Author: Torgomian Varazdat

ZIYAFET ASKEROV: "CHANGING THE FORMAT OF THE MINSK GROUP MAY PROTRACT TALKS ON NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT"

Today.Az
politics/47614.html
Sept 17 2008
Azerbaijan

"I do not think that there is a need for changing a format of
mediators in the talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno
karabakh. Talks should continue in the current format of the OSCE
Minsk Group", said first vice speaker of Azerbaijan’s Milli Medjlis
Ziyafet Askerov.

"We have not yet yielded the results, we expect from the Minsk
Group. But changing the format means the temporary freezing of the
negotiation process for the countries, to be in the new format,
to study the situation again and make proposals. It all may lead to
loss of time", said he.

At the same time, the first vice speaker noted that for the progress
in talks each side should adhere to the norms and principles of the
international law and noted that his words mostly refer to the Minsk
Group co-chairing countries.

Askerov noted that this conflict should be settled on the basis of
international principles and there is no alternative to it.

"Certainly, most depends on Armenia as well. This country should
finally realize that such continuation of the conflict is not promising
for them", said Askerov.

CURRENT YEAR ARTSAKH STATE UNIVERSITY OPENED ITS DOORS FOR 734 STUDENTS

DeFacto Agency
Sept 16 2008
Armenia

STEPANAKERT, 15.09.08. DE FACTO. 734 school-leavers entered
Artsakh State University current year. 240 of them entered free
departments. According to the NKR Deputy Minister of Education
and Science Slava Asriyan, the greatest competition was observed
on economic, philological, historical, juridical and biological
departments. Professions like "geography", "physics", "mathematics",
"agricultural technologies" were not in the focus of school-leavers’
attention.

As for private higher educational institutions, admission is finished
there. 210 people entered Mesrop Mashtots University, 155 – Grigor
Narekatsi University, 10 people – Gyurjian Arts Institute.

There were school-leavers from Karabakh among those who entered
higher educational institutes of Republic of Armenia: current year
their number made 55 people (41 of them entered free departments).

U.S. INTELLIGENCE GATHERING SHIP ENTERS SEVASTOPOL HARBOR

RIA Novosti
13:09 | 16/ 09/ 2008

SEVASTOPOL, September 16 (RIA Novosti) – The U.S. Pathfinder ship
entered on Tuesday the Sevastopol harbor that is home to the Ukrainian
navy and Russia’s Black Sea Fleet (Image gallery), a Russian naval
source said.

"This is the second planned visit of Pathfinder at the invitation of
Ukraine in the past 10 days," the source said.

USNS Pathfinder (T-AGS 60) is an oceanographic survey ship owned by
the Military Sealift Command and has a civilian crew and scientists
on board.

According to official statements, Pathfinder is searching for a ship
which sank in the harbor during World War II.

The Soviet hospital ship Armenia was sunk on November 7, 1941 by
German torpedo-carrying He 111 planes while the ship was evacuating
refugees and wounded military and staff from Crimean hospitals. It
is estimated that approximately 7,000 people died in the attack.

However, Russian intelligence believes that ships of the Pathfinder
class could be used for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering
purposes.

"We have reliable information confirming that the [Pathfinder] ship has
arrived in the Black Sea primarily to conduct intelligence gathering
operations in support of the NATO naval task group currently deployed
in the area," the source said.

Russian intelligence experts suspect that the ship may be carrying
surveillance equipment that could survey the depths and the condition
of the sea shelf and monitor the movement of submerged submarines at
a distance of up to 100 km (over 60 miles).

Russia is seriously concerned over the increased presence of NATO
naval forces near its main naval base in the Black Sea, which hosts
at least 50 warships and smaller vessels, along with 80 aircraft.

The base has been a source of friction between Russia and Ukraine in
recent years, as Ukraine’s pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko has
sought NATO and EU membership for the country and demanded that the
Black Sea Fleet must leave the base after a bilateral lease agreement
expires in 2017.

NATO sent at least five warships, including guided missile frigates,
into the Black Sea after Russia completed its operation "to force
Georgia to peace" on August 12.

The operation came as a response to Georgia’s attack on South Ossetia
on August 8.

Western nations criticized Russia’s counterattack as excessive and
also condemned Moscow’s August 26 recognition of South Ossetia and
Abkhazia as independent states. Russia and NATO froze cooperation
over the Georgia crisis.

Russia has blamed Western powers for encouraging Tbilisi’s aggression
and criticized the alliance for building up forces in the Black Sea
and helping Georgia to re-arm in the conflict zone.

NATO announced on September 10 that its naval task force in the Black
Sea, which consisted of Spanish, German, U.S. and Polish frigates,
was leaving the region in accordance with international agreements.

RETURN SECOND FESTIVAL OF CLASSICAL MUSIC TO START ON SEPTEMBER 15 IN YEREVAN

Noyan Tapan

Se p 11, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 13, NOYAN TAPAN. The Return (Veradardz) second
festival of classical music will be held between September 15 to
October 28 in Yerevan on the initiative of the Gallery of Arts
cultural foundation.

World-famous violinist, gold prize-winner of Queen Elizabeth
International Music Competition of Belgium Sergei Khachatrian
(Germany), violinist Vladimir Khachatrian (Germany), pianist Steven
Prutsman, cellist Suren Bagratuni (USA), Armenian State Chamber
Orchestra, and others will perform within the framework of the
festival.

Mariam Shahinian, festival’s founder, said at the September 13 press
conference that festival’s goal is to present Armenian musicians,
who create abroad and are already renowned, to the Armenian art-loving
public. "We are proud of those musicians and meanwhile dream that they
will be listened to in the homeland," M. Shahinian said. According
to her, the festival also pursues another goal, to return Armenian
musicians to the homeland and to create such conditions for them to
create not only abroad but also in Armenia.

According to USSR People’s Artist, composer Edward Mirzoyan, the Return
festival, which has already gained general recognition, is becoming
traditional. And it is gladdening that musicians creating abroad
express willingness to present their art in the homeland, as well.

Answering journalists’ questions, S. Khachatrian said that having
concerts in Armenia is an honor for him, and he dreams of returning
to the homeland in a few years and teaching at Komitas Conservatory
of Yerevan.

Agence France Presse — English
September 11, 2008 Thursday 7:30 AM GMT

Turkish leader optimistic on Azeri-Armenian ties

LENANKARA, Sept 11 2008

Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Armenia and Azerbaijan are willing
to resolve their conflict over Nagorny Karabakh region after talks in
the two countries, Anatolia news agency reported Thursday.

Armenia and Azerbaijan both have "a honest and sincere desire for a
settlement," Gul told reporters on a flight back from talks in Baku,
which followed his historic trip to Yerevan on Saturday, Anatolia
reported.

"I am coming back with feelings of great content and optimism," Gul
said, adding that the conflict between Georgia and Russia had
triggered a new desire to resolve outstanding problems in the
Caucasus.

Turkey wants progress in ending Nagorny Karabakh tensions between
Azerbaijan, one of its closest allies, and traditional foe Armenia,
which would allow Ankara to take bolder steps in its reconciliation
bid with Yerevan.

Turkey has refused to establish diplomatic ties with Armenia because
of its international campaign for the recognition of the mass killings
of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire during World War I as genocide.

In 1993, Turkey also dealt a heavy economic blow to its impoverished
eastern neighbour by shutting the border in a show of solidarity with
Azerbaijan, then at war with Armenia over Nagorny Karabakh, an
Armenian-majority region in Azerbaijan which declared independence.

Gul played down suggestions that Ankara’s push to reconcile with
Yerevan had irked Azerbaijan, which has close economic and political
ties as well as ethnic and cultural bonds with Turkey.

"We agree that we should make efforts to try to resolve the
issue… If this opportunity is missed, who knows when a new
opportunity will arise?… Everyone is aware that a settlement will
lead to comprehensive cooperation from which all will benefit," he
said.

Gul became the first Turkish head of state to visit Armenia when he
travelled to Yerevan on Saturday to watch a World Cup qualifying
football match between the two countries on an invitation by Armenian
President Serzh Sarkisian.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said Wednesday he was trying to
organise a trilateral meeting with his Azeri and Armenian counterparts
at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York later this
month.

YOUNG FAMILIES CANNOT STAND THE TEST

A1+
[02:00 pm] 12 September, 2008

"The first four months of the marriage passed away in a winkle of an
eye. Everything was wonderful. But a year later when the baby was born,
unbearable social problems emerged and we divorced," said 25-year-old
Vardan who divorced five months ago. "Surely, we loved each other,
but our feelings got devoured in daily problems which were already
getting on my nerves."

Vardan sees his 1.5-year-old daughter twice a week.

"I do not get in touch with my wife, we don’t even greet each other,"
he says.

20-year-old Sona is not divorced, but she is not living with her
husband already for a month. "My individuality didn’t let me get
on with some traits of his character. This resulted in frequent
quarrels. My husband couldn’t stand it and went away."

Sona’s husband, 28-year-old Arsen, is going to appeal to court. As
soon as the couple is divorced Arsen will move to Russia leaving
pregnant Sona alone. Their marriage lasted only 6 months.

Psychologist Anush Petrossian says couples usually get divorced in
the first two years of matrimony, "It is the time when the couple
gets adapted to each other both in everyday life and in bed and this
is a most difficult test. The psychologist advises young couples not
to hurry to have babies, as they fully focus on the new-born baby.

"They should first get used to each other then to a third person,"
adds Anush Pogossian. Parent’s interference in their children’s private
life also leads to divorces. "It is selfishness. Armenian mothers say
they are trying to help the young. In fact they are simply afraid of
staying alone," says the psychologist.

To avert divorces the psychologist advises newly-married couples to
examine each other better before the marriage. "It is important that
the couple live together before the marriage," says Anush Pogossian.

28-year-old Sona thinks she will never marry again, "because no one
will marry a divorced woman with a child. They say I can marry only a
divorced man but now I don’t want to think about anything else but my
child. I shall devote all my life to my baby," says the future mother.

Note, according to the Justice Ministry 2195 families divorced over
the past eight months.

September 12, 2008
Press Release
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

PRELATE TO CELEBRATE THE FEAST OF THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS AT HOLY
CROSS CATHEDRAL

Sunday, September 14 is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy
Cross, the last of the five major feast days of the Armenian Apostolic
Church. It is also the name day of Holy Cross Cathedral in Montebello.
On these occasions H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate,
will celebrate Divine Liturgy, deliver the sermon, and preside over the
blessing of madagh at Holy Cross Cathedral.
By the ordinance of the Prelate, Very Rev. Fr. Muron Aznikian will
celebrate Divine Liturgy and deliver the sermon at Holy Trinity Church in
Fresno, and Very Rev. Fr. Barthev Gulumian at the Armenian Apostolic Church
of Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Region.
The 93rd Anniversary of the battle of Musa Dagh will also be
commemorated on this day with Divine Liturgy and the blessing of Herissa by
Archpriest Dr. Khoren Habeshian at Camp Arev.

ARMENIA FUND CHAIR MARIA MEHRANIAN VISITS THE PRELACY

On the morning of Wednesday, September 10th, H.E. Archbishop
Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, welcomed Chair of Armenia Fund U.S. Western
Region Mrs. Maria Mehranian to the Prelacy.
Mrs. Mehranian met with the Prelate to discuss the current projects
and activities of Armenia Fund, specifically the upcoming annual Telethon
which will take place in November. They also discussed a number of key
issues which are to be examined in more detail at the next corporate board
meeting on September 16th, which Executive Council representative Mr. Meher
Der Ohanessian will attend.
The Prelate thanked Mrs. Mehranian for the update and praised the
active participation of the organization in the progress of the Armenian
homeland.

PRELATE CONVEYS HIS CONDOLENCES TO THE THREE PRELATES OF IRAN FOLLOWING
TURKEY BUS CRASH

On the morning of Tuesday, September 9th, a bus crash in Eastern
turkey claimed the lives of sixteen Armenian tourists and resulted in the
injury of dozens more. H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, sent
a letter of condolence to the three Prelates of Iran, H.E. Archbishop Sebouh
Sarkissian, H.G. Nshan Topouzian, and H.E. Papken Tcharian expressing his
sympathy on the loss of their parishioners.
In his letter sent on behalf of Prelacy clergy and councils, the
Prelate conveyed his condolences to the victims’ families stating, "We pray
for God to accept the souls of the victims in His heavenly abode, for the
Holy Spirit to comfort the families who are mourning their loss, and for the
speedy recovery of those who were injured in this tragedy."

BLESSING OF TWO PRELACY OFFICES

On the afternoon of Saturday, September 6th, H.E. Archbishop
Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, conducted the blessing of two offices at the
Prelacy headquarters. The ceremony began with a prayer service in the "St.
Dertad and St. Ashkhen" Chapel, during which the Prelate asserted that the
sponsors of the headquarters have remained faithful throughout all the
phases of the construction of the new building, from the blessing of the
foundation by H.H. Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, to the
official opening ceremony. He then once again expressed his gratitude to
all the supporters and grand benefactors of the Prelacy.
The Prelate emphasized that the support of the sponsors continues
long after the official opening in May of 2007, which is evidenced by recent
sponsorships by Dr. Armen Kassabian (Accounting Department, in memory of his
uncle Harout Neshan Kazandjian), Ms. Asdghig Keuylian (Christian Education
Department, in honor of her mother Mrs. Berjouhi Krikorian), Mr. and Mrs.
Hovsep and Elizabeth Boyajian (Vestry), and Mr. and Mrs. Hovig and Seta
Aghaian (Archives Department).
At the conclusion of the Chapel service, the Prelate blessed the
Christian Education and Accounting Department offices, which culminated in
the cutting of the ribbons by the sponsors. The blessing and official
opening of the Vestry and Archives office will take place in the near
future.
Also participating in the ceremony were Rev. Fr. Gomidas Torossian
and Rev. Fr. Ashod Kambourian. Executive Council member Mr. Garo Eshgian,
benefactors Mr. and Mrs. John and Asdghig Bedrosian, and members of the
Bedrosian, Kassabian, Keuylian, Krikorian families, as well as the Ladies
Auxiliary and staff were also in attendance.
A reception followed the ceremony.

PRELATE TO CONVEY HIS BLESSING TO
MAESTRO HOVHANNES TCHEKIDJIAN

On the evening of Sunday, September 14th, Maestro Hovhannes
Tchekidjian, permanent director and chief conductor of the State Academic
Choir of Armenia will be honored at an event to take place at Glendale
Presbyterian Church. Various artists as well as the Ararat Choir, under the
direction of Alenoush Yeghnazar, will perform at the event.
The Prelate will convey his commendation and blessings to Maestro
Tchekidjian. Rev. Fr. Ardag Demirjian will also be in attendance.

PRECONDITIONS TO BE SET BY ARMENIA
Nayira Khachatryan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
11 Sep 2008
Armenia

Being yesterday’s guest-speaker of "Urbat" (Friday) club, ASHOT
MELKONYAN, Head of the History Institute of the National Academy
of Sciences, expressed his viewpoints on the prospects of the
Armenian-Turkish relations.

A. Melkonyan finds that Mr. Gul’s visit was an attempt by the Turkish
diplomacy to mitigate the atmosphere of distrust in Turkey. "In all
the international formats, Armenia has always been against Turkey’s
participation in any process, particularly the settlement of the NKR
conflict, because Turkey has always assumed a prejudiced, partial and
an accentuated pro-Azerbaijani stance. But this time, the Turkish
diplomacy was successful enough to gain some elements of trust in
certain political circles of Armenia."

Turkey’s proposal on ensuring stability and establishing a platform of
cooperation and peace in the Caucasus is not something new, according
to the historian. "The Caucasian idea is not a new idea. It has
existed since 1918-1920. After signing the Batumi Treaty in 1918,
the Turkish diplomacy viewed the proclamation of the three newly
established states as a great favor on its own part; particularly,
as far as Armenia was concerned.

I would like to refer to the words of Nuri Pasha who said, ‘In 1918,
we created an Armenia which was in a sack, and the mouth of that sack
is in our hands. At any moment, we may tie the mouth of the sack so
that Armenia will suffocate.’ "

The speaker believes that Turkey, which has made a proposal on
establishing a platform of stability, does not have a vivid picture
of its further plans.

"The platform, as a document, has not yet been developed, in my
opinion.

When Russia took practical steps towards restoring its weight on
the regional and why not – the global level, Turkey became strictly
concerned by that. Besides, Russia is exerting various forms of
pressure upon Turkey to prevent it from opening a new railroad with
Armenia, because as a result of the realization of such plans, the
Kars – Akhalkalaki railroad will no longer be as important, and even
the possibility of constructing it will vanish.

In such circumstances, Turkey’s haste in terms of proposing a platform
of stability is quite natural."

The Turkish proposal was not rejected by the Armenian authorities, and
that was a right step, as characterized by A. Melkonyan. "The Turkish
side advanced the proposal on establishing a platform, and it didn’t
open the brackets. Naturally, if the Armenian party had rejected the
approach, it would have found itself in a very inconvenient situation,
so to say.

That’s why I believe that welcoming the proposal was the right thing
to do. As t o what it is, and what the platform implies, we do not
know that.

I understand the idea in the following way: strengthening the Turkish
influence in the region and acquiring a certain degree of trust
in Armenia.

Our diplomacy was persistent enough to achieve Mr. Gul’s arrival in
Yerevan, and the fact was viewed as a diplomatic success. But the
further steps are going to be more difficult. When you go into detail,
there emerge a lot of problems."

CZECH BUSINESSMEN INTERESTED IN THE ARMENIAN MARKET

armradio.am
12.09.2008 15:49

On September 12 the Armenia-Czechia Second Business Forum was launched
in Yerevan. Opening speeches were delivered by the Speaker of the
national assembly of Armenia Tigran Torosyan and the President of
Senate of the Czech Republic PÅ~Yemysl Sobotka.

According to Tigran Torosyan, this forum is of special importance for
the future development of cooperation between the two countries. In
his opinion, the Armenian-Czech parliamentary relations have turned
more active over the past two years, and this should be reinforced
by practical steps.

President of the Czech Senate PÅ~Yemysl Sobotka noted that the
cooperation between Armenia and Czechia can embrace various
spheres. According to his assessment, the visit will contribute
to the soon realization of all the intentions and projects. He
attached importance to economic cooperation with Armenia, noting that
politicians should reinforce economic ties, as well.

Director of the Armenian development Agency Robert Harutyunyan noted
that the Armenian-Czech economic relations have got rather active
over the past five years and the commodity turnover between the two
countries currently makes $37 million. The businessmen of the two
countries cooperate in the fields of energy, machinery, tourism,
banking and finance.

"Both political and economic relations between the two countries
are stably developing. The20Armenian Government attaches importance
to the activity of foreign companies in our country and is ready to
support their initiatives," Robert Harutyunyan noted. He added that
Czech businessmen are interested in the Armenian market and wish to
make investments in our country.

–Boundary_(ID_P4nyfMgRNPkLJ5iWu/gSdg)–

TURKEY IS ONE OF FOREMOST COUNTRIES THAT DISPLAY UTMOST CARE FOR AZERBAIJAN’S INTERESTS, PRESIDENT GUL

Today’s Zaman
Sept 10 2008
Turkey

President Abdullah Gul said Wednesday that Turkey is one of the
foremost countries that display utmost care and make efforts for
Azerbaijan’s interests.

Speaking to reporters prior to his departure for Baku at Ankara’s
Esenboga International Airport, Gul stressed that no one should doubt
Turkey’s utmost care for Azerbaijan.

"We pay high attention to exchanging viewpoints with Azerbaijan on
bilateral, regional and international developments," Gul said.

"Turkey is a country that shows care and make efforts for the interests
of Azerbaijan. This approach has been a part of our foreign policy. My
second foreign trip, after having become the Turkish president last
year, took place in Azerbaijan. This shows the importance I attach
to Azerbaijan," Gul noted.

Gul’s first trip abroad, as the Turkish president, was made to the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

"With this understanding, we have conducted high level visits between
our two countries. During the days of tension in the region recently,
our prime minister paid a visit to Baku along with the Turkish foreign
minister on August 20th, 2008. On August 29th, the foreign minister of
Azerbaijan came to Turkey to hold talks. The last time I met with the
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was during the foundation laying
ceremony of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Project in July," Gul said.

"During my talks with Aliyev (today), we would hold talks on our
region following the incidents in Georgia last month. One of the
topics we would discuss is Turkey’s proposed ‘Caucasus Stability and
Cooperation Platform’," Gul said.

"Naturally, I would convey to Aliyev my impressions on my recent
visit to Yerevan, Armenia. Furthermore, I would find an opportunity
to discuss issues related to our two countries in the region with
Aliyev," Gul said.

Asked if he expects feelings of offense from Azerbaijan on his recent
trip to Yerevan, Gul said that he does "not expect such a reaction
from Azerbaijan. Every country has independent policies. As I stated
earlier, Turkey is a country that supports Azerbaijan in related
matters. No one has any doubts on this."

Gul would be paying a one-day working visit to Baku on Wednesday. He
would return back to Turkey later on Wednesday night.