THE THIRD BRONZE MEDAL IN BEIJING
armradio.am
14.08.2008 16:23
The Armenian weightlifter /77 kg/, double champion of Europe Gevorg
Davtyan bring the third bronze medal to the Armenian sportsmen in
the Beijing Olympic Games. He showed 360 kg result conceding only
the sportsman of South Korea San Chzhunyuk who showed 366 kg result.
NKR MFA CONDOLENCE TO SOUTH OSSETIA ON THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Azat Artsakh Daily
14 Aug 08
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh [NKR]
The NKR MFA expresses its deep and sincere condolences to the relatives
of the civilians perished and wounded as a result of the tragic
events in South Ossetia. The people of Nagorno Karabakh, who had
experienced ethnic cleansings, pain and bitterness of the war, fully
realizes the tragedy of the people who went through the recent days’
horrors. We flatly condemn the use of any force actions in conflicts’
settlement and urge the parties to eliminate contradictions via
peaceful, political means. We are convinced that those responsible
for the ethnic cleansings of the civilian population will be brought
to international justice because crimes against the humanity do not
have justification and time limitation. Expressing our deep sorrow at
the perished civilians we wish endurance and courage to the relatives
in overcoming this humanitarian catastrophe.
RELATIVES OF THOSE ARRESTED UNDER CASE ON MARCH 1 EVENTS INTEND TO STRUGGLE UNTIL RELEASE OF LAST POLITICAL PRISONER
Noyan Tapan
Au g 15, 2008
YEREVAN, AUGUST 15, NOYAN TAPAN. More than 20 activists of People’s
Movement (PM), wives and relatives of those arrested under the case
on March 1 events staged their regular – 28th protest outside the
prosecutor generals’ office on May 15. They were holding placards "We
Demand Justice" and "We Demand Punishment for the Real Organizers of
the March 1 Evens". This time too, they demanded that the political
persecutions be ended and all the political prisoners be released.
To recap, such protest actions have been held every Friday since
April 7.
After each action, the protesters hand a written demand to the
prosecutor general’s office but no answer has been received so
far. "We, women of the Republic of Armenia, believe that all
this represents political persecution of the opposition by the
authorities, and we raise our voice against these illegalities,"
the letter-complaint reads.
Protester Anzhela Alaverdian told NT correspondent that they will stage
protests until the last political prisoner is released. "There are
political prisoners, hostages in Armenian prisons. A few people have
been released. It is like taking two drops of water from an ocean,"
she said. In her words, "the azatamartiks were arrested for several
empty cartridges, whereas the real criminals and killers are at large
and even beat journalists."
ARMENIAN REVOLUTIONARY FEDERATION-DASHNAKTSUTYUN BUREAU
Mher Lazarian 12/1, Yerevan, Armenia
Mailing Address: P.O.Box 123 – Yerevan, Armenia 0010
Tel.: (37410) 52-18-90, 52-19-66 – Fax: (37410) 52-14-53
E-mail: [email protected] Website:
DECLARATION
The events of the past week in the South Caucasus – the de facto state
of war that has come into being with all its tragic consequences, the
international tension these developments have fostered, and the
implications of these events for the future – reflect new realities in
our region that are of direct concern to Armenia and for all
Armenians.
The events in our immediate neighborhood have created new political
and economic challenges. Our first reaction, of course, is that of
sympathy for the thousands of human lives lost and harmed and damaged
destinies on all sides of this conflict.
The most pressing issue today is preventing similar situations from
developing in the future. The era of resolving inter-ethnic issues
through the use of force, as seen in the 1990’s, has passed, and the
recent events have once again proven, unnecessarily, that such conduct
has no prospect and is cause for tragedy.
On the one hand, it should be acknowledged that Georgia is our
immediate neighbor whose stability and development is of the utmost
importance to us, while Russia is our strategic partner and has a role
in the Caucasus. On the other hand, clearly, escalation of EU-RF-USA
relations to a confrontational level can not be beneficial for the
region.
In spite of assurances by Armenian officials that there are no
problems with the transport of goods to Armenia, we remain concerned
regarding this matter and expect that during this difficult situation,
a friendly Georgia will not take any steps to hinder such transport.
For the ARF-Dashnaktsutyun, this situation is extremely important in
three regards. First is the issue of reinforcing the right of the
people of Artsakh (Mountainous Karabakh) to determine their own
destiny through their expression of their right to self-determination.
Recent events have clearly demonstrated, that Azerbaijan’s
saber-rattling – that it wants to resolve the issue through the use of
force – not only has no prospect, but also that such threats will only
lead the region into destructive and ultimately unforeseeable
troubles. Artsakh cannot be part of Azerbaijan. During the
negotiation process, we are compelled to defend our national interests
with greater clarity and in an even more comprehensive manner by
demanding that all parties first of all sign a legally binding
document undertaking that they will not use force as a means of
settling the conflict.
Second, regarding the Georgian-Armenians and specifically the
Armenian-populated Javakhk (Samtskhe-Javakheti) region, are the
issues of defending their security and rights as a national minority,
and of its autonomy. In this case we can not be indifferent and
express our hope and expectation that Georgia will act with utmost
responsibility and in accordance with the overriding principles of
international law.
The final issue is being fully aware of the necessity for national
unity regarding Armenia’s stability and the fundamental intra-state
and intra-national matters. This represents an issue of
responsibility for all Armenians in front of our people and our
history.
We hope that following the impetuous reactions, both the conflicting
parties and the international community will find ways to bring peace
to the region and resolve all outstanding problems in a civilized
manner. Armenia can and should contribute to these efforts.
The ARF-Dashnaktsutyun is confident and ready to do its part, so that
the foundations are laid for full cooperation and development in the
South Caucasus, so that all the peoples of this region will have the
opportunity to live in harmony.
A.R.F.-Dashnaktusyun Bureau
Yerevan, 15 August 2008
CBA PUTS INTO CIRCULATION GOLD COMMEMORATIVE COIN "CENTENNIAL OF WILLIAM SAROYAN"
Noyan Tapan
Au g 13, 2008
YEREVAN, AUGUST 13, NOYAN TAPAN. The Central Bank of Armenia (CBA)
has put into circulation a gold commemorative coin on the occasion
of the centennial of William Saroyan.
According to the CBA PR Service, the obverse design features mountains
and the sun. Below these images, the coin’s nominal value is insribed
in two lines: "10000" and "DRAMS". There is an insription "My
Heart’s In the Highlands" above the images. All this is encircled. An
insription "Central Bank of Armenia 2008" appears along the edge.
The background of the reverse is formed by an inscription "William
1908 1981 Saroyan" in the form of repeating horizontal lines. There
is an image of William Saroyan against this background. The designer
is Edward Kurghinian.
The coin was minted at the Mint of the Czech Republic.
The nominal value of the coin is 10,000 drams, it is made of gold
(900 hallmark), its weight is 8.6 drams, diameter is 22 mm, the number
of issued coins is 1,000.
ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT TO HOLD SPECIAL SITTING ON AUG 19
ARKA
Aug 13, 2008
YEREVAN, August 13. /ARKA/. Speaker of the RA Parliament Tigran
Torosyan made a decision on a special session of the RA Parliament
at noon on August 19, 2008.
The Public Relations Department, RA Parliament reports that the
special session will be held in conformity with Article 70 of the RA
Constitution on the Government’s initiative.
The parliamentarians are to discuss a number of amendments to Armenia’s
tax and customs laws, as well as a bill on water discharge from Lake
Sevan for irrigation.
THERE’S A BEAR IN THE WOODS!
By Scott Lilly
Center For American Progress
August 12, 2008
DC
A Russian officer walks past a destroyed building in Tskhinvali,
the capital of the Georgian breakaway enclave of South Ossetia.
Since the Vietnam War, conservatives in the United States have pummeled
moderates and progressives on the issue of national security. In
one dispute after another, they have fashioned themselves as Winston
Churchills while their opponents were naïve and incompetent Neville
Chamberlains. Repeatedly they have driven home the message that their
opponents were clueless as to the dangerous nature of the world we
live in, and unwilling to use the force that might be necessary to
cope with that danger.
That is why it is the ultimate irony that it was President George
W. Bush and his hard-line foreign policy team who were asleep
at the switch when the Russian Bear awoke from its slumber and
resumed its preoccupation with empire. It is hard to say whether
this administration’s flatfooted response would be more contemptible
if it were attributed to the administration’s failure to anticipate
Russia’s actions or if U.S. officials knew in advance of Russia’s
preparations but could concoct no response more effective than the
one we have witnessed.
What is certain is that while Bush’s old friend, Vladimir Putin, rushed
home from the Beijing Olympic games to manage the unfolding of events
which he had quite clearly been planning for months if not years,
while "the sports-loving Bush," according to the Associated Press,
"refused to let the fighting completely ruin his trip as the first
sitting American president to attend an Olympics on foreign soil."
What is also certain is that the guns of August 2008 have in a matter
of a few days significantly changed the world we live in. It is now
clear to almost everyone that Russian objectives go well beyond the
issue of the ethnically Russian citizens of South Ossetia. Moscow’s
swift military gambit clearly includes "regime change" for the entire
nation of Georgia.
That is important not simply because Georgia’s democratically elected
president, Mikhail Saakashvili, is far more pro-western than his
eventual Russian-picked successor will be, but also because it sends
a clear message throughout the region that Russia can do what it
pleases–and that the United States is too weak, too overstretched,
too unpopular, and too weary from years of failed international
exploits to act.
That is a message that will be heard first in Azerbaijan, Armenia,
and the Ukraine. Leaders such as Azeri Prime Minister Ilham Aliyev
will go to considerable lengths to avoid the fate that apparently
awaits Saakashvili. They will see the value of alliance with the
United States in greatly diminished terms. All will urgently seek
ways to accommodate Russian interests.
But the message will extend beyond those countries. Iran and Turkey
will be forced to recognize that Russia is reemerging as a force
in their region, and that their economic and security interests in
the future will have to be more closely harmonized with those of
Russia. Former Soviet Republics such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
will be far wearier of entanglements with the United States that
might provoke Russian displeasure.
The apparent helplessness of the United States to respond in behalf of
a nation that we have publically taken in our arms as an ally is in
part the product of a war that has not only squandered our national
security resources but has left us with virtually no reserves to
contend with problems that might erupt in other parts of the world.
That failing is one that national security experts ranging from
the center to the left of the political spectrum have warned
about repeatedly. We now have no division in reserve or even a
brigade. Whether we would have or should have used our military
resources in behalf of Georgia is a legitimate question but from
Putin’s vantage point it was not at issue. His adventure could be
launched with assurance that U.S. military resources were not in play.
We have provided aid and comfort to the Russian invaders in other
ways, too. We have established a new standard that nations must meet
before crossing the sovereign boundaries of other nations–trumped
up charges based on manufactured intelligence will do nicely. Our
diplomatic standing to challenge Russia’s irresponsible meddling is
even weaker than our military standing.
This dismal state of affairs should remind neocons, moderates, and
progressives alike of the 1984 Reagan re-election campaign ad–one
of the classic television ads of all time. The script was as follows:
There is a bear in the woods.
For some people the bear is easy to see.
Others don’t see it at all.
Some people say the bear is tame. Others say it’s vicious and
dangerous.
Since no one can really be sure who’s right, isn’t it smart to be as
strong as the bear? If there is a bear?
Georgia proves that there is a bear in the woods. Among those who did
not see the bear was the conservative president of the United States,
who with his many "hard-line" advisors looked into Vladimir Putin’s
eye and "found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy…I was
able to get a sense of his soul." According to Bush their meeting was,
"the beginning of a very constructive relationship."
Scott Lilly is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress.
–Boundary_(ID_ahoFXLDP7jAucwXJcnYbDA)- –
PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version: nian.htm
WEEK OF PRAYERS IS OBSERVED IN BIKFAYA ON THE EVE OF ST. ASDVADZADZINE
A week of prayers will be observed in the summer residence of the
Catholicosate of Cilicia, the Saint Asdvadzadzine Monastery in Bikfaya, on
August 11-15 as preparation for the grand Feast of Saint Asdvadzadzine. The
prayers, held under the auspices of His Holiness Aram I and organized by the
Catholicosate of Cilicia’s Christian Education Department, will start at 10
in the morning and include Bible studies, sermons, the singing of hymns and
the reading of the Gospel.
This will be a unique opportunity for believers to participate in the
prayers and meditation sessions, to embrace the spiritual experiences
offered by the Armenian Church.
##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the
jurisdiction and the Christian Education activities in both the
Catholicosate and the dioceses, you may refer to the web page of the
Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.
NO INTERRUPTION OCCURRED IN GEORGIAN ENERGY SYSTEM
Trend News Agency
Aug 11, 2008
Azerbaijan
Georgia, Tbilisi, 11 August / Trend Capital corr. N.Kirtskhalia /
There has not been observed interruption in energy system in Georgia,
Alexander Khetaguri, Georgian Energy minister said. The control over
energy system has been reinforced and air bombing is not excluded to
energy premises, Khetaguri said.
"Correspondingly, the risk factor is quite high in the area,"
Khetaguri stated.
Georgian Energy Minister also touched upon security in transit gas
pipeline in the country and stated that the transit in Armenian
direction was implemented swimmingly.
According to Khetaguri, the danger does not threaten the gas-main
pipeline.
NEW MUSICAL PLAY STAGED IN SAN GABRIEL REINVENTS "KACH NAZAR"
Noyan Tapan
Au g 8, 2008
SAN GABRIEL, AUGUST 8, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. A new musical
play in Armenian based on Hovhannes Toumanian’s comic fairy tale
"Kach Nazar" will debut on Sunday, August 24, 2008 at the historic San
Gabriel Mission Playhouse (CA). Playwright Ani Minasian incorporates
Armenian cultural elements (dances, songs, idioms) and folk rituals
and traditions to retell the story about a cowardly peasant who,
through a series of misunderstandings and misrepresentations, becomes
a revered hero and legend in his own time.