PRINTING HOUSE WAS SET UP IN SHUSHI
KarabakhOpen
15-05-2008 11:14:53
The Public Television of Artsakh informed that the Rebirth of Artsakh
Foundation set up a printing house in Shushi which according to the
director has modern equipment. The printing house is likely to become
the most famous printing house in the region.
The printing house is located in the former building of Artsakh Post.
According to the director, it will have a staff of 10.
AGBU Press Office
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PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Three AGBU-supported Concerts Celebrate the Armenian Musical Heritage in
Bulgaria
During the month of April, the Bulgarian-Armenian community hosted a
trio of concerts that celebrated the vitality of the Armenian musical
heritage across Bulgaria. From the AGBU Sofia Chamber Orchestra to the
AGBU Erebouni band of Plovdiv, the wealth and spectrum of
Bulgarian-Armenian talent impressed audiences across the country.
On April 6, a fundraising concert was held in the southeastern city of
Sliven to aid in the building of the St. Hagop Armenian Church complex
in neighboring Yambol, Bulgaria. Jointly organized by Sliven’s Armenian
Church Parish Council, AGBU Sliven and AGBU Plovdiv, the event showcased
musicians and speakers from Plovdiv, including Diana Manukyan, Tateos
Sandjakyan, the duo Anna and Suren Hanamiryan and the AGBU Erebouni
band, and Sliven, including the "Pretty Towngirls" from Drujba library,
Naiden Arsenyan and Hripsi Garabedyan.
Despite the poor weather conditions, the concert was sold out,
demonstrating the resiliency of Armenian music lovers. Official guests
at the event were Sonia Arshavir, Chairman of AGBU Yambol and the city’s
Armenian Parish Council; Edouard Arsenyan, Chairman of the Coordinating
Committee for Armenian organizations in Plovdiv and AGBU Plovdiv board
member; Georgi Zafirov, regional coordinator of PP Ataka and chairman of
the Yambol Regional Youth Committee for culture, religion and politics;
Chrastanka Shakliyan, deputy of the Bulgarian Democratic Party; and Ivan
Petrov, a local town councillor.
The concert concluded with a medley of popular Armenian tunes by the
AGBU Erebouni band, which performed under its artistic director Sona
Feschiyan.
On April 20, the AGBU Sofia Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of
conductor Bedros Papazyan, performed at the National Academy of Music.
The event was dedicated to both the 93rd anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide and the centennial of Bulgarian composer Marin Goleminov.
Papazian was a student of the esteemed Goleminov, and included in the
concert’s program was one of Goleminov’s most beloved works, "Five
Sketches," for string orchestra.
Concertmaster Desislava Popova performed a solo piece, while harpist
Kohar Adonyan presented "Frescoes." The concert also featured guest
violinist Vache Hoveyan, an alumnus of the Yerevan State Conservatory
and New York City’s Mannes College of Music. A winner of many
international prizes, Hoveyan has performed around the world and is
currently a professor at the Yerevan State Conservatory and founder of
the Aram Khachaturyan String Quartet. Accompanied by the AGBU Sofia
Chamber Orchestra, Hoveyan performed Hindemith’s "Mourning Music."
Two young cellists, Dimitar Tenchev and Nikola Damyanov, also took to
the stage to deliver a riveting performance of Antonio Vivaldi’s
"Concerto for Two Cellos."
The orchestra also played "Shushanik" by E. Mirzoyan, while the encore
performance of Komitas’ "Krunk" emotionally resonated with the capacity
crowd.
The same day, AGBU Silistra organized a concert, entitled "Sunny Smiles
>From Armenia," at Silistra’s Dramatic Theatre Hall under the auspices of
the city’s mayor, Ivo Andonov. A longtime supporter of the local
Bulgarian-Armenian community, Mayor Andonov extended official
invitations for the event to various Armenian diplomats, including His
Excellency Sergey Manasaryan, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia in
Bulgaria, and the Honorary Consul Ehiazar Uzunyan of the Republic of
Armenia in Plovdiv.
Other official guests at the April 20 performance were District Governor
Svetlana Velikova; Roupen Chavoushian, AGBU Plovdiv Chairman; Edouard
Arsenian, Plovdiv Coordinating Committee of Armenian Organizations
Chairman and AGBU Plovdiv committee member; and Arakel Kaprielyan, AGBU
Plovdiv committee member.
The event which was covered extensively by the local media, included
performances by a number of Plovdiv musicians, including the AGBU
Erebouni band and the duo of Anna and Suren Hanamiryan.
Roupen Chavoushian presented Mayor Andonov with a special award in
recognition of the mayor’s outstanding contribution in promoting and
preserving the Armenian culture in his municipality.
Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City with an
annual budget of $34 million, AGBU preserves and promotes the Armenian
identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian
programs, annually serving some 400,000 Armenians on six continents.
With reporting by Prof. Boyanka Arnaoudova in Sofia, Bulgaria.
AZERBAIJAN ATTACKS THE ARMENIAN MILITARY POSITIONS
armradio.am
12.05.2008 16:28
Press Service of RA Ministry of Defense informs that on May 12,
at about 11 a.m. the Azerbaijani Armed Forces bombarded the military
positions of the Armenian Armed Forces near Baghanis village in Tavoush
Marz. Press Secretary of RA Minister of Defense, Colonel Seyran
Shahsuvaryan informed Radiolur that resident of Baghanis village,
herdsman Lorik Avagyan (born in 1957) was wounded as a result of
the offensive.
Lorik Avagyan was taken to the town hospital of Ijevan, where he was
operated on. His condition is moderate.
PanARMENIAN.Net
Condoleezza Rice: I am hopeful for strengthening of friendship with Armenia
08.05.2008 18:55 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice congratulated Edward Nalbandian on appointment as
Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia, the RA
MFA press office reported.
The congratulatory message says in part, `I
congratulate you on appointment as Foreign Minister of
the Republic of Armenia and looking forward to meet
you. I am hopeful that we will strengthen the
friendship between our countries. We should carry out
a good deal of joint work for final resolution of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict and normalization of
diplomatic and economic relations with the neighbors.
We also hope that Armenia will give a new impetus to
democratic reform and restoration of civil freedoms –
the values that underlie our relations.’
A1+
LEVON TER-PETROSSIAN VISITS YERABLUR
[07:28 pm] 08 May, 2008
On May 8 the atmosphere in the Military Cemetery
`Yerablur’ was gloomy and depressing. The Yerkrapahs
had their interpretation of the situation. `How can we
be in joy and happiness when our friends are under
arrest?’, they claimed.
Levon Ter-Petrossian, Aram Sargssian, Stepan
Demirchian and other leaders of All-Armenian National
Movement, several members of the `Yerkrapah
Volunteers’ Union’ (YVU), as well as chairmen of
various parties and youth organizations silently
ascended to the tomb of Vazgen Sargssian.
Levon Ter-Petrossian laid a bunch of pink roses on the
tomb of Vazgen Sargssian. He bowed before Greta
Sargssian congratulating her on the public holiday and
showed his membership card of YVU, which Vazgen
Sargssian himself had presented to him.
Sasoun Mikayelian, Myasnik Malkhasian, Hakob Hakobian,
Smbat Ayvazian, Gagik Jhangirian, Mushegh Saghatelian,
Husik Baghdasarian, Hovik Harutyunian, Ashot Zakarian
and other yerkrapahs, who regularly visited Yerablur
on May 8, were not able to pay respect to their dead
friends today. They will have to spend the day under
arrest.
At 9 a.m. members of the `Yerkrapah Volunteers’
Union’, in the head of Chairman Manvel Grigorian
visited their friends’ graves at Yerablur Military
Cemetery. Later on, members of the Republican Party
paid their respect to their dead fellows and
colleagues.
Scheme for implementing tourism development concept to be worked out in
Armenia soon
YEREVAN, May 7. /ARKA/. The program of measures to be taken for
implementation of tourism development concept is to be worked out in
Armenia soon, Armenian Economy Minister Nerses Yeritsyan said Tuesday
at the second forum on tourism.
