Author: Badalian Vardan

ARMENIAN CINEMA ON SHOW AT GOLDEN APRICOT FESTIVAL

EuroNews, EU
July 15 2013

15/07 15:45 CET

The 10th annual Golden Apricot International Film Festival celebrated
the achievements of Armenian cinema.

A jury of internationally-renowned filmmakers handed out awards in
categories including Feature Films, Documentaries, Armenian Panorama
and Short Films.

In the International Feature category, the Golden Apricot was awarded
to Serbian filmmaker SrÄ’an Golubovic’s for his film ‘Circles’.

Runner up was Iranian Majid Barzegar for his film ‘Parviz’, one of
the two Iranian films to scoop up top awards at the festival

“I’m so happy to receive this prize and I’d like to dedicate it to
Jafar Panahi,” Barzegar said.

The film tells the story of a middle aged man called Parviz, who has
lived at home with father for his whole life and has never had a job.

His quiet routine is suddenly shaken up when his father decides to
remarry and tells Parviz to move out.

“They chose the films that wanted to tell something about the lack of
love, about the lack of human relationships,” said Hungarian director
and feature competition jury president Istvan Szabo.

In the Armenian Panorama category, the Golden Apricot went to Maria
Sahakyan’s film “I’m Going to Change My Name”.

The festival is held annually and carries the theme ‘Crossroads of
Cultures and Civilizations’ – a reflection of its desire to build
bridges and foster cross-cultural dialogue through the medium of film.

IRAN READY TO MEDIATE FOR AZERBAIJAN-ARMENIA DISPUTE SETTLEMENT

Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), Iran
July 14, 2013 Sunday

TEHRAN (ISNA)- Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohsen Pakaein once
again expressed his country’s readiness to go between Azerbaijan and
Armenia to resolve the long-term Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.

Pakaein said that Iran could act as a mediator in resolving the
dispute provided that Armenia and Azerbaijani give their consent.

“If the two countries are willing, Iran, as an influential country
in the region, the chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and
the also an active member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation
(OIC), will enter negotiations with the countries in question and
will present its views on the resolution of the dispute,” Press TV
quoted Pakaein as saying.

He said the security of the region could be at stake as there will
always be the risk of a war unless the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute
is settled.

Given the fact that Iran has land borders with both Azerbaijan and
Armenia, any violation of the region’s stability in the border areas
would have a negative impact on Iran as well, the envoy added.

Both Azerbaijan and Armenia claim the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh,
which is largely populated by Armenians but located in Azerbaijan.

Ethnic Armenian forces took control over the enclave which accounts
for 16 percent of Azerbaijan in the early 1990s during a six-year
war with the country that took place from February 1988 to May 1994.

The conflict left an estimated 30,000 people dead and one million
displaced before the two sides agreed to a cease-fire in 1994.

However, a peace accord has never been signed and the dispute still
remains unsettled.

Iran has on several occasions offered to intervene in the dispute.

“We believe that the Karabakh issue will be resolved through dialogue
and the commitment of both sides to justice, and Tehran is ready to
negotiate with them within this framework,” Iran’s President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad said in a joint press conference with his Azeri counterpart
Ilham Aliyev in November, 2010.

End Item

TURKEY LACKS SUFFICIENT INCENTIVES FOR OPENING BORDER WITH ARMENIA – POLITICAL SCIENTIST

July 15, 2013 | 14:30

YEREVAN. – Turkey does not have sufficient incentives for opening its
border with Armenia, Caucasus Institute Director, political scientist
Alexander Iskandaryan said during a press conference on Monday.

The analyst commented on the statements that the Armenia-EU Association
Agreement will become an incentive for the opening of the boundary.

“The European Union has a ‘soft power’ and this is well known. Europe
cannot use strict enforcement mechanisms at this time. Around three
dozen countries, [and] each one having its [own] bilateral agreements,
its [own] interests,” he said.

As per Iskandaryan, Turkey does not have sufficient incentives to
normalize its relations with Armenia.

“If Turkey were to be promised EU membership in return, [official]
Ankara might have decided to change its policy. But no one offers
such thing, [and] therefore I believe that Europe will try to put
some pressure on Turkey,” Alexander Iskandaryan concluded.

To note, the Armenia-EU Association Agreement is planned to be signed
during the EU Eastern Partnership summit to be held in Vilnius,
Lithuania, in November.

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

Turkey lacks sufficient incentives for opening border with Armenia
– political scientistJuly 15, 2013 | 14:30 YEREVAN. – Turkey does
not have sufficient incentives for opening its border with Armenia,
Caucasus Institute Director, political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan
said during a press conference on Monday.

The analyst commented on the statements that the Armenia-EU Association
Agreement will become an incentive for the opening of the boundary.

“The European Union has a ‘soft power’ and this is well known. Europe
cannot use strict enforcement mechanisms at this time. Around three
dozen countries, [and] each one having its [own] bilateral agreements,
its [own] interests,” he said.

As per Iskandaryan, Turkey does not have sufficient incentives to
normalize its relations with Armenia.

“If Turkey were to be promised EU membership in return, [official]
Ankara might have decided to change its policy. But no one offers
such thing, [and] therefore I believe that Europe will try to put
some pressure on Turkey,” Alexander Iskandaryan concluded.

To note, the Armenia-EU Association Agreement is planned to be signed
during the EU Eastern Partnership summit to be held in Vilnius,
Lithuania, in November.

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

THIRD ANNUAL ARMENIAN STREET FESTIVAL TOOK PLACE IN LONDON

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

ook-place-in-london.html
15:51, 15 July, 2013

YEREVAN, JULY 15, ARMENPRESS: The third annual Armenian Street
Festival, organized by the Armenian Primate’s Office in the Great
Britain and Ireland, took place in London on Sunday, 14 July 2013 in
the yard of the London’s Armenian St. Sarkis Church, assisted by the
Armenia’s Embassy to the Great Britain. As Armenpress was reported
by the Department of Press, Information and Public Relations of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, during the
opening ceremony of the festival speeches were made by the Primate
of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Great Britain and Ireland the
Bishop Vahan Hovhannisyan, Ara Margaryan (Charges d’Affaires at
the Armenian Embassy), the member of the British House of Commons
Stephen Pound, the member of the European Parliament for London for
the Conservative Party Charles Tannock and the Deputy Mayor of Royal
Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Sam Mackover.

Hundreds of guests of the festival enjoyed the Armenian music and
dances and tasted Armenian food, as well as participated in different
events.

The Armenian Church organizes annual Armenian Street Festivals on the
streets of Iverna Gardens in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea,
where St. Sarkis Church is located, with the aim of celebrating and
promoting our Armenian culture and heritage.

To celebrate and promote the Armenian spirit – culture, history and
heritage by staging a street festival with fun activities, Armenian
foods, community organization stalls and stalls of Armenian or Armenian
related merchandise.

The Armenian Street Festival London (ASFL) was founded in 2011 by
the Primate’s Office of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Great
Britain and Ireland. The annual street festival is a day of fun,
fellowship, food and friendship planned every year by the Primate’s
Office to promote and celebrate the Armenian culture, heritage,
history and identity in London and Great Britain.

BILD SUGGESTS READERS TO CHOOSE A NICKNAME FOR HENRIKH MKHITARYAN

18:15 15.07.2013
Borussia, Henrikh Mkhitaryan

The German Bild suggests its readers to choose between two nicknames
for Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

“Armenian Zidane, Mucke, Micki: he has a lot of nicknames simply
because his last name is not so easy to pronounce,” the paper writes.

“He has already shone in the first test matches,” the Bild
writes, adding that 41% of the participants of an on-line survey
on BILD.de.Voting have said Mkhitaryan is the best newcomer in
Bundesliga. He is even ahead of Mario Gotze (31%), who moved to
Bayern Munich.

Click here to vote on how the Bild should call Mkhitaryan.

ARF IS NOT YOUR PARTY

The ARF leadership has, in fact, announced about conspiracy against
their party. Arrows point to Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan but it
is obvious that the party has assumed a defensive posture to the
whole world.

ARF members themselves do not deny existence of issues inside the
party. It would be strange not to discuss the reasons of failure after
unsuccessful elections, so there is nothing wrong that the party is
discussing change of leadership and style of work. On the contrary,
it is a sign of internal improvement.

The strange thing is that the arrows are pointed to Tigran Sargsyan.

This was done by Hrant Margaryan. In particular, when asked whether
they are going to achieve not only Tigran Sargsyan’s but also Serzh
Sargsyan’s resignation, Hrant Margaryan said that only people can
overthrow Serzh Sargsyan. We suppose that the issue is not the ARF’s
relations with the government but Hrant Margaryan himself.

If so then why is it necessary to get the party which is a national
value involved in this game? The ARF is not Hrant Margaryan’s or
someone else’s party, it is the party of the Armenian people which
has done a lot of important things and which is associated with the
Armenian cause. This is the party the members of which are thousands
of bright, talented and broadminded people and they need to use their
energy on something significant.

The ARF will face great deeds in the next few years. In 2015 it may
even stop its existence if it fulfills its mission to achieve the
solution of the Armenian Cause. But in order to get to that, the
party needs to put everything aside and focus on the Armenian cause,
which is becoming more real.

A lot of people understand that significant events may happen in 2015.

Even the Turkish press is publishing articles expressing concerns
about split of the country. Barack Obama also understands this who
is waiting for 2015 to utter the important word, Serzh Sargsyan also
realizes this who has done everything to be the president in 2015,
and so does Hrant Margaryan who wants to remain in history. The
ARF members in the Diaspora also understand this who want to be
participants of historic events.

Naira Hayrumyan 12:20 15/07/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

LEVON MELIK-SHAHNAZARYAN: THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS DEADLOCKED

15:35 15.07.2013

Lusine Vasilyan
“Radiolur”

The meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers
gave a flash of hope that the meeting of the Presidents of the two
countries was possible by the end of the year, political scientist
Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan told a press conference today.

According to him, the developments within the framework of the OSCE
Minsk Group prove that the negotiation process is deadlocked.

The fact that the Madrid Principles are not even mentioned in the
latest statement of the OSCE Minsk Group is a proof of the failure
of those principles, he said.

“The key issue on the agenda is to create confidence-building measures,
a process that was frustrated after Ramil Safarov’s extradition,”
Melik-Shahnazaryan said.

SHIRAK TOROSYAN: IT WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING

11:09 15/07/2013 ” POLITICS

MP, Chairman of the Javakhk Compatriotic Union Shirak Torosyan
says the latest reports in Georgian media claiming that he was not
allowed to cross the border into Georgia are not true. “It was a
misunderstanding,” the MP told Panorama.am.

“I had announced plans to attend the event [celebrating the jubilee
of Ashough Jivani], but failed to leave for Georgia due to business
reasons. Perhaps someone misunderstood it, thinking that I was not
allowed to cross the border, I don’t know. In any case, it was a
misunderstanding,” he said.

Related: MP Shirak Torosyan again persona non grata?

Source: Panorama.am

BAKO SAHAKYAN: SETTLEMENT IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT KARABAKH’S DIRECT INVOLVEMENT

14:25 15.07.2013

On 15 July President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan
met in Yerevan with OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ukrainian Foreign Minister
Leonid Kozhara.

A number of issues related to the Karabakh conflict settlement and
regional trends were discussed during the meeting.

President Sahakyan noted that official Stepanakert opted for peaceful
settlement of the Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE
Minsk Group.

He emphasized the necessity of restoring the negotiation format
approved by the OSCE Budapest Summit, adding that it would be
impossible to reach a comprehensive settlement of the conflict without
NKR’s direct participation.

President Sahakyan said official Baku’s destructive policy is
the most important hindrances on the way of solving the Karabakh
conflict. He said it’s gradually becoming more dangerous and should
receive corresponding reaction of the international community.

NKR Foreign Minister Karen Mirzoyan, Personal Representative of the
OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk and other officials were
present at the meeting, Central Information Department of the Office
of the NKR President reported.

Le Berry Républicain- France
12 juillet 2013

Des Arméniens misent sur le chteau de Béguin pour attirer une
clientèle international

Les investisseurs arméniens qui ont transformé le chteau de Béguin en
hôtel-restaurant de luxe, à Lurcy-Lévis, ont sorti le grand jeu.

Malgré son charme et ses attraits, Lurcy-Lévis (Allier) n’est pas un
bord de mer. Dans ce paisible village rural, on est loin de la Riviera
française. Ainsi que des stations de sports d’hiver huppées des Alpes
où les riches du monde entier aiment se divertir.

C’est évidemment loin d’être un reproche ou une perfidie. Mais une
question incontournable, nécessaire, impérieuse, se pose d’emblée :
pourquoi diable des investisseurs arméniens ont-ils déboursé une
petite fortune pour acheter, retaper et transformer en
hôtel-restaurant de grand standing, un chteau situé à mille lieux des
villégiatures habituelles des voyageurs argentés??

Russes, Arméniens et Américains sont espérés

La question fait sourire Karen Ayvazyan, le directeur arménien de
l’établissement lurcyquois (…) : « Avec cette propriété, nous
proposons à notre clientèle le calme et la séduction de la campagne
française que nous associons au confort et aux services d’un
hôtel-restaurant de très grande qualité. Je suis persuadé que cette
formule peut fonctionner à Lurcy-Lévis, en plein centre de la France.
»

Les quinze chambres de son hôtel élégamment dressé dans un écrin de
nature bourbonnaise, Karen Ayvazyan souhaite notamment les
commercialiser auprès d’une clientèle d’Arméniens et de Russes
fortunés… (…) Le luxueux hôtel-restaurant lurcyquois souhaite aussi
séduire une autre clientèle occidentale aisée, plus spécialement
américaine et anglo-saxonne. (…)

C’est déjà fait en Auvergne avec le chteau de Béguin. Mais bien
qu’affichant des ambitions à l’international, l’hôtel-restaurant
lurcyquois cible aussi une clientèle française : patrons stressés
affectionnant les week-ends détente, people du showbiz recherchant un
havre de paix, couples avec ou sans enfants souhaitant se mettre au
vert, retraités désirant profiter d’une cure de repos, amoureux
friands d’escapades romantiques, pilotes des circuits de Magny-Cours
ou Lurcy-Lévis cherchant un pied-à-terre…

Prix attractifs pour capter les classes moyennes

Des gens aisés, voire fortunés. Mais pas seulement. Le chteau de
Béguin, grce à une politique de prix très attractive, compte bien
capter les classes moyennes qui s’offrent ponctuellement un repas, une
nuit, un week-end ou un séjour dans un établissement de standing.
(…)

Mais si l’argent attire l’argent, dit-on, le chteau de Béguin devra
d’abord se faire connaître, puis fidéliser sa clientèle.
Manifestement, tout reste à faire. Fin juin, l’hôtel, bien qu’ouvert,
n’avait pas encore enregistré de réservations.

Antoine Delacou