Author: Kajoyan Gevork

POLICE DETAINED SON OF DEPUTY CHIEF OF SIS

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 19:30:24 – 23/09/2011

The Prosecutor General’s Office informed that the son of the deputy
chief of the Special Investigative Service was arrested today. Earlier
reports came that on Miasnikyan Avenue a gang was rendered harmless
which is suspected of a series of assaults on the houses of several
former and present officials.

For its part, the police issued a press release refuting the press
reports that some members of the gang are sons of high-ranking
officials.

DELEGATION OF THE WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES VISITS ARMENIA
Anna Balyan

“Radiolur”
23.09.2011 16:43

The delegation of the World Council of Churches headed by Secretary
General Olav Tveit participated in the celebration of the 20th
anniversary of independence. The delegation has arrived in Armenia
at the invitation of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and
Catholicos of All Armenians.

This worldwide fellowship of 350 global, regional and sub-regional,
national and local churches has recognized the Armenian Genocide,
this morning the delegation visited the Tsitsernakaberd memorial.

Olav Tveit is expected to have meetings at the Mother See of Holy
Etchmiadzin and give a lecture at the Theology Faculty of the Yerevan
State University.

Olav Tveit says the Armenian Apostolic Church plays an essential
role in the World Council of Churches, adding that its role becomes
weightier as a state that was the first to adopt Christianity.

The Armenian Church jointed the World Council of Churches about half
a century ago. The Secretary General said “the Council values the
devotion and resoluteness of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which
honors the traditions on one hand, and is open to changes, on the
other hand.”

OFFICIALS’ SONS IN THE GANG

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 12:05:26 – 23/09/2011

Photo journalist Gagik Shamshyan reports the son of an Armenian
high-ranking official is a member of a gang arrested by the police
earlier today. No details are known.

The gang was neutralized today thanks to the activities of the police.

The gang allegedly committed a series of assaults on the houses of
present and former officials, beating, humiliating and robbing them.

Rumors go members of the gang are the son of judge Tigran Sahakyan,
the son or nephew of the deputy chairman of the Special Investigation
Unit Marsel Matevosyan and the son of an Armenian minister.

THE RIGHT OF MOVING OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN APPEARANCE OF AN EXHIBITION

ARMENPRESS
September 23, 2011
YEREVAN

An open-air photo exhibition opened today in the neighboring territory
of Aram Khachatryan Statue dedicated to people with disabilities.

Chairman of “Unison” NGO Armen Alaverdyan told Armenpress that thanks
to suchlike photos it is possible to make people competent on moving
issues of the people with disabilities,” he said, adding that all the
conditions must be created enabling disabled people to move freely,
visit cultural sites, make use of vehicles and get education.

According to him, disabled people make the 10% of the population and
have rights like the others.

Garegin Ghazaryan, one of the authors of the photos, told Armenpress
that the photos depict not only the negative features but the positive
ones as well. He expressed hope that after the exhibition a number
of issues will find their solution.

The exhibition has been organized with the support of “State Employment
Service” agency of the Armenian Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

MINSK GROUP COUNTRIES IMPEDE KARABAKH SETTLEMENT – AZERI OFFICIAL

Tert.am
23.09.11

The co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group impede the
Nagorno-Karabakh peace settlement process, according to the Azerbaijani
deputy PM.

SalamNews website has quoted Ali Hasanov as saying that the United
States and France should negotiate with Russia to resolve the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in a peaceful manner.

“[Armenian President] Serzh Sargsyan and his allies impede the peace
settlement,” he said.

ARMENIAN A CAPELLA FOLK TRIO ZULAL TO PERFORM IN LA

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 23, 2011 – 16:22 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Zulal, an Armenian a capella folk trio, will play
its own brand of at the Getty Center, Los Angeles, CA on Saturday,
September 24, The Daily Bruin reported.

“A lot of Armenian music is thought to be very haunting and soulful,
but I think we bring out a lot of playfulness as well in the folk songs
that we do,” said Anais Tekerian, one of the three members of Zulal.

The trio, comprised of vocalists Tekerian, Teni Apelian and Yeraz
Markarian, will bring that same energy to their music for a performance
at the Getty Center titled “Marvelous to Behold: Zulal Performs Rare
Jewels and Cherished Favorites from the Armenian Songbook.”

The performance is scheduled in conjunction with the ongoing
Getty exhibition “‘In the Beginning Was the Word’: Medieval Gospel
Illumination.” This exhibition showcases medieval and Renaissance
illuminated manuscripts taken from Christian Gospels all over the
world, ranging from Western Europe to Ethiopia.

