Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

Singer blames Public TV for Emmy’s failure in Eurovision

16:45 – 15.05.11

Armenian singer Leila Saribekyan blames the state-run Public TV for
the failure of Armenia’s representative to the Eurovision Song Contest
2011.

`The Public TV should include professionals [in that process], instead
of dealing with caprices,’ she told Tert.am.

`Generally, if we represent a nation, if we decide to take part in
that contest, if we go for that, then we should take it
professionally,’ Saribekyan added.

It comes after Emmy, Armenia’s representative to the Eurovision 2011,
failed in the first semi-final with her Boom-Boom.
Azerbaijan’s Ell and Nikki duo won this year’s Eurovision with their
Running Scared.

Leila Saribekyan further said that all the songs Armenia has so far
represented to that contest have been what she billed `fictitious,
artificial and written with a goal’.

`And the songs written with a goal always fail,’ she explained.

`Emmy has far grater vocal, technical capabilities,’ Saribekyan said,
adding that Emmy would have been more successful if she performed
another song.

Further, Saribekyan said she likes Emmy as a singer. `I like Emka
[meaning Emmy], and I regret that we failed to represent her abilities
and efforts decently in abroad,’ she said.

`It’s shameful, when the word `Armenia’ is pronounced and we present
such a simplistic song,’ Saribekyan noted, adding that the promotion
of Boom-Boom in was not properly organized either.

Tert.am

From: Baghdasarian

60 injured in clash between pro-Coptic protesters and Muslims in Cairo

May 15, 2011 – 14:58 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net –

Violence erupted in the Cairo neighborhood of Maspero when pro-Coptic
protesters clashed with unidentified men, leaving at least two people
dead and 60 injured, state TV reported early on May 15.

The demonstrators initially staged a sit-in in front of the state TV
building to demand greater rights for the religious minority.

Problems between Egypt’s Muslim majority and its Coptic Christian
minority have been on the rise in recent months, with a number of
violent clashes reported between the two groups.

Dozens of unidentified men, dressed in plain clothes, began firing
live ammunition into the air and attacking the demonstrators around
the entrance of the sit-in enclosure with sticks and stones. They also
threw Molotov cocktails. It was not immediately clear who the
attackers were or what their motive was.

Witnesses claimed the attackers were people from neighboring slums,
seeking to incite sectarian violence. Egyptian riot police were
deployed and created a human barrier between the men and the
demonstrators.

A pro-Coptic protester was hit in the head by a rock. He initially
refused to enter an ambulance, saying he feared arrest by the army.
Volunteer doctors attempted to treat him in a make-shift field clinic
but his wounds were severe and he was eventually taken away in the
ambulance.

The demonstrators captured one of their alleged attackers, who was badly beaten.

The pro-Coptic protesters broke up the sidewalk around the television
station and threw chunks of rock and concrete at their attackers. The
demonstrators were armed with clubs and metal chains and a man was
seen carrying a sword.

Later, two groups of men were seen clashing outside the foreign
ministry, which is near the TV building. It was not immediately clear
whether they were the same groups that fought outside the TV station
earlier, though state TV reported that Coptics were involved in the
unrest.

The battling groups of men threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at each
other. Black smoke billowed up from the street as cars burned outside
the foreign ministry and tear gas was fired. Sporadic gunshots rang
out for hours. Clashes continued into the early morning.

Thousands of riot police and soldiers were deployed and tear gas was
fired to clear the crowds. Many men fainted from the gas, while others
rushed to assist them. Army units secured the perimeter and the
gunshots stopped. Ambulances arrived. A man bleeding from a gunshot
wound to his stomach was carried to a make-shift clinic by pro-Coptic
demonstrators. A doctor attempted to remove a pellet from another
man’s leg.

Thousands of demonstrators chanted loudly, calling for a million-man
protest outside the state TV building, CNN reported.

From: Baghdasarian

news.am, Armenia
May 14 2011

Red Cross may help drug addicts in Armenian penitentiaries

May 14, 2011 | 13:14

YEREVAN. – The head of Penitentiary Department at the Armenian
Ministry of Justice Hayk Harutyunyan received the newly appointed head
of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation to
Armenia Lorenzo Caraffi and delegate from defense department Matthias
Weinreich.

The two sides gave appraisal of long term cooperation between ICRC and
Penitentiary Department, expressing hope it will continue in the
future, ministry’s press service informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The sides also touched upon the possibility of effective treatment of
drug addicts in penitentiaries.

From: Baghdasarian

Opening of Karabakh airport delayed till September

16:12 – 14.05.11

The newly-built airport in Karabakh will start operations before
September, the head of Karabakh’s Civil Aviation Service has said.

Speaking to Tert.am, Dmitry Adbashyan denied his earlier statement in
which he had said that the Stepanakert Airport will be operational in
mid-May.

`It [the opening] has not been delayed but will rather take place at
the scheduled period before September 1 during the summer,’ said
Adbashyan.

`I was instructed that there should be no word about the opening until
the construction is over,’ he added.

It comes after Armenian and Azerbaijani top officials exchanged
arguments over the opening of the Stepanakert Airport with officials
threatening to `shoot down’ planes that will operate at the airport.

According to Dmitry Adbashyan, the construction at the Stepanakert
Airport is still underway. Currently, the engineers work on the
runaway and install the necessary equipments.

He also said that the next consignment of equipments Karabakh will
import from Finland in the coming days. Three planes will serve the
Yerevan-Stepanakert flights, Adbashyan added.

Armenia, in turn, showed a high profile in its response to statements
by the Azerbaijani side. President Serzh Sargsyan said he would be the
first passenger of the first plane to fly from Yerevan to Stepanakert.

“I will be the first passenger of the Yerevan-Stepanakert flight,”
Sargsyan had said. “The population of Nagorno Karabakh has the right
to benefit from air transport services. That’s undoubtedly true.”

“The modern world has seen numerous such examples. But there is one
but here – such statements have always been made by terrorist
organizations, not states,” he said.

Tert.am

From: Baghdasarian

Chinese violin player Fen Nin’s concert to be held today

Aysor.am
Saturday,May 14

Today at 19:00 in Yerevan, Armenia at the concert hall after Aram
Khachatryan will be held the concert of chief conductor Sergey
Smbatyan and the winner of the N. Paganini contest prominent violin
player Fen Nin.

As the Aysor.am was told by the Administration of the Youth Orchestra,
they have no fear that the tickets will not be sold because of the
`Museum Night’ action as the `Armenian classic music lovers will not
lose the opportunity of attending the exceptional concert of the
Chinese prominent and talented musician in Armenia.’

On the concert N. Paganini’s concert for violin No.1 and the chamber
symphony R. Barshay of D. Shostakovich will be presented.

From: Baghdasarian

Journey to Historic Armenia exhibit opens in Ararat-Eskijian Museum

May 14, 2011 – 10:55 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net –

The Ararat-Eskijian Museum and the Nor Serount (New Generation)
Cultural Association will present a unique photo illustration; Journey
to Historic Armenia on Sunday, May 15.

Photography fans will have the opportunity to see original photos
taken by Shiraz-Hovhannes Djeredjian, from 1960’s onwards, capturing
natural scenes, historical monuments and Armenian landscapes.

Djeredjian is known as `the Photographer of the Armenian People.’ His
story-telling photography preserves the richness of the Armenian
History. Shiraz has a unique talent in showcasing his photographs. His
ability to narrate, coupled with the breathtaking scenes and
historical sites, take you back to the places ancestors of the
Armenian people, lived, prayed and battled.

Shiraz started working with a French archaeological group as a
photographer in the 1960²s. After touring throughout Lebanon, he began
working on his lifelong desire and travelled to hisancestral home to
photograph Armenian fortresses & churches in Western Armenia (Today’s
Turkey) and Eastern Armenia. His life-long journey has given him the
opportunity to photograph historic Armenian towns and architectural
heritage in Cilicia, Aintab, Ourfa, Dikranagerd, Paghesh, the Daron
mountains, Sassoun, Kharpert, Van, Akhtamar, Bayazid, Khout, Prnashen,
Pssank, Dalvorig, Shadakh, Dzovassar, Pshoud, Mshkegh, Mount Maratoug,
Marash, Malatia, Erzroum, Moush, Kars, Ani and the Iranian-Turkish
frontier. By his account, he is the first photographer who took aerial
photos of Mount Ararat.

Within the next two decades, he continues his excursions and takes
photos architectural sites and documents historical events. Shiraz
also risked his life by photographing remote areas of the Artsakh
region immediately following the war of liberation.

The exhibit will start at 4 p.m., with an English narration provided
by Mr. Harut Der-Tavitian. A reception will follow the program. The
Ararat`Eskijian Museum is located at 15105 Mission Hills Road, Mission
Hills CA, Massis Post reported.

From: Baghdasarian

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY WOULD LIKE KARABAKH CONFLICT ‘TO GO AWAY’

news.az
May 13 2011
Azerbaijan

News.Az interviews the president of Azerbaijan’s Khazar University,
Dr John Ryder.

Do you think that as a Muslim country Azerbaijan can successfully
integrate with Europe?

Obviously Azerbaijan has an orientation towards Europe. I don’t think
that having a Muslim background is a problem even in Europe. Right now
the Europeans are nervous and that nervousness is being expressed in
anti-Muslim kind of talk, but I really don’t think in the long run
that’s a serious issue.

Europe has its problem because it’s trying to figure out what it is.

It’s one thing for the EU ambassador to say, we’re all in this together
and so on. This question of European identity is an interesting
one. Does it include Turkey? Does it not include Turkey?

Well, Turkey’s Muslim – so what? So’s Bosnia. When Bosnia gets to the
point where it’s in a position to integrate more, I doubt anyone will
be objecting on the grounds that Bosnia is Muslim or Albania for that
matter. I don’t think that Islam is the issue, I really don’t.

Azerbaijan accuses the international community of not giving a damn
about the Karabakh problem, because it talks a lot about the energy
resources of Azerbaijan but doesn’t want to deal with the Karabakh
problem. Why is that?

I suspect that there’s some truth to the suspicion that the
international community doesn’t want to deal with the Karabakh
problem. They would like it to go away. In that sense, they would
like it to be dealt with. I don’t speak for any nation obviously,
so I don’t know what they actually think. I suspect that it’s quite
possible for the international community to think that both sides have
a point and resolving it is going to be so difficult that they had just
better leave whatever structures have been defined to deal with it,
Minsk and so on, leave them to run their course. That’s what I think.

After events in North Africa and the Middle East, some people say
that these events will continue in countries like Azerbaijan. Do you
see here any similarities?

Well, one hears rumblings of discontent with the regime and with
conditions, economic primarily but it’s reflected politically also.

There certainly isn’t, from my vantage point, any evidence of a
popular uprising. I don’t hear it, I don’t see it. There are probably
people who would like to see one; some of them are probably here,
but I would be surprised if it happens.

What do you think about the regional role of Russia? Some people say
that after the war with Georgia, Russia has shown itself to be an
interested country, a country interested in the Caucasus and that,
it’s not an impartial mediator on the conflict. Do you think that
with Russia as a mediator Azerbaijan can solve the problem?

Yes, I think Russia is immensely important. Obviously it has its own
interests, its own goals and purposes, but every nation does. In that
sense it’s no different from any other. Russia is too important. You
want Russia on your side, to the extent that you can manage it. And
I do think it’s possible. As far as I can tell, there’s nothing good
for Russia in continued difficulties in the South Caucasus. But they
have their own problems, they have got close relations with Armenia
and so on, they have to do a very delicate dance. If the question is,
do I think with the right people, Russia will try to develop close
relations? It would be in everybody’s interests.

Leyla Tagiyeva News.Az

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN-IRANIAN INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION TO MEET IN TEHRAN

Panorama
May 13 2011
Armenia

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received today Special
Envoy of the President of Iran, Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Reza
Rauf Sheybani, MFA press office reported.

The Armenian Foreign Minister and the Special Envoy of the Iranian
President discussed the implementation process of the agreements
reached during the meeting between the Armenian and Iranian Presidents
in March 2011.

Edward Nalbandian and Mohammad Reza Rauf Sheybani hailed the role of
the Armenian-Iranian Intergovernmental Commission in reinforcement
of bilateral economic relations. The Commission will meet in Tehran
one of these days.

The two sides also discussed regional and international issues of
mutual interest.

From: Baghdasarian

YEREVAN TO HOST EDUCATIONUSA EDUCATIONAL EXHIBIT

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 13, 2011 – 18:54 AMT

On June 8, EducationUSA information and educational centre will host an
educational exhibit with participation of U.S. universities graduates
at Yerevan State University.

The university graduates will share experience on higher education in
U.S. and answer the visitors’ questions. Printed materials on U.S.
universities presented will be distributed, Armenian Ministry of
Education and Science press service reported.

From: Baghdasarian

SAMVEL KARAPETYAN: AZERBAIJAN ELIMINATES ARMENIAN MONUMENTS THROUGH A STATE PROGRAM

ARMENPRESS
MAY 13, 2011
YEREVAN

The elimination of Armenian monuments in Azerbaijan is being
implemented through a state program, chairman of the Foundation
studying Armenian monuments, monument specialist Samvel Karapetyan
said at a news conference today, adding that it is not the Artsakh
war that destroyed the Armenian monuments. “Azerbaijan destroyed the
Armenian monuments during the soviet years, then during the Artsakh
war and since 1994 the volume of destructions and the circle expands”,
Karapetyan said.

According to him, the revenge is being successfully carried out
thanks to our indifference. “We are not interested in maintenance
of Armenian monuments in Azerbaijan and that is why that country is
encouraged in its crime”, he said. According to him, Armenian has no
right to endanger its historic memory.

From: Baghdasarian