ARMENIAN BASKETBALL PLAYERS DEFEATED AZERBAIJANI TEAM
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
09.07.2009 16:48 GMT+04:00
In the International youth basketball championship held in Batumi,
Armenian players beat the Azerbaijani team 71:64. An outstanding
player in Armenian national team was Gor Plavchyan.
Before that, Georgians had 20 points’ advantage over the Armenian
team. Bulgarian national team is also participating in the tournament.
NABUCCO WILL NOT REPLACE SUPPLIES OF RUSSIAN GAS TO EUROPE
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
09.07.2009 13:20 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ As far as Nabucco project is concerned, Russia
runs no risk of losing its positions in Europe, as Nabucco will cover
only a small part of Europe’s demand for gas, Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer,
the head of Austrian energy giant OMV stated.
According to CEDIGAZ forecasts, the demand for gas in Europe will
grow by 1,9% a year, to increase from 545 billion cubic meters in
2007 to 692 billion cubic meters in 2020.
During the same period, natural gas consumption will grow from 495 to
578 billion cubic meters in 2015, and 605 billion cubic meters in 2020.
"Europe will need additional import of 150 billion cubic meters of gas,
and consequently, new gas pipelines," OMV CEO noted.
According to him, Russia will retain its share in the market; for this
reason, Nord Stream and South Stream are important infrastructure
elements. "These two gas pipelines will not be enough to satisfy
Europe’s additional demands; this is why I believe Nabucco construction
reasonable. As far as Nabucco project is concerned, Russia runs no
risk of losing its positions in Europe. The projects have different
business models, different sources and consumers," Kommersant cited
Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer as saying.
MEETING OF PATRIARCHS
BERIL DEDEOGLU
Turkish Press
7/8/2009
STAR- Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomeos and new Russian Orthodox
Patriarch Kirill met in Istanbul last weekend. During his visit,
Kirill expressed pleasure at the meeting, indicating a new era in
which disagreements between the two churches will end. Many historical
factors have fuelled these disagreements between the Fener and Moscow
patriarchates in the Orthodox world. Although some have to do with
faith, most of them actually concern administrative problems and power
sharing. When states and their rivalries over regions of influence
are considered, we can better see the political dimensions of the
disagreements.
The simmering tension between the churches during the West’s Cold
War-era rivalry with the Soviets for influence in the Middle East
helped keep the Moscow-Athens-Nicosia line together on the Cyprus
issue, while the Istanbul church helped to block further Soviet
influence in the Middle East. In sum, these differing political
preferences alienated the two churches from each other, and the
rivalry intensified in the post-Soviet era, when the church in Russia
got new life.
The Fener Greek Patriarchate has usually expressed a balance with
the European Union and Western tendencies, whereas the Moscow
Patriarchate symbolized the former Soviet Union and Russian foreign
policy. These two churches – one representing the minority in its
region, and the other representing the majority – started to reflect
Eastern-Western conflicts in different ways, along the lines of the
latest disagreements over Georgia and particularly Ukraine.
The problem was about whether the Ukrainian Orthodox Church should be
attached to Fener or Moscow. Moscow said the former was unacceptable,
because it should never stray from Russia’s axis. Although the
Ukrainian Church chose to move away from Moscow, Fener has avoided
doing anything that might sow tension with the Russian Church and
Russia.
It seems Fener’s careful relationship with Moscow, coming at a time
of good Turkish-Russian relations, allowed the parties to reestablish
dialogue. This shows that religious leaders are able to see global
changes and possible new power balances, transformation processes
based on social transition, and possible risks.
It’s sad to see similar tendencies so pervasive among political
leaders. Iranian President Mohammad Ahmedinejad has been vexing his US
counterpart Barack Obama, and the French president has been doing the
same thing to Turkey. Obviously, leaders who take seriously the two
patriarchs’ stance that ‘we belong to the same world’ will strengthen
their hand in the emerging global balances, but others will lose their
positions. While the US forges ties with its old foes like Russia,
Argentina and Cuba, and Turkey does the same with Greece, Armenia and
Syria, countries which endanger their existing relationships might
one day find themselves as politically isolated as Iran, Israel,
or North Korea. The Russian Orthodox Patriarch might not have come
to Istanbul in vain.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION IMAGINE CUP-2009 COMPLETED
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
08.07.2009 13:01 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Imagine Cup-2009 finished in Cairo. Armenian team,
represented by the team of programmers from TechSquad, did not win
prizes in the "software projects" nomination, Grigor Barseghyan,
director of Microsoft in Armenia told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.
All team members of TechSquad did not visit the Imagine Cup – 2009
and Armenia was represented only by one participant. Instead, the
Microsoft-Armenia organized an on-line video and audio conference
with Cairo, which enabled the Armenian team to submit its works,
as well as to answer the questions of the jury.
This year’s theme for the competition was "Imagine a world where
technology helps solving topical global issues". Armenian team
submitted a project, which helps to reduce tension in the body and
hands after a long work on the keyboard. The program can determine
the type and duration of work and suggest appropriate exercises.
Imagine Cup takes place already 7th year with support of Microsoft
corporation. For the first time Armenia has participated in the
contest in 2008. In 2008 the Armenian team took 22nd place out of 60
participating teams. Qualifying competition in Armenia was organized
by Microsoft-Armenia and Enterprise Incubator foundation.
THE ROLE OF THE DIASPORA ON ANKARA-YEREVAN RAPPROCHEMENT
Hurriyet
Monday, July 06, 2009 15:25
It has been more than two months since Turkey and Armenia have
announced their agreement on a road map, a key document that was not
yet made public but is supposed to detail the modalities and timetable
of the much-expected normalization process between the two countries.
Due to growing unease in Azerbaijan, Turkey had to declare
that the road map would enter into force Ð open the border and
establish diplomatic ties Ð only after Baku and Yerevan agree on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Recent statements from Baku and Yerevan
indicate that the parties are getting closer to an interim agreement
in months, if not weeks. The issue will also be on the agenda of
U.S. President Barack Obama who will pay an important visit to Moscow
this week. Such an agreement will not only constitute a major step
for stabilizing the entire region but also a relief for Turkey to
save itself from the pressure of Baku.
It is obvious that Turkey will even not lift a finger before an
agreement is reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan. But is it a
correct stance? Wouldn’t Turkey use this time to work to prepare a
more suitable environment, inside and outside the country, for the
normalization of ties?
There is a lot to do with his regard. At home, in fact, the government
seems more ready as it is about to launch special television and radio
channels that will broadcast in Armenian under the Turkish Radio and
Television Corporation, or TRT. Distributing free textbooks to the
minority schools is another positive step taken in this regard.
Abroad, however, there are important challenges that Turkey has
to deal, especially when considered that the Armenian diaspora Ð
especially in France and the United States, where the diaspora is
most powerful Ð has not yet been convinced for the historic deal.
Some French officials and experts I had the opportunity to talk to
during a visit to France mid June said that the people of Armenia
were in fact afraid that the diaspora could block the rapprochement
process between Turkey and Armenia.
"To keep the diaspora out of the process is a demand we hear quite
often in Yerevan," an expert stated. "Turkey and France could
co-operate to eliminate this risk in France. Because there is a big
interest for France to deal with this issue. They would be supporting
the process."
It would be considered as a legitimate and realistic concern but do all
members of the diaspora think the same way? "The most vocal Armenian
diaspora is anti-Turkey, anti-rapprochement and super-extremist on
the genocide. But we don’t know what the rest is thinking about the
process. Therefore we can’t really say what French Armenians do think
about it," said Dorothe~N Schmid, head of the Turkish Studies Program
at French Institute of the International Relations.
That indicates that instead of trying totally keeping the diaspora
out of the process, through dialogue with the moderate groups, they
could be taken within the rapprochement. Of course, Turkey cannot do
it alone; in France it needs the support of French government and in
the United States of both the administration and the influential top
ranking figures, like former politicians, diplomats. In France, it
won’t be an easy job. France recognized the alleged genocide in 2000
and tried hard to punish its denial, which still effects bilateral
ties with Turkey. That’s why contributing to Ankara-Yerevan process
in a concrete way could also be in the benefit of France. It’s not
to our information whether there is a sort of initiative taken by
Turkish Embassy in France, though I have heard that some international
non-governmental organizations and think tanks applied to the embassy
for offering joint projects to this end. Some of them already submitted
projects papers detailing ways!
to help the reconciliation of the peoples of Turkey and Armenia.
My observation is that the embassy should be much more open and
receptive to all different groups of the French society. I don’t say
merely just because a request of mine for a meeting at the embassy
was refused but a number of people who are closely watching Turkey
have the similar complaints.
Our embassy would have not much difference than the North Korean
Embassy in Paris if it does not change this behind-closed-doors course.
TOPALOV RANKED NO. 1 AGAIN, BUT DOES IT MATTER?
Dylan Loeb McClain
New York Times
July 1, 2009, 4:11 pm
The official world rankings from the World Chess Federation were
released July 1 and there were no surprises. Veselin Topalov of
Bulgaria is ranked No. 1, as he has been for the last year. Viswanathan
Anand of India, the world champion, is No. 2, a spot that he has
occupied most of the time since April 2004 (with a period at No. 1
in 2007 and 2008). While the rankings are still important, if for
no other reason than that they are often used by organizers of
tournaments to figure out which players to invite to their events,
they mean less than they once did. One difference is that people know
what the rankings will be before they are released because unofficial
estimates calculate changes accurately on a daily basis. But the
importance of the rankings has also been diminished because the chess
world is awash in parity. Lately, it seems any top player has a good
chance to win a tournament in which he participates. For example, at
the Corus tournament in January, Sergey Karjakin of Ukraine, currently
No. 20, won, ahead of Magnus Carlsen of Norway, No. 3, Levon Aronian
of Armenia, No. 4, and Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan, No. 8. In March,
Alexander Grischuk of Russia, No. 14, and Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine,
No. 30, tied for first at Linares, ahead of Anand and Carlsen. In May,
Alexei Shirov of Spain, No. 15, won the M-tel Masters, ahead of Topalov
and Carlsen, while Ivanchuk finished last. Shirov followed up that
triumph by finishing last at the Karpov Tournament in Poikovsky, Russia
in June. The tournament was won by Alexander Motylev of Russia, No. 27,
ahead of Vugar Gashimov of Azerbaijan, No. 11. Shortly afterward,
Ivanchuk found his form again and won the Kings Tournament in Bazna,
Romania, ahead of Shirov, Radjabov and Boris Gelfand of Israel,
No. 9. Such parity contrasts with the situation 20 years ago. Then,
Garry Kasparov, who was world champion and ranked No. 1, bestrode
the chess world. From 1981 to 1990, he won or tied for first in 15
consecutive tournaments. While he did not continue to win at such an
incredible pace during the 1990’s, he still won most of the events
he entered. Anatoly Karpov, Kasparov’s predecessor as world champion,
was almost equally dominant during his reign from 1975-85.
With the advances in overall chess knowledge, it seems unlikely that
anyone will ever be head-and-shoulders above the competition again.
ZARUHI POSTANJIAN CONSIDERS HER MISSION IN PACE AS PRO-ARMENIAN AND SUCCESSFUL
Noyan Tapan
June 30, 2009
YEREVAN, JUNE 30, NOYAN TAPAN. The member of the RA National Assembly
"Heritage" faction Zaruhi Postanjian considers her mission in the
summer session of the PACE as pro-Armenian and successful. Declaring
this at the June 29 press conference, Zaruhi who is also a member
of the Armenian delegation in the PACE said that there was nothing
extraordinary in the fact that she had allowed Azerbaijani and Turkish
delegates to put their signatures under her proposals.
To recap, Z. Postanjian prepared a document that proposes releasing
all the persons deprived of liberty for political motivations and
reorganizing the fact-finding group on inquiry into the March 1-2
events with the involvement of international experts. The documents
also proposes that the PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia visit the
country and work out a report on the implementation of PACE resolutions
by Armenia.
In connection with the "black PR" conducted by some mass media outlets
of Armenia regarding her activities, she said that the reason is
that she had foiled the head of the Armenian delegation in the PACE,
representative of RPA David Harutyunian’s efforts aimed at covering
up the March 1 events and "opening a new page".
The member of the NA "Heritage" faction Styepa Safarian in his
turn reminded that some representatives of the ruling political
coalition have voted for adoption of not pro-Armenian documents at
international structures. For example, during the sitting of the
PACE Monitoring Committee in Kiev on May 26-27, 2008, members of the
Armenian delegation in the PACE David Harutyunian (RPA) and Avet Adonts
(Prosperous Armenia party) voted for the decision which in partucular
read: "The sustainable democratic development will be extremely
difficult in Azerbaijan until the territorial integrity of the country
is restored". During the June 9-11, 2008 session of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC)
held in Athens, the head of the Armenian delegation, RPA member Gagik
Minasian voted in favor of the recommendation, by which the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict is considered one of the extremist and separatist
conflicts.
It was mentioned at the press conference that the proposals presented
by Z. Postanjian in the PACE had been previously discussed at the
board of Heritage party and received its approval.
TSVETANA PASKALEVA WAS PRESENTED WITH GARBIS PAPAZIAN AWARD FOR HER TRUE DEDICATION TO ARMENIA
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
30.06.2009 14:07 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Tsvetana Paskaleva was presented with AGBU Garbis
Papazian award for her courage in the honest and complete coverage of
the struggle of the Artsakh Armenians and true dedication to Armenia.
Award ceremony will be held on July 3 in Aram Khachaturian Concert
Hall. The ceremony will feature a screening of "My dears, living and
dead" film by Tsvetana Pascaleva.
During the ceremony, Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, under the
guidance of conductor Eduard Topchyan will perform Avet Terteryan’s
Symphony No.3
ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY REFUTES REPORTS ON ALLEGED MEETING OF ARMENIAN AND TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTERS ON CORFU
ArmInfo
2009-06-29 13:51:00
ArmInfo. Armenian Foreign Ministry has refuted the reports on alleged
meeting of Armenian and Turkish foreign ministers on Corfu.
‘There was no meeting’, Tigran Balayan, Head of the Armenian Foreign
Ministry Press Service Department for Media, briefed ArmInfo.
Earlier, referring to CNN Turk, Azerbaijani APA agency reported on
alleged meeting of the Armenian and Turkish foreign ministers. Thus,
the source reported that ‘Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Dabutoglu and
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian held a brief meeting. Ahmet
Davutoglu said they were resolute in normalization of the relations
with Armenia and noted that the policy with neighbors was being
pursued within ‘zero problem’ strategy.
He said all parties’ taking steps towards welfare, security and peace
in the Caucasus may produce positive results within short time. Ahmet
Davutoglu also met with Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz
Azimov’, APA reported.
ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES 202.4SDR CREDIT AGREEMENT WITH IMF
ARKA
June 26, 2009
YEREVAN, June 26. /ARKA/. At its sitting in Kapan, Armenia, the
RA Government has approved a proposal for the signing, through an
exchange of letters, of a 202.4mln SDR credit agreement with the
International Monetary Fund.
The Ra Government’s press service reports that the Government made
the decision to execute the previous credit agreements with the IMF
aimed at financing the Armenian state budgets in 2009-2010.
On June 23, the IMF Executive Board completed the first review of
Armenia’s economic performance under a Stand-By Arrangement (SBA)
and approved an increase in the IMF’s financial support to an amount
equivalent to SDR 533.6 million (about US$822.7 million; or 580
percent of Armenia’s quota).
These decisions enable the immediate release of SDR 102.7 million
(about US$158.3 million), bringing the total disbursed to SDR 264.2
million (about US$400 million).