Author: Badalian Vardan

FOREIGN MINISTER OF ARMENIA BLAMES AZERBAIJAN IN FAILING THE CREATION OF INVESTIGATION MECHANISM

ARMENPRESS
MARCH 16, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, MARCH 16, ARMENPRESS. At the recent meeting of the presidents
of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan in Sochi an arrangement has been
reached over working out a mechanism of investigation of incidents
on the line of contact. Azerbaijan did everything not to create such
mechanism, Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian said at the
joint news conference with his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle.

“At the previous meeting in Sochi, a year ago, the presidents referred
to a number of points but these arrangements as well did not come true
as Azerbaijan again stepped back,” Foreign Minister of Armenia said.

He informed that corresponding proposals over the investigation
mechanism have been presented by the co-chairs in March 2011 and
Armenia responded to it. “Armenia once again positively responded in
October past year to the proposal of the co-chairs. Azerbaijan has
not answered till now,” Nalbandian stressed.

As an example of unconstructive approach of Azerbaijan, Minister
Nalbandian mentioned the discussions of the OSCE budget when Azerbaijan
threatened to put a veto in case of allocation of financial means
to the investigation mechanism. “It is one of the examples why we do
not manage to register progress as we agree one thing, but Azerbaijan
steps back from our arrangements,” Nalbandian said.

He said the Azerbaijani position became the reason for failure to
register progress. “That is the reason why the co-chairs fail to help
the parties. They are doing a great work,” the Minister said.

Nalbandian also highly rated the brokering activity of President of
Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev. “At the recent meeting in Sochi a
quite high assessment was given to the activity of the co-chairs. Even
Azerbaijani president stated that he highly values their activity
and the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan expressed hope that
the mediators will continue working in the same format until peace
is established in the region,” the minister said. He stressed that
few days after these statements of Ilham Aliev suddenly a criticism
was voiced addressed to the co-chairs which once again proves the
unconstructive approach of Azerbaijan.

HERITAGE LEADER CALLS FOR UNITING EFFORTS

Tert.am
16.03.12

The leader of the Heritage party, Raffi Hovhannisyan, has called
upon the opposition forces to unite their efforts ahead of the May
parliamentary polls.

In his speech at the Free Democrats party’s third congress on Friday,
Hovhannisyan conveyed to the participants his sympathy and support
on behalf of Heritage and said their concerted efforts would bring
a new daybreak to Armenia on May 6 and the following day.

He characterized the Free Democrats party as a powerful force committed
to national interests.

Hovhannisyan stressed that an alliance would contribute to state
building more than separate political parties put together.

“Our country’s sovereignty, interests, and the future of generations
is beyond our own selves. Together, we will move mountains,” he said.

In a summary report adopted after the speeches, the Free Democrats
vested the Heritage party with the authority to determine the format
of the parliamentary campained.

None of the ruling political forces had attended the congress. A
spokesperson for the Free Democrats party, Angela Khachatryan, told
Tert.am that the coalition parties – the Republican, Rule of Law and
Prosperous Armenia – had not been sent an invitation. But ex-foreign
minister Vardan Oskanyan, who has recently joined Prosperous Armenia,
was among the invited. Commenting on his presence Khachatryan said
it had nothing to do with Oskanyan’s party affiliation as he was
invited there as a public figure known, not as a Prosperous Armenia
representative.

The congress was also attended by the leader of the Republic party
(a political force represented in the opposition Armenian National
Congress), Aram Sargsyan, and a member of the opposition Armenian
Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaksutyun (ARF-D) faction in parliament,
Armen Roustamyan.

All the lawmakers of the Heritage party faction were present at
the discussion.

NATO NOT TO BE ENGAGED IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT

news.am
March 16, 2012 | 14:34

NATO has no intention of getting involved in the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict and it is not even involved in the peace process, the Deputy
Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy
James Appathurai said in an interview with Atlantic-community.org.

In response to the question what kind of arrangements NATO is going
to carry out in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and
Armenia, Appathurai said that the bottom line is that NATO hopes it
never to happen.

