ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPERS’ 6th SHIFT RETURNS TO ARMENIA FROM IRAQ
Noyan Tapan
Jan 31, 2008
YEREVAN, JANUARY 31, NOYAN TAPAN. The 6th shift of Armenian
peacekeepers implementing a peacekeeping mission in Iraq arrived in
Yerevan on January 30. Noyan Tapan was informed about it by the RA
Defence Ministry’s Press Service.
ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CONSIDERS TRANSFER FROM PURE PROGAMMING ACTIVITY TO HIGH-TECH PRODUCTION AS MOST IMPORTANT GOAL IN UPCOMING YEARS
Noyan Tapan
Jan 31, 2008
YEREVAN, JANUARY 31, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian president Robert
Kocharian on January 31 received Serge Tchuruk, the chairman of
Alcatel-Lucent company – one of the world leading IT companies, and
Armen Sargsian, chairman of Night Bridge Holding, former prime minister
of the RA. According to the RA president’s press service, during the
meeting the interlocutors spoke about projects on introduction of
innovation technologies in scientific research and economy and on
cooperation in provision of fast high-quality Internet connection.
S. Tchuruck briefly presented the activities of Alcatel and expressed
a willingness to launch some projects in Armenia.
Underlining the importance of mutually beneficial cooperation,
R. Kocharian said that the Armenian government gives priority to
information technologies, and there has already been progress in the
IT sector. He considered the transfer from pure programming work to
high-tech production as the most important goal in the upcoming years.
LATEST GALLUP POLL SAYS PRIME MINISTER SARKISIAN ENJOYS 43 PERCENT VOTER SUPPORT
ARMENPRESS
Jan 31, 2008
YEREVAN, JANUARY 31, ARMENPRESS: If Armenian presidential election
were held next Sunday 43 percent of voters would cast their ballots
in favor of prime minister Serzh Sarkisian, according to findings of
a latest public opinion poll commissioned by the Gallup Organization.
Compared with the previous poll, conducted last December, Serzh
Sarkisian has won over an extra 8 percent of popular support.
A former parliament chairman Arthur Baghdasarian, nominated by his
opposition Country of Law party, would come second with 11 percent
of votes and Artashes Geghamian, head of the National Unity, would
come third garnering 6 percent of all votes.
The amount of popular support to other presidential candidates, as
found by the poll is not known yet as none of them made public any
relevant figure.
The poll also asked 1,200 randomly selected respondents to say what
they think about the country’s development. Forty-nine percent are
sure that the country is on the right track, but a sizeable 43 percent
said it was on the wrong one.
Forty-five percent think the country’s economy is developing while
17 percent do not think so. The poll ahs found also some 80 percent
of eligible voters are expected to go to polling stations on February
19 to elect their new president.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER RECEIVED ISRAEL AMBASSADOR
Panorama.am
20:35 29/01/2008
Today Vardan Oskanyan, the minister of foreign affairs met the
ambassador of Israel Ehoud Goli and the deputy director of Eurasian
department of the foreign affairs ministry of Israel Israel Meyami.
The sides discussed several questions of the countries’ relationship
and some regional questions, too. The sides highly evaluated the
present relationship of both countries and said that they tend to
strengthen those relations.
The Ambassador talked about the projects carried out by the ministers
of agriculture and health care.
After, the sides discussed the Israeli Palestinian antagonism and
the stage of NK negotiations. The same delegation met with Tigran
Torosyan the president of the National assembly.
ARMENIAN CAMPAIGN TURNS NASTY
By Naira Bulghadarian
Institute for War and Peace Reporting
Jan 30 2008
UK
Opposition supporters in a major city say they have been subject to
threats and intimidation.
The people of Vanadzor could not fail to notice the official start of
Armenia’s presidential election campaign. On the morning of January 21,
their town was covered in posters and photographs of Prime Minister
Serzh Sarkisian, the official candidate.
Overnight, Tigran Metsi Street, the main thoroughfare through the
city in the north of the country, had been decorated with pictures
of Sarkisian in various sizes, accompanied by his campaign slogan,
"Forward, Armenia!" The prime minister’s smiling face also stared
down from two huge advertising hoardings on the main street, as well
as bus-stops and apartment blocks.
So far only one of the nine candidates in the February 19 vote – former
Yerevan mayor Artashes Geghamian – has actually visited Vanadzor, so
the contenders have been relying on local campaigners and advertising
to get their message across.
Sarkisian has top-level support in this city of 100,000 people. His
campaign there is headed by mayor Samvel Darbinian, who has moved his
office into the campaign headquarters, while Lori district governor
Aram Kocharian leads the campaign at a regional level.
A few days after the campaign began, photographs of two opposition
candidates, former speaker Artur Baghdasarian and ex-president Levon
Ter-Petrosian. also appeared in the city.
However, opposition campaigners said it was too late to secure
advertising space. Khachik Harutiunain, head of the Vanadzor branch
of Baghdasarian’s party, Orinats Yerkir, said that all the hoardings
had been taken and it was impossible to buy any space.
Despite its lack of publicity, Orinats Yerkir says even its limited
campaign has been the target of petty violence and intimidation. In
the course of one night, the windows and name-plate of the campaign
office were smashed and a poster of Baghdasarian was torn up.
In a separate incident in another part of the town, a poster of
Baghdasarian was torn from a wall and burned. In a third district,
Orinats Yerkir closed its office after it said its owner had been
threatened by telephone.
"Our activists are being intimidated and told ‘Why you are supporting
them? You should support another candidate’," said Harutiunian.
The police have been informed about these incidents, as well as an
incident in which a poster of Ter-Petrosian was torn up and defaced
and the door of a campaign office supporting him was scrawled with
Nazi symbols and graffiti saying "Blind Levon" and "Blind Scoundrel".
Opposition candidates have blamed these attacks on supporters of
Sarkisian, while campaigners from his Republican Party retort that
it was probably the work of young vandals.
Local human rights activist Artur Sakunts, who is head of the Helsinki
Citizens Assembly in the city, said these incidents were "a typical
example of the behaviour of [pro-government youth movement] Baze."
However, the head of the Republican Party’s regional organisation,
Samvel Khalatian, said, "The governor has strictly forbidden our
youth wing to do anything of this kind."
The opposition has also claimed that voters are being offered 50 US
dollars to give their passport details to Republican Party campaigners
on election day.
Khalatian, however, called this allegation slander and said anyone
found offering bribes would be expelled from the party.
VAHAN HOVHANNISIAN IS CONVINCED THAT THERE IS NO NOSTALGIA TO FORMER AUTHORITIES IN COUNTRY
Noyan Tapan
Jan 30, 2008
YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, NOYAN TAPAN. The residents of the Armenian
regions have an apprehension that they will be made to vote openly
in the presidential elections. As Vahan Hovhannisian, a candidate for
presidency, a member of the ARFD Bureau, mentioned at the January 30
press conference, he was informed about it during his meetings with
people within the 10 days of the election campaign. According to him,
in many populated areas people promise to vote for ARFD’s candidate
if that party ensures a possibility of secret ballot for them.
According to V. Hovhannisian, for the present, it is difficult to
say who is the leader in the election campaign. In his words, in one
place rally participants arrive by car columns, in another place are
brought with the help of the administrative resource, and both cases
are equally negative phenomena.
The ARFD’s candidate expressed confidence that there is no nostalgia
to the former authorities in the country. In his opinion, today’s
influence of the former authorities is conditioned by not the feeling
of love for them, but by the circumstance of being discontent
with the current authorities. In V. Hovhannisian’s words, the most
aggressive and simple part of voters not seeing a way out of the
formed situation is inclined to the pole, where it sees a possibility
of retribution. However, in his words, the main part is not disposed
this way: everybody wishes changes to be made, but avoid shocks.
V. Hovhannisian considered dangerous inclusion of populist promises
in some candidates’ programs. In particular, in his words, the talks
about forming a purely professional army in Armenia are inadmissible in
consideration of the country’s geopolitical position and the existence
of the unsolved conflict.
He expressed anxiety in connection with the circumstance that the
Russian political scientist permits himself to state that the
election of one of the candidates corresponds to his country’s
interests. According to V. Hovhannisian, the Armenian people can make
its choice independently and should not make Armenia a scene of fight
of others’ interests.
KARABAKH CONFLICT RESOLUTION DEPENDS ON ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENTS
PanARMENIAN.Net
29.01.2008 14:29 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict depends
on the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents, Council of Europe Secretary
General Terry Davis said.
~SThe Minsk Group can help but settlement of the problem depends on
the governments and publics of the two states. I recommend Armenia
and Azerbaijan to continue efforts,~T he said.
~SThe Karabakh problem is dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Group
and the Council of Europe would make a mistake engaging in its
activities. Efforts of a second mediator would be unnecessary. I also
want to stress that the sides should attend to the MG proposals,~T
Mr Davis said, Trend reports.
Posted on Sat, Jan. 26, 2008 10:15 PM
An Armenian at the Folly: Soprano sings the long line
By PAUL HORSLEY
The Kansas City Star
Isabel Bayrakdarian possesses a firm, luxurious lyric soprano and sings with
a crystal-clear, almost prescient sense of diction in a rainbow of languages.
But what most impressed at her Harriman-Jewell Series recital Saturday at the
Folly was her extraordinary capacity to spin an endless melodic line, a
mellifluous flow that takes you from the beginning to the end of a thought or
idea.
You’d think all singers should be able to do that, but it’snot as common as
you imagine.
The Lebanese-born Canadian-Armenian star of the Metropolitan Opera – and of
Howard Shore’s score for the film `The Two Towers’- sang in seven languages,
including her native Armenian.
You’ll rarely hear a singer muster so much meaning from such a range of
texts. Her husband, pianist-composer Serouj Kradjian, was an unusually
proficient and sophisticated accompanist.
Bayrakdarian’s stage presence is commanding, and her technique is solid and
consistent. She doesn’t knock you over with diva-like star power. Instead, her
poetic and spiritual currents run deep.
Occasionally her rapid vibrato cloyed in the Folly’s close acoustic, and I
found myself yearning for a wider range of color.
Yet I found myself drawn to her `long line’ from the opening set of Poulenc
songs (`Banalités), where she struck attitude (`Hôtel’) or pleaded
plaintively (`Fagnes de Wallonie’) as called for.
She was also vividly aware of communicating the text in the American composer
Jake Heggie’s `Songs and Sonnets to Ophelia,’ a setof musings on facets of
Shakespeare’s heroine.
Her `Song of the Moon’ aria from Dvorák’s `Rusalka’ was diamond-polished
rather than plush and velvety. Rossini’s `Una voca poco fa’ was explored for
its comedy, conveyed not just with saucy gestures but by injecting humor right
into the vocal line (for example, by stretching trills a tad too long).
After intermission came out in a new gown, which one striking mango-apricot,
and sang five Armenian folk songs, which for me were the highlight of the
evening.
Most of these tunes had an ancient flavor, with a narrow voice range and a
long-breathed cantilena that is unlike any folk song I’ve heard.
One of them, `Call to the Sea,’ was a patriotic song that asked somewhat
defiantly:
`I wonder if the day will come / When I see a flag on Mount Ararat,/ And
Armenians from all over the world / Will make their way to their dear
homeland.’
At the song’s stirring climax, Bayrakdarian’s voice welled up to a
luminosity we had not yet heard.
She then launched into Ravel’s `Five Popular Greek Melodies,’ in Greek
rather than in the French in which they were set.
Again, soulful lines were juxtaposed with boisterousness and urgency, as in
the subsequent set of Spanish Folk Songs by Fernando Obradors.
Bayrakdarian’s Spanish was as nimble as her French and Italian. Thelush,
sensuous encores were in Spanish, too: Lecuona’s `Malaguena’ and Montsalvatge’s
un-p.c. but delicious `Canción de cuna para dormir a un negrito.’
Isabel Bayrakdarian, soprano
Reviewed: Saturday, Jan. 26
Place: Folly Theater
With: Serouj Kradjian, piano
Audience: 450 (approx.)
Presenter: Harriman-Jewell Series
To reach Paul Horsley, classical music and dance critic, call 816-234-4764 or
e-mail [email protected].
DENMARK’S JAN POULSEN NAMED ARMENIA COACH
The Canadian Press
Jan 24 2008
YEREVAN, Armenia – Jan Poulsen has been named coach of Armenia on
Thursday and will lead the team through qualifying for the 2010
World Cup.
The 61-year-old Dane, who coached Jordan’s under-20 team in 2006-07,
has signed a contract to coach Armenia through May 2010, Armenian
soccer federation president Ruben Ayrapetian said.
Poulsen said Armenia would play aggressively to stay "further from
our own goal and not allow the opponent to get close to it."
Armenia is in Group 5 of European qualifying with Spain, Turkey,
Belgium, Bosnia and Estonia.
Scottish coach Ian Porterfield led Armenia until his death last
September of intestinal cancer. The team has had two coaches in
the interim.
THE WILL OF OFFICE OF PROSECUTOR GENERAL AND THE LAW
Hakob Badalyan
Lragir
Jan 24 2008
Armenia
A special working group has been set up within the Office of Prosecutor
General of Armenia which will investigate breaches in the presidential
election, and the office of prosecutor general stated through the
deputy prosecutor general Aram Tamazyan on January 23 to punish
wrongdoers. This is a sensation because part of the society might think
that the office of the prosecutor general may encourage election fraud
and generally wrongdoers. Logic, as well as the Armenian legislation
prompt that the office of prosecutor general is meant to reveal and
bring charges against wrongdoers. Therefore, the statement about
punishing wrongdoers in the election is meaningless and useless,
and is mere pretension to assure there is determination to hold a
fair election. Otherwise, it turns out that the office of prosecutor
general could have not punished but has decided to punish.
In other words, it is the will of the office of prosecutor general
rather than the law.
On the other hand, however, the fact of deviation from logic is
typical of Armenia because we know that the office of prosecutor
general, as well as any other government agency in Armenia sticks to
their will rather than the letter of the law. The law says one thing,
the government wants another thing. In this context, the statement of
the office of prosecutor general acquires logic. In other words, they
warn the wrongdoers that this time election fraud will be punished.
They want so. However, both wrongdoers and the society have every
reason to disbelieve the office of prosecutor general. One of the
first reasons is that the Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan is a
stakeholder in the presidential election, because the Nig-Aparan Union
of Compatriots, the honorary president of which is Aghvan Hovsepyan,
has stated to support Serge Sargsyan. Consequently, this interest
may affect the work of the agency led by Aghvan Hovsepyan.
Therefore, the office of prosecutor general is not entitled to
politics, although the law does not bar the unions of compatriots
from politics.
However, there is one more circumstance which causes doubt about the
determination of the office of prosecutor general to punish election
fraud. Evidence is the response of the office of prosecutor general
to reports of irregularities in the election process. The office of
prosecutor general says the reports are too general and there are
no facts. This answer is unique. If definite facts are offered to
the office of prosecutor general, what is the job of the office of
prosecutor general then? After all, the office of prosecutor general
not only prosecutes but also reveals the wrongdoers. If a murder
takes place, and the murderer is not known, does it mean the office
of prosecutor general will not investigate the case to reveal the
murderer? Or if a robbery is reported, will the office of prosecutor
general investigate only in case it learns the names of the robbers?
Hence, the society has considerable reason not to believe the
honesty of the office of prosecutor general. However, even if
these suppositions or perceptions are subjective, the fact that
the office prosecutor general has not punished the wrongdoers of
the previous elections from the parliamentary election of 1995 to
the parliamentary election of 2007 and has not revealed the obvious
and hidden illegalities except for some scapegoats allows stating
confidently that the threat of the office of prosecutor general to
punish election fraud is like the threat of the wolf in the cartoon
"Bunny, do you hear me?" and the bunny’s answer "I do!"