Author: Chavushian

DENNIS SAMMUT: PRESIDENTS OF ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN HAVE A HISTORIC MISSION TO CARRY OUT

armradio.am
16.06.2008 15:16

"It was very important that the two presidents could meet so soon after
the election of Serzh Sargsyan as President of Armenia. President
Ilham Aliyev and President Serzh Sargsyan now have a historical
mission to make the peace process work and to achieve peace for
future generations of Armenians and Azerbaijanis. I think both men
have the capacity to achieve this historical mission," Dennis Sammut,
Executive Director of the London Information Network on Conflict and
State Building (LINKS), said in an interview with Armenpress.

According to Sammut, Not much was expected from the St Petersburg
meeting and not much was achieved. However, the negotiations are
back on track. Now what is needed is that they be speeded up and the
process improved. "The OSCE Minsk process provides a good framework
for the negotiations. However there are many ways in which it can
be improved. And a sense of urgency needs to be introduced to the
process. Time is on nobody’s side. The two sides have channels of
communication. They need to use them efficiently," he said.

"When I was asked in Azerbaijan whether Serzh Sargsyan can be a
constructive partner in the peace talks, taking into consideration his
"political roots," I said ‘yes.’ The fact that he understands the
essence of the conflict, will help to reach solution more easily,"
Denis Sammut noted.

Panorama.am

20:45 13/06/2008

D. HARUTYUNYAN: -NO POLITICAL BASE TO EXILE SEFILYAN-

It is wrong, Zhirayr Sefilyan should not be exiled
from Armenia, said David Harutyunyan, the chairman of
permanent committee of state-legal affairs of NA and
the leader of Armenian delegation in PACE, in a press
conference with journalists today. D. Harutyunyan
notified that he is not authorized to present the
collective evaluation of the Republican Party on the
current issue.

-To me there is no political background to exile him,-
said the chairman and added that he is not well
introduced to the legal basis.

Source: Panorama.am

ITHIOPIQUES: SOUNDS OF ETHIOPIA THE GENERALS COULD NOT CRUSH
David Hutcheon

The Times
June 14, 2008
UK

A group of great African musicians whose careers were blighted by a
brutal Marxist regime are back. Our correspondent hears their story

The sound of women doing laundry filters through the front door
and electricity is intermittent. A cat chases a rat across the
corrugated-iron roof, ruining another vocal take. Just another day in
the studio in Addis Ababa, August 2006. Tsedenia Gebremarkos prepares
to try again.

It wasn’t always this way. In the late 1960s, Ethiopia was home to some
of the funkiest big bands on the continent, long before the country
was pegged as a drought-stricken hell by Band Aid. Forty years on,
a concert at the Barbican in London on June 27 brings together for
the first time the era’s greatest stars: the singers Mahmoud Ahmed
and Alè-mayèhu Eshèté, the saxophonist Gétatchèw Mèkurya and
pianist Mulatu Astatqé.

Musically and emotionally, it promises to be among the gigs of the
year. The following night they headline at Glastonbury, an inspired
alternative to Jay-Z.

"It’s beautiful," says Astatqé of the reunion. "I think I’ve played
with each of them in the past, but not in at least 20 years.

You put it all together, all those different types of music
. . . Beautiful."

The way he whispers his favourite adjective betrays his background
on the London jazz scene of the 1960s. There is still a trace of
modernist cool about the dapper man I meet in a restaurant bar,
and it is easy to picture him in his twenties, hanging out in the
Metro Club on Tottenham Court Road with his friends Ronnie Scott,
Joe Harriott and Tubby Hayes, the tenor sax player who encouraged
him to play vibes. That is, when he wasn’t on the stands at Arsenal,
cheering on the team he still follows.

Astatqé later moved to the US to study at Berklee College of Music
in Boston and live the Johnny Staccato life in New York. "At the time,
the three corners of Africa were all there," he recalls, referring to
Fela Kuti from Nigeria, and the South African "Hughie" Masekela. In
1966, in cahoots with a group of like-minded souls, he recorded two
LPs called Afro-Latin Soul, the first "Ethiojazz" albums.

Currently a fellow at Harvard University, where he discusses Charlie
Parker with mathematicians and Miles Davis with geneticists, Astatqé
enjoys explaining Ethiopian musical theory. There are three legs of
Ethiopian pop, he tells me: traditional folk culture and the music
of the Azmari minstrels; the Coptic church, which split from the rest
of the Christian world in the 5th century; and Haile Selassie’s love
of brass bands.

Country, gospel and horns: these, unsurprisingly, are the same
ingredients that shaped American soul and Jamaican reggae. Using a
pentatonic scale, the Ethiopian groove sounds familiar but strange, as
if holding up a cracked mirror to Otis Redding or Aretha Franklin. "The
same universal notes connect us all," Astatqé smiles. "We had them
centuries ago, but the genius of the European composers was to spread
them round the world."

When he returned home in 1968, he found Ethiopia enjoying a pop
explosion. A mood of freedom had swept through the country in the
1960s, enabling the growth of independent record labels which used
moonlighting musicians from the brass bands. Selassie had invited
Armenian horn players to his country in 1924, and encouraged the
formation of orchestras under the auspices of the police, Army and
imperial bodyguards. But despite the emperor’s patronage, music was
still the occupation of disreputable troubadours: Eshèté, known
as the "Abyssinian Elvis" or "Ethiopian James Brown" at different
stages in his career, will never forget his shamed, gun-wielding
father chasing him through a nightclub.

