Author: Badalian Vardan

LE PRESIDENT DU PARLEMENT DE L’ARTSAKH REND VISITE A L’ANC EUROPE

BELGIQUE

Le President de l’Assemblee nationale de l’Artsakh Ashot Ghulian a
effectue une visite dans les bureaux de la Federation Euro-Armenienne
pour la Justice et la Democratie (ANC Europe) et a tenu une reunion
avec des representants de la Federation Revolutionnaire Armenienne –
Belgique, du Comite National Armenien de Belgique, de l’Association
culturelle Hamazkayin , de l’Union d’Athletisme Homenetmen, de la
Federation de la jeunesse armenienne, de l’Armenian Relief Society,
et de la FEAJD. Etaient presents la presidente du conseil central
de l’Armenian Relief Society (ARS) Vicky Marachelian et du membre du
Conseil Liza Avakian, ainsi qu’Anna Astvatsaturain Turcotte, auteur
de

CHORRORD ISHKHANUTYUN: ARTHUR BAGHDASARYAN CONTINUES HEADING NSC ACCORDING TO ITS WEBSITE

13:09 30/10/2014 >> DAILY PRESS

Arthur Baghdasaryan is still indicated as secretary of Armenia’s
National Security Council on that institution’s website, Chorrord
Ishkhanutyun writes.

“One may make a conclusion that either the respective bodies benefit
from Baghdasaryan’s name being indicated on the website and he
continues shadow activity or employees are idle and do not notice
errors,” the newspaper says.

Source: Panorama.am

ERDOGAN N’EST PAS BIENVENU EN FRANCE !

MANIFESTATION VENDREDI 31 OCTOBRE 14 H PARIS

Non a l’ingerence turque dans la politique de la France a l’egard
des Kurdes !

Appel a manifester vendredi 31 octobre,14h, Paris, sortie Metro
Invalides

Voila plus d’un mois que les Kurdes et leurs amis manifestent partout
en France et en Europe, en demandant des armes pour la resistance
de Kobane et une aide humanitaire pour les refugies contraints de
fuir devant l’arrivee des barbares de Daesh. Au cours de toutes les
manifestations, ils n’ont eu de cesse denoncer le soutien apporte a
cette organisation terroriste par les riches Etats petroliers de la
region ainsi que par la Turquie.

Après avoir ferme les oreilles a ces demandes, Francois Hollande a
finalement fait entendre que la France serait aux côtes des Kurdes
en Syrie, comme elle l’avait ete en Irak.

Vendredi 31 octobre, le President de la Republique turque, Recep
Tayyip Erdogan rendra visite au President francais ainsi qu’au
Ministre des affaires etrangères. L’objectif de cette visite est
de faire pression sur la France afin de l’amener a inflechir sa
recente position favorable aux Kurdes. La Turquie qui a pour ambition
d’occuper la region du Kurdistan de Syrie et de mettre un terme au
système democratique d’autogestion mis en place dans cette region
essaye par tous les moyens d’entraver la resistance de Kobane contre
Daesh et d’imposer son projet de zone tampon au nord de cette ville.

Il est inadmissible que la France prete l’oreille a un Etat criminel
qui soutient Daesh et qui a jusqu’a ces derniers jours empeche
l’acheminement de l’aide humanitaire et militaire vers Kobane dans
le but d’etouffer la resistance.

Il serait choquant que la France s’engage dans une cooperation
policière avec un pays dans lequel les refugies sont maltraites et
les manifestations de solidarite avec Kobane reprimees dans le sang.

Rappelons qu’au cours des dernières semaines, au moins 30 manifestants
kurdes ont ete tues par les forces de l’ordre en Turquie.

Nous protestons vivement contre la visite d’Erdogan et demandons a
la France

de ne pas ceder a la volonte turque de mettre en place une zone tampon

de fournir des armes aux resistants de Kobane et une aide humanitaire
urgente aux refugies

d’enterrer definitivement les accords des cooperation liberticides
signes avec la Turquie

— Conseil Democratique Kurde de France (CDKF) 16, rue d’Enghien –
75010 Paris Avec le soutien du CCAF et de l’Institut armenien de France

jeudi 30 octobre 2014, Ara (c)armenews.com

AZERBAIJAN EXPECTS DECLINE IN OIL OUTPUT IN 2015

09:53 * 29.10.14

Azerbaijan expects its oil output to decline by 2.5 percent
year-on-year in 2015, a source close to the government said, driven
by declines at fields operated by BP.

Falling output at the main Azeri, Chirag and Guneshli (ACG) oilfields
has been a cause of concern in Baku for several years, Reuters reports.

British oil major BP and its partner, Azeri state energy firm SOCAR,
tried to ease those worries last year by saying production had
stabilised. Total oil output grew last year for the first time since
2011 to 43.15 million tonnes.

Earlier this year, however, BP said 2014 oil production at ACG might
be slightly lower than in 2013, because it planned maintenance work
at the Central Azeri and West Azeri platforms, halting operations
for a couple of weeks.

The decline in output is likely to continue into next year, the
source said.

“According to our forecasts, oil output in Azerbaijan will decline
to 40.62 million tonnes in 2015 from 41.65 million tonnes expected
to be produced in 2014,” the source told Reuters.

Read more here>>>

PETITE ARMENIAN SOPRANO FILLS S.F. OPERA’S ‘TOSCA’ WITH HER VOICE: REVIEW

October 29, 2014 – 15:36 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Even though tenor Brian Jagde and baritone Mark
Delavan towered over her, Lianna Haroutounian outsang them at San
Francisco Opera’s matinee of Puccini’s “Tosca,” Janos Gereben said
in a review published at the San Francisco Examiner.

“In her San Francisco and role debuts, the diminutive Armenian soprano
(well-known and acclaimed in Europe) filled the huge War Memorial
Opera House with her lovely, effortless voice. Her projection and
musicality were excellent. Her leap to her death from the top of
Castel Sant’Angelo showed Olympic form,” the review said.

“Tosca” is one of San Francisco Opera’s most frequently performed
operas. This version, from 1997 with Lotfi Mansouri’s staging, is
based on the 1932 production, the very first in the War Memorial.

“Stage director Jose Maria Condemi, also at the helm in 2008 and
2012 at S.F. Opera, has added minor new touches to the proceedings
(which unfold on Thierry Bosquet’s slightly fading sets), but wisely
refrained from changing the staging for the sake of doing something
different – to good effect.”

“The same cannot be said for Riccardo Frizza’s conducting, although the
orchestra did its best. The conductor’s shortcomings were especially
obvious in the snail-paced Act 1 finale, the normally rousing Te Deum,
and even more in the long introductory scene of Act 2, which was slow
and sounded monotonous,” the review said.

PRESS RELEASE
Hayastan All-Armenian Fund
Governmental Building 3, Yerevan, RA
Contact: Hasmik Grigoryan
Tel:? +(3741) 56 01 06? ext. 105
Fax: +(3741) 52 15 05
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

October 30, 2014, Yerevan

Hayastan Foundation Toronto celebrates its 22nd anniversary and undertakes
new projects in Artsakh

On the occasion of its 22nd anniversary, Hayastan Foundation Toronto, the
local affiliate of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund had its annual fund raising
banquet on Sunday, October 26, at AGBU Alex Manougian Hall. Over 300
supporters of the fund as well as dignitaries attended the fund raising. The
function was under the auspices of H.E. Armen Yeganian, the Ambassador of
the Republic of Armenia to Canada.

The evening started with the national anthems of Canada, Armenia and
Artsakh, performed by soprano Armenia Sarkissian, with piano accompaniment
by Lena Nahas-Yozgalian. After the opening remarks by Tenny Nigoghossian,
the M.C. of the evening, Ambassador Yeganian started the proceedings with a
succinct presentation of current activities and events involving Canada and
Armenia. Migirdic Migirdicyan, the chair of the local chapter of the fund
gave a detailed report of the most recent project of the fund which was the
new “Life Centre” for the village of Nor Maragha, in Artsakh. The village
“Life Centre” is a 2-storey facility, with a full basement, which has a
floor functioning as a medical/maternity clinic, another one as a library, a
computer centre, an auditorium and the mayor’s office, all under one roof.
This was the 2nd of such facility, and the 44th project overall for Toronto.
After presenting the details of the upcoming 45th project, which will be a
brand new kindergarten for the village of Ivanyan, in Artsakh, Migirdicyan
presented the guest of honour and the keynote speaker Mr. Karen Mirzoyan,
the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Artsakh. The minister gave a
detailed status of the current affairs in Artsakh and then he emphasized the
vital importance of the numerous humanitarian infrastructural projects that
the Fund has been realizing over the last 22 years, throughout Artsakh and
thanked the audience for their participation and generosity.
As part of the cultural program soprano Sona Hovsepyan sang two beautiful
songs with piano accompaniment by Taline Kelebozian.

Finally the fund-raising of the evening was kicked off by Houri Najarian,
the vice-chair of the local chapter. $146,000 was raised from the floor and
it was announced that through a bequest the Fund has just received a major
sum, bringing the total to a record $550,000. The fund-raising will
continue, and it is hoped that until the upcoming annual Telethon, on
November 27, the number will grow further. Closing the program Migirdicyan
informed the audience that with the total funds, in addition to the Ivanyan
Kindergarten, Toronto will also build a 3rd “Life Centre” (village to be
determined) and will renovate the school for the Shosh village, as well as
procuring an ambulance for the Nor Maragha “Life Centre”.

WORLD POWERS INTENSIFY EFFORTS ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Oct 28 2014

28 October 2014, 18:35 (GMT+04:00)

By Elmira Tariverdiyeva

The lull in the Nagorno-Karabakh process in connection with
the difficult political crisis in Ukraine has come to a logical
conclusion. The Azerbaijan, France and Armenia president’s meeting
in Paris was another step towards the stabilization of the situation
around the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The world players’ paying attention to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
settlement saw this meeting preceded by several bloody incidents on
the contact line between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops this summer
that claimed many lives. However, immediately after the practical
resumption of hostilities between the two republics, the leaders of
the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries made efforts to return
the sides of the territorial dispute to the negotiating table.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict may not remain a ‘frozen’ territorial
dispute as the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia that
have lasted for more than 20 years can not continue forever. The OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairmen realize that it is necessary to impress upon
Yerevan as the aggressor country to move the conflict off dead center.

Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a trilateral meeting over
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents
Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan in Sochi last August.

Prior to that, the Russian president held bilateral meetings with
the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents. Afterwards, another co-chair
country of the OSCE Minsk Group, the US took the initiative. On this
occasion, the leaders of the two countries met on the sidelines of
the NATO summit in Newport with participation of US Secretary of
State John Kerry.

Today, French President Francois Hollande held bilateral and
trilateral meetings with his Azerbaijani and Armenian counterparts
at the Elysee Palace.

Although it is unlikely that another meeting of the two opposing sides
will lead to any cardinal breakthrough in the process of settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the attention of the leaders of
world powers to this process may be assessed as a positive trend.

The main result of the meeting was that the president of France,
the country where the Armenian diaspora is strong and influential
enough, reiterated the unalterable point in the settlement of the
territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan: the status quo
which satisfies Armenia is unacceptable. And this is one of the main
messages the leaders of the three powers need to send to Armenia.

Meanwhile, the mediators should realize that everlasting protocol
meetings, which do not bring any noticeable results, will eventually
become completely useless and unable to stabilize the situation
between the conflicting sides.

So, each leader must realize one thing: the image of a mediator is an
important diplomatic step. However, in order to deserve to be called
a peacekeeper, one needs to carry out really fruitful mediation work.

PETITE SOPRANO STANDS TALL IN S.F. OPERA’S ‘TOSCA’

San Francisco Examiner, CA
Oct 28 2014

By Janos Gereben
click to enlarge

Photo: COURTESY CORY WEAVER/SAN FRANCISCO OPERA Mark Delavan and
Lianna Haroutounian appear in San Francisco Opera’s revival of
Puccini’s popular “Tosca.”

