Author: Vanyan Gary

SPEAKER TIGRAN TOROSYAN MET WITH THE CZECH SENATE PRESIDENT

armradio.am
12.09.2008 16:10

On September 12 Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Tigran
Torosyan had a meeting with the President of Senate of the Czech
Republic PÅ~Yemysl Sobotka. The meeting was attended by Armenia’s
Ambassador to Czechia Ashot Hovakimyan and the Czech Ambassador to
Armenia Ivan Estrab.

Greeting the guest, NA Speaker Tigran Torosyan appreciated the fact
that Mr. Sobotka again visited Armenia as it was agreed in April,
which opens new perspectives for the development of Armenian-Czech
interparliamentary ties.

Mr. Torosyan said Armenia is interested in Czechia’s experience of
European integration.

PÅ~Yemysl Sobotka attached importance to the parliamentary cooperation
on the level of commissions and assured that the establishment of
permanent working ties will contribute to the realization of certain
programs. He noted that the meeting of the Presidents of Parliament
of EU member state sin expected in Prague in September, during which
he will inform his counterparts that Armenia is a reliable partner
for the European Union.

Turning to the conflict in Georgia, Tigran Torosyan noted that
Armenia’s position on the issue is distinct: such questions should
be solved via peace talks, war is not a way of solving problems in
the 21st century. Respecting the principle of immunity of borders as
one of the important provisions20of the Helsinki Final Act, Armenia
considers that the other principle of the Helsinki Final Act –
the right of peoples for self-determination – should be equally
respected. Tigran Torosyan expressed hope that all the problems in
the region will be solved peacefully via negotiations, excluding the
military intervention.

–Boundary_(ID_jZpBSr/DbW5zgQE3C5Y8 0Q)–

ARMENIAM NUCLEAR POWER PLANT TO BE PUT INTO OPERATION AGAIN IN LATE NOVEMBER

Noyan Tapan

Se p 11, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 11, NOYAN TAPAN. The refuelling and major repairs of
the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP) will finish in late November,
after which it will be again connected to the power grid of Armenia. It
is envisaged to implement work of about 8 million dollars allocated
by donor countries, the RA minister of energy and natural resources
Armen Movsisian said on September 11.

According to him, a three-month shutdown in the nuclear power
plant’s operation is conditioned by the fact that the indicated
activities are being done in parallel. Major repairs of ANPP are done
every three years, while refuelling is done every year and lasts 45
days. Maintenance repairs at the expense of ANPP resources will also
be implemented until late November.

TEEN ANIMATED TO MAKE FILMS – "THE DEPOSE OF BOLSKIVOI HOVHANNES"
By Shane Ross

The Ottawa Sun
September 10, 2008 Wednesday
Canada

A 17-year-old Canterbury High School graduate will compete among
the top animators in the world at the annual Ottawa International
Animation Festival.

Will Inrig’s 5 1/2-minute short The Depose of Bolskivoi Hovhannes will
take on competitors from Canada, the U.S. South Korea and Sweden in
the High School Animation category.

Not bad for somebody who doesn’t even aspire to be an animator,
but only made the film because it was a class requirement.

"I don’t think I’ll ever be an animator, I don’t have the patience
for it, unfortunately," said Inrig, who describes himself as an
"atrocious artist."

He would rather become a filmmaker, and has already produced and
directed a documentary that chronicled his eccentric, lifelong
neighbours.

"Documentaries are my big passion, I’m working on a movie about autism
right now," said Inrig, whose brother is autistic.

The Depose of Bolskivoi Hovhannes, which will be shown Sept. 18. at
1 p.m. and Sept. 20 at 9 p.m. at ByTowne Cinema, "tells the story of
an Armenian shepherd on a windswept heath and one day he discovers
an enormous hole in the centre of his field and he suspects his sheep
are plotting against him and he turns out to be right."

The idea is "rooted in the pastoral tales of Anatolia, all these
shepherds doing very very heroic things," but after pausing to reflect,
Inrig admitted the inspiration came "maybe from dreams, I think."

While Inrig is the only Ottawan in the competition, 104 other
filmmakers representing 70 countries will have their work shown. There
will also be workshops, retrospectives and appearances by famous
animators such as Richard Williams, who won an Academy Award 20 years
ago for Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

There will be something for everyone, from children’s cartoons judged
by kids to what is being billed as "Blue Toons: A Night of Naughty
Animation."

The first porn cartoon, Buried Treasure, was made in 1928, and since
then, erotic animation has been a feature at many animation festivals,
said artistic director Chris Robinson.

"However, most of these screenings were often rather tepid and
conservative, appealing to giggly nerds who have never seen, let
alone touched, the flesh of a woman," he said. "With this in mind,
we asked maverick Ottawa filmmaker Lee Demarbre to go into his massive
collection of films and pull out some of the raunchiest and filthiest
animation that he could find by unknown and known animators around
the world."

It screens Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. at Barrymore’s. Trenchcoats
optional.

DRAWN TOGETHER

– The annual Ottawa International Animation Festival takes place
Sept. 17-21.

– A record 2,148 entries were received, 105 were chosen representing
70 countries, making it the largest animation festival in North
America. There will be 97 short films, four feature films and four
from schools.

– Film presentations — $10 for adults, $6 for children under 12 and
seniors — will be shown at nine locations.

– For a list of movies, times and locations, visit

ARMENIAN MINISTER SAYS TURKISH LEADER’S VISIT "HISTORICAL"

Armenian Public TV
Sept 8 2008

[Presenter] Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandyan has described
the Armenian president’s initiative to invite his Turkish counterpart
Abdullah Gul to Armenia as historical noting that the Armenian
and Turkish presidents took a courageous and important step in the
normalization of relations between the two countries. Nalbandyan
expressed his confidence that the initiative would have a good
continuation and would yield good results.

[Nalbandyan] Both presidents took a courageous and important
step. First of all, our president’s [Serzh Sargsyan’s] initiative
to invite the Turkish president to Armenia was a historical
initiative. The Turkish president made this initiative a reciprocal
one by accepting the initiative. I think this step taken by both
presidents was a good step in the normalization of relations.

Both presidents are more than halfway through the normalization of
relations between the two countries, having taken this step. In line
with an instruction given by both presidents, the remaining half of
the way will be passed by our diplomats, and I think, we will do our
best to achieve positive results.

7th INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FOR ROBERT EMMIAN’S PRIZES HELD IN GYUMRI

Noyan Tapan

Se p 8, 2008

GYUMRI, SEPTEMBER 8, NOYAN TAPAN. The 7th International Competition
for Robert Emmian’s Prizes with the participation of 16 long jumpers
from various countries took place in the city of Gyumri on September
7. Arsen Sargsyan (Vanadzor, Armenia) was announced the winner,
jumping 7.72 meters.

Russian long jumpers Vitaly Shkurlatov (7.49 m) and Alexander Yashin
(7.45 m) were in second and third places respectively. Thus, the
competition’s record of 7.95 m was not broken.

In the women’s competition, the first three places were taken by
Olga Kucherenko (Russia, 6.64 m), Olexandra Stadnyuk (Ukraine, 6.50)
and Yelena Ivanova (Russia, 6.36 m). No one succeeded in breaking
the competition’s record of 6.80 m.

From: "Katia M. Peltekian" <[email protected]>
Subject: The beautiful game plays peacemaker

euronews, France
Sept 7 2008

The beautiful game plays peacemaker

Football, it is hoped, will prove to be the key to ending almost a
century of hostility between Turkey and Armenia. Turkish President
Abdullah Gul joined Armenia’s President Serzh Sarksyan at a world cup
qualifying match, the first meeting between the two national sides
which Turkey won 2-0.

The neighbouring countries have no diplomatic ties. Their relationship
remains strained by claims of the `ethnic cleansing’ of Armenians by
Ottoman Turks during the First World War. The two presidents expressed
hope the match would herald a new beginning.

Russia’s decision last month to send its forces into Georgia, which
borders both Armenia and Turkey, has convinced many it is time for the
two nations to end their differences and establish normal
relationships. But even as the two leaders took their seats together
behind bullet-proof glass in the Hrazdan stadium in the Armenian
capital Yerevan, fans booed the Turkish national anthem.

Outside demonstrators waved flags and banners and one group held a
silent vigil at a monument to the war dead near the stadium. President
Sarksyan has promised to attend the return match in October 2009.

08/the-beautiful-game-plays-peacemaker/

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Sept 6 2008

Everything to play for, Armenia hosts Turkey

In the buildup to the 2010 World Cup qualifying Group Five game
between Armenia and Turkey in Yerevan this evening, there was plenty
of talk about how sports and politics do not mix, talk about
friendship, rapprochement and unthawing relations.

Reason and common sense say sports and politics are two separate
entities and should remain that way. But it has not been so throughout
history, especially in soccer, which at times can be a very
politically sensitive issue. The reason being that the emphasis
nations and fans put on winning is so enormous that losing is what
they do not expect, nay accept. Every fan believes that if his team
wins that victory is his as well, because each fan identifies himself
with the team.

