Author: Chmshkian Vicken

The Messenger, Georgia
Dec 28 2007

Yerevan: Gazprom ready to finance completion of Iran-Armenia natural
gas pipeline

By M. Alkhazashvili
(Translated by Diana Dundua)
Friday, December 28

Russia’s Gazprom is moving forward with the construction of an
Iran-Armenia natural gas pipeline, the news agency Regnum reports.

Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan said Gazprom will be
investing in the project via ArmrosGazprom, the joint
Russian-Armenian company responsible for Armenia’s natural gas
industry.

The construction of the gas pipeline, expected to finish in 2008, may
result in Gazprom increasing its majority stake in the company, he
stated.

`The final amount of the Gazprom share in ArmrosGazprom will be known
after all the investment works are ended,’ Movsisyan said.

The Iran-Armenia gas pipeline is slated to have an annual capacity of
1.2 billion cubic meters when it comes into operation, with the
project taking a three-year investment of USD 148 million.

By 2019, Armenian officials say, they will be able to import 2.3
billion cubic meters annually.

As part of the 20-year contract, Regnum writes, Armenia will exchange
three kilowatts of electricity for every cubic meter of Iranian
natural gas.

"GO ON FOOT"

A1+
[12:35 pm] 25 December, 2007

The transport fee of some mini buses rises from 100 drams to 200
drams after 22 o’clock at night. Besides, you can see other mini
buses without state registration numbers costing 200 drams.

Passengers note that they have appealed to the drivers for many times
complaining of the transport fee, but they always reply: "You may go
on foot, if you don’t want to pay".

In the evenings transport works awfully and people have to stand in
the buss stops for hours.

"I have been standing for 1 hour here waiting for number 91 bus,
but it does not arrive", says Khachik Hovhannisyan. Khachik also
says that whenever he asks the drivers why they do not work properly,
they reply that only one mini bus works late in the evenings.

Passengers suppose that there is a certain agreement between taxi
services and mini buses, since after waiting for a long time passengers
have to reach homes by taxis.

Gevorg Khachatryan, deputy head of the Transport department of Yerevan
Municipality informed "A1+" that drivers raise the transport fees
illegally. Only number 107 and 108 buses have the right to raise
the fee.

EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO 100th ANNIVERSARY OF GARZU OPENS IN YEREVAN

Noyan Tapan
Dec 20 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, NOYAN TAPAN. An exhibition of works of French
Armenian painter Garzu (Garnik Zulumian) opened on December 20 at the
National Gallery of Armenia. Garzu’s paintings and illustrations in
the books "A Farewll to Arms" of Hemingway, "Scrap Book" of Camus,
"France" by Maurois are presented at the exhibition dedicated to
painter’s 100th anniversary.

According to Nune Tedevosian, the Head of the Engraving Department of
the National Gallery of Armenia, stage painting and book illustrations
are very important in Garzu’s art, therefore it was decided to
present all designs kept in the Gallery on the occasion of his 100th
anniversary. And in total 305 works by Garzu are kept at the National
Gallery of Armenia, which is considered as one of the richest owners
of painter’s art heritage in the whole world.

"Garzu has his unique place in the modern French and Armenian
painting. His art is exclusive, immediately recognizable with its
way of thinking and style typical of Garzu. The thought and emotions
dissipate in the mysterious world of Garzu’s line and color, and being
closely connected, complete one another," N. Tadevosian said. In her
words, Garzu’s creative life has never been easy, and at first he was
cruelly disdained by critics. That is why the painter in his works
raises urgent universal problems, which are always actual.

Though Garzu created in France, he has always considered himself an
Armenian painter. "With my essence, with georgraphy I am an Armenian
painter, I am a piece of my people, which has had much sufferings,
a small sparkling of its talent. I should feel proud if my art is
loved and appreciated," the painter said.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT BEGINS HEARINGS ON TURKISH- ARMENIAN RELATIONS

ARMENPRESS
Dec 19 2007

DECEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS: Two-day hearings on basic problems in
Turkish-Armenian relations and ways to resolve them were started
today in the Armenian parliament. The hearings were initiated by a
parliament committee on foreign affairs.

Armen Rustamian from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, who chairs
the committee, said the hearings should have been held long ago. He
said no other question has had such a great impact on Armenia and
its people in terms of their past, present and future.

He also said Armenian-Turkish relations in terms of their scale and
significance are beyond the frameworks of bilateral relations.

Parliament speaker Tigran Torosian said the hearings are just the
beginning of a process that will be seeking ways to improve relations
between the two countries. He said the hearings provide a wide avenue
for looking for the best way to achieve it.

Foreign minister Vartan Oskanian and Peter Semneby, the EU special
repressive for the South Caucasus were to address the gathering.

Armen Rustamian said their invitations to Turkish politicians and
experts to arrive in Yerevan for the hearings were rejected.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: FOR HISTORIANS AND EXPERTS IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THE FACT OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IS SETTLED

Regnum, Russia
Dec 19 2007

Turkey does not want to accept Armenia’s position or is trying to
misinterpret it, said Armenia’s Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan
while speaking at hearings at the Armenian parliament about problems
and prospects of the Armenia-Turkey relations, a REGNUM correspondent
informs.

According to him, the Turkish approach is to raise all debated issues,
to receive an answer that suits Turkey and only after that to restore
the diplomatic relations and open the border that was closed by Ankara
one-sidedly in early 1990s. "Show to me two neighboring country in
Europe that have no debated issues and problems, but none of them
resorts to closing borders," Oskanyan noted.

After listing all pre-conditions for Turkey to establish the relations
with Armenia, the foreign minister noted that up to 1998, when the
position of the authorities was relatively mild, Turkey was focusing
upon one of the pre-conditions – settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. After leadership changed in Armenia, the situation became
more complicated and Turkey started insisting upon all the three
point equally.

The minister stressed that from the point of view of the international
law, the Turkish pre-conditions stand no criticism. The question of
NKR is a problem of Azerbaijan and the Nagorno Karabakh Republic;
in this connection, Turkey’s interference and its attempt to make
the relations with Armenia upon the Nagorno Karabakh conflict has no
grounds. Moreover, there are some contradictions taking into account
the Cyprus problem as well as the Treaty of Kars and the Moscow Treaty
that are still in force de jure, believes Oskanyan.

The second pre-condition is recognition of Turkey’ border by Armenia,
the minister noted, adding that if Turkey really wants to settle the
issue, it must establish diplomatic relations that automatically
mean mutual recognition of borderlines and non-interference into
each other’s domestic affairs and so on. Speaking on Ankara’s claim
to forget about a possibility of Turkey recognizing the Armenian
Genocide and let historians discuss the issue, Oskanyan noted that
for historians of not only Armenian origin and international experts
in genocide issues the question has been settled long time ago.

Moreover, until Article 301 of the Turkish constitution prohibiting
mentioning of the Armenian Genocide exists, discussions and objectivity
of Turkish historians still remains an open question.

Recently, Oskanyan noted, claims for hampering activity of the Armenian
Diaspora in seeking worldwide recognition of the Armenian Genocide
and its discussion at parliaments of other nations. However, noted
the foreign minister, it is internal affair of each country whether
to recognize or not the Armenian Genocide; Armenia does not meddle
in the issue.

Members of international organizations and Armenian political parties
are participating in the hearings. Representatives from Turkey declined
to participate in the hearings.

MINISTER OSKANIAN SPEAKS AT THE HEARINGS ON ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS

armradio.am
19.12.2007 18:00

December 19 RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian participated in the
parliamentary hearings on "Armenian-Turkish relations: Issues and
perspectives."

In his speech Minister Oskanian dwelt on the reasons of the current
crisis in Armenian-Turkish relations and presented the viewpoint of
the Armenian Government on the normalization of relations between
the two countries.

US CHARGE D’AFFAIRES HOPES THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS WILL REGISTER PROGRESS

armradio.am
17.12.2007 16:59

US Charge d’Affaires Joseph Pennington expressed hope that the
presidential elections of 2008 will improve as compared to the
parliamentary elections of May 12.

The American diplomat told today’s briefing that the United States
and the international community have recognized that the parliamentary
elections held in May, 2007 registered progress and they wish to see
this trend continue.

Joseph Pennington reminded that preceding the parliamentary elections
the USAID had launched a program for assistance to free and fair
elections, which will continue up until the presidential elections
of 2008.

Under this program a preliminary agreement has been reached on the
conduct of exit polls on February 19. "We were pleased with the fact
that the Armenian Prime Minister publicly supported this initiative,
which is called to strengthen the voter’s trust in elections," Joseph
Pennington said.

The American diplomat noted that the US attaches great importance to
the activity of the Armenian media and provision of equal conditions
to all candidates. According to Mr. Pennington, following the activity
of the Armenian mass media, it will be possible to make judgments
about the quality of the upcoming elections.

The Statesman, India
Dec 15 2007

Love songs of the year
Armenian Wedding

2 Armenian Street is the place to be next week as Kolkata’s Armenian
community witnesses two weddings after more than a decade. Vivian
Stephen walks us through the proceedings

Over a decade ago, December turned out to be a special month for
Armenians in Kolkata. Community members gathered on 21 December 1996
to celebrate a marriage. Every union promises expansion of the
closely-knit community. In a few days time, two couples will be
united ~ Victoria Stephen and James Wong, and Elizabeth Marcar and
Janik Zadoorian.

Meandering through the narrow Armenian Street in Dalhousie is an
experience of a lifetime. On both sides wares ~ paper cups, large
packets of rubber band, stationery, etc. ~ are sold at wholesale
prices. Attracted by the market-like atmosphere, you would soon lose
track of your objective ~ to find the Armenian Church. As the lane
turns keep your eyes glued to the left. A large gate, guarded by some
friendly security personnel, welcomes you. As you walk over graves
towards the main building, curiosity enters the soul. 2 Armenian
Street is an institution that narrates a million tales about our
city, takes you back in time when the number of Armenians was much
more.

Religion has always played an important role in the community. An
Armenian wedding taking place inside the Armenian Holy Church of
Nazareth after a decade is an occasion to be remembered. While
Elizabeth Marcar and Janik Zadoorian will be married by the priest on
22 December, Victoria and the Chinese James Wong will be blessed on
23 December.

So, what’s an Armenian wedding like ~ something that you might have
seen in movies. Music, food, 300-odd people ~ simply a night to
remember. There are many traditions attached to an Armenian wedding
and many of them will be observed. Marriage is one of the seven
Sacraments of the Armenian Church, in which the couple is called upon
to make a vow before the Lord to be true to each other for life. The
groom and the bride are crowned king and queen of their little
kingdom ~ the home ~ which they will rule with wisdom, justice and
integrity.

The spread at the wedding is simply scrumptious ~ dolma (stuffed
grape leaves), hummus (sesame and chickpea puree with garlic)
babaghanoush (a pureed egg plant spread), bourek (spinach and filo
dough appetizer), salad, pickled beet, chicken and lamb preparations,
kebab, pita and lavash ( flat bread), to name a few. A "fruit table"
is laid out, on which fruits are mixed to take on shapes of animals.
Every table, of course, will have bottles of vodka, cognac, whisky
and tequila. Adding colour to the celebration are Armenian dances and
songs.

Marriages conducted at the Armenian Church are rich in symbolism.
"Crowning" is an important part of wedding service (it’s a sign of
honour with which God crowns couples during the Sacrament). During
crowning, the bride and groom face each other and the best man stands
between them holding a cross over their heads. After crowning, the
"Common Cup" is blessed. In this a goblet of wine is blessed in
remembrance of the marriage at Cana of Galilee, which was blessed by
Christ’s presence. Next, rings are exchanged and the ceremony ends
with the priest blessing them, asking Christ to "protect them under
the shadow of thy Holy and Honorable cross in peace".

Victoria is both nervous and happy. "I’ve known James for many years.
Though he is not an Armenian, to me it doesn’t make a difference. I
simply love him. Hopefully, we would see more Armenians getting
married in the Church in the near future."

About the seven Sacraments, the priest says, "The most important
point is that the bridegroom and bride are regarded as king and
queen. It’s necessary for the bride to wear a white dress." Different
colours symbolize different meaning ~ white stands for purity, red
for life and green for field. In Armenia the priest blesses the
garments.

There are some "unwritten" traditions that are followed, like prior
to the wedding, relatives and guests visit the bride’s house and put
henna in her hair. On wedding day the bridegroom has to reach the
church before the bride and before the bridegroom leaves, he kisses
the bride’s father to show he’s no longer a child and can shoulder
responsibilities.

Hopefully, we don’t have to wait for another decade to witness
another Armenian marriage.

hp?clid=19&theme=&usrsess=1&id=180681

CAA agent Peretzian set to retire
Dealmaker to become full-time theater director

Daily Variety
December 13, 2007
By MICHAEL FLEMING

After 38 years of dealmaking, CAA agent Michael Peretzian is leaving
the tenpercentery biz at year’s end to become a full-time theater
director.

Peretzian, who began his career in the WMA mailroom before rising to
agent, spent the last eight years at CAA and reps directors and
writers including Anthony Minghella, Christopher Hampton, John Madden,
Zach Helm, Jeremy Brock, Peter Hedges and Alexander Dinelaris.

He starts his directing career quickly thanks to those clients.
Minghella asked him to direct "Cigarettes and Chocolate," a radio play
he wrote, and Hampton has invited Peretzian to direct a revival of his
play "Tales From Hollywood."

First up, mostly likely, will be "Red Dog Howls," a play by Dinelaris
that concerns the Armenian genocide of 1915 and a young man who thinks
he’s Greek until he discovers a letter his late father wrote to his
grandmother, who hid their Armenian origins.

Kathleen Chalfant ("Angels in America," "Wit") has agreed to play the
woman with a secret. Peretzian hopes to find an L.A. theater to bring
the play to the stage next year.

"Michael’s eye for talent and passion for great art poise him for a
wonderful career ahead as a stage director," said CAA partner and
managing director David O’Connor.

Before he became an agent, Peretzian’s background was in legit. He
studied for seven years at UCLA and taught graduate courses at the
Pasadena Playhouse. When it went bankrupt, he decided to make money
and found his way to the WMA mailroom. An assignment to walk a Steve
McQueen royalty check over to the actor’s accountant sealed his plans.

"I peeked, and saw that it was for over a million dollars, just for
the second year’s worth of profits on ‘Bullitt,’" Peretzian
said. "That check opened my eyes to possibilities."

Before long, Peretzian made money, but found himself empty: "I woke up
one day and felt dead inside," he said. "I realized the last time I
was really excited and passionate was when I was doing theater."

Moonlighting as a director, Peretzian kept it secret until it became
impossible. The cover was first blown when he was asked to direct a
local version of Pulitzer Prize-winning play "The Shadow Box." First,
he had to ask the playwright, Michael Cristofer — his client.

"He responds by saying, ‘My agent wants to direct my play?,’ "
Peretzian recalled.

After Peretzian was named best director by the L.A. Drama Critics for
the Hugh Leonard play "A Life," WMA found out but kept him on. The
pedigree made the agent a magnet for playwright clients like Beth
Henley, Mark Medoff, Jon Robin Baitz and Minghella.

A move to CAA left little time to direct, and Peretzian finally made a
hard choice.

"I turned 66 in May, and after 38 years, it wasn’t as exciting
anymore," Peretzian said. "It felt like time to move on, and when I
told my clients, they said, you must do this."

HAFIZ PASHAYEV: "ARMENIANS ARE PROMOTING RELIGIOUS FACTOR TO INTERPRETE AZERBAIJAN-ARMENIA CONFLICT DUE TO THE ABSENCE OF SUBSTANTIATED ARGUMENTS"

Today, Azerbaijan
Dec 12 2007

"I find it rather an unfortunate coincidence that all three
co-chairs of the Minsk group that is tasked with the resolution of
the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict are representatives of the countries
(Russia, France, United States) where Armenian lobby is particularly
strong", Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Hafiz Pashayev announced
during the international conference "Azerbaijan-Turkey-United States
relations and their impact on Eurasian region" held in Washington.

Hafiz Pashayev noted that a major headache for the country remains
the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.

He considers that that the real problem lies with distortions created
by the Armenian misinformation in the international arena.

"Looking back to the beginning of 1990s, I remember that Armenians
intentionally used religious factor in the interpretation of the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. At that time it was an attempt by the
Armenian politicians to win the support of the conservative Christian
groups in the US Congress and in the governments of other countries.

But quite soon the reality has prevailed, because in its nature this
conflict is not of a religious character at all", he said and cited
excellent relations between Muslim Azerbaijan and Christian Georgia
and the support of Shia Iran to Christian Armenia as a proof of
baselessness of Armenians’ statements.

Hafiz Pashayev stressed that Armenian politicians again started
promoting this factor, hoping to gain some points because they have
nothing else to say in their argument and again have to come back
to such a primitive, yet potentially destructive explanation of
the conflict.

He regarded it as a result of Azerbaijan’s positive efforts to raise
awareness in the world about the true nature of the conflict and the
sign of Armenia’s ideological loss a positive.

"Azerbaijan now, as many of you know, is in the process of rapid
development. This is a very historic period. Economy is growing at
the fastest rate in the world, political stability is a source of
pride and the real task ahead of us to use this economic growth and
oil revenues for the improvement of the public infrastructure and to
diversify non-oil economy for the better future of our children. It
would be appropriate to mention here the vision and policies of
President Ilham Aliyev, who is keen to invest oil revenues into other
sectors of economy and social life", H.Pashayev said.

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