Author: Basmajian Ani

KNOCKOUT OPPORTUNITY FOR VIC DARCHINYAN
Barry Michael

Melbourne Herald Sun
Aug 2 2008
Australia

SYDNEY’s Armenian-born powerhouse Vic Darchinyan gets his keenly
awaited shot at another world title tomorrow when he steps into the
ring in Tacoma, Washington, to face IBF super flyweight champion
Dimitri Kirilov.

Darchinyan, a former IBF and IBO world flyweight champion, lost his
undefeated record and title belts last year when he was sensationally
KO’d with one punch by Filipino contender Nonito Donaire in the fifth
round of a world title defence.

Until then, "Raging Bull" Darchinyan had exuded an aura of
invincibility, destroying his opponents with his unusual southpaw
style, incredible strength and power.

He had scored 22 KOs in 26 wins, was undefeated and had disposed of
Donaire’s brother Glenn in six rounds in 2006.

Since the devastating loss, Darchinyan has moved up to super flyweight
and has had two fights, both against Filipinos – a 12th-round KO of
Federico Catubay in October 2007 and a draw with Z. Gorres over 12
rounds in February, after having him down in Rounds 7 and 11.

It was evidently a very controversial verdict and thus Darchinyan
was offered this opportunity against Kirilov.

Russian-born Kirilov is no slouch, having won 29 of 33 fights but
only scoring nine KOs and losing three by decision.

He won the vacant IBF title in October last year by unanimous decision
from American Jose Navarro in Moscow.

Before Vic’s loss of the title last year, it is possible that he was
getting to the stage where he thought he was unbeatable and it appeared
that he was too powerful for everybody in the flyweight division.

His loss to Donaire has been a huge wake-up call, and the inside
information I have received is that he has been training superbly
and realises this is an opportunity he cannot lose.

This is a must-win fight for the "Raging Bull", who has always said
he would win multiple world titles.

Kirilov is undoubtedly a very well-schooled warrior but I believe,
looking at his record, he will not have the power to hold off the
strong and well-prepared Darchinyan for 12 rounds.

Darchinyan will win his second world title in this super flyweight
division by finally wearing down his skilful opponent to force a
stoppage within the 12-round distance, and bring back the belt to
his adopted homeland.

PETER SEMNEBY: "WE HOPE THAT AZERBAIJAN WILL DO ITS BEST TO ACHIEVE POSITIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE ELECTION"

Azeri Press Agency
Aug 1 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku. Tamara Grigoryeva – APA. Special representative of the European
Union for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby held a press conference on
the outcomes of his visit to Azerbaijan, APA reports. Peter Semneby
said the main aim of his visit was to study the state of preparation
for the elections in the country. The special representative said
he had met with President Ilham Aliyev, Foreign Elmar Mammadyarov,
Interior Minister Ramil Usubov and the representatives of a number of
NGOs and noted that the election was a good opportunity for laying the
foundation of democratic development and creating political culture
in the countries, which have newly chosen the way of democracy.

"We attach great importance to the cooperation with Azerbaijan. At
the meetings with officials it was stated that Azerbaijani side also
attached great significance to this cooperation. Positive assessment of
the elections by the international mission is very important", he said.

Peter Semneby said negative processes in the countries had influence
on the elections, but he did not want to comment beforehand.

"We hope that Azerbaijan will do its best to achieve positive
assessment of the election", he said.

Touching upon the Nagorno Karabakh problem, Peter Semneby noted
that EU supported the efforts of Azerbaijan and Armenia towards the
settlement of the conflict.

"It is good that the two presidents met after a long break in June
this year. Though no agreement was reached, it is important for the
sides to make a step forward", he said.

The special representative said high-level meetings in the field of
energy would take place between EU and Azerbaijan.

AZERBAIJANI FM MEETS EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR SOUTH CAUCASUS

Today.Az
cs/46781.html
Aug 1 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan`s Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmar Mammadyarov met Thursday
with EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby,
press service of the Ministry said.

The sides praised the state of Azerbaijan-EU relations and stressed
the importance of continuing a bilateral dialogue.

They also discussed prospects for the creation of joint subcommittees
over justice, freedom and security between Azerbaijan and the
European Union.

Touching upon a meeting with his Armenian counterpart to be held on
August 1, Mammadyarov stressed the new Armenian government would
rather benefit from taking constructive steps towards settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict than waste time amid Azerbaijan’s
increasingly growing power.

