Author: Hunanian Jack

ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
 Friday
9th Festival of Armenian Composers' Art dedicated to the 110th
anniversary of Grigor Eghiazaryan
Yerevan February 23
Alexander Avanesov. From March 5 to 9, Yerevan will host the 9th
festival of Armenian composers' art. Each year the festival is
dedicated to one of the famous Armenian composers. This year it is
dedicated to the 110th anniversary of the composer, teacher, People's
Artist of the USSR Grigor Eghiazaryan.
Grigory Yeghiazaryan is one of the founders of the modern Armenian
composer school. Among his students are Alexander Ajemyan, Emin
Aristakesyan, Grigor Ahinyan, Edgar Hovhannisyan, Geghuni Chichchyan,
Martun Israelyan and many other composers. Grigory Egiazaryan composed
music mainly in symphonic and ballet genre, wrote symphonic poems,
symphonies, ballets, romances, music for theater and cinema. Since the
foundation, the festival of Armenian composer art has been held under
the high patronage of RA President Serzh Sargsyan. The organizer of
the festival is the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra. This initiative
is in the center of attention of the RA Ministry of Culture, and the
ministry sponsors the festival. The artistic director and chief
conductor of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, Sergei Smbatyan,
stressed the importance of the Festival of Armenian Composers' Art.
"Some people always say that the works of contemporary composers are
not being performed, but the festival of Armenian composer's art
proves the opposite. The festival has a very important mission and
purpose. We must preserve our national culture, and society must see
our heroes, those who create our contemporary music, "said Sergei
Smbatyan. It should be noted that much work has been done in the
framework of the festival in recent years. Symphonic and chamber works
of more than 50 Armenian composers were digitized, more than 200 works
were recorded, as well as premieres of more than 150 works by Armenian
composers. This activity is aimed at the preservation and development
of cultural heritage. Within the framework of the festival of Armenian
composer art, the compositions of Grigor Eghiazaryan were also
digitized. The organizers of the festival are trying to find the
archives of the composer. His writings are mostly manuscripts and very
poorly preserved. Several works were published from 1930 to 1940. The
Armenian State Symphony Orchestra found chamber compositions by Grigor
Eghiazaryan in the archives of the Conservatory and individuals. The
team is trying to find symphonic works of the composer in order to
restore the notes and in the future to include them in concert
programs. Within the framework of Gregory Yeghiazaryan-Fest there will
be 5 concerts. Works by Grigor Eghiazaryan, his students and also
contemporary Armenian composers will be performed. The works of
Alexander Harutyunyan, Arno Babajanian, Simon Hovhannisyan, Gagik
Ovunts, Valery Sargsyan, Vagharshak Kotoyan, Geguni Chichyan, Eduard
Baghdasaryan, Alexander Ajemyan, Barsegh Kanachyan, Stepan will be
presented at the festival. Lusikyan, Eduard Abrahamyan, Vache
Sharafyan and other composers. A separate evening will be dedicated to
composers living in the Diaspora: chamber pieces by Richard Yardumyan,
Alan Hovhannes, Harutyun Dallalyan, Nubar Aslanyan, Konstantin
Petrosyan will be presented.

