Author: Badalian Vardan

ARTISTS UNITE TO RESTORE SHUSHI’S CULTURAL LEGACY
Anush Kocharyan

12:56, October 11, 2012

Twenty Armenian artists from around the world have converged on the
historic Artsakh town of Shushi to participate in Land and Technologies
project that is a part of the Shushi Art Project.

The art on display is a mixed bag of exhibitions and installations
that allow the artists to mingle with local residents.

Harry Vorperian, an artist from America who heads the project,
was excited to talk to Hetq about how the idea to bring artists to
Artsakh was conceived and what their experiences had been.

Vorperian said he had a personal exhibition in Los Angeles two years
ago and the responses were so positive that he decided to stage a
group exhibition there.

[shushi-7.jpg] Some of the artists in Shushi

The artist said that he thought about taking the exhibition outside
the confines of L.A. and figured Shushi would be the most appropriate
venue since the town has always served as a cultural center for
Armenians. He added that work needs to be done to see that Shushi’s
cultural legacy restored for our times.

“Shushi is like a blank canvas for artists,” he noted.

This reporter asked Vorperian how it happened that his visit to Shushi
coincided with the opening of the Shushi Art Gallery.

“When I visited Shushi in July, work on the gallery was under way. I
asked if we could use the space and were told we could. It’s a
gallery of international standards. That’s how our work jived. It
was a pleasant solution. I don’t know the details of the gallery’s
future plans but I know they are looking for a curator to make the
place come alive.”

Vorperian told me that 8 of the artists were from the States and 2
from Europe. There are also 10 from Yerevan.

[shushi-2.jpg] Ara Oshagan and his photo installation

I asked about the installation of photographer Ara Oshagan where huge
blown-up photos have been hung in the empty window and door archways
of a ruined building.

[shushi-3.jpg] Samvel Saghatelyan’s “Quilt”

“The reaction has been fantastic. It’s a very current theme and
something that local residents can relate to because in the windows
they would see their parents and friends. Let me tell you about
an incident that touched me. Two days ago I was walking past the
building towards the hotel and saw a guy kneeling down in front of
one of the photos. He was trying to retie one of the ropes holding
down the photo. It was a great gesture and shows how we have been
received by the people of Shushi.”

Vorperian told me that art works had been installed at other sites
as well.

His installation and one by Ashot Avagyan are located at Jdrdouz
(Dziatap); Sahak Poghosyan’s installation is on the ramparts of the
fort, and Charles Khachatourian’s half ton piece has been moved to
the gallery.

[shushi-4.jpg] Charles HKhachatourian’s gigantic work being moved

The Shushi Art Project will wrap up on October 14. Nevertheless,
Vorperian said he was sure that others would continue the work to
make Shushi a center of arts and culture once again.

[shushi-5.jpg] Art installation at the old fort

P.S. – Hetq will be talking with some of the other artists in the
project soon.

“CIVILITAS” FOUNDATION’S EMPLOYEES ARE FOLLOWED

17:05 – 10.10.2012

“Civilitas” foundation has made a statement:

“National security system started ‘protecting’ interests of “Civilitas”
foundation’s employees. Those people have been following our employees
very carefully, especially how they perform signature gathering in
the streets against political prosecutions. Those unknown people even
see our employees home.

We consider such work style unacceptable. This does not meet
the responsibility-circle of any governmental establishment. If
pressures of the tax office and baseless statements of different media
representatives did not break the determination of “Civilitas” fund,
these measures are in vain.

Our activity, as used to be, is transparent and public and it would
have been better if legal bodies minded their own businesses and took
care of people that are real danger to the country

ARMENIANS CAN GET MARRIED OUTSIDE OF REGISTRY OFFICE

news.am
October 10, 2012 | 17:40

YEREVAN.- Armenian citizens are permitted to get married without
visiting civil registry office.

On Wednesday the government decided it is not necessary to visit the
office to register marriage. From now on the Armenian citizens can
pay a tax amounting to AMD 50,000 (about $120) to invite the officer
to register marriage in a church, at home or elsewhere.

In case he or she are ill or are serving a prison sentence, they do
not have to pay the tax.

EXPERT: IF YOU WANT TO PREVENT WAR, GET READY FOR IT

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 10, 2012 – 18:49 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia-hosted strategic team drills are an important
event in the country’s military-political life, military expert David
Jamalyan said.

“The team exercises aim to boost Armenian armed forces’ combat
readiness for a large-scale war. Army must be ready for a large-scale
war to be able to avert it,” he told a press conference in Yerevan.

The expert noted mobilization of reserve forces at peace preferable
to that at war time.

He further stressed the need to ensure better public awareness and
strengthen defense ministry-society relations to prevent possible
attempts to manipulate the Armenian society and raise a panic.

AZERBAIJAN NOT CAPABLE OF CLAIMING FOR A BLITZKRIEG – ARMENIAN EXPERT

NEWS.AM
October 10, 2012 | 13:27

YEREVAN.- Azerbaijan, with its existing military potential, can not
claim for a blitzkrieg, Armenian military expert David Jamalyan told
reporters on Wednesday.

“Therefore, a large-scale war is unlikely to break out in the near
future,” he said adding that Azerbaijan is getting ready for war.

According to him, Azerbaijan’s endless allegations of enormous military
build-up are pursuing propaganda purposes.

“In fact, having a huge budget, they did not achieve superiority and
will not succeed,” Jamalyan said.

In this context, he noted the importance of the strategic alliance
between Armenia and Russia. He believes among the key issues is
Armenia’s purchase of Russian arms at preferential prices. This will
hampers Azerbaijan’s attempts to achieve superiority.