Even though tenor Brian Jagde and baritone Mark Delavan towered over
her, Lianna Haroutounian outsang them at San Francisco Opera’s Sunday
matinee of Puccini’s “Tosca.”

In her San Francisco and role debuts, the diminutive Armenian soprano
(well-known and acclaimed in Europe) filled the huge War Memorial
Opera House with her lovely, effortless voice. Her projection and
musicality were excellent, and diction and acting fair-to-middling.

Her leap to her death from the top of Castel Sant’Angelo showed
Olympic form.

Delavan, star of many big productions, including playing Wotan in
San Francisco Opera’s 2011 presentation of Wagner’s “Ring,” was a
disappointment as Scarpia, virtually marking (singing at half-voice)
through most of the opera.

As Cavaradossi, Jagde (an alumnus of San Francisco Opera’s Merola and
Adler programs, as is Delavan) fared better. He sang big, excelled in
duets with Haroutounian, suffered well during the Act 2 torture scene
and hit the ball out of the park with his exclamation “Vittoria!,” an
exposed and repeated high note known to challenge (and be the glory)
of many a tenor.

Jagde’s Act 3 “E lucevan le stelle” (“And the stars were shining”)
also was impressive.

“Tosca” is one of San Francisco Opera’s most frequently performed
operas. This version, from 1997 with Lotfi Mansouri’s staging, is
based on the 1932 production, the very first in the War Memorial.

Unusually, this 2014 production of the warhorse is being presented
just five times, with three performances remaining.

Stage director Jose Maria Condemi, also at the helm in 2008 and
2012 at S.F. Opera, has added minor new touches to the proceedings
(which unfold on Thierry Bosquet’s slightly fading sets), but wisely
refrained from changing the staging for the sake of doing something
different – to good effect.

The same cannot be said for Riccardo Frizza’s conducting, although the
orchestra did its best. Even though Frizza has had modest success here
with “Lucrezia Borgia” and “I Capuleti e i Montecchi,” his “Tosca”
lacks the work’s required fire and excitement.

The conductor’s shortcomings were especially obvious in the snail-paced
Act 1 finale, the normally rousing Te Deum, and even more in the long
introductory scene of Act 2, which was slow and sounded monotonous.

REVIEW

Tosca

Presented by San Francisco Opera

Where: War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave., S.F.

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4 and Nov. 6

Contact: (415) 864-3330,

HOLLANDE GIVES DETAILS ABOUT MEETING OF AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN PRESIDENTS

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Oct 28 2014

28 October 2014 – 9:49am

French President Francois Hollande’s website has given details about
the meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev
and Serzh Sargsyan in Paris yesterday. The sides agreed to exchange
information about people missing in the Nagorno-Karabakh war. The
exchange will be made under the auspices of the International Red
Cross.

Hollande noted the unacceptability of the status quo of the conflict
and called for development of a full-fledged peace agreement.

NAGORNO-KARABAKH SUMMIT HELD IN PARIS

Silk Road Reporters
Oct 28 2014

Published by Joe PeersonOctober 28, 2014

The heads-of-state of Azerbaijan and Armenia have agreed to pursue
negotiations regarding the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region after they
resumed direct contacts at a session in Paris on Monday (October 27),
a statement from the French government said, according to Euractiv.com

“The status quo is not sustainable,” the office of French President
Francois Hollande said following the talks between Azerbaijan’s Ilham
Aliyev and Armenia’s Serzh Sargsyan. The latest talks have come on
the heels of increased clashes in the region during the summer.

The two leaders agreed to exchange information on people who have
gone missing during the fighting, Hollande’s office stated.

Fighting first broke out in the region in 1991 during the collapse
of the Soviet Union. There was a ceasefire in 1994 after more than
30,000 people were killed in fighting. The two countries have traded
accusations regularly of violence in the area and along their shared
border.