Author: Badalian Vardan

AZERBAIJANI HISTORY TAUGHT AT ITALIAN UNIVERSITIES

Trend News Agency
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News
Baku, Azerbaijan
October 31, 2012 Wednesday

BYLINE: I. Isabalayeva, Trend News Agency, Baku, Azerbaijan

Oct. 31–Lessons are held at Italian universities on the basis of
books on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and
Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan written by Italian scholars
and researchers. These works are studied by students, Azerbaijani
Education Minister Misir Mardanov told media today.

He said the Center of Azerbaijani Studies functions at the Italian
largest and oldest university La Sapienza.

Earlier, the minister said that the Italian language can be taught
in some of the Azerbaijani educational institutions as the second
language, but specialists of the Italian language are required.

“I was talking about this in 2011, but some individuals did not pay
attention to my words,” he said. “I think that the Italian language
can be taught at schools as the second language.”

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group — Russia, France, and the U.S. —
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

AN ENVOY REMEMBERED

Washington Times
Oct 31 2012

Embassy Row

The Greek ambassador and leading Greek-Americans held a graveside
service to honor the memory of an American diplomat who saved thousands
of Greeks 90 years ago during the Turkish invasion of the ancient
city of Smyrna after World War I.

Ambassador Christos Panagopoulos joined Nick Larigakis, president of
the American Hellenic Institute in Georgetown’s Oak Hill Cemetery on
Oct. 22 at the grave of George Horton, who served as the consul-general
in Smyrna when the port city went up in flames after Turkish troops
invaded. Horton wrote about the burning of Smyrna in his 1926 book,
“The Blight of Asia.”

Most historians blame Turkish forces for torching the city and killing
tens of thousands of Greeks and Armenians, beginning Sept. 9, 1922,
at the end of the Greco-Turkish War. Hundreds of thousands of Smyrna’s
residents crowded the city’s waterfront, desperate for evacuation as
U.S. and other allied warships lay at anchor. Some historians say the
allies had orders not to interfere with the destruction of the city.

Horton wrote that the final episode of the elimination of the
Christians from the old Byzantine Empire was the razing of Smyrna,
located on Turkey’s Aegean coast and now within the boundaries of
the Turkish city of Izmir,

In his book, he cited his own eyewitness accounts as well as the
findings of contemporary scholars.

Horton quoted Valentine Chirol of the University of Chicago, who
said, “After the Turks had smashed the Greek armies, they turned the
essentially Greek city into an ash heap as proof of their victory.”

ARMENIA HOSTS NATO WEEK

VESTNIK KAVKAZA
Oct 31 2012
RUSSIA

Armenia will host a NATO Week on November 1-8, according to the
Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) signed in December 2005,
News Armenia reports.

The Gyumri State Pedagogical Institute of Michael Nalbandian will
have a meeting of students and officials of the Foreign Ministry,
NATO, US and British embassies.

They will discuss strengthening of security cooperation on November
5-6. The talks will be attended by high-ranking officials of NATO and
Armenian Defense Ministries, public organizations, political analysts
and experts.

Video conferences will be organized with Armenian peacekeepers serving
in Kosovo and Afghanistan at the Armenian Foreign Ministry.

AS OF OCTOBER 2011, THE ACTUAL NUMBER OF ARMENIA’S POPULATION MADE 2 871 771 PEOPLE

Mediamax
Oct 31 2012
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. According to a population census conducted in
October 2011, 36.7% of Armenia’s population lives in a rural area,
63.3% -in cities, 55.5% of whom live in Yerevan.

Head of the National Statistical Service of Armenia Karine Kuyumjyan
said this today presenting the preliminary results of the population
census, Mediamax reports.

According to preliminary dada of the census, as of October 2011,
the actual number of Armenia’s population made 2 871 771 people (in
2001- 3 002 594) and the constant number of Armenia’s population made-
3 018 854 people (in 2001- 3 213 011).

IRANIAN PLAYWRIGHTS TO MEET ARMENIAN WRITERS IN YEREVAN

On Line: 31 October 2012 18:33
In Print: Thursday 01 November 2012

TEHRAN — A group of nine Iranian playwrights left Tehran for Yerevan
today to attend a meeting with members of the Writers’ Union of
Armenia.

The weeklong meeting has been organized based on an agreement, which
was signed by the Playwrights Center of the Iranian Theater Forum
and the union in 2010.

The group includes Behzad Seddiqi, Mohammad-Amir yarahmadi, Alireza
Naderi, Susan Rahimi, Salma Salamati, Bahram Jalalipur, Sadeq Safaii,
Mehdi Mirbaqeri and Andranik Khochumian.

A number of Armenian Troupes are scheduled to perform plays and play
readings for the Iranian group.

In addition, Armenian translations of some Iranian plays will be
unveiled during the meeting, center spokesman Behzad Seddiqi said in
a press release on Wednesday.

Among the plays are “Old Blade” written by Mohammad-Amir Yarahmadi,
“Esmaeil Aqa’s Haunt” by Hamid Amjad and “Love Story from the Death
of the Moon in the Month of Ordibehesht” by Mohammad Charmshir.

“Trembling Fortune, Ill-Fated Folks” by Alireza Naderi, “Mug” by
Naghmeh Samini, and “A Room with Two Doors” by Mahmud Nazeri will
also be introduced during the meeting.

The books have been translated by Edward Hakhverdian, George Asaturian
and several other Armenian translators.

ALIYEV ISSUES NEW THREATS TO ARTSAKH

tert.am
31.10.12

The Azerbaijani authorities have threatened to “liberate”
Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsahk) and restore monuments to several famous
people, the Russian Vzglyad reports, citing a statement by the
country’s president.

Ihlam Aliyev has said that Azerbaijan will not allow any attempts
to build a second Armenian state. The country also reportedly plans
to restore “ancient monuments” featuring singer Blbulin, poetess
Natavanin and composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov.

Their statues are now be kept in one of the museums of capital Baku.

“ME TOO” WINS BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD AT SYRFILMFEST ’12

15:27, October 31, 2012

Lilit Movsisyan’s film “Me Too” has walked away with the “Best
Cinematography” award at New York’s Syracuse International Film
Festival (October 11-14, 2012).

The film also won a Judge’s Citation for Best Sound/Music and a
Director’s Citation in the Best Short Fiction category.

“Me Too” is the first collaborative film effort of Lilit Movsisyan
and Tao Productions.

ARMENIA’S INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT VOLUME TO EXCEED 1,1 TRILLION AMD THRESHOLD IN THE END OF THE YEAR

ARMENPRESS
31 October, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS: Thanks to Armenia’s Government
industrial policy, a grave growth has been recorded in industry,
brandy and pharmaceutical production areas. As Armenpress reports,
Vazgen Safaryan, head of the Union of Domestic Producers of Armenia
came forth in the course of the consultation held with Armenian
PM Tigran Sargsyan launched in Tosp company . In the words of the
interlocutor industrial production volume in the course of current
year eight months amounted over 700 billion AMD as compared with the
same period of the previous year, recording 13% growth.

Safaryan expressed confidence in the end of the year it will exceed 1,1
trillion AMD threshold.” This is result of the consistent elaborated
policy” the head of the union noted. In his words brandy export during
9 months as compared with 2011 is set to exceed 80 % threshold,
ensuring 40 billion AMD export. A growth has been recorded in drug
production and export sectors, with relevant 2, 1 and 1 billion AMD,
ensuring 1,4 and 3,6 percent growth.

30-YEAR-OLD YEREVAN MAN’S BODY IS DISCOVERED

news.am
October 31, 2012 | 16:04

YEREVAN. – The dead body of Edgar Tadevosyan, 30, was found hanged
at the rooftop of an Armenian capital city Yerevan detached house,
on Wednesday at around 10:50am. The Police press service confirmed
this information to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

But the press service said nothing with respect to the information that
Tadevosyan was a former investigator, and noted that the respective
press release solely records that he was unemployed at present.

A report is being prepared on this incident.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: AZERBAIJAN UNDER THE LIMELIGHT

Panorama.am
31/10/2012

Azerbaijan is hosting this year’s UN Internet Governance Forum
scheduled to take place in the capital Baku 6-9 November.

The forum, including discussion of internet related human rights
issues, in particular freedom of speech, will help bring to light the
restrictions imposed by the Azerbaijani authorities on free speech
and on the crackdown on any one daring to criticize President Ilham
Aliyev, his family or government.

Amnesty International’s briefing, AZERBAIJAN: HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES
PLACED UNDER THE E-SPOTLIGHT, highlights the experiences of some of
those who have paid the price for free speech in Azerbaijan, as well
as the oppressive system of internet surveillance in the country,
Amnesty International reports.