Author: Karapetian Hovik

ADRIANA SEVAN’S NEW PLAY ABOUT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TO BE STAGED IN U.S.

PanARMENIAN.Net
16.03.2009 22:10 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Adriana Sevan’s play about the Armenian Genocide of
1915 to be staged in US Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival honored
the Armenian actress and playwright for her exceptional career

The Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival will honor five women for
their exceptional career and life achievements at its Opening Night
Gala on March 26 at Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica.

Adriana Sevan will receive the Integrity Award. Her solo play "Taking
Flight" debuted at the Kirk Douglas Theater in 2006 and won the San
Diego Theatre Critics Circle Award the following year, subsequently
being performed across the country. She has just received the 008
Middle East America Distinguished Playwright Award which gifts her
with a generous commission to research and write a new play about her
grandparent’s survival of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, which will
be developed by the award’s host theaters: The Lark Play Development
Center in New York, Silk Road Theatre Company in Chicago and Golden
Thread in San Francisco. Ms. Sevan is devoted to bringing theater
and girls together. She currently leads transformational mentoring
workshops for at-risk adolescent girls using creative writing and
improvisation as tools for girls to discover their vibrant, vital
and unique voices.

NKR SOLDIER KILLED BY AZERI SNIPER

PanARMENIAN.Net
16.03.2009 12:46 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On the night of March 13, Azeri armed forces violated
the ceasefire, killing a Karabakh soldier on duty.

The incident took place a day after the OSCE monitoring.

"Lack of condemnation of frequent violations of the ceasefire by
the Azeri side plays in the hands of Azerbaijan, which neglects the
Helsinki Declaration of December 4, 2008 envisaging withdrawal of
snipers from the frontline as a confidence-building measure," the
NKR Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Interfax, Russia
March 13 2009

Nagorno-Karabakh says its soldier killed by sniper fire at contact
line with Azeri forces

YEREVAN March 13

A serviceman of the Defense Army of the self-proclaimed
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was killed at the contact line between Azeri
and Nagorno-Karabakh armed forces in the early hours of March 13, the
Nagorno-Karabakh Foreign Ministry said in a statement circulated in
Yerevan on Friday.

The serviceman, whose name has not been made public, was killed by a
sniper bullet at the southeastern section of the contact line, the
Foreign Ministry said.

"This incident happened because of the absence of a proper
qualification of ceasefire agreement violations on the part of the
office of OSCE chairman-in-office’s personal representative Andrzej
Kasprzyk," the Foreign Ministry said.

Panorama.am
18:04 11/03/2009

MONITORING MISSION CONDUCTED ALONG LINE OF CONTACT

Today the Organization on Security and Co-operation of Europe (OSCE)
conducted a monitoring mission near Goradiz along the Line of Contact
of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan, reports the press service of the
NKR Foreign Ministry.

According to the source the assistants of the Personal Representative
of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office conducted the monitoring from the NKR
side. During the monitoring shots were not fired.

The monitoring mission group was accompanied by the representatives of
Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh.

Source: Panorama.am

Civil Georgia, Georgie
March 12 2009

Two Spy Suspects Released on Bail

Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 12 Mar.’09 / 15:22

Two citizens of Georgia, arrested and charged with espionage and
setting up of an illegal armed group, have been released on bail,
according to the Georgian Interior Ministry.

`Investigation is ongoing and the case is not closed,’ Shota
Khizanishvili, the interior ministry spokesman, told Civil.Ge on March
12.

Grigol Minasyan and Sarkis Akopjanyan were arrested on January 22; the
Interior Ministry has declined since then to reveal details of the
case. The two men were arrested in Akhaltsikhe, a town in the
Samtskhe-Javakheti region predominantly with ethnic Armenian
population.

The lawyer for the two men, Nino Andriashvili, told IWPR last month
that Minasyan and Akopjanyan were accused of cooperating with a
Belarus-based organization allegedly set up by Russia’s Federal
Security Service, called the Association for Legal Assistance to the
Population (ALAP.) The lawyer also said the two men had admitted being
involved in espionage, but denied a secondary charge of planning to
create a private army.

Panorama.am
22:24 11/03/2009

NINO BURJANADZE REGRETS FOR SAAKASHVILI’S STATEMENTS

The President of `United Georgia’ democratic movement party Nino
Burjanadze gave an exclusive interview to Panorama.am and evaluated
the statement made by the President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili
`not accurate and silly’ regarding the economy of Armenia. It is
important to remind that the President of Georgia has announced on 7
March that `the economy of Armenia is in crisis, because it depends on
Russia.’

-How do You evaluate Mikheil Saakashvili’s recent statement that the
economy of Armenia is in crisis because it depends on Russian economy?
How accurate is this statement made by the President?

-The President of my country has made an inaccurate and wrong
statement regarding not only the neighbor country but a relative
country also. A normal president should not make such announcements
regarding the economy of the neighbor countries. I think that Mikheil
Saakashvili’s statements are critically inaccurate and silly ones. But
to tell the truth we have got used to Saakashvili’s statements
regarding both our country and other countries. Now, I just can
express some sort of regret for those statements.

-Two reporters’ group from Georgian TV stations are currently in
Armenia. Their mission is to `collect some materials’ to confirm the
model of the President that `neighbors live in worse conditions during
the crisis than the Georgians.’ What do you think in this regard?

-I am not informed about it, I don’t know. If it is correct then it is
the following mistake. I hope that irrespective of the President’s
statements, the authorities of Georgia should pay much attention on
the economy of Georgia and think how to recover it. The situation got
worse after the August war. In this regard, it would be better our
President to think of our economy than the one of the neighbor
country. I am sure that the economic situation of Georgia will get
worse as the authorities, as well as the President don’t manage to
govern. And the political situation in our country is wound up. I
guess that until our President did not manage to cut our relations
with neighbor countries we should make him to send in his resignation.

-How do You evaluate the possibilities of Georgian opposition?

-I am sure that the opposition will win as Georgian people have
negative attitudes about Mikheil Saakashvili. Currently everybody
feels the aftermaths of August events, everybody sees not adequate
steps and statements made by the President, especially the one
regarding Armenia. I am sure that we’ll reach the resignation of the
President constitutionally and we’ll sign special presidential
elections.

Source: Panorama.am

A1+

CoE Congress will monitor Yerevan elections
[07:58 pm] 11 March, 2009

At the request of the deputy prime minister of Armenia, territorial
administration minister Armen Gevorgyan, the Congress of the Council
of Europe of local and regional authorities will send observers in
connection to Yerevan City Council Elections on May 31. The decision
in this relation was made during the CoE Congress Bureau session on
March 4.

The CoE Congress has monitored all previous elections in Armenia.

Armenian former foreign minister: One shouldn’t make conclusions about
US position in Karabakh settlement on the basis of the Department of
State report

2009-03-09 16:10:00

ArmInfo. One shouldn’t make conclusions about US position in Karabakh
settlement on the basis of the Department of State report, Armenian
former foreign minister, Vardan Oskanyan, said in an on-line interview
with "Region" Centre when replying to ArmInfo correspondent’s question.

‘First of all, I should say the report is regarding human rights but
not the Karabakh conflict’, – Oskanyan said.

Asked about adequacy of intermediaries calling the parties to the
conflict to refuse militaristic statements but avoiding to mention
directly who makes such statements, Oskanyan replied: ‘When one says
about the militaristic statements made by any party, it seems to me it
is clear to everybody that they mean militaristic statements by
Azerbaijan’.

Zawya
March 7 2009

Trade, economic cooperation high on UAE-Armenia agenda

07 March 2009
The UAE has succeeded in diversifying its sources of income despite
being one of the world’s top oil exporters and is now in a position of
economic strength, according to the Minister of Foreign Trade.

Speaking at an audience with the Armenian President Serzh Sargsian in
Yerevan Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of Foreign Trade, said the
UAE has very ambitious future development projects, including in the
field of renewable energy, such as the initiative by the Abu Dhabi
Future Energy Company to build the carbon-free Masdar City.

Sheikha Lubna is leading a UAE trade and economic delegation on a
visit to countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, including
Russia and Armenia.

She said the UAE supports the setting up of an international body to
monitor the production of renewable energy and asked for Armenian
support in locating the body’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi.

Sheikha Lubna said the UAE has become a major centre for foreign
investment and encouraged the private sector in Armenia to invest and
set up joint-venture projects in the country. She said the UAE is
interested in developing economic co-operation with Armenia.

President Sargsian said Armenia is keen to develop relations with the
UAE, especially in trade and economics. He said the private sector in
both countries should benefit from the economic reforms underway in
the UAE and Armenia to consolidate bilateral relations and develop
joint investments. The Armenian president praised the economic
progress of the UAE as well as the wise policy pursued by the
country’s leadership. He stressed the need to boost co-operation
between the two countries and between their businessmen and investors,
especially in the fields of energy, tourism, technology and
healthcare.

By Staff Writer

© Emirates Business 24/7 2009

72414/Trade,%20economic%20cooperation%20high%20on% 20UAE-Armenia%20agenda

THREE ARMENIAN SOLDIERS WHO PASSED VOLUNTARILY TO AZERBAIJANI TERRITORY WANT TO HEAD TO A THIRD COUNTRY

Today.Az
s/50935.html
March 5 2009
Azerbaijan

Three Armenian soldiers who passed voluntarily to Azerbaijani territory
on February 28 refuse to return home.

Three Armenian servicemen Grant Markosyan, Rafik Tevosyan and Vardan
Sargsyan who voluntarily passed to Azerbaijani territory on February
28 gave an exclusive interview to ANS TV. The servicemen who are
all Armenian citizens crossed the contactline between Armenian and
Azerbaijani troops in the territory of Aghdam region, Azerbaijan. They
said the reason why they decided to pass to Azerbaijani side was due
to injustice they faced in the Armenian army and their ailing health
condition. Complaining of fractures in his spine, Grant Markosyan
said his complaints were neglected while he was in the army. "I was
complaining for last four months. I told dozens of times that I had
a fracture on my spine and that it was severely aching. However,
they neglected my complaints. They used to beat us frequently. They
neither care, nor treat us. Therefore, I decided I could no longer
serve under that condition. I informed the commander of the military
unit where I was serving. Only after that they sent us to hospital."

The other captive Rafik Tevosyan said that a great deal of bribe
is demanded from Armenians who do not wanrt to serve in Daqliq
Qarabaq. Genarally, "dedovshina" is very strong in Daqliq Qarabaq Army.

""Dedovshina" is reigning in the army. When we receive money officers
take it from us. Elder soldiers beat us and make us to perform their
tasks. I told my commander that I had problems with my kidney. But my
words were not received seriously. My health state became worse and
they had to take me to hospital. But I could not receive any treatment
there. Chief of the hospital almost turned me out of the hospital".

The health of Vardan Sargsyan, holding the same surname with the
President of Armenia is in more serious in comparison with the other
captives. He should have been released from military service due to
his internal diseases. But a great deal of money was demanded from
him. "I was demanded USD 15 000. But we had not so much money. When I
addressed to my company commander with this regard he made a game of
me as he did with others. He did not pay attention to me. Therefore
my disease became worse. Then I addressed the battalion commander
and was hospitalized after many difficulties. But I could not receive
any treatment in the hospital", he said.

After long humiliations and difficulties the soldiers decided to
pass to Azerbaijani side and they do not want to return to Armenia
any more. "We decided to run away and to come to Azerbaijan. We knew
everything is OK in Azerbaijan. Therefore we want to pass to the
third countries. Because there is no life for us in Armenia. Life is
impossible in Armenia", Armenian captive Grant Markosyan said.

Paruyr Simonyan who took refuge in Azerbaijan 10 months ago underlining
his counterparts made a right decision considers the number of soldiers
running away from Armenian army will be more. "I think these persons
have taken a courageous step. Because serving in Armenian army is
impossible. I have told the reason of that. These persons suffered
the same tortures as I had. Coming to Azerbaijan they made a very
optimistic decision. These persons did not want to serve and ran away
from the army. As far as I know, this person had problems with his
kidney. And they knowing this send him to serve in the army", he added.

Remind that, Azerbaijani government is holding talks with regard to
sending Paruyr Simonyan to the third countries.