Author: Kajoyan Gevork

POLL: WHO WILL WIN EUROVISION 2012?

Financial Mirror

May 25 2012

This week, Europeans can forget about the debt crisis and politics for
a moment, and throw themselves into rooting for their home country
or favorite artist. Eurovision 2012 is under way, and about half a
billion viewers are expected to tune in for the finale on Saturday.

Here are the finalist:

United Kingdom Hungary Albania Lithuania Bosnia-Herzegovina Russia
Iceland Cyprus France Italy Estonia Norway Azerbaijan Romania Denmark
Greece Sweden Turkey Spain Germany Malta FYR Macedonia Ireland
Serbia Ukraine

The song contest started in the 1950s, and each country competing is
represented by a single singing group or soloist. Because Azerbaijan
won last year, Eurovision is being staged in its capital, Baku.

Azerbaijan, a mainly Muslim ex-Soviet republic, is to host the grand
final of the 57th Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday.

Azerbaijan sees the competition as a chance to showcase the country
and – flush with cash from oil and gas sales – has spent $60 million
on a city facelift intended to show its achievements.

However, activist groups advocating a broad spectrum of issues –
from human rights to religion – have also sought to use the occasion
to draw attention to their campaigns. Armenia pulled out of the
contest in March, underscoring tensions over the disputed enclave
of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenian-backed forces wrested the mainly
Armenian-populated enclave inside Azerbaijan, from Azeri control
after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

William Lee Adams is a writer for Time magazine and editor-in-chief of
Wiwibloggs, a site dedicated to covering the Eurovision contest. From
Baku, he introduced Morning Edition host Renee Montagne to three of
the finalists in the multinational competition.

“Greece takes Eurovision incredibly seriously,” says Adams. “And they
typically bring the exact same song. It’s kind of cheesy. It has an
ethno-Greek background. It’s upbeat and danceable, and that’s what
this year’s contestant, Eleftheria Eleftheriou, brings.”

Ukraine’s contestant is half-Congolese, which has caused some
controversy. After Gaitana won that country’s national final, a
right-wing politician was quoted as saying she wasn’t “an organic
representative of the country.” But the country embraced her, says
Adams. Her song is called “Be My Guest.”

Representing Russia this year is a group of six grandmothers. Their
song, “Party for Everybody,” tells the story of the babushkas welcoming
their grandchildren home. “This song itself is kind of appalling,
but Eurovision isn’t about the best song,” he says. “It’s about the
best act. And this one comes with attitude and spunk and spirit,
and the belief that you can keep on moving no matter how old you are.”

Here are some facts about song contest:

– The first contest took place in 1956. It was originally conceived
in Monaco by Marcel Bezencon and based on the Italian Sanremo Festival
held since 1951. Switzerland won the first contest.

– The Eurovision Song Contest boasts a television audience estimated
at around 125 million people each year.

EUROVISION RECORDS:

– Singer Johnny Logan won the contest three times. In 1980 and 1987
he represented Ireland and won both times. In 1992 he wrote Linda
Martin’s winning entry.

– ABBA is the most successful Eurovision Song Contest winner. The
Swedish band won the contest in 1974 with the song “Waterloo”.

– The most covered song in the contest is Domenico Mudugno’s “Nel
Blu Di Pinto Di Blu,” also known as “Volare”.

Norway came last most often — in 1963, 1969, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1981,
1990, 1997, 2001 and 2004. However, they have also won three times
— in 1985, 1995 and 2009. Ireland has won seven times, Luxembourg,
France and the United Kingdom five times. Sweden and the Netherlands
have won four times.

– Most winning songs were performed in English – songs (mostly) in
English won 24 times. French is also popular, with 14 victories. Dutch
and Hebrew songs won 3 times each

– Dima Bilan gave Russia its first victory in the Eurovision Song
Contest in 2008 with a rock ballad “Believe.”

– More than 1,000 songs already have taken part in the Eurovision
Song Contest. In 2006, the song of Ireland’s Brian Kennedy was number
1,000. Number 100 was “T’en Va Pas”, performed by Esther Ofarim
for Switzerland and Luxembourg presented the 500th song in 1986,
“L’amour De Ma Vie”.

– In 2008 and 2011, a record number of 43 countries participated

WHAT HAPPENED IN 2011:

– Azerbaijan won the 56th Eurovision song contest with the romantic
ballad “Running Scared”.

