Author: Kajoyan Gevork

Hollywood Reporter
Aug 31 2014

‘The Cut’: Venice Review
4:25 AM PDT 8/31/2014 by Boyd van Hoeij

The Bottom Line

An Armenian blacksmith can’t speak and doesn’t seem to have all that much to say

Venue: Venice Film Festival (Competition)
Cast: Tahar Rahim
Director: Fatih Akin

Turkish-German director Fatih Akin completes his ‘Love, Death and the
Devil’ trilogy with this drama starring French actor Tahar Rahim (‘A
Prophet’)

VENICE — A mute blacksmith father goes on a trip across the
continents in search of his daughters in The Cut, an ambitious but
only intermittently stirring historical epic from Turkish-German
director Fatih Akin. It’s pretty remarkable that a director of Turkish
origins has decided to tell a story that starts in the 1915 Ottoman
Empire and in which an Armenian plays the lead, since that is the year
the oft-denied genocide of the Armenians took place. But the narrative
continues through 1923, pushing the fate of a people into the
background for a rather generic search-and-survival story.

The third segment of the director’s Love, Death and the Devil trilogy,
after the acclaimed Head-On and The Edge of Heaven, this will generate
a decidedly more mixed response. However, the film has been presold in
many territories, with a staggering 10 countries alone represented on
the seemingly endless list of co-producers.

Nazaret Manoogian (French actor Tahar Rahim, from A Prophet) is a
blacksmith in Mardin, a town in present-day Turkey near the border
with Syria. His wife (Moroccan singer Hindi Zahra) and two young
children, the twins Lucinee and Arsinee (Dina and Zein Fakhoury), are
separated from him when the Ottomans join WWI and Nazar, like all
Armenian men, is drafted and ends up being forced to work as a road
builder in the desert.

The entire crew of Armenian workers is executed by a gang of bandits
and mercenaries, though Nazar manages to survive because the thief
(Bartu Kucukcaglayan) that’s supposed to slit his throat doesn’t
really want to kill him, only making the titular cut on his neck.
Despite the fact that it’s obviously a very calculated choice to have
an Ottoman/Turk show some basic human decency and thus save an
Armenian from becoming a victim of genocide, the two men’s complex
rapport is believably sketched in just a few scenes. (That said, the
exact details of why the Armenians have to die remain rather vague.)

One of the best shots in the entire film is also part of this
sequence, as Nazaret, lying on the ground with his hands tied behind
his back, wakes up the next morning next to the lifeless body of one
of his co-workers. Since he’s also lost his voice, apparently because
the cut damaged his vocal cords, Nazar can’t do anything but nudge his
forehead against that of his dead fellow Armenian, a wordless gesture
that suggests respect, compassion and desperation all at once.

Unfortunately, the rest of the film contains only a few other moments
that are that expressive and touching, moments that are scattered
amidst long stretches in which Nazar is on the move and tries to
survive but in which barely anything that happens throws some new
light on what Nazar thinks or feels. After escaping certain death,
Manoogian has to hide his Armenian identity from Bedouins and the
inhabitants of Aleppo (now in Syria), where he ends up working for a
kind soap manufacturer (Palestinian-Israeli actor Makram J. Khoury).
When WWI ends in 1918, the Ottoman occupiers are violently chased out
of town by the angry locals, though Nazar stops throwing stones like
those around him when a young Turkish boy is hit.

He is also reminded of his children when watching an open-air
screening of Chaplin’s The Kid, supposedly in 1921, right after the
film came out. It is after the screening, with his face still wet from
his tears, that Nazar learns that his daughters are still alive and
the film’s odyssey structure really kicks in, as the protagonist has
to comb through Syria, Lebanon, Havana, Cuba, Florida, Minneapolis and
even the Great Plains in search of his daughters. Unintentionally, the
number of locales the mute father has to travel to becomes
increasingly comical, as each time he seems to have barely missed his
on-the-move daughters.

Akin was clearly aiming for an epic in the David Lean/Elia Kazan mold,
with possibly some touches of the more sweetly melodramatic side of
Chaplin because his protagonist can’t speak. But exactly because the
main character literally loses his voice early on, the film doesn’t
allow for easy audience identification. The script, co-written by the
director and Mardik Martin, the screenwriter of Armenian origins who
co-wrote Scorsese’s Mean Streets and Raging Bull, concentrates too
much on Nazar’s singular quest, namely surviving in order to find his
daughters, for other happenings or characters to register much during
the film’s nonetheless almost epic, 138-minute running time.

There’s also a language problem, as all the Armenian characters speak
accented (and occasionally clunky) English while the Ottomans, Arabs
and Cubans all speak their own languages (all of which this poor
artisan seems to understand without any problems). This would be an
acceptable choice if Nazar hadn’t gone to the U.S., where everyone
also speaks English. This initially gives audiences the rather odd
impression that all Americans were fluent in Armenian in the early
1920s.

Rahim has a great face but isn’t given enough opportunity to make it
clear to audiences what his character is going through beyond the most
basic emotions, especially after Nazaret loses his faculty of speech.
All other actors are bit players, with Moritz Bleibtreu and Trine
Dyrholm making cameo appearances as an industrialist and Christian nun
respectively.

The widescreen film’s globe-trotting locations and sets, handsomely
designed by Allan Starski (Schindler’s List, The Pianist), are often
captured by cinematographer Rainer Klausmann in wide shots that take
audiences from the desert to the Atlantic Ocean and finally to rural
North Dakota, with especially the influence of Westerns noticeable in
the compositions. And Akin’s regular composer, Alexander Hacke, at
least avoids falling into the trap of copying the scores of the epics
of yesteryear, instead coming up with his own rocky, often
electric-guitar driven compositions.

Production companies: Bombero International, Pyramide Productions,
Pandora Film, Corazon International, NDR, ADR Degeto, France 3 Cinema,
Dorje Film, BIM Distribuzione, Mars Media Entertainment, Opus Film,
Jordan Films, Anadolu Kultur

Cast: Tahar Rahim, Simon Abkarian, Hindi Zahra, Makram J. Khoury,
Kevork Malikyan, Trine Dyrholm, Moritz Bleibtreu, Lara Heller

Director: Fatih Akin

Screenplay: Fatih Akin, Mardik Martin

Producer: Fatik Akin, Karl Baumgartner, Reinhard Brundig, Nurhan
Sekerci-Porst, Flaminio Zadra

Co-producers: Fabienne Vonier, Francis Boespflug, Alberto Fanni,
Valerio De Paolis, Ruben Dishdishyan, Aram Movsesyan, Laurette
Bourassa, Doug Steeden, Piotr Dzieciol, Ewa Puszczynska

Director of photography: Rainer Klausmann
Production designer: Allan Starski
Costume designer: Katrin Aschendorf
Editor: Andrew Bird
Music: Alexander Hacke
Sales: The Match Factory
No rating, 138 minutes

Cairo Scene, Egypt
Aug 30 2014

Life as a Belly Dancer in Egypt

30/08/2014 08:00 GMT+2

A report published by USA Today elucidates on the daily struggles of
women who work as belly dancers in Cairo, and the largely unfriendly
atmosphere that surrounds the profession.

Cairo’s belly dancers are facing a life of misery and discrimination,
a report claims.

The probe by leading US daily USA Today found that many dancers have
trouble with both promoters and ordinary Egyptians alike.

US dancer Diana Esposito – who goes by the the stage name Luna – tells
of the daily struggle of being a dancer in Cairo in the report.

“When you speak with any Egyptian and they do not know that you are a
belly dancer, they treat you very nicely and very respectfully,” said
Amora Shams, a Spanish belly dancer. “But the moment that they find
out that you are a belly dancer, they change their tone of voice, they
stop looking at your eyes. They start looking at the rest of your
body.”

She claims that because of this many dancers are forced to lead double
lives, keeping their work secret from even close friends. In 2009
Esposito was left reeling when her landlord kicked her out of her
apartment after discovering her job.

Meanwhile, Scottish dancer Lorna of Cairo, claims that many of the
problems come from promoters themselves.

“If you’re straight and talk serious business, they think you’re
aggressive, and they don’t want to know you,” she said. “You don’t
actually get the job — I hate it.”

Many claim that the craft has the same connotations as stripping in
the USA. Allegra Pena – better known as Aleya of Cairo – claims that
it is this association which causes misery for many dancers.

“It has the same kind of connotation,” she said. “But it’s a weird
thing because they really love you.”
Earlier this month prosecutors summoned Armenian dancer Safinaz for
allegedly insulting Egypt by wearing a costume with colors of the
nation’s flag. However Egyptian doctor Oday Noman told reporters that
there were two sides to the story.

He said, “Belly dancing is something that is part of our culture — as
it’s been for a long time. Most celebrations include a belly dancer.”

Artsakh and President Aliyev’s Dilemma Revisited

By Michael Mensoian
on August 30, 2014

Azeri incursions along the Line of Contact (LoC) during the past several
weeks have escalated significantly

in frequency and intensity. As would be expected, the Artsakh defenders
have been more than
able to protect their homeland against these blatant violations of the
ceasefire agreement. The escalation occurring just prior to Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev’s meeting with Armenian President Serge Sarkisian

and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Russia, seemed
counterproductive.

Border violations or not, no worthwhile result for Artsakh and Armenia
could be expected to come out of the Sochi meeting or any subsequent
meetings for obvious reasons. Sarkisian is concerned with the de jure
recognition of Artsakh’s independence while Aliyev, ignoring Artsakh’s de
facto independence, is determined to brand Armenia as an aggressor
illegally occupying Azeri territory. How can negotiations produce any
meaningful results when there is no agreement on the conflict that must be
resolved? For too long we have allowed Azerbaijan to frame the issue in its
favor. Unfortunately for us, the European Union and the United States have
bought into this fiction, to the detriment of Armenia and Artsakh. The
impossibility of reconciling the Azeri claim of territorial integrity with
Artsakh’s rightful claim to independence based on the principle of
self-determination should be obvious. It must be one or the other (see
“Artsakh:
A Zero Sum Solution Weighted in Favor of Azerbaijan
“).

Russia, as the third member of the Minsk Group (with the United States and
the European Union) charged with monitoring the negotiations, is pleased
with the present impasse, which facilitates Putin’s policy of playing both
sides against the middle. How bizarre, even in the Machiavellian world of
international politics, to have your treaty ally selling up-to-date
military hardware to your enemy. Unfortunately we must suffer an ally who
enjoys playing the alternating role of good friend-bad friend at our
expense. And with respect to Armenia’s less than voluntary agreement to
join the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), President Putin allowed Kazakhstani
President Nursultan Nazarbayev to support Aliyev’s claim against Armenia by
chiding Sarkisian that Armenia’s accession to the EEU must be based on its
officially recognized borders.

Given the sophisticated intelligence-gathering technology available, the
need for these cross-border violations by Azerbaijan with its loss of life
are unnecessary. By now each side should be well aware of the number, type,
disposition, and preparedness of the troops manning the LoC. If these
cross-border incursions by Azerbaijan are meant to weaken the morale not
only of our soldiers but the civilian population, most of whom live in
rather close proximity to the LoC, they have failed. It should be apparent
to Azerbaijan that these flagrant violations of the ceasefire agreement
have only increased the preparedness and determination of the Artsakh
Armenians to protect their rightful claim to independence.

The second objective that these constant violations seek is to project
Aliyev as being in control of a situation that seems to escape a successful
conclusion. Aliyev is a victim of his own making. He has not hesitated to
proclaim that his military appropriations continually exceed Armenia’s
annual national budget. That his purchase of military equipment has created
the largest military force in the south Caucasus more than capable of
retaking Artsakh should negotiations fail. Conveniently overlooked is the
fact that he is squandering the nation’s wealth on these military
acquisitions and the self-aggrandizement of a favored few to the detriment
of a socioeconomically impovished population. How much longer can his bellicose
statements ring
true when rhetoric fails to match results? A dictator that is perceived as
a toothless tiger should begin to worry about his ability to remain in
power.

No doubt Aliyev is fully cognizant of this dilemma as well as the
constraints on his oft-repeated threat to use military force, if necessary,
to retake Artsakh if negotiations fail. Whether or not there is support by
the three co-chairs of the Minsk Group for Armenia and Artsakh’s
independence, all nations (with the questionable exception of Turkey) that
have an interest in the south Caucasus abhor the thought of renewed
hostilities. Russia, Iran, the European Union, the United States, Georgia,
and the United Nations would immediately pressure Azerbaijan to enter into
renewed negotiations or mediation at the first sign that it was preparing
for a resumption of hostilities. International economic interests would
raise cautionary flags. Any disruption in the flow of energy resources
would have global ramifications. However, the more worrisome development
would be the range of unintended political consequences that might unfold.

Can it be anticipated what the response by Russia and Iran might be if
Ankara decided to augment its forces along the Armenian frontier or to a
friendly occupation of Nakhitchevan on behalf of Azerbaijan? Or just as
ominous are the possible repercussions if worried Georgian officials
decided to refuse, restrict, or delay the urgent need by Russia to increase
its garrison in Gyumri. Russia cannot afford to lose its only anchor in the
south Caucasus or be unprepared to respond to any likely Turkish
provocation against Armenia. Any weakening of this vital foothold would not
only push historic Russian interests back to the northern slopes of the
Caucasus, but likely reawaken anti-Russian movements within the region’s
already restive Muslim population. It would facilitate Turkish economic and
political domination of the south Caucasus and its long-sought expansion
across the Caspian Sea that would compete with Russian interests in Central
Asia. Multi-ethnic Shi’ite Iran neither needs nor wants a strong Sunni
Turkish-Azeri alliance along its northern and northwestern borders that
would accompany a weakened Armenia if it lost Artsakh.

We do have our limitations. However, when we factor in our strategic
location (Armenia-Artsakh) that politically benefits Russian interests and
economically benefits Iranian interests, we are not without some leverage.
We do play an important role in limiting Turkish expansion in the southern
Caucasus. Knowing this, we cannot allow our efforts to be circumscribed
either by the uncertainty of success or the possibility of failure.

The unthinkable loss of Artsakh would be a catastrophic blow not only to
Armenia, but to *Hai Tahd*and the morale of those of the younger generation
who must continue to seek the justice that has eluded those of the passing
generations. Recep Tayyip Erdogan has just won a convincing victory as
president
of
Turkey that should keep him in power for another five years. Facing a
weakened Armenia will only stiffen his resistance to genocide recognition
and a host of other issues that have remained dormant for the past century.
The likelihood of Ankara bowing to either domestic or international
pressure is highly questionable for the foreseeable future. Can it be
expected that a weakened Armenia will encourage the xenophobic leaders of
Georgia to implement much-needed and promised programs and policies to
improve the onerous political, economic, and cultural environments within
which the *Javakhahayer* must live? And of greater significance is the fate
of our brothers and sisters in Artsakh, whose sacrifices to live on our
historic lands as free and independent Armenians would have been in vain.

The continuation of the status quo for Artsakh is reasonably certain,
especially when the interests of the European Union and the United States
do not coincide with Russia’s. However, passive reliance on this fact alone
cannot guarantee ultimate victory. It is vital that we implement a
well-thought-out plan properly funded to accelerate a constant annual
increase in Artsakh’s population as well as its strategic distribution.
Land without people has seldom been a winning combination. To facilitate
this need for a significant increase in population, economic development
must also be accelerated not only to attract repatriates, but to develop a
positive attitude that Artsakh is permanently ours. It is not an easy task,
but it is a vital task that cannot be delayed or sold short. The future of
Armenia and Artsakh is inextricably linked, as is the creditability of *Hai
Tahd* which hangs in the balance.

ARMENIE
L’activité de l’aéroport Zvartnots en augmentation

La société > a annoncé une
augmentation régulière du nombre de passagers et de vols sur les
derniers mois, expliquant la hausse par la politique de >, adoptée par le gouvernement l’année dernière.

Par rapport à mai 2013, une augmentation de 36,9% des flux de
passagers a été observée en mai de cette année, lorsque l’installation
a traité 171 431 passagers contre 125 263 du mois de mai dernier.

Le nombre de vols dans la même période a augmenté de 49,4% avec 1858
vols en mai 2014 contre 1244 vols en mai 2013.

Le nombre de compagnies aériennes opérant des vols réguliers vers
l’Arménie est passé de 27 à 33. Aussi la plupart des compagnies
aériennes a augmenté les fréquences à toutes les destinations
permettant ainsi la réduction des prix des billets d’avion.

dimanche 31 août 2014,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

FOOTBALL-EUROPE
L’Olympiakos, club de l’international arménien Kévork Ghazaryan dans
le Groupe A de la Ligue des Champions

L’international arménien Kévork Ghazaryan qui évolue au club grec de
l’Olympiakos au poste de milieu de terrain déclare que son club est
tombé dans un groupe intéressant. > dit Kévork
Ghazaryan arrivé chez les champions de Grèce cet été. Lors du tirage
au sort de la Ligue des Champions qui s’est déroulé le 28 août à
Monaco, l’Olympiakos est dans le Groupe A en compagnie de l’Atlético
Madrid (Espagne), de la Juventus de Turin (Italie) et de Malmö
(Suède).