OurSports Central (press release), WI
July 29 2008

Chivas USA and Consulate General of the Republic of Armenia team up to
host ‘Armenia Night’

07/29/08 – Major League Soccer (MLS) Club Deportivo Chivas USA

¢ Discuss this story on the Major League Soccer message board…
CARSON, Calif. (Tuesday, July 29, 2008) – Chivas USA of Major League
Soccer and the Consulate General of the Republic of Armenia in Los
Angeles have joined together to celebrate ‘Armenia Night’ at the
match between Chivas USA and the LA Galaxy, to take place on
Thursday, Aug. 14 at The Home Depot Center in Carson.

Various events at the match will promote Armenian heritage, and the
Consul General of Armenia and Armenian youth soccer teams will be
honored. The game will also feature commercial spots promoting Armenia
as a tourist destination, presentations of Armenian song and dance
prior to the game at the ChivaTown fan zone, as well as other events.

Organized by the Consulate General of the Republic of Armenia in Los
Angeles and Chivas USA, the event will also feature partnership from
Homenetmen (Armenian General Athletic Union and Scouts), AGBU
(Armenian General Benevolent Union) and Hamazkayin (Armenian
Educational and Cultural Society). For more information on the event,
or to purchase tickets, please e-mail [email protected] or call
either (310) 630-4562 or (310)-657-6102 x 225.

Southern California is home to one of the largest Armenian expatriate
populations in the world, while the roster of Los Angeles-based Chivas
USA features players and coaches from over a dozen different
nationalities, including Armenian-American forward Alecko Eskandarian,
the 2004 MLS Cup MVP and a five-year veteran of Major League Soccer.

For media inquiries regarding ‘Armenia Night’ on Aug. 14 at The Home
Depot Center, please contact Chivas USA Communications (information
listed above).

Chivas USA has two road games, on Aug. 2 at Chicago and Aug. 9 at
Kansas City, before returning home for the third and final Honda Super
Cl�sico of the regular season. This year’s ‘Battle for L.A.’ takes
place on Thursday, Aug. 14, at The Home Depot Center in Carson,
Calif. For more information on the match, or to purchase tickets,
please call 1-877-CHIVAS-1 or visit

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization
issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of
OurSports Central or its staff.

eleases/?id=3691663

OPPOSITION’S SIT-DOWN STRIKE COMES TO AN END

Noyan Tapan

Ju ly 30, 2008

YEREVAN, JULY 30, NOYAN TAPAN. 130-140 activists spent the night in
Northern Avenue on the 26th day of the 28-day sit-down strike of the
radical opposition. Many people took part with their families in the
action organized without tents, in the open air. The relatives and
supporters of those arrested by the March 1 case were among them.

It should be mentioned that the participants of the sit-down strike
that immediately followed People’s Movement’s July 4 rally make
several demands.

Their main demand, as PM representatives periodically state in Northern
Avenue, is to release those arrested for their political views. The
other demands regard dismissal from job of a number of high-ranking
officials and disclosure of those really responsible for the March 1
tragic events. Unless these demands are fulfilled, according to first
President Levon Ter-Petrosian’s July 4 statement, the opposition is
going to call for President Serzh Sargsyan’s resignation.

It is noteworthy that the sit-down strike mostly proceeds without
serious incidents. However, in the evening of July 29, policemen
on duty in Northern Avenue together with representatives of special
detachments broke the small wooden cage symbolizing a prison cell, in
which the initiative members had placed the photographs of former and
current Presidents Robert Kocharian and Serzh Sargsyan. As initiative
head Grigor Manukian said in his talk with Noyan Tapan correspondent,
the policemen are not able to tolerate even symbolic actions, while,
for instance, in the United States various political forces sometimes
demonstratively burn President George Bush’s dummy, and law enforcers
never hinder it.

Interfax News Agency, Russia
July 25 2008

Armenian opposition movement to be "more active and resolute"

YEREVAN July 25

Supporters of former Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosian, who lost
February’s presidential election and has accused the government of
rigging the poll, will be "more active and resolute" from August 1
onward, Ter-Petrosian’s spokesman said on Friday.

"Being active applies to internal organization and assessments of the
current government," Arman Musinian told a news conference.

"The opposition rally on August 1 will show both the Armenian
government and the international community that the people of the
republic are resolute and consistent in fighting for their rights and
have no intention to cede them," Musinian said.

