Armenian economy ready to meet any challenges, RA Premier states

news.am, Armenia
April 10 2010

Armenian economy ready to meet any challenges, RA Premier states

20:15 / 04/10/2010The Armenian economy is ready to meet any challenges
and resolve any problem, RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan stated at a
joint sitting of the Armenian and Nagorno-Karabakh Government in
Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR).

The RA Premier presented the economic policy the RA Government is
implementing amid the global financial and economic crisis. He pointed
out that, despite the crisis, Armenia has not educed the credit
amounts provided to the NKR.

T. Sargsyan expressed confidence of 100% performance of the 2010
Armenian budget. The RA Premier also made a high appraisal of the two
Governments’ cooperation, pointing out specific results.

NKR Prime Minister Ara Harutyunyan reported that financial and human
resource assistance was rendered to all the programs. According to
him, the NKR’s socio-economic life has recorded serious progress.

An Armenian government delegation left for Stepanakert on April 9. The
delegation includes Head of the RA Government Staff David Sargsyan,
Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan, Minister of Finance Tigran
Davtyan, Minister of Economy Nerses Yeritsyan, Minister of Agriculture
Gerasim Alaverdyan, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Armen
Movsisyan, First Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration Vache
Terteryan, as well as Governors of Syunik, Lori, Aragatotn, Ararat,
Vaiots Dzor and other officials.

T.P.

Recent Tupolev-154 crashes

Recent Tupolev-154 crashes

By The Associated Press (AP)
10/04/10

Recent fatal plane crashes involved the Soviet-built Tupolev-154.

_ April 10, 2010: The Polish presidential plane crashes on approach to
Smolensk airport, Russia, killing all on board.

_ July 15, 2009: A Caspian Airlines Tu-154 flying from Iran to Armenia
nosedives into a field, killing 168 people.

_ Sept. 1, 2006: A Tu-154 jetliner operated by Iran Airtour skids off
the runway and catches fire while landing in the northern city of
Mashad, Iran, killing 80 of 147 passengers.

_ Aug. 22, 2006: A Tu-154 of Russia’s Pulkovo Airlines with about 170
people aboard crashes during a thunderstorm in Ukraine en route from a
Black Sea resort to St. Petersburg, killing all aboard.

_ Aug. 24, 2004: A Tu-154 operated by Sibir Airlines crashes en route
from Moscow to the Black Sea resort of Sochi, killing all 46 people
aboard. The crash was later determined to be caused by explosives
brought on board by a Chechen suicide bomber.

_ July 1, 2002: A Bashkirian Airlines Tu-154 flying to Barcelona,
Spain, from Ufa, Russia, collides with a cargo plane over Germany,
killing 71, including 52 children.

_ Feb. 12, 2002: A Tu-154 airliner operated by Iran Airtour carrying
119 people smashed into snow-covered mountains near its destination of
Khorramabad, 230 miles southwest of Tehran, killing all aboard.

_ Oct. 4, 2001: A Sibir Airlines Tu-154 flying from Tel Aviv, Israel,
to Novosibirsk, Russia, explodes and plunges into the Black Sea,
killing 78 people, most of them Israeli citizens. It was later
determined the plane was hit by a Ukrainian missile during military
training exercises.

_ July 3, 2001: A Tu-154 operated by the Vladivostokavia airline en
route from Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains to Vladivostok crashes
in the Siberian city of Irkutsk, killing all 145 on board.

_ Feb. 24, 1999: A China Southwest Airlines Tu-154 flying from Chengdu
crashes on approach to Wenzhou, 800 miles southeast of Beijing,
killing all 61 people aboard.

_ Aug. 29, 1998: A Cubana Tu-154 flight from Quito to Havana crashes
just after takeoff, killing 79 people, including 10 on the ground when
the plane plowed into a soccer field.

_ Dec. 15, 1997: A Tajikistan Airlines Tu-154 crashes in the United
Arab Emirates, killing 85 passengers and crew.

_ Aug. 29, 1996: A Vnukovo Airlines Tu-154 passenger plane carrying
Russian and Ukrainian miners and their families from Moscow to Norway
crashes into a mountain, killing all 141 on board.

_ Dec. 7, 1995: A Tu-154 operated by Aeroflot Khabarovsk Airlines with
97 people on board disappeared flying to the far eastern Russian city
of Khabarovsk. The remains were found 11 days later by a helicopter
pilot in mountains near the Pacific coast.

_ June 6, 1994: A China Northwest Airlines Tu-154 bound for Guangzhou
crashes minutes after takeoff from Xian, a tourist city in northern
China, killing all 160 people aboard.

_ Jan. 3, 1994: All 124 people aboard a Moscow-bound Baikal Airlines
Tu-154 are killed when it crashes into a snowy field near the town of
Irkutsk. A farmer on the ground was also killed.

Beneath the veil, hope and despair

Globe and Mail, Canada
April 9 2010

Beneath the veil, hope and despair

An Iranian expatriate’s stage show finds its tragic inspiration in the
violent death of photographer Zahra Kazemi at Iran’s Evin Prison

uffice it to say there’s not much song and dance at Evin Prison. The
notorious jail in Tehran was the site of Iranian-Canadian photographer
Zahra Kazemi’s last days. She died, her body mangled from horrific
beatings by her interrogators, after she was arrested for
photographing relatives of detainees outside the prison in 2003.

But that hasn’t stopped Iranian-American actor and director Mary Apick
from incorporating song, dance and even humour into her show, Beneath
the Veil, which was inspired by Kazemi’s tragic end, and tells 10
interlocking stories about women’s struggles under the niqab.Apick’s
show is making a one-night stop at the MacMillan Theatre in Toronto
Saturday night en route to Lincoln Center in New York. It won the
Critics’ Choice Award at the Los Angeles Theatre Festival in 2005, and
enjoyed success at the Kennedy Centre in 2006, where Laura Bush, then
U.S. first lady, was the production’s honorary chair. Farah Diba, the
Empress of Iran and third wife of the late exiled shah, has seen it
twice and become an acquaintance of Apick.

` Suddenly, everything from the roots down is changing. Half the
nation is going under a black veil ` they don’t have a voice any more;
they can’t speak for themselves.’

The play is told through the imagination of an American journalist
doing research. When she falls asleep, characters she has been reading
about come to life, their tales eventually weaving together through
Kazemi. `I had so many other stories that I heard, which were
happening in Iran or Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia, that I wanted to
make a collage,’ said Apick during an interview in Toronto this week.

Kazemi features prominently in Beneath the Veil, in which she is
played by Apick, who also takes on one of the play’s many other roles:
that of a flamboyant Arab woman living in wealth and comfort as the
third wife of a rich Saudi.

The plot lines are many and varied. One is based on the true story of
a friend’s 16-year-old daughter who committed suicide while at school
in Tehran. In one comedic scene, a woman refuses to remove her veil
while trying to get a driver’s licence in the American South. A
Virginia woman is killed for wearing a veil; a woman is stoned to
death in Iran; and an American-born woman chooses to don the veil at
university, having not grown up with it.

Apick herself was no shrouded prisoner during her years in Iran. She
was a child star in Tehran in the 1960s and seventies, an Iranian of
Armenian heritage whose mother was also a well-known actor and whose
father worked as a translator for the U.S. military. She became a
trendsetter for Western dress in Tehran, an ambassador of the
miniskirt, and appeared from a young age on Octopus, a Saturday Night
Live-style Iranian satirical show.

Apick was on a trip to the United States in early 1979 when, she
recalls, she saw TV footage of `[Ayatollah] Khomeini coming down the
stairs of the Air France airplane,’ confirming that the Shah had
fallen. `That was that,’ she continues. `Suddenly, everything from the
roots down is changing. Half the nation is going under a black veil `
they don’t have a voice any more; they can’t speak for themselves.’
She hasn’t been back to Iran since, instead making Los Angeles her
home for the past 30 years.

Growing up, Apick studied piano (she graduated from the University of
Tehran’s conservatory of music) and ballet, passions she has
incorporated into Beneath the Veil. Along with eight actors, the show
features two musicians and a singer, as well as dance choreography.
`It’s like a ballet with voices,’ she says.

There is even a rape scene, involving a prostitute, that is
choreographed through dance. For Apick, music and dance are integral
to drawing the audience into the characters’ tales of hardship and
repression. `It beautifies everything, naturally,’ she says.
`Actually, the reality is much harsher and much more difficult to
absorb, so you put artistry around it to make it acceptable, and then
communicate these stories which are essential for a Western audience
to understand.’

Beneath the Veil has confirmed dates in Chicago and Dallas, and Apick
hopes to add Vancouver to the list before long. She beams with
excitement at the prospect of playing Kazemi before a Toronto
audience: `After 17 productions of this play, I’ve stood onstage [so
many times] and said, `I’m a Canadian journalist.’ It means something
different to me to be here.’

Beneath the Veil shows Saturday at 8 p.m. at the University of
Toronto’s MacMillan Theatre.

/theatre/beneath-the-veil-mary-apick-finds-hope-an d-despair/article1529081/

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts

OSCE Yerevan : Political Prisoners first of all refer to March 1

Head of the OSCE Yerevan Office : When in Armenia they say about the
political prisoners, they first of all mean those sentences as a
result of March 1, 2008, events

2010-04-09 18:01:00

ArmInfo presents apologies to the head of the OSCE Yerevan Office Mr.
Sergey Kapinos and the readers for serious technical mistakes made by
ArmInfo news agency over translation of the issue about the public
lecture delivered by Mr. Kapinos at the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic)
University, on 6 April , 2010, which have led to distortion of the
core of the lecture especially in the part regarding the prisoners in
connection with the 1 March 2008 events in Yerevan.

ArmInfo. The term "political prisoners" is used nowhere in the
international-legal documents. One cannot find it in PACE resolutions
on Armenia either. They just say about the prisoners in connection
with the 1 March events. However, when here, in Armenia they speak
about the political prisoners, they first of all mean those sentenced
as a result of 1 March, 2008, events, Head of the OSCE Yerevan Office,
Ambassador Sergey Kapinos said in the public lecture delivered by him
at Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University.

According to him, the report by OSCE Bureau for Democratic
Institutions and Human Rights on monitoring of judicial proceedings
Has revealed serious tight spots and faults in the work of the
judicial system. This report raises serious problems and causes doubts
about impartiality of a number of court decisions. ‘I am sure the
issue will remain open until these problems and doubts are not
removed’, – the diplomat said.

When speaking about the initiative of the Heritage party on
organization of the roundtable with participation of the coalition and
opposition parties for the joint discussion of the problems which are
still relevant today and all the political forces are concerned about
them, Kapinos emphasized that this idea is very useful but should not
be limited by one political topic. There must be a dialogue. S.
Kapinos recalled that in 2008 the OSCE chairman-in-office Ilkka
Kanerva came forward with call to the political dialogue between the
Armenian authorities and the opposition. According to him, a dialogue
is the most civilized way of political struggle, therefore, OSCE
unambiguously stands for the political dialogue among different
political parties. He said this can really give positive results.
According to the diplomat, a dialogue will promote stabilization and
consolidation of the society.

Asked if it would be better for the country if the political process
was concentrated in the parliament, the diplomat replied that the role
of the Armenian parliament in the political life of the country could
be more essential. The parliament must discuss the most serious issues
the people are concerned about. The amendments to the Constitution of
Armenia, adopted in 2005, were also aimed at development of the
parliamentary democracy. There is a field for movement in this
direction. ‘I am for resolving of all the principal issues in the
parliament. The interests of different social layers as well as the
real social and economical structure of the society should be
reflected in the parliament. Moreover, the parliament actually becomes
an important center for making political decisions’, – he said. The
diplomat thinks that despite the popular belief, actually there is the
opposition in the Armenian parliament. According to the diplomat, the
opposition is available even because there is Heritage party, being an
oppositional one from the very beginning. Now, he said, there is
another oppositional party there – ARFD, and it’s another matter that
the opposition is weakly represented, while any democratic state
should be interested in having strong opposition. Kapinos emphasized
that strong opposition makes it possible to form a competitive field
which catalyzes development of the society.

Asked about freedom of mass media in the country, the diplomat replied
that everything is not so bad in Armenia as compared to another
countries. The real pluralism is available in the country’s print
media, which was evident during the presidential election. "However,
the international organizations say there are certain problems with
the electron media, as well as radio and TV broadcasting. And we are
working in that area. S. Kapinos recalled the decision of the European
Court on Human Rights on A1+ TV Company. "An OSCE Representative on
Freedom of the Media is expected to visit Yerevan in May.

We have information that the issue of A1+ will be on agenda. We think
that A1+ should be allowed to take part in the upcoming contest for
broadcast license. This participation must be in conformity with exact
procedures, and all the international organizations, including OSCE,
will observe the process, S. Kapinos said. "A two-year moratorium on
provision of frequencies is currently in force, so, A1+ cannot take
part in any tenders. This moratorium expires in July, 2010, and legal
basis is now developed for conduct of new tenders for TV-frequencies,"
the diplomat said.

Government Delegation Headed By PM Tigran Sargsyan To Visit Karabakh

GOVERNMENT DELEGATION HEADED BY PM TIGRAN SARGSYAN TO VISIT KARABAKH

armradio.am
09.04.2010 13:57

The government delegation headed by Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
is leaving for the Nagorno Karabakh Republic today for a three-day
working visit.

The delegation comprises the Head of Government Staff David Sargsyan,
Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, Minister of Finance Tigran Davtyan,
Minister of Economy Nerses Yeritsyan, Minister of Agriculture Gerasim
Alaverdyan, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Armen Movsisyan,
First Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration Vache Terteryan,
as well as the Marzpets of Syunik, Lori, Aragatsotn, Ararat and Vayots
Dzor, other officials.

Within the framework of the working visit PM Tigran Sargsyan will have
a meeting with NKR President Bako Sahakyan. A joint government sitting
and a visit to the Defense Army of Nagorno Karabakh are expected.

Tigran Sargsyan is scheduled to visit Shushi and several local
companies.

EU’s Policy: Armenia-Turkey Normalisation Without Pre-Conditions

EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION For Justice & Democracy
Avenue de la Renaissance 10
B-1000 Bruxelles
Tel/ Fax: +32 2 732 70 27/26
Website :Eafjd [1]

PRESS RELEASE

FRIDAY 9 APRIL 2010
CONTACT : VARTENIE ECHO
TEL. / FAX. : +32 (0) 2 732 70 27

EU’S POLICY: ARMENIA-TURKEY NORMALISATION OF RELATIONS WITHOUT PRE-CONDITIONS

The European Armenian Federation for Justice & Democracy welcomes
the statement by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Mrs.
Catherine Ashton, confirming European Union’s unwavering commitment
to the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Turkey without
any pre-conditions.
The Federation would further point out that inherent in the EU
statement is the recognition by EU’s highest-level leadership that
an imbalance exists between the disposition of Armenia which has
followed the `no pre-conditions’ principle and has submitted the
signed Protocols to its Parliament, and that of Turkey, which is
insisting on pre-conditions thus halting the ratification process,
while at the same time making statements in support of the
normalisation process.
The Federation also commends the European executive for its active
efforts toward reinforcement of ties, within the Eastern Partnership
framework, between Armenia and the European Union leading to closer
political association and economic integration.
`At the same time, we deeply regret that so far there has not been
a strong and unanimous condemnation, by the European Union’s
leadership, of Prime Minister Erdogan’s open threats to deport the
Armenians living in Turkey in retaliation for the US congressional
consideration of the Armenian Genocide resolution,’ declared Hilda
Tchoboian, Chairwoman of the European Armenian Federation.
`Turkey’s present blockade of Armenia and its systematic policy
of denial of the Armenian Genocide should lead the European Union to
have a full appreciation of Turkey’s politics of aggression in the
region,’ added Hilda Tchoboian.
The European Armenians expect the European leadership to stand firm
on its refusal of any pre-conditions to normalization of relations.
They also expect the leaders of Europe to clearly demand that the
Turkish blockade of Armenia is lifted once and for all.

————————-
The European Armenian Federation is the biggest and most influential
Armenian grassroots organisation in Europe
Links:
——
[1] /extern/url.php?u=3503&qid=1039347
[2]
http:// achkhar.eafjd.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern /url.php?u=3504&qid=1039347
[3] /extern/url.php?u=3505&qid=1039347

http://achkhar.eafjd.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm
http://achkhar.eafjd.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm

ANKARA: Turkey Says Erdogan, Sargsian To Meet In US

TURKEY SAYS ERDOGAN, SARGSIAN TO MEET IN US

WorldBulletin.net
April 8 2010
Turkey

Erdogan will meet with President Serzh Sargsian of Armenia during
the nuclear security summit in the United States next week.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet with President
Serzh Sargsian of Armenia during the nuclear security summit in the
United States next week.

Burak Ozugergin, spokesman for Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
said that Feridun Sinirlioglu, undersecretary of the ministry, went
to Yerevan, Armenia, as the special envoy of Prime Minister Erdogan.

"During his talks, the parties agreed that Prime Minister Erdogan and
President Sargsian would meet during the nuclear security summit in
Washington D.C. on April 12 and 13," he said.

"As part of his talks in Yerevan, Sinirlioglu was received by
President Sargsian and Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian earlier in
the day. Sinirlioglu conveyed Prime Minister Erdogan’s written message
to President Sargsian. Turkey-Armenia normalization process was high on
agenda of the talks. The parties agreed that the current opportunity
should not be missed. The Turkish party said that Turkey-Armenia
normalization process would contribute to efforts to ensure peace,
security and stability in southern Caucasus," he added.

Sinirlioglu’s visit to Yerevan has been the highest level visit between
the tow countries since signing of protocols on October 10, 2009.

Armenian Armed Forces Can Parry Provocations

ARMENIAN ARMED FORCES CAN PARRY PROVOCATIONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 8, 2010 – 14:47 AMT 09:47 GMT

The efficiency of the Armenian army guarantees security of Armenian and
Karabakh people, said Major General Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan, Commandos.

"The efficiency of any army is determined by experts’ assessments but
not by self-laudation. Our army is assessed highly. As to the Azeri
army, it was a mistake of Azerbaijan’s leadership to reorganize the
armed forces for three times," he told a news conference in Yerevan.

He also noted that Armenian army is monoethnic unlike that of
Azerbaijan, where national minorities are oppressed.

"Not weapons but the spirit is the most important factor. We struggled
for independence in hard conditions but we were strong. Besides, we
can manage military hardware. Our armed forces can parry provocations
and rebuff any attack," the Major General said.

ANKARA: EU Leader Urges Turkey, Armenia To Normalize Relations

EU LEADER URGES TURKEY, ARMENIA TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS

Anadolu Agency
April 6 2010
Turkey

Brussels, 6 April: Catherine Ashton, EU’s high representative for
foreign affairs, called on Turkey and Armenia to ratify and implement
the bilateral protocols without preconditions and in a reasonable
timeframe.

In a statement, Ashton, who is also vice-president of the European
Commission, said [on] Tuesday [6 April] that the European Union
encourages Armenia and Turkey to remain committed to the process
of normalization.

Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols on 10 October 2009 to normalize
relations between the two countries. The protocols, which have to be
ratified by parliaments of both countries, envisage the two countries
to establish diplomatic ties and open the border that has been closed
since 1993.

"In this context, the EU welcomes the decision of the Armenian
president to submit both protocols to the parliament, as well as the
recent declaration by the president of Turkey to remain committed to
the normalization of relations with Armenia," Ashton said.

"The European Union believes that the full normalization of bilateral
relations between Armenia and Turkey would be an important contribution
to security, stability and cooperation in the southern Caucasus. The
EU will continue to provide its political and technical support to
this process and stands ready to help implementing the steps agreed
between the two countries," she said.

Armenia To Continue Taking Active Part In Activity Of International

ARMENIA TO CONTINUE TAKING ACTIVE PART IN ACTIVITY OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF FRANCOPHONIE

Noyan Tapan
Apr 7, 2010

YEREVAN, APRIL 7, NOYAN TAPAN. On April 7, RA Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian met with Secretary General of the International
Organization of Francophonie Abdou Diouf who is in Armenia on an
official visit. They had a detailed talk on measures aimed at further
deepening political, economic, cultural contacts between state-members
of francophonie. They attached importance to efficient cooperation of
the RA National Assembly, local self-government structures, Yerevan
Mayor’s Office, and universities with the partner organizations of
the International Organization of Francophonie.

It was mutually mentioned with satisfaction that holding days of
francophonie in Armenia has already become traditional, and this
year it coincides with the 40th anniversary of the International
Organization of Francophonie.

According to the RA Foreign Ministry Press and Information Department,
E. Nalbandian stated that Armenia is loyal to organization’s values
and henceforth will continue taking an active part in the activity
of the International Organization of Francophonie.