Author: Kajoyan Gevork

BAKU DISMISSES ARMENIAN DISTORTION OF US CONGRESSIONAL PANEL’S DECISION

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
July 29 2013

29 July 2013, 14:20 (GMT+05:00)

By Sara Rajabova

A decision made by the US congressional subcommittee on foreign
appropriations was incorrectly interpreted by Armenia, Azerbaijani
Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev told media on July 26.

Abdullayev was commenting on the subcommittee’s decision on the
allocation of assistance to the victims of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, rather than the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Ministry spokesman said Armenian media were distorting the
information about the subcommittee’s allocating financial aid to
address the humanitarian needs of the conflict victims.

The U.S. House of Representatives’ subcommittee, in charge of working
out the project on foreign aid in the fiscal year 2014, gave priority
to rendering humanitarian assistance to the population of the countries
affected by the conflict in Syria. Specific amount for rendering aid to
the Caucasus countries was not cited for the first time in two decades.

The subcommittee’s decision envisages rendering humanitarian assistance
to the victims of the conflict, i.e. the Azerbaijani population of
Nagorno-Karabakh, Abdullayev said.

The subcommittee rejected the demands of pro-Armenian congressmen to
allocate $5 million worth of aid to Nagorno-Karabakh in 2014.

Moreover, members of the subcommittee rejected the proposal
of pro-Armenian congressmen that the Armenian community of
Nagorno-Karabakh participate in the negotiations on the conflict
settlement, Abdullayev said.

The congressional subcommittee also declined the proposal to toughen
the anti-Azerbaijan Section 907 to the Freedom Support Act.

Section 907 was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1992. This law bans
direct aid to the Azerbaijan government.

In October 24, 2001, the Senate gave the U.S. President the ability
to waive Section 907. That waiver has been exercised every year
since 2002.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally
recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent
regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus
neighbor that caused a brutal war in the early 1990s. Long-standing
efforts by US, Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless
so far.

As a result of the Armenian occupation, in Nagorno-Karabakh, adjacent
regions and the regions bordering on Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh
over a million Azerbaijanis were deprived of their places of residence
and turned into refugees and IDPs.

The UN Security Council has passed four resolutions on Armenian
withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been
enforced to this day.

STATE COUNCILLOR YANG JIECHI MEETS WITH FOREIGN MINISTER EDWARD NALBANDIAN OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China (PRC)
July 29 2013

2013/07/25

On July 25, 2013, State Councillor Yang Jiechi met with the visiting
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian in Zhongnanhai.

Yang Jiechi said that since the establishment of diplomatic
relationship, China-Armenia relations have maintained stable and
healthy development. Both sides have steadily deepened political
mutual trust, expanded cooperation in all fields, and always kept
coordination for major international and regional issues. China is
willing to work with Armenia to push forward the bilateral relations
for a lasting development.

Edward Nalbandian said that developing relations with China is one
of the priorities for Armenia’s foreign policy. Hope that both sides
will continue to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various
fields and push forward the bilateral relations to a new level.

Both sides also exchanged views on international and regional topics
of common interest.

SYRIA HEADING TOWARDS VICTORY AGAINST TERRORISM, RESTORING SECURITY AND STABILITY TO KHALEDIYA NEIGHBORHOOD

Jul 29, 2013

Homs, (SANA) – The Syrian Arab Army has made a new victory against
terrorism along with the restoration of security and stability to
Homs province.

After al-Qseir, al-Qaryatin and Tal-Kalakh, the Syrian Arab Army
restored security to al-Khalediya neighborhood after it has been for
several months a stronghold for the armed terrorist groups.

After two years of suffering sustained by the locals of Homs because
of the armed terrorist groups, the armed forces eliminated the Takfiri
terrorism in al-Khalediya neighborhood.

