuss foreign policy issues

13:47 18.05.2013

President of Nagorno Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan met with the
Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Shavarsh
Kocharyan.

Issues related to foreign policy and cooperation of the two Armenian
states in this field were discussed during the meeting, Central
Information Department of the Office of the NKR President reported.

No liberation without struggle – Zhirair Sefilyan – Videos

tert.am
23:18 – 17.05.13

The Armenian Preparliament has started its rally in Freedom Square in Yerevan.

The organizers state that a process of creating a republic of new
quality is under way in Armenia now.

After the current regime has been removed, the issues of forming a new
government and involving the people in a national liberation struggle
will be discussed.

`Our government, president and prime ministers failed to lay the
foundations for a secure country,’ a Preparliament member, Vardan
Hakobyan, said.

The current policy is focused on the country leader’s interests, which
is unacceptable, he said.

The result is regularly rigged elections and people that are not
masters of their homeland. `We have colonized Armenia, and our
strategic partner Russia has laid its hands on everything,’ he said.

The Preparliament member Garegin Chukaszyan stated that the ruling
Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) has once more proved that its
political leaders are not ready listen to the people.

`We need a new way. We must realize that the opposition is life, the
people. The number of people attending this rally shows that the
problem of social tension has not been resolved in Armenia, and
political revival is high on the agenda. The political stalemate the
Preparliament warned of last year is a reality now. We are struggling
against the bankrupt political system. The country is in a pit, and no
political forces or individuals can take it out,’ he said.

The country needs employment of democratic principles, which means
citizens’ immediate involvement and formation of an active opposition
network throughout the country.

The present political stalemate creates conditions for extremes and,
on the other hand, an atmosphere of despair, which forces more people
into emigration.

`We are sure of our people’s wisdom and we deny the claims that the
people supported the authorities by voting for them. No doubt, the
people have come down to abject poverty, and we must speak of those
responsible,’ he said.

Speaking at the rally, Tigran Khzmalyan noted the major problem is
emigration. Armenia’s authorities are the only ones responsible.

`Our country has lost 50% of its population in recent 20 years. We
have lost half of our cities and villages. The population of a village
leaves the country every day,’ he said.

When the people succeed in reaching a crucial moment by means of
elections, the authorities open fire at their own people, use batons
and go on occupying the country by means of money and frauds.

Armenia’s authorities do not take the opposition into account, so they
must be shown real opposition. `We must liberate our country. That’s
why we have united round Alek Yenigomshyan [an ex-member of
theArmenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia – ASALA], and
Zgirair Sefilyan [former commander of the Shushi battalion]. We are
not representing any party nor are we going to become a party because
parties split the country. We will create real power rather than a
party,’ he said.

The people are not resisting because the authorities know the way of
dealing with them – keeping the people hungry like it was during the
Genocide, Khzmalyan said.

Honored Actress of Armenia Siranush Azaryan spoke at the rally in
behalf of all the residents of Gyumri.

The people of Gyumri were able to ensure so the entire Armenian people
will be able to.

`Quite a few people attended the Preparliament’s rally in Gyumri on
May 9. A hope sprang up. But how many times can we let a hope spring
up and fade? This is typical of our people,’ she said.

`We give our children the best. But they are now living in a country
without future,’ Azaryan said.

If all people join the struggle, they are sure to win victory.
Alek Yenigomshyan welcomed the end of elections in Armenia, which
inaugurated a real struggle.

He presented the plans for the foreseeable future, namely, creating a
parallel government system and a state of new quality.

“We must think so to overcome this reality. We thus winned all of our
victories throughout our history,’ he said.

He noted that the forces that has now come onto the political scene is
not a party. `We have no right to change power and leave everything,
which was the case in 1988. That cruel system was replaced by a
similar cruel system’ he said.

There must not be reports to the people once in five years, but there
must be daily reports.

The Preparliament member, ethnographer Hranush Kharatyan said that the
initiative members do not have any ambitions or `civilization
complex.’

`These people are very busy. But they realize the disastrous situation
in the country. Who knows about the tasks of our authorities at
different levels? When you elected the Yerevan mayor, did you know
about his plans for this or next year? You do not know. But elections
are not programs of pledges,’ she said.

She hopes the people will join the Preparliament’s struggle for Armenia.

The environmentalist Yeghya Nersisyan quoted Garegin Nzhdeh, saying,
`It is more difficult to live a hero than to die.’

`I was in Byurakan, where Armenia’s Prosecutor General is building one
more death-dealing hydro-power plant. The villagers are ready to die
but they will not have the hydro power plant work,’ he said.

`Condemned are the authorities of a country where freedom fighters
stage sit-down protests,’ he said.

`We are ready to die for life, but they will live and dream of dying,’
Nersisyan said.

The Preparliament member Zgirair Sefilyan noted that the ruling regime
has for years retained power.

However, it is not because they are strong, but because the opposition
forces, to put it mildly, committed mistakes.

‘Our country is occupied. The ruling administration has declared an
open war on the people. So the homeland will not be liberated without
struggle,’ he said.

Twenty-five years ago the Armenian people succeeded to unite and
liberate Nagorno-Karabakh. The same must be done for establishing an
independent state.

He stressed the need to realize that any movement, especially an
opposition movement, cannot achieve results without support. Although
the Preparliament has a well-thought-out program , it will remain on
paper unless life is breathed into it.

He also stressed the need for organization in the Armenian Diaspora.

The Preparliament will hold its next rally on July 12, with
semimonthly meetings and discussions to precede it in Freedom Square.

`We realize our program is a complex one. It must be so because we
want to create a state, but we have a perception problem. We want to
listen to our people,’ he said.

Sefilyan called on `honest’ freedom fighters, who have endured for 25
years, to join the Preparliament. He also called on young people not
to leave Armenia and on the Armenian Diaspora to join the struggle.

ANC of Illinois hosts international conference on Armenian, Assyrian
and Greek Genocides

11:34 18.05.2013

The largest academic conference ever held focusing on the Armenian,
Assyrian and Greek genocides concluded on Saturday, May 11, after two
days of presentations by more than a dozen scholars from Armenia,
Australia, England and across North America.

The event, titled The Ottoman Turkish Genocides of Anatolian
Christians: A Common Case Study, was organized by the ANC of Illinois,
the Assyrian Center for Genocide Studies and the Asia Minor and Pontos
Hellenic Research Center, and was held at the prestigious Illinois
Holocaust Museum and Educational Center in Skokie on May 10 and 11.

With more than 120 participants each day, the conference was filled to
capacity with an enthusiastic audience.

`There was a great deal of new and interesting research presented
during the conference,’ said ANC of Illinois activist Greg Bedian.
`This conference clearly demonstrated the many shared aspects of the
Greek, Assyrian and Armenian genocides and helped to drive home the
concept that these three tragic events were conceived by Turkish
government to destroy the native Christian population and all traces
of their existence from Anatolia.’

The conference was opened by Master of Ceremonies John Davis, Emmy
award winner and long-time reporter and anchorman for CBS affiliate
WBBM-TV in Chicago. In his introductory remarks, Davis thanked the
many sponsors, volunteers, scholars and participants for their
contributions and for making the conference a reality. He then
introduced Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen, who spoke about the
significance of the conference being held at the Holocaust Museum.
Mayor Van Dusen was followed by Greek Consul General Ionna
Efthymiadou, who congratulated the Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek
communities for coming together to organize the conference, and
encouraged the scholars to continue their research into the Ottoman
Genocides.

Davis then introduced conference moderator George Shirinian, Executive
Director of the Zoryan Institute of Toronto, Canada. Shirinian’s
introductory remarks focused on the importance of these types of
conferences in the advancement of genocide research, and provided an
outline of how the conference would proceed. He then opened the first
session of the conference by introducing Dr. Paul Bartrop, the
Director of the Center of Judaic, Holocaust, and Genocide Studies at
Florida Gulf Coast University. Dr. Bartrop presented the topic
`Considering Genocide Testimony: Three Case Studies.’

During his presentation, Dr. Bartrop discussed the importance of
survivor memoirs as a historical resource, presenting examples from an
Armenian, an Assyrian and a Greek survivor. He noted that while
historians sometimes view survivor accounts as unreliable due to
trauma and bias, they often contain valuable details about massacres,
and sometimes are the only accounts available of particular events.

Following Dr. Bartrop was Stavros Stavridis, PhD candidate and
Historical Researcher at the Australian Institute of Macedonian
Studies, who joined the conference via Skype. Stavridis presentation
was titled `The Assyrian Issue 1914-1935: Australian Documents and
Press.’ He reviewed how the Assyrian Genocide was reported on in the
Australian press as well as how the thoughts and actions of various
government and private individuals impacted policy based on
documentation he had researched in the National Archives of Australia
and the collections at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

The final speaker of the opening session was Dr. Anahit Khosroeva,
senior researcher at the Institute of History at the Armenian National
Academy of Sciences, who spoke on the topic `The Assyrian Genocide in
the Ottoman Empire,’ discussing the massacres of Assyrians, and
Christians in general, as a continuum from the time of Abdul Hamid to
the Young Turks and into the Republican period, with the purpose of
eliminating the Assyrian, Greek and Armenian populations from
Anatolia.

The Friday afternoon session was opened by Dr. Hannibal Travis,
Associate Professor of Law at Florida International University College
of Law. During his presentation, entitled `Cultural and Symbolic
Reparations of the Ottoman Christian Genocide: From Memorials to
Restitution of Historic and Sacred Sites,’ Dr. Travis discussed the
destruction of the culture of the victim group that accompanied the
physical killing inherent in the Ottoman Genocides. As part of his
discussion of restitution of cultural monuments, Dr. Travis contrasted
the approaches and outcomes of the renovations of the Holy Cross
Church in Aghtamar and the St. Giragos Church in Diyarbekir.

The next speaker was Dr. Robert Shenk, Professor of English at the
University of New Orleans. Speaking on the topic `American Women,
Massacres, and the Admiral: Deep in Anatolia during the Turkish
Nationalist Revolution,’ Dr. Shenk described the devastating role
American Admiral Mark Bristol played in the post-war period as
America’s chief diplomat in the area, and how despite pleas from
numerous female American missionaries and even his own officers, he
placed the interests of American commerce ahead of protecting the
remnants of the Christian populations in Anatolia from ongoing
destruction, censoring reports of massacres from information relayed
back to Washington. Dr. Shenk praised the women missionaries for their
bravery, working in a foreign and often savage land, with no
guarantees for their physical safety.

Thea Halo, author of the book Not Even My Name, then spoke on the
topic `The Genocide of the Ottoman Greeks 1913-1923: Myths and Facts.’
Halo challenged some common assumptions often used to discount the
brutal treatment of the Greeks during the period of the Great
Catastrophe and offered valuable alternative views regarding Greek
irredentism based on the Megali Idea, and the role of King Constantine
I in protecting Greeks under Ottoman rule. Prof. Ellene Phufas then
closed out the first day of the conference by sharing an excerpt from
her translation, along with Aris Tsilfidis, of These Are the Turks:
First-Hand Accounts from the Slaughter of Nicomedia, the first book of
Greek Genocide survivor accounts which was collected by journalist
Kostas Faltaits and published in Greek in 1921.

The second and final day of the conference began with Master of
Ceremonies John Davis opening the program with welcoming remarks,
after which he invited Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
National Board Chairman Ken Hachikian to address the conference. In
his comments, Hachikian emphasized that the ANCA has been able to make
important strides in its lobbying activities because `we have the
truth on our side.’ He added that research like that being presented
at the conference played an important role in helping to make that
truth better understood. Following Hachikian’s comments, Davis asked
Conference Moderator George Shirinian to take the podium and open the
third session of the program.

After brief comments Shirinian introduced Georgia Kouta, a PhD
candidate at King’s College in London, England, to present her paper
titled `Redeeming the Unredeemed: The Anglo-Hellenic League’s Campaign
for the Greeks in Asia Minor.’ Kouta discussed the role of the
Anglo-Hellenic League in London in shaping western public opinion and
British policy on the Ottoman government’s treatment of its Greek
minority. She described how The League, which was composed of both
Greek and British members, collected valuable documentation on the
atrocities through Greek and non-Greek eye-witness reports, church and
newspaper accounts, and published pamphlets to raise awareness of the
atrocities.

Kouta was followed by Steven L. Jacobs, Associate Professor and Aaron
Aronov Endowed Chair in Judaic Studies at the University of Alabama.
Jacobs made an interesting presentation about the writings of Raphael
Lemkin, the author of the word genocide and the father of the UN
Genocide Convention. He described Lemkin’s incomplete and unpublished
three volume history of genocide, and described Lemkin’s treatment of
the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides.

The Saturday morning session was concluded with a presentation by Dr.
Tehmine Martoyan on `The International Legal Qualification and
Liability of Smyrna’s September Tragedy.’ In her presentation,
Martoyan examined the possibilities of applying the legal term
`genocide’ to the destruction of Smyrna in September,1922. She
reviewed evidence of the premeditated nature and implementation of the
extermination of the Armenian and Greek populations of Smyrna, as well
as the destruction of their homes and businesses so as to prevent the
return of the survivors of Smyrna’s destruction.

The fourth and final session of the conference opened with Dr. Gevorg
Vardanyan of the Armenian Genocide Museum & Institute in Yerevan,
Armenia, presenting his topic `The Ottoman Genocide of the Armenians
and Greeks: The Similarities and Structural Peculiarities.’ Dr.
Vardanyan pointed out that there were many common elements to the
Genocides of Greeks and Armenians, including the methods used for
organizing the massacres and the organizers themselves. Pointing out
some of the major differences in the two genocides, Dr. Vardanyan
noted that because of geography and demographics, the Kurds, who had
played a significant role in the Armenian genocide, were generally not
involved in the Greek genocide. He also noted that because of their
proximity to Greece, many of the Greeks in Eastern Thrace were
deported or escaped to Greece as opposed to being killed outright,
like their Pontian and Armenian counterparts.

Professor Dikran Kaligian of Worcester State University spoke on the
`Security and Insecurity in the Ottoman Armenian and Greek
Communities, 1908-1914.’ Kaligian described how the restoration of the
Ottoman Constitution had provided a brief period of hope and an
improvement in the personal security for the Armenians and Greeks
living in the empire. He then traced various events that began to
endanger those reforms, including the impact of the counter
revolutionary uprisings, the Balkan Wars, and the evolution of the
Young Turk movement from its liberal Ottomanist orientation toward a
chauvinistic pan-Turanist direction.

The final presentation of the conference was provided by Dr. Suren
Manukyan, a Fulbright Scholar on Sociology of the Armenian Genocide at
Rutgers University and Deputy Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum
& Institute, Yerevan, Armenia. Dr. Manukyan’s topic was `Cultural
Preconditions and Process of Social Indoctrination:
Socio-Psychological Dimension of the Ottoman Genocides.’ Noting that
the ability to participate in mass murder is not an inherent human
characteristic, he described how the state conditioned the Ottoman
Muslim population to be able to murder the Christians through
propaganda via the mosques, by altering the legal system, and other
methods. He contrasted the Armenian Genocide with the Holocaust,
pointing out that many Armenians met violent deaths, sometimes at the
hands of their neighbors, rather than in the more industrialized
concentration camps.

Haykakan Zhamanak: Armenia gives up new nuke plant plan?

12:48 – 18.05.13

The Armenian government’s new program, unveiled earlier this month,
contains no provision on a new nuclear plant project, despite earlier
plans hinted in the previous programs, says the paper.

It cites the Government’s 2012 Plan of Actions, which said `the
activities towards the construction of the Armenian nuclear plant’s
new bloc will continue’

According to the paper, that’s especially interesting in the light of
President Serzh Sargsyan’s 2008 statement (addressed to the population
and the National Assembly) that `Armenia is beginning the construction
of a new nuclear power plant’.

The paper says that the failure to begin the construction four and a
half years later and the absence of any relevant provision in the
Government’s program could mean Armenia has given up the idea.

Armenian News – Tert.am

FRANCE
Question Ecrite pour l’autorisation d’utilisation de l’espace aérien
entre Erevan et Stepanakert
Texte de la question

Mme Valérie Boyer attire l’attention de M. le ministre des affaires
étrangères sur la nécessité de soutenir l’ouverture de la liaison
aérienne entre le Haut-Karabagh et l’Arménie. En 1992, les combats
opposant Arméniens et Azerbaidjanais pour le contrôle du Haut-Karabagh
ont rendu l’aéroport de Stepanakert, capitale de la république du
Haut-Karabagh, inutilisable. Depuis 2008, le Haut-Karabagh a entrepris
une grande opération de rénovation de l’aéroport, la construction d’un
nouveau terminal ainsi que le réaménagement de la piste. Pourtant,
alors que l’aéroport a été livré et répond aux normes de sécurité en
vigueur, le gouvernement de l’Azerbaïdjan interdit l’utilisation de
l’espace aérien et l’armée azerbaidjanaise menace d’abattre tout avion
civil dont elle considérerait qu’il viole l’espace aérien national. Si
quelques vols héliportés sont autorisés, ceux-ci ne suffisent pas à
désenclaver cette région géographiquement isolée, d’autant que les
conditions climatiques rudes empêchent les hélicoptères d’assurer la
liaison en période hivernale. Dans le contexte de tensions toujours
vives depuis le cessez-le-feu de 1994, il apparaît primordial que la
France joue un rôle de premier plan en oeuvrant pour l’ouverture de
l’espace aérien azerbaidjanais aux vols civils entre Erevan et
Stepanakert dans le cadre du groupe de Minsk de l’Organisation pour la
sécurité et la coopération en Europe qu’elle copréside. Elle le prie
de bien vouloir lui faire connaître les actions qu’il compte
entreprendre en ce sens.

samedi 18 mai 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

ARMENIE
Un soldat arrêté après avoir tiré sur des camarades

Un conscrit de l’armée arménienne a été arrêté après avoir tué un
autre soldat et blessé grièvement un autre dans des circonstances
obscures.

La fusillade mortelle a eu lieu mercredi dans une unité de l’armée
stationnée dans la province du Tavush.

Des enquêteurs militaires ont déclaré que le tireur, Davit
Khachatrian, a été placé en détention immédiatement après l’incident.
Ils ont refusé de commenter les raisons pour lesquelles Davit
Khachatrian a ouvert le feu sur ses camarades, identifiés comme Luks
Stepanian et Hrach Sargsian.

Stepanian est décédé sur place, tandis que Sarkissian a été
hospitalisé avec une grave blessure par balle à la tête. Il est dans
un état critique après avoir subi une intervention chirurgicale dans
un hôpital militaire à Erevan.

Certaines sources ont affirmé que la fusillade fait suite à un
différend entre les soldats. Cependant, les parents de Sargsian vivant
dans un village dans la province méridionale d’Armavir ont affirmé que
les responsables militaires ont raconté une histoire différente.

« Ils disent qu’ils plaisantaient et ont joué les uns avec les autres,
et que des coups de feu ont été tirés par inadvertance » a déclaré
Taron Sargsian, l’oncle du soldat blessé, au service arménien de RFE /
RL (Azatutyun.am). Il dit que son neveu a été frappé par la même balle
qui a tué l’autre soldat.

