Author: Jalatian Sonya

INDIAN GOVERNMENT FINANCES RECONSTRUCTION OF ARTSNI SCHOOL

Armradio.am
04.02.2010 10:52

The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund is implementing a major renovation of
the community school of Artsni, a village in Armenia’s Lori Region,
with financing provided by the government of India.

The project entails the reconstruction of one of the two main buildings
of the two-story school, which was built in 1962. At the conclusion of
the initiative, the renovated school will accommodate all of Artsni’s
students – who at present total 49 children.

To date the building’s roof as well as doors and windows have been
replaced, and a boiler room has been added. Currently construction
crews are preparing to install new hardwood floors and paint the walls.

As she conveyed her profound gratitude to the Indian government,
Marieta Arustamyan, principal of the school, said that the campus had
long been in a state of disrepair, adversely affecting the quality
of learning. She expressed her confidence that the renovated school
will boost student morale and lead to educational excellence.

Also commenting on the project, Artsni mayor Khenko Khachanesyan said:
"Today our residents are filled with renewed hope at the sight of
construction activity in the village, even though many of the issues
we face as a community still need to be addressed."

"Education has always been a core aspect of Armenian life in India,
ever since the 17th century, and it is so wonderful to see the
Indian government continue to play an instrumental role in Armenian
education today," said Ara Vardanyan, executive director of the
Hayastan All-Armenian Fund. "Furthermore, the Indian government’s
sponsorship of the vitally important Artsni-school reconstruction is
yet another heartwarming step in strengthening the friendship of the
Indian and Armenian peoples."

"India’s contribution to the reconstruction of the school of the Lori
Region’s Artsni community is part of India’s Development Assistance
Programme for friendly states such as Armenia, and reflects the desire
on the part of India to be a willing and reliable partner in their
developmental efforts, beginning with projects of high priority,"
said Achal Kumar Malhotra, Ambassador of India to Armenia. "We are
confident that, once reconstructed, the school premises will provide
an ideal environment for education," Mr. Malhotra concluded.

TURKISH AMBASSADOR TO U.S. DELIVERS A SPEECH ON SEVERAL MATTERS IN ANKARA

Journal of Turkish Weekly
Wednesday, 3 February 2010

Foreign Ministry deputy undersecretary Namik Tan who was appointed as
the ambassador in Washington, D.C. delivered a speech in a meeting
on Turkish-U.S. relations organized by Turkish Democracy Foundation
in Ankara on Tuesday.

Turkey has taken one of the most important steps of its history by
signing protocols with Armenia, Tan said.

In regard to Armenian allegations which are expected to debated at
the U.S. Congress in April, Tan said, "we expect that U.S. officials
will not take a negative step on the matter this year as well as
next years. There has been a comprehensive and fruitful cooperation
(between the two countries)."

Replying to a question on Iran, Tan said, "we are not in favor of a
military operation to Iran. Such operation has several risks and it
would spoil balance in the region. But this does not mean that Turkey
consents to nuclear weapon program of this country."

In regard to Turkish-U.S. relations, Tan said all matters on peace
and stability were related to the relations between Turkey and the
United States.

Both countries attached a great importance to issues like Balkans,
Caucasus, EU and Russia, he said.

Tan said Turkey and the USA should have a close cooperation to preserve
regional and global stability.

Touching on Turkey’s EU accession process, he said Turkey had some
shortcomings in regard to reforms, but the country would keep walking
on its path to EU. "Turkey will keep fulfilling reforms for Turkish
people," he said.

Answering a question on developments between Turkey and Israel,
Tan said, "the two countries don’t have any bilateral problem."

Tan said Turkish authorities made some criticisms regarding Israel’s
attack on Gaza for goodness of Israel and peace in the region.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT POSTPONES VOTING ON AMENDMENTS TO SEVERAL LAWS

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.02.2010 15:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In the first reading the Armenian parliament debated
amendments and changes to several laws: On Taxes, On Budget System
and On Local Self-Government.

Presenting the bill, RA Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration
Vache Terteryan reported that sales tax, hotel tax, unfinished
construction tax, tax on unprocessed agricultural land, value tax on
parking of vehicles and other taxes are classified as local taxes.

These taxes, except taxes on property and land, will be applied by
communities at their discretion.

As a PanARMENIAN.Net correspondent reported from the National Assembly
of Armenia, the revision of the list of local taxes caused a heated
debate among MPs. In particular, representatives of Prosperous Armenia
offered to organize additional hearings, involving all interested
stakeholders to finalize this package of legislative initiatives.

Given the prevailing disagreement on this bill, the chairman of the
National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan suggested to postpone the vote
for 15 days, during which changes in the above mentioned laws will be
discussed and supplemented in the relevant committees of the National
Assembly of Armenia.

NA/NE 2009 JOURNALISM AWARD CEREMONY HELD IN YEREVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
02.02.2010 20:44 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On February 2 Na/Ne 2009 Annual Journalism Award
Ceremony was held in the State Puppet Theatre after Tumanyan in
Yerevan. The Na/Ne journalism competition is announced by British
Council and the OSCE Office in Yerevan.

