LIST OF PASSENGERS OF TU-154 PUBLISHED
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
15.07.2009 16:01 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The list of passengers of Tu-154 which crashed near
Kazmir town today has been published. 154 passengers, including 2
children, were on board.
40 out of 154 passengers were Armenian citizens. The crew consisted
of Armenians and Iranians.
A relief center is functioning in Zvartnots Airport
MANUK TOPUZIAN APPOINTED MEMBER OF RA CONSTITUTIONAL COURT
Noyan Tapan
July 10, 2009
YEREVAN, JULY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. On July 8, RA President Serzh Sargsyan
signed a decree on relieving Manuk Topuzian of the post of Adviser
to RA President.
As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA President’s Press Office, by S.
Sargsyan’s another decree of the same day M. Topuzian was appointed
a member of the RA Constitutional Court.
‘NEW PAGE’ IN ENCLAVE TALKS
The Moscow Times
News in Brief
10 July 2009
YEREVAN, Armenia – The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet
in Russia on July 17 and could open a "new page" in negotiations over
breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh, the French mediator said.
The meeting will be the sixth between Azeri President Ilham Aliyev
and Armenia’s Serzh Sargsyan in little over a year.
French envoy Bernard Fassier said the intensity of talks was
"unprecedented" in the 15 years since the ceasefire.
"We are now at a very important stage of the negotiation process,"
Fassier told a news conference Wednesday in Yerevan.
He said he hoped the meeting would "open a new page in the
negotiations."
A trio of French, Russian and U.S. mediators under the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe say they are close to a breakthrough
on the fate of the enclave.
CHILE TO PUSH FOR CHOPPER DEAL WITH RUSSIA DESPITE U.S. PRESSURE
RIA Novosti
July 10, 2009
MEXICO, July 10 (RIA Novosti) – Chile plans to continue talks with
Russia on the delivery of five Mi-17 multirole helicopters for the
Chilean Air Force despite pressure from the United States, a government
spokesperson has said.
Chile originally planned to purchase S-70A Black Hawk helicopters
from the U.S. but change their mind after Russia state arms exporter
Rosoboronexport quoted an estimated $80 million for their Mi-17 V5
craft, which are nearly half the price of the Black Hawks.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke sent a letter to Chilean
ambassador Jose Goni on July 1, in which he expressed his
"disappointment" with the country’s decision.
"It is quite normal. When a decision is made over a purchase of
equipment or weaponry there is always a losing side, which becomes
disappointed and attempts to defend its point of view," Chilean
government official Carolina Toha said.
Chilean Defense Minister Francisco Vidal was earlier quoted as saying
that "we should not choose the seller [of weaponry] according to
nationality, and decisions on the purchase of weaponry must be based
on the results of an open tender."
According to Chilean military officials, the Russian helicopters
would be used for search and rescue operations, especially civilian
emergencies.
Russian weaponry is popular among many Latin American countries,
but Chile has traditionally been a purchaser of western-made equipment.
ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT PROPOSES CONVENING NA SPECIAL SESSION ON JULY 10
NOYAN TAPAN
JULY 9, 2009
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, JULY 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian government proposes
convening a special session of the National Assembly at 12:00,
July 10. As RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsian stated at the July 9
government session, 4 issues, including the issue of ratifying the
agreement on the budget credit signed with the International Monetary
Fund will be discussed at the special session.
VLADIMIR ANDREICHENKO TO MEET WITH LEADERSHIP OF INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTRE
National Legal Internet Portal
08/07/2009 05:26 PM
MINSK, 8 July (BelTA) – Speaker of the House of Representatives of the
Belarus National Assembly Vladimir Andreichenko will meet with members
of the Governing Board of the International Science and Technology
Centre and its Chairperson Dr. Victor E. Alessi, BelTA learnt from
the press service of the Lower House of the Belarusian Parliament.
The meeting will be held within the framework of the 49th session
of the Governing Board and the Coordination Committee of the
International Science and Technology Centre which will be held in
Minsk on 8-9 July. Attending the session will be representatives of
the EU Directorate-General for Research, the Japan Foreign Ministry,
the Canada Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade,
the leadership of the national academies of sciences of Kyrgyzstan
and Tajikistan.
The International Science and Technology Centre (ISTC) is an
intergovernmental organization established by agreement between the
European Union, Japan, the Russian Federation, and the United States
of America in November 1992.
ince this time, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz
Republic joined the ISTC. ISTC financed more than 80 sci-tech projects
led by Belarusian organizations.
The basic ISTC programmes in Belarus include sci-tech projects,
support of communicative features, career enhancement, conferences
and seminars.
THE FILMS OF SERGEI PARADJANOV: THE FOUR-DISC KINO COLLECTION (DVD)
Film Threat
=reviews&Id=11806
(2009-07-06)
I’m not going to sit here and say that I enjoy watching Soviet
film. There is something about the starkness of the scenes and
the obtuseness of the characters that I have always found a bit
off-putting. But, sometimes (most of the time) being a film scholar is
not about being entertained, and the Sergei Paradjanov four-film box
set recently released by Kino International is an important addition
to any film scholar’s snobbish knowledge.
That is not to say that enjoyment cannot be found in enveloping
yourself in Paradjanov’s films. There is a certain mystery behind
every scene that pulls you in and never quite releases you. Much
like watching Paradjanov’s good friend Tarkovsky, a viewer can feel
that they know exactly what is going on in a scene without having any
clue about what is really going on. On a basic plot level, the four
films in this set make sense. That is, Kino has been able to sum them
up nicely on the back on the box. But beyond basic plot, each film
is a jumble of history, myth, and references that elude me. Where,
in Georgian history, do these elaborate costumes fit in? What is the
significance of these Great Danes? Why is he throwing a pomegranate
at a blanket? If you expect Paradjanov to reveal the answers to you
ignorant Westerners, you’ll be waiting a long time.
Perhaps as famous for his political and personal history as he is
for his films, Paradjanov led a tumultuous life. Born of Armenian
parents in Georgia and later relocating to Moscow, he was a man of
the Soviet world. Yet, despite good reviews by respected scholars,
the Soviet Union rejected Paradjanov’s films due to – surprise! – his
subversive political intentions and his rejection of Soviet Realism
(oh, and the fact that he was bisexual). He was imprisoned in Siberia
in the mid 1970s for these accusations and served five years hard
labor. All the big names at the time protested his imprisonment
(Tarkovskey, Buñuel, and Yves Saint Laurent, to name a few), but –
surprise again – the USSR didn’t really care. Paradjanov was in and
out of prison until he died in 1990 of cancer. Somehow amid all that
hard labor, he was able to produce hundreds of sketches, and other
artistic projects in addition to his 16.5 movies (although he claims
the eight of those made pre-1964 as "garbage").
Paradjanov is considered a master of his craft. Film critics and
fellow artists alike praise his dreamlike landscapes, his colors, and
the way he brought forgotten traditions to life. In this collection
this mastery is obvious. Including Paradjanov’s most famous and
well-regarded work, "The Color of Pomegranates" (or "Sayat Nova,"
1969), this collection is representative of Paradjanov’s complete
artistry. "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors" (1964, his only work the
Soviet government apparently had no qualms with), "Ashik Kerib" (1988),
and "The Legend of Suram Fortress" (1984) demonstrate Paradjanov’s
wide range of color and imagery while also showing his similarity in
themes and source material.
In addition to these four films – two of them newly remastered in
2008 – this collection also includes a vast array of extras. Multiple
documentaries will provide you with all the information I have written
on Paradjanov’s character and political background, and much much
more. I dare you not to be a Paradjanov expert after watching the
hours of footage, photographs, and interviews available here.
Not liking Soviet cinema is silly. There is so much to like here:
giant camels, silly masks, swords…Not to mention how smart you’ll
look with "The Films of Sergei Paradjanov" sitting on your DVD rack.
There is a certain mystery behind every scene that pulls you in and
never quite releases you. (From "The Color of Pomegranates," 1969)
NO DOUBT IN RUSSIA: IRAN IS NEITHER GEORGIA, NOR UKRAINE
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
06.07.2009 15:59 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Recent events in Iran have caused serious concern
in Russia, Ramil Latypov , Deputy Head of the Working Group of the
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the RF Federation Council of assessment
of terrorism threats and conflicts and co-chair of the Information
Media Center "Global Strategy" (Armenia) said aPanARMENIAN.Net reporter
at on-line conference.
"Iran is bordered with our ally, Armenia and other CIS countries,
and worsening of the political situation in Iran directly affects
the situation in the former Soviet Union.
The fact that the Iranian authorities will be able to retain control
over the situation in the country, there were no doubt about it in
Russia. Iran is neither Georgia, nor Ukraine. Not only the Iranian
leadership rendered services but inhabitants of the country, whose
reasoning has not allowed the U.S. and European politicians to
finalize the presidential elections in Iran by "democratization"
of the state following the Georgian or the Iraqi model.
In my opinion, the Iranian nation has learned the correct lesson from
the events in Ukraine and Georgia, as well as has taken into account
the lessons learnt by Armenia, in March 2008. Calling people to rallies
the main Armenian "fighter" for the freedom Levon Ter-Petrossian and
his Iranian counterpart, do not understand that they are only pawns in
the struggle of Western countries for resources and financial flows
of the East and Asia. And, as a rule, in 3-5 years the time of their
leaving the political scene comes in order to eventually give way to
somebody from the United States or Europe. And all the difficulties and
hardships during transformation of the country into the loyal "eastern
partner" or "european neigbour", are carried by ordinary people,
hypnotized by the next tranche of IMF or World Bank ," Latypov said.
However, he expressed confidence that these events in Iran can’t have
a negative impact on allied relations between Russia and Armenia. "They
rather showed that the three countries should develop a unified system
of mutual support, triggered when external forces try to destabilize
the internal political situation. With regard to "bridge" to Iran,
then, of course, it is Armenia for Russia.
Formed by three countries, a so-called strategic axis
"Russia-Armenia-Iran", in fact has a major stabilizing influence
in the Caucasus. Created to oppose that axe NATO’s group
"Turkey-Georgia-Azerbaijan", on the contrary, in order to solve its
own and the American-European geo-strategic tasks is trying to drive a
wedge between Russia and Armenia, as well as between Iran and Armenia,
using every methods, including military ones," Latypov said.
Bianet
5 July 2009
Gender-Based violenceSur Municipality Combats Domestic Violence
through Labour Contracts
The Diyarbakýr Sur Municipality has implemented a new programme to
prevent domestic violence.
Diyarbakýr – BÝA News Center03 July 2009, Friday Abdullah Demirtaþ,
mayor of the Sur municipality in the southeastern city of Diyarbakýr,
has collaborated with Vezir Periþan, president of the Diyarbakýr
branch of the trade union for municipal workers (Belediye-Ýþ) in order
to implement a collective labour agreement that includes sanctions
against domestic violence.
According to this new labour agreement, which was amended on 1 July,
municipal staff who treat their spouses or children violently will
have half of their wages deducted, and it will be paid to the
spouses. In addition, any payments due to an employee on resignation
will also be paid to the spouse. Should a person have contracted more
than one marriage (i.e. one official and other religious marriages),
the payments will be made to the officially married spouse.
"Social change requires changes for women"
Demirtaþ told bianet that the collective labour agreement concerns 269
people. He said, "Social change requires changes in domestic
relations. Sometimes the patriarchal mindset does not accept change
and development for women. We observe that violence against women
increases at times. As officials, we need to positively support change
and development for women."
Demirtaþ pointed out that his party, the Democratic Society Party
(DTP), generally applied a gender quota: "The liberation of society
depends on the liberation of women. We have thus applied such
sanctions against gender-based violence."
Language courses for employees
The labour agreement also announces that in order to offer
multi-lingual municipal services, the employees will be offered
English, Kurdish (Kýrmanci and Zaza), Syriac and Armenian language
courses.
Multi-lingual municipal services cost Demirtaþ his position in the
past, as he was taken to court. However, so the mayor, "The Diyarbakýr
Governor’s Office, attached to the Ministry of the Interior, took us
from our position, but now it has started to offer services in
Kurdish. They have created a call-centre where citizens can complain
in Kurdish, and they have started to employ personnel with knowledge
of Kurdish. It is a historical event that those who banned us and
disposed us now agree with us." (EÖ/AG)
THANKS TO OSCE MG, BAKU STARTS CEASING BELLICOSE STATEMENTS
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
03.07.2009 21:56 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ RA President Serzh Sargsyan received Greek President
and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Dora Bakoyannis. During the meeting
Armenian leader characterized his guest’s visit as a good chance for
getting familiarized with regional issues and having joint discussion
over Armenia-OSCE cooperation.
President Sargsyan expressed conviction that OSCE official’s visit
would contribute to the development of cooperation. He also attached
special importance to Greece’s chairmanship in OSCE.
In her turn, Dora Bakoyannis gave high assessment to the level and
results of collaboration between RA Government and OSCE Yerevan
Office. The parties focused on NKR conflict settlement issues and
Armenian-Turkish relations.
Serzh Sargsyan emphasized that Armenia has a firm standing on peaceful
settlement of NKR conflict. Thanks to MG OSCE effort the Azeri part
has also taken a more peaceful position in the issue.
According to RA President, though negotiation processes has taken a
positive direction. He also expressed his dissatisfaction on Azeri
part’s trying to distort both negotiation process and the essence
of conflict.
Dora Bakoyannis gave high assessment on Serzh Sargsyan’s initiative
in Armenian-Turkish rapprochement, and RA President repeatedly
emphasized Armenia’s readiness to normalize relation with Turkey
without preconditions.