Author: Nalbandian Albert

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

TWO MUSICAL CONCERTS ARE HELD UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF THE CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA

Two musical concerts were held in the past week under the patronage
of the Catholicosate of Cilicia. These concerts were praised by
music-lovers for being high-level performances.

The first of these concerts was presented by the students of
“Parsegh Ganatchian Musical College” of Hamazkayin on May 26 in
the Catholicosate. It was dedicated to the 10th anniversary of His
Holiness’ enthronement.

The director of the college, Yervant Yerganian, delivered the opening
remarks, dedicating the concert to His Holiness on his 10th jubilee.

Professional and still new music students entertained the audience
by their performances on various musical instruments, including the
piano, the flute, the guitar, the violin and the cello. The students
presented high-level performances of renowned Armenian and foreign
composers’ works.

His Holiness commended the young music students for their performance.
“Culture ennobles the human being. With your performance today, you
brought us out of our everyday pace and routine occupations which
rid us of cultural values. Our spirits embraced your enchanting music
and we were enriched by your skilled performance,” he said.

The Catholicos called upon the Armenians to support the “Parsegh
Ganatchian Musical College” so young artists can get the chance to
perform on Lebanese-Armenian as well as international stages in the
near future.

The second musical event, the “Memorial Symphony” was held on 29 May
in the hall of Yeghishe Manoukian College. It was dedicated to the
late Archbishop Zareh Aznavourian.

The symphony was held under the patronage of His Holiness and was
organized by the “Shenorhali” choir of the Catholicosate of Cilicia
and its director, Rev.Fr. Bartev Gulumian. The choir of the seminary
students as well Hamazkayin’s “Gargatch” children’s choir under the
directorship of Zakar Keshishian also participated in the performance.

The music of all the songs that were delivered was composed by the
late Archbishop. The program included religious hymns, praise songs,
musical poems, as well songs from the “Always sing, children” series,
composed by the Archbishop.

His Holiness blessed the memory of the late Archbishop and considered
his musical heritage as dedicated to the glorification of God and
the praise of the Armenian Church.

“Archbishop Zareh was not a regular clergyman. He was a man of
God-given grace, natural talent and wisdom. He put all his skills
in the service of our church and nation. His whole life constituted
a constant glorification of God. His entire spiritual-intellectual
heritage is also a glorification of our church and nation,” said
His Holiness.

##

Pictures here:

*****

The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates
of the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about
the history and the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may
refer to the web page of the Catholicosate,
The Cilician Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church
is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

Agence France Presse
28 mai 2005 samedi 3:48 PM GMT

Décès du dessinateur et humoriste Hoviv

PARIS 28 mai 2005

L’humoriste et dessinateur de presse Hoviv, de son vrai nom René
Hovivian, est décédé dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi à l’ge de 75
ans des suites d’un cancer à son domicile à Clamart (Hauts-de-Seine),
a annoncé sa famille à l’AFP.

Né en France en 1929, d’origine Arménienne, Hoviv avait fait les
Beaux-Arts à Lyon et était l’auteur d’une vingtaine d’ouvrages, a
indiqué sa famille.

Il avait notamment publié “C’est l’époque qui veut ça”, “Les
kamarades” ou “On ne peut pas publier ça”. Il avait collaboré à de
nombreuses publications, dont Le Quotidien de Paris, Paris-Match, ou
le New Yorker.

En 1947, “il avait quitté la France avec sa famille pour l’Arménie
soviétique et ils avaient été déportés en 1949 en Sibérie”, a-t-on
indiqué de même source.

La date de ses funérailles n’a pas encore été fixée.

REPORT OF NA AD HOC COMMISSION TO BE HEARD AR SPECIAL SESSION IN JUNE

YEREVAN, MAY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The report of the ad hoc commission
examining the efficiency of the use of loans, credits, grants and
humanitarian aid received from foreign states and international
organizations will be heard at a special session of the RA National
Assembly to be convened in June. According to NA Vice Speaker and
Chairman of the above mentioned commission Vahan Hovhannisian, the
discussion of the issue included on the agenda of the spring session
ending on May 26 has been postponed due to lack of time.

Stuff.co.nz, New Zealand
May 29 2005

CD review: Mezmerize – System of a Down
30 May 2005
By CHRIS SCHULZ

****
You can always count on System of a Down to be different. The
Armenian-American metal quartet threw out the rulebook with their
multi-million selling album Toxicity, then, just as they were set to
stride into the big league, released a stop-gap B-sides album and
went into hiding.

They came out of their cave to play the Big Day Out this year, but
defied belief with a bizarre performance that included vocoders,
between-song tirades against George W. Bush, a handful of new songs
and a Dire Straits cover. It was patchy and, at times,
incomprehensible.

Now, just to be difficult, System are releasing two albums. The first
of these, the Rick Rubin-produced Mezmerize, goes some way towards
explaining that BDO performance, thanks to its scatterbrain
mentality.

Featuring frenzied guitar riffs, brutal heavy metal outbursts, and
hyperactive rants against war, Hollywood and, er, Tony Danza, it is
at once brilliant and absurd. Take, for example, first single
B.Y.O.B, an acid-fuelled version of Toxicity’s Chop Suey! complete
with a Backstreet Boys chorus. You’ll be singing along in no time.

Equally mind-bending is Cigaro’s opening line which will ensure it
will never be played on mainstream radio, and the nonsensical Violent
Pornography. But the madness is balanced out with moments of pure
beauty, like the truly affecting closing ballad Lost In Hollywood.

So expect Mezmerize to take a few listens to sink in, but once it
does prepare to be blown away. System of a Down have once again
raised the bar for a genre seemingly bereft of ideas. The companion,
Hypnotize, expected by the end of the year, will have plenty of work
to do to keep up this pace.

Mezmerize is out now through Columbia Records/Sony.

EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO FRENCH ARCHITECTURE OF 20TH CENTURY OPENS IN
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, MAY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. Photos of the best constructions of the
French architecture of the 20th century are presented at the
exhibition titled “National Heritage of French Architecture of 20th
Century” which opened in Yerevan, at the Architectural National
Museum-Institute on May 25. The French Embassy to the RA organized the
exhibition. Bernard Tullei, the Director General of the French
“National Heritage” organization mentioned that with the help of this
mobile exhibition, “France attempts to discover the French
architectural heritage for one living in any country of the world.”
B.Tullie informed that in France there are about 25 thousand buildings
representing special architectural value which are under special
protection of the Government. Expressing his impressions about his
visit to Armenia, B. Tullie stated that “this is a country which
amuses an observer with its grand architectural models.” At the same
time, he mentioned that elements of the European architecture have
been used in the Armenian national architecture.

Agence France Presse — English
May 25, 2005 Wednesday 5:39 PM GMT

Armenia to build new depot for nuclear waste

YEREVAN

The Armenian parliament on Wednesday approved the construction of a
new storage site for nuclear waste from the Metsamor power station,
which will be operational for 50 years.

The waste depot will be built in three stages, starting in 2007, and
cost about 10 million euros (12.6 million dollars), according to the
Armenian energy minister, Armen Movsissian.

The first waste storage site, built in 2000 by the French company
Framatome, is full.

Armenia has rejected calls from the European Union to close its only
nuclear power plant, which supplies 40 percent of the country’s
energy needs.

The Metsamor plant built in 1977 had to be shut down in 1988 when an
earthquake devastated Armenia. The plant was reopened in 1995.

Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic
May 25 2005

Caspian-Mediterranean Oil Pipeline Launched In Baku
By Jean-Christophe Peuch

Work on BTC pipeline near Baku two years ago

Prague, 25 May 2005 (RFE/RL) — The 1,760-kilometer
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline to transport crude oil extracted from
the Caspian Sea shelf to the Mediterranean Sea basin was inaugurated
today near Azerbaijan’s capital Baku.

The leaders of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and Kazakhstan joined oil
executives from nearly 40 countries at the opening ceremony for the
line, which bypasses Russia.

Addressing world energy executives at the Sangacal oil terminal, some
40 kilometers south of Baku, the Azerbaijani, Turkish, Georgian, and
Kazakh leaders spoke with one voice to underline the importance of
the new transport route.

Azerbaijan’s main oil-export conduit will connect Baku to the Turkish
Mediterranean port of Ceyhan via the Georgian capital Tbilisi. It
will be coupled with a natural-gas-export pipeline linking Baku,
Tbilisi, and Turkey’s eastern Anatolian city of Erzurum in 2006.

Construction of the U.S.-sponsored Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline (BTC)
started in 2001, and its final cost totaled well over the $3 billion
originally planned.

Presidents Eduard Shevardnadze of Georgia and Heidar Aliyev of
Azerbaijan were the two main regional architects of the BTC.

Yet neither of the two leaders attended today’s ceremony.
Shevardnadze was deposed by peaceful opposition-led street protests
in November 2003, and Heidar Aliyev — after whom the Azerbaijani
section of the BTC was renamed — died nearly two years ago to be
succeeded by his son, Ilham.

Addressing reporters in Baku yesterday, Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili said both the BTC and its sister gas pipeline were of
utmost importance for his country — which until now has been heavily
dependent on Russia for its energy supplies.

“In practical terms, [BTC] and the [Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum] gas
pipeline are extremely important projects for Georgia,” Saakashvili
said. “When the gas pipeline is launched, the issue of Georgia’s
energy independence will be finally solved. Georgia will no longer
depend on a single source for its energy supplies. This is the most
important guarantor of our energy independence.”

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in turn thanked Azerbaijan’s
neighbors for contributing to making the immense project a reality.

“[It is the input of] regional cooperation and mutual understanding
that made this seemingly unrealistic project — the world’s largest
energy project, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline — come into life,”
Aliyev said.

Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said today that he is confident
the new pipeline will bring stability and economic gains to the
entire Southern Caucasus region. [For analysts’ opinions, click
here.]

“The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which is the most important
element of the East-West transport corridor — also known as the Silk
Road of the 21st century — makes an important contribution in
enhancing the stability and economic well-being of the entire
region,” Sezer said.

The BTC stretches 1,760 kilometers, including 440 kilometers through
Azerbaijan and 250 kilometers through Georgia. The pipeline is
designed to carry oil extracted from Azerbaijan’s sector of the
Caspian Sea by a BP-led international consortium comprising 11
companies.

It will take several months to fill the conduit.

Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler told the
Anadolu news agency today that the first barrel of oil will not reach
its final destination until September.

BTC will be running at full capacity only in 2009, when production
reaches its peak in Azerbaijan. The pipeline will then carry an
expected 1 million barrels of oil per day.

Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbaev announced plans yesterday
to export part of its production through BTC under a scheme that
would involve the construction of an underwater pipeline linking the
Kazakh city port of Aktau to Baku.

Aliyev’s chief of staff Ramiz Mehdiyev said today that experts are
still working on a final document that should seal Kazakhstan’s
participation in the project.

Also today, the presidents of Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Georgia signed
a joint declaration reaffirming their commitment to build a railway
connection between the Turkish city of Kars, near the Armenian
border, and Baku.

The line will go through Georgia’s predominantly Armenian region of
Samtskhe-Javakheti, and then on to Tbilisi.

NATO conference in Baku discusses South Caucasus security

Turan news agency
20 May 05

Baku, 20 May: A conference was held at the Crescent Beach Hotel today
on the topic “Security and stability in the South Caucasus”. Experts
from NATO and partner countries attended the conference.

The president of the NATO Education Centre, (?Vasiliy Sekares),
noted that the South Caucasus was an important region for Europe. It
is located on the EU borders and Europe understands its geopolitical
importance. The conference will discuss the start of the process of
cooperation with regional countries, he said.

Romanian ambassador to Azerbaijan Nicolae Urece said that in accordance
with the new security doctrine of Romania, conflicts in the South
Caucasus pose a threat to Romania. Therefore, Romania is interested
in stability in the Black Sea region.

“We believe that the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict should be settled
within the framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and in
line with international law,” the ambassador said.

[Azerbaijani] Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov said that Azerbaijan
and Georgia were cooperating well in the South Caucasus. “Safe access”
was created as a result of this cooperation. Azerbaijan uses this
access to export its natural resources to world markets, and Georgia
gets revenue as a transit country. But Armenia does not have this
access, Azimov said.

A special programme has to be drawn up for the security of the South
Caucasus, Azimov said.

The conference is continuing its work.

THE WARSAW MEETING OF THE PRESIDENTS OF AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA MAY FAIL

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
May 16, 2005, Monday

The meeting of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Warsaw is
on the verge of failure. Some analysts say that the crisis was caused
by President Ilkham Aliyev’s unwillingness to hold negotiations with
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan at the CIS summit in Moscow.
(…) In these circumstances it’s easy to guess that Yerevan may
refuse to hold the meeting in Warsaw. Armenian Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanyan indirectly confirmed this. He said on Tuesday, “I
cannot promise that the meeting (of the presidents) will take place.”

However, the majority of Azerbaijanian experts think that the Council
of Europe will force Ilkham Aliyev and Robert Kocharyan to hold
negotiations in Warsaw. The secretary-general of this organization
recently stated that if one of the parties refuses to hold negotiations
the CE will have to use strict measures. It should be noted that the
Minsk OSCE group has prepared three plans of peaceful settlement
of the conflict. The first plan is aimed at releasing territory
seized by Armenia, returning refugees and determining the status of
Nagorny Karabakh. The second plan is aimed at establishing transport
communications and determining the status of Karabakh. The third
plan is a combination of the first and second plans. In the meantime,
Baku and Yerevan are not satisfied with these plans.

Independent observers state that this is the main reason why the
parties seek to suspend negotiations.

Source: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, May 12, 2005, p. 5

Translated by Alexander Dubovoi

ARMENIAN FORCES SHELLED AT AZERBAIJANI POSITIONS
2005-05-16 20:13

Azerbaijan News Sevice
May 16 2005

Armenian armed forces opened machine and sub-machine gunfire from their
positions in occupied Talish village of Terter region at positions
of Azerbaijani army near Chayli village and the village itself of the
same region at night from May 16 to May 17. Military forces of Armenia
also shelled at Chiraqli village from their positions located in the
are called “Gulchuluk sovkhoz” and Bash Qervend village of Aghdam
region. The enemy was responded with adequate fire. No casualties
are reported.