Author: Eduard Nalbandian

U.S. Co-Chair calls for removal of snipers along Nagorno Karabakh Line of Contact

Eduard Nalbandian
Panorama, Armenia

Aug 11 2017

The U.S. Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Richard Hoagland has called for the removal of snipers along both sides of the Karabakh Line of Contact separating the Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) Republic and Azerbaijan. Hoagland’s comments came in an interview with Armenian and Azerbaijani Services of Voice of America.

“I understand that it is difficult to talk about full demilitarization at the moment. However, we need to reduce the likelihood of military clashes. First of all, it is necessary to withdraw snipers from the contact line and the border zone, increase the number of observers and deploy special equipment there. If two armed sides are facing each other, there is always the likelihood of military clashes”, the source quotes the U.S mediator as saying.

Let Ankara Work for Us

Eduard Nalbandian
Asbarez
Aug 4 2017

Let Ankara Work for Us

BY GAREN YEGPARIAN

I was catching up on some reading when I ran a cross a news item from late March of this year. It seems one Mehmet Erdogan, an AKP member of Turkey’s parliament, claimed that if the 2015 coup had succeeded, Turkey would have been dismembered and four new countries created in its place: Armenia, Kurdistan, Constantinople/Bolis (as a city-state), and an Anatolian home for Turks. But, heck, he forgot Greece and Assyria! Maybe he plans on death marching Turkey’s few remaining Assyrians southward towards their ancient capital, Kalhu/Nimrud.

Absurd, conspiracy-mongering, delusional, fantastic, farcical, funny, improbable, ludicrous, ridiculous, zany as this assertion may seem, I have no doubt it got some traction in Turkey. But the point I want to make requires a quick, single-question test— what do the product of Mehmet’s fevered imagination and the following few points have in common?

Anti-Armenian hate graffiti on Armenian institutions in Bolis (and elsewhere).

Building a toilet atop an Armenian cemetery Van.

Claiming that the PKK is composed of many Armenians, not just Kurds.

Tearing down an Armenian-Turkish “friendship” monument in Gars/Kars.

Fearfully keeping the (illegal) “border” between the republics of Armenia and Turkey closed.

Supporting radical Islamists in taking over Armenian land, i.e. Kessab.

Maniacally denying the Armenian Genocide.

Using the word “Armenian” as an epithet.

Intervening with (local, not federal/national) legislatures, whenever Armenian issues are being considered, then publicizing these activities to Turks.

Have you figured it out yet?

These are all examples of GREAT work Ankara is doing for the Armenian Cause.

See, what they’re doing is preparing Turks’ minds for the inevitable. By creating “frames,” as described and explained by George Lakoff in his very readable book, “Don’t Think of an Elephant”.

What was the first thing that came to mind when you read the previous sentence? An elephant, right? That’s the frame. Every time Ankara says, “no Genocide occurred,” they’re using the frame “genocide” which is how people will view the whole matter. Same with occupied Western Armenia. The more Mehmet Erdoğan and others like him refer to an Armenian state on lands currently controlled by Ankara, the more “real” it becomes in people’s minds. Ditto for Kurdistan.

Let’s all express our gratitude to Turkey’s new “sultan” and his ilk, and encourage them to keep up the good work.

A look from Moscow: Serzh Sargsyan "has never heard Moscow answer to the question of the sale of arms to Baku" as he realizes that this is his personal omission

Eduard Nalbandian
ArmInfo, Armenia

ArmInfo.Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan “has never heard Moscow’s response to the question of the sale of arms to Baku,” as he realizes that this is his personal  omission. The omission for which he will have to justify himself, believes Sergei Seregichev, an expert at the Institute of the Middle East.

“Sargsyan raises the issue of arms deliveries to Azerbaijan at  meetings with Vladimir Putin periodically, and the latter argues for  the sale to Baku of weapons by the need to keep Baku under its  control.” I think that against the backdrop of doubts emerging around  this point after the April escalation in 2016, apparently, gives  Yerevan some guarantees not to place heavy Russian weapons in the  immediate vicinity of the Karabakh border,” the expert suggested.

Seregichev is convinced that at the disposal of the Armenian  president there are both copies of military agreements concluded  between Moscow and Baku, as well as all the information, a list of  Russian arms supplied to Azerbaijan.

“The president of Armenia simply does not want to hear and  participate in discussions about these supplies, apparently he  believes that there will be less discussion if he simply says that he  knows nothing about Moscow’s response,” Seregichev summed up.

Since 2010, Russia has supplied offensive weapons to Azerbaijan worth  $ 10 billion. According to the report of the Stockholm International  Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) only in 2010-2014 the volume of  imports of weapons to Azerbaijan in comparison with 2005-2009  increased by 249%. Only in 2015 Baku allocated 18% for military  articles – up to $ 5 billion of all budgetary appropriations. 85% of  weapons Azerbaijan continues to import from Russia.

BAKU: Ilham Aliyev: Int’l public opinion on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict changed

Eduard Nalbandian
APA, Azerbaijan

Despite the strenuous efforts the Armenian lobby is making, substantial progress has been made in recent years in conveying to the international community the realities of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

 

The president made the remarks at the ceremony of presenting apartments to journalists on the occasion of the National Press Day in a newly built building in Baku July 20, APA reported.

 

The president stressed that there is a change in international public opinion on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

 

“We are conveying and must convey Azerbaijan’s realities to the world community more widely. In this regard, I appreciate the role of the media and the work should be continued,” President Aliyev said. “Of course, I see and know—and I am happy—that we have been able to make a significant turn in respect of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The situation in the past was like this. From intergovernmental, intergovernmental and inter-state relations, everyone at my meetings with my counterparts knew and admitted that when looking at the map it was clear who was occupier and who was the victim of this occupation. However, this information almost remained in the monopoly of the political elite.”

 

He noted that media representatives from foreign countries either unintentionally or deliberately transmit false and distorted information about the conflict to public opinion.

 

“In this respect, of course, the Armenian lobby has a great role because they work every day against us and Azerbaijan is their primary target at any moment because they know that Azerbaijan is strengthening, has great opportunities, and the Azerbaijani state and people will never reconcile with this occupation and will restore their territorial integrity. Therefore, the Armenian lobby and the political figures affiliated with them, especially some so-called politicians who are financially backed by the Armenian lobby, give false information to society about Azerbaijan and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We have been able to break this tendency,” he added. 

 

The president said that journalists should hold on to the truth and objectivity as the principal criteria, be highly responsible, and not to come under foreign influence. He said Azerbaijan’s international influence is steadily growing, noting that the country is a center of multiculturalism.

 

“Azerbaijani journalism should be more patriotic and should actively work to prevent attempts to influence our country from abroad. National interests should be above all and Azerbaijan’s information space should be protected from attempts of external influence,” he added.

 

President Aliyev stressed that in recent years the responsibility of Azerbaijani journalists has reached a high level.

 

The president said that the state will spare no effort for the development of the media and will always pay attention to social problems of journalists. 

 

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict entered its modern phase when the Armenian SRR made territorial claims against the Azerbaijani SSR in 1988.

 

A fierce war broke out between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. As a result of the war, Armenian armed forces occupied some 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory which includes Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent districts (Lachin, Kalbajar, Aghdam, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Gubadli and Zangilan), and over a million Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced people.

 

The military operations finally came to an end when Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in Bishkek in 1994.

 

Dealing with the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the OSCE Minsk Group, which was created after the meeting of the CSCE (OSCE after the Budapest summit held in December 1994) Ministerial Council in Helsinki on 24 March 1992. The Group’s members include Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia, the United States, France, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Belarus, Finland and Sweden.

 

Besides, the OSCE Minsk Group has a co-chairmanship institution, comprised of Russian, the US and French co-chairs, which began operating in 1996.  

 

Resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884 of the UN Security Council, which were passed in short intervals in 1993, and other resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly, PACE, OSCE, OIC, and other organizations require Armenia to unconditionally withdraw its troops from Nagorno-Karabakh. 

Papazian: Armenian community’s positions strengthened with Macron’s election

Eduard Nalbandian
news.am, Armenia

July 14 2017
Papazian: Armenian community’s positions strengthened with Macron’s election
16:44, 14.07.2017

YEREVAN. – The victory of Emmanuel Macron in the presidential elections in France was marked by the strengthening of the positions of the Armenian community, co-chairman of the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France Murad Papazian said.

As Papazian noted, in the struggle against the strengthening of Turkey’s positions in France, as well as for the resolution of the Karabakh conflict in favor of the interests of Armenian people, the community has to confront not only Turkish diplomacy but Azerbaijani diplomacy in the struggle against the denial of the Armenian Genocide.

“Around 100 diplomats are working in the Turkish embassy in France, and there are more than 30 diplomats in the Azerbaijani embassy. However, despite this, the Armenians are leading. The results are visible. For example, the ambassadors of Turkey and Azerbaijan have been recently dismissed in France,” Papazian added.

He emphasized that the bill on criminalization the Armenian Genocide denial is on the agenda again.

Film: Aram Shahbazyan, Aren Vatyan to attend Armenian Film Week in Iran

Eduard Nalbandian
Tehran Times, Iran



  1. Culture

TEHRAN – Armenian filmmaker Aram Shahbazyan and actor Aren Vatyan will attend the Armenian Film Week in Iran.

The film week is scheduled to be held at the Iranian Artists Forum in Tehran, the Hoveizeh Cinema Complex in Mashhad and the Golestan Cinema Complex in Shiraz from July 23 to 29, the organizers announced in a press release on Saturday.

Shahbazyan is a graduate of Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinema. He has also studied film directing in France. He currently works for Shoghakat TV, a TV company in Yerevan.

“Report during Supper” (1995), “Lavash” (1997), “Inside & Outside” (1999), “Don’t Be Afraid” (2007), and “Yerevan Ragtime” (2008) are among Shahbazyan’s noteworthy credits.

Stage and screen actor Vatyan, famous for his roles in “Lake Van” (2011), “Here” (2011) and “Do Not Be Afraid” (2007), also works at Yerevan’s Drama Theater. 

He made his first short film “The Clay Man” in 2012.

A lineup of movies by filmmakers from the Republic of Armenia is scheduled to be screened during the film week in Iran.

The event has been organized in collaboration with Iran’s Art and Experience Cinema and the Embassy of Armenia in Tehran.

Photo: This combination photo shows filmmaker Aram Shahbazyan (L) and actor Aren Vatyan.

RM/YAW

Music: ‘Armenia International Music Festival and Competition was impressive with its scope’ – Alexey Shor

Eduard Nalbandian 
Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
July 13, 2017 Thursday
'Armenia International Music Festival and Competition was impressive
with its scope' - Alexey Shor
YEREVAN, JULY 13, ARMENPRESS.Armenia International Music Festival and
Competition came to its outline. More than a week it gave a festive
mood to the fans of classical music who had an opportunity to enjoy
not only the “pearls” of classical music, but the compositions of
modern composer Alexey Shor. The composer’s compositions are performed
by the best orchestras and soloists of the world within the framework
of the most famous festivals.
Armenpress presents the interview with the composer:
- Mr. Shor, you are the composer-in-residence of the “Armenia”
International Competition and Festival. How do you assess the event
that has been going on in Yerevan for more than a week?
-First of all, I would like to say that I am very happy to be in
Armenia and the composer-in-residence of the festival. The festival
really impressed me with its scope: three orchestras, four conductors,
many international stars and majority of them are from Armenia. I
would like to highlight the piano competition that was held within the
framework of the festival. It was a pleasure to see that my
compositions were included as mandatory program for the competition.
In general, I must say that it was a great idea to unite the festival
and the competition. The jury members and contestants were involved in
the concert life of the festival, attended concerts, communicated with
artists, and were not encompassed just within the framework of
competitions, as it is often arranged so. On the other hand, we should
remember that the competition in Yerevan was the stage of selection
for the grandiose competition, which will be held in Malta in 2018.
- Throughout the concerts of the festival your music was presented and
the audience warmly welcomed it. What are your impressions of the
Armenian audience?
-Absolutely wonderful audience, very warm and sympathetic! And also
very spontaneous! I was very pleased to see many people come up to
express their emotions and feelings right after the performance, at
the concert hall.
- Pieces from your suite "Childhood memories" were performed during
the competition. In fact, forty-eight participants from different
countries learned your compositions and presented their vision. You
have already listened to the contestants. What's your impression?
-Yes, of course, it was very interesting for me to listen to the
performances of the contestants. First, the participants were very
high level musicians, which was very nice. Second, the very wide and
diverse geography of countries was represented during the competition
(Syria, Russia, Iran, Georgia, China, Korea, France, Kyrgyzstan ....).
This added a musical diversity to the competition. And, of course, it
was very exciting to hear completely different interpretations of my
works.
- The State Youth Orchestra of Armenia, being the co-organizer of this
project, performed your works during this festival. As far as we know,
the Orchestra includes your compositions in their seasonal concerts.
We have listened to their performance of the overture to your ballet
"Crystal Palace", which amazed the audience of the festival. Do you
like the interpretations of your compositions by the orchestra and do
they embody your musical ideas?
-Thank you for this question. I would like to talk about the Orchestra
and Sergey Smbatyan. I was happy to attend their concerts at the
festival, which were really successful. I also attended their
rehearsals with a great interest. Sergey worked with the Orchestra
very carefully and delicately and, the musicians reacted to his
remarks with the same attention and readiness which was very nice to
notice. A real "chemistry" of the collective and the conductor was
visible. I am very glad that we are cooperating with them. By the way,
the overture to the "Crystal Palace" you mentioned was a premiere. The
whole ballet will be performed in Malta, on July 21, for the first
time, with the leading soloists of the Bolshoi Theater. By the way, I
would like to note that Sergey Smbatyan is well known in Malta, most
recently he conducted the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra with a great
success.
- We know that your compositions are performed around the world by the
best soloists. The artists of the festival Maxim Vengerov, Narek
Hakhnazaryan, Nareh Agramanyan, Roman Kim and many others performed
your works in Yerevan. What are your feelings during their
performances?
-Perhaps the most significant experience for the composer is to hear
his compositions performed by the outstanding artists. After all, they
add their brightest individuality to the music and due to this
combination inexpressible sensations are created. I am very proud that
such musicians perform my compositions.
- You are in Armenia for the first time. Have you managed to visit the
sights of our country? Which ones have been imprinted in your memory
and do you think that Armenia will be a source of inspiration for
another piece?
-Thanks to the wonderful organization of the festival, I managed to
see a lot and I must say that I am full of strong emotions. I hope I
will be able to express them in the language of music in the course of
time.
Armenia is an amazing, very beautiful country that fills you with a
rich palette of impressions-from bright and pleasant to tragic, and
all those impressions deeply remain in one’s soul. And I must confess,
there was a personal purpose for my arrival in Armenia - my father
spent twelve years in this wonderful country with me and my mother.
That was a very important period for our family.

Film: The 14th “Golden Apricot” Yerevan Film Festival has started

Eduard Nalbandian
ArmInfo, Armenia

ArmInfo.Wih the traditional apricot blessing ceremony and with the opening of the stars of prominent Armenian directors started “Golden Apricot” Yerevan International Film Festival, one of the most anticipated cultural events of the year. For one week, July 9-16, Yerevan will live and breathe cinema. 

 

Among the other stars on Charles Aznavour Square the stars of directors Frunze Dovlatyan, Yuri Yerznkyan and film photographer Sergey Israelyan were placed.  The guests and participants of different programs walked on the red carpet. The official opening ceremony of the festival was held at Moscow Cinema.

 

Welcoming speeches were delivered by founding director of the festival Harutyun Khachatryan and Ralph Yirikian, the General Manager of VivaCell-MTS, which is the general partner of the festival. After the announcing the start of the festival the competition programs and the international jury boards were presented. After the opening ceremony the opening film “Khaspush” by Hamo Beknazaryan was screened.

 

“We have had a long way with the ‘Golden Apricot’ and I can say the festival is more than just a cinematographic event as it has a mission to complete. For fourteen years now it tries to keep the human illuminated mind awake and make humanity follow the civilized system of values. Cinema is a powerful means to know each other, to understand, and to respect people. I welcome the participants of the festival, its guests, and the movie-moving public, wishing joyous experience and success,” said VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian.

 

The apricot-shaped geometric figure symbolizes the 14th edition of the festival.

 

The festival, which has received more 1100 film submissions from 96 countries, can be a real celebration of cinema with diverse and original films in competition and non-competition programs. The festival is a unique chance for the Armenian film loving people to get acquainted with the masterpieces of international cinema.