ARMENIAN CITIZEN SHOT DEAD IN CENTER OF MOSCOW
PanARMENIAN.Net
20.05.2008 12:44 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ An Armenian citizen, 46, was shot dead in the center
of Moscow last night. The police said unknown fired a shot into his
head and escaped.
A criminal case was initiated.
Earlier that day, two unknown shot and then robbed a man near Neva
Cinema, Newsprom.ru reports.
YEREVAN BRANDY FACTORY TO PURCHASE AT LEAST 30,000 TONS OF GRAPES IN 2008
ARKA
May 15, 2008
YEREVAN, May 15. /ARKA/. The Yerevan Brandy Factory intends to purchase
at least 30,000 tons of grapes in 2008, Executive Director of the
Yerevan Brandy Factory closed joint stock company Cedrik Retailleau
said at his meeting with Armenian Minister of Agriculture David Lokian.
In 2007, the company purchased about 30,000 tons of grapes and this
year the purchase volume will not be less impressive, Retailleau said
as quoted by the Press Service of the Ministry of Agriculture.
The Executive Director of the company said that the sales of Armenian
cognac have substantially grown especially in Russia, Kazakhstan,
Ukraine and a number of European countries. The factory plans to
increase the grapes purchase volume this year, particularly in Tavush
region where a workshop will be established for preliminary processing,
he said.
The meeting participants stressed the importance of passing a law
about production of alcoholic drinks made of grapes to review the
current wine-making technical regulations. Retailleau proposed to
set up a wine-making association using the French experience.
According to Armenia’s Ministry of Agriculture, 240,000 tons of
grapes crop is expected this year against the last year 220,000 tons,
including 144,000 tons purchased by processing enterprises.
The Yerevan Brandy Factory was founded in 1887. The current factory
complex was put in operation in 1953. In June 1998 the factory joined
the Pernod Ricard group, an international corporation owning a number
of famous trademarks of alcoholic drinks and ranking the second in the
world in production and sales of alcoholic drinks. The Pernod Ricard
purchased the Yerevan Brandy factory for $30mln at an international
tender.
MAXIMUM 4 ARMENIAN DEPUTIES CAN APPEAR IN NEW PARLIAMENT OF GEORGIA, SHIRAK TOROSIAN PREDICTS
Noyan Tapan
Ma y 13, 2008
YEREVAN, MAY 13, NOYAN TAPAN. From two to four Armenian deputies will
be elected in the new Georgian parliament, the elections of which will
be held on May 21. Shirak Torosian, a RA National Assembly deputy,
the Chairman of the Javakhk compatriotic union, made such a prediction
at the May 13 press conference. According to him, the new law hinders
having more Armenian deputies in the Georgian parliament. According
to that law, even candidates by the majoritarian system are to be
nominated by some party. "Under these conditions people concerned
with socio-economic problems of Armenians of Javakhk failed to be
candidates for parliamentary elections, as no political force dared
to nominate them on its part," he said.
S. Torosian also touched upon the latest speech of the Envoy of
Georgia to RA characterizing it as not diplomatic. In his words,
without going deep into the details of the phenomena the Georgian
diplomat just calls or we can say demands that Armenia vote for the
document to be introduced by Georgia in UN, which demands recognizing
Georgia’s territorial integrity. While, as the deputy mentioned, some
days ago Georgia voted for the document of almost similar content
introduced by Azerbaijan. S. Torosian hopes that those responsible
for Armenia’s foreign policy will make a right decision and will vote
proceeding from Armenia’s interests.
14 YEARS WITHOUT WAR
KarabakhOpen
13-05-2008 11:31:02
"Frankly speaking, after Shushi I understood the end of the war was
close. And although they continued to shoot for two more years, the
end was close. I only cared about returning home from the basement,
not quivering from every sudden sound, not fearing to let the child go
to school," said a woman of age, looking at the army band which marched
along the streets of Stepanakert on the Day of Liberation of Shushi.
14 years ago fire stopped in Karabakh. Although there are shootings on
the border every now and then, although the traces of war are still
observed in Shushi and other places, 14 years ago people stopped
synchronizing with the war clock.
"Our efforts must be aimed at the prevention of war," said the Armenian
foreign minister Edward Nalbandyan. Many diplomats, mediators speak
about it. They often speak so much that it starts sounding banal.
In the meantime, those who place peace at the top of the corner
are somewhat ironically called pacifists. And are even accused of
insufficient patriotism. As if there is something in the world that
costs lives of thousands of people.
MUSEUM NIGHT 2008 IN MAY 17
Panorama.am
16:37 10/05/2008
On May 17 Museum Night 2008 will take place. According to the Ministry
of Culture all the museums will receive guests starting from 01.00
till morning. Note that Armenian museums take part in this initiative
from 2005. Like other European countries the museums of art, culture,
history and science will be open towards their visitors and give them
joy and happiness. Museum Night is organized by 1200 museums all
over the world to give chance to the visitors to join and discover
for themselves the unique masterpieces kept in the museums.
XII International specialized exhibition ‘Mass Media in Belarus’ was
held in Minsk from April 28 to May 1
2008-05-05 09:21:00
ArmInfo. XII International specialized exhibition "Mass Media in
Belarus" was held in the Belarusian capital Minsk, in the national
exhibition center "Belexpo", from April 28 to May 1, 2008.
The event was held by the Ministry of Information under support of the
Foreign Ministry, the National State TV and Radio Company of Belarus,
Minsk Municipal Executive Committee , the Union of Publishers and Press
Distributors, the Belarusian Union of Journalists, "RUP" International
Integration Information Center and the Public Press- Press House
Center.
Over the years of its work, the professional exhibition "Mass Media in
Belarus" has become not only an inseparable part of the Belarusian
media community’s life, but it also acquired a status of the electron
and printed Mass Media forum of the international level. Year by year,
the exhibition attracts more and more participants both from Belarus
and foreign countries, enabling them to get acquainted with the
country’s information market, new mass media projects, demonstrate
their products, establish new creative and business contacts and
exchange experience with colleagues. The third Belarusian Information
Forum "Mass Media in the Epoch of Globalization. Urgent Aspects", held
on April 29-30, has become the central event of the International
specialized exhibition "Mass Media in Belarus".
SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHICAL SITUATION IN NKR
Azat Artsakh Daily
Published on May 06, 2008
NKR Republic
According to notification of NKR National Statistical Service, density
of population on 1square km in NKR has compiled 11.8 person. The factor
of natural additional increase has compiled 6.6 per cent, besides, in
town settlements ` 9,5 per cent, in country settlements ` 3,6 per cent.
Life duration has been estimated in the republic 71.8 years, general
factor of marriage ` 3.7 per cent, general factor of divorce ` 0.9 per
cent. According to corresponding administrative statistical
accounts, the number of children getting benefits by condition of
January 1st, 2008 has compiled 15005 children, average monthly size of
the benefit ` 4.6 thousand drams, in comparison with the same period of
the previous year the number of children has increased by 235, the size
of the benefit ` by 14.3 per cent.By condition of January 1st, 2008,
the number of pensioners is 34585 people, the number of invalids `
10207 people.In 2007-2008 educational year in 4 middle professional
educational institutions 1310,8 students have educated, in high
educational institutions ` 7273 students.14 concert organizations have
operated in the republic (half in the capital), 10 museums (30 % – in
the capital), 9 libraries (33,3 % – in the capital) and 12 sports
schools (41,7 % – in the capital). 3470 or 34.7 per cent of 10000
monuments, 400 or 26.7 per cent of 1500 churches and chapels taken into
account in NKR territory were investigated by condition of January 1st
2008.
Barack Obama wins the Carolina poll
armradio.am
07.05.2008 17:29
Barack Obama has scored a clear win in the Democratic presidential
primary in North Carolina, while Hillary Clinton has narrowly won the
Indiana primary.
Senator Obama won 56% of the vote in North Carolina, while Senator
Clinton won 51% of the vote in Indiana.
Both votes were the final major Democratic primaries which help decide
the party’s White House candidate.
Neither scored a knock-out blow, but analysts say Mr. Obama’s lead
looks increasingly unassailable.
Mr. Obama is leading the race in delegates who will choose the
presidential nominee by 1,840 to 1,684, according to the Associated
Press news agency.
Our Boys Fought and Died So That We Could Live Well
Anahit Danielyan
06-05-2008 16:57:18 – KarabakhOpen
43 year-old Margarita still cannot come to grips with the fact that we
lost so many good boys during the Artsakh War. `What a great bunch of
guys they were – Davit, Ashot, Vitali…’ she states as she counts off
their names one by one. Margarita could go on telling stories about all
of them: how they would try to maintain themselves correctly and at
attention in the company of the girls or how the boys would delve into
their pockets for some leftover sweets to give them. And the girls, in
turn, would help out the boys whenever possible.
