Author: Yeghisabet Arthur

FIRE HAPPENED IN ARMENIAN CHINARI VILLAGE BECAUSE OF CEASE-FIRE REGIME BREAKING BY AZERBAIJANI PARTY

ArmInfo
2009-05-22 12:06:00

ArmInfo. Fire happened in Armenian Chinari village (Berd region)
because of the cease-fire regime breaking by Azerbaijani party.

As press-service of Armenian Police reported, fire happened in the
village resident Silva Aperyan’s house about 1:30 AM on 20 May because
of firing from Azerbaijani positions. Despite active actions of the
two fire brigades the two-storied house fully burnt away.

To recall, Chinari village has been always fired from the Azerbaijani
positions. Last year two village residents were killed and one wounded.

POLISH AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA: EASTERN PARTNERSHIP NOT GOING TO STUDY SPECIFIC CONFLICTS

ArmInfo
2009-05-20 17:14:00

ArmInfo. Eastern Partnership member-states have conflicts: in Nagorny
Karabakh, in Georgia and in Transdniestria. However, the EU does
not plan to study specific conflicts within the frames of Eastern
Partnership Project.

It is going to make these states cooperate, Polish Ambassador to
Armenia Tomasz Knothe told media Wednesday.

He said the OSCE is engaged in these conflicts and the EU supports its
efforts, in particular, the activity of OSCE Minsk Group on settlement
of the Karabakh conflict. However, our privileges in this issue are
limited, we are not directly involved in the settlement process,
he said. Ambassador Knothe came out for development of regional
cooperation and focusing on integration.

ATLANTIC THEATER CO. PRESENTS WORLD PREMIERE OF AYVAZIAN’S MAKE ME, PREVIEWS BEGIN 5/19
BWW News Desk

Broadway World
eater_Co_Presents_World_Premiere_of_Ayvazians_MAKE _ME_Previews_Begin_519_20090519
May 19 2009

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory
Lawson, Managing Director) is proud to announce the final production
of its 2008-2009 season – the world premiere of Leslie Ayvazian’s play
MAKE ME, directed by Atlantic associate artistic director Christian
Parker. Casting will be announced shortly.

MAKE ME will begin previews Tuesday, May 19; officially open Sunday,
May 31; and play a limited engagement through Sunday, June 14, 2009
Off-Broadway at Atlantic Stage 2 (330 West 16 Street).

In MAKE ME, six pent-up Americans in three different relationships
have reached the end of their ropes. In this naughty comic fugue,
Leslie Ayvazian explores what happens when the rules are changed just
at the moment when people think they are perfectly comfortable and
the lengths to which some will go to be seen, heard and obeyed.

Leslie Ayvazian makes her Atlantic Theater Company debut. Her acclaimed
Off-Broadway play Nine Armenians won the John Gassner Outer Critics
Award, The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and the Kennedy Center’s Roger
L. Stevens Award. Her film credits include Showtime’s Every Three
Minutes starring Olympia Dukakis.

Atlantic associate artistic director Christian Parker most recently
staged the New York premiere of Tina Howe’s play Birth And After
Birth. Other Atlantic credits include Jeff Whitty’s The Hiding Place
and 10X20, a festival of newly commissioned ten minute plays by
writers previously produced at Atlantic for which he directed plays
by Tina Howe, Keith Reddin and Rolin Jones.

The design team for MAKE ME will feature scenic design by Anna Louizos,
lighting design by Josh Bradford and sound design by Jill BC DuBoff.

Atlantic and Druid’s critically acclaimed hit production of Martin
McDonagh’s dark comedy The Cripple of Inishmaan, directed by Garry
Hynes, is playing an extended engagement through Sunday, March 15 at
Atlantic’s Linda Gross Theater (336 West 20 Street).

Leslie Ayvazian’s (Playwright) first full length play Nine Armenians
premiered at the Intiman Theatre in Seattle and opened in New York
at the Manhattan Theatre Club in a production directed by Lynne
Meadow. It won the John Gassner Outer Critics Award for Best New
Play; The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize (2nd place) and the Kennedy
Center’s Roger L. Stevens Award, and went on to be directed by Gordon
Davidson at the Mark Taper Forum and the Denver Theatre Center; and
Oskar Eustis at Trinity Repertory Theatre. Her second full length
play Singer’s Boy was produced at The American Conservatory Theatre
in San Francisco directed by Cary Perloff. High Dive, her one woman
show about turning fifty, premiered at the Long Wharf Theatre directed
by David Warren, produced in conjunction with The Play Company, and
opened in New York at Manhattan Class Company. It has since received
many productions in the U.S. and recently completed a successful run in
Poland. Rosemary and I, which was named a Susan Smith Blackburn Prize
finalist, received a workshop at New York Stage and Film and a full
production at the Passage Theatre in Trenton, NJ, directed by Blair
Brown. Her play Lovely Day premiered at City Theatre in Pittsburgh
in a production directed by Tracy Brigden, and was produced in New
York at The Play Company where it was staged by Blair Brown. Leslie’s
one act plays include Practice; Hi There, Mr. Machine; Twenty Four
Years; Deaf Day; Plan Day and have been produced at the Ensemble
Studio Theatre and are published in several anthologies. Her one act,
Rosemary and Elizabeth was a finalist for the Heideman from The Actors
Theatre of Lousiville. Her first play in New York, Footlights, a one
woman show about shoes, ran at the Vineyard Theatre and was directed
by Jay Binder. Make Me received workshop productions by the Cape Cod
Theatre Festival and the Adirondack Theatre Festival, both directed by
Martha Banta. Leslie has received commissions from Manhattan Theatre
Club, South Coast Repertory Theatre and Wind Dancer Productions. Her
short film Every Three Minutes, produced by Showtime, starred Olympia
Dukakis, was directed by Michael Pressman and won a Telly Award. Leslie
teaches in the Graduate School of Theatre Arts at Columbia University
and is mother to Ivan Anderson and wife to Architect Sam Anderson.

Christian Parker (Director) is the Associate Artistic Director at
the Atlantic Theater Company, where he has worked since the fall of
2001. Most recently at Atlantic, he directed the New York premiere of
Tina Howe’s play Birth and After Birth. In 2006, he produced, directed,
and acted in 10X20, a festival of newly commissioned ten minute plays
by writers previously produced at Atlantic, to inaugurate their new
Stage 2 and celebrate the 20th anniversary of the company. For that
festival, he directed plays by Tina Howe, Keith Reddin and Rolin Jones,
and acted in Kevin Heelan’s The Compassioneer. Also at Atlantic he
directed Ken Weitzman’s Arrangements and Jeff Whitty’s The Hiding
Place. Other direction includes new works by David Lindsay-Abaire,
Sheri Wilner, Eric Winick and Cusi Cram for the Chekhov Now! Festival,
HB Playwrights Theatre, the 24 Hour Plays On Broadway, The Brick, and
Atlantic 453/New Works Series. . Prior to his tenure at the Atlantic,
he spent several seasons as the Literary Manager at Manhattan Theatre
Club. Christian has also served as dramaturge on over fifty premieres
of new American and British plays on, off and off-off Broadway. He
currently runs the MFA Dramaturgy program at Columbia University,
and holds a BA from Middlebury College and an MFA from Columbia.

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory
Lawson, Managing Director) is the award winning Off-Broadway theater
dedicated to producing great plays simply and truthfully utilizing
an artistic ensemble. Atlantic believes that the story of the play
and the intent of the playwright are at the core of the creative
process. Atlantic’s acclaimed world premiere production of its first
musical Spring Awakening, with music by Duncan Sheik, book and lyrics
by Steven Sater and direction by Michael Mayer, won 8 Tony Awards®,
including Best Musical. In 2006, Atlantic was awarded the Lucille
Lortel Prize for Outstanding Body of Work.

Atlantic produced five world premieres during its 2007-2008 season:
Academy Award® winner Ethan Coen’s comedy Almost an Evening, directed
by Neil Pepe and featuring Academy Award® winner F. Murray Abraham and
Mark Linn-Baker; Peter Parnell’s Trumpery, directed by David Esbjornson
and featuring Tony Award® winner Michael Cristofer and Tony Award®
nominee Manoel Felciano; Lucy Thurber’s Scarcity, directed by Jackson
Gay and featuring Emmy Award® winner Kristen Johnston, Jesse Eisenberg
and Michael T. Weiss, Jez Butterworth’s Parlour Song, directed by Neil
Pepe and featuring Chris Bauer, Jonathan Cake and Emily Mortimer and
Annie Baker’s Body Awareness, directed by Karen Kohlhaas and featuring
Academy Award® nominee JoBeth Williams, Peter Friedman and Mary McCann
and the critically acclaimed New York premiere production of Oliver
Award® winning and Tony Award® nominated playwright Conor McPherson’s
play Port Authority, directed by Henry Wishcamper and featuring Tony
Award® nominee Brian d’Arcy James, Tony Award® winner John Gallagher,
Jr. and Tony Award® winner Jim Norton.

Playwright Beau Willimon made his celebrated Off-Broadway debut this
season with the world premiere of Farragut North starring Chris Noth
and John Gallagher, Jr. The world premiere of the comedy What’s
That Smell: The Music Of Jacob Sterling, written and performed by
Tony Award® nominee David Pittu, transferred Off-Broadway to New
World Stages following a critically acclaimed extended engagement at
Atlantic Stage 2.

Since it’s inception in 1985, Atlantic has produced more than 120
productions including the Tony Award® winning play The Beauty Queen of
Leenane, the world premieres of Woody Allen’s A Second Hand Memory and
Writer’s Block, the acclaimed world premiere of David Mamet’s Romance
and his new adaptation of The Voysey Inheritance, the musicals Spring
Awakening and 10 Million Miles, Jez Butterworth’s Mojo, Tom Donaghy’s
Minutes From The Blue Route, Edwin Sanchez’ Trafficking in Broken
Hearts and the American premieres of Blue/Orange, Dublin Carol and
The Night Heron, the New York premieres of The Intelligent Design
of Jenny Chow and The Cider House Rules, the revivals of American
Buffalo, Edmond, The Hothouse and Hobson’s Choice. Atlantic maintains
an ensemble of acclaimed actors, writers and directors including David
Mamet (playwright and director) and William H. Macy (Academy Award®
nominee for Fargo), who founded Atlantic over twenty years ago in 1985.

MAKE ME will play Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30p, Saturday matinees
at 2:30p and Sundays at 2:30p. All tickets are $40.00 and available
by calling Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 ().

ATLANTIC STAGE 2 is located at 330 West 16th Street (between 8th
& 9th Avenues). For membership information, wheelchair seating,
and/or group sales call Ticketcentral at 212-279-4200 or visit

Anadolu Agency, Turkey
May 16 2009

TURKEY WILL NOT OPEN BORDERS WITH ARMENIA UNLESS UPPER KARABAKH
PROBLEM SOLVED

ISTANBUL (A.A) – 16.05.2009 – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said on Saturday that closure of Turkish-Armenian border was
related to Upper Karabakh, "Turkey will not open its border gates with
Armenia unless this problem is solved," he added. Erdogan responded
to questions of journalists prior to his departure for Russian
Federation.

When a journalist said, "during your visit to Azerbaijan, you said
Turkey would not open border with Armenia unless Upper Karabakh
problem is solved. Armenian President said Turkey’s intervening in
Upper Karabakh would not bring peace there," Erdogan said, "being a
regional country, it is regardless of question for Turkey to remain
silent on Upper Karabakh matter. Turkey closed borders with Armenia as
a result of interventions there."

Commenting on Nabucco, Erdogan said the project has 6 partners and
Turkey was one of them. He said Turkey was not a supplier country, but
a transit country.

Erdogan said European Union (EU) and European Commission member
countries should speed up infrastructure works with the related
countries to procure fund.

Erdogan said, "infrastructure works should start quickly. European
Commission should make a decision for this and accelerate the
process. Turkey is ready to fulfill its obligations." (AY)

AGREEMENT ON SOUTH STREAM SIGNED IN SOCHI

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
15.05.2009 22:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The president of Gazprom, Alexey Miller, and the
Head Administrator for ENI, Paolo Scaroni, in the presence of the
Russian and Italian leaders, Vladimir Putin and Silvio Berlusconi,
have signed a new agreement relative to the realization of South
Stream. ENI and ENEL, furthermore, have signed an agreement for the
transfer to Gazprom of 51% of SeverEnergia and the development of
important sites in Siberia.

The agreement on South Stream provides for the increase in the capacity
of transport from 31 to 47 billion cubic metres of gas per year in
the pipeline. ENI and GAZPROM, furthermore, have worked together to
follow through with the development of the South Stream project, given
its strategic relevance in causing, through a new route, a decisive
contribution to the security of the supply of gas across Europe. ENI
and ENEL have also signed an agreement for the transfer to GAZPROM
of 51% of SeverEnergia, a company that owns the entire capital of
Arcticgaz, Urengoil and Neftegaztechnologia, once themselves owners
of the license to explore and produce hydrocarbons with gas and oil
reserves estimated at 5 bln barrels equivalent to oil. At the end of
the negotiations, the indirect participation of ENI will be reduced
from 60% to 29.4% and that of ENEL from 40% to 19.6%. On the basis of
the agreement, SeverEnergia, who employs 500 people in its offices in
Moscow and Noy Urengoy, will become the first Italo-Russian company
to operate in the Yamal Nenets’ (Western Siberia) deposit sites.

Currently the region produces about 905 of Russian gas. The various
parties have agreed to produce the gas from Samburskoye before June
2011 and to reach at least 150000 BOE a day within 2 years from the
beginning of production. It was further agreed to define within 90
days the plan to obtain all the authorization, including the extension
of the licenses from Rosnedra, the Russian authority for the use
of mineral and oil resources. The remuneration paid by GAZPROM for
the purchase of 51% of SeverEnergia, the final definition of which
is predicted for the end of June 2009, amounts to about 1.5 billion
dollars and will be paid in two parts over 2009-10. The ENI’ expected
earnings are 900 million dollars, of which ENEL will be responsible
for 600 million, AGI reported.

AZERBAIJAN ADDRESSES ICRC TO ASSIST THE RELEASING OF ANAR HAJIYEV FROM THE ARMENIAN CAPTIVITY

APA
May 12 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku. Kamala Guliyeva, Rashad Suleymanov – APA. The State
Commission for Captives, Hostages and Missing People addressed
the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to assist the
releasing of Azerbaijani sergeant Anar Khanbaba Hajiyev captured by
the Armenian armed forces on May 10, the commission secretary Shahin
Sailov told APA.

He said the commission confirmed the fact of captivity and would take
all measures for his release.

Press service of the Azerbaijan Defense Ministry also confirmed the
fact of captivity of Sergeant Anar Hajiyev by the Armenian armed
forces. The conditions of captivity are not known. The ministry is
investigating the fact.

Anar Hajiyev, 19 was called up by the Goranboy District Military
Commissariat. He was captured by the Armenian armed forces at 9.45
on May 10, 2009.

Interfax, Russia
May 5 2009

France Telecom to enter Armenian mobile phone market in Oct-Nov

YEREVAN May 5

FTA Telecom (Orange-Armenia), a structure of France Telecom’s Orange
SA, will begin providing mobile phone services in Armenia in
October-November 2009, Armenian Transportation and Communications
Minister Gurgen Sarkisian said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Draft work is currently under way and equipment is being installed, he
said.

The global financial crisis has not affected France Telecom’s plans in
Armenia he said. The company will invest some $75 million in creating
a mobile network in Armenia this year.

Orange SA won a tender for the right to provide cellular services in
Armenia on October 7, 2008 and registered FTA Telecom, which will use
the Orange brand in Armenia. Orange offered the highest price of 51.5
million euros in the tender. The company will receive a 15-year
license to work in GSM standard with the opportunity to provide 3G
services.

The Armenian Public Services Regulation Commission issued a
preliminary license for communications services in the country to FTA
Telecom in November 2008.

At present, two companies provide GSM standard cellular services in
Armenia: Armentel (BeeLine trademark), a wholly owned subsidiary of
Russia’s VimpelCom (RTS: VIMP), and K-Telecom (VivaCell trademark), in
which Russia’s MTS (RTS: MTSS) owns 80%.

Communications operator and Internet provider Orange SA has 90 million
subscribers and provides services in 23 countries.

AAP Newsfeed, Australia
May 6, 2009 Wednesday 6:13 PM AEST

Fed: Genocide motion will stir up ancient antagonisms: embassy

by Larine Statham

ADELAIDE May 6

A resolution by South Australia’s parliament recognising the
Armenian holocaust as one of the greatest crimes against humanity will
stir up ancient antagonisms, according to the Turkish Embassy.

In a motion moved by SA Liberal MLC David Ridgeway last month, SA
became the second Australian state parliament to officially "condemn
the genocide of the Armenians" between 1915 and 1923.
While official Turkish history denies the term "genocide" is an
accurate description of events, Armenians have rallied support from
more than 20 countries, who recognised the organised killings of about
one million people as genocide.
The Turkish Embassy in Australia said resolutions made in
parliament were creating division and resentment in this country.
"The … resolution is clearly the work of an ethnic lobby
determined to stir up and distort ancient antagonisms and, as such, it
could very easily bring the friendship between Turkey and Australia to
a halt," an embassy spokesman said in a statement.
Australian citizens of Turkish origin feared a deliberate racist
climate of hostility was being created towards them, the spokesman
said.
Mr Ridgeway said the modern Turkish community should not be blamed
for historic events, and it was not his intention to offend any
members of that community.
"I think it was important to recognise these events, but I also
think that we need to make sure that, as a multicultural society, we
move on and celebrate what’s great about all the people who live in
Australia," he told AAP.
Mr Ridgeway said a number of Turkish-Australians had contacted his
office since the motion was made.
"I understand the word genocide upsets the Turkish community," he
said.
"I intentionally didn’t mention the Turks (in parliament) … and I
didn’t want to be pointing the finger.
"I don’t doubt that they all have a view of history that is
slightly different from each other."
The embassy spokesman said the resolution disregarded "the views of
the entire people of a country they clearly know little or nothing
about".
"The resolution would not have gone through if South Australian
legislators had permitted an impartial discussion of the history
concerned," he said.
"Politicians can not and should not try to write history,
particularly the history of countries … on the other side of the
world and events nearly a century ago."
Mr Ridgeway said members of SA’s Armenian community had approached
him and asked if the Liberals would take the resolution to parliament,
where it gained full support in the upper and lower houses.
As part of its resolution, the SA parliament called on the federal
government to officially condemn the genocide of the Armenians.
With many individual US states also formally acknowledging the
events as genocide, Armenian-Americans have reportedly voiced
disappointment at President Barack Obama’s failure to keep a campaign
promise to formally recognise the crime.
This year, on the 94th anniversary of arrests in Istanbul that
started the genocide, the Armenian and Turkish foreign ministries
issued a joint statement announcing that the two governments had
agreed on a plan for normalising relations.
The Turkish Embassy in Australia is calling for an impartial review
of the events at issue to be undertaken jointly by Turkish, Armenian
and international scholars.

ASTANA TO HOST IAEA ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION CONFERENCE

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.05.2009 21:56 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ IAEA International Conference on Remediation of
Land Contaminated by Radioactive Material Residues will be held in
Kazakh capital from May 18 to May 22, 2009.

The main objective of the conference is to facilitate international
cooperation and to promote the application of international standards
and good practices. Additional objectives are to raise awareness,
and encourage the sharing of information and lessons learned on
policy and regulatory, safety, technological, managerial and related
socioeconomical aspects of the remediation of sites contaminated with
radioactive materials, including NORM.

The main part of the conference will be devoted to the following
key topical issues which have been identified as subjects for the
contributed papers: Progress and lessons learned in environmental
remediation approaches since Arlington 1999; National and international
policies and strategies; Options for the demonstration of compliance
with safety and other applicable criteria; Introduction of innovative
technologies in remediation activities; Changing requirements
in environmental management and remediation; Safe management of
residues, waste and sites resulting from the termination of practices;
Options for environmental remediation and waste-residue management
in NORM industries and legacy sites; Management and optimization of
occupational radiation protection during remediation activities.

The conference is directed at a broad range of experts in the area
of contaminated site remediation, including professionals from the
different disciplines involved in all aspects of the remediation
process. It is aimed at both licensees and governmental officials,
including representatives of regulatory bodies, the industry and
academia, as well as senior policy makers.

SWEDEN EXTENDS FULL SUPPORT FOR TURKEY’S MEMBERSHIP

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.05.2009 18:50 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Sweden, which will take over the rotating presidency
of the European Union (EU) from Czech Republic as of July 1, is
extending full support for Turkey’s EU bid, Secretary General Maria
Asenius announced in Stockholm. Speaking about Turkey’s efforts towards
EU integration, she noted that Turkey was a strategically important
country for the union, however, it should carry on with implementing
reforms. Turkish Today’s Zaman newspaper quotes the Swedish official
as saying that solution of the Cyprus issue will be a remarkable
progress in Turkey’s ongoing negotiation process with EU.