Author: Nadirian Emma

JOINT EXHIBITION OF ARMENIAN AND TURKISH PHOTOGRAPHERS TO BE OPENED IN TBILISI

Arminfo
2007-02-26 23:20:00

The joint exhibition of Armenian and Turkish photographers "Merabarev"
will be opened in the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia on
February 28 and will last till March 7, BLACK SEA PRESS was informed
in the Embassy of Switzerland in Georgia.

The aim of the exhibition is rapprochement of two neighboring
peoples. The word Merabarev consists of twp parts which means greeting-
meraba in Turkish and barev in Armenian language.

"Merabarev" is a joint Armenian-Turkish project for photo journalists
which began in 2006.

Heinrich Bell Fund, Anadolu Koltor and the Swiss Embassy in Georgia
and the Caucasian Institute of the Mass Media in Yerevan financed by
Switzerland are partners of the project.

Photo journalists Ozkhan Yurdala, Mejmed Kachmazi, Kerem Uzeli, Sera
Akhan, Tolga Sezgin from the Turkish side and Ruben Mangasaryan,
German Avagyan, Karen Mirzoyan, Nelly Shishmanyan, Anait Harapetyan
from the Armenian side participated in the project.

The exhibition will be opened by Ambassador of Switzerland in Georgia
Lorenzo Amberg, Ambassador of Armenia in Georgia Grach Silvanyan,
and Ambassador of Turkey Ertan Tezgor.

In 2006 five photo journalists from Armenian photo agency "PatkeR"
visited Istanbul to prepare the exhibition and five Turkish photo
journalists from the agency "Nar" visited Yerevan.

In the second half of 2006 the exhibition was held in Istanbul,
Diarbakir, Yerevan and Gyumri.

RA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY REGULATIONS ADOPTED WITHOUT AMENDMENTS ARISING FROM DECISION OF CONSTITUTIONAL CODE

Noyan Tapan
Feb 26 2007

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. About 5 dozens of drafts
and legislative packages as well as 9 international agreements
presented for certification by the RA President were put on the
agenda of the regular four-days of the RA National Assembly started
on February 26. The Parliament adopted during the morning sitting
the law on making amendments and additions to the RA Code concerning
Administrative Offences returned by the RA President’s objection
and proposal. The law was adopted on February 7. The proposal
relates to only making a technical correction, particularly, to the
amendment concerning numbering articles of laws. The NA also adopted
9 drafts and legislative packages discussed at the February 22 special
sitting. Among them, the packages on drafts to legislative amendments
"On Television and Radio," "On RA Citizenship" as well as the draft
on making amendments and additions to the NA regulations-law were
adopted in the 2nd reading and completely. The latter’s adoption is
provided by the necessity of bringing the regulations in correspondence
with the constitutional amendments. But, it does not involve the
amendments arising of the February 16 decision of the Constitutional
Court. To recap, the Constitutional Court recognized contradicting the
constitution and invalid the demand of the regulations on broadcasting
a number of programs of the Public Television covering works of the
Parliament. As NA Speaker Tigran Torosian mentioned, as a result of the
agreement reached with the administration of the Public Television, the
"Parliamentary Week" program will be broadcast from now on at 20:00,
every Sunday, instead of former 21:00, and the amendments arising of
the decision of the Constitutional Court will already be made in the
regulations by the NA of the next convention.

ALEXAN HARUTYUNYAN: BLACK PR ON PUBLIC TV IS EXCLUDED
Alisa Gevorgyan

"Radiolur"
26.02.2007 18:08

"It is said that preceding the elections the opposition was deprived
of the opportunity to show up on the Public TV. We are not going to
deprive them of this opportunity; moreover, we are trying to create
opportunities for those political forces which are not represented
in the Parliament and have no chances to present their platforms
to the public," President of the Council of Public TV and Radio
Company of Armenia Alexan Harutyunyan said at a press conference,
turning to the decision of the Constitutional Court dated February
16, which recognized anti-Constitutional the provisions of the law
on broadcasting the "Parliamentary Hour" program, the question and
answer sessions and parliamentary statements.

According to Alexan Harutyunyan, connected with this question the
Public TV had serious problems with the European Broadcasting Union,
since joining the latter, the Armenian Public TV assumed commitments,
among which is the question whether the TV Company has editorial
independence and determines the schedule of its programs itself. Alexan
Harutyunyan clarified today what steps will follow the decision of the
Constitutional Court: the Public Radio will continue broadcasting the
programs like before. The "Parliamentary Hour" program will also be
aired on the Public TV without any changes and editorial interference;
only change of the time is expected, it will be broadcasted at 20:00.

As for the statements addressed to the Government and the question
and answer session, these will be broadcasted, but the duration will
be cut. According to Alexan Harutyunyan, after the parliamentary
elections the questions of broadcasting will be discussed with the
new leadership of the National Assembly.

Alexan Harutyunyan considers the criticism of the Public TV is normal,
since this establishment is the property of the public and not of a
particular person. Therefore, the demands are strict.

The President of the Council of Public TV and Radio Company also
turned to the coverage of the forthcoming parliamentary elections on
the Public TV.

"We shall guarantee not only the 60 minutes of free air time and
the paid 120 minutes, but will try to provide for parity in the
news. The attitude towards both authorities and the opposition will
be exceptionally neutral or positive. Black PR is excluded."

Besides the news programs, others programs are also envisaged. The
"Europolis " will host political figures and will try to provide for
parity between the authorities and opposition forces. From now on the
"Fifth wheel" will be aired live and will serve to inform the public
about the political forces. The Public Radio will also maintain the
parity and objectivity. Alexan Harutyunyan expressed hope that Radio
Liberty will adhere to the same principles, since its programs are
also aired on the Public Radio of Armenia.

Turing to the participation of Hayko in the Eurovision song contest,
Alexan Harutyunyan said, "For me one thing is important: I want the
Armenian song to succeed. I understand pretty well that if there is
success, it is the success of the singer, but if something goes wrong,
the failure will be ascribed to me and the Public TV. That is why
not only this year, but in general I’m interested in choosing the
best song among those presented," said the President of the Council
of Public TV and Radio Company.

STARTING 2008 VACCINATION OF WOMEN OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE AGAINST MEASLES AND GERMAN MEASLES TO BE DONE IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
Feb 26 2007

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. Additional vaccination of persons
aged 7-27 against measles and German measles will be done in Armenia
from October 2007, Head of the RA Immunoprevention National Program
Gayane Sahakian told NT correspondent. According to her, this is
envisaged by the national strategy on elimination of measles and German
measles in Armenia. The document has been submitted to the Armenian
government for approval. G. Sahakian said that measures are being taken
to eliminate local cases of measles until 2009. It was noted that
starting from 2008, it is envisaged to vaccinate additionally women
of reproductive age against measles and German measles. She pointed
out the importance of vaccinating persons of this group because in
case of catching measles or German measles by a pregnant woman, the
fetus may also have congenital symptoms of these diseases, which may
result in some congentital defects, inluding eyesight and hearing
impairments. "If a woman catches German measles during the first
six month of her pregnancy, doctors advise her to end pregnancy,"
G. Sahakian said.

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
Feb 23 2007

NKR GETTING READY FOR CELEBRATION OF MAY 9

February 22 a full-scale meeting of the governmental commission for
the celebration of May 9 – the Victory Day, the Shoushi Liberation
Day and the NKR Defense Army’s Day – was held presided over by the
Nagorno-Karabagh Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian.
The heads of the Republic’s regional administrations and Union of
Artsakh’s Azatamartiks (the Union of Artsakh’s Fighters and
Liberators) were also invited to the sitting, IA REGNUM reports. In
connection with the fact that the current year is jubilee (15th
Anniversary of Shoushi liberation and the NKR Defense Army’s
establishment) the activities will involve all the villages and
regional centers of the Republic. A special program of festivities
has been elaborated for Stepanakert, Shoushi and other settlements.
In the course of the sitting the participants considered a number of
issues referring to the guests’ reception, the rewarding of the war’s
heroes, etc.

Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
February 22, 2007 Thursday

AZERI MURDERER RECEIVES LIFE SENTENCE

Budapest, February 22 (MTI) – The Court of Appeal of Budapest on
Thursday confirmed an earlier sentence of life imprisonment for an
Azerbaijani officer who had murdered an Armenian classmate during a
NATO Partnership for Peace course in Budapest in 2004.

Ramil Safarov, when he was 27, used an ax to hack to death his
sleeping colleague Gurgen Markarian, 26, of Armenia, in the dormitory
of Miklos Zrinyi National Defence University, where both of them were
attending a three-month English-language course.

Earlier in the procedure, Safarov said the murder had been a revenge
for a 1992 Armenian assault of Azerbaijanis in the Nagorno-Karabakh
region, which he witnessed as a child. The Azerbaijani officer said
that the Armenians he had met in the dormitory "were smiling
mockingly and were behaving the way members of a victorious army
usually behave towards the defeated."

Safarov was charged with premeditated murder carried out with unusual
cruelty and vicious motives and sentenced to life in prison without
any chance of parole.

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
February 23, 2007 Friday

Progress made at Karabakh talks, no final solution-Kocharian

Lengthy and complicated negotiations with Azerbaijan have resulted in
progress in certain tricky aspects of the Karabakh settlement, but no
final solution has been found as yet, Armenian President Robert
Kocharian told the France 24 television channel on Friday.

“It is possible to find a final solution to any conflict through
reasonable concessions. However, there can be no concessions in
essential things like Karabakh independence, which cannot be a point
of bargaining,” Kocharian said.

He said he doubts that the Karabakh conflict can be resolved in June
2007, after May parliamentary elections in Armenia.

“In fact, there is an equilibrium of forces, and any attempt to
resolve the problem by force is doomed,” he said. “I think this is
a major factor that may help us retain the ceasefire for the
foreseeable future.”

>From China to Turkey: `first person’ film event at Watershed
Press release issued 21 February 2007

A unique international film symposium attracting film makers and
scholars from India, Turkey, Holland, the US and the UK, is taking
place in Bristol on 23 and 24 February. The organisers are expecting
engaging presentations and lively discussions on issues of identity and
subjectivity in `first person’ films ` and on the risks of making
autobiographical films in certain geo-political contexts around the
world.
The two-day symposium entitled `The Ethnic Self: First Person Plural’
is organised by Dr Alisa Lebow, and sponsored by Bristol Docs, a
collaboration between the Universities of Bristol and the West of
England, with funding from the British Academy.

Documentaries from China, Turkey, India, Argentina and the Caribbean
will also be screened at the event.

Dr Alisa Lebow from UWE said:`We are looking forward to the visit of a
Turkish filmmaker who is currently making an autobiographical film
about her Armenian grandmother and the hidden history of Armenians in
the Black Sea region of Turkey. Also present, and in dialogue with the
Turkish filmmaker, will be an Armenian-American filmmaker with a film
on travelling in Turkey. This is a timely issue considering the recent
assassination of the Turkish-Armenian journalist, Hrant Dink.

`We will also be considering the recent emergence of first person
filmmaking from China, and asking if this is a sign of the
westernisation of Chinese culture. The symposium will include on
Saturday morning a discussion on the `individual voice’ in a communist
or postcommunist society, led by China film scholar Professor Chris
Berry of Goldsmiths College, London.’

Films being screened are:

Nostalgia (Shu Haolun, China, 2005)
Garden Dwelling (Tina Bastajian, US/Turkey, 2004)
Hush! (Berke Bas, Work in Progress, Turkey)
The Television and Me (Andres di Tella, Argentina, 2003)
Tales of the Night Fairies (Shohini Gosh, India, 2002)
Speakers are:

Berke Bas (Bilgi University, Istanbul)
Tina Bastajian (Amsterdam)
Professor Chris Berry (Goldsmiths University)
Professor Michael Chanan (UWE)
Sabeena Gadihoke (Jamia University, New Delhi)
Dr Elspeth Kydd (UWE)
Dr Alisa Lebow (UWE)

Further information:
The two-day symposium takes place on Friday 23 February at the
Watershed and Saturday 24 February at the Arnolfini from 10 am ` 5 pm.
Admission for both days is £35, or £25 for concessions. For tickets
contact the Watershed box office on tel 0117 927 5100 or visit

Bristol Docs is an initiative to provide a focus for documentary in
Bristol and South West England, on the basis of a collaboration between
the University of the West of England, the University of Bristol, and a
number of associates, including the Watershed Media Centre. For more
information on the symposium visit

AEROFLOT OPEN B AND C GROUPS TOURNAMENTS FINISH IN MOCOW

Noyan Tapan
Feb 22 2007

MOSCOW, FEBRUARY 22, NOYAN TAPAN. The B and C groups competitions of
the Aeroflot Open international chess tournament finished in Moscow
on February 21. Davit Kalashian got 7 points from the 9 possible ones
in the B group and shared the 3rd-5th places. Tigran Simonian, Suren
Poghosian and Arnold Minasian shared the 9-19th places in the C group,
having 6.5 points each from the 9 possible ones. Gabriel Sargsian
and Artashes Minasian who share the 4-10th places have 5.5 points
each from the 8 possible ones in the A1 tournament. Karen Asrian and
Vladimir Hakobian share the 11-24th places with 5 points each. Artur
Chibukhchian shares in the A2 tournament the 9-20th horizontal lines
with 5.5 points.

KARABAKH PEOPLE CANNOT RETURN TO A COUNTRY WHERE IT WAS BEING EXPOSED TO SYSTEMATIC GENOCIDE

Yerkir
22.02.2007 17:45

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – The international community must recognize the right
of Nagorno Karabakh people to self-determination, ARF Dashnaktsutyun
representative and Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Foreign
Relations Armen Roustamyan stated during a press conference in Yerevan.

He said, the matter is not about contradictions between principals of
territorial integrity and the right of nations to self-determination.

"The population of Nagorno Karabakh cannot return to a country, where
it was being exposed to systematic genocide. Yes, Karabakh has never
been a part of independent Azerbaijan.

And we must bring this very fact to the international community,"
Roustamyan stressed. He also underlined that currently Armenia has
a task to reach to international recognition of the NKR. "Armenia’s
actions in connection with NKR’s and Armenian Genocide recognition
by the international community must be similar. Only then we can
reach success in solution of our problems," the ARF Dashnaktsutyun
representative said.