For almost a decade, Addis was every bit as swinging as London, but
a hardline Marxist Government seized power in 1974. The Derg, lead by
General Mengistu Haile Mariam, imprisoned Selassie and his followers
and enthusiastically waged civil and international wars while leading
their country into chaos. The lights went out on Africa’s most exciting
nightlife. "They objected to the Western music that we were playing,"
Astatqé says. "They didn’t come out and say it, but we knew." To
survive, he composed soundtracks for political plays and recorded
cassettes of folk music for Ethiopian Airlines’ in-flight radio. Others
were less fortunate, forced out of music in order to make a living as
the economy collapsed. Eshèté simply refers to the period as "hell".

Although the Derg lost power in 1987, the shattered country remained in
darkness for years afterwards. Even today, life for a young musician
is tough, as I learn when talking to Samuel Yerga, the 21-year-old
keyboard prodigy with Dub Colossus, the band whose recording sessions
were interrupted by the cat and rat. They will also be playing the
Barbican and Glastonbury shows, though they travel light.

"I didn’t have a piano until this spring," he says, "but most musicians
don’t own their instruments, we just can’t afford them. There are
so many other problems for the Government to fix first that music
is still not an accepted part of the culture again. After the Derg,
we are the first wave to break the ice, to take traditional music and
turn it around. It will be good to see how people react." He shouldn’t
have too much to worry about, Ethiopian music has never had quite as
much cachet beyond the country’s boundaries.

The mainstream revival of interest sprung from the efforts of
Francis Falceto, a French music promoter. He heard a track by
Mahmoud Ahmed, travelled to Addis and found the singer working in a
shop. A man possessed, Falceto hunted out the musicians and producers
responsible, bought all the original vinyl he could find, and convinced
a record label to release a compilation of the best. Nothing shoddy
or opportunistic: the musicians had to be given the platform they
deserved. The Ã~Ithiopiques series, which now numbers 23 volumes plus
a Very Best Of endorsed by everybody from Elvis Costello and Robert
Plant to Arcade Fire, was one of the cult hits of last year, and
the live dates look like taking Astatqé et al to a whole different
level of fame. He may have seen it all before, but the second bite
will still be special.

"I want to take this moment and build on it," he says, clearly
relishing the opportunity. "I want to rediscover what was lost. That
would be beautiful. Beautiful."

Ithiopiques, Barbican, London EC2 ( 020-7638 8891),
Jun 27 2008 (returns only)

–Boundary_(ID_A8rmB8kW9EA1ND0fpjeTwQ)–

DRAFT LAW DEFINING STRUCTURE OF RA GOVERNMENT TO BE SOON SUBMITTED TO NA
X-X-Sender: [email protected]
X-Listprocessor -Version: 8.1 — ListProcessor(tm) by CREN

NOYAN TAPAN

Ju ne 12, 2008

A draft law defining the structure of the government will be discussed
in the June 12 sitting of the government. This information was
provided by Gevorg Danielian, the RA Minister of Justice in the June
11 sitting of the National Assembly. He mentioned that according to
the RA Constitution, the structure of the government is to be defined
by law, which will be exercised since July 1, 2008.

As regards the structure of the government, according to the Minister,
the current structure is the basis of the draft. Partial change is
envisaged, which is still being discussed.

As Tigran Torosian, the Speaker of the National Assembly stated, a
special session of the parliament is envisaged to be held on June 16,
on the agenda of which the above-mentioned draft law will be included.

ARMENIA, FRANCE SATISFIED WITH BILATERAL RELATIONS

ARKA
June 12
YEREVAN

RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan and French Ambassador to Armenia
Serge Smessov discussed prospects for the development of bilateral
relations in various fields.

The Press and Information Department, RA Foreign Office, reports
that the sides expressed their satisfaction with the current level
of bilateral relations.

The sides also discussed Armenia’s relations with the European Union
(EU) as part of the European Neighbourhood Policy in the context of
France’s chairmanship of the EU from the latter half of 2008.–0–

SECRETIVE ASSOCIATE OF PUTIN EMERGES AS CZAR OF RUSSIAN OIL TRADING
By Andrew Higgins, Guy Chazan And Alan Cullison

Wall Street Journal
June 11 2008

The Middleman

GENEVA — Gennady Timchenko, the world’s most powerful independent
trader of Russian oil, says he’s too busy to see his old acquaintance
Vladimir Putin, Russia’s most powerful man.

"I don’t have time to meet with him," the elusive Geneva-based
businessman said in his first media interview, held early last
month. "And he doesn’t have time to meet with me, probably."

Five days later, Mr. Timchenko was in St. Petersburg for a private
banquet attended by Mr. Putin, now Russia’s prime minister after
serving eight years as president. Both were guests at a party for
the Yavara-Neva Judo Club, which counts Mr. Timchenko as co-founder
and Mr. Putin as honorary chairman.

Unknown when Mr. Putin came to power in 2000, Mr. Timchenko’s company,
Gunvor Group, is now one of the top players in the business of selling
and transporting Russian oil. In February this year, it shipped 16
times as much crude from Russian ports as in February 2002, according
to data compiled by Nefte Compass, a journal that tracks the oil
trade. Gunvor is on pace to move $70 billion of oil this year, making
it the world’s No. 4 independent trader behind Glencore International
AG, Vitol SA and Trafigura Beheer BV.

Gunvor generates an aura of mystery rare even in the secretive world of
oil trading. Those who’ve done business for years with Mr. Timchenko
say they know little about him other than that he loves to play
tennis and trades a lot of oil. There are persistent whispers in
Russian business and foreign intelligence circles that Mr. Timchenko,
like Mr. Putin, served in the KGB. Before agreeing to an interview,
he made two conditions: The Wall Street Journal could not publish
his photograph or divulge his operation’s Geneva location.

In a two-hour conversation in his office — austere but for a Russian
icon leaning on a wall — the 55-year-old tycoon spoke expansively
about his business in accented English. He bristled only when asked
about his alleged KGB ties (a "fairy tale," he said) and relationship
with Mr. Putin. Mr. Timchenko says he has known Mr. Putin since the
early 1990s but says they aren’t friends. He denies receiving favors
from him.