Appathurai thinks there is concern amongst the Allies at the state
of the Minsk Process.

“NATO heard from the two presidents in the last few weeks that
they are committed to the process, they are committed to a peaceful
resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis. But the reality is that
the Minsk Process has had some difficulties, especially recently,
and that there is worrying rhetoric between the two states and a lot
of weapons being purchased by both states,” he said.

According to him, the South Caucasus is a region which probably does
not get as much attention as it deserves from the international media.

“It is of critical strategic importance for reasons of its location,
for reasons of its potential, and for reasons of its energy transit and
supply role. So for many reasons it is important that this conflict
be resolved in a peaceful way as soon as possible and respecting the
principles of international law. So NATO hopes it will be solved,
but to come back to the question in its most pointed way, NATO is not
involved in this crisis, except to supporting the Minsk Group and a
peaceful resolution,” he said.

” UNE MEILLEURE ARMENIE POUR CHACUN ”
Stephane

armenews.com
vendredi 16 mars 2012

Les agences de presse et les televisions ont accorde une importante
couverture au Congrès du parti Republicain, le 10 mars, au cours
duquel le President Sarkissian a ete reelu, sans surprise, a la tete
du parti. Wilfrid Martens, le President du Parti Populaire Europeen
auquel le parti Republicain vient d’adherer, a salue la tenue de ce
congrès, reaffirmant la place de l’Armenie dans la famille europeenne
du PPE. Le depute russe d’origine armenienne, Arthur Tchilingarov,
a egalement lu un message de felicitations de Vladimir Poutine. Dans
son discours d’une heure, le President armenien a aborde de nombreux
thèmes dont une Armenie forte et un Haut Karabagh independant, ”
qui ne retournera pas dans le giron de Bakou “. Le chef de l’Etat
a notamment plaide pour un changement a tous les niveaux de la vie
politique et sociale du pays.

Principaux thèmes evoques :

consultations electorales imminentes. Le chef de l’Etat s’est borne
a souligner que ” l’on doit tenir de bonnes elections “, et ne pas
mettre en doute dès maintenant, leur legitimite. Le slogan du parti
Republicain sera : ” Une meilleure Armenie pour tous “.

Evoquant les critiques a l’encontre de son parti au cours des dernières
annees ” accuse de tous les peches “, notamment d’avoir voulu ”
ceder ” le HK, d'” abjurer ” le genocide et d’avoir fait ” echouer ”
le developpement, le chef de l’Etat a enumere les acquis economiques,
notamment l’augmentation du budget de l’Etat, la creation de nouveaux
emplois malgre la crise economique, la croissance du salaire moyen
(de 120 euros a 220 euros), des retraites (2,5 fois) etc. Le President
a ajoute qu’aucune croissance economique ne saurait resoudre les
problèmes, sans creation de nouvelles entreprises.

Concernant la ” maladie cancerigène ” de la ” corruption “, il a
preconise des moyens ” chirurgicaux “.

conflit du HK. Le HK a toujours ete, est et sera armenien. La
reconnaissance internationale du droit du peuple du HK a
l’autodetermination est la base du règlement pacifique du conflit
auquel Stepanakert doit etre associe.

relations armeno-turques. Bien que la frontière demeure fermee,
l’initiative armenienne de normaliser les relations bilaterales a
eu trois consequences : le processus de reconnaissance du genocide
armenien a ete relance ; le monde entier sait que l’unique obstacle
a la normalisation des relations armeno-turques reside a Ankara et a
Bakou ; la Turquie a signe un document excluant tout prealable a la
normalisation des relations.

les reformes sont indispensables. Le chef de l’Etat, evoquant les
mecontentements vis-a-vis du système de gouvernance, estime que
l’on doit changer d’attitude envers ” l’un des plus beaux pays du
monde qui jouit d’un riche patrimoine, et d’un avenir encourageant
“. ” Croyons, pour changer “, c’est le slogan que propose le chef de
l’Etat pour la campagne electorale de son parti.

