Author: Chmshkian Vicken

Armenia wants to continue negotiations with Azerbaijan

Interfax
May 18 2004

Yerevan. (Interfax) – Armenia thinks it necessary to continue
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement negotiations with Azerbaijan, its Foreign
Minister Vardan Oskanian told a press conference in Yerevan on Monday.

“We believe in the efficiency of negotiations, including meetings
between the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents. We think it is still
possible to find common approaches to the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement,”
the minister said.

“It is not yet clear for Armenia whether Azerbaijani is ready to
provide for the succession of the negotiations and confirm the
commitments approved by the late president Heydar Aliyev,” Oskanian
said.

The Azerbaijani initiative on opening transport routes in exchange
for the return of Azerbaijani lands currently under Karabakh control
is unacceptable for Armenia, the minister said.

Opinions on 10 years of Azerbaijan, Armenia cease-fire – paper

Ayna, Baku
12 May 04

The fighting on the Azerbaijani and Armenian contact line was suspended
on 12 May 1994. Prior to this day, the Bishkek protocol was signed
in Kyrgyz capital between Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Azerbaijani
and Armenian communities of Nagornyy Karabakh.

[Passage omitted: war figures]

We wonder, how did Azerbaijan benefit from the 10-year truce period?
Respondents’ answers to this question vary.

An employee of the Defence Ministry press service, Capt Ilqar Verdiyev,
believes that over this 10-year period, the Azerbaijani army has
been transferred into a perfect body commanded from a single centre
and brought into compliance with the NATO standards: “Our country
has been participating actively in the NATO’s Partnership for Peace
programme since 1996. Our military education system has been brought
into compliance with the NATO standards. We have taken advantage of
the cease-fire period sufficiently. At present Azerbaijani army is
capable of liberating the occupied territories.”

But Lt-Col Uzeyir Cafarov, independent military journalist, said that
had that period been used properly, the Azerbaijani army should have
been stronger than it is now: “True, a number of military reforms
have been accomplished, but we should also look at the enemy on the
opposite side. That army resorted to illegal means to arm itself. The
leadership of the Azerbaijani army does not pay much attention to
procurement of weapons and ammunition. Actually, we should have
become the leader among the South Caucasus countries over the past
period. Regrettably, this is not the case.”

Zardust Alizada, independent pundit, branded the cease-fire years as a
“lost time”. “Enforcing a cease-fire regime in 1994 was very important
as we needed to win time to create an army, adjust our affairs and
liberate the occupied lands. Unlike many other opposition members, I
hailed the truce at that point. But I was wrong. It turned out that
the government benefited from the cease-fire regime to strengthen
its position. I consider that the 10-year is a lost period and the
policy pursued over this time is equal to national treason.

The deputy executive secretary of the [ruling] New Azerbaijan Party,
MP Bahar Muradova, is optimistic. She says that the classification of
the cease-fire period as “lost years” is wide of the mark: “Although
we have not reached a peaceful solution to the Karabakh problem over
the cease-fire period, we managed to prepare appropriate grounds for
it. First, Azerbaijan has achieved political and economic successes,
the mighty army able to liberate the occupied lands has been created.”

[Passage omitted: Predictions on the outcome of the conflict are
inappropriate]

The former head of the presidential secretariat, Eldar Namazov,
does not consider the reforms, implemented in Azerbaijan during the
cease-fire period, efficient: “This includes both the policy for
Karabakh settlement and the development of the country. Azerbaijan
could have been the leading country in the South Caucasus over these
10 years. Despite our sufficient potential, ineffective reforms did
not lead us towards these targets.”

[Passage omitted: other similar opinions]

PRESS RELEASE

Armenian Medical Association
Republic of Armenia, Yerevan
Tumanyan 38st, ap9,
Contact: Varduhi Tevanyan,
Administrative Secretary
Tel: (3741)53-58-68,(3741)53-48-63
Fax: (3741)53-48-79
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

NEUROLOGY SEMINAR <ADVANCES IN STROKE MANAGEMENT>

The Armenian Medical Association together with Union of Neurologists of
Armenia, Armenian Medical Union of France and FARFAA Salzburg Medical
Seminars Program organized a Neurology Seminar on Advances in Stroke
Management. The seminar was organized with general sponsorship of
GlaxoSmithKline and sponsorship of Nycomed The seminar took place
on April 29-30 in Yerevan and on May 3 in Stepanakert. About 200
doctors (neurologists, cardiologists, reanimatologists, and vascular
surgeons) from different regions of Armenia, as well as from Artsakh,
participated in the seminar.

