Author: Zargarian Hambik

ANGELA MERKEL: WISH OF KOSOVO PEOPLE TO ACHIEVE INDEPENDENCE SHOULD BE SATISFIED

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.01.2007 17:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The decision on Kosovo status should be satisfactory
both for ethnic Albanians and official Belgrade, German Chancellor
Angela Merkel told ZDF. At that she highlighted the wish of Kosovo
people for independence. "However, this should not tense the domestic
situation in Serbia and weaken democracy," Merkel said.

Formally, Kosovo is a part of Serbia, however, since 1999 (after the
completion of NATO military operation) the region has been ruled by
the UN administration.

Albanians, forming 90% of Kosovo population, hope for complete
independence from Serbia via talks. Belgrade intends to maintain
control and states readiness to grant maximal degree of autonomy to
Kosovo, reports rbcnews.com.

AZERI, ARMENIAN MINISTERS TO HOLD KARABAKH TALKS IN JANUARY

Interfax, Russia
Jan 9 2007

BAKU. Jan 9 (Interfax-Azerbaijan) – The first 2007 meeting of the
foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia on the settlement of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be held at the end of January,
Head of the Azeri Foreign Ministry’s information department Tair
Tagizade told Interfax on Tuesday.

Consultations are underway on the place and exact date of the talks,
he said.

Depending on the outcome of the talks, the presidents of the two
countries may hold another meeting on the Karabakh settlement later
this year, he said.

NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS TO FINISH IN YEREVAN ON JANUARY 13

Noyan Tapan
Jan 08 2007

YEREVAN, JANUARY 8, NOYAN TAPAN. The New Year celebrations will finish
at the Republic square of Yerevan on January 13. As Vano Vardanian,
the Deputy Mayor of Yerevan stated at the January 8 press conference,
a festive concert will be organized on the square on the occasion
of the old New Year. Pop singers, dancing groups will take part in
the concert. In his words, festive events were organized in all the
communities as well.

V.Vardanian also mentioned that by the Mayor’s decision, a competition
on outer design of trade service objects of Yerevan was announced. In
the Deputy Mayor’s words, results of the competition will be summed
up on January 15 and prizes will be given to the best 3 objects.

Roanoke Times, VA
Jan 2 2007

Here’s how killings continue

Dick Baynton

Baynton lives in Cloverdale.

Referring to the situation in Darfur, Susan D. Blanding concludes her
op-ed piece ("How do we allow Darfur to continue," Dec. 22) with the
question, "For the love of God, how does one turn a blind eye to the
reality of deliberately perpetrated human suffering?"

There are no simple answers, but perhaps we can turn up some useful
information by reviewing history.

Armenia, with a land area slightly larger than Massachusetts and a
population a little less than Connecticut, was the first nation in
the world to adopt Christianity as its state religion in 301 A.D.
When Armenians pushed for more rights under the Ottoman Empire,
Sultan Abdul-Hamid II massacred from 80,000 to 300,000 people between
1894 and 1896 under his strict Muslim social system.

>>From 1915 to 1917, through state-sponsored mass killings or genocide,
another 650,000 to 1,500,000 Armenians were slaughtered. Turkish
authorities insist that the deaths were the result of civil war,
disease and famine.

The League of Nations, created in 1919 to prevent wars and to help
settle disputes between nations, was unable to prevent the demise of
about 6 million Jews and 3 million to 5 million other Europeans
between 1932 and 1945. The League of Nations was dissolved in 1946.

In March of 1988, Saddam Hussein attacked the Kurdish town of Halabja
with mustard gas and nerve agents, killing at least 5,000 people.
Following the Gulf War, uprisings by various groups in Iraq led to
the killing of an estimated 30,000 citizens of several ethnic groups.

Saddam gave $25,000 to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers.
In the meantime, the United Nations discussed, debated and produced
resolutions and sanctions, all ignored by Saddam.

Darfur, in Sudan on the western border with Chad, is where trouble
started in 2003. Finally, in late August of 2006, the U.N. Security
Council approved Resolution 1706, calling for troops to be sent to
the Darfur region. The genocide continues where an estimated 400,000
or more people have been slaughtered.

Why did the French police round up and turn over to the Gestapo more
than 12,000 Jews, including about 4,000 children, in July of 1942?
Why do you suppose the Vichy government of France turned over the
names of 76,000 Jews to the Nazis starting in 1942? Why did Vidkun
Quisling of Norway immediately start collaborating with the Hitler
regime and provide 6,000 troops to fight on the eastern front during
World War II? Why did the League of Nations allow the mass execution
of millions of people?

Why has the United Nations missed opportunity after opportunity to
get tough with tyrannical leaders and rogue nations? Perhaps because
members relish living in New York, evading parking tickets and the
euphoria of debate about international issues.

The Nuremberg Trials of 1945-46 tried and found guilty many of
Hitler’s regime. Recently, Saddam was given a death sentence. But
these events of punishment occur after millions have died. A majority
of U.S. citizens are opposed to the Iraq war, probably because
Saddam’s torture and mass killings had no noticeable effect on our
daily lives.

Perhaps the answer to why nations don’t step up and take action when
they know atrocities are occurring in another country is the same
reason why some citizens don’t come forward when they witness a
crime: They don’t want to get involved. Another possible answer may
be: "Let somebody else do it."

The real answer is that some nations may value self-preservation at a
higher level than they treasure life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness for themselves and others.

AZERBAIJANI DEPUTY TRANSPORT MINISTER: US DECISION WILL NOT AFFECT KARS-AKHALKALAKI-TBILISI-BAKU PROJECT

Regnum, Russia
Dec 27 2006

"The bill adopted in the USA on banning financing the construction
of the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railway will not affect
implementation of the project. Niether Azerbaijan, nor Georgia or
Turkey appealed US banks for loans," Azerbaijani Deputy Transport
Minister Musa Panakhov is quoted as saying by APA.

According to him, Azerbaijan and Turkey are capable of financing the
project at their own expenses. The deputy minister stressed that
the bill, which was elaborated with participation of the Armenian
Diaspora and pro-Armenian congressmen will not bear the expected
result. According to him, by such claims the Armenians do nothing but
isolate themselves from regional projects. "Azerbaijan will allocate
$150 million for construction of the railway line in the Georgian
territory. The money will be given to Georgia in a form of a long-term
loan for 20-25 years," Panakhov said., noting that preparations for
implementing the project would finish in January.

As REGNUM informed earlier, US congressmen, co-chairs of the
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Frank Pallone and Joe
Knollenberg announced that US policy in South Caucasus is aimed
at promoting regional cooperation and normalization of relations
instead of isolation. Earlier, the US president George Bush
approved a bill banning state financing of the construction of the
Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railroad. Before that, the bill was
passed by the House of Representatives, and then by the Senate. The
congressmen called upon Turkey "to revise the policy of alienating
Armenia, put an end to the 13-year-old blockade and take actions
directed at cooperation with its neighbors."

BUSINESS SCHOOL ATTRACTS FEMALE STUDENTS

Danmark.dk, Denmark
Dec 27 2006

Nearly half of the students at Copenhagen Business School’s business
administration programme are women

The number of women enrolled at Copenhagen Business School’s master’s
programme for business administration has skyrocketed in the past year.

Women make up 44 percent of the student body this year – up from 16
percent last year. Similar programmes in Switzerland and France can
only boast of 20 percent female enrolment.

Anne Mette Dissing-Immerkær notes that the programme’s emphasis
on economics and business understanding has found an eager market
among women outside of Denmark, despite tuition costs of DKK 220,000
(EUR 29,800).

‘The goal is to give participants the necessary tools so they can
manage a modern company,’ Dissing-Immerkær told daily newspaper
Berlingske Tidende. ‘Focus is also placed on the individuals’
managerial skills and how they can be improved.’

She noted that only 15 percent of the students in the programme are
Danes. The rest come from around the world, especially India, China
and Canada.

The Scandinavian lifestyle convinced Anahit Goryan, 25, to leave
Armenia to study in Copenhagen.

She said the social welfare system ensures that ‘people don’t have
to fear the future’.

‘Danes don’t stay at the office until 10 at night,’ she said. ‘They
work short hours, but efficiently, so they also have time for their
families. That’s a way of life that appeals to me.’

–Boundary_(ID_wg5eaSU7aQT/AAdWbqXneg)–

OSKANIAN: "THE ONLY WAY OF THE SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT IS TO HOLD REFERENDUM"

Today, Azerbaijan
Dec 26 2006

"The only way of the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict is to
hold referendum," Armenian Foreign minister Vartan Oskanian said.

Expressing his attitude to Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev’s
statement Oskanian said that Baku was not in a right way.

"At present the negotiations are on delicate stage that is why any
this kind of statement can cause negative results and break-up of
the process," the minister said.

According to the minister’s words that Azerbaijan should avoid to
make statements about Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. He said the
only way of removing the controversy appeared between the principles
of territorial integrity and right to the self-determination is to
hold referendum in Nagorno Karabakh.

The minister said the settlement of the conflict will be difficult,
in the case of whether to treat NK as Azerbaijani territory, Armenian
or independent territory. That is why, both Azerbaijani and Armenian
sides do not intend to refuse Karabakh.

"The way out of the problem is to apply the right for
self-determination and to hold referendum," he said.

URL:

GEORGIA’S JOINING NATO TO PROMOTE DEVELOPMENT OF ARMENIA-NATO RELATIONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.12.2006 15:56 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Georgia is of strategic importance for Armenia,
since gas pipeline stretches through its territory and trade is
carried on through it as well.

However Georgia cannot say the same about Armenia, RA Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian told Yerkir Media TV Channel.

When commenting on Georgia’s joining NATO Vartan Oskanian said that
Armenia cannot dictate security goals to anyone and Georgia’s decision
to join NATO is the business of this state. At the same time the
Minister remarked that Armenia should know Georgia’s position after
joining the Alliance. He also said no considerable changes should
be expected in the region since such will conflict with Georgia’s
own interests.

"Presently absence of dividing forces in the region ensures stability
that depends on the Armenian-Georgian relations as well," he remarked
adding that availability of dividing lines will not be beneficial
both for states of the region and Europe.

Meanwhile Vartan Oskanian reminded that security issues for Armenia
are based on complementary policy which implies parallel deepening of
relations both with SCTO and NATO and Georgia’s joining the Alliance
may contribute to the development of the Armenia-NATO relations. Taking
into consideration the terms of Georgia’s accession Armenia has time
to assess the situation, reports IA Regnum.

Taking 12: The Year in Review
By Aram Kouyoumdjian

Critics’ Forum
12.23.06
Theater

Last year, as I looked back on the theater scene of the preceding
twelve months, I counted on the fingers of one hand the number of
productions by or about Armenians. This year, both the number and
quality of productions were up; organizations buzzed with activity;
and one troupe even acquired a theater space. Below, as I review the
year in 12 steps, I begin with "Little Armenia," the play I know
best, since I had the fortune of co-writing it with Lory Bedikian and
Shahe Mankerian.

1. Commissioned and produced by the award-winning Fountain
Theatre, "Little Armenia" was inspired by countless interviews that
we writers conducted in the predominantly immigrant and working-class
section of East Hollywood that bears the name. The result was a work
with three intersecting storylines that cut across generations and
dealt with the struggles of an ethnic community to maintain its
identity, language, and faith amidst financial hardship and the pull
of assimilation. The Los Angeles Times called the play "seminal,"
and thanks to overwhelming community turnout, the production was sold
out from its very first preview. As shows were added to accommodate
demand, "Little Armenia" chalked up 21 performances over its five-
week run.

2. After expending a great deal of effort and suffering
disappointment by some unexpected setbacks, the Armenian Theater
Company leased a space of its own, morphing into the Luna Playhouse.
Energized by its committed core of artists, the company inaugurated
the new space with Lilly Thomassian’s "Thirst," a war drama infused
with mythical elements and fashioned after Greek tragedy. The space
has been bustling ever since, and Luna has already delivered on its
promise to include Armenian-language plays in its repertoire. The
company had earlier proven its ability to handle serious Armenian
drama with its production of "Zhangark" (Twilight). Aghasi
Ayvazyan’s gripping tale, set during the immediate aftermath of
Armenia’s independence when the country was being suffocated by an
economic blockade, was well served by a capable cast and Aramazd
Stepanian’s assured direction.

3. The Armenian Dramatic Arts Alliance (ADAA) added to its list of
impressive accomplishments as it increased its level of activity on
the West Coast to catch up with its record on the East. Aside from
announcing the establishment of a $10,000 annual prize for an
Armenian-themed script, the ADAA organized a series of high-profile
readings, including a private presentation of Oscar-nominated
screenwriter Jose Rivera’s adaptation of the Micheline Aharonian
Marcom novel, "Three Apples Fell from Heaven." Readings at the
Fountain Theatre featured works by a trio of woman playwrights,
including Bianca Bagatourian ("The Scent of Jasmine"), Lisa Kirazian
("The Blackstone Sessions"), and Kristen Lazarian ("Push").

4. The Theater Excursions program of the Armenian Center for the
Arts completed its second full year. The program involves monthly
theater outings for a group of aficionados, usually ranging in number
from 40 to 100. Highlights among this year’s selections included
star turns by Annette Bening in "The Cherry Orchard" at the Mark
Taper Forum and by Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett in "Fences"
at the Pasadena Playhouse. Exclusive talk-backs with directors and
casts followed four of the outings, including "Love’s Labor’s Lost."

5. In an earlier review, I celebrated "Love’s Labor’s Lost" as a
triumphant production, as directed by Simon Abkarian for the Actors’
Gang (at the Ivy Substation). Abkarian, I wrote, made Shakespeare’s
text "bloom into a masterwork of imagination, awash in surreal images
and gorgeous stylized movement, all bathed in luminous light." In
fact, he elevated one of the Bard’s "lesser" comedies "to an
emotionally complex and sexually charged piece of theater."

6. If "Love’s Labor’s Lost" set the standard for the best of
theater, it was matched only by "A Number," Caryl Churchill’s
intriguing take on cloning, at the American Conservatory Theater in
San Francisco. Flawlessly staged by director Anna Shapiro, the
production boasted not only intelligent designs of its sets,
costumes, and sound, but also a vital portrayal by Josh Charles of
three brothers who are as distinct in personality as they are
identical in genetic make-up.
Among the top tier of the year’s productions, director
Randall Arney injected Arthur Miller’s morality play "All My Sons"
(at the Geffen Playhouse) with vibrancy and contemporary relevance.
Laurie Metcalf’s coiled performance as Kate Keller was revelatory and
on par with a luminous Cate Blanchett’s edgy "Hedda Gabler" at the
Brooklyn Academy of Music. Standouts among actors included Laurence
Fishburne, rivetingly intense in "Fences" (Los Angeles); Norbert Leo
Butz, riotously manic in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" (New York); and
Rufus Sewell, perfectly nuanced in "Rock ‘n’ Roll" (London).

7. Audiences in Los Angeles were treated to a rare revival of
William Saroyan’s "The Time of Your Life" ~V a lovely mood piece set
against the backdrop of the 1930s. The play had found new life on
regional stages thanks to a stellar production in 2002 by Chicago’s
famed Steppenwolf Theatre Company ~V a production that later traveled
to Seattle and San Francisco. The staging by the Open Fist Theater
Company lacked the technical polish of director Tina Landau’s version
(and her gift for choreographing movement) but nonetheless captured
the essence of Saroyan’s funny, heartbreaking, and redemptive
narrative about the search for a better, decent life during a time
fraught with financial anxiety and fear of war.

8. Eric Bogosian was represented on the boards at least twice this
year. The Hollywood Fight Club’s production of "subUrbia" had little
to recommend it, except for a game group of actors. Far more
accomplished was the Gangbusters Theatre Company’s "Talk Radio,"
which channeled the frenetic energy of Bogosian’s writing into a
captivating performance by Christian Levatino as fictional shock jock
Barry Champlain.

9. Solo performances displayed wide range and included "Black
Angel: The Double Life of Arshile Gorky," in which writer Nouritza
Matossian portrayed the women who were key figures in the artist’s
life. At the opposite end of the spectrum, "Pomegranate Whiskey," a
cabaret by Lory Tatoulian, offered uproarious musical numbers and
monologues, including an inspired bit about a fatigued Statue of
Liberty yearning to return to France. This talented and fearless
performer certainly did not spare the follies of the Armenian
community from her satirical bite, and her medley of children’s songs
set to sultry jazz music was the stuff of comedic gold.

10. Young Armenians claimed the stage in "Verchin Verabroghuh" (The
Last Survivor), an original theatrical presentation on the subject of
the Genocide. This pastiche of vignettes was sometimes sentimental,
often moving, and always treated with due reverence by a well-
rehearsed cast comprised mostly of teenagers.

11. The worst of theater came from an unlikely source at an unlikely
venue, but the only redeeming quality of Sam Shepard’s "The God of
Hell" at the Geffen was its short running time. Neither funny nor
piercing, this political "satire" about a Wisconsin couple visited by
a mysterious salesman (read: government operative) who preaches
patriotism and inflicts torture with equal glee managed to be vapid
and dull, entirely superficial, and altogether exasperating within
the span of a mere 85 minutes.

12. Next year starts with great promise, as award-winning actress
Karen Kondazian reprises her role as Maria Callas in Terrence
McNally’s "Master Class." Kondazian takes the stage at the Lobero
Theater in Santa Barbara on January 4, kick-starting what we can only
hope will be an even more fruitful year for Armenian theater.

All Rights Reserved: Critics’ Forum, 2006

Aram Kouyoumdjian is the winner of Elly Awards for both playwriting
("The Farewells") and directing ("Three Hotels"). His collaborative
script for "Little Armenia" had its world premiere at the Fountain
Theatre in Los Angeles earlier this year.

You can reach him or any of the other contributors to Critics’ Forum
at [email protected]. This and all other articles published
in this series are available online at To sign
up for a weekly electronic version of new articles, go to
Critics’ Forum is a group created to
discuss issues relating to Armenian art and culture in the Diaspora.

COURT CLEARS TURKISH WRITER OF INSULT CHARGES

RTE.ie, Ireland
Dec 20 2006

A Turkish court has cleared author Ipek Calislar of insulting modern
Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Prosecutors had claimed that Calislar insulted Ataturk when she said,
in a biography of his wife Latife, that he had once left his palace
disguised as a woman to evade an assassination attempt.

She was being charged under Article 301 of the country’s penal code
and faced up to four years in prison under Turkey’s tough law against
insulting "Turkishness".

Calislar is one of several writers to be accused of Article 301
violations.

Turkish novelists Elif Shafak, Hrant Dink and Orhan Pamuk have all
been charged under Article 301 for their accounts of the alleged
Armenian genocide.

Shafak was acquitted and Pamuk’s charges were dismissed, while Dink
still faces a retrial.