Plus Company Updates(PCU)
 Friday
Vazken Der Kaloustian, MD, Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis
Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who
MONTREAL, QC: Marquis Who's Who Ventures LLC has issued the following
press release:
Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical
profiles, is proud to present Vazken Der Kaloustian, MD, with the
Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished
listee, Dr. Der Kaloustian celebrates many years' experience in his
professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership
qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his
field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals
profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors
such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and
prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection
process.
Professor emeritus of pediatrics and human genetics in the Department
of Medical Genetics at McGill University, Dr. Der Kaloustian is a
board-certified physician who has been affiliated with the university
for more than two decades. Licensed to practice medicine in Lebanon,
as well as Quebec, Canada, and several states in the United States, he
worked in various capacities at the university, including as director
of the medical genetics training program, head of the division of
medical genetics, and founder and director of the national unit of
human genetics in Lebanon. Throughout his career in academia, Dr. Der
Kaloustian also taught as a professor at the American University of
Beirut for several years. He began his teaching career in 1965 as a
teaching fellow in pediatrics at Harvard University for one year,
followed by serving as an instructor of pediatrics at the American
University of Beirut from 1968 to 1970. He began teaching at McGill
University as a professor of pediatrics and genetics in 1988.
Dr. Der Kaloustian has been an invited speaker for dozens of seminars,
symposiums, and other events, including at Beaumont Hospital in
Michigan, Erasmus University in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and the
University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, and was a keynote speaker at
the University of Guadalajara's First International Symposium on
Genodermatosis. Additionally, he has been affiliated with a great
number of professional organizations, including the Canadian College
of Medical Geneticists, The American Society of Human Genetics, and
the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics. He has been
active on the international scientific advisory committee of The
Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics since 2008.
Throughout Dr. Der Kaloustian's career, he has been honored with a
Medal of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia, a Gold Medal Award
from the American University of Beirut Alumni Association, and a Medal
from the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Association. He
has also authored and co-authored several books, including "Genetic
Diseases of the Skin" in 1979, "The Kidney in Genetic Disease" in
1986, "Congenital Anomalies of the Ear, Nose and Throat" in 1991, as
well as more than 160 articles in peer-reviewed journals, chapters to
15 books, and numerous papers and reports for international
organizations. He has also been a reviewer for several professional
journals, was an editorial board member for "The American Journal of
Medical Genetics" and "The Lebanese Science Bulletin," and was a board
member for "The Birth Defects Encyclopedia."
Born in Antioch, Turkey in 1937, Dr. Der Kaloustian later studied at
the Hamazkayin Armenia College and the International College in
Beirut, Lebanon, before earning a bachelor's degree and MD at the
American University of Beirut in 1959 and 1963, respectively. Becoming
an assistant resident in pediatrics at the university, he then
traveled to the United States to complete a residency in pediatrics at
Boston Children's Hospital, followed by a fellowship in human genetics
in the department of pediatrics and a master's degree at The John
Hopkins University. By 1974, Dr. Der Kaloustian had completed a second
short fellowship in the Department of Cell Biology and Genetics at
Erasmus University before completing another fellowship in the
Department of Pediatrics in the Genetics unit at The Johns Hopkins
Hospital in 1982. Making his way to Canada in 1986, he and his wife
Lena Sethian have remained there ever since. They have two daughters.
Notably, Dr. Der Kaloustian has been cited in over 30 editions of
Who's Who, including Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare, Who's Who
in America and Who's Who in the World.
In recognition of outstanding contributions to his profession and the
Marquis Who's Who community, Vazken Der Kaloustian, MD, has been
featured on the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement website.
Please visit www.ltachievers.com for more information about this
honor.

Anadolu Agency (AA), Turkey
February 9, 2018 Friday
EU sees no military solution to Karabakh conflict
EU foreign policy chief says unresolved conflict between Azerbaijan,
Armenia remains 'very serious'
By Diyar Guldogan
 ANKARA
The Karabakh dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia remains a "very
serious" challenge, EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said
on Friday.
"The status quo, we believe, is unsustainable and the conflict does
not have a military solution," Mogherini said at a news conference
with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Memmedyarov, who attended 15th
Cooperation Council between the EU and Azerbaijan in Brussels,
according to a EU statement.
Mogherini said the EU "fully" supports the mediation efforts and
proposals of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's
(OSCE) Minsk group co-chairs and confidence-building measures.
The Minsk group was formed to find a peaceful solution to the conflict
between the two countries.
Memmedyarov said the unresolved conflict with Armenia was one of the
"biggest" challenge, which Azerbaijan faces.
"We recognize that the conflict must be solved. First of all, based on
the, of course, territorial integrity of my country..," he said.
Occupied Karabakh is recognized as Azerbaijani territory by the
international community but was taken over by Armenian secessionists
as the Soviet Union broke up in the late 1980s.
Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan in 1991 with Armenian military
support, while a peace process has yet to be implemented.
Azerbaijan 'important' partner for EU
Mogherini said Azerbaijan was an "important" partner for the EU, which
supports the country's independence, sovereignty and territorial
integrity.
She said "close" contacts were illustrated by the fact that the EU was
Azerbaijan's largest economic partner, representing nearly half of the
trade of the country -- 48.6 percent --, and the EU was also the
largest foreign direct investor in Azerbaijan.
"The Southern Gas Corridor is just one example of our strategic
relationship in the field of energy that serves the interest of both
Azerbaijan and the EU," she added.
The Southern Gas Corridor -- which plans to carry Azeri gas all the
way to Italy -- is considered critical for Europe's future energy
needs and for lowering dependence on Russian gas.
The corridor includes three major pipeline projects: the expansion of
the South Caucasus Pipeline through Azerbaijan and Georgia, the
construction of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP)
across Turkey and the construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline
(TAP) through Greece, Albania and into Italy.
Memmedyarov expects the inauguration of TANAP will be done in 2017.

Interfax - Russia & CIS General Newswire
 Monday 6:25 PM MSK
Karabakh crisis settlement implies package option - Armenian FM
YEREVAN. Jan 29
The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group for Karabakh settlement
repeatedly said that the problem should be resolved on the basis of
principles and elements suggested by them, Armenian Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian said.
"These principles and elements are presented as the single thing, as
the single package. This is why the talks about the ways to settle the
conflict, either gradually or in a package, are unserious. The
attempts to single out a certain principle will make the settlement of
the issue impossible," Nalbandian said at a press conference on
Monday.
This is a package proposal put forth by the intermediaries and
repeatedly stated by the presidents of the co-chairing countries, that
is, Russia, the United States and France, he said. "But a package
solution definitely implies gradually putting this solution into
practice," the Armenian foreign minister said.