Author: Kamalian Hagop

NKR PRESIDENT CONVOKES CONSULTATION

Panorama.am
17:59 02/02/2010

On 2 February President of the Artsakh Republic Bako Sahakyan
convoked a consultation dedicated to the activities carried out by
the department of industrial infrastructures under the NKR Cabinet
of Ministers in 2009, central information department of the office
of the NKR President reported.

The head of the department Karlen Petrosyan and responsible
representatives of corresponding spheres delivered reports.

The Head of the State noted that the sphere of industrial
infrastructures was considered a key socio-economic direction for
the republic and its systemized and stable development had been in
the spotlight of the authorities.

NKR PM Ara Haroutyunyan, Deputy PM, Finance Minister Spartak Tevosyan
and other officials partook at the meeting.

ROAD CAMERAS TO APPEAR IN ARMENIA

News.am
12:12 / 02/02/2010

The Road Police department of the Police of RA intends to equip the
roads of the republic with an automat system of detection of traffic
regulations violations, RA Police press service informed NEWS.am.

These measures would allow to discover and identify the very means
of transport in the flow of the means of transport recorded in the
road cameras which have made the following violations of driving
regulations:

– violation of speed limit;

– passing under a red light;

– exit to the opposite traffic zone;

– violation of stop and parking rules;

– violation of the demands of the traffic signs;

– violation of the demands of the traffic lines.

For each violation case the corresponding data will be sent to the
center of data development where an administrative violation protocol
(containing the photographs of the means of the transport violating
the driving regulations) and a corresponding decision will be composed
and published.

To realize this project, a competition is arranged. For composing the
technical task and foreseeing the corresponding financial resources of
the mentioned competition all the organizations and firms experienced
in this field are asked to present their suggestions by February
20,2010.

Road Police Department of the Police of RA, Isakov str. 9, Yerevan,
Republic of Armenia.

Tel. (374)10564588, (374)10580424, (374)10565994, (374)77888871

Fax. (374)10564588, (374)10546790

email:[email protected], [email protected],
[email protected]

Roger Kupelian: after Genocide, the story of Vartan Mamikonian is one
of most widely known
30.01.2010 12:28 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The idea to shoot a film about Vartan Mamikonian was
born quite early on, film director Roger Kupelian said.

`I was taught the poems of Vartan when I was quite young. It was in
New Zealand, during my work on the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, that I
was able to meet some of the artisans that were able to help
facilitate shooting the first few trailers. The name `East of
Byzantium’ was not the original name, as that was arrived on after
consulting with producers here about having a project with wider
appeal. Don’t be surprised if it changes again. We’ve been through
years of development and research on many levels and it’s just a fact
that it has allowed the project to really mature and hone down to the
importance of its central story,’ he told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

`We’ve approached many smaller studios and agencies but until all the
pieces are in place it is best to keep your powder dry. As you know
Hollywood is going through a particularly tough time so getting such a
high budget film greenlit takes time. We are in the process of
attaching executive producers who will take this to the next level,’
Kupelian said.

Asked why the Avarayr Battle was chosen to be the film plot, he said,
`The short answer is: Filmmaker’s discretion. And now for the long
answer: Keep in mind that the further you step out of Armenia, the
less the Diaspora usually knows about anything dealing with Armenian
history or at least of the region. Many people are very familiar with
this story more than many others, however. After the Genocide it is
one of the most widely known.’

`This story is not about a ‘battle’ any more than Braveheart was about
one particular battle. It’s about characters, and these characters
symbolize the spectrum of challenges the Diaspora and homeland are
dealing with today. At the end of the day the decision was purely an
emotional one: If you don’t believe in your story and the importance
of telling it, this very difficult path is not worth being on. You
will face many challenges, many of them from within your own cultural
circle. To outsiders it is an exciting story similar to Gladiator. To
us it is fraught with political questions and inside squabbles. There
has to be a distance at some point when deciding to tell a story for a
wider audience,’ Kupelian said.

NALBANDIAN, DAVUTOGLU WON’T MEET IN MUNICH

Aysor
29.01.2010, 12:53

Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, who was on visit to
London for participation in conference on Afghanistan, met with his
Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu, spokesperson to the Armenian
Foreign Ministry, Tigran Balayan, said.

"Minister Nalbandian has had a short meeting with Turkey’s Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. Besides, he has met with at least 10
counterparts," said Tigran Balayan.

When asked about an upcoming meeting between Armenian and Turkish
Foreign Ministers in Munich in the framework of the conference
on safety, as it was reported to be held by some Turkey’s media,
Tigran Balayan said it is false. "There is not a visit to Munich and a
meeting with Turkey’s Foreign Minister in Mr. Nalbandian’s schedule,"
said spokesperson.

