Author: Kamalian Hagop

Arminfo
2007-02-22 19:55:00

Minister of Social Security: poverty still is Armenia’s key problem

A 2-day workshop on modern system of joint planning and evaluation of
programs to generate revenues in Central Asian states and Caucasus
launched in Yerevan today. Aghvan Vardanyan, The Minister of Trade and
Social Security of Armenia, and UNESCAP (United Nations Economic and
social development in Asia and the Pacific) participate in the event.

A. Vardanyan said that poverty is the key problem in Armenia as well
as other states of the region â?? although, serious programs
in this field have been implemented. He pointed out that the strategic
poverty reduction program that set out in Armenia 4 years ago – is
being revised. "Armenia has furthered in some aspects of the program –
that is why it needs revision. We already have early results – we
expecting them much later," the Minister said.

He added that the national programs are aimed at poverty reduction and
are grounded on regional development program. All areas should be
considered here: agriculture, ecology, education and culture. The
objective of the workshop is to imply experience of the developed
states, stimulate employment of the population. The state should
provide work to those who really need it. "Our neighbors can implement
our program of payments for social work that provides at least
temporary work to the unemployed," he said.

Arman Kirakosyan, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia, said that the
key aim of the workshop is poverty reduction. He hopes that UNESCAP
would continue its role for the stable development of states in the
Central Asia as it will "improve social conditions of Armenia and
would overcome consequences of natural disasters," A. Kirakosyan said.

Arminfo
2007-02-23 19:39:00

Turkey to invite Armenian language specialists for investigating
Armenian archives

Turkish History Organization chief, Professor Yusuf Halachioglu said
that Turkish historians will be taught Armenian in order to
investigate the Armenian documents in foreign archives, APA’s Turkey
bureau reports.

Zaman reports Halachioglu to say that while both Armenian and European
historians are investigating Turkish archives, Turkish historians can
not investigate historical documents as they do not know Armenian.

The only scientist knowing Armenian is professor of Ankara University
Birsen Garaca. Halacioglu noted that after the amendment to the law
in Turkish parliament that will allow inviting specialists from
abroad, Armenian language specialists will be invited from abroad.

Halachioglu said that after the language courses are over Turkish
historians will be sent to make investigation in Armenian archives
abroad.

BAKU HOPES FOR PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT TO KARABAKH CONFLICT – ALIYEV

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Military Newswire
February 21, 2007 Wednesday 2:31 PM MSK

President Ilham Aliyev has said that he hopes that the Armenian
leadership will withdraw its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh.

"We’ve been in the negotiating process for more than ten years
now and we hope that the Armenian leadership will find wisdom and
courage in itself and withdraw its occupying forces from our lands,"
Aliyev said in an interview with Western media outlets published in
the Azeri press on Wednesday.

"If not, events may start evolving in an unexpected manner. Today’s
Azerbaijan is much stronger than Armenia. Our economy is seven times
stronger than Armenia’s, and it may increase 20 to 30 times in the
following years. Azerbaijan’s patience has limit," he said.

TWO MURDERS WITH KITCHEN KNIFE

A1+
[02:25 pm] 21 February, 2007

On February 20, the police in Shengavit Community got a phone call
about a murder in Chekhov 54, apartment 42.

The operative group found out that Susanna Grigoryan (b. 1964) colived
Sedrak Melkonyan (b.1929). The former hit him several times with a
kitchen knife and killed him.

Susanna Grigoryan is taken under arrest. The circumstances are being
examined. The legal investigation is being carried out by Shengavit
Prosecutor’s Office.

On February 19, Masis Police Station received a phone call informing
that H. Grigoryan had been taken to hospital with a thigh wound.

Thanks to operative work Hrant G. (b.1977) informed the police that
he had hit and injured H. Grigoryan the previous day in the market
area near Argavand village as a result of a dispute.

TURKISH MPS WARN US CONGRESSMEN ABOUT ADOPTING ARMENIAN BILL

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
Feb 20 2007

Brussels, 20 February: Turkish parliamentary delegation that is
currently in Brussels to attend NATO Parliamentary Assembly meetings
sent messages of warning to their US counterparts on the draft
resolution about so-called Armenian genocide.

Vahit Erdem, head of the delegation, said in his letter to John Tanner,
head of the US parliamentary delegation, "We attribute great importance
to friendly relations between Turkey and the United States. Any attempt
that may harm those relations in a complicated period following the
Cold War era should be avoided."

"Approval of the draft resolution by the US Congress will disrupt
the bilateral relations. In that case, Turkey-US relations will
be seriously damaged. By making such a political judgment, the US
Congress will make a big mistake," he said.

Erdem stressed that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had
earlier proposed Armenia to form a committee of historians and open
all archives but Armenian party did not give a response.

Meanwhile, Turkey-US Interparliamentary Friendship Group Chairman
Egemen Bagis held a series of talks with US congressmen on the
same issue.

Bagis said that the congressmen understood the importance of the
matter and pledged to explain it to their colleagues when they return
to Washington, DC.

GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER CALLS FOR ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJANI AGREEMENT

Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Germany
February 20, 2007 Tuesday 1:09 PM EST

DPA POLITICS Armenia Diplomacy Germany German foreign minister calls
for Armenian-Azerbaijani agreement Yerevan, Armenia At the end of his
trip to the Caucasus, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier
on Tuesday in the Armenian capital Yerevan called for Armenia and
Azerbaijan to resolve quickly the conflict over the disputed exclave
of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The two former Soviet republics did not require any further offers
of new mediation from outside for the talks to continue, Steinmeier
said after meeting with his Armenian counterpart Vardan Oskanyan.

The Armenians and Azerbaijanis had had successes in recent months
that had to be built upon, Steinmeier said.

The predominantly Armenian region of Nagorno-Karabakh currently lies
entirely within Azerbaijan’s borders. The region declared itself

independent after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s,
but this has not been recognized by any country, including Armenia.

During negotiations, the Armenian side declared itself willing at
the end of 2006 to return to Azerbaijan all other areas it occupied
apart from Nagorno-Karabakh.

This was seen in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku as an encouraging
sign for a possible agreement with Armenia.

What remained unclarified was the future status of Nagorno- Karabakh
itself.

The 4,400-square-kilometre region is officially a part of Azerbaijan,
but in a war between 1992 and 1994, the local population drove out
Azerbaijan’s troops with support from Armenia.

Some 750,000 Azerbaijanis are believed to have lost their homes in
the conflict.

There has been a ceasefire in the region since 1994.

Alongside the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE), the so-called Minsk Group under the leadership of Russia,
the United States and France has been searching for a solution.

JOINT FIGHT AGAINST MODERN THREATS AND CHALLENGES TOPS CSTO AGENDA – BORDYUZHA

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Military Newswire
February 20, 2007 Tuesday 1:51 PM MSK

Further steps to consolidate political efforts by the region’s
countries to counter today’s threats and challenges dominate the
agenda of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, CSTO General
Secretary Nikolai Bordyuzha told an international conference in Moscow
on Tuesday.

"Since the CSTO has all the necessary mechanisms and a record of
cooperation, it is in a position to play a leading role within the CIS
in the fight against terrorism, political extremism and separatism,
as well as the drug threat and illegal immigration," he said.

The CSTO will promote its contacts with other regional organizations,
including the CIS Anti-Terrorist Center, the Eurasian Economic
Community, the Central Asian Cooperation Organization, and the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization, Bordyuzha said.

"Practical steps are being taken to compile a single list of terrorist
and extremist organizations that pose a threat to the security of
all of the CSTO member-nations," he said.

"As far as the military component is concerned, focus has been placed
on forming and maintaining the functioning of forces and means of the
collective security system, as well as their operational and combat
training," he added.

He said that within the framework of the coalition forces development
plan of the organization a coalition (regional) group of forces
will be tailored for oeprations in the Central Asian collective
security zone. Moreover, the implementation of earlier decisions in
the domain of joint defense and security will continue, primarily as
far as the deployment of joint air defense, communications, control,
reconnaissance and surveillance and other defense-oriented networks
is concerned.

"Much attention will also be given to interregional liaison of East
European (Russian-Belarussian) and Caucasian (Russian-Armenian)

coalition forces," he said.

According to him, combat planning, reequipment and overall support
of collective forces will also be scrutinized. Here standard training
procedures will be at the groundwork, as well as commonized hardware,
which will be achieved by single logistical approaches.

Bordyuzha also said that the preparations are in full swing for the
Rubezh 2007 (Border 2007) CSTO exercises in Tajikistan.

"The preparations for the signing of the agreement on joint
cadre training are also nearing end. The agreement will be a major
factor that will have a cementing effect as far as further military
integration is concerned," he said.

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY CONTINUES OUTREACH ON GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

ArmRadio.am
19.02.2007 11:56

In an effort to secure a crucial bipartisan majority on the Armenian
Genocide resolution, Assembly leaders have conducted a series of
meetings with Members of Congress, urging them to cosponsor H. Res. 106
and reaffirm the historical fact of the Armenian Genocide.

Assembly Board of Trustees Member Annie Totah and Executive Director
Bryan Ardouny met with Armenian Caucus Members, including Reps. Charles
Rangel (D-NY) and Shelley Berkley (D-NV). Rangel serves as Chairman
of the Ways and Means Committee, to which Berkley is a member. Totah
and Ardouny also met with Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD), who like
his father, former Senator Paul Sarbanes, is a strong champion of
Armenian issues. All three lawmakers have signed onto the Armenian
Genocide bill.

"In just two weeks since the introduction of the bill, the response
has been tremendous," said Executive Director Bryan Ardouny. "Now,
more than ever, Armenian-Americans from across the country are united
to secure passage of this critical legislation. We must, once and for
all, put a stop to denial by passing this resolution reaffirming the
historical truth."

H. Res. 106, which has 176 cosponsors to date, calls upon the
President to ensure that the foreign policy of the United States
reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues
related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented
in the United States record relating to the Armenian Genocide.

Posted: Sat., Feb. 17, 2007, 6:00am PT

‘Messiah’ lights Luminato launch
Idle’s tuner at center of fest lineup.
Filmmaker Atom Egoyan will join with Turkish artist Kutlug Ataman for an
exhibition called "Auroras/Testimony."

By _RICHARD OUZOUNIAN_
( t=3Dbio&peopleID=3D1932)

TORONTO — A new arts festival in Toronto has unveiled its lineup, and
Pythonite Eric Idle is front and center.
Luminato, which runs June 1-10, offers eclectic entries in an inaugural
outing that will include "Not the Messiah (He’s a Very Naughty Boy)," an oratorio
adaptation from the man behind "Monty Python’s Spamalot."
The C$15 million ($13 million) festival is the creation of two magnates from
the local media scene: David Pecault of the Boston Consulting Group and Tony
Gagliano from St. Joseph Communications. They first conceived of Luminato in
2003, when the city was at a low point due to the SARS epidemic.
The recent explosion of local cultural architectural activity involving the
Art Gallery of Ontario, the Four Seasons Center for the Performing Arts and
the revitalized Royal Ontario Museum (with a gala reopening that is scheduled
to coincide with Luminato) provided a focal point for the event.
"The city is the canvas," said Pecault. "And (Luminato) is the paint."
Fest organizers tapped Janice Price to be CEO, a veteran of the culture wars
at the Stratford Festival, Lincoln Center and, most recently, Philadelphia’s
Kimmel Center, from which she ankled to take the Toronto gig.
"I’m positive we’re going to be able to program something that will be of
interest to everyone," Price says.
Given the success of "Spamalot" on Broadway, the most high-profile of the 90
events scheduled for Luminato is arguably the world preem of Idle’s
"Messiah," a new comic oratorio loosely based on the 1979 Python film "Life of Brian."

Another item with marquee recognition is the pairing of composer Phillip
Glass with Canadian icon Leonard Cohen to create a piece called "Book of
Longing."
The famed Danza Cuba company of Havana has been adopted by Toronto’s Mirvish
Prods. The company is working closely with the troupe to create "Vida!,"
which will premiere during Luminato.
Filmmaker Atom Egoyan will join with Turkish artist Kutlug Ataman for an
exhibition called "Auroras/Testimony."
Large-scale celebrations include a Mardi Gras-type affair called
"Carnivalissima!"; an all-star opera gala titled "Luna"; the Muhtadi Intl.
Drumming
Festival; and the Spiegeltent, a 1920s cabaret to house everything from showgirls
to acrobats.
Another large outdoor installation is "Summer of Love," an attempt to
re-create the atmosphere of Toronto’s Yorkville during 1967, when Joni Mitchell and
other music stars made it the hip heart of the East Coast scene.
Most of Luminato’s events will be free, with Price and her cohorts angling
for corporate and government donations to pick up the slack. So far, private
donors have contributed $3 million and the province of Ontario is in for $2
million.
Price addressed one other concern when she firmly stated: "This is absolutely
not a one-time-only event. We intend to be around for many years."
Read the full article at:
_ tml_
( html)
Like this article? Variety.com has over 150,000 articles, 40,000 reviews and
10,000 pages of charts. Subscribe today!
_ ()
or call (866) MY-VARIETY.
Can’t commit? Sign up for a free trial!
_ ()
© 2007 Reed Business Information

Panorama.am

20:40 16/02/2007

EX-PRIME MINISTER SAYS KARS-AKHALKALAK RAILWAY IS A SHAMEFUL DEFEAT

`Kars-Akhalkalak railway is a shameful defeat for Armenia,’ Hrant
Bagratyan, ex-prime minister of Armenia told a debate in Hayeli Club.

Another ex-prime minister, Khosrov Harutunyan, came to the debate with
Bagratyan. He believes `Kars Akhalkalak railway is a political project
but we are late to halt that and we should think on possible new
ways,’ Harutunyan said.

`Today Azerbaijan is looking for ways to blockade us,’ Bagratyan
said. He even raised the concern that air ways with Armenia may be
stopped with neighboring countries.

Source: Panorama.am