« Je lui ai parlé par téléphone la veille de l’incident, il était très
bien » a affirmé pour sa part le grand-père de Hrach Sarkissian.

Les parents de Sargsian travaillant en Russie sont revenus
précipitamment en Arménie après les nouvelles de la fusillade. Hrach a
vécu en Russie jusqu’à ce que son retour au début de 2012 pour servir
dans l’armée arménienne.

« Les médecins nous ont donné l’espoir que sa vie sera sauvée », a
déclaré l’oncle du jeune gé de 19 ans.

samedi 18 mai 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

`Abstraction’ Trailer Builds Anticipation for Film by Armenian Filmmaker

Friday, May 17th, 2013

Prince Ishcan Bagdasarian

“Abstraction” film poster

LOS ANGELES – PIB Productions has announced the release of a new movie
trailer for `Abstraction,’ an intense action crime drama revolving
around the heist of a half a million dollar painting.

`Abstraction’ is written and directed by Armenian filmmaker Prince
Ishcan Bagdasarian and stars Academy Award ® Nominee Eric Roberts
(Dark Knight, Expendables), Ken Davitian (Borat, The Artist), Hunter
Ives, Korrina Rico (School Dance, In Time), Natalie Victoria
(Deadheads), Richard Manriquez, and James Lewis (Gacy House).

Although PIB Productions had a limited budget to produce the
independent feature film, they utilized modern innovative methods of
filmmaking and called upon certain industry professionals who
supported the ambitious project in its early stages.

`It was really interesting assembling a team with the proper knowledge
who also believed in the film’ says writer and director Prince
Bagdasarian. `We had to film scenes that involved everything from
extensive dramatic dialogue to police shootouts and car crashes. The
dedication and expertise of our cast and crew was greatly essential in
producing the film on our budget.’

The new trailer for `Abstraction’ gives audiences a peek into the film
and leaves them aching for more. `The positive feedback we’ve received
from trailer viewers has been exciting. There isnow an overwhelming
demand to see the film in its entirety’, explains Bagdasarian. `We’re
confident the film will meet, if not surpass, everyone’s
expectations.’

`Abstraction’ was shot in and around Los Angeles, CA and is 100
minutes in length. After completion, it will be premiering at numerous
film festivals before making its way to worldwide distribution. For
additional information about `Abstraction’, and to watch the films
trailer, please visit:

Prince Ishcan Bagdasarian is a Los Angeles-based independent filmmaker
with extensive industry experience and the founder of PIB Productions,
a production company specializing in production and post production
for films.

Gas price hike pulverized election bribe

03:13 PM | MAY 17, 2013 | POLITICS

Vice Chairman of the opposition Heritage party, Armen Martirosyan
blames the Armenian National Congress (ANC) for diverting the
opposition electorate.

“For many years the ANC was trying to make the Prosperous Armenia
Party (PAP) an opposition as a result of which many voters voted for
the PAP considering it an opposition. While, after the elections, PAP
Leader Gagik Tsarukyan did not say that the PAP is not an opposition
but said it could not be an opposition. It was a frank approach but it
should have been announced earlier.

Similarly, the ANC should not have done it, though it might have had
its interests in it,” said Martirosyan.
Asked what the Barev Yerevan bloc was going to do in the newly-elected
City Council, the Heritage official said, “We shall try to reduce the
kickbacks. If opposition took seats in the City Council in 2009-2013
it would have been possible to save kickbacks in the amount of $200
million.”

Speaking about the hike in tariffs for natural gas in Armenia, Armen
Martirosyan said if people knew about the pending increase in gas
prices before the election they would not take election bribe or would
not vote for the bribers realizing that the money would be pulverized.

“The raise in the blue fuel will create the deepest tensed
social-economic condition in Armenia,” the Heritage representative
said in conclusion.