INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF NKR BACKBONE OF INDEPENDENCE OF ARMENIA
AND NKR: ARMENIAN MINISTER OF EDUCATION
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
June 23 2006
YEREVAN, June 22. /ARKA/. International recognition of the NKR
is the backbone of independence of Armenia and the NKR, and this
is necessary not only out of today’s political reasons, Armenian
Minister of Education and Science Levon Lazarian reported during
the international scientific conference in Stepanakert.
“If we speak today about strengthening of Armenia and the Armenian
people on our historical homeland, we should understand that we must
fix the first great and serious success of our liberating movement.
And this fixation is being made possible by daily work, by means of
formation, strengthening, development and uniting of Armenia and the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic,” Lazarian reported.
The fact of holding an international conference in the NKR, according
to the minister, is another witness that “the state has been formed,
and can claim full membership in the family of nations constituting
a part of the world civilization”.
The international scientific conference “Nagorno-Karabakh Republic:
Past, Present and Future”, dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the
proclamation of the NKR independence, has been held since June 21in
the Artsakh State University.
Participating in it were about 200 representatives from over 10
countries, including Armenia, France, USA, Russia, Germany and Great
Britain. The conference will be held in three areas on history,
culture and political and legal and socioeconomic issues. R.O. –0-

Etisalat among four bidders shortlisted for Armentel sale
Gulf News, United Arab Emirates
June 23 2006
Reuters
Athens: Greek telecoms provider OTE said yesterday it shortlisted
four bidders, among them an Etisalat-led consortium, for the sale of
its 90 per cent stake in Armenian telecoms firm Armentel.
Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) and Vimpelcom, Russia’s largest and
second-largest mobile phone providers respectively, were invited to
take part in the next phase of the sale, Greece’s largest telecoms
group said.
It did not provide further details. Analysts said a disposal of the
Armentel stake makes sense as it does not fit in with OTE’s focus on
the Balkans.
“Armentel does not fit in with OTE’s regional expansion,” said analyst
George Grigoriou at Eurocorp Securities.
Operations
He estimated the value of the stake at about 250 million euros. OTE
has operations in Romania and Serbia while its mobile arm Cosmote
has subsidiaries in Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Romania.
Other shortlisted bidders included the consortium of Emirates
Telecommunications Corp (Etisalat), UAE-based investment house
Istithmar PJSC and Emergent Telecom Ventures (ETV), and another
consortium of VTEL Holdings and Knightsbridge Associates.
Armentel, the largest operator in Armenia with 321,000 subscribers,
had 7.1 million euros in net income in the first quarter of this year,
with revenues up 40 per cent to 32.2 million euros.
0048849.html

Organization for Islamic Conference has supported Baku: Azeri press digest
Regnum, Russia
June 23 2006
Politics
The 33rd meeting of the FM Council of the Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC) set off in Baku on June 19. The meeting was opened
by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. He noted that Azerbaijan is
actively involved in global and regional processes: “We are concerned
for the processes taking place in the world. Azerbaijan cannot but
worry to see some western media and political circles compare Islam
with terror. We can’t allow this. Islam is a religion of prosperity
and peace. One can’t call it a religion of terror. Azerbaijan is
itself a victim of terror. Armenians alone have committed over 30
terrorist acts in Azerbaijan, with over 2,000 Azeris killed as a
result.” Aliyev expressed regret that although the UN has passed
resolutions on Nagorny Karabakh, there is still no mechanism of their
implementation. He said that Azerbaijan has never agreed to the
violation of its territorial integrity as “Nagorny Karabakh is
historical territory of Azerbaijan.” (Azeri Press)
Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev met with Azerbajani
President Ilham Aliyev in Almaty on June 16. Trend news agency
reports the presidents to discuss developing bilateral cooperation in
the oil and gas sector and to sign an agreement “On Supporting the
Oil Transportation from the Republic of Kazakhstan via the Caspian
Sea and the Territory of the Azerbaijani Republic to International
Markets By Means of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan System.” The presidents
noted that this agreement is very important. “It gives us a third
alternative route for transporting our oil. Until 2030 we will build
all necessary terminals and will increase the capacities of the
pipeline for transferring our oil,” Nazarbayev said during a
briefing.
Zerkalo notes: “We can understand the prudence of the Kazakh
authorities who ‘sort of jumped into the departing train at the last
moment.’ They clearly said they want to join BTC as early as 1999,
but they later preferred not to tease ‘the Russian bear’ until the
BTC project was finished and the Kashagan project launched. Now that
BTC is launched the Russian authorities may have problems with
filling the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline. The advantage of BTC is that
there is no need for ships to cross Bosporus and Dardanelles from the
Black to the Mediterranean seas. The point is that for fear of
ecological disaster in its territorial waters, especially in
Bosporus, Turkey is constantly toughening navigation restrictions in
the straits. By the way, Kazakhstan’s official participation in BTC
will stimulate the development of the regional transport
infrastructure. In any case, the July official festivities in Turkey
(to be attended by the presidents of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey,
Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, and Bulgaria) will make everything clear.
Russia will be a stranger ‘at this feast of life…’
Round Iran
‘Azerbaijan is facing the danger of civil war caused by religious
contradictions,’ Zerkalo daily says in its report from Lerik region,
near Iran:
“Our correspondent has personally witnessed “Iran’s successful
propaganda war” in the southern regions of our country, and it seems
Tehran is taking the lead again. Some Lerik residents openly say that
they regard Iran as their Homeland and, of course, they know who
Iran’s enemies are – whoever is against it, “Zionists and servants of
Shaitan.” Some people in Lerik tried to prove to us that Allah wants
Muslims to war against infidels and that over 100 ayats of the Koran
order them to fight for Allah.”
“Let’s note from the very beginning that the point here is not that
faithful Muslims in Lerik are beginning to adhere to the principles
of Islam. Obviously, the point is that, covered with religion,
certain circles are beginning some political game.”
“We are not afraid of the US. We are waiting for the Americans to
attack the holy land of Iran, and then we will rise against the
infidels. We can’t wait to see our spiritual leader Seyed Ali
Khamenei or some other Mujtahid declare the start of Jihad. The
moment this happens, we, as true Muslims, will stand up to protect
our religion from Zionists,” the father of two children has told our
correspondent.”
“In one word, they in Lerik tried to convince us that the protection
of Muslims is not politics. However, the selfsame people who say they
are ready to die for Iran’s territorial integrity said no single word
about Karabakh: none of them said that Karabakh is our occupied land
and it is our duty before Allah and our Fatherland to liberate it.
That is, for them the possible occupation of Iran by the US is more
important than the liberation of Karabakh. ‘Islam is the only thing
we really care for. We will be happy to die or our religion, all the
rest does not matter much,’ some Lerik residents said.”
“Undoubtedly, Iran has quite strong positions in the southern regions
of Azerbaijan. This is not the most awful thing though. Somebody is
implanting in the minds of our citizens hatred for their Sunni
brothers. For some reason, the Lerik ‘Islamists’ believe that it is
Sunnis and especially Wahhabis who are to blame for all our troubles
as they are ‘the black stain’ on the history of Islam. They forget
that those acting against their brothers in religion and thereby
causing detriment to the unity of Islam are regarded as atheists.
However, it is not we but our respected Sheik ul-Islam Allahshukur
Pashazade who should solve this problem, of course, if he doesn’t
have some more important problems to solve.”
We could well neglect the views of some Lerik residents, but what our
correspondent saw in that region is obviously the beginning of some
big plan.” (Zerkalo)
Zerkalo also writes about anti-Shi’a religious fundamentalism in the
northern regions of Azerbaijan: “It seems the special services of our
northern neighbor (Russia – REGNUM) don’t mind escalating tensions in
the regions bordering on Azerbaijan. For example, radical anti-Shi’a
organizations are being formed in Gusar, Gubin, Khachmaz, Siyazan and
Balaken. The Wahhabi and other extremist religious organizations
being formed there seem to be the key driving force of Russia’s
‘black’ plots against our country.”
In short, Russia from the north and Iran from the south are slowly
but steadily tightening the ring around Azerbaijan. Wahhabis are
strengthening their positions in the north, while Iranists in the
south. Both trends are quite deeply rooted in northern and central
regions and Baku. This is not a surprise for anybody especially given
the lack of democracy, normal legal guarantees of freedom of
conscience and religion. Those concerned are trying to shape the
public opinion in such as way as to convince people that Azerbaijan
is allegedly facing the danger of instability by various radical
religious groups. Their goal is obviously to distract people from
democratic and economic processes. Some sources say that political
cataclysms in our country may urge radical religious organizations in
the north to take arms.
Certainly, the Iranian special services will use this chance to gain
control over the mostly Shi’a regions. We have already said that the
southern regions are being turned into a training ground for Iranian
special services. Similar processes are taking place in Absheron,
Naxcivan and other regions. In other words, under the mask of
religious difference, they are paving the way for artificial
confrontation between Azeri regions.
Besides, some media say that if Baku joins the anti-Iranian
coalition, at some other “convenient moment” some groups may start
terrorist acts in the capital. This may lead to “a war of regions” –
war of the north and the south – and, consequently, to the country’s
split.” (Zerkalo)
In an interview to Azeri Press the chairman of the State Committee
for the Work with Religious Structures Rafik Aliyev says: “What is
going on is not about religion or Iranian-Azerbaijani relations. This
is just the regional policy of the US, Russia and Iran. There has
always been the problem of united Azerbaijan. This problem has
seriously affected Iranian-Azerbaijani relations and is now getting
even more serious. America wants to set off a national liberation
movement in Iran, which can be done only with the help of the local
Azeris. The Azerbaijani authorities can’t stay aloof. The statements
by various Azerbaijani officials on the events in Iran have proved
that those people are dancing to America’s tune. As an Azeri, I know
that united Azerbaijan is better than halved Azerbaijan, but if we
approach this problem realistically, we will see that this dream is
impracticable for the time being…”
Azerbaijan-Armenia
Baku is ready to provide Nagorno Karabakh with the highest status of
autonomy applied in the world – an autonomy equivalent to the status
of Tatarstan within the Russian Federation, says Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Elmar Mamedyarov. “For example, the Constitution of
Tatarstan allows the republic to have its representations abroad,”
says Mamedyarov. Day.Az reports him as calling groundless any other
alternative solutions to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict especially as
there already is a positive experience of such problem solving.
Mamedyarov says that sooner or later the status of Nagorno Karabakh
has to be determined. Baku suggests solving this problem as quickly
as possible, but this will require creating necessary conditions for
the return of Azeris who lived there but where expelled during the
“occupation.” Mamedyarov says that Azerbaijan will grow increasingly
strong and the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians should realize that they
will get much more benefits if they remain Azerbaijani citizens.
“Each speaker at the Organization for the Islamic Conference meeting
expressed support for Azerbaijan’s position in the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. I personally stressed the necessity of giving a fair
solution to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and liberating
Azerbaijan’s occupied territories,” Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah
Gul said in Baku, where he was attending the OIC FM Council meeting.
Gul said that the FMs gave a special attention to the fact of
“occupation” of part of the Azerbijani territory by Armenia. He noted
that OIC experts have prepared a relevant report. The FMs also
discussed the problem of Cyprus: “We have prepared a draft solution
to this problem, and I think that the FMs will approve it.” (Azeri
Press)
Azerbaijan-US
Echo writes: “They in Washington consider undesirable their
participation in the financing of the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku
railroad project. Many Azerbaijani experts say that, when saying that
the project is inexpedient, Armenia forgets that it occupies Azeri
territories. In such conditions Azerbaijan will not carry out joint
projects with Armenia. That’s why Azerbaijan will carry out the
project even without the participation of American companies. Lawyer
Ramiz Zeynalov says that despite the US Congress’ ban on the
involvement of US companies in the project, the Azerbajani Government
will find the necessary money, especially as the sum is not very
big.”
Our country can apply for the money to such international financial
institutions as World Bank, EBRD, German KfW. They will readily
finance such a promising project – a project that will connect Europe
with Asia, will result in a big cargo turnover and big incomes
therefrom. “When Heydar Aliyev (Azerbaijani President in 1993-2003 –
REGNUM) first suggested to build Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline,
there were also many attempts to prevent the project.
Despite the Armenian lobby and government who tried to torpedo the
BTC project, Azerbaijan managed to create a necessary investment
climate and to attract necessary money. And now even one of the
opponents of the project, Iran, has expressed wish to join it. Israel
has suggested prolonging the pipeline from Ceyhan to its territory.
Kazakhstan, who was also against the project because of Russia’s
pressure, is already a participant in it. All of Azerbaijan’s
projects are attractive and promising and will bring the sides big
revenues,” says Zeynalov.
In his turn, the head of the transport policy and economy department
of the Azerbaijani Transport Ministry Sadreddin Mamedov says to Echo
that the proposal by 13 US senators to prohibit American businessmen
to invest money in the project has remained on paper. “It was a
failed attempt of psychological pressure by the US Armenian lobby.
This is a very interesting project and the participant states are
firmly resolved to carry it out. If American companies refuse to
finance it, we will find other sources – Japanese banks or the Asian
Development Bank – especially as there have been no financing
discussions with the American side yet. Besides, Azerbaijan is its
own funds and, if need be, can finance the Georgian share. In such a
case, Azerbaijan and Georgia will have to decide if the Azeris will
give the Georgians a loan or will manage their section,” says
Mamedov.
Azerbaijan-Russia
“90 percent of the Azeris killed in Russia were killed by our
compatriots,” Day.Az reports the executive secretary of the Congress
of Azeris of Russia Eldar Guliyev as saying. He says that the
investigation into these crimes is impossible in terms of inter-state
relations: “If the Russian prosecutor office probes into them, very
many Azeris will get in Russian jails.” Guliyev notes that they in
Russia do not generally treat Azeris badly and in most cases Azeris
have problems with police through their own fault because they break
local laws: “And those wanting to aggravate Russian-Azerbaijani
relations use this fact for their purposes.”
Religion
In an interview to Azeri Press, the chairman of the State Committee
for the Work with Religious Structures Rafik Aliyev says: “There are
355 religious structures in Azerbaijan, of which 29 are non-Islamic
organizations. None of the officially registered religious
organizations is engaged in anti-state activities, unlike some
unregistered ones. One such example is radical Wahhabism. There are
no officially registered Wahhabi organizations in Azerbaijan, but
Ayatollah Sistanbi from Najaf says that they allocate $300,000 a year
for religion development in Azerbaijan. Just look how many such
ayatollahs with similar financial capacities live in the neighboring
countries. Nobody in Azerbaijan controls the inflow of this money.
One can’t trace it through banks as this money is brought in by
various individuals. There is a whole network of companies and
sponsors who spend part of their profits on the development of
religion and the escalation of the religious situation in Azerbaijan.
We have information on these companies and our special services are
taking relevant measures.”
“22 unregistered medreses have been liquidated in Azerbaijan. The
committee has also prevented attempts to send Azeri students for
training to Iran, Syria, Egypt, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey. In
those countries Azeri students got not only religious and ideological
but also military training. They are used as weapons by various
countries against Azerbaijan. Among them are Azeris from Stavropol,
Northern Caucasus. In the neighboring countries there are groups who
turn Azeri citizens into terrorists and kamikazes.” (Azeri Press)

Armenians: Minister insists House probe is wrong
By Joseph Murimi
The Standard, Kenya
June 23 2006
The Government on Thursday pressed harder to scuttle the two
Parliamentary committees investigating the activities of the deported
Armenian brothers.
But the chairman of the joint probe team, Kabete MP Paul Muite,
vowed to go ahead with the investigations by questioning its first
witness Immigration minister Gedion Konchella at 10am on Friday.
Artur Margaryan (left) and Artur Sargasyan during a past Press
conference at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
In a letter to the Speaker of the National Assembly Francis Ole Kaparo,
Justice minister Martha Karua dismissed arguments by Muite in support
of the probe. She warned that “unnecessary confrontations with the
Executive would only erode the dignity and authority of Parliament.’~R
“Investigations of alleged criminal activities can never be the role
of Parliament, nor is the maintenance of national security the role,’~R
she said.
Karua said Parliament passes the necessary legislation to be
implemented by the Executive. She said it was absurd to argue that
Parliament could exercise parallel powers with the Executive when it
is expected to oversee the same.
She was responding to a letter Muite had written to the Speaker
responding to her earlier one. He dismissed Karua’s arguments as
lacking merit in law and fact. Muite said the letter tabled by
Karua in the House on Tuesday was “an attempt to block impartial,
independent and thorough investigations into a matter where the
Executive is heavily implicated.’~R
‘Handpicked commission’
Muite, who co-chairs the joint Parliamentary committees investigating
the Armenian brothers saga, said emerging evidence showed that the two
enjoyed close relations with powerful individuals within the Executive.
He said in view of the gravity of the issues that call for
investigations and the involvement of the Executive, only Parliament
could unravel the truth. A commission of inquiry appointed by the
President could not be expected to unravel the whole truth regarding
the activities of the two brothers, he said.
Muite said unlike the joint committee that would report to Parliament,
the handpicked commission would report to the President.
But Karua said she was surprised at Muite’s casual dismissal of the
central pillar of a democratic government – the doctrine of separation
of powers.
“He does not at all respond to the fact that Government cannot function
if there were no clearly separated roles for the three arms,” she said.
A ruling by Kaparo that could have allowed or blocked the sessions by
the joint committee was not delivered, giving Muite a chance to go on.
The fate of the joint committee was thrown in abeyance after Karua
declared it illegitimate and an attempt by Parliament to usurp the
role of the Executive.
Karua tabled her misgivings on the floor of the House and asked
the Speaker to give directions. Kaparo is expected to make a ruling
next Tuesday.
hp?articleid=1143954372
From: Baghdasarian

The Nation, Kenya
June 23 2006
Karua renews bid to block probe teams on Armenians
Story by NATION Correspondent
Publication Date: 06/23/2006
The Government has objected further to the move by two House committees
to investigate the mystery behind the deported Armenian brothers.
Justice minister Martha Karua yesterday submitted another letter
to Speaker Francis ole Kaparo seeking to stop the committees on
Administration of Justice and Legal Affairs, and its counterpart on
Security and Defence from investigating the saga.
She had first objected to the move on Tuesday when she tabled a letter
she had written to the Speaker in which she attached attorney-general
Amos Wako’s legal opinion approving her arguments.
But in response, committee co-chair Paul Muite opposed the Government
move and declared the arguments raised as lacking merit in law and
in fact.
In yesterday’s letter, Ms Karua said that the doctrine of separation
of powers between the three arms of Government cannot be wished away
by political arguments.
“The roles of the Legislature are representation, oversight and
legislation. Implementation of policies and execution of laws has
never been the domain of the Legislature. Investigation of alleged
criminal activities can never be the role of Parliament nor is the
maintenance of national security,” she argued.
On the Commissions of Inquiry Act, Ms Karua said since Parliament
gave the powers to the President, they should wait for their auditing
role. She said the Public Accounts Committee cannot walk into all
ministries to audit them. “They rather wait for the accounts to be
audited by the Auditor-General and then scrutinise them.”
Ms Karua urged Mr Kaparo to stop the committees from carrying out
the investigations to avoid unnecessary confrontations with the
Executive. “They will only erode the dignity and authority of the
House,” she said.

The Nation, Kenya
June 23 2006
Port acts on Artur containers
Story by PATRICK MAYOYO
Publication Date: 06/23/2006
CID and Customs officers are compiling a list of all cargo linked to
the deported Armenian brothers which has arrived at the Mombasa port.
At the same time, the verification of two other containers linked to
Mr Artur Margaryan and Mr Artur Sargsyan have been suspended until
the inventory is ready.
A Kenya Revenue Authority official told the Nation yesterday that
details of 29 containers linked to the Armenians had been found.
“Manifests filed by clearing and forwarding agents with us show
that there are 29 containers which have been imported by Kensington
International Ltd, some of whose directors are the Artur brothers,”
he said.
Once the inventory is ready, he noted, KPA would carry out “a 100
per cent verification” to establish if the containers had contraband
goods and if there were cases of undervaluation and false declarations.
“Once the inventory exercise is over, we are going to involve all
government agencies in the verification exercise so as to eradicate
inconsistencies,” he added.
On Friday, Trade ministry officials complained about what they termed
exclusion from the verification of a container linked to the deported
Arturs.
The officials said the department of weights and measures was not
involved in the verification although their department handled false
declaration cases.
“All matters related to false entries on import declaration forms
are dealt with under the Trade Descriptions Act, and this was not
the case with the Artur brothers’ container,” they said.
Besides KRA, government agencies supposed to be involved in the
check are the weights and measures department and the Kenya Bureau
of Standards.
Other government officials have questioned why the brothers’
container opened on Friday was not subjected to total verification
as is required.
“A 100 per cent verification requires that all goods being subjected to
such an exercise are removed from a container and a stock taken before
being returned into the container, but this is not what happened,”
one of them said.
During the verification, all the goods were removed, but they were not
checked item by item, or stock-taking done before they were returned
into the container, he added.
But KRA defended itself, saying that it was not compulsory for all
goods to be verified and an inventory done.
Questions were raised also over why the container bottom was not
inspected as there were suspicions that it had a false compartment.
In a separate development, port detectives said they were waiting
for instructions to start investigating a firm supplying goods to the
Nakumatt supermarkets chain following reports of massive tax evasion.
“We’re yet to get instructions to commence the investigations following
the disclosure in Parliament of rampant tax evasion,” one said.

The Monitor (Kampala)
June 23, 2006
Posted to the web June 22, 2006
Uganda: Armenians Were Not Invited By State House
Frank Nyakairu
Kampala
THE controversial Armenian brothers who attended President Museveni’s
inauguration on May 12 were not officially invited by State House.
The two brothers, Artur Margaryan and Artur Sargaryan who were
deported from Kenya a fortnight ago however, told Daily Monitor on
Tuesday that they attended the inauguration as prospective investors.
“The President and State House totally have nothing to do with the
Armenian brothers even if they claim to have attended the
inauguration ceremony,” the Presidential Press Secretary, Mr Onapito
Ekomoloit, said yesterday.
“The ceremony was by invitation and there is no way they could have
been on the list,” he said adding “Even if we are desperate for
investors we cannot settle for people like that.”
Kenya investigates
The Kenyan government has instituted an investigation into the
activities of the brothers who caused a gun scare at Jomo Kenyatta
International Airport.
Kenyan opposition claims the brothers were behind the raid on Kenya’s
Standard newspaper in March. Speaking to Daily Monitor from Dubai on
Tuesday, the brothers said they plan to relocate to Uganda and invest
in real estate.
Relevant Links
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Kenya
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Margary said yesterday that he had $5 million in investment capital
for a real-estate business in Uganda. He said he came to Uganda at
the invitation of a friend who took him to Museveni’s inauguration.
“I was invited by a friend who had been invited,” Margaryan said on
telephone. “I plan to start initiating business in Uganda next month
and it will mainly be in real-estate and import and export,” he said.
The Armenian, said he was driving in Dubai city, said they had been
tortured in Kenya “so much that all Dubai major television networks
are documenting their suffering.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Growing Up in a Trouble Spot
By Anna Malpas
Moscow Times, Russia
June 23 2006
Moscow International Film Festival
“The Lighthouse” was shot on location in Armenia.
Passengers at an Armenian train station in Maria Saakyan’s film “The
Lighthouse” are confronted with a handwritten sign saying “there is
no train.” Ironically, the director had the same problem when she
traveled from Moscow to shoot the wistful war drama on location.
“During the war, they took apart the rails and never put them
together again,” the 25-year-old director said after a press
screening of her film at Mosfilm on Wednesday. That made transporting
camera equipment to Armenian mountain villages “very expensive,” she
said.
The film, which is taking part in the Perspectives section of the
Moscow International Film Festival, is the debut feature for Saakyan,
a graduate of Moscow’s VGIK film school. Its story of a girl visiting
her grandparents in Armenia, then finding herself unable to leave
because of war, is one that is close to the director, who fled her
native Yerevan at age 12.
“That little piece of earth is very dear to me,” she said, recalling
that when her family left Armenia in the 1990s, she begged them to
let her stay. “I don’t know whether I managed to convey that feeling,
that emotion, at least a little bit.”
While she talked, her young daughter pleaded with her for candy, and
Saakyan spoke of her feeling that she would never return to live in
Armenia. “Now, I realize that I can’t go back because I already have
my family here, I had my education here. … I have opportunities to
work here.”
The film’s screenwriter, 27-year-old VGIK student Givi Shavgulidze,
drew on similar experiences, since he was forced to leave Abkhazia in
the early 1990s. “He can’t get back to his house at all because now
there are other people living there,” Saakyan said.
“The Lighthouse” remains vague about which Caucasus conflict it
depicts, although its apparent subtext is the war between Armenia and
Azerbaijan over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. Saakyan
stressed that the story was not about a specific war. “In the 1990s,
there was a war in Georgia, there was a war in Armenia. … The whole
of the former Soviet Union was covered in hot spots.”
The film stars veteran actors as Armenian villagers, including Sofiko
Chiaureli, who acted in Sergei Paradzhanov’s “Color of Pomegranates,”
and Sos Sarkisyan, who played a doctor in “Solaris” by Andrei
Tarkovsky. “They all agreed very quickly when they heard what the
film was about,” the director said. “They also care about this
theme.”
The film received a grant from the Netherlands-based Hubert Bals
Fund, which supports up-and-coming filmmakers as part of the
Rotterdam film festival. It is the first full-length film for
Saakyan, who previously made an almost wordless short called “The
Farewell” that won several festival awards. She described “The
Lighthouse” as her “first attempt to work with words and a little bit
with history.”
“The Lighthouse” plays Mon. at 6 p.m. and Tues. at 6 p.m. at Oktyabr,
located at 24 Novy Arbat. Metro Smolenskaya.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Around the World in 10 Days
By Tom Birchenough
Moscow Times, Russia
June 23 2006
Moscow International Film Festival
Alexei Muradov’s “The Worm” is the only Russian entry among the 17
films in the main competion.
Over the last 15 years, the Moscow International Film Festival has
faced up to a range of problems — on the financial and
organizational fronts (now much improved) and in the artistic value
of its central competition program. A decade ago, the country’s film
distribution industry was barely functioning, especially when it came
to the art-house market that traditionally supplies festivals with
their most interesting and critically acclaimed fare.
Today, major Russian films are released throughout the year, while
art-house distribution has grown considerably. All that has affected
MIFF’s international profile — though the jury is still out (so to
speak) on whether it lives up to the standards of an event that at
least nominally competes with Cannes, Berlin and Venice. Or, perhaps
more to the point, with the Czech Republic’s Karlovy Vary event,
which usually opens within days of MIFF and concentrates to a large
degree on Central European and Russian fare.
The first scandal of this year’s MIFF — the festival’s 28th edition,
which opens today and runs to July 2 — was that the jury was out
(this time, literally). Its expected president, Austrian director
Michael Haneke, pulled out of that position earlier this month,
citing unexpected developments in the production plans for his next
film. MIFF organizers clearly took umbrage at the news, reacting with
a distinctly hostile open letter to the director. It was the latest
in a number of incidents in recent years that suggest that a sense of
grace, especially of the kind that such events depend on, hasn’t
always been the organizers’ strong point.
Confirmed jury members include Russian director Alexei Uchitel (whose
“Dreaming of Space” took the top prize last year), British actress
Julie Christie, Canadian actor Remy Girard, Polish director Andrzej
Zulawski and French critic and producer Pierre-Henri Deleau. Only on
Wednesday was it announced that they had discussed the matter between
themselves and agreed that Zulawski would assume the role of
president.
The other perennial question about the event is the presence and
prominence of Russian films in MIFF’s programs. Given that the
domestic film industry is on a creative high at the moment — and
that the festival’s chief sponsor, the Federal Culture and
Cinematography Agency, is also a prime backer of new Russian cinema
— it is somewhat surprising that only one Russian film (Alexei
Muradov’s “The Worm”) is on the main competition slate of 17 movies.
Some balance comes with Israeli director Eitan Anner’s “Love&Dance,”
a cross-cultural drama about Russian immigrants with elements of
ballroom dancing thrown in.
Moscow International Film Festival
John Malkovich Stars in “Klimt,” a biopic of the Viennese painter.
A likely explanation for this state of affairs was the truly strong
program at this month’s Kinotavr film festival in Sochi, which proved
that the art-house end of the Russian film industry is thriving.
MIFF’s refusal to admit films already screened at national festivals
into its international competition seems to be depriving it of
potentially valuable material. Nonetheless, this year’s selectors —
the make-up of the body has changed considerably over the past year,
most notably with the departure of its previous head, Kirill Razlogov
— said they had seen the works concerned and decided not to invite
them. (Rivalry between the two events peaked last year when Uchitel’s
“Dreaming of Space,” already announced in the Kinotavr program, was
pulled out to go to Moscow.)
The news isn’t all bad for MIFF. A potential competitor, a new
festival in St. Petersburg that was aiming for a similar
international profile, appears to have bitten the dust. Conflict
between the two events, with the St. Petersburg festival scheduled to
take place less than a month after the Moscow one was to end, would
have been interesting, although hardly inspiring; extra piquancy came
from the fact that the president of the St. Petersburg event was
initially set to be director Andrei Konchalovsky, brother of MIFF
president Nikita Mikhalkov (although Konchalovsky pulled out earlier
this year). This week brought an announcement that the event in
Russia’s northern capital — which had the strong backing of St.
Petersburg city authorities, if not all of the city’s major cultural
figures — had been nominally delayed until next year. Many doubt
that it will ever see the light of day.
Moscow International Film Festival
The French film “How Much Do You Love Me?” stars Monica Belucci and
Gerard Depardieu.
Contributing to the lack of Russian material in the MIFF competition
is the fact that some acclaimed films, such as Kirill Serebrennikov’s
Kinotavr-winner “Playing the Victim,” have already opened in general
release — though it might be suspected that a real invitation from
MIFF would have persuaded the producers to hold back for a month, had
they wanted to.
What’s most surprising is that some directors who received major
acclaim at the Moscow event in recent years chose to bypass it with
their new films. Alexander Rogozhkin took prizes with his “Cuckoo”
back in 2002, but he bowed his new film, the World War II aviation
drama “Transit,” at Kinotavr; it is later set to play at Karlovy
Vary. Similarly, Boris Khlebnikov — whose “Koktebel,” co-directed
with Alexei Popogrebsky, took a prize at MIFF in 2003 — chose to
open his new “Free Floating” in Sochi, and to wait for further
international invitations.
That leaves the Moscow main competition, traditionally balanced
slightly toward European fare, with three films from established
major directors: France’s Bertrand Blier (“How Much Do You Love
Me?”), Hungary’s Istvan Szabo (“Relatives,” featuring Russian actor
Oleg Tabakov, among others), and Chile’s Raoul Ruiz, who brings his
Austrian-French-British-German artistic biopic “Klimt,” starring John
Malkovich as the famed Viennese artist.
Moscow International Film Festival
The American film “Ask the Dust” is about an interracial romance in
1930s Los Angeles.
The American film industry is traditionally little-represented at
MIFF. This year, the sole U.S. contender is “Ask the Dust” by Robert
Towne (a past Oscar-winner for his script for Roman Polanski’s
“Chinatown”). Towne’s film features a high-profile cast including
Colin Farrell and Salma Hayek. Britain’s Jeremy Brock completes the
list of English-language fare with “Driving Lessons,” starring Julie
Walters.
The parallel Perspectives program includes more local fare, with
Armenian-born Maria Saakyan’s debut “The Lighthouse,” a tale of
contemporary warfare in the Caucasus, and “Spring,” from Uzbek
director Yolkin Tuichiyev. Another director making his feature debut,
Russia’s Mikhail Segal, comes through strongly with the World War II
drama “Franz+Polina,” scripted by the late Belarussian writer Ales
Adamovich, best known in film circles for his work on Elem Klimov’s
groundbreaking 1985 war film “Come and See.” Though overlong,
“Franz+Polina” heralds a new talent who treats a difficult subject —
the relations between occupying German forces and the local
resistance — through a very human perspective.
Innovations include the appearance of a new world documentary
program, titled “Free Thought,” which draws on international prize
winners from the last two years. Festival screening locations are
also more compact than in previous years, with the great majority
taking place in the Oktyabr multiplex on Novy Arbat.
As for the star factor — which cynics have seen as an attempt to
make up for low quality in the festival’s films — opening night
features a screening of “The Promise” by Chinese director Chen Kaige,
who is to be feted with a lifetime achievement award. The closing
film will be Pedro Almodovar’s “Volver,” with the traditional
Konstantin Stanislavsky acting award set to go to France’s Gerard
Depardieu. Any further star visits will be believed, as organizers
have said in the past, when they know that guests have gotten on
their planes.
For viewers unenticed by the competition films and immune to
celebrity, it’s the sidebar programs that provide the most reliable
viewing attractions. There’s a program of contemporary Israeli film,
the “Asian Extreme” program, which promises exactly what its title
suggests, and the established art-house strand “8 1/2 Films.” The
Russian program at Dom Kino includes already-released films, as well
as some due over the next few months, including Pavel Lungin’s “The
Island,” Nikolai Khomeriki’s complicated Cannes entry “977” and
British director Peter Greenaway’s Russian version of his ambitious
“Tulse Luper Suitcases.” Film scholars can choose between a
retrospective of films from the Khrushchev-era Thaw, or the
distinctly contemporary Media Forum, highlighting new media
directions and intriguingly titled “Autho(Ritarianism).”
Of course, some critics will lambast MIFF on certain points — it’s
their habit — but for viewers, it’s a week of rich-enough choice
that comes only once a year.
For a schedule of screenings at the Moscow International Film
Festival, see the Cinema listings or visit

PanARMENIAN.Net
Baku Hopes for Karabakh Conflict Soonest Settlement
23.06.2006 15:49 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ At present the peaceful settlement
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is the most
admissible variant. Moreover taking into account the
intensity of the talks some progress can be expected
in the process, Milli Mejlis deputy, member of the
permanent parliamentary commission for international
affairs Aidyn Abbasov said. In his words, the work is
targeted at a peaceful solution of the problem. ~SIf
there is no precise wayout, other solutions, which
also imply peaceful settlement, should be sought for.
War can be announced at any time but settling a
problem this way is not the most sensible thing. That
is why Baku during many years proceeds with the
efforts to settle the conflict peacefully and the
problem will be solved in the near future,~T he
remarked.
At that Abbasov refrained from commenting on the
statement by the Azeri MFA, which said that Baku is
ready to grant Nagorno Karabakh a status equal to the
status of Tatarstan within Russia, reported Echo newspaper.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress