RARE ARMENIAN MANUSCRIPTS ON LOAN TO GREECE
Athens News Agency, Greece
Nov 7 2006
Armenia’s prestigious Matenadaran manuscripts archive will loan out
rare translations of Greek texts from classical antiquity for the use
by scholars in Greece, under an agreement struck on Tuesday between
Greek Parliament Vice-President George Sourlas and his visiting
Armenian counterpart Vahan Hovanesian.
According to a press release issued by Parliament, the texts will
include works attributed to Plato, for which the original Greek text
has been lost.
Caption: A file photo of the Greek Parliament Building on Syntagma
(Constitution) Square in downtown Athens. EPA/ANA-MPA/ L. Gouliamaki.

WINNER OF MONK COMPETITION TIGRAN HAMASYAN IN CONCERT AT THE TRIBECA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Tigran Hamasyan
All About Jazz, PA
Nov 7 2006
The Tribeca Performing Arts Center
Borough of Manhattan Community College
Presents: Jazz In Progress-Monk In Motion – The Next Face In Jazz
Presenting, In Concert, The Winner of The Thelonious Monk
International Jazz Piano Competition
Other concerts include finalists: Aaron Parks – November 27
and Gerald Clayton – December 18
The Tribeca Performing Arts Center, in partnership with the Thelonious
Monk Institute, proudly presents Jazz In Progress-Monk In Motion,
featuring in concert, the top three finalists of the prestigious
Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, now celebrating its
20th anniversary. This year the renowned competition was devoted to
jazz piano, and the three finalists, pianists Aaron Parks (Washington),
Gerald Clayton (born in the Netherlands, currently residing in
California), and Tigran Hamasyan (Armenia, currently residing in
California), were singled out from a strong field of twelve semi-
finalist musicians by the competition’s distinguished panel of judges,
including Herbie Hancock, Andrew Hill, Danilo Perez, Renee Rosnes,
Billy Taylor and Randy Weston.
Each of the three concerts of the Jazz In Progress-Monk In
Motion Series will feature one finalist leading their ensemble,
demonstrating the perpetually diverse nature of jazz, and showcasing
three of the plethora of exciting, young musicians making jazz
their life’s work. Tickets are $25 General Admission, $15 Students &
Seniors. To order tickets and for additional information click on
or call the box office at 212 220 1460. The Tribeca
Performing Arts Center is located at 199 Chambers Street, New York,
NY 10007.
Jazz In Progress-Monk In Motion Concert Schedule:
Winner of the 2006 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition:
Tigran Hamasyan, Monday, November 20, 2006 at 7:00 PM: Tigran Hamasyan
was born in Gyumri, Armenia and began playing piano at age 10. He
currently attends the University of Southern California where he is
studying jazz piano. Influenced by Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk,
Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, Miles Davis and Bud Powell, Hamasyan began
writing his first piano compositions at a young age. He recently won
first prize at the Monaco Jazz Soloist Competition and has performed
at concerts, competitions, festivals throughout Europe.
Aaron Parks – Monday, November 27, 2006 at 7:00 PM (3rd place
finalist): Aaron Parks was raised in Seattle, Washington and began
playing piano at age 10, learning mostly by ear. He began is career
in jazz at the age of 16 after leaving the University of Washington
to focus more intently on jazz studies at the Manhattan School of
Music in New York. Parks won first place in the 5th American Jazz
Piano Competition and is a Cole Porter Fellow of the American Pianist
Association. Currently, he tours with Terence Blanchard and is featured
on Blanchard’s CDs Bounce and Flow.
Gerald Clayton – December 18 at 7:00 PM (2nd place finalist):
Gerald Clayton was born in Utrecht, The Netherlands and was raised
in Los Angeles. He began playing piano at the age of five. Currently,
Clayton is pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies at the
University of Southern California. In addition to his studies, Clayton
performs frequently and has played with a host of well-respected
musicians including Benny Green, Mulgrew Miller, Kenny Baron, and
Clark Terry. He recently appeared on Back in the Swing of Things with
the Clayton Brothers.
Since 1987, the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz has presented the
Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, the most prestigious
jazz competition in the world. Each year, more than $60,000 in
scholarships and prizes are awarded to talented young musicians
and composers. The scholarships help pay tuition for college-level
jazz education studies and provide funds for private, specialized
instruction. The competition focuses on a different instrument every
year and features an outstanding all-star judging panel. Branford
Marsalis, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Clark Terry, Dave Brubeck,
Marian McPartland, and Diana Krall have all served as judges at
past competitions.
The Institute has presented competitions for piano, bass, drums, hand
drums, saxophone, trumpet, guitar, vocals and trombone. In September
2006, the competition once again showcased piano, in celebration
of the Institute’s 20th Anniversary, with the semifinals taking
place at the Smithsonian Institution’s Baird Auditorium and the
finals at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. The judging panel
and special guests featured a number of distinguished jazz artists,
including Herbie Hancock, Andrew Hill, Quincy Jones, Danilo Perez,
Renee Rosnes, and Billy Taylor.
This year, Quincy Jones, Phylicia Rashad and Billy Dee Williams hosted
the event at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Herbie
Hancock served as chairman with Bill Cosby and Billy Dee Williams as
co-chairs. Honorary co-chairs included Madeleine Albright and Alma
and Colin Powell.
The 20th Anniversary Celebration was sponsored by General Motors
and Northrop Grumman. The Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano
Competition was sponsored by G.M.A.C Financial Services. For more
information visit
Located on the campus of the Borough of Manhattan Community College
(a CUNY school), the mission of Tribeca Performing Arts Center is
to provide a professional season of culturally diverse arts programs
of high quality for the Metropolitan New York area, the residential
communities of Lower Manhattan and the college community in which it
is located.
Tribeca PAC maintains two theatres: a 913-seat theatre and a
262-seat theatre. The company offers an extensive 9-month long
season of programming that includes jazz concerts, dance, theatre
and family performances. The company also offers a year long Artist
in Residence program to 8 different artists (4 choreographers and
4 theatre directors/playwrights) and presents their new, original
work every Spring in the annual “Work and Show Festival”. Tribeca
PAC also hosts many critically acclaimed events during the season,
including the Tribeca Film Festival in the Spring and Resfest in the
Fall. Please contact: John Malatesta, Marketing Director, Tribeca
Performing Arts Center, (212) 220-1459
?id=11584

TURKISH-BORN ARMENIAN RETURNS MEDAL FOLLOWING GENOCIDE BILL
By Anadolu News Agency (aa), Tel Aviv
Zaman, Turkey
Nov 7 2006
Israeli citizen Yuda Yagbes reacted to the French parliament’s passing
of a bill that would make it a crime to deny an Armenian genocide
by sending back his 1965 certificate and medal of “Merite Civique,”
which France awards to those who represent the country best.
Yagbes, 94, was born in Turkey and immigrated to Israel in 1980. He
returned his certificate and medal via a letter sent to the French
embassy in Tel Aviv.
Condemning France’s attitude, Yagbes commented that he never understood
why the country showed so much concern for the issue. He said he felt
very comfortable with his gesture, and added that if any problems
occur it is strictly between Turks and Armenians.
As to why he returned his medal, he replied he was born in 1912 in
Izmir where he served in the army; and when a fellow Turkish recipient
decided to return his medal, he was inspired to do the same thing.
;alt=&trh=20061107&hn=38035
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

YURI MERZLYAKOV: CO-CHAIRS HAVE NO AGREEMENT ON NAGORNO GARABAGH REFERENDUM
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 7 2006
“We have no agreement on Nagorno Garabagh referendum, we will have
discussions on the eve of the Azerbaijani and Armenian ministers’
meeting on November 14 in Brussels and determine our position on the
referendum,” OSCE Minsk Group co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov told the APA.
The referendum on Constitution will be held in Nagorno Garabagh on
December 10. There is a special paragraph in the constitution to be
accepted by referendum on separatist Nagorno Garabagh regime.
Foreign Ministry Press and Information Policy Department Tahir
Tagizadeh told the APA world community and OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs
should estimate Nagorno Garabagh puppet regime unambiguously.
“For Azerbaijan everything is clear – these actions are realized
by illegal regime, contradicts the Azerbaijani Constitution
and international legislative norms and can not influence peace
negotiations as to its features,” he said. The diplomat considers
that the steps made by illegitimate regime can not achieve legal
results.

ARMENIA SELLING MORE INFRASTRUCTURE, INDUSTRY TO RUSSIA
By Vladimir Socor
Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
Nov 7 2006
In his November 6 news conference, Armenia’s de facto strongman and
presidential aspirant Serge Sarkisian welcomed the just-consummated
purchase of the Armentel telecommunications company by the Russian
giant Vympelcom. Sarkisian is defense minister as well as secretary
of the national security council (supervising the security agencies),
and concurrently the head of the Armenian side in the Armenia-Russia
Economic Cooperation Commission, thus also in charge of Armenia’s
economic relations with Russia. “I don’t see any risk at all in the
growth of Russian capital in our country,” Sarkisian averred (Interfax,
November 6).
Indeed he has, along with his long-time political ally President
Robert Kocharian, overseen the process of transferring Armenia’s
infrastructure and industrial assets to Russian interests. On October
31-November 1 in Moscow, Kocharian finalized the handover of the
Iran-Armenia gas pipeline and the Hrazdan electricity generating
plant’s fifth power bloc, the leading unit in the country, to
Gazprom in return for temporary price relief on Russian gas (see EDM,
November 3). Low-priced gas is only a recent rationale for selling
infrastructure assets to Russia. In 2002-2005, the rationale was debt
relief. Kocharian and Sarkisian oversaw the transfer of state-owned
industries to Russia in debt-for-assets swaps.
Vympelcom announced on November 3 in Moscow the purchase of a 90%
stake in Armentel from the Greek owner, Hellenic Telecommunications
(OTE). Vympelcom is paying $ 434 million in cash and assumes an
additional $ 52 million in OTE debt. OTE had bought Armentel from the
Armenian government in 1997 for $142.5 million and invested a reported
$300 million in it since then. Armentel currently has a 40% to 50%
share of Armenia’s mobile telephone market and operates the country’s
fixed-line telephony network. The Armenian government retains a 10%
stake in Armentel. According to government data (Arminfo, November 3),
Armentel has until now been Armenia’s second-largest taxpayer.
During Kocharian’s Moscow visit last week, Russia’s Comstar
Telesystems announced the acquisition of Armenia’s telecommunications
company CallNet and its subsidiary, the Internet service provider
Cornet. The fast-growing Callnet and Cornet comprise the second-largest
telecommunications group in Armenia. The Russian Comstar is acquiring
a 75% stake in that group for an as yet undisclosed price, with an
option to purchase the remaining 25%.
Also during Kocharian’s visit, Russia’s state-owned Foreign Trade Bank
(Vneshtorgbank) announced its intention to acquire the remaining 30%
of shares in what used to be Armenia’s Savings Bank. The Vneshtorgbank
had in 2004 acquired 70% of the shares in that bank, which became
Vneshtorgbank Armenia. The tycoon Mikhail Bagdasarov owns the
remaining 30% and is negotiating the sale to the Russian Vneshtorgbank
(Kommersant, SKRIN Market and Corporate News, October 30-31).
On the eve of Kocharian’s Moscow visit, Sarkisian presided over the
ceremony marking the completion of the ArmenAl plant’s overhaul by
Russian Aluminum (RusAl). The Yerevan-based ArmenAl, a major producer
of aluminum foil, idled in the 1990s, was acquired in 2002 by RusAl,
which two years later subcontracted the overhaul to Germany’s Achenbach
firm for $80 million (RFE/RL Armenia Report, Armenpress, October 26).
In September of this year, the Russian state-owned Inter-RAO UES
(a subsidiary of Russia’s Unified Energy Systems state monopoly)
completed the acquisition of the Electricity Networks of Armenia in
full ownership from the British-based Midland Holdings. Apart from
the transmission networks, Russia’s UES owns and operates some 80%
percent of Armenia’s electricity generation capacities and is the
financial manager of Armenia’s Nuclear Power Plant.
During his meeting with Kocharian in the Kremlin on October 31,
Russian President Vladimir Putin professed to feel that the level of
Russian investment in Armenia is too low, “strangely and shamefully”
so. Widely cited in Armenia, this remark seems disingenuous on
several counts. Russia is by far the largest investor overall in
post-Soviet Armenia. Putin’s estimation apparently did not include the
transactions-in-progress that are being finalized now. Unlike Western
investors, Russian ones are focusing on Armenia’s strategic assets
and infrastructure as the economic basis for political influence and
control. Putin’s remark seems designed to goad official Yerevan into
selling more assets to Russian interests, in which case Yerevan would
have to start scraping the bottom of the assets barrel.
(Noyan Tapan, Mediamax, PanArmenianNet, Armenpress, November 1-6)

ALCATEL SA URGES ITS EMPLOYEES TO APPEAL THE SENATE
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 7 2006
Alcatel SA employees are made to take part in the campaign for the
recognition of Armenian genocide, APA reports.
Obeying the orders of the president of the company, Armenian Serge
Tchuruk the employees make appeals to the French Senate for the
adoption of the bill making Armenian genocide denial punishable.
Besides, the employees who don’t join the campaign for financing some
organizations headed by Armenians are dismissed on various pretexts.
After uniting with the US Company Lucent Technologies in April, 2006
Alcatel SA extended its activity. Serge Tchuruk asked his American
colleagues to do their best for the recognition of Armenian genocide
by the US legislative body in the conference held recently.
Serge Tchuruk was born in Marseilles, his parents moved to France
from Turkey. It is interesting that the French massacre in Algeria
coincides with Serge Tchuruk’s military service.
Alcatel SA founded in 1898 in Alsace is considered one of the leaders
in the telecommunication market. The company functions in 130 countries
of the world. Nearly 55 000 people are employed in the company. The
financial turnover of the company was $13.1bn last year.
Alcatel Deutschland GmbH participated in the Armenia – Germany economic
forum held in Yerevan recently.

TURKISH COSMETICS COMPANY CHANGES FRENCH NAME IN PROTEST
By Yasin Kilic, Istanbul
Zaman, Turkey
Nov 7 2006
A Turkish cosmetics company, which has been using a French name for
24 years, has changed its name out of anger over France’s passing a
bill in parliament that would make it a punishable crime to deny an
Armenian genocide.
CEO of the Yildirimlar Group, Hasan Yildirim explained that the
Armenian bill was an attack on the history and values of the Turkish
republic and announced that they would no longer use the “Francois
Patrick” trademark for their cosmetic products.
The group will begin to use the “MW” name for its products from now on.
“We could have established a medium-scale cosmetics company with the
money we spent on changing our name,” explained Yildirim.
“We were operating with the brand name ‘Francois Patrick’ in the
Turkish market but we couldn’t remain indifferent to the Armenian
bill passed in the French parliament. So, we decided to change our
name. We will market our new perfumes with the MW name within 10 days,”
clarified Yildirim.
Yildirim claimed that they made a courageous decision and noted that
they exchanged views with all their employees before doing so.
“This was a family decision,” said Yildirim.

PRESIDENT ILHAM ALIYEV ATTENDS CONFERENCE AT BELGIAN ROYAL INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Nov 8 2006
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the Conference
“Azerbaijan-EU: partnership reaching beyond energy” which took place at
the Belgian Royal Institute for International Relations on November 7.
Ambassadors plenipotentiary and extraordinary and permanent
representatives to international organizations of several countries,
renowned Belgian politicians and political scientists, as well as
representatives of various international organizations including
the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament were
present at the Conference.
Director General of the Institute Claude MISSON thanked the Azerbaijani
leader for coming and introduced him to the audience.
President Ilham Aliyev spoke to the conference.
He thanked for the invitation and informed the audience on the
meetings he had in Brussels. The President said integration into
Europe is Azerbaijan’s priority, and this visit has created a good
basis for further enhancement of Azerbaijan-EU cooperation.
He said that despite the bitter consequences of the Armenian military
aggression and the deep crisis Azerbaijan was facing in the first
years of independence, it has managed to safeguard its statehood and
realize political and economic reforms. The President mentioned the
EU’s support to the country to achieve that.
The Head of State said cooperation with the European Union is very
important to Azerbaijan noting the EU will also benefit from that.
The President described Azerbaijan as a country carrying out an
open-door policy, and having very favorable investment opportunities.
He said the country has achieved world’s highest economic growth rate,
and turned into a leading state in the region.
Dwelling on the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
President Ilham Aliyev once again expressed his country’s positions
towards the problem. Armenia’s acting in defiance of international
legal norms and pursuing the policy supporting separatist is he said
the main reason for why the conflict has not yet been resolved.
The President answered questions from the audience.

KASPRZYK: TO MAINTAIN CEASEFIRE AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTERS SHOULD HOLD NEGOTIATIONS
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 8 2006
“There is stability in Azerbaijan and Armenian front line,” special
representative of OSCE Chairman-in-Office Anjey Kasprzyk told
journalists, APA reports.
He said that for maintenance of ceasefire Azerbaijani and Armenian
ministers should hold negotiations.
“Defense ministers should have a chance to discuss the details of the
maintenance of ceasefire regime. I agree with the position of both
governments. The ceasefire regime is connected with the demonstration
of political will. The monitoring I hold helps to reinforce the
ceasefire regime and I always felt support from both sides.It proves
that the sides are interested in the maintenance of ceasefire regime,”
the representative said.

ROBERT KOCHARYAN: IF FOREIGN MINISTERS WILL RESULT WELL, WE WILL BE ABLE TO MEET WITH ILHAM ALIYEV
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 8 2006
2006 is convenient year for Azerbaijan and Armenia to solve Nagorno
Garabagh conflict, because any elections are held during this year,”
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan said during his meeting with the
representatives of Armenian community in Astana, APA reports.
He did not rule out his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev in Minsk
Summit in late November.
“If foreign ministers talks will result well, we will be able to
meet with the president. My last meeting with the president was not
optimistic and it seems to me that the conflict will not resolved in
2006,” Robert Kocharyan said.