Author: Kanayan Tamar

ARMENIAN, FRENCH LEADERS GREET ARTISTS BEHIND STAGE OF AZNAVOUR’S CONCERT

news.am
Sept 29 2011
Armenia

PARIS.- Presidents of France and Armenia – Nicolas Sarkozy and Serzh
Sargsyan – attended on Wednesday a charitable concert of Charles
Aznavour in Olympia concert hall, La Depeche du Midi writes.

After the concert, the two leaders accompanied by French Minister of
Culture Frederic Mitterrand welcomed the artists behind the stage.

The concert was devoted to 20th anniversary of Armenia’s independence.

The benefit from the concert will be allocated to Aznavour to Armenia
charitable foundation.

Benabar, Julien Clerc, Liane Foly, Patrick Fiori, Helène Segara,
Amel Bent, comedians Laurent Gerra and Michel Leeb, musician Andre
Manoukian, Armenian soprano Hasmik Papian and pianist Vardan Mamikonian
joined the maestro.

ARMENIAN DUDUK IN KALUGA’S PHILHARMONIC

news.am
sept 29 2011
Armenia

KALUGA. – In Kaluga’s regional philharmonic the season opened on
Wednesday.

“We are planning to include Babajanyan, Spendiaryan, the Armenian
duduk will also be included, not in the wedding form but in a different
style,” said the director of the philharmonic Vadim Prikladovskiy. The
mass media informs that the spectator will meet Artur Mikoyan’s ballet,
informs the Yerkramas newspaper.

NORATUS VILLAGE: AN INCREASINGLY POPULAR ARMENIAN DESTINATION?
by Delia Gavrilescu

Argophilia Travel News
Sept 29 2011

It’s hard to believe that Noratus is becoming increasingly popular
in Armenia, but according to Deputy Head of the Noratus community
Vachik Khachatryan, the number of travelers visiting this Gegharkunik
province village reaches 200-300 per day. If we consider the lowest
of the numbers, Noratus gets a mind boggling 6000 visitors a month,
about 72000 a year. How many tourists do you think come to Armenia
each year? To give you a hint, if you believe Mr. Khachatryan,
a third of them flock to Noratus.

Khachatryan told Armenpress that the tourists are particularly
interested in the medieval cemetery that contains a large number of
early khachkars, the largest surviving cemetery with khachkars in
the country.

But a number of 200-300 tourists a day seems a bit inflated, unless
these tourists arrive here with short day-trip packages. The shortage
of hotels in the area makes it challenging for tourists to find
accommodation; but tourists from Yerevan, for example, only need 1.5
hours to arrive here.

Yet this sudden flux of tourists to Noratus cannot be explained. Aside
a renovation/ restoration project in 2010 (with support from the U.S.

Ambassador’s Culture Fund), that consisted of installing a protective,
decorative fence, two new entrances and electric lighting, visitor
center and craft center, there hasn’t been much done to promote Noratus
Cemetery with foreign tourists. There is only one panel at the entrance
of the graveyard, with information in Braille, as well as English,
Russian, French, German, Italian, and Armenian. And when it comes to
news about this destination, Noratus is remarkable through its utter
absence from the main media streams.

There can be a lot more done to attract more tourists to Noratus –
and the funds resulting from an increased number of visitors could be
used to continue the preservation projects begun in 2010. For instance,
tourists could be offered more clear information on what else, aside
the cemetery, they can experience in the village: local traditions,
culture, cuisine, other landmarks, nature, etc.

AZERBAIJAN SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN METSAMOR NPP INSPECTION

Trend
Sept 29 2011
Azerbaijan

29 September 2011, 19:11 (GMT+05:00) Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 29 /
Trend , T.Hajiyev /

Azerbaijan also should be involved in the inspection of the Metsamor
Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Armenia, Azerbaijani National Academy
of Sciences (ANAS) President Mahmud Karimov told journalists.

He said the issue was raised at the general conference of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“The Armenian side says ten different committees have checked the
Metsamor NPP in 2011. But the test results are not available to
neighboring countries, that is, the inspections lack transparency.

This is,” Karimov said.

The Metsamor NPP issue become more urgent following the accident at
the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima-1, he said.

“Indeed, the Metsamor NPP is a major threat to the region, because it
does not meet the European standards, it has exhausted its resources
and outdated. The EU has repeatedly demanded the closure of the plant,”
Karimov said.

This NPP is located in mountainous terrain. If there is a real accident
occurs, there will not be enough water to cool its reactors and it
will be very difficult to stop the accident, he said adding that
Armenia also has no financial resources to address the consequences
of a possible accident.

The Metsamor NPP was built in 1970.

AL-MANAR TV REPORTS “NORMAL” LIFE IN DAMASCUS NEIGHBORHOOD

Al-Manar TV (Lebanese Hezbollah TV Channel)
Sept 26 2011
Lebanon

The Bab Tuma area, an area in the Syrian capital, Damascus,
is experiencing a normal situation where people go about their
business as usual both during the daylight and at night in terms
of the movement of citizens and the state of stability prevailing
there. The following is an investigative report by Hamzah al-Hajj
Hasan, Al-Manar correspondent in Syria.

AlManar correspondent AlHasan

People in Bab Tuma

[Al-Hasan] This is not archival video footage of the pulse of life in
Syrian streets, for nighttime in Damascus is not much different from
Damascus during the day. The Bab Tuma area offers an example of this.

These markets remain open until a late hour into the night; and this
is made possible by the fact that human waves, waves of young and
old people, continue to frequent them. Stores and restaurants here
are thronged with those who frequent them.

[First unidentified man] I own a [words indistinct] juices shop here
in Bab Tuma. God be praised, things have been brought back to normal,
and they are better than before. Syria will definitely emerge strong,
stronger, from the crisis. God be praised, the crisis has eased much
compared to what it was in the past. Look at how people move about.

God willing, Syria is in good shape, and it will remain in good shape.

[Second unidentified man] Following Ramadan, business has seen a surge
[in sales], and business has become much better.

[Al-Hasan] That is, has business not been affected by the incidents
seen?

[Second unidentified man] Absolutely not. The impact has been positive,
not negative. This is for sure.

[Al-Hasan] Has business at your end seen a surge?

First unidentified man

Second unidentified man

[Second unidentified man] Yes, business has seen a surge. Even parties
have begun to see auras not seen before. I here mean the citizens’
patriotism and their love for the country. They have always shown
a desire to create a [pleasant] atmosphere even if they do not have
money on them.

[Al-Hasan] As for tight neighbourhoods, there is another story, as
their alleyways exude a feeling of comfort, originality, and security
even though they are tight. Here are churches and mosques that hug
each other while climbing skyward. Here are crosses and minarets.

[Unidentified Armenian Patriarchate official] Now, as you can see,
you are walking in the streets of Bab Tuma, around patriarchates and
churches. God be praised, we are not only in good shape. Rather, we
can say that Syria is in the best possible shape. The whole world is
against us. However, just as our president has said, it is God who is
protecting Syria. It is God who is protecting these lands. Besides, Our
Lady of Peace is also protecting these lands, and so are the angels.

[Al-Hasan] The Assembly of Eastern Christians has spoken of concerns.

Armenian Patriarchate official

[Armenian Patriarchate official] We are not experiencing problems. It
is others who are experiencing problems. As far as our ties [with
Muslims] are concerned, we are brothers. Just as you can see in this
street, you cannot distinguish a Christian from a non-Christian. We
have always been brothers. This is not a recent fact. Rather, this is
an old fact. On the contrary, this [changes thought] when the Pope
came here to Syria, he said: Your country is an exemplary state. I
would like to affirm to you that they [foreign visitors] will wish
to visit Syria in the coming days. This is because our country will
be an exemplary country. God be praised, our church is not only in
good shape. Rather, it is in the best possible shape.

[Al-Hasan] It is only the religious features in Bab Tuma which show
you what you cannot make out on the faces of the residents of the
Damascus neighbourhoods. For Syria has only one Bab [door]. As for
Tuma, he is one of the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ. As for Syrians,
they are millions whose love for God and the homeland keeps growing.

This is Hamzah al-Hajj Hasan and Kamil Karaki in the Syrian capital,
Damascus, for the Al-Manar Channel.

BERRI TO ATTEND TEHRAN PALESTINIAN CONFERENCE

The Daily Star
Sept 30 2011
Lebanon

BEIRUT: Speaker Nabih Berri will travel to Tehran at the invitation
of his Iranian counterpart Ali Larijani to attend an international
conference to support the Palestinian uprising.

The conference will be held in Tehran on Oct.1-2 under the title
“The Palestinians are not searching for a homeland. Palestine is
their homeland.” Berri, who was scheduled to depart early Friday,
will be accompanied by Nabatieh MP Mohammad Raad, head of Hezbollah’s
Parliamentary Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, and Beirut MP Artur
Nazarian, who heads the Lebanese-Armenian Parliamentary Friendship
Committee.

Berri will later fly to Armenia at an official invitation from his
Armenian counterpart Hovik Abrahamyan.

ARMENIAN FM: FRANCE HAS ALWAYS BEEN ACTIVE IN NORMALIZATION PROCESS OF NK CONFLICT

Panorama
Sept 29 2011
Armenia

I don’t think that France needs to be more active in the OSCE Minsk
Group, since France has always had active role in the group, said
Armenian FM Edward Nalbandian making remarks on Panorama.am question
if France is going to intensify its role in the Minsk group.

Armenian FM stated that the Minsk Group co-chair states have successful
cooperation towards the normalization of NK issue.

“I’d like to underline that the three co-chairs hold successful
cooperation. Look at the Deauville statement, which says that the
efforts by the Russian President and FM are completely supported by
the United States and France. This cooperation is really successful.

As a co-chairing state France has its own role which we signify,”
said Minister Nalbandian.

PROGRESS IN TALKS ON KARABAKH POSSIBLE ONCE AZERBAIJAN STOPS DISTORTING UN CHARTER – ARMENIAN MFA

news.am
Sept 29 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN.- Azerbaijan’s position is aimed at torpedoing the Karabakh
peace process, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan
told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Kocharyan’s remark came as a comment on speech of Azerbaijani FM
Elmar Mammadyarov at the session of UN General Assembly.

Speaking in the UN, Mammadyarov presented Azerbaijan’s stance on
the Madrid principles which implied only restoring of Azerbaijan’s
“territorial integrity.”

Progress in talks will be possible only after Azerbaijan stops
distorting the UN Charter, Kocharyan said.

“According to Chapter 1 of the Charter, equality and the right of
peoples to self-determination is one of the goals of the organization,
while territorial integrity, in accordance with Chapter 2, is a
principle aimed to fulfill the UN’s objectives. It is clear that
under the UN Charter, the territorial integrity cannot be opposed
to peoples’ right to self-determination, which was confirmed by
international court’s decision on Kosovo,” he said.

ARMENIA APPRECIATES FRENCH EFFORTS ON KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT – ARMENIAN FM

news.am
Sept 29 2011
Armenia

PARIS. – Armenia appreciates French efforts on Karabakh conflict
settlement, Armenian FM Edward Nalbandian told the journalists on
Thursday after the meeting of Armenian and French Presidents.

According to him, France has always been active in the settlement
process. Meantime, the Minister stressed the close relations between
three mediator states of the OSCE Minsk Group.

“U.S. and France completely support Russia and the cooperation of
the three states is effective enough. Besides, France as the OSCE MG
co-chair has its separate role. We appreciate efforts of the official
Paris for the settlement of the conflict,” Nalbandyan stated, Armenian
News-NEWS.am correspondent reports.

CHANGES IN RUSSIA WILL SOMEWHAT IMPACT ARMENIA – ARF DASHNAKTSUTYUN MP

news.am
Sept 29 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Changes in Russia might somewhat affect Armenia’s foreign
political developments, but they will not be crucial, Armenian
opposition ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party’s Parliamentary Faction leader
Vahan Hovhannisyan said, during a press conference on Thursday,
commenting on the decision of transferring Russian presidency from
Dmitry Medvedev to Vladimir Putin.

“Russian opposition circles consider what took place to be
impermissible, since power is transferred from the president to the
former president, and public opinion receded into the background. To be
honest, such thing happened in Armenia, too,” Vahan Hovhannisyan noted,
adding : “I think that, being presidents of the Russian Federation,
neither Medvedev nor Putin can cause substantial change in Armenia’s
domestic politics. After all, our aspiration is to elect our own
president by ourselves, and without intervention by others.”

According to Hovhannisyan, however, certain nuances could change in
foreign policy. “It is apparent that the West sees Putin as a tougher
figure. But I do not thing that the changes would be dramatic or
crucial,” Vahan Hovhannisyan concluded.