Author: Takmazian

Parajanov.com
POB 17257
Beverly Hills, California 90209 USA
[email protected]

I n an official letter to Martiros Vartanov (Parajanov: The Last
Spring), the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)
informed that Sergei Paradjanov’s 1964 masterpiece Shadows of
Forgotten Ancestors never won the British Academy Award, contrary to
what is published in the Film Encyclopedia by Ephraim Katz and
numerous other books and sources.

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is widely regarded as one of the
greatest films of the 20th century and won countless awards in Italy,
Spain, Greece, Ukraine and Argentina. It was followed by another
masterpiece, The Color of Pomegranates (Sayat Nova), which Sergei
Parajanov made in Armenia in 1968 prior to his imprisonment in 1973.

"…The cinema of Sergei Parajanov began not with the Shadows of
Forgotten Ancestors…but with The Color of Pomegranates. Probably,
besides the film language suggested by Griffith and Eisenstein, the
world cinema has not discovered anything revolutionarily new until the
Color of Pomegranates, not counting the generally unaccepted language
of the Andalusian Dog by Bunuel…" wrote Parajanov’s friend,
filmmaker Mikhail Vartanov, who recently passed away in Hollywood on
December 31st, 2009.

HRANT BAGRATYAN: PRESIDENT MUST NOT BECOME MULTIMILLIONAIRE

news.am
Jan 18 2010
Armenia

"The Armenian authorities state that if Armenia is granted loans the
lenders consider it solvent, which is erroneous thinking," the former
Armenian Prime Minister Hrant Bagratyan told reporters. A total of
U.S. $54m were spent on serving the foreign debt in 2008, U.S. $74m
in 2009, and U.S. $115m will be spent in 2010, he said. According to
Bagratyan’s forecasts, Armenia will spend a total of U.S. $280m on
covering the foreign debt in 2012, and U.S. $478m in 2013. This means
that Armenia will spend 9-10 times as much as the present amount on
covering its foreign debt within the next few years.

According to Bagratyan, last year Armenia "squandered the Russian
commercial credit received at an annual interest rate of 7-8 per cent."

"If we fail to pay the U.S. $478m, what are we to do? As a rule,
such a case is considered default. If you fail to repay debts you
have to make political concessions. For example, in four years we
will ask for a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict which we
do not agree to now," Bagratyan said.

As to whether Armenian received credits on political terms, Bagratyan
said with reservation: "I think so, though creditors ask for funds to
be borrowed worldwide. For example, interest-free loans are granted
in Japan, because much money is available. But they wait when Armenia
applies for a 3% loan. The Russian loan has an interest rate of +3
LIBOR, which means an annual interest rate of 7-8 per cent. We have
the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic as well. The creditors think this way:
now I give money, then I make use of this factor. In fact, in three or
four years we will pay much more as debts than we spend on the army,"
Bagratyan said. According to him, if Armenia applied to Russia for a
loan at such a high interest rate, the Government might have borrowed
funds from Armenian banks thereby boosting the local banking system
and economy.

Bagratyan believes that the incumbent authorities are incapable of
ensuring normal economic development.

As to whether the Armenian National Congress (ANC) has the necessary
potential, Bagratyan said: "Yes, it has. The ANC will free the economy
and properly distribute economic resources. The resources will
be available to entire society rather than to a few oligarchs. We
will never allow the President to become a multimillionaire or the
Church to engage in commerce. The Church is officially registered as
a commercial enterprise now. So what church, what Christ… Resources
do not fall from the skies. We must turn what we have into resources,"
Bagratyan said.

Athens News Agency, Greece
January 15, 2010 Friday

-IETHA AETHA ARMENIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH CATHOLICOS ARAM I OF CILICIA IN ATHENS

(ANA-MPA) — Armenian Orthodox Church Catholicos Aram I of Cilicia
arrived in Greece on Friday morning for a two-day visit.

He was welcomed at Athens Airport by representatives of the Church of
Greece, state officials, Armenian Church members and the ambassadors
of Armenia and Lebanon.

Following a mass at the Cathedral of St. Gregory in downtown Athens,
Aram was received by President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias.

On Saturday the Armenian Patriarch will meet with Athens Mayor Nikitas
Kaklamanis, and will subsequently be received by Archbishop Ieronymos
of Athens and All Greece. Later in the evening, he will officiate at
the vespers held in the church of St. Jacob, in the Piraeus district
of Nikea.

RIA Novosti, Russie
14 Jan 2010

Arménie-Turquie: Moscou soutient la normalisation (Lavrov)

EREVAN, 14 d̩cembre РRIA Novosti
La Russie soutient la normalisation des relations entre Erevan et
Ankara, et pourrait y contribuer à l’aide de projets régionaux
d’infrastructure, a déclaré jeudi le chef de la diplomatie russe
Sergueï Lavrov au terme d’un entretien avec son homologue arménien
Edouard Nalbandian.

"La Russie a confirmé son soutien au processus de normalisation, nous
y sommes intéressés. Plus vite les relations se normaliseront, mieux
ce sera pour le monde entier. Nous sommes prêts à contribuer à ce
processus par la réalisation de projets d’infrastructure qui
intéressent notamment l’Arménie et la Turquie. Il peut s’agir de
livraisons d’énergie électrique ou de construction de voies
ferroviaires", a indiqué M.Lavrov.

Le 10 octobre 2009, les ministres des Affaires étrangères arménien et
turc Edouard Nalbandian et Ahmet Davutoglu ont signé à Zurich le
Protocole sur l’établissement des relations diplomatiques et le
Protocole sur le développement des relations bilatérales. Ces
documents doivent être ratifiés par les parlements des deux pays.

Mardi 12 janvier, la Cour constitutionnelle d’Arménie a reconnu la
constitutionnalité des documents.

L’Arménie et la Turquie n’entretiennent pas de relations diplomatiques
bilatérales depuis l’indépendance de l’Arménie en 1991 et la frontière
commune entre les deux pays est fermée depuis 1993 à l’initiative
d’Ankara.

Les relations complexes entre les deux pays s’expliquent par une série
de facteurs, notamment par le soutien d’Ankara à la position
azerbaïdjanaise sur le conflit du Haut-Karabakh et par la réaction
violente de la Turquie à la reconnaissance internationale du génocide
arménien de 1915 dans l’Empire ottoman.

Les relations arméno-turques sur la normalisation des relations
bilatérales ont été lancées en 2007 avec la médiation suisse.

Interfax, Russia
Jan 14 2010

Armenia, Azerbaijan can make progress in Karabakh settlement – minister

YEREVAN Jan 14

Armenia and Azerbaijan can make progress in the Karabakh settlement if
‘positive dynamics’ persists, Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard
Nalbandian told a Thursday press conference.

"If positive dynamics are retained, the sides may progress in the
Karabakh settlement. The Armenian and Azeri leaders will soon resume
their meetings," he said.

There is no alterative to the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh
conflict, the minister said.

"Armenia has never threatened to resolve the conflict by force. It
adherences to exclusively peaceful settlement methods," he said.

news.az, Azerbaijan
Jan 16 2010

Russia can attain opening of Turkish-Armenian border without Karabakh
settlement
Sat 16 January 2010 | 07:49 GMT Text size:

Rovshan Ibrahimov News.Az interviews Rovshan Ibrahimov, Azerbaijani
political scientist.

The regional superpowers seem to have been focusing on settlement of
the Karabakh conflict recently. The topic was discussed during the
Russian-Armenian negotiations in Yerevan and Russian-Turkish talks in
Moscow. In addition, a trilateral meeting of the leaders of
Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia is expected in Moscow. Does this
intensification imply a resolution of the conflict anytime soon?

I do not think that these events are directly linked with expectations
of an imminent resolution of the Karabakh conflict. Turkey has become
more active because of Azerbaijan’s negative reaction to
Turkish-Armenian rapprochement. The statement by the Turkish
leadership that the protocols will not be ratified without a
settlement of the Karabakh conflict has pushed Ankara towards a
realistic foreign policy. It understood that it should not put direct
pressure on Armenia and should ensure that a solution is reached by
Moscow, the party that has the keys to the settlement of the problem.
Russia is interested in preserving the status quo.

Meanwhile, Armenia is just the last outpost in the region for Russia,
as Moscow has in fact lost both Georgia and Azerbaijan

Rovshan IbrahimovTherefore, during his visit to the USA in early
December, Erdogan touched upon the issue while speaking to the US
president. He also discussed the issue in Moscow. Russia’s reaction
was expected: the Karabakh conflict settlement should not be linked to
Armenian-Turkish reconciliation. Lavrov’s visit to Yerevan should also
be assessed in this light. Russia is interested to a certain extent in
ratification of the Turkish-Armenian protocols and the opening of
borders, primarily, because of the lack of a land link between Russia
and Armenia where a Russian military base is located. Moreover, we
should not forget the Russian-Armenian plans to reconstruct the
Metsamor nuclear power plant. The supply of the necessary equipment to
Armenia requires a rail link that goes there either via Azerbaijan or
via Turkey.

I do not think that Russia can agree to Turkey’s proposal and start
any definite action at least to release the Azerbaijani districts
around Nagorno-Karabakh.

Does Russia not want the resolution of the Karabakh conflict, even for
the sake of its interests?

These are two different issues. Certainly, Russia is interested in the
opening of the Turkish-Armenian border but it can achieve this without
settling the Karabakh conflict. Russia is still cautious about the
opening of borders and Lavrov’s visit to Yerevan was connected with
this. Russia has more levers to put pressure on Turkey than Turkey has
on Russia. Yes, it is possible to say that Russia is interested in the
Turkish market. On the other hand, Russia exports gas to Turkey and in
any case it will be able to find alternative markets. Meanwhile,
Turkey depends on the Russian gas: 63% of gas purchased by Turkey
comes from Russia. It would be impossible to find an alternative in a
short time if Turkish-Russian relations worsened. In this situation
Turkey can only propose, advise and persuade. Therefore, the issue is
not presented in this way on the Russian agenda: should we make
concessions on Karabakh if Turkey does not ratify the protocols with
Armenia. I think this issue has just begun to be discussed in the
Russian establishment because of Erdogan’s recent visit to Moscow.

Meanwhile, the economic rapprochement between Turkey and Russia is
obvious. The two countries intend to implement major projects in the
near future. How can this influence Azerbaijan?

The strengthening of the economic ties between the countries will
promote peaceful coexistence and cooperation in alternative spheres.
As Turkey is our strategic ally, its economic strengthening will be a
positive factor for us. However, there is another side to the coin.
Will this economic alliance be mutually profitable or unilaterally
dependent? If Turkey becomes more dependent on Russia (this is,
primarily, through the purchase of fuel, the construction of a nuclear
power plant, the possible implementation of the Blue Stream-2 and
South Stream projects), it will be possible to talk about the negative
implications of the alliance. The situation may even turn Turkey into
an executor of Russia’s intentions in relation to Azerbaijan.

Does this mean that Russia can put pressure on Turkey to force it to
open its borders with Armenia without settling the Karabakh conflict?

Russia will not put pressure on Turkey over the opening of borders. I
think if there is no progress in the Karabakh conflict, Turkey will
not ratify the protocols with Armenia and Russia will not apply
pressure in this connection. However, if you had put this question to
me a couple of months ago, I would have stated the possibility of
opening borders. Meanwhile, today the situation is changing towards
Turkey not ratifying the protocols if there is no progress on
Karabakh.

Do you think it possible to expect any achievements on a Karabakh
settlement this year?

I think the end of Turkey’s increased activity on Karabakh will become
clear. I expect no other achievements. Therefore, no great hopes
should be laid on the effectiveness of Turkey’s current activity.
Armenia is not independent on Karabakh. It is Russia that makes the
decisions. Meanwhile, Armenia is just the last outpost in the region
for Russia, as Moscow has in fact lost both Georgia and Azerbaijan.
Russia uses the Karbakh trump card to preserve its influence in the
region, aware that it is the last tool of influence on Azerbaijan.
Therefore, Russia is not interested in resolution of the Karabakh
conflict. And the longer the situation continues, the better for
Russia, because even if the conflict were settled in favour of
Armenia, it would be undesirable for Russia as both Baku and Yerevan
would then move towards the Euro-Atlantic community. In this case
Russia could lose the whole South Caucasus. Therefore, Russia is not
interested in any progress on this issue. Progress will be possible if
any power influencing international processes exerts pressure on
Russia. The United States is the only country that may apply pressure.
But currently this country has no key national interests in the South
Caucasus. Washington has got what it wanted, including the stable
implementation of energy and transport projects.

The USA’s wishes are coming true. Therefore, the United States will
not face Russia over an unnecessary resolution of the Karabakh
conflict. The situation may change only if US interests in the region
grow. This is possible if, for example, the United States starts
raising its interests in Central Asia and in access to the region
through the implementation of the Nabucco project to transport of
Central Asian resources to the West via Azerbaijan. The implementation
of this project requires a deliberate political decision from the
United States, as was the case with the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil
pipeline project. But no political will has been in evidence so far.
This happens for many reasons, including the global financial crisis
and problems in Iraq and Afghanistan. This means there are no reasons
to change the current situation. Only two things have changed in the
past two years. These are Russia’s attack on Georgia and the
recognition of the independence of two constituent parts of Georgian,
and the Turkey’s increased activity in the South Caucasus without any
strategy or tactics. I do not believe that it will end positively.

Does this mean that we have no hope of a conflict settlement?

Azerbaijan has conducted the right policy in isolating Armenia from
all regional projects and we are continuing to work in this direction.
Armenia is weakening in the economic sense. It would, certainly, be
profitable for us if the borders with Turkey did not open, otherwise
Armenia would get compensation and the settlement of the Karabakh
conflict could be protracted again. In other words, we should continue
our policy.

Leyla Tagiyeva
News.Az

TCA Arshag Dickranian Armenian School
1200 N. Cahuenga Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038

Tel: 323-461-4377
Fax: 323-323-461-4247
Contact: [email protected]

TCA Arshag Dickranian School Basketball Team Scores High
The Dickranian Lions Win 3rd Place in CIF Tournament Division 6A

Los Angeles, June 15, 2009 – The basketball team of the TCA Arshag
Dickranian School won 3rd place in Division 6A of the Californian
Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Tournament on January 2, 2010. The
Dickranian Lions have been training for two years in order to participate
in the CIF Tournament. Their hard work and perseverance paid off as they
took the other teams by storm gaining praise and due recognition from the
officials of the Federation.

`I am very happy and proud of our basketball team,’ said Mr. Rudoph Rameh,
the Athletic Director of the school, `Our students have been training real
hard and I am glad their hard work paid off by participating and winning
third place in the tournament of their division.’

The Dickranian Lions joined the CIF Tournament during the 2009 – 2010
scholastic year. Their achievement deserves special praise because the
team won its standing by competing against high schools with student
bodies more than tenfold that of Arshag Dickranian School.

Located at 1200 North Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, the TCA Arshag
Dickranian Armenian School is a federally tax exempt, Pre-K to 12th grade
private educational institution. For more information visit

ELECTING DYNAMIC PERSONALITY AS CO-PATRIARCH DISADVANTAGEOUS TO TURKISH GOVERNMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
15.01.2010 16:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Constantinople Patriarchate of Armenian Apostolic
Church plays an important role for Istanbul’s Armenian community. This
is the reason why electing Á dynamic personality, capable of activating
the work of patriarchate as a co-patriarch, is disadvantageous to
Turkish government, turkologist Ruben Melkonyan said.

"At present, there are 3 candidates for co-patriarch position: Bishop
Sebouh Chuljyan, the primate of the Gougark diocese in Armenia, Bishop
Karekin Bekjyan and Archbishop Aram Ateshian," Ruben Melkonyan told
a news conference in Yerevan.

According to him, wishes and opinion of Turkish government will be
reflected in co-patriarch elections. "Should Patriarchate fulfill its
functions, it will be capable of building a bridge between Istanbul
and Armenia," he concluded.

In early December, Istanbul’s Armenian community applied to Istanbul
Governor Muammer Guler for a permission to elect a "co-patriarch"
in light of the illness of Patriarch Mesrob Mutafyan. According
to Turkey’s constitution, religious minorities can’t elect their
spiritual leader; instead, a candidature should be offered for Turkish
government’s confirmation.

The Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople also known as Armenian
Patriarch of Istanbul is today head of The Armenian Patriarchate of
Constantinople, one of the smallest Patriarchates of the Oriental
Orthodox Church but has exerted a very significant political role
and today still exercises a spiritual authority, which earns him
considerable respect among Oriental Orthodox churches.

The Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople recognizes the primacy
of the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, in the
spiritual and administrative headquarters of the Armenian Church, the
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia,
in matters that pertain to the worldwide Armenian Church. In local
matters, the Patriarchal See is autonomous.

RA DEFENSE MINISTER OFF TO MOSCOW ON WORKING VISIT

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.01.2010 13:29 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan departed
Tuesday for Moscow on a working visit. The Minister is scheduled
to meet with his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov and some
high-ranking officials to discuss Armenian-Russian military
cooperation, reported the press office of the RA Ministry of Defense.

ARMENIAN, AZERBAIJANI, RUSSIAN PRESIDENTS TO MEET IN LATE JANUARY

Tert.am
13:39 ~U 14.01.10

Russian President Dimitry Medvedev is expected to host Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan at
a trilateral meeting in Moscow in late January, a senior Turkish
diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Turkish daily
Today’s Zaman, reports Azerbaijani news agency APA.

"Any joint declaration, either verbally or in written form, to be
released after the meeting in Russia and which clearly shows that
the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides have full consent over the updated
version of the Madrid Principles will mark a milestone.

"It will give a freer hand to Turkey for maintaining faster progress
through ongoing efforts for normalization in the South Caucasus,"
the senior diplomat underlined.