Author: Badalian Vardan

Academician: Primary goal of TV should be to preserve national identity

16:32 07/07/2012 » Society

Armenian TV air lowers education level instead of educating younger
generations and helping them reach high artistic level, academician,
chairman of the Armenian Cultural Fund, Arevshat Avagyan told
reporters in Yerevan.

Primary goal of TV should be to preserve national identity, and only
then TV companies should think of fitting market requirements, he
stressed.

At the same time, the speaker noted, in Armenia, all TV companies are
controlled from one center.

`Today, censorship in Armenia is stronger than it was under Soviet
rule. TV companies should be permitted or instructed to air something.
Money is a decisive factor in TVs. This is by no means culture,’ he
said and added that Armenian TVs often suffer foreign influence.

Armenian government should keep its attention focused on the quality
of TV air, Avagyan highlighted.

Source: Panorama.am

Grace Kelly Benefit Concert Held for Avedisian School

by Contributor on July 7, 2012

By Eileen Chopourian Stephey

The Armenian Martyrs’ Congregational Church in Havertown, Pa., hosted
a benefit concert on June 2 featuring the Grace Kelly Quintet. The
concert raised money and awareness for the Khoren and Shooshanig
Avedisian School in Yerevan, Armenia. The highly successful evening,
co-chaired by Eileen Chopourian Stephey and Tom Momjian, was supported
by the Armenian and local communities, with over 200 attendees filling
the sanctuary. Delicious, light refreshments were provided before the
concert.

Ground – breaking for the new Avedisian School took place on June 22.
The school will employ state of the art energy efficient technology in
its construction and become the first LEED-certified building in
Armenia. Pamela and Ed Avedisian attended the June 2 concert, where Ed
spoke briefly about the award-winning school and invited the audience
to participate in the project with their financial support.

Kelly’s quintet included the hymns `Blessed Assurance,’ `Amazing
Grace,’ and `Sweet Hour of Prayer’ from the CD `Grace’ in the
performance. Saxophonist Grace Kelly also sang some of her own
compositions. The musicians, which included Jason Palmer on trumpet,
Evan Gregor on bass, Pete McCann on guitar, and Jordan Perlson on
drums, quickly established a warm rapport with the audience and
received a standing ovation following their final number.

Kelly and her family have long been supportive of the Avedisian School
building project and performed at a fundraising concert in Lexington,
Mass., in January for the Avedisian School.

For more information about the Avedisian School Building Project and
how you can help, call the Armenian Missionary Association of America
(AMAA) at (201) 265-2607 or visit For more information
about Grace Kelly, visit

The AMAA serves the religious, educational, and social needs of
Armenian communities around the world. The AMAA was founded in 1918 in
Worcester, Mass., and was incorporated in New York in 1920. AMAA is a
501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Armenian Genocide had an influence in all creations of Serj Tankian

ARMENPRESS
16:00, 7 July, 2012

As you would expect from someone whose conversation swings easily from
harakiri, the Japanese term for ritualistic suicide after which he
named his latest solo album, to the Armenian genocide of nearly a
century ago, Serj Tankian comes across as intense. Armenpress reports
about this calling Nzherald.co.nz website.

And not even his time living by the beach in New Zealand has chilled
him out any.

As the frontman of System of a Down, the Lebanese-born
Armenian-American has become a high-profile mouthpiece for Armenians
wanting official recognition of genocide committed by Turkey during
World War I. The historic issue has shaped his world view and his
music, whether with SOAD, one of mainstream rock’s heaviest outfits,
or on his solo forays.

“I think my activism and politicisation came from the hypocrisy of the
denial in the US of the Armenian genocide – and then realising how
many other causes, be it human rights or environmentally oriented
causes, are suppressed for political capital and gain,” he says on the
phone from Los Angeles.

Armenian MP singer on Harsnakar tragedy

tert.am
14:59 – 07.07.12

Republican party MP, singer Shushan Petrosyan said she is glad for the
wave of complaint and noise raised after the tragedy at Harsnakar
restaurant.

She voiced hope that the public demand will put an end to permissiveness.

She said the statement voiced by the owner of Harsnakar Ruben
Hayrapetyan was very emotional. `We are not God to judge anyone. God
gives everyone opportunity for repentance,’ she said, voicing hope
that such tragedies will not happen anymore.

Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire 250 times in the past week

armradio.am
07.07.2012 14:56

According to the data of the NKR Defense Army, about 250 cases of
ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani side were registered at the
line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and
Azerbaijan from July 1 to 7.

The rival fired more than 1,200 shots from weapons of different
caliber in the direction of the Armenian positions.

Committed to the maintenance of the ceasefire regime, divisions of the
Defense Army did not yield to the provocations of the rival and
continued to carry out their military duty, Press and Propaganda
Department of the NKR Defense Army reports.

Global Innovation Index 2012 report: Armenia leader in the region

tert.am
12:27 – 07.07.12

For the second year running, Switzerland, Sweden, and Singapore lead
in overall innovation performance according to the Global Innovation
Index 2012 (GII), published by INSEAD and the World Intellectual
Property Organization (WIPO).

The report ranks 141 countries/economies on the basis of their
innovation capabilities and results. The list of overall GII top 10
performers has changed little from last year. Switzerland, Sweden, and
Singapore are followed in the top ten by Finland, the United Kingdom,
the Netherlands, Denmark, Hong Kong (China), Ireland, and the United
States of America. Canada is the only country leaving the top 10 this
year, mirroring weakening positions on all main GII innovation input
and output pillars.

The report shows that the U.S.A. continues to be an innovation leader
but also cites relative shortfalls in areas such as education, human
resources and innovation outputs as causing a drop in its innovation
ranking.

The leaders in their regions are: Switzerland in Europe, the US in
Northern America, Singapore in South East Asia and Oceania, Israel in
Northern Africa and Western Asia, Chile in Latin America and the
Caribbean, India in Central and Southern Asia, and Mauritius in
Sub-Saharan Africa. Among low-income economies the leader is Kenya.

Estonia is leader in the former USSR countries being the 19th. Russia
is the 51st. Armenia is ranked the 69th being the leader in the
region. Georgia is the 71st, Azerbaijan 89th, Iran is 104th and Turkey
is the 73d.

Eco-friendly event to be held at Yerevan’s Northern Avenue

news.am
July 07, 2012 | 13:12

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s `I Like Green, Clean Yerevan’ environmental
movement will hold an event, entitled `We Go Shopping with
Eco-Friendly Bags,’ at capital city Yerevan’s Northern Avenue, on
Sunday at 1pm-4pm.

A group of Yerevan youth has united under one objective: seeing the
city clean. The event aims to raise awareness and instill the habit of
not polluting Yerevan.

During the event the passersby will be given nature-friendly bags so
as to conduct shopping with them.

Also, eco-friendly messages will be spread throughout Yerevan

Council of Europe launches Action Plan of 15 million Euros in Armenia

12:04, 7 July, 2012

YEREVAN, JULY 7, ARMENPRESS: – The Council of Europe will launch a
three-year action plan on 12 July in Yerevan to support Armenia’s
agenda for reform in the areas of human rights, the rule of law and
democracy.

Armenpress was informed from the office of Council of Europe in
Yerevan that the new plan will cost 15 million to implement. It will
focus action on effective implementation of the European Convention on
Human Rights, strong democratic institutions and procedures at
national, regional and local level, and better participation of key
social and civil actors in public decision-making process.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Edward Nalbandian, will
open the launch conference. The Director General of Programmes and
Deputy Secretary General elect of the Council of Europe, Gabriella
Battaini-Dragoni, will present the action plan.

Armenia joined the Council of Europe in 2001 and will chair the
Committee of Ministers from May to November 2013.

Armenians of Homs could save the school archive and church calendar

18:10, 6 July, 2012

YEREVAN, JULY 6, ARMENPRESS: In the Syrian city Homs almost two months
ago by Syrian rebel militants were occupied Armenian school and
church. Up to today they remain under the control of rebel militants.

