GAZPROM SEEKS FULL CONTROL OF ARMENIA GAS DISTRIBUTOR
Bloomberg
June 17 2013
By Anna Shiryaevskaya
Co. may increase stake in ArmRosGazprom venture to 100% from 80% now,
Gazprom says in e-mailed statement after CEO Alexey Miller met with
Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisian.
KOZHARA POSTPONES VISIT TO ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN
Ukrainian News Agency, Ukraine
June 17 2013
(12:40, Monday, June 17, 2013)
Ukrainian News Agency
Incumbent chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in
Europe and Foreign Affairs Minister Leonid Kozhara has postponed his
visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan previously scheduled for June 17-20,
acting director of the information policy department of the Foreign
Affairs Ministry Yevhen Perebiinis told the Ukrainian News agency.
“Tomorrow, June 18, Kozhara will pay a visit to Georgia, and the
visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan is suspended,” Perebiinis said.
At the same time, he did not disclose details of the postponement as
well as possible date of the visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, Kozhara intended to pay an official
visit to Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia on June 17-20.
DATEVIK HOVANESIAN’S HEART AND SPIRIT ARE ALWAYS LINKED WITH ARMENIA
10:44, 17 June, 2013
NEW YORK, JUNE 17, ARMENPRESS. Datevik Hovanesian’s name is inseparable
from the Armenian jazz. The media and fans characterized her as “the
queen of Soviet jazz”. Datevik Hovanesian has settled in the United
States since 1990s and continues her successful creative activity
beyond the boundaries of the Motherland and attracts the foreign
audience not merely by her jazz performance, but Armenian national
songs as well.
In a conversation with “Armenpress” the singer tells about her creative
activity in the United States and her constant ties with Armenia from
New York.
– Your name has always been in the centre of attention of the jazz fans
in Armenia and elsewhere despite the frequency of Your appearances on
TV and number of Your performances. How does Your creative activity
develop in the United States?
– I am very very glad and touched that the Jazz lovers in Armenia have
not forgotten about me, no matter how frequent my music is played on
the radio or TV. After all even though I am far away, my heart and
soul is always connected to Armenia.
The short answer to your question is that my creative work is going
well in the United States. But if I had to expand on my answer I
would say that throughout my life, be it in Armenia or United States
or anywhere else, my creative, artistic road has never been easy,
I always had to have harder way but a better way……, and I never
shied away from difficult challenges, it was like that when I was in
Armenia and it has continued in the United States and I am glad for it.
– Very frequently various publication call You “the queen of Soviet
jazz”. Do You accept that characterization?
– Actually it is not a question of agreeing with that description or
not, during the Soviet Union years, there was an official poll going
on which was voted by Jazz critics and experts of the Soviet Union who
would select the best jazz instrumentalists and vocalists yearly and
for 9 consecutive years I was voted as the #1, “First Lady of Jazz”
Vocalist in Soviet Union, which was a huge honor and recognition for
me personally and of course for the small republic of Armenia.
– Once You have noted that it’s a serious challenge and test to be
a jazz musician despite the place of residence. What did You mean
by that?
– Jazz will always be a very different and difficult musical genre
if to compare it to other forms of popular music. Jazz is not easy
to understand or to follow, hence the people who love the music and
follow it need to have a deeper understanding and knowledge of it,
naturally that limits the number of people who become fans of the
music. Since we live in a world that business and profits dictate a
lot of what we do and the type of art that is recognized, to be a
jazz musician in any part of the world one needs to have a lot of
courage and dedication and strong belief to walk that rocky road,
that’s what I meant when I said it is a big challenge.
– How would Your jazz career develop in Armenia, if You did not depart
for the United States in 1980s?
– This is really a difficult question to answer for anyone and I
would say no one knows.
– You gave a concert in “Aram Khachaturian” Concert Hall on the
Armenian Jazz anniversary in 2008. Is it possible to give a big or
a small club concert in Homeland for the audience, which has missed
Your voice so much?
– Of course it is possible, I would love to, it just requires
invitation from professional & competent organizers who would be
interested in taking on the task.
– You gave concerts in the United States, Europe and Australia; You
participated in number of international festivals, and performed
Your songs in such prominent concert halls as Carnegie Hall and
Lincoln Center. Do You consider giving concerts in future and in
what countries?
– Yes there are upcoming concerts in US, Europe in the coming months.
– You have signed an agreement with Sony Classical Company on recording
and releasing five albums. On what stage are the activities now?
– Unfortunately because of huge changes in the Sony company and its
management after producing the first CD things have remained frozen. I
am hoping that in near future things will change. I have to add that
the 2nd album “Listen to my Soul” was also recorded and most of the
work completed which such giants as Frank Wess, Ben Reily, Paquito
D’rivera, Claudio Roditi and many others.
– People say that jazz is an international kind of music. What do You
think how compatible is jazz with ethnic music and how the foreign
audience understands them?
