Category: 2017

 Congressional Documents and Publications
REJECT WEAPONS SALE TO TURKISH BODYGUARDS, TROTT and 35 MEMBERS URGE TILLERSON
Rep. Trott leads bipartisan letter to Administration urging rejection
of proposed weapons sale to Erdogan bodyguards who violently attacked
protesters in D.C.;
Rep. Dave Trott (R-MI) News Release
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DOCUMENTS
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Representative Dave Trott (MI-11), Co-Chair
of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, issued the following statement
after leading a bipartisan letter of 36 Members of Congress, including
Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone, Intelligence Chairman Devin
Nunes, Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Eliot Engel, and Intelligence
Ranking Member Adam Schiff, to Secretary of State Tillerson urging him
to reject the proposed sale of semi-automatic handguns and ammunition
to the Turkish government:
"Right here, on U.S. soil, we witnessed President Erdogan's blatant
disregard for democracy as his henchmen waged a brutal attack on
peaceful protestors. As the very model of freedom and liberty around
the world, the United States cannot condone such an overt suppression
of democracy and this proposed arms deal would be nothing less than an
endorsement of Erdogan's henchmen's brutal attack. We need to call out
and hold accountable President Erdogan and his bodyguards for who they
really are - thugs."
On June 6, 2017, the House of Representatives unanimously passed
H.Res.354, condemning Turkish President Erdogan's bodyguards' attack
on peaceful protestors and demanding the perpetrators be held
accountable.
With over 17,000 Armenian-Americans in Michigan, Rep. Trott serves as
Chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus. Rep. Trott's resolution to
recognize the Armenian Genocide (H.Res. 220) has garnered strong
bipartisan support with 45 co-sponsors, -including the Chairman and
Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Since coming to Congress, Rep. Trott has led the fight to recognize
the Armenian genocide joining a Congressional delegation to visit
Armenia for the 100th anniversary of the genocide and co-sponsoring a
resolution to recognize the Armenian Genocide in the 114th Congress.
Historians believ-e as many as 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks starting in 1915, yet international governments -
including the United States - have refused to label the killings as a
genocide.
A PDF of the signed letter is available here
 .
Full text of the letter is as follows:
Dear Mr. Secretary:
We write today to urge you to reject the proposed sale of
semi-automatic handguns and ammunition to a Turkish government
controlled entity authorized to import firearms to the Department of
Security of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey.
As you know, on May 16, members of President Erdogan's security detail
violently attacked peaceful protestors outside the residence of the
Turkish Ambassador in Washington, DC. With President Erdogan just feet
away, looking on, armed members of his security detail unleashed a
vicious attack, targeting non-violent protestors and American
Diplomatic Security Officers, resulting in severe neurological, oral,
and maxillofacial injuries. Unfortunately, this is only the latest in
a series of disturbing attacks by President Erdogan's security forces
in the United States, including a brawl at the United Nations, and a
series of physical fights in Washington, DC in May 2016. This same
security force now stands to be the beneficiary of a potential arms
deal.
On June 6, 2017, the House of Representatives spoke strongly and
swiftly, voting unanimously to pass House Resolution 354, condemning
the violence that took place outside the Ambassador's residence on May
16, and calling on the perpetrators to be brought to justice under
U.S. law. We can no longer enable Turkey to compromise our democratic
values, and this proposed arms sale is nothing short of an endorsement
of the actions of President Erdogan's security force. As such, we
strongly urge you to reject this proposed sale and any potential
weapons transfer to President Erdogan's security detail.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter.
Read this original document at:

Interfax - Russia & CIS General Newswire
 Thursday 5:34 PM MSK
Baku to blacklist publicist Eskin for visit to Karabakh - source
 BAKU. June 29
Russian-Israeli publicist and public activist Avigdor Eskin will be
blacklisted by the Azeri Foreign Ministry for an unauthorized visit to
the 'occupied territories,' as Baku calls the self-proclaimed
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
"Avigdor Eskin will not be an exception. He will be blacklisted by the
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry," a diplomatic source told Interfax.
Every person who visits Nagorno-Karabakh without permission from
official Baku, regardless of his post and status, becomes persona non
grata in Azerbaijan, the source said.
Eskin visited Nagorno-Karabakh on June 28. He said he was present
there "for one and a half days." Eskin had several meetings during his
illegal stay on the 'occupied territories.'
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news.am, Armenia
June 39 2017
Grand Chess Tour: Aronian beats Anand and Kramnik
The rapid events took place in the subsequent stage of Grand Chess
Tour held in Leuven, Belgium.
Leader of Armenian chess Levon Aronian defeated Viswanathan Anand
(India) and Vladimir Kramnik (Russia), but lost to Ian Nepomniachtchi
(Russia).
On the last day of the rapid chess tournament, Aronian will play with
white pieces against Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine) and Maxime
Vachier-Lagrave (France). He will also play with black pieces against
Wesley So.
After the 6th tournament, the Armenian grandmaster ranks 6th with 6
points. Wesley so is on the lead with 10 points.
Earlier, Aronian lost to World Champion Magnus Carlsen and Dutch Anish
Giri, defeating Georgian Baadur Jobava.
 

The Gazette (Montreal)
 Thursday
They Choose Their Own Adventures; Double bill pairs fearless artists
unbound by time, space or genre
by T'CHA DUNLEVY, The Gazette
"It's really important to know where your roots are," Tigran Hamasyan
said Tuesday morning. On the phone from a beach in Italy, where he was
vacationing with his wife, the fearless jazz pianist was talking about
his deep connection to his Armenian heritage, but also about what he
sees as an essential human value.
"I grew up in Armenia until I was 16," the 29-year-old continued. "I
wish that people were more interested in where they come from so they
can understand what to do in their lives. Except for your mother and
father, what else is in your genes that you might not know about
something that can influence you, that is your path, that you can
check out and know about? This is something very important for me."
Hamasyan continues to explore his genes and century-spanning musical
genealogy on the new album An Ancient Observer. He will perform
material from it on an intriguing double bill Saturday at the
sonically pristine Maison symphonique as part of the Montreal
International Jazz Festival.
He anchors an evening led off by Montreal saxophone monster Colin
Stetson, whose primal-meetsfuturistic one-man symphonies keep pushing
the limits of what you thought was possible with a woodwind on his
latest solo offering, All This I Do for Glory.
As a prelude to the gargantuan tête-à-tête, I touched base with both
men to get their thoughts on heritage, musical boundaries and creative
control.
Hamasyan has found himself in all kinds of situations since shaking up
the piano landscape by winning first prize at the Thelonious Monk
Institute of Jazz competition in 2006. He broke through with his
breathtaking 2011 Verve debut, A Fable, teamed up with
Armenian-American hard-rocker Serj Tankian of System of a Down on the
latter's 2013 side project, Jazz-iz Christ, and let loose in a group
setting on his own turbocharged 2015 album, Mockroot.
Influenced by everything from prog rock and heavy metal to classical
and the rich history of Armenian folk music, he sees musical divisions
as unnecessary distractions.
"I'm open to any style," Hamasyan said. "I don't limit myself to say I
only like jazz or classical. I like all kinds of music. I like to
dedicate myself to projects. I ask myself, 'This specific project I'm
doing, what is it?'"For me, the most important thing is to choose a
repertoire. For example, is it a trio record? Certain songs might need
something powerful, more of a thrash-rock sound rather than a jazz
kit. I have a lot of electronic sounds mixed with acoustic piano
sounds. The most important thing is the content of what you're
writing. ... (The connection) is the composition and the idea of
improvisation within these genres."
On first listen, the disparate sounds of An Ancient Observer seem most
informed by classical music, but nearly every song contains flourishes
of other styles, from the soulful vocal incantations and cascading
piano runs on The Cave of Rebirth to the jazzy mischief and beat-box
scatting of Nairian Odyssey and the palatecleansing interludes New
Baroque 1 and 2. Hamasyan brings it all together.
"I like to write music, then sit down and explore the ideology of it,
and make it into a story," he said, "which in this case is the
connection of time and the eternal. What's passing and what is
important in life - the idea of creation. Humans were made to create.
God created us so we can also create. So in other words, loving what
you do and knowing what you really want to do is very important."
Stetson also enjoys a good yarn.
While the thrilling sounds on All This I Do for Glory contain no
lyrics, the album and song titles (Like Wolves on the Fold, Between
Water and Wind) hint at a mythological subtext to which the performer
is not averse.
"I tend to use pretty large language and grandiose, sweeping (titles)
because I find it's necessary for those things to meet the music
halfway," Stetson said. "This record and the next I think of as a bit
of an origin story. It's the first of a two-part character study. The
first part is (about a man) who is part of this couple, who has this
unrequited dream of regaining his former glory or some semblance of
what he imagines that would be. It's like a life overrun by the
fantasies of ambition."
Stetson also used a narrative backdrop with his partner, violinist
Sarah Neufeld (who, in addition to her solo career, is known for her
work with Arcade Fire), on their collaborative 2015 album, Never Were
the Way She Was.
Here it's the launch pad for the saxophonist to delve into the
dramatic aural environments that have become his trademark: furious
whirlwinds of sound propelled by his circular breathing technique; use
of repetition and elaboration on a theme; driving percussive elements
consisting of his carefully miked fingers hitting the pads of his
instrument; and, when the feeling hits, him singing plaintively into
his saxophone while he plays.
"Purely from a mechanical standpoint, it's much more percussive in an
almost modern sense," Stetson said of the album. "It's drawing on
things like electronic music and dance music. ... In character, I
think there's this boastful ambition to it, with a strain of
self-aware doubt. I really wanted to imbue this one with fragility."
If you're looking to categorize what Stetson does, don't. Though
trained in classical and with some background in jazz improvisation,
the musician who has worked with Tom Waits, Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed,
Bill Laswell and LCD Soundsystem - and just released an album with his
new heavy metal-inspired band Ex Eye - would rather not even entertain
the question.
But, in a generous mood, he indulges: "To me, it's everybody else's
job to talk about that," he said. "It's something I don't ever want to
take part in, because not only do I not see it in those terms, I don't
make music thinking about it. My perfect audience is one that has no
frame of reference ... not even knowing it's a sax being played.
They're hearing (my music) without any expectation."
[email protected] twitter.com/TChaDunlevy
AT A GLANCE Tigran Hamasyan and Colin Stetson perform Saturday, July 1
at 7 p.m. at the Maison symphonique as part of the Montreal
International Jazz Festival. Tickets cost $47.25 to $52.25, available
via montrealjazzfest.com !@COPYRIGHT=© 2017 Postmedia Network Inc. All
rights reserved.

Armenpress News Agency, Armenia
 Thursday
Jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan to perform in Montreal Int'l Festival
YEREVAN, JUNE 29, ARMENPRESS. Jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan will
perform on July 1 in the Maison symphonique as part of the Montreal
International Jazz Festival in Canada.
Speaking to Vancouver Sun, Hamasyan talked about his roots, and strong
ties with his Armenian heritage.
“It’s really important to know where your roots are,” Tigran Hamasyan said.
“I grew up in Armenia until I was 16,” the 29-year-old continued. “I
wish that people were more interested in where they come from so they
can understand what to do in their lives. Except for your mother and
father, what else is in your genes that you might not know about
something that can influence you, that is your path, that you can
check out and know about? This is something very important for me”.
Hamasyan will perform material from his new album An Ancient Observer
at the Montreal concert.

Turan Information Agency, Azerbaijani Opposition
 Thursday
Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense Keeps Silent on Statements and Video
of Armenian Side
Baku / 29.06.17 / Turan: The Armenian Defense Ministry posted video
material of artillery shelling on the front line in YouTube. The
commentary to the material says that the Azerbaijani positions, from
which the Armenian side was shelled, were being destroyed.
The video shows firing points and fortifications and the military
there, as well as vehicles. Artillery strikes are applied on these
positions and transport.
The Armenians say that 8 Azerbaijani soldiers were killed during these
attacks. Armenian Defense Minister Vighen Sargsyan stated this at a
press conference in Yerevan on June 28.
However, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan has not yet made an
official statement on this issue, without confirming or refuting the
words of the Armenian minister. -02D-