The co-chairmen of the symposium were the president of Union of
Neurologists of Armenia, head of Neurology Department of Yerevan
State Medical University prof. Vahagn Darbinyan and a prominent
angioneurologist, professor of Claude Bernard University of Lyon,
Norbert Nigoghossian. The seminar was also attended by Dr. Marine
Tanashyan, deputy director of Stroke Research Scientific Center of
Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Institute of Neurology.

At the seminar, various interesting presentations were made
on stroke epidemilogy (by Dr. L. Gimoyan), prevention (by
prof. N. Nigoghossian) and risk factors (by Dr. P. Zelveian), diagnosis
(by prof. N. Nigoghossian) and management (by prof. N. Nigoghossian,
Dr. M. Tanashyan, prof. V. Darbinyan), angioneurology service
organization in Armenia (by prof. G. Bakunts).

The goal of the seminar was to present to doctors of Armenia and
Artsakh the latest information and to organize discussion on the
topics mentioned, as well as to provide background for creating
a Stroke Working Group in Armenia to address the vital issues of
stroke prevention. All the participants had the opportunity to fill
in and present a Statement of Interest where they could express their
interest in being involved in the Working Group activities and specify
the stroke-related field they would be interested to work in.

On May 1 a meeting of Armenian Medical Association and Union of
Neurologists of Armenia was held, at which the questions concerning
the establishment and activities of the Stroke Working Group were
discussed. Creation and maintaining of Armenian Stroke Register was
defined the main priority of the Working Group. It was decided to
include neurologists and cardiologists, as well as Public Health
specialists, in the group.

On May 3, a one-day seminar took place in
Stepanakert. Prof. Nigoghossian visited the central hospital of
Stepanakert, as well as hospitals of Shushi and Goris. After the end
of the seminar, prof. Nigoghossian said he will provide Armenian
doctors with a report analyzing the situation of angioneurologic
service in Armenia, for better organization of the activities of
Stroke Working Group.

The seminar was positively evaluated by participants and organizing
committee, due to high level of presentations, interesting discussions
and established connections. We hope the work started will be
continuous in the future and bring good results in preventing the
highly mortal and debilitating disease.

A1 Plus | 17:39:30 | 07-05-2004 | Politics |

NATALIA VUTOVA SPEAKING AT NEWS CONFERENCE

On Friday, the CE Special Envoy in Armenia Natalia Vutova, speaking at a
news conference in Yerevan, said there was nothing surprising, when the CE
member countries put their domestic troubles on PACE floor, and this has
never been considered as treason in any of 45 member countries, but Armenia.

Speaking on the PACE recent resolution on situation in Armenia, Vutova found
it irrelevant to speak about the opposition’s or the authorities’ defeat or
victory. The resolution calls on both sides to start a dialogue, she said
invoking Human Rights Convention’s provision of freedom of speech.

It was noted that, contrary to Venice Commission experts’ negative opinion,
Armenian authorities adopted the law on rallies, demonstrations and marches.

“We will continue to negotiate with the authorities for amending the law. It
must be based on Human Rights International Convention”, she said.

Responding to some Armenian officials’ attempts to play down the
significance of the resolution, because, as they say, it is grounded on
facts obtained from unreliable sources, Vutova said the CE is always
verifying the information given.

A1 Plus | 13:49:46 | 06-05-2004 | Politics |

CLASH IN AKHALQALAQ

On May 4 collision occurred in Azmana village of Akhalqalaq. Adzharian
villagers of Azmana being provoked by Georgian Misha Natenadze residing in
the same village threw stones at the Armenian villagers. Then an attempt was
made to bring about 50 young Adzharians from the neighboring Aspindza
District to involve them in the conflict.

But the Armenian young people having arrived from Armenian villages of
Akhalqalaq frightened the Adzharians from Aspindza who left Akhalqalaq
District.

Adzharians of Azmana hurled stones at Akhalqalaq District policemen who had
arrived at the scene, too. To relax tension Nikoloz Nikolozashvili, Georgian
President’s envoy extraordinary in Samtckhe-Javakhq, arrived in Akhalqalaq.
The local leadership and he managed to alleviate tension and to reconcile
the sides.

The Armenian part made concessions since the accident was just an attempt to
cause an armed conflict between the Armenians and the Adzharians.

Zaman, Turkey
April 30 2004

Chirac Supports Turkey’s E.U. Membership in the ‘Long Run’

French President, Jacques Chirac, said Thursday that Turkey was not
ready for full membership in the European Union (EU) under the
present circumstances, but said that he thinks positively about
Ankara’s membership in the long run.

The French leader said that the membership of Turkey, which he
defined as a ‘secular, strong and democratic country’, would be for
the good of the E.U. He stressed that this would end the clash of
civilizations theory, which pits the West against Islamic
civilization. Chirac noted that the Turkish government has passed
reform laws and said the E.U. would care about the implementation as
well as the reforms.

In a press conference held at the Elysee Palace to announce his
opinions on E.U.’s enlargement, Chirac noted that although talks with
Ankara start next year, the process could take a long time and said,
“talks will last for 10 years or more.”

Using England as an example, Chirac acknowledged that during the
membership period, the European public’s attitude towards Turkey
could change as well.

The French leader said if Turkey’s efforts to join the Union are
ignored for religious or ethnic reasons, then Ankara would be alone
and this would cause the feared clash of civilizations to occur. The
President stated that Turkey’s membership was not an issue of debate.
The E.U. state and government presidents accepted its candidacy at
the Helsinki Summit held in 1999.

When asked whether the recognition of the alleged Armenian genocide
would be taken as a precondition for Turkey’s E.U. membership, Chirac
said this was an issue between Turkey and Armenia and it would not be
a condition for E.U. membership.

Support for Enlargement

Chirac stressed May 1, 2004 is an important date in E.U. history and
said enlargement was a chance for both France and Europe. Noting the
significance of enlargement in providing democracy and stability to
Europe, Chirac acknowledged that the E.U. with its 450-million
population would emerge as the world’s most important economic power.

Chirac argued that the European Constitution, which will be taken up
at the European Council to be held in Brussels in June, was an
assertive and faithful text and said that for the E.U. to advance
effectively, a compromise should be reached on the Constitution.

04.30.2004
Ali Ihsan Aydin
Paris

[01-05-2004 ‘Azerbaijan-Turkey’]
————————————————- ———————
RECOGNITION OF NORTHERN CYPRUS MAY TAKE YEARS
Source : “Echo” newspaper (Azerbaijan)
Author: R. Orujev, N. Aliev

Turkey does not press Azerbaijan to solve the question urgently

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, the Vice Prime Minister
Abdullah Gul in the interview to Anadolu news agency made a statement
on the recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
(TRNC). According to him, there are positive trends in this regard.

Answering the question of whether there is any development of TRNC
recognition by Azerbaijan, Gul announced: `So far there has been no
development on this issue. But strategically, it is to be solved
gradually. We will be active ourselves, first, gaining supporting
promises, and the friendly countries have already done this. There are
positive steps on the problem, mostly coming from Europe”.

Gul was reminded about the statement of the EU expansion commissar
Gunter Ferheugen that until the UN recognized TRNC, European Union
will not do that. `This is normal. Certainly the work must be first
conducted at the UN Security Council. The rest will be done later’.

It is interesting to see how lengthy will the process of Northern
Cyprus recognition be and when the time will come for Azerbaijan to
make its point. The recognition of Turkish Cyprus by our state will
hardly occur as a separate act, political scientist Rasim Musabekov
thinks. “Suppose, Azerbaijan has recognized TRNC and waits for
someone else to do it. As far as I can judge from the last
press-conference of Ilham Aliev in Strasbourg, he made a more correct
statement, saying that when the recognition issue gains more
importance, Azerbaijan will be one of the first’.

Political scientist notes that it is as yet unknown whether the Cyprus
problem will be solved in this very direction, by establishing to
states, or the negotiations process will resume in a certain manner,
to keep the island a unified entity. “However, if the process does
evolve in the direction of dividing the island, and the Northern
Cyprus is firm in its determination to be independent, there will most
probably be an act produced, with the involvement of the superpowers’.

Musabekov quoted an example – `the fact that Taiwan as an independent
state is recognized by 20 or 30 countries of the world does not make
its status as an international subject confirmed. It has no place in
the UN, Taiwan has to limit its contacts with other countries to
economic ones, mostly with US and the same mainland China’.

“I want to say that as long as the super powers, namely, the USA, the
United Kingdom, France, Russia, China do not recognize Northern
Cyprus, its recognition by three, five or even ten Turkic, Islam
states will not change anything in the international status of TRNC’,
the scientist is positive. `Moreover, this process may result in a
situation, where the expected relief of economic embargo on Northern
Cyprus is not realized by the Greece (if it is supported by the
European partners). The sanctions in this case will get even tougher’.

For this reason Musabekov does not think there will be haste in the
issue of TRNC sovereignty, and `Azerbaijan will lead the haste’.

The Milli Meclis deputy Gultekin Gajieva also thinks Azerbaijan should
not haste. “The UN should be the first to react, as the plan of
unification of Northern and Southern Cyprus was presented by the
Secretary General Kofi Annan and is actively supported by the UN’.

Gultekin Gajieva believes that the President Aliev also voiced the
opinion that Azerbaijan should not hurry. “Conceptually we support the
idea of TRNC recognition, but the reaction of the UN Security Council
and the European Union. Azerbaijan has a problem of Mountainous
Karabagh and supporting the friendly TRNC we must naturally keep that
in mind, so that any step on behalf of Azerbaijan does not cause a
negative response”.

In the opinion of the deputy, the process of the recognition of the
TRNC by Azerbaijan will last `long enough at least because the EU
conditions its recognition by the position of the UN Security
Council. And the composition of the Security Council is heterogeneous,
it includes countries of quite differing orientations, such as the
USA, Russia, France, China. The process will not be as easy, as it is
expected now, by the results if the Cyprus referendum. Turkey will
have to make much effort to get Northern Cyprus in these
organizations, since it will be an original step that has no
precedents in the international law. And we must keep it in mind that
Greece will be opposing this step as an EU member’.

[30-04-2004 ‘Karabagh Conflict’]
———————————————————————-
PRESIDENTS SATISFIED WITH WARSAW MEETING
Source : “PanARMENIAN.Net” portal (Armenia)
Author: “PanARMENIAN Network” analytical department

New impulse to Armenian-Azerbaijani dialogue.

Meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents taken place in
Warsaw is the main subject of discussions in both countries. The
statements pronounced in Warsaw allow hoping that a political solution
will be found for the problem; however, it is too early to speak about
a break in negotiations.

The Armenian party was not very willing to disclose the information
about the Warsaw meeting. However, it can be judged from the
statements of the Azerbaijani side that there is a certain
progress. Ilham Aliyev, who used to say that negotiations were in a
deadlock, now assures there were possibilities for finding ways to
settle the conflict.

Everything was more or less clear until the Armenian and Azerbaijani
Foreign Ministers started to do contradicting statements. Eldar
Mamedyarov, FM of Azerbaijan said the Presidents discussed ”concrete
ideas presented by the Minsk group co-chairs in Prague”. Thus, he
confirmed the information of the Russian mediator Yuri Merzlyakov that
the mediators had presented new proposals. Only two weeks ago
Mamedyarov was denying the existence of new initiatives. Vartan
Oskanyan continues to insist that ”no concrete ideas were discussed
during the Warsaw meeting”.

We shall note that after the Paris meeting the Russian co-chair of the
Minsk group made an almost sensational statements saying that the
mediators had presented new proposals that seemed optimistic even to
the FMs of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Oskanyan and Mamedyarov denied
this information while the two other co-chairmen were keeping
silence. So, if up to now there was an evident contradiction in the
statements of the mediators and Ministers, now the conflict parties
contradict themselves. It is difficult to explain it. In Baku they
think that the Armenian Minister does not want to publicize the fact
that there are new proposals because he doesn’t know yet how it will
affect the moods of the opposition.

We think that everything will be clarified at the meeting of the
Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan to be held on May 12-13 in
Strasburg with participation of the mediators. Informing about it,
Vartan Oskanyan noted that the Ministers would arrive at the meeting
having been instructed by their Presidents.

[29-04-2004 ‘Region’]
———————————————————————-
USA CONQUERING ARMENIA
Source : “Zaman” newspaper (Turkey)
Author: Fikret Ertan

The United States are determined to strengthen their positions in the
Caucasus which results in a number of decisive steps. We do notice
some of them, when signing new agreements, and the other go unnoticed.

Among such quiet steps is the agreement on military cooperation signed
by our neighbor Armenia at the end of last week. The brief
announcement of it being signed was made immediately upon the arrival
of the Deputy Commander of ES forces in Europe Charles Wald to the
Armenian capital Yerevan on April 25. On Monday April 26 this
agreement – the first military agreement of the commandment of US
forces in Europe and Armenia was publicized by the head of the RA
General Headquarters of armed forces Colonel Genera Mikael
Harutiunian.

This agreement, prepared during the visit of General Charles Wald to
Armenia, has a logistical nature. According to the document, the US
military forces can enter Armenia, use the Armenian military
facilities, and the US air forces can use the air bases of Armenia.
The United States promise the same conditions to Armenia, but these
are naturally a purely technical detail: why would Armenian forces
enter the US territory?

The agreement has other provisions, too: the US pays for the use of
military facilities in Armenia, covers the expenses on sending and
accommodating an Armenian transportation company in Iraq. Thus,
Armenia plans to send a transportation company to Iraq to assist the
USA. By this Armenia attempts to strengthen its relations with the
USA, balancing the positions of its neighbors, Azerbaijan and Georgia,
that have already sent troops to Iraq (Azerbaijan – 150 soldiers,
Georgia – 180 soldiers).

This logistics agreement between the US and Armenia is one of the most
recent examples of American conquest of Caucasus. The United States,
in their effort to weaken the positions of Russia and Iran in the
Caucasus, signed a strategically important agreement last spring,
according to which the US is free to use the Georgian military
facilities, the American troops can enter and leave Georgia with no
impediments, use the Georgian land and air territory…

The military relations of the USA and Georgia are defined not only by
this agreement; under the recently completed program of military
assistance the USA trained the Georgian special troops. The contacts
with our friend Azerbaijan is nonetheless important, thus, the US
provided different military vessels to the Caspian navy.

Certainly, the recent attack on Armenia, having strong alliance with
Russia, was caused by the wish to gain its support and to weaken the
relations of Armenia with Russia and Iran. Moreover, the United
States now will have a chance to circle Iran, ensuring their military
presence in Armenia.

I hope that those who are to be interested in similar plans have taken
the developments into account.

—
Yerevan Press Club of Armenia, ‘Yeni Nesil’ Journalists’ Union of
Azerbaijan and Association of Diplomacy Correspondents of Turkey
present ‘Armenia-Azerbaijan-Turkey: Journalist Initiative-2002’
Project. As a part of the project web site has
been designed, featuring the most interesting publications from the
press of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey on issues of mutual
concern. The latest updates on the site are weekly delivered to the
subscribers.

US mediator urges Azerbaijan to make concessions on Karabakh

Turan news agency
24 Apr 04

BAKU

The situation requires Azerbaijan to make concessions on a peaceful
settlement to the Karabakh conflict, the US co-chairman of the OSCE
Minsk Group, Steven Mann, said at a meeting with Azerbaijani Defence
Minister Safar Abiyev yesterday.

“If the settlement is delayed for many years, the situation of Armenia
and Azerbaijan will become serious. That’s why the sides should
establish a dialogue and maintain it,” Mann said.

In turn, Abiyev said that the use of double standards in this issue
was inadmissible. Armenia is an aggressor and must be punished. He
cited the examples of Yugoslavia and Iraq where military forces had
been applied. Why are similar things not being done with regard to
Armenia, although there is a relevant legal base for this, Abiyev
added.

Mann recalled that Armenia and Azerbaijan had made a commitment to
peacefully settle the Karabakh conflict. The US position on this issue
is that “the sides should make concessions to each other, which are
acceptable to both sides,” he said.

In turn, Abiyev said that “Azerbaijan will not make any concessions,”
the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry press service reported.

Agence France Presse
April 24, 2004 Saturday

Armenians commemorate 1915 genocide

by MARIAM KHARUTUNIAN

YEREVAN

Armenians commemorated Saturday the 1915 genocide in which up to 1.5
million of their countrymen are reported to have died, with the
country’s president calling on the world to recognise and condemn the
extent of the slaughter.

“As we bow before the memory of the innocent victims, we confirm our
determination to obtain a general recognition and a condemnation by
the international community of this crime against humanity,”
President Robert Kocharian said in a message to the nation.

“Unpunished crimes can give birth to new tragedies and the aim of the
world community is to do everything to rule out the repetition of
such happenings.”

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kinsmen were massacred in
orchestrated killings and during deportations by the Ottoman empire
between 1915 and 1917.

Turkey categorically rejects claims of genocide and says that between
250,000 and 500,000 Armenians and thousands of Turks were killed in
civil strife during World War I when the Armenians rose up against
their Ottoman rulers.

