Author: Badalian Vardan

GUMRI-MUSIQUE
Naissance du mensuel « Jazz info » à Gumri

Dans le cadre du projet « Le jazz et Gumri », à partir du début avril
sera publié un nouveau mensuel « Jazz info » sous la rédaction de
Lilit Makarian. « Les deux concerts de novembre dernier ont démontré
l’intérêt de la population pour le jazz » dit Lilit Magarian,
l’objectif du mensuel étant de développer cet intérêt du public en
apportant des informations avec notamment des articles sur « le jazz
arménien ». L’autre raison de ce mensuel étant de faire connaitre les
artistes de jazz de Gumri. Le pianiste de jazz Tigrane Hamassian qui
est aujourd’hui très célèbre, n’est-il pas natif de Gumri ? En
novembre, le local, Levon Malkhassian à la tête du groupe « Malkhas
Jazz band » sera l’invité du festival de jazz de Gumri. Une occasion
de l’annoncer à travers ce mensuel. Seul bémol, le tirage de « Jazz
info » qui n’est édité qu’à 200 exemplaires…

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 24 mars 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
March 23 2013

MIT economist gets award at university
ISTANBUL

The big science and education award for `Outstanding Achievements’
given by Kadir Has University has been given to world renowned
economist Daron AcemoÄ?lu.

The awards, given in honor of the late founder of the university,
Kadir Has, for the ninth time this year, have been received by their
owners at a ceremony held in March 22, the sixth anniversary of the
death of Has.

AcemoÄ?lu, who is a Turkish economist of Armenian descent living in the
U.S., is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He
is known and citied for his international works on political economy,
economic development and the role of institutions over the economy.

In addition to AcemoÄ?lu, the other big prize at the awards, the
`Promising Science Person Award,’ went to Sabancı University
Engineering and Natural Sciences Faculty member Ali KoÅ?ar.

Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew was also honored with a `Kadir
Has University Friendship and Neighborhood’ plaque during the
ceremony.

The chairman of the Kadir Has foundation Nuri Has, Kadir Has
University Rector Mustafa Aydın, Istanbul Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu,
Fatih District Mayor Mustafa Demir and Bartholomew were among the
attendees of the ceremony held in the university.
March/23/2013

RTT News
March 23 2013

Video For Tony Iommi-Penned ‘Lonely Planet’ Song Released

3/23/2013 3:26 PM ET

“Lonely Planet,” the track written by Black Sabbath guitarist Tony
Iommi, will be performed by the Armenian group Dorians for the
Eurovision Song Contest in May. The video is streaming now through
various web outlets.

Iommi says that the selection of his track was a pleasant surprise for him.

“Well here’s something different, one of my demo ideas has been chosen
as the Armenian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest! It went on a
short list and Saturday night was voted as the winner,” he said.

He added deets about the upcoming competition:

“It now goes to the semi-final on May 16th in Malmo, Sweden. Glad to
be able to be involved with Armenia again . . .”

Iommi has a long history of activism in Armenia, helping with relief
work after a devastating 1988 earthquake.

by RTT Staff Writer

Zhamanak: Mika-Cement workers demand their salaries

10:24 23/03/2013 » DAILY PRESS

Workers of Mika-Cement factory have held a protest in the city of
Hrazdan demanding their unpaid salaries, Zhamanak daily says. They
have not received their salaries since October 2012, the paper says.

General manager of the factory, Naira Martirosyan, told the paper that
she is not aware of the protest, adding that the workers have not
received their salaries for one month and that the salaries will be
paid soon.

Source: Panorama.am

Armenian opposition likely to postpone peaceful march (video)

18:02 – 23.03.13

The opposition’s April 9 peaceful procession to the Presidential
Office is very likely to postponed, according to an organizer.

In his speech at Yerevan’s Liberty Square, film director Arshak
Zakaryan said he has promised to wait until the April 9 inauguration
day (which the opposition claims should mark the inauguration of Raffi
Hovhannisian, the opposition Heritage party’s leader, who was Serzh
Sargsyan’s runner-up in February 18 presidential election).

`I do not step back from my initiative. But respecting the calls of
Raffi Hovhannisian, the leader, and the other activists of Heritage,
for avoiding a provocation, we will very probably reschedule it for a
later time,’ he said, adding that over 10,000 people have joined the
initiative.

`But we, as a nation, have to take to the streets one day to prove the
regime, as well as the world community that we no longer wish to live
like this,’ he added.

Addressing the protesting young activists in the square, Zakaryan
confessed that he had voted for Serzh Sargsyan in 2008, believing in
his reforms program.

Zakaryan announced the initiative on Facebook, calling upon the
Armenians to gather in Liberty Square on April 9 and head to the
presidential office in a peaceful procession to express no confidence
to the incumbent authorities.

Kurdish community wished peace and solidarity

02:19 PM | TODAY | POLITICS

On the occasion of New Year’s Day of Kurdish people-Novruz, Deputy
Mayor Vano Vardanyan Yerevan’s Mayor Taron Margaryan congratulated the
Chairman of the National Council of RA Kurdish community Knyaz Hasanov
and wished solidarity, implementation of new programs and
achievements.

“Kurdish community with its own role has always actively participated
in our programs and has always been next to Yerevan. The municipality
highlights the role and the importance of minorities in the life of
the city and is ready to cooperate with them”,-on behalf of the Mayor,
Vano Vardanyan mentioned.

Knyaz Hasanov expressed appreciation and thanks for the congratulation
of Taron Margaryan.
“Mayor Taron Margaryan’s attention once again proves that our friendly
relations with the Armenian people are very firm and when the world
spread Kurds consider their cultural center the city of Yerevan, it is
not surprising any longer. It is a result of the friendly attitude
always shown by the authorities for what we are sincerely grateful.

And highlighting the importance of reconstruction and development
works in the city, which has recently become more and more noticeable,
on behalf of our community, we express our readiness of active
participation”- RA Kurdish National Council’s chairman assured.
Deputy Mayor Vano Vardanyan expressed hope that the relations with the
Kurdish community will be extended even further with new projects,
opportunities and achievements.

UN Representative: It is time for Armenia and Azerbaijan to launch
dialogue without mediators

ARMINFO
Saturday, March 23, 15:25

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been conducting a dialogue with help of
third parties, organizations or political figures, for 20 years.
Today, it is time to launch a dialogue without mediators. This is how
one can find a common language and develop mechanisms for resolution
of the conflict situations.

Gulnara Shahinian, UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of
Slavery, a member of the Council of Democracy Today NGO, made such
statement at opening of the international conference “Caucasus – our
common home” and “Twenty years of women’s movement for peace in the
Caucasus”.

“Unfortunately, our colleagues from Azerbaijan could not participate
in this conference due to heavy situation in Azerbaijan, as they might
face problems for visiting Armenia. In the meanwhile, we would like to
cooperate long and successfully. Our initiative is not casual. We does
not want to see the Caucasus divided, something that has been
happening over the last 20 years,” Shahinian said.

She said that in 2011 the “Young women of the Caucasus for Peace”
award was introduced in memory of the human rights defender Anahit
Bayandur who passed away the same year. She said that there were no
applications for the award when it was introduced, because women who
risk their lives to help people, probably, do not think that they
something extraordinary.

“Last year a total of 10 applications were received for nomination for
the award. The winners were Sofia Shakirova (Stavropol), Rosa Ganeeva
(Ingushetia), and Inna Hayrapetyan (Chechnya). Those women rendered
invaluable help to people and that award has become the first step in
the way towards creation of a new image of a woman,” Shahinian said.

Lala Ghazaryan, Head of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs
Department for Family, Women and Children said, in turn, that a
serious work to ensure gender equality has been carried out Armenia
recently.

“The Government of Armenia has adopted a number of programs to protect
women’s rights and gender equality in the country. In addition, a bill
on the violence in family has been submitted to the Government,” she
said.

Ghazaryan believes that much has been done in Armenia in the given
area, but there is still much to be done. This requires not only
relevant laws but also changes in public perception of the existing
problems.

The conference was attended by women from all the Caucasus states
except Azerbaijan and Karachayevo-Cherkesia.

Israel has to recognize Armenian Genocide. Israeli historian

15:30, 23 March, 2013

YEREVAN, MARCH 23, ARMENPRESS: Being a country which experienced the
suffering of the genocide, Israel has to recognize Armenian Genocide.
Israeli historian, scholar and expert specializing on Holocaust and
Genocide studies, racism and contemporary Jewry Yair Auron made a
statement at two-day international scientific conference titled
`Armenian Genocide. Challenges ahead of the century’.

`Many people in Israel want the government to recognize Armenian
Genocide. Actually Israel had to be among first countries to recognize
Armenian Genocide, as Jewish nation experienced the suffering of the
genocide,’ Armenpress quoted Yair Auron.

According to him, impunity of the genocide committed against Armenians
during World War I became the reason of the Genocide committed against
Jewish people during World War II. `Germany used the fact that
committers of the Armenian Genocide remained to be unpunished, so it
is necessary to recognize and condemn Armenian Genocide, in order to
avoid such phenomenon in future,’ historian said.

International scientific conference titled `Armenian Genocide.
Challenges ahead of the century’ launched on March 23.

Haykakan Zhamanak: Number of those that left Armenia grows by over 56 percent

NEWS.AM
March 19, 2013

YEREVAN. – In line with the official data issued by the Armenian State
Migration Service, the negative difference between those that departed
from Armenia and those that arrived in the country in January-February
2013 is 22,122, Haykakan Zhamanak daily reports.

`This is 7,728 more than the same indicator in the year past. In other
words, the number of those that left Armenia – without having returned
[to the country] – grew by more than 56 percent in the first two months
of this year, as compared to last year,’ Haykakan Zhamanak writes.

Perfect and Complicated Proposal to Serzh Sargsyan

Hakob Badalyan
13:08 23/03/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

After Serzh Sargsyan’s press conference, Raffi Hovannisian handed to
him his proposals on how to resolve the crisis, warning at the same
time that Serzh Sargsyan mistakenly thinks that people do not come to
the square to support Hovannisian.

Hovannisian again proposes a new presidential election. He also
proposes another option: he accepts Serzh Sargsyan’s presidency but he
commits to early parliamentary election this year, as well as 5
governors, prosecutor general, head of State Revenue Committee,
Council of Justice, MFA, Audit Chamber, Anti-Corruption Council are
nominated by the opposition.

Theoretically, what Raffi Hovannisian proposes is a perfect way out
for Serzh Sargsyan in his complicated situation. Most importantly, it
is a way out for the country in lasting crisis. Armenia will be able
to get out of the marsh and move on thanks to a genuine mechanism of
checks and balances.

However, it is difficult to imagine that Serzh Sargsyan will accept
Raffi Hovannisian’s proposals, especially the Council of Justice which
nominates judges. Handing the courts to the opposition will be a
suicide for the ruling system. Independent courts are the Achilles’
heel of this system.

It is another story Raffi Hovannisian creates a situation by his
further actions which will make Serzh Sargsyan and the ruling system
to accept those proposals. Next week, in the next rally, Raffi
Hovannisian will present a road map. For the time being, the situation
is far from forcing Serzh Sargsyan to accept Hovannisian’s proposals.
Most probably, he will try to mark time, play widely, avoid a
face-to-face confrontation with Raffi Hovannisian and diversity the
game to get space for maneuver. It means wider inclusion of other
forces, which is enabled by the local election in Yerevan.

However, Raffi Hovannisian seems to be prepared for this point as
well, and perhaps he has taken consideration of this danger or risk to
clarify the popular, civil and trans-party factor, announcing that no
party can compete with people, with citizens. It is an attempt to
ensure continuity of the popular pole not to transform to one of the
party poles. Time will show whether Raffi Hovannisian will succeed or
not. He understands that the face-to-face format has strategic
importance to him, and Serzh Sargsyan badly needs the third party
which is redundant for Raffi Hovannisian.