Author: Badalian Vardan

Wells graduate Millian picked for internship in Armenia

Portland Press Herald (Maine)
May 19, 2005 Thursday, York Edition

WELLS

Wells High School Class of 2004 graduate Christian Millian has been
accepted to participate in an international internship this summer.

Millian will travel to Armenia to work with the Armenian Tree Project,
a non-governmental organization based in Watertown, Mass., and Yerevan,
Armenia.

While in Armenia, Millian will spend nine weeks living with a host
family and working in the village of Aygut. His internship will
involve working with the local people to plant community orchards in
an effort to obtain an environmentally sustainable source of income
for the region. He will fly to Armenia at the end of May and return
to Wells at the end of July.

Millian recently completed his freshman year at Princeton University,
where he is majoring in molecular biology and biophysics. He is the
son of Chuck and Marcia Millian.

Akron Beacon Journal, OH
May 22 2005

System is up and running again

Most nu metal is old news, but band back with good thinking person’s
music

MEZMERIZE
System of a Down
Columbia

By Malcolm X Abram

Beacon Journal staff writer

Southern California’s System of a Down seemingly burst onto a crowded
nu metal/rap rock scene in the late ’90s, quickly sprinting up the
food chain to sit alongside then-genre kings Korn, Limp Bizkit,
Staind and Rage Against the Machine.

As is often the case when a popular genre becomes overcrowded, nu
metal’s commercial fortunes began to wane under the weight of too many
copycats. But System’s second release, the action-packed, eclectic
Toxicity, sold nearly 6 million copies and clearly separated it from
the pack. It fused the group’s lefty politics with thrash-metal riffs,
the music of the members’ Armenian heritage (three of the four have
Armenian roots) and bits and pieces of several other genres without
sounding forced.

After the surprisingly strong odds-and-ends compilation Steal This
Album, the band is back with Mezmerize, the first half of a planned
two-volume set, with Hypnotize to be released in the fall.

That conceit allows the band to pack 11 hard-rocking gems into 36
frenzied but focused minutes of good modern metal. The opening track
and lead single, B.Y.O.B (Bring Your Own Bombs), shows what the band
does best. It manages to make an anti-war statement with less of the
self-righteous finger-pointing of Rage Against the Machine, with fast
metal and punk riffs and a grooving chorus. The songwriters, vocalist
Serj Tankian and guitarist/producer/vocalist Daron Malakian, ask
“Why don’t presidents fight the war/why do they always send the poor?”

One noticeable change for the better is the prominence of Malakian’s
earnest vocals, which provide a nice contrast to Tankian’s
hyper-enunciated, theatrical histrionics, and their harmonies add a
layer of melody that gives the heady arrangements even more depth.

The subject matter won’t surprise anyone who’s been paying attention,
as the band takes on the current regime (they are not Bush fans), the
evils of corporations (Cigaro), radio and television’s mind-numbing
capabilities (Radio/Video), and some kind of odd experience at a
celebrity baseball game (Lost In Hollywood, with Malakian doing his
best PiL-era John Lydon impression).

Even when the prose gets a bit purple, as on Sad Statue which opens
with “Conquest to the lover/And your love to the fire/Permanence
unfolding in the absolute/Forgiveness is the ultimate sacrifice,”
they save the song from lyrical excess with the simple declaration
“You and me will go down in history/with a sad statue of Liberty and
a generation that didn’t agree.”

Rage Against the Machine is no more, while Korn and Limp Bizkit and
many other bands of the nu metal era (Staind, Disturbed, Deftones
etc.) are still trying to claw their way back to prominent retail
space at Hot Topic. But the musically interesting bands such as
System and Tool continue to show why they outlived the fad, making
music for metalheads who want to do more with their heads and brains
than bang them.

Publishing-Industry Network
May 19 2005

Book Fair To Invite Turkish Authors
Date: Thursday, May 19 @ 18:19:50 BST
Topic: Book Fair News

The Armenian diaspora has taken an important step by deciding to
organize a book fair in Paris to which it will invite Turkish,
Armenian and Greek Cypriot authors.

Under the project, which is supported by the French government, the
title of the fair will be “Books and Authors From and On Turkey,”
and it is set to be held next January at Paris.

QUANTITY OF OFFICIALLY REGISTERED UNEMPLOYED IN ARMENIA MAKES 103,2
THOU IN THE END OF APRIL 2005

YEREVAN, May 20. /ARKA/. The quantity of officially registered
unemployed in Armenia made 103,2 thou in the end of April 2005.
According to the RA National Statistical Service, the quantity of
the unemployed has reduced by 12% compared to April 2004. At that,
the quantity of unemployed reduced by 2,6% in April compared to
previous month. L.V.-0–

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER POINTS OUT TURKISH DIPLOMACY BLUNDERS

Armenpress

YEREVAN, MAY 20, ARMENPRESS: Armenian foreign minister Vartan Oskanian
argued yesterday that Turkey’s prime minister Erdogan’s meeting with
Armenian president Robert Kocharian would first of all benefit Turkey
itself, as it is turkey that has to prove to the European community
its willingness to start normalization of relations with Yerevan.

During a televised appearance on Armenia’s Public TV Oskanian said a
Kocharian-Erdogan meeting has never been high on Armenia’s foreign
policy agenda. “Over several recent months the Armenian side has
never voiced an intention to have a meeting with Turkey’s leadership,
but I am sure that Robert Kocharian would have responded positively
to an Ankara proposal to organize it, as there is a lot for the two
leaders to discuss,” Oskanian said.

Oskanian said Turkish diplomacy made a rash mistake by declaring
about the possibility of Erdogan-Kocharian meeting in Warsaw counting
that the first move would be made by Kocharian to initiate the
meeting. “Turkish diplomacy’s calculations proved to be wrong that
came as a big surprise, since Turkish diplomats have the reputation
of skilled negotiators,” Oskanian said.

He said the Turkish diplomacy’s blunder has actually reduced to
zero the small progress that had emerged from a recent correspondence
between Erdogan and Kocharian. The second blunder of Turkish diplomacy,
according to Oskanian, was Erdogan’s tough speech at the Council of
Europe summit in Warsaw creating an impression in Europe that there is
no progress at all in Turkish-Armenian relations. “It played against
Turkey which is eager to integrate with European family of nations. The
united Europe has made Turkey’s membership in the EU contingent on
a set of requirements, including also the acknowledgment of Armenian
genocide and lifting its blockade of Armenia,” Oskanian said.

AZERI TRUTH OR VICTORY OF ARMENIAN DEMOCRACY?

A1plus
| 21:25:28 | 17-05-2005 | Politics |

RPA Faction head Galust Sahakyan considers yesterday’s statements by
Azeri FM Elmar Mamedyarov to be the victory of the Armenian democracy.

To remind, yesterday Elmar Mameduarov stated that Armenia will return
7 Azeri regions and the terms are being fixed. When responding to
A1+’s question whether it is possible that the conversation concerning
the return of the territories really took place Galust Shakian said,
“I do not think so, I suppose that his statement is connected with
the upcoming parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan. In this view the
diplomatic elite should count with the opinion of the international
community, which does not consider that Armenia should return the
territories. He says, that Armenia still in 1994 ceded two territories
as well as Martunashen, where Armenians lived. I think Armenia will
make no other concessions. The status of Karabakh should be determined
first of all”.

ARFD member Armen Rustamian said he does not trust either Azeri
political figures or mass media. He rules out the possibility of
retuning the territories without determining the status of Karabakh.

Chairman of the Commission on Defense said they do not possess any
information on the issue.

Justice faction deputy Shavarsh Kocharyan says that Armenia would
better present some explanations.

EXPERT PROPOSES REDEPLOYING RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES IN GEORGIA

MOSCOW, May 16 (RIA Novosti) – Russian military bases in Georgia can be
redeployed to Abkhazia, Vice President of the Academy of Geopolitical
Problems Leonid Ivashov said at a press conference on Monday.

Abkhazia is a self-proclaimed republic which formally belongs to
Georgia but pursuing a pro-Russian policy. Many Abkhaz citizens have
Russian passports.

“Russia could re-deploy military bases to Armenia or Gudauta (Abkhazia)
to protect its citizens,” the expert said.

Once Russia had a military base in Gudauta which was withdrawn in
2000 in compliance with the Istanbul agreements. A decision on the
withdrawal of Russian bases from Georgia was made at the OSCE summit
in 1999. Today Russia has two military bases on Georgian territory,
in Akhalkalaki and Batumi.

The terms of the bases’ withdrawal is a stumbling block in
Russian-Georgian relations. The Russian Defense Ministry believes
that the troops can be withdrawn no sooner than in 3-4 years. The
Georgian side insists that this should be done by January 1, 2008.

In March 2005, Abkhaz President Sergei Bagapsh proposed deploying
the military bases in Abkhazia.

Leonid Ivashov is convinced that Russia will have to withdraw the
bases from Georgia.

“I hope for common sense of the Georgian leadership,” he said. In
his opinion, Georgian authorities will not aggravate relations with
Russia but will keep forcing the military bases out of Georgia.

Meanwhile, Georgian Defense Minister Irakly Okruashvili said today
that the government would display maximal liberalism in its position
on the bases’ withdrawal in order not to aggravate the situation and
achieve an agreement.

However, the Georgian side had serious instruments to put pressure
on Russia, Novosti-Georgia agency quoted Okruashvili as saying.

Pan Armenian News

TILL YEAR END ARMENIA SHOULD TAKE STEPS FOR OPENING ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER

13.05.2005 02:48

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ During a press conference on occasion of the 5-th
anniversary of his period of office Armenian Prime Minister Andranik
Margarian said he does not rule that at first after the opening the
Armenian-Turkish border certain hardships and problems may emerge especially
as regards the import of Turkish goods to Armenian market. In his words, an
analogous situation was created when establishing trade relations with Iran.
However within two years the problems were solved and the Armenian party
succeeded in producing the goods, which had been imported from Iran before.
The Armenian Premier noted that the trade with Turkey is carried out with
closed borders via Russia and Georgia presently. `Till the end of the year
we should try to take steps for opening the borders and establishing trade
relations with Turkey’, he said pointing out to the progress in the context
of the recent correspondence between the Armenian President and the Turkish
Prime Minister. Andranik Margarian also mentioned of the possibility of
Armenian-Turkish meetings till this autumn. `Thing are moving’, the Armenian
Premier resumed, IA Regnum reports.

Armenian Speaker, European envoys discuss constitutional reforms

A1+ web site
11 May 05

The speaker of the Armenian National Assembly, Artur Bagdasaryan, received
the rapporteurs of the [Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe] PACE
Monitoring Committee, Irzhi Yaskenya and George Kolumbie, today.

The meeting discussed the fulfilment of Armenia’s commitments to the PACE.
Asked by Yaskenya on constitutional reforms and a referendum, Bagdasaryan said
that the National Assembly had already adopted a draft of the constitutional
reforms in its first reading. The draft was drawn up by the coalition parties
which took into account the proposals of the Venice Commission of the PACE.

The speaker said that before the second reading, the draft would be discussed
with experts of the Venice Commission in order to bring the document into
line with the Council of Europe requirements.

[Passage omitted: minor details]

As for the resolution of the Nagornyy Karabakh problem, Bagdasaryan said that
Armenia is ready to continue peace talks and demonstrate a constructive
approach to the settlement of the conflict. At the meeting they also discussed
further democratic reforms in Armenia.

A1plus

| 19:44:25 | 11-05-2005 | Official |

THE BANKS WERE ORDERED TO SERVE THE RAPIDLY DEVELOPING ECONOMY OF THE
COUNTRY

Today Robert Kocharyan has had a working meeting with the heads of the
Armenian Commerce Banks. Robert Kocharyan has mentioned that although the
experts appreciate our banking system as a healthy one, there is still much
to be done, especially towards the enhancing of the system.

He has offered the bank heads to discuss in a sincere atmosphere all the
problems that hinder the quick development of the system, and also to refer
to the negative phenomena in the currency field and to the methods of their
prevention.

The main concern of the participants of the meeting was the disbalance
created as a result of the changing course of the Armenian currency as it
gives the shade economy a good chance to develop.

Robert Kocharyan has mentioned that they will be very strict in this sphere.
`There is information that some banks are in conspiracy with the exchange
spots. Let me tell you that in case of recording a concrete case the results
will be drastic for the bank’, underlined the President.

Robert Kocharyan has also mentioned that the final decisions about the
problems raised will not keep us waiting.