FORMER PRESS SECRETARY OF ARMENIA’S POLICE KILLED IN CAR ACCIDENT
YEREVAN, JULY 1. ARMINFO. The former press secretary of Armenia’s
police Artak Vardazaryan was killed in a car accident last night.
The Emergency Department of Armenia reports that Vardazaryan’s BMW
drove into a power transmission pole with Vardazaryan killed on the
spot. The chief editor of the Hayastani Hanrapetoutyun newspaper
Tigran Farmanyan was injured in the head and was taken to the hospital
for surgery.
Georgian Armenians want BP compensation for Azeri pipeline
Arminfo
30 Jun 05
YEREVAN
Residents of the Armenian-populated villages of Tapatskhur and Molit
in Georgia’s Borjomi District have staged another protest action
against BP, the contractor of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline.
A-Info news agency reports that the organizers of this action believe
that BP has not paid them full compensation for constructing the
pipeline on the territory of these villages.
In protest against this, the residents of these villages hampered work
on the pipeline on 28 June. Georgian Minister of Natural Resources and
Environmental Protection Giorgi Papuashvili has visited the scene of
the incident. He promised the villagers to solve the problem of
compensation.
A1plus
| 21:46:24 | 30-06-2005 | Regions |
BUILDING IN GYUMRI TUMBLED DOWN
Today at about 5.30 p.m. local time a building of a dormitory situated in
Garegin Nzhdeh street in Gyumri tumbled down. Fortunately there were no
causalities.
PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (E.)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Chris Zakian
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
June 28, 2005
______________________
A MOSAIC OF MUSIC, DANCE & PERFORMANCE AS VIBRANT AS ARMENIA
Coming to a City Near You in October: The North American Debut of an
Award-Winning Performing Arts Youth Troupe From Armenia
* * *
In commemoration of the 1600th Anniversary of the Armenian alphabet, the
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) and the Armenian
General Benevolent Union (AGBU) have teamed up to jointly sponsor the
debut tour of a one-of-a-kind performing arts troupe coming straight
from Armenia October 9 through 30, 2005, with stops currently scheduled
in New York (premiere), Washington, Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee,
Richmond, Montreal and Toronto.
The troupe of more than 60 young performers, from the ages of ten to
nineteen, will bring to life a variety of traditional Armenian art forms
– song, dance, instrumental music, and dramatic recitation, along with
artful gymnastics and acrobatics in what has been coined an “Armenian
Cirque du Soleil.”
Most astonishing of all are the artists themselves – gifted youth from
AGBU-sponsored Holy Etchmiadzin Nork Children’s Center, an educational
center where young Armenians are encouraged to nurture their talents and
broaden their knowledge in courses unavailable to them at overcrowded
public schools.
AN OPTIMISTIC GLIMPSE INTO ARMENIA’S FUTURE
The young performers are well known in Armenia, where they play to
enthusiastic capacity crowds, and have won awards in European festivals.
“Seeing these young people perform, you are filled with optimism for the
future of the Republic of Armenia,” says Archbishop Khajag Barsamian,
Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern). “We
are proud to share this sense of optimism with our own community, and
with American society at large, by bringing the young performers to this
country.”
“Everyone who has seen them feels that this tour will be an inspiring
event in the Armenian American community,” says Berge Setrakian, AGBU
President. “And we’re especially hopeful that our fellow American
citizens will get a glimpse into the promise of Armenia’s up-and-coming
generation.”
Gearing up for such a tour is a complex undertaking, involving tight
coordination at local and national levels. Co-chairing the organizing
committee are Hrant Gulian (Eastern Diocese) and Anita Anserian (AGBU).
Several cities have already confirmed their performance dates and
venues; the tour will premier in New York City at Broadway’s Town Hall
theatre on Sunday, October 9 with the Boston performance scheduled for
Friday, October 21 (location to be announced). Performances dates for
Washington, Chicago, Milwaukee, Richmond, Montreal and Toronto will be
announced shortly (itineraries are subject to change).
For ticketing and general information, please contact the Eastern
Diocese at (212) 686-0710 or AGBU at (212) 319-6383.
–6/27/05
E-mail picture available on request.
PHOTO CAPTION: The jointly-sponsored tour by the Eastern Diocese
and AGBU of the performance troupe of more than 60 young artists
from Armenia’s Nork Children’s Center, coined an “Armenian Cirque du
Soleil,” will tour major cities in the U.S. and Canada from October
9 to 30, 2005 with scheduled stops in New York, Washington, Boston,
Chicago, Milwaukee, Richmond, Montreal and Toronto.
# # #
ARMENIA IN EU COMMITTEE TO BE FORMED
Pan Armenian News
27.06.2005 05:42
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Organizational Committee of the Common European
Social Committee Armenia in the European Union announces that the
Committee is formed and proposes that all political and public figures,
entrepreneurs, scholars and cultural workers of Armenia, EU states and
other European countries that share the idea of Armenia’s accession
to the EU and are ready to promote realization of that goal join the
work of the Committee. Armenia in European Union is being formed to
promote Armenia’s soonest accession to the EU, as well as to work
out and implement projects to solve problems Armenia has on the way
to accession to the EU, development of economic, social, scientific,
educational and cultural ties between Armenia and EU states, reported
the Gazeta SNG.
Turkish PM to Visit Azerbaijan
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
June 27 2005
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to travel
to Azerbaijan on Wednesday for talks with Azeri officials.
During his two-day visit, Erdogan will meet with President Ilham
Aliyev.
Following interdelegationary talks, various agreements are expected
to be signed. He will also meet with the Parliament speaker and then
address the Parliament.
Turkey and Azerbaijan has close relations. 20 percent of Azerbaijan has
been under Armenian occupation and Turkey called Armenia to withdraw
its forces. The EU consider Armenia occupier in Karabakh.
Christian Post, CA
June 25 2005
Armenian Churches Host Bible Conference in Tehran
A committee in Iran representing the Armenian Church, the Chaldean
Church, the Armenian Evangelical Church and the Armenian Catholic
Church recently held a three-day conference on the Bible.
Saturday, Jun. 25, 2005 Posted: 10:18:54AM EST
A committee in Iran representing the Armenian Church, the Chaldean
Church, the Armenian Evangelical Church and the Armenian Catholic
Church recently held a three-day conference on the Bible `to give
help to Iran’s Armenian Christian minority in their spiritual and
community life as Christians.’
The conference, entitled `The Bible and the Youth of the 21st
Century’, was the first public function of the Inter-Church
Publication Committee. Participants included teachers, Sunday School
teachers and church youth workers.
According to Alik, a Tehran-based Armenian newspaper which reported
on the conference, throughout the three days the Scriptural focus was
on the Second Letter of Timothy. The main speakers consisted of the
Rev Henrik Shahnazarian of the Armenian Evangelical Church, who led a
study on 2 Tim. 2:14-26; and the special guest, Dr H Hovhannisian, a
well-known psychologist based in France who led a study on 2 Tim.
3:10-12. During the conference, participants also had an opportunity
to reflect on these passages in groups.
Over two days, Hovhannisian presented his topic, outlining the
challenges of the 21st century to a life of faith as well as the
challenges of the faith to 21st century youth. There were extended
sessions for questions and discussion.
Other speakers included Bishop Nshan Karakehyayan, who spoke on `The
Inspiration and Authority of the Holy Scriptures’, and Archbishop
Sebouh Sarkissian who gave `An Introduction to the Old and New
Testaments’.
After the conference, Hovhannisian visited a number of churches in
Tehran where he led studies on `The Bible and Youth’ and `The Bible
and the Family’.
The newspaper noted that there had been great interest in the
conference locally and that `there are plans in the future to involve
not only target groups but the faithful at large.’
I-Newswire.com (press release)
June 24 2005
IWP Veteran Orhan Pamuk Wins Prestigious German Peace Prize
Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk, a veteran of the University of Iowa
International Writing Program (IWP), has been selected to receive the
prestigious Peace Prize awarded by the Association of German
Publishers and Booksellers.
i-Newswire, – The award, which includes a cash prize of 25,000 Euros,
will be presented this October at the Frankfurt Book Fair.
Announcing its decision, the prize jury praised Pamuk for a unique
ability to bridge cultures. “In Orhan Pamuk, we are honouring an
author who like no other writer of our time, explores the historical
footprints of the West in the East and the East in the West,” it
said.
“He is committed to a concept of culture based on knowledge and
respect for others. Pamuk has created a genre in which Europe and
Islamic Turkey co-exist.”
IWP Director Christopher Merrill commented, “”Orhan Pamuk is a world
treasure. And his latest award is an emblem both of his extraordinary
literary powers and of the largeness of his vision. He is indeed a
peacemaker — a writer whose every word deepens our understanding of
the human condition.”
Pamuk, who lives in Istanbul, is Turkey’s best-selling author, and is
known internationally for novels including “My Name is Red”, “The New
Life”, “The White Castle” “The Black Book” and, most recently,
“Snow.”
He wrote part of a novel when he was in residence at the UI in the
fall semester of 1985. He returned to Iowa City in 1998 to read on
the “Live from Prairie Lights” series, broadcast on UI radio station
WSUI.
An Agency France Presse wire story noted, “Pamuk is no stranger to
political controversy. Earlier this year, he angered nationalists in
Turkey by publicly addressing the highly sensitive subject of the
massacre of Armenians in World War I. In an interview with a Swiss
newspaper, he said that ‘30,000 Kurds and one million Armenians were
killed in Turkey.’ One local official ordered the seizure and
destruction of his works.”
The Peace Prize, one of the highest distinctions in German
literature, presented each year at the close of the book fair in
Frankfurt.
In 2003 Pamuk won the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, whose cash prize
is second only to the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Founded in 1967, the IWP ( ) was the first
international writers’ residency at a university, and it remains
unique in world literature. The IWP brings established writers of
the world to the UI, where they become part of the lively literary
community on campus. Over the years, more than a thousand writers
from more than 120 countries have completed extended residencies in
the program. Most IWP residency groups are a mix of poets, fiction
writers, screenwriters, playwrights, journalists, essayists and
critics.
The importance of the IWP to international understanding was
recognized as early as 1976, when former senator, diplomat and UN
Ambassador Averrill Harriman nominated founders Paul and Hualing Nieh
Engle for the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1995 the program was honored with
the Governor’s Award for distinguished service to the State of Iowa.
The IWP is staffed and housed by the University of Iowa. IWP writers
have been financed by the United States State Department, through
bilateral agreements with numerous countries; by grants given by
cultural institutions and governments abroad; and by private funds
that are donated by a variety of American corporations, foundations
and individuals.
IWP director, poet and essayist Christopher Merrill is a faculty
member in the UI English department, and the international literature
commentator for the syndicated radio program “The World.”
For UI arts information and calendar updates, visit
To receive UI arts news by e-mail,
[email protected].
STORY SOURCE: University of Iowa Arts Center Relations, 300 Plaza
Centre One, Suite 351, Iowa City, IA 52242-2500.
Pan Armenian News
RA LEADER: WE NEED DEEPER INVOLVEMENT OF CSTO IN INTERNATIONAL STRUCTURES
24.06.2005 02:48
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Robert Kocharian considers the current
composition of the Collective Security Treaty Organization to be optimal. To
remind, presently Armenia, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzsran and
Tajikistan serve on the Organization. Upon completion of the sitting of the
CSTO Collective Security Council (CSC) in Moscow the Armenian President
stated that the military constituent of the organization remains the most
important constituent of the CSTO activities. The Armenian leader expressed
assurance that the CSTO is a dynamically developing organization, but its
greater involvement into the international structures is needed. `We need a
deeper international integration. We have manifested ourselves, however
there is a strong necessity of more federated activities’, Robert Kocharian
noted adding that the issue has become the key subject of the discussion. He
also said there has already emerged the necessity of creating efficient
mechanisms for struggling against terror, drug traffic and other challenges,
IA Regnum reports.
NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE FOR RELAUNCHING 5th POWER UNIT OF HRAZDAN TPS
YEREVAN, JUNE 23, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA Ministry of Energy is conducting
negotiations for relaunching the 5th power unit of the Hrazdan Thermal
Power Station (TPS) with the Russian company Gazprom and the Iranian
side. According to the Deputy Minister of Energy Areg Galstian, the
technical and economic proposals submitted are now under consideration.
He noted that preference will be given to the proposal considered to
be the most profitable for Armenia. A. Galstian said that it is
planned to install another two gas turbines at the 300-megawatt
power-generating unit in order to improve its technical and economic
indices.