Author: Vardanian Garo

NO ISSUES IMMEDIATELY RELATED TO ARMENIA TO BE DISCUSSED AT PACE FALL SESSION

Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 27 2006

No issues immediately related to Armenia will be discussed atthe
fall session of the Parliamentary Assembly of teh Council of Europe
(PACE) to be held October 2-6, declared Tigran Torosyan, Head of the
Armenian delegation to PACE, NA Speaker.

At the same time he noted that all the issues discussed in PACE are
somehow related to Armenia. He mentioned also that during the meeting
with the pACE Monitoring Committee tomorrow reference will be made
to making the country’s legislature correspond to the new provisions
of the Constitution. Tigran Torosyan inormed that the Rapporteurs on
Monitoring are preparing a report on the above-mentioned issue."Their
visit to Armenia serves this purpose," NA Speaker declared.

TURKISH GENERAL INSISTS ARMY HAS ROLE IN POLITICS
Ian Traynor

The Guardian, UK
Sept 27 2006

A leading Turkish general issued a stinging attack on the centre-right
government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan by warning that the danger of
Islamism in the country was reaching "alarming" levels.

Defying EU demands for the military to keep out of politics, General
Ilker Basbug, chief of land forces, warned the Erdogan government that
the top brass still saw itself as the ultimate arbiter of Turkey’s
secularist constitution.

"The Turkish armed forces have always taken sides and will continue
to do so in protecting the national state, the unitary state and the
secular state," he told a ceremony for cadets at a military academy
in Ankara. Islamists were "patiently and systematically" seeking to
erode the secularist order.

The robust defence of the military’s role in Turkish politics is
certain to affect an EU assessment of Turkey’s bid to eventually join
the EU.

The European commission is to issue a report card on Turkey in
November, delayed from next month, and is concerned about curbs on
freedom of expression, persecution of the large Kurdish minority
and the military’s interference in democratic politics, as well as
Turkey’s dispute with the EU members Greece and Cyprus over trade.

Other incidents yesterday showed Turkey ignoring EU criticism,
suggesting a rise in hostility ahead of elections next year.

Prosecutors filed new charges against the Turkish Armenian editor Hrant
Dink for "denigrating Turkishness", an article in the penal code used
to muzzle writers and journalists and which Brussels wants scrapped.

In the largest Kurdish city in Turkey, Diyarbakir, the state put 56
Kurdish mayors on trial for appealing to Denmark to allow a Kurdish
exile television station to keep broadcasting.

ARMENIAN MINISTER, OSCE MEDIATORS DISCUSS KARABAKH PEACE PROCESS

ArmInfo News Agency
Sept 26 2006

Yerevan, 26 September: Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan,
who is attending the 61st session of the UN General Assembly, today
met the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group for Karabakh settlement,
Arminfo learnt from the Armenian Foreign Ministry press service.

During the meeting, they discussed the current stage of the Karabakh
peace process within the context of new initiatives by GUAM, an
alliance of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova, which have been
included on the agenda of the UN General Assembly. The participants in
the talks touched upon scenarios of developments and the possibility
of resumption of talks on the Karabakh settlement.

Vardan Oskanyan is to meet US Under Secretary of State for Political
Affairs R. Nicholas Burns and the chairman of the UN General Assembly,
Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, in the afternoon local time.

TELL ME A STORY
By Kathleen Cordeiro/ Family Fun

Parents & Kids, MA
Sept 25 2006

"Three apples fell from heaven:

One for the teller of the tale;

One for the listener;

And one for all the people of the world."

-Traditional Armenian ending for stories

If the traditional Armenian ending for stories is true, the heavens
above Bedford will break open this month, when the Three Apples
Storytelling Festival brings together storytellers from around the
state and across the country in a weekend of masterful performances,
amateur story swaps and traveling tales.

Now in its 22nd year, the festival demonstrates that storytelling is
for children, octogenarians and everyone in between. And while Three
Apples (Sept. 30-Oct. 1) has adults-only events ranging from evening
performances to classes with the masters, the best memories may be
made in the family-friendly performances that take place throughout
the day on Saturday, or from the vantage point of a blanket at the
free events on the Town Common.

The storytellers have been selected for the breadth and balance they
will bring to the event, according to Susan Harris, treasurer of the
Three Apples Storytelling Festival. The three featured performers
are a case in point. Jay O’Callahan – one of the founding members
of Three Apples – has been a storyteller for 25 years. His stories
range from his growing up years in Boston, to the dramas of World
War II to species extinction. O’Callahan has discovered stories as
well as told them as he travels around the world to perform.

"The storyteller of old got on a horse," he said. "I get on a plane,
parachute into a community and I’m part of its life for a while before
moving on to the next one."

O’Callahan will host a family concert on Saturday afternoon and will
open the festival on Saturday morning with fellow featured performer
Elizabeth Ellis.

Ellis is a renowned teller of Appalachian and Texas tales and stories
of heroic American women. She grew up in the Appalachian Mountains
and learned to tell stories from her grandfather, a circuit-riding
minister. Although Ellis has been a featured performer at storytelling
festivals around the world, this will be her first appearance at the
Three Apples. In addition to opening the weekend, she will perform
for school-age children.

Rounding out the trio of featured performers is Antonio Rocha, who
has studied mime with masters Marcel Marceau and Tony Montanaro.

His tales take listeners on a journey to his native Brazil and around
the world, using mime, theater and sound effects. Rocha will host the
free Community Stage on Bedford Town Common and perform for school-age
children Saturday afternoon.

O’Callahan, Ellis and Rocha will be joined by 10 accomplished
storytellers from around New England, who have been selected based on
their body of work In addition, there will be selected tellers (all
members of the League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling)
who auditioned specifically for this year’s Three Apples Storytelling
Festival.

"Every year we find people we have never heard of before," Harris
said. This year, Vics & Sticks are among those unknowns. They are
musical storytellers and will host a portion of the Story Swap on
Bedford Common.

This is the first year that Bedford has hosted the festival and Bedford
Center for the Arts has worked to ensure that festival-goers are warmly
welcomed, with indoor performance venues located close to the Common,
free parking – even for bicyclists who take advantage of the Minuteman
Bike Trail – and shuttle buses from selected parking lots.

At two sites, Town Common and the John Glenn Middle School, there
is a marketplace and food. Visitors can find published selections
from every featured teller. Homemade meals and apple treats will be
available for purchase, benefiting Bedford community groups.

The schedule

Performances on and around the Bedford Town Common begin on Saturday,
Sept. 30 at 10 a.m. with the Festival Opening featuring Ellis and
O’Callahan. Bring a blanket and enjoy the free Story Swapping Ground
from 10:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. on the Common. Anyone from toddlers to
adults, amateurs to professional tellers, can share a story.

At 11:30 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. on Saturday are a selection of eight
performances for adult, elementary and preschool audiences at indoor
venues around the Common.

Gain insight into how storytellers work on their craft with Antonio
Rocha at the free Community Stage on the Town Common at 12:30
p.m. Rocha will work with volunteer audience members to improve their
storytelling right in front of your eyes.

Participate in Traveling Tales and see how stories evolve over time
as they are told and re-told. Look for people with story pouches
and ask them to tell you the story, then you get the pouch and pass
the story onto the next person who asks. Come to the Traveling Tales
Finale on the Town Common at 4:45 p.m. to see what happened to the
stories over the course of the day.

Special Events take place at the John Glenn Middle School including
the Family Concert with Jay O’Callahan at 2 p.m., an Adult Concert
with Jay O’Callahan at 7 p.m. and Down Home Humor featuring Elizabeth
Ellis, Kevin Brooks and Antonio Rocha at 8:30 p.m. Or if you dare,
join Terror in the Night Ghost Stories with Laura Packer, Tony Toledo
and Elizabeth Ellis at First Parish Bedford at 8:30 p.m.

Adults may sign up for separate Sunday master classes with Jay
O’Callahan and Elizabeth Ellis, or a master coaching class with
Antonio Rocha.

For more information or to register go to or
call 781-287-0069.

RF PROSECUTOR ACCEPTED THE "NATIONAL" CAUSE OF CRIMES

A1+
[03:35 pm] 22 September, 2006

For the last 12 months five criminal cases have been initiated in
the RF Prosecutor’s Office for crimes committed because of national
discrimination. All the five of them were against Armenians. RF Public
Prosecutor Yuri Chayka who was in Yerevan on a two-day official visit
confirmed the fact.

"Unfortunately there are really suchlike crimes. All of them are
halted; moreover, I have created a department in the Prosecutor’s
Office which must realize control in order to preserve federal security
and national relations", Mr. Chayka mentioned.

The delegation with Mr. Chayka at the head arrived in Armenia on
September 21 in order to "refresh" the cooperation between the RA
and RF Prosecutors. Up to now the prosecutors cooperated according to
an agreement signed in 1993. Today the RA and RF Public Prosecutors
held a joint session and then signed an agreement about cooperation
of the Prosecutor’s Offices of both countries.

The agreement mentions the main directions of cooperation of the
Prosecutors, regulates the forms of cooperation, clears out the forms
and orders of rejections, etc.

Epam Systems acquires Vested Development Inc

Ovum, UK
ovum.com

Cornelia Wels-Maug

Yesterday, Epam Systems, the US-headquartered software engineering
outsourcing provider, announced its merger with Russian software
company Vested Development Inc. (VDI). The new entity will have more
than 2,200 staff spread across eight countries and will operate under
the Epam Systems name, with combined revenues of around $70m. Arkadiy
Dobkin, Epam’s CEO and co-founder, will continue in his role; Anatoly
Gaverdovsky, VDI’s CEO, will be heading Epam’s Russian operation.

Comment: Epam, founded in 1993 in Princeton, NJ, by Belarusian
Arkadiy Dobkin, heads the "Global Services 100" list of the top-five IT
outsourcing providers in Central and Eastern Europe for the second time
in a row this year. Though headquartered in the US, it has offshore
development facilities in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Hungary.

Epam is very much aware of the strong competition from India, and
it has responded by establishing presence in the geographies where
the majority of its clients are based (95% of its clients are in
North America and Western Europe). These sites host sales teams
as well as software engineers, but the majority of its development
facilities are offshore in Eastern Europe. Recognising the growing
demand for outsourcing services from Western Europe, particularly
the UK, Germany (which generated 17% of 2005 revenues) and France,
it responded by setting up offices in the UK in 2005 and in Germany in
January 2006. To strengthen its delivery capabilities, Epam invested
further in its offshore development centres and established the "first
of several engineering centres of excellence" in Ukraine at the end
of 2005. Though starting off with around 40 staff, Epam intends to
raise headcount here to 200 by the end of this year.

However, Dobkin is acutely aware that Epam’s 1,700 or so employees
do not give it the needed size and scalability and has openly hinted
at more acquisitions. The last one in 2004, of Hungarian Fathom
Technologies, has worked out successfully.

Its recent acquisition of VDI, which has 500 staff, seems a good
fit in terms of business compatibility. VDI, established in 1993,
is a global onsite and offshore software development provider with
offices in Russia, Ukraine, Armenia and the US. Their combined product
portfolios are complimentary and will enhance both companies’ sales
and marketing activities as well as their development capabilities.

Azerbaijan De Facto Recognized NKR Existence

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.09.2006 16:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Although not recognized formally by any government,
Karabakh’s continued march to secure lasting independence is
irreversible, Nagorno-Karabakh’s representative to the United
States, Vardan Barseghian said. "There is no going back for us,"
he said. "Just because Stalin gave Karabakh to Azerbaijan does not
mean that the international community has to reinforce what Stalin
did." He continued: "What [Stalin] did at the beginning of the last
century was against the will of our people. And now we are at the
beginning of the 21st Century."

So far, negotiations among the key players since the 1994 ceasefire,
notably through the OSCE’s Minsk Group, have produced a lot of
statements and occasional glimmers of hope, but no concrete progress
on a lasting political solution.

But, clearly, Karabakh is not waiting for others to decide its
future. It has been working to shore up its defenses while steadily
improving its economy and the lot of its 145,000 people. Barseghian
noted that GDP doubled from 2001 to 2005 (increasing to $114 million
from $53 million), and economic growth last year was 14 percent.