In a statement to SANA, a field commander saluted the brave soldiers of
the Syrian Arab Army who forced the terrorists out of the neighborhood,
pointing out to the importance of liberating this area in blocking
the supply roads for the armed terrorist groups.

The commander said the purge operation was carried out through three
stages; the first stage was retaking control of the southern part of
the neighborhood and blocks overlooking Khalid bin al-Walid Mosque;
the second stage was retaking control over Beit al-Alo Park, al-Hafyan
roundabout and the surrounding of the Mosque, and the third stage
was eliminating the terrorists through the hard strikes of the army.

For his part, Head of the National Reconciliation Committee, Sheikh
Saleh al-Nouaimi, expressed the happiness of the Syrian people over
the achievements of the Syrian Arab Army on the ground.

He added that the residents of the neighborhood started communications
with the committee as to come back to their homes.

Analysts pointed out that the liberation of al-Khalediya which is
located at the center of the old city of Homs and a stronghold for
terrorists’ leaders means cutting the supply roads for terrorists
and controlling one of the most important headquarters for terrorist
operation commands.

They added that this achievement would further escalate the dramatic
collapse of terrorists and would force them to surrender their weapons.

F.Allafi

USA
Un artiste arméno-américain remporte une renommée posthume

Le paysage se dissout dans les rouges, les jaunes et les verts. Une
montagne dans l’État de New York est filtré à travers l’imagination
d’un artiste, rendu sur la toile en plaques angulaires.

Cela étaient les visions d’Arthur Pinajian, un peintre inconnu
arméno-américain dont la mort en 1999 s’était conclu avec la location
d’une benne à ordures. La benne devait être rempli avec des décennies
de ses écrits et de ses dessins au crayon et d’un garage plein de
peintures au nombre de 6000.

Aujourd’hui, le travail de Pinajian est accroché sur les murs bien
éclairés d’une galerie de SoHo. Les historiens de l’art disent qu’à
son meilleur niveau, il se classe parmi les plus beaux
expressionnistes abstraits des États-Unis. Sa succession a été évaluée
à 30 millions de dollars. Après plusieurs rebondissements du destin,
Pinajian a été extrait de l’obscurité et est en train de gagner une
improbable gloire posthume.

Le premier rebondissement est venu avec un projet immobilier par un
homme du nom de Thomas Schultz. C’était en 2005 quand Schultz est
tombé sur la maison à Bellport, New York, qui fut la résidence de
longue date de Pinajian et sa s`ur.

(JPEG)
« Je suis venu dans la maison pour regarder dans le but de déterminer
si c’était une bonne maison pour [ acheter et revendre à profit] et je
marchais parmi tous ces objets d’art. J’ai été intrigué par eux parce
qu’ils étaient si nombreux. Je savais que ce que je regardais était le
travail de la vie de quelqu’un ».

Des cousins se sont excusés auprès de Schultz pour le gchis laissé à
l’intérieur – des milliers de toiles, dont certaines en décomposition,
qui ont été bourrés dans le grenier et empilés dans le garage. Ils ont
dit que l’artiste, qui n’avait jamais été reconnu de son vivant, avait
laissé des instructions que l’ensemble de son travail soit jeté. Une
benne à ordures était prête à l’arrière.

Schultz a proposé 300 000 dollars pour la maison et a offert une somme
supplémentaire de 2 2500 dollars pour l’ensemble des `uvres d’art.

L’énorme collection avait non seulement été épargnée, mais était tombé
dans de bonnes mains. Il s’est avéré que Schultz a connu un membre de
la famille de Homer William Innes , à l’époque l’un des plus éminents
spécialistes de l’art contemporain américain.

Après plusieurs mois d’étude, Homer fait un appel passionné à
l’historien de l’art américain et expert Peter Hastings Falk. Dans une
interview accordée à RFE / RL, Falka positionné les `uvres de Pinajian
au niveau des `uvres de certains des maîtres de l’expressionnisme
abstrait américain.