Armenpress was informed by a representative of Armenian community in
Syria Nazareth Elmajyan that on the imitative of Armenian community of
Homs and due to their efforts it was possible to take out from the
occupied Armenian school and church the church calendar and school
archive. There is also information that the rebel militants live in
the first floor of the church and the church in sow closed.

Earlier there was information that the armed rebels had occupied
Armenian school and church named `Isahakyan’ which are owned by
Armenian community of the city which after being stolen serves for the
rebel militants as a hospital, hotel or vacation place.

Concept of NATO Development Isn’t Complete

Igor Muradyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 14:44:33 – 06/07/2012

Now after the NATO summit in Chicago with which so many hopes were
linked and which certainly had a big role in forming a global system
of security, it is clear that important problems persist which will
not be resolved in the nearest future. Apart from such issues as the
use of new weapons, establishment of a common structure of command,
adoption of the principles of NATO policy, primarily in the regions
and relating to crises, the issue of partnership remains open.

In other words, involvement of new partners beyond NATO membership is
concerned. In fact, the issue of geopolitical positions, creation of
geopolitical reference points, promotion of new positions, first of
all in Eurasia, Central, South and Southeast Asia, other regions are
up.

Judging by different publications and pronouncements of experts `new’
Atlantic sets may emerge. It should be noted that these `new’ Atlantic
sets have introduced an important doctrine `of marking the borders of
the free world by 2050′. Presumably, the formal NATO enlargement is
meaningless under obvious transformation of the alliance and emergence
of new power centers around France and Germany and formation of
European armed forces. It would be more productive to involve new
partners, as well as expand functions, missions and zones of
responsibility of the alliance than to enlarge NATO but it will be
tough to solve these practical and institutional issues.

Therefore, it is thought more important to outline the geopolitical
zone in the framework of which normative Western values will be
developed. This zone is marked clearly – all the states of Europe,
including Russia, Ukraine, South Caucasus, as well as Turkey. It is
assumed that they will stop at this point till 2050 since bigger
ambitions will not allow developing fully the `free world’. It is
presumed that this super region of North Atlantics must be taken under
full control by 2015.

Different ideas on NATO enlargement towards North Africa and the Near
East are exotics. Most probably, the issue of enlargement of the NATO
area of responsibility and membership beyond the European region which
would mean violation of UN provisions on globalization.

Russia is given the role of an important partner to fight
international threats, retaining the functions of an energy and raw
material supplier, conserving the R&D potential in the county.

It is taken into account that the order and norms of NATO policy is
not in line with excess enlargement of the alliance. Sufficient
integration of the outlined space will eliminate the need for NATO
enlargement. There is reason to note that this doctrine is understood
in actual political sets of the United States. Experts, apologists and
projectors of NATO development are aware that the `generation’ of a
list of partners will cause a number of problems because apart from
political statements on readiness for cooperation few countries are
sincerely committed to supporting the alliance in implementing its
goals.

The majority of such desirable partners take a symbolic part in NATO
actions and they would like to be consumers of security. This concerns
the countries of the South Caucasus who were enthusiastic about
cooperation with NATO, whereas they are not even able to respond to
challenges of the issue of Iran.

Currently the United States and NATO are scrutinizing the usefulness
of states of Central Asia who have been less useful so far than the
Caucasian states. Effective military cooperation with the Arab states
will not even be considered. Apart from this, the problem of Turkey is
coming to the foreground which will be a source and factor of an acute
crisis in transatlantic relations.

Besides, one should keep in mind that the new members of the alliance
in Central and Eastern Europe were less useful to achievement of
practical goals. The question is who will fight once the plans of
establishment of a global system of security are approved? Only the
U.S. army mercenaries? In addition, these characteristics of NATO
members are copied by CSTO.

Hence, the Americans will have to fight (mostly those of Latin
American origin and dreamers of southern states), as well as the
Russians (half of them non-Russians).