The United Nations, the European Parliament, Belgium, France, Greece
and Russia have recognised the Armenian genocide. Canadian lawmakers
voted a few days ago to recognise the massacre, calling it a “crime
against humanity”.

“Armenia wants to put itself above feelings of bitterness and
vengeance and is ready to establish normal relations with all the
states in the region, inluding Turkey,” Kocharian, who heads to
France on Sunday to meet with French counterpart Jacques Chirac,
said.

“The presidents… will discuss bilateral and regional cooperation
during their meeting,” presidential spokesman Asmik Petrosyan said.

France, along with Russia and the United States, is a co-chair of the
Minsk Group, a 13-nation grouping within the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that has been seeking to
mediate between Armenia and Azerbaijan in their dispute over the
Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.

Thousands of people, some representing the large Armenian diaspora
outside this nation of three million, climbed to the memorial to the
genocide victims on top of Yerevan’s Tsitsernakaberd hill throughout
the day.

Radio and television played somber music and played documentaries of
the genocide.

Seventy-year-old Pogos, whose father survived the attacks, planned to
climb to the memorial in the evening with his grandsons.

“My father… told us thousands of times how in the morning armed
Turks came into the village and began to burn houses, kill men, women
and children and, not allowing people to take food or water, began to
herd them toward the desert,” he said.

Pogos’s father spent the rest of his life searching in vain for his
mother, whom he lost during the forced resettlements.

Some 20,000 survivors of the genocide remain worldwide, 900 of them
in Armenia, Lavrenti Barsegyan, director of a genocide museum in
Yerevan, said.

“Each year there are fewer and fewer eye-witnesses… and fewer and
fewer people can tell of the evil deeds of the Turks,” he said.

Armenians held demonstrations in the Iranian capital Tehran, where
2,000 people held a rally outside a church after being forbidden to
approach the Turkish embassy, and in Greece where hundreds paraded in
Athens and Salonica.

BBC Global Hits
April 22, 2004
Armenian Lullabies by Hasmik Harutyunyan

Armenia has been an independent state for little more than 12
years. But its culture and traditions are said to go back 7000
years. The folk band Shoghaken Ensemble plays the music of Armenia.

As a former member of the Soviet Union, Armenia had to re-invent a lot
of things when it became an independent nation in 1991. Harold
Hagopian is the Shoghaken Ensemble’s record producer. He says that to
revive Armenia’s authentic folk-dance music the ensemble have had to
undo 70 years of Soviet influence.

Harold Hagopian: A lot of the music had been choreographed and taught
at the conservatories. And though these musicians attended those
Soviet conservatories, since the fall of the Soviet in 1991, they’ve
tried to see how the music might have been played outside of this
rigid structure and so they spent a lot of time with actual villagers
and people who came to Armenia in 1915 and survived the genocide and
fled from Turkey.

89 years ago Turkish nationalists were killing ethnic Armenians in an
attempt to form a homogenous Turkish state.

Today The Shoghaken Ensemble are giving Armenian culture a global
audience. In 2002, cellist Yo Yo Ma invited one of the players to join
his Silk Road ensemble. And that same year, Shoghaken collaborated on
the score of the film “Ararat” about the Armenian genocide. One track
from the film is performed on an oboe-like instrument called the
duduk. The New York Times’ critic Jon Pareles has written: “there may
be no instrument that can sound as richly inconsolable.”

This month, the ensemble is releasing 2 new albums. One of
traditional dances as well as a collection of songs. Harold Hagopian
says singer Hasmik Harutyunyan has memorized quite a repertoire of
traditional songs.

Harold Hagopian: The singer of the group specializes in Armenian
lullabies and she knows over 200 lullabies from all of the regions of
Armenia.

The Shoghaken ensemble are currently on a US tour. They will be
performing in Cambridge, Massachussets, this Saturday, the anniversary
of the 1915 genocide.

Shoghaken Ensemble US Tour Dates:

April 22: Washington DC (Smithsonian Museum)
April 24: Cambridge, MA (Harvard University)
April 30: Hanover, NH (Dartmouth College)
May 2: New York, NY (Symphony Space)
May 4: Ithaca, NY (Cornell University)
May 8: Philadelphia, PA (Annenberg Center)

Audio Report:

Artist: Hasmik Harutyunyan
Title: Armenian Lullabies
Label: Traditional Crossroads
Country: Armenia