Azerbaijan has never left talks table – Azeri FM official
Source: Trend
24.07.2006
Author: E.Huseynov
The recent statement of the Armenian foreign minister Vardan Oskanyan
regarding the issue that “Yerevan hopes that the new American co-chair
of OSCE Minsk Group Mathew Bryza will achieve to convince Azerbaijan
to return to the talks on base of the final proposals of mediators” is
unclear, Tahir Tagizade, the head of the press and information policy
department of the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan, told, Trend reports.
“It is possible to say many things, the commentary would be longer
than the word of Oskanyan. It would be to say that Azerbaijan has
never left the table of talks so that it is drawn back to the talks.
The second, finally the talks emerged about the framework document,
although the mediators themselves told that there is no document,
but collection of non-agreed principles. And the third, Armenia has
already started to appeal to the fact that it will be held elections
in Armenia in 2007 and therefore, it is impossible to seriously hold
negotiations,” told Tagizade.

Armenian Journal: In Caucasus enclave, journalists find improvement
International Journalist’s Network
July 24, 2006
By Timothy Spence, Knight International Press Fellow
Around the corner from the government offices of the self-declared
Nagorno-Karabakh republic, two journalists spend a recent Friday
evening working in the small offices of the local press club.
That there is not much news this evening may be a good thing-more
than a decade after a ceasefire between Karabakh separatists and the
armies of two former Soviet republics, the peace in this picturesque
Caucasus region remains fragile.
And so do conditions for the journalists who work here. Salaries
are low, information can be hard to come by, and the 11 independent
newspapers depend on outside sponsors for survival. Most residents
of the economically struggling region of 145,000 people cannot
afford the 100 dram (about 23 U.S. cents) it costs for a newspaper.
Advertising is scarce.
The government-run public broadcaster controls the radio and
television stations in Karabakh, and there are several state-sponsored
newspapers. But journalists interviewed here say that while there are
obstacles to getting information, the working environment has become
more free in recent years.
Naira Hayrumyan, left, and Karine Ohanyan say low wages and a reserved
society make work in Nagorno-Karabakh difficult for journalists.
It was hard to imagine this a few years ago, when there were no
alternative and independent mass media in Karabakh,” says Karine
Ohanyan, who works for the independent “Demo” newspaper and corresponds
for the London-based Institute for War and Peace Reporting. “However,
now that we have a number of publications independent of authorities,
reporters are able to cover developments fairly by means of such
mass media. As a result, readers can get information from different
sources and formulate their own objective opinion.”
Naira Hayrumyan, editor of the online news service KarabakhOpen.com,
also says there is greater freedom for journalists. Officials use
“friendly advice” rather than “threats or force” in dealings with
reporters, she says.
Still, journalists face significant challenges in a region still
scarred by ethnic conflict that turned bloody as the Soviet Union
disintigrated. Self-censorship, the small size of the region and
fears of self-expression-a byproduct of Soviet rule-all make the job
difficult. And a reserved society makes it tough for even the most
aggressive journalists to have their reporting effect change.
“Karabakh reporters live in a small country where all the people
know each other, and many of them simply refuse to be in a story,”
says Hayrumyan, adding that in Karabakh, “we seek to observe the
decencies and not to offend anyone.”
Ohanyan and Hayrumyan were interviewed in English and Armenian at the
three-room press club in the capital Stepanakert, and later answered
questions about press freedom by e-mail. Their answers were translated
from the Russian.
Ohanyan of “Demo” says the lack of media influence hurts the
unrecognized Karabakh republic, saying there is no “fourth estate”
to spur public debate or create awareness about citizens’ concerns.
“They are on their own, in a way, a separate link in the chain, and
on the whole their quality matters little,” Ohanyan said. “The media
perform an information function and that’s it.”
Karabakh got much less international media attention than other
post-Soviet conflicts. The rugged moutnains of the landlocked region
made access difficult and its small size made this a secondary story to
the battles in Chechnya and the former Yugoslavia, and less compelling
a story than the peaceful revolutions and independence movements in
the Baltic states and Eastern Europe.
Two boys sit in front of the clinic in Shushi, a once-thriving mountain
town where most homes and buildings lie in ruin 12 years after the
ceasefire. Both Ohanyan and Hayrumyan say that too little attention
has been given to their homeland’s struggles and that even regional
media neglect to report about how the current political stalemate is
affecting people. “The Azerbaijan and Armenian media often feature
the lives of their citizens, but the way simple people live in the
conflict region gets little coverage,” Ohanyan says.
Karabakh-which means “black garden” and is also known in Armenian
as Artsak-was a majority Armenian area that in the earliest years of
the Soviet Union was incorporated into Azerbaijan. Tensions began to
grow in 1988 as the ethnic Armenians sought autonomy from Azerbaijan.
Soviet interior ministry forces were sent to quash the separatist
movement, but war broke out in the final months of the Soviet Union
in 1991
Christian Armenia backed Karabakh against mostly Muslim Azerbaijan.
The fighting, punctuated by accusations of ethnic cleansing and
forced expulsions on both sides, mirrored the ethnic conflicts in
the Balkans. Armenian forces and the Karabakh militia succeeded in
driving out the better-armed Azeri army before Russia brokered a
ceasefire in 1994.
As many as 30,000 people died in the conflict, and tens of thousands
of people were driven from their homes. Nearly everyone was affected by
the fighting in the enclave, which is the size of the American state of
Delaware. Hayrumyan’s husband was killed in 1992 during the conflict.
Karabakh declared independence from Azerbaijan and aligned itself
with Armenia, but the international community does not recognize it
as an independent republic. Talks have stalled on a lasting peace
deal despite renewed efforts earlier this year.
While Karabakh is largely peaceful today, scars of war remain. The
once-thriving mountain city of Shushi lies in ruin. Some 3,000 people
live there, about 10 percent of its population before the war.
While the media in Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan often wage
wars of rhetoric and nationalistic sentiment, that may be changing.
“Recently,” says Ohanyan, “there was a breakthrough in the independent
printed press, namely analytical and other information have appeared
covering the security issue. I figure it’s the opinions of people
in a story that can be nationalistic, but the story itself gives
fair coverage.”
Timothy Spence is a Knight Fellow working with journalists
in Armenia. This is his second tour with the program; he
was previously in Ethiopia. The John S. and James L. Knight
Foundation sponsors the fellowships, administered by the
International Center for Journalists. For more information, visit
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

GLO issued protest statement related to “World Armenian youth forum”
planned to be held in Khankendi on July 26
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
July 24, 2006
Garabagh Liberation Organization (GLO) issued protest statement related
to “World Armenian youth forum” planned to be held in Khankendi on
July 26.
Press service of the Organization has informed APA that the measure
was called in the statement as cheap show to propagandize alleged
Nagorno Garabagh Republic. Stating Armenian conducts to be beyond
the international law forms GLO leadership called on world states
not to participate in the measure. GLO considers that Azerbaijan
government should act to prevent insidious intentions of Armenia,
international organizations should not give chance to implementation of
this measure. Separate countries should withdraw their Armenian origin
citizens from joining this measure. Otherwise, GLO will demand stopping
the activities of those states in Azerbaijan who will participate in
that forum./APA/

Armenian foreign minister insists on existing of document on Garabagh negotiations table
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
July 24, 2006
Armenia’s foreign minister Vardan Oskanyan in a news conference today
said the US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza is not
expected to offer a new proposal in his upcoming visit to the region.
APA reports quoting the Armenian media that the Armenian minister
expressed hope that Bryza will achieve making the Azerbaijani side
renegotiate on the document on the table of negotiations. Oskanyan said
Armenia has obviously expressed its stance regarding this document
while Azerbaijan has problems in this context. “If Baku agrees
to renegotiate on these principles, a new stage of the negotiating
process would start,” Oskanyan said. Armenian minister also said such
documents do not appear within a week but the result of long-term
negotiations, “If Azerbaijan appears to reject the proposal again,
the situation will seriously deteriorate.” He recalled conducting
of parliamentary elections in Armenia in 2007 forecasting that the
negotiation process would be difficult. Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry
spokesman Tahir Taghizadeh commented on Oskanyan’s statement on a
document on the negotiations table. He told the APA that Russian
co-chair of the Minsk Group Yuri Merzlyakov refuted the reports on
existing of any document on the table of talks. “I have no idea what
document Vardan Oskanyan is talking about. I think Oskanyan has no
idea about this either,” Taghizadeh said./APA/

Format of negotiations on peaceful solution of Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict not to be changed – Special EU Envoy
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
July 24, 2006
Author: A.Mammadov
The format of negotiations on the peaceful solution of Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict will not be changed – it will remain as OSCE Minsk Group,
Peter Semneby, the special envoy of European Union for South Caucasian
countries, told on July 24 at a joint press-conference with the
Armenian foreign minister Vardan Oskanyan.
“The possibility of changing the format isn’t discussed. OSCE Minsk
Group remains responsible for the talks,” told special envoy.
The Minsk Group has been functioning since 1992, Trend reports with
reference to ARKA. Its goal is to provide assistance to the settlement
of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. At the moment, the chairman-countries
of OSCE Minsk Group are Russia, France and USA.
Semneby arrived in Armenia on July 23. The visit will be completed
on July 25.
Peter Semneby was appointed to the position of special envoy of
European Union for South Caucasian countries on March 1, 2006.

4TH ALL-ARMENIAN YOUTH CONGRESS OPENS IN ARMENIA
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 24, 2006
YEREVAN, July 24. /ARKA/. The 4th all-Armenian youth congress was
opened in Yerevan on July 23. The press service of the “Pan-Armenian
International Youth Center” Fund reports that representatives of
youth organizations from Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, and
Armenian Diaspora were invited to the congress. The goal of the
congress is contributing to the consolidation of ties between Armenia,
Nagorno-Karabakh and the Diaspora, as well as to youth organizations’
activities and implementation of all-Armenian youth projects.
The congress agenda includes meetings, discussions with statesmen,
political and public figures, as well as formation of task groups and
organization of plenary sessions. The congress has been organized
by the “Pan-Armenian International Youth Center” Fund in association
with the RA Ministry of Education and Science. P.T. -0–

DEFENSE MINISTER’S JOINING RPA NOT AGAINST LAW, ARMENIAN PM STATES
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 24, 2006
YEREVAN, July 24. /ARKA/. Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan
does not think that RA Minister of Defense Serge Sargsyan’s admission
to the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) contradicts the Law “On
parties”. “The post of Minister of Defense is a civil, not a military,
post, and, according to the Constitution, the Government is formed
of representatives of political parties,” Margaryan told reporters.
Therefore, it is quite natural that Ministers sympathize with certain
parties or be included in party tickets, and seek government posts.
As to whether Serge Sargsyan’s appointment as Chairman of the
RPA Council will reduce Margaryan’s powers as RPA Chairman, the RA
Premier said that the functions of the persons holding the two posts
are clearly separated. “Council Chairman coordinates the Council’s
work as Vice-Chairman of the party,” Margaryan said.
Margaryan does not think that after filling the post of RPA Council
Chairman Minister Sargsyan will become actual leader of the party.
The RPA has regulations and traditions, and an individual is unable
to dictate his will to several thousand members of the party, most of
them with a wide party experience, Margaryan said. The RPA Chairman
added that Serge Sargsyan’s relations with his and with the party give
no occasion for suppositions of this kind. According to Margaryan,
the RPA has long been cooperating with Serge Sargsyan, who, although
not an RPA member, ranked 2nd in the ticket in the 2003 parliamentary
elections. According to him, this cooperation is supposed to reach
the point of logical decision. “Serge Sargsyan succeeded in clearly
forming its relations with the RPA and was to fill a post adequate
to his potential,” Margaryan said. P.T.

ARMENIA TO SEE BEST ELECTIONS IN 2007
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 24, 2006
YEREVAN, July 24. /ARKA/. Armenia will see the best elections ever
held in 2007, Armenian Minister of Defense Serge Sargsyan told
reporters. “I, as Minister of Defense and Chairman of the Council
of the Republican Party of Armenia, will be seeking this,” he said.
He stressed that all the elections held in Armenia until now have been
“good” and met the international standards. “International observers
have always observed that the next elections have been better that
the previous elections,” Sargsyan said. The parliamentary and
presidential elections are to be held in Armenia in 2007 and 2008
respectively. P.T.

ARMENTEL’S SHARES TO BELONG TO RUSSIAN HOLDING SYSTEMA AND
ARMENIAN-INDIAN CONSORTIUM
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 24, 2006
YEREVAN, July 24. /ARKA/. ArmenTel’s shares are to belong to Russian
holding Systema and international consortium established by VTEL
Holdings and Knightsbridge Associates. ComNews reports referring to a
source close to negotiation and tendering processes said the Russian
company would take cable telephone system over while Indian-Armenian
consortium will set control over mobile communication system.
The Russian company Director on Public Relations Irina Potekhina
neither confirmed nor denied the information. She said the tender
results would be announced in the beginning of August. Systema Company
started negotiating on ArmenTel purchase yet in early 2006, before
tender was announced. “Already having arrangement with Greeks, Systema
lobbied its interests at the highest level, in Armenian government,
and secure the same backing in Moscow”, ComNews reports referring to
the source.
OTE Greek Company announced the international tender already knowing
the buyer, ComNews says. More than ten companies, including German
Deutsche Telekom, Norwegian Telenor, Swedish TeliaSonera and Tele2as
well as Russian CBOSS took part in the contest. Vimpelcom, a merger
comprising two companies Emirates Telecommunications Corporation
and Istithmar (one of Russian Synterra co-owner) – took a lead over
its rivals. All the mentioned companies were included in shortlist.
ArmenTel, Armenia Telephone Company, enjoins is the sole Internet
service provider. The company has enjoyed the monopolist right since
1998. The term of enjoying this right expires in 2013. The company
belongs to Greek OTE, who acquired 90% of ArmenTel’s shares in 1997
for $142.47 million. The remaining 10% belong to Armenian government.
ArmenTel served over 328.6 thousand mobile communication subscribers
by late March 2006. The same number of subscribers was served
by K Telecom, the second mobile communication provider. ArmenTel
also provide cable phone services to 600 thousand subscribers. The
company’s earning for 2005 totaled $145.3 million and net profit
$55.9 million. M.V.

California Courier Online, July 27, 2006
1 – Commentary
Israel Asks U.S. Jews to Lobby
For Azerbaijan, Against Armenia
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
2 – San Diego’s St. John
Armenian Church Hosts
Grape Blessing Picnic
3 – Valley PBS-TV Channel 18 Will Air
Chookasian Armenian Concert, Aug. 6
4 – USC Institute of Armenian Studies Appoints
Vatche Mankerian as Program Manager
5 – Publisher Announces New Travel Guide for Armenia
6 – ARS of Western
USA Elects New
Executive Members
****************************************** ********************************
1 – Commentary
Israel Asks U.S. Jews to Lobby
For Azerbaijan, Against Armenia
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
It is common knowledge that Azerbaijan, following Turkey’s footsteps, tries
to use the political clout of Israel and American-Jewish organizations in
Washington, D.C. to counter Armenian interests. Israel obliges the Azeri demands
out of an interest in importing oil and gas from Azerbaijan and exporting
various products, possibly including weapons. Israel also needs access to
Azerbaijan in order to collect intelligence on neighboring Iran.
The details of this close cooperation, more aptly described as “mutual
exploitation,” are not usually made public. The July 10, 2006 issue of The
Jerusalem Report, however, published a 13-page article by Netty C. Gross disclosing
some of the ties between Azerbaijan, Israel and American Jewish organizations.
The Report covered the visit to Baku of “a delegation of Israeli dignitaries
and Russian Jewish functionaries” in mid-May. The article titled, “The Azeri
Triangle,” started with a straightforward statement: “Israel and Diaspora Jewry
are deepening their own links with oil-rich Muslim Azerbaijan and helping the
Azeri regime win friends in Washington.”
Describing “a strong Azerbaijani-American-Israel-Jewish connection=80¦[that]
benefits everyone,” Gross wrote that Israel “is deeply interested in
consolidating its relations” with Azerbaijan. “Israel has seen it in its interest to
encourage U.S. Jews to take up the Azeri cause in the Washington corridors of
power, at the same time reinforcing the notion held by many Azeris and others in
the Third World that the way to Washington leads through Jerusalem.” It is
noteworthy that Gross implicated “U.S. Jews” in carrying out the instructions of
Israel — a foreign power — in the United States to serve the interests of
Azerbaijan.
In addition to its connections in Washington, Gross reported that Israel is
using the services of “rich and influential Russian Jewish businessmen, some
of whom have powerful contacts from the old Soviet days — and who proudly
point out to me that [Pres.] Ilham [Aliyev]’s son-in-law has a Jewish mother and a
Muslim father.”
Gross provided the list of visits made to Azerbaijan earlier this year by
various Jewish individuals and groups: “In recent months, a parade of several
high-level Israeli and Jewish delegations, who have been mobilized to help
Azerbaijani interests in the U.S., passed through Baku=80¦. In early February, a
50-strong delegation from the Conference of Presidents of Major American
Organizations was received by Aliyev. In April, the Azeri president welcomed Israeli
tycoon Lev Leviev=80¦. And in early June, Israeli National Infrastructures Minister
Binyamin Ben-Eliezer arrived in Baku, to explore the idea of purchasing Azeri
oil or gas at some time in the future.=80¦ Underscoring the close tiesbetween the
Russian Jewish machers and the locals, EAJC [Euro-Asian Jewish Congress]
operatives move about Baku’s corridors of power like kings, freely initiating
press conferences and government meetings=80¦.”
Gross gave the details of some of the links between the two countries as
relayed to him by Israel’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, Arthur Lenk, a native of New
Jersey: “The weekly Azerbaijani Airlines flights between Tel Aviv and Baku
are packed, and there are Jewish studies programs, with local and Israeli
students and some Israeli faculty, at Baku State University=80¦. Israeli
agro-businesses recently visited Baku for a bilateral trade forum and Israeli technology in
telecommunications and waste management is being used in Azerbaijan. (In the
past, Israelis have had financial interests in, among other things,
Azerbaijan’s second-largest cell phone firm, a hospital project and a turkey farm).”
Gross then disclosed the political connections between Azerbaijan, Israel and
American Jews regarding Armenian issues: “Israel’s main selling point with
Azerbaijan is not Israeli. Rather, it’s the American Jewish lobby, which,
encouraged by Israel, has helped Azerbaijan in Congress. The background to the story
is the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict=80¦. A particularly painful sore point is
Section 907, a U.S. congressional amendment to the 1992 Soviet [sic] Freedom
Support Act, aimed at boosting economic and humanitarian aid to all of the 15
emerging former Soviet republics except Azerbaijan. Passed at the urging ofthe
Armenian-American lobby in 1993, when the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was flaring,
907 barred the U.S. from military or other cooperation with Azerbaijan=80¦.
Encouraged by Israel, influential American Jewish groups have since acted on behalf
of Baku as a bulwark against the powerful American-Armenian lobby in Congress
and have tried to get 907 repealed. Since
2002, when the U.S. needed Azeri airspace to reach Afghanistan, the U.S. has
agreed to annual presidential waivers of 907, which lift restrictions.”
Gross then specifically cited Mark Levin, the executive director of the
National Conference on Soviet Jewry, a Washington-based organization that is “a
member of the coalition of Jewish groups that have worked on behalf of
Azerbaijan’s interests on Capitol Hill.” Levin, who traveled to Baku with the
Conference of Presidents in February, told Gross that the organized Jewish community
has “worked closely with the administration to implement the presidential waiver
of 907 in 2002,” and that the coalition “continues to express support on a
regular basis for the waiver.”
Gross quoted Levin as stating that the American-Armenian lobby in Washington
“is very strong and organized, and speaks in a unified voice. On other
political issues, we have partnered with [the Armenians], but when it comesto
Azerbaijan, we are on different sides of the fence.” Levin acknowledged that, on the
whole, American Jewish policymakers feel comfortable in their strong support
of Azerbaijan on the Hill and take their cue from the U.S. and Israel.
Various Azeri officials confirm the value of the Jewish lobby in countering
Armenians: “American Jews have helped us lobby in Washington against the
Armenians and their help is very important. We are very appreciative,” Azerbaijan’s
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told Gross. Sheikh Alla Shukur Pasha Zade,
the Spiritual leader of Azerbaijan, is also quoted telling the gathered Jewish
delegation in Baku: “I know that Jewish groups have played a role against the
Armenian lobby in trying to find a positive alternative to the conflict. I
would like to express my gratitude to these groups for lobbying on Azerbaijan’s
behalf.”
Regrettably, Gross misleads his readers by not pointing out that not all
Jews sell out their souls to Azerbaijan or Turkey. As it has been repeatedly
documented in previous columns, many Jewish individuals and organizations in both
Israel and the United States are strong supporters of Armenian issues, despite
the pressures from the government of Israel!
Gross balanced the effusive pro-Azeri comments in his article by including
statements that accuse Azerbaijan’s leaders of “corruption and political
repression.” He referred to critics who said that the cozy relationship between
Israel and Azerbaijan “will unravel just as Israel’s romance with Iran did.” He
quoted Dr. Asim Mollazade, the chairman of an Azeri opposition party, as saying
that the United States, Israel and Jewish Americans would someday be “deeply
disappointed” for supporting the undemocratic and corrupt regime in Azerbaijan.
Gross also pointed out the double standards practiced by Azeri leaders who
present themselves to Jews as being pro-Israeli while distancing themselvesfrom
Israel in front of the Muslim world. He mentioned, for example, the fact that
Israel opened its Embassy in Baku in 1993, and yet Azerbaijan has not opened
its Embassy in Israel in order to appease fellow Muslims. Last month,
Azerbaijan assumed the chairmanship of the Organization of Islamic Countries which
held its annual conference in Baku.
Furthermore, Gross reported that the Jewish community in Azerbaijan has
dwindled from 80,000 to around 10,000 during the past decade. He also pointed out
another telltale sign of potential trouble in “paradise” when he revealed that
“all the Jewish institutions in Baku appear to be protected by armed guards.”
Obviously, Israel is free to establish economic and political ties with any
country, including Turkey and Azerbaijan. American Jewish organizations are
likewise free to send delegations to various countries. But when they agreeto
place their considerable political clout at the services of Azerbaijan or Turkey
against Armenia’s interests, Armenians worldwide then have the perfect right
to expose their sinister arrangements and counter their every move.
******************************************** ******************************
2 – San Diego’s St. John
Armenian Church Hosts
Grape Blessing Picnic
SAN DIEGO – On Sunday, August 20, St. John Garabed Armenian Church of San
Diego will host its Annual Grape Blessing Picnic. Parish Priest Reverend Father
Datev Avak Kahana Tatoulian and the Parish Council invite the public to join
the picnic in the cool atmosphere of Mission Bay.
Enjoy a day of fun and fellowship with delicious Armenian food, music, tavloo
tournament, and games for the children. The picnic will begin at 10 am, the
Blessing of Grapes Service at 11:30 am, and lunch to follow. Lunch Includes:
Lamb Shish Kebab or Chicken Kebab, Pilaf, Salad, Grilled Vegetables, Soft
Drinks, Paklava and Watermelon, all for $15. Kids meal for $5. For more information
call St. John Garabed Armenian Church at (619) 284-7179.
Directions from San Diego: take I-5 North, exit and go left on Sea World
Drive, right on Ingraham, left on Vacation Road… Look for Armenian Church
Picnic Signs!
Directions from Los Angeles and North San Diego County to the picnic grounds
at Vacation Village in East Mission Bay: take I-5 South, exit and go right on
Sea World Drive, right on Ingraham, left on Vacation Road…Look for Armenian
Church Picnic Signs.
************************************************** ***********************
3 – Valley PBS-TV Channel 18 Will Air
Chookasian Armenian Concert, Aug. 6
FRESNO – For the first time, Valley PBS-TV, Channel 18 will broadcast a
two-hour special program on Armenian music, folk dancing, and culture featuring the
“Chookasian Armenian Concert Ensemble” and the “Zvartnots Armenian Folk Dance
Ensemble from Los Angeles, on Aug. 6, at 5 p.m. The concert was filmed Feb.
24 at California State University, Fresno.
This artistic cultural film will be added to the Fresno PBS film library. A
future project is to have this unique Armenian music and dance film distributed
to all of the major PBS station across California and eventually, the USA.
The Chookasian Armenian Concert Ensemble, multiple award winners including
the prestigious “National Gold Medal Award” of Armenia, was featured in a unique
concert on the Satellite Union Stage of C.S.U.F., where the master musicians
performed traditional songs and dances of Armenia. The Chookasian Concert
provided ensemble and solo performances on traditional Armenian folk instruments
used for many centuries.
Composed of the finest conservatory graduate musicians from Armenia and the
United States, the Ensemble is known for their stunning showcase performances
encompassing the full spectrum of Armenian classical and troubadour folk song &
folk dance music. Both the Eastern and Western Armenian musical traditions
are featured in the Ensemble’s authoritative performances of songs dating from
the 16th to the 20th centuries, and Armenian folk dance tunes from as far back
as two millennia.
The PBS film will feature Fresno’s John Chookasian, celebrated Ensemble
director and premier clarinetist, performing in union with musical masters:Barbara
Chookasian, principal vocalist; Vergine Alemian, ‘kanun'(72 stringed lap
harp); Hendrick “Hindo” Avoyan, ‘d’hol, (cylindrical hand drum); Vladimir
Gregorian, ‘kemenche’ (folk violin); Andranik Mouradian, accordion & keyboard; Haig
Nalbandian, ‘dumbeg’ (hour-glass shaped hand drum) & ‘deff’ (large frame drum);
Sarkis Petrossyan, ‘santur’ (126 stringed hammered-dulcimer); Surik on ‘tarr’
& ‘saz’ (lutes); Garen Sarkissian, ‘shvi’ (high-pitched flute); Albert
Vardayan, ‘duduk’ & ‘zurna’ (flutes); and Peter Dorian, guest performer on the ‘oud’
(fretless lute).
Also, the evening’s concert line-up features the award-winning, high-energy
“Zvartnots” Armenian Dance Troupe from Los Angeles, under the direction of
Vartan and Armine Aghajanyan. This spirited folk dance troupe mesmerizes audiences
with their beautiful costuming and their incomparable, high energy
performances of traditional and Armenian folk dances, and contemporary dances using
traditional Armenian dance application.
Over the years, the Ensemble has been the recipient of numerous honors, city
proclamations government proclamations and awards.
The CSUF concert program was partially funded by the Bertha and John
Garabedian Charitable Foundation, Dr. & Mrs. Varouj Altebarmakian, Kaiser Permanente
Medical Center, Educational Employees Credit Union, Bruce Barnett and many
other supportive individuals from Fresno, Los Angeles and New Mexico.
For further information, refer to Channel 18 TV (559) 266-1800, the
Chookasian Ensemble website at: <; www.chookasian. com, or call (559) 449-1777. **************************************** ********************************** 4 - USC Institute of Armenian Studies Appoints Vatche Mankerian as Program Manager LOS ANGELES - The USC Institute of Armenian Studies has appointed Vatche Mankerian as the Program Manager of the Institute. He will be in charge of operations of the Institute and will be reporting to the Director of the Institute, Professor R. Hrair Dekmejian. For the past two decades, Mankerian has actively contributed to the cultural life of Los Angeles and its Armenian community. A multifaceted and distinguished artist, pedagogue, lecturer, and author he has performed and lectured on Armenian culture and music in countries around the world. Mankerian earned his Bachelor and Master's degrees from the University of Southern California. A member of the Music Teachers' Association of California, he has been a music educator at some of the leading music schools in Southern California, including the Pasadena Conservatory of Music and Los Angeles Valley College. Mankerian has taught Armenian language, literature and culture for the past several years at various academic institutions such as Glendale Community College and AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School. Most recently, he chaired the Armenian Department at Sahag-Mesrob School, and authored three volumes of textbooks titled Armenian Culture. The books are the first Armenian textbooks on the different aspects of Armenian culture, written in Armenian and published inthe United States. These textbooks have been adopted by several Armenian schools in the Los Angeles area because of their conceptual uniqueness and originalityof content. Housed in the USC College of Letters, Arts & Sciences, the USC Institute of Armenian Studies serves as a non-partisan center around which the entire Armenian community can rally, regardless of political or religious affiliation. The Institute is a resource center and repository to help preserve the Armenian heritage in America, while providing a home to approximately 1,000 Armenian-American students who attend USC each year. In addition, the Institute will host, coordinate and collaborate on a wide range of academic and professional endeavors concerning Armenia and Armenians in the fields of education, business, technology, science, medicine, history, law, politics, religion, literature, music, dance, arts, architecture, media, theater, cinema and others. Some of the goals of the Institute include establishing endowed scholarships, fellowships, research programs, publication series and lecture series. Upcoming events of the USC Institute of Armenian Studies include an Armenian-American Federal Judges' Forum, which will feature Federal Judges Dickran Tevrizian, Samuel Der-Yeghiayan, and Jacqueline Chooljian. The program is presented in cooperation with the Armenian Bar Association. The Forum will take place on August 13, from 2 to 4 p.m. at USC Davidson Conference Center. For further information regarding USC Institute of Armenian Studies' events please contact by phone at 213-821-3943, or e-mail at [email protected]. ********'*************** ************************************************** 5 - Publisher Announces New Travel Guide for Armenia LOS ANGELES - The publisher of Armenia's best-selling travel guide, The Stone Garden Guide: Armenia and Karabagh, announced this week that it will release an all-new Second Edition on September 1st. The new 304-page book will contain updated and expanded information for the 2007-08 tourist seasons and will feature 27 color maps and 135 color photographs-nearly twice as many images as in the current edition. The Stone Garden Guide is the most trusted, comprehensive, and up-to-date source of travel information available for Armenia and Karabagh. The highly acclaimed current edition was Award Finalist for Best Travel Guide by the Independent Publishers Association and was the best-selling guide to Armenia for two consecutive years according to independent booksellers in the US and Armenia. Co-authors Matthew Karanian and Robert Kurkjian have each spent more than a decade living and working in Armenia while researching and writing this and previous editions of the book. Karanian is an attorney. Kurkjian is a scientist. They are both professional photographers and writers, as well. The book is available for pre-order directly from the publisher, for $24.95 plus $4.95 shipping. Free shipping is offered on pre-orders that are postmarked before September 1. California residents please add $2.05 sales tax. Check to: Stone Garden Productions; PO Box 7758; Northridge, CA 91327. For larger orders call 1-888-266-7331. ********************************** **************************************** 6 - ARS of Western USA Elects New Executive Members GLENDALE - The Armenian Relief Society of Western USA's 86th Regional Convention took place at the Radisson Hotel in Whittier, Calif., from July 13 to 16. The Convention elected the following member for a two-year term on the Regional Executive: Sonia Peltekian, Seda Khojayan, Sona Bostanian and Nvart Mooradian. The Regional Executive members whose two-year term ended were: Angela Savoian, Rita Hintlian, Nanik Kupelian and Maral Nashalian-Arsenian. Regional Executive members who will continue to serve for another year are: Karine Barikian-Setian, Rose Altounian, Kristine Keshishian, Hourig Aintablian and Adrine Postoyan. **************************************** ********************************** The California Courier On-Line is a service provided by the California Courier. Subscriptions or changes of address should not be transmitted through this service. Information in that regard should be telephoned to (818) 409-0949; faxed to: (818) 409-9207, or e-mailed to: [email protected]. Letters to the editor concerning issues addressed in the Courier may be e-mailed, provided it is signed by the author. Phone and/or E-mail address is also required tover