Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

CONCERT IN LONDON ON KOMITAS’ 145TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY

15:16, 22 Oct 2014

As this year marks Komitas’ 145th anniversary, Music of Armenia
will organize a concert in London dedicated to the founder of modern
Armenian classical music. The concert will take place at Lumen Church
and Cafe on November 27.

Performing on the night will be young talented Armenian and British
musicians who consider Komitas’ music an important part of their
repertoire.

Komitas was an ethnomusicologist and composer who created the basis
for a distinctive national musical style in Armenia. He was also the
most important collector of Armenian folk songs.

On April 24, 1915, the day when the Armenian Genocide officially began,
he was arrested and put on a train the next day together with 180
other Armenian notables and sent to the city of Cankiri in northern
Central Anatolia, at a distance of some 300 miles.

His good friend Turkish nationalist poet Mehmet Emin Yurdakul,
the writer Halide Edip, and the U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau
intervened with the government, and, by special orders from Talat
Pasha, Komitas was dispatched back to the capital, but the nightmare
he had experienced left a deep ineradicable impression on his soul.

Komitas remained in seclusion from the outer world, absorbed in his
gloomy and heavy thoughts – sad and broken.

In the autumn of 1916, he was taken to a hospital in Constantinople,
Hôpital de la paix, and then moved to Paris in 1919, where he died
in a psychiatric clinic in Villejuif in 1935. Next year, his ashes
were transferred to Yerevan and buried in the Pantheon that was named
after him.

From: Baghdasarian

TURKEY PARANOID ABOUT PROSPECT OF KURDISH STATE: ANALYST

Tue Oct 21, 2014 2:40PM GMT

Related Viewpoints:

Defending Kobani: Turkey’s hesitation

Turkey is “paranoid” that if the Kurds win the battle for Kobani
against ISIL, they may seek a Kurdish state on Turkish soil, an
analyst tells Press TV.

Christopher Walker, political analyst from London, told Press TV in
an interview Tuesday, “The Turks on the whole are more frightened and
more enemies of the Kurds than they are of ISIL and that is because
they fear that the Kurds will use any victory against ISIL to try and
establish a Kurdish state inside Turkey and they are really paranoid
about that.”

Britain’s Sky News said in a recent report that it has obtained
documents showing that the Turkish government has stamped passports
of foreign militants seeking to cross the Turkish border into Syria
to join the ISIL Takfiri terrorists.

Passports from different countries were recovered in a village near
Syria’s strategic town of Kobani across the Turkish border.

Commenting on the report, the analyst described Turkey as being caught
red handed, saying, “This comes as confirmation of rumor that’s
been widespread in the Middle East that Turkey is playing a double
game and really facilitating ISIL fighters to let them in and across
its border.”

Ankara prevents Turkish Kurds from crossing the border into Kobani
to join the anti-ISIL battle for the town.

Walker concluded that Turkey is helping ISIL terrorists to get across
because “it is in fact more worried by the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’
Party), which is the larger Turkish underground guerilla group with
which it’s been fighting a war for over 30 years.”

Kobani and its surroundings have been under attack since mid-September,
with ISIL militants capturing dozens of nearby Kurdish villages.

SC/HSN

From: Baghdasarian

TURKEY PLANS TO BUILD THIRD NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

10:00, 22 October, 2014

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 22, ARMENPRESS: “Turkey will build a third nuclear
power plant by 2018-2019, when we have sufficiently qualified people
to build it as a national project,” Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu said on Tuesday.

Davutoglu was briefed on the recent studies of the Ministry of Energy
and Natural Resources, Armenpress reports citing Anadolu Agency.

The three-hour presentation was closed to the press. He said after
the meeting that the third nuclear power plant in Turkey will be
built by Turkish experts by 2018-2019.

Turkey already has two ongoing nuclear power plant projects. One
is to be built in Mersin, the Mediterranean region of the country,
by Akkuyu Nuclear. The agreement on the project was signed between
the governments of Russia and Turkey in Ankara on May 12, 2010.

The second project will be built through Japanese-Turkish cooperation
in Sinop, in the Black Sea Region of the country. The deal for
the project, based on a build-operate-transfer basis, was signed
between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Japanese
counterpart Shinzo Abe on May 3, 2013.

From: Baghdasarian

ZHAMANAK: RUSSIAN OIL TRADER GAINING SUPERPROFIT FROM ARMENIA

09:32 * 22.10.14

While the international oil prices have dropped from $110 to $85.62
per barrel, the change is not absolutely observed on the Armenian
market, says the paper.

Economist Vahagn Khachatryan has attributed the trend to the
monopolistic positions of the RussianRosneft which is the only oil
importer to the country now. “Monopoly is the only explanation. With
no competition opportunities in the economy, the developments or
drastic changes on the global level are not likely to influence us
in any way,” he is quoted as telling the paper.

Describing Rosneft as a company with the biggest superprofit,
Khachatryan said he knows that its corresponding representation in
Armenia has secured superprofits especially in the past days. As for
the other companies – Flesh LLC, CPS etc – the economist said they
are just retail oil traders.

Armenian News – Tert.am

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN MPS UNDECIDED ABOUT EEU DEAL AS RATIFICATION VOTE NEARS

12:16 * 22.10.14

The Treaty on Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union
(EEU) is to be submitted to the National Assembly for ratification
within 1.5 months after its signing (under the Law on International
Treaties). Though he parliamentary factions have repeatedly
stated their opinions on the deal since President Serzh Sargsyan’s
landmarkstatement (made in September last year), Tert.am has tried
to once again clarify positions from different political forces ahead
of the voting.

Prosperous Armenia

This political faction’s secretary, Naira Zohrabyan, says they cannot
have a position on a document they haven’t ever seen. “When it comes
to the National Assembly for a debate and we see to what extent that
document reflects our concerns, the faction will express its position.

I don’t think any faction or political force can express an objective
opinion on a document it hasn’t seen.”

Zohrabyan referred to the concerns over the problematic issue of a
customs checkpoint between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh and the risks
stemming from the increased customs duties on over 800 categories of
goods. She said they are hopeful to hear exhaustive answers at the
parliamentary debates.

Zohrabyan added that the 36-member faction has not yet reached
consensus, adding that they are planning a new discussion ahead of
the voting to develop common approaches.

Asked what their party’s leader thinks about the deal, the Prosperous
Armenia secretary simply replied, “Mr [Gagik] Tsarukyan will express
his position.”

Armenian National Congress (ANC)

The faction’s leader, Levon Zurabyan, refrained from expressing any
opinion when contacted by our correspondent for comments. Former
Military Prosecutor Gagik Jhangiryan, who also represents this
political force at the National Assembly, said they will decide on
their position after the document is on the parliament’s agenda.

At the opposition’s rally earlier this month, first President and
current ANC leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan described the EEU accession
process as an irreversible development.

Armenian Revolutionary Federation – Dashnaksutyun (ARF-D)

This faction’s leader, Armen Rustamyan, gave a somewhat welcoming
remark when asked about the deal. “Dashnaksutyun always has its
decisions, which are not of conceptual importance; they aren’t easily
changed or reconsidered unlike those of [other individuals] and some
political forces.”

As for the concerns over a possible customs checkpoint with
Nagorno-Karabakh, Rustamyan said he thinks that the party would really
feel embarrassed if that scenario were realistic. “That document will
be brought [to parliament]. And you will see it says nothing of the
kind,” he told our correspondent.

Heritage

The faction’s secretary, Tevan Poghosyan, said he expect their
lawmakers to reach a consensus before the voting.

“I have several times heard [Heritage faction leader Ruben] Hakobyan
say that Armenia should not be a member in any union, considering
the conflict situations,” he said.

The remark suggests that the other Heritage members support an
association deal with the EU, with the faction’s leader being against
both the Eurasian and European integration processes.

Alexander Arzumanyan, a former foreign minister who is formally
affiliated with this faction, says he has no other choice but to
vote against.

Speaking to Tert.am, the politician said he doesn’t expect members
of the ruling Republican faction to vote against the deal in a
surprise move. “I can only guess that Heritage will vote against;
as for the othera, judging by the rally, both the ANC and Prosperous
Armenia are proponents. But it still remains to be seen,” he told
our correspondent.

Rule of Law

Heghine Bisharyan, who heads this political faction, said she thinks
they first need to see the treaty before saying anything for or
against.

“As you see, the press is flooded with different negative opinions
forecasting market surges. The major difficulty is, of course, the
fact that we do not share borders with the EEU member states and
have no idea as to our possible advantages. I am optimistic about it
even though the negative is highlighted more. So let us simply try
to listen to the opinions,” she added.

Republican

Koryun Nahapetyan, who represents the ruling political faction in
parliament, says he expects their lawmakers to develop their common
positions after talks with a government representative.

“The document hasn’t been submitted yet; once it is, the corresponding
committee and the Republican faction will organize debates,” he
told Tert.am.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA HAS COME CLOSER TO EUROPE IN MANY ASPECTS – HENRI REYNAUD

14:27 22/10/2014 ” POLITICS

Armenia has made progress in the political, social and economic fields
over the past four years, outgoing French Ambassador to Armenia Henri
Reynaud said at a meeting with reporters on Wednesday.

Mr Reynaud noted that despite the international situation, Armenia
also recorded progress in the area of economy. This does not mean that
there are no problems in Armenia, he said, adding that any country
has problems.

Many things have changed in Armenia in the last four years and the
country has come closer to Europe in many aspects, said the French
Ambassador.

As regards the concept of constitutional reforms, the envoy said that
each country should itself choose the government system which suits
it best and should not follow the experience of other countries in
this matter.

Source: Panorama.am

From: Baghdasarian

AMERICAN AUTHORS BUILD LITERARY CONNECTIONS WITH ARMENIA AND TURKEY

12:22, 22 Oct 2014

Six American authors are traveling to Armenia and Turkey to visit
local universities and literary institutions as part of a reading tour
organized by the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program
(IWP). The trip aims to introduce contemporary American authors to
Armenia and Turkey and to foster creative ties between the countries,
reports Asbarez.

Specifically, writers will visit several courses at Yerevan Brusov
State University.

Representing the American literary scene

Peter Balakian is the author of seven books of poems, including
“June-Tree: New and Selected Poems 1974-2000” and the forthcoming
“Ozone Journal.” His memoir “Black Dog of Fate” won the PEN/Albrand
Prize and was a New York Times Notable Book; “The Burning Tigris: The
Armenian Genocide and America’s Response” (2003) won the Raphael Lemkin
Prize. Translations of his work have appeared in a dozen languages;
he is the recipient of many awards including a Guggenheim fellowship
and the Spendlove Prize for Social Justice, Diplomacy and Tolerance. A
Donald M. and Constance H. Rebar Professor of the Humanities, he
directs the Creative Writing Program at Colgate University.

Maureen Freely was born in the US, grew up in Turkey, and has spent
most of her adult life in England. A professor at the University of
Warwick, she is currently the President of English PEN and the chair of
the Translators Association. A translator of the Turkish novelist and
Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk, she has been involved extensively in human
rights campaigning in Turkey. Her sixth novel, “Enlightenment” (2007),
covers some of that ground; her seventh, “Sailing through Byzantium,”
was named one of the best novels of 2013 in the Sunday Times.

Gregory Orfalea was born and raised in Los Angeles. He is the author
of “Journey to the Sun: Junipero Serra’s Dream and the Founding of
California,” published in January 2014 by Scribner. With degrees
from Georgetown University and the University of Alaska, Orfalea
has published nine books, including a history of his father’s unit
in World War II, “Messengers of the Lost Battalion,” and “Angeleno
Days,” a memoir of growing up in Los Angeles, which won the Arab
American Book Award and was a finalist for the PEN USA Prize in
Creative Nonfiction. He is also the author of a collection of short
stories, “The Man Who Guarded the Bomb,” as well as the seminal study,
“The Arab Americans: A History.” Orfalea directed a writing program
at the Claremont Colleges and has taught at several universities,
including his alma mater, Georgetown, California Lutheran University,
and currently Westmont College in Santa Barbara, where he directs
the Conference on California Studies.

Mary Hickman is the author of two forthcoming books of poetry,
“Wildlife” (2015) and “Rayfish” (2017). Her poems have been published
in Colorado Review, jubilat, the PEN Poetry Series, and featured in
Boston Review and the anthology “The Arcadia Project.” Her scholarly
work is forthcoming in “Jacket2.” She has been a finalist for the
Grolier Poetry Prize and the EPR Discovery Award. With the poet Robert
Fernandez, she edits the poetry press Cosa Nostra Editions. She has
lived in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Spain.

Gish Jen is the author of four novels, a collection of short stories
and, most recently, the volume of lectures “Tiger Writing: Art, Culture
and the Interdependent Self” (2013). Her work has been published in
The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, and dozens of other periodicals
and anthologies, including “The Best American Short Stories of the
Century.” Nominated for a National Book Critics’ Circle Award and
an International IMPAC Dublin Book Award, she has received a Lannan
Literary Award for Fiction, a Guggenheim fellowship, and numerous
other awards; in 2009 she was elected to the American Academy of Arts
and Sciences.

Christopher Merrill has published six books of poetry, including
“Watch Fire,” for which he received the Lavan Younger Poets Award
from the Academy of American Poets; many edited volumes and books of
translations; and five works of nonfiction, among them, “Only the Nails
Remain: Scenes from the Balkan Wars” and “Things of the Hidden God:
Journey to the Holy Mountain.” His latest, “The Tree of the Doves:
Ceremony, Expedition, War” (2011) chronicles his travels in Asia
and the Middle East in the wake of the war on terror. His writings
have been translated into twenty-five languages; his honors include
a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres from the French government. A
member of the National Council on the Humanities and the U.S. National
Commission for UNESCO, he directs the International Writing Program
at the University of Iowa.

From: Baghdasarian

LE FMI PRET A POURSUIVRE LES TRAVAUX AVEC L’ARMENIE

ARMENIE

Le Fonds Monetaire International (FMI) est pret a poursuivre la
cooperation avec l’Armenie et a l’aider a imposer davantage de reformes
structurelles a declare le Directeur general du FMI, Christine Lagarde
lors d’une reunion avec le Premier ministre armenien Hovik Abrahamian
a Washington.

Elle a ajoute que l’Armenie est un partenaire fiable et que le
FMI continuera a cooperer avec elle, a promouvoir les reformes
structurelles visant au developpement economique du pays. Christine
Lagarde a egalement declare que
From: Baghdasarian

AGRESSION ET MISE EN DANGER D’ALEC YENIKOMCHIAN PAR LA POLICE CRIMINELLE D’EREVAN

COMMUNIQUE RENAISSANCE ARMENIENNE

Dimanche 19 octobre a 19h45, a l’angle des avenues Alec Manoughian
et Sayat Nova, des representants de la police criminelle mettent en
danger la vie de l’un des fondateurs du mouvement civique d’opposition
Sardarabad. Forcant cette personnalite non-voyante a descendre du
vehicule qui la ramenait a son domicile, ils l’abandonnent en plein
milieu d’une chaussee très frequentee.

Cette personnalite exemplaire, engagee dans la cause armenienne depuis
les annees 1970 ne doit sa survie qu’a la solidarite des passants
qui le mettent hors de danger en le guidant vers un trottoir. Il n’y
a pas de doute sur la tentative d’attentat qu’Alec vient de subir.

Plus qu’un acte de non-assistance, il s’agit d’une mise en danger
d’autrui.

Plus qu’une interpellation policière injustifiee, il s’agit d’une
intimidation politique flagrante.

Nous appelons tous les citoyens epris de justice a rester vigilant
face a la repetition de tels actes et a suivre de près l’enquete
promise par le chef de la police de la capitale, Vladimir Kasparian,
Celle-ci devra conduire a l’arrestation et au jugement des responsables
et des commanditaires de cet acte inadmissible qui nous rappelle le
temps des dictatures militaires et policières qui s’exercèrent contre
les populations grecques et sud-americaines.

En d’autres temps et en d’autres lieux mais l’objectif est le meme,
etouffer la voix du peuple et de ses defenseurs.

Paris, le 21/10/2014

mercredi 22 octobre 2014, Ara (c)armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

OMBUDSMAN’S REPORT: SECTION RELATED TO 2008 POST-ELECTION UNREST TRIGGERS DEBATE IN PARLIAMENT

HUMAN RIGHTS | 21.10.14 | 14:21

Photo:

By SARA KHOJOYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

The 2013 report regarding the Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman)
elicited heated discussions in the National Assembly, specifically
because of the reference to the March 1, 2008 post-election events.

Opposition MPs underline Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan’s emphasis on
the fact that for six years no information has been provided by the
investigation, despite issuing constant concerns regarding the March
1 case.

“The opposition insisted on creating a permanent commission, but the
government refused. Who believes that it is impossible to expose
the crime? It must have been done a long time ago, but nobody has
answered since, thus, everything is being done to hide the crime,”
Armenian National Congress (ANC) faction MP Stepan Demirchyan said
at the NA on October 20.

Another ANC faction member, Nikol Pashinyan, also underlined the fact
that the Ombudsman’s report reflected on the March 1, 2008 clashes
in which 10 people were killed as security forces were used to end
post-election street protests.

“The March 1 crimes will be detected only after the change of
government, but not in case of backstage government transformation…

Nobody was forgotten, nothing is forgotten, and all participants of
the March 1 murders must expect for justice to knock at their door
and come after them,” Pashinyan said.

It is noteworthy that Parliament Speaker Galust Sahakyan reflected
on some oppositional MPs’ speeches saying that instead of discussing
the Ombudsman’s report they introduce their own ‘worries’ to attract
various social layers.

“An MP can give evaluation, criticize from the NA platform, however it
is senseless to bring a verdict,” Sahakyan said pointing at Heritage
faction MP Zaruhi Postanjyan’s speech in which she presented a
“verdict” to President Serzh Sargsyan.

“The fact that the Ombudsman raises such questions is due to the upward
progressing process of that institution. We appreciate its activity,
it is the only one to stay in fight all the time, just like in the
whole world,” the parliament speaker added.

It is noteworthy that the Ombudsman also got criticized. Even though
independent MP Edmon Marukyan agreed that the report presented this
year to the NA is better than last year’s, still the Ombudsman,
Karen Andreasyan is not a reachable person.

“You have a problem of being unreachable, your office staff, of course,
quickly responds, but you must stay reachable for the common people,
your position implies that.”

“Recently one of my colleagues and I were invited to the Ombudsman’s
office for a discussion, and it turned out that you are in Armenia
but not present at the discussion. I was astonished, you invite MPs
and you are not present, and later you say that we do not cooperate,”
Marukyan mentioned.

Instead of discussing the Prosecutor’s Office activities on the same
level as marital problems are, the MP advised that Karen Andreasyan’s
office should address, for instance, the issue of independent
commissions of penitentiaries.

“Massive violations take place here, the accused cannot use their
right of parole, and such decisions are not subject to appeal.”

From: Baghdasarian