Author: Karagyozian Lena

GEORGIA WILL NOT REFUSE FROM KARS-AKHALKALAI RAILWAY DESPITE US POSITION

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.01.2007 18:42 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Kars-Akhalkalai railway will be constructed
despite US Congress position, stated Georgian Prime Minister
Gela Bezhuashvili today after the end of the session of Georgian
government. ""The USA has the sovereign right to make such decisions.

Washington refuses to finance the project, but that will be no problem,
the finance may be obtained from other sources," Bejuashvili said.

It’s worth reminding, today Matthew Bryza, the US Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State and OSCE MG American Co-Chair said that he is
against the perception, that the United States opposes to the
Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railway project after president
George Bush signed the law, which bans to finance that project. In
his words, the United States has always supported projects aimed at
strengthening transportation ties. "We are trying to develop projects,
I am repeating, all the projects, which include all the states along
East-West corridor. Of course, we would like the railway, which
connects Turkey with Baku, to pass through Armenia, since it reflects
our policy. Second, from economic point of view it is more expedient
to connect Turkey and Georgia through Armenian territory. But we
cannot make decisions on that issue. Investors themselves push forward
investment plans, which are more profitable for them. If Azerbaijan,
Turkey and Georgia want to construct a railway, of course, we cannot
object. But we do not particularly support that project. We hope
that in near future we will see such a transportation scheme, which
includes all the countries of the region," said Bryza.

VARTAN OSKANIAN HIGHLY ESTIMATES RESULTS OF COOPERATION WITH EUROPE IN 2006

Noyan Tapan
Jan 09 2007

YEREVAN, JANUARY 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The year 2006 was remarkable for
Armenia in the respect of new progress in cooperation with European
organizations. RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian declared this at the
January 9 press conference. "We continue to attach key importance to
development and deepening of cooperation with Europe," the Minister
emphasized. He especially mentioned Armenia’s cooperation with the
European Union, Council of Europe and NATO.

With regard to the EU New Neighborhood Program, the agreement on
implementation of which was signed in spring last year, V.Oskanian
declared that it "enables Armenia to establish political, economic
and cultural relations with Europe." In his words, the most important
article of Armenia’s cooperation with EU is bilateral trade, as EU
is Armenia’s biggest commercial partner. In January-September 2006
trade circulation between EU and RA amounted to 766 mln USD, which
is more by 12 percents as compared with 2005.

V.Oskanian reported that in 2007 we will continue cooperating with
the Council of Europe, in particular, in the sphere of reforming the
legislation. He also highly estimated Armenia’s cooperation with
NATO within the framework of the Individual Partnership Actions
Plan (IPAP). The Minister reported that in the current year NATO
is to analyse and sum up the results of the first year of IPAP’s
implementation.

SERVICES PROVIDED IN ARMENIA IN JANUARY-NOVEMBER 2006 GROW BY 21.7% ON SAME PERIOD OF PREVIOUS YEAR

Noyan Tapan
Jan 09 2007

YEREVAN, JANUARY 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The amount of services provided in
Armenia in January-November 2006 made 428 bln 327.3 mln drams (about 1
bln 18.1 mln USD), which exceeds by 21.7% the respective index of 2005.

According to the RA National Statistical Service, a 3.9% growth of
service tariffs was registered in January-November 2006 on the same
period of 2005, which was mainly conditioned by the growth of tariffs
of social (5.7%), educational (8.4%), transport (1.9%), health (4.7%),
hotel and restaurant (2.7%) and municipal services (4.3%).

Such services as related to financial activity (24 bln 879.4 mln
drams), educational services (27 bln 263.1 mln drams), health care
services (29 bln 853.2 mln drams) and hotel and restaurant services
(18 bln 911 mln drams) had large share in the total amount of services,
with their share making up 5.8%, 6.4%, 7% and 4.4% respectively.

"HAYRUSGASARD" WILL CONTINUE IMPORTING GAS TILL 2008

ArmRadio.am
08.01.2007 16:20

The Public Services Regulatory Commission has extended the license of
" HayRusgasard" for one year, which enables the company to import
gas to Armenia.

Let us remind that "HayRusgasard" has a monopoly right on import and
distribution of gas in Armenia. License #0102 was given to the company
still in 1997, when the joint Armenian-Russian Company was established.

Armenpress

ARMENIANS CELEBRATED 3,000 VICTORIES IN 5,000 YEARS

YEREVAN, JANUARY 7, ARMENPRESS: The Noravank
Foundation, a think-tank based in Yerevan, dealing
with political, cultural and economic studies, said it
will publish a book called "Victories of Armenians."
Foundation’s director Gagik Harutunian said the book
will tell about all victories the Armenian nation
celebrated throughout its millennia-long history.
He said the book will present in detail all
victories Armenians have had in their 5000 year-long
history. "Minute studies show that Armenians have
celebrated overall 3,000 military victories," he
added.
"Although Armenians also suffered defeats but there
are few nations in the world that can boast of winning
3,000 military battles," he said.
He added that the book will dissipate a wrong
opinion that Armenians had more defeats than
victories. The book will also present a thorough study
of Armenian military art.

