Author: Tatoyan Vazgen

PROTOCOLS TO BE RATIFIED: ORINATS YERKIR

Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am
Sept 18 2009
Armenia

Armenia-Turkey Protocols are an advantageous basis for further dialogue
between the two countries, Hovhannes Margaryan, Orinats Yerkir Party
(Country of Law) representative stated at the briefing in RA National
Assembly. It is the first time Orinats Yerkir comments on the issue
since the Protocols’ released.

Hovhannes Margaryan said that Orinats Yerkir Party stands for
Armenian-Turkish relations’ normalization and border opening. He
is confident the Protocols would be ratified by both countries’
Parliaments, underlining the necessity of the Protocols’ overall
view. "Eventually, one should not combat, but solve the problems,"
Margaryan concluded.

THE ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT REALEASED 13 MILLION DRAMS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF UNIFIED CATALOGUE OF THE DESIGN OF PRIVATE HOUSES

/ARKA/
September 17, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, September 17. /ARKA/. The Armenian Government released 13
million drams to the Ministry of Urban Construction on Thursday for the
establishment of unified catalogue of the designs of private houses.

The Minister of Urban Construction Vardan Vardanyan said that
the financial resources will be directed to the conduction of the
competition for the selection of the best 10 designs of private
houses and publication of the catalogue. "The Ministry of Urban
Construction has been instructed to develop the catalogue in the
frames of anti-crisis measures which will allow our citizens to avoid
additional design expenses", reminded the Minister.

The Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan suggested to conduct monitoring
of existing normative documents and make necessary amendments "for
the citizen who selected one of the designs of the houses presented
in the catalogue could go through whole process without beaurocratic
obstacles".

According to the decree adopted by the Armenian Government the Minister
of Urban Construction has been instructed to form competition committee
for the selection of the best designs.

During the meeting on September 3 the Prime Minister of Armenia
Tigran Sargsyan said that the Government will be struggling against
the lack of coordination of architectural styles of privat e houses
being built in the country.

Armenia-Turkey protocols: What is on the scales of the balance?

The Noyan Tapan Highligts, September 14 2009

By Haroutiun Khachatrian

The political figures and parties of Armenia have been divided into
two groups, and some of them say that the published Armenia-Turkey
draft protocols contain preconditions (by Turkey), whereas the others
claim there are no preconditions and recall a calf under an ox (the
Armenian proverb used by foreign minister Edward Nalbandian during his
press conference). They are engaged in mutual recrimination.

The argument is on a wrong subject. There are preconditions by both
sides and preconditions could not but exist. The point is what risks
the two sides are to take and what their goals are. Are the risks
worth the goals?

EACH SIDE PURSUES ITS INTERESTS

Turkey has expressed desire to open the border with Armenia (closed 16
years ago) of its own free will, so it is interested in opening the
border. It would be surprising if Turkey did not strive to satisfy its
interests in this affair – just like any other state does. No one can
claim that by providing credit to Armenia or occupying a borderline
territory, Russia and Georgia, respectively, do not pursue first of
all their own interests.

Well, does Turkey believe that the international recognition of the
Armenian Genocide is contrary to its interests? It certainly does.
Does it believe that the deterioration of its relations with
Azerbaijan contradicts its interests? No doubt it does. Therefore,
Turkey will continue taking actions aimed at protecting its interests
(that is, to hinder recognition of the Genocide and to help
Azerbaijan) also after the above-mentioned protocols are signed and
ratified. Turkey would have continued to protect Azerbaijan’s
interests, even if the protocols had contained, according to much
respected by me Mr. Vartan Oskanian, the following sentence: `The
normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations shall take place
irrespective of the Nagorno Karabakh problem resolution process’.

Similarly, does Armenia think that the international recognition of
the Genocide is in line with its interests? Certainly. Does it believe
that protecting Nagorno Karabakh from Azerbaijan’s ambitions suits its
interests? It does. Therefore, it will seek achieving these goals also
after signing and ratifying the indicated protocols.

Let us fix these obvious facts and go ahead.

ARMENIA’S INTERESTS A), B), AND C)

Now, I want to consider the most important factor. Armenia is very
much interested in reopening the borders and having diplomatic
relations with Turkey. It is interested to such a degree that many
people do not even realize the importance of that. Indeed, if the
Armenian-Turkish border is open, then

a) Armenia will gain a serious victory in the fight for Karabakh.
Azerbaijan’s power will at least halve. Now, we have two physical
fronts in the war against Azerbaijan, and only one will remain after
opening the border. Let’s not forget that we have not yet won the
struggle for Karabakh.

b) Armenia will get rid of its unilateral dependence on Georgia.
Usually, only the economic aspect of this dependence is indicated,
namely, that we will have an alternative railway, a reliable and cheap
supply, etc. The political price of this dependence is never
mentioned. I mean, after all, it is for this reason that we turn the
blind eye to (let’s call things by their proper names) anti-Armenian
actions of Georgia’s government. We are forced to do so. And we will
get rid of it.

c) The economic result is determined not so much by, and even not by
the very fact of opening of communications. Rather, it is determined
by the fact that Turkey’s MARKET will open to Armenia. We forget that
we are in a unique situation: goods of 200 million dollars come to
Armenia from Turkey annually, whereas movement in the opposite
direction is CLOSED due to a de facto embargo of Turkey. Some express
fear that our market will open before Turks, even though it has never
been closed. And almost nobody speaks about what will happen if
Armenia’s commodity market will have 70 million consumers instead of 3
million now, especially as this market is next to it, rather than
being located thousands of kilometers away as Russia, for example. It
will be a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ARMENIA. It is impossible to forecast
what investors and investments will flow into Armenia. But we can
recall the considerable number of investors who refused to come to
Armenia due to the small size of its market.

I would like to emphasize once again that Turkey is also interested in
the border’s opening: it has its own reasons for that, but I will not
dwell upon them now.

THE OTHER SCALE OF THE BALANCE

After stating all this, let’s consider the `unacceptable
preconditions’ indicated by the critics of the protocols.

The first `precondition’ is the commission on historical dimension. It
is said that its existence (according to Vartan Oskanian, the very
fact of the protocols’ initiation) will give Turkey a pretext for
declaring at every turn that there is no need for other countries to
recognize the Armenian Genocide because the Turks and Armenians are
clarifying this issue themselves. Suppose Turkey will do so. Armenia
in the person of Serzh Sargsyan has stated that the Genocide is not a
subject for bargaining, but Turkey will undoubtedly say (just as it
has said so far) that the problem of the Genocide should be left to
historians for discussion. Whom will Turkey persuade and whom will
Armenia convince?

As ever, those who want to be persuaded will be `persuaded’. By the
way, are there many people today who `want to be persuaded’ that
genocide did take place in 1915? In other words, are there many
parliaments, where the recognition of the Armenian Genocide has been
put on the agenda? As far as I know, currently there is only one such
parliament, that is, the Congress of the United States. Over the past
five years, no other country has had incentives `to be persuaded’ in
our favor. And this only parliament, the U.S. Congress, will `be
persuaded’ that the genocide was committed only in case when it
proceeds from its interests. No sooner, and no later. And the
protocols on the establishment of relations between Armenia and Turkey
will not play any role in it.

Well, suppose they will play some role. But let’s put the indicated
points a), b) and c) on one scale of the balance and the recognition
of the Genocide by the U.S. Congress on the other. What the
present-day Republic of Armenia needs more? We should remember that
such an advocate of the Genocide’s recognition as the famous Armenian
American editor Harut Sassounian has repeatedly said that the
recognition of the Genocide by the Congress is of no importance
because the United States recognized it long ago: President Reagan
issued a Presidential Proclamation in 1981, recognizing the Armenian
Genocide.

Finally, let’s simplify our problem by reminding that the
international recognition of the Genocide is part of the National
Security Doctrine of the Republic of Armenia. Now, what is more
important for our national security? The uncertain prospect of the
Genocide’s recognition by a foreign parliament (even by five
parliaments) is on one scale and on the other are the above mentioned
points a), b), and c) when a real chance has emerged to achieve them?

The second `unacceptable precondition’ is that Turkish parliament may
drag out the ratification of the protocols, demanding concessions from
Armenia in the Karabakh problem, even though this problem is not
mentioned in the protocols. This is quite possible, indeed. In
addition to the Karabakh issue, the Turkish parliament may also make
other demands we cannot think of at the present time. So what? Today
too, Turkey is trying to force us to meet Azerbaijan’s demands. Today
too, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are pressuring. What will change
if we sign the protocols, if we make an attempt to reach the above
indicated goals a), b), and c)? Nothing will change. We will just get
a chance to reach these a), b), and c) goals. A chance, which may be
fulfilled, and may be not. That is, things may remain as they are now
when we have no relations with Turkey. Things may remain the same, but
it seems they will not because Turkey appears to be really interested
in changing the situation (otherwise it would not have initiated these
documents). So, we have a chance to achieve the goals a), b), and c).
So it is worth trying.

Vartan Oskanian wrote in this connection: `… if the ratification of
these protocols takes place … before the date of President Obama’s
April 24 message … it is safe to say that Turkey and Azerbaijan have
received sufficient guarantees regarding the return of the territories
around Karabakh and the status of the NKR’. (168 Zham, September 10).
Well, what are these guarantees, which cannot be received from Armenia
(Armenia’s leadership) now, but can be received after the ratification
of the protocols? It is incomprehensible. What will change after the
ratification? Why should the Armenian authorities be inclined to give
the territories in return for ratification? Will foreigners try to
benefit from Serzh Sargsyan’s legitimacy problem, as is hinted at some
foreign instances? But this problem exists today as well. It is
difficult to understand the respected former foreign minister.

And the final point is the issue of borders. No doubt, it is the most
painful issue, I will permit myself to say it is even more painful
than the problem of the Genocide for the simple reason that the
victims of the Genocide cannot be brought back to life, but the hope
of changing the border drawn by the Communists and Moustafa Kemal, in
other words, the hope of recovering (at least partially) our
historical lands has been and will always be alive. Do the protocols
establish these borders or not? Diplomats say that the issue of
disputed territories can be raised at any moment, and the
establishment of relations does not necessarily mean the final
recognition of borders. After all, after the ratification of the
protocols, Armenia will always be free to declare this or that
provision invalid (can anybody guarantee that after opening the border
Turkey will not close it some time later?) I don’t know. One thing is
obvious: in order to protect our lands, we should not retire into our
shell; at least we should have an open border and normal diplomatic
relations with Turkey. Can those holding the opposite view say what
the Republic of Armenia has done to get back its historical lands? And
what can it do before opening the border: to raise a placard `Give Our
Lands!’ at the border; or move the army towards Western Armenia? If
there is a strong desire to act according to the latter version, the
protocols are unlikely to hinder it.

I must respond again to an opinion expressed by Vartan Oskanian. He
wrote about the clause on the borders: `The emphasis on territorial
integrity is an internationally accepted wording that solves the
problem of concern related to borders, at the same time not depriving
us of the right to obtain historical justice. Meanwhile, we should
have avoided at any cost the wording `mutual recognition of the
existing common border between the two countries’ which was set down
in the document.’ Obviously, he is right. But how realistic was it to
avoid the wording `mutual recognition of the common border’ in these
protocols? After all, those representing the Turkish side were not
inexperienced youths, and they knew what the Armenians want from them.
The negotiating countries have quite different `weight classes,’
suffice it to mention the difference in their populations. To all
appearance, this is the precondition which adoption the Armenian side
could not avoid to accept if it wanted to have the above mentioned
points a), b), and ).

TO TRY OR NOT TO TRY?

There is yet another reason that raises a doubt as to these affairs,
and it is related to those who carry out them. It is not for the first
time that I say that the current ruling political elite, to put it
mildly, does not inspire trust. Its definitions are: irresolute,
small-minded, revengeful, and amoral, and the elite infect the society
with these negative characteristics at every turn. With respect to
such a political elite (not to mention the problem of the president’s
legitimacy), there are always fears that it may prove insufficiently
reliable. As regards the protocols, as the above-mentioned analysis
shows, up to now the current political leadership of the country has
done its best. There is a hope that it will be so in the future as
well. Especially, as the approaches of the political elite and its
most powerful opponent Levon Ter-Petrosian to Armenian-Turkish
relations are quite similar, and in future Ter-Petrosian will continue
trying to assist Serzh Sargsyan in this issue.

An opportunity should be given so that we will make an attempt to open
the border. If we miss this opportunity, a new one may take long to
arise.

WILLIAM SAROYAN PRIZE CALLS FOR ENTRIES

Authorlink
Sept 16 2009

(Authorlink News, September 17, 2009)–Stanford University Libraries,
in partnership with the William Saroyan Foundation, announced has
launched the fourth William Saroyan International Prize for Writing
(Saroyan Prize). Intended to encourage new or emerging writers
and honor the Saroyan literary legacy of originality, vitality and
stylistic innovation, the Saroyan Prize recognizes newly published
works of both fiction and non-fiction. A prize of $5,000 will be
awarded in each of these categories.

Literary fiction, including novels, short story collections,
and drama, will be eligible for consideration for the Saroyan
Fiction Prize. Literary non-fiction of any length is eligible for
consideration for the SaroyanNon-fiction Prize, most particularly
writing in the Saroyan tradition: memoirs, portraits and excursions
into neighborhood and community. Entries in either category are
limited to English language publications that are available for
individual purchase by the general public. Entries must be received
on or before January 31, 2010. Official entry forms and rules are
available at

Michael A. Keller, Stanford University Librarian noted "We are
excited to once again be awarding The Saroyan Prize. The Saroyan
archive is a gem in the Libraries’ Special Collections department
and we are thrilled to be able to honor Saroyan’s legacy through
the award." Keller commented on the involvement of Stanford alumni
in evaluating entries: "It has proven exciting to bring together a
cadre of alumni for the winnowing process. We know that Stanford’s
alumni appreciate the opportunity for active and continued engagement
with emerging literary figures, and we in turn are energized by their
engagement and enthusiasm."

The first William Saroyan International Prize for Writing was awarded
in 2003 to Jonathan Safran Foer for his novel Everything is Illuminated
(Houghton Mifflin, 2002). The second Saroyan Prize, awarded in 2005,
was the first to be offered for both fiction and non-fiction. The
fiction prize was awarded to George Hagenfor his novel The Laments
(Random House, 2004), and the non-fiction prize went to Mark Arax and
Rick Wartzman for The King of California (Public Affairs, 2005). The
third Saroyan Prize, awarded in 2008, coincided with the centennial
of Saroyan’s birth. The fiction prize was awarded to Nicole Krauss,
a Stanford alumna, for her novel The History of Love (W. W. Norton,
2005). The non-fiction prize was awarded to Kiyo Sato for Dandelion
Through the Crack (Willow Valley Press, 2007). The fiction finalists
were Pamela Erens for The Understory (Ironweed Press, 2007) and
Richard Lange for Dead Boys (Little, Brown, 2007). The non-fiction
finalists were Adam David Miller for Ticket to Exile (Heyday Books,
2007) and John Moir forReturn of the Condor (The Lyons Press, 2006).

William Saroyan, an American writer and playwright, was a Pulitzer
Prize and Academy Award winner best known for his short stories
about humorous experiences of immigrant families and children in
California. Much of Saroyan’s other work is clearly autobiographical,
although similar in style and technique to fiction. Saroyan was the
fourth child of Armenian immigrants. He battled his way through
poverty and rose to literary prominence in the early 1930s when
national magazines began publishing his short stories, most notably
The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze. Published collections
of those stories include, My Name Is Aram, Inhale & Exhale, Three
Times Three, and Peace, It’s Wonderful. Saroyan also had success as a
playwright on Broadway and a writer of screenplays in Hollywood. His
notable successes include: My Heart’s in the Highlands, The Time of
Your Life, The Beautiful People, and The Human Comedy. The Time of
Your Life was awarded the Pulitzer.

Stanford University Libraries & Academic Information Resources supports
the teaching, learning and research mandates of the University through
delivery of bibliographic and other information resources and services
to faculty, students and staff. It is tackling the challenges of
the digital age while continuing the development, preservation and
conservation of its extensive print, media and manuscript collections.

The William Saroyan Foundation was founded by the author on December
30, 1966 and remains active under a Board of Trustees. Commencing in
1990, the Trustees set a goal of bringing together into one single
archive his entire literary estate. A decision was finally made by the
Trustees to offer Stanford University the assembled Saroyan Literary
Collection with provisions that would safeguard in perpetuity one
of the rare treasure troves in American literature, carrying on the
legacy of Fresno, California’s own native son, William Saroyan.

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:

PRESS RELEASE

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

An Interview with Yervant Zorian about the Launch of AGBU’s Armenian
Virtual College

The AGBU Armenian Virtual College (AVC) () went online
earlier this year for a summer trial session that attracted hundreds of
eager students from every corner of the world. They logged on to learn
more about this innovative Internet-based accredited distance learning
program that provides courses in Armenian history, language and culture
while allowing students to choose from six languages of instruction:
Western and Eastern Armenian, English, Russian, French and Spanish.

