Author: Hovhannisian John

ISMAYIL OMAROV: "ARMENIA CAN PARTICIPATE IN EUROVISION DANCE CONTEST 2009 IN BAKU, IF WISHES"

APA
Feb 11 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku. Kamala Guliyeva – APA. Eurovision Dance Contest 2009 will be
held in Baku on September 26. It was announced at the press conference
held by Director General of Public Television and Radio Broadcasting
Company (ITV) Ismayil Omarov, executive producer of Eurovision Dance
Contest 2009 Farhad Hajiyev and head of Azerbaijani delegation in the
contest Adil Karimov, APA reports. Omarov said for the first time in
the whole East and Caucasus Eurovision Dance Contest would be held
in Azerbaijan. Ismayil Omarov said there were a number of conditions
to win the tender for hosting Eurovision Dance Contest 2009, for this
the country should be stable and ensure security of tourists.

"A magnificent event will be held on September 26. Once more the world
will witness Azerbaijan’s beauty, great musical culture and progress,"
he said.

Omarov said 24 countries participated in the contest last year. The
number of participating countries will be increased this year. ITV
Director General said Azerbaijan’s representatives in the contest
would be chosen carefully and added that the names of the country’s
representatives were not known. Omarov said the contest required
a lot of funds, that’s why ITV had already appealed to a number of
government agencies for organizing the contest.

ITV Director General declined to give information about expenditures
of Eurovision Dance Contest 2009.

"We do not now how many tourists will come to Azerbaijan. It will
not be right if we say a concrete number. We will provide concrete
information about it early in September", he said. Omarov noted that
comperes of the Eurovision Dance Contest 2009 would be world-renowned
stars. They will be identified in some months.

The number of countries, which will participate in the contest, is
not yet known. As regards participation of Armenia in the contest,
Omarov said that if the country wanted to attend the contest, it
would be represented.

"There will not be race discrimination and political motives basing on
regulations of European Broadcasting Union and terms of Eurovision. If
Armenia participates in the contest, there will be condition for
it. Armenian sportsmen have participated in several competitions in
Azerbaijan by now and there has not been any incident," he said.

As regards hotel and travel service of tourists, Omarov added that
infrastructure of the capital is at least for 10.000 tourists.

"If number of tourists is more than it, we will provide them with
accommodations. As regards traffic jam, there is traffic jam in every
country. Construction of roads will be commissioned till the opening
ceremony of the contest," he added.

WEBSITE OF MOUNTAIN JEWS REFUTES INFORMATION ABOUT JEWISH POGROMS IN AZERBAIJANI SUMGAYIT

Today.Az
cs/50629.html
Feb 11 2009
Azerbaijan

The website Gorskie.ru-central resource of mountain Jews refuted
the earlier spread information about Jewish pogroms in the city of
Sumgayit, Azerbaijan.

Earlier this information was spread with reference to Armenian sources.

"Since morning the publishing house Gorskie.ru has started to receive
calls from leaders of different Jewish organizations of Azerbaijan
refuting information about pogroms in Sumgayit. All of then stated
that this disinformation comes from Armenian provokers, dated to the
anniversary of Armenian pogroms in Sumgayit", said the website.

Later this website posted the final refutation of the information
about Jewish pogroms: "The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan
and the state committee for work with religious organizations have
officially refutted information about the alleged Jewish pogroms
in Sumgayit. Information about pogroms was also refuted in the city
department Sumgayit".

The Gorskie.ru portal regrets that it has not fully checked the
information about alleged Jewish pogroms in Sumgayit", says the
webpage of the central resource of Mountain Jews.

SERZH SARGSYAN: "AZARIAN CROSS" ENTERED BIG SPORT ENCYCLOPEDIAS LONG AGO

Noyan Tapan

Feb 11, 2009

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. RA President Serzh Sargsyan sent
a congratulatory message on the occasion of Albert Azarian’s 80th
birth anniversary.

The message, in particular, read:

"As one of the first Armenian Olympic champions, you are the glory
and pride of Armenian sport. "Azarian cross" entered big sport
encyclopedias long ago.

You have much contribution to development of Armenian sport and to
sowing healthy way of life in our society."

GAGIK MELIKIAN HOPEFUL THAT AUTHORITIES TO TAKE STEPS FOR MAKING RISE IN GAS PRICE "BEARABLE FOR THE POPULATION"

Noyan Tapan

Feb 10, 2009

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. By the agreement signed between
Gazprom and ArmRusgazprom, starting from April 1, the price of gas
imported into Armenia from Russia will make 154 USD per 1,000 cubic
meters instead of current 110 USD. Spokeswoman for ArmRusgazprom
Shushan Sardarian told Radio Liberty that on February 8 the company
submitted a bid to the RA Public Services Regulatory Commission.

It is noted in the bid that the tariff of 1,000 cubic meters of
natural gas sold to users of up to 10 thousand cubic meters (that is,
residents) will make 99 thousand drams instead of the previous 84
thousand drams.

The tariff of gas sold to users of over 10 thousand cubic meters
(that is, production enterprises) will also increase – from 153 to
230 USD per 1,000 cubic meters.

The deputy of the National Assembly Gagik Melikian expressed a hope
that the authorities will take steps so that the increase in the
gas price will not be considerable and "will be bearable for the
population", and "it will not have a negative impact in terms of a
rise in power prices".

ARMENIAN AND RUSSIAN GOVERNMENTS SIGN AGREEMENT ON PROVIDING 500 MILLION USD STATE CREDIT TO ARMENIA

ARMENPRESS
Feb 9, 2009

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, : As a result of negotiations between Armenian and
Russian governments an agreement has initially been signed on providing
a state credit. An official from the Armenian Finance Ministry told
Armenpress that according to the agreement the Russian side will
provide 500 million USD state credit to Armenia for neutralizing the
negative consequences of the world financial crisis. The credit will
be provided with 15 years’ term of which four years with privileged
conditions.

The financial agreement does not suppose implementation of any not
financial committements by Armenia and will be provided with smooth
conditions.

The Orange County Register (California)
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune News Service
February 8, 2009 Sunday

Darchinyan the first man to stop Arce since Carbajal accomplished it
10 years ago

By Mark Whicker, The Orange County Register

ANAHEIM, Calif.

ANAHEIM, Calif. _ Jorge Arce had said Vic Darchinyan could only cause
trouble with one hand.

Very true.

Sandy Koufax was like that, too.

Darchinyan’s left hand popped its way through Arce’s defenses, his
resolve, his experience, and through most of the skin above and around
both eyes.

Between the 11th and 12th rounds, ring doctor Paul Wells struck a blow
himself, for decency. He didn’t allow Arce to take another shot in an
IBF super-flyweight championship fight Saturday night at Honda Center
that had long since escaped Arce’s control.

It was Darchinyan’s 34th fight, his 26th knockout and his 32nd
victory, with one draw thrown in. It might not have been the violent
end that he had promised for most of the preceding month, but it was
systematic and a little instructive, too.

It also made Darchinyan the first man to stop Arce since Michael
Carbajal did it, 10 years ago.

"I was waiting for big uppercuts, and he was slow, you know?"
Darchinyan said. "At the end of the rounds I was picking it up. If I
take time, I can catch anybody with them. I was as fresh in round 11
as I was in round 1."

But this isn’t just a Raging Bull, as Darchinyan calls himself. This
is also a Schemin’ Armenian.

Darchinyan’s offense is self-explanatory. But his defense wins fights,
too. He stood almost to the side against Arce, moving his shoulders
constantly, giving "El Travieso" very little to hit.

Then Darchinyan would sort of unwrap that left hand, almost like an
old bolo punch. Then he would slap his gloves together and hold both
hands out to the side. Then he might strike with a quick uppercut, or
a body shot, or a home run shot to the head (thankfully for Arce,
quite a few of them missed).

Throughout, people in Darchinyan’s corner kept yelling, "Double jab!
Keep your distance! Double jab, double jab!" Darchinyan pretended to
listen, and did indeed paw at Arce’s face with an occasional right
lead, but mostly he snake-charmed Arce with punching angles that you
don’t see every night.

"He’s a lot like that Lazy Susan you see at the Chinese restaurant,"
said Gary Shaw, Darchinyan’s promoter. "You reach for the prime
rib. All of a sudden, it moves to the other side. He takes an
opponent’s game plan completely away."

But let’s be clear. This guy can hit.

In the fourth round, he rocked Arce hard with a left, and Arce’s
survival instincts took him to the far ropes before the bell rang. A
couple of other rounds ended with Darchinyan wobbling Arce.

Finally, in the 11th, there was too much blood and too little time to
keep it going. All three judges gave Darchinyan 10 of 11 rounds, which
was about right.

"He surprised me," Darchinyan said. "I didn’t expect him to fight like
he did, but he proved to me he was tough. I hit him with some good
shots and he kept fighting back. I would have liked to have knocked
him out cold, but it’s OK. I’m happy. If the fight goes on, maybe I
knock him out.

"Sure, there were head butts. We were both at fault. I’m not blaming
him. I was just too strong. I think my speed was a difference."

"There was a lot of bad blood between these two," Shaw said. "Vic
really wanted a knockout and went for it. If he hadn’t gone for the
knockout the way it did, maybe it would have come sooner."

The cut men in both corners were busy after two rounds, with Arce
carving up Darchinyan’s eyebrow with a left hook. Arce needed to do
more of that, to test Darchinyan’s chin with counterpunches and
accumulate some punishment inside. He couldn’t, primarily because
Darchinyan played such good defense. You still don’t know how good
Darchinyan’s chin is. Some fighters are so good, they never find out.

Arce was agitated at the end and unhappy about the doctor’s call.

"Going into the last round, a fighter always has a chance to win," he
said. "I recognize he is a strong fighter, but that cut was from his
elbow. He’s a dirty fighter who throws a lot of elbows."

What’s next for the Calculating Bull?

"We could go for a fourth belt in this weight class, or we could go
with (Fernando) Montiel at 118,"

Shaw said. "Or we could go with Israel Vazquez at 122."

That’s the same Vazquez who emerged from the brutal, beautiful trilogy
with Rafael Marquez and became the fight fan’s fighter.

Vazquez posed for pictures with Darchinyan afterward. Their fight
would promise tons of talk and buckets of blood. Just don’t
underestimate a crafty left-hander.

VARDAN ASTSATRIAN APPOINTED NKR PRESIDENT’S ADVISER

Noyan Tapan

Feb 5, 2009

STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 5, NOYAN TAPAN. Under NKR President Bako
Sahakian’s February 5 decree, Vardan Astsatrian was appointed NKR
President’s Adviser.

According to the report of the General Information Department of
NKR President’s Staff, the same day B. Sahakian signed the law On
Local Self-Government.

TURKISH SCHOLAR EXPOSES ANKARA’S VAIN ATTEMPT TO SPLIT ARMENIA FROM DIASPORA
By Harut Sassounian

AZG Armenian Daily
04/02/2009

International

In their persistent efforts to distort the facts of the Armenian
Genocide, Turkish denialists resort to all sorts of tricks. Their
latest scheme is trying to drive a wedge between Armenia and the
Diaspora by claiming that authorities in Yerevan are all too willing
to forget about the Genocide and reconcile with Turks, were it not
for the "sinister influence" of Diaspora Armenians who constantly
undermine all attempts at reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey.

Prime Minister Recep Erdogan, during a press conference in Ankara last
week, claimed that "the Armenian Diaspora is plotting. We can see
very clearly and sharply that their efforts are aimed at utilizing
[the Armenian Genocide issue]. This is so obvious. But I also see
that the current administration in Armenia doesn’t take part in this."

Significantly, it was Turkish scholar Taner Akcam who exposed the false
arguments of all those who share Prime Minister Erdogan’s false notion
that Armenia and the Diaspora are split on the issue of recognition
of the Armenian Genocide. In a recent issue of the Turkish newspaper
Taraf, Prof. Akcam wrote a lengthy analysis of Turkish misperceptions
and misrepresentations on this issue. He argued against the view that
"good neighbor" Armenia and the "bad" Diaspora have opposing views on
the Armenian Genocide. Prof. Akcam correctly stated that Armenians
everywhere agree that what occurred in 1915 was genocide and feel
that it needs to be acknowledged by Turkey. He noted, however, that
there are differences among Armenians (regardless of where they live)
about the consequences of such an acknowledgement.

Prof. Akcam dismissed the Turkish claim that "the Armenian state
has not been very insistent on the subject of ‘recognition of the
Genocide.’" Most Turkish analysts wrongly allege, according to Akcam,
that Armenia is a very "good" neighbor to Turkey and that it reflects
its "goodness" by "refraining from use of the word ‘Genocide’ and by
not demanding ‘recognition’" during the course of Pres. Gul’s visit
to Armenia last September. Turkish analysts further claim that "the
Armenian state is seriously in the grip of and under the influence
of the ‘bad’ diaspora." They conclude that "in order to relieve
Turkish-Armenian tension, ‘our good neighbor Armenia’ must be saved
from the ‘bad’ diaspora."

According to Prof. Akcam, Turkish analysts falsely claim that "the
biggest reason why Armenia has fallen under the influence of the
‘bad’ diaspora" is "poorly conceived Turkish policies. As a result,
in order to save Armenia from the diaspora, Turkey must relinquish its
bad policies and foster ‘good’ relations with Armenia. Consequently,
Armenia will be able to distance itself from the bad policies of the
diaspora, policies like ‘insisting on recognition of genocide.’"

Prof. Akcam categorically refuted those allegations by stating that
"when it comes to acknowledging the genocide, Armenia and the diaspora
are on the same page. It is improper to draw a distinction between
the sides on an axis of ‘those who insist on recognition and those
who do not.’ It needs to be emphasized right here, right now, that
Armenians everywhere agree that what occurred in 1915 was genocide
and they feel that it needs to be acknowledged by Turkey."

Prof. Akcam then acknowledged that there may be legitimate differences
among Armenians, regardless of whether they live in Armenia or the
Diaspora, on such complex subjects as "what does it mean to recognize
the genocide?" and "on the issue of addressing an historical injustice,
what steps Turkey might take that will be considered sufficient?"

Prof. Akcam then wondered which option Turkey should pursue — the
Japanese or German model — in confronting its history? The Japanese
model, he explained, would entail a "half-hearted expression" of
apology. The German model, on the other hand, constitutes "acceptance
of all consequences that arise from that acknowledgement, including
providing reparations if necessary, would be required. To follow
in Germany’s footsteps, Turkey would have to identify the events of
1915 as genocide and make serious effort to compensate all who were
injured by those events both emotionally and materially." He thus
raised the serious issue of bringing "restorative justice" to the
victims of the Armenian Genocide.

It is high time that Turkish denialists face squarely the brutal
history of their nation and focus their attention on making amends
to heal the wounds of the past rather than seeking to blame the
descendants of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, be they in
Armenia or the Diaspora!

66 JOURNALISTS MURDERED IN 2008

Panorama.am
11:29 04/02/2009

Russia and Georgia are considered the most dangerous countries in
Europe for journalists to implement their professional duties, says
the report of Press International Center in Vienna.

According to mass media during the previous year four journalists have
been murdered in these two countries. Asia is the most difficult and
dangerous territory for the journalists. In Asia during the previous
year 26 journalists have been murdered while implementing their
professional duties, and 6 of them were killed in Pakistan.

During 2008 66 journalists have been murdered in the world.

PRESIDENT: ARMENIA INTENDS TO GET OUT OF CRISIS WITH MINIMAL LOSSES

ARKA
Feb 3, 2009

YEREVAN, February 3. /ARKA/. The main objective of Armenia is to
find a way out of the global crisis with minimal losses, Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan said at his meeting with representatives of
Swiss Armenian community in Zurich.

The world faces a new challenge – a global financial and economic
crisis, Sargsyan said as quoted by the presidential press service.

"So far we have managed to ensure financial stability in the country,
but, no doubt, everybody understands that Armenia cannot stay aside
from the global processes," the President said.

Armenia’s failure to get out of the crisis with minimal losses and
to appear in a better condition as compared to other countries will
mean a poor performance by the authorities, Sargsyan said adding that
the authorities do not want to perform poorly.