According to Tekerian, the exhibition has inspired Zulal to create
a concert that explores the connections between secular and sacred
music through a mix of medieval hymns and folk pieces.

Tekerian said the trio, which typically arranges folk songs, has not
experimented with religious Armenian music in the past, but looks
forward to performing these arrangements publicly for the first time.

“It has been very exciting to explore them, especially because you
have these beautiful medieval hymns that are musically arresting,”
Tekerian said.

She said that all of the songs Zulal will perform are hundreds of years
old, but despite age these songs still maintain cultural relevance.

“These songs are part of Armenian culture because they have been
passed down for so long and we want to keep these songs alive. By
arranging them for our three voices we are able to give these songs
a new and refreshing life and still pay respect to the heritage that
has produced these beautiful songs.”

According to Tekerian, the trio shares its research with audiences
because many of the songs are sung in Armenian. Explaining the songs
provides insight and clarification for those who do not understand
or speak the language.

“Each song has a very interesting story and people are happy to know
what the story is,” she said.

‘ARMENIA’S AUTHORITIES CONSIDER THEMSELVES A SERF TO FOREIGNERS’: TER-PETROSSIAN ON INDEPENDENCE

epress.am
09.22.2011

In Yerevan’s central square this morning were people who not only
had nothing to do with obtaining independence, but also many of whom
fought with all they had against this independence, said Armenia’s
first president and leader of the opposition Armenian National Congress
(HAK), Levon Ter-Petrossian, speaking at a HAK reception on Thursday
on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s independence.

“They say such speeches from the stage, from television, today that
you’d think they built this independence. With this they once again
simply desecrate this sacred concept. You are a lucky generation
because very few generations in history have been able to restore
statehood and achieve independence. If you like, there have been
three, four instances in our history, not more. In the 9th century,
the Bagratuni Dynasty was able to regain independence and in the
12th century, it was the Rubinyans. In 1918, the Araratian Armenian
people succeeded in regaining independence, and the fourth [instance]
is you, is us. A thousand years later they will say, independence
was reclaimed a fourth time by this generation,” said Ter-Petrossian.

Continuing, the opposition leader said that 20 years after restoring
independence, “we are almost standing before the same issue. Today
we have to reclaim our independence because those people who are
leading Armenia today deep in their hearts don’t feel independent –
today they consider themselves a vassal to foreigners.”

“And until Armenia is free from these ruling authorities, we will
not have full independence. So you will be made fortunate enough once
again to reclaim our independence,” Ter-Petrossian concluded.

MEDVEDEV PROPOSES PUTIN TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT

armradio.am
24.09.2011 15:12

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has proposed Prime Minister Vladimir
Putin to run for Russian president in next year’s election.

Speaking at the congress of the ruling United Russia party on Saturday,
Medvedev said he was ready to do “practical work in the government.”

“I think it would be fair if the congress approved Vladimir Putin’s
candidacy for the Russian presidency,” Medvedev said, RIA Novosti
reports.

ARMENIA’S PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED HOLD PHOTO EXHIBITION

news.am
Sept 23 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – The “Unison” NGO is holding a photo exhibition in downtown
Yerevan on Friday. The event is devoted to the physically challenged,
and the exhibition’s 70 photos depict the achievements and existing
problems, concerning this domain, throughout the 20 years of Armenia’s
independent statehood.

There are old and new buildings in Armenia today which have been
accommodated for the physically challenged, “Unison’s” Executive
Director Armen Alaverdyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am. “We must have
determination and must respect Armenia’s laws and international
commitments.” He also added that there is no transport in Armenia
for the physically challenged.

In his words, the freedom of movement of the physically challenged
is violated virtually everywhere, and, with such events, they are
trying to achieve results.

The photo exhibition is organized along the lines of the “Unrestricted
Movement: Right for All” Project, and is held by “Unison” and “Astghik”
NGO’s, with assistance by Counterpart International Armenia and the
United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

ZIYAFAT ASGAROV: “ARMENIA DIDN’T HOLD A PARADE, IT HELD A PUPPET SHOW”

Today
Sept 23 2011
Azerbaijan

“Armenia didn’t hold a parade, it held a puppet show, because Armenia
is not an independent country and so it can’t hold a parade as an
independent country”, vice speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament
Ziyafat Asgarov said.

He said this notwithstanding Armenia held this puppet show. “They
prove that Armenia is not an independent and sovereign country,
it is an outpost of Russia, which serves it truly”.

Ziyafat Asgarov said Armenia was not a sovereign country and it hadn’t
independence foreign policy.