Author: Hambardsumian Paul

Russia Maintains Gas Supply Security in Armenia

YEREVAN, September 13. /ARKA/. ArmRosGasProm, subsidiary of Russia’s
gas giant Gazprom, says Russia ensures natural gas supply security in
Armenia.

The Georgian-South Ossetian conflict has not hindered gas supplies to
Armenia, the company’s press service reports.

Local mass media spread information about possible problems with gas
supply after ArmRosGasProm had issued instructions on the necessity of
saving up alternative energy sources.

The company denied rumours about existing problems in the gas supply
system, saying it issues instructions every year before the winter
season. Russia annually exports about 2bln cubic meters of gas to
Armenia through Georgia.

ArmRosGasProm holds monopoly in Armenia’s gas supply market. The
company’s shareholders are the Gasprom OJCS (72.16%), the RA Ministry
of Energy (22.16%) and the Itera Oil and Gas Company (5.06%). `0–

CZECH BUSINESSMEN SHOW INTEREST IN ARMENIAN MARKET AND INTEND TO MAKE INVESTMENTS IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan

Se p 12, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The second Armenian-Czech
business forum opened in Yerevan on September 12. It is being held
on the initiative of the Armenian Development Agency (ADA) with
the participation of the speaker of the RA National Assembly Tigran
Torosian and the chairman of the Czech Senate Prsemil Sobodka.

T. Torosian pointed out the importance of further developing the
cooperation between the two countries. In his opinion, although
Armenian-Czech interparliamentary relations have become more active
in the past two years, they should also be strengthened by practical
steps.

The director general of the ADA Robert Harutyunian stated that
the first forum held in Armenia in July has formed the basis for
Armenian-Czech business initiatives. According to him, 17 Czech
companies operated in Armenia as of January 1, 2008. He expressed
confidence that thier number will grow after this forum.

R. Harutyunian said that in the past 5 years, the trade turnover
between Armenia and the Czech Republic has considerably increased,
making 37 million dollars. "The relations between two countries are
developing steadily both in the economic and political spheres. The
Armenian government attaches great importance to operation of Czech
companies in Armenia and is ready to support each initiative," he
underlined. The director of ADA said that Czech businessmen take
interest in the Armenian market and intend to make investments in
Armenia, in particular, in energy, tourism, machine-building and
banking sectors.

SCARS ON BROADWAY: OSLO SHOW CANCELLED

BLABBERMOUTH.NET
Sep. 9, 2008

SCARS ON BROADWAY — the new band led by SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist
Daron Malakian and drummer John Dolmayan — was forced to cancel its
performance at the Rockefeller Music Hall in Oslo, Norway earlier
tonight (Tuesday, September 9) after Malakian came down with a
throat infection. Dolmayan apologized to the Norwegian fans during an
interview with the radio show "Pyro" (web site) and explained that
"Daron’s voice is almost completely gone." He added, "We hade the
choice to cancel the show tonight rather than face the possibility
of having to cancel the rest of the tour. I promise all of you we
will do everything we can to come back as soon as possible, and we
will definitely be back for the festival season next summer."

ANC SACRAMENTO ACTIVISTS AND CONGRESSMAN LUNGREN DISCUSS ARMENIAN AMERICAN ISSUES

armradio.am
11.09.2008 11:11

The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR)
and the Sacramento ANC Chapter recently met with Congressman Dan
Lungren (R-CA) at his office in Gold River, CA. ANCA-WR Board Member
Hovannes Boghossian and ANC of Sacramento activist Gagam Adamian
thanked the Congressman for his support of the Armenian American
Community, particularly his efforts regarding House Resolution 106
(the Armenian Genocide Resolution).

"It is always a pleasure to meet with Congressman Lungren to discuss
issues that are important to the Armenian American community," stated
ANC-WR Board Member Hovannes Boghossian. "The Congressman has been a
long time friend and supporter of our community and we look forward
to his support when a new Genocide Resolution is introduced," he added.

Boghossian and Adamian spoke at length with the Congressman regarding
H. Res. 106 and the Turkish government’s continuous denial of
the Armenian Genocide. The adoption of the resolution by the House
Foreign Affairs Committee on October 10, 2007 sparked a firestorm of
media coverage over the Turkish government’s threats to retaliate
against America if the measure were approved by the full House
of Representatives. Turkey has poured millions of foreign dollars
into the U.S. political system, paying former Members of Congress to
make its case and p ublic relations firms to spin the media coverage
against this human rights legislation.

During the meeting, Boghossian and Adamian informed the Congressman
regarding the recent controversy at the Institute of Turkish Studies
(ITS).

Professor Donald Quataert, director of ITS, was forced to resign
after changing his long held position of denial by acknowledging
the historical veracity of the Armenian Genocide in a recent book
review. The ANC representatives also discussed the Southern Poverty
Law Center’s recent investigative feature on the Turkish government’s
denial campaign in American academia.

Congressman Lungren reiterated his support for the Armenian American
community and reassured that he will once again support the Armenian
Genocide Resolution when it is introduced in Congress.

TURKS SEEK 2ND WIN IN AS MANY QUALIFIERS

Today’s Zaman
o?load=detay&link=152649&bolum=127
Sept 10 2008
Turkey

Turkey coach Fatih Terim has set clear targets for his team in their
2010 World Cup Group 5 qualifiers: 12 maximum points from the first
four games.

The Turks have their first maximum points in the bag after shutting
out Armenia 2-0 in Yerevan on Saturday, with second-half goals by
strikers Tuncay Å~^anlı and Semih Å~^enturk. Now Terim’s men will
be aiming for their second maximum points when they host Belgium in
Ä°stanbul this evening.

The no-nonsense Terim is someone who backs up words with action and so
his players have been practicing nonstop in order to make their coach’s
"12 maximum-point" prophecy come true. But injuries are once again
a headache for Terim: Attacking midfielder Gökdeniz Karadeniz has
been dropped from the squad, while doctors are exerting all efforts
to make striker Mevlut Erdinc, workhorse Mehmet Aurelio and defender
Hakan Kadir Balta fit before match time.

As a matter of fact, top "goal-misser" Mevlut, who squandered several
incredible chances in front of the goal against Armenia on Saturday,
will not be missed at all if he is not fielded. Mevlut should
rightfully take his place on the bench and remain there as long as
it takes until he realizes that the paramount duty of a striker is
to score goals, not to miss them.

Master tactician Terim is also a coach who does his team selection
depending on the strength of the opponent, and it is no wonder he led
Turkey to the semifinals of Euro 2008 in June. Tuncay and Semih, the
two scorers in Yerevan on Saturday, are very likely to play side by
side upfront. Kazım and Arda Turan, as usual, will be taking care
of the flanks and also lending support to the attacking force and
midfield whenever necessary.

Undergrad Servet Cetin, who enrolled in a four-year physical education
program at Ä°stanbul University on Monday, should really be in high
spirits as he masterminds the defense this evening.

Bragging Belgian coach

The Belgians also got off to a winning start in Group 5 on Saturday,
though they were pushed to the limit by tiny Estonia before battling
to a hard-fought 3-2 victory at the Maurice Dufrasne Stadium in
Liege. The team and officials arrived in Ä°stanbul on Monday and
the players went straight into a training session at the Fenerbahce
Dereagzı Facilities.

On Tuesday the players trained at the Fenerbahce Saracoglu Stadium,
where this evening’s match will take place. And Belgium coach Rene
Vandereycken was already gloating as if edging out European minnow
Estonia on home turf is anything to brag about: "We came to Ä°stanbul
in an optimistic mood," he said. "We have three points in our pockets
and are looking for three more today. If we can keep up the pressure
and momentum we can beat even Spain, let alone Turkey," he added.

What Vandereycken does not understand is that Belgian soccer has been
in something of a steady decline over the years, and this is a problem
that cannot be corrected overnight. Gone are the days when players
like Luc Nilis, Emile Mpenza, Marc Wilmots and Bart Goor used to be
household names in Europe.

Turkey, the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2008 semifinalist and currently
ranked 10th by FIFA, has enough ammo to take any bull by the horns,
including Belgium. And Terim summed it all up over the weekend when
he said, "We have gained plenty of experience and we aim to become
world champions."

Elsewhere in Group 5 today, patience and intelligence are the
watchwords for Spain coach Vicente del Bosque ahead of their second
2010 World Cup qualifier against Armenia in Albacete today.

The European champions got off to a winning start on Del Bosque’s
competitive debut at the helm with a 1-0 victory over Bosnia in Group
Five on Saturday. But the Bosnians made it hard for the Spaniards,
crowding the midfield and defending in numbers, until striker David
Villa broke the deadlock in the 57th minute. More of the same can be
expected from Armenia today.

–Boundary_(ID_y2CzR/L/P9hfJSNyfMCrbw)–

TURKISH PRESIDENT TO GO TO AZERBAIJAN NEXT WEEK

International Herald Tribune
Sept 8 2008
France

ANKARA, Turkey: Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s office says he
will visit Azerbaijan this week, days after his breakthrough trip
to Armenia.

Gul’s spokesman says the president will travel to Baku on Wednesday
to discuss his weekend talks with the Armenian head of state.

Armenia supports Armenian separatists in the region of
Nagorno-Karabakh, which fought a secessionist war against Azerbaijan
in 1993.

Turkey backs Turkish-speaking Azerbaijan in its bid to regain control
of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The spokesman says Gul will return to Turkey on Wednesday evening.

EU TO CONTRIBUTE TO ARMENIA-TURKEY RECONCILIATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.09.2008 14:29 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian met
Sunday with EU Envoy for South Caucasus Peter Semneby to discuss the
recent regional development and Karabakh peace process, the RA MFA
press office told PanARMENIAN.Net.

At the guest’s request, Nalbandian briefed on the outcomes of Turkish
President’s visit to Armenia. "Armenia is willing to normalize
relations with Ankara to establish trust, stability and security in
the region," he said.

For his part, Mr Semneby said the European Union will contribute to
reconciliation between the two countries.

Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul was in Yerevan on Sept. 6 to watch
a World Cup qualifier between the Armenian and Turkish national
teams. Before the match, the heads of state discussed possibilities to
normalize bilateral relations. "We hope we will be able to demonstrate
goodwill to solve the problems between our countries and not leave
them to future generations," Armenian President Sargsyan said after
the meeting.

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Sept 8 2008

Turkey does the talking on the pitch

Turkish players (L) celebrate one of their goals against Armenia
during their 2010 World Cup qualifying match in Yerevan on Saturday.
Turkey, the better, stronger and faster team, won as the national team
shut out Armenia 2-0 in their 2010 World Cup qualifying Group 5 game
at Hrazdan Stadium in Yerevan on Saturday evening, with two
second-half goals by Tuncay Å?anlı and SemihÅ?entürk.

Looking at the latest FIFA rankings shows that Turkey and Armenia
belong to different galaxies in the universe of soccer. The Turks, the
2002 World Cup and Euro 2008 semifinalists, are placed 10th while
Armenia is a distant 98th. This means any soccer match between the two
countries should be a foregone conclusion — a clear victory for
Turkey.

But Saturday’s Armenia-Turkey encounter was much more than a soccer
match. It was the first ever game between the senior national teams of
the two neighboring countries with no diplomatic relations and a
closed border. And even though Turkey coach Fatih Terim said in his
post-match press conference in Yerevan that "we are here [in Armenia]
to play soccer and we do no not want to take responsibility for the
history between the two nations," everything was at stake in this
match. Apart from precious points, as we mentioned in our preview to
this match, nationalistic fervor, rivalry, precious points, pride,
prestige, history and bragging rights were all at stake.

Nothing is more natural than the big fish eating the small fish. And
as Armenia’s Danish coach Jan Poulsen predicted when he said: "Turkey
is considered the favorite. … Everyone expects them to win," the
Turks gave the Armenians a good soccer lesson and once again proved,
beyond reasonable doubt, that they are among the best top 10 in world
soccer — and they will beat the Armenians a thousand times if both
countries play a thousand times.

Match details

After a scoreless first half Tuncay gave the visiting Turks the lead
in the 61st minute, scoring from close range. Semih made it 2-0 in the
79th, capitalizing on a defender’s mistake in the box. Mehmet Aurelio
had an early chance for Turkey but his powerful shot from 14 meters
four minutes into the game was blocked by goalkeeper Roman Berezovsky.

Armenia had a half chance in the eighth when Volkan Demirel saved
Gamlet Mkhitarian’s drive from 25 meters. Though there were no goals
in the first half, Turkey, undisputedly the superior side, looked more
organized.

The Turks came close midway through the first half when captain Emre
BelozoÄ?lu shaved the crossbar from the edge of the box in the
27th minute. Three minutes later, Mevlut Erdinç broke down the
left flank only to hit the outer side of the net.

The game was marked by the presence of President Abdullah Gül,
making this the first visit by a Turkish president to
Armenia. Gül was invited to attend the game by his Armenian
counterpart, Serzh Sarksyan, who called for closer ties in a region
rocked last month by Russia’s war with Georgia.

So in the end it was a soccer match after all and the Turks proved
soccer can be a meritocracy. They did not allow the "beautiful game"
to fall prey to the politics of antagonism.

Also in Group 5 on Saturday, Belgium beat Estonia 3-2 at home and
Spain edged visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-0. On Wednesday, Turkey
hosts Belgium while Armenia is to meet European champion Spain on its
turf.

Turkish Under-21s topple Czech Republic in Bursa

A pair of second-half goals from Aydın Karabulut took Turkey
past the Czech Republic and to the top of Group 2 with one match to
play after victory at Bursa’s Atatürk Stadium.

Aydın struck at the 63rd and 85th minute to seal a crucial
victory for coach Hami Mandıralı’s side, which will now
confirm its place in the playoffs should it draw at home with Armenia
on Tuesday. The Turks lead the group by a point over the Czechs, who
must win at home against Ukraine in their final match and hope, maybe
against hope, that the Turks slip against Armenia. Ä°stanbul
Today’s Zaman

08 September 2008, Monday

OKAN UDO BASSEY Ä°STANBUL

MARCH 1 "LOCOMOTIVE GROUP" IS BEING PROCESSED

A1+
[07:18 pm] 04 September, 2008

An interview with Vardan Harutiunian a member of the Committee for the
Protection of Political Prisoners, a former political prisoner himself.

Mr. Harutiunian, how many people of prisoners on the case of March
1 are remained imprisoned in cells?

76 People are under arrest, some of them have been sentenced to
different periods of imprisonment. A group of prisoners has been
separated since their cases should be sent to the Court. That group
to their understanding should be a "Locomotive Group", the leaders
who supposingly conducted March 1.

And that "Locomotive Group" will be blamed and found guilty by the
Court under article 300 of the Criminal Code /appropriation of power/,
won’t they?

As well as all accusations, their accusations will certainly not
be proved in the Court either and preliminary investigation hasn’t
even taken any care of that. They don’t need to ground and prove any
accusation, they just have to proclaim and read the verdict.

Mr. Harutiunian, how do you explain the fact that article 300 is being
dropped away from the accusation of some of the accused (e.g. Gagik
Jhangirian), while others are yet being persecuted with the very
article, e.g. Aleksandre Arzoumanian?

It doesn’t make any sense to find any explanation or logic in the
actions of pre-investigation body. Even Law doesn’t work here. All
is being executed by a phone call. There is a guiding team somewhere
over here which decides which article is the most suited for a certain
individual to be sent to the Court and how many years’ imprisonment
should he get.

Nevertheless, PACE appealed to stop criminal persecution under two
articles, including article 300. But up till now a group of politicians
are being persecuted just for power capture. The authorities don’t
take any actions to dismiss those cases, moreover, as you mentioned,
they are engaged in forming a "locomotive group" to forward the cases
to the Court under that article. How do you estimate the policy of RA
authorities not to satisfy the demands of the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe?

They don’t adhere to PACE requirements furthermore they have crossed
all allowed boundaries. It’s not imperative for them to fulfill the
demands of any International or European Institution. It’s much more
essential for them to solve the current issues occurring at a concrete
moment. They think they will condemn people, send them to prisons
and then will see what happens. They don’t view the situation from
a long-term perspective.

We are aware of the health problems of political prisoners.

You are right, among political prisoners there are many whose health
state is critical and most of them have everyday health problems
which need urgent medical treatment but not within the jail. They
have to be taken to city hospitals and get permanent treatment.

And why isn’t that fact getting enough attention by state embodies?

Since our state embodies have taken those people to jails not
because of their fault but for general punishment, they are led by
the principle to punish certain people. They just revenge. They are
not prisoners, but hostages. And as a rule there is never a humane
attitude towards hostages. And it’s what our authorities demonstrate.

ARMENIA NATURAL TREASURES VIEWED AT MUSEUM ON SEPT. 11

Belmont Citizen-Herald
Sept 4 2008
MA

On Sept. 11, the Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA)
and Armenia Tree Project (ATP) will debut their joint, juried
exhibition "A Photographic Journey of Armenia’s Natural Treasures"
in ALMA’s Contemporary Art Gallery. The exhibition features a series
of photographs ranging from majestic nature scenes to images that
document some of Armenia’s environmental problems. The photographs
will be offered for sale with 40 percent of the proceeds benefiting
ALMA and ATP.

When the idea for this joint collaboration first arose, the
organizers aimed to create a wide-ranging exhibition that not only
showed visitors Armenia’s stunning sights, but also raised awareness
about the serious threats to the country’s ecological heritage. After
holding a well-received call for submissions period this past spring,
honorary juror Judy Ann Goldman, owner of the Judy Ann Goldman Fine
Art gallery on Boston’s Newbury Street, helped the ALMA and ATP jurors
with the judging process.

Using an anonymous screening process, the jurors narrowed down 600
entries to 93 photographs from professional and amateur photographers
from six countries.

The following 35 photographers were chosen to participate in the
exhibition: Vahan Abrahamyan (Armenia), Chris Agazaryan (California),
Rich Bartell (China), Hapet Berberian (Massachusetts), Levon Berberian
(New York), Eli Burak (Vermont), Aram Comjean (Massachusetts),
Ireneusz Cyranek (Denmark), Joseph Dagdigian (Massachusetts), Julie
Dermansky (New Jersey), Ani Garibyan (California), Avetis Ghazanchyan
(Armenia), Karen Harutyunyan (Armenia), Sarah Hayes (Massachusetts),
Jirair Hovsepian (Massachusetts), Kathryn Howard (New York), Armen
Iskandaryan (Armenia), Matthew Karanian (California), Philip Ketchian
(Massachusetts), Hrair "Hawk" Khatcherian (Canada), Robert Kurkjian
(California), Ara Kahrmanian (Australia), Alexander Malkhasyan
(Armenia), Jeff Masarjian (Massachusetts), Ara Meshkanbarian
(California), Sossy Nercessian (Massachusetts), Rita Papagian (New
Jersey), Astghine Pasoyan (Armenia), Vahe Peroomian (California),
Elsa Ronningstam-Ketchian (Massachusetts), Hakob Sanasaryan (Armenia),
Kara Setian-Marston (Maryland), Anush Seyranyan (Armenia), Paul Vartan
Sookiasian (Pennsylvania) and Mikhayil Voskanov (Armenia).

"A Photographic Journey" runs through Oct. 11. The exhibition was made
possible by Wainwright Bank and Trust Co. and Staples Copy & Print
Shop in Watertown, with the support of Hagop Picture Frame and Design;
Watertown Savings Bank; Michals Insurance Agency, Inc.; Paul Neeson
and Deland, Gibson Insurance Associates, Inc.; and Eastern Lahmejun
Bakers, Inc. A weekly series of events will accompany the exhibition
to highlight its theme and give the public additional opportunities to
learn about Armenia’s environment from leading environmental activists.

Events All events take place in ALMA’s Contemporary Art Gallery,
which is handicap accessible.

· 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 11, Exhibition opens

· Saturday, Sept. 13, Private opening reception (by invitation only).

· 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 15, Presentation by Greens Union President
Hakob Sanasaryan: "At the Crossroads of Development — The Present
Situation of the Armenian Environment."

· 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25, Presentation by ATP Executive Director
Jeff Masarjian: "The Dangers Facing Armenia’s Natural Treasures:
Current Risks and Opportunities."

· 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11, Classical Concert with pianist Karine
Bagdasarian to mark close of the exhibition.

–Boundary_(ID_fcfRVKVetALrOdgkxNAbXQ )–