Falk est maintenant le directeur des expositions et conservateur en
chef du patrimoine de Pinajian .

Pinajian est né en 1914 dans le New Jersey. Ses parents avaient fui
les massacres des Arméniens par les Turcs ottomans.

Il a travaillé comme illustrateur de bande dessinée dans les années
1930, créant « Madame Fatal », un personnage considéré comme le
premier cross-dressing super-héros .

Plus tard, il a étudié l’art à New York.

Peinture « Matin, midi et soir`

Falk dit que Pinajian eu une `panne` en 1948, année où il a écrit un
long manifeste sur ce que cela signifie d’être un grand artiste. Dès
lors, il mène une existence quasi-hermétique, en fonction de sa s`ur
grce à un soutien financier. L’Art est consommé presque chaque heure
jusqu’à sa mort.

« Quand nous sommes allés dans la maison, il était toujours riant et
plaisantant et parlant de l’ancien temps », se souvient Aram Aramian,
l’un des cousins de Pinajian. « Il avait une nature bonne en lui, mais
tout ce qu’il voulait faire, c’était de la peinture -…, Peinture,
peinture Matin, midi et soir tous les jours à trois cent soixante-cinq
jours par an. ».

Alors que Pinajian a tout essayé de l’érotisme au réalisme, Falk dit
qu’il a atteint ses meilleurs résultats dans « les paysages lyriques,
rythmiques, abstraits ». Il évalue la valeur totale des travaux de
Pinajian à 30 millions de dollars, un chiffre qui a récemment été
révélé au grand public.

la première de Pinajian à New York en mars a suscité un vif intérêt.
Le prix le plus élevé payé à ce jour pour l’un de ses tableaux a été
de 100 000 $. « J’ai encore l’impression que l’ascenseur est au rez de
chaussée en termes de valeur », dit Falk.

Thomas Schultz, qui a contribué à sauver la collection, a abandonné
son emploi. Il a dit : « qu’un grand musée de Los Angeles » a
récemment acquis une pièce. Mais il affirme que son travail est une
question d’inspiration beaucoup plus que l’argent.

« J’ai acheté le chalet Pinajian à mon partenaire, » dit-il. « Je suis
en train de vivre. Je regarde les arbres ici sur la propriété qu’il
capturé dans quelques-uns des beaux paysages que nous voyons
maintenant. C’est presque comme si je suis sur une terre sacrée. Ça a
fait un changement dans ma vie. [ Ma vie est] tout consacré à Pinajian
en fait. Je me réveille tous les jours et je pense Pinajian et ce que
je peux faire pour apporter la reconnaissance qu’il mérite. J’ai
l’impression qu’il a finalement obtenu cela ».

dimanche 28 juillet 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

9TH PAN-HOMENETMEN GAMES DELEGATION DEPARTS TO ARMENIA

Friday, July 26th, 2013

Western USA Homenetmen’s delegation of athletes, coaches, and
executive members

EAGLE ROCK-The Homenetmen Western United States Regional Executive
Committee proudly announced that on Thursday, July 25th, 2013, a
delegation of 80 Homenetmen members representing the region boarded
a flight en route to Armenia to partake in the 9th Pan-Homenetmen
Games that will take place in Yerevan. The games are a tradition,
whereby hundreds of Homenetmen’s youth from around the world assemble
to meet, compete, and strengthen their Armenian spirit and identity,
and occurs every four years in a country where Homenetmen has a
functional presence and a well-organized chapter.

The games are scheduled to begin on Saturday, July 27th, ending on
Saturday, August 3rd, 2013. This will be the second time that the
games will be held in Yerevan.

The delegation which consists of athletes, coaches, and executive
committee members from the Western United States region, will be
participating in the following competitions:

Men’s and Women’s Basketball

Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball

Men’s Soccer

Women’s Volleyball

Swimming

Track and Field

Table Tennis (Ping Pong)

The Homenetmen Western United States Regional Executive Committee,
its members and extended family of supporters and followers, wish
the region’s representatives a safe trip and success in the tournament.

