MARCO BELLOCCHIO: FANS OF REAL CINEMA ARE FEW EVERYWHERE BUT EVEN
THIS IS ENOUGH FOR CREATION OF NEW VALUABLE FILMS
YEREVAN, JULY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. “This is my first visit to Armenia
and I have few information about this country. In these days I try to
see everything regarding Armenia and its culture,” classic of Italian
cinematography, film director and philosopher Marco Bellocchio declared
at the July 11 press conference in Yerevan.
Bellocchio informed the journalists that he equally likes all
his specialities, but he has not deviated from his principles in
them. According to him, his films have been shown for many times in
the former socialist countries, including Armenia: “My films were
accepted very warmly in these countries, but the regime apologists
complained that they contradict the principles of Marxism-Leninism.”
“There was a period in my life when for the purpose of being opposed
I began to outwardly adhere to the Italian Communist Party, but, of
course, this did not last long,” Marco Bellocchio said. The prominent
film director also said that he prefers to work on his own and has
little information about the other Italian film directors.
According to Bellocchio, there are two types of spectators. The
first is groups or families that go to the cinema together and see
films enjoying mass demand. Their number of great. But there is
also another group of spectators, in a small number, who see real
films. “I feel sorry, but the picture is the same everywhere. But
even this is enough for creation of new valuable films,” the Italian
film director emphasized.

THIS YEAR TOO, ARMENIAN ARTISTS PARTICIPATE IN “SAINT PETERSBURG
PALACES” 14TH INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL
YEREVAN, JULY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. RA people’s artists Araks Davtian,
Barsegh Tumanian and “Shoghakn” ethnographical ensemble participated
in the “Saint Petersburg Palaces” 14th International Music Festival
held on June 24 – July 1 in Saint Petersburg. Hasmik Poghosian, RA
Minister of Culture and Youth Affairs handed the RA People’s Artist
certificate to B.Tumanian just during the press conference.
As Araks Davtian informed at the July 11 press conference, world
famous musicians and musical groups take part in the “Saint Petersburg
Palaces” annual festival established by Konstantin Orbelian in 1992. In
her words, this year the representatives of U.S. and Italy performed
works of Aram Khachatrian, Makar Yekmalian and Alexander Haroutiunian
during the final concert. According to her, the performances of
B.Tumanian and “Shoghakn” ethnographical ensemble were warmly accepted.
In the words of Hasmik Haroutiunian, soloist of the “Shoghakn”
ensemble, such festivals give possibilities to present the Armenian
national culture to the world.

RA presidential Prizes awarded to best sports families
ArmRadio.am
11.07.2006 17:35
The republican contest for the Presidential Prize for the “Best
Sports Family” was over today in Tsakhkadzor. Shahbazyans’ family
from Yerevan won the contest. President Robert Kocharyan granted
prize money to the best sports families and noted, “We should aspire
to have healthy life-style become a component of the everyday life of
Armenian families. Such events can promote having steady families,”
the President said.
After the contest Robert Kocharyan visited Tsakhkadzor ropeway. By
the way, the 4th line of the ropeway will be launched in November
and will have a length of 910 meters.
Today the President instructed to build the 5th line also.

ARMENIAN AND LEBANESE FOREIGN MINISTERS GIVE HIGH ESTIMATION TO
RELATIONS BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES
YEREVAN, JULY 11, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On July 11, Lebanese
Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh held a joint press conference with RA
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian. The press conference was dedicated
to the evaluation of Armenian-Lebanese relations, prospects of
their development and summing up the results of the Lebanese Foreign
Minister’s visit to Armenia.
Both Ministers highly appreciated the current level of bilateral
relations between Armenia and Lebanon and pointed to great
possibilities of further development and deepening of these
relations. “The political will of both countries, the Armenian Diaspora
in Lebanon, as well as the legislative base contributes to development
of bilateral relations,” Vartan Oskanian declared.
He expressed satisfaction with the results of the meeting with
his Lebanese colleague: “I am content with the negotiations and I
think that Fawzi Salloukh’s visit will become a stimulus for further
development of bilateral relations between Armenia and Lebanon.”
In his turn, Fawzi Salloukh highly evaluated the activity of
the Armenian Diaspora in Lebanon: “Lebanon is proud that a large
Armenian Diaspora lives there. We are proud that Armenians make a
great contribution to the prosperity of Lebanon.”
The Lebanese Foreign Minister also declared that the Lebanese people
highly estimates the constructive role the representatives of the
Armenian Diaspora played in the complicated situation in the middle
of 70-s. H informed that he has invited Vartan Oskanian to take part
in the sitting of the Armenian-Lebanese Intergovernmental Commission
to be held in Lebanon.

THIRD INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL TO BE HELD ON JULY 16-17 IN YEREVAN
YEREVAN, JULY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. Third International Jazz Festival of
Yerevan will be held on July 16-17 at the Malkhas Yerevan club. State
Jazz Orchestra of Armenian Public Television and Radio, Armenian Jazz
Band, the Jazz Band of the 70-s, Artaskh Jazz Band, as well as the
US well-known Earth, Wind and Fire Experience Feat Al McKay AllStar
band will take part in the festival. The latter will first perform
in Yerevan on July 17 at the Aram Khachatrian concert hall.
As pianist Levon Malkhasian, Malkhas jazz club Chairman, informed
at the July 11 press conference, well-known Diasporan musicians,
saxophone-player Alexander Zakarian (Russia), duduk-player Levon
Minasian (France), pianist Artur Satian (Lebanon) and others will
participate in the festival. According to L.Malkhasian, a concert
of 4 Armenian jazz bands will be organized within the framework of
the festival.
The first Yerevan International Jazz Festival was held in 1998, the
second in 2000. According to L.Malkhasian, despite of a long interval,
jazz days have been held in Yerevan for already several years on the
initiative of the U.S.
Embassy. “The halls are crowded in these days, which was surprising
for me at first. They like jazz in Armenia and we will try to organize
this festival even if once in two years,” the famous jazzman said.
According to Vazgen Asatrian, founder of the Jazz Band of the 70-s,
jazz originated in Armenia in the 1930-s. Artemi Ayvazian, Tsolak
Vardazarian, Konstantin Orbelian, Stepan Shakarian made a contribution
to the full formation of the Armenian jazz. “Though in the Soviet
years jazz was considered a bourgeois art, many people listened to
jazz, particularly, the generation of the 60-70-s liked jazz art,”
V.Asatrian said.
To recap, the tickets of July 16 and 17 concerts have been almost
completely sold, though the tickets of the first concert cost 2-10
thousand drams and of July 17 concert 10-30 thousand drams.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

“Global Gold” Corporation Opens New Workplaces
/196.html
July 11, 2006
In spite of the announce economic growth in the country, the situation
of the majority of the population of Armenia remains distressing. Since
the majority of the enterprises of Armenia were shut down 15 years ago
because of alteration of the economic situation, energy crisis and
transport blockade, very many people lost their jobs.
The problem of unemployment remains to be very serious in Armenia. In
accordance with the latest data of the employment service, the number of
the unemployed is about 90 thousand people, or about 7,7%. Actually, in
the opinion of many experts, the figure is much higher. Besides, about
40 percent of the population of Armenia lives behind the border of
poverty. The people living in small towns and villages, especially in
remote districts, are most miserable.
In the Soviet times, small industrial productions were in the Armenian
regions with severe climate and unfertile land. These enterprises made
great contribution to the solution of social problems of many poor
villages, but they had the same fate as the industry in general. The
people who lost their jobs could connect their hopes only with the
unfertile land.
The same was the situation with the highland village Melik in Aragatsotn
region. Severe winter reigns here for 7 months a year, the air
temperature is often below 20-23 oC, the layer of the snow reaches 2
meters. Under such conditions the population can just grow a little
potato and barley. The village is poor, as the profit yielded by
cattle-breeding is not big, and the harvest is often small because of
the weather conditions. The road leading to the village located eight km
away from Aparan, is practically impassable in winter. According to the
words of the village headman Ashot Khlghatyan, the road condition is the
biggest problem in villages. The community cannot repair them by its own
means. The unemployed young people are also a problem. “At present,
unemployment is the main problem for everyone here. Everyone wants to
work”, – says Ashot Khlghatyan.
Ten years ago the diamond processing factory, where 200 people were
employed, was shut down in the village. And now the people are
impatiently waiting for the beginning of exploitation of the gold mine
“Tukhmanuk” located a few kilometers away from their village.
The owner of the mine – the international corporation “Global Gold” –
is actively preparing the mine for exploitation, which will make it
possible to open 200 workplaces.
In the years 1995-1996 they started minute study of the mine. The gold
resources in the two veins of the mine, confirmed by the state
committee, amount to eight tons. In the opinion on the chief geologist
of “Global Gold” Mr. Henrikh Lazarian, the potential of “Tukhmanuk” is
high and amounts to the minimum of 20-25 tons.
In August, 2005 the international corporation “Global Gold” purchased 51
percent of “Mero Gold” LLC, which owned the gold mine “Tukhmanuk”. The
remaining 49% of the shares belong to private Armenian investors, but
the corporation is planning to redeem them in August, 2007.
The company “Global Gold” registered in the USA is engaged in extraction
and research of the gold industry in Chile and Armenia. Its market price
is USD 80 million. “Global Gold” has recently increased its capital by
additional USD 13 million.
The corporation started its activity at the gold mine “Tukhmanuk” last
September. The works cover establishment of engineering infrastructures,
construction of the working village “Banavan”, repair of the gold
concentrating mill located in the vicinity of the mine, purchase of
equipment, development of the field of geological-research works.
Exploration boring is already being implemented ” the boreholes will be
the basis for determination of the content of gold in the ore and
estimation of the reserves.
It is planned to extract openly and to process at the concentrating mill
75 thousand tons of ore.
In accordance with the words of the director of the Armenian branch of
“Global Gold” Mr. Ashot Poghosyan, last year they spent about half a
million dollars on preparation works, and this year it is envisaged to
spend 3,3 million dollars and 3,8 million dollars for the study of the
mine and its exploitation, accordingly. By the end of the year the
investments made by “Global Gold” in the exploitation of the mine will
amount to about 9,6 million dollars.
This year it is planned to extract openly and to process at the
concentrating mill 75 thousand tons of ore. “Global Gold” intends to
process within a period of two years 150 thousand tons of ore, gradually
increasing the extraction and processing to 350-400 thousand tons of ore
annually. One ton of ore here contains about 6-6,5 grams of glod, which
is considered to be a good index.
At the initial stage, the mine will be exploited openly and about 100
people will be engaged here. The extracted ore will be transported to
the concentrating mill equipped with modern equipment. The average
salary at the mine will be AMD 75-100 thousand.
In accordance with Mr. Ashot Poghosyan’s words, they haven’t decided yet
where the concentrate will be sold ” in Armenia or abroad.
The necessary equipment will arrive from the USA soon and will be used
for open exploitation. Simultaneously, underground works are being
prepared and it is planned to start them in two-three years. The project
of mine exploitation submitted by “Global Gold” is currently being
considered at the Government of Armenia. Upon approval of the project,
they will start the work at the mine, and life will return to village
Melik.
Note: the gold mine “Tukhmanuk” is located in Aragatsotn region, in the
mark of 2000-2200 meters, it is of the vein type and contains 10-12
veins only two of which have been studied minutely. The mine was studied
back in the Soviet times, in 1950s, but it wasn’t of top-priority
significance for the USSR. According to the conducted research works,
the majority of gold deposits of the South Caucasus countries is
concentrated in Armenia.
Susanna Petrosyan

Today, Azerbaijan
July 10 2006
Armenian MP: “Russia hurts Armenia after closing Georgia checkpoint”
10 July 2006 [20:41] – Today.Az
A deputy chairman of Armenia’s parliament said Monday that Russia had
hit Armenian interests after it closed a checkpoint on the
Russian-Georgian border for construction work.
Russia closed the Kazbegi-Verkhny Lars border checkpoint early
Saturday morning for an indefinite period, which has created problems
for people traveling between Georgia and Armenia, RIA Novosti
reports.
Vaan Ovannisyan said the border had been closed because of difficult
relations between Russia and Georgia.
“They [relations] have been worsening rather than improving
recently,” he said. “Our Russian colleagues must understand that each
step against Georgia also hurts Armenia’s interests. Therefore, they
should be more flexible and careful.”
URL:

TREND, Azerbaijan
July 10 2006
Report on Nagorno-Karabakh to be prepared again
Source: Trend
Author: J.Shahverdiyev
10.07.2006
The report of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on Nagorno-Karabakh will be
prepared again, PM Fazil Gazanfaroglu, the member of the Azerbaijani
delegation in PA OSCE and also the chairman of the Great Establishment
Party, told Trend.
Due to the Goran Lennmarker’s election the chairman of PA OSCE
during the summer session on July 3-7, he completed the results of
his mission as reporter on Nagorno-Karabakh.
According to Gazanfaroglu, after appointment of a new reporter,
the report prepared by Lennmarker will be looked through. “We met
with Lennmarker. The report of Lannmarker reflects several aspects
dissatisfying the sides,” told Gazanfaroglu.
In the document, the aggression of Armenia was approached from the
same position with Azerbaijan. “Soon, the document will be again
prepared by the appointed reporter,” he told.
Besides, Gazanfaroglu stressed that during the summer session of PA
OSCE, the Azerbaijani delegation have raised enough questions about the
Armenian aggression. But, Armenians didn’t raise the question about
the conducting of a monitoring on the fires committed by Armeniand
in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

ARMENIA: FEW OBJECTIONS TO MEDIATORS’ KARABAKH STATEMENT
Haroutiun Khachatrian 7/10/06
EurasiaNet, NY
July 10 2006
Senior Armenian government officials and political leaders appear to
have reconciled themselves with a top American diplomat’s disclosure
of details of a draft peace agreement covering Nagorno-Karabakh.
In a June 22 interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, US
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
Matthew Bryza revealed the existence of a framework agreement that
would resolve the 18-year conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
[For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. The framework
envisages the withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied
territories around Karabakh, as well as “a vote at some point in the
future” on Karabakh’s status, and a “normalization of Armenia’s ties”
that would allow an international peacekeeping presence and economic
assistance to the disputed region.
In a July 5 interview with the Haykakan Zhamanak daily newspaper,
Bryza explained that his comments were part of a new strategy
endorsed by the Minsk Group’s French and Russian co-chairs to promote
public discussion of the peace framework. “It is not my decision
to disclose the [framework agreement’s] principles,” said Bryza,
recently appointed as US co-chairperson of the Minsk Group, the body
tasked by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
with moderating talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan. “It was the
decision of the three co-chairs, taken even before I became co-chair.”
In Armenia, initial government reaction to the interview was
emotional. Anger appeared targeted more at what was perceived to have
been left unsaid, than at what was actually disclosed about the draft
agreement. On June 26, the official newspaper Hayastani Hanrapetutiun
published a story on Bryza’s comments under the title “Provocation
or Pressure?” In the piece, the Armenian Foreign Ministry cited what
it perceived as the gaps in the information provided by Bryza. The
ministry stated that the regions connecting Armenia with Karabakh,
Lachin and Kelbajar, are expected to remain under Armenian control
until a referendum on the enclave’s status is held. During the period
preceding the vote, Karabakh, according to the ministry, would also
be given an internationally recognized status.
Following Bryza’s disclosures, President Robert Kocharian stated that
Armenia was ready to adopt the document as the basis for further
negotiations, whereas Azerbaijan appeared reluctant to endorse the
draft agreement. The Armenian side, however, has denied a July 3
report on the Azerbaijani news site Day.az, which quoted Azerbaijani
Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov as saying that Kocharian and
Aliyev would meet July 17 to discuss a Karabakh settlement.
Notably, no political party or public organization in Armenia has
objected to the proposed Armenian withdrawal from the seven occupied
territories, often termed “liberated” by Armenian organizations and
politicians. The prospect of such a swap has been called “reasonable”
by opposition leader Aram Sargsian, head of the Hanarpetutiun
(Republic) Party and brother of the late defense minister Vazgen
Sargsian, founder of the Yerkrapah organization of war veterans.
In Armenia, public debate on the issue has intensified amid speculation
about possible new disclosures about the peace negotiations. On June
26, presidential spokesperson Viktor Soghomonian told the Mediamax
news agency that Yerevan may make public all documents relating to
the peace talks over the last seven to eight years, including papers
covering the 2001 presidential summit in Key West, Florida. It was
at that meeting that Kocharian and the late Azerbaijani President
Heidar Aliyev reportedly agreed in principle on a peace deal, only
to see the supposed agreement unravel within weeks. [For background
see the Eurasia Insight archive].
Hayots Ashkharh, another pro-government daily, commented that by
disclosing such documents, Yerevan would “restrict the room for
maneuver” for Baku. The commentary went on to claim that Azerbaijan
is a frequent source of inaccurate information concerning the peace
talks. Despite the urgings of politicians and analysts, however,
the Armenian government has not yet released the documents.
In their absence, key questions about the proposed framework agreement
linger. In a July 6 editorial entitled “Let’s Discuss, But What?,” the
daily newspaper Aravot wondered whether the referendum on Karabakh’s
status would be held among the enclave’s actual population, as proposed
by Armenia, or among the residents of Azerbaijan, as advocated by the
Azerbaijani government. The newspaper also queried whether Lachin and
Kelbajar would remain under the control of Armenian forces before
the referendum is held, or whether they would be demilitarized,
as proposed by Azerbaijan.
Analysts seem sharply divided about the known features of the
framework peace deal. For example, scientist Alexander Iskandarian
was quoted by the Hayots Ashkharh daily on July 6 as saying framework
agreement favors Armenia as never before. But others, including 168
Zham newspaper columnist Armen Baghdasarian, maintain that war with
Azerbaijan seems inevitable since Baku would not risk a legitimate
referendum on the enclave’s status.
Editor’s Note: Haroutiun Khachatrian is a Yerevan-based writer
specializing in economic and political affairs.

Armenians Disappointed with Situation
Angus Reid Global Scan, Canada
July 11 2006
July 11, 2006
– Many residents of Armenia are dissatisfied with the current state
of affairs, according to a poll by Baltic Surveys released by the
International Republican Institute. 55 per cent of respondents believe
things in the country are headed in the wrong direction.
The Republic of Armenia declared it independence at the end of World
War I, but was incorporated into the Soviet Union in the 1920s.
Armenia regained its sovereignty in 1991 after the collapse of the
Soviet Union.
Armenian president Robert Kocharyan was re-elected to a new four-year
term in March 2003 in a ballot marred by fraud allegations. In
November, voters overwhelmingly approved a series of constitutional
amendments, which limit presidential powers.
Earlier this month, Kocharian expressed satisfaction with the changes,
saying, “They open new prospects for the comprehensive development
of our country and people, ensure more balance activities of various
branches of government, and boost respect for human rights.”
In March, Armenia’s unemployment level dropped to 7.6 per cent.
Polling Data
Do you think things in Armenia are going in the…
Right direction 32%
Wrong direction 55%
Not sure / No answer 13%
Source: Baltic Surveys / International Republican Institute
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,200 Armenian adults,
conducted from Apr. 30 to May 8, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
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