EXHIBITION OF MODERN ART TO OPEN IN NPAK ON AUGUST 4
YEREVAN, AUGUST 1, NOYAN TAPAN. An exhibition of modern art: painting,
photography, mixed techniques, will open on August 4 at the Innovatory
Experimental Art Center (NPAK) of Yerevan. As Noyan Tapan was informed
from NPAK, 25 artists from Armenia, Georgia, Iran and Turkey will
participate in the exhibition. The exhibition was organized under the
patronage of the NPAK, Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation
as well as with the assistance of the “Cafesjian Museum,” “Robert
Poghosian and Sons,” “Sonya and Eduard Palasanians” foundations.

277 FROM 1262 ENTRANTS RECEIVE UNSATISFACTORY MARKS FOR “PHYSICS” SUBJECT UP
TO NOW, AND 175 ONES RECEIVE 18-20 POINTS
YEREVAN, AUGUST 1, NOYAN TAPAN. From July 20-30, 1262 entrants from
1479 ones of the RA institutions of higher education took entrance
exam on the “Physics” subject by a centralized order. 277 of them
received “unsatisfactory” mark, and 175 received 18-20 points,
including 6 entrants with 20 points. As Roland Avagian, the Chairman
of the subject commission informed the Noyan Tapan correspondent,
125 from 150 entrants reported for the exam on August 1.
According to his estimation, the majority of entrants has enough
knowledge on this subject. As of the same day, 2087 entrants took
written exam on English.
According to data of the republican entrance commission, as of July
30, 1021 entrants received 18-20 points on that subject, among who
151 people got 20 points, 495 entrants got 19 points, 375 ones got
18 points. 114 entrants got less than 8 points. Nune Yernjakian, the
Chairwoman of the commission on written exam of English mentioned in
the interview to the Noyan Tapan correspondent that exams were going
on calmly up to then, no cases of breakings and making use of ciphers
were fixed. N.Yernjakian estimated satisfactory the level of entrants’
readiness as well.

AS OF JULY 30, 1827 FROM 13434 ENTRANTS TAKEN ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS RECEIVE
UNSATISFACTORY MARKS
YEREVAN, AUGUST 1, NOYAN TAPAN. “Entrance exams of institutions
of higher education are going on in a calm atmosphere, no strange
insident has been fixed by now, the number of appeals what makes about
10%, is acceptable and moderate.” Levon Mkrtchian, the RA Minister
of Education and Science, the Chairman of the Republican Entrance
Commission mentioned about it in the interview to the Noyan Tapan
correspondent. According to the Minister, examination commissions
keep the same standards and principles of estimation, so “no flights
of the average mark” are noticed. L.Mkrtchian mentioned that there
are few cases of making use of ciphers as well (only one-two cases
were fixed). According to data of the Republican Entrance Commission,
as of July 30, 13434 entrants took entrance exams at institutions of
higher education of Armenia, 3532 of who got 18-20 points, and 1827
got unsatisfactory points. Most of all 18-20 points were fixed on
the following subjects: the written “Armenian Language” 1502 and
the written “English Language” 1021. No 20 points were fixed for
“Biology,” “The French Language” and “The Russian Language” oral exams,
“The History of Armenian People,” “The General History,” “Geography,”
“Creative Competition” and “Chemistry” exams. Most of unsatisfactory
marks were fixed for exams on the following subjects: “Mathematics”:
535, and “The History of Armenian People”: 208.

NKR PRESIDENT AND RA NAS CHAIRMAN DISCUSS POSSIBILITY OF FOUNDING SCIENTIFIC
CENTER IN ARTSAKH
STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 1, NOYAN TAPAN. Issues relating to the highest education
system and prospects of development of the applied science in the NKR were
discussed at the July 31 meeting of NKR President Arkadi Ghukasian and
Chairman of the RA National Academy of Science Radik Martirosian. The interlocuters
discussed the possibility of founding a scientific center in the NKR by joint
efforts of the NKR authorities, Armenian scientific circles and foreign
partners. According to the NKR President’s Press Service, Kamo Atayan, the NKR
Minister of Education, Science and Sport also participated in the meeting.

ARMEN AVETISIAN: ONE MUST AT ANY PRICE STRUGGLE AGAINST OLIGARCHES’ USING
THEIR AUTHORITY FOR PERSONAL PURPOSES
YEREVAN, AUGUST 1, NOYAN TAPAN. Changes in the administration of the
Republican Party of Armenia deeply affected the RA inner-political
life: one may at any price struggle against oligarches using their
authority for personal purposes. Armen Avetisian, the Chairman of
the Armenian Aryan Order party expressed such an opinion at the
press conference convened on August 1, by adding that the number
of oligarches among republicans continues increasing. According to
A.Avetisian, one must not make money a subject for cult worship: “there
are holenesses like the Fatherland, nation which must not be speculated
in any case.” “Ideological alliances must be created. Today there are
60-70 parties in Armenia, but their majority repeats ideas of each
other,” he stated. In A.Avetisian’s opinion, the ARF and “Hanrapetakan”
(Republican) parties are the owners of strond ideas today.

ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF STAVROPOL ALSO TO HOLD EVENTS WITHIN FRAMEWORK OF YEAR
OF ARMENIA IN RUSSIA
STAVROPOL, AUGUST 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Regular sitting of
the information-consulting coordination council of Armenian communities
of the Stavropol region, which was more famous as the “Round Table”
took place in Mineral Vody on July 29. As they informed at the
editorial office of the “Yerkramas” (country) newspaper of Armenians
of Russia, three principal decisions were made at the sitting. So,
though the Republic of Armenia did not include the region of Stavropol
in the program of events to be held by it in the Russian Federation
within the framework of the Year of Armenia in Russia, Stavropol may
not stand aside. Holding of a scientific conference is scheduled for
December, 2006, it is supposed to be in Pyatigorsk, on the basis of
one of institutions of higher education. The theme recommended by the
“Round Table” is: “Armenians and The Stavropol.” It is envisaged
by data of the conference to release a book with materials of the
conference. It is planned to recruit to cooperation scientists not
only from regions of Russia but from Armenia as well.
The book which will become a result of that activity, will be given
to libraries and educational institutions of the region. Famous
Russian scientist Victor Hakobian is instructed to be engaged
in organization of the given project from the scientific point of
view. The second issue was the plan of holding the events dedicated to
the Year of Armenia being held in the Russian Federation, proposed for
discussion by the “Round Table.” Robert Yavrian, the Chairman of the
International Academy of Culture and Art proposed the idea of holding
within the framework of the given event Armenian concerts-festivals
in towns of the region. The third project discussed at the sitting,
was the concert of Armenian artists of the Stavropol region – the
Second Art Festival of Armenian communities of the Stavropol region
which already becomes traditional. It will be held late in 2006
in Min-Vody. The “Round Table” information-consulting coordnination
council of Armenian communities of the Stavropol region has existed in
Stavropol already for the second year. The idea of the “Round Table”
was born in March, 2005, and belongs to Mikhail Manvelov, head of the
“Urartu” Armenian community of Zelenokumsk, who is now the editor of
the “Armenian Panorama” regional newspaper as well, and to founder
of that newspaper Vladimir Bagiyev. The first sitting of the “Round
Table” which was held in Yessentuki, took place just then. Mikhail
Manvelov was elected the Chairman of the “Round Table.”

