Author: Kajoyan Gevork

Armenian cheese and dairy food are like ”white gold”

17:50 26/07/2014 >> SOCIETY

The milk production should be not only homemade but also should be
produced by large companies as far as the Armenian cattle-breeding has
all the grounds for progress, told today the director of sociological
center “Sociometer” Aharon Adibekyan.

According to him the cheese and the dairy food may become a “white
gold” for Armenia because there are unique geographical conditions for
development of that field. Armenia has all the possibilities to
produce Swiss “Emental” cheese the kilogram of which costs 50-60
dollars. Besides that there are some types of Armenian cheese that are
very famous in Europe, like “Lori”, “Chanakh”, “Chechil”, Adibekyan
believes.

“Official approach is needed in this sphere. The state should promote
the cheese production by providing them cheaper credits in order to
export our cheese,” Adibekyan said and added that the companies who
export their goods should have corresponding certificates which will
cost them 100 to 150 thousand dollars.

“The state support here is very important. The taste of Armenian
cheese does not yield to any other country’s cheese. However, we are
not presenting our production to the world. It’s high time to turn
from importing country to exporting one,” he said.

Armenia’s Eurasian integration turns into farce – opinion

13:24 * 26.07.14

In an interview with Tert.am, the Free Democrats party’s leader,
Khachatur Kokobelyan, said he doesn’t think the Russian-Azerbaijani
arms deal makes Armenia’s future Eurasian integration efforts
realistic.

“We have repeatedly stated that Russia is carrying out an arms trade
with Azerbaijan, a non-member states member of CSTO (Collective
Security Treaty Organization), whose armament is targeted against
Armenia, a country which is considered Russia’s strategic ally. So, it
is an open secret that the Russian-Armenian strategic relations have
from now on turned into a farce; likewise it is obvious that Russia
has been ignoring both the political-military and economic interest of
Armenia for quite a long time, guiding itself absolutely by its own
interests as a superpower,” he said, adding that the Armenian
authorities should have long ago drawn corresponding conclusions.

Asked to comment on Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s statement that
that the country has concerns over the weapons deal, the politician
considered the move a little bit belated

“I have had the occasion to address the issue before and say that
Serzh Sargsyan’s statement, as that of a president, was necessary but
belated. Instead of restricting themselves with statements of the
kind, both Serzh Sargsyan and the authorities, including the prime
minister, have to urge Russia to stop behaving in a way not suiting a
strategic ally. The Armenian Foreign Ministry was obliged to send a
protest note to Russia to have the country make a public statement and
suspend Azerbaijan’s arms supply. It’s an open secret that Azerbaijan
acquires 80 percent of its weapons from Russia today, with Belarus
being the second country. So given the role which Belarus and Russia
play in the EaEU, the Armenia-Russia relations and the entire process
turn into a farce; that’s just nonsense,” he noted.

Armenian News – Tert.am

Armenian side has neither losses nor injuries, while enemy has

15:30 26/07/2014 >> POLITICS

Armenian side has neither losses nor injuries while the enemy has. I
can say nothing about the latter,” said the press secretary of the
Ministry of defense Artsrun Hovhannisyan.

According to him the enemy has opened fire at directions of Movses,
Nerkin Karmiraghbyur and Aygepar villages of Tavush region. The
Armenian side has not responded to the fire until the gunfire has
become irregular.

“When they opened irregular fire, we pushed them back,” he stressed.

Artsrun Hovhannisyan has also assured that they are standing next the
villagers especially during this period when it is harvest time.

Source: Panorama.am

Luys World Premiere of Living Jewelry in Gyumri

Friday, July 25th, 2014

A work of ‘living jewelry’ created by artists in Gyumri, called
‘Breath of Stone’

Building a strong arts and technology economy in Armenia through Livings Arts

The Luys Foundation has taken the first steps in transforming the
deep-rooted artistic culture and tradition of Gyumri into a modern-day
economy through new technologies programmed by artificial
intelligence. This cutting-edge field is called Living Art, and it is
sometimes also referred to as Living Design or Responsive Environment.
Using embedded algorithms, Living Art allows the environment to
interact with the individual. The interactions are regulated and
triggered by each of the observer’s movements, facial expressions, and
point of observation. Living Jewelry, an offshoot of Living Art, is a
new field of decorative applied arts that brings together various
high-level skills, including jewelry making and design, as well as the
fields of microelectronics and high technologies.

