Author: Kalantarian Kevo

CHRISTIE’S AUCTION HOUSE SELLS ARSHIL GORKY’S CANVAS FOR $902,500

Tert.am
10.11.11

An untitled canvas by the 20th century renowned American-Armenian
artist, Arshil Gorky, has sold at the Christie’s Auction house for
$902,500.

The preliminary price of the painting was reportedly $600,000.

Arshil Gorky was born in the early 1900s (some time between 1902-05)
in the village of Khorgom, situated on the shores of Lake Van. In
1910 his father emigrated to America to avoid the draft, leaving his
family behind in the town of Van. In 1922, Gorky enrolled in the New
School of Design in Boston, eventually becoming a part-time instructor.

Gorky had a seminal influence on Abstract Expressionism. As such,
his works were often speculated to have been informed by the suffering
and loss he experienced of the Armenian genocide.

His paintings are kept prominent museums across the United States
(Whitney Museum, Metropolitan Museum etc).

ARMENIA’S RULING PARTY MOST ACTIVE

Tert.am
10.11.11

The Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) is carrying out the most active
election campaign, Chairman of the Popular Party of Armenia Tigran
Karapetyan told journalists.

The opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) and other parties
are not so active, and no good will come of it, he added.

The RPA aims at gaining victory by pleasing the Yerevan residents. The
recent appointments are evidence thereof.

“Everyone understands the reasons for Taron Margaryan’s appointment.

It will bring them the Avan community’s votes. The reason for Vladimir
Gasparyan’s appointment is clear as well,” Karapetyan said.

The PPA offers an alternative. “Those rejecting the incumbent
authorities and distrusting the ANC can join us,” he said.

USC EXPANDS VISUAL HISTORY ARCHIVE TO INCLUDE TESTIMONY ABOUT GENOCIDES

PanARMENIAN.Net
November 10, 2011 – 12:43 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The University of South California Shoah Foundation
Institute for Visual History and Education is expanding its visual
history archive to include testimony about genocides other than the
Holocaust, starting with a collection of 50 testimonies by survivors
of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, USC said on its website.

“We are not trying to compare human suffering,” said Stephen Smith,
executive director of the institute. “What we’re trying to do is
document each of these experiences with depth and dignity.”

He added that the institute also plans to incorporate materials from
the Cambodian and Armenian Genocides in the near future.

RUSSIAN DUTCHESS MARIA I IN ARMENIA

Tert.am
10.11.11

Grand Dutchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia is now in Armenia on
a visit.

Speaking to the Armenian Public TV channel, the pan-Russian empress
said she was greatly impressed by Mount Ararat.

“It was King Ararat that met and received me. It turns out that Nikolay
I, my ancestor, did not even see the mountain when he was here. But to
me it was a revelation. It was such a beautiful landscape. Goodness,
what beauty! And I can’t but admire all the monasteries where you feel
the heaven’s spirit. Thank god, all that has been preserved,” she said.

HOVIK ABRAHAMIAN ABANDONNERA SON POSTE
Stephane

armenews.com
jeudi 10 novembre 2011

Dans un entretien aux medias armeniens, Hovik Abrahamian, qui
abandonnera son poste de President de l’AN pour diriger la campagne
electorale du parti Republicain, a releve que cette fonction est
plus importante que celle qu’il occupait jusqu’a maintenant. ”
Les elections de 2012 constitueront un test pour l’Armenie après
l’adoption du nouveau Code electoral. Si les elections ne se passent
pas bien, le travail des quatre dernières annees aura ete vain “,
dit-il. M. Abrahamian a par ailleurs note que par sa demission a
il aussi voulu servir d’exemple pour des hommes politiques, aussi
bien pour des camarades du parti, en demontrant qu’il ne restait pas
attache a ses fonctions. A la question de savoir si M. Abrahamian ne
s’etait pas presse en demissionnant, alors qu’il y avait encore cinq
mois d’ici les elections legislatives, le President de l’AN a note
que ce delai suffirait a peine pour la formation des etats-majors
electoraux. Il a aussi devoile le jour des elections qui est le 6
mai 2012. M. Abrahamian a note en outre que si le parti Republicain
remporte les elections legislatives, le poste qu’il occupera par la
suite ne saurait etre inferieur a celui [de president de l’AN] qu’il
occupait. Par ailleurs, M. Abrahamian a rejete les speculations de la
presse selon lesquelles sa demission s’expliquerait par d’eventuels
differends entre les partis Republicain et ” Armenie prospère ”
et par le souhait du President Sarkissian de neutraliser un homme
politique proche de Robert Kotcharian. ” La personne qui entretient
les relations les plus etroites avec Robert Kotcharian n’est autre
que Serge Sarkissian “. Selon lui, ces speculations vehiculees par
l’opposition sont denudees de sens. Rappelons que M. Abrahamian
presentera officiellement sa demission a l’AN le 14 novembre prochain.

Ambassade de France en Armenie

Service de presse

LES TARIFS POUR LES PASSAGERS VOYAGEANT PAR BUS, MINI BUS ET TAXI A EREVAN N’AUGMENTERONT PAS
Stephane

armenews.com
jeudi 10 novembre 2011

Les tarifs pour les voyages en bus, minibus et taxis a Erevan ne
vont pas augmenter a declare le maire Karen Karapetyan sur son compte
Facebook.

“Notre but principal est de remplacer les minibus par des bus de
grandes et moyennes tailles. Le reseau sera faconne d’une telle
manière a exclure une hausse des prix dans un avenir previsible ”
a explique le maire.

“Nous avons deja accepte d’acheter 200 autobus en provenance de
Chine et les bus sont l’avenir du transport de passagers ” a explique
le maire.

Les tarifs du metro d’Erevan ont double, passant le 1er Juillet de
50 drams (environ 0,13$) a 100 drams (environ 0,26$).

Un minibus prend 100 drams par passager.

LE CATHOLICOS DE TOUS LES ARMENIENS A RECU LE NOUVEL AMBASSADEUR DES ETATS-UNIS
Stephane

armenews.com
jeudi 10 novembre 2011

Le 31 octobre, au Saint Siège d’Etchmiadzin, Sa Saintete Karekin II,
Patriarche Supreme et Catholicos de Tous les armeniens, M. recu John
A. Hefern, le nouvel ambassadeur Extraordinaire et Plenipotentiaire
des Etats-Unis d’Amerique en Republique d’Armenie.

En accueillant l’Ambassadeur et lui transmettant tous ses meilleurs
voeux pour sa mission, le Catholicos a reflechi sur les proches
relations entre les deux pays. Sa Saintete a etendu sa gratitude aux
autorites des Etats-Unis pour leurs efforts adresses a la resolution
des questions actuelles dans la region et pour leur appui incessant
et aide au peuple armenien.

Pendant la reunionSa Saintete a aussi reflechi aux efforts des Leaders
Spirituels regionaux diriges dans le developpement de la paix et
la cooperation.

Il a ete presente a l’Ambassadeur les activites de la Sainte Eglise
Apostolique Armenienen dans les diverses sphères de la vie et les
defis auxquels fait face l’Eglise armenienne.

Etaient presents lors de la reunion Son Eminence l’Archeveque
Khajag Parsamian, Primat du Diocèse Oriental de l’Eglise Armenienne
d’Amerique, Son Eminence l’Archeveque Hovnan Derderian, Primat du
Diocèse Occidental de l’Eglise Armenienne d’Amerique et Son Eminence
l’Archeveque Vicken Aikazian, Officier Oecumenique du Diocèse Oriental
de l’Eglise Armenienne d’Amerique du Nord.

2ND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TALISHI STUDIES

Noyan Tapan
09.11.2011

The 2nd international conference on Talishi Studies will be
held in Yerevan, 11-12 November, 2011. This conference is a
sequential gathering in the series of academic events held by the
international journal Iran and the Caucasus(BRILL, Leiden-Boston,
Editor-in-chief Prof. Dr. Garnik Asatrian) on the occasion ofits 15th
anniversary. The co-organizers of the event are Modus Vivendi center
(Yerevan, president Ara Papyan), Caucasian Center for Iranian Studies
(Yerevan), International Society for Turkic, Iranian and Caucasian
Studies and ARMACAD (Armenian Association for Academic Partnership
and Support, President Khachik Gevorgyan). The sponsor of the event
is the Hyksosfoundation, presided by Hrach Gabrielian.

To remind, the 1st international conference on Talishi Studies was
held in Tsakhkadzor (Armenia), in May 2005 and was actually organized
by the same group of scholars in the framework of the Department of
Iranian Studies, Yerevan State University and Caucasian Center for
Iranian Studies.

Talishi Studies is an important part of Iranian Studies. The Talishis,
an ancient autochthonous ethnic group of the South Caspian, were
split into two parts as a result of the Russian-Persian wars of the
19th century: the Talishis live in Gilan, a northern Iranian province
and the southern region of Azerbaijan. The unique Talishis culture
is a specific phenomenon of the frontier cultural zone of the South
Caspian. Their syncretic beliefs, rich multi-genre folklore, history,
language, traditional art, etc. are essential aspects of the study
of Armenian Iranologists. Several years ago the Department of Iranian
Studies (YSU) published “The essays on the history and culture of the
Talish people” and “The Talish folk legends and fairy tales”. On the
occasion of this conference, the Department of Iranian Studies (YSU)
has prepared a monograph “Introduction to the history and culture of
the Talish people” (Editor – Professor Garnik Asatrian). Containing 10
chapters and severalsignificant appendices, the monograph examines the
origin and history of the Talishi people (from the oldest civilizations
on the area of Talysh to the modern history of the Talishis). Separate
chapters discuss the issues of population, natural resources of Talysh,
religion and beliefs, traditional art, language and literature of
the Talishi people. Presentation of the monograph will be held during
the opening of the 2nd international conference on Talishi Studies.

Besides the presentation of the abovementioned monograph, on the
opening ceremony professor Garnik Asatrian (Armenia) will talk on
the contemporary problems of Talishi Studies and its perspectives,
professor A. Granmayeh (Great Britain) will talk on “The language and
culture of Talish. How to save them?” and the prominent historian
and writer Kave Farrokh (Canada) will talk on “The process of
deiranization of the Caucasian Azerbaijan (from 1828 to present)”. A
special presentation – project of the new Talishi alphabet based on
the Avestan script – will be made by Vardan Vosaknyan, the Associate
Professor of the Department of Iranian Studies at YSU.

Apart from Armenian scholars, Academicians from Russia, Iran, Georgia,
the Netherlands, Great Britain, USA and Canada will take part in
the forthcoming conference. The conference will undoubtedly become
a significant event not only in the Oriental Studies but also in the
contemporary Talishi history. It has already boosted great interest
among Iranologists and received the most positive feedbacks from the
Talishi intellectual elites of deferent countries.

The conference on the Zaza history and culture, which was recently
organized by the same group and successfully held in Yerevan, the
forthcoming gathering on the Talishi Studies, as well as the interest
of the international academic community towards the activities of
the Armenian scholars prove the highest academic standards of the
Armenian school ofIranian Studies.

The opening ceremony of the conference will take place at the
conference hall of the Congress Hotel in Yerevan, 10:00, 12th November,
2011.

TBILISI HOSTS DONORS’ COORDINATION MEETING ON TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVES IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS

armradio.am
10.11.2011 16:58

The World Bank together with the Georgian Ministry of Regional
Development and Infrastructure is hosting the Donors’ Coordination
Meeting on Transport Perspectives in the South Caucasus on November
10-11, 2011. The participants of the Meeting are the government
officials from the three South Caucasus countries, Armenia, Azerbaijan
and Georgia, as well staff and officials of all the donors currently
involved in the transport sector (ADB, EBRD, EIB, IFC, JICA, KfW, MCG).

Following the three previous Coordination Meetings the overall
objective of the meeting is to encourage better donor coordination
in the transport sector in the South Caucasus, to share views among
donors on the current state of the transport sector and related policy
matters, and to discuss issues and strategy going forward.

“This Coordination Meeting is a unique opportunity to discuss
transport issues that affect the entire South Caucasus. The World Bank
is commended for facilitating these meetings, and the Ministry of
Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia would be pleased
to host the conferences annually. Such conferences would help to
develop stronger ties between South Caucasus countries in the frames
of infrastructure projects,” said Ramaz Nikolaishvili, Minister of
Regional Development and Infrastructure.

“The objective of the meeting is to maximize the development impact
of donor supported programs through their better alignment with
respective country programs and strengthened donor coordination. The
meeting will provide an opportunity for the participants to present
their programs, clarify investment needs and promote new project ideas
for donor support,” said Asad Alam, World Bank Regional Director for
the South Caucasus.

Presentations will be made by the respective government representatives
on the Transport Programs in their countries. These will be followed
by more in depth discussions with the donor group on their current
involvement and their views on the Government programs for potential
future support. The Armenian delegation is headed by Mr.

Manuk Vardanyan, Minister of Transport and Communication, the
Azerbaijani delegation is expected to be headed by Mr. Zia Mammadov,
Minister of Transport.

The Coordination Meeting will also discuss issues of general importance
for the Transport Sector at present and outlined possible future
trends. These discussions will focus on Road Safety: Developments
in the South Caucasus; Urban Transport: Developments in the South
Caucasus and the methods to improve Railways management.

During discussions, participants are expected to agree that transport
investments are important for the three South Caucasus countries
to support growth and job creation, and also to agree on stronger
efforts to ensure efficiency and sustainability of investments.

RUSSIA CHESS CUP FINALS TO HOST ZAVEN ANDRIASIAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
November 10, 2011 – 14:35 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On November 12-20, Magnitogorsk, Russia will be
hosting Russia Chess Cup finals.

The men’s and women’s tournaments, with a prize find of 3 million
rubles, will be hosting 16 players, including 2010’s Russia Cup holder,
Armenia’s Zaven Andriasian.