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FLUTIST YULIA MUSAYELYAN LEADS ARMENIAN REPRESENTATION ON THE INTERNATIONAL JAZZ SCENE

Blue Music Group

J an 19 2010

New original-minded artists on the international jazz scene are
a necessity for the development of this now global music. Ethnic
influences from around the world have been popular for some time. Some
of these influences, Latin music in particular, have become so
common that they have in fact been included to the center of the jazz
vocabulary. Armenian flutist Yulia Musayelyan’s debut album, Caminos,
incorporates Latin music very successfully with her native roots. She
has teamed up with fellow Armenian pianist, Vardan Ovsepian, and a
top Argentinian rhythm section, bassist Fernando Huergo and drummer
Franco Pinna. Musayelyan utilizes the rhythm section in her favor, she
directs the band commendably, and grooves as if she were a dual-native,
balancing somewhere between Armenia and Argentina.

Musayelyan’s sound has strong classical inflections, she was trained
at the Moscow Conservatory and New England Conservatory in Boston, but
she also possesses a strong sense for harmonic improvisation, although
her foundation is based on roots other than traditional jazz. This is
a subtle but welcome detail. Huergo and Pinna are known from the bands
of Marta Gómez, Julio Santillán and Grupo Nuevo, and – as always –
they render sparkling and tight duo work. Musayelyan’s virtuosity is
highlighted on Heraclio Fernandez’ "El Diablo Suelto." Recommended.

‘PEOPLE OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH TRUST ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT’

Aysor
Jan 19 2010
Armenia

People of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic trust Armenia’s government,
told journalists Alexander Kananian, a political scientist. He said
people of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic have faced out all the severity
of war; they restored the country after the war never involving into
political talks and trusting Armenian government.

"NKR people believed that a Karabakh-born Armenian, leading
the country, cannot take any step contrary to safety of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. So, and today a mere villager cannot even
imagine that the current-sitting president, who fought for freedom,
can surrender any territory," said Alexander Kananian.

He said many believe that statements by Armenia’s government on
surrendering the territories are just a bluff, a diplomatic step to
avoid the pressure. "In fact, neither bluff can last so long.

Actually, there is not any bluff. Serge Sarkisian believes it’s
necessary to be out of the ‘headache’ — the Karabakh conflict —
to strengthen his positions, as at any moment the region can go in
war which will bring serious waste to a loser."

BETHLEHEM CELEBRATES ARMENIAN CHRISTMAS

Ma’an News Agency
x?ID=255163
Jan 18 2010
Palestine

Bethlehem – Ma’an – Bethlehem celebrated its third and final Christmas
of the season with Palestinian Armenians on Monday, alongside President
Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

The smallest minority in Palestine, there are less than 400 Armenians
in the West Bank, with most residing in Jerusalem and three families
in Bethlehem.

"We consider this Christmas as the Palestinians’ Christmas," Abbas
told Armenian Patriarch Torkom Manoogian in the small Nativity Church
chapel used by Armenians, "Because we know the Armenians are stranded
all over the world…it is as if they are ‘Palestinianized’ and we
feel connected to your plight," he said.

Abbas joined Bethlehemite Armenians for Christmas lunch in the city.

The Armenian church celebrates Christmas on the same day as the Feast
of the Epiphany according to the eastern calendar.

KARABAKH ISSUE CANNOT BE SETTLED UNDER TWO SIDES’ ACCORD: ISKANDARYAN

news.am
Jan 18 2010
Armenia

Karabakh issue is not at the stage where it can be settled under two
sides’ accord, Caucasus Institute Director Alexander Iskandaryan said
in the course of Jan. 18 Yerevan-Moscow telethon, underlining that in
this respect Armenia-Turkey reconciliation cannot influence Karabakh
peace process in any way.

According to Iskandaryan, even if Armenia-Turkey relations entail the
opening of the embassies in both states "it might not directly bring
to Karabakh conflict settlement." He also stated that intensification
of Ankara-Moscow cooperation will inevitably result in changes in
communication-transportation field and energy projects. In its turn
this will definitely affect the course of Karabakh peace process.

Alexander Skakov, the expert of Russian Institute of Strategic Studies
outlined that improvement of Russian-Turkish or Armenian-Turkish
relations will impact not the result but process of Karabakh conflict
settlement. First, it will dramatically weaken Baku’s position as for
Azerbaijan it was the pressure factor on Yerevan. Besides, improvement
of Armenia-Turkey relations will make Yerevan more compliant, though
it does not mean that Armenia would be ready to cede Karabakh,
Skakov considers.

BAKO SAHAKIAN: AZERBAIJAN SHOULD RENOUNCE NON-CONSTRUCTIVE AND BELLICOSE APPROACHES

Noyan Tapan
Jan 18, 2010

STEPANAKERT, JANUARY 18, NOYAN TAPAN. NKR President Bako Sahakian
received OSCE Minsk Group American Co-chair Robert Bradtke on January
17. According to the NKR President’s Press Office, a number of issues
regarding the current stage and prospects of Azerbaijan-Karabakh
conflict settlement were discussed at the meeting.

B. Sahakian emphasized that official Stepanakert’s position in the
issue of normalizing the relations with Azerbaijan is kept unchanged:
the conflict cannot be settled under lack of Azerbaijan-Artsakh direct
dialogue. In this connection he mentioned that Azerbaijan should
renounce non-constructive and bellicose approaches. B. Sahakian
reiterated that Artsakh’s independence and security are not a
subject of bargaining, and any attempt of disregarding that fact
makes impossible conflict’s all-embracing settlement.

R. Bradtke, in his turn, emphasized that the variant of solving the
conflict by force is absolutely inadmissible.

Issues regarding the Armenian-Turkish relations were also touched
upon at the meeting. Both sides mentioned that the Armenia-Turkey
and Azerbaijan-Karabakh interrelations are separate processes not
connected with one another.

AZERBAIJANI MPS TO PROTEST AGAINST U.S CONGRESS’S DECISION TO FINANCE NAGORNO-KARABAKH SEPARATISTS

Today
cs/59660.html
Jan 18 2010
Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijani MPs will visit the U.S to protests the U.S
Congress’s decision to allocate funds to the Armenian community of
the Nagorno-Karabakh.

"During our U.S visit, which starts Jan.21, we intend to conduct
serious discussions over the U.S Congress’s decision to finance
Nagorno-Karabakh separatists," Parliamentary Security and Defense
Committee member Zahid Oruj said.

According to him, the meeting will be held in Washington and Colorado.

"During the visit, the Azerbaijani delegation composing Ganira
Pashayeva, Gular Ahmadova and Igbal Agazade will meet with senators
and discuss the US-Azerbaijani relations and the situation in South
Caucasus," he added.

He said meetings with representatives of the Azerbaijani and Turkish
Diaspora organizations operating in the United States were not
ruled out.

"The U.S. is one of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. During the
meetings, we will stress the need to increase U.S. efforts in the
process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement under the framework
of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity," he said.

ARMENIAN PREMIER OPENS INTERNET-DIARY

ArmInfo
2010-01-18 15:32:00

Arminfo. Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Sarkisyan has opened an
Internet-diary The
blog contains only one message in Armenian: ‘It is important for me to
present the image of my ideas to you. In our dialogue with the press it
often makes a reader to agree to the views expressed by it. I think an
opportunity of direct dialogue will be useful for us. For this reason,
I have created a field for my thoughts and ideas, in which you will
directly express your views about my ideas and actions. One should
understand that our knowledge and imagination about the surrounding
world may depreciate. People change which I am working with, you
demands and expectations from me and visa versa also change.

I think we need mutual communication’, – the message says. The total
of 46 comments have been already received, one of which offers to
open the blog in Russian and English so that to extend readership.

FOREIGN MINISTER OF ARMENIA: TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF AZERBAIJAN IS NOT CONNECTED WITH SELF-DETERMINATION OF ARTSAKH

ArmInfo
2010-01-18 11:32:00

ArmInfo. Territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is not connected with
self-determination of Artsakh, Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward
Nalbandyan said in an interview with Radio Liberty.

"The process of self-determination of Karabakh started when Azerbaijan
was not an independent state but a Soviet republic. A must recall that
the European Parliament passed a statement in 1999 saying Azerbaijan
became independent in the same way Karabakh did, via adoption of a
similar declaration. Just open this statement and you will see",
Nalbandyan said. The minister also recalled that a statement was
passed during OSCE FMC in Athens, which fixed the peoples’ right for
self-determination, and there is the name of Azerbaijan under this
statement. According to the Armenian FM, if Azerbaijan avoided to
use, or did not wish to admit indication of the principle of self-
determination in any document and did not sign such a document,
now it happened differently.

ROBERT BRADTKE THINKS ANY SCENARIO OF MILITARY SOLUTION OF THE CONFLICT IS ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE

ArmInfo
2010-01-18 10:18:00

ArmInfo. OSCE MG American Cochairman Robert Bradtke, being in the
Nagorno Karabakh within the frames of a regional visit, said OSCE MG
presently works directly with the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents,
and they periodically arrive in Karabakh to inform the NKR authorities
of the work they do.

According to him, both the NKR people and the authorities must be aware
of the talks hey held. As to the American cochairman, they provide
an information about the state of negotiations and the subject of
discussions. Robert Bradtke thinks any scenario of military solution
of the conflict is absolutely unacceptable.

To recall, R. Bradtke held an almost two-hour talk with the NKR
President Bako Sahakyan during his visit to Stepanakert

US JEWISH GROUPS BACK TURKEY IN ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ISSUE

Tert.am
12:37 ~U 18.01.10

The chill in relations between Jerusalem and Ankara is resulting
in a few cold winds blowing through Washington as well, though ties
between Turkey and its traditional Western, pro-Israel backers haven’t
reached the deep-freeze stage, according to several sources, reports
The Jerusalem Post.

Several Jewish groups have historically worked closely with Turkey. On
Armenia, for instance, some Jewish groups have pushed members of
Congress not to pass resolutions labeling Turkey’s role in World War
I massacres as genocide.

"Turkey’s hostility to Israel will naturally have ramifications when
political issues regarding Turkey arrive on these shores. How could
it not?" asked one Jewish leader in Washington, speaking on condition
of anonymity. "Friends of Israel across the government and across
the non-governmental sector will take notice."

Another Jewish official pointed out, "The relationship with Turkey
is bigger than Erdogan" and the current Islamic government. That
government, led by Erdogan’s AKP party, has downgraded the historically
close relationship between the two non-Arab countries cultivated by
earlier secular governments.

But the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a Jewish organization with
some of the strongest ties to Turkey, said it was encouraged by the
appointment of a new ambassador to the United States, Namik Tan, who
last served as ambassador to Israel and before that as a liaison to
the Jewish community in a lower-ranking post in Washington.

He also said that on the issue of the Armenian massacres, the ADL’s
position hadn’t changed.

"We continue to believe that there was a genocide, but there’s no
useful purpose in the House or the Senate passing a resolution on
it at this time," he explained. "It’s a principled post that the
better way of addressing this issue is for the Armenians and the
Turks to move forward with this through the historical commission"
that’s been established.