ATP PROMOTES CIVIC ENGAGEMENT ON LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Friday, July 26th, 2013

Armenia Tree Project operates environmental education centers near its
tree nurseries in Margahovit and Karin villages, where thousands of
local and diasporan students visit for lessons and outdoor field-based
learning

MARGAHOVIT, Armenia-The quality of irrigation water in Aghtsk, the
condition of the public park in Margahovit, and the cleanup of the
grounds of Isahakyan Park in Gyumri were some of the topics presented
by students at a workshop hosted by Armenia Tree Project (ATP).

High school students from Aghtsk, Margahovit, and Gyumri participated
in a poster presentation on June 10 at ATP’s Michael and Virginia
Center for Environmental Studies. The event was part of a collaborative
program between ATP and Armenia’s National Institute of Education
(NIE) on the integration of environmental education in the social
sciences curriculum.

“The goal of the program was to introduce environmental education
to these students and to create a generation that is not only aware
of current environmental issues, but is concerned enough to learn
specific skills to solve the issues,” explained Karine Harutyunyan,
social sciences specialist from the NIE. “We hope such projects
will contribute to the formation of socially active and responsible
citizens.”

Student groups in grades 8-10 were instructed to identify a local
environmental problem and conduct independent research on the issue
including a study of relevant legislation and regulations. The students
recommended solutions and addressed their findings to responsible
officials and organizations for implementation.

The exercise was based on articles in Armenia’s Constitution that
address the right to live in a healthy environment and the Aarhus
Convention which guarantees public access to information about the
environment.

Environmental education has been one of ATP’s core programs since
the 2005 publication of the “Plant an Idea, Plant a Tree” teacher’s
manual. A second edition of the manual was published in cooperation
with the NIE in 2010 and already more than 1,200 teachers from all
regions of Armenia have been trained on its use in the classroom.

ATP operates education centers near its tree nurseries in Margahovit
and Karin villages, where local and diasporan students visit for
lessons and outdoor field-based learning. Nearly 1,400 students
including young schoolchildren and university students visited the
Michael and Virginia Ohanian Environmental Educational Center in
Karin Village last year.

The Michael and Virginia Ohanian Center for Environmental Studies was
inaugurated in Margahovit in 2012 and has already hosted more than
200 visitors. The center is run by biology teacher Gayane Margaryan,
who supervises several student eco clubs that meet there regularly.

Elementary and high school students are members of the eco clubs,
where they discuss environmental challenges, do hands-on work at the
ATP center, and learn environmentally friendly methods of gardening.

Earlier this year, ATP partnered with the Italian CISP charitable
organization (International Committee for the Development of People)
on teacher training focused on the Lori region. ATP trained teachers on
the use of the “Plant an Idea, Plant a Tree” manual and “Participatory
and Innovative Pedagogical Tools for Education on Environmental Health”
prepared by the French Histoires Recyclables NGO.

A total of 125 teachers have already been trained, and the program
will continue this fall. “It is of major importance for ATP to conduct
environmental trainings in these regions as there has been widespread
deforestation caused by logging and other environmental challenges,”
explained program manager Alla Sahakyan.

“Teachers seem to appreciate this opportunity as it demonstrates
innovative methods and introduces new insights for environmental
education. International organizations are interested in our trainings,
and we’re excited about our first training with CISP,” continued
Sahakyan. “We express our gratitude to CISP for their charitable
mission throughout the world. When organizations having similar
interests cooperate in their activities, it leads to even greater
impact and encouraging results.”

ATP’s mission is to assist the Armenian people in using trees
to improve their standard of living and protect the environment,
guided by the desire to promote self-sufficiency, aid those with the
fewest resources first, and conserve the indigenous ecosystem. ATP’s
three major programs are tree planting, environmental education,
and sustainable development initiatives.