Monday, July 31, 2006
*****************************************
My intention is not to promote friendship between Turks and Armenians – I am neither a miracle worker nor a megalomaniac. My daydream, which is 99% illusion and 1% hope, is to promote friendship between Armenian and Armenian. But so far all I have succeeded in doing is provoking contempt, ridicule, sarcasm, intolerance, and insults.
*
“If you describe someone’s conduct,” Sartre tells us, “you expose him to himself – he becomes visible to himself.” Unless of course he is blind and deaf.
*
Speaking of dumb and deaf: we have been so catastrophically wrong so often that our aim should no longer be doing the right thing but avoiding apocalyptic blunders.
*
Whenever I refer to ourselves as perennial losers, I am reminded of our victory in Karabagh. Consider the Israelis who have won five wars against the Arabs, and so far all they have succeeded in doing is planting the seeds of future conflicts.
*
Since they bowed their heads and resigned to their status as underdogs for several millennia, the Jews find it difficult to understand why Palestinians don’t follow their example. Like the Jews, we too bowed our heads to a long line of conquerors. It doesn’t necessarily follow that the Azeris will do likewise. Now then, go ahead and brag about our victory in Karabagh.
*
Projection is a misleading tool of understanding because it fails to take into consideration the uniqueness or otherness of others.
*
Life advances on an infinite number of lines some of which are invisible to the eye of our awareness. To say “I never had it so good” is to make yourself vulnerable to the sudden and unpredictable blows of fate; or as the old saying has it: “When the house is finished, death enters.”
#
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
**************************************
It is incorrect to say that Einstein proved Newton wrong, or Jung exposed Freud’s fallacies. Newton and Freud explained one fraction of reality, Einstein and Jung another. To understand all of reality is to read the mind of god, which amount to saying to be gods. It will never happen.
*
André Gide: “If you want to understand something you must begin by loving it, after which you must distance yourself from it. This applies to countries, to people, and to oneself.” The trouble with most people is that they find it very difficult to distance themselves from what they love or from what they believe, that is to say, themselves.
*
“Some people,” writes Paul Valéry, “kill themselves because they don’t know when to let go of their umbrella.” Or, because they are too obstinate in their refusal to distance themselves from an insignificant object, they allow themselves to be run over by a bus.
*
If you believe what your government tells you, it may be because it flatters your ego even if in the process it makes of you a certified dupe.
*
The first and most important priority of all power structures is to maintain and whenever possible to increase their power. Everything they say, and even more important, everything they don’t say or everything they cover up, is adjusted to that project and nothing else. What they say may be true, but what they avoid saying may be even more true. There is only one way to avoid being a dupe, or being systematically moronized, and that is by not believing anything that someone in power tells you; and when a layman, who is not a member of an organization, tells you something, ask him where he heard it from.
*
What I said above applies not only to political but also to religious leaders. I once met a smart Armenian “khaliji” (rug merchant — I use the Turkish word because that’s how he liked to identify himself) who dismissed the Pope as “a biscuit eater” but who was convinced that his bishop was a saint.
*
Speaking of smart khalijis and saintly bishops: according to Darwin, it is the most highly developed organisms that are least adaptable. This may explain why it is the elites of nations or our “betters” that eventually lead the nation to destruction, and they do this because they are so infatuated with their own privileges, lies and half-truths that they refuse to adapt themselves to new truths or reality. Their gods are not gods but idols; and they lead their subjects to the slaughterhouse because they refuse to let go of their umbrella.
*
And now, let us go down on our knees and pray: “Our Father Who art in Heaven, give us humility and strength – the humility to admit that as wretched human beings we cannot read Your mind, and the strength to value Your most precious gift to us, our life, above that of a lousy umbrella.”
#
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
*******************************************
Honest Armenians don’t brag. They know better. Like all human beings we no doubt have our share of good qualities; but my guess is, the negatives in us far outnumber the positives, and this is especially true of our sermonizers and speechifiers who parade as role models and leaders. The only thing these charlatans have succeeded in doing so far is to teach us to brag, and to brag even about what others have done to us, such as being the first nation to experience genocide in the 20th Century.
*
When we discuss writers like Baronian, Odian, and Massikian, we treat them as humorists and not as objective observers and competent analysts of our character and ethos. As for writers widely recognized as nationalists and patriots: it is in their correspondence with close friends and diaries, only a small of which has been published so far, that they reveal their true sentiments and thoughts about their fellow Armenians – see above all Varoujan’s correspondence and Zarian’s notebooks, both published posthumously in Yerevan.
*
The only place Armenians are portrayed as loveable characters are in Saroyan’s fiction. In biographies of Saroyan even Saroyan himself emerges as a nasty piece of business who hated his own children. As for his relatives and friends: none of them may be remotely described as Saroyanesque.
*
If you want to meet real unSaroyanized Armenians, ignore their holier-than-thou pundits, folk dances, and cuisine; visit instead any Armenian discussion forum on the Internet.
*
Balzac: “Customs and traditions are a nation’s hypocrisy.”
*
Baudelaire: “Life is a disease. This is a widely known secret.”
#

Nizami Bahmanov makes serious remarks to Matthew Bryza
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Aug 1, 2006
Head of Azerbaijani community of Nagorno Garabagh Nizami Bahmanov met
with the US co-chair of OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza in Baku today.
Mr.Bahmanov started the meeting with making remarks to the US
co-chair. APA reports Bahmanov told journalists. “My first remark
was that why our meeting was held at the Foreign Ministry not in
the office of the Azerbaijani community. The representative offices
of the executive powers of the occupied regions are located in our
office. We receive appeals from between 100 and 200 people every
day. So, I think our meeting there would be very efficient. As this
office directly reflects the consequences of the occupation it would
make the co-chair get some picture of the conflict,” the Azerbaijani
community head underlined. Bahmanov’s another remark was about the
ignorance of international organizations, Minsk Group member states
as well as the co-chairs and their not criticizing the Armenian side.
“The entire world ignored the deportation of Azerbaijanis from
Armenia. International organizations, including the UN ignored
Armenians pursuing ethnic cleansing in Nagorno Garabagh and adjoining
regions supported by Russian military units. Arsons were committed in
the houses, historical monuments in the occupied Azerbaijani regions.
Despite the co-chairs’ regular visit to the region, no reaction was
given to this savagery, this crime. Neither the co-chairing states nor
the international organizations reacted to Armenians for the Khojali
genocide and striking of two Azerbaijani helicopters in 1992. However,
they demand the Azerbaijani government to demonstrate a political
will. What will is concerned? Azerbaijan is the most powerful state
in the region for its economic and military development. However,
Azerbaijani President has demonstrated his political will. I mean
to say since the powerful Azerbaijan is participating in the peace
talks, there cannot be more political will than that. Despite all
the crimes, since official Baku agrees to grant the highest status
to Armenians within the framework of territorial integrity, what
political will is concerned? I brought the co-chair’s attention to
all of these underlining that he’d better address to the aggressive
Armenia not to Azerbaijan,” he said. Bahmanov also told the US
co-chair it is unacceptable to have negotiations under the flag of
the separatist regime. “My serious remark to the co-chair was that
he is negotiating in the cabinet of Arkadi Ghukasian, head of the
Armenian community under the flag of the separatist regime, which is
not recognized by any state, including the United States. Armenians do
not see any importance of these negotiations, it is like advertisement
for them. The co-chair agreed to these remarks saying that they wil
work on the plan of organizing meeting of Foreign Ministers after the
co-chairs’ meeting in Paris. He also added that Armenian authorities
have a political will to continue new proposals and the peace talks,”
he underlined.
Bahmanov also brought attention to Armenia’s intention to send its
citizens evacuated from Lebanon to Nagorno Garabagh. “Mr. Bryza
said the co-chairs will voice strong protest against this. He said
this is an unacceptable step contrary to international law norms. And
they aim to achieve peace through the negotiations between the heads
of states. He considers it impossible to send evacuated Armenians to
Nagorno Garabagh,” Bahmanov said. As coming to the US co-chair’s new
proposals, Bahmanov said the elements of the negotiations remain the
same, “There are problems regarding pull-out of troops from Lachin
and Kalbajar and regarding the referendum.”/APA/

OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to lea consultations in Paris
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Aug 1, 2006
OSCE Minsk group co-chairs are going to lead consultations in Paris
on August 2 to 4, Trend reports with reference to the Foreign Ministry
of Azerbaijan.
The main issue to discuss is the totals of visit of US co-chairman of
OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict region.
Diplomats will study the parties positions on their last proposals
and compile a plan of actions for the closest future. In particular,
they are going to discuss the next tour of talks between Azerbaijani
and Armenian foreign ministers.

U.S. Amb to inform his fellow OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs
about tour of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict region
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Aug 1, 2006
Author: A.Mammadova
US Ambassador Matthew Bryza, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair, intends to
inform in Paris his fellow co-chairs about the results of the visit to
the [Armenian-Azerbaijani] Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Bryza briefed
about it in Baku on 1 August as a result of consultations held at
the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.
The diplomat said that the talks with Azerbaijani authorities did
not concern the Azerbaijani-U.S. cooperation. “As a co-chair of the
OSCE Minsk Group I want to hear the opinions by President and Foreign
minister on the peaceable resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,”
Bryza stressed.
Bryza informed that on 2 August he intends to hold an exchange of
opinion in Paris with the OSCE insk Group co-chairs on the results
of the visit.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress