Author: Torosian Aram

Sinofonia Toronto’s Series Presents Ani Batikian 12/11
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by BWW News Desk

Sinfonia Toronto is pleased to present Armenian violinist Ani Batikian
in her Canadian debut on Friday, December 11. The repertoire: PUCCINI:
Three Minuets; HOVHANESS: Violin Concerto; KHACHATURIAN: Masquerade
Suite; STRAUSS: Die Fledermaus; BARTOK: Rumanian Dances.
Hovhaness wrote his Violin Concerto in seven short movements. The
titles of the movements are self-descriptive: a Pastoral, two
movements titled Aria, a Hymn, a Recitative and Lullaby, a Presto and
an Allegro. Throughout the
piece the solo violin soars over a variety of complex accompaniments
in which Hovhaness uses a variety of compositional techniques such as
free polyphony, polyrhythm and polymelody, occasionally even using
these techniques simultaneously in two different layers of the
score. He obtains a great range of tonal colours as well, with
imaginative use of special string techniques like pizzicato and
tremolo.
The concerto was given its Canadian premiere in 2002 by Sinfonia
Toronto with violinist Jasper Wood and Nurhan Arman conducting. CBC
Radio 2 broadcast the performance; one movement can be heard at

American composer Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000) was an idiosyncratic
musical pioneer who sought a musical reconciliation between East and
West, spiritual and mundane, long before it was fashionable to do
so. Born near Boston to
an Armenian father and a mother of Scottish ancestry, his upbringing
was "all-American". As a boy he composed in secret. "My family thought
composing
was abnormal, so they would confiscate my music if they caught me in
the act." Jean Sibelius was an early mentor from whom Hovhaness
acquired his love of long lyrical melodies. The composer’s exposure to
Armenian culture was
around 1940 when he became organist at an Armenian church in
Boston. From that point forward, he composed works with Armenian
titles or subject matter. In the 1950s Hovhaness’ style became more
Westernized, but some Armenian
and also Indian influences remained prominent, such as his pioneering
use of Indian cyclic rhythm concepts. Following extended visits to
India,
Korea and Japan from1959 to 1962, Hovhaness incorporated
Indo-Oriental idioms throughout the 1960s. From the 1970s, Hovhaness
remained very prolific, reaching around Opus 450 by the time of his
death. His output comprises music in almost every conceivable genre,
from large-scale oratorios, operas and symphonies down to piano
sonatas and solo works for Oriental instruments.
Armenian violinist Ani Batikian entered the State Conservatory in
Yerevan,
Armenia at the age of 15, the youngest student ever to study there and
supported by a local scholarship. At the age of 19 she received her
undergraduate degree and at the age of 20 a postgraduate diploma with
honours. Her charismatic personality and artistry go hand in hand with
her violin, making her performance impressive and unforgettable. Ani
displays boldness in her choice of repertoire, which ranges from
baroque to contemporary.
For more information, please visit

http://toronto.broadwayw orld.com/article/Sinofonia_Torontos_Series_Present s_Ani_Batikian_1211_20091111

AMERIA CJSC IN ADDITION TO OTHER LEADERS OF CIS LAW MARKET INCLUDED IN CIS LCN NEW PROFESSIONAL NETWORK

Noyan Tapan
Nov 10, 2009

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Nine leading law firms from the
countries of the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) economic
region, Ameria from Armenia, FINA LLP from Azerbaijan, Vlasova,
Mikheil & Partners from Belarus, Aequitas from Kazakhstan, Turcan &
Turcan from Moldova, Yegorov, Puginski, Afanasyev & Partners from
Russia, ACT from Turkmenistan and RULG Ukrainian Legal Group from
the Ukraine announce the launch of a new alliance The CIS Leading
Counsel Network, which aims to transcend the national boundaries and
offer clients a seamless advice across these fast developing markets.

According to Ameria CJSC, CIS LCN takes to a new level their
time-tested relationships and offers clients integrated teams in
these dynamic and challenging jurisdictions.

The network, chaired by a rotating chairperson from participating
firms, aims to combine the highest international professional standards
with a unique local insight in these regions, which are increasingly
attracting international investments.