Ambassade de France en Armenie

Service de presse

LE VOYAGE D’ARIANNA
Stephane

armenews.com
vendredi 16 mars 2012

Le journal Contra Costa Times aux Etats-Unis a publie un reportage sur
l’adoption d’une petite fille armenienne par un couple d’americains.

Age de trois ans Arianna Spiglanin vit desormais a Starbucks. Arianna
avait 9 mois quand sa mère et son père, Tom Spiglanin, l’ont ramene
d’un orphelinat a Erevan en Armenie.

Ayant essaye sans succès d’avoir un enfant le couple a choisi
finalement l’adoption. Lauren Spiglanin a suggere l’Armenie etant donne
que sa famille est armenienne et que sa soeur a adopte un fils dans
le pays il y a une decennie. Ce fût un processus long. Il y a eu des
contrôles et des etudes financières, des lettres de recommandation,
des pages de documents ayant besoin d’une traduction – pour un
coût important. Cela a commence au debut de 2007. Ce n’est que fin
decembre 2008 que la perspective d’adopter une petite fille est
devenue reelle.Le bebe etait ne le 28 novembre 2008 ; sa mère de
naissance etait morte une semaine plus tard.

” C’etait l’appel que nous attendions ” a dit Lauren Spiglanin,
46 ans. ” Le facilitateur nous a dit d’arriver en mars “.

C’etait la première fois qu’elle et son mari, 53 ans, visitaient
le pays.

” Cela a ete vraiment magique ” a dit Spiglanin. ” Je me suis senti
en paix “.

À l’epoque on leur avait dit que le bebe ne mangeait pas bien.

” Nous allions a l’hôpital et ils nous l’apportaient “a dit Spiglanin.

” Si mignonne. Son premier sourire etait a Tom “.

Arianna est nee prematurement – d’un mois, on leur avait dit – et sa
mère etait morte d’une rupture d’anevrisme a dit Spiglanin.

Le facilitateur les a presentes a la tante du bebe et ils ont appris
seulement ” des particules et des morceaux de son histoire medicale “.

Cette première visite en Armenie sera suivie par trois autres les
mois suivants avant que les Spiglanin ne deviennent les parents de
la petite fille avec des grands yeux bruns.

Mais ce n’est qu’en août 2009 – après que l’adoption ait ete achevee –
que le couple a obtenu un peu plus de reponses medicales sur leur bebe.

” Notre facilitateur a laisse une enveloppe a l’hôtel ” a dit
Spiglanin.

A l’interieur les rapports medicaux qui indiquaient que le placenta de
la mère a la naissance s’etait detache, coupant l’approvisionnenemt
d’oxygène au bebe. Les papiers ont dit que le bebe avait ete victime
d’une lourde asphyxie et d’une insuffisance de souffle aiguë.

” Essentiellement, ils disaient que le bebe a ete victime d’une
paralysie cerebrale ” a dit Spiglanin.

” Les medecins aux Etats-Unis ont dit qu’elle semblait alerte. Elle
semblait sous-alimentee. Personne n’a jamais leve la question d’une
paralysie cerebrale “.

Arianna est nee prematurement en faite de deux mois.

Les semaines et les mois qui ont suivi leur retour au pays ont ete
remplis de visites aux docteurs et de sessions de therapie. En octobre
2009, Mme Spiglanin a repris son travail avant d’etre licenciee
pour raison economique. Elle a lutte contre la depression. ” Je me
rappelle disant ” ne t’inquiète pas, Arianna, Maman s’occupera de tout
” dit-elle. ” Nous avions 13 rendez-vous par semaine. J’ai ete deprime
de l’interieur, mais je ne l’ai pas expose a l’exterieur “.

Arianna a fait d’importants progrès jusqu’a se deplacer seule dans
un trotteur.

L’automne dernier, Arianna a commence le programme prescolaire pour
des elèves ayant des besoins speciaux meme si elle compte toujours sur
ses parents pour l’alimenter. Pour les bains, elle est assise dans
une chaise. Mais sa mère a dit qu’elle a remarque des ameliorations
significatives dans son developpement depuis que l’ecole a commence.

