Author: Hovhannisian John

PRESIDENTS’ MOSCOW MEETING WILL BE A DEAL ON WHAT ARMENIA WILL GET IN EXCHANGE OF RETURN PART OF OCCUPIED LANDS TO AZERBAIJAN: AZERROS OFFICIAL

Today.Az
cs/53863.html
July 16 2009
Azerbaijan

Editor-in-chief of St. Petersburg-based magazine Konservator, member
of the Central Council of the Eurasian Congress of Azerbaijanis and
presidium of the Federal National and Cultural Autonomy Azerros Rustam
Arifjanov spoke in an exclusive interview with Day.Az.

Q: What do you expect from the coming Moscow meeting of Azerbaijani
and Armenia Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan?

A: If I am not mistaken, it is already 6th meeting of the heads of
two states over the last year and it is very important. Previously,
the meetings were not so frequent. This points to constant interest
by Azerbaijan and Armenia to solve the problem and that the Minsk
Group mediators, and, above all, Russia and the United States, have
more interest in this.

Moscow and Washington require the conflict to be resolved in the
shortest time possible. And the involvement of Turkey in this matter
points to U.S. impact on it. I think the international community today
is more interested in solving this problem. Therefore, I do not think
that this will be the last meeting. I do not think that this meeting
will be historic, but there is some progress occurring. Political
scientists and experts from both sides interpret them differently. Of
course, people in Armenia say that Madrid principles infringe their
interests. This is the same case with those in Azerbaijan. But the
question could not be solved in a different way. Of course, some
interests will be harmed. Otherwise, there will not be any compromise.

I think that earlier the talks were composed of three parts – the
non-use of military force, the right of nations to self-determination
and the principle of state sovereignty over the territories. But
military component is now being discussed to a lesser extent. You
can do this with the help of ministers of foreign affairs and defense.

Q: Is Armenia’s readiness for preliminary stage of resolution, that
is, return of five regions, is being discussed?

A: There is a need to find a compromise between solution of the two
other specified parts. I think that the question of the return foothill
and lowland areas of Karabakh overdue and may well be resolved in the
foreseeable future. Another question is that what compromises Armenia
may require from Azerbaijan. I think that the presidents speak more
frankly as they sometimes meet without mediators face to face. A more
candid and more realistic. We do not know what they say and in what
terms and we will hardly ever know it.

But it seems to me that there is principle position on return of
these territories to Azerbaijan. This position is held by Armenia as
well. Otherwise its situation becomes hopeless.

I think that the meeting that will be held on July 17, roughly
speaking, will be a deal on what Armenia will get in exchange of return
part of occupied lands to Azerbaijan. I think that opening the border
with Turkey is a vital issue for Armenia, but it is impossible to
insist on this during a meeting with Azerbaijani president and it is
not within the competence of Azerbaijan. It is not enough for Armenia
and they want to win something and in the Karabakh conflict. Most
likely, Sargsyan will insist on providing a temporary status of Nagorny
Karabakh (the shorter the period the better it will be for Armenians)
and the acceleration of the referendum on final status. If Sargsyan
insists on this position, then he can call himself a winner in the
eyes of the Armenian community.

CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS KAREKIN II HAS THANKED THE RUSSIANORTHODOX CHURCH FOR ITS SUPPORT IN THE SETTLEMENT OF THE CONFLICT IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH

Interfax
July 15 2009
Russia

We note with gratitude the contribution of the Russian Orthodox Church
to the cause of the fair and peaceful settlement of the question of
Nagorno-Karabakh started by the late Patriarch Alexy II, the Armenian
spiritual leader said at a meeting with head of the Russian Orthodox
Church Patriarch Kirill in St. Daniel’s monastery in Moscow.

He expressed the readiness of the Armenian Church to continue lovingly
cooperating with the Russian Church for the sake of peace on earth
and the settlement of acute regional problems.

MOURNING FOR PLANE CRASH VICTIMS

Russia Today
July 17 2009

Iran and Armenia are mourning the victims of the Caspian Airlines
flight which crashed in northern Iran on Wednesday, killing all 168
on board.

The doomed flight’s black boxes have been recovered and could hold
clues to the cause of the tragedy that happened just 16 minutes into
the flight to Armenia’s capital, Yerevan.

Caspian Airlines are flying 54 relatives of the victims to Teheran
to help identify the dead. Some of the relatives are still coming to
terms with their loss.

"I still had hope yesterday that I would see my cousin again, but now
all hope has disappeared," Dina Sargisyan, a victim’s relative told RT.

24 year-old Sora Deravanesyan lost his father in the plane crash. His
father was a prominent figure in Armenia – the director of the local
branch of the Red Cross. Now, Sora has been left in charge of his
entire family.

"I came directly to the airport because my sister was waiting for
my father. Then I gathered my family, everybody had collapsed. I was
holding myself together, but really, I’m heartbroken," he confessed
to RT.

This was the sentiment echoed by many of those relatives of the crash
victims who were preparing to board a flight to Iran.

The national flags in the Armenian capital of Yerevan have been
lowered in a sign of national mourning and respect.

Meanwhile, the official investigation of the crash is still
underway. It remains unclear what caused the plane to nose dive in
a field in northwest Iran. However, according to some eyewitnesses,
one of the plane’s engines caught fire, but this hasn’t been confirmed.

Flight recorders from the aircraft have been recovered, but some are
said to have been badly damaged and it is, therefore, still not know
if they will shed any light on the tragedy.

ANCA: NAGORNO KARABAKH MUST BE A FULL AND EQUAL PARTICIPANT IN ALL ASPECTS OF PEACE PROCESS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
16.07.2009 11:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In a letter addressed to US President Barrack Obama,
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Chairman Ken Hachikian
expressed "profound disappointment" at the unreasonable pressure being
applied by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, which could threaten the
viability of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

Minsk Group’s "heavy handed" approach to secure unilateral and
dangerous concessions by Armenians regarding the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict would "imperil the security of Armenia, the Nagorno Karabagh
Republic (NKR) and the Armenian people; increase the prospects of
renewed Azerbaijani aggression; and undermine the ability of the actual
parties to this conflict to reach a truly lasting and durable peace,"
says the release addressed to PanARMENIAN.Net.

Hachikian also calls for NKR’s Participation in Peace Negotiations. "As
a direct party to this conflict and the primary victim of Azerbaijan’s
aggression, the Nagorno Karabakh Republic must be a full and equal
participant in all aspects of the peace process," he noted. Similar
concerns were addressed in letters sent to French Ambassador to the
U.S. Pierre Vimont and Russian Federation Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

NORTH-SOUTH CORRIDOR CONSTRUCTION FOLLOWS NORMAL COURSE, ARMENIAN PREMIER SAYS

ARKA
July 16, 2009

YEREVAN, July 16. /ARKA/. The construction of the North-South transport
corridor follows its normal course, RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
told reporters.

"All the programs signed with the Asian Development Bank have been
approved. During his last visit, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili
said that Georgia had reached an agreement with the bank as well. Our
delegation is to go to Georgia within the coming ten days to discuss
all the issues," he said.

An agreement on the construction of a
Yerevan-Gyumri-Akhaltsikhe-Shuakhevi-Batumi corridor was reached
during RA President Serzh Sarghsyan’s visit to Georgia on September
30-October 1, 2008. This section is part of the North-South corridor
running through Armenia as far as Meghri. The program provides for
an outlet to the Black Sea for Armenia.

"We have our Georgian partners’ political consent, a program and
necessary funding," Premier Sargsyan said.

PRESS RELEASE:
PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Dramatic Arts Alliance
22 Concord Lane Cambridge MA 02138
Tel: 617-871-6764
Fax: 617-491-1011
Contact: Jane Minasian: 781-643-5638
Email: [email protected]
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Armenian Dramatic Arts Alliance

ADAA’S SECOND ANNUAL ARMENIAN FILM FESTIVAL AT THE MFA ATTRACTS OVER
1200 ATTENDEES

BOSTON, MA: The Second Annual Boston Armenian Film Festival was held
at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts during the weekend of May 1st – 3rd,
2009. Film enthusiasts from the greater Boston area filled Remis
Auditorium each night to view critically acclaimed programs and award
winning Armenian films.

As was the case during the previous year, the Armenian Film Festival
was the result of a collaboration between the Museum of Fine Arts,
Boston and the Armenian Dramatic Arts Alliance (ADAA). Bianca
Bagatourian, President of ADAA, noted that, "with this new initiative,
Armenian films will now have their own series amidst those of other
ethnic films showcased at the Boston MFA, including the Jewish,
African, Palestinian, Iranian and Turkish film festivals. We are glad
that our establishment of this annual program so perfectly advances
our mission of projecting the Armenian voice on the world stage
through the performing arts of film and theatre."

This year’s festival was sponsored by Techfusion.com. Techfusion
owner, Alfred Demirjian, remarked, "we are happy that in our second
film festival at the MFA, the Armenian community was able to build
upon last year’s success by increases in attendance, combined with
additional financial support by individual members of the community.
This will provide us with a firm base on which to schedule next year’s
third annual Armenian Film Festival in May of 2010."

Carter Long, Director of the MFA’s film program, expressed his support
of Armenian film and given the level of attendance and quality of
films at this year’s festival, added that he is looking forward to
welcoming the festival back next year for the third annual event.

The opening night reception at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts
was attended by over 150 people, including two Armenian filmmakers
from France, Levon Minasian and Varante Soudjian and Hrach Titizian
from California. Bagatourian said, "ADAA is proud to present this
Armenian Film Festival because we understand the opportunity that film
provides for Armenians to project their culture and to tell their
unique stories." Most films were followed by question and answer
periods which helped further understand the goals and themes of each
individual film.

"The Blue Hour" opened the festival on Friday night. The ensemble
drama by Eric Nazarian is set on the Los Angeles River and weaves the
stories of loss and hope of several strangers in Los Angeles. The film
is ultimately about families who do not communicate, the only thing
bringing them together being the Los Angeles River.

The early evening audience on Saturday enjoyed a screening of "We
Drank the Same Water" by Serge Avedikian, depicting a visit he made to
the town his grandfather lived in and the haunting memories of the
visit. This was preceded by a screening of two ten minute film poems
by Serge Avedikian and Levon Minasian about the 1988 earthquake that
destroyed the town of Leninakan.

On Saturday night, audiences enthusiastically received the screening
of a charming film by Anna Melikian, "The Mermaid" (in Russian with
English subtitles), about a young girl who takes a vow of silence to
protest her mother’s refusal to enroll her in ballet class but ends up
in a special needs school when her silence is mistaken for an
intellectual disability. "The Mermaid" was a first prize winner at
the Sundance Film Festival and was also Russia’s entry to the Academy
Awards this year. It was preceded by "Ligne de Vie", an animated
short about the Holocaust by Serge Avedikian.

On Sunday afternoon, audiences enjoyed the quirky dramatic comedy
"Float" by Hrach Titizian, which centers on the owner of an ice cream
parlor who separated from his wife and moved in with his bachelor
employees. It stars Hrach Titizian, Anais Thomassian and Ken Davitian.
Music videos by "System of a Down Music Videos" produced by various
Armenian filmmakers preceded this film.

Sunday night closed out the festival with "Autumn" (Sonbahar) by Oscar
Alper, which tells the story of the struggles of a man released from
prison after 10 years – a powerfully realized inner journey which
includes several languages including that of the Hemshin dialect. "The
Second Wind" (The Pickpocket), a short film about the meeting of a
young girl and a pickpocket, by a new filmmaker from France, Varante
Soudjian screened before "Autumn".

ADAA Board member Bethel Charkoudian commented that "by establishing
our film festival as an annual event it is something both Armenian and
our non-Armenian film lovers alike can look forward to attending on an
annual basis. While many of the films depict matters of a serious
nature, the presence of the filmmakers themselves, the informal Q&A
sessions, and the unique setting that the MFA provides make for a fun,
upbeat atmosphere throughout the festival weekend".

ADAA Board member and President of HarborSide Films, Paul Boghosian,
said, "I myself have experienced directly the benefits of showcasing
films at the MFA, such as gaining the necessary exposure and
credibility for those films to secure distribution, and am enormously
pleased that the young filmmakers whose films were presented will
receive over time, the same benefits."

ADAA Board Member Alfred Demirjian, Arpi Cenkar, Elaine Mosesian, ADAA
Board Member Hapet Berberian

Visiting Filmmakers Hrach Titizian, Levon Minasian, Varant Soudjian

Michelle Kolligian, ADAA President Bianca Bagatourian, Filmmaker
Damien Arakelyan,ADAA Board Member Joan Quinn

GOLDEN APRICOT 6TH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL COOPERATES WITH NEW YORK MARGARET MEAD FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL

Noyan Tapan
July 14, 2009

YEREVAN, JULY 14, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Margaret Mead
Film and Video Festival is presented this year in the list of the
programs of the Golden Apricot 6th International Film Festival. The
Margaret Mead Festival’s prize winners of different years as well
as Middle Asian and Armenian films are involved in the program. The
program is aimed to develop this film festival of documentary films
among the local film producers in Armenia, to present Armenian and
regional documentary films with the films chosen by Margaret Mead
and to encourage the exchange.

The Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival of New York is the most
voluminous and first-rate annual show of foreign documentary films in
the United States. The festival was founded by the American Museum of
Natural History, in honour of leading anthropologist Margaret Mead’s
75th birthday anniversary and 50th anniversary of her activity at the
museum. The festival represents every year a wide choice of works
in the sense of both form and content. The festival is striking by
excellent choice of films where various and urgent themes are touched
upon, and a wide series of problems and perspectives is presented. The
festival organizers make a serious choice, taking into consideration
both quality and regional and thematic variety of the claims.

According to the Press Service of the Golden Apricot Yerevan
International Film Festival, Ariella Ben-Dov, the Artistic and
Festival Director of the Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival at
the American Museum of Natural History will represent the films at
the Armenian festival.

Besides Yerevan, the program will be also represented in the regions,
Gyumri and Kapan.

The program is implemented with the assistance of the OSI Arts and
Culture internet program of Budapest.

BAKU REALIZES THAT IT MAY SUFFER DEFEAT IN CASE OF RESUMING WAR OPERATIONS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
14.07.2009 20:09 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azerbaijan itself initiated the informational
and real warfare against Armenia, Director of Noravank
scientific-educational foundation Gagik Harutyunyan told jouirnalists
today. "We must always be prepared for war. The more we are prepared,
the less the prospects for resuming war operations," Armenian expert
stressed.

According to him, Armenia today has the strongest and most efficient
army in the region, despite the fact that Azerbaijan increases its
military budget. "I am sure that Baku perfectly realizes that it may
suffer defeat in case of resuming war operations. That’s the main
impediment to its bellicose plans," Harutyunyan stated.

TO IMPLEMENT MONEY TRANSFER TO GASPROMBANK CARDS VIA THE BANKING CARDS ‘AREXIMBANK- GASPROMBANK GROUP

ArmInfo
2009-07-14 15:05:00

ArmInfo. It will be possible soon to implement money transfer to
Gasprombank cards via the banking cards "Areximbank- Gasprombank
Group", deputy director general of Areximbank Ruben Khachatryan told
Arminfo correspondent.

He also added at present the programme is being implemented at the
pilot regime and the process of introduction of the utility bills
payment service via the ATM of "Areximbank- Gasprombank Group" is
being finished.

Khachatryan also said that over the first half-year 2009 795 mln drams
were cashed out via the cards of "Areximbank-Gasprombank Group" and the
cards of other banks from the ATM of "Areximbank-Gasprombank Group",
including 372 mln drams via the cards of this bank. Within the frames
of the arrangement with Armenian Card since April 200 mln drams were
cashed out via the ArCa from the ATMs of "Areximbank-Gasprombank
Group". He also said that over the first half-year 2009 the
bank emitted 4379 plastic cards including 4181 Visa cards and 198
MasterCard cards. As of 1 July 2009 the number of the active plastic
cards of "Areximbank-Gasprombank Group" was 16075 pieces the lion’s
share of which were Visa cards – 90% (14480 pieces), the rest were
MasterCard cards – 10% (1595 pieces). At present the bank owns 37 ATM
(12 in the regions and 25 in Yerevan). Areximbank i s a member of
VISA International since 2002 Ð~H®¤ , and a member of MasterCard
since 2005.

Trend, Azerbaijan
July 10 2009

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution to become positive factor for
entire region: Azerbaijani MP

Azerbaijan, Baku, July 10 /Trend News, U.Sadikhova/

Russia’s desire to take a more active part in changing the conflict
situation in the South Caucasus has opened up good opportunities to
continue a peace process, the Member of the Azerbaijani Parliament,
Asim Mollazadeh said.

If we can solve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by peaceful means, then
it is a very positive factor for the entire region, Mollazadeh said.

The Azerbaijani intelligentsia’s recent visit to the Nagorno-Karabakh
and their meeting in Yerevan will not be able to replace the
negotiating process and even are not called "people’s diplomacy", and
the mission is aimed at rapprochement in the process, Mollazadeh said
at a news conference on July 10.

Azerbaijani and Armenian Ambassadors to Russia Polad Bul-Bul oglu and
Armen Smbatian, as well as Head of Federal Agency for Culture and
Cinematography Mikhail Shvydko are on visit in the unrecognized
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Smbatian, Polad Bul-Bul oglu and Shvydko
met with the President of the unrecognized NKR Bako Saakyan in
Khankandi last week, the Armenian media reported.

A six-member Azerbaijani delegation, as well as two members of the
Azerbaijani parliament Asim Mollazade and Rovshan Rzayev and composer
Siyavush Karimi arrived in Khankandi.

The Azerbaijani delegation left for Armenia and met with President
Serzh Sargsyan.

"Our mission aims to support the peace process, and we are confident
that the peoples of the South Caucasus can live in peace, and we
should seize the opportunity to advance peace in the region," said the
parliamentarian.

We must act rationally and not emotionally to use our capacity for
peace, Mollazadeh said.

The position of the Armenian lobby and the Armenians in Armenia
differ. "In Armenia, I saw a willingness to sign a peace agreement
which President Sargsyan said at the meeting with us," he said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding
districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in
1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the
U.S. – are currently holding the peace negotiations.