Author: Chatinian Lara

57th FORUM OF ECAC DIRECTORS GENERAL HELD IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, AUGUST 29, NOYAN TAPAN. A document on raising the safety from
terrorism in the aviation sphere will be signed at the 57th special
forum of the Directors General of the European Civil Aviation
Conference (ECAC) being held in Yerevan on August 28 – September 1.
Besides, issues related to the development of aviation in the EU, a
reduction in prices of airport and aeronavigation services,
environmental protection in the aviation sphere will be discussed, a
report of Eurocontrol organization on control of the aeronavigation
sector and a report on development of civil aviation in Armenia will be
heard, the Head of the RA government-adjunct Main Department of Civil
Aviation Artyom Movsesian announced.

In his report following the opening address of the President of ECAC
Luis Fonseca de Almeida, A. Movsesian spoke about work to be done at
Yerevan’s Zvartnots International Airport. In particular, the airport’s
concessionaire – Corporacion America SA company have begun constructing
a departure terminal after finishing the construction of an arrival
terminal at the airport. A. Movsisian stated that the work is being
done quite rapidly, and in 2010 the airport will be brought into line
with European standards.

A. Movsesian also spoke about the audits performed by ECAC and the
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Armenia’s civil
aviation sector, noting that high opinions were expressed after these
audits. These opinions will be posted on ICAO’s website. He also
presented the results of the operation of the national carrier Armavia:
there was a 11% growth in passenger traffic in January-July 2008 on the
same period of 2007, and a 20% growth in 2007 (573 thousand passengers)
on 2006.

Armenia’s deputy prime minister, minister of territorial administration
Armen Gevorgian made a speech, in which he underlined the role of civil
aviation in the development of Armenian economy, saying that one
evidence of it is that the authorized body of this sector has been
granted status of a body adjunct to the RA government. He pointed out
the proper level of flight and aviation safety. In his words, as long
ago as 2000, Armenian government adopted an aviation policy, which is
based on the condition that airport and aviation services shall be
mostly managed by the private sector. The minister reminded that in
accordance with the concession agreement signed on December 17, 2001,
the Armenian government transferred Zvartnots Airport to Corporacion
America SA, and thanks to the investments made afterwards Armenia now
has an airport with a completely repaired runway and an updated
lighting system. In his opinion, Zvartnots International Airport may
become a regional center, which will allow to develop transit
transportation due to Armenia’s favorable geographic location.

It was mentioned that Armavia airline has fully updated its fleet of
aircraft and now operates modern planes made in Europe. A. Gevorgian
added that the government is discussing a concept of creating a free
economic zone in the area near Zvartnots Airport. He expressed an
opinion that the creation of such a zone will contribute to a growth of
goods transportation by air which in its turn will promote development
of other branches of the economy. He said the proportionate and dynamic
development of civil aviation is also important for developing tourism,
a priority sector of Armenian economy.

Adrressing the problem of bringing the Armenian legislation on civil
aviation into line with that of EU, A. Gevorgian said that the Armenian
governmemt took notice of EU’s proposal and keeps under its control the
process of signing the agreement between the government of the RA and
the European Community on some aspects of air communication.

Forums of ECAC Directors General are held every year. The
organization’s membership numbers 42 European countries that are
represented by about 50 participants at the Yerevan forum.

ARMENIAN JAZZ CELEBRATES 70-TH ANNIVERSARY

Panorama.am
19:36 29/08/2008

September is going to be a real cultural illumination period. Armenian
Jazz is 70.

It was in 1938 when the first official Armenian Jazz-band was
found. Many things have changed since those times, but our passionate
love for jazz is neverending.

Armenian jazzmen have acquired worldwide recognition and fame and now
in Yerevan some interesting arrangements are going to take place in
the light of jazz 70-th anniversary.

Nino Katamadze famous singer from Georgia will have a concert in Opera
house with her "Insight" band. Yerevan jazz-fans have exceptional
chance to listen to the unique performance of this talented singer
who makes interesting mixture of jazz and ethnic folks and gives you
unforgettable feelings.

On September 29 in Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra concert hall the
exclusive concert of legendary Jazz singer Tatevik Hovhannisyan will
take place. She is so talented, that they used to call her "Ella from
Yerevan". In early 80-s Hovhannisyan appeared in the USA; she still
sings her favorite jazz there.

The "queen" of Soviet jazz-vocal has proved she’s real world jazz
star and made a successful career not only in America but in Europe
as well. By the way, she has a new contract with "Sony Classical"
music-company for the record of her 5 coming albums.

There are many jazz-clubs playing only live music in Yerevan now:
we have interesting international jazz festivals, different programs
and even "Radio Jazz" station dedicated only to this legendary music
direction.

PRICE REDUCTION AND INTERNET SERVICE BANDWIDTH UPGRADE IN ADC

Panorama.am
15:27 29/08/2008

There is currently a large number of Internet Providers in
Armenia. Providers concentrate on effective distribution and
installation as well as new and more flexible pricing options to make
the market grow.

Starting from September 1st, 2008 Armenian Datacom Company CJSC (ADC)
announces price reductions to business subscribers for "Internet
Office" and "Data Pro DPRS" services. ADC is Armenian -Norwegian joint
venture that provides high capacity Fiber Optic Broadband Internet
and Data Communication services.

The new price changes are also applicable for ADC customers who have
signed contracts with ADC for these services before September 1st,
2008.

Starting from September 1st, 2008 bandwidth is automatically upgraded
at no extra cost to the subscribers for "Internet Office 250",
"Internet Office 500" and "Internet Office 1000" in the following
order:

ï~A¬ "Internet Office 250" (256/64 Kbps) service will be upgraded to
"Internet Office 500" (512/128 Kbps), ï~A¬ "Internet Office 500"
(512/128 Kbps) service will be upgraded to "Internet Office 1000"
(1024/256 Kbps), ï~A¬ "Internet Office 1000" (1024/256 Kbps) service
will be upgraded to "Internet Office 1500" (1536/384 Kbps).

These changes result in service price reduction for all Internet
Office speeds, and asymmetric "Internet Office 250", is phased out
by these changes.

–Boundary_(ID_l0uA0hUmLy1wRpRd/1Ncvg)–

GEORGIA ACCUSED OF REFUSING TO GUIDE RUSSIAN AIRLINER THOROUGH ITS AIRSPACE

RedOrbit
Aug 27 2008
TX

Moscow, 26 August: The Georgian civil aviation department unreasonably
refuses to serve flights from Russia in Georgian airspace, a spokesman
for the State Corporation for Organizing Air Traffic in the Russian
Federation FGUP [federal state unitary enterprise] told ITAR-TASS
today, commenting on the situation that has evolved with the serving
of aircraft over Georgian territory.

"On 25 August, the Tbilisi aviation authorities refused, without
explaining the reasons, to serve the aircraft of the Volgaaviaekspress
airline on the flight from Volgograd to Yerevan", a spokesman for
the state corporation said, recalling that "the route in question had
been approved by the Georgian side for the entire 2008 spring-summer
timetable".

There was a similar situation on 19 August with an aircraft of the
Armavia airlines flying from Domodedovo [in Moscow] to Yerevan. When
the Russian side inquired about the flight, the Georgian civil aviation
department sent a telegram giving the reason for the refusal, namely
the introduction of restrictions on flights in Georgian airspace:
"enforced shutdown of the secondary radar by Russian troops in the
town of Senaki in Georgia and the high volume over air traffic in
Georgian airspace".

However, letters exchanged between the director of the
Sakaeronavigatsia public company (the Georgian air navigation
service provider) and a representative of the IATA (International
Air Transport Association) on 25 August said that the operation of
the radar position in Senaki had resumed on the morning of 24 August,
and that the Georgian air traffic control system was fully ready to
serve the flights of civilian aircraft and provide the required level
of flight safety. [Passage omitted]

Airlines flying to or from Russia carry out up to 150 flights a day
through Georgian airspace.

Originally published by ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in Russian
1535 26 Aug 08.

PROVOCATION ENDED IN STABBING

A1+
[03:15 pm] 26 August, 2008

Yesterday evening an elderly man showed up in Northern Avenue and
began railing at the presentees. He was shouting "Long live to Serzh!"

Members of the Pan-National Movement tried to call him to order but
all their efforts were in vain.

Volodia M., 1938, kicked up a row with them and stabbed David
Kiramijian, 199, harming the latter’s forearm.

Twenty minutes later an ambulance arrived on the scene. "Everything is
all right," David said to A1+ after receiving first medical aid. His
forearm was harmed. David was much concerned that he had been stabbed
in the eyes of his mother.

David was taken to hospital as the wound was rather deep. Presently,
he is in his place.

A1+ was told that Volodia M. keeps visiting the avenue, threatening
people and making provocative announcements.

Eye-witnesses say before provoking the incident Volodia M. had talked
to top-ranked police officers Aghasy Kirakossian and Valeri Osipian
at Liberty Square.

Yesterday evening David Kiramijian’s father Haikaz Kiramijian reported
the police department of Yerevan’s central Kentron district that his
son had been stabbed in Northern Avenue.

Preliminary investigation is underway.

MCO, OPERA STAR CARNEGIE HALL-BOUND
Morley Walker

Winnipeg Free Press
Aug 25 2008
Canada

The Manitoba Chamber Orchestra has found the way to Carnegie Hall —
and it wasn’t just by practising hard.

The Winnipeg-based classical chamber group will perform with
Toronto-based soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian for a six-concert tour of
the North American East and West Coasts in October.

MCO general manager Vicki Young said Monday that Bayrakdarian’s
agent made the request after an arrangement with a European orchestra
fell through.

"She and her husband came to see us when we played in Toronto this
summer," Young said. "This will provide excellent visibility for us."

The tour, over two legs, will land in San Francisco, Orange County,
Calif., and Vancouver Oct. 5-7 and Toronto, Boston and New York
Oct. 17-20.

The New York date is slated for Zankel Hall, a secondary performance
space of Manhattan’s fabled Carnegie Hall.

An Armenian born in Lebanon in 1974, Bayrakdarian emigrated to
Canada as a teenager and has become one of the country’s hottest
opera singers, with four Juno awards to her credit.

Her vocals were featured in the Hollywood movie hit The Lord of the
Rings: The Two Towers and in Toronto director Atom Egoyan’s movie
about the Armenian massacre, Ararat.

She is slated to make her Winnipeg debut with the MCO in March 2009.

Young says the Bayrakdarian people are picking up the tour costs
for all 19 MCO musicians, string players who include core members,
alumni and regular freelancers.

Most of the 22 regular MCO musicians are Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
members, four of whom will be going on the tour.

"The WSO has been very co-operative," Young said.

The concerts will be conducted by Washington-based Anne Manson, who
was also on the podium for three MCO shows in Ottawa and Toronto in
late June.

Manson will conduct three of the MCO’s nine Winnipeg concerts this
season, including the Sept. 17 opener.

The 36-year-old MCO has toured on its own several times in Canada
and once to Italy.

The group has been without a full-time music director since Roy
Goodman resigned in 2004.

ARMENIA TO EXPRESS ITS VIEW REGARDING SUGGESTION OF RUSSIAN FEDERAL COUNCIL TO RECOGNIZE INDEPENDENCE OF SOUTH OSSETIA AND ABKHAZIA

arminfo
2008-08-25 16:35:00

ArmInfo. Armenia will express its view regarding suggestion of
Russian Federal Council to recognize independence of South Ossetia
and Abkhazia, the head of the department on relations with mass media
Armenian Foreign Ministry press-service, Tigran Balayan, told ArmInfo
correspondent.

ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF AMERICA
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
Email: [email protected]
Website:

PRESS RELEASE
August 23, 2008
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Email: [email protected]

OBAMA/BIDEN DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL TICKET STRONG ON GENOCIDE
RECOGNITION; U.S.-ARMENIA RELATIONS

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
welcomed Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama’s
announcement of longtime Armenian American issues supporter, Sen.
Joe Biden as his choice for Vice-President. Sen. Biden, who chairs
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been an outspoken
advocate of U.S. reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide and brings
the principled international leadership needed to meet the
challenges of the 21st Century.

"As we stated back in January, Armenian Americans, a community that
is deeply committed to a moral U.S. foreign policy and constructive
American engagement abroad, respect Senator Biden’s leadership and,
today, we welcome his addition to the Democratic ticket," said
ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

Elected to office in 1972, Senator Biden has been a voice of moral
clarity on issues of concern to the Armenian American community
including:

* Support for U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide, dating
back to his work with Senator Bob Dole to pass the Armenian
Genocide Resolution (S.J.Res.212) in 1990, and stronger U.S.-
Armenia relations.

* A perennial supporter of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act,
adopted in 1992, which restricted U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan due
to its ongoing blockades of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh.

* In May, 2007, Senator Biden, in response to a question from the
Los Angeles Times editorial board about the Armenian Genocide
Resolution (S.Res.106), said: "I support it, and the reason is
simple: I have found in my experience that you cannot have a solid
relationship with a country based on fiction. It occurred. It
occurred." Senator Biden has been cosponsor of every resolution
reaffirming the Armenian Genocide introduced in the Senate over the
past 20 years.

* In connection with his leadership in pressing the Administration
to explain its firing of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans,
and the controversy over the subsequent nomination of Dick Hoagland
in 2007, Senator Biden secured from the Administration a number of
commitments, among them that:

— The next U.S. Ambassador to Armenia will meet extensively
with representatives of the Armenian American community before and
during their tenure in Yerevan.

— The State Department will brief Members of Congress on its
efforts to promote Turkish recognition of the real history of the
Armenian Genocide.

— U.S. ambassadors to Yerevan and Ankara would exchange
visits for the purpose of ending Turkey’s economic blockade of
Armenia.

* He authored a resolution (S.Res.65), which was adopted in the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee by unanimous consent, to honor
journalist Hrant Dink, who was assassinated in Turkey last year for
writing about the Armenian Genocide.

* In July, 2008, Sen. Biden reiterated his commitment to securing
U.S. and Turkish recognition of the Armenian Genocide in connection
with the nomination of U.S. Ambassador to Armenian Marie
Yovanovitch. "Recognition by the United States of the Armenian
Genocide is not the final goal. The real goal is the recognition
of Turkey – of the Turkish Government – of the Armenian Genocide
and the establishment of a common Turkish-Armenian understanding of
the events and tragedy that took place," stated Sen. Biden.

The ANCA endorsed Senator Obama in the Democratic primaries and
will announce its general election endorsement decision following
the Democratic and Republican primaries. The ANC of Iowa had
endorsed Sen. Joe Biden in his presidential election bid prior to
the Iowa primary earlier this year.

#####

NEW HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT FUND TO BE LAUNCHED IN ARMENIA

ARMENPRESS
Aug 22, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 22, ARMENPRESS: A new human resources development
fund, called Pyunik, will be launched officially in Armenia soon. Its
honorary chairman is a Diaspora Armenian benefactor Gabriel Jambarji
and Levon Sarkisian is the chairman of the board of trustees.

Education and science minister Spartak Seyranian said to reporters
today that Jambarji and his friends have been supporting Armenian
education since 1998 by providing Armenian schools with 530 full labs
for Biology, Chemistry and Physics subjects, furnished with modern
equipment and devices and materials necessary for conducting tests.

Levon Sarkisian said the idea to shift to official activity is to
enlarge the number of sponsors. Part of labs were given to schools
outside Yerevan. Gabriel Jambarji and his fiends also provided Armenian
schools with 200 computers and 250 printers.

The minister said Jambarji gave his accord to show support also to
universities and high schools as well as to pre-school institutions. In
2007 in recognition of his services to Armenian education Gabriel
Jambarji was awarded the gold medal of the Armenian education and
science ministry.

TURKEY AND THE CAUCASUS: WAITING AND WATCHING

Economist
/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11986092
Aug 21 2008
UK

A large NATO country ponders a bigger role in the Caucasus

Erdogan plays the Georgian flagAT THE Hrazdan stadium in Yerevan,
workers are furiously preparing for a special visitor: Turkey’s
president, Abdullah Gul. Armenia’s president, Serzh Sarkisian, has
invited Mr Gul to a football World Cup qualifier between Turkey and
its traditional foe, Armenia, on September 6th.

If he comes, Mr Gul may pave the way for a new era in the
Caucasus. Turkey is the only NATO member in the area, and after the
war in Georgia it would like a bigger role. It is the main outlet
for westbound Azeri oil and gas and it controls the Bosporus and
Dardanelles, through which Russia and other Black Sea countries ship
most of their trade. And it has vocal if small minorities from all
over the region, including Abkhaz and Ossetians.

Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has just been to
Moscow and Tbilisi to promote a "Caucasus Stability and Co-operation
Platform", a scheme that calls for new methods of crisis management
and conflict resolution. The Russians and Georgians made a show of
embracing the idea, as have Armenia and Azerbaijan, but few believe
that it will go anywhere. That is chiefly because Turkey does not have
formal ties with Armenia. In 1993 Turkey sealed its border (though not
its air links) with its tiny neighbour after Armenia occupied a chunk
of Azerbaijan in a war over Nagorno-Karabakh. But the war in Georgia
raises new questions over the wisdom of maintaining a frozen border.

Landlocked and poor, Armenia looks highly vulnerable. Most of its
fuel and much of its grain comes through Georgia’s Black Sea ports,
which have been paralysed by the war. Russia blew up a key rail bridge
this week, wrecking Georgia’s main rail network that also runs to
Armenia and Azerbaijan. This disrupted Azerbaijan’s oil exports,
already hit by an explosion earlier this month in the Turkish part
of the pipeline from Baku to Ceyhan, in Turkey.

"All of this should point in one direction," says a Western diplomat
in Yerevan: "peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan." Reconciliation
with Armenia would give Azerbaijan an alternative export route for
its oil and Armenia the promise of a new lifeline via Turkey. Some
Armenians gloat that Russia’s invasion of Georgia kyboshes the chances
of Azerbaijan ever retaking Nagorno-Karabakh by force, though others
say the two cases are quite different. Russia is not contiguous with
Nagorno-Karabakh, nor does it have "peacekeepers" or nationals there.

Even before the Georgian war, Turkey seemed to understand that
isolating Armenia is not making it give up the parts of Azerbaijan that
it occupies outside Nagorno-Karabakh. But talking to it might. Indeed,
that is what Turkish and Armenian diplomats have secretly done for
some months, until news of the talks leaked (probably from an angry
Azerbaijan).

Turkey’s ethnic and religious ties with its Azeri cousins have long
weighed heavily in its Caucasus policy. But there is a new worry that a
resolution calling the mass slaughter of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks
in the 1915 genocide may be passed by America’s Congress after this
November’s American elections. This would wreck Turkey’s relations with
the United States. If Turkey and Armenia could only become friendlier
beforehand, the resolution might then be struck down for good.

In exchange for better relations, Turkey wants Armenia to stop backing
a campaign by its diaspora for genocide recognition and allow a
commission of historians to establish "the truth". Mr Sarkisian has
hinted that he is open to this idea, triggering howls of treason
from the opposition. The biggest obstacle remains Azerbaijan and
its allies in the Turkish army. Mr Erdogan was expected to try to
square Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliev, in a visit to Baku this
week. Should he fail, Mr Gul may not attend the football match–and
a chance for reconciliation may be lost.