Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

CHYPRE : LA TURQUIE VEUT UN REFERENDUM AU DEBUT DE 2012
Stephane

armenews.com
mercredi 13 juillet 2011

La Turquie espère que des negociations intensives sur la question de
Chypre permettront la tenue d’un referendum sur la reunification de
l’île au debut de 2012, a declare samedi le ministre turc des Affaires
etrangères Ahmet Davutoglu, cite par l’agence de presse Anatolie.

“Nous esperons qu’un large accord sera trouve sur la question de Chypre
d’ici la fin de l’annee, qu’un referendum aura lieu au debut de 2012
et que Chypre, unifiee, prendra la presidence de l’Union europeenne en
juillet 2012”, a declare M. Davutoglu dans le secteur turc de Nicosie,
la capitale divisee de Chypre.

“Cela doit etre notre objectif (…) Il est evident que des discussions
sans limitation de date (…) n’aboutiront nulle part”, a-t-il ajoute.

M. Davutoglu s’exprimait après un entretien avec le leader chypriote
turc Dervis Eroglu.

Jeudi, le secretaire general de l’ONU Ban Ki-moon avait demande a M.

Eroglu et au president chypriote grec Demetris Christofias de parvenir
a un accord d’ici octobre pour mettre fin a 37 ans de division
de l’île.

Les negociations de paix se poursuivent depuis septembre 2008, sans
resultat tangible.

Les dossiers que les deux parties doivent regler portent notamment
sur les droits de propriete concernant les terres ou biens immobiliers
perdus par les Chypriotes grecs et turcs lors de la partition, le droit
de faire circuler des marchandises entre les deux parties de l’île,
les ajustements territoriaux ou encore les garanties de securite.

L’île mediterraneenne est divisee depuis le 20 juillet 1974, lorsque
la Turquie a envahi le nord de Chypre.

La Republique de Chypre est internationalement reconnue tandis que
la Republique turque de Chypre du Nord (RTCN) est autoproclamee et
uniquement reconnue par Ankara.

M. Christofias a pour sa part declare recemment que la date ideale
pour une solution serait avant que Chypre n’assume la presidence
tournante de l’UE en juillet 2012.

From: Baghdasarian

LE GOUVERNEMENT ET LE HAK PRETS POUR DES NEGOCIATIONS
Marion

armenews.com
mercredi 13 juillet 2011

Le president Serge Sarkissian et les trois partis de la coalition
gouvernementale ont forme une equipe ad hoc chargee de la tenue des
pourparlers avec le Congrès national armenien (HAK).

Le porte-parole de Serge Sarkissian, Armen Arzumanian, a declare a
News.am, samedi 9 juillet, que le Parti republicain d’Armenie (HHK)
et les deux partis de la coalition, Armenie prospère (BHK) et Orinats
Yerkir, nommeront chacun deux membres du ” groupe de travail “.

” La première discussion de travail [avec le HAK] pourrait etre
organisee d’ici les dix prochains jours “, a declare A. Arzumanian.

Cette annonce s’inscrit dans le cadre du dialogue entre le pouvoir
armenien et le HAK, qui a ete rendu possible grâce a une serie de
concessions faites par S. Sarkissian en avril et mai.

Les deux parties n’ont neanmoins pas encore organise de reunions
sur les moyens d’attenuer les tensions politiques en Armenie. Le
HAK insiste sur le fait que le dialogue devrait prendre la forme de
negociations officielles entre des delegations specialement formees
a cet effet. S. Sarkissian et le HHK ont rejete cette formule jusqu’a
recemment.

Dans une declaration du 17 juin, le president a declare que les deux
partis pourraient discuter des defis auxquels fait face l’Armenie ”
via des personnes specialement designees “. Il a propose, debut juin,
que les representants du HHK, le BHK et Orinats Yerkir ” s’assoient
a la table des negociations ” avec une delegation du HAK.

Le HAK s’est refuse, lundi 11 juillet, a tout commentaire sur l’annonce
de A. Arzumanian. ” Nous n’avons vu encore aucune decision officielle,
de decret ou de directive sur la delegation des autorites pour le
dialogue “, a fait valoir Arman Musinian, porte-parole de l’alliance
d’opposition.