At first glance you wouldn’t think that Margarita Taranyan, a woman of
graceful steps and beauty, experienced the entire tumultuous course of
the Artsakh War not only as a nurse but also carrying a gun when the
need arose. As she relates, carrying a gun didn’t come easy since she
knew in her heart that she didn’t have it in her to kill anyone. At the
same time, along with the boys and the other girls, Karineh, the
Anahits the second Margarita and Gayaneh, she participated in battles
along a number of fronts.
In 1992, when the Azeri forces had advanced to the gates of Askeran,
she came upon a notice in Stepanakert announcing the formation of an
`Artsakh Women’s Detachment’ and that women and girls were being
recruited. She immediately decided to enlist but knew that her
traditionally inclined parents would be difficult to convince. She
remained resolute however in her choice.
Margarita recounts that in the beginning she would fool her parents,
telling them that the unit wasn’t participating in the battles and that
they remained close to the city. Later on, when the truth came out it
was too late. She describes that, `When I enlisted the training we
received was quite varied. It included civil defense, first aid, map
reading, physical exercises, even how to dig defense trenches. Only 12
out of the 25 women who started the course made it till the end.’
In the fall of 1992, when the unit was prepared to assume its first
military operation, a commander of one of the detachments came to the
training center and requested that it requisition three nurses to his
command. Margarita and two girls named Anahit were sent. The first
battle they participated in ended in victory and there weren’t even any
casualties. `That night we mumbled about how we weren’t given the
chance to show off our acquired skills. The chance to do so was quick
in coming but it never occurred to me that my first act of dispensing
medical treatment would be to an Azeri guy. They brought the injured
Azeri soldier to our tent at midnight. We treated his wounds and even
fed the tall, handsome lad.’ is how Margarita recollects her first
night in battle.
Margarita’s large black eyes get teary every time she relives those
battles; how intense they were and how many boys died in her hands. `I
still can’t fathom how we came out of it alive. It’s unbelievable that
my health wasn’t affected after all those cold and difficult days.’ Her
eyes fill with tears as she recounts how the other girl named Margarita
in the unit met her fate, how they had to wait till midnight to collect
her dead body from the battlefield. Margarita wrote the following entry
in her diary about that fateful day – Today, our unit had its first
victim. Margarita Sargsyan was killed. We all knew that one of us could
be killed at any time but we weren’t expecting such a heavy blow.’
Now, even with the war years behind her, Margarita, who received a
degree in child education, continues to serve in the ranks of the
Defense Army with the rank of Major at the Central Command
Headquarters. She also serves as the Secretary of the Artsakh branch of
the Armenian Relief Society. She tries to juggle the two jobs and
extends a loving hand to all in need. She notes with a degree of
sadness that, `It greatly concerns me that it is not customary to
extend a helping hand to those around us. It was just the opposite
during the war; every one would hand over their last piece of bread to
help a soul in need.’
Sadly Margarita, who experienced the vicissitudes of the war while
never loosing touch with her feminine side, never found someone to
spend her life with. Now she lives alone in a one-room apartment, on a
major thoroughfare in Stepanakert, allotted to her by the Army. She
says her salary is enough to get by on, as she is a person with meager
needs.
`We have to live in peaceful, normal conditions. We must help one
another because that’s the ideal that our boys fought and died for.’
recounts Margarita who, for services rendered in the defense of the
fatherland, was bestowed with the honorary `Combat Cross’, 1st Class;
1st and 2nd rank of `Impeccable Service’ and the `Medal of Motherly
Gratitude’.
RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA IMPORTANT FOR IRAN
ARKA
May 4, 2008
YEREVAN, May 4. /ARKA/. Iran attaches high importance to further
development of its relations with Armenia, stated Iranian Ambassador
to Armenia Seyed Ali Saghaeyan.
The Iranian leadership attaches high importance to the development
of relations with Armenia, and the participation of President Mahmud
Ahmajinejad’s personal representative in the inauguration in Armenia’s
President is one more proof of the Iranian side’s good will, Ambassador
Saghaeyan stated at his meeting with RA President Serge Sargsyan.
At their meeting the sides stressed the strategic importance
of bilateral relations, expressing their satisfaction over the
development of bilateral relations due to the combined efforts,
reports the RA presidential press service.
President Serge Sargsyan described the Armenian-Iranian relations
as stable, stating Armenia’s willingness for expanding bilateral
cooperation. He emphasized the importance of effective implementation
of energy programs, giving priority to the increase in the trade
turnover and encouragement of cooperation between the two countries’
private sectors.