"I’m a businessman, not a politician," he said, attributing Gunvor’s
success to its ability to transport oil on time and on budget. "Our
advantage is clearly logistics."

Mr. Timchenko represents a new class of Russian plutocrat. In the
1990s under President Boris Yeltsin, a band of tycoons bought state
assets at rigged privatization sales, flaunting their wealth and
Kremlin ties. Under Mr. Putin, who values the results of the free
market but shuns its openness, positions of key influence over
the nation’s economy have tended to be held by longtime allies and
former KGB colleagues. Mr. Timchenko embodies the traits prized under
capitalism Putin-style: competence, political deference, longstanding
links to those in power and, above all, discretion.

"Everyone knows whose friend he is," says Alexander Temerko, a
former executive with Yukos, a private Russian oil company that was
effectively nationalized. "People like working with people who will
never be messed with."

Aligning Interests

Mr. Timchenko was successful before Mr. Putin came to power. But his
business interests align with the political priorities of Mr. Putin,
who has used Russia’s oil and gas wealth to revive the country’s
international clout.

After the Kremlin reasserted state control over some Russian oil
companies, Mr. Timchenko’s company took over some of their lucrative
oil-trading contracts. The trader has also pitched in on various
Kremlin-backed projects: He is investing in an oil terminal near
St. Petersburg, a centerpiece in Mr. Putin’s effort to give Russia
control over the export of its own oil. Gunvor has also skirted
some of Russia’s bureaucratic snarls. When the state-owned railway
announced track repairs along an important export route to Estonia
last year, deliveries to rivals’ terminals slowed to a trickle but
those controlled by Mr. Timchenko mostly continued apace.

A government spokesman said Mr. Putin hasn’t granted Mr. Timchenko
privileges or influenced any commercial activity on his behalf.

The gauze of rumor that envelops Mr. Timchenko’s empire — which also
includes shipping, railway and port interests as well as two luxury
French hotels — is in some ways a strength. Perceptions of hidden
influence can create their own reality for partners and a touch of
paranoia for competitors. Rival traders interviewed for this article
declined to be identified. One insisted on meeting outside his own
office for fear that Mr. Timchenko might have it under surveillance. A
Gunvor spokesman called such a suggestion "totally unfounded."

Power Elite

Born in 1952 to a Soviet military family in Armenia, Mr. Timchenko
was raised in East Germany and Ukraine. Like many members of Russia’s
current power-elite, he got his start in Leningrad, as St. Petersburg
was known in 1970, when he enrolled at its Mechanical Institute to
study electro-mechanical engineering. The school turned out several
members of Mr. Putin’s inner circle.

Mr. Timchenko says he graduated after seven years and went to work at
the Izhorsk Factory, a Soviet industrial behemoth. In 1984, he got a
job at the Leningrad office of the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Trade,
a prestigious position for citizens of a country that maintained
rigid controls on contact with foreigners and hard currency.

He shared an office with Andrei Katkov, who recalls that the two
swapped trading ideas during cigarette breaks. When Mikhail Gorbachev
came to power in 1985 and began relaxing the government’s monopoly
on trade, Mr. Katkov says he and Mr. Timchenko hatched a plan with
Yevgeny Malov, who worked in a state trading agency in the same office
block. The three lobbied a state-owned refinery in nearby Kirishi to
set up an in-house operation to trade oil, Mr. Katkov says.

In 1987, several refineries, including Kirishi, were given the right
to set up trading branches to export a limited range of products. The
refinery set up a trading arm and hired the trio. "My luck started
there," Mr. Timchenko said.

In the Soviet Union’s final years, foreign trade was awash with spies
and former spies. Mr. Timchenko’s team hooked up with Andrei Pannikov,
a Soviet trade counselor in Stockholm who was expelled for espionage in
1988 after he tried to recruit an oil-industry contact. Mr. Pannikov
was "always asking questions about oil," recalls Tore Forsberg,
the head of Swedish counterintelligence at the time.

In 1990, Mr. Pannikov set up SP Urals, a petroleum-trade joint
venture with a Swedish company and several Russian partners
including Mr. Timchenko’s state-owned refinery trading outfit,
Kirishineftekhimexport. The refinery team supplied refined products
to SP Urals, which then sold them abroad.

Mr. Pannikov says he was still on the KGB payroll at the time but
quit soon afterward. He says Mr. Timchenko wasn’t a spy.

Mr. Putin, meanwhile, returned from his own KGB stint in East Germany
to his hometown of St. Petersburg. There, as head of the city’s
external-relations committee, he handed an early piece of business
to Mr. Timchenko and his colleagues.

The 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union and its command economy had left
St. Petersburg dangerously short of food. To help the city raise money,
Moscow granted oil-export quotas to local authorities. Mr. Putin’s
committee passed these to Mr. Timchenko and his crew at the refinery
trading company, which used the proceeds from foreign sales to buy
herring from Iceland and other foodstuffs.

Some of the barter deals supervised by Mr. Putin drew an investigation
by St. Petersburg’s city council. Councilors complained that the
proceeds for 100,000 tons of diesel exported by the Kirishi refinery
never made it to local authorities. The contract for that deal, viewed
by the Journal, names only an intermediary called Nevsky Dom. Its
backers, and any role played by Mr. Timchenko’s team, are unclear. "It
never happened that we didn’t pay money," Mr. Timchenko said.

‘Real Businessmen’

An American banker who met Mr. Timchenko in St. Petersburg in the early
1990s — at Mr. Putin’s urging, he says — recalls the oil trader was
well-dressed and competent. His office in a ramshackle central quarter
was tastefully renovated. "Wow! There really are some real businessmen
in this country," the banker recalls thinking. In contrast with other
would-be entrepreneurs, he says, Mr. Timchenko "didn’t want my money."

With phone lines and other basic tools sorely lacking in
St. Petersburg, Mr. Timchenko moved to Finland, long Russia’s gateway
to the West, to represent the refinery’s trading company.

Around 1994, as a wave of state companies went private, the Kirishi
refinery trading company was privatized and renamed KiNex. Urals,
the oil-trading joint venture set up by ex-spy Mr. Pannikov, became
International Petroleum Products, or IPP. The companies’ records shed
little light on their ultimate ownership.

At the same time, Mr. Timchenko became head of IPP’s Scandinavian
operations. He worked both sides of transactions — selling oil
products from the Kirishi refinery through KiNex, then buying them
through IPP. He prospered. He sent his two daughters to be educated
in Britain.

Kirishi Refinery, meanwhile, was going broke and got swallowed up by
Surgutneftegaz, a privatized Siberian oil company. Surgut’s ownership
was a mystery then and remains so, as the company keeps its share
registry secret.

Eager to take advantage of an oil-export terminal that opened in
nearby Estonia in the early 1990s, Mr. Timchenko helped set up Link
Oil, a rail shuttle service to deliver first oil products, and then
crude, from Kirishi. Amid the post-Soviet chaos and corruption, the
shuttle "ran like a clock," says Anti Oidsalu, who was in charge of
the Estonian terminal.

Mr. Timchenko began doing deals with Torbjorn Tornqvist, a Swedish
trader and superb tennis player then working in Estonia. Mr. Tornqvist
is now co-owner of Gunvor.

The Russian also nurtured his St. Petersburg ties. In 1998,
Mr. Timchenko provided money to help set up Yavara-Neva, a sport club
managed by Mr. Putin’s boyhood judo partner. Mr. Putin, a black-belt,
later became the club’s honorary chairman. The venture was "a good
idea," Mr. Timchenko said. "Patriotic."

In 1999, as Russia spasmed in near-constant economic and political
crisis, Mr. Timchenko renounced his Russian citizenship. He became
a Finnish national, according to naturalization documents.

Finnish court documents reveal a minor dispute there. Complaining of
shoddy work, Mr. Timchenko refused to pay roughly $4,000 for window
repairs on his Helsinki home.

Leo Tham, who worked for the window company, says the previously
cordial Mr. Timchenko got very angry and, boasting of powerful
friends in Russia, warned it "was better not to struggle with him." A
magistrate’s tribunal ordered Mr. Timchenko to pay the window bill
plus legal fees, according to the written verdict.

"Nonsense," Mr. Timchenko said. "I’ve never had any cases in
Finland." Later, a Gunvor spokesman clarified that there had been a
dispute and that the bill was paid "after a delay."

Soaring Fortunes

On the eve of the new millennium, Mr. Yeltsin stepped down, replaced
by his recently appointed prime minister, Mr. Putin. Oil prices began
to rise. Russia’s economy picked up.

Mr. Timchenko’s fortunes soared. His combined salary and investment
income declared in Finland rose more than tenfold between 1999 and
2001, when he reported earnings of â~B¬4.9 million (less than $5
million at the time) and paid â~B¬1.9 million in tax, according to
Finnish tax records.

His ties to Surgutneftegaz, which now owned the Kirishi refinery,
helped provide a lift. By 2002, Surgut was pumping the lion’s share of
its oil-product exports through KiNex. Hermitage Capital, an investment
fund active in Russia, says its review of customs and other data
suggests that KiNex got a discount on the international market price.

Mr. Timchenko says Hermitage doesn’t take into account transport and
other costs, adding that Surgut’s boss, Vladimir Bogdanov, "will bite
you" over "one single cent" gone astray. In an April interview with
a Russian newspaper, Mr. Bogdanov said his company exports crude and
oil products through a variety of traders with terms set by the market.

Fed up with Finnish taxes, Mr. Timchenko moved in 2002 to Switzerland
with his wife and their young son. He says he cut a deal with tax
authorities to pay a lump sum each year, irrespective of earnings,
a deal the country commonly strikes with wealthy expats.

In 2003, Mr. Timchenko bought a mansion overlooking Lake Geneva
for 18.4 million Swiss francs, now over $17 million. He received
planning permission to build a subterranean tennis court and
pool. Mr. Tornqvist, his partner, bought a property across the road.

Mr. Timchenko also split from Messrs. Katkov and Malov, saying
his longtime Russian partners didn’t appreciate his international
perspectives. He offered a "friendly deal" to buy the pair out,
he said, but they declined.

"Let him say what he wants," Mr. Katkov said. Mr. Malov could not be
reached for comment.

The rupture left Messrs. Katkov and Malov with Link Oil and KiNex. But
new companies associated with Mr. Timchenko took over much of the
transport of petroleum via Estonia and the trade of Surgutneftegaz’s
oil products. Part of IPP, another link in the chain, morphed into
Gunvor, which became Mr. Timchenko’s flagship.

Mr. Timchenko said he and Mr. Tornqvist own over 80% of Gunvor
Group. The rest, he said, is held by a business associate in
St. Petersburg whom he declined to name.

After cutting his trading teeth with products such as fuel oils,
Mr. Timchenko had by now moved into the lucrative crude business. The
global oil trade is dominated by major oil companies — the likes
of Exxon Mobil Corp. and Saudi Aramco have arms that sell and ship
their oil — and a handful of independent traders such as Gunvor
that not only buy and sell oil but invest in terminals, refineries
and shipping lines.

Mr. Timchenko’s retooling coincided with a bigger shift in Russian
oil. In 2003, Mr. Putin began reasserting state control over the
energy sector. After the high-profile imprisonment of the head of
private oil company Yukos, state-owned Rosneft took control of Yukos’s
Siberian fields. Gazprom, the state gas company, bought out another
big private producer, Sibneft. Rosneft and Gazprom didn’t use the
in-house trading arms of Yukos and Sibneft, instead selling a big
chunk of their exports through Gunvor.

Mr. Timchenko’s group took everything "virtually overnight," said a
former executive of Yukos’s now-defunct trading arm.

Gunvor expanded, opening offices in Singapore, Nigeria and
Amsterdam. It bought a Finnish shipping company and poached traders
from top-tier rivals in a drive to diversify into Africa and Latin
America.

Gunvor doesn’t release detailed earnings but says they are now in
"hundreds of millions" of dollars. The last available detailed figures,
contained in a Gunvor Group report for 2006 that the company circulated
to its bankers and partners, showed a profit of $220 million.

Avoiding Pitfalls

Rival traders say Gunvor is good at moving oil. But it also has an
uncanny ability, they say, to avoid pitfalls that curse business
in Russia.

When Russia and Estonia feuded last year over the removal of a
Soviet war memorial, Moscow abruptly announced that track repairs
would block the railway line to Estonia. Deliveries to an Estonian
oil terminal owned by Mercuria, a Gunvor rival, slowed to a trickle,
as did those to a terminal partly owned by Trafigura, according to
official Estonian figures. Traffic to a terminal that works closely
with Gunvor — and that has co-sponsored tennis tournaments with it —
continued to flow much as before.

"The only one allowed to export through Estonia now is Gunvor,"
said Mr. Katkov, who owns a stake in one of the ports clobbered by
the rail slowdown.

Mr. Timchenko says he controls 60% of the oil and petroleum-product
transit volumes through Estonia.

Mr. Timchenko was recently hailed as a "real patriot of
Russia" by Nikolai Tokarev, the head of Russian pipeline monopoly
Transneft. Referring to foreign traders Glencore and Vitol, Mr. Tokarev
said: "Their time is coming to an end."

Mr. Timchenko’s plans for the future dovetail with those of Russia’s
prime minister. Mr. Putin champions Russian-controlled ports, pipelines
and other infrastructure. Last month, Mr. Putin visited the site of a
massive port development near St. Petersburg, where he trumpeted the
importance of exporting Russian oil from Russian ports. The project’s
centerpiece is an oil terminal partly financed by Mr. Timchenko.

A Gunvor spokesman said its port investment is currently "very small"
but may become "very substantial."

After the port visit, Mr. Putin rushed back to St. Petersburg to
join Mr. Timchenko and others for the judo club’s 10th anniversary
festivities at the czarist-era Sheremetev Palace. A Gunvor spokesman
confirmed both men attended but had "no specific contact."

THE TRADER

â~@¢ The Man: The secretive Gennady Timchenko has built Gunvor Group
into the world’s most powerful independent trader of Russian oil.

â~@¢ The Mystery: His interests align with those of his old
acquaintance, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who has used Russia’s
oil wealth to revive the country’s international clout. The two deny
there are close ties or favoritism.

â~@¢ The Meaning: Mr. Putin’s old allies are often in a position to
wield influence over key areas of Russia’s economy.

0826662571.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

–Boundary_(ID _yAUjZ4hePtNzXagTg2YDdw)–

SERZH SARKISSIAN RECEIVED PRESIDENT OF AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS

RIA Oreanda
Economic News
June 10, 2008 Tuesday
Russia

Yerevan. OREANDA-NEWS . On June 06, 2008 President Serzh Sarkissian
received a well-known Armenian-Argentinean businessman, President
of the American International Airports company, Eduardo Ernekian,
reported the Official website .

Eduardo Ernekian expressed confidence that under the leadership of
President Sarkissian, Armenia would continue to develop and that Serzh
Sarkissian would be able to address main problems facing the country.

Noting that his success would be conditioned by the success of
each and every one of us, the President of Armenia said, Success
of individuals creates common success. If we are successful in our
economic development, we will be able to allocate more resources to
address social problems and reinforce our security.

Eduardo Ernekian presented investment projects implemented by his
company in different areas. He assessed as important and perspective
the agriculture sector, in which his company works hard and invests
a lot. The businessman also informed that a large-scale project for
the beautification of the center of Yerevan has already been launched.

TRANSEURO ENERGY
500 – 900 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, B.C. V6C 1E5

Transeuro Closes Debenture Financing
June 10, 2008 TSX-V/ Oslo Axess: TSU

Vancouver, Canada: – Mr. Hal Hemmerich, President and Chief Executive
Officer of Transeuro Energy Corp. (`Transeuro’ or the `Company’) is
pleased to announce the Company has completed a non-brokered private
placement of 4,000 units (the `Units’) for gross proceeds of
$4,000,000 (previously announced May 21, 2008).

Each Unit consisted of a secured eighteen month convertible debenture
(a `Debenture’) with a principal amount of $1,000 and 4,000 warrants
(the `Warrants’).

The Debentures will carry an interest rate of 12% per annum payable
semi-annually in arrears. The principal amount of each Debenture, plus
accrued interest, will be convertible into common shares at the
purchaser’s election at any time following the date that is six months
from the closing date up until the maturity date at a conversion price
equal to $0.25. The Company will have the right to repay the principal
amount of each Debenture, plus accrued interest, at any time without
penalty or charge.

The Debentures were issued pursuant to an indenture entered into
between the Company and Computershare Trust Company of Canada (the
`Trustee’). As security, the Trustee on behalf of the Debenture
holders has been granted a first priority security interest in
10,000,000 common shares of Eaglewood Energy Inc. held by Transeuro.