Currently the ministry is expecting proposals from the private sector
to establish main directions and objectives of the program, the
Minister said. He stressed that the strategy shows the political will
of the government, but serious efforts of all involved businessmen are
required to implement the strategy.
On February 13 2008 Armenian Government adopted tourism development
concept for up to the year 2030. The concept provides for development
of target tourism markets, formation of tourist clusters for certain
cultural and historic sights of Armenia, creation of industrial
business-centers outside Yerevan.
According to the ministry, 450,000 tourists will visit Armenia by the
end of the year, which will constitute 20% of the growth in the sector.
According to the statistics, average annual growth of tourist visits
has been 25% since 2001.
318,000 and 381,000 tourists visited Armenia in 2005 and 2006
respectively. During 5-7 years Armenia intends to bring the number of
tourist visits up to 1mln per year. `0–
NATO pursues close cooperation and political dialog with Armenia
armradio.am
06.05.2008 11:42
Congratulatory messages keep coming in on the appointment of Tigran
Sargsyan as Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia. NATO
Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer wrote in his message:
"I take this opportunity to congratulate you on your appointment as
Prime Minister of Armenia and wish you every success with the discharge
of your new duties.
The NATO and Armenia have been involved in sustained cooperation in the
field of international security as evidenced by Armenia’s valuable
contribution to NATO’s commitment in Kosovo. We pursue close
cooperation and a political dialog under the Individual Partnership
Action Plan (IPAP) with a view to reforming your defense system and
strengthening democratic institutions in Armenia.
You assumed office in difficult and challenging times for your country,
and I hope that by building on the present achievements and by
maintaining the momentum of reforms implemented under the Individual
Partnership Action Plan, we will manage to further strengthen the
cooperation in a variety of spheres.
In order to assist Armenia along the path of reforms, I look forward to
working with you on different issues and hope to meet you in the near
future."
Dashnaktsutyun proposed, the others are thinking
06-05-2008 12:58:18 – KarabakhOpen
According to the Aparazh Newspaper, the ARF Dashnaktsutyun-Movement 88
faction of the NKR parliament proposed holding parliamentary hearings
on the problem of Karabakh in the upcoming months. It is also proposed
to invite the representatives of the foreign ministries of Armenia and
NKR, the political parties of NKR, as well as political experts.
`On the basis of the results of the hearings the National Assembly of
NKR should pass a resolution on the settlement of the Karabakh issue,
as well as to recommend the National Assembly of Armenia to finally
define the relations between NKR and Armenia,’ holds the proposal.
The reporter of the newspaper asked the head of the Democracy faction
and the chair of the NKR National Assembly Committee of Foreign
Relations Vahram Atanesyan to comment on the proposal.
`The factions Democracy and Hayrenik need to discuss the proposal of
the ARF Dashnaktsutyun-Movement 88 faction, and if a uniform opinion is
shaped, the hearings should be held in May, we will hold them in May,’
Vahram Atanesyan said.
With regard to the current situation, the member of parliament said it
is necessary to take into account the passage of the UN GA resolution
`on the situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan’, as well
as the so-called Madrid principles of settlement.
`In Karabakh nobody has officially agreed to settlement of the issue
through the principles of Madrid, since those principles involve
elimination of the consequences of the military phase of the conflict
rather than resolution of the problem of status of Karabakh which is
the axis of the conflict,’ Vahram Atanesyan said.
`Now Azerbaijan is using every means to reject the principles of
Madrid. Namely, the one which involves holding a plebiscite on the
status of Karabakh. Step by step the stance of Azerbaijan is becoming
tougher. It wants to have more and more countries and organizations to
state about the necessity to solve the problem in the framework of the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. In this situation, it is pointless
to talk about negotiations,’ the member of parliament underlined,
relating this to the pre-election period in the neighboring state.
`I think the parliament of NKR should present a definitive stance on
the settlement no earlier than the end of 2008 when the election
process will have ended in Azerbaijan. I think for the time being it is
logical to hold hearings once again, maybe on the level of an extended
meeting of the Committee of Foreign Relations but not parliamentary
hearings because it is the highest level of expression of the official
stance,’ said the member of parliament.
AVET ADONTS: THE ISSUE OF NKR RECOGNITION SHOULD BE APPROACHED FROM A BROADER PERSPECTIVE
armradio.am
02.05.2008 13:15
"The issue of recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic should
be approached from a broader perspective, and not by taking separate
steps on the parliamentary level," Chairman of the National Assembly’s
Standing Committee on European Integration Avet Adonts said in an
interview with Mediamax, commenting on the refusal to include the draft
law on "Recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic" in the NA agenda.
"The Karabakh issue is a national priority, which touches upon the
directions of foreign policy, national and regional security, the
European integration," the Chairman of the Committee noted.
"The issue of recognition of Nagorno Karabakh should be approached
more broadly, and not by taking separate steps on the parliamentary
level," Avet Adonts said, suggesting to hold joint consultations,
featuring the representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
the NKR authorities.
According to the MP, the recognition of NKR by Armenia directly
depends on the negotiation process and the results of the dialogue
between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
At the spring session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe, the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on European
Integration Avet Adonts introduced the draft resolution on "Regional
Cooperation." Avet Adonts said 40 parliamentarians from 20 countries
joined the document as co-authors. The draft resolution was not
supported by representatives of Azerbaijan and Turkey.
In the draft resolution the member state of the Council of Europe and
the CoE Committee of Ministers is proposed to discuss and elaborate
new methods of regional cooperation.
"Regional cooperation is important from the perspectives of security,
settlement of existing conflicts, raising the level of trust," Avet
Adonts declared.
A number of regional programs are being implemented in the South
Caucasus, which, unfortunately, do not correspond to the accepted
norms of regional cooperation because of Azerbaijan’s position, which
does not wish to participate in any joint project with participation
of the Armenian side," Avet Adonts said.
AZERBAIJAN CLAIMS CAPTURE OF ARMENIAN SPECIAL FORCES UNIT
Agence France Presse — English
April 29, 2008 Tuesday 1:31 PM GMT
Azerbaijan said Tuesday it has detained four members of an Armenian
special forces unit on its territory, but Armenia said the men were
being held after accidentally wandering on to Azerbaijani soil.
Azerbaijani Defence Ministry spokesman Eldar Sabiroglu said the men
had been detained in the ex-Soviet republic’s Nakhchivan region,
a small mountainous exclave of Azerbaijan wedged between Armenia,
Iran and Turkey.
"The defence ministry has prevented attempts to carry out provocations
on Azerbaijani territory by special forces of the Armenian military,"
Sabiroglu told AFP.
"This group of four men has been detained on the territory of
Nakhchivan and neutralised. An investigation is underway," he said. He
refused to provide any other details or say exactly when the men had
been captured.
Armenian Defence Ministry spokesman Seiran Shahsuvarian denied the
men had been conducting an operation in the region and said they had
been captured after getting lost following a visit to a friend in a
border village near Nakhchivan.
"On their way back they got lost and apparently found themselves on
the territory of Nakhchivan," Shahsuvarian said in a statement.
He said Armenia had appealed to the International Committee of the
Red Cross for assistance in having the men returned to Armenia.
Despite a 1994 ceasefire, Armenia and Azerbaijan remain officially
at war over the ethnic Armenian enclave of Nagorny Karabakh, which
broke away from Azerbaijani control during a war in the early 1990s.
The dispute is unresolved after more than a decade of negotiations
and troops remain in a tense stand-off along the frontline between
Karabakh and the rest of Azerbaijan.
Shootings are common; up to 16 soldiers were killed in a clash
last month.
Nakhchivan is home to about 365,000 people who can only reach the
rest of Azerbaijan by plane or by transiting through Iran.
Armenian and Azerbaijani forces clashed in Nakhchivan during the
Nagorny Karabakh war, but there have been few reports of fighting in
the region since the ceasefire.