” Elle est juste plus energique. Elle tient sa tete plus haut. Elle
s’etend pour atteindre les choses ” a dit Spiglanin. ” Elle est
beaucoup plus curieuse. La coordination des mains et des yeux est en
hausse et c’est grâce a l’ecole “.

Lauren Spiglanin a dit qu’elle ne mettait pas la faute sur le
directeur de l’orphelinat de Nork, qui loge des bebes jusqu’au 6
ans des enfants. ” Elle a pense que nous connaissions ” l’histoire
medicale a dit Spiglanin.

Mme Spiglanin passe son temps a collecter de l’argent pour creer une
vrai cour de recreation dans l’orphelinat. ” En ete, quand l’air a
Erevan est epais et humide, les enfants pourront employer le lieu
pour se rafraîchir ” a dit Mme Spiglanin.

Elle est collecte les fonds pour la Fondation a but non lucratif
Paros et a deja environ 4000 $ sur les 10000 $ necessaire.

Elle espère faire prochainement une vente aux enchères en ligne de
bijoux et diaments offerts la societe Jewelry Source ” a El Segundo.

La proprietaire Brenda Newman, qui connaissait Spiglanin quand elle
travaillait a l’Hôtel de ville, a dit qu’elle a ete emue par l’histoire
du couple.

” Je suis poussee par les parents. Ce sont eux qui font vraiment
quelque chose pour moi. Leur passion me conduit ” a dit Newman.

Contra Costa Times

900 000 CARTES BANCAIRES EN CIRCULATION EN ARMENIE
Krikor Amirzayan

armenews.com
samedi 17 mars 2012

En janvier 2012 le montant des retraits a travers les Banques
automatiques de retrait de billets a constitue 35 milliards de drams
en Armenie, selon les donnees de la Banque centrale d’Armenie. En
decembre dernier le montant des transactions a travers ces terminaux
bancaires s’etait etabli a 72 milliards de drams, un chiffre record
pour l’Armenie. La moyenne de chaque transaction s’etablit a près de
40 000 drams. En Armenie 20 des 21 banques officiellement recenses
disposent de leur carte bancaire. La seule banque qui ne dispose pas
de ce système est la banque iranienne ” Mellat Bank “. Le nombre de
cartes bancaires en circulation en Armenie est de près de 900 000 et
le nombre de distributeurs automatiques de billets est de 800.

‘TO BETTER UNDERSTAND EAST AND EAST, THROUGH THE WEST’
Jim Quilty

The Daily Star

March 16 2012
Lebanon

BEIRUT: As it’s becoming unfashionable for the state to play a
benevolent role vis-a-vis a country’s artists and cultural production,
arts funding and development organizations have begun to crop up in
this region. At times they have taken an institutional form, others
harken back to an older model of philanthropy.

The most recent of these to emerge is the Boghossian Foundation Prize
for young Lebanese artists, which is being launched this year. The
aim of the award is to reward three young Lebanese artists active
in the visual arts (painting, sculpture, photography and video),
jewelry, design and fashion design. The 2012 edition of the prize
will be limited to painting, sculpture and jewelry.

“Next year probably photography and maybe video and then music and
other disciplines, design, for example, will be added,” said Jean
Boghossian, “whatever we could call art because for us, art is the
language.”

Along with his brother Alfred, Boghossian is one of the founding
members of the prize and the foundation that has established, and
will bankroll, it.

A jury of 12 arts professionals will decide which works receive the
prize. Chaired by Albert Boghossian, the jury will include curators,
museum directors, arts educators and critics from Belgium and Lebanon.

“We try not to go with the gallerists and artists themselves,”
Boghossian said, “because we want to separate the prize from personal
interests.”

The selection process will be professionally adjudicated but not blind:
the jury will know the names of the submitting artists.

“I think they won’t do it without names,” Boghossian continued,
“because … you need to know, you need to enter into the thought
of the artist to see what he has behind his mind, how serious is the
artist, and so forth.”

The three winning artists will each receive $10,000, complete with a
spell in Brussels and an invitation to show their work there, with
complementary travel and accommodation at the foundation’s opulent
Brussels headquarters.

“During their time in Brussels, the laureates will be in association
with some academy there, depending on what their needs,” he continued,
“and how they want to do it also.”

Candidates must be 17-35 years of age and be of Lebanese nationality
or else have been resident there for five years. They must be active
in the genres favored by this year’s prize and present professional
documentation of their work to the jury. The application deadline is
May 15, with the prize-winners announced in the summer.

In setting up this prize, the Boghossian Foundation has collaborated
with Solidere, ALBA (the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts) and APEAL (the
Association for the promotion and exhibition of the arts in Lebanon).

Created in 1992, the Boghossian Foundation has been active as a
philanthropic organization supporting various educational, urban
development, artistic and cultural projects in Armenia, Syria and
Lebanon.

Not all successful families turn their wealth to philanthropy and
Boghossian says his family’s efforts were formed by their history.

“We grew up in an environment where charity was [present]. From my
grandfather’s time where they distributed bags of rice for Christmas
… Anyway we had this in us and later on we made money.

“I started in the jewelry and the precious stone business and in
1970 I was going to the far east and South America buying emeralds,
rubies and sapphires. It started at the right time because the price
of oil went up.”

Boghossian says his family moved to Brussels when Lebanon’s Civil
War broke out.

“It was easy to leave because our business is very easy to carry. …

So I went directly to Antwerp, the center of the diamond world,
and opened my office there.

“Why philanthropy? Because the earthquake happened in Armenia
in 1988-89 and we had made some money and we consider ourselves
hardworking people but that there was also some blessing,” he paused,
“… from … upstairs, that we were lucky to meet the right people at
the right time, and that we had to share also what we had made with,
first of all, the people we come from.

“To advance in this work, we decided we cannot do it on our own. We
can do more if we have partners and associates,” he adds.

Boghossian says one of the models his family emulated was that of the
Lisbon-based Gulbenkian Foundation (whose wealth derives from Middle
East oil), with whom the Boghossians partnered in the establishment
of a school in Burj Hammoud.

“Looking at Gulbenkian’s amazing grounds in Lisbon I said, ‘Well
we’re not Gulbenkian but our action is going to die with us. If
we need to leave a message to the future generations to take over,
to crystalize our action into a building.'”

The center of the Boghossians’ activities is Brussels’ Villa Empain.

Acquired in 2006 and restored (at a cost of $18 million) this art deco
palace was opened to the public in 2010 and has become the foundation’s
headquarters and a self-conscious space of East-West cultural exchange,
hosting a range of cultural and artistic events.

“The purpose wasn’t very clear in the beginning,” Boghossian said,
“because we were doing humanitarian actions, giving money, restoring a
building … We had to find the right concept for the villa. I thought,
we’re coming from a genocide. We have lived three Israeli-Arab wars. We
have lived the Civil War, whose first gunshots made me leave.

“We thought there was a need for a change in mentalities. We’ve
lived in these countries where people keep talking about politics
and nothing advances. We’ve lived in these countries where people
talk religion and still they fight. The things we think are going to
improve things end up pitting people against each other.

“We need another language, the language of tolerance, so that even if
you disagree you don’t have to hit on each other. You sit, you discuss,
you build bridges and maybe you understand each other later on.

“So let’s find this language, which is art. Create better bridges. But
the purpose is to better understand East and East, through the West.”

At the end of March Villa Empain will host “Art is the Answer,”
an exhibition of 20 Lebanese artists and designers including such
well-known names as Fouad Elkoury, Ziad Abillama Ziad Antar, Zena
el Khalil and Ayman Baalbaki. The show is slotted to be remounted at
the Beirut Exhibition Center in 2013.

“Our second exhibition was on Ottoman art,” Boghossian smiled. “Some
members of the Armenian community came to me and said, ‘you are an
Armenian, how could you have an exhibition of Ottoman art?’ I told
them this is the message of our foundation.”

“Art is the Answer” commences March 29 at Brussels’ Villa
Empain. For more information on Boghossian Foundation Prize for
young Lebanese artists, see or write
[email protected].

ARMENIA ACCUSES AZERBAIJAN IN DEATH OF SOLDIER NEAR ARMISTICE LINE

Deutsche Presse-Agentur , Germany
March 15 2012

March 15–MOSCOW — Armenia has accused neighbouring Azerbaijan of
involvement in the death of an Armenian soldier, reported local media
Thursday, citing the Armenian Defence Ministry.

The soldier’s body was found near an armistice line between the two
oft-feuding former Soviet republics. The two countries have a tense
ceasefire in effect.

CHALIAN, LEAVENS APPOINTED TO AUA SENIOR ADMINISTRATION

asbarez
Thursday, March 15th, 2012

Maral Chalian

YEREVAN-American University of Armenia President Bruce Boghosian
announced this week the addition of two new members to AUA’s Senior
Administration team: Dr. Dennis Leavens as Provost and Maral Chalian
as Vice President of Institutional Advancement.

Leavens comes to AUA from the Faculty of Humanities and Social
Sciences at United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain where he served
as Professor of English from 2005, Associate Dean from 2006, and more
recently as Interim Dean from March 2011. From 1988 until 2005, Leavens
was on the faculty of English at Truman State University in Missouri,
and from 1983-1988 he was Assistant Professor of English at Benedictine
College in Atchison, Kansas. Leavens will begin work on July 1.

Chalian comes to AUA from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where she
was Associate Director for Major Gifts and Planned Giving. Prior
to that, she was the Principal Consultant for External Relations
and Fundraising for MC Non-Profit Consultants in Los Angeles, where
her clients included Occidental College. Chalian is familiar with
Armenia, having worked for the United Armenian Fund as Director of
Special Projects and External Relations from 1996 to 2005. She has
earned a Certificat de Langue Francaise at the Sorbonne, a BA degree
in English Literature from California State University, Northridge,
and a Certificate of Completion in Developing Major Gifts from the
Fundraising School of Indiana University. She is currently pursuing
an Executive Master of Leadership degree at the Sol Price School of
Public Policy at the University of Southern California. Chalian will
begin work in April, and will spend much time at AUA’s Oakland office
and Yerevan campus.

“We are delighted to have Dr. Leavens and Ms. Chalian join AUA’s Senior
Administration team at this important juncture in AUA’s growth,” stated
President Boghosian. “As AUA prepares for the proposed launch of its
undergraduate program in 2013, pending WASC approval, Dr. Leavens and
Ms. Chalian bring a great deal of experience and expertise to AUA’s
existing administrative capacity.”

GERMAN BUISNESSMEN INTERESTED IN MAKING NEW INVESTENTS IN ARMENIA

ARMENPRESS
MARCH 16, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN. MARCH 16, ARMENPRESS: Within the frameworks of the visit of
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle to Armenia, the high-ranking
officials of the delegation held March 16 a meeting with Artak
Shaboyan, Chairman of the Armenian State Commission for Protection
of Economic Competition (SCPEC).

During the meeting issues on improvement of the competitive
environment and investment field in Armenia were discussed, SCPEC told
Armenpress. Artak Shaboyan presented to delegation members the works
implemented by the commission up today, as well as the priorities
for 2012.

Getting acquainted with the statistics of the commissions’ activity and
main directions of the work, Stephan Auer, Director for Globalization,
Energy and Climate Policy at the Federal Foreign Office, welcomed
the activity of SCPEC and stressed that the steps taken are very
important not only for favorable competitive environment in the
country but for involvement of foreign investments as well.

Stephan Auer noted that German businessmen are interested in making
new investments in Armenia, and the commission promotes this with
its activity, creating trustworthy and favorable free competitive
environment.

The members of the delegation expressed gratitude to SCPEC Chairman for
open and productive discussion. Shaboyan stressed that the commission
always actively cooperates with different international institutions,
including German ones.

Particularly, German International Cooperation Company and the
experience of the partners of Twinning programs assist in adopting
decisions, experience exchange, preparation of professionals and
during legislative reforms.

SCPEC Chairman expressed gratitude for supporting the commission and
for contributing to Armenia-European Union integration.