“Cooperation with Russia is a factor that prevents Azerbaijan’s
aspiration to achieve imbalance,” the expert said, adding that the
Armenian side will continue to buy weapons and hamper Azerbaijan’s
propaganda.

ARFD MEMBER HOPES NEW GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES WILL SOLVE JAVAKHK’S PROBLEMS

NEWS.AM
October 10, 2012 | 13:04

YEREVAN.- Georgian parliamentary elections inspire hope that the
newly elected political force will be able to solve problems of
the Armenian-populated Javakhk region to a certain extent, said
ARFD member.

Giro Manoyan, Armenian Cause (Hay Dat) Office Chief, noted that it
is the first time since Georgia’s independence that the change of
power was free and peaceful.

“Their [Georgian Dream] reserved campaign statements on Javakhk are
very important for us. There is more room for optimism as compared to
policy carried out by the incumbent president,” Manoyan told reporters
on Wednesday.

GIRO MANOYAN: POSSIBLE RATIFICATION BY TURKEY OF ONE OF PROTOCOLS POSES DANGER FOR ARMENIA

Panorama.am
10/10/2012

“There is no change concerning the Armenian-Turkish protocols. They are
in the same condition as they were three years ago. I mean that they
exist. The comments that they are in fact dead do not correspond to
reality, because they exist legally,” Giro Manoyan, Director of the
ARF bureau’s Hay Dat and political affairs office, told reporters
in Yerevan.

According to him, Turkey says that work is done towards the protocols,
but it is not true either.

“Our opinion has not changed regarding the protocols – they are bad
for Armenia, and three years are more than enough for them to cease
to exist legally. One of the ways to achieve it is to withdraw our
signature from the protocols,” Manoyan said, adding that if Armenia
withdraws its signature from the protocols, the entire world will
understand that Turkey is to blame for the current situation with
protocols.

The politician noted that possible ratification by Turkey of one of
the protocols – the one which mentions no deadline – poses danger
for Armenia.

“In that case, if Armenia does something, it will be viewed as a
short-sighted move, and if not, Armenia will lose the reputation of a
“good partner,” he stressed.

NO LABORATORY IN ARMENIA WITH INTERNATIONAL ACCREDITATION – EXPERT

NEWS.AM
October 10, 2012 | 15:50

YEREVAN. – There is no laboratory in Armenia with international
accreditation, Republic Union of Employers Chairman Gagik Makaryan
said during a press conference on Wednesday.

In his words, such situation complicates the certification of
exporters. “Not all laboratories are able to conduct the complete
gamma of analyses that are necessary for exporting. In addition,
not everyone is informed about the kinds of analyses the product
needs to go through to be accepted in EU,” Makaryan noted.

The Food Safety Service laboratory is undergoing the International
Certification process, whereas the Standards Institute laboratory
is certifying export wine, but solely as a provisional body. “They
selected this laboratory during the Armenia-EU talks, but only
temporarily,” Gagik Makaryan clarified.

WE DON’T HAVE CAVIAR

October 10, 2012 13:48

I first came across the term Caviar Diplomacy not in the speeches of
Armenian delegates to the PACE, but on the BBC website a few months
ago ().

That article was about the report of the European Stability Initiative
NGO, which, by the way, has nothing to do with Armenians, made to the
British Parliament, according to which the Azerbaijani government tried
to neutralize the criticism of it bribing members of the Council of
Europe. Thus, there is an attempt to conceal the crying violations
of human rights in the neighboring country. The report itself was
entitled Caviar Diplomacy, although it was not only about caviar, but
many other kinds of bribes. For example, according to my information,
if any European official (not only from the PACE) intends to go toBaku,
his ticket automatically becomes a business class one, the hotel
becomes 5-star, other conveniences are luxurious and expensive and
naturally, the Azerbaijani government pays for all that. And Europeans
are so weak-willed that they accept those gifts with great pleasure and
present the problems of the Azerbaijani “democracy” in their reports
and letters mildly. They also say that no authoritarian country spends
so much money on concealing its problems. And there is a point in that
– Russia for one doesn’t need that, if the Council of Europe adopts a
resolution that the Kremlin doesn’t like, they will openly state that
they are not going to follow the “advice” mentioned in that resolution.

Countries like Azerbaijan or our country cannot afford such an attitude
for obvious reasons – we must think of our positive image.

However, in the case ofArmenia, there is a much shorter way than
bribing Europeans, particularly given the fact that we don’t have
caviar. Particularly given the fact that our problems with democracy
are much smaller than those ofAzerbaijan. Moreover, they are smaller
than they were in 2009-10. Why should one take wrong steps and try to
justify or conceal them? I for one think that in the next few months,
the problems of the Armenian government regarding this will be: a. the
release of Tigran Arakelyan and assignment of much milder punishments
to all 4 guys; b. the “non-criminal” resolution of the Oskanian case.

I understand that the party members demand more – complete acquittal
etc. However, too much maximalism is often an obstacle in such cases.

ARAM ABRAHAMYAN

ARMENIAN BAZAAR TO BE HELD IN ARMYANSK, CRIMEA

tert.am
10.10.12

Tweet X festival of international friendship “Armenian Bazaar” will
take place in Armyansk (Crimea) on October 20, Analitika.at.ua reports.

According to press service of Armyansk city council, the program of
the festival includes exposition of Crimea’s livelihood, exhibition
of national pavilions with the demonstration of routine and tasting
of national dishes of Crimea. Different dancing and singing ensembles
will perform folklore songs and dances at the event.

Armenians are reported to have appeared in Crimea in VIII. The
first wave of migration of Armenians to the region dates to midst
of XI century. With the improvement of political and social-economic
conditions opportunities were created for new emigrants as well.

Crimean Armenians preserved their customs and traditions creating a
big community.