Author: Karakhanian Suren

ARMENIA TAKES PART IN NATO PFP TRAINING IN KAZAKHSTAN

Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am
Aug 24 2009
Armenia

Armenian representatives will take part in NATO Consequence Management
Field Exercise in Kazakhstan scheduled for September, 2009. Among
the participating states are: U.S., Germany, Austria, Azerbaijan,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Finland, Great Britain, Slovenia, Turkey,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine, Turkish PM General Department
on Emergency Situations reports.

The exercise "ZHETYSU 2009" is held in accordance with the Civil
Emergency Planning Exercise Policy and the Exercise Programme for
2009-2013. It is organized by The Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response
Co-ordination Centre (EADRCC) within the framework of the Partnership
for Peace (PfP) program.

ARMENIAN POLITICAL EXPERT: SERZH SARGSYAN TO VISIT TURKEY IN OCTOBER

ArmInfo
2009-08-24 17:01:00

ArmInfo. "Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan will probably visit Turkey
in October",- Director of Caucasus Institute Alexander Iskandaryan
said when replying to ArmInfo correspondent.

According to him, Serzh Sargsyan’s requirement to Turkey to open the
border in October is an attempt of pressure. "This is an ordinary
diplomatic game aiming to press the parties",- Iskandaryan said. He
added that the statements made by Turkey are also an attempt to press
Armenia. "Actually, Sargsyan said that another step is needed to ensure
progress for the process",- the expert said. He added that any measure
by the Turkish party, for instance, temporary opening of the border
at the moment of Armenian delegation’s visit to Turkey will show the
development of the process. "The abrupt suspension of the process
is beneficial to neither of the parties and will have a bad effect
on the image of the given party in the international community",-
the expert concluded.

To recall, the football match of the Armenian and Turkish national
teams will take place in Turkey on October 14.

President.am, Armenia
Aug 23 2009

Congratulatory message of President Serzh Sargsyan on the 19th
Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence

23.08.2009

Dear Fellow Citizens,

Nineteen years ago on this day, the Supreme Council of Armenia adopted
the Declaration of Independence, which became a historic and guiding
document for the future of our country. It embodied the will of the
people, who went through immeasurable sufferings, who paved their way
in history with the cross, letters and sweat, and when necessary –
also with the sword. It embodied the resolve of the people to build
their own country on their own land.

The Declaration of Independence was received by the entire Armenian
nation with great fervor since it was called upon to turn the
centuries long Armenian dream of restoring independent statehood into
reality.

With this document, which told the world the news of the political
freedom of the people of Armenia, we asserted our ascension, which our
Republic and our people have been pursuing steadfastly all these
years, remaining faithful to the principles enshrined in the
Declaration.

I cordially congratulate us all on the Anniversary of the Declaration
of Independence and wish you all the best.

FOREIGN MINISTER’S RESIGNATION STILL A PRIORITY, SAYS MANOYAN

Asbarez
/foreign-minister%e2%80%99s-resignation-still-a-pr iority-says-manoyan/
Aug 19th, 2009

YEREVAN (Combined Sources)-The Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s call
for the resignation of Armenia’s Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian
is still a priority, said the party’s political director Giro Manoyan
Wednesday during a press briefing.

"Our demand for the minister’s resignation will allow the president
to alter the political course and indicate to all that policies have
changed," said Manoyan, emphasizing that the imperative for changing
Armenia’s foreign policy still exists given the continuing disturbing
developments.

Manoyan went on to discuss a wide array of issues on the forefront
of the Armenian political agenda, including Armenia-Turkey relations
and the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Manoyan said that a "hot political season" was on the horizon, since
Armenia is being pressured into making up its mind on the so-called
"Madrid Principles," which are currently guiding the OSCE Minsk Group
conflict resolution process.

"The Minsk Group Co-Chairs are pulling out all the stops to reach an
agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the so-called ‘fundamental
principles’ by October 14. But the final draft of these principles
will only be ready for submission by the end of September," explained
Manoyan who clarified that Oct. 14 is the date for a soccer match
between the Armenian and Turkish teams, scheduled to take place
in Turkey.

"The fact that official Baku has never said that it would abide by the
will of the people of Karabakh if they chose to remain outside the
territorial jurisdiction of Azerbaijan, is enough reason to declare
that the sides will not agree on these fundamental principles,"
added Manoyan. "I’d say that neither side wants to say ‘yes’ to the
principles but also that neither side wants to be the first to say
‘no.’"

Manoyan assessed that the Minsk Group principals were trying to
meet Turkey’s demands of ensuring that Armenian President Serzh
Sarkisian will attend the soccer match in October. Late last month,
Sarkisian indicated that he might not travel to Turkey for the match,
if inroads were not made in the talks.

In his assessment Armenia should have declared to the international
community that Turkey has nixed the Armenian-Turkish negotiation
process by changing the rules of the game from the onset. He added
that such statements from Armenia "would shift pressure on to Turkey."

"Today, Turkey’s main objective is to demonstrate that Armenian-Turkish
negotiations are progressing. It is the only way to prevent any third
party’s interference in the process," Manoyan said, emphasizing that
Turkey was doing its utmost to position itself as a the side that
is eager to proceed with the talks, when in reality it is the side
that has veered from the principle of conducting the talks without
preconditions.

Manoyan also discussed recent revelations that the Turkish Secret
Police were behind the plot to assassinate Turkish-Armenian editor
Hrant Dink, adding that the Turkish authorities have complicated
the trial.

"They have turned the trial into a joke, which naturally has
angered Dink’s family, the Turkish-Armenian community, as well as
non-Armenians," said Manoyan adding that it was difficult to gauge
what the Turkish authorities intention was.

He said the sudden revelations and intermittent information being
disseminated aimed at further hiding the truth surrounding the
case. Despite assertions to the contrary by Turkish authorities, it
is evident that the forces behind Dink’s murder still wield tremendous
influence in Turkey.

Commenting on Georgia’s withdrawal from the CIS, Manoyan said that
Armenia currently is in a delicate position of being deprived of a
border with the CIS.

He expressed hope, however, that the Georgian authorities will be
prudent and would not create obstacles for Armenia.

AZERI WITCHHUNT OVER EUROVISION VOTES
By Shaun Walker in Moscow

The Independent
Wednesday, 19 August 2009

Security forces in Azerbaijan have launched a campaign against dozens
of citizens for voting for the wrong entry in this year’s Eurovision
Song Contest. Authorities in the oil-rich country are apparently
tracking down people who voted for Azerbaijan’s bitter enemy Armenia
in the competition held in May.

The two countries fought a vicious war in the 1990s over the region of
Nagorno-Karabakh, which is now under the control of ethnic Armenians
but is claimed by Azerbaijan. All borders between the two countries
remain closed and tensions remain high, even over such a seemingly
insignificant event as Eurovision.

Rovshan Nasirli, a resident of Azerbaijan’s capital Baku, was one
of 43 people in the country to vote for Armenia’s entry "Jan-Jan",
sung by the duo Inga and Anush. He told Radio Liberty that he had
been summoned to the country’s national security ministry last week
to explain himself.

"They wanted an explanation for why I voted for Armenia. They said
it was a matter of national security," said Mr Nasirli, who voted by
text message. "They were trying to put psychological pressure on me,
saying things like, ‘You have no sense of ethnic pride. How come you
voted for Armenia?’ They made me write out an explanation, and then
they let me go."

This year’s contest, which was held in Moscow and won by Norway, was
already the most politicised in the history of Eurovision. Georgia,
which fought a war with Russia last summer, refused to take part in
the contest after it was told to change the lyrics of its entry. The
song, entitled "Don’t Want to Put in", was widely seen as a pun on
the surname of Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and thus broke
contest rules that songs cannot be political.

Luckily for Mr Nasirli, he had a cast-iron excuse for voting for Inga
and Anush. He didn’t like the Azerbaijani entry, which featured an
Iranian singer based in Sweden, and voted for Armenia because the
song actually sounded "more Azeri".

STOCK REPORT: STRIKEFORCE: CARANO VS. SANTOS BY NATE LAWSON

Bleacher Report
August 17, 2009

San Jose, California welcomed Strikeforce to the HP Pavilion this
past Saturday, while 13,000 eager fans continued to stream into the
venue before the fights commenced.

The card featured a mixed martial arts first, with a bout between
two of the best women fighters headlining the card, as Gina Carano
and Cris "Cyborg" Santos battled for the women’s 145 pound belt.

Throughout the fights leading up to the much anticipated main event,
the electricity in the stadium began to grow exponentially. With
fireworks, knockouts, and just all around great fights, the fans of
San Jose cannot complain.

The dust has settled and the results are in. While Gegard Mousasi’s
fighter stock soared this weekend, Renato "Babalu" Sobral cannot
boast the same accomplishment.

However, neither of the two are alone in their respective categories
as another great card has led to recognition and growth in the
sport for some, while others are left with serious repercussions and
plummeting stock.

Rising Stock: Gegard Mousasi: Mousasi has spent his entire career
fighting outside of North America, leaving him unnoticed by many of
the fans in that region of the world. However, those who were aware
of his talent believed his fight with Renato Sobral would be exactly
the fight to put the young Armenian on the map.

With a brutal and swift first round knockout of the Strikeforce light
heavyweight champion, Mousasi has turned heads and opened eyes in the
mixed martial arts community and now looks towards his first title
defense of his new belt.

Unfortunately, Strikeforce will be hard pressed to find anyone who
can remotely compete with Mousasi with their current roster.

At this point, Strikeforce’s best bet would likely be to sign a
fighter currently outside of the organization, seeing that Mousasi
will not gain the competition he is looking for with the current
division roster.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira would be a solid acquisition for Strikeforce,
and it would be difficult to argue that he did not deserve a title
shot, especially considering the level of talent the rest of the
Strikeforce division holds.

However, if a deal cannot be made to bring in Noguiera, Mousasi
will likely fight one of Strikeforce’s own. With Kevin Randleman
and Bobby Southworth coming off of losses, it is hard to argue that
either deserves a shot at the title, leaving a man who has won 15 of
his last 16 fights as arguably the top contender.

PLEASANT WEATHER EXPECTED FOR SEPTEMBER
Sona Avagyan

2009/08/ 13 | 15:25

Society

There is no substantial rain forecasted for Armenia till August
19. From August 20-23, rain will return and temps will drop as
well. The last week of the month will see an absence of precipitation
with temperatures hovering in the normal range as well.

During a press conference held today, Zarouhi Petrosyan, who heads
Armenia’s meteorologist department, stated that during the last ten
days of the months the maximum temperature will be 32 Celsius. This
translates into 30-32 degrees in the low-lying areas of the country
and a range of 25-26 degrees tops in the mountains.

When asked what weather the country can expect in the fall,
Ms. Petrosyan said that they had no forecasts as yet but added that
September temps would be in the normal range as well as precipitation
amounts. She said that September is expected to be a very pleasant
time of the year.

She also mentioned that the water temps in Lake Sevan were in the
19-20 degree range and that the temps would reach their height from
August 15-17 when they’d top off at 24-25 degrees.

ARGENTINEAN ARMENIANS COMPLAIN TO ISRAELI AMBASSADOR

News.com
14:26 / 08/14/2009

Israeli Ambassador to Argentina Daniel Gazit has recently received the
representatives of Armenian National Council (CNA) of South America:
Jorge Dolmadjian, Alfonso Tabakian, and Eduardo Kozanlian in Buenos
Aires.

The parties discussed the situation in Caucasus and Nagorno-Karabakh
independence issue. CNA is concerned about pressure exerted upon
Armenia by non-regional countries. The Council members consider these
actions arise confusion over the current situation.

Excluding Karabakh from the negotiations was a blunder. Turkey’s
‘pre-conditional’ interference in Armenian-Turkish relations’
normalization only favors the establishment of policy advantageous
for Azerbaijan.

They underlined that Turkey is not a neutral country but Azerbaijan’s
ally in the conflict.

CNA is also concerned about the recent statements of Israeli
President Shimon Peres. He suggested Israeli Diaspora’s (particularly
in U.S.) support to Azerbaijan. CNA members regret about Tel-Aviv
impeding Genocide recognition in every possible way. They especially
outlined Israeli support to Turkey, being a Holocaust victim.

Daniel Gazit answered all questions diplomatically, trying to evade
definite and strong statements.

CNA representative presented the Ambassador with books about Armenian
Genocide and Armenian carpet with Karabakhi ornaments.

UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT SENT OPEN LETTER TO MEDVEDEV

Panorama.am
13:07 14/08/2009

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko sent a reply to Russian Dmitry
Medvedev’s message, Russian media reports.

Ukrainian president stated in his open letter that Kiev is not
responsible for the collapsed relations.

A source from Kremlin announced that Russian President is not
determined to start dialogue with Yushchenko.

"I can admit that there are serious problems between our countries,
but it is surprising that You completely exclude Russia’s role in it,"
Yushchenko said.

THE FIRST ROMANIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

ZaBrisKIepOInt.net
September 27 to October 4, 2009

The former Bucharest International Film Festival changes its name
and becomes the Romania International Film Festival. The first Ro-IFF
takes place in less than two months in the City of Arad.

The official competition – called CineBlackSea – focuses films that
must have been produced in either Russia, Republic of Moldavia,
Ukraina, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaidjan, Bulgaria,Turquie, Greece or
Romania. There are separate competitions for feature films as well
as short films and documentaries. CineBlackSea is meant to be a link
between countries that recent history kept apart in different social,
political and economic ways.

Like this, Bucharest transforms for nine days into a metropolis of
cinema and arts.

A competitive international section focuses on Women in Cinema –
competing are feature films and documentaries, directed by women. The
Focus will be dedicated to the opera of a special personality in film.

The programmers consider cinema as a mirror reflecting the needs
and mentalities of different societies. One of the main principles
of selecting films is drawing special attention to new filmmaking
including their own ways of expression. The aim is to promote talents,
to fight the cultural decay and to consolidate quality in culture,
arts and mass media.

After the festival in Arad the films will be screened in other Romanian
cities, such as Bucharest, Ramnicu Valcea and Mangalia. In 2010 the
program will move to Pecs in Hungary as a part of the initiatives of
the European Capital of Culture.