CLINTON IN CRISIS TALKS WITH ARMENIAN, TURKISH FMS

Asbarez
Jan 28th, 2010

LONDON (RFE/RL)-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has met with
her counterparts from Armenia and Turkey to discuss an intensifying
diplomatic dispute that has raised an additional obstacle to the
normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations.

Clinton met with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Wednesday
and Armenia’s Edward Nalbandian the next day on the sidelines of an
international conference held in London. She was due to hold more
talks with Davutoglu late on Thursday.

The Armenian and Turkish ministers had a separate meeting there
earlier in the day. An Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman declined
to give any details, telling RFE/RL only that the conversation was
very short and impromptu.

The Turkish Hurriyet Daily News quoted an unnamed Turkish diplomat as
saying that Davutoglu reiterated Ankara’s concerns about the Armenian
Constitutional Court’s interpretation of the normalization "protocols"
signed by the two governments in Switzerland last October. "The two
sides had the chance to review their well-known positions. There is
no change," said the diplomat.

The two top diplomats already discussed the controversy in a phone
call last week, with Davutoglu alleging that the Armenian court acted
against the letter and the spirit of the protocols despite upholding
their conformity with Armenia’s constitution. Nalbandian dismissed
the Turkish claims as "nonsense" at a news conference on Friday.

The U.S. State Department likewise disagreed with Ankara’s stance.

Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon said late last week that
Washington regards the court ruling as a "positive step forward in the
ratification process of the normalization protocols between Turkey and
Armenia" that "does not appear to limit or qualify them in any way."

"The court ruling is restrictive," Davutoglu insisted as he spoke to
Turkish journalists on his way to London on Wednesday. According to
Hurriyet he also said the Turkish government will substantiate its
claims in a legal document that will be sent to the U.S. and Swiss
governments soon.

Ankara is specifically unhappy with the court’s assertion that
the protocols place no obligations on Yerevan pertaining to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and do not commit it to stop seeking greater
international recognition of the Armenian genocide. Turkish officials
say this runs counter to a protocol clause envisaging the formation
of a Turkish-Armenian inter-government "subcommission" that would
look into the 1915 mass killings and deportations of Armenians in
the Ottoman Empire.

The Armenian side insists that the would-be panel was never supposed
to determine whether the massacres constituted genocide. It argues
that the clause in question stipulates only that the "subcommission"
shall engage in an "impartial scientific examination of historical
documents and archives."

In an interview with Turkish NTV television aired on Tuesday,
Davutoglu said his government will not take further steps towards
the protocols’ ratification by the Turkish parliament unless its
concerns are addressed by Armenia and the mediating powers. "We expect
clear explanations from Armenia regarding the Constitutional Court’s
decision," he said.

Armenian Justice Minister Gevorg Danielian made clear on Thursday that
while the authorities in Yerevan may "provide clarifications" of the
ruling they will take no steps contradicting any of its provisions.

All of those provisions are equally binding for Armenia’s government
and parliament, he said.

"If the other side comes up with a position contradicting this [court]
decision in the process of bilateral relations, then our side must
naturally refrain from those relations and act solely within the
framework of Constitutional Court rulings," added Danielian.

"AT THE WORST MAYNFORD DECLARATION WILL BE REPEATED"

Aysor.am
25.01.2010, 17:35

Today in the meeting with the journalists the ARP vice-president
Razmik Zohrabyan touched upon the trilateral meeting of D. Medvedev,
S. Sargsyan and I. Aliev and mentioned that the latter is making war
like statements saying that Karabakh issue is impossible to solve
through a peaceful way anymore, and they should take up a military way.

"For us the negotiations are also way to peace, if we negotiate then
we do not fight", – R. Zohrabyan noted.

Speaking about the expectations of the trilateral meetings the speaker
mentioned that he is going to speak about the Madrid principals.

He said that it is possible that "at the worst the Mayndorf declaration
would be repeated".

To the question whether their will be an accord signed in Sochi today
the speaker answered that today after the meeting will be announced
what results have been recorded, of this we can come to the conclusion
whether there will be any accord signed or not. Maybe there will not
be signed anything at all.

WHAT BOTHERS ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES?

A1Plus.am
25/01/10

The Heritage Party expects no significant changes from the trilateral
meeting of Presidents Serzh Sargsyan, Ilham Aliyev and Dmitri Medvedev.

No document will be signed. The parties will simply clarify their
stances. All events taking place in Armenia today are linked with
the Karabakh conflict and Armenian-Turkish relations. Similarly, the
Armenian-Turkish rapprochement is connected with the Karabakh issue,"
Heritage faction leader Armen Rustamyan told A1+.

"We needn’t go further. No European country would leave an event like
March 1, 2008, uncovered. This comes to prove that everything in our
region including all issues in Armenia are interrelated.

Armen Rustamyan is convinced that Armenian authorities care for
their legitimacy rather than for Karabakh conflict settlement. In an
attempt to secure their "inner" legitimacy, Armenian authorities have
shouldered anti-Armenian commitments and liabilities."

Armen Rustamyan is confident that Serzh Sargsyan will fail to take
the conflict regulation to its final end.

SCULPTOR TO DONATE TIME TO REPLACE DESECRATED STATUE
By Katie Schneider

Calgary Sun
Monday, January 25, 2010

The Catholic church struck by vandals who stole and desecrated its
Virgin Mary statue will soon welcome a new religious icon to its
parish, crafted with kindness by a local sculptor.

With a donation of Italian marble gifted to St. Albert the Great
Catholic Parish, sculptor Vahe Tokmajyan is handcarving a new statue
of the Virgin Mary to replace the fibreglass one stolen from the
parish’s grotto in August and found burned and handless in a ditch.

Using the original statue as a model, Tokmajyan, who hails from
Armenia and teaches sculpting and drawing as part of the University
of Calgary’s continuing education program, said he is making good
progress on the white marble replica which he began in December and
could have completed in a month.

"It’s very, very detail oriented," he said.

He said he was touched by the story when he first heard the news it
was stolen and vandalized beyond repair and knew he wanted to help.

"I thought being in Calgary … everyone should do something and be
a part of the community," he said.

"If you can be helpful, why not?"

Father Kevin Tumback said the church is grateful for the new statue
and fortunate something good came out of the bad situation.

"It’s like something horrible happened and something better is coming
out of it," he said.

Tumback said the church is consulting with security companies about
making the grotto safer.

"The reality is you can only do so much," he said.

Benjamin Donald Carr, 21, and Kyle Alexander Dejong, 19, are both
charged with theft and mischief, for an act police say was apparently
a drunken prank.

At least one of the men met with Tumback to apologize.

Armenia should clearly voice its national interests on international level
22.01.2010 18:03 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Russian President’s recent statement on Karabakh
conflict settlement and Armenian-Turkish normalization being separate
issues cannot be a guarantee that the two processes will not ever be
linked, ARFD parliamentary group member Artsvik Minasyan finds.

`The only guarantee for Armenia is to clearly voice its national
interests on international level,’ he told a joint news conference
with Republican MP Gagik Melikyan.

Agreeing with RF Premier’s statement, Mr. Melikyan noted for his part
that Turkey always attempts to link the two processes.

`The leaders of superpowers have reiterated several times that
Karabakh conflict can not bear any relationship to Armenian-Turkish
relations.’

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out in 1988
as result of the ethnic cleansing the latter launched in the final
years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from 1991 to
1994. Since the ceasefire in 1994, sealed by Armenia, Nagorno Karabakh
and Azerbaijan, most of Nagorno Karabakh and several regions of
Azerbaijan around it (the security zone) remain under the control of
NKR defense army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks
mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group up till now.

The Madrid principles contain the proposals put forward by the OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairs on the basic principles of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict settlement. The document was presented to the Armenian and
Azerbaijani representatives at the OSCE summit in the Spanish capital
in November 2007.

SAVE TEGHUT FOREST ACTIVIST ASSAULTED BY PLAINCLOTHES OFFICERS

Tert.am
13:00 ~U 22.01.10

Vardan Hovhannisyan, an activist with the Save Teghut Forest campaign,
was assaulted by a group of police officers on the evening of
January 20.

According to a statement released by the local environmental group,
at around 8 pm on that day, five men in black approached Hovhannisyan
on Nalbandyan Avenue and asked him what he was doing in the park,
to which Hovhannisyan replied that he hadn’t been in the park.

Afterwards, the men pushed and shoved the activist away from the
street and into the park, verbally assaulting him along the way.

Hovhannisyan then made a call to the police, and it was only at that
time that the officers identified themselves, with one of them saying
he was the vice-colonel and flashing his badge. When Hovhannisyan said
that he was going to call his attorney, the officers said "you can
call the president if you want," then immediately said they confused
him with someone else and left.

Minutes later, the police called Hovhannisyan and told him to come to
the station. The activist, however, not trusting the police at this
point, refrained from going and requested, instead, that officers come
to the scene. The next day, on January 21, a local journalist called
the police station to clarify the details of the story; however,
officers said that they hadn’t registered such an incident.

Save Teghut Forest has expressed its criticism for the "recent
wide-spread assaults and persecution" against civilians, demanding
that Armenian authorities take immediate steps to bring to an end
free reign and lack of punishment when it comes to police.

"We ask all activists who are assaulted to immediately call 103
emergency, 104 gas services, or even 101 fire services, instead of
102," reads the Save Teghut Forest statement.