Author: Khoyetsian Rose

Iran’s deputy energy minister says Iran, Georgia and Armenia will soon start trilateral cooperation on electricity exchange, Press TV reports. 

“Through Armenia, we can have energy exchange with Georgia,” Hooshang Falahatian said in a Monday meeting with his Georgian counterpart Mariam Valishvili in Tehran.

The Iranian official also reiterated that, if necessary, Tehran is ready to invest in Georgia’s energy sector and build power plants and electricity transmission lines in the former Soviet Union republic, IRNA reported.

Falahatian also pointed to the planned construction of a170 kilometer transmission line in Armenia and said after the completion of the project, which will take two years, Iran will be able to have power exchange with Tajikistan.

Armenia held it dress rehearsal on Eurovision stgae before tomorrow’s first semi-final.

Six singers, one message: Love, peace, and unity – that’s what the Armenian entry in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest, Face The Shadow, promotes.

Armenia  is being represented by Genealogy, the most international band in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest. It consists of Essaï Altounian from France, Tamar Kaprelian from the US, Stephanie Topalian from Japan, Vahe Tilbian from Ethiopia, Mary-Jean O’Doherty Vasmatzian from Australia, and Inga Arshakyan from Armenia.

Armenia will perform second at the first semi-final on May 19.

 

As part of  through which the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is trying to track immigrants from 193 countries in the United Nations, folks who made Pittsburgh their home, the paper has dedicated an article to Armenian cellist Katya Janpoladyan.

Tony Norman

When Katya Janpoladyan says she never takes anything for granted, it is easy to believe why. At 37, the cello player from Yerevan, Armenia, knows what it is like to experience the deprivations of life in a blockaded country.

In 1988, Azerbaijan established a land blockade around Armenia because of ancient political and territorial disputes. Turkey, which shares a border as well as a tragic history with Armenia, also erected a blockade, intensifying the country’s isolation.

There is only a hint of melancholy in Ms. Janpoladyan’s voice as she recalls her youth during the blockade. She was 10 or 11 when she began to understand that her biggest passion in life was music, though she had not yet mastered an instrument.

Unlike most children facing many years of practice and self-imposed discipline, Ms. Janpoladyan had to beg her parents — both of whom are journalists — to let her take music lessons. Her Armenian father and Russian mother wanted to make sure her request wasn’t a momentary bout of enthusiasm, so they didn’t acquiesce immediately.

By the time she was 11, Ms. Janpoladyan suspected she was “too old” for piano lessons, so she started to narrow her choice of instruments. It was only when she heard a student playing a Haydn concerto under the supervision of her future music teacher that she found her life-long companion.

“This is how it started,” Ms. Janpoladyan said, recalling the moment decades later.

From that point, mastering the cello became her priority. She put in years of disciplined practice under difficult circumstances and sacrificed many of the few comforts that were available to her to pursue her dream.

“I missed my prom to get ready for an audition,” she said, “but I never regretted it.”

She remembers the multiple layers of clothing she had to wear in her unheated conservatory. But the chilly conditions under which she had to rehearse didn’t prevent her from winning awards or progressing steadily in her mastery of the cello.

During the blockade, her father was a communications officer, so he wasn’t home a lot. “It was difficult,” Ms. Janpoladyan said. “There was no heat in the house. Because my father was at work, there was no provider. My mom, brother and grandma couldn’t cut the trees [for fire wood], so we collected branches.”

Meanwhile, Ms. Janpoladyan began thinking about leaving Armenia to pursue her art and to live a life that was a little less defined by blockades and ancient conflicts.

A plan to study in St. Petersburg, Russia, fell through, but an opportunity to study with cellist Yehuda Hanani in Cincinnati opened up new possibilities.

In late 2001, Ms. Janpoladyan moved to the United States to attend the University of Cincinnati and to study with Mr. Hanani, who became her mentor and friend.

After completing her master’s degree, Ms. Janpoladyan moved to Pittsburgh in 2008. “I moved here to work with my string quartet,” she said referring to the Freya String Quartet, which formed in 2009.

The quartet recently announced it would soon disband so its members could pursue new opportunities. It specialized in the work of new composers. Ms. Janpoladyan enjoyed the challenge and the opportunity.

“We do a ton of music by new composers. Some of it is really great,” she said.

Ms. Janpoladyan is about to begin a new musical project, but doesn’t want to talk about it yet because it is in the early stages. It will be in Pittsburgh, a region that continues to inspire her creativity.

Still, Ms. Janpoladyan’s initial encounter with the region wasn’t love at first sight. “It takes time to fall in love with Pittsburgh, but I did,” she said. “I love the bridges, the cultural life … a lot is going on here.”

In what could be a first, Ms. Janpoladyan said she “even likes the rain” in Pittsburgh. Now a resident of McCandless, she teaches cello privately to 30 students.

“I like molding and bringing students to perfection,” she said. “I try to create a community with my students so that they know each other and don’t feel isolated.”

Ms. Janpoladyan has a 2-year-old daughter named Maria. Not too long ago, she took Maria to Armenia to introduce her to her family. It was a joyful reunion and she enjoyed seeing her family bond with her daughter.

Looking back on her life in Armenia and contrasting it with her life in Pittsburgh, Ms. Janpoladyan is philosophical.

“I’m glad I went through that,” she said referring to the blockade. “It taught me not to take things for granted.”

She ticked down the things she has, including her daughter, her health, food, warm clothing, a car, an income that she refuses to treat as entitlements.

“I’m a lucky person in general,” she said. “Fortune smiles on me.”

Two significant decisions on Aram Khachaturian International Competition were made at the General Assembly of the World Federation of International Music Competitions was held in Italy on May 8.

First, members of the Federation unanimously voted to include “conducting” in the competition program of the contest in 2016.

Moreover, the 2016 General Assembly of the Federation will be held in Armenia. That means Yerevan will host the most important event of the organization, which counts 115 members on 6 continents today.

The Aram Khachaturian International Competition was admitted as a new member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions in 2013, thus becoming the first Armenian member ever joining this more than prestigious musical family.

The Aram Khachaturian International Competition is organized by “Aram Khachaturian” Cultural Foundation, the Ministry of Culture and the Yerevan State Conservatory.

The demolition of a former camp for Armenia orphans has been halted due to public protests with activists preparing to spend the night at the site to prevent further attempts to demolish the building, reports. 

According to the source, around 10:00 a. m. on Wednesday, bulldozers entered Camp Armen – a former summer camp for Armenian orphans in the Tuzla district of Istanbul – to demolish the building in order to build luxury residences in its place.

According to a news report from the Armenian weekly newspaper Agos, the construction machines have already demolished five bedrooms, the camp director’s room, the chapel and some of the surrounding fences.

When people heard of the demolition, politicians – including Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) parliamentary deputy candidates Sezin Uçar, Beste Kaplan and Garo Paylan, of Armenian descent – and activists from the Nor Zartonk initiative as well as former resident of the camp, Garabet Orunöz, visited the site to oppose the destruction.

The camp was opened by the Gedikpaşa Armenian Protestant Church Foundation in 1963 and was built in part by the orphans who were at the camp.

A high court ruling issued in 1974 stated that “minority foundations cannot own property.” In 1983, the camp was closed and the deed to the land was returned to its former owner, despite legal action taken by the Gedikpaşa Armenian Protestant Church, which owned and operated the camp, to prevent its closure. Ownership of the land has since changed hands several times.

The camp has made attempts to regain legal title to the property but have been unsuccessful as have lawsuits filed seeking compensation.

Earlier this month, activists visited the location and tended to the abandoned building and garden. They have continuously been working to find ways to save the historically significant location and now speak of occupying the site as they see no other remaining options.

The camp’s most famous resident, who was later a camp counselor, was Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who was assassinated in 2007.

 

 

 

American observers say they are impressed by the parliamentary elections held in Nagorno Karabakh.

Karin Mac Donald, Director of the Election Administration Research Center at Berkeley University, said they have followed the whole process of elections and witnessed transparent, free and fair elections, corresponding to all international standards.

According to Christian Abajian from the David University, the Nagorno Karabakh Republic showed its commitment to democratic processes, which is important from the viewpoint of human rights. He said they will include technical recommendations in the final report, which will help ensure greater turnout at the elections.

The American observers say the elections in Nagorno Karabakh were conducted as in democratic countries. They will present the impressions in their country and will ask for support to greater democratization in Nagorno Karabakh.

Kim Kardashian met Cher at the Met Gala in New York on Monday. The two spoke about their Armenian journeys.

“This beauty, this icon! I’m so so happy I met her! We spoke about our amazing Armenian journeys!” Kim Kardashian said in a Twitter post.

According to the , Cher, 68, rocked a sparkling floor length Marc Jacobs gown at the Met Gala in New York on Monday, as Kim Kardashian told her instagram followers that the icon was the inspiration for her own sexy dress.

The singer, who has sold over 100 million records worldwide, wore her black hair in her signature long style draped around her shoulders.

Kim Kardashian shared a snap of the singer from that year’s red carpet, clad in a see-through and feathered gown which left little to the imagination.

The reality TV star arrived on Monday at this year’s Gala in a nude lace see-through dress – and took to Instagram to explain that Cher’s outfit from the 70s was her inspiration.

The Daily Mail reminds that Cher, who turns 69 later this month, is – like Kim – part Armenian and also visited the country to pay homage to her roots – much like the KUWTK star did earlier this year.

SOUTH OSSETIANS HAUNTED BY WAR

mes/from_our_own_correspondent/8692650.stm
2010/05 /20 12:43:57 GMT

Two years after Georgia and Russia went to war over the disputed
territory of South Ossetia, the BBC’s Tom Esslemont finds that South
Ossetians remain on edge, and are reluctant to put down their weapons.

We were standing in an overgrown churchyard when we heard the
explosion. Then came another noise.

"Whoosh!" went the rocket, about 300m (1000ft) away, before detonating
in a hillside.

After a few seconds of steely silence there came a crackle of gunfire –
a brief "Pah-pah-pah-pah" reverberated around the valley.

Initially I suggested we move away, though it seemed we were at a safe
distance, but when I looked at my taxi driver, Nodar, he did not seem
to be alarmed. In fact he had hardly even noticed the explosion.

"Huh, what? Oh that – that was just a training exercise," he said.

"Nothing to worry about."

Utter destruction

This was my introduction to South Ossetia – a landlocked, disputed
territory, home to around 30,000 people and cut off from Georgia
proper by a volatile boundary line.

I had just driven down the territory’s only entry/exit point – the
highway from Russia, South Ossetia’s umbilical chord – snaking its
way through a deep, wooded valley past peaceful cottages.

Then, by contrast, I passed the scene of utter destruction. Thousands
of ruined houses destroyed by the conflict in 2008 between Georgians –
and Russians and Ossetians.

Now I could see a fast-flowing river cut a photogenic gorge through
the town of Tskhinvali against the backdrop of grey, pockmarked,
Soviet buildings.

Everywhere, it seems, the gaping scars of war remain unhealed and
society remains paralysed in a state of readiness for another conflict.

On our way into Tskhinvali we were stopped by another vehicle, a grey
Lada with dark windows and no number plate.

Two men got out. A tall, mean-looking man in jeans, the other a
friendlier, more jovial-looking, rounder guy. The tall one seemed to
be in charge. He flashed a tatty, pink identity card at us, claiming
he was from the local KGB.

Piercing glare

He was not in the mood for hearing about who we were so there was
no time to tell him we were fully accredited with the de facto
authorities. And with a quick piercing, glare he jumped in our car
and escorted us to his compound.

" I was expecting the usual three-hour interrogation, but it appeared
they had actually made a mistake "

On countless occasions while travelling in the former Soviet Union I
have been stopped by the employees of the local security department –
the local KGB apparatchiks – either for filming something they did
not want me to shoot – or simply for just being there.

This time I was expecting the usual three-hour interrogation, but it
appeared they had actually made a mistake.

"Wait a minute," said the tall KGB official, as we arrived at the
compound. "Is this Esslemont?"

At that point another, more garrulous man approached us, arms aloft.

He must have been the tall man’s boss. The official received a short,
sharp rebuke and we were released. No interrogation. And, for the
first time in my life, I received an apology from a security agent.

This hold-up, I was later informed, is part of the "war mentality"
South Ossetia is beset by.

‘Lost generation’

I was discussing it with Nodar, now in his late thirties. He used to
be a soldier.

Nodar, like most men over 30, wears military fatigues every day. He
is part of South Ossetia’s lost generation, who spent their most
formative years fighting against the Georgians in the 1990s and who
have never really known any different.

Now Nodar and his friends spend the evenings sitting around campfires,
reminiscing about the "wartime days".

"I’m always ready to fight," he says.

Then he proudly shows me the video on his mobile phone of the moment
South Ossetian militia had fired at a Georgian tank during the war.

The post-war period in South Ossetia has brought an uneasy peace. The
authorities recently started a weapons amnesty, confiscating the guns
which are not properly registered.

This has not gone down well with Nodar and his friends – people who
have owned a gun for their whole lives and feel happier taking the
law into their own hands than leaving it to the authorities.

Cycle of conflict

Grecia, a former gunmaker – does not approve of the South Ossetian
authorities. Sitting on an upturned box, his pale complexion warmed
by the orange glow of the fire, he tells me the authorities are scared.

"They are worried about unrest coming from within South Ossetia and
so that’s why they’re rounding up the guns," he says.

Grecia, Nodar and other out-of-work militia put this all down to a
paranoia in South Ossetia, a situation they have got used to. Its
roots lie in the cyclical nature of conflict, that has struck the
region since the collapse of the USSR.

As they roast juicy legs of chicken and fatty lamb on the open fire,
they tell jokes – good old Russian "anecdotes" – poking fun at members
of other ethnic groups in the Caucasus and beyond – the Chechens,
the Circassians, the Armenians, the Turks.

As I sat listening to their conversation, it struck me that what
is happening in South Ossetia is nothing new. The Caucasus has been
fought over for centuries, the Ottomans, the Persians and the Russians
have long squabbled over this fertile, mountainous land.

And the people – now and through the centuries – have always been
stuck in the middle.

How to listen to: From our own Correspondent

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NOUNE KARAPETIAN TO PRESENT HER CHILDREN’S "TSAPIK, TSAPIK" CD IN YEREVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 18, 2010 – 20:54 AMT 15:54 GMT

Noune Karapetian, a graduate of Komitas Conservatory in Yerevan, who
is now living in Boston, U.S., will present her children’s "Tsapik,
Tsapik" CD in Yerevan on May 20.

She is performing with opera companies (Opera Boston, Granite State
Opera, Pacific Repertory Opera), choruses (Chorus Pro Musica, New
Bedford Choral Society) and in concerts (at the Armenian Embassy in
Washington D.C. in Montreal, Toronto, in Florida, etc).

Noune is also a licensed "Kindermusik" teacher and taught children
aging 1-7 for many years.

"After I had my twins, I was looking for quality recordings of
Armenian songs for the very young children. The selection was very
limited. That was the reason I embarked on this project. This CD is for
my children and all the Armenian children of the world. It includes
old beloved folk songs like "Arev, Arev", "Kerin Yekav Mer Baky",
"Andzrev", and also songs that I wrote myself. Action songs like
"Te Karogh es", where child sings and acts all the actions with the
music, a lullaby, a song "Klorik em, tmblik" for the development of
the fine motor skills," Noune says.

AZERBAIJANI FM: ALL INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS IN SO-CALLED "PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS" IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH WILL BE DECLARED PERSONA NON GRATA

Trend
May 19 2010
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan will declare all international observers in the so-called
"parliament elections" in the Nagorno-Karabakh persona non grata.

"The so-called "parliament elections" to be held by the separatist
regime of the Nagorno-Karabakh are illegal and all international
observers wishing to observe the course of these "elections" will be
declared persona non grata. The Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijan’s land
and anyone, who visited the area without Azerbaijan’s permission, is
declared persona non grata, and later he can not visit Azerbaijan,"
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elkhan Polukhov told Trend
today.

The Nagorno-Karabakh’s Separatist regime will hold parliamentary
elections May 23.

The Armenian media reported that the former OSCE Special Representative
for South Caucasus and present representative of the Paris office
of the Institute for Democracy and Cooperation, Maurice Bono will
observe the "elections".

The Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry earlier made a statement on so-called
"parliament elections" in the Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Any kind of elections in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic
of Azerbaijan may be recognized as fair and free once the expelled
Azerbaijani population takes full, direct and equal part in their
conduct in lawful and democratic environment equally to the Armenian
population of the region. Holding such elections will be possible
after the withdrawal of the Armenian occupying forces, normalization of
life in the region, creation of necessary conditions for restoration
of the dialogue and cooperation between the Armenian and Azerbaijani
communities of Nagorno-Karabakh," the statement says.

"Conduct of such "elections" gravely violates the relevant provisions
of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the norms and
principles of international law, since they are held in absence of
the original Azerbaijani population of the Nagorno-Karabakh region,
and, therefore shall have no legal effect whatsoever," the ministry
reported.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the
occupied territories.

"If any individual is going to monitor the "parliamentary election"
in the Nagorno-Karabakh – it is his/her right, but the fact that
the former EU Special Representative for South Caucasus, a person
once endowed with quite a lot of power, who was supposed to deal
with the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict and the stabilization of situation in the South Caucasus,
causes surprising and doubt that he was ever objective while occupying
this post," Azerbaijani political scientist Fikret Sadikhov said.

That’s why for so many years we are fighting over the Nagorno-Karabakh
problem, namely diplomats such as Bono and others like he, took a
one-sided position and supported separatism in Azerbaijan and were
not interested in resolving the conflict and deoccupation of the
Azerbaijani territories, he said.

"In fact, it is a real reflection of the reality, which Azerbaijan
faced for many years, trying to solve this prolonged conflict
situation", Sadikhov said.