The driving force behind this groundbreaking Armenian school is AGBU
Board Member and AVC founder, Yervant Zorian. Zorian is the
vice-president and chief scientist of Virage Logic, an IT company
operating both in Armenia and the United States. He was elected to the
AGBU Central Board of Directors last year during the organization’s 85th
General Assembly. He serves as a trustee of the American University of
Armenia and chairman of AGBU Silicon Valley, and was recently elected to
be a Foreign Member of Armenia’s National Academy of Sciences.

His passion and vision for AVC has ensured that the original idea
continues to grow as the school and students work together to develop a
system that can revolutionize the way Armenians preserve and promote
their cultural heritage.

On September 22, AVC will formally launch its first full semester, so we
spoke to Zorian about AVC and its potential for the future of Armenian
education.

AGBU: Now that the first trial session of AGBU’s Armenian Virtual
College has concluded, how would you gauge the outcome?

YZ: The first term of AVC successfully attracted approximately 150
e-learners through courses in Eastern Armenian, Western Armenian, and
Armenian History. One of the purposes of this term was to evaluate the
e-learning method at the heart of the college.

At its core, the AVC is aimed to become not merely a library of
individual electronic courses, but a full-scale academic institution,
with fully equipped virtual classrooms, effective student-teacher
communication, peer-to-peer collaboration, and an authentic university
environment. The success of our first trial term confirmed not only the
academic quality of the courses’ content but also the effectiveness of
our overall online learning methodology. In fact, this term helped us
realize the extent to which the two complement each other in order to
create the optimal learning experience for Armenian education.

AGBU: What has been the response of the students involved in this
inaugural session?

YZ: Upon the conclusion of the first term, every student completed three
surveys, each assessing a key component of the AVC: the content and
methodology, the technical quality and ease of use, and the online
instructors. The overwhelming majority of students were satisfied with
their learning experience with AVC and plan to continue taking courses
through the program in the future. Moreover, all survey respondents
expressed their intent to recommend AVC to others. The majority of
students highly appreciated the opportunity to interact with one another
and found this peer-to-peer collaboration to be beneficial for their
learning experience, especially for those participating in the Armenian
history courses. Students were satisfied with the technical aspects of
the program and were impressed by the professional level of the
multimedia components. Furthermore, they appreciated the enthusiasm,
approachability, and responsiveness of the online instructors, who
helped create engaging classroom environments. While the students in
each of the six language groups–Eastern Armenian, Western Armenian,
Russian, English, French, and Spanish–varied greatly in their
background and their style of online interaction, they all shared an
appreciation for the mission of the AVC and its role in the global
Armenian community.

AGBU: Have there been any unanticipated surprises?

YZ: Throughout the first term, we continuously adapted the college’s
features and our learning methodology in order to address the
unanticipated challenges and surprises that arose. Even during the
earliest stage of the term–the registration period–we were surprised
by the demographics of the student body. The number of learners
registering for each course far surpassed our expectations. Moreover, we
were amazed by the span of their ages and their backgrounds. We were
quite pleased to find that despite this wide range, learners of all ages
were eager to communicate with one another through the discussion forums
and peer-to-peer collaboration activities. Moreover, the variety in
students’ academic background and prior knowledge actually enhanced the
level of classroom discussion and allowed for a richer experience for
all. As the term progressed, we were impressed by the number of hours
students spent on the lessons per week, which surpassed our
expectations. In fact, students often viewed the multimedia lessons
multiple times each week and the level of online activity on the AVC
portal necessitated repeatedly increasing our bandwidth on the host
server throughout the term.

AGBU: How do you view AVC fitting into AGBU’s larger educational
mission?

YZ: AGBU’s lifelong dedication to Armenian education is a well-known
reality. As we all know, throughout the past century, AGBU has supported
Armenian educational programs primarily through traditional schools and
universities in Armenia and in the diaspora. Through the Armenian
Virtual College, its newest teaching institute, AGBU will further its
mission to promote education in the globally dispersed Armenian
communities, using an entirely innovative approach. Through online
education, the AVC provides learners around the world the opportunity to
receive the same full-fledged Armenian education, regardless of their
age, country of residence, or knowledge level. In this sense, the AVC
not only reinforces the educational objectives of AGBU, but also widens
their reach. Though unprecedented in its scope, the AVC neither replaces
the traditional Armenian school system, nor serves as an alternative to
the educational institutions AGBU has supported in the past. On the
contrary, the new virtual learning community bridges the gaps in the
current system – both bringing Armenian education to those in the
diaspora who do not have access to traditional schools and complementing
the curriculum of existing Armenian schools through multimedia
resources. In fact, several day schools and Saturday schools, including
some from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Argentina and Uruguay, have
already expressed interest in using AVC courses to supplement their
current curriculum.

AGBU: When does the AVC team expect course accreditations to begin so
that students can receive credit from their local colleges and
universities for their work?

YZ: AVC learners can choose to earn credits for each course that they
complete, ultimately leading to a diploma from the AGBU Armenian Virtual
College by completing 24 courses. Alternately, students can earn a minor
in a subject domain by completing 8 courses from a single department.
Since the courseware has been developed by the higher educational
institutes in Armenia, we have already obtained full accreditation from
the Academic Council of the Yerevan State University for the course
developed so far.

Currently, we are actively pursuing the next level of accreditation from
recognized educational institutions in North America and Europe. Such
accreditation will help students transfer course credits from AVC to
their corresponding universities and learning institutions across the
world or obtain credit as Advanced Placement courses in their
corresponding high school programs.

Alternately, AVC learners may also choose to participate in the program
as an extension or continuing education course with less rigorous
requirements and no credits. Based on the demographics of our recently
completed Summer Term, we have noticed that the number of these auditors
is typically in the range of a third in each of our AVC virtual
classrooms.

AGBU: What is your dream for AVC? How do you see it changing in the
future?

YZ: While the success of our first academic term is very promising,
there is still much work to be done before the AVC reaches its full
potential. In order to reach a wider range of learners in the global
village, we will undoubtedly increase the number of languages in which
our courses are offered. Over the past several weeks, I have already
received requests to expand our six currently adopted teaching
languages, by adding German, Turkish, and Polish, among others. By the
very nature of the college’s design, the scope of the AVC is unlimited,
and we will continue to widen its reach until Armenian education becomes
available to every Armenian across the globe.

In addition to expanding the community it serves, the AVC will advance
in the education it offers. By widening the range of courses in the AVC
curriculum, we can ensure that our e-learners have the chance to obtain
the most comprehensive Armenian education. We are in the process of
discussing a number of subject domains to add to our current curriculum.

Due to the virtual nature of the institute, the possibilities of
advancing the features available to students are endless. We are fully
engaged in the global community of online learning and are collaborating
with world-renowned online pedagogues and technology experts. We are
willing to leverage the experiences obtained by the network of
institutions in this community.

As the college thus evolves into a thriving virtual learning community,
I foresee that it will foster both the cultural education and social
communication otherwise out of the reach of most Armenians, and in so
doing, will become the premier learning institute of the global Armenian
community.

Established in 1906, the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU
() is the world’s largest non-profit Armenian organization.
Headquartered in New York City, AGBU preserves and promotes the Armenian
identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian
programs, annually touching the lives of some 400,000 Armenians around
the world.

COMPOSER MICHEL LEGRAND : ‘I WANT TO EXPRESS MY MUSIC IN IMAGES’

Tert.am, Armenia
Sept 15 2009

"Now I compose for the stage," Michel Legrand said in Yerevan, who
during his creative working life has produced more than a hundred
albums and written music for more than 200 films.

The world-renowned composer informed the press that he is currently
working on three theatrical musicals. And in answer to the question
of how he relates to contemporary musicals, such as "Notre Dame de
Paris," he said that "it isn’t a musical at all, but a series of
songs one after another, there is no story there, nothing theatrical,
such works are simply ‘nonsense’."

Michel Legrand is currently writing two more operas, one of which is
to be performed in Paris, and the other, in London.

It turns out that Legrand who has numerous musical talents is also a
stage manager. He is going to release a film called "Blind Love." "I
found a way to use music in film in a way that has never been done
before. And I chose love as the subject [of the film] because in that
way I can use my music at its best. I wanted to express my music in
images," said the composer.

EU: ARMENIA WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN NABUCCO

PanARMENIAN.Net
15.09.2009 14:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Political problems relating to Nabucco project
implementation have been resolved, EU Energy Commissioner Andris
Piebalgs said in Baku.

"If talks with Turkey reach a deadlock, we will consider other
alternatives," he said, adding that participation of Armenia has
never been discussed.

"Armenia will not participate in the project. There is a plan according
to which gas will be pumped to Europe and Armenia is not a part of
this plan," Piebalgs said.

followthemedia.com
Sept 13 2009

Turkey Steps Backward

Michael Hedges September 12, 2009 – Follow on Twitter

That all politicians seek to control all media is an undeniable
reality. Imperious politicians seek that control imperiously. Progress
in press freedom remains illusive.

Turkish tax authorities shocked the media world (September 7) with a
TRY 3.76 billion (?¬ 1.74 billion) fine on Turkish broadcaster
and publisher Dogan Media Group. Virtually every media watcher has
spoken out, if at least tangentially, about Turkish PM Recep Tayyip
Erdogan’s war footing against opposition media and press freedom.

PM Erdogan faces little political opposition in Turkey. His Islamist
AK Party is firmly in control of the government. A statement from his
office denied involvement in the tax fine; it was the doing of the tax
office. PM Erdogan and Dogan Yayan Holdings CEO Aydin Dogan have been
in a pitched battle since Dogan owned media ` the highly respected
Hurriyet newspaper and two television channels plus CNN Turk `
reported a scandal involving corrupt funding of Islamist
organizations. (See background here) CNN Turk is a joint venture of
Dogan Media and Time Warner.

Business leaders in Turkey are horrified at what appears to be a
punitive ruling. `Everybody in their right mind,’ wrote Vatan
columnist Hikmet Bila (September 11), knows the decision is
politically motivated. "This actual practice gives birth to suspicions
that the tax administration is open to political influence and the
public good is not observed in the exercise of executive power," said
Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association TUSIAD in a
statement. Aydin Dogan’s daughter heads TUSIAD. PM Erdogan’s
son-in-law owns a competing media company.

The ruling, which might cost Dogan Media 80% of its standing value,
was not well received in Europe. Association of Commercial Television
Europe Secretary General Ross Biggam called on the European Commission
(EC) (September 11) to address Mr. Erdogan’s government directly. `Any
country wishing to join the European Union must comply with the
highest European and international standards in the area of media
freedom, including an absolute right for media groups to take a stance
which is critical of government,’ he said in a statement. `This is not
negotiable.’ (See ACT statement here)

Nobody needs absolute mastery of diplomatic language to understand the
degree to which the EC is not happy. Accession may or may not be on
the table for Turkey in the next decade but smooth relations with
Europe are essential. Press freedom may not trump other issues in
European Union relations but can be a nagging concern, raised by
uncomfortable Member States.