Each Warrant is exercisable for a period of eighteen months into a
common share of Transeuro at an exercise price equal to $0.25. The
Company has issued a total of 16,000,000 Warrants in connection with
the private placement.

Neither the Warrants nor the Debentures will be listed for trading on
the TSX Venture Exchange or the Oslo Axess.

All securities issued are subject to a hold period expiring on October
10, 2008. The net proceeds of the offering will be used for general
corporate purposes.

Transeuro Energy Corp. is involved in the acquisition of petroleum and
natural gas rights, the exploration for, and development and
production of crude oil, condensate and natural gas. The Company’s
properties are located in Canada, Ukraine and Armenia, and through
majority ownership in Eaglewood Energy Inc, in Papua New Guinea.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

`Harold Hemmerich’ President and CEO

IT WAS PAINFUL FOR USA TO VOTE AGAINST UN RESOLUTION ON OCCUPIED TERRITORY OF AZERBAIJAN – AMERICAN DIPLOMAT

Trend News Agency
June 5 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 4 June /Trend News corr M. Aliyev/ Trend News’
interview with Matthew Bryza, American co-chair of the OSCE Minsk
Group on settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Question: In their every speech, OSCE Minsk Group’s co-chairmen say
Azerbaijan and Armenia should make a compromise. Armenia speaks about
self-determination of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan sticks to its
own position in which country’s territorial integrity is a principal
issue. What do you mean by compromise? What can push these sides to
a compromise?

Answer: From you question it seems like the countries have not
advanced to a compromise at all. This is not like that at all. Draft
framework agreement coordinating almost all the principles is on
the table of negotiations. But there are still a couple of serious
principles to be clarified. One, two or three years ago we could not
say that. But a good progress has been marked since that time. So,
the final compromise will require courage, political will and trust
between the leaders of the two countries. I cannot foretell whether
that will happen. I do not know.

Question: There are reports that involvement of other international
organizations in peaceful settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh may change the
situation, which OSCE Minsk Group’s co-chairs have failed to achieve
so far. The European Union is mentioned as a new intermediary. Can
that be a way out of the situation?

Answer: The joint work of the European Union and the United States
always leads to positive results. I am not against the participation
of European Union. EU must define by itself how important that is. The
decision will be made by the European Union and French co-chairman. If
they propose some definite conception to OSCE, that will please anyway.

I do not think another format or more participants are needed. You
do raise the issue which proves that there is a will to achieve
compromise. If you take a look at present structure of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, you will see three possible variants. The
first is restoration of war which no one wants. The second is one
of the sides will reject its current position, but that will not
happen. And the last one is compromise. Thus, do the sides need to
reject their current positions? War is awful! So the logic states
that you must come to a compromise. I think the sides understand the
only acceptable option is a compromise.

Question: During voting at the UN on the Resolution envisaging
immediate liberation of Azerbaijani territory occupied by Armenia,
the USA, France and Russia as the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group
voted against it, though they could have just abstained. If you do
support the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, so why you did not
back the demand to Armenia to liberate Azerbaijani territory? That
caused discontent at the Azerbaijani Government.

Answer: I completely understand the discontent of the
Azerbaijani Government. That was a very painful decision for my
Government. Azerbaijan is our friend and strategic partner. One cannot
support those who are against your partner. But in our opinion,
a possible position is a real one. For us, a Resolution leading
to compromise over which we are working would be possible. While
that Resolution reflects the position of only one side. To be a
frank intermediary to help a joint compromise we said no. But that
is not the direction we wanted to follow. We want to advance to a
compromise. We worked over the Resolution jointly with our friends
at the Azerbaijani Government in order to make it acceptable, but
failed. So, I can say I am very sorry and I am very upset about the
situation. But now we have to move forward, to find a compromise and
to establish friendly relations.

Untitled DocumentPress Release
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 689-7810
Fax: (212) 689-7168
Email: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian

CROSSROADS E-NEWSLETTER – JUNE 5, 2008

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF CILICIAN BROTHERHOOD
The General Assembly of the Catholicosate of Cilicia’s Brotherhood is
taking place today and tomorrow, June 5 and 6, in Antelias, Lebanon. The
meeting is chaired by the Catholicos, His Holiness Aram I. Members of the
Brotherhood from all of the dioceses under the jurisdiction of the Cilician
See are participating. Under the general heading, "The Armenian clergy
facing the challenges of the 21st century," the clergymen will discuss the
mission of the Armenian Church and the Holy See of Cilicia, reassessing in
light of present-day challenges. Various units and departments of the
Catholicosate will present reports about their activities and
accomplishments. The spiritual, educational, cultural and social activities
of the Brotherhood will be presented.

BLESSING OF MURON THIS SATURDAY
The Blessing of the Holy Muron, which generally occurs every seven
years, will take place this Saturday, June 7, in the courtyard of the
Catholicosate of Cilicia in front of the Cathedral of St. Gregory the
Illuminator. The Holy Muron has a special place in the spirituality of the
Armenian Church. With the anointment of the Holy Oil we become members of
the Armenian Church. Through the touch of the Holy Muron we are reborn,
recreated, and restored in God’s image.
In accordance with the ancient tradition of the Armenian Church, the
Holy Muron is prepared with 48 flowers, herbs, olive oil, and balsamum. The
preparation is a long process and each stage is accompanied with special
prayers. Preparations for the Muron blessing of 2008 began on April 25 when
Brotherhood members and Seminary students started to prepare the ingredients
of the Muron (which had been brought from different regions
around the world), while reciting sections of the book of Psalms. The Grand
Sacristan of the Cathedral placed the ingredients in the laurel and olive
oils. His Holiness Aram I then lit the flame on which the Muron was boiled
in special pots for a period of 48 hours. During this time members of the
Cilician Brotherhood stood watch while singing hymns and reading the Bible
under close guidance of the Catholicos. The Muron is placed in a special
cauldron and must remain on the altar of the Cathedral for forty days prior
to the blessing.
The blessing of the Holy Muron began with St. Gregory the Illuminator
and has continued to the present day. The pouring of the remaining portion
of the previous blessed Muron into the newly prepared oil during the
blessing ceremony passes the blessing from generation to generation. The
blessed oil is then distributed to all Armenian churches. The oil is used on
various occasions including the anointing of new clergymen during
ordination, new churches, articles and artwork used in church, during the
Blessing of the Water ceremony on Epiphany, and for confirmation and
chrismation during sacrament of baptism.

SEMINAR FOR YOUTH IN SEPTEMBER
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Prelacy under the
jurisdiction of the Holy See of Cilicia, a youth seminar/retreat will take
place September 26-28, 2008. The retreat, open to anyone ages 18 to 35, will
take place at the St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Retreat Center in Charlton,
Massachusetts. The event is being planned and prepared for youth by youth,
in collaboration with the Prelate, the Vicar General, and the Prelacy
Executive Council. The agenda will feature a variety of excellent speakers
and two workshops on the Badarak, all aimed to educate and enrich the youth
of the Armenian Church. Complete details, as well as agenda, registration
form, etc., will be available on the Prelacy website by mid-June. In the
meantime if you have any questions regarding this event send an email to
[email protected].

MAJOR RENOVATION UNDERWAY AT ST. ILLUMINATOR CATHEDRAL
Major renovation of St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New York City has
begun. Until the renovation is completed the Divine Liturgy will be offered
every Sunday at 10:40 a.m. at the Armenian Center, 69-23 47th Street,
Woodside, New York.

SUMMER CAMP AT ST. SARKIS
St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York, will once again have a summer
camp for children from age 5 to 12. The camp will take place at the church
facilities from Monday, July 7 to Friday, July 18, from 10 am to 3 pm.
Registration must be completed by June 8. The program includes arts and
crafts, music, dance, prayer, Armenian language and history, introduction to
the Bible, sports, games..and more. See calendar of events below for more
details.

YEAR OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, has
designated the year 2008 as the "Year of Christian Education."
To read His Holiness’ message in Armenian click
tifical%20Messages/messages58.htm.
To read His Holiness’ message in English click
.

2008 DATEV SUMMER PROGRAM
We are nearing the final countdown to the 2008 St. Gregory of Datev
Institute’s Summer Program. For details click

PAN-DI ASPORA YOUTH CONFERENCE
A pan-Diaspora youth conference will take place in Antelias, Lebanon, on
August 14-16. Under the theme, "The Armenian youth face the challenges of
the 21st century," the conference will feature lectures, and round table and
group discussions. More than 100 youth from the various dioceses within the
Catholicosate of Cilicia will participate. Travel subsidies are available.
For information contact your local parish or the Prelacy office,
212-689-7810.

DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Bible readings for today, Thursday, June 5, are: Wisdom 6:11-21; 2
Corinthians 6:1-10; John 16:1-5
Therefore set your desire on my words; long for them, and you will be
instructed. Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by
those who love her, and is found by those who seek her. She hastens to make
herself known to those who desire here. One who rises early to seek her will
have no difficulty, for she will be found sitting at the gate. To fix one’s
thoughts on her is perfect understanding, and one who is vigilant on her
account will soon be free from care, because she goes about seeking those
worthy of her, and she graciously appears to them in their paths, and meets
them in every thought. The beginning of wisdom is the most sincere desire
for instruction, and concern for instruction is love of her, and love of her
is the keeping of her laws, and giving heed to her laws is assurance of
immortality, and immortality brings one near to God; so the desire for
wisdom leads to a kingdom. Therefore if you delight in thrones and scepters,
O monarchs over the peoples, honor wisdom, so that you may reign forever.
(Wisdom of Solomon 6:11-21)
For listing of the week’s Bible readings click

DI SCOVERY OF RELICS OF ST. GREGORY
This Saturday, June 7, the Armenian Church commemorates one of the three
feast days dedicated to St. Gregory the Illuminator: The discovery of his
remains. The other two commemorative days are his commitment into the pit
and his deliverance from the pit.
St. Gregory is the greatest figure in the Armenian Church, and is
considered to be the "Apostle of Armenia." After years of evangelizing, St.
Gregory sought solitude and an ascetic life. He eventually retired to a cave
on Mount Sepouh. It was here that Gregory died alone. Some shepherds found
his body, and without realizing who he was, buried him under a pile of
stones. Later a hermit, Garnik of Pasen, who had been a disciple of St.
Gregory, saw a vision and went to Mount Sepouh where he found the site of
Gregory’s burial. He took the remains to the village of Tordan for burial,
where King Trtad was buried. Relics of St. Gregory were retained and sent to
different locations as was the custom of the time. Relics from the right
hand of St. Gregory are at the Holy See of Etchmiadzin and the Holy See of
Cilicia. The Catholicoi mix the new muron with the old muron with the right
hand which contains the relics.

FROM THE BOOKSTORE THIS WEEK..

SAYAT NOVA: COMPLETE COLLECTION OF ARMENIAN SONGS
This two-CD set contains a total of 31 selections, beautifully executed by
the Sayat Nova Ensemble. Limited number available. $30, plus shipping and
handling.

SHOGHAKEN ENSEMBLE: MUSIC FROM ARMENIA
A musical journey through historic Armenia by the popular folk group,
Shoghaken Ensemble. $18, plus shipping and handling.

JOYOUS LIGHT BY ISABEL BAYRAKDARIAN
Beautiful selection of Armenian sacred music, featuring the extraordinary
soprano, Isabel Bayrakdarian, with the Elmer Iseler Singers & Chorale
Orchestra, directed by Raffi Armenian. $18, plus shipping and handling.

A LONG JOURNEY HOME-ISABEL BAYRAKDARIAN
Isabel Bayrakdarian’s first trip to Armenia is preserved on this lovely DVD.
Includes her recitals in Armenia and sacred music in the ancient churches of
Armenia. $25, plus shipping and handling.

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THESE AND OTHER ITEMS AT THE BOOKSTORE VISIT THE
PRELACY’S WEB SITE, OR CONTACT THE BOOKSTORE BY
EMAIL AT [email protected] OR BY TELEPHONE 212-689-7810.

PHOTO FROM OUR ARCHIVES..

This photograph was taken on May 20,1962, during the National Representative
Assembly at St. Sarkis Church in Bayside, New York. Members of the Prelacy’s
Executive Council seated, left to right, Yeghishe Melikian, Archbishop Hrant
Khatchadourian, Rev. Fr. Kourken Yaralian. Standing, left to right, Yeghia
Khimatian, Vigen Babayan, Rev. Fr. Khachig Giragosian, Jack Chadrjian, Rev.
Fr. Yeghishe Mkitarian, Haikaz Ghazarian, Mihran Guzelian.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

June 11-St. Sarkis Church, Douglaston, New York, Young Adults Bible Study
Group’s 2nd Annual Open House. 7:30 pm. Join the fellowship and camaraderie
and bring your friends. Refreshments, food and music. For information
718-224-2275.

June 21-Armenian Food Fair sponsored by the Ladies Guild of St. Gregory
Church, North Andover, Massachusetts, Jaffarian Hall from 11 a.m. to 7 pm.

June 22-St. Sarkis Armenian Church, Douglaston, New York, Anniversary
Celebration, under auspices of Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan. Special program
and exhibit dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Prelacy’s affiliation
with the Holy See of Cilicia. Also honored will be the Ladies Guild of St.
Sarkis Church. For reservations contact the church office, 718-224-2275.

June 22-St. Illuminator’s Cathedral, New York City, Divine Liturgy, Luncheon
and Program dedicated to Father’s Day. Organized by the Cathedral’s Ladies
Guild. Mardo Anastasian will be honored as Father of the Year. Information
and reservations: 212-689-5880.

June 24-Holy Trinity Armenian Church, Worcester, 5th annual Golf Outing,
Juniper Hill Golf Course, Northboro, Massachusetts. For information
508-852-2414.

June 27 to July 6-St. Gregory of Datev Institute, Summer Christian Studies
Program for youth ages 13-18 at St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson,
Pennsylvania, organized by the Armenian Religious Education Council. For
more information click

July 7 to July 18-Summer Camp at St. Sarkis Armenian Church, Douglaston, New
York. For children age 5 to 12. 10 am to 3 pm Monday to Friday, lunch and
snack included. Minimum donation is $150. Summer camp is sponsored by Mr. &
Mrs. Antranig and Marion Boudakian. Registration deadline is June 8. For
information contact the church office, 718-224-2275.

July 19-"A Hye Summer Night 3," dance hosted by Ladies’ Guild of Sts.
Vartanantz Church and ARS Ani Chapter, Providence, Rhode Island. For details
401-434-4467.

September 7-Annual picnic Festival of St. Gregory Church, North Andover,
Massachusetts, at American Legion Grounds, Haverhill, Massachusetts,
beginning at 12 noon.

August 3-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Providence, Rhode Island, Blessing of the
Grapes picnic. Camp Haiastan, Franklin, Massachusetts, noon to 6 pm, rain or
shine.

August 10-Holy Trinity Armenian Church, Worcester, Massachusetts. Annual
picnic on church grounds. Free admission; free parking.

August 17-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, annual church
picnic and blessing of the grapes at Dunkerhook Park, Pavilion D, Paramus,
NJ. For information 201-943-2950.

September 14-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey. Celebration of
the Holy Cross and Madagh. For information 201-943-2950.

September 21-Holy Trinity Armenian Church, Worcester, Massachusetts, annual
church banquet. Details to follow.

September 25-Sixth annual golf outing hosted by Sts. Vartanantz Church,
Ridgefield, New Jersey, at River Vale Country Club, River Vale, New Jersey.
For information contact Richard Krikorian 201-784-2236 or church office
201-943-2950.

September 26-28-National Youth Conference at Holy Virgin Mary Spiritual
Vineyard, Charlton, Massachusetts.

September 29-30-Clergy conference at the Holy Virgin Mary Spiritual
Vineyard, Charlton, Massachusetts.

October 17-18-Annual Fall Fair of St. Gregory Church, North Andover,
Massachusetts, Jaffarian Hall.

October 21, November 1 and 2-Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey,
Annual Bazaar and Food Festival. For information 201-943-2950.

November 9-38th anniversary of St. Gregory Church, North Andover,
Massachusetts, and 50th anniversary of the Prelacy under the Holy See of
Cilicia, presided over by His Grace Bishop Anoushavan at Jaffarian Hall
following Divine Liturgy.

October 25-Gala celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Prelacy of the
Armenian Apostolic Church of America under the jurisdiction of the Great
House of Cilicia and the 110th anniversary of the establishment of the
Armenian Church of America. Marriott at Glenpointe, Teaneck, New Jersey.
Details to follow.

November 21 and 22-Holy Trinity Armenian Church, Worcester, Massachusetts,
Fall Food Festival.

Web pages of the parishes can be accessed through the Prelacy’s web site.

To ensure the timely arrival of Crossroads in your electronic mailbox, add
[email protected] to your address book.

Items in Crossroads can be reproduced without permission. Please credit
Crossroads as the source.

Parishes of the Eastern Prelacy are invited to send information about their
major events to be included in the calendar. Send to:
[email protected]