Author: Badalian Vardan

AZERBAIJAN WON’T ATTACK ARMENIA – EXPERT

Vestnik Kavkaza
Feb 21 2012
Russia

Azerbaijan won’t attack Armenia, Azerbaijani political analyst Fikret
Sadykhov told VK, commenting on the recent statement by the CSTO chief.

The chairman of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Nikolay
Bordyuzha, recently said that the organization would back Armenia in
case of military aggression.

According to Professor Sadykhov, there will be no need for such
intervention as Azerbaijan has no plans to attack Armenia.

ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LEADER URGES EQUALITY IN NEW TURKEY LAW

Agence France Presse
February 20, 2012 Monday 3:09 PM GMT

The spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians said Monday
that members of his community must not be treated as second-class
citizens in Turkey’s new constitution.

“We want the new text to represent all of us… We want nothing more
than to be equal,” Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople
said after addressing a session of parliament devoted to drawing up
a new basic law.

“We do not want to be second-class citizens. Minorities have
unfortunately fallen victim to such injustice. But this is starting
to change,” he was quoted as saying by the Anatolia news agency.

The patriarch was consulted by parliament about the role of religious
minorities in the new constitution for the Muslim majority but
secular nation.

An official from the Syriac community also addressed lawmakers and
representatives from the Armenian and Jewish communities are also
due to have their views heard.

Turkey does not recognize Bartholomew I’s title as head of the world
Orthodox Christians and considers him only the spiritual head of
Turkey’s tiny Greek Orthodox minority.

Ankara said last year it aimed to draft a new constitution by mid-2012
to replace a post-coup basic law adopted in 1980, but progress has
been slow and the new document may not emerge this year.

Today the Greek Orthodox population numbers little more than 2,500
people in Istanbul. There are also some 60,000 Armenians and 15,000
Orthodox Syrians among the minority religious groups.

The government in Turkey is headed by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, leader of the Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party
(AKP).

RUSSIA DEPLOYS S-400 AIR DEFENSE MISSILES

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 21, 2012 – 17:17 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – New S-400 Triumf air defense systems have been
delivered to Russia’s Western Military District and will be put
on alert duty in a month, district commander Arkady Bakhin said on
Tuesday, February 21, RIA Novosti reported.

He did not say exactly where the missiles will be stationed.

Air Force Commander Alexander Zelin previously said S-400 systems
would be deployed near Russia’s borders in 2012.

Some of them will most likely be placed in the Russian exclave of
Kaliningrad in response to the planned European missile shield,
which Moscow considers a threat to its national security.

Russia currently has two S-400 regiments protecting the airspace
around Moscow.

State-controlled arms exporter Rosoboronexport has said Russia will
not export S-400 systems before 2015 and may not start deliveries to
Belarus and Kazakhstan until after 2014.

The S-400 (SA-21 Growler) air defense system is expected to form the
cornerstone of Russia’s theater air and missile defenses by 2020.

The S-400 can engage targets at a range of up to 400 kilometers and an
altitude of 40,000-50,000 meters. The system uses an array of assets
optimized for engaging ballistic and cruise missiles.

SCIENTISTS OFFER DECLARATION ON RIGHTS OF DOLPHINS

news.am
February 21, 2012 | 17:45

Scientists and animal rights groups have developed a special
declaration on the rights of dolphins and want it to be approved at
the legislative level.

If the bill on dolphins is passed, then attacks of fishermen, as well
as keeping dolphins in zoos will be a criminal offense.

The bill says representative of cetaceans – whales, dolphins and
belugas – has the right to life and nobody has the right to own these
creatures or do something that infringes their rights, liberty or
the rules, NEWSru.com reports.

Last year Armenian environmentalists filed a lawsuit against the
Armenian Ministry of Nature Protection demanding that court should
order the ministry to conduct an inquiry into construction project
of the Yerevan dolphinarium.

The Nemo dolphinarium was opened in 2010 December in the territory
of one of the Yerevan parks. Environmentalists objected to the idea,
saying the dolphins would not survive in Armenia.

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION WELCOMES STRUGGLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS

news.am
February 21, 2012 | 19:16

YEREVAN. – The opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) welcomes
the struggle of environmentalists in various regions of Armenia and
expresses its readiness to join their environmental initiatives.

“Stressing the importance of literate environmental policy and
necessity of comprehensive approach to environmental issues, ANC’s
environmental committee introduces draft project of environment policy
for public discussions.

Lots of mining deposits are being exploited in Armenia while being
public property, but the super profit is received by only several
people in ruling administration.

Authorities continue to build cafeterias in public parks. ANC sees the
solution only in change of authorities,” ANC environmental committee
statement reads.

“GO TO MASHTOTS PARK, AND THEN WE’LL TALK”

05:13 pm | Today | Social

The environmentalists protesting at Mashtots Park are the bad students
of architect Levon Igityan.