PROTESTORS DEMAND RESIGNATION OF TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT HEAD – PHOTOS
Narek Aleksanyan

16:24, July 26, 2013
Scores of activists gathered in front of the Yerevan Municipality
this afternoon to demand the resignation of Transportation Department
Head Henrik Navasardyan and Misak Hambardzoumyan, Director of Yerevan
Trans Ltd.

Yesterday, in a policy reversal, Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan
temporarily suspended the fare hikes announced a week ago.

A phalanx of police barred the protesters from handing their ultimatum
Municipality officials.

In return, the activists staged a sit-down, stating that they wouldn’t
leave until their demands were met.

The activists also demanded that Mayor Margaryan make public the
documents, based on which, he allowed the 50% fare hikes in the
first place.

Another demand being made is that the Municipality assumes operational
control of public transportation in the Armenian capital.

SOURCE: MUNICIPALITY OF YEREVAN CURRENTLY DISCUSSES ISSUE OF RESIGNATION OF ALL DEPUTY MAYORS AND ADVISORS TO MAYOR TARON MARGARYAN
by Nana Martirosyan

Friday, July 26, 15:31

At the moment the Municipality of Yerevan is holding an emergency
meeting.

ArmInfo’s source in the Municipality says that the meeting covers
the issue of resignation of all deputy mayors and advisors to Mayor
Taron Margaryan.

Earlier on Friday, ArmInfo reported with reference to the same
source that Head of the Municipality’s Transport Department
Henrik Navasardyan, Head of the Public Relations Department Artur
Gevorgyan, as well as Head of Yerevantrans Misak Hambardzumyan sent
in their resignation on Thursday. Maria Baragamyan, employee at the
Municipality’s Tourism Department, will replace Artur Gevorgyan. The
Municipality will officially announce their resignation later.

The resignations are conditioned by the situation that arose following
the mayor’s decision to raise the public transport fare. Despite Taron
Margaryan’s July 25 statement about suspension of the decision on
public transport fare rise, the Let’s Pay 100 AMD movement participants
have organized an action of protest in front of the Municipality of
Yerevan. They demand that the decision on the public transport fare
rise should be cancelled, not suspended. In addition, they demand
resignation of Head of the Municipality’s Transport Department
Henrik Navasardyan and Head of Yerevantrans Misak Hambardzumyan. The
protesters also demand improving the quality of transport services and
reducing the fare to 50 AMD within the next 7 days so as to compensate
for the Yerevan residents’ expenses over the past few days, because
the fare was raised illegally.

ACTIVISTS HOLD PROTEST IN FRONT OF YEREVAN MUNICIPALITY

14:35 26/07/2013 ” SOCIETY

A group of activists are holding a protest in front of Yerevan
Municipality. The protesters demand the resignation of those officials
who are responsible for the increase of the public transport fares,
a Panorama.am correspondent reports.

We must note that Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan temporarily suspended
the decision on the increase of the public transport fares yesterday.

Source: Panorama.am

SOUTH CAUCASUS RAILWAY OFFERING NEW SERVICES TO ITS “ARMENIA” TRAIN PASSENGERS

YEREVAN, July 26. /ARKA/

The South Caucasus Railway, together with VivaCell-MTS mobile
operator, is offering a new service to passengers of its “Armenia”
Yerevan-Batumi-Yerevan brand train.

Now night coach passengers will get a free SIM cards with roaming
service activated. The “call to Armenia” service will cost 55 drams
per minute only.

The high comfort carriages and night coaches of the train have also
free Wi-Fi. The company continues making efforts to enhance the level
of comfort and service in its trains. South Caucasus Railway cjsc is
a 100% subsidiary of Russian Railways open joint stock company that
is operating Armenian railways under a 30-year concession contract
signed in 2008. The contract can be extended for another 10 years. -0–

– See more at: