Author: Karakhanian Suren

Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 25 2006

Ruben Hayrapetyan: In 2007 the Republican Party will comprise
Parliamentary majority
25.11.2006 17:30

The Republican Party will get a great number of ballots at the
parliamentary elections in 2007, and like 2003 it will comprise
majority in the Parliament, member of the Political Council of the
Republican Party, President of the Football Federation of Armenia
Ruben Hayrapetyan told the journalists today.
In his words, his confidence in the victory of the Republican Party
is associated with the fact that voters are tired of adventurous
programs and they tend to cast their votes for real platform of
political parties, which lead the country to a progress like the
Republican Party.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Armenian Genocide One of Reasons of Loss of Dutch Labor Party
25.11.2006 15:08 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Genocide was one of reasons
of loss of the Dutch Labor Party (PvdA), the
Federation of the Armenian Organizations of
Netherlands (FAON) told PanARMENIAN.Net. On the one
hand many Turks did no appreciate the sending away of
Turkish genocide denier Sacan to place 53 of the PvdA
candidate list, but neither they like the tuning
around position which leader of the Dutch Labour Party
Wouter Bos took later. `We may call it genocide, but
we have to watch our word. We don’t know whether it
matches the juridical sense of the word genocide yet,
like in genocide treaties. But also Armenians (of
course) and many Dutch voted for other parties, like
Christian Union (who launched the genocide recognition
motion in 2004)," he said.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Armenia Fund Annual Telethon Launched Today
23.11.2006 18:22 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On November 23, 2006, Armenia Fund will air its 9th
Annual International Telethon. This year’s telethon will highlight the
organization’s 15 years of achievements as well as celebrate the 15th
Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Armenia. Since
1991, Armenia Fund has rendered more than $160 million in short term
humanitarian aid as well as long term infrastructure development
project. The organization was instrumental for urgently facilitating
the critical energy needs of the fledgling Armenian republic in from
1991 – 1994. In addition to its relief aid, the organization has
constructed major infrastructure that includes rural roads and
highways, drinking water and irrigation networks, healthcare
facilities, schools, and cultural and historical projects’
rehabilitation.

Proceeds from Telethon 2006 will benefit the war torn region of Hadrut
in Nagorno Karabakh. Among various major projects, the plan calls for
the reconstruction of a regional hospital, a series of new schools,
new water pipelines and distribution networks, as well a comprehensive
regional agricultural development program all designed to enhance the
socio-economic standards of the region. The plan will draw parallels
to the Martakert Regional Development plan, which is currently
underway, after months of planning and fund collection.

Berliner Morgenpost
23. November 2006

Memories of Armenia: "The Fairy Tale of the Last Thought" play by
Edgar Hilsenrath

Erinnerung an Armenien;
theater "Das Märchen vom letzten Gedanken" von Edgar Hilsenrath

Sebastian Blottner

*Regelmäßig wird von engagierten Zeitgenossen der Völkermord an den
Armeniern ins kollektive Gedächtnis gerufen – und trotzdem gehört
dieses dunkle Kapitel der europäischen Geschichte zu den
bestvergessenen Verbrechen des letzten Jahrhunderts. Der Autor Edgar
Hilsenrath, der in diesem Jahr seinen 80. Geburtstag feierte, näherte
sich dem Thema auf literarischem Wege, mit dem preisgekrönten Roman
"Das Märchen vom letzten Gedanken". Im Stil eines abendländischen
Märchens schildert er darin die Seele eines Volkes und nimmt die Spur
von Leben und Untergang der Armenier auf. Hilsenrath ist deutscher
Jude. Der Dramatiker Andreas Jungwirth und Regisseur Rolf Krieg haben
sein Buch für die Bühne adaptiert. Herausgekommen ist ein Stück, das
die Erinnerung zum zentralen Punkt der Inszenierung macht. Nach der
Uraufführung in Yerewan ist die deutsch-armenische
Gemeinschaftsarbeit bereits erfolgreich durch Armenien getourt und
ist nun fünf Tage in Berlin zu sehen.

Theater Unterm Dach, 20 Uhr, Telefon 902 95 38 17. Bis 29.11.

Drama vom Leben und Untergang

INFORMAL MEETING OF RA AND AZERI DEFENSE MINISTERS MAY BE HELD IN BREST
PanARMENIAN.Net
22.11.2006 13:14 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The meeting of the Armenian and Azeri Defense
Ministers may be held within the framework of the sitting of the
Council of CIS Defense Ministers. As reported by the Agency of
National News with a reference to the CIS Executive Committee, two
months ago a meeting of the Defense Ministers was held at the border
of the two for the first time after a long break. The possibility
of the dialogue was discussed for three days during the meeting of
CIS Executive Secretary Vladimir Rushaylo and Secretary of the RA
Security Council Serge Sargsyan. The meeting to all appearance will
be informal and will be held after the sitting of the Council of CIS
Defense Ministers scheduled for Thursday in Brest.

BULGARIAN AMBASSADOR: BULGARIA MIGHT BACK AZERBAIJANS INTEGRATION TO EU
Author: S. Aghayeva
TREND Informationa, Azerbaijan
Nov 21 2006
Trend’s exclusive interview with Ivan Palchev, Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of Bulgaria to Azerbaijan on the threshold of
the visit of the Bulgarian Speaker to Azerbaijan
– Georgiy Pirinsky, Bulgaria Speaker is expected to pay an official
visit to Azerbaijan this week. Which issues will be the priority in
the agenda of the forthcoming negotiations with the Azerbaijani party
within the above-mentioned visit?
– Chairman of the Bulgarian People Assembly will arrive in Baku on
November 22 to take part in the sitting of the General Assembly of
the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for the Black Sea
Economic Cooperation. During the forthcoming meeting, the chair of
the Organization will be passed to Bulgaria. As soon as the sitting
of the Organization is completed, on November 24-25, the official
visit of the Bulgarian Speaker to Azerbaijan will be commenced.
The Bulgarian Speaker will be accompanied by representative delegation
consisting of members of all fractions of the Bulgarian Parliament
and the Government of the Country. The agenda of the visit includes
meetings with the Azerbaijani Speaker Ogtay Assadov, Foreign Minister
Elmar Mammadyarov, Premier-Minister Artur Rasizadeh, and certainly
with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The Bulgarian Speaker will
also visit the Baku Slavic University, where he will get acquainted
with the activity of the Bulgarian Culture Centre, as well as meet
students and pedagogical staff of the University.
Bulgaria is a parliamentary state. The supreme authority of the
Country is the Parliament. All the other bodies of authority submit
to the Parliament. Being the Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament, Mr.
Pirinsky has wide authorities, and he is about to discuss the wide
spectrum of different issues on both the bilateral and regional
cooperation, as well as cooperation of an international nature with
the Azerbaijani party.
– Bulgaria joins EU starting January 1, 2007. Which role that could
play in Bulgaria bilateral relations with Azerbaijan?
– It is true that Bulgaria will join EU starting from Janury, 2007.
According to EU requirements, all the member-states of the
Organization should unify their legislation in accordance with the
EU requirements. The contract and legal base between Azerbaijan and
Bulgaria today consists of 28 documents which will be reviewed once
more and unified to meet the EU requirements and standards. At the
same time, a new package of agreements of a bilateral nature is being
worked out. It is expected to cover different spheres of cooperation..
Being the Ambassador, I am quite satisfied with the development of
political contacts. For three years of the activity of the Bulgarian
Embassy to Azerbaijan, all possible visits at a level of Ministers
and Chiefs of Bodies, Speakers, and Presidents have been paid.
However, economic relations between our countries do not completely
meet the existing potential of the two countries. The commodity
turnover between Bulgaria and Azerbaijan reached just $6-8 mln. last
year.
I have had a lot contacts with businessmen of the both countries,
invited them, gave them advises, but their interest to business was
of curious tourists. However, that will have its reasons. First of
all, the lack of direct air flights between Baku and Sofia impedes
developing the mutual relations. There are intentions to establish a
new charter air flight – Baku-Varna in the next year, and to attempt
to develop tourism. I hope that the mutual skepticism that is now
connected with Bulgaria joining EU will act in the reverse direction
and make businessmen of the two countries to mutually cooperate.
– How could you estimate perspectives of cooperation between Bulgaria
and Azerbaijan in energy field? Which perspective directions of this
cooperation could you mark?
– For about 12 years, Bulgaria, Russia, and Greece have held
negotiations on constructing oil pipeline “Burgas-Aleksandrupolis”.
Finally, a month ago, the three Presidents met and signed the
corresponding document. Not only Russia oil but also Azerbaijani
one, which is carried via the Russian territory through oil
pipeline “Baku-Novorossiysk” will connect to the pipeline. At
present, a project on transporting gas from Erzurum via route
Turkey-Bulgaria-Romania-Hungary-Austria is being worked out. The
construction of a pipeline is expected to be launched in the next
year. And I think that by 2011, the gas will reach Bulgaria.
– What is Bulgaria’s position toward the Armenian-Azerbaijani
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?
– Bulgaria position toward the Nagorno-Karabakh issue remains
unchanged. The most important in this position is that Bulgaria adheres
the thesis that Nagorno-Karabakh will always be a part of Azerbaijan,
and , as Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev have repeatedly stated
this territory may obtain the highest autonomy, but only within the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. And I think the conflicting
parties themselves are gradually trending to this position.

RETORSION DE L’ARMEE TURQUE CONTRE LA FRANCE
Semo Marc
Liberation , France
17 novembre 2006
Un general a decrete la suspension des relations dans le domaine
militaire.
La declaration sonne comme un avertissement. “Les relations dans
le domaine militaire avec la France ont ete suspendues”, a declare
mercredi soir le general Ilker Basbug, chef d’etat-major de l’armee
de terre, lors d’une reception marquant le 23e anniversaire de la
Republique turque autoproclamee de Chypre Nord. La reunion annuelle
qui passe en revue la cooperation militaire turco-francaise, prevue
en decembre, a deja ete annulee. Il s’agit de la première mesure de
retorsion directe contre la France, après le vote, mi-octobre, par
106 deputes, d’un projet de loi sanctionnant la negation du genocide
armenien entre 1915 et 1917. Le texte doit encore passer au Senat,
revenir a la Chambre, puis etre signe par le President.
Echanges.
Le chef de la diplomatie turque, Abdullah Gul, a affirme que, si cette
loi prenait effet, “les liens bilateraux seraient irreparablement
endommages dans les domaines economique, politique et de securite”. Les
echanges entre la Turquie et la France se chiffraient en 2005 a 8,2
milliards d’euros. L’annonce du chef de l’armee de terre turque
a surpris. “Elle a ete faite dans un cadre informel, lors d’une
reception, pas sous la forme d’une communication officielle”, a releve
un haut diplomate francais. Hier soir, le chef d’etat-major general,
le general Buyukanit, repute etre un faucon, n’avait pas confirme
cette annonce. La suspension ne concernerait que les relations
bilaterales, mais pas la cooperation au sein de l’Otan ou dans le
cadre d’operations multilaterales, comme en Afghanistan ou au Liban. A
Paris, on rappelle aussi que nombre de fournisseurs francais sont en
fait largement europeens, comme la societe franco-germano-espagnole
Eurocopter, filiale d’EADS, en lice pour un marche de 52 appareils
civils et militaires.
Obstacle.
L’armee, qui se veut la gardienne des valeurs republicaines, semble
vouloir obliger le Premier ministre, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a durcir
sa position. Au-dela des effets de manche, les reactions d’Ankara
sont restees contenues, car un appel officiel au boycottage des
firmes francaises aurait cree un nouvel obstacle dans les difficiles
negociations d’adhesion de la Turquie a l’UE.
–Boundary_(ID_tAW+ELMwOMLrVEDJWmO7bA)–

THERE IS NO NATION WHICH VOLUNTARILY REFUSES ITS INDEPENDENCE OF 15 YEARS: KARABAKH IS NOT EXCEPTION, RA PRESIDENT AFFIRMS
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Nov 17 2006
BERLIN, NOVEMBER 17, NOYAN TAPAN. “We are supporters of peaceful
settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chairmen attempt to bring our positions closer. Unfortunately,
in spite of proceeding active negotiations, there is little ground
for optimism.” RA President Robert Kocharian said about it during
his November 15 speech at the Bertelsmann Foundation, within the
framework of the working visit paid to the FDR.
In his words, the principal position of Armenia is that the Karabakh
people carried out its right of self-determination, and it was
implemented fully corresponding to the international norms. “Many
independent states of present were founded after fall of former
empires. The Nagorno Karabakh independence was got at the time of
fall of the Soviet Union. Even more, that is the end of ideological
huge split. Nagorno Karabakh has never been a part of independent
Azerbaijan,” the RA President mentioned.
R.Kocharian emphasized that owing to successful building of its
statehood, the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh proved its right of
existence. “It periodically holds democratic parliamentary and
president’s elections. We are witnesses of development of the civil
society,” he said, adding that a generation has already grown which
considers itself personification and keeper of that statehood.
“We do not remember an example of a nation which itself voluntarily
refused its independence of 15 years. Nobody intends to do it in
the case of Karabakh. We speak about irreversible changes which took
place in people’s consciousness,” the RA President stated.

JAZZ ETC.: A GIFT OF MODERN MUSIC FROM THE “CELLO GODDESS”
By Paul de Barros
Seattle Times, WA
Nov 17 2006
Maya Beiser discovered Belgian surrealist poet Henri Michaux when
she was a teenager, playing cello in an Israeli army string quartet
during the Lebanon war.
For years, she wanted to do something with Michaux’s strange and
compelling “I Am Writing To You From A Far-Off Country,” which
describes with deadpan naivete the conditions in a strange place –
another country? another planet? an imaginary world?
Last year, Beiser invited composer Eve Beglarian and video artist
Shirin Neshat to collaborate with her on Michaux’s poem.
The glorious result is on offer at 8 p.m. today and Saturday at On
the Boards, part of Beiser’s “Almost Human” program ($24; 206-217-9888
or ).
Though neither Michaux nor Beglarian was inspired directly by war or
by terrorism, the work’s solitary, post-apocalyptic atmosphere feels
terribly right for this moment.
“It feels more relevant than ever,” agreed Beiser from her home in
New York, where she premiered the piece earlier this year, at Zankel
Hall. “One way I understand it is as this woman desperately trying to
describe her world to this person that she loves. But there’s another
layer, too – as a solo performer, this ability to open yourself up
and say, ‘Look, see, this is where my world is.’ It’s very powerful
for me, performing that piece.”
Beglarian’s music, inspired by Armenian melodies, ranges through rich,
forlorn landscapes with achingly slow vibrato; strident electric
guitar samples; icy high notes; voluptuous, pastoral overlays;
industrial repetitions; and a bit of thrumming and plucking, too.
Neshat’s video is screened on nine monitors. It features desert
landscapes from the Sinai, rippling images of Beiser performing and
“lots of images of water and the sea.” (One beguiling line in the poem:
“Does water flow in your country, too?”)
As you may have surmised, Beiser is not your garden-variety cellist.
Nicknamed “the cello goddess” by the New Yorker magazine, she is a
sort of one-woman Kronos String Quartet, having commissioned and/or
performed pieces by Philip Glass, Osvaldo Golijov, Arvo Part and a
host of other contemporary composers.
Beiser also has been compared to Laurie Anderson, which makes a
certain amount of sense in the context of the Michaux piece.
entertainment/2003435696_jazz17.html

RICHARD KIRAKOSSIAN: MAJOR OBSTACLE IN ARMENIA’S EURO-INTEGRATION IS EXCESSIVE DEPENDENCE ON RUSSIA
Regnum, Russia
Nov 18 2006
If the elections in Armenia are not conducted in correspondence with
international standards, it will be a reason to strengthen EU relations
with Georgia and Azerbaijan, leaving Armenia behind, US political
analyst Richard Kirakossian said at a news conference on November 18.
As a REGNUM correspondent quotes the analyst as saying, election fraud
can result in breaking the Millennium Challenge program and general
disappointment in Armenia. Such approach, according to Kirakossian,
is stipulated by stricter requirements presented by the international
community to Armenia than to other developing countries. In this
connection, they are more intolerable to fraud in Armenia than in
other countries. If the elections do not meet international norms,
it will be another opportunity lost for the country.
Answering a question whether Armenia, under condition it of further
democratization, can count for entering the EU independently from its
neighboring countries in the region, Kirakossian noted that in this
issue the major obstacle is excessive Armenia’s dependence on Russia.
“I do not insist that Armenia should turn towards the EU by 100%. But
Armenia should become all-sufficient instead of imitating Russia or
EU,” the American analyst concludes.