Author: Jagharian Tania

Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City)
June 27, 2004 Sunday

Limelight shines on pianist, Utah

by Rebecca C. Howard Deseret Morning News

It was the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition that
initially brought Karen Hakobyan to Salt Lake City. And it was the
University of Utah that kept him here.

But now, it’s the 18-year-old college student who is bringing
recognition to the Beehive State.

Recent winner of the 2004 ASCAP (American Society of Composers,
Authors and Publishers) Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer
Competition, and invited artist in the 2005 Lille International Piano
Festival, Hakobyan has distinguished himself as both a composer and a
performer in the international music world.

But for now, he is with us.

The Armenian-born musician was 5 when his father first bought a
piano. “My sister is five years older than me,” he recalled, “and she
started to play the piano. Every time she would finish playing, I
would go up to the piano and perform the same thing that she had been
practicing without even having any knowledge of music. So my parents
decided I should start taking lessons.”

He was only 6 when his parents enrolled him in the Tchaikovsky
Special Music School in Yerevan, Armenia, and 13 when he wrote his
first symphony for a full-size orchestra.

“After I finished this symphony, I was commissioned to write my
second symphony by a very big festival. It’s called the Young
Euro-Classic International Festival up in Berlin, and they asked me
to compose the second symphony, which was performed in 2001. So I
finished it at the age of 15.”

It was this second symphony that eventually won the ASCAP award, as
well as the Robertson Scholarship in Composition at the University of
Utah.

While all of this was going on, Hakobyan was also busy performing
with different orchestras and entering competitions. “In fact, one of
the biggest accomplishments around then was the Armenian Legacy
Pianists International Piano Competition,” he said.

It was right after that competition that he heard about the Gina
Bachauer competition and decided to enter.

As a 16-year-old, he entered the Young Artists division in 2001.
While he was here, he gave a solo recital at the University of Utah,
where he was “discovered” by some of the faculty. After being offered
a scholarship, he decided to enroll that fall while still only 16.

Now a junior with a double major in piano performance and music
composition, Hakobyan says that the U. has been a great place for
him. “I’ve had very great positive experience here, and I’ve enjoyed
my teachers very much,” he said, acknowledging both his piano
instructor, Susan Duehlmeier, and the several composition faculty
members with whom he has studied.

In fact, it was while giving a solo recital at the U. that he was
again discovered, this time by maestro Jean-Claude Casadesus, who
invited him to be one of about 10 pianists in the 2005 Lille piano
festival. “We each get to perform one concerto with the orchestra and
also one solo recital,” he said. “It’s just a very exciting event,
and it’s something I’m very much looking forward to.”

Since entering the U., Hakobyan has taken first prize in a number of
competitions — including the Pinault International
Audiotape/Videotape Piano Competition, which resulted in a debut
recital at Carnegie Hall. “(It) was very well received by the press
and also the musicians there,” Hakobyan said of the performance.

He added that the ASCAP award is also a significant achievement
because it’s one of the biggest competitions in the United States for
composition. He said they had a record number of people enter this
year — about 500– with his age division reaching up to 32 years
old.

“I would say it’s quite a nice achievement and it’s nice to be
recognized by the ASCAP competition,” he said. One of the most
valuable outcomes of the competition, he added, is the recognition
and potential for future commissions.

“Many musicians, many conductors and chamber musicians contact you
later on for performances for new pieces or commissioning new
pieces,” he said, “so it’s just a very nice opportunity.”

Already, he said, he has been contacted by several people interested
in seeing his work.

In the meantime, he’s hoping to complete a piano concerto that he’s
writing for himself and a work for string orchestra. E-mail:
[email protected]

RUSSIA: DUMA RATIFIES AGREEMENT ON CFE TREATY ADAPTATION

Interfax-AVN military news agency web site
25 Jun 04

MOSCOW

The State Duma voted 355-28 with two abstentions today to ratify the
agreement on the adaptation of the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe
(CFE) Treaty, which was signed in Istanbul in November 1999.

An explanatory note to the document says the treaty must be ratified
by all 30 signatory countries to take effect. The Adapted CFE Treaty
will significantly reduce the conventional arsenals of Europe’s most
powerful nations, as well as the United States and Canada.

“The overall number of tanks to be reduced in NATO’s 19 nations will
total 4,800, armoured personnel carriers 4,000, and artillery pieces
4,000, which is equivalent to the arsenal of nearly one dozen
motorized divisions equipped under NATO standards,” the note
reads. The treaty’s enactment will not lead to any automatic cut in
Russia’s arsenal. Under CFE Treaty requirements, Russia will be
allowed to have 6,350 tanks, 11,280 armoured personnel carriers, 6,315
artillery pieces, 3,416 combat aircraft, and 885 helicopter gunships.

The adapted CFE Treaty will allow Russia to keep its weapons and
military hardware in Armenia and Ukraine. Bilateral agreements with
Georgia will enable Russia to keep its 153 tanks, 241 armoured
personnel carriers, and 140 artillery pieces in that country.

Azeri MPs say Armenian officers’ visit “disgrace”

ANS TV, Baku
22 Jun 04

[Presenter in studio] Our parliamentary correspondent has tried to
find out the deputies’ reaction to the visit of Armenian officers.

[Correspondent] I will deliberately not talk about the draft laws
discussed in parliament today. Because while this session of the
parliament was under way, a conference comfortably attended by two
Armenian officers was in progress only 1 km away. By joining that
meeting, Armenians actually insulted the spirit of thousands of
Azerbaijanis killed while defending the country’s territorial
integrity.

Therefore, I will not waste your time by speaking about the
discussions on joining the international postal convention or on the
draft law on state secrets. As a parliamentary correspondent of the
independent republic of Azerbaijan, I personally think it is much more
interesting to watch the reaction of the Milli Maclis [parliament]
chairman to statements by a number of MPs who tried to express their
protest at the Armenian officers’ visit. He simply cut their
statements short.

[Speaker Murtuz Alasgarov shown during parliament session] We are not
discussing that. Is that clear?

[Correspondent] But it is reassuring that even though the parliament’s
assembly hall is simply a place of gossip for many, at least some
deputies did have the courage not to remain tight-lipped.

[MP Zahid Oruc, captioned] I would like to say a few words about the
two Armenians. We have to express our protest today, Murtuz muallim
[form of address]. On Friday our protests will not be worth anything.

[MP Fazail Agamali] Time is passing. It has to be done today. It
cannot be postponed until tomorrow.

[Speaker Alasgarov] Let me repeat, this concerns everyone, so please
take this into account. We will discuss the issue on Friday.

[Another MP, not captioned] Government bodies which respect themselves
should not have allowed the occupying army’s officers to come here. Of
course [interrupted].

[Alasgarov] Listen, we are not discussing this issue. Is that clear?

[MP Sabir Rustamxanli] Please don’t interrupt us. We, members of the
Azerbaijani parliament and citizens of a country at war, think that it
is a disgrace to have allowed representatives of the Armenian army,
whose hands are imbrued with Azerbaijani blood, to set foot on our
soil. This is unacceptable.

[Correspondent] The chairman of the Milli Maclis eventually had to say
his word.

[Alasgarov] They have come secretly and will leave after the first
meeting of the conference.

[Correspondent] The parliament speaker was right, they will leave. But
we will stay: elected from the occupied Qubadli and Zangilan
Districts, MP Imamverdi Ismayilov, who asks in his books whether our
lands and our houses occupied by the enemy are still there, elected
from Xocali Elman Mammadov, a representative of Cabrayil, Karam
Aliyev, and others. And us. But what has been done cannot be
undone. The Armenians have come, seen and won. Yet another time. No
matter how this is being presented to us.

Afat Telmanqizi and Azar Qarayev, ANS.

UEFA.com, Europe
June 20 2004

Henry strikes for gold

Arsenal FC striker Thierry Henry has become the first Frenchman to
win the ESM Golden Shoe award after scoring 30 goals in the 2003/04
English Premiership, a figure which gives him a total of 60 points in
the final standings.

Henry confirmed
Henry had been the favourite to pick up the award after leading the
table when most of the leagues around Europe finished at the end of
May – and his position at the top of the table was confirmed this
weekend when the Ukrainian league became the last championship of the
2003/04 European season to reach its conclusion.

Ailton in second
SV Werder Bremen striker Ailton finished second to Henry after
scoring 28 goals in the Bundesliga while Djibril Cissé grabbed third
place with 26 Ligue 1 goals for of AJ Auxerre. Both players are
changing clubs this summer, Ailton joining FC Schalke 04 and Cissé
going to Liverpool FC.

Makaay drop
Last season’s winner Roy Makaay finished seventh this time around
after moving from RC Deportivo La Coruña to FC Bayern München at the
start of the 2003/04 season while AC Milan’s Andriy Shevchenko came
highest of the Serie A contingent in fourth. Long-time leader Ara
Hakobyan, of Armenian club FC Banants who play a calendar-year
season, held on for joint ninth.

Final standings

Pos Name Club (Country) Gls Val Pts
1 Thierry Henry Arsenal FC (ENG) 30 2 60
2 Ailton SV Werder Bremen (GER) 28 2 56
3 Djibril Cissé AJ Auxerre (FRA) 26 2 52
4 Andriy Shevchenko AC Milan (ITA) 24 2 48
4 Ronaldo Real Madrid CF (ESP) 24 2 48
6 Mateja Kezman PSV Eindhoven (HOL) 31 1.5 46.5
7 Roy Makaay FC Bayern München (GER)23 2 46
7 Alberto Gilardino Parma AC (ITA) 23 2 46
9 Ara Hakobyan FC Banants (ARM) 45 1 45
9 Henrik Larsson Celtic FC (SCO) 30 1.5 45
11 Alan Shearer Newcastle Unt FC (ENG) 22 2 44
12 Luigi Pieroni Excelsior Mouscron(BEL)28 1.5 42
13 Roland Kollmann Grazer AK (AUT) 27 1.5 40.5
14 Julio Baptista Sevilla FC (ESP) 20 2 40
14 Ruud v. Nistelrooij Manchester Unt(ENG) 20 2 40
14 Martin Max FC Hansa Rostock (GER) 20 2 40
14 Francesco Totti AS Roma (ITA) 20 2 40
14 Louis Saha Fulham FC/Manchester Unt(ENG)20 2 40
19 Tor Henning Hamre FC Flora (EST) 39 1 39
20 Raúl Tamudo RCD Espanyol (ESP) 19 2 38
20 Fernando Torres Atlético de Madrid(ESP)19 2 38
20 Alexander Frei Stade Rennais FC (FRA) 19 2 38
20 Salva Málaga CF (ESP) 19 2 38
20 Javier Chevanton US Lecce (ITA) 18 2 38
20 Mista Valencia CF (ESP) 19 2 38

Last updated: 20 June 2004
Only the leading five countries (Spain, Italy, Germany, France and
England) on the UEFA Ranking have two as their multiplier. This is to
emphasise the difference in international performance level between
clubs from those countries and those from the other countries.

A player cannot first play in a summer league (eg Norway) and then in
a winter league (eg Spain) and combine the points total for each
season.

Armenian army reportedly seizes Azeri village road, residents evacuated

ANS TV, Baku
17 Jun 04

War is continuing on the contact line of the armed forces [of Armenia
and Azerbaijan]. Quoting Qazax residents [western Azerbaijan] as
saying, the Ganca bureau of ANS TV reports that the Armenian army
took control of a road leading to the village of Mazam last night.

The village has come under intensive fire. Our regional correspondent
reports that Mazam residents are being moved to safer areas. Our
correspondent Sahla Abdinova is on the scene and we are trying to
contact her.

ARAM KARAPETYAN INSULTED

A1 Plus | 17:14:09 | 16-06-2004 | Politics |

Hearing of New Times party leader Aram Karapetyan’s suit against
National Unity party chair Artaches Geghamyan and MP Alexan
Karapetyan continued on Wednesday. The suit has been filed over
libelous statements made by above-mentioned persons that damaged Aram
Karapetyan’s dignity.

The plaintiff’s attorney in the trial Levon Baghdasaryan said that
Artashes Geghamyan and Alexan Karapetyan must be charged with libeling
his client by calling him the authorities’ puppet who is dancing to
their tune and by saying his whole activity is focused on tarnishing
the opposition reputation.

The defense attorney Gagik Kostandyan objected saying the articles
published recently about Aram Karapetyan were no more than political
opinions. What has been said about Aram Karapetyan needs no proof
and the aim of this legal proceeding is obvious – to raise his rating
and to mar the opposition.

The court didn’t make any decision at its Wednesday’s session. The
date set for the next session is June 30.

The Armenian connection
By Malcolm Pein

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH(LONDON)
June 15, 2004, Tuesday

THE England number one Michael Adams put the shutters up and kept
Garry Kasparov at bay with the black pieces in round four of the
match between “Armenia” and the Rest of the World taking place in
Moscow.

Facing the English Opening, Adams chose the Hedgehog set-up and
defended patiently in a cramped position. Gradually the Cornishman
found some counterplay, which enabled him to engineer some exchanges
into a drawn position on move 45. With two games to play, the score
is 14-10 to the Rest of the World.

Loek Van Wely’s nightmare tournament continued and he was forced into
a passive position by Vladimir Akopian, who took his time before
infiltrating with his rooks to win a pawn. Boris Gelfand more than
equalised against Vishy Anand but the Indian steered the game into a
drawn rook and pawn endgame.

The contest commemorates the 75th anniversary of the late Armenian
world champion Tigran Petrosian. All the players in the Armenian team
have Armenian connections: three are Armenian nationals – Vladimir
Akopian, Smbat Lputian and Rafael Vaganian; Kasparov’s mother Klara
is Armenian, as is Peter Leko’s wife, Sophie Petrosian; Boris Gelfand
studied under Petrosian in the 1980s.

Rest of the World 3-3 Armenia. Kasparov (Armenia) draw Adams English
Opening Hedgehog, 45 moves; Lputian (Armenia) 0-1 Bacrot, Slav
4…a6, 54; Leko (Armenia) draw Svidler, Sicilian Scheveningen, 20;
Anand draw Gelfand (Armenia), Petroff, 30; Vallejo Pons draw
Vaganian, French Defence Winawer 5…Ba5, 48; Van Wely 0-1 Akopian
(Armenia), Queen’s Indian 4.g3, 65

Leko’s direct 6…Nc6 threatens Nxd4 and Van Wely finds that 7.d5 Na5
loses a pawn and 7.e3 Nxd4 works. Perhaps the odd looking 7.e4 was
playable because after 7 e4 Bb4 8.d5 is reasonable and 7.e4 d5 loses
a pawn. As played Leko seizes the initiative and wins with ease.

L Van Wely – P Leko

Armenia – ROW (3) Moscow

Queen’s Indian

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 g3 Ba6 5 Qb3 Bb7 6 Nc3 Nc6! 7 Qd1 Bb4 8
Qd3 d5 9 cxd5 Qxd5 10 Bd2 Qh5 11 Bg2 0-0-0 12 0-0 e5 13 Rac1 Nxd4 14
Nb5 Nxb5 15 Qxb5 Bxd2 16 Nxd2 Bxg2 17 Kxg2 Rxd2 18 Qa6+ Kb8 19 Rxc7
Kxc7 20 Qxa7+ Kd6 21 Qxb6+ Ke7 22 Rc1 Rhd8 0-1

Leko
p 7 p p p p e c o c
f p m p p p o p Y
p p p p p p p n b n 7 b n X n p 6 p p

Wely

Final position after 22…Rhd8

The Internet chess newspaper Chess Today reports that Alexander
Morozevich will not play the Fide Knockout in Libya later this month.
The tournament now includes only two of the world’s top 10 players.

PRESS RELEASE

Armenia Fund USA
152 Madison Ave, #803
New York, NY 10016
Contact: Lisa Markarian
Tel: 212-689-5307
Fax: 212-689-5317
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

Mgrdich Ghazarian is 54 years old. He lost his vision three years ago
due to a workplace accident. “I’ve never used a computer before in my
life, not even when I had my vision. I can’t read Braille because my
fingertips are not sensitive enough. I think I’m slower than the others
and it takes a lot of effort but I’m getting the hang of it. I can
finally get information I want without depending on my family to read to
me and I can write letters or notes that people will actually be able to
understand. I can search the internet and send emails. All this is new
to me and it’s very exciting” he says. Thanks to the efforts of Armenia
Fund USA and YCRDI this is possible.

June 15, 2004

Armenia Fund USA Helps Arev Shine for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Two years ago when Professor Arman Kuchukyan and his team of programmers
and engineers at YCRDI (Yerevan Computer Research and Development
Institute, better known as Mergelian Institute), embarked on an
experiment to create a software program that could help the blind and
visually impaired use computers. Today that experiment is a reality.
Today the blind and visually impaired in Armenia have hope for the
future. Today there is Arev.

Arev (Armenian Reader with Elocutionary Voice) is assisted technology.
It substitutes sight with sound and allows the blind and visually
impaired to be able to operate a computer just like any person with
perfect vision. Unlike other comparable software programs, Arev operates
entirely in Armenian. It is a screen-reading program that reads out
text on the screen through headphones and speakers. Whatever the screen
says, the program will read. This program will allow the blind and
visually impaired person to learn, study, and work independently.

“We asked ourselves, how could computers help the blind and visually
impaired become more independent, self-sufficient, and better integrate
into the work force and society? Those who are blind and visually
impaired are very quick learners, have amazing memories, and no trouble
understanding the computer during the one month tutorial course” says
Sargis Karapetyan, a leading engineer. And today, after much hard work
and very little money we have the only program of its kind ever created
or used in any of the former CIS countries” says Professor Kuchukyan.

With Arev the user can scan in books and articles they want to read, or
write letters and papers. They can play chess, email, and search the
web. The advantages Arev offers the blind and visually impaired in
Armenia is extensive, however the limited number of computers available
is disheartening to the students.

The Braille system for learning, reading, and writing is an important
one, but it has its limitations. Braille texts in Armenia are outdated
and worn from years of use. For individuals who become blind and
visually impaired later in their life Braille is nearly impossible to
use.

Every blind and visually impaired person in Armenia can take advantage
of Arev. The software, valued at $800, will be given free of charge to
those who are in need, however there remains the very real problem of
being able to secure computers for those individuals. “We are willing
to install the program free of charge. Every blind and visually
impaired person in Armenia can have Arev, but we can’t accommodate them
with computers and hardware. Unfortunately, we don’t have this
capability,” Professor Kucukyan said. Ideally, both Director Alexan
Aharonyan of School #14, a state funded boarding school for the blind
and visually impaired, and Professor Kuchukyan would like for every
student there to have in-school access to computers so that they may
have long term training before moving on.

This year Armenia Fund USA’s generous contributors Dr. and Mrs. Lawrence
Howard helped equip a classroom at School #14 complete with 6 computers,
2 scanners, printers, desks, chairs, and all the necessities required
such as headphones. The school currently has 120 students eight of whom
will graduate this year. Of those eight students, six will continue on
to higher education.

Arev has much to offer these bright students. And after graduating they
will have more opportunities available to them than they previously
imagined. They will be armed with the knowledge that they too have
solid, marketable skills that employers will find valuable.

“What we need to do now is organize a round-table discussion with
individuals who are willing to consider the positive effects of this new
program in Armenia. This means bringing together people from the
Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Labor, and those who might
be future employers, to help them understand how this can be of benefit
to everyone in Armenia”. Plans to expand these training programs for
the blind and visually impaired in Karabakh as well as other regions of
Armenia are currently being discussed.

While the programmers and engineers at YCRDI laid the groundwork to help
make the lives of the blind and visually impaired a little easier in
Armenia, there is still much to be done in helping to actualize their
commendable work. Thanks to Armenia Fund USA’s ongoing efforts to help
realize the work done at YCRDI, Arev can keep shining for the blind and
visually impaired who are eager to take a more active part in the
Armenian community.

Those who want to support the project can send in a 100% tax deductible
contribution to Armenia Fund USA, Inc., 152 Madison Avenue, Suite 803,
New York, NY 10016. Or, visit us on the web at
<; to make your contribution online and
learn about other Armenia Fund USA projects.

Armenia Fund USA is a non-profit 501(c)(3)organization under U.S. law,
and restricts its contributions exclusively to humanitarian aid projects
as defined and determined by the Internal Revenue Code and prevailing
rules and regulations.

Armenian general calls for new military partners, more mobile army

Ayots Ashkar, Yerevan
11 Jun 04

headlined “What kind of army do we need?”

Gen Arkadiy Ter-Tadevosyan (Komandos [Commando]) has said that
Azerbaijan has now started a process of building up its military
potential and is gradually emerging from the former period of
stagnation.

Judging from this reality, Ter-Tadevosyan thinks that as well as
preserving military and political union with Russia, Armenia should
at the same time start active moves towards military cooperation with
other powers. In future it will be necessary for us to reorganize
the army to make it much more mobile. The general said that the
whole contemporary world is moving in this direction, as it is not
fruitful to keep a big army. It is better to have comparatively small,
but mobile and technically equipped, armed forces.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT RECEIVES MEMBER OF GERMAN KfW BANK COUNCIL

ArmenPress
June 9 2004

YEREVAN, JUNE 9, ARMENPRESS: The president of Armenia Robert Kocharian
received today the delegation of Kredietenschaft fur Wiederaufbau
(KfW) bank, headed by member of KfW council Ingrid Matheus Mayer,
which arrived in Armenia within a regional visit.

The presidential press office reported that Robert Kocharian stated
with satisfaction that the program carried out in cooperation with KfW
are the most successful ones from the point of their effectiveness. He
particularly outlined the cooperation in the sphere of energy and
banking system.

According to Mrs. Mayer, the cooperation in various spheres is on
the excellent level. She said that KfW pays serious attention to the
development of small and medium business. In this regard she outlined
the importance of the German-Armenian fund’s activity. She said the
cooperation in the spheres of energy will be continued. In her words,
there is a certain interest towards the water system.