– Actually Jazz is not an international music by its origin,
it was born from the African roots and blues, it was nourished
and took strong wings in the United States. Only later on it has
become international. Over the years the wings got spread, different
nationalities brought their own rhythms and soul into it, specially
since it’s a very open and accepting form of music it was possible
to braid with different folk and traditional elements, which created
a new beautiful form called ethnic jazz, or I would argue just jazz.
You are correct. It is now an international music, hence it is accepted
and loved all over the world.
– Do You follow the recent developments of the Armenian music? What
positive and negative changes do You see now in comparison with the
Soviet years?
– To be honest I do not follow it enough to form and express my
professional opinion on that topic.
– What do You miss most of all living and creating away from the
homeland?
– The nature and my childhood. HOV SARER MOV SARER MANKOOTUNS YET BEREK
(COOL MOUNTAINS, BLUE MOUNTAINS, GET MY CHILDHOOD BACK!).
Interview by Tatevik Grigoryan
Photo by Levon Paryan
OFFICIAL SLAMS AZERI FM SUGGESTING VISITS TO ARTSAKH “DANGEROUS”
June 17, 2013 – 18:38 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – The Nagorno Karabakh presidential spokesman commented
on recent statement of Azeri Foreign Minister Elman Abdullayev
suggesting visits to NKR are illegal and dangerous to tourists,
the former being an “occupied territory.”
As David Babayan told PanARMENIAN.Net “no tourist – celebrity,
politician or MP – is under any danger when visiting Artsakh. What’s
really dangerous and ridiculous is Azeri blacklist which includes
all those who travel to Artsakh. Such a policy line proves there’s
danger in visiting Azerbaijan, rather than Artsakh.”
CLAIM OF HRANUSH KHARATYAN AGAINST RUBEN HAYRAPETYAN WAS DISMISSED
Mon, 06/17/2013 – 17:51
In Avan and Nor Nork court of first instance presided by Judge Arsen
Babayan, the claim of Hranush Kharatyan against Ruben Hayrapetyan
was rejected.
Note that H. Kharatyan required the respondent to publicly apologize
and dismiss the libel. The means was left for the discretion of
the court.
The dispute has arisen as a result of an interview that the former
deputy of the National Assembly, FFA President Ruben Hayrapetyan gave
to Nouvelles d’Armenie on August 11. Several of the expressions in the
interview were estimated by H. Kharatyan as insulting and slandering.
Author: Factinfo – See more at:
JANGIRIAN COMMENTS ON CONTROL CHAMBER’S REPORT
Monday,
June 17
In the past two years the chairman of the Control Chamber has not
sent the checks’ results to the prosecutor general’s office as he was
disappointed with that institution, the deputy of Armenian National
Congress (HAK) faction Gagik Jangirian said in the parliament today,
adding that he learnt about that during the report’s discussion with
the chairman of the Control Chamber in their faction.
“The continuous embezzlement of budget money and thousands of facts
of misappropriation recorded by the Control Chamber for several years
have no criminal legal continuation, which can have two explanations.
First, the facts recorded in the Control Chamber’s protocols are
deliberately exaggerated and the law enforcement bodies see no corpus
delicti in that.
The second explanation is that law enforcement bodies openly cover
the embezzlement of budget money, conceal the facts and have their
share in the process,” Jangirian said.
The HAK deputy noted that the constitutional legal status of Armenia’s
National Assembly and its powers are sufficient to untwine the knot.
“The decision should be taken by the parliament, otherwise we will
become participants of the embezzlement and contribute to information
hiding,” the deputy said.
TODAY, 20:48
Aysor.am
THE WIND BLOWS IN ANOTHER DIRECTION
Recently Heritage Party was recalled in connection with the
inauguration of the Council of Elders, Heritage-government relations
at the level of the Council of Elders, as well as the unnoticed return
of Raffi Hovannisian and his political statements.
Appearance of the Heritage in the Council of Elders gave it additional
resources, and it is actually the leading opposition force amid the
PAP’s passiveness and hesitant policy. Armen Martirosyan rightly said
that Heritage was able to participate in several elections without
having resources. Yes, it could and it received different amounts of
votes every time but the Heritage failed to do the main thing – did
not capitalize its resources. Two months ago one would not believe
that Heritage would find itself in its current status.
After the tragedy of March 1 Ter-Petrosyan’s team, which officially
received fewer votes than Raffi Hovannisian led the opposition
generating the political capital accrued during the ten days of
the movement for 4 years. With more votes and longer post-electoral
processes Raffi and Heritage now appear at political rostrums from
time to time.
In the previous convocation the Heritage Party gained important
experience which formed the core of its activities: intensive action
on every emerging issue with a small tea;, support to different groups
of citizens and most importantly politicization of complaints and
bringing them to the oppositional discourse. But now the situation
has changed. First, the quality of opposition and generally political
discourse has dropped drastically. Later Heritage thwarted possible
scenarios of greater political prospects. For the time being, interest
in Heritage will be limited to counterbalance to the possible ANC-PAP
tandem.
It is painful because Heritage received the votes of the best part
of the electorate, people who are free from party hierarchies, are
relatively independent and represent all the spheres of life.
There is no need for a thorough analysis to find out the real reason
for the weakening of Heritage’s factor. They are in the speeches
of Raffi Hovannisian. “I don’t have a team, people is my team,”
was his slogan which crushed the main resource of the Heritage –
teamwork experience in the previous convocation.
What is the Heritage Party going to do in the upcoming year? Honest
political and civil intentions is very little, especially in the
political culture of Armenia. If the PAP becomes aggressive, the
government may revise its relations with the Heritage. Otherwise the
Heritage may become a marginal.
The electorate on which the Heritage has traditionally relied is
already captured by other forces, within non-Armenian demand.
Heritage must return to its civil policy, politicizing the civil
sector and releasing it from marginal forces, translating civil
protest to political text or otherwise obey destiny’s whim. In the
next few years there will be lots of such opportunities. However,
it is first necessary to review the anti-political “we have no team,
people are our team” approach and eventually formulate the collective
interests of one’s own team. One needs a team, politics requires a
team, people cannot be a team because the Armenian society is not
people in the professional sense of the word. Besides, the community
is not unitary, and a political force is responsible for one section,
and besides people, community and nation are abstract notions.
Referring to them means denying one’s own political responsibility.
For the time being, the problems of Heritage are at this level,
and without resolving these issues all the havens of last hope will
be lost, and some prospects for staying in the political field will
be lost. Destiny is like wind, it is changeable, and one should not
rely on destiny.
Levon Margaryan 19:09 17/06/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:
TURKISH POLICE BREAK UP ARMENIAN GRAVESTONES TO THROW AT PROTESTERS
June 17, 2013 – 16:30 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – Social media users report that during the
anti-government protests in Turkey, police officers entered an Armenian
cemetery in Sisli district of Istanbul. According to the posts, the
policemen use the gravestones as barricades. They also break up the
stones to throw them at the protesters.
MERKEL SAYS SHOCKED AT TURKEY’S TOUGH RESPONSE TO PROTESTS
June 17, 2013 – 15:22 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday, June
17 she was shocked at Turkey’s tough response to anti-government
protests but she stopped short of demanding that the European Union
call off accession talks with the candidate country, Reuters reported.
“I’m appalled, like many others,” Merkel said of Turkey’s handling of
two weeks of unrest that began over a redevelopment project in an
Istanbul park but has grown into broader protest against Prime
Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s government.
“I would like to see those who have criticism, who have a different
opinion and a different idea of society, having some space in a Turkey
that moves into the 21st century,” Merkel told German broadcaster RTL.
Asked whether Ankara’s response to the protests was in line with the
way an EU accession candidate should act, Merkel said: “What’s
happening in Turkey at the moment is not in line with our idea of the
freedom to demonstrate or freedom of speech.
“They are terrible images. … I can only hope that the problems will
be solved peacefully,” she said in the German TV interview, which was
due to be aired later on Monday.
EU politicians are divided on whether interrupting accession talks
would help or hamper Turkey’s democratization process.
EU officials say Germany is reluctant to open a new area of
negotiation with Turkey this month. Berlin denies any direct link with
the latest events but the foreign ministry says talks that began in
2005 were going to be a “very, very long process”.
Merkel has backed Turkish accession talks while at the same time
expressing skepticism about its future EU membership.
Speaking just before departing for a Group of Eight summit in Northern
Ireland, Merkel reiterated her position that Germany would not arm
rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The G8 summit was set for a clash between U.S. President Barack Obama,
who is now ready to send weapons to Syrian rebels, and Russia’s
Vladimir Putin, who backs the Syrian government.
“We do not supply weapons ourselves. We do not contribute to that.
That’s against our rules,” Merkel said. “Russia must play a role in
the process. Otherwise there will be no peace.”
“A CLEANER YEREVAN” PROJECT TO BE LAUNCHED
June 17, 2013 | 14:46
YEREVAN. – At the initiative of Mayor Taron Margaryan of Armenia’s
capital city Yerevan, the project-with the slogan: “A Cleaner
Yerevan”-will get underway in the city.
The objective of this project is to clean and upkeep Yerevan’s
recreational areas and forests and groves, the Yerevan Municipality
press service informs.
“The capital city has several parks and places where the Yerevan
residents like to spend their relaxation especially in summer, which,
however, causes a pile-up of trash. The Municipality’s activities
alone are insufficient. We need to engage and encourage the NGOs,
too, calling them to participate in these initiatives, so we may have
a cleaner Yerevan.
“We stand ready to provide whatever is necessary and to implement the
project with joint efforts,” Margaryan particularly has stressed in
this respect.
News from Armenia – NEWS.am