Author: Ekmekjian Janet

MARIA TITIZIAN SPOTLIGHTS "REPAT WARRIORS" IN ARMENIA

Asbarez
/maria-titizian-spotlights-repat-warriors-in-armen ia/
Feb 9th, 2010

Horizon’s Paul Chaderjian speaks with journalist, editor and Socialist
International Vice-President Maria Titizian on her decision to
repatriate with her family to Armenia almost 10 years ago. Titizian,
now a columnist for Asbarez honored, repatriot compatriots in an
article titled "Repat Warriors" – now amongst the most popular
Asbarez articles.

First broadcast on Monday, February 9, 2010 at Horizon Armenian
Television –

ARMECONOMBANK IS NEGOTIATING WITH YEREVAN CITY HALL ON FURTHER IMPLEMENTATION OF TEENCARD PROJECT

ArmInfo
14:04 08.02.2010

ArmInfo. Armeconombank is negotiating with Yerevan City Hall on
further implementation of the TeenCard project, Head of Armeconombank
Department for Plastic Card Operations Vardan Yeghiazaryan told
ArmInfo.

According to him, the bank has already issued 2300 registered
plastic cards for schoolchildren and students of Yerevan educational
establishments within the frames of the TeenCard project. V.

Yeghiazaryan thinks that number of these cards will considerably
increase upon the results of negotiations. "It is not ruled out that
funds may be allocated from the City Hall’s funds on financing of
the socially unsecured children for the children from poor families",
he said.

To recall, Armeconombank started implementing the TeenCard project at
late 2009 jointly with Armenia’s Ministry of Science and Education,
Ministry of Culture and Ministry on Labour and Social Issues. The
project is intended for cashless operations of schoolchildren and
students in cultural establishments.

NIKOLAY BORDYUZHA: MILITARY DOCTRINE CONFIRMS RUSSIA’S ADHERENCE TO ALLIED OBLIGATIONS WITHIN CSTO

ArmInfo
2010-02-08 19:21:00

ArmInfo. The new Military Doctrine confirms Russia’s adherence to
the allied obligations within CSTO, said Secretary General of CSTO
Nikolay Bordyuzha.

The National Representation of the CSTO International Public Center
of Information Support quotes Bordyuzha as saying: "We welcome
this strategic document reflecting the new realities in the sphere
of ensuring military security. It is extremely important for CSTO
that consolidation of the collective security system within the
Organization and the growth of its potential are Russia’s priority
tasks on maintaining and preventing conflicts".

He also positively estimated the thesis that Russia qualifies an armed
attack on a CSTO member state as aggression against all member states
of CSTO and in this case will take measures in compliance with the
Collective Security Treaty. "Thus, the new Military Doctrine confirms
Russia’s adherence to the allied obligations within CSTO",- stressed
Bordyuzha. He pointed out that unlike the previous doctrines, Russia
unambiguously announced for the first time that in response to the
use of nuclear and other types of mass destruction weapon against
Russia or its allies, Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapon.

"The Military Doctrine also envisages Russia’s participation in
all components of CSTO collective security system: Rapid Response
Collective Forces, Rapid Deployment Collective Forces and Peacekeeping
Forces",- said Bordyuzha. The members of CSTO founded in May 1992
are seven states – Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Russia,
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

US DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE JAMES B. STEINBERG: "WE THINK IT’S POSSIBLE TO APPLY MIXED MODEL OF NATIONAL SELF-DETERMINATION AND TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY IN SOLUTION TO NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT"

APA
Feb 8 2010
Azerbaijan

Baku – APA. The US State Department thinks about the possibility of
applying the mixed model of national self-determination and territorial
integrity in solution to Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

US Deputy Secretary of State James B. Steinberg told Armenian Public
Television in his interview, APA reports citing Armenia Today. Noting
that Washington pays special attention to solution of Nagorno Karabakh
conflict, Steinberg stated that current format of negotiations is the
right one: "The Minsk process is also effective and it would be more
expedient to continue this way. As a Minsk Group Co-chairing country,
the US is committed to its obligation on finding solution to the
conflict. There are many issues waiting for the solution. It mainly
concerns the formation of the atmosphere of confidence between the two
countries and future format of the process. Washington considers that
both sides must pay attention to own arming programs and its results.

Both sides have defence and security rights, but while ensuring it,
the security of the opposite side should be taken into consideration.

Social Media translated into Armenian
06.02.2010 17:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Currently Facebook is translated in the Armenian
language, and some 85 per cent of the work has already been done,
chairman of Armenian Association for Academic Partnership and
promotion (ARMACAD) Khachik Gevorgyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter,
more than 100 activists are involved in the translation process.

According to Khachik Gevorgyan, beta testing of the Armenian version
of Facebook will start soon and then the social network will become
fully available in Armenian.

The translation of articles of the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia
in Armenian language has also intensified recently. As Aleksey
Chalabyan , an editor of the Armenian version of the encyclopedia told
a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, 30 per cent of Wikipedia content has been
localized, while the user interface is fully translated. "Today, there
are 7290 articles in the Armenian language in Wikipedia. However, ther
are only 1500 articles of full value, " Aleksey Chalabyan said.
Armenian Wikipedia has been available since 2006
(), it is edited by 10 active editors.

Aysor, Armenia
Feb 6 2010

Akira Kurosawa’s films to be screened in Armenia

30 films by legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa will be
screened in Armenia’s National Gallery, Yerevan, from February 6 to
March 28, Gallery’s film program’s director Melik Karapetian told
Aysor’s correspondent.

`We are organizing the screening as this year marks the 100th
anniversary of Akira Kurosawa’s birth,’ said Melik Karapetian adding
that in the absence of sponsors and supporters, the organizers
couldn’t publish project’s programme.

Today in the framework of the project, there will be shown two films:
`Kurosawa’ ` telling about the great director, and the 1944 `The Most
Beautiful’.

ASPIRING OPERA SINGER SHOWCASED
Langley Advance

Canwest News Service
January 29, 2010 Friday 03:54 PM EST
Canada

Two Langley girls take centre stage in a symphony concert on Saturday.

At 16 years of age, Tamar Simon’s passion for music is opening doors
this aspiring opera singer never expected.

The Grade 11 Langley Fine Arts School soprano will be demonstrating
her vocal range on the stage at the Chief Seapass Theatre in Fort
Langley this Saturday, the Matsqui Centennial Auditorium on Sunday,
then the St. Gregory Church in Vancouver the following weekend.

Tamar is one of two Langley musicians taking part in a special Fraser
Valley Symphony (FVS) presentation this weekend.

FVS presents The Magical Moldau and More in a set of concerts featuring
a few up-and-coming soloists from the Valley – including Tamar,
explained publicity director Greg Johnson.

The concert will feature selections from Smetana’s Ma Vlast (My
Fatherland), including the famous Moldau, and the Mystical from
Bohemia’s Forests and Meadows.

"I am excited to do this show because it’s giving me the opportunity
to perform with a great orchestra near my hometown," Tamar told the
Langley Advance.

"I am currently working towards upcoming festivals and competitions.

Last year, I travelled to Prince Rupert and I was the intermediate
winner (classsical voice) at the BC Festival of the Arts, and was
honoured to sing as a soloist for the singalong Handel’s Messiah at
the Orpheum (music director Bruce Pullan) for the second year."

She is also a member of the children’s UBC opera ensemble under
the direction of Nancy Hermiston, and currently in the process of
completing Grade 10 voice level with the Royal Conservatory, where
she’s also studying piano and music theory.

As a Canadian Armenian, she has been invited to sing at the 100th
anniversary commemorating Komitas (a celebrated Armenian composer)
during a special concert in Vancouver Feb. 5.

"Opera is my favourite genre of music to perform," Tamar said. "After
obtaining a degree in music, I hope to become an opera singer."

Tamar is joined by fellow Langleyite Aisa Sayama, a pianist who
attends Brookswood Secondary.

Born in Japan in 1994, Aisa started playing piano at age five.

She has a passion for playing chamber music, which has won countless
competitions through the years, including taking first place in
the junior category of the B.C. Provincial Performing Arts Festival
last June.

The local concert is being held Saturday, Jan. 30, 7:30 p.m. at Chief
Sepass Theatre, 9096 Trattle St. in Fort Langley.

Tickets – $15/adults, $12/seniors, and $6/children – are available at
Wired Monk in Murrayville, Wendel’s Books and Cafe in Fort Langley,
and at the door if available.

ARMENIA, UAE TO SIGN AGREEMENT ON SCIENTIFIC-TECHNICAL COOPERATION

Panorama.am
13:52 04/02/2010

Armenian Government approved at a sitting the suggestion over
signing an agreement on "Scientific-technical cooperation between the
Governments of the Republic of Armenia and the United Arab Emirates".

According to the government’s information and PR department, the
document will contribute to the implementation of joint-financed
scientific, scientific-technical and social-economic plans and
projects, and scientific exchange.

GLENDALE ANC VOICES CONCERN ON OFFICERS’ DISCRIMINATION SUIT

Asbarez
Feb 3rd, 2010

GLENDALE, CA-Leaders and activists from the Armenian National Committee
of Glendale on Tuesday attended a session of the Glendale City
council where they voiced concern over the city police department’s
discrimination and harassment of five Armenian police officers. Below
is the statement they read to the five-person city council.

On January 20, 2010, four current and one former sworn officers of
the Glendale Police Department Filed a Federal Civil Rights lawsuit
in Federal Court alleging Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation
on the basis of National Origin and Ancestry. The allegations made in
the complaint are both disturbing and appalling. Even if a fraction of
these allegations in the complaint are established in a court of law,
the City of Glendale has a long way to go on the way to becoming the
city that we all envision and deserve.

The Armenian National Committee of Glendale is gravely concerned about
the statement made by the City Attorney, Mr. Scott Howard, immediately
following the filing of the Complaint. According to the Glendale News
Press article of January 25, 2010, City Attorney Scott Howard stated,
"There are many allegations in the complaint, which are absolutely,
utterly false." We would expect that the City Attorney’s office at
the very least, conduct a preliminary investigation before opining
about the merits of serious allegations such as those contained in
the complaint.

The Glendale Police Department has a track record of lawsuits stemming
from discrimination and improper conduct by its officers, many of
which have resulted in settlements or jury verdicts against the City,
and even punitive damages against individual police officers. The 2009
jury verdict and $1.58 million judgment, including attorney fees,
in the Ovasapian v. City of Glendale case, is the latest example in
this now long list of cases resulting in adverse court decisions.

The City’s inability and unwillingness to conduct meaningful and
objective investigations into the merits of such complaints and
police misconduct in the past, have resulted in many millions of
dollars which Glendale residents have been forced to bear.

In fact, even after an adverse judgment in the Ovasapian case, the
City Council, during public session, made a statement absolving the
Police Officers and the Department of any wrong doing and assuming
the $150,000 punitive damages award against the individual officers.

Despite the finding of malice by the Federal Court and jury, the
Glendale City Council released the following statement during its
October 27, 2009 meeting "We recognize that this was a very unfortunate
incident, however… we find that the officers acted in good faith,
without actual malice and an apparent best interest of the city of
Glendale." In effect, the City Council condoned the wrongful acts
of these police officers. Not surprisingly, both officers are named
defendants in the current law suit.

In the months to come, the judicial process will be guided by a
Federal District Court Judge and the outcome decided by a jury. In the
meantime, It is very important that officials of the City of Glendale
and the Glendale Police Department refrain from drawing conclusions
about this lawsuit, until there is a full investigation and due
process. It is also very important that as the judicial process runs
its course, the police officers presenting these charges be shielded
from any direct or indirect workplace harassment or retaliation. The
Armenian National Committee of Glendale will be closely monitoring
this case with the expectation that there will be full transparency
in the investigation, and the confidence that the judicial system
will reveal the facts and lead to an ultimate fair outcome.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION BENEFICIAL FOR TURKEY, SAYS AZERBAIJANI MP

Tert.am
16:54 ~U 04.02.10

The recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the US Congress will be
beneficial for Turkey, said Azerbaijani MP Gudrat Hasanguliev in an
interview with Day.az.

"The US Congress always blackmails Ankara for the Armenian Genocide.

In that way, they want to take Turkey’s foreign policy under control.

Naturally, it is not excluded that the Congress may pass such a
resolution, but that is less likely as it would put an end to the
Turkish-American strategic cooperation," said Hasanguliev, who thinks
that Turkey will be released from American control completely, should
Congress recognize the Genocide.

"I think Turkey will be released from Washington’s blackmails and
will be able to pursue a freer foreign policy, should the Congress
recognize the Genocide," said Hasanguliev.