During a press conference at “Hayeli” Club, the architect suggested
leaving the mayor alone since he had found a temporary solution for
the elite stands on Abovyan Street by placing them at Mashtots Park.

Igityan says he doesn’t understand what the environmentalists are
suggesting.

Environmentalist Karine Danielyan suggested that he could give Igityan
her suggestions that she had given the mayors and the president.

In response, Igityan said he had read those suggestions, but Karine
Danielyan counter-argued and said he hadn’t.

Karine Danielyan also doesn’t condemn the municipality’s decision
and says she would like to believe in the mayor.

Environmentalist Meri Khachatryan told the mayor that the
environmentalists were demanding for the preservation of the green
areas in Yerevan and that Taron Margaryan hadn’t liked the term
“demanding”.

Khachatryan says the municipality should stop construction and discuss
the issue of the stands.

Levon Igityan calls on the environmentalists to remember that the
stands are being placed at Mashtots Park temporarily and doesn’t know
what is going on there. “Unfortunately, I haven’t been there.”

The environmentalists tell him to go to Mashtots Park and then they
will talk.

BALTIC PIPELINE SYSTEM 2ND LINE TO LAUNCH LATE FEB IN RUSSIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 21, 2012 – 16:42 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The second trunk line of the Baltic Pipeline System
(BTS-2) to transport oil to Europe may be launched at the end of
February or in early March, Igor Dyomin, spokesman of Russia’s oil
pipeline monopoly Transneft, said on Tuesday, February 21, according
to RIA Novosti.

The BTS-2 pipeline project is implemented to secure reliable supplies
of oil to European consumers. The 1,000-kilometer pipeline, with an
annual capacity of 30 million metric tons of oil, runs from Unecha
in western Russia to the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga in the country’s
northwest, bypassing Belarus.

“Preparations to launch the oil terminal [in Ust-Luga] are well under
way. We think [the pipeline launch] could be in late February or in
early March,” Dyomin told Prime news agency.

The BTS-2 launch has been suspended several times since October 2011
owing to problems in bottom dredging operations.

Dyomin also said that Transneft had not worked out an oil export
schedule through the BTS-2 for the first quarter of 2012 and tariff
price for oil transportation yet.

RUBEN MATEVOSYAN RECEIVES GOLD MEDAL IN GYUMRI

ARMENPRESS
FEBRUARY 21, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS: People’s Artist of Armenia Ruben
Matevosian was awarded with the golden “Varpet” (Master) medal on the
initiative of the mayor of Gyumri, Vardan Ghukasian. The surprise gift
and the medal were given to the beloved singer at the beginning of
the concert held in Vardan Achemyan theater, Armenpress reports. The
singer noted that being recognized as a Master in the “city of masters”
was the best gift he had had in 70 years.

The concert celebrating the singer’s 70th birthday was a unique
opportunity for the citizens of Gyumri to enjoy old and new songs
once more. The singer emphasized the importance of the concert in
Gyumri calling it a “report of the work done in past years”.

TIGRAN ARZAKANTSYAN’S MOTHER INDIGNANT OVER MASHTOTS PICTURE

Panorama.am
22/02/2012

The mother of MP Tigran Arzakantsyan, Mrs Varsenik, got indignant
when she saw Mesrop Mashotots’ picture on a school wall. Hraparak
writes that when the teachers explained who was that man Mrs Varsenik
opposed, saying, “So what if he is Mashtots? Has my Tigran or that
man done good to your school?”

SHAHEN KHACHATRYAN TO DELIVER LECTURE ON “REFLECTION ON GENOCIDE IN ARMENIAN PAINTING”

Noyan Tapan
2012-02-22

On February 23 at 6 p.m. Distinguished Artist of the Republic of
Armenia, art critic Shahen Khachatryan will deliver a lecture with
photos on “Reflection on the Genocide in Armenian Painting” at the
Glendale Public Library. The event is organized by the Armenian
Writers Association of California and Stephanie’s Art Gallery.

Shahen Khachatryan graduated from the Art Academy of Petersburg
as an art critic. In Yerevan, he was Director of the newly created
Martiros Saryan Museum, and was appointed Director of the National
Gallery of Armenia in 1990. In addition to his dozens of works, he
has collected works of art and has been able to procure 400 paintings
for the Museum of Yerevan, as well as 9 works by Ayvazovsky, 70 works
by M. Saryan and dozens of other paintings. Shahen Khachatryan has
presented several articles and has delivered many speeches on the
history of Armenian art. His monograph about Ayvazovsky has received
the first degree medal in Moscow.

His volume “Color of the Sea” is dedicated to the 95th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide in which he presents the Armenian painters
that have created paintings devoted to the Armenian Genocide. Armenian
painters of four generations are included in the volume that starts
from the massacres of 1895.

During his lecture, Khachatryan will present newly discovered paintings
with commentaries.

The event will feature performances by reed pipe player Salbi and
lyre player Sosi of the “Yerknayin Tagher” Ensemble.