Author: nina hovnanian

ISABEL BAIRAKDARYAN TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA

18:11, 18 September, 2013

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS: Canadian-Armenian opera singer,
world-famous soprano Isabel Bairakdaryan on September 18 will arrive
in Armenia. “Armenpress” was informed from the Facebook account that
after the concert after the opening of Armenian church in Moscow
the singer took photos with the President of the Republic of Armenia
Serzh Sargsyan and Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians
Karekin II. She left a note under those photos: “Memorable concert
during wonderful event.

After all these it is probable time to arrive in Armenia and I will
do it tomorrow”.

Isabel Bairakdaryan was born in Lebanon in 1974, she moved to Canada
as a teenager. Bayrakdarian graduated in 1997 from the University of
Toronto with an honours B.A.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering.

Isabel Bayrakdarian is noted as much for her stage presence as for her
musicality, and she has followed a unique career path. Since winning
first prize at the 2000 Operalia International Opera Competition
founded by Placido Domingo, she has launched an international opera
career, appearing at the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House,
La Scala, Opera National de Paris, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Salzburg
Festival, Dresden Semperoper, Bavarian State Opera, San Francisco
Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and the Canadian Opera Company among others.

In addition to her first prize at the Operalia Competition and four
consecutive Juno Awards, Bayrakdarian has been awarded the Queen
Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, the 2005 Virginia Parker Prize
from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Leonie Rysanek Award from
the George London Foundation, the Mesrob Mashdots Medal on behalf of
the Holy See of Cilicia on August 15, 2004, and a Metropolitan Opera
National Council Award in 1997.

I ADMIRE MKHITARYAN’S GAME – ITALIAN JOURNALIST

September 18, 2013

Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan can be set apart in Borussia,
Canalenapoli.itwrites.The Italian website reflected on the forthcoming
Champions League group match between Italy’s S.S.C. Napoli and
Germany’s Borussia Dortmund.

“Henrikh transferred to Borussia after a superb season at [Ukraine’s
FC] Shakhtar Donetsk, and together with the other newcomer,
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, he is considered the most dangerous
player of the German club. The two players have perfectly adapted
to Borussia’s system of play,” the Italian website writes. “Armenian
national team midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan should be set aside in a
number of talented players of the German club. I truly admire him,”
Tuttonapoli.net quotes well-known Italian journalist Gianluca Vigliotti
as saying.

To note, the Napoli-Borussia Dortmund clash will take place on
Wednesday in Naples, Italy, and the official kick-off is at 10O~I45pm,
Armenia time.

NEWS.am Sport

AZERBAIJAN MAY TRY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF POSSIBLE STRIKE AGAINST IRAN BY USA TO USE FORCE TO RESOLVE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT, EXPERT SAYS

YEREVAN, September 18. / ARKA /. Azerbaijan may try to take advantage
of a possible strike against Iran by the USA and its allies to resolve
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by use of force, Andrei Yepifantsev,
head of Alte et Certe think tank, warned today.

He said Azerbaijani political analysts believe that Baku should join
the anti-Iranian coalition, which is argued to be a success, and in
return for it to get support in resolving the Karabakh conflict by
use of force or a support for creation of an independent state in
northern Iran with a large Turkic-speaking population.

“Under this scenario Armenia will be surrounded by Turkic states,
except Georgia in the north. That would be contingent to losing
Nagorno- Karabakh,” Yepifantsev said during Yerevan – Moscow – Tbilisi
videoconference on the topic “Greater Caucasus in the context of the
Syrian crisis.”

The expert said if this plan fails, Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev
will face serious problems in terms of preserving his rule.

Stanislav Tarasov, the director of the Middle East -Caucasus research
center of the International Institute of the Newest States, argued
that the new government of Iran will make concessions to the so-called
group of six (five UN Security Council permanent members and Germany)
regarding its nuclear program issue.

The group of six in cooperation with the IAEA is seeking to
make Iran suspend its uranium enrichment program as it may pose
a threat to the nuclear non-proliferation. -0- – See more at:

SECURITY OF ARMENIA AND ARTSAKH CANNOT BE ENSURED WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE – SEYRAN OHANYAN

16:48 18/09/2013 ” SOCIETY

Everyone, to the best of their abilities, should do their utmost for
the freedom of Armenia and NKR to be everlasting and independence to
be permanent. We should be able to ensure development of our country.

But we cannot do it without knowledge and science. We cannot ensure
security of Armenia and NKR without literate defense, Armenian Defense
Minister Seyran Ohanyan said at a meeting with students and lecturers
of Yerevan State University (YSU).

The Minister highlighted the importance of establishing ties between
the army and educational and scientific institutions.

By joint instruction of Seyran Ohanyan and Armenian Education Minister
Armen Ashotyan all military units of Armenia have been attached
to 1,400 schools and the leading staff of the Ministry’s central
administration has been attached to higher education institutions,
according to the Defense Minister.

“YSU is one of the first structures that, at the time when our
country’s security was endangered, when Artsakh was in a dangerous
situation, managed to consolidate its scientific potential as well
as people devoted to the country, freedom fighters. Many of teachers
and students of YSU forever left their names in our history,” Mr
Ohanyan concluded.

Source: Panorama.am

OHANIAN: CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS WILL NOT BE INSTITUTED AGAINST INJUGHULIAN

Wednesday,
September
18

Criminal proceedings will not be instituted against POW Hakob
Injighulian who crossed into Azerbaijan after he lost his way.

Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian made that statement at a
meeting with students and faculty of Yerevan State University today.

‘There has never been a case in the history of the Armenian Armed
Forces when a serviceman was prosecuted for crossing into Azerbaijan
by accident,” the minister noted.

“We can imagine how much pressure is being exerted on Hakob
Injighulian. He gave a television interview and criticized Armenia’s
Armed Forces under coercion so we should perceive all this normally.

Injughulian’s parents said he never expressed any complaint during
his military service,” Seyran Ohanian said.

TODAY, 15:57

Aysor.am

OHANIAN: ARMY DECLARES WAR ON STREET WAYS

Wednesday,
September
18

>From now on, the army declares war on street ways, Armenian Defense
Minister Seyran Ohanian said at the meeting with students of Yerevan
State University today.

“Yes, we declare war. I want you jointly with us to struggle against
these customs which are often considered normal in civilian life and
are even advertised on television. It is a bad mistake because our
children also start to consider such ways normal. They try to resemble
such people, which is a serious mistake. The army and educational
institutions where children are educated are the places where the
struggle against such ways must be carried on,” the minister stated
adding that 2014 should become a turning point in this sense.

“I think that starting from 2014, we may become a driving force
capable of preventing and eliminating the negative ways in society,”
the defense minister said, noting that only by emphasizing the
positive phenomena, it would be possible to struggle against the
current negative modes of behavior.

“We should find the best farmer, best worker, best teacher, and best
businessman and inform our youths about them. Youths should not be
brought up based on examples of street ways so that they would not
instill such manners in the army,” Seyran Ohanian said.

TODAY, 15:04

Aysor.am

ARMENIAN CHURCH AND SCHOOLS OF ARMENIAN NEIGHBORHOOD IN DAMASK WERE DAMAGED

Country – Wednesday, 18 September 2013, 11:09

On September 17 Qasaa, the Christian district of Damask, was attacked.

The residential building of the Armenian Cathedral was damaged
severely. The third floor of the building was damaged, as well as
Luys and Paros schools, the Damask Lratou informed. According to SANA,
5 were killed, 30 were injured.

IT IS NECESSARY TO AVOID DESTABILIZING ARMS PURCHASES – AMBASSADOR HEFFERN

September 18, 2013 | 12:58

YEREVAN. – The parties to Karabakh conflict must avoid destabilizing
arms purchases, U.S. Ambassador John Heffern said in an interview
with RFE/RL Armenian service.

His comments came in response to a question about media reports
alleging Russia is selling weapons to Azerbaijan.

The U.S. is one of the three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group to
find the negotiated peaceful settlement to the Karabakh conflict,
he said, adding that his country is a key part of this process.

Ambassador Heffern recalled that during his recent visit to the region
newly appointed U.S. co-chair James Warlick repeated the message
that the three Minsk Group leaders issued many times in public: avoid
destabilizing by arms purchases, refrain from belligerent rhetoric and
look for mutually beneficial means to resolve the conflict peacefully.

“There is no military solution to the conflict,” he emphasized.

Asked whether the arms sale was discussed with Russia, Ambassador
Heffern noted: “We talk to them [other co-chairing states Russia
and France] all the time, including about issues on Armenia and
Azerbaijan.”

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

ARMENIA TO HAVE CLOSE TIES WITH EU, BUT NOT AT EXPENSE OF TIES WITH RUSSIA

Wednesday,
September
18

During the meeting with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski
yesterday, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, while speaking
about Armenia’s relationship with Russia, said exactly what is stated
in the release issued by Armenia’s Foreign Ministry concerning the
results of the meeting. This is said in a release of the Foreign
Ministry’s spokesman Tigran Balayan.

“From the very beginning of the Eastern Partnership initiative, even
prior to it, Armenia said and continues to say that it is prepared
to have as close and wide ties with the European Union as possible
and to be as close to the European Union as it is possible for the
EU, but not to the detriment and not at the expense of its allied
relations with Russia. Armenia’s decision to join the Customs Union
should also be viewed in this context,” Tigran Balayan said.

TODAY, 13:04

Aysor.am

U.S. AMBASSADOR: ARMENIA’S PLANNED ACCESSION TO CUSTOMS UNION WILL HAVE NO FUNDAMENTAL IMPACT ON ITS RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES

by Marianna Lazarian

ARMINFO
Wednesday, September 18, 11:34

Armenia’s planned accession to a Russian-led customs union will
have no fundamental impact on its relations with the United States
and Washington’s security agenda in the region, U.S. Ambassador to
Armenia John Heffern said on Tuesday.

According to Asbarez, in an interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian service
(Azatutyun.am), Heffern was cautious about the implications of
President Serzh Sarkisian’s surprise foreign policy U-turn, echoing
the U.S. State Department’s muted reaction to the development.

“U.S.-Armenian relations are based on our mutual interest in Armenia’s
success,” he said. “We also have other interests in the region: a
peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, [Armenia’s]
normalization and reconciliation with Turkey. Iran is another
interest. I don’t see how this affects any of those regional issues.

The biggest question is the possible impact on the domestic reforms.”

Heffern stressed in that regard that the Armenian government has
assured both the U.S. and the European Union that it will carry on
with promised economic and political reforms after joining the Customs
Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

“Leaders of Armenia have publicly and privately assured us and the EU
that they intend to continue with the reform process,” he said. “We
are going to continue to push and promote and encourage and support
that process in any way we can.

“The path that Armenia chooses as a sovereign country is its choice.

So we are going to continue to do what we’ve been doing.”

The governments of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus have poor human
rights records that have been strongly criticized by Washington.

Armenian civil society activists believe that membership in their
union therefore does not bode well for Armenia’s democratization.

Heffern insisted that the Sarkisian government is implementing “real
reforms in some key sectors” such as state procurements. But he said
more needs to be done to combat corruption, boost the rule of law and
improve the country’s flawed business environment. “There needs to be
a level playing field for international and local investors,” he said.

Heffern welcomed Yerevan’s plans to finalize an Association Agreement
with the EU as recently as on September 2, the day before Sarkisian
effectively thwarted that deal with his unexpected statement on
joining the customs union.

“I have felt and I still believe that … the EU track was a
good magnet to pull Armenia in the direction of democracy and good
governance,” the envoy said on Tuesday. “But Armenia will choose its
own path, and there is nothing in the customs union that is going
to prevent Armenia from taking the necessary internal steps that the
president, the prime minister and everybody have publicly committed
to take in terms of reform in all key sectors.”