Hence the political and sports leaders of both Turkey and Armenia have
been working very hard, ever since the 2010 World Cup qualifying draw
was made, to ensure that friendship and common sense prevail in this
evening’s game.

President Abdullah Gül flew to Armenia on Friday for this match
in a major diplomatic step for the two states with no diplomatic
ties. Turkey broke diplomatic relations with Armenia in protest of
Yerevan’s control of the Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh region, over
which Armenia fought Turkish ally Azerbaijan in a war in the 1990s.

The Turkish national team, coaches and officials also flew to Armenia
on Friday. Turkey coach Fatih Terim held a press conference to respond
to questions on the political importance of today’s game and the
pressure to win due to national pride and prestige. "This is not a
war; quite the contrary, it is a sport. We are going to Armenia for a
soccer match, that is it," he said.

"Soccer is a fast game, politics is very heavy. If we think about
anything else, it will slow down our game. Armenia is always a very
tough opponent at home. There will be 50,000 fans at the stadium and I
think it will be hostile and intimidating atmosphere. But our players,
my players, are experienced and of good quality, so we aim to garner
12 maximum points in the next four matches," Terim added.

Turkey, the 2002 World Cup semifinalist and also the Euro 2008
semifinalist in June, is more experienced than Armenia and is used to
playing under pressure. Terim is very likely to capitalize on this as
he is determined to start his 2010 qualifying campaign on a winning
note.

With keeper Volkan Demirel (Fenerbahçe) in goal; Gökhan
Gönül (Fenerbahçe), Servet �etin
(Galatasaray), Gökhan Zan (BeÅ?iktaÅ?) and Hakan
Kadir Balta (Galatasaray) at the back; Kazım Kazım
(Fenerbahçe) and Arda Turan (Galatasaray) on the flanks; Mehmet
Aurelio (Real Betis) and Mehmet Topal (Galatasaray) in central
midfield; and Semih Å?entürk (Fenerbahçe) and
Tuncay Å?anlı (Middlesbrough) upfront, Terim’s side is
capable of taking Europe’s best, let alone Armenia. But surprises
abound in soccer and so deductive reasoning has no place in the
beautiful game.

To prove the importance Terim attaches to this evening’s match,
training sessions in Ä°stanbul on Thursday were held behind
closed doors, meaning the Turkey coach wants his game plan and tactics
to remain secret.

Terim’s opposite number, Jan Poulsen, also echoed the Turkish coach’s
plea for common sense. But the Armenian trainer also added that
Armenia has a good team and Armenian soccer has a great future —
maybe, just maybe, a euphemism for "we can give any opponent as much
as we get."

In a nutshell, there is much more to the "beautiful game" than 22
players kicking a piece of leather around a grass field or synthetic
turf. So much is at stake in the Armenia-Turkey clash today —
nationalistic fervor, rivalry, precious points, pride, prestige,
history, bragging rights, you name it.

But as Terim warned, this is only a soccer match, not a war. And this
is not the last time Turkey and Armenia will be playing as long as
they continue competing in Europe; in fact, there is still a Turkey
leg to play for.

In civilized Europe, it is unthinkable for nations to go to war over
soccer. For the record, though, this happened in Central America. On
July 14, 1969, Honduras and El Salvador went to war. The 100-hour war
claimed 6,000 lives, 12,000 were wounded and 50,000 people were
rendered homeless. The cause was ostensibly the World Cup qualifying
matches for Mexico ’70 between Honduras and El Salvador.

On this note we urge the Armenians to show the utmost hospitality and
respect to the Turks this evening and we promise they will receive a
red-carpet reception when they come to Turkey. The other teams in
Group Five are Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium and Estonia.

Live on TRT 1
18:55 Armenia ` Turkey

06 September 2008, Saturday
OKAN UDO BASSEY Ä°STANBUL

KOSOVO BOOMERANG: EVERYONE LOSES

PanARMENIAN.Net
02.09.2008 GMT+04:00

The Georgian-Ossetian conflict threw the uni-polar world and the US
supremacy into collapse, for which America will hardly be grateful
to Saakashvili.

The outrageous 5-day war is now over. Everyone lost: Georgia, Russia,
the West, and the region. And you would be wrong to think that
either the West or Russia was able to achieve anything through the
war. Saakashvili’s expectations were all subject to failure too, as he
wished far too much and set hopes on the USA, which could hardly desire
to fight for Georgia, whose location on the world map was unknown to
an average American before the war broke out in South Ossetia.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russia did not achieve anything through the conflict
either, especially what is called "democracy" in the West. However,
you can hardly call democratic the steps, directed at encouraging the
"restoration of territorial integrity of Georgia". All this is over
now and each of the parties is presently trying to find the best
way out of the situation, provoked by the unfortunate actions of
the Georgian President. In this connection it should be noted that
Saakashvili will have to forget about the "territorial integrity of
Georgia". The recognition of Kosovo, whose inadmissibility was widely
discussed by Vladimir Putin and Sergey Lavrov, delivered a hard blow to
the West. Moreover, the blow was struck from the side least expected.

Let us recall the process of conflict development. On the night of
August 8 Georgia launched a military operation against South Ossetia,
practically destroying the capital of the Republic, Tskhinvali and
other populated areas, and killing, according to the official data
by South Ossetia, more than 1,5 thousand peaceful residents. In
reply, Russia brought her forces into South Ossetia to protect the
Russian residents living there. Meanwhile, it drew its coastguard
ships to the shores of Abkhazia to prevent aggression and killings
of peaceful citizens, including the Russians that were on holiday
in the Republic. On August 12 Russia announced about the completion
of the operation under compulsion of Georgia to keep peace, and ten
days later it declared about the complete withdrawal of its armed
forces. Presently Russian peacekeepers are in the buffer zone of
South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Their disposal has been anticipated
by earlier agreements on the regulation of the Georgian-Ossetian
and Georgian-Abkhazian conflicts and does not contradict the
"Medvedev-Sarkozy" plan, signed by Russia.

The declarations of the US Administration and the EC countries were
more likely calculated for the public, rather than for reflecting
the actual state of affairs. The U.S.A. is far and Russia is near,
and no one in Europe wants to find himself hungry in the energy pica
before the coming winter. More than half of the EC energy supply goes
through Russia and it is enough for the EC countries to simply limit
themselves to declarations condemning Russia for disproportionate
use of force. And no matter how hard the Russian Federation tries
to convince that she will never make use of the energy factor for
exerting pressure, practice proves the contrary. The Georgian-Ossetian
conflict threw the uni-polar world and the US supremacy into collapse,
for which America will hardly be grateful to Saakashvili. America is
presently busy with the pre-election campaign and McCain, together
with his admirers, was badly in need for the victory of the Georgian
Army. However, it did not happen and Vice-President Cheney’s visit to
Georgia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine can hardly change the turn of events.

Still, the situation is not so bad. Western nations have decided
to fight against the presence of Russia in Georgia’s territory and
their weapon is cash. The International Monetary Fund is set to
reach a preliminary deal this week that will throw the former Soviet
republic a $750 million credit line, according to officials close
to the negotiations. Both the U.S. and Europe are also working on
big assistance packages that Georgia hopes will provide $2 billion
or more. The money aims to calm the nerves of foreign investors —
crucial to Georgia’s economic stability — and help Georgia finance
the repair of war damage. More important, Western cash will help
shore up the pro-Western government of President Mikhail Saakashvili,
notes the Wall Street Journal.

As some experts consider, the U.S.A. might step up military assistance
to Georgia by supplying more military trainers. More broadly, according
to the representative of the US Administration, Washington is seeking
"a long-term strategic framework" for the region. However, Foreign
Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov called on the USA and its allies
to stop the support of the Â"Saakashvili regimeÂ". According to him,
the USA makes a "historical mistake" by taking Saakashvili’s side.

One thing is clear: for the world powers South Caucasus is only a
territory on which world supremacy is raffled. According to the adviser
of the Nagorno Karabakh Foreign Minister Arsen Melik-Shahnazarov
"the latest events showed that like the Ossetians and Abkhazians,
citizens of Nagorno Karabakh are not considered humans by the
world "gamblers". Small nations are simply rubbish for the latter
and hinder their egocentric plans on controlling the oil and gas
flow. Accordingly, we have to make our own conclusions," he declared.

–Boundary_(ID_TtPgDdSwgHmkj3Aks+3xDA)- –

TURKISH-ARMENIAN FOOTBALL DIPLOMACYTURKISH PRESIDENT ABDULLAH GUL’S VISIT TO ARMENIA THIS WEEKEND SIGNALS THAT TENSIONS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES ARE COOLING
Stephen Kinzer

guardian.co.uk
Wednesday September 03 2008

The announcement this week that President Abdullah Gul of Turkey will
visit Armenia on Saturday suggests that the long and highly emotional
estrangement between these two neighbours might finally be ending.

That would be a spectacular breakthrough for both countries. Turkey
is assuming a new and promising role as a peacemaker in the Middle
East and the Caucasus, but cannot be fully effective as long as it is
feuding with a neighbour. Armenia is wretchedly poor and isolated,
and could begin to reconnect with the wider world through a new
partnership with Turkey.

There have never been high-level negotiations between these
two countries, so Gul’s visit can safely be described as
historic. Officially he is going to attend a football match between
Turkish and Armenian teams. He has let it be known, however, that
he intends to do some serious negotiating with his host, President
Serge Sarkisian.

"I met him in Kazahkstan," Gul told me in Istanbul last month. "I
told him, ‘We are the sons of this land, you see, and we have to
solve our problems, not with hostile feelings – we should not feed
hostile feelings.’ I saw him reasonable."

Turkey was among the first countries to recognise Armenia after
it became independent in 1990, but closed its land border three
years later after Armenian fighters seized the Nagorno-Karabakh
region of Azerbaijan. Gul is likely to discuss ways to resolve this
long-festering dispute.

Turkey is paying great attention to regional security issues these
days, and the recent conflict between Russia and Georgia has riveted
its attention. In its wake, Turkey has proposed that all countries in
the region join in a new Caucasian Stability and Cooperation Pact. Such
a pact, however, would not be credible without Armenia’s participation.

Turkey’s rise to regional-power status has been possible only because
it has dramatically improved its relations with its neighbours. Armenia
is the sole exception. For more than a decade, Turkey has sought to
isolate Armenia by keeping it out of regional groupings and cutting
it out of oil pipeline plans. Strategists in Ankara have concluded
that this policy is no longer viable. They now appear willing to
seek compromise.

Whether the two leaders can make substantial progress this weekend is
not the only uncertainty surrounding Gul’s trip. Armenian nationalists,
who match their Turkish counterparts in fanaticism, are outraged by
the prospect of his visit. Some may try to disrupt the match or set
off protests inside the stadium. Turkey’s ruling party has denied
permission for a group of its leading members to attend the match,
citing security concerns.

Youth groups from the two countries, though, are planning to stage
pro-peace demonstrations in and around the stadium. In Yerevan, the
effort is being led by young radio announcers, one of whom told a
Turkish newspaper that the time had come "to start dialogue and share
our pain". That led a Turkish group called Young Civilians to organise
a 50-member delegation that plans to wave peace banners at the stadium.

"We do not need official ideologies any more," the group said in
a statement. "There, in that stadium, we will stand shoulder to
shoulder."

Some of Turkey’s powerful military commanders are said to be troubled
by the idea of better Turkish-Armenian relations. So are some in the
Armenian disapora, who want Turkey to admit the role that Ottoman
leaders played in organising the massacre of Armenians in 1915. Within
Armenia, however, most people are focused on their own troubles. A poll
last year found that only 4% of Armenians think that what Turkey says
or does not say about the massacre 93 years ago should matter today.

The authorities in Yerevan had to rein in the diaspora this summer.

Armenian-Americans, who have powerful influence in Washington,
had managed for months to block the US Senate’s approval of a new
ambassador to Armenia because the nominee refused to describe the
killings of 1915 as genocide.

Armenian leaders, however, decided they needed an American ambassador
in Yerevan, and arranged for their friends in Washington to call off
their campaign and allow the new ambassador to be confirmed.

By agreeing to begin top-level discussions, Turkey and Armenia
are seeking to break the awful grip that history has on their
relationship. They are realising that better relations would have
dramatically positive effects on both sides of their long-sealed
border – and perhaps far beyond.

DEPUTY MM SPEAKER MEETS OSCE PA SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE

AzerTag
Sept 2 2008
Azerbaijan

Deputy Milli Majlis Speaker, head of the Azerbaijan delegation to the
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Bahar Muradova met Monday with visiting
special representative of the OSCE PA for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Goran Lennmarker.

Bahar Muradova said Milli Majlis is interested in developing ties with
all international organizations including OSCE and its structures. She
provided detailed information about Azerbaijan`s efforts towards
European integration, building democratic society, peaceful resolution
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and other issues. Muradova stressed
the importance of such visits for developing bilateral relations.

Lennmarker told of the goals of his visit. He praised dynamic
development of Azerbaijan.

The sides exchanged views on the ongoing developments in the South
Caucasus.

Later the same day, Goran Lennmarker met with members of the
Milli Majlis standing commission on international relations and
interparliamentary ties.

The meeting discussed development of interparliamentary ties,
representation of Milli Majlis members in the international
organizations and other issues.