Author: Vanyan Gary

Many Armenian singers can’t do without lip-synching
05.09.2009 19:05 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The ministry of culture and the government should
have taken action to provide singers with proper equipment before
issuing the law prohibiting lip-synching, according to singer Nune
Yesayan.

`Anyway, I was disappointed with some singers who turned to be
incapable to sing `live’,’ she told a news conference today.

For his part, Empyray rock band vocalist Sargis Manukyan underscored
that the decree helped reveal pseudo-singers.

TURKISH-ARMENIAN RAPPROCHEMENT NOT TO HARM AZERBAIJAN’S INTERESTS

Turan News Agency
Sept 3 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku, 2 September: In an exclusive interview to Turan, the head of
the Foreign Relations Department of the Azerbaijani Presidential
Administration, Novruz Mammadov, has voiced official Baku’s position
on the latest Turkish-Armenian agreements.

"That is a sovereign right of any state to establish relations with
another state. However, we think Turkey knows that this issue is
very painful for us and has a major effect on Azerbaijan’s national
interests," Mammadov said.

He then recalled the speech that the Turkish prime minister had made
in Baku in May and promises he gave at that time.

"We regard the latest remarks by the Turkish foreign minister as
a confirmation of the promises to take Azerbaijan’s interests into
account, i.e. if the territories are not liberated and the Karabakh
conflict is not settled, Turkey will not withdraw from its position,"
he said.

How can the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement influence the Karabakh
settlement?

Answering this question, Mammadov said that it might have a major
influence.

"Before the issue [the establishment of Turkish-Armenian ties] is
submitted to the Turkish parliament for consideration, a very serious
progress should be achieved in the [Karabakh] settlement," he said.

Does this mean that the opening of the [Turkish-Armenian] border and
the [Karabakh] conflict settlement should be solved in one context?

Mammadov said that "in principle, the issue[s] may be solved in
one context or separately". He did not rule out the possibility
of Azerbaijan submitting the issue for consideration at the United
Nations.

May one agree with Yerevan’s remarks that the agreements with Turkey
have become Armenia’s diplomatic victory?

Answering this question, Mammadov said that if the opening of the
Turkish-Armenian border takes place regardless of the results of
the [Karabakh] conflict, that will run counter to the interests of
Azerbaijan and is unacceptable for Baku.

"As to remarks by the Armenian leadership, do not count your chickens
before they are hatched," Mammadov said.

He said in conclusion that the next meeting between the Azerbaijani
and Armenian presidents might take place till the end of the year.

BOXING: KING ARTHUR PLANS TO LORD IT OVER SUPER SIX RIVALS

Agence France Presse
September 3, 2009 Thursday 4:07 PM GMT

Arthur Abraham said Thursday he will not let his home-town fans down
when he takes on Jermain Taylor here in his first Super Six Boxing
Classic bout on October 17.

The 29-year-old relinquished his IBF middleweight world champion belt
to step up to the Super-Middleweight division and is one of the six
fighters to have signed up for the tournament.

Along with Abraham and Taylor of the United States, England’s WBC
champion Karl Froch has signed up for the new concept along with
Andre Dirrell, Andre Ward and WBA champion Mikkel Kessler.

"Taylor is a real champion," said Armenia-born Abraham, who lives in
the German capital.

"He has held all four world belts in the middleweight class and
I am very motivated to make sure my fans in my home town are not
disappointed."

But Abraham is not content to merely take part in the Super Six,
he wants to win the overall tournament.

"The quality of fighters in this tournament is already good.

"But I would not only like to participate, I want to win it."

The first Super Six champion will be decided on total points earned in
the series with two points for a victory, with a bonus for a knock-out,
one for a draw and none for a defeat.

The four best fighters will meet in the semi-finals with the winner
set to be decided in the spring of 2011.

In the first round of fights, Froch will face Dirrell of the United
States while Danish WBA champion Mikkel Kessler will face Ward,
also of the United States.

REFERENDUM IS NONSENSICAL

3/aram-sargsyan
07:50 pm | September 03, 2009 | Politics

Chairman of the "Republic" party Aram Sargsyan doesn’t find the
"Heritage" party’s proposal for a referendum too appropriate and takes
note of the fact that in that case, a referendum must be held not in
Armenia, but also for all Armenians because the Armenians who suffered
because of Turkey are mainly living outside Armenia and their approach
is much more important.

"The government must know the views of Armenia, Karabakh and the
Diaspora, but the legitimate government can do that. The current
authorities can’t do that because they came to power by ignoring
public opinion."

Chairman of the "Republic" party welcomes the attempt to normalize
relations between Armenia and Turkey, although he has some concerns.

Aram Sargsyan doesn’t accept the creation of a sub-committee of
historians. He is also sure that the Karabakh issue lies in the
normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations.

"It is a process that leads to the strengthening of relations between
two nations and it is a historical event. The two countries must
enter a new stage and create a new political situation. The opening
of the borders and the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations
and other countries in the region are in the interest of Armenians
and the given countries."

Aram Sargsyan is sure that Vazgen Sargsyan would have been in favor
of the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations.

"I think that Vazgen would have been in favor. Vazgen wanted to see
a free and strong Armenia. He believed that Armenian businessmen can
compete with any foreign businessmen, much less Turkish businessmen. He
saw Armenia’s defense through the army, friendly relations with
neighbors, economic development and the opening of the borders as
the rise of the Armenian people."

The commission of historians is logical

"As all statements by the "Heritage" party, this demand for a
referendum is also illogical," said chairman of the Constitutional
Right Union Hayk Babukhanyan. He finds that the expected discussions
and ratification by the parliament are fully sufficient.

Babukhanyan sees no danger in the creation of a commission of
historians. "I think that it would be illogical if the Turks
and Armenians didn’t discuss the wrinkles of the past, Turkey’s
responsibility, the genocide issue and act as if nothing had
happened. That would be illogical. After all, there are issues
concerning historical heritage and other important issues, such as
the Treaty of Sevres that need to be discussed."

TURKEY’S HIGH-LEVEL OFFICIALS GATHER AT A "SECURITY MEETING" IN ANKARA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
04.09.2009 19:51 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey’s high-level officials gathered Thursday at
a "security meeting" in capital Ankara under the chairmanship of the
Turkish premier.

Turkey’s high-level officials gathered Thursday at a "security meeting"
in capital Ankara under the chairmanship of the Turkish premier Recep
Tayyip Erdogan.

The chief of Turkish General Staff, military officials and ministers of
state, justice, defense and interior attended the three-hour meeting
at the Prime Ministry headquarters.

Releasing a written statement after the meeting, Turkish Prime Ministry
said that measures taken so far to provide domestic security and peace
in Turkey as well as policies to be followed in the fight against
terrorism were mainly on the agenda of the gathering, Anatolian News
Agency reported.

CENTRAL BANK OF ARMENIA PLACES BENCHMARKING GOVERNMENT BONDS FOR 2 BN DRAMS

ARKA
Sep 3, 2009

YEREVAN, September 3. /ARKA/. The Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) placed
mid-term benchmarking government treasury coupon bonds for a total
of 2 billion drams Thursday. The bonds placed were of AMGN60147141
series with a five-year-maturity period.

According to the press release, total volume of the bids submitted was
4,765 million drams, including 300 million drams in non-competitive
bids.

Five dealers participated in the auction. Weighted average yield
of bonds was 10.1957% p.a. with yield of highest accepted bids at
10.36%. Earlier, the issue was announced to total 2 billion Drams.

Coupon yield is set at 12.5% p.a. and is calculated in relation to
bonds in circulation. Coupon payments are made once every half a year.

Retirement of the bonds is scheduled for July 14, 2014.

Minimal demand per bond is 10,000 Drams with the increment at 1,000
Drams.

Total volume of the planned placement of the series is 40 billion
drams.

($1=376.06drams).

COLLECTIVE RAPID REACTION FORCE WILL NOT OPERATE IN ARMENIA ON PERMANENT BASIS

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.09.2009 15:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Collective Rapid Reaction Force will not operate in
Armenia on permanent basis, CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha
said during Yerevan-Moscow TV space bridge today.

"Permanent deployment of Collective Rapid Reaction Force contingent
in Armenia is not planned. Armenia is a party to CRRF agreement and
it allocated military units to participate in rapid reaction forces,"
Nikolay Bordyuzha noted.

YEREVAN WANTS TBILISI TO DECLARE ARMENIAN AS REGIONAL LANGUAGE

EurasiaNet
Sept 2 2009
NY

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan is calling on the Georgian government
to expand the cultural rights enjoyed by ethnic Armenians in Georgia.

"I believe that recognition of Armenian as a regional [i.e. official]
language, registering a diocese of the Armenian apostolic church
[and] the preservation of Armenian [historical] monuments will only
serve to deepen the Armenian-Georgian friendship," the Interfax news
agency quoted Sargsyan as saying on September 2.

Separatist tensions have long simmered under the surface in Georgian
areas with high concentrations of ethnic Armenians, Georgia’s second
largest ethnic minority. Given that Georgia’s post-Soviet experience
has been dominated by separatist-related issues, the government in
Tbilisi is wary of doing anything that might enable a new movement for
autonomy to develop. Some experts in Tbilisi say that making Armenian
an official language could touch off similar efforts by other ethnic
minorities in Georgia, according to a report distributed September
2 by the Kavkazsky Uzel news service.

AZERBAIJANI MEDIA OUTLETS EXPRESS DEEP EMOTIONAL OUTBREAKS TOWARDS TURKEY

Panorama.am
13:41 02/09/2009

Azerbaijani mass media representatives have expressed deep
emotional outbreaks towards the protocols singed between Armenia and
Turkey. Azerbaijani mass media outlets have even expressed serious
hostile moods towards Turkey.

Azerbaijani "Khalgabhesi" internet site published a story covering the
signed protocols. It is said that once Turkish President Abdullah Gul,
Prime Minister R.T. Erdogan and Foreign Minister A. Davutoglu ensured
Azerbaijan that unless the occupied territories are liberated borders
with Armenia will not be opened. "Turkey will never betray Azerbaijan,
Turkey guarantees that. Those guarantees cost nothing," Azerbaijani
media writes.

"History will record the betray of Turkish people towards Azerbaijani
Turkish. I call on to raise a voice of protest towards Turkey,"
writes the author of the story.

THERE IS AN ARMENIAN SCENARIO OF SETTLEMENT

lrahos||politics&pid=15050
15:45:00 – 02/09/2009

Congratulating everyone for the Karabakh Independence Day, the NKR
former foreign minister Arman Melikyan stated on September 2 that
unfortunately there are people among us who speak about the decision
of the Armenian Supreme Council in 1989 on Karabakh’s unification
to Armenia. According to Arman Melikyan, we must stop speaking about
it because there is the 1991 independence declaration which declared
Nagorno-Karabakh an independent republic. Arman Melikyan notes that
the independence, the struggle for independence brought about a new
reality a new line between Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Iran.

Assessing the present stage of the settlement, Arman Melikyan says it
is a phase of indeterminateness from the point of the settlement. At
the same time, he sees a solution in the Karabakh settlement, but
the point is whose solution it is.

"I assure you that there are several scenarios of the settlement
of Nagorno-Karabakh issue. The Armenian version lacks among these
scenarios. But this scenario exists but today’s government does not
have any will and wish to fulfill it. But I can assure you that we
have opportunities and sooner or later we will come to it. And what
seemed impossible yesterday may come true tomorrow. I can affirm
that there are solutions and work is carried out in this connection",
states Arman Melikyan.

In answer to the question what is the Armenian scenario, Arman
Melikyan answered, "The Armenian scenario is to preserve all the
present territories of Nagorno-Karabakh as well as to defend the
rights of the Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan, and Nagorno-Karabakh
self-determination will not be the price for normalization of the
Armenian and Turkish relations.