`The Commission is very concerned following this new, heavy penalty
imposed on the Dogan press group,’ penned DG Enlargement spokesperson
Amadeu Altafaj Tardio (September 10). `While tax irregularities should
indeed be penalized, one can expect the sentence to remain
proportionate to the alleged offence. But when the sanction is of such
magnitude that it threatens the very existence of an entire press
group, like in this case, then freedom of the press is at stake.

`The Commission had already expressed its concerns following the first
fine. This latest decision is now even more worrying. The Commission
will convey its concerns to the Turkish authorities and obviously also
will take due account of this latest development in the forthcoming
Progress Report to be adopted on 14 October.

`This news comes in sharp contrast with the very encouraging
developments we have witnessed in Turkey over the summer, including on
the Kurdish issue and relations with Armenia, on which we will
obviously report as well in the Progress report.’

There is a rich tradition in Turkey of a vibrant culture of civil
discourse: at times above ground, at times underground. There are also
traditions of repression. The people of Turkey and their leaders are
pulled in many directions. One direction they cannot take is
backwards.

s/dogan12092009.htm

Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am, Armenia
Sept 12 2009

Karabakh MP: We should preserve liberated territories

18:27 / 09/12/2009`War will break out if we conede the liberated
territories,’ stated Armen Sargsyan, Karabkah NA MP, ARF
Dashnaktsutyun faction member. `If we maintain so-called corridor,
sooner or later Azerbaijan will attack it to divide this part from
Armenia. We should preserve the territories, as there are real
prerequisites for it,’ he underlined.

According to Sargsyan a new stage of Karabakh conflict settlement
begins, in the course of which new settlement principles should be
presented, so that Turkish factor would not become decisive in the
peace process.

Commenting on the statement of Levon Ter-Petrosyan and his supporters
on Armenian-Turkish relations and Karabakh conflict settlement, the MP
said: `Levon Ter-Petrosyan forgot that he once had stood for the
&`broad autonomy’ of NKR within Azerbaijani boundaries.’

YEREVAN PRESS CLUB WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

SEPTEMBER 3-10, 2009

HIGHLIGHTS:

REGIONAL TV COMPANIES EXPRESS CONCERN REGARDING BROADCASTING DIGITALIZATION

FOI CENTER CONTESTS THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF TWO ARTICLES OF ADMINISTRATIVE
PROCEDURE CODE

RA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY DEFINED THE NEW ORDER OF JOURNALISTS ACCREDITATION

"A1+" FOUNDER ADDRESSED TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT

CHIEF EDITOR OF "ZHAMANAK" RELEASED ON PAROLE

CHRONICLE OF AUGUST

SUITS AGAINST PARTIES FOR NON-GRANTING INFORMATION

RA GOVERNMENT DID NOT APPROVE THE AMENDMENTS TO THE LAW ON "MASS
COMMUNICATION"

NEW CO-OWNER OF "HAY TV"

ANNIVERSARIES OF "ARAVOT" AND "SEVAN" NEWSPAPERS

REGIONAL TV COMPANIES EXPRESS CONCERN REGARDING BROADCASTING DIGITALIZATION

On September 2 Internews Media Support public organization and Center for
Information Law and Policy addressed a letter to Nerses Yeritsian, Chairman
of the Interdepartmental Commission on TV and Radio Digitalization in
Armenia, RA Minister of Economics. The amendment to the RA Law "On
Television and Radio" of September 10, 2008, introducing a moratorium on
holding broadcast licensing competitions till July 20, 2010, has created "an
atmosphere of ambiguity" for regional TV companies, the letter stressed.
First of all it refers to the expected transition from analog to digital
broadcasting in Armenia. The issue was covered by heads of regional TV
companies during several round tables administered by Internews and the
Center for Information Law and Policy.

The letter to Nerses Yeritsian was attended by the call of 13 regional TV
companies, asking to envisage a different approach in the program of
digitalization for regional and Yerevan broadcasters. The concern of
regional TV companies is firstly conditioned by the fact whether they will
be able to ensure all the requirements of broadcast digitalization while
having insufficient technical equipment and financial means. Besides, the
call emphasized the necessity of publicity, transparency of the process of
broadcast digitalization program elaboration, which will allow the regional
TV companies to be better informed and overcome beforehand the related
issues. The TV companies noted about the Recommendation Rec (2003)9 of the
Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe "On Measures to Promote the
Democratic and Social Contribution of Digital Broadcasting". The
Recommendation stresses the necessity of public discussion, as well as the
participation of interested parties in the development of national strategy
of digitalization, aiming to minimize probable negative consequences. In
conclusion, the regional TV companies expressed their readiness to attend to
the drafting of the program on turning to digital broadcasting.

FOI CENTER CONTESTS THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF TWO ARTICLES OF ADMINISTRATIVE
PROCEDURE CODE

On September 9 Center of Freedom of Information addressed to the RA
Constitutional Court contesting the compliance of some provisions of the RA
Administrative Procedure Code with the Main Law. Namely, it concerns
Articles 151 ("The Order of Examination of Cases on Bringing to Justice")
and 152 ("Requirements to Applications for Bringing to Justice") of the
Code. According to FOI Center, the reason for filing the Constitutional
Court became the inconsistent application of Articles by the judges while
examining cases on violations of information right.

RA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY DEFINED THE NEW ORDER OF JOURNALISTS ACCREDITATION

On August 21 a new Order of Journalists’ Accreditation in RA National
Assembly was defined by the Decree of Parliament Speaker Hovik Abrahamian. A
number of provisions of the Order cannot but raise concern. Likewise, Points
10 and 11 of the Order set forth the conditions of media accreditation,
including the print media circulation, level of attendance of online
publications and the frequency of their update, existence of regional and
foreign TV companies reporting missions in Yerevan, etc. Even though such
requirements do not contradict the Law "On Mass Communication", at the same
time they considerably hinder the coverage of the parliament activities and
are groundless from the aspect of efficient journalistic work. Point 21 of
the Order, stipulating the access of journalists by accreditation identities
only during sessions of the National Assembly and the Standing Commissions,
briefings, press conferences, parliament hearings, as well as other events
announced by the NA press service, does not contradict the letter of law
either. Nevertheless, the parliament is a permanent legislative body,
functioning at the expense of state budget, hence, such a provision
basically converges the possibility to cover the activities of deputies.

Some conditions of anticipatory suspension of the accreditation also raise
concern. In particular, the deprivation of accreditation if the journalist
"has diffused untrue information about the National Assembly or the
activities of the staff, affirmed by a court decision" (Subpoint "c" of
Point 18) seems to be an excessive and groundless punishment. Notably this
concerns the deprivation of the right of accrediting the media outlet whose
representative has violated the aforesaid Subpoint. Point 23 of the Order on
the responsibilities of journalists is also inappropriate. Specifically,
this refers to provisions, binding the journalists "to respect the legal
interests, the honor and dignity of the deputies and the National Assembly
staff members" during the accomplishment of their professional activities
(Subpoint "a"), and not to impede the realization of official duties of the
deputies, staff members and other persons present at the sessions (Subpoint
"b"). The rights and the interests of the abovementioned persons, listed in
Point 23, are already protected by the national legislation. Thus, the
content of accreditation order has to be limited, in general, by the
description of technical procedures and specific work conditions.

"A1+" FOUNDER ADDRESSED TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT

On August 19 the founder of "A1+" TV company, "Meltex" LLC, addressed to RA
Constitutional Court contravening the compliance of Point 1 of Article
204’28 of the RA Civil Procedure Code ("The Competences of the Court in Case
of Revision") with the Main Law. The abovementioned Point enables the court
to confirm the previous judgment on a case without securing the filed suit
on reconsideration in case of new circumstances. As it has been reported,
namely this provision made ground for the RA Court of Cassation who declined
on February 19, 2009 the application of "Meltex" LLC, regarding the
reconsideration of the two rulings of the Court of Cassation of February 27
and April 23, 2004 on suits of "A1+" founder versus National Commission on
Television and Radio (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, February 13-19, 2009). A
new circumstance in the case became the judgment of the European Court of
Human Rights of June 17, 2008, recognizing the refusals to grant "A1+"
founder a broadcast license to be a violation of the Article 10 of the
European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental
Freedoms, i.e., of the right of the applicant to freely impart information
and ideas.

According to the information placed on the RA Constitutional Court web site,
the hearings on the application of "A1+" founder are appointed on December
15, 2009.

It should be also noted that on September 15-16 at the session of the
Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe it is envisaged to discuss
the issue of fulfilling the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights on
the suit of "A1+" by Armenia.

CHIEF EDITOR OF "ZHAMANAK" RELEASED ON PAROLE

On August 4, according to the decision of the Committee on Early Release,
Arman Babajanian, Chief Editor of "Zhamanak" daily, was released on parole.
As it has been reported, Arman Babajanian was sentenced to 3.5 years of
imprisonment for document fraud to avoid compulsory military service. Head
of "Zhamanak" was released due to his health condition deterioration (see
YPC Weekly Newsletter, July 17-23, 2009). Arman Babajanian had a
neurosurgical surgery in one of the hospitals abroad. He continues treatment
in present.

CHRONICLE OF AUGUST

On August 6 in Gyumri the police impeded the activities of picture crew of
"Shant" TV channel of Gyumri who had arrived to cover the civilian protest
action at municipality building. The policemen led by the Head of Police
Department of Gyumri Shirak Shahnazarian took away the camera and moved it
to a place from where it was impossible to shoot. On the same day "Shant" TV
channel of Yerevan reported about the Gyumri incident on the evening edition
of its newscast "Horizon". On August 11 Levon Barseghian, Board Chairman of
"Asparez" Journalist’s Club of Gyumri, addressed to the RA Prosecutor’s
Office with a communication about a crime. As Levon Barseghian told YPC, the
Prosecutor’s Office has informed that the communication was directed to the
RA Special Investigative Service.

On August 16 free lance journalist Gagik Shamshian received a notice from
the RA Prosecutor’s Office that the he has been pardoned illegally. As it
has been reported, the amnesty was applied on Gagik Shamshian, sentenced to
a fine in the amount of 350,000 AMD (about $ 950) for disrespect to court,
by the decision of RA Court of Appeal on July 15, 2009 (see YPC Weekly
Newsletter, July 10-16, 2009). It is noteworthy that the issue on the
unlawful pardon was raised by Gagik Shamshian himself, who addressed to the
RA Prosecutor’s Office on July 30. Shamshian considered that he should not
have been pardoned on the abovementioned case, as an amnesty had already
been applied on him by another case. Gagik Shamshian informed YPC that his
claim about the unlawfulness of the ruling of RA Court of Appeal of July 15
was submitted to consideration by the RA Court of Cassation.

On August 21 at a press conference in Yerevan the Head of RA Police Alik
Sargsian notified that two young men from Etchmiadzin were arrested on the
case of attack on Nver Mnatsakanian, the author and the host of
"Perspective" program cycle of "Shant" TV company, made on May 6, 2009 (see
YPC Weekly Newsletter, May 9-14, 2009 and May 1-8, 2009). According to the
Head of RA Police, the detainees have confound Nver Mnatsakanian with the
father of their girl friend with whom they wanted to have it out. Thus,
there are no ties between the incident and "Grand Candy" company. (The
version about the implication of the company was moved out by the press.) On
the next day, on August 22 the comments of Nver Mnatsakanian were released
on web portal Report.am: "I deplore the state of our law enforcement bodies.
Maybe not publicly but at each opportunity I told more than once that it was
them and that I was chased by a "Niva" car owned by ‘Grand Candy’."

On August 21 "Haykakan Zhamanak" daily informed that its previous issue of
August 20, 2009 was bought up by unknown persons from the newsstands located
in Kentron and Erebuni communities of Yerevan. Some of the subscribers did
not get the issue. According to the daily, the action was conditioned by a
piece about high-ranking employees of RA Prosecutor’s Office, published in
"Haykakan Zhamanak" on August 20.

On August 27 in Vanadzor the representatives of Lori Regional Department of
RA Service of Compulsory Execution of Court Acts impeded the activities of
Larisa Paremuzian, correspondent of "Aravot" daily and "Hetq" online
publication. The journalist arrived to Vanadzor on the alarm of residents
who informed that representatives of the Compulsory Execution Service resort
to violent methods while evicting them from their temporal habitations.
Noticing that Larisa Paremuzian is taking photos and interviewing the
residents, the compulsory executors took away her recorder and photocamera,
and started to push her. As soon as Larisa Paremuzian presented her
journalistic identity, they returned the recorder and the camera, though
with deleted pictures. On August 31 RA Human Rights Defender Armen
Harutiunian addressed a letter to Gevorg Danielian, RA Minister of Justice,
suggesting to assign an internal investigation on the incident.
According to the information of RA Ministry of Justice of September 2, on
the ground of the ombudsman’s letter it is resolved to charge the RA General
Compulsory Executor Mihran Poghosian with an internal investigation on the
incident of Vanadzor.

On August 28 the court of general jurisdiction of Center and Nork-Marash
communities of Yerevan extended the term of preliminary detention of Nikol
Pashinian, Chief Editor of "Haykakan Zhamanak" daily, for two months – till
November 1, 2009. As it has been reported, Nikol Pashinian was announced
wanted within the criminal proceedings, instituted on the events of March 1,
2008 in Yerevan. On July 1, 2009 he voluntarily surrendered to RA
Prosecutor’s Office. "Haykakan Zhamanak" Chief Editor received a preventive
punishment of arrest (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, June 26 – July 2, 2009). On
August 5 RA Special Investigative Service notified about the end of the
preliminary investigation on part of the case regarding Nikol Pashinian.

SUITS AGAINST PARTIES FOR NON-GRANTING INFORMATION

Center of Freedom of Information addressed to court of general jurisdiction
of Center and Nork-Marash communities of Yerevan with suits on non-granting
of information versus three parties – "Orinats Yerkir", Armenian National
Congress and Labor Socialist Party of Armenia.

In April 2009 FOI Center made inquiries to seven parties (registered at the
RA Central Electoral Commission for running in the elections of Yerevan
Council of Elderly of May 31, 2009) requesting the copies of their financial
reports for 2008 and information about sources of charitable contributions
exceeding the hundred-fold of the minimum wage. The Republican Party of
Armenia, ARF "Dashnaktsutiun", "Prosperous Armenia" and the Popular Party
gave an exhaustive reply and in terms defined by the law. "Orinats Yerkir"
granted incomplete information with a delay, while, the Armenian National
Congress and the Labor Socialist Party of Armenia did not respond to the
inquiry at all.

Court hearings on the suit of FOI Center versus "Orinats Yerkir" started on
July 29. The party made a petition to accord some time for preparing an
answer to the suit demands. The petition was secured. At the next session,
on September 4 it turned out that "Orinats Yerkir" requested the copy of its
financial report from the RA State Register of Legal Entities and was
refused. Thereby, the court resolved to require for the document on its
behalf. The hearings were interrupted until the financial report is
received.

The court hearings on the suit versus Armenian National Congress started on
September 10. The party has presented its answer which was given to the
plaintiff for review.

The suit versus Labor Socialist Party of Armenia is submitted to
consideration, although the session date is not appointed yet.

RA GOVERNMENT DID NOT APPROVE THE AMENDMENTS TO THE LAW ON "MASS
COMMUNICATION"

On July 30 RA Government opposed the draft law "On Introducing Amendment and
Supplements to the RA Law ‘On Mass Communication’". As it has been reported,
the draft law was suggested by RA NA deputy Victor Dallakian and submitted
to the National Assembly on July 6, 2009. The author of the draft proposes,
in particular, to supplement the Law with provisions determining the rights
and obligations of journalists. The draft was criticized by a number of
journalistic organizations and RA Human Rights Defender Armen Harutiunian.
Particularly, in the letter of July 22 to RA National Assembly Chairman
Hovik Abrahamian, Armen Harutiunian emphasized that the main provisions of
the draft contravene the Article 10 of the European Convention for the
Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, assuring the freedom of
expression, as well as the case law of the European Court of Human Rights.
Overall, the ombudsman considered the draft to be "unacceptable and indigent
to improvement" (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, July 17-23, 2009).

NEW CO-OWNER OF "HAY TV"

The co-owner of "Hay TV" (founder of TV company is "Shark" LLC) became
"Sovrano" LLC, belonging to businessman Arman Sahakian. According to the
Armenian business directory "Spyur", Arman Sahakian also owns the press
distribution network, "Press Stand" LLC.

ANNIVERSARIES OF "ARAVOT" AND "SEVAN" NEWSPAPERS

On August 1 "Aravot" daily celebrated its 15th anniversary. On September 4
"Sevan" newspaper marked its 70th anniversary since its foundation.

Yerevan Press Club congratulates the colleagues with the jubilees and wishes
them further success and prosperity!

When reprinting or using the information above, reference to the Yerevan
Press Club is required.

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Editor of YPC Newsletter – Elina POGHOSBEKIAN
_____________________________________ _______
Yerevan Press Club
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