Luys Living Jewelry comes to life in Gyumri
Artists, jewelers, programmers, technologists, and modelers in Gyumri
came together to produce the following five Living Jewelry prototypes:
Weight of Lightness, a dancing ballerina constructed as an earring;
Breath of the Stone, a necklace made of ordinary stones with a pendant
in the center; Harmony, a large, square pendant consisting of silver,
glass and a TFT screen; Meeting of Souls, a bracelet in the form of a
labyrinth inscribed with a landscape representing routes through a
city; and Taking Flight, a large, asymmetric necklace made with brass.
Each prototype reacts in different ways, producing movement, sound and
light, in accordance with the external environment. See the Living
Design prototypes in action in the video below.

Supporting a mapping of resources to forge collaboration
Luys has carried out a thorough assessment to identify local resources
and bring together necessary outside resources, ensuring that the
project takes off and continues to grow and thrive. In realizing its
vision to transform Gyumri into a Living Art hub, Luys is currently
developing a platform for artists, craftsmen, IT specialists, and
project managers to collaborate in designing communication tools that
both reach the masses and are customized to the individual. It will be
the first platform of its kind in Armenia to connect artists and
specialists from various sectors with the purpose of establishing a
Living Art movement.

Recruiting artists and technologists to take part in a new movement &
securing valuable collaborations
The Luys Foundation is working in collaboration with Florent
Aziosmanoff, author, researcher and producer of Living-Art and of
Living-Art-Labs, whose seminal work drives the field of Living Art.
Mr. Aziosmanoff and Luys’ Executive Director Jacqueline Karaaslanian
have collaborated on cutting edge technologies while working together
at MIT Media Lab. Luys invited Mr. Aziosmanoff to spearhead this
project in Gyumri and help kick start this new industry in this
artistic and historically rich city. The Luys team and Mr. Aziosmanoff
met with representatives in Gyumri in June to spearhead this new
industry in the tech savvy city. During this time, they met with a
number of artists and creative technologists who specialized in
jewelry making, clothing design, carpet making, painting, ceramics,
illustration, graphic art, web development, programming, engineering,
and robotics. The team visited studios of artists and technologists to
view their work, engage with them on a personal level, and recruit
talented individuals for an upcoming master class on Living Art. In
addition to meeting talented individuals, the Luys team also met with
important stakeholders in the fields of arts and technology.

A model presents a piece titled ‘Harmony,’ a large, square pendant
consisting of silver, glass and a TFT screen

Organizing Living Art master classes to take place regularly in Gyumri
The team selected seventeen of the brightest minds, five artists, five
jewelers, five technologists, and two 3D modelers to take part in the
first master class at the Gyumri Art Academy from July 11th-20st. To
kick off the first in a series of master classes, Mr. Aziosmanoff
teamed up with renowned scenographer, set designer, and visual artist
Paul Olory to introduce the concept of Living Jewelry to the
participants. Artists and technologists paired up over the course of
ten days to create prototypes of Living Jewelry. Within the framework
of the Develop Armenia Together program, Luys scholars, using their
skills in photography, videography, and translation, supported the
master class initiative.

Luys presents the Living Jewelry prototypes in Gyumri
On July 20th artists and technologists gathered at the Technopark in
Gyumri to present five Living Jewelry prototypes to the US Ambassador
to Armenia H.E. John A. Heffern, the representatives of other
diplomatic missions, and the local community. The audience was amazed
at the innovative pieces of Living Jewelry, and the event was a great
success. You can read more about Luys Living Design, the master class
participants, and the prototypes here.

‘Meeting of Souls,’ a bracelet in the form of a labyrinth

Next steps to ensure the sustainability of Living Art in Gyumri
Over the course of one year, Luys envisions conducting continual
master classes and training individuals, who will create products to
drive the industry. Former master class participants will be trained
to lead future sessions using a training of trainers format, thus
ensuring the sustainability of the project. In the long-term, Luys
would like to establish a branch of the Living Art/Design School in
Gyumri affiliated with France. Prototypes that are selected during the
master classes have been introduced to a select jury consisting of
representatives from government, embassies, and the business world, as
well as artists. Ultimately, the team will seek partnerships to market
and promote products for the regional as well as the global market.

The Living Art movement has the potential to drive the economic
development of Gyumri
The Living Art digital industry has taken the world by storm, and
there is a great demand worldwide to experience knowledge and
information in a new, responsive way. Gyumri, the arts capital of
Armenia, already has the necessary human resources to embrace the
Living Art industry. It has a number of artists, IT specialists, and
creators capable of developing this innovative economy and willing to
establish collaborations with one another. Through Luys Living Art,
Gyumri has the potential to be transformed into a vibrant center for
creating and manufacturing products for the world market. In utilizing
the co-creative capacity of the community, Gyumri can put itself on
the map and greatly contribute to its economic development, ultimately
reinventing itself as the new economy capital of the Caucasus region.

A press conference in Gyumri presented Luys Foundation’s Living Jewelry project

Luys Foundation is a non-profit educational organization supported by
individual and corporate donations. Its mission is to create and unite
a generation of critical, creative thinkers in Armenia by increasing
the number of Armenian students attending the world’s leading
universities, as well as building an infrastructure that harvests the
knowledge, experience, and connections of Luys students to support the
transition from academic to real-world achievement for Armenia’s
benefit. To contribute to the Luys Foundation, fill out the secure
form at the following link:

ARMENIENS-CALIFORNIE (ETATS-UNIS)
La communauté arménienne de Pasadena (Californie) a fêté son 125e anniversaire

La communauté arménienne de Pasadena (Californie) vient de fêter par
un festival culturel le 125e anniversaire de l’établissement des
premiers Arméniens dans cette ville appelée également >. Aujourd’hui la communauté arménienne de Pasadena est au
nombre de près de 20 000. Les Arméniens ont fêté le 125e anniversaire
de leur arrivée dans la ville, par une série de manifestations
culturelles et artistiques au parc de la Victoire. Lors de la
cérémonie fut honorée la mémoire des frères Pachkian qui furent en
1889 les premiers Arméniens à habiter à Pasadena.

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
July 25 2014

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to be discussed at British parliament

25 July 2014, 13:51 (GMT+05:00)
By Sara Rajabova

The Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be discussed
at the British parliament.

British MP Christopher Pincher from Tamworth said the MPs will raise
the issue in the parliament about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
settlement and the return of IDPs home, the European Azerbaijan
Society (TEAS) reported on July 24.

Pincher said the British MPs have visited the new settlements built
for IDPs in Sheki. “We were informed about the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict and the impact on Azerbaijan. We will raise the issue in the
British Parliament for the conflict to be resolved and internally
displaced people to return home,” he said.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made
territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the
early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian
armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s
internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and
seven adjacent regions.

Pincher also noted that he joined the “Many Happy Returns” campaign to
protect the rights of more than one million refugees and internally
displaced persons, victims of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Pincher, being a member of the Committee on Energy and Climate Change
in the House of Commons of the British Parliament, has been the
chairman of the Azerbaijan-UK friendship group since 2012.

He personally visited the refugee camps and internally displaced
persons in Azerbaijan, including Sheki and Gabala.

Pincher said the name “Many Happy Returns” campaign, organized by the
European Azerbaijan Society, was chosen on the basis of the
congratulatory message in the English style.

“This is a kind of prayer for the fulfillment of the desires of people
who want to return home. The photos of displaced people living only in
three of 76 refugee camps in the regions of Azerbaijan were posted on
the campaign website (). The photos were
shot by famous German photographer Philip Rathmer,” he said.

Each “Many Happy Returns” card features a portrait of the IDP or
refugee that has the same birthday as the recipient, taken in three
camps by the renowned photographer Rathmer. It is followed by a
personal message.

UNPO (Unrepresented Nations & Peoples Organization)
July 25 2014

Stepanakert: “Access to Education is a Basic Human Right”

International Conference sheds light on Educational Discrimination for
youth from non-recognised states.

Brussels, 18 July 2014 – The Ministry of Education and Science of the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic and the Artsakh State University organized
an International Conference on 27-29 June 2014 entitled “Education
without Discrimination: Bologna Context”. The event took place in
Stepanakert, the capital of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and brought
together government officials and lawmakers from Armenia,
Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, Nagorno Karbakh, Basque country,
Flanders, in addition to international experts, researchers and
students from different corners of the world.

The main purpose of the conference was to address the question of the
equal right to education and the principle of non-discrimination.
Discussion was facilitated about this basic human right principle,
that is linked to the UN Convention against Discrimination in
Education, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and other
relevant international documents. During the conference, the right to
education was portrayed as a core aspect and facilitator of tolerance,
cooperation and peaceful conflict-solving mechanisms. The conference
focused moreover on the current national and international policies
for integration and participation to the Bologna process for
unrecognized states such as Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Kosovo and
Nagorno Karabakh.

The conference highlighted the importance of cooperation within the
context of a single European Higher Education Area, especially when it
comes to the integration of non-recognised states. Mr. Torosyan from
Yerevan state University took the floor and stressed on the importance
of institutional reforms, marking the peculiarities in post-conflict
countries.

The participants agreed that the right to education and the creation
of a single European Higher Education Area without discrimination
should be implemented in terms of development of stable, peaceful and
democratic societies. Within this framework, non-recognised states
should be ensured to have access to the Bologna process.

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
July 25 2014

Mecca for Karabakhians

25 July 2014 – 10:12am

In mid-July, the information war around Nagorno-Karabakh reached a new
level. Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Oganyan claimed that the Armed
Forces of Azerbaijan had formed an intelligence and sabotage group and
recruited criminals familiar with the territory. The group, in his
words, was allegedly responsible for sabotage in Nagorno-Karabakh, and
noble Armenian soldiers neutralized it. Azerbaijani citizens Dilgam
Askerov and Shakhbaz Guliyev were detained, Gasan Gasanov killed.

The announcement caused outrage in Baku because Azerbaijani military
specialists are skilled enough to accomplish combat and intelligence
operations without having to recruit civilians, so there was no
saboteur group formed at the Defense Ministry.

The story would not have been a cause célèbre if it were not for the
death of one man and the detention of others labeled as saboteurs.
Baku calls them captives and is fighting for their release. The
International Committee of the Red Cross is assisting in the process.

“So many days have passed! Why doesn’t the Armenian side let ICRC
officials meet the Azerbaijanis taken captive? Because people are
doing what they want with them. They are tortured, forced to speak,
different substances are injected into them,” the Azerbaijani vice
prime minister said.

Relatives of the deceased Gasan Gasanov have identified him by photos
the ICRC acquired. Armenia refuses to return the body, stating that
they need more identification materials.

The story drew attention to the problem of captives who were labeled
as saboteurs at different times. The question is, why would civilians
enter occupied territories if they were not spies or saboteurs? The
answer is very simple. They try to reach their home, the place they
used to live in, where they had their best time before the war.

The captives are no different. One day, three friends swore that they
would see their homeland every year, no matter what happens. They
describe their Karabakh in a personal video made in 2009: “One day, I
was asked “you are a young man, why don’t you visit Mecca or Medina
and visit Kalbajar instead?” For two years in a row, 16 days without
food, without water, on the way towards the places, I pass the
territories protected by Azerbaijani and Armenian armed forces, visit
my holy homeland, Kalbajar. For me, Kalbajar, Shaplar are the second
Mecca, Medina. So far, I have opportunities and strength to visit the
village at any time.” The video of 2009 depicts them full of hopes.
But the year was unfortunate, one of them was killed and two taken
captive, their fate remains uncertain.

“How can I violate the border inside my own country? We will all visit
our lands, the lands of our ancestors when we want. It is our right to
visit our lands occupied by the enemy. This is not just about
Kalbajar. The captives were on the way to their land. They were
visiting the graves of their parents. We need to visit the land of our
ancestors and live there,” stated Bayram Safarov, the head of the
Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno-Karabakh Public Association.

Vestnik Kavkaza commentary

Many graduates of the Lomonosov MSU live in Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Many of us – experts of Vestnik Kavkaza – associate our student years
with the best years of youth.

Moscow is one of the few very dear cities for us, where we can meet,
where ethnic origin does not become an obstacle.

One time, a graduate of the History Faculty, a Candidate of History,
asked a gifted man, his colleague, a Muscovite, a question he could
not answer himself. A native Shushian, a countryman of Rashid
Bekhbudov, Polad Bulbulogly admitted to the Muscovite that he had
disobeyed his mother for the first time when he had failed to comply
with her will. The last and only request of his mother was to bury her
in her hometown of Shushe, next to her husband. A man worshiping the
MSU as a holy temple of science asked his friend, a Russian
intellectual: whose fault was his failure to fulfil his mother’s last
request? He added that he did not care about problems of big politics
and the only goal was to comply with the will.

A few years ago, another graduate of ours, a member of a delegation,
met Karabakh refugees living on the frontline zone for over 20 years.
Every morning they see their village occupied. Every day, they see
their half-broken homes and their only wish is to cross the artificial
border, enter their home, kiss their land, visit the graves of their
relatives. And they went to see their homes. Is this a crime?
According to the nationalists keeping the land under control, it is a
crime! One of the Karabakhians was killed, the others are rotting in
jail.

One of the men can be seen on the video. Watch it and decide who is
responsible and what to do.

Fars News Agency, Iran
July 25 2014

Archbishop Calls for Iranians’ Massive Turnout in Quds Day Rallies

TEHRAN (FNA)- Archbishop of Armenians in Western Iran Grigor
Chiftchian condemned the Zionist regime of Israel’s war crimes against
innocent Gazans, and called for the massive participation of the
Iranians in the International Quds Day rallies across the country.

Archbishop Chiftchian invited Armenian-Iranian community to take to
the streets on Friday along with other compatriots to mark the
International Quds Day.

He said that people should massively turnout in the rallies to show
their outrage at the Israeli atrocities against the civilians in the
Gaza Strip, and express support for the Palestinian nation in their
resistance against the Zionist occupation.

Israel has been pounding the blockaded Gaza for 18 consecutive days
now, killing at least 800 people and injuring more than 5,500 others.

According to the UN, 77% of the victims in Gaza are civilians and
defenseless people.

Since July 8, Israeli warplanes have been carrying out incessant
airstrikes against Gaza.

On July 17, thousands of Israeli soldiers also launched a ground
invasion into the densely-populated Strip.

Millions of people are expected to take part in the International Quds
Day rallies in solidarity with the oppressed Palestinian people today.

The International Quds Day is an annual event opposing Israel’s
occupation of Beitul-Muqaddas. Anti-Zionist rallies and demonstrations
are held on the last Friday of Ramadan in Muslim and Arab countries
around the world, specially in Iran.

Similar rallies have also been held in non-Muslim countries across the
world in the last two decades.

The International Quds Day was started by the late Founder of the
Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, in 1979 as a way of expressing
solidarity with the Palestinians and underscoring importance of the
holy Quds to Muslims.

Analysts say the Quds rallies will be staged with further zeal and
enthusiasm across the world this year as the Zionist regime is
intensifying its pressures and aggressions against people in the
besieged Gaza Strip.

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
July 25 2014

Paris meeting between Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan might be cancelled

25 July 2014 – 4:15pm

The Paris meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev
and Serzh Sargsyan, initiated by the President of France, Francois
Hollande, is likely to be cancelled.
The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group have failed to arrange a
personal meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries,
Elmar Mammadyarov and Edward Nalbandian.

The media reports that possibly the meeting will be rescheduled to
take part in New York.