Author: Varosian Antranik

BORDER TOWN OF HOPA HOSTING FIRST EVER CAUCASUS FILM DAYS

Today’s Zaman
July 28 2009
Turkey

Despite launching a number of film festivals in the last five years,
Turkey still does not boast very many cinematic gatherings.

Moreover, most of the existing film festivals are held in
metropolises. But later this summer, a new — albeit tiny — event
is to be added to the country’s slate of film festivals, placing the
coastal town of Hopa in Turkey’s easternmost Black Sea province of
Artvin on the map for filmmakers from the Caucasus.

The first Caucasus Film Days festival is coming to Hopa, near the
Georgian border, from Aug. 9 to 13, introducing just five feature films
from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Russia and Turkey to moviegoers in
its first year. The event will also screen six Turkish documentaries
and will include a workshop on documentary making.

The Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry is one of the sponsors of the
new festival, which is a joint effort by the local BiryaÅ~_am Culture
and Ecology Association and the Ä°stanbul-based movie production
company Kuzey Film.

The Russian entry in the festival is "Alexandra" from master filmmaker
Alexander Sokurov. The film, which had its world premiere at the 2007
Cannes Film Festival, presents a different perspective on the tension
between the Russians and Chechens.

Georgian director Julie Bertucelli’s 2003 film "Depuis qu’Otar est
parti…" (Since Otar Left), which won the Critics Week Grand Prize
at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival and the Best First Film Award at
the Cesar Awards, France’s equivalent of the Oscars, is the second
film in the lineup.

Azerbaijani director Huseyin Mehdiyev’s "Ozge Vaxt" (Strange Times),
a striking story about a father-daughter relationship, and Armenian
director Harutian Khachatrian’s "Border," which questions the whole
concept of borders, are the other two films on the slate. Young
Turkish filmmaker Ozcan Alper’s internationally award-winning first
feature film, "Sonbahar" (Autumn), is the festival’s Turkish entrant.

Alper will also be among the lecturers at the festival’s documentary
workshop, alongside such professionals as film editor Cicek Kahraman,
film critic Senem Aytac and documentary directors Ethem Ozguven and
Selcuk Erzurumlu.

The Caucasus Film Days will not only screen movies, but will also
feature musical performances. The event will open with a concert by
jazz pianist AyÅ~_e Tutuncu on Aug. 9 and singer Å~^evval Sam will
entertain festival goers with her live performance of Anatolian songs
on the festival’s second day.

The films in the first Caucasus Film Days festival are to be shown
either outdoors or in the convention hall of the BiryaÅ~_am Association
as Hopa no longer has a movie theater after the recent closure of the
Kazım Koyuncu Culture Center. Named after the late singer-songwriter
Kazım Koyuncu, one of the most prolific and famous artists the town
has raised, the center used to host all sorts of cultural activities
such as theater plays, concerts and movie screenings in the town until
the municipality decided to close it following the local elections
in March.

Documentary hub for the region

Although starting off as an 11-film showcase, the Caucasus Film Days
is actually aiming to have quite an important role, hoping to become
a major film festival in its surrounding region, one which showcases
the capabilities of younger generation film directors in the region.

Director Alper, a native of Hopa, acted as a consultant for this new
film festival and notes how important this aim really is, emphasizing
that there is great demand for this kind of event in the region. "There
is a huge demand, especially from young people in the city," says
Alper, adding that the underlying aim of the festival is not only to
showcase films, but also to create a new cultural center for the city.

"We want to hold a festival on the level of those held in Yerevan and
Tbilisi. Perhaps films done by the young people in the workshop this
year will be shown at next year’s festival," says Alper.

He also notes that further assistance from local and regional
administrations is a firm expectation of the festival’s
organizers. Alper says that this being the first year of the event,
word did not spread very far or fast about its launch.

Among the six documentaries to be featured in the Hopa festival are
Ruya Arzu Köksal’s 2007 documentary "Son Kumsal" (The Last Beach),
which depicts how the Dutluk beach in the Black Sea town of Vakfıkebir
was destroyed by the construction of the Black Sea highway, and "4857,"
co-directors Petra Holzer, Selcuk Erzurumlu and Ethem Ozguven’s account
of the lives of dozens of laborers who work under unsafe conditions at
shipyards in Ä°stanbul’s Tuzla district. The traditional architecture
of the eastern Black Sea region is examined in Suha Arın’s "Sisler
Kovulunca" (When the Fog is Swept Away), and "Å~^airin Olumu" (Death
of a Poet) by Elif Ergezen will take a look at the life and times of
Hopa poet HelimiÅ~_i Xahasın, who spent the last days of his life
in the former Soviet Union.

Evening screenings at the festival will take place at an open-air
theater to be erected on KopmuÅ~_ Beach on the Black Sea coast in
Hopa. Daytime screenings are to be held indoors at the BiryaÅ~_am
Culture and Ecology Foundation headquarters.

Business New Europe
July 26 2009

Slow progress in latest Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations

Clare Nuttall in Almaty
July 27, 2009

The latest summit between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan was
followed by promises to meet again, but yielded no concrete progress
on resolving the territorial dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh
enclave.

Armenia’s Serzh Sargsyan and Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev held talks in
Moscow on July 17, and met again the following day together with
Russian President Dimitry Medvedev. Russia, which has considerable
influence in the Caucasus and has been seeking to broker a compromise
on the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, described the discussions as
"constructive."

"During today’s, fourth, meeting, between presidents of Russia,
Azerbaijan and Armenia, Dmitry Medvedev confirmed the readiness of
Russia as co-chairman of the Minsk Group to continue exerting efforts
to find mutually acceptable solutions to the Nagorno-Karabakh
settlement," presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko told journalists the
following day. "In our view, the meeting was very constructive," he
said, adding, however, that, "It focused on certain problems, which
remained open."

Some 35,000 people were killed in the early 1990s when war broke out
after the ethnically Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, backed by
Armenia, declared its independence from Azerbaijan. A ceasefire
agreement was signed in 1994 bringing an end to the war, but
small-scale clashes on the border between Azerbaijan and
Nagorno-Karabakh are still frequent. Fifteen years on, no peace treaty
has yet been signed and no country has recognised the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic’s independence, though it is effectively integrated with
Armenia.

In the last year, Russia has stepped up its efforts as it seeks to
cement its influence in the South Caucasus, as well as presenting
itself in a more positive light – as a peacemaker – after the PR
disaster of the 2008 war against Georgia. The ever-present concern
that a border skirmish could escalate into full-scale conflict also
poses a threat to the region’s role as a key energy transit point.

However, while Sargsyan and Aliyev are both participating in
discussions, their rhetoric back on their home territory is less
conciliatory.

Home truths

Speaking at Chatham House in London the week before his meeting with
Sargsyan, Aliyev said that independence for Nagorno-Karabakh was out
of the question and refused to rule out a military solution to restore
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. "Nagorno-Karabakh will never be
recognised as an independent country. It is absolutely ridiculous to
expect that," Aliyev said. "A million refugees from Azerbaijan who
were the subject of ethnic cleansing policies of Armenia have a right
to return to their land."

On the Armenian side, representatives of the country’s large diaspora
have spoken out against the Madrid principles, while the head of the
hardline nationalist opposition party Dashnaktsutyun party warned
Sargsyan against signing any agreement with Aliyev.

The Nagorno-Karabakh government is also dissatisfied with the
procedure. In a statement published two days before the talks, the
NKR’s Foreign Ministry described the talks, from which it is excluded
on Azerbaijan’s demand – as "distorted."

"Real progress in the negotiations is possible only with the Karabakh
party’s equal participation in all the stages of the negotiation
process," it said.

Despite this, the economic situation in Nagorno-Karabakh has improved
somewhat in recent years, with GDP increasing by 116% between 2001 and
2007, according to the republic’s statistical office. The economy has
also moved away from its previous reliance on agriculture, with that
sector’s share of GDP falling from 33% in 2002 to 16% in 2007, while
manufacturing and services have increased.

In another significant development, the recent IPO of Artsakh Hydro
Power Plant, the proceeds of which will be used to build small hydro
plants in Nagorno-Karabakh, attracted investment from international
investors in countries including France, Russia, Switzerland and the
UAE. If progress towards resolving the conflict continues, it could
unlock the region’s potential in several sectors, in particular
mining.

Russia is continuing to keep Armenia and Azerbaijan at the negotiating
table, with the next meeting between the two presidents scheduled for
October. However, unless the political will for a solution from Baku,
Yerevan and Stepanakert increases, progress could to remain elusive.

ow_progress_in_latest_NagornoKarabakh_negotiations

Baku and international community can’t offer proper security model to
Karabakh
25.07.2009 14:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Nagorno Karabakh conflict was the struggle of the
Armenian national minority against Azeri aggression, an expert said.
`Not only Armenians of Karabakh but also Muslim minorities were
subjected to ethnic and religious discrimination in
Azerbaijan. Presently, prosecution of Lezgins and Avars living in the
north of Azerbaijan has reached peak,’ said Eduard Abrahamyan, expert
at Mitq analytical center.
`Self-determination of Karabakh people has served as example for other
national minorities of Azerbaijan. And the fact is that neither
Azerbaijan nor the international community can offer proper security
model to NKR,’ he said, adding that national monitories of Azerbaijan
are actually Armenia’s allies in the region

IN JAN-JUNE 2009 PROFIT OF PURE IRON TOTALLED $1.6MLN

ArmInfo
2009-07-23 16:01:00

ArmInfo. In Jan-June 2009 the pre-tax profit of Pure Iron plant
totalled 600mln AMD or $1.6mln, says the director of the company
Genik Karapetyan.

In July 2009 the company exported 400 tons of pure molybdenum and 240
tons of ferro-molybdenum against 400 tons and 160 tons in June. The
production of molybdenum is growing due to rising world prices. The
company has no financial problems and pays its employees wages and
bonuses on a regular basis. Pure Iron employs 530 people. The reports
that the plant is standing idle and its employees have been sent on
forced leave are not true. Simply, part of the workers are on holiday.

The production of Pure Iron is exported to Europe by Cronimet Mining
(Germany), who owns a 51% stake in the company. The remaining shares
belong to individuals – residents of Armenia. The plant was established
in the 1970s. In 1994 it started processing molybdenum concentrate.

JAVAKHK PHOTO EXHIBIT TO HELP YOUTH IN TROUBLED REGION

Asbarez
Jul 21st, 2009

LOS ANGELES-A photo exhibition and sale, displaying the everyday
life of Armenians in Javakhk will be held on Saturday July 25 at
the Lost Souls Café in Downtown Los Angeles. (124 W. 4th Street,
Los Angeles CA, 90013).

The event’s goal is to raise $6,000 to purchase two cars for the
Javakhk Armenian youth organization, which has faced difficulty in
organizing activities in Armenia over the years due to a lack of
transportation. All proceeds will be donated through the Armenian
Youth Federation’s Western Region, which is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit
organization.

The youth in Javakhk have a desire to share learning experiences
with other Armenian youth in the region. Unfortunately, a lack of
transportation prohibits them from participating in summer camps,
educational opportunities, and life enhancing experiences in Yerevan
and Kharabagh.

With community participation and support, the exhibit hopes to bridge
the gap between Armenians living in Javakhk, Armenia, and Kharabakh-a
division which shouldn’t exist.

The professional photos that will be displayed depict an Armenian
reality in Javakhk and provide a deeper look into the everyday lives
of the people, their tradition, labor, courage, religion and love.

ALL ARMENIAN CONFERENCE IN STEPANAKERT WAS A GOOD SHOW, SEFILYAN SAYS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
21.07.2009 15:26 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The so-called All Armenian Conference in Stepanakert,
organized by Dashnaktsutyun was a good show, staged by Serzh Sargsyan’s
order, Karabakh war veteran and Miatsum movement coordinator Zhirayr
Sefilyan declared.

According to him, the conference was organized so that its results
could be gambled at negotiations.

Dwelling on conference resolution, Sefilyan noted that it bears no
mention of liberated territories, but only of concessions, or rather
of "trade in territories". According to Sefilyan, ARFD had no right
to pass a resolution based on conference results.

Documentary film at UUFF

Falmouth Bulletin (Falmouth, MA)
July 21, 2009

By Maryjean Cannata

FALMOUTH – The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Falmouth with the
Social Action Committee and the Adult Education Committee of the
Fellowship presents J. Michael Hagopian’s award-winning documentary,
`The River Ran Red,’ a search for survivors of the Armenian Genocide
along the Euphrates River.

The event is at 7 p.m., Wednesday, July 22 at 840 Sandwich Road in
East Falmouth. Admission is free.

1885894592/Documentary-film-at-UUFF

ARMENIA, AZERI LEADERS MEET ON KARABAKH IN MOSCOW
By Conor Sweeney

Reuters
July 17 2009

MOSCOW, July 17 (Reuters) – The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan
met in Moscow on Friday in a Moscow-brokered attempt to resolve one of
the bitterest disputes left by the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

Armenia’s Serzh Sarksyan and Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev will also have
a joint meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday,
a Russian Foreign ministry source said, without giving further details.

Nagorno-Karabakh, a mainly ethnic Armenian Christian enclave inside
Azeri borders, declared independence in 1991 with support from Armenia
and fought Muslim Azerbaijan in a war that killed some 35,000 people
before a shaky ceasefire was signed in 1994.

No country has recognised Karabakh’s independence.

The dispute led to Azerbaijan and its ally Turkey closing their borders
with Armenia and remains one of the biggest threats to stability in
the South Caucasus, a key route for oil and gas supplies from the
Caspian region to Europe.

Efforts by international mediators under the auspices of the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, focused on
finding a temporary solution to the problem including strong autonomy
for Karabakh, have so far led nowhere.

A series of bilateral meetings between Aliyev and Sarksyan has fuelled
hopes that a compromise was near.

Russia has strong leverage on both Azerbaijan and Armenia, and experts
say mediation in Karabakh could consolidate Russia’s strong role in
the Southern Caucasus region.

Medvedev, U.S. President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas
Sarkozy urged Armenia and Azerbaijan last week to work for a compromise
on lines set out by international mediators.

The Kremlin’s chief foreign policy aide, Sergei Prikhodko, said Russia
would be ready to back any solution which suits both sides.

Aliyev, in a speech in London on Monday, ruled out independence
for Karabakh. "We are ready to grant the highest possible level of
autonomy for those who live in Nagorno-Karabakh within the framework
of a sovereign Azerbaijani state," he said.

Karabakh says it insists on independence and Sarksyan will find it
difficult to justify any compromise at home. (Reporting by Conor
Sweeney and Oleg Shchedrov; editing by Tim Pearce)

EUROPE OFFERS CONDOLENCES OVER IRAN PLANE CRASH

PRESS TV
July 16 2009
Iran

Iran-based Armenian Archbishop Sebuh Sarkissian (L) leads a religious
?service at the crash site of the Caspian Airlines plane, which fell
into ?farmland on July 15 near the city of Qazvin.?

European countries have offered their condolences to Iran over the
tragic plane crash near the Iranian city of Qazvin that claimed
168 lives.

The Tupolev plane went down near Jannat-Abad village at 11:33 am
local time on Wednesday after it departed the Iranian capital of
Tehran for Yerevan in Armenia.

According to Iran’s Aviation Organization spokesman Reza Jafarzadeh,
the 7908 Caspian Airlines flight crashed 16 minutes after its take-off
from Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA).

Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis expressed her condolences over
the loss to her Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki, on Thursday.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini also voiced his deepest
sympathy to Mr. Mottaki and the families of the victims.

Pope Benedict XVI also offered his prayers to the deceased and their
families.

In a telegram signed by Card Tarcisio Bertone sent to Mgr Jean-Paul
Gobel, apostolic nuncio to Iran, Benedict XVI offered "his heartfelt
condolences to the civil authorities and the families of the victims".

The Pope said he would pray "for the eternal repose of the dead"
and implore "the almighty and merciful God’s gifts of comfort and
strength on those who mourn the loss of their loved ones."

The US, Russia, Germany and the UAE had earlier expressed sympathy
with the Iranian nation over the crash.

THE UK FOREIGN SECRETARY SENT HIS CONDOLENCES TO FAMILIES OF PLANE CRASH VICTIMS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
16.07.2009 19:43 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband sent his
condolences in connection with the crash of the plane in Iran on
July 15.

In particular, Mr. Miliband said:

"I was sorry to learn of the tragic crash of the Caspian Airline
flight on July 15. My thoughts and sympathies are with the families
and friends of those who lost their lives," Press Service of UK
Embassy in Yerevan reported.