Emphasising the role and importance of media in the formation of public
opinion and perceptions, the British Council, within the framework of
its Wo/Men in Politics project funded by the British Embassy Yerevan,
and the OSCE Office in Yerevan organize an annual media competition
entitled Na/Ne. The competition was aimed at reviewing the materials
and articles published or broadcasted during the year, covering
the activity and achievements of women in political, economic and
social spheres as well as encouraging a wider coverage of the issue
in the future.

The printed and broadcasted materials submitted by the media
representatives of Armenia were in the following categories:
online article, printed article, TV Report, radio report, social
advertisement, commercial advertisement

Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
to Armenia, Charles Lonsdale, the Head of the OSCE Office Yerevan,
Sergey Kapinos and official structures’ representatives attended the
award ceremony.

" Armenia is a small country, and human capacity is very important
to address political, economic, social and other problems. I think
that the role of women in Armenia is underestimated, and the OSCE
carries out activities in order to change this situation, " Sergey
Kapinos told journalists.

The awards were given for 2 television materials, 4 printed articles,
2 Internet-articles, 3 blog-articles, 2 radio materials, commercial
advertising (iCON and VivaCell).

The British Council is a quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation
based in the United Kingdom which specialises in international
educational and cultural opportunities. It is a non-departmental
public body, a public corporation incorporated by royal charter,
and is registered as a charity in England.

Founded in 1934, it was granted a royal charter by King George VI in
1940. Its ‘sponsoring department’ within the United Kingdom Government
is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, although it has day-to-day
operational independence.

The British Council says its remit is "to build mutually beneficial
cultural and educational relationships between the United Kingdom and
other countries, and increase appreciation of the United Kingdom’s
creative ideas and achievements." Its overseas network extends to
233 locations in 107 countries and territories. It has headquarters
in Spring Gardens, near Whitehall in Central London, and in Manchester.

There are other branch offices in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh.

The world’s biggest regional organization dealing with security
issues, OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe)
unites 56 countries situated in North America, Europe and Central Asia.

Its member state are: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan,
Belgium, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia,
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France Great
Britain, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg,
Macedonia, Malta? Moldova, Monaco Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Russia, Romania, San-Marino, Serbia, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan,
United States, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vatican.

Partner countries include: Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Japan,
Jordan, Morocco, Mongolia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia.

Armenia became an OSCE member state on January 30, 1992.

RICHARD SCHECHNER WINS 2010 THALIA AWARD

Broadway World
Monday, February 1, 2010

New York University professor and professor of performance studies in
the department of Performance Studies at the Tisch School of the Arts
Richard Schechner has been awarded the 2010 Thalia Award. The award
is presented annually by the International Association of Theatre
Critics and will be given to Schechner at a ceremony in Yerevan,
Armenia June 16th to 20th.

The Thalia Award was presented to Schechner for his work as editor
of The Drama Review, one of the world’s leading theatre related
publications and his work on a number of published books that
contributed to the theatre. Schechner has been editor of the journal
since 1986.

Richard Schechner directs both new and classical plays around the
world. In New York, he founded The Performance Group and East Coast
Artists. With TPG, Schechner directed Spalding Gray in six productions
from 1970 to 1979: Makbeth (after Shakespeare), Commune (group
devised), Sam Shepard’s The Tooth of Crime, Bertolt Brecht’s Mother
Courage, Terry Curtis Fox’s Cops, and Jean Genet’s The Balcony. With
ECA and in India, China, and South Africa, Schechner directed Chekhov’s
Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard, Aeschylus’s Oresteia, Seneca’s
Oedipus, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black
Bottom, and Saviana Stanescu’s and Schechner’s Yokastas Redux.

In addition to his directing, Schechner is University Professor of
Performance Studies at the Tisch School of the Arts, NYU and editor of
TDR: The Journal of Performance Studies. He is the author of many books
including Environmental Theater, Between Theater and Anthropology,
The End of Humanism, Performance Theory, The Future of Ritual, and
Performance Studies-An Introduction.

The IATC draws together more than two thousand theatre critics,
through some fifty National Sections. Founded in Paris in 1956, the
IATC is a non-profit, Non-Governmental Organization benefitting under
statute B of UNESCO.

The purpose of the IATC is to bring together theatre critics in
order to promote internationAl Cooperation. Its principal aims are
to foster theatre criticism as a discipline and to contribute to the
development of its methodological bases; to protect the ethical and
professional interests of theatre critics and to promote The Common
rights of all its members; and to contribute to reciprocal awareness
and understanding between cultures by encouraging international
meetings and exchanges in the field of theatre in general.

The IATC holds a world congress every two years, seminars for young
critics twice a year, as well as symposiums, and contributes to jurys.

English and French are the association’s two official languages,
and its place of incorporation is Paris.