Armenpress

UNDP AND USAID TO HELP VILLAGE IN TAVUSH PROVINCE

YEREVAN, JANUARY 5, ARMENPRESS: In spring of 2007
the UNDP and the USAID will invest about $2 million in
a remote village of Sarigyugh in the northeastern
province of Tavush to restore its 3 km-long drinking
water and waste water systems and to build a 13
km-long gravity irrigation system that will take water
from the Kirants River.
The new irrigation system will also take water to
two neighboring villages of Kirants and Sevkar.
Part of this money will be used for repair and
furnishing of a kindergarten for 150 children. The
local community will input 10 percent of the cost of
all projects.
Aramazd Dalamkarian from the UNDP said these
projects had been discussed with residents of the
village and regional authorities, who defined the
priorities.
The village of Sarigyugh is located 20 off the town
of Ijevan, which is the regional administrative center
and has 1,341 people. The village is rich in basalt
and agate mines and has a 16 century church.

Mozart Entertainment
Post Office Box 17257
Beverly Hills, California 90209 US

[email protected]

In the review of Darren Aronofsky’s film, The Fountain, Jeremy Osgood
wrote the following in his funny-titled article Dude. Like, Where’s
the Script which was published in the The Pulse "…it demonstrates
too much faith in the beauty of his images. There is, of course, a
place for purely visual cinema. It is a place filled by the likes of
Parajanov and Reggio who produce work that is stunning…"
Incidentally, Godfrey Reggio had recently received the Parajanov Award
at the Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival in Armenia.

Martin Vardanov’s Erased Faces II has been postponed again, now till
2007, due to difficulties with getting the clips of Mikhail Vartanov’s
films out of Armenia. In 2007, Vartanov turns 70, Parajanov: The Last
Spring turns 15 and and a few celebrations are planned in Europe, US
and, hopefully, Armenia. It is hoped that these events will help bring
more attention to the very little known master and his oeuvre which
has been suppressed for decades and till this day virtually never been
shown to the general public.

In Bucharest, Romania, Sergei Paradjanov’s Color of Pomegranates and
Hagop Hovnatanian as well as Atom Egoyan’s Ararat were screened in
November during Days of Armenian Cinema. The latter film is about the
Armenian Genocide perpetrated by Turkish government in 1915. On a
related note, Sylvester Stallone told Denver Post that he had always
wanted to make a film about the Armenian Genocide based on Franz
Werfel’s famous novel 40 Days of Musa Dagh: "…an epic about the
complete destruction of a civilization…The Turks have been killing
that subject for 85 years."

In Armenia, an exhibition dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Hagop
Hovnatanian opened on Wednesday at the National Library of Armenia.

Congratulations to the creators of the documentary Screamers for
winning the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival’s Audience
Award for Best Documentary.

Festival International du Film d’Amiens, which took place 10 – 19
November 2006, screened Sergei Paradjanov’s Color of Pomegranates and
Amo Bek-Nazarov’s silent Zangezur.

Mohammed Shine of Kerala, India recently wrote in his blog that Kamara
Kamalova’s new movie Road Under the Skies’ "…surreal scenes of
colourful but abstract local mythology smacks of the master Sergei
Paradjanov…"

In France, La Cinémathèque de Toulouse begins a retrospective of
Armenian films, called Fragments d’Arménie on 1 Januray 2007. During
the month of January all post 1964 films of Sergei Paradjanov will be
screened along with the work of Amo Bek-Nazarov, Atom Egoyan, Bagrat
Oganesyan, Albert Lazarian as well as Artavazd Pelechian’s We and
Seasons.

Robert Kelly wrote the following in his paper presented at the
Princeton Conference on Magic and Cinema: "Interesting that throughout
the government direction of the arts in the USSR, film found its way
to magic and wonder only through treatment of folklore. The same route
that the German Romantics had followed to escape the inexorable
rationality of the Enlightenment became the way through the
penny-plain austerities of Socialist Realism and beyond into splendor
– the work of Parajanian/Parajanov, the great Armenian-Russian
director contains magnificent examples of this liberation."

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Lragir, Armenia
Dec 28 2006

At the end of the year almost everywhere and almost in every
sphere they sum up the passing year, assess the achievements,
recall the failures and expect that in the new year the correlation
of achievements and failures, good and evil, virtue and vice will
change. And as a rule it always changes, but often not in favor
of good. Generally, since Mr. Einstein gave one of the greatest
formulas of life, years have become relative, and dates have become
conventional. However, like duties are sometimes pleasant, such as
marital duties, conventions are also pleasant and unpleasant.

Perhaps it is early to tell if the 365 days that started 2005 past
the birth of Jesus were pleasant. For Armenia, 2006 is a special year
because, in fact, it will be summed up in May 2007 when the Armenian
people will go to close another period in their life or maybe to
open a new period or maybe to start a new life. The year 2006 did
not have any other peculiarity. There were no extraordinary events
in the life of the public. The independent state of Armenia, which
is also referred to as the Third Republic, became 15, but it was not
unexpected for anyone. What was unexpected was that the hot-tempered
Armenians reacted with Scandinavian coldness to the economic growth
reported for five years on. Generally, the year 2006 was a year of
commonness. Everything was too usual. The government was mean towards
the opposition as usual, the opposition called people as usual, as
usual people did not know where the call came from and where they
should go, the summer was hot as usual and the winter is cold as
usual. Even the scandalous assassinations became something usual in
2006. Since everything was so usual about the Dog, the expectations
from the Pig are not great, even though it is the Fire Pig.

However, it is New Year, and we always have expectations, independent
from us, be it in the year of the Pig, the Horse, the Dog or the Cat.

After all, the animals are not to blame. They have already made a
great sacrifice for people by agreeing to assume responsibility for
their failures and become justification of failed to happen. And the
expectations, which occur no matter we want or not, are waiting for
our will to come true. So good will to everyone. Happy New Year.

CINEMATOGRAPHERS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT ISSUE OF OBSERVANCE OF ARMENIAN TYPE OF FILM

Noyan Tapan
Dec 28 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, NOYAN TAPAN. An agreement on cooperation of the
Rotterdam, Pusan and Golden Apricot ("Voske Tsiran") film festivals
will be signed within the framework of the Rotterdam festival in
January, 2007. Susanna Haroutiunian, the Golden Apricot Artistic
Director stated about it at the December 27 press conference at
the "Urbat" club. In her words, the three-year festival won great
recognition among famous festivals and prominent figures of the
cinematography of the world. In 2006 as well, the festival presented
itself with variety of films, quality and geography. "The spectator
also considers the festival to be his own one. He waits for the
festival. The halls were full this year. The house was even full at
some hours," S.Haroutiunian mentioned.

"We develop step by step and do not satisfy ourselves with the
achieved. In this sense, the started cooperation with individual
directors, producers and festivals is important," the Artistic
Director of the festival assures. In Susanna Haroutiunian’s words,
in opposite to low-price films shown by the television and at the
cinemas, the festival is the best possibility to get acquainted
with the alternative cinematography. Films shown during the festival
days bring new breathing and freshness. Director Edgar Baghdasarian,
present at the press-conference, who is known to the audience with
his "Game" (Khagh), "Leakage" (Hosk), "Country of Hole Rituals" (Surb
Tseseri Yerkir) and "Mariam" films, finds that one may not speak about
Armenian films "in regard to one year," as the number of films being
shot during a year is too small. In his words, one must speak about
the Armenian film "at least, in regard to 10 years, though little
can be said about that term as well." In E.Baghdasarian’s words,
state interference is necessary to keep the type of the Armenian
film. In his words, the National Cinematography Center created
on the basis of "Hayfilm" must develop a policy which will assist
keeping of that type of cinematography. In the director’s words,
the Armenian cinematography needs new breathing and new word: "One
must not continuously repeat that the Armenian film is dead: the one
who states about it, is dead himself. And if some cinematographers
are not able to creat any longer and to shoot a good film, it does
not mean that the Armenian cinematography is dead."

VLADIMIR PUTIN CONGRATULATES HIS COLLEAGUES ON NEW YEAR

Yerevan, December 28. ArmInfo. President of Russia Vladimir Putin
has congratulated the presidents and the prime ministers of foreign
countries on the upcoming New Year holidays.

In his congratulation message to Armenian President Robert Kocharyan,
Vladimir Putin says that the year 2006 was significant with the rich
program of Armenia’s Year in Russia. This large-scale humanitarian
project fully contributed to further development of Russian-Armenian
strategic partnership. By combined efforts, the parties managed
to raise the bar of political dialogue even higher, to strengthen
the foundation of mutual understanding and mutually advantageous
cooperation in all spheres.

In his message to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Vladimir Putin
stresses that the rise of the bilateral relations to a qualitatively
new level of strategic partnership meets the interests of the two
countries, serves to strengthening of peace and security in the South
Caucasus. The Russian President stressed the importance of the events
held under the program of Russia’s Year in Azerbaijan.

Addressing to President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili, Vladimir
Putin wished the Georgian people peace and welfare.

The Russian President congratulated also his Byelorussian, Kazakh,
Khyrghyz, Tajik, Uzbek, Ukranian counterparts, the Queen Elizabeth II,
Prime Minister of Great Britain Tony Blair, President of France Jacques
Chirac, President and Federal Chancellor of Germany, President of
India, President and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Italy,
General Governor and Prime Minister of Canada, Chairman of the
People’s Republic of China Hu Jintao. Congratulating U.S. President
George Bush, Vladimir Putin said that the countries achieved success
in a number of direction of Russian-American relations in 2006,
including the completion of the negotiations for Russia’s admission
to WTO. President of Russia expressed hope that the dynamic work on
accumulation of the cooperation potential will be continued also in
the coming year that will mark the 200th anniversary of diplomatic
relations of the countries.