MUSIC AWARDS SET FOR TONIGHT
By Alex Dobuzinskis, Staff Writer
Los Angeles Daily News
May 25 2006
Peter Bahlawanian has produced a variety of different live shows in
his career. The Armenian Music Awards is always the one that gets
him in the most trouble.
With five nominees per award and only one winner, artists are bound
to get upset – even if Bahlawanian is not doing the judging.
“In the Armenian community, everybody knows everybody,” Bahlawanian,
35, said. “So it’s like I have all these people that love me, but
then there’s all these people that don’t win and they hate me that
year. So it’s personal.”
As personal as the show is for Bahlawanian, the show’s creator, it
also has an audience all over the world. This year, the show will take
place at the Hollywood Palladium and it will be beamed via satellite
TV to Armenian audiences worldwide.
The show’s performers and presenters are a mix of local artists
Bahlawanian sees in the community and international stars who fly in.
The result is an event that showcases the wide variety of musical
talent among Armenians. This year’s show will feature everything from
a four-person group called Winds of Passion playing duduks, ancient
woodwind instruments made of apricot wood, to the Armenian-American
rock band Slow Motion Reign.
“Before this show started in 1998, the biggest way of finding out
who was a popular singer was how many weddings they would perform,”
Bahlawanian said.
“The awards became a tool of promoting for all these artists” not
doing pop music, he said. “And at the same time, we still have the
popular categories … We’re bringing everybody together.”
This year, celebrity attorney Mark Geragos will host the show, along
with Canadian beauty queen Alice Panikian, a contestant in the Miss
Universe 2006 pageant.
“I just got back from Armenia and I can’t tell you how many people
in Armenia have either watched this live or on one of the DVDs,”
said Geragos, an
Armenian-American who promoted bands such as the Ramones and the
Go-Go’s before he became an attorney.
The Armenian Music Awards started at Glendale’s Alex Theatre and has
grown and changed over time. From 2001 to 2003, it was shown live
overseas and in the United States.
But organizers found the production costs were too high to justify a
live show, Bahlawanian said, so now they broadcast it on a tape-delay.
Organizers expect anywhere from 800 to 1,500 to attend tonight’s show.
In a dress rehearsal Wednesday, a performer from the United Kingdom
tickled the piano keys onstage as dancers chatted and Bahlawanian’s
aunt and his fiance spread white tablecloths on guest tables.
Bahlawanian, a Los Feliz resident originally from Montreal, pledged
this year’s show, titled “From Roots to Youths,” would have something
for everyone.
“Not everybody loves every part of the show, but they love some part
of the show,” he said.
Bahlawanian can only hope that the award show’s losers walk away as
happy as the audience.
IF YOU GO
The eighth annual Armenian Music Awards will be held at 8 tonight
at the Hollywood Palladium, 6215 Sunset Blvd. Tickets are $150 for
orchestra seats and $65 for the balcony. For more information, call
(323) 469-7356.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CONGRESS OF UNION OF RUSSIA’S ARMENIANS OPENS IN MOSCOW
ITAR-TASS, Russia
May 25 2006
MOSCOW, May 25 (Itar-Tass) – The third congress of the All-Russia
public organization Union of Armenians of Russia has opened at
President-Hotel in Moscow on Thursday. Three hundred delegates from
different corners of the country participate in the congress.
According to ambassador of Armenia to Russia Armen Smbayan,
“remarkable is not the very meeting of today, but the fact that
the Union is the most successfully functioning and really acting
organization.” “Five years have already past since the time of its
foundation,” the diplomat recalled. “Over this time we have managed
to prove that the Union of Armenians plays an important role both in
Russia and at the international level.”
According to different estimates, from 10 to 12 million Armenians
are living in more than 70 countries of the world. The most numerous
diaspora of Armenians beyond Armenia is in Russia – some 2.5 million
people. Armenians have been living in the Russian land since ninth
century. Comprising a part of multinational Russian society, they are
making a great contribution in the development of Russian science,
culture and industry.
To bring numerous Armenian communities together and make them a real
political and economic force, it was decided to create a public
organization – Union of Armenians of Russia. Big businessman
and philanthropist Ara Abramyan was the initiator of the union’s
creation. At present he is the president of the organization. Vice
speaker of the State Duma Arthur Chilingarov and political scientist
Andranik Migranyan were also among the initiators.

DARCHINYAN WANTS TO PROVE A POINT TO ARCE’S FANS
Paul Upham
Contributing Editor
Seconds Out
May 25 2006
Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan
By Paul Upham: When he fights in the main support bout to Jose Luis
Castillo-Diego Corrales III on June 3 in Las Vegas, IBF/IBO flyweight
boxing world champion Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan knows there will
be many Mexican fans in the Thomas and Mack Center. In fact, he is
counting on it. He will be facing undefeated Mexican Luis Maldonado
and he intends on winning. But more importantly, Darchinyan plans on
proving a point to the fans of popular Mexican flyweight Jorge Arce.
“I went all the way to Mexico earlier this year to watch Arce fight,”
explained Darchinyan. “I challenged him. I told him I wanted to fight
him. If you think you are great and tell people you are the best at
flyweight, come and fight me. We will see who the best is. He told me,
‘yes’, he would come and fight me and challenge me.”
But since that night on January 28 in Cancun, Darchinyan 25-0 (20)
has not heard 26 year-old Arce 44-3-1 (34) mention his name once in
the media. After his last win over Rosendo Alvarez on April 8 on the
Mayweather-Judah card, Arce told the television viewers he was moving
up in weight.
“He said he was moving up to the super flyweight division,” said
Darchinyan. “I think he is scared of me. If he doesn’t want to fight,
just tell me he doesn’t want to fight and that he is moving up. If
it is because he can’t make the weight anymore, let me know and I
will move up too and fight him.”
In his last fight on March 3, Darchinyan knocked out Diosdado Gabi
of the Philippines in eight rounds at the Chumash Casino Resort
in Santa Ynez, California in the USA. American television network
Showtime televised the fight across the USA as the main event of
their “SHOBOX: The New Generation” series and the explosive one punch
knockout impressed Showtime executives enough for him to be invited
onto the Castillo-Corrales III card.
“It is a very good opportunity for me,” said Darchinyan, who is
promoted by Gary Shaw. “I have won all of my fights since winning
the title by knockout. It is very important for me to win by knockout.”
A native of Armenia who represented at the 2000 Olympic Games,
Darchinyan fights out of Sydney under trainer Jeff Fenech and is now
an Australian citizen. His performances in the ring have become more
and more dominant over the last two years and there is no doubt now
he is one of the hardest punchers in the lighter weight classes.
When asked, 30 year-old Darchinyan gives two sources for his power.
“I think by God and by my training,” he explained. “I just love my
training. I love to show people my power and I am not very old, but
I feel like I am becoming much more powerful and my punch is coming
much harder.”
28 year-old Maldonado 33-0-1 (25) from Mexicali is undefeated so far
and a protege of current Mexican great Erik Morales.
“He is a very good fighter,” said Darchinyan. “I am very ready for
him. I spent only three weeks getting ready for my last fight. For
this fight, I have been training more than eight weeks now. I am in
very good shape. I can show my power.”
Which may well give Maldonado more than a few headaches.
Photo:
d/news.cfm?ccs=225&cs=19535

AIRBUS A320 FLIGHT RECORDERS DELIVERED TO MOSCOW
Interfax, Russia
May 25 2006
MOSCOW. May 25 (Interfax) – The flight recorders of the Airbus
A320 of the Armavia Airlines were brought to Moscow on Thursday,
the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) said on its website.
“The flight recorders were delivered to the Interstate Aviation
Committee last night,” the website said.
An IAC commission, federal experts and representatives of Armenia and
France are considering how the decipher information, as the flight
recorders are not in very good shape.
The first flight recorder, which monitored conversations in the
cockpit, was retrieved from the Black Sea on Monday. The second one
was found in the early hours of Wednesday and lifted aboard by the
Navigator vessel later in the day.
The A320 carrying 113 people crashed six kilometers off the Black
Sea coast on May 3. The crash killed everyone onboard.

RUSSIA CONTINUES PULLING OUT MILITARY HARDWARES FROM GEORGIA BASES
Xinhua, China
May 25 2006
MOSCOW, May 25 (Xinhua) — A convoy of trucks carrying heavy weapons
and equipment from a Russian military base in Georgia departed
on Thursday as Russia continued its pullout from its bases in the
Caucasus Mountain nation, the headquarters in Transcaucasia announced.
The trucks will bring from the Batumi base to the Russian base Gyumri
in Armenia 54 units of military material, communication trucks as
well as some property, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.
This is the third convoy of trucks which pulled out weapons and
property of Russian troops from bases in Georgia in 2006. The two
previous ones pulled out military property from the Akhalkalaki base.
Another six train will depart from Batumi over the next few months.
Russia and Georgia signed an agreement in late March that set out
the deadline and details of the pullout of Russian military bases
from Georgia.
Under the accord, the two sides agreed to complete the phased
withdrawal of the Russian bases and other military installations in
Georgia by the end of 2008.
Russia inherited four military bases in Georgia from the former Soviet
Union and has withdrawn two of them.

FIRST TRAIN WITHDRAWS RUSSIAN MILITARY BASE FROM BATUMI
Prime News Agency, Georgia
May 25 2006
Tbilisi. May 25 (Prime-News) – The first train loaded with materiel
withdrawn from the Russian military base in Batumi started to Armenia
on Thursday.
Earlier equipment used be withdrawn from the Military base by ships
– twenty T-72, three anti-aircraft systems, five armoured vehicles
and twelve defensive anti-aircraft systems were withdrawn in 2005 by
Russian military ships.
As Prime-News was told by Vladimir Kuparadze, Deputy Commander of
the Group of Russian Armed Forces in South Caucasus, the train has
already left Georgia for the Russian military base in Gyumr, Armenia.
The train is loaded with 54 pieces of military materiel.
Vladimir Kuparadze added that more equipment is to be sent from the
Batumi military base to Armenia by six trains in the forthcoming
months.

UKRAINE AND ARMENIA AGREED ON MILITARY COOPERATION
ForUm, Ukraine
May 25 2006
In the course of the visit of Ukrainian delegation in Armenia, the head
of the delegation the Commander-in-Chief of Ukrainian Armed Forces
Colonel-General Serhiy Kyrychenko placed a wreath on the Memorial to
the victims of Armenian Genocide of 1915.
Ukrainian and Armenian military officials inked the protocol on
bilateral military cooperation. “The document provides for putting
bilateral military-technical cooperation into practise and the joint
participation in the peacekeeping operations,” said First Deputy
Defence Minister of Armenia Colonel-General Mikael Arutyunyan.
According to his words, the Ukraine-Armenia Cooperation Plan-2006
has been already made. “Armenia is ready to share its experience in
the military sphere and also implements some of the Ukrainian tips
and experience into the reformation of the Armed Forces,” stressed
Arutyunyan.

RUSSIAN PM SIGNS ORDER TO PAY $3,700 TO AIR CRASH FAMILIES-1
RIA Novosti, Russia
May 25 2006
(Recasts paragraphs 2, 3, adds details after paragraph 3)
MOSCOW, May 25 (RIA Novosti) – Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov
has signed an order to pay 100,000 rubles ($3,700) to the families
of 113 people killed in a Black Sea air crash May 3, the government
said Thursday.
An Airbus owned by Armenia’s Armavia airline crashed in stormy weather
near the Russian resort of Sochi while flying from the Armenian
capital, Yerevan, on May 3.
The compensation will be paid out for all of the victims of the
disaster. The Finance Ministry will allocate the resources from
a government reserve fund during 2006, and forward them to the
administration of Krasnoyarsk Territory, where the tragedy occurred.
The recovery operation at the scene of the tragedy was officially
declared over on Wednesday, but Tatiana Anodina, head of the Interstate
Aviation Committee, said experts may face problems deciphering flight
data from the plane wreck, as the magnetic tape from its cockpit
flight recorder was seriously damaged.
She said experts might have to decipher each fragment of the tape
separately, and that this may take them longer than the 15-day
timeframe announced earlier.

OSCE MINSK GROUP DISCUSSES KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT IN YEREVAN
ITAR-TASS, Russia
May 25 2006
YEREVAN, May 25 (Itar-Tass) – Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group have
met to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.
Co-chairs – Yuri Merzlyakov of Russia, Bernard Facier of France and
Steven Mann of the U.S. – are accompanied by Russian Deputy Foreign
Minister Grigory Karasin, Director General for Political and Security
Affairs of France Stanislas Lefebvre de Laboulaye and U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried.
Earlier on Thursday, they met with Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian.
“Our joint mission is an extraordinary event. It shows that we are
serious in our intention to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and
are confident that we’ve entered such a stage, where it is possible
to reach a mutually advantageous agreement,” they said in a joint
statement on Wednesday.
“It will depend only on Azerbaijan and Armenia whether we’ll reach
such an agreement or not,” they said. “The conflict should be settled
only by peaceful means.”
All meetings and talks in Yerevan are held behind closed doors. The
co-chairs are expected to make a short public statement later in
the day.

GEORGIAN AND ARMENIAN MINISTERS MEET IN DUSHANBE
Prime News Agency, Georgia
May 25 2006
Tbilisi. May 25 (Prime-News) – Andranik Marganian, Armenian
Prime-Minister and Giorgi Baramidze, Georgian State Minister for
Euro-Atlantic Integration met at the session of the council of CIS
leaders in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on Thursday.
Andranik Marganian and Giorgi Baramidze highlighted active bilateral
relations in different terms, Mediamax says.
The parties stressed that the fact that the Georgian-Armenian
intergovernmental commission for facilitation of economic cooperation
was presided over by the Georgian and the Armenian Prime-Ministers
was contributing to solution of a set of problems and elaboration of
modern programs in energy, transport and tourism.
The Georgian and the Armenian officials expressed their satisfaction
with the process of demarcation of the Georgian-Armenian frontier
line and said that the next session of the respective commission was
to be held in Yereven in August.
Talking about problems of population of Georgia of Armenian origin,
living in the southern Samtskhe-Javakheti region, Andranik Marganian
has once again confirmed readiness of the Armenian party to support
the government of Georgia for implementation of a package program
for rehabilitation of infrastructure in the region.
According to him, it would be reasonable to engage local industrialists
in construction works for easing of “palpable tension in the region”.