– The song was about a love-struck couple and was performed by
21-year-old student Eldar Gasimov and Nigar Jamal, 30, a mother-of-two
who lived in London. The duo was known as Ell-Nikki.

– Italy was second and Sweden came third in the contest, hosted
by Germany.

FRENCH SENATORS HIGHLY ESTIMATE DEMOCRACY IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH (PHOTO)

tert.am
May 25, 2012 | 19:39

YEREVAN. – Armenian FM Edward Nalbandian received French Senate members
Sophie Joissains, Philippe Marini and Bernard Fournier on Friday.

As the press service of the Armenian MFA informs Armenian News-NEWS.am,
Edward Nalbandian stressed the importance of the senators’ visit to
Artsakh stating that such visits enable to personally get acquainted
with the situation and recent developments.

The senators on their turn expressed satisfactions from their visits
to Armenia and Artsakh and shared their impressions of the visit
to Stepanakert. The senators highly estimated the democracy level
in Artsakh.

The parties also discussed Armenian – European relations, regional
conflicts and other issues.

EUROPEAN STABILITY INITIATIVE: BAKU’S AUTHORITIES BRIBE PACE BY CAVIAR

arminfo
Friday, May 25, 19:39

The new report of the European Stability Initiative discloses
the cooperation of the Azerbaijani officials with the European
parliamentarians. According to the report, the Azeri officials are
trying to get into European MPs’ good graces by presenting them caviar.

The report “Caviar Diplomacy. How Azerbaijan silenced the Council
of Europe” refers to a well-known politician who wished to remain
anonymous: “There are a lot of deputies in the Council of Europe
Parliamentary Assembly whose first greeting, after ‘Hello’, is ‘Where
is the caviar?'”

“One kilogram of caviar is worth between 1,300 and 1,400 euro. Each of
our friends in PACE receives at every session, four times a year, at
least 0.4 to 0.6 kg. Our key friends in PACE, who get this, are around
10 to 12 people. There are another 3 to 4 people in the secretariat.”

For some of these friends, the caviar is just the beginning”, the
report says.

“Caviar, at least, is given at every session. But during visits to
Baku many other things are given as well. Many deputies are regularly
invited to Azerbaijan and generously paid. In a normal year, at least
30 to 40 would be invited, some of them repeatedly. People are invited
to conferences, events, sometimes for summer vacations. These are
real vacations and there are many expensive gifts. Gifts are mostly
expensive silk carpets, gold and silver items, drinks, caviar and
money. In Baku, a common gift is 2 kg of caviar”, says the report.

The report also points out that gift giving is a part of traditional
Azeri culture. The generosity shown towards friends is expected to be
paid back some day. This was certainly the logic behind a policy that
Azerbaijani officials referred to in private as “caviar diplomacy.”

It began in 2001, not long after Azerbaijan joined the Council of
Europe. Once the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline was completed in
2005 and the Azerbaijani state coffers were awash in oil revenues,
the “caviar policy” shifted into top gear, the report says.

The document stresses: “Over the course of the project, we spoke to a
large number of international officials, Azerbaijanis, members of PACE
and people involved in election observation missions in Azerbaijan. We
studied transcripts of Council of Europe debates on Azerbaijan and
dissected election observation reports by international monitors.

Outside of the Council of Europe, the state of Azerbaijan’s democracy
is not seriously contested. Even its biggest admirers admit that it
is at best a semi-authoritarian regime”.

“Diplomacy is always about winning friends, building alliances, cutting
deals. In the case of Azerbaijan and the Council of Europe, however, it
often went much further. Beneath the institutional failure, it is also
a story about individuals and the difference they can make, for better
or worse, within institutions like the Council of Europe. Not everybody
who defended Azerbaijan in PACE did so for material benefit. There were
other factors at play, including geopolitical considerations. But there
are many indications that corruption has played a role in deflecting
PACE from its responsibilities”, the report says.

ARFD MEMBERS PRESENT TWO MANDATE WITHDRAWAL PETITIONS

news.am
May 25, 2012 | 18:26

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s Central Election Committee received two
parliamentary mandate withdrawal petitions from Armenian Revolutionary
Federation (ARF) on Friday, the spokesperson for Committee Hermine
Harutyunyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

According to her, ARFD members Artyusha Shahbazyan and Karine
Harutyunyan presented withdrawal petitions.

ARFD received five mandates as a result of the parliamentary elections
of May 6.