Photo Credit: Humanities Institute

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Director
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Watch our latest videos on YouTube here:

"ECUMENISM NEEDS CLEAR ORIENTATION AND FOCUS"
HIS HOLINESS ARAM I

"Depicting the present state of the ecumenical movement in terms of crisis
has become a general trend; I do not share this approach" stated His
Holiness Aram I. He said that "seeking new vision, redefining its
orientation, revising its agenda, restructuring its programmatic priorities
are integral to the very nature of the ecumenical movement". Catholicos
Aram, who has served 15 years a Moderator of the World Council of Churches,
reminded that "with ecumenism we are dealing with movement, not institution,
with vision not programme, with fellowship, not with management". Hence,
according to Aram I reducing the ecumenical movement to its institutional
expression will be the end of it.

Aram I believes that the ecumenical movement must remain "restless, in
permanent crisis, seeking new ways of articling its vision". However, for
Aram I the ecumenical movement is actually "disoriented, its focus is not
clear and its raison d’être has become shaky. Here is the problem". In his
view this situation is largely due to "non-committal ecumenism of the
churches, as well as the shift of interest from church unity related issues
to moral-ethical matters, inter-religious dialogue and confessional
ecumenism".

His Holiness stressed the need for a "credible, relevant, reliable and
responsive ecumenism, an ecumenism with which the churches can identify
themselves". Aram I said that the discussion on the reconfiguration of the
ecumenical movement that the WCC started must continue with the active
participation of the churches.

These views of Aram I were shared with a few reporters at the end of the
meeting of the International Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue
between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Charities which was
held at the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia, Antelias, Lebanon, from 27-30
January 2010.

##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

IRI FOREIGN MINISTER WELCOMED BY THE PRIME MINISTER

Wed nesday, 27 January 2010

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received an Iranian delegation led by
IRI Foreign Minister Manucher Mottaki.

Greeting the guests, Tigran Sargsyan expressed conviction that this
visit of such an important Foreign Minister-led delegation will add
momentum to the development of bilateral relations.

Mr. Mottaki conveyed greetings on behalf of Iranian First
Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi and an invitation to visit Iran.

"We appreciate your personal contribution to the development of
bilateral relations which I hope will benefit greatly from your visit,"
Manucher Mottaki said.

The parties stated the importance of joint energy projects –
small HPPS on the Araxes River, Iran-Armenia railroad and crude-oil
pipeline. Tigran Sargsyan pointed out: "The railroad project is among
our priorities. Key arrangements have been made by the presidents
of our two countries. The mentioned project has social, economic and
political dimensions."

Mr. Mottaki stressed that the two presidents’ meetings have been
instrumental in forging a new type of relationship between our two
countries.

The need for encouraging direct ties between commercial organizations,
as well as between public and private entities, promoting joint
investments and hosting business forums was emphasized on either side.

The interlocutors made a point of developing cooperation in the fields
of energy, transportations and road building. The Prime Minister
suggested putting agriculture on the list of strategic areas of
cooperation. The parties then spoke about the need for simplifying
customs clearance procedures between the two countries.

Many of these issues were said to be featuring on the agenda of the
9th sitting of the Armenian -Iranian intergovernmental commission
which has kicked off today in Yerevan.

In conclusion, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan asked Minister Mottaki to
forward warm greetings to Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad Reza
Rahimi by thanking him for his kind invitation. The Prime Minister
expressed appreciation for crucial support provided to Armenia during
the breakdown of inland communications in summer of 2008.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Director
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Watch our latest videos on YouTube here:

HIS HOLINESS BASILILIOS MAR THOMA DIDMOS I, CATHOLICOS OF THE MALANKARA
ORTHODOX SYRIAN CHURCH INVITES HIS HOLINESS ARAM I TO INDIA

His Holiness Aram I has been holding private meetings with the
representatives of the churches taking part in the International Joint
Commission for Theological Dialogue Between the Catholic Church and the
Oriental Orthodox Churches.

On Friday 29 January 2010, he met with Bishops Gabriel Mar Gregorios and
Mathew Velanikal of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.

The Bishops transmitted the brotherly love of their Patriarch, briefed
Catholicos Aram on the latest developments in their Church and handed a
letter from Catholicos Didmos I inviting His Holiness Aram I to visit India.

After thanking the Catholicos for the invitation, His Holiness Aram I and
the guests discussed relations between the two sister churches.

##
View the photo here:
tos/Photos434.htm#9
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

CHARITY EXHIBITION-SELLING IN YEREAN TO ASSIST THE VICTIMS OF HAITI EARTHQUAKE

armradio.am
28.01.2010 13:13

The Armenian UN Association under the high auspices of the
World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) and
with the assistance of the UN Armenia House organizes a charity
exhibition-selling on January 29.

The whole contribution through the WFUNA will be addressed to the UN
Central Emergency Response Fund (UNCERF) which will be addressed for
relief in Haiti.

SIRANUSH ANDREASYAN TAKES LEAD AT ARMENIAN CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.01.2010 12:29 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Siranush Andreasyan takes lead at the Armenian Chess
Championship. After the 5th round, Andreasyan tops the standings with
4 points. Ani Khanamiryan comes 2nd with 3.5 points, followed by Lia
Martirosyan (3.5 points).