Although Karabakh is still a very poor country in a seemingly
precarious political situation, its people are evidently working hard
to improve their economy and prospects for the future.

Asked about possible recognition of their republic, Barseghian said
"there are positive tendencies" in that direction. He said "governments
recognize the fact that the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic has been
established and functioning as a country, and more and more contacts
look like regular government-to-government contacts." "However,
Washington closely watches the developments in Karabakh including
economic progress and democratization though the US government
tries not to portray these as regular contacts, for obvious reasons"
he added.

"I believe the world recognizes that we deserve to be free, and as a
minimum we should avoid another disaster. International recognition
of Karabakh’s independence will discourage another attack by
Azerbaijan. The ceasefire has held for 12 years, and we believe this
is due to the natural balance of forces." He noted that Azerbaijan’s
oil revenue has been used in part to strengthen its armed forces, and
Karabakh (and Armenia) stress to the US Congress and administration
that a military balance should be maintained to prevent a new attack
by Azerbaijan," Barseghian resumed, reports DiplomaticTraffic.com.

EUROPE – LINK FOR ARMENIA’S COMMUNICATION WITH WORLD

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.09.2006 13:18 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The visit of French President Jacques Chirac to
Armenia is a friendly and political step though not quite mediate,
said Hilda Tchoboian, the chairperson of the European Armenian
Federation (EAFJD) in an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net. In her words,
the conduction of the Year of Armenia in France is a significant
event. "The task of the Armenian community of France is to convey
the importance of the Armenian Genocide recognition to the French
society via historians and public figures. Moreover we suppose that
the French parliament will discuss the bill providing for criminal
punishment for the Armenian Genocide denial," Ms. Tchoboian emphasized.

At that she remarked that Chirac’s visit is also important for the
further development of the Armenian-French relations and expansion
of activities of the Armenian community.

As for the Armenia-EU program, Ms. Tchoboian is convinced in the
efficiency of its realization.

"Europe is a link for Armenia’s communication with the
world. Successfully cooperating with Russia and the United States,
Armenia can gain one more partner. It’s very important, especially if
the European model is applied to the Armenian economy, civic society,
human rights protection and culture," she said.

A PARTY TICKET FOR A TITLE

A1+
[07:32 pm] 19 September, 2006

RA defense Minister was granted honorable citizen of Gyumri and Vardan
Ghukasyan, the mayor of Gyumri, joined the Republican Party of Armenia.

Today Gyumri celebrated the Day of the City for the fourth time. In
this connection the monuments of Jivani and Sheram were unveiled and
Expo-2006 was held. A number of high-rank officials, ministers and
guests from Diaspora visited Gyumri today.

Galya Novents, Vladimir Abajyan, Hakob Jivanyan and Zaven Koshtoyan
were awarded "Master’s orders."

ARMENIA’S TIGRAN HAMASYAN WINS FIRST PLACE IN 2006 THELONIOUS MONK INTERNATIOANL JAZZ PIANO COMPETITION

All About Jazz, PA
Posted: 2006-09-18

Helonious Monk Institute Of Jazz Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Music Legends Join Political Leaders For Star-Studded Gala

Stevie Wonder Honored By Former Secretaries Of State Madeleine Albright
And Colin Powell

Washington, DC–The world’s greatest jazz artists were on stage at
The Kennedy Center last night to honor the Thelonious Monk Institute
of Jazz and its two decades of music education. Herbie Hancock, Wayne
Shorter, Ron Carter, Patti Austin, John Patitucci, Terence Blanchard,
George Duke, Terri Lyne Carrington and many others joined a group
of young artists who have emerged from the Institute’s numerous
education programs over the years in a star-studded Gala Celebration
that was televised for broadcast on PBS and BET and will be broadcast
nationally over NPR and internationally over Voice of America.

The evening was the culmination of a weekend of festivities paying
tribute to the Institute, the world’s leading jazz education
organization. The weekend kicked off with President and Mrs. Bush
hosting a dinner and concert at the White House. The East Room concert,
hosted by Barbara Walters, will be telecast as an "In Performance at
the White House" PBS Special. Ms. Walters shared with the audience her
personal experiences and love of jazz through her father Lou Walters,
owner of the famed Latin Quarter jazz and music clubs located in Boston
(opened in 1937), Miami Beach (opened in 1940) and New York City
(opened in 1942). The concert included performances by Anita Baker,
Herbie Hancock, Nnenna Freelon, Clark Terry and many others.

The White House Concert was followed on Friday by a luncheon in the
United States Capitol hosted by Senators Ted Stevens and Thad Cochran
and Congressman John Conyers. All three of the legislators are major
advocates of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz and have Institute
public school programs in their states and district.

Saturday featured the Semi-Finals of the Thelonious Monk International
Jazz Piano Competition at the Smithsonian Institution’s Baird
Auditorium. The Thelonious Monk Competition is the world’s most
prestigious jazz competition and has launched the careers of many
young jazz artists including pianists Marcus Roberts, Jacky Terrasson,
Joey DeFrancesco; saxophonist Joshua Redman and vocalists Jane Monheit
and Tierney Sutton. Saturday’s Semi-Finals featured 12 aspiring young
artists competing for major scholarships and the worldwide recognition
associated with participating in this annual internationally acclaimed
music event.

Last night’s 20th Anniversary Gala Concert featured the three
Finalists selected by the distinguished panel of judges, including
Herbie Hancock, Andrew Hill, Danilo Perez, Renee Rosnes, Billy Taylor
and Randy Weston. Each of the three Finalists – Gerald Clayton,
Tigran Hamasyan and Aaron Parks – performed before a packed house
at The Kennedy Center. Following the Finalists’ performances, the
evening shifted to an All-Star concert featuring a series of historic
performances including pairings of Wayne Shorter and Joshua Redman,
Terence Blanchard with Patti Austin, Jane Monheit with Herbie Hancock
and Ron Carter, and Monk’s son T.S. Monk performing Thelonious Monk’s
"Four In One."

Honorary Co-Chairs of the 20th Anniversary Celebration Madeleine
Albright and Colin Powell shared with the audience their love of
jazz and support of the Institute’s global programs that range from
Calcutta, India to Lima, Peru and Cairo, Egypt. Albright and Powell
presented the Institute’s annual award, the Maria Fisher Founders
Award, to Stevie Wonder for his long time support of the Institute
and jazz education.

Albright and Powell were joined on stage by Quincy Jones and Herbie
Hancock for the presentation.

Hosts for the evening included Quincy Jones, Phylicia Rashad and Billy
Dee Williams. The 20th Anniversary Celebration was sponsored by General
Motors and Northrop Grumman. The Thelonious Monk International Jazz
Piano Competition was sponsored by G.M.A.C Financial Services.

The evening concluded with the announcement of this year’s Piano
Competition winners:

First Place: Tigran Hamasyan Second Place: Gerald Clayton Third Place:
Aaron Parks

ABOUT TIGRAN HAMASYAN Tigran Hamasyan was born in Gyumri, Armenia and
began playing piano at age 10. He currently attends the University
of Southern California where he is studying jazz piano. Influenced
by Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum,
Miles Davis and Bud Powell, Hamasyan began writing his first piano
compositions at a young age. He recently won first prize at the Monaco
Jazz Soloist Competition and has performed at concerts, competitions,
festivals throughout Europe.

ABOUT GERALD CLAYTON Gerald Clayton was born in Utrecht, The
Netherlands and was raised in Los Angeles. He began playing piano at
the age of five. Currently, Clayton is pursuing a Bachelor of Music
degree in Jazz Studies at the University of Southern California. In
addition to his studies, Clayton performs frequently and has played
with a host of well-respected musicians including Benny Green,
Mulgrew Miller, Kenny Baron, and Clark Terry. He recently appeared
on Back in the Swing of Things with the Clayton Brothers.

ABOUT AARON PARKS Aaron Parks was raised in Seattle, Washington and
began playing piano at age 10, learning mostly by ear.

He began is career in jazz at the age of 16 after leaving the
University of Washington to focus more intently on jazz studies at
the Manhattan School of Music in New York. Parks won first place in
the 5th American Jazz Piano Competition and is a Cole Porter Fellow
of the American Pianist Association. Currently, he tours with Terence
Blanchard and is featured on Blanchard’s CDs Bounce and Flow.