So, Armenia’s CEC received 67 withdrawal petitions from the Republican
Party of Armenia (RPA), 28 from Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP),
three from Orinats Yerkir (Rule of Law), one from Heritage, two from
Armenian National Congress (ANC).

Trend, Azerbaijan
May 26 2012

U.S. Secretary of State to discuss Nagorno-Karabakh conflict during
visit to Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, May 26 / Trend V.Javoronkova/

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will discuss
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict during her visit to Azerbaijan on June 6.
The U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Adam Sterling told journalists on
Saturday, that during the visit a wide range of bilateral relations
between two countries will be discussed, among which is
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Before her visit to Azerbaijan, Clinton will travel to Armenia on June
4 and Georgia on June 5. The Secretary will meet with the Presidents
and civil society leaders of these countries.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

ITAR-TASS, Russia
May 23, 2012 Wednesday 05:00 PM GMT+4

Armenia hails steps promoting atmosphere of trust in region – President

YEREVAN May 23

Armenia is taking steps to expand regional cooperation and will hail
any initiative aiming to create an atmosphere of mutual trust in the
region, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said in an address to the
participants in a plenary meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC). The document was read out on
Wednesday by head of the presidential administration Vigen Sarkisyan.

“Armenia attaches great significance to the activities of
international organizations, especially the Organization of Black Sea
Economic Cooperation (BSEC), and welcomes further development of its
parliamentary cooperation format as a pivot body of regional
cooperation,” the Armenian head of state said in the address,” the
address said.

“A vivid example of it is the fact that Armenia expressed readiness to
host this meeting before the very end of the term of its current
parliament, since it does not make the normal work of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Cooperation conditional on its
internal political calendar,” the Armenian president noted.

“Parliamentary diplomacy now holds its own specific place in the area
of interstate relations. It has a big role in advocating principles of
democracy, protection of human rights, and ensuring the supremacy of
law. The establishment of an inter-parliamentary dialogue is of key
importance for propagating these principles and building an atmosphere
of mutual trust,” he stressed. “The full-blown regional cooperation
helps promote lasting peace and stability.”

“Armenia strongly believes that broader regional cooperation,
unblocking of closed borders and promoting comprehensive cooperation
is the only way to reach mutual trust that will serve as a basis to
settle all problems – by peaceful and compromise means,” Sargsyan
said. In this context he pointed to the significance of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.

According to the Armenian leader, member countries of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation are
consolidated “by common goals aimed at deeper political dialogue,
broader trade and economic ties and better life of our nations.”

“In the focus of attention at the Yerevan plenary meeting of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation there are
various pressing problems, from sustainable economic development,
ecology, meeting social need of people, to state support to private
businesses,” he noted.

“On the basis of compromise approaches inherent in parliamentarism,”
he noted, participants in the meeting will play “a significant role in
the process of decision-making taking into account both common
interests and interests of all member countries of the Organization of
the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.”

Global Insight
May 24, 2012

Russian Defence Ministry Admits Standstill in Missile Defence Radar
Talks with Azerbaijan

by Lilit Gevorgyan

The Russian state-controlled RIA Novosti news agency reported today
(24 May) that the on-going talks with Azerbaijan over the extension of
the lease of an missile defence radar located in the Azerbaijani town
of Gabala are not progressing, citing sources in the Russian defence
ministry. The admission comes weeks after the Russian officials stated
that they are hoping to conclude the new deal very shortly. The soviet
era missile defence radar has been in Russian lease since 2002. But
the ten- year agreement is due to expire on 24 December this year. The
talks to extend the deal until 2025 ran into problems after reportedly
the Azerbaijani side decided to increase the asking price for the
station from USD7 million to USD300 million. According to media
reports in the Russian press this is a very high price considering
that the station needs full renovation. The Russian experts have
suggested that USD300 million could be instead channeled into building
a new anti- missile station.

Significance:The talks are likely to gain traction as the negotiating
parties get closer to the expiry of the lease. Azerbaijan’s tough
stance on the lease terms which, the high price tag aside, also
included the involvement of local staff and their training on-site,
has been undermined by neighbouring Armenia. Following the news of
stalling talks between Russian and Azerbaijan, the Armenian prime
minister Tigran Sargsyan told media in April that his government was
ready to provide a site for the new Russian station. Armenia is
already hosting Russian military base on its territory. While Gabala
is not of critical importance and certainly not the only early warning
system for Russia, it is nonetheless an important component of the
former Soviet anti-missile defence shield. In the light of NATO’s
reiteration that it will pursue the construction of its own missile
defence shield in Eastern Europe and Turkey, despite Moscow’s strong
opposition, the latter will be keen to pursue either a lease of Gabala
or construction of a new station. Despite the difficulties in the
talks Azerbaijan is likely to soften its position in the coming months
and agree to a new deal.

The Irish Times
May 25, 2012 Friday

Shusha still stands as symbol of vicious pogrom

DANIEL McLAUGHLIN in Nagorno-Karabakh

A T-72 TANK sits by the road that climbs the hill from Stepanakert to
Shusha, a reminder that life was not always this quiet among the green
mountains of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Twenty years ago, these towns were at the epicentre of fighting
between Azeris and Armenians who had lived together for centuries
under Persian and Russian rule, but were now deadly enemies as their
nations claimed independence amid the Soviet Union s collapse.

Nagorno-Karabakh had been an autonomous province within Soviet
Azerbaijan, but as the Kremlin s power waned, the region s
ethnic-Armenian majority demanded freedom from Azeri control. Ancient
ties were forgotten as a series of vicious pogroms pitched the two
nations into all-out war.

Shusha s skyline of Armenian churches and Azerbaijani mosques bespoke
a long history of co-existence. Communal violence was rare, but left
deep and bloody memories that rose to the surface again as war
approached.

Two decades ago, Shusha was the only majority Azeri area in
Nagorno-Karabakh, making it both a vital strategic point and a symbol
of Azerbaijan s refusal to relinquish control of this land and
Armenians determination to seize it for themselves.
It was from here that Azeri troops and mercenaries from other parts of
Moscow s crumbling empire, including Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev,
rained down fire on Stepanakert, bringing panic and bloodshed to the
local capital and driving thousands into their basements.

The Azeris stored their shells and other weapons, local Armenians say,
inside Shusha s Orthodox cathedral.

Things were always fine in our town, but when we started asking for
independence from Azerbaijan people started saying Let s go it will be
bad here , recalled Anakit Danilyan (50), who sells icons and
souvenirs from a kiosk opposite the cathedral.
And so it proved.

The 1988-1994 war killed some 30,000 people and drove about one
million from their homes, causing chaos across a poor and politically
unstable region. At different times Russia provided military help to
each side; Armenia says Turkey also aided its Azeri allies.

Shusha fell to Armenian forces on May 9th, 1992, less than 24 hours
after they launched their assault on the once beautiful mountain
citadel.

The shelling of Stepanakert stopped and the tide of the war turned in
Armenia s favour. Its troops went on to capture not only
Nagorno-Karabakh, but seven adjoining regions of Azerbaijan that they
still hold, in defiance of United Nations resolutions calling for
their withdrawal.

Armenians proudly claim that Basayev said Shusha was the only battle
he ever lost.

It was an amazing feeling. It still gives me goose-bumps to think of
it, said Mrs Danilyan of the day she returned to Shusha or Shushi, as
Armenians call it.

We had got on well with our Azeri neighbours but when we came home we
found our house had been robbed. And when my sister-in-law came back
she was murdered by Azeris who were still hiding in her house. Then
some Armenians killed them.
We saw a lot of killing and destruction, too much to talk about.
Everything was destroyed here: we had no water, no heating, no petrol.

Shusha is now a patchwork of rebuilt apartment blocks and charred
ruins untouched since wartime. Two mosques stand silent in a town that
is now entirely Armenian.

Laid out in the valley below is Stepanakert, where last week soldiers
paraded and the war dead were honoured. Separatist president Bako
Sahakyan told the 100,000 or so residents of his unrecognised republic
that freedom was theirs and international recognition would one day
follow.

We are doing all we can to achieve international recognition, and it
is only a matter of time, Sahakyan said recently as he sipped coffee
and smoked Marlboros in his office in Stepanakert.

We have a right to self- determination and we have created a state
that fully corresponds to international standards, the former soldier,
who was elected president in 2007, added.

And we are ready to defend our achievements. We would give a strong
rebuff even stronger than before to any challenge to our security.

Azerbaijan and Armenia are still technically at war over
Nagorno-Karabakh. Their soldiers regularly shoot each other across a
tense ceasefire line and talks are deadlocked under the auspices of
the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe which is
chaired this year by Ireland.

