ARTSAKH NEWS DIGEST
September 6, 2007 (# 10)
POLITICS
Artsakh celebrated the 16th anniversary of independence. On September 2,
1991, local representative bodies reflecting the will of their electorate
proclaimed the establishment of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, Artsakh.
Azerbaijan responded with political blackmail, economic blockade and
full-scale military aggression. Through determination and sacrifice, the
people of Artsakh prevailed in defending their right to live in freedom
under the government of their own choosing. "We won on the battlefield,
successfully dealt with the post-conflict syndrome, and established a
functioning state. Today, nobody can ignore the Nagorno Karabakh Republic,"
said NKR President Arkady Ghoukasian.
Steven Pound, Member of the British House of Commons, said there is a
powerful anti-Armenian campaign in the European Parliament by pro-Azeri
delegates to misrepresent Karabakh’s history. "My visits to Gandzasar
Monastery
(<http://www.armeniapedia.o rg/index.php?title=Gandzasar_Monastery>) and
other historical sites in Nagorno-Karabakh are the best evidence that
Armenians have been living there at least for a millennium. I am now armed
with facts and can prove this," he said. While in Artsakh, Pound also met
with NKR leadership and representatives of international NGOs.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora continue their critical contribution to
the development of Artsakh’s economy, which has grown at a 15% annual rate
for the past five years. A number of major media outlets (including
Washington Post and Boston Globe) reprinted a Reuters article on NKR economy
and the role of Armenia and the Diaspora. (Full story at:
?type=worldnews&storyID=2007-08-26T233820Z_01_ L01783433_RTRUKOC_0_US-KARABAKH-DIASPORA.xml&p ageNumber=0&imageid=&cap=&sz=13&WT ModLoc=NewsArt-C1-ArticlePage3)
A Chinese restaurant run by three cooks from China (!) now operates in
Artsakh’s village of Vank as part of a larger plan to develop the area and
attract foreign tourists. Vank is home to the Gandzasar Monastery, a
spiritual center and a "jewel" of medieval Armenian architecture.
(Read "A Taste of China In Karabakh" at:
<;s=f&o=3 38240&apc_state=henh>)
SOCIETY
Artsakh’s soccer team won the gold at the Forth Pan-Armenian Olympic Games
(< x.html>). Over 100 athletes from
different regions of Artsakh successfully competed in chess, volleyball,
basketball, ping-pong, tennis, badminton, track and field, and soccer,
bringing home 10 medals.
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