Ter-Petrosian’s supporters plan to step up pressure on the government
and "force it into a political solution to the problem, namely an
early presidential election," he said.

The Yerevan mayor’s office has refused permission to use the Armenian
capital’s central part as the site for the planned rally and suggested
that the meeting be held on the outskirts of the city.

CAUCASUS CLOSER TO LAUNCHING IRON SILK ROAD

Daily Georgian Times
July 25 2008
Georgia

Turkish, Azerbaijani and Georgian leaders gathered in the far eastern
province of Kars on Thursday to launch the construction of the Turkey
section of a railway that will link the three countries and revive the
historic Silk Road trade route that once connected Asia with Europe.

President Abdullah Gul and his Azerbaijani and Georgian counterparts,
Ilham Aliyev and Mikheil Saakashvili, held a groundbreaking ceremony
for the $241 million Turkish leg of the railway in Kars. The three
presidents placed three sections of railway track on a large map of
the region in a symbolic launch of the project amid confetti. "A
new economic cooperation zone which is yet to be defined as such
has emerged in our region," Gul said in an address at the ceremony,
referring to expanding cooperation between Turkey, Azerbaijan and
Georgia in the energy, trade and transportation fields.

The three countries are linked by the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil
pipeline, which carries crude oil from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz oil
fields to world markets through Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan,
and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum (BTE) gas line, but trade links between
Turkey and the Caucasus region are limited.

The construction of the railway is planned to be completed by 2011. The
Turkish section of the railway is 76 kilometers long. In Azerbaijan,
a new track will be constructed to be linked to a renewed existing
track. Work on the 29-kilometer stretch in Georgia between the Turkish
border and Akhalkalaki (Ahılkelek) was launched last year. "This
project contributes to the peace and stability in the Caucasus,"
Gul also said. Visibly absent from the project is Armenia, which has
territorial and other disputes with both Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Gul said the project was open to all countries, provided that they also
contribute to the peace and stability in the Caucasus and are willing
to maintain good neighborly relations with other countries in the
region. Turkey closed its border and severed its ties with neighboring
Armenia in protest of Armenian occupation of the Azerbaijani territory
of Nagorno-Karabakh early in the last decade. The landlocked country
is also excluded from regional oil and natural gas transportation
projects through the BTC and BTE pipelines.

The construction of the railway between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia
has long been hampered by Armenian lobbying against the project
in the United States and Russia. Armenian experts have argued in
the past that the project will not be economically viable, and the
Armenian lobby pushed for a bill in the US Congress that blocked US
banks from providing loans to Georgia to be used in the construction
of the railway’s Georgian section. The obstacles were eventually
overcome by Azerbaijan offering a $220 million loan to Georgia.

Armenian leaders say the plan deliberately ignores the old rail
link between Armenia and Turkey, which has been idle since the
two countries cut off diplomatic ties in 1993. In March, Armenian
President Serzh Sarksyan said the project did not target Armenia
because many Armenian nationals were already traveling to Turkey
via Georgia. The construction of the railway, he said, will further
facilitate Armenians’ travel to Turkey.

Gul said there was strong political will behind the project and that
it will not be weakened because it will benefit the peoples of the
region. Mitat Celikpala of the private Turkish Union of Chambers and
Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) Economy and Technology University said
the project had been delayed for three to four years due to Armenian
objections and that construction would never have started if Turkey
had not pressed for it so enthusiastically, as the project had no
backing from the West. According to Celikpala, the railway will boost
Turkish influence in the Caucasus and Central Asia. "The realization
of this project means we will be more influential in the Caucasus,
Central Asia and the Caspian region," he told the Anatolia news
agency. "Turkey has become a sort of center of attraction for the
entire Caucasus," he added.

The railway will also deepen ties between Georgia and Turkey,
Celikpala said, describing Turkey as the main bridge for the former
Soviet Union country to economically integrate with the West.

"Some had called it a dream. It was once shelved. But meetings took
place between the three countries and political will materialized
to build the railway. The three countries also received support from
Kazakhstan and China," Gul said at the ceremony. "Today, we are taking
another step to make the historic Silk Road that people used to cross
on the backs of animals a reality. This link not only connects the
three countries, it also links China with London."

Transportation Minister Binali Yıldırım said the railway links from
the region will extend into Europe with the completion of an ongoing
rail tunnel project linking the European and Asian sides of Turkey’s
biggest city, Ä°stanbul. The rail tunnel project, called Marmaray,
is planned to be completed in 2013. "Thanks to this project, we will
not just be a part of Europe, we will become a solid bridge between
Europe and Asia," Saakashvili said.

Aliyev: Cooperation deepens Azerbaijani President Aliyev said his
country had excellent relations with both Turkey and Georgia. "The
people are also getting closer as their countries launch joint
projects," he said at the ceremony. He called the BTC oil pipeline
a "dream come true" and added that the cooperation will be further
strengthened when the railway becomes operational.

Some 1.5 million people and 6.5 million tons of cargo are expected to
be transported by the railway in the first year following its launch.

Railway project in figures The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project
is built on links forged by natural gas and oil pipelines between
Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The Turkish stretch will consist
of a 76-kilometer railway. The Ozgun Yapı-Celikler joint venture
won the tender last September for construction of the Turkish leg
with a bid of YTL 289.8 million ($241 million), the lowest among 14
bids. In Azerbaijan, the project involves the laying of new track
and the renewal of existing rails. Work on the 29-kilometer stretch
in Georgia between the Turkish border and Akhalkalaki (Ahılkelek)
began last year. The project is expected to be launched in 2011, with
an initial capacity to carry 1.5 million people and 6.5 million tons
of cargo annually. Its capacity is projected to grow to 3 million
people and 17 million tons of cargo by 2034. The project’s cost is
estimated at $450 million.

Time for Armenia to take action to avoid isolation, says expert

A project to launch a railway between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia
is a strong message to Armenia that it has to take action to avoid
isolation in the region, an expert has said.

"Armenia is about to be pushed into permanent isolation," said Hasan
Kanbolat, an expert at the Ankara-based Center for Eurasian Strategic
Studies (ASAM). He said Turkey was the main outlet for the landlocked
Armenia to reach the West and that Yerevan must take concrete steps
to normalize its relations with Ankara.

Turkey closed its border and severed its diplomatic ties with Armenia
in the ’90s in protest of Armenia’s occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh
in Azerbaijan. Ankara says normalization of ties depends on Armenian
withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh, a change of policy in Yerevan on
its claims of "genocide" against Armenians by Ottomans during World
War I and formal recognition of the Turkish-Armenian border by Armenia.

Armenia has recently stepped up calls for normalization of ties with
Turkey. Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan said earlier this month
that he had invited his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, to visit
Yerevan and watch a football match in September.

Kanbolat, however, said the invitation was not enough and that
more substantial steps were needed for any serious progress in the
direction of normalization to take place. "Armenia should keep its
promises regarding gradual withdrawal from Azerbaijani territory,"
he told Today’s Zaman. Turkish and Armenian officials had secret talks
on July 8 in Switzerland, but the Turkish Foreign Ministry said this
does not indicate a change of a policy.

–Boundary_(ID_zrWEwZ1bfhFwCPoPrPBuag)–

NEWLY APPOINTED AMBASSADOR OF KOREA HANDS HIS CREDENTIALS TO RA PRESIDENT

NOYAN TAPAN

JU LY 23

Kim en Dzhey, the newly appointed Ambassador of Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea (residence Moscow), handed his credentials to RA
President Serzh Sargsyan on July 23. Congratulating the Ambassador
on the occasion of assuming his post, S. Sargsyan expressed the hope
that progress will be recorded in Armenian-Korean relations during
his tenure.

According to the report provided to Noyan Tapan by the RA President’s
Press Office, during the meeting, the interlocutors touched upon sides’
readiness to develop mutually beneficial cooperation in different
spheres and to use the current potential to the maximum extent.

The Ambassador said that he will focus his efforts on expanding
cooperation in different directions. S. Sargsyan, in his turn, assured
him that he will receive proper assistance when working in Armenia.

BABACAN SEEKS TO LURE UN ENVOYS TO SUPPORT TURKEY

Zaman Online
July 24 2008
Turkey

Foreign Minister Ali Babacan has stepped up efforts to garner support
for Turkey’s bid to secure a seat on the UN Security Council for
2009-2010, meeting representatives of more than 100 countries at a
reception on Tuesday night.

Turkey is one of three candidates bidding for the two seats allocated
to the Western European and Others Group (WEOG). Its rivals in the
group are Iceland and Austria. The election of the new temporary
members of the Security Council will be held in October.

Babacan, who is currently in New York to drum up support for Turkey’s
bid, met with Srgjan Kerim, the president of the 62nd session of
the UN General Assembly, on Tuesday and was scheduled to meet with
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last night as Today’s Zaman went to
print. Ankara hopes a seat at the powerful Security Council will both
boost its international credibility and give it increased leverage in
a series of disputes in which it is involved, including the dispute
over the status of the divided island of Cyprus. If elected, Turkish
officials say, Turkey will work for the alleviation of poverty and
contribute to efforts to resolve international conflicts peacefully.

Speaking to reporters at Tuesday’s reception, attended by
representatives of 118 UN member countries, Babacan said his visit was
aimed at securing support for Turkey’s bid from as many countries as
possible. He said he had already held talks with representatives from
the Latin American and Caribbean Group (LACG) and the Least Developed
Countries (LDC) group at the UN, in addition to Kerim. Meetings
with representatives of countries from the African Union, the Arab
League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) are also
scheduled. Diplomatic sources said Babacan had told the representatives
of different groups that it was values that brought countries together,
not geographical location. He also briefed them about a series of
Turkish efforts to assist the peace process in the Middle East,
including its ongoing mediation between Syria and Israel, as well as
its central role in the UN-backed Alliance of Civilizations initiative.

Noting that Turkey has not been a member of the UN Security Council
for 47 years, Babacan said at the reception that Turkey deserved
to win a seat this time. "We have to work until the last minute,"
Babacan said, noting that he has met with the foreign ministers of
130 countries over the past 10 months to secure their support for
Turkey’s UN bid. "Turkey is working for stability both in its region
and the world. I believe we can make substantial contributions to
the Security Council. Our membership in the Security Council will
help world peace," Babacan said. "That’s why I am in New York. I will
explain what Turkey is doing, our reform process and our contribution
to peace and security in the Middle East, the Balkans and other parts
of the world," he added.

UN General Assembly President Kerim, who also attended the reception,
praised Turkey’s positive role in Middle East dialogue, as well as
its crisis management in the Balkans, but stressed that, as president
of the General Assembly, he was impartial toward all three candidates
running for the UN seat in the WEOG.

Representatives of Iceland and Austria were also among the envoys
attending the Turkish reception, hosted by Turkey’s permanent
representative at the UN, Ambassador Baki Ä°lkin.

——————————- ——————————————–

Arme nian envoy attends Turkish reception at UN

Permanent Armenian representative to the UN Ambassador Armen
Martirosyan was among 118 diplomats attending a reception hosted by
the Turkish representative in New York on Tuesday.

Martirosyan spoke briefly with Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan
during the reception, hosted by Turkish permanent representative to
the UN Ambassador Baki Ä°lkin. Babacan is in New York to lobby for
Turkey’s bid to win a temporary seat on the UN Security Council ahead
of elections in October.

Speaking to reporters, Martirosyan said the Turkish delegation at the
UN had not asked the Armenian delegation for support for its Security
Council bid. "We have had no contact with the Turkish government
about this issue," he said. Martirosyan also said he attended the
reception upon Ä°lkin’s invitation. "I wanted to say ‘welcome’ to
your distinguished foreign minister," he told Turkish reporters.

Turkey and Armenia have had no formal relations for more than a decade,
but prospects for dialogue have recently emerged. Armenian President
Serzh Sarksyan has invited his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul,
to a World Cup qualifying game between the two countries’ national
soccer teams in September, but Turkey has yet to respond. Martirosyan
said Sarksyan’s invitation was a sincere one, adding that the Armenian
administration wanted to see him in Yerevan. New York Today’s Zaman

–Boundary_(ID_js0jO5By6jRLxvLfFp5j4w)–

RA PRESIDENT TO ATTEND EVENTS DEDICATED TO 650TH ANNIVERSARY OF SURB NSHAN CHURCH IN CRIMEA

PanARMENIAN.Net
22.07.2008 17:51 GMT+04:00

Armenian President Serzg Sargsyan, Catholicos of All Armenians
Garegin II, Ukrainian leader Viktor Yushchenko and other officials
will arrive in Crimea on July 29 to attend events dedicated to 650th
anniversary of Surb Nshan Church as a part of Surb Khach monastery.

The program includes concerts, exhibition and a scientific conference
with participation of historians from Ukraine, Armenia, Poland,
Russia and other states, analitika.at.ua reports.