For Azerbaijan this is a time of national mourning, as it recalls the
bitter loss of Shusha, a cradle of its culture that was once home to
some 20,000 Azeris.

Our army will liberate our lands from the occupation and achieve peace
. . . I believe that this time will come, Bayram Safarov, a
Shusha-born leader of the displaced Karabakhi community, said 20 years
after Armenians seized his home town.
Today, every Azerbaijani considers himself to be from Shusha.

BBC Monitoring Trans Caucasus Unit
May 25, 2012 Friday

Pro-government Azeri media slam BBC over “smear” campaign

Official Azarbaycan newspaper has slammed the BBC’s “smear” campaign
against Azerbaijan in the run-up to Eurovision Song Contest.

The paper said despite the government’s call not to politicize the
contest, certain powers are not giving up the black PR against
Azerbaijan, adding that the BBC was at the forefront of the campaign.

“Despite hard efforts of the Eurovision bosses to isolate this contest
from politics, there have always been forces that want to create
gossips and controversy around the contest. This year the initiators
of these gossips and political controversy are British media, which is
one of the first countries that established the Eurovision Song
Contest”.

The paper gave a summary of the Panorama programme on BBC One, in
which Britain’s Eurovision contestant Engelbert Humperdinck was asked
a political question about rights situation in Azerbaijan. The paper
noted that reporters fixed the camera on Engelbert when he refused to
answer the question. It also said that British newspapers Mirror and
The Telegraph slammed Humperdinck for refusal to speak about human
rights situation in Azerbaijan.

The paper said these actions of BBC colleagues were against the
principles of the company.

“It is notable that the BBC, which is distinct for its strict media
regulations, has lost almost all court cases against it. It is also
known that the BBC had to pay 90 per cent of all fines and
compensations due to the ‘naughtiness’ of Panorama anchors,” the paper
went on saying.

The paper added that the BBC reporters “are not leaving alone
Humperdinck” ahead of the contest and quoted a Russian media report as
saying that the singer had been offered to wear a T-shirt with the
words “Please, release them”, implying the release of “political
prisoners” in Azerbaijan.

“British journalists insistently urge the singer spread slogans and
make calls to ask the Azerbaijani government to release ‘political
prisoners’ in Baku,” Azarbaycan paper said.

The author of the article said that there were indeed, human rights
problems in Azerbaijan. However, the author questioned why British
journalists were spotlighting those problems only on the eve of the
Eurovision Song Contest. “Does it mean they will not care about these
issues after the contest?”

The paper suggested that perhaps the BBC was “taking revenge” because
Azerbaijan did not extend this company’s licence.
The paper went on saying that it did not believe in the BBC’s
sincerity, since this company “is taking a biased position by keeping
silent on the occupation of the Azerbaijani lands by Armenia and the
displacement of one million Azerbaijanis from their lands”.

“It is difficult to understand and support this position,” the paper said.

Private Baki Xabar paper also published an article on 25 May, saying
that “another Eurovision singer was urged to make a political
statement”. The article referred to the BBC’s Panorama programme
“Dirty Secrets of Eurovision” and said Britain’s contestant was urged
to make a political statement. The paper was referring to an article
published in the British Daily Mail.
Yeni Azarbaycan paper on 25 May also dedicated an article to the
Panorama programme with the headline “British mass media: Britain’s
Eurovision 2012 contestant has been urged to make a political
statement in Baku on BBC channel”.

Opposition Azadliq newspaper has published an article praising the
Panorama programme. The article carries the caption “decisive blow on
the Aliyevs from Britain” and is focused on the statements made by the
programme anchor against the Azerbaijani president and the
government’s policies.

Source: Azarbaycan, Baku, in Azeri 25 May 12 p 4; Baki Xabar, Baku, in
Azeri 25 May 12 p 3; Yeni Azarbaycan, Baku, in Azeri 25 May 12 p 4;
Azadliq, Baku in Azeri 25 May 12 p 10

Young scientists’ school opened in Tsaghkadzor

May 26, 2012 – 18:00 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – A three-day young scientists’ school has been opened
in Armenian resort town of Tsaghkadzor. The project is implemented by
Armenian Youth Foundation and RA NAS Center for Ecological Research.

The initiative has brought together about 45 young scientists aged
under 35 years from Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

The school aims to raise awareness on decision making skills.