Author: George Mamian

Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
July 13, 2017 Thursday
European Parliament lawmakers call on Azerbaijan to stop using own
civilians as human shield
YEREVAN, JULY 13, ARMENPRESS. Members of the European Parliament Marek
Jurek from Poland and CostasMavrides from Cyprus urge Azerbaijan to
stop using its own civilian population as a live shield and to
introduce an OSCE independent investigative mechanism in the Artsakh
line of contact.
“On July 4, 2017 Azerbaijani armed forces violated the cease-fire
regime in the contact line. Azerbaijan had installed a multiple rocket
launcher system in an inhabited village, thus using its own civilian
population as a human shield. The cross-fire resulted in a tragic loss
of two civilians on the Azerbaijani side. We deplore the loss of two
innocent lives and emphasize that this tragedy, as well as other
clashes between the armed forced could have certainly been avoided, if
Azerbaijan agreed to install an independent investigative mechanism to
determine which side exactly violates the cease-fire. The OSCE
Minsk-Group has proposed this on several occasions. The Armenian side
has agreed to install this mechanism. Unfortunately, official
Azerbaijan continues to reject it”, the MEPs said in a statement.
The lawmakers underscored that the investigative mechanism could have
helped in avoiding the 2016 April War, when Azerbaijan shelled
Armenian villages killing 12 year old Vaghinak Grigoryan, who was on
his way to school.
“The bodies of an elderly 90-year-old couple in the village of Talish,
were brutally mutilated by the Azerbaijani forces, their ears were cut
off. Since April 2016 the Azerbaijan armed forces have committed war
crimes, including an ISIS-style beheading of an Armenian soldier Karam
Sloyan. Pictures of the head were then posted on the social media by
the Azerbaijani forces as a trophy and the cruel murder was praised as
a heroic act. These barbaric acts are unfortunately an indirect
consequence of Armenophobia in Azerbaijan, nurtured from the highest
levels and acts, such as elevating Ramil Safarov, who killed an
Armenian colleague in his sleep with an ax in Budapest, to a national
hero by the current Government of Azerbaijan”, the statement says.
Marek Jurek and CostasMavrides mentioned that the losses on both sides
are tragic and they must absolutely be prevented.
“It is unacceptable to use a population as a human shield while
shelling other inhabited areas and then abuse photos for propaganda
purposes. An investigative mechanism must be immediately installed. We
herewith call on Azerbaijan to stop using its own population as a
human shield and install the OSCE independent investigative mechanism
which would create favorable conditions for trust and negotiations”,
the MEPs said.

Armenpress News Agency, Armenia
 Friday
Armenian Gyumri F.C.'s midfielder signed by Moscow's Lokomotiv
YEREVAN, JULY 14, ARMENPRESS. Vahan Bichakhchyan – the 18 year old
midfielder of Armenian Gyumri’s Shirak F.C. will continue his career
in Moscow’s Lokomotiv F.C., sports reporter Spartak Petrosyan said.
The 18-year-old is already in Moscow training for the Russian
Supercup’s final Lokomotiv vs. Spartak.
Details of the transfer deal will be known soon.
It is known that Portuguese, Italian, English and Russian clubs were
interested in the Armenian midfielder. Few days ago, the Portuguese
Record reported that Bichakhchyan will be transferred to Benfica.

Armenpress News Agency, Armenia
 Friday
Diplomatic cables show illegitimate & embarrassing attempts of Azeri
Ambassador in Bulgaria against Armenian community
YEREVAN, JULY 14, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Bulgaria
Nargiz Gurbanova is interfering in the country’s domestic affairs in
an attempt to impede the legitimate activities of organizations.
The Ambassador had addressed Bulgaria’s minister of economy in order
to obstacle the organization of an event by AGBU (Armenian General
Benevolent Union) Bulgaria branch. The Ambassador’s move greatly
surprised and even confused the Bulgarian officials because this was
an apparent interference in the country’s domestic affairs: AGBU is
engaged in legal activities and its members are Bulgarian citizens.
Quite interesting details have emerged as ARMENPRESS carried out an
investigation of the documents containing diplomatic cables, which
were published by Anonymous Bulgaria.
In another cable from the Ambassador to her superiors in the foreign
ministry in Baku, Gurbanova notified that at a May 17, 2017 meeting
with Bulgaria’s minister of economy Emil Karanikolov she had mentioned
the AGBU Bulgaria branch is organizing the “Glance at Karabakh –
history and photos” event on June 20, at 17:30 in the Armenian Public
House in Sofia. The Ambassador had expressed discontent from the fact
that the event would also be attended, among others, by Bulgarian
citizen Hayk Karapetyan, the president of AGBU’s Plovdiv Youth
Organization, who had visited Artsakh.
“During the event Hayk Karapetyan will share his impressions from the
trip to Karabakh. We draw your attention to the fact that Karapetyan
is a member of the national and integration affairs council of
Plovdiv’s governor’s office”, the Azeri Ambassador told the Bulgarian
minister.
Gurbanova requested the Bulgarian economy minister to mediate in order
for the government to cancel the event.
The minister listened to what the Azeri Ambassador had to say, and by
not giving any specific stance – promised to study the situation and
take action (the Azerbaijani Ambassador’s strife to limit and hinder
the activities of Bulgaria’s Armenians through illegitimate actions
and apparent human rights violations once again gave no results).
Seemingly the Azerbaijani Ambassador has lost touch with reality to
such extent that she is requesting the Bulgarian government to limit
the lawful activities of their own citizens. Has the high-ranking
Azeri diplomat forgotten that a diplomatic representation is not
entitled to interfere in the domestic affairs of the hosting country?
The Armenian Community of Bulgaria has a very long history, it is
comprised from both the traditional Armenian Diaspora (Armenians who
settled there before the Genocide as well as result of it), and
Armenians who have re-located to the country from Armenia.
ARMENPRESS will contact the AGBU Bulgaria HQ to find out whether or
not the illegitimate actions of the Azerbaijani diplomatic mission
have anyhow impacted their activities.
Aram Ananyan, Aren Petunts, Davit Mamyan

The Gazette (Montreal)
 Thursday
They Choose Their Own Adventures; Double bill pairs fearless artists
unbound by time, space or genre
by T'CHA DUNLEVY, The Gazette
"It's really important to know where your roots are," Tigran Hamasyan
said Tuesday morning. On the phone from a beach in Italy, where he was
vacationing with his wife, the fearless jazz pianist was talking about
his deep connection to his Armenian heritage, but also about what he
sees as an essential human value.
"I grew up in Armenia until I was 16," the 29-year-old continued. "I
wish that people were more interested in where they come from so they
can understand what to do in their lives. Except for your mother and
father, what else is in your genes that you might not know about
something that can influence you, that is your path, that you can
check out and know about? This is something very important for me."
Hamasyan continues to explore his genes and century-spanning musical
genealogy on the new album An Ancient Observer. He will perform
material from it on an intriguing double bill Saturday at the
sonically pristine Maison symphonique as part of the Montreal
International Jazz Festival.
He anchors an evening led off by Montreal saxophone monster Colin
Stetson, whose primal-meetsfuturistic one-man symphonies keep pushing
the limits of what you thought was possible with a woodwind on his
latest solo offering, All This I Do for Glory.
As a prelude to the gargantuan tête-à-tête, I touched base with both
men to get their thoughts on heritage, musical boundaries and creative
control.
Hamasyan has found himself in all kinds of situations since shaking up
the piano landscape by winning first prize at the Thelonious Monk
Institute of Jazz competition in 2006. He broke through with his
breathtaking 2011 Verve debut, A Fable, teamed up with
Armenian-American hard-rocker Serj Tankian of System of a Down on the
latter's 2013 side project, Jazz-iz Christ, and let loose in a group
setting on his own turbocharged 2015 album, Mockroot.
Influenced by everything from prog rock and heavy metal to classical
and the rich history of Armenian folk music, he sees musical divisions
as unnecessary distractions.
"I'm open to any style," Hamasyan said. "I don't limit myself to say I
only like jazz or classical. I like all kinds of music. I like to
dedicate myself to projects. I ask myself, 'This specific project I'm
doing, what is it?'"For me, the most important thing is to choose a
repertoire. For example, is it a trio record? Certain songs might need
something powerful, more of a thrash-rock sound rather than a jazz
kit. I have a lot of electronic sounds mixed with acoustic piano
sounds. The most important thing is the content of what you're
writing. ... (The connection) is the composition and the idea of
improvisation within these genres."
On first listen, the disparate sounds of An Ancient Observer seem most
informed by classical music, but nearly every song contains flourishes
of other styles, from the soulful vocal incantations and cascading
piano runs on The Cave of Rebirth to the jazzy mischief and beat-box
scatting of Nairian Odyssey and the palatecleansing interludes New
Baroque 1 and 2. Hamasyan brings it all together.
"I like to write music, then sit down and explore the ideology of it,
and make it into a story," he said, "which in this case is the
connection of time and the eternal. What's passing and what is
important in life - the idea of creation. Humans were made to create.
God created us so we can also create. So in other words, loving what
you do and knowing what you really want to do is very important."
Stetson also enjoys a good yarn.
While the thrilling sounds on All This I Do for Glory contain no
lyrics, the album and song titles (Like Wolves on the Fold, Between
Water and Wind) hint at a mythological subtext to which the performer
is not averse.
"I tend to use pretty large language and grandiose, sweeping (titles)
because I find it's necessary for those things to meet the music
halfway," Stetson said. "This record and the next I think of as a bit
of an origin story. It's the first of a two-part character study. The
first part is (about a man) who is part of this couple, who has this
unrequited dream of regaining his former glory or some semblance of
what he imagines that would be. It's like a life overrun by the
fantasies of ambition."
Stetson also used a narrative backdrop with his partner, violinist
Sarah Neufeld (who, in addition to her solo career, is known for her
work with Arcade Fire), on their collaborative 2015 album, Never Were
the Way She Was.
Here it's the launch pad for the saxophonist to delve into the
dramatic aural environments that have become his trademark: furious
whirlwinds of sound propelled by his circular breathing technique; use
of repetition and elaboration on a theme; driving percussive elements
consisting of his carefully miked fingers hitting the pads of his
instrument; and, when the feeling hits, him singing plaintively into
his saxophone while he plays.
"Purely from a mechanical standpoint, it's much more percussive in an
almost modern sense," Stetson said of the album. "It's drawing on
things like electronic music and dance music. ... In character, I
think there's this boastful ambition to it, with a strain of
self-aware doubt. I really wanted to imbue this one with fragility."
If you're looking to categorize what Stetson does, don't. Though
trained in classical and with some background in jazz improvisation,
the musician who has worked with Tom Waits, Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed,
Bill Laswell and LCD Soundsystem - and just released an album with his
new heavy metal-inspired band Ex Eye - would rather not even entertain
the question.
But, in a generous mood, he indulges: "To me, it's everybody else's
job to talk about that," he said. "It's something I don't ever want to
take part in, because not only do I not see it in those terms, I don't
make music thinking about it. My perfect audience is one that has no
frame of reference ... not even knowing it's a sax being played.
They're hearing (my music) without any expectation."
[email protected] twitter.com/TChaDunlevy
AT A GLANCE Tigran Hamasyan and Colin Stetson perform Saturday, July 1
at 7 p.m. at the Maison symphonique as part of the Montreal
International Jazz Festival. Tickets cost $47.25 to $52.25, available
via montrealjazzfest.com !@COPYRIGHT=© 2017 Postmedia Network Inc. All
rights reserved.

news.am, Armenia
 Armenian official at PACE: Agramunt is a missioner, defender of
Azerbaijan's interests
21:03, 27.06.2017
President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE) Pedro Agramunt is a missioner, that is the defender of
Azerbaijan's interests, representative of the Armenian delegation to
PACE, Deputy Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly (NA) Mikayel
Melkumyan stated in his speech at the PACE plenary session on Tuesday.
''The fact that Agramunt is the defender of Azerbaijan's interests was
also confirmed by the speech of the Azerbaijani delegation
representative Samad Seyidov. Therefore, today's discussion is
directly linked to Agramunt's conduct, which is unacceptable. But he
is again absent. Thus, he should resign and leave,'' he noted.
According to Melkumyan, the struggle against corruption should be
measurable and visible, certain steps being taken by Armenia in this
direction, particularly with regard to legislation and administration:
the country has adopted laws on criminalization of unlawful enrichment
and formation of a new anti-corruption body.
''I think the international community and the governments of different
states should unite their forces for preventing this issue and its
further overcoming. But how can one work effectively in that direction
if, for instance, in a country like Azerbaijan the head of the state
himself backs development of corruption, provoking aggressive military
actions as it happened in April 2016 all along the Nagorno-Kaarbakh
and Azerbaijani border. Materials have been published in a number of
official periodicals and other media sources, including within the
framework of Panama Papers, pursuant to which Azerbaijani President
Aliyev's family and, particularly, his daughters possess enormous
wealth in different countries of the world. I had an opportunity to
voice about this phenomenon during the previous plenary sessions of
our organization. But because the topic under discussion is the
struggle against corruption, I would like to reiterate that we should
make efficient proposals and provide guarantees for overcoming this
phenomenon,'' he said.