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 31 août 2014,
Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

DIPLOMATIE
Si Erdogan vient en Arménie le 24 avril 2015, cela signifierait que la
Turquie reconnait le génocide dit le porte parole du Parti Républicain
d’Arménie

Si la visite du chef de la diplomatie arménienne Edouard Nalbandian en
Turquie pour la cérémonie d’investiture du président turc Erdogan a
été critiquée en Arménie par quelques partis d’opposition, pour le
parti majoritaire, le Parti Républicain d’Arménie, l’invitation lancée
à Erdogan expose désormais Ankara devant l’opinion publique
internationale. Edouard Charmazanov, le porte-parole du Parti
Républicain d’Arménie a affirmé devant la presse à Erévan >.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 31 août 2014,
Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

Armenia MOD hosts Iran’s new military attaché

17:59, 29.08.2014

YEREVAN. – Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan on Friday had a
protocol meeting with Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Reisi, Iran’s
outgoing Military Attaché in Armenia, Colonel Hamid Reza Mirza, and
newly appointed Military Attaché, Colonel Seyed Hossein Vahidi Sheikh.

Ambassador Reisi formally introduced the newly appointed military
attaché to the Armenian minister of defense.

Subsequently, the interlocutors discussed Armenian-Iranian
cooperation, matters of mutual interest, regional issues, and the
avenues for resolving conflicts.

At the end of the talk, Ohanyan thanked Iran’s outgoing military
attaché for contributing to the development of cooperation between the
defense ministries of the two countries, and wished the newly
appointed military attaché success while carrying out his duties in
Armenia.

Armenia News – NEWS.am

Putting End to Ukraine Conflict Impossible Without Peacekeepers –
Russian Senator

CSTO military exercises

(c) RIA Novosti. Sergei Venyavskiy
18:35 29/08/2014

Related News

CSTO Says Ready for Peacekeeping Operations in Ukraine, Decision Up to Members
CSTO Chief Urges End of Bloodshed, International Effort in Southeast Ukraine
CSTO to Suspend Dialogue With NATO Due to Ukrainian Crisis
CSTO Rejects Reports of Russian Troops in Eastern Ukraine

MOSCOW, August 29 (RIA Novosti) – The armed conflict in eastern
Ukraine can only be stopped by peacekeeping forces, but neither the
West nor Kiev are interested in doing so, a member of the Russian
Senate Committee on Defense and Security, Valery Shnyakin, told RIA
Novosti Friday.

“Peace in southeastern Ukraine is impossible without a peacekeeping
contingent entering; the units [fighting each other] must be
separated. This issue cannot be resolved by peaceful, diplomatic
means,” Shnyakin said.

The senator, however, stressed that Kiev authorities “Do not make
their own decisions,” while Washington and Brussels “Are not
interested in ending the military conflict…This is why bringing in the
peacekeepers [to Ukraine] is not yet possible,” the official
concluded.

Earlier on Friday, Nikolay Bordyuzha, the secretary general of the
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) a military alliance
that includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and
Tajikistan, claimed the bloc’s peacekeeping forces are ready for any
kind of operation, including deployment to Ukraine. The Council of
Collective Security, which consists of CTSO member counties’
presidents, has the right to approve this kind of operation, Bordyuzha
added.

In mid-April, Kiev launched a special military operation against
pro-independence forces in eastern Ukraine. According to the latest UN
estimates, at least 2,220 were killed and almost 6,000 injured since
the fighting began in mid-April.

Robert Kocharyan is not optimistic about prospects of final settlement
of Karabakh conflict

by Marianna Lazarian
Friday, August 29, 16:59

The second president of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, is not optimistic
about the prospects of final settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

When commenting on the recent meeting of the Presidents of Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Russia, Robert Kocharyan says in his interview with
Noyan Tapan that he lacks sufficient information to impartially assess
the efficiency of the meeting. “However, the fact of the meeting after
a long break and after the escalation of tension along the Line of
Contact is positive. I would refrain from optimistic assessments of
the final settlement prospects”, he says.

When asked if the Karabakh conflict may complicate Armenia’s accession
to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Kocharyan replies that any of
the EAEU countries may formally block the process and demand
establishing a customs border between Armenia and the NKR, and this
will unlikely be acceptable to Armenia.

“In the meantime, the NKR has no operating borders with other
countries, and the NKR-Azeri border is the Line of Contact of the
troops. That is to say, there is no threat of penetration of
commodities into the EAEU territory via the NKR which can endanger the
economic interests of the EAEU member states”, he says.
As regards the issue of Armenia’s isolation and the possibility to get
out of the isolation without the final determination of Karabakh’s
status, Kocharyan points out that Armenia has closed borders with two
neighboring countries, but it is not isolation.

“Armenia has never been in isolation and I am sure it won’t. The
situation with the borders was the same during my presidency and this
did not prevent us from developing the economy at two-digit growth
rates. There might be some positive developments. The sanctions
against Iran may be softened. I suppose the Abkhaz section of the
railway may be re-launched. A flexible formula is needed for the
railway operation not to affect the sensitive aspects of the parties.
I think Armenia must be the most active broker in this process,
because it directly concerns its vital interests”, says Kocharyan.

Volunteers from the Diaspora visit VivaCell-MTS headquarters

by Erik Abrahamyan
Friday, August 29, 17:30

On August 28 VivaCell-MTS hosted a group of young Diaspora Armenian
volunteers from different countries aged between 20 and 32 years, who
serve as volunteers for an average of 4 months each, and are ready to
apply their professional skills in the regions of our country, the
press service of the company has told ArmInfo. VivaCell- MTS General
Manager Ralph Yirikian presented the volunteers with key aspects of
VivaCell- MTS’ operation, the key values guiding the Company, as well
as its strategy in the sphere of corporate responsibility.

VivaCell-MTS pays particular importance and attention to having more
Armenians from the Diaspora discover the Homeland. VivaCell-MTS finds
that the best way to learn about Armenia is not just to see Armenia as
a touristic destination but as a place where one can work as a
professional or just to contribute through volunteering in projects
aimed at helping different target groups of the society. Discovering
Armenia presupposes becoming part of it, feeling the country, getting
experience through communicating with people, getting in touch with
the daily lives of the people, and much more. It is also important to
engage in friendly relationships with peers and create long-lasting
personal and business relationships.

“It is quite positive and promising that you made that step and came
all the way to visit your Homeland. You can now become the ambassadors
of our beautiful Armenia,” stated VivaCell- MTS General Manager Ralph
Yirikian, welcoming the volunteers, who arrived from the United
States, the Russian Federation, Syria, Mexico, Lebanon and Canada.

>From 2004 onwards with the support of VivaCell-MTS, the Birthright
Foundation has organized the volunteering of young Armenians from 32
countries in the regions of Armenia. Ralph Yirikian’s story of success
was one of the factors triggering the interest among young Armenians
from the Diaspora to visit Armenia and engage in different projects.
“No matter where they are, Armenians all over the world should equally
take the economic development of Armenia as a priority. Who else
should think of the economic development of the country and its
well-being, if not us? All of us need to be committed, consistent, and
hardworking. We simply need to remember: no country in the world is
free from problems. Success comes to those who strive to get result.
We can succeed if we optimistic and rely on the concept of personal
and corporate responsibility toward our country,” added Ralph
Yirikian.

The volunteers shared their impressions on Armenia. The meeting with
Ralph Yirikian went in question-answer format covering a wide range of
issues. The discussion during the meeting helped the young people make
a clearer notion of the business administration and management.
VivaCell-MTS (K-Telecom CJSC) is Armenia’s leading telecommunications
operator, having the widest 2G/3.75G/4G network reach and spreading a
wide range of Voice and Data services all across Armenia. Having the
best of the Armenian people interest at heart since its launch on 1st
July 2005 and in a short period of time VivaCell-MTS has managed to
build a nationwide network and a considerable customer base.
VivaCell-MTS drives innovation and aims at always being at the
forefront of any development serving the Armenian mobile
communications market. The company follows the guidance provided by
ISO 26000 (International Standard of Social Responsibility).

Mobile TeleSystems OJSC (“MTS”) is the leading telecommunications
group in Russia and the CIS, offering mobile and fixed voice,
broadband, pay TV as well as content and entertainment services in one
of the world’s fastest growing regions. Including its subsidiaries,
the Group services over 100 million mobile subscribers. The Group has
been awarded GSM licenses in Russia, Ukraine, Turkmenistan, Armenia
and Belarus, a region that boasts a total population of more than 200
million. Since June 2000, MTS’ Level 3 ADRs have been listed on the
New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol MBT).