Le HHK sera represente par Davit Harutiunian et Gagik Minasian,
respectivement presidents des commissions parlementaires des Affaires
juridiques et de Politique economique.

Le BHK a egalement nomme deux hauts deputes pour le groupe. L’un d’eux,
Naira Zohrabian, a decrit le dialogue comme un jalon important dans
” la formation d’une nouvelle culture politique de tolerance mutuelle
” dans le pays.

Selon G. Minassian, ” la première reunion eclaircira beaucoup de choses
“, notamment sur les thematiques discutees.

From: Baghdasarian

EXPERT: MAIN QUESTION LIES IN RUSSIAN PRESIDENT’S PROPOSALS

Trend Daily News
July 11, 2011 Monday 3:30 PM GMT +4
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani political analyst and Trend Expert Council member Fikret
Sadikhov believes Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s proposals on
the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict submitted to Baku
and Yerevan should reflect some new nuances to solve the problem.

Otherwise no progress should be expected, he said.

“If the proposals repeat what has already been discussed at all
previous meetings, then no result will be achieved,” he said.

President Medvedev has prepared a message to Presidents of Azerbaijan
and Armenia, Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan, following discussions
held in Kazan. The message includes proposals on the visions of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution, recently discussed at a meeting
of the three presidents with representatives of the OSCE Minsk Group.

Sadikhov said previously unacceptable and impossible conditions should
not be dictated to Azerbaijan. “We cannot agree on some independent
status of Nagorno-Karabakh, which the Armenian side suggests to us
and which is silently supported by leading states within the OSCE
Minsk Group,” he stated.

Russia, he noted, has recently stepped up in the process of settling
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, but this does not mean a favorable
outcome for Azerbaijan. Russia is certainly interested in developing
a partnership with Azerbaijan, but apparently not at the expense of
Armenia’s interests.

“Azerbaijan, actually, is not interested in the infringement of
anyone’s interests. At this stage, Azerbaijan needs to liberate
seven occupied territories around Nagorno-Karabakh. This is the main
condition and requirement of Azerbaijan, from which it will never
stand down,” Sadikhov said.

If Medvedev is interested in raising his rating as a peacemaker before
the presidential election in Russia, then he should make some steps
to move the process along, Sadikhov said.

“Azerbaijan offers enough accommodations for the Armenian minority
within Azerbaijan by offering it a European version. So I would like
to believe that this letter contains fresh ideas and new nuances that
would move the process off the ground,” he said.

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 seven 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 continuing 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.

From: Baghdasarian

AZERBAIJANI MP: ARMENIA’S OCCUPANT POLICY TO BRING COUNTRY TO DISASTER

Trend
July 12 2011
Azerbaijan

The occupant policy of Armenia has led to the fact that it now stands
on the brink of disaster, Azerbaijani MP Imamverdi Ismayilov told
the official website of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party.

“Representatives of the Armenian intelligentsia have already fully
understood this reality. They know that Armenia is not on the same
level of development with Azerbaijan either from military or economic
point of view, and their situation is unequal in the international
arena. Today, the population of Armenia is aware where the occupant
policies of their government will lead,” said Ismayilov.

Commenting on the appeal of the Armenians to the Armenian prime
minister Tigran Sargsyan and the speaker of parliament Hovik
Abrahamyan, the MP said that it is impossible to prevent the process
taking place in Armenia.

The appeal says that the villages and small cities are rapidly
emptying. Under the guise of patriotism in Armenia, corruption is
rampant, citizens’ rights are violated at every step.

Over the past two and a half years, 250,000 Armenians have left
the country. One reason for this is that after the occupation
of Azerbaijani lands, this region remained aloof from the common
development. Today, the South Caucasus region in the face of Georgia
and Azerbaijan being the leader states in the region is considered
in the world the region with the highest rate of development. And
the occupant policy pursued by Armenia resulted in the fact that
it now stands on the brink of ruin. The Armenian lobby, which once
supported them, already loses its force, which contributes to the fact
that Armenia is no longer receiving financial support from abroad,”
said the MP.

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 seven 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 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.

From: Baghdasarian

BUSINESS FORUMS WILL PROMOTE DEVELOPMENT OF TIES BETWEEN UKRAINE, ARMENIA

NRCU – Ukrainian Radio

July 12 2011

Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Lytvyn says regular
business forums are an effective mechanism for the development of
business ties between Ukraine and Armenia. He voiced this opinion
during his meeting with President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan.

“We can build a successful and mutually beneficial partnership for
the implementation of projects in transport industry, engineering
and energy sectors. The Ukrainian side is interested in developing
cooperation with Armenia in the modernization of power generating
facilities, particularly for heat power plants, as well as for small
and medium-sized hydroelectric plants,” he said. As the parliamentary
press service reported, according to Volodymyr Lytvyn, the potential
of bilateral cooperation in steel industry is not involved in full;
it is also necessary to intensify cooperation in the agro-industrial
complex. The humanitarian sphere is no less important, he said. “The
development of cooperation in scientific and educational sphere needs
more dynamic,” Volodymyr Lytvyn said. The Verkhovna Rada chairman
noted that the official visit of the Ukrainian delegation to Armenia
is an eloquent testimony to intensification of the Ukrainian-Armenian
political dialogue at the highest level.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIANS WANT ANSWERS

Washington Times

July 12 2011

Armenian-Americans are suspicious of President Obama’s nominee to serve
as ambassador to Armenia because he once worked for a man described
as “consistently one of the most pro-Turkish and anti-Armenian
representatives to serve in Congress.”

The Armenian Assembly of America and the Armenian National Committee
of America are urging members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
to demand answers on key Armenian issues from John A.

Heffern on Wednesday at a confirmation hearing on his nomination.

“Without prejudging [the] nominee …, he will have a steep hill to
climb in explaining and distinguishing his views from those of former
Congressman [Douglas] Bereuter,” the Armenian Assembly said.

Mr. Bereuter, Nebraska Republican, served in Congress from 1979
to 2004.

Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee,
urged all members of the committee to attend the hearing “to question”
Mr. Heffern “about his qualifications and candidacy for this important
diplomatic posting.”

He called for committee members to ask Mr. Heffern about the Obama
administration’s views on a “truthful and just resolution of the
Armenian genocide; a free and fair settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh
based on democracy and self-determination; and the promotion of
U.S.-Armenia economic relations …”

Armenian-Americans have criticized Mr. Obama and Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton for failing to keep campaign promises to
recognize as genocide the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians in
the Ottoman Turkish empire during World War I.

Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton even opposed a congressional resolution
commemorating the Armenian genocide, just as former U.S.

administrations have done to avoid angering Turkey, a key NATO ally.

Turkey denies the killings were an attempt to wipe out the Armenian
population and calls the numbers of deaths inflated.

Mr. Hamparian also is seeking a clearer administration position on
the future of Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave inside
Azerbaijan.

Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence from Azerbaijan in 1991, and
Armenian and Azeri forces fought over the enclave from 1988 to 1994.

The confirmation hearing on Mr. Heffern’s nomination begins at 3 p.m.

in Room 419 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The committee also will consider the nominations of Thomas M.

Countryman to serve as assistant secretary of state for international
security and non-proliferation, Jeffrey DeLaurentis to serve as a
deputy U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, William H. Moser as
ambassador to Moldova and Paul D. Wohlers as ambassador to Macedonia.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN BUSINESSMAN AND POLITICIAN INVITED HEAD OF UKRAINE PARLIAMENT TO ARARAT BRANDY FACTORY

news.am
July 12 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Leader of Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) big Armenian
businessman Gagik Tsarukyan invited the Ukrainian delegation headed by
the Speaker of Verkhovna Rada (parliament) Vladimir Litvin to visit
Ararat Brandy-Wine-Vodka factory and familiarize with traditions of
Armenian brandy making.

Earlier Litvin and Tsarukyan had an official meeting.

The leader of Prosperous Armenia stressed the importance of
establishing a cross-parliamentary committee for development of
bilateral relations. As the leader of Armenian-Ukrainian parliamentary
friendship group, Tsarukyan expressed his readiness to boost the
political, economic and humanitarian ties between two countries,
PAP press service informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

From: Baghdasarian

PRESS RELEASE
Children of Armenia Fund (COAF)
Inessa Grigoryan
Public Relations and Communications Officer
53-55 Byuzand Street, Yerevan 0010
Republic of Armenia
Tel.: (+374 10) 52 20 76, 56 20 68
Fax: (+374 10) 52 20 76

July 12, 2011, Yerevan, Armenia

Raising Awareness on Environmental Protection

through Photo Exhibition

Yerevan, Republic of Armenia, July 12, 2011 – The Children of Armenia
Fund (COAF) and HSBC Bank Armenia CJSC (HSBC) held a photo exhibition on
environmental protection, exhibiting the works of more than 20 children
involved in COAF’s Photo and Video Clubs operating in four villages of
Baghramian Region, Armavir District of Armenia.

The photo exhibition marked the closing of COAF-HSBC partnership as part
of “Plastic Bags Free Communities: Environmental Protection and Business
Development Opportunities in Rural Areas” project, with a total cost of
USD 36,000. The aim of the project was to promote entrepreneurship among
rural women, raise public awareness on environmental protection and keep
the environment free from plastic bags.

Since the start of the project in 2009, women residing in COAF-supported
communities produced Bags for Life – reusable bags that partner
organizations consider the best option amongst other bags available in
today’s market. A total of 2,000 re-usable bags were produced.
Additionally, a series of public awareness campaigns were implemented:
more than 50,000 visitors were informed and became participants of
“Anti-plastic Week” project in different branches of HSBC Bank
throughout Armenia. Public events with the participation of children and
youth, such as this exhibition, made an integral part of COAF-HSBC
partnership, thus encouraging both rural and urban population to reduce
the impact of plastic on the world’s environment.

All the children, exhibiting their works at the photo exhibition, were
awarded with certificates of participation and the best three youngsters
were awarded with digital photo cameras as prizes. The Grand Prix winner
was sixteen-year-old Sona Martirosyan from the community of Karakert,
who received a digital photo camera and was granted a contract by
Yerevan Magazine for collaboration and production of photo series,
guided by the professional photographer from Yerevan Magazine.

# # #

About COAF

The Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) is a non-profit organization,
founded in 2000 in New York that works to secure a brighter future for
the children in Armenia’s impoverished rural villages through improved
education, health care, community life and economic conditions. With the
introduction of a unique clustering approach in 2004, COAF currently
implements a Comprehensive Rural Development Program in ten villages in
the Baghramian Region of Armavir Marz and two villages in Aragatsotn
Marz. Over the past six years, more than 22,000 rural residents
including 5,000 children from the communities of Argina, Arteni,
Baghramian, Dalarik, Hushakert, Lernagog, Karakert, Miasnikian, Shenik
and Yervandashat have benefited from COAF’s continuous development
projects and the improved schools, kindergartens, health clinics, sport
complexes, community centers, capacity building trainings and workshops,
and business opportunities that have resulted.

About HSBC

HSBC Bank Armenia CJSC was the first international bank to open in the
Republic of Armenia in 1996. The bank is a joint venture between the
HSBC Group, which has 70 percent ownership, and members of overseas
Armenian businesses. The bank offers a wide range of products and
services to individual as well, as corporate customers, including
personal financial services, commercial banking and treasury and capital
markets services. Thanks to the HSBC network in 86 countries and
territories, the bank is uniquely positioned to provide truly
international services for its customers. HSBC is marketed worldwide as
‘the world’s local bank’. As a socially responsible organization, HSBC
Bank Armenia continually invests in sustainability projects focusing on
education for underprivileged groups and the environment.

From: Baghdasarian

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:

PRESS RELEASE

Monday, July 11, 2011

Aram Khachaturian Trio Performs in Sydney

On May 6 and 7, 2011, the Aram Khachaturian Trio of Yerevan, Armenia,
gave two unprecedented concerts at The Independent Theatre in Sydney,
Australia. This was the first time the musical trio performed in Sydney.
The performances were organized by the AGBU Sydney Chapter and sponsored
by AGBU benefactors Avo and Jacqueline Tevanian. Besides a large
Armenian turnout, the concerts were also attended by non-Armenian music
lovers. The owner of the theatre — himself a musician — stated that
during the last thirty years, audiences at The Independent Theatre have
not attended concerts equal to those given by the outstanding Aram
Khachaturian Trio.

The members of the trio are Armine Grigoryan (piano), Karen Shahgaldyan
(violin) and Karen Kocharyan (cello). Also participating in the concerts
were guest musicians Sona Barseghyan (piano) and Arax Mansourian
(soprano). Nora Bastajian served as the master of ceremonies. Following
a number of musical pieces both evenings, the Sydney performances ended
with an encore of the famous Vagharshapati Par (Dance of Vagharshapat)
by Komitas, which was met with great enthusiasm. Mother and daughter
Armine Grigoryan and Sona Barseghyan, respectively, both played
together, performing Sonata in G Major (W. A. Mozart), Armenian Rhapsody
(Arno Babajanian & Alexander Harutyounyan) and Armenian Miniatures
(Georgy Saradjev).

Along with organizing events dedicated to the 96th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide, the AGBU Sydney Chapter worked tirelessly to organize
and arrange these two concerts with great care, devotion, and
dedication. The Armenian community in Sydney would not have had this
unique opportunity to enjoy the captivating performances of the
Khachaturian Trio had it not been for the support and sponsorship by Avo
and Jacqueline Tevanian, who undertook all expenses related to the
trio’s visit to Australia.

Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian program, annually touching the
lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.

For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please visit

From: Baghdasarian

AN ARMENIAN TALE

Growing Bookworms.com

Review by Jen Robinson

The Greedy Sparrow: An Armenian Tale: Lucine Kasbarian

Book: The Greedy Sparrow: An Armenian Tale (WorldCat)
Author: Lucine Kasbarian
Illustrator: Maria Zaikina
Pages: 32
Age Range: 4 to 8

The Greedy Sparrow is a retelling by Lucine Kasbarian of an Armenian
Folk Tale. Since my husband is Armenian, and Baby Bookworm is half
Armenian, this seemed like a book that we needed to have in our
collection. And we’re happy to have it.

Like most folk tales, The Greedy Sparrow has an overt moral. But,
in Kasbarian’s version, anyway, the reader is not bashed over the
head with the moral. Rather, we spend most of the book shaking our
heads at the antics of the greedy sparrow, and only see him get his
(relatively mild) comeuppance on the last page.

The sparrow starts out with a thorn in his foot. He asks a baker woman
to pull it out. She does, cheerfully, and throws the thorn into her
fire. Then the manipulative sparrow demands to have his thorn back.

When this is impossible, he guilts the woman into giving him a piece
of bread. He then repeats this behavior, trading up and up and up by
taking advantage of people’s good nature, and in some cases their
own inability to resist things (e.g. he asks a hungry shepherd to
watch the bread, and then ends up with a sheep when the shepherd
eats the bread, etc.). Of course he faces a reversal at the end,
because that’s how these stories work.

My favorite part of The Greedy Sparrow, having spent a lot of time with
Armenians, is when a groom, left to care for the sheep at his wedding,
wonders “what would happen if I slaughtered the sheep, grilled it,
and made shish kebab for all the guests?” (The Armenians that I know
eat a lot of shish kebab.) Of course this aspect of the book may not
be pleasing to everyone. (No worries – the pictures go straight from
worried sheep to skewers on the grill – no details.)

Another aspect of the book that I liked, but that non-Armenian readers
might find challenging, is that there are various Armenian place names
mentioned, like the Arax River, Mount Ararat, Lake Van, and Aghtamar.

A pronunciation guide, at least for the last location, might have
been useful, but isn’t strictly necessary.

Maria Zaikina’s illustrations are perfect for the story. The art
was created with layers of wax and oil paint, with layers then cut
away to reveal the colors underneath. The resulting illustrations
have bold colors and decisive lines, and a crayon-like texture. The
illustrations feel rustic, as befits a folk tale set in mostly rural
areas. The church, the wedding clothes, and the people’s faces all
look, to my eyes, authentically Armenian. Even the greedy sparrow
has kind of a Middle Eastern look to him. The book’s designer, Anahid
Hamparian, is apparently Armenian, and her attention to detail shows.

I also love the expressive face of the ill-favored sheep.

The Greedy Sparrow is a lovingly created rendition of a traditional
Armenian fable. It is authentic and entertaining, and conveys the
anti-greed message with a deft touch. The Greedy Sparrow is a welcome
addition to the ranks of multicultural picture books and folk tale
retellings. Recommended.

Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books (@MarshallCav)
Publication Date: April 1, 2011 Source of Book: Review copy from
the publisher

From: Baghdasarian