The inaugural meeting of the LCN members, hosted by Egorov Puginsky
Afanasiev & Partners, the 2009 Law Firm of the Year in Russia and CIS
by The Lawyer European Awards, in Moscow on 28 September, elected Ms
Irina Paliashvili as first Chair of the Network. She is the president
of RULG Ukrainian Legal Group and founder and co-chair of the CIS
Local Counsel Forum, an informal annual conference of managing and
senior partners of the CIS and international law firms.

Representatives of a leading German law firm Hengeler Mueller, Mr Oleg
de Lousanoff, and a leading French law firm Bredin Prat, Mr Patrick
Dziewolski, have attended the inaugural meeting as guests of honor
and shared their experience of building up a Best Friends Network in
Europe as a model to be followed by the CIS Leading Counsel Network.

LCN members have a long history of successful collaboration. The
alliance takes to a new level their time-tested relationships and
offers clients integrated teams in these dynamic and challenging
jurisdictions.

LCN will offer members a platform to pull resources to get the latest
in law firm technology, training and knowledge management systems. The
network will also offer annual training programs for the associates
of the participating law firms and regular seminars for clients,
giving unique perspective on the local markets across the CIS.

Member law firms of the LCN are not exclusively bound and are free
to work with non-member firms.

Founded in 1998, Ameria is a leading advisory firm in Armenia. It acts
as a financial, legal and strategic development counsel and partner
to the public and private sectors, as well as to international
organizations in Armenia and the South Caucasus. Ameria advises
its clients through an effective structure of five advisory units
comprising Management Advisory Services, Legal Practice, Assurance
and Taxation, and Investment Banking.

AZERBAIJANI, TURKISH DIASPORA ORGANIZATIONS IN EUROPE OPPOSE OPENING OF TURKEY-ARMENIA BORDER

Today
355.html
Nov 10 2009
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani and Turkish diaspora organizations in Europe will hold
a joint meeting to oppose the opening of Turkish-Armenian border,
Azerbaijan’s State Committee for Diaspora said.

"Azerbaijan’s State Committee for Diaspora initiated the meeting given
numerous appeals from Azerbaijani and Turkish communities in Europe,"
the committee said in a statement.

The meeting to be held in Frankfurt on Nov. 21-22 will be organized
by the Congress of Azerbaijanis in Europe and Coordinating Council
of Azerbaijan-Turkey Diaspora Organizations.

Representatives of Azerbaijani and Turkish diasporas in Europe have
appealed to the committee voicing concerns over protocols signed
between Turkey and Armenia in Zurich on Oct. 10 to establish diplomatic
relations and open Turkish-Armenian border.

"Diaspora organizations unequivocally oppose opening of
Turkish-Armenian border till the solution of the Karabakh problem,"
the committee said.

Meeting of diaspora organizations in Frankfurt will focus on three
themes – "Azerbaijan-Turkey: a common history, common interests
and common challenges", "Integration of Azerbaijan and Turkey to
the world of globalization: Realities, problems and prospects",
"Cooperation between Diaspora organizations of Azerbaijan and Turkey:
current level of development and prospects. "

Europe-Azerbaijan Information Center will be presented and an
initiative group of women’s organizations Europe-Azerbaijan will be
set up during the meeting.

The two-day meeting will be attended by representatives of Azerbaijani
governmental agencies and members of parliament.

SCR CREATES ANTI-TERRORISM COMMISSION

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.11.2009 15:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ South Caucasus Railways JSC has decided to establish
anti-terror commission to strengthen preventive work against terrorist
offenses on the railway, press service of the company reports.

For effective work anti-terrorism training exercises are projected
to carry out together with law enforcement authorities.

The program is expected to have a positive impact on the efficient
and safe operation of railway transport in Armenia.

ERDOGAN TO DEMAND OBAMA TO SOLVE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT

Today
57327.html
Nov 9 2009
Azerbaijan

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will strongly demand
U.S. President Barack Obama to0 solve Nagorno-Karabakh problem until
the end of 2010 during his visit to Washington, Cumhurriyyet newspaper
reported.

Erdogan will tell Obama that if the problem is not solved until
the end of 2010, the process of normalization of Turkish-Armenian
relations will be frozen.

The Turkish Prime Minister will demand intensification of the activity
of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs as well.

Erdogan will leave for the United States on Dec. 7.

JUSTICE MINISTRY REQUESTS DISBARMENT OF CONTROVERSIAL JURISTS

Today’s Zaman
Nov 9 2009
Turkey

The Justice Ministry requested the disbarring of two top Turkish
jurists on Monday — controversial Sincan 1st High Criminal Court
Chief Justice Osman Kacmaz and Judges and Prosecutors Association
(YARSAV) President Omer Faruk Eminagaoglu — upon the conclusion of
its investigation into a series of questionable rulings that stretch
back to 2008.

The Justice Ministry’s move comes upon the heels of a May ruling
in which Kacmaz said President Abdullah Gul should stand trial in a
decade-old fraud case despite constitutional constraints on the trial
of a president for anything other than high treason. Justice Minister
Sadullah Ergin emphasized yesterday that the investigations into
Kacmaz and request for his removal were not a new issue and should
not be seen as a reaction to the ruling over the president, saying:
"This is an investigation that began in 2008. Our [Justice Ministry]
Inspection Board and General Directorate of Penal Affairs completed
their work and sent their reports to the relevant chief prosecutor’s
office. From this point on, the process will be taken up by the
independent judiciary. We’ll all be following the developments
together." The final decision on Kacmaz’s status rests with the
Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK).

Responding to reports that the Justice Ministry wanted him disbarred,
Kacmaz told the Anatolia news agency yesterday that his lawyer was
following the case. "Due to the demands of my occupation, I can’t
say too much," he said. His attorney, Baykal Dogan, also spoke
with Anatolia yesterday, saying a disciplinary report prepared by
the Justice Ministry and sent to the HSYK included one request for
Kacmaz’s disbarment, two requests for his reassignment and four
requests for judicial investigation.

The Justice Ministry also requested the removal of Eminagaoglu, the
head of YARSAV. When prosecutor Eminagaoglu, known for his staunch
opposition to the ongoing investigation into Ergenekon, a criminal
network charged with plotting to topple the government, had his case
at the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on the wiretapping of
criminal suspects rejected, he filed an appeal at Kacmaz’s court —
and won, with Kacmaz overturning the prosecutor’s office decision.

Eminagaoglu’s case rests with the Supreme Court of Appeals for now,
and if it rules for his disbarment, this decision must be approved
by the HSYK.

YARSAV, which has around 1,250 members, is known for its controversial
statements. On various occasions Eminagaoglu has voiced disapproval
of the detentions and arrests of suspected members of Ergenekon. The
Justice Ministry had announced in April that there were four
investigations ongoing into Eminagaoglu, two of which were
administrative in nature on charges of lacking impartiality and a
failure to observe professional ethics. The other two were judicial
investigations that were launched because he made a statement as a
representative of an NGO in a public institution and because he had
been making continuous comments about judicial matters, including
the ongoing Ergenekon investigation.

Kacmaz’s long history of questionable rulings Kacmaz is known for
a number of controversial decisions, previously overruling the
dismissal of a case over a campaign to apologize for the killings
of Anatolian Armenians in 1915. He also overruled a decision by
the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on the wiretapping of
criminal suspects. The Justice Ministry announced in August that
Kacmaz was under investigation as part of the probe into Ergenekon,
noting that the ministry had decided to inspect rulings issued by
Kacmaz on Sept. 29, 2008 — long before his controversial decision
involving the president.

In the case concerning President Gul, known popularly as the "lost
trillion case," the administration of the now-defunct Welfare Party
(RP) was accused of embezzling TL 1 trillion (equivalent to TL 1
million today) by forging documents in 1997. Gul, who was the RP’s
deputy chairman for foreign relations at the time, did not face trial
because he had been re-elected as a deputy. After Gul was elected
president, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the
charges against Gul, citing the Constitution, under which presidents
can only stand trial for treason. The Sincan 1st High Criminal Court,
however, overruled the decision of the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s
Office, claiming there was a loophole in the Constitution and that
it was not clear that presidents are immune from prosecution for
crimes committed before taking office. With this ruling and other,
low-profile cases, the Sincan court has been noted in the media for
its poor track record and procedural accuracy ranging from improper
filing to technical mistakes and overstepped jurisdiction.

PURCHASE AND SALE TRANSACTIONS OF 5.75 MILLION DOLLARS CARRIED OUT AT NASDAQ OEMEX ARMENIA OJSC ON NOVEMBER 6

Noyan Tapan
Nov 6, 2009

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 6, NOYAN TAPAN. Purchase and sale transactions of
5 million 750 thousand dollars at the weighted average exchange rate
of 387.39 drams per dollar were carried out at Nasdaq Oemex Armenia
OJSC on November 6. According to the press service of the Central
Bank of Armenia, the closing price was 387.25 drams.

ARMENIA ADMITS THAT IT HAS SERIOUS PROBLEMS IN ARMY: MILITARY EXPERT

Today
276.html
Nov 6 2009
Azerbaijan

"Armenia’s high military command takes steps to appease disgruntled
army layers in the Armenian armed forces," Azerbaijani military expert
Uzeyir Jafarov said commenting on significant decline in Armenia’s
military budget.

"Besides budget, the Armenian army is also funded by Armenian lobby
and by individuals. The army often holds local exercises of battalion
or regimental character, portraying them as the whole army maneuvers.

Armenia admits that they have serious problems in the army. It gives
a reason to compare the condition of Azerbaijani and Armenian armies
with a struggle of heavyweight and lightweight boxers," Jafarov said.

The military expert said Armenia will seek military assistance from
third countries in current situation.

"The budget will fail to maintain Armenia and the country will have
to seek other sources of funding. Moreover, Armenia’s budget also
includes military budget of the separatist "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic."

"Admittedly, current political establishment in Armenia is composed
of people who came to power through war," Jafarov said.

Armenia will involve funds of the diaspora to compensate for losses,
he said.

On the other hand, Jafarov predicts that "Azerbaijan will be accused
soon of increasing its military budget and allegedly preparing for war
while Armenia receives weapons legally and illegally," Jafarov said.

KARABAKH POLITICIAN QUESTIONS TURKEY’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE REGION

The Messenger
Nov 5 2009
Georgia

Member of the Karabakh National Convention Maxim Mizuian thinks that
Turkey wants to dominate the Caucasus region and lay down conditions
for the other countries. Mizuian thinks that the Caucasus is a very
weak point for Russia and therefore Turkey wants to take advantage
of such a situation.

He suggests that the Armenian-Turkish relationship is not connected
with the Karabakh issue but the Turkish side wants to connect the two.

Mizuian thinks that Armenia should be very careful in what compromises
it makes and should not establish relations with Turkey at the expense
of losing its security guarantees.

INFORMATION ON PARTICIPATION OF REPRESENTATIVE OF NKR AT INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION IN GERMANY IS FALSE: EMBASSY

Trend
Nov 3 2009
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan Embassy in Germany denied Armenian media outlets’
information about participation of representative of so-called
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic at the international exhibition in
Dusseldorf.

On October 28, Armtown.Com published the information on its website
about participation of head of orthopedic center under the Ministry
of Social Protection of so-called Nagorno-Karabakh Republic at the
international exhibition "REHACARE International 2009" to be held in
Dusseldorf on Oct. 13- 17.

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Germany got in touch with organizers of
the exhibition and found out that the name of a representative of
so-called Nagorno-Karabakh is not included in the list of participants
of the exhibition, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry told Trend News
with reference to the embassy on November 3.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan
lost all of Nagorno-Karabakh except for Shusha and Khojali in
December 1991. In 1992-93, Armenian armed forces occupied Shusha,
Khojali and seven districts surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan
and Armenia signed a ceasefire in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE
Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. — are currently holding
peace negotiations.