MAY 20 DECLARED SHOUSHI LIBERATION DAY IN U.S. CITY OF PROVIDENCE
Panorama.am
31/05/2012
The envoy of the Republic of Artsakh to the United States said
that May 20 has been declared in the city of Providence as Shoushi
Liberation Day.
A resolution has been passed stating that Shoushi liberation in 1992
was a very important event.
It’s reported that the Mayor of Shoushi sent a letter to his
counterpart expressing his gratitude for the decision.
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: “HIGH LEVEL VISITS WILL BE PAID TO AZERBAIJAN EARLY JUNE”
MilAz.info
May 30 2012
Azerbaijan
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Konstantin Grishenko will arrive in
Azerbaijan, Spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Elman
Abdullayev told APA.
Grishenko will visit Azerbaijan on June 4-5.
Abdullayev said that Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu would also visit Azerbaijan on
June 3-5. Andorran Foreign Minister Gilbert Saboya Sunye will visit
Azerbaijan on June 3-5.
During the visit the three guests will hold negotiations with the
Azerbaijani officials.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Azerbaijan on June 6.
According to Abdullayev, several issues, including Nagorno Karabakh
conflict, regional cooperation, energy, security, joint cooperation
and etc. will be discussed during Clinton’s visit to Azerbaijan.
IRAN ISSUES ADDITIONAL 25-MLN-EURO CREDIT TO ARMENIA FOR NEW POWER LINE
Interfax
May 29 2012
Russia
Iran has issued Armenia an additional credit worth almost 25 million
euro to construct the third, 400 kW Iran-Armenia overhead power
transmission line, general director of Armenian state-owned CJSC
High-Voltage Power Lines (the project’s client) Saak Abramyan told
Interfax.
The credit agreement has already been signed, and Armenia expects to
receive the funds in June, after which full-scale construction will
commence, he said.
According to the contract, the power line’s construction should be
completed within 18 months of the credit’s opening.
The project is slated to cost 107.9 million euro, 83.083 million
of which were provided by the Export Development Bank of Iran last
September. The Armenian government is supposed to co-finance the
remaining 24.817 million euro; however, it has turned to the Iranian
side for additional funding due to a lack of financial resources.
Another Iranian financial organization, which Abramyan declined to
name, will provide the additional funds. The credit will be issued
under similar terms – for a five-year period with a grace period
in the first two years at a rate of CIRR+1% (commercial interest
reference rate).
Armenia is obligated to pay back the credit with supplies of
electricity.
At present, the two countries are joined by two 220 kW power lines.
After the third line is commissioned, combined throughput capacity
will increase from its current 350 MW to 1,200 MW. In the context of
this project, there are also plans to build the 440/220 kW Noravan
electrical substation in Armenia’s Gegharkunik region.
FIGHT BREAKS OUT IN DOWNTOWN YEREVAN BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTALISTS AND CONSTRUCTION WORKERS
news.am
May 30, 2012 | 15:42
YEREVAN. – Avag Shin Construction Company which was conducting
construction works on Yerevan’s Nalbandyan street cut 16 out of
17 trees at 12.00 p.m. on Wednesday, Heritage Party member Styopa
Safaryan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.
According to him, at 12.00 p.m. an attempt was made to bring the
needed equipment to the area in order to cut the green trees.
“At first they were trying to explain three cutting with geological
reasons but I am en geology expert. After they failed to present any
real reason with the help of the police they forced us to leave and
started chopping the trees. After some time some activists and the
people entered the area and did not allow the workers to do their
work. After that a fight broke out. The police did not take any
measures against the illegal cutting of trees,” Styopa Safaryan said.
KONSTANTIN ZATULIN: RUSSIA’S POLICY LINE ON KARABAKH ISSUE WON’T CHANGE UNDER PUTIN
Artak Barseghyan
“Radiolur”
30.05.2012 18:46
Russian President Vladimir Putin will most probably pay a state
visit to Armenia in early September, Director of the Institute of
CIS Countries, political scientist Konstantin Zatulin told a press
conference in Yerevan today.
Russia’s policy line on Nagorno Karabakh will not change under Vladimir
Putin’s presidency, Zatulin added.
“Russia is not going to refuse from its mediating mission as
co-chairing country of the OSCE Minsk Group,” Zatulin said.
“Despite the years-long efforts of Azerbaijan, the mediators remained
committed to the Madrid Principles. I think that Armenia and Azerbaijan
must think about the steps that will help relieve the tension in the
negotiations,” the political scientist said.
According to him, Russia is interested in having good relations with
both Armenia AND Azerbaijan. “Russia believes that the high level of
Russian-Azerbaijani relations at least helps prevent Azerbaijan’s
adventurism against Armenia. At the same time the Russian-Armenian
and Russian-Azerbaijani relations must not be compared. Armenia and
Russia are part of the same military-political union, while Azerbaijan
is just a member of CIS,” Konstantin Zatulin said.
ALI HASANOV: UNITING ON ANTI-AZERBAIJANI PLATFORM, OPPOSITION STILL HOPES WEST TO LEAD IT TO POWER
arminfo
Thursday, May 31, 14:03
Joining together at anti-Azerbaijani platform, the opposition still
believes that the West will lead it to power, Azerbaijani Presidential
Administration Social and Political Department Chief Ali Hasanov
said at the “Role of NGOs in civil society development” conference
on Thursday, Trend reported.
“The individuals, who do not answer before people, want to come to
power,” he said.
According to Hasanov, no organization can be strong unless it relies
on the confidence of people.
“They have not raised the issues related to the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, refugee problems before any international organization,”
he stressed.
“During the rallies, opposition members were falling to the ground
and screaming upon seeing foreign journalists,” Hasanov said. “The
opposition organized “People’s march” was exactly that.”
EXHIBITION “ART FOR LIFE” DEDICATED TO “YEREVAN WORLD BOOK CAPITAL” OPENS AT THE UN HOUSE
armradio.am
31.05.2012 15:58
Exhibition “Art for life” which is dedicated to 500th anniversary
Armenian printing and “Yerevan World Book Capital 2012” opened today
at the UN Armenia Office.
In addition to promotion of traditional Armenian passion to books
and literature, the exhibition-sale is aimed to collect funds for
the medical treatment of the young painter Nelly Adamyan. Nelly’s
classmates and other artists provided their paintings for sale in
order to collect money.
Maria Dotsenko, UN Department of Public Information Representative
said: “My sincere congratulations to Armenians, whose efforts to
promote interest to reading and books and respect to the principles
of freedom of expression were recognized by the UNESCO, which granted
Yerevan the status of the World Book Capital 2012. I am also touched
by the attention which Nelly Adamyan got from her friends and I wish
her quick recovery.”
Ann Eranyan, Vice-President of “Armenian Erudite Youth” NGO presented
to the public the art and spoke about history of Armenian publishing.
She also thanked the friends of Nelly Adamyan for their support
and humanity.
The exhibition is organized by the UN Department of Public Information
and “Armenian Erudite Youth” NGO and is supported by “Tsir Katin”
pre-school education center.
The exhibition will be open to the public until 15 June, 2012 on
Mondays to Fridays from 15:00 till 17:00.
BRAZIL’S ARMENIAN COMMUNITY DO THEIR BEST TO CONTRIBUTE TO ARMENIA’S DEVELOPMENT
PanARMENIAN.Net
May 31, 2012 – 15:52 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – Despite its small size, Armenian community in Brazil
has its contribution to the assistance extended to Armenia and Artsakh,
community member said.
Eduardo Mekbekian noted organization of purchase of 500 cradles and
support in procurement of necessary equipment and reconstruction of
several hospital departments in Armenia among the programs implemented
by Armenian community in Brazil.
“In the framework of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, Armenians jointly
with other communities extended financial assistance in construction
of watering systems in Artsakh,” Mr. Mekbekian said.
CONGRESSMAN ADAM SCHIFF DISCUSSES FOREIGN AID TO ARMENIA AND ARTSAKH FOR FISCAL YEAR 2013: INTERVIEW
ARMENPRESS
31 May, 2012
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, MAY 31, ARMENPRESS: In a recent interview with the Armenian
Council of America (ACA), Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) discussed
the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill for fiscal year
2013 and its impact on foreign assistance to the Republic of Armenia
and to Nagorno-Karabakh. As Armenpress reports, the following is a
transcript of the interview:
ACA: Congressman, thank you for taking the time to speak with us
today. Can you briefly discuss the State and Foreign Operations
Appropriations Bill and how it will guarantee foreign aid to Armenia.
Will that also include Nagorno-Karabakh?
Congressman Schiff: Sure and the answer is Yes. We were successful
in maintaining a strong level of support for Armenia. Most of the
foreign aid is being cut this year as a result of our diminished
budget resources and foreign aid took a bigger cut than most of the
other parts of the U.S. budget. But nonetheless, we were able to
maintain the same level of funding for Armenia of about $40 million
in the economic support funds. This was a very good victory.
In the case of Nagorno-Karabakh we were even more successful. In the
past, we have allocated funding only to see the State Department not
use much of the funding that we have provided. This year, we included
language requiring the State Department to invest at least $5 million
in helping with some of the humanitarian concerns in Artsakh and that
was incorporated in the Bill and that more than doubles assistance
to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Finally, we followed up on a meeting I had with the President of the
Republic of Georgia where I raised the issue of some of the Armenian
enclaves in that country and the needs of the Armenian community
there. He expressed a willingness to work with us and make sure to
use the resources that we’re helping provide to improve the quality
of life in those areas. This is now reflected in the State Department
and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill where we have language
requiring the Millennium Challenge Corporation and USAID to assess
the situation in those communities and develop an aid plan to help
those areas. So in each of the three areas we focused on, we were
very successful.ACA: What would you say to those who are opponents
of foreign aid to Armenia and Nagorno- Karabakh?
CS: Foreign assistance is a very small part of our budget. Most people
think it represents 10 percent or 15 percent of our budget, but it’s
a tiny fraction of that and I think it is very important. It is in
the highest ideals of the country that we help those that are less
fortunate. It is also in our national security interest that we don’t
allow countries to become Stateless, potential havens for terrorism.
So I think that the American people have always been supportive. It
is much more difficult in strife economic times where there are a
lot of pressing needs at home, but this is why it is a very small
portion of our budget but I think an important one.
ACA: Being a long-time friend of the Armenian-American community and
advocate for Armenian Causes, what will you do to ensure that Armenia
will receive an adequate sum of foreign assistance?
CS: I have been working with the Armenian community and some of the
leader organizations to try to impress upon my colleagues in congress
the importance of moving forward with the language! we have included in
the Foreign Operations Bill. It certainly is a bigger challenge than
any one person or any one member of Congress, but we have a pretty
good team assembled. The Armenian Diaspora has been very effective in
making sure their voices are heard through an incredible grass-roots
campaign, reaching out, calling Members, faxing them and I hope they
will do the same when it comes to the Conference Committee.
But through this joint effort, we can work and fight for the best
resources available.
ACA: Congressman, do you have any last thoughts or messages that you
would like to convey to the Armenian-American community?
CS: We have had a very important success this session with the passage
of the Church’s Resolution in the House which calls on Turkey to
observe human rights and restore and return confiscated church
properties to the Armenian church and that passed with a strong,
bipartisan vote. We are very pleased to have that legislative success,
as well as the good progress we are making on the aid picture.
I appreciate the friendship and good counsel and advice I get from
the community. It’s really a pleasure to work and to represent the
community and I enjoy that very much.
SONYA ORFALIAN E “UNA CENA ARMENA” A TV 2000
Sonya Orfalian, assieme a Danilo Nigrelli e Rosa Diletta Rossi, è stata
protagonista della puntata di Retroscena andata in onda il 25 maggio
scorso su Tv 2000 (canale 28 del digitale terrestre) e interamente
dedicata a una riflessione sul genocidio degli armeni. A partire
dalla pièce teatrale Una cena armena, scritta da Paola Ponti con la
consulenza della stessa Sonya Orfalian – recentemente rappresentata al
Teatro India di Roma per la regia di Danilo Nigrelli – la trasmissione
ricostruisce la vicenda storica e le conseguenze umane del genocidio
di un intero popolo e della sua diaspora.
Chi non avesse avuto occasione di vedere la
trasmissione, può recuperarla attraverso questo link: