Gunshots become Regular in Yerevan

Chatinian Lara

GUNSHOTS BECOME REGULAR IN YEREVAN
Panorama.am
22:57 14/07/06
It seems that you will not surprise anyone with outrageous criminal
acts committed in broad daylight in Yerevan. The impression is that the
law enforcement bodies have gone on vacation to plant trees, fish or
get acquainted with the menu of some newly opened restaurant while the
criminals have got card blanche. So, they open fire here and there.
Another gunshot is reported at Malatia Sebastia community on July 13
at about 7.20 p.m. General prosecutor’s sources say “unknown people
have opened gunfire with an intention to kill on Armen Novikov who
was driving Vaz -21101 type care with US 461 state numbers. Novikov
was kidnapped after serious wounds.
He was taken to Armenia medical center by unknown people later that
day at about 8.30 p.m. where he underwent operation. A criminal case
is instituted into the incident. Witnesses say the criminals introduced
themselves as national security service and asked not to interfere.
The investigation services have discovered the identity of one of the
criminals being Yerevan resident L. Ghazaryan. He is now under search.
So, arm yourself with patience! The most important thing – do not
go out of your houses, do not go to shops, do not stand at the bus
stops, even do not look out of windows. Is there any guarantee that
you will not fall victim of a “blind shot” opened in gunfire between
two criminal groups? No guarantee!/Panorama.am/

French and German Producers Awarded with Golden Apricot Prize

Tavakalian Edgar

FRENCH AND GERMAN PRODUCERS AWARDED WITH GOLDEN APRICOT PRIZE
Panorama.am
14:11 15/07/06
Renowned French film producer of Armenian decent Serj Avetikyan is
awarded with Golden Apricot prize. The award was granted for his
film “Return”. Avetikyan has worked on the film about 18 years. The
organizers of the festival say not only the film presents the Armenian
history and traditions to the world but also brings new impressions
about foreign countries to Armenia.
Also, German producer Andreas Drezen was awarded for his film
“Summer in Berlin.” The film is about the struggle for survival of
two women. Drezen has said he has never seen friendlier nation in
the world speaking about Armenia.
Note: the closing of the third international film festival Golden
Apricot will take place late today at Moscow Theater. 92 films from
58 countries were shown during the festival. The festival hosted
renowned figures of cinematography from about 10 countries, including
Russian, Canada, France, USA, Spain, Germany, Chili, Belgium, Turkey
and Italy./Panorama.am/

650 applications submitted to the European Court of Human Rights fro

Tavakalian Edgar

650 applications submitted to the European Court of Human Rights from Armenia
ArmRadio.am
15.07.2006 12:55
650 applications have been submitted to the European Court of Human
Rights by Armenians since Armenia’s joining the Council of Europe in
2001. The Committee of the Court qualified 146 of the applications
unacceptable.
Armenian Judge at the European Court of Human Rights Alvina Gyulumyan
told “Armenpress” that some of the plaintiffs were prisoners
complaining of too many prisoners in prison cells. Many of the
applications have to do with inhumane and humiliating attitude and
unfair trial. Applications connected with freedom of conscience were
submitted by religious minorities.

US Ambassador to OSCE Julia Finley: Closing of Upper Lars checkpoint

Nahapetian Lilit

US Ambassador to OSCE Julia Finley: Closing of Upper Lars checkpoint
harms the Armenian population
ArmRadio.am
15.07.2006 13:15
US Ambassador to OSCE Julia Finley declared that the unilateral decision to
prohibit the transportation of people and cargoes through the
Russian-Georgian border hurts the economic and humanitarian interests
of the people of the region, including the Armenian population.” The
American diplomat declared this, speaking at the sitting of the OSCE
Permanent Council.
July Finly called closing of the Upper Lars checkpoint unacceptable.
“We decisively call on the Russian government to reconsider its
activities and to open the checkpoint as soon as possible,” said US
Ambassador to OSCE.

EU Special Envoy for the South Caucasus to visit the region later in

Adrine Hakobian

EU Special Envoy for the South Caucasus to visit the region later in July
ArmRadio.am
15.07.2006 14:00
After July 20 EU Special Envoy for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby
will pay a visit to the region.
The EU Representative is scheduled to visit Armenia 23-26 July,
Press Service of RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs. Preceding
that Peter Semneby will visit Azerbaijan.
During the visit Mr. Semneby will have meetings with the Foreign
Ministers of the two countries and will discuss issues connected with
EU’s cooperation with Armenia and Azerbaijan in the framework of the
European Neighborhood Program.

Rescuer 2006 Exercise Opens in Armenia

Ekmekjian Janet

Rescuer 2006 Exercise Opens in Armenia
ArmRadio.am
15.07.2006 13:40
On July 14, the United States and Armenia opened Rescuer 2006 in
Armenia. Rescuer 2006 is an annual exercise sponsored by the US
European Command and conducted in the spirit of NATO’s Partnership
for Peace program. This multinational computer-assisted command post
exercise will be co-directed by military officers from the Armenian
Ministry of Defense and the Kansas National Guard.
This year’s exercise will focus on the capability to lead
a multinational task force. The primary objective is to train
commanders and staff in the conduct of multinational consequence
management, disaster response, and humanitarian assistance
operations. Furthermore, the exercise will assist in the development
of a common understanding of coalition staff planning procedures.
The exercise’s 300 participants come from the United States, Armenia,
Albania, Austria, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Romania,
Tajikistan, and Ukraine.
At the ceremony marking the opening of the exercise, US Ambassador
John Evans thanked the exercise participants and noted the importance
of international cooperation in the field of disaster response and
humanitarian assistance. Ambassador Evans stated that NATO-Armenian
cooperation was continuing to strengthen and deepen, and expressed
the hope that Armenia and NATO’s Partnership for Peace program would
continue such valuable collaboration in the future.

K. Zanussi: Armenia Survives Dynamic Development

Karakhanian Suren

K. ZANUSSI: ARMENIA SURVIVES DYNAMIC DEVELOPMENT
Yerevan, July 14. ArmInfo. “Armenia survives dynamic development,”
K.Zanussi, Polish film director, said this in the interview to ArmInfo.
Zanussi stated that as compared with the last year, the changes are
obvious. He added that within the framework this year’s festival
he didn’t manage to see any film. Nevertheless, he is familiarized
with the list of the films shown at the festival. He added that there
are much more good and important movies included in the competition
program of the festival than last year.
At the same time, Zanussi stated that in Poland in 18th century
there appeared snoberry to the Armenians, as they were considered
highly intellectual, educated and wealthy people. Moreover, Zanussi
said that The Polish people even have a proverb about the Armenians
which says that if someone wants to have a daughter with beautiful
eyes, he should marry and Armenian girl. Zanussi also said that the
old Diaspora of the Armenians living in Krakov belongs to higher
bourgeois. But the old Armenian Diaspora doesn’t communicate with the
new one. The new Armenian residents of Poland mainly belong to the
working class, but they also gradually try to achieve higher positions
in the society. Zanussi said that wherever he is he never forgets that
he knows the representatives of a nation that was the first to adopt
the Christianity as a state religion. In the end, Zanussi expressed
hope that he will also have Armenian guests, the students in his house.
It’s worth mentioning that Zanussi screened such films as “Contract,”
“The Year of the Serene Sun,” “Life as Sexually Transmitted Fatal
Disease,” “Persona Non Grata” and others.

Master Artavazd Peleshian:Time Is Against Me, While Cinema Is Agains

Badalian Vardan

MASTER ARTAVAZD PELESHIAN:TIME IS AGAINST ME, WHILE CINEMA IS AGAINST TIME
Yerevan, July 14. ArmInfo.”I believe that the time will come, and the
scientific-technical progress will help the humanity to read the code
of the nature and reveal the unknown world that includes the entire
history of our Universe,” Artavazd Peleshian, one of the great master
of world’s cinematography, prominent documentary director, said this
at today’s master class within the framework of “Golden Apricot” film
festival. Mr. Pelelshian said this in response to a visitor’s question
who asked whether he is concerned about the new technical inventions
that may replace real actors and film production methods used today. He
said that in the beginning the inventions and discoveries may frighten,
but later it turns out that the men of art may use them for their
own purposes without losing the art value of the film.
The author of the so called “distance montage” which helps reveal
“the absent reality” stated that he tries to fully reflect his view
of “the nature’s code” in all of his films. He added that in the
course of the montage a certain magnetic field is created between
the first and the second layers and helps to see the third, a newer
and more real one. Mr. Peleshian stated that as compared with the
associative, poetic and other types of montage, the distance montage
help see the real essence of the world, i.e., in his own terms “the
absent reality.” Besides, he emphasized the importance of musical
accompaniment. “I like when in any film the music and the images
change their places and the music penetrates the space of the image
and the image enters the space of the musical layer. We can’t achieve
the expected effect without this “fusion,” Mr. Peleshian said. At the
same time, he stated with regret that he can’t shoot films for already
14 years because of the financial problems. In particular, the lack of
about $10 million hinders him shoot the film “Homo Sapiens.” Peleshian
wrote the script to this film already in 1968. He even intended to
shoot the film in collaboration with the French cinematographers,
but the financial problems prevented to begin the work. Even Jean
Luc Godard, great French film director, was very impressed by the
film’s script.
He added that in March, 2006, he agreed with Gevorgian, the former
RA Culture Minister, to begin the film screening works. Gevorgian
promised to spare no efforts to help him, but soon he resigned and
a new minister was appointed. “I still hope that I will be able to
begin the screening of the film,” Mr. Peleshian said.
In the end of the master class Mr. Peleshian said: “Some people talk
of the phenomenon of my art, though I personally see no phenomenon. I
believe that the time is against me, while my art is against the time.”