Author: Vardanian Garo

Armenia sustains crucial defeat

ball
01:07 pm | September 25, 2009 | Sports

Armenian women’s under-19 football team sustained a crucial defeat at
the first round of the 2010 European Championship Qualifiers. The team
lost to outsider Latvia by the score 2:6.

The Armenian team has missed 20 goals and suffered three defeats
during the qualifiers.

Azerbaijani team took the second place after defeating Cyprus (8:0)
and Ukraine (1:0). Spain is in the lead.

OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to visit the region in early October

2009-09-26 14:40:00

ArmInfo. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassadors Yury
Merzlyakov of Russia, Bernard Fassier of France, and Robert Bradtke of
the United States, released the following statement today:

"The newly-appointed United States’ Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group
Ambassador Robert Bradtke invited French Co-Chair Ambassador Bernard
Fassier, Russian Co-Chair Ambassador Yury Merzlyakov, and Personal
Representative of the Chairman-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk to
Washington D.C. September 24 for consultations. The Co-Chairs met with
Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Senior Director for European Affairs at
the National Security Council and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
Tina Kaidanow.

The Co-Chairs met September 25 in New York with Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian on the margins of the UN General Assembly. The two foreign
ministers and the Co-Chairs reaffirmed a commitment to negotiations
based on the Basic Principles, and discussed upcoming travel of the
Co-Chairs to the region in early October.

As agreed in Moscow July 18, the Co-Chairs will travel to Armenia and
Azerbaijan to prepare for a proposed meeting between President Aliyev
and President Sargsian in Chisinau on the margins of the CIS Summit.

At this important moment in the negotiating process, the Co-Chairs
called on both sides to be constructive in their public statements."

Sunday’s Zaman
27 September 2009, Sunday

[In] Events of the week

Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan, while speaking to Russian state
television channel Vesti on Armenian foreign policy challenges, said
he is hopeful about the process of normalizing relations with
Turkey. `We agreed to the process without conditions, and we want to
pursue normalization,’ Sarksyan said. Addressing concerns that Armenia
is slowly drifting away from Russia, Sarksyan emphasized that Russia
is content with Turkish-Armenian rapprochement, also pointing to
Russia’s partnership with Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Eid al-Fitr, signaling the end of the holy month of Ramadan, is marked
by three days of vacation. This year’s eid was preceded by a Saturday,
meaning the holiday was part of a four-day weekend.

Daily Star – Lebanon

Spectacular ceremony kicks off Francophone games in Lebanon

Sleiman lauds Beirut as `mother of Dialogue’ and tolerance

By Patrick Galey
Daily Star staff

Monday, September 28, 2009

Spectacular ceremony kicks off Francophone games in Lebanon
BEIRUT: The sixth Francophone Games kicked off in spectacular fashion
Sunday with a lavish opening ceremony in Beirut. Thousands of fans
packed into Camille Chamoun stadium as more than 70 million television
viewers worldwide tuned in to see the extravagant launch. The ceremony
was attended by top Lebanese politicians including President Michel
Sleiman, caretaker Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, Prime
Minister-designate Saad Hariri and Parliament Speaker Nabhi Berri.

In addition, delegates from 44 nations watched from the stands,
including French Prime Minister Francois Fillio, who is expected to
meet with Sleiman, Hariri and Berri in the coming days. Prince Albert
of Monaco and Abdou Diouf, secretary general of the Francophone
organization, were also present.

Inaugurating the games, Sleiman praised Lebanon as a country that
typified the Francophone organization’s key values of solidarity,
diversity and excellence.

`Today’s event underlines that Beirut is the mother of dialogue. [It
is a city] that embraces West and East,’ he said. Sleiman welcomed
international delegations `to the nation of the Cedars where all races
come closer and unite through a universal language’ of tolerance.

`This event emphasizes Leba – non’s presence in the Arab world as a
democratic state that brings together all people,’ and added that the
country’s Constitution guaranteed coexistence for its
multi-confessional society.

The Francophone Games are being held in an Arab country for their
first time since their inception in 1989 and the coming 10 days will
see more than 3000 participants from 68 countries compete in a variety
of cultural and sporting events. The launch in Beirut was the first
Francophone opening ceremony to be simultaneously broadc
st in five continents as spectators from across the globe tuned in to
see their countries’ teams.

The opening ceremony was preceded by performances from the Internal
Security Forces marching band, as well as military formation displays
by Lebanese Army soldiers.

The games’ participants paraded in front of the lively crowd, with
many teams dressed in traditional national costumes, providing a
vibrant spectacle for sports fans and politicians alike. A stunning
sound and light display followed, featuring plays, songs and poetic
recitals about Lebanon’s diverse cultural history performed by more
than 100 musicians, actors and dancers.

Dance routines included a mass rendition of the traditional Lebanese
dance, the debke, as well as a troop of whirling dervishes and a
contemporary dance performance, specially choreographed for the
occasion.

Lebanese singer Magda al-Roumi wowed the audience with her rousing
rendition of `Ya Beirut’ before being joined for a duet with
world-renowned Senegalese artist Youssen N’Dior. An impressive
fireworks display brought the opening ceremony to a fitting finale.

Athletes at the games will be divided between seven sporting
disciplines, including athletics, soccer, table tennis and women’s
basketball. Beach volleyball is appearing for the first time on the
sporting schedule in 2009. Seven cultural events will include
painting, sculpture, photography and creative dance.

Soccer features heavily in the games’ schedule, with Lebanon drawn in
a trough group alongside strong teams from Cameroon, Burkina Faso and
the Ivory Coast. Games will be split between Beirut and the southern
coastal city of Sidon, with the final set for October 6. The showcase
match, however, will be a friendly played between Lebanon and French
giants Olympic Marseille.

The large crowd was boosted as organizers chose to open the gates of
Sports City to the public, although a large security presence was
visible, with LAF soldiers placed in and around the stadium. Roads
surrounding the arena wer
ty for the event, which runs until October 6, is set to be extremely
tight, with thousands of soldiers and police being deployed to monitor
calm at sports stadia and theatres as well as the `Francophone
Village’ outside of Beirut, in which all participants are currently
residing.

Hariri called for a toning down of political rhetoric in the run up to
the games. `I urge all political parties to exercise restraint ¦ as
the Francophone Games approach,’ he said earlier this month, adding
that the event was important for Lebanon as the glare of the global
media would be focused on Beirut.

Canada is the most heavily represented nation at the 2009 Francophone
Games with 300 participants, followed by France with 200. Lebanon is
expected to compete well in the medals table, with a squad of 150
athletes and artists. Other countries competing include Armenia,
Greece, Vietnam, Morocco and Egypt.

ition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=106894

Director general of Ararat Yerevan Brandy Company: Brandy production in
2009 reduces by 39 %

2009-09-25 16:24:00

ArmInfo. Brandy production at Ararat Brandy Company in 2009 reduced by
39%, and by 55 % in Armenia in general, YBC Director General Ara
Grigoryan told journalists today.

According to him, reduction of brandy production was caused by the
global financial crisis. When asked about purchase of grapes in 2009,
he said the Company started purchasing the grapes from September 16,
and it intends to purchase total of 32,000 tons of grapes at 120-130
drams per kilogram. Speaking about the grape suppliers’ complaints
concerning the low price for grapes, A. Grigoryan emphasized that there
are different kinds of brandy available, and all of them differ in
price, so one should not consider the indicated price as standard. , A.
Grigoryan said. He added that the salary of employees increased this
year by 3,5-7%.

Renowned Armenian artist to perform in Turkey

armradio.am
25.09.2009 17:45

Worldwide known Armenian lute virtuoso Ara Dinkjian, whose family
migrated to America in the beginning of 19th century, will appear on
stage in Istanbul’s Hagia Irene as part of a hospital project to be
built for the disabled.

Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, Dinkjian said his grandfather
went from the eastern Turkish city of Diyarbakır to France at
the
beginning of the 19th century, and after the death of his parents, his
father was adopted by a family. Later on, his father immigrated to
America and he was born in 1958 in New Jersey, Dinkjian said.

Dinkjian said he didn’t have relatives in Diyarbakır, adding
that he
went there for the first time in his life five years ago. He said his
father was involved in music and thanks to that he learned how to play
lute on his own in his early childhood.

Dinkjian said he had formed a band named Night Ark with Arto
Tunjboyajyan, and made two albums titled `Armenian in America’ and
`Peace on Earth.’

His biggest dream is to give a concert in Diyarbakır

`One side of me is Armenian, and the other is American. Both sides are
nourished by each other. I am inspired by all types of music, such as
Armenian music, Anatolian melodies and American blues,’ Dinkjian said.

He said his biggest dream was to play f
or an audience in Diyarbakır,
and that he would feel like returning home if he got a chance to
perform there.

Dinkjian, who has previously given a concert in Turkey, will appear on
a Turkish stage once again on Sept. 26 for the benefit of the Turkish
Disabled Society, or TSD. Dinkjian will be accompanied by Turkish folk
singer Erdal Akkaya during the concert titled `Roots and Branches.’

The revenues from the show will be donated to the project `life
house,’ to be constructed with a capacity of 500 beds in the Marmara
city of Balıkesir’s Gönen district, Hurriyet Daily News
reports.

PRIME MINISTER ERDOGAN MEETS WITH UN SECRETARY GENERAL IN NEW YORK

Today’s Zaman
Sept 23 2009
Turkey

Turkey’s premier held talks with the head official of the United
Nations (UN) in New York, USA on Tuesday.

The closed-door meeting between Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan
and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon took place at the UN HQ.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, State Minister Ali Babacan,
State Minister and Chief Negotiator for EU talks Egemen BagıÅ~_,
Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, Turkey’s Permanent Representative to UN
Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan and Undersecretary for the Turkish Ministry
of Foreign Affairs Feridun Sinirlioglu attended the meeting as well.

Cyprus issue, climate change, Turkish-Armenian relations, Afghanistan,
the Middle East peace process and the situation in Gaza were on the
agenda of the meeting between Erdogan and Ban Ki-moon, the UN Press
Office said.

During the gathering, UN SG expressed his appreciation over Turkey’s
support to UN Special Advisor on Cyprus Alexander Downer’s efforts
in the island, moreover, he said that he was optimistic about the
ongoing negotiation process in Cyprus, the press office also said.

As part of his talks in New York, Erdogan met with Turkmen President
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow as well.

The two leaders discussed the bilateral relations between Turkey and
Turkmenistan, regional developments and energy issue during their
meeting, officials said.

CEREMONIES FOR THE 18TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA

p;p=0&id=987&y=2009&m=09&d=24
21.0 9.09

On the 21st of September, 2009, for the RA Independence Day, the RA
President Serzh Sargsyan, the NKR President Bako Sahakyan, President
of the RA National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan, Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan, Minister of Defence Seyran Ohanyan, high ranked officers
of the RA Armed Forces and other officials visited "Erablur"
pantheon. They put flowers on the memorial of Artsakh war victims,
on the tombs of Sparapet Vazgen Sargsyan and Andranik Ozanyan. "On the
day of Independence first of all those must be congratulated who have
stood up for our most dear Independence, and all those, due to whose
lives our people live in peace today. We should also be responsible for
everyone to assist the preservation of all of these, according to his
abilities and strengths", said the Minister of Defence Seyran Ohanyan.

On the 21st of September, 2009, for the RA Independence Day,
an award giving ceremony took place in the RA MoD administrative
complex. The Minister of Defence Seyran Ohanyan, Chief of the RA AF
GS Colonel-General Yuri Khachaturov and other high ranked officers of
the Armed Forces were present at the ceremony. A number of militants
of the National Army were awarded with state and departmental medals
and rewards.

On the same day there was another award giving ceremony at the
residence of the RA President. By the decree of President Serzh
Sargsyan, a number of representatives of Armenia and the Diaspora
from the spheres of education, culture, science, journalism, aviation,
sport, and militants of structures experiencing authority were awarded
with RA orders and medals, also high military ranks were conferred.

In this regard, in the speech of congratulation of the RA President
it’s stated, "Without exaggeration one can say that you and people
like you are the strength of every country, the guarantee and support
for ascent. Our aspiration and goal is for every citizen of Armenia
in his place and in his work to demonstrate the same qualities and
devotion as you did in your sphere. I am sure, that in this case our
country will move forward with big steps". At the end of the meeting
the President once again congratulated those present for receiving high
ranks and rewards, wished them happiness, success and new achievements.

President Serzh Sargsyan had a meeting with the heads of over thirty Armenian mass media outlets

/ARKA/
September 23, 2009
YEREVAN

In the framework of the unfolding public debates President Serzh
Sargsyan last weekend had a meeting with the heads of over thirty
Armenian mass media outlets to exchange views on the current stage
of the Armenia-Turkey normalization process, the presidential press
service said.

It said the President of Armenia told the heads of mass media agencies
that he anticipated an open and candid exchange on the current stage
of normalization process, stressing the importance of their views
both as individuals with active political stance and individuals who
shape public opinion. Serzh Sargsyan underscored also the importance
of participation in and support of the process by the societies of
the two states and noted that it would impossible to achieve the
resolution of the problems without it.

President Sargsyan underlined once again the importance of a thorough
reflection of the process as well as of different pertaining views
in the mass media.

During the two-hour long sincere and engaged discussions the heads of
the mass media outlets presented their views and comments regarding
the process and the pre-signed protocols, and exchanged views on
possible risks and spoke of their concerns.

The President of Armenia provided explanations on the main viewpoints
and issues regarding the process that have been brought up in the
media. He said that Armenia has entered a difficult but at the
same time important process. The leaders of the two countries view
the pre-signed protocols as the first steps on the road toward
normalization of bilateral relations, trying to create minimal
conditions, a starting point which would allow to start a dialogue with
Turkey and discuss multiple issues ranging from economic to political,
cultural and historical.

ORANGE PREPARING TO QUICKLY BECOME ARMENIA’S SECOND MOBILE OPERATOR

Tert
Sept 22 2009
Armenia

Armenia’s third mobile operator, by all appearances, will present
its services to the market very soon.

Orange Armenia coordinated a trip of Armenian media representatives
to Paris from September 17-19, to the headquarters of France Telecom
(Orange being France Telecom’s key brand), where a number of key
company officials showcased the company’s technologies and innovations,
as well as their forthcoming projects in Armenia, to the visting
journalists from Armenia, reports Armenian daily Capital.

Though no concrete date of when Orange will enter the market was
mentioned, the general argument was that Orange, essentially, is
already technically ready to provide services: it’s just that certain
PR measures are necessary before opening shop.

In response to journalists’ questions, France Telecom Vice-President
Olaf Swantee (seen here) expressed confidence that his company will
be the leader in the sphere of broadband internet.

"But, generally, we’ll become the second operator very quickly. Though
I think that the most important thing is not the fact whether we
will be the first or the second; the important thing is that Orange
becomes the brand most favoured," the company’s vice-president stated.