Author: Karagyozian Lena

SYRIAN PRESIDENT TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA ON TWO-DAY OFFICIAL VISIT ON JUNE 17

Noyan Tapan
June 16, 2009

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, NOYAN TAPAN. The President of the Arab Republic of
Syria Bashar Al-Assad and Mrs Asma Al-Assad will arrive in Armenia
on June 17 on a two-day official visit at the invitation of President
of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan.

Following the welcome ceremony at the President’s residence
Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Bashar Al-Assad will have a tete-a-tete
meeting. Then official deligations’ meeting in an enlarged staff
will be held, following which a number of intergovernmental and
interdepartmental documents will be signed.

The leaders of Armenia and Syria will give a joint press conference.

In the evening of June 17 President Serzh Sargsyan and Mrs Rita
Sargsyan will give an official dinner in honor of the Syrian President
Bashar Al-Assad and Mrs. Asma Al-Assad.

According to RA President’s Press Office, within the framework of the
visit Bashar Al-Assad will have meetings with Speaker of the National
Assembly Hovik Abrahamian, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsian and will
be hosted by Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II.

The opening ceremony of the Armenian-Syrian business forum will take
place on June 18 with the participation of the Presidents of Armenia
and Syria.

During the stay in Armenia, President Basdhar Al-Assad will visit
Matenadaran.

The President of Syria will leave Armenia on June 18.

The east comes to the biennale
By Jackie Wullschlager

FT
June 13 2009 02:51

If McQueen’s Giardini and Nauman’s `Topological Gardens’ announce
closing time in the gardens of the west, the east is hammering on the
global gate and Venice, nexus of ancient trade routes and a city
dripping with oriental reference, is a piquant backcloth. This year
sees the strongest ever presence of Middle Eastern and south-west Asian
states, including offerings by Palestine and the United Arab Emirates,
Mona Hatoum’s solo exhibition and noteworthy national pavilions.

I loved Eygpt’s `Lightly Monumental’. Solemnly vertical abstracted
paintings of everyday Cairo types ` dressmaker, barber, mother and shy
teenage son ` in a luminous gold and black tonality reveal Adel El Siwi
as a figural painter of Modigliani-like grace, while enormous,
pared-down palm leaf sculptures ` `The Worshippers’, `The Lovers’, `The
Bread Peddlar’ ` by Ahmed Askalany captivate with their lightness of
being and tread a defiant line between classical sculpture and folk
art.

As distinctive, and lit by a dovetailing of east-west traditions, is
the retrospective of Armenian painter Gayane Khachaturian, who died
last month, at the lovely Palazzo Zenobio: though a fantastical
storyteller ` silvery lute player, red-haired jugglers ` Khachaturian
is also as abstract and tragic in her use of colour and form as her
countryman Arshile Gorky.

Hers is an individualistic, sincerely expressive art, unfashionable at
international biennales but finding a place in the diversity of
off-site Venice. So too, for different reasons, with Palestine c/o
Venice on the tranquil Giudecca island: its achievement is to be here
at all. The title implies the chronic impermanence faced by Palestinian
artists; the work mirrors that instability and marginality. Taysir
Batniji’s `Hannoun’ is a large floor of pencil shavings. Shadi
HabibAllah’s doodled figures animated on a pale screen is called `ok,
hit, hit but don’t run’. Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti’s sound piece
entraps visitors in a claustrophobic padded cell. Small statements,
each speaks forcefully in the context of Jawad Al Malhi’s panoramic
photograph of a West Bank settlement `House No 197′, and Khalil Rabah’s
A Geography: 50 Villages ` 3rd Riwaq Biennale, a film accompanied by 50
help-yourself postcards giving precise identity to Palestinian
villages. The place was packed, there was a rush on the postcards, and
reactions were more animated than almost anywhere else in Venice.

Exhibitions run throughout the summer

FRENCH DEPUTY TO SUPPORT NKR’S INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

Noyan Tapan
June 11, 2009

STEPANAKERT, JUNE 11, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On June 8,
deputies of the NKR National Assembly met with deputy of French
National Assembly, Chairman of the Armenian-French Friendship Group
Francois Rochbluan at the NKR parliament. NKR Foreign Ministry
representatives also took part in the meeting.

Greeting the deputy, NKR NA Speaker Ashot Ghulian said that
F. Rochbluan has always been among Artsakh’s friends and supported
Karabakh people’s fight for freedom and independence.

The French deputy, who is visiting NKR for already the third time,
in his turn, said that it is a pleasant surprise for him to see the
changes in Karabakh. In his words, these changes "obviously confirm
that a strong development has taken place in various spheres lately."

Francois Rochbluan said that one must not cast doubt on Nagorno
Karabakh people’s self-determination right and expressed readiness to
continue supporting NKR’s international recognition. At the same time
he said that it is necessary to provide true information on Nagorno
Karabakh to the international community.

U.S DISTRICT COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF GENOCIDE CURRICULUM IN MASSACHUSETTS

200 9/06/11 | 15:37

Region

The Armenian Assembly of America (AAA) reports that U.S. District
Court Chief Judge Mark Wolf today ruled in favor of the Massachusetts
Department of Education, allowing it to continue teaching the
facts of the Armenian Genocide, and other crimes against humanity,
in public schools across the state as constitutionally protected
government speech.

"The Armenian Assembly appreciates the court’s ruling in this
matter. It sends a clear message to Turkey and its revisionist allies
that history cannot be rewritten to further Ankara’s state-sponsored
denial campaign," said AAA Board of Trustees Chairman Hirair
Hovnanian. Carolyn Mugar, the Board’s President, added, "Given
the overwhelming historical and legal evidence documenting the
incontestable fact of the Armenian Genocide, this ruling is a victory
for all those concerned about genocide education and prevention."

The court’s ruling preserves the teaching of accurate history,
which is part of the official "Massachusetts Guide to Choosing and
Using Curricular Materials on Genocide and Human Rights," prepared in
1999. In 2005, the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA),
along with others, filed the suit against the Department of Education
arguing that the Commonwealth violated the plaintiffs’ First Amendment
rights by removing materials from the curriculum that deny the events
of 1915.

In an unprecedented move, the plaintiffs attempted to use the federal
courts to argue a tired and discredited practice that the "other side"
of the story should be taught.

"In light of the fact that Turkey criminalizes honest discussion
of the Armenian Genocide, it is especially ironic that Turkish
denialists turned to U.S. courts in an attempt to twist freedom of
speech in America," stated Assembly Board of Trustees Counselor Van
Krikorian. "Even though the court viewed this case ‘in the light
most favorable to plaintiffs,’ it still ruled in favor of truth,
history and the U.S. Constitution. The sooner Turkey comes to terms
with its past, the better it will be for everyone."

RELATIONS ARE DEEPENING

A1+
03:24 pm | June 10, 2009

Official

Serzh Sargsyan visited the Russian Embassy in Armenia on the occasion
of the National Day of the Russian Federation-the adoption of the
Declaration on State Sovereignty.

President Sargsyan noted in his congratulatory speech: "I’m glad that
our relations are gradually improving.

During the meeting with the President of Russia a few days ago we
once again stressed that our relations are deepening month by month,
year by year."

"I wish prosperity and further strength to Russia. I have always
believed and I do believe that the stronger Russia is, the stronger
Armenia will be," said Serzh Sargsyan.

EXPERTS’ GROUP ON DEFENSE SYSTEM REVISION IS IN ARMENIA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
10.06.2009 16:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On June 10 RA Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan met US
and British experts’ group on strategic revision of defense system in
Armenia, RA Defense Ministry Press Secretary, Seyran Shakhsouvaryan
reported to PanARMENIAN.Net. Parties discussed the work fulfilled
during 1st and 2nd stages of strategic revision, and scheduled future
activities. Seyran Ohanyan emphasized the importance of strategic
revision and thanked the experts for collaboration.

UNDER NKR PRESIDENT BAKO SAHAKIAN’S JUNE 9 DECREE, YURI BABAYAN AWARDED GRATITUDE MEDAL

NOYAN TAPAN
JUNE 10, 2009
STEPANAKERT

Under NKR President Bako Sahakian’s June 9 decree, Yuri Babayan,
Merited Coach of Armenia, free-style wrestling coach at Yerevan Olympic
State Sports College, was awarded Gratitude medal for his services in
development of physical culture and sport in Nagorno Karabakh and on
the occasion of his 80th birth anniversary. Noyan Tapan was informed
about it by the NKR President’s Press Office.

AZERI AND FRENCH FMS START CONSULTATIONS IN PARIS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
09.06.2009 19:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Tomorrow’s meeting will focus on French
parliamentarian Francoise Rucshbuyon’s visit to Nagorno Karabakh and
his statement against Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

"During the meeting tomorrow, official Paris be notified of
Azerbaijan’s disapproval of French parliamentarian’s visit to NKR,"
Azerbaijan’s MFA Press Secretary Elkhan Polukhov said.

Leader of Azeri delegation Rakhman Mustafaev who also heads a Foreign
Ministry department, will raise the issue and voice Azerbaijan’s
demand on impermissibility of such facts. Even though consultations
were scheduled long ago, there have been recommendations to raise
the question during the meeting, Polukhov said.

Diplomat also noted that Azerbaijani Embassy to France continued
clearing up the matter. "Considering it’s a long process, receiving
official response was thought to take a long time. That’s why Rakhman
Moustavfaev was recommended to voice Azerbaijan’s stance during the
meeting," Azeri Press reports.

RAFFI HOVHANNISYAN CALLS ON DASHNAKTSUTYUN AND CONGRESS TO UNITE

LRAGIR.AM
16:10:56 – 08/06/2009

The parliamentary member from the Heritage parliamentary faction
Raffi Hovhanisyan called on the Armenian National Congress and
the ARF Dashnaktsutyun to unite. Raffi Hovhannisyan noted that the
"separate flags" in the oppositional field should be laid down and
the opposition should unite under one flag. Raffi Hovhannisyan stated
that he would agree that the Heritage, the ARF Dashnaktsutyun and the
HAK launch a series of consultation, each of them should start from
analyzing its mistakes. He stated that the communication between the
oppositional political forces is needed.

Dwelling on the Yerevan Mayor election, Hovhannisyan stated that
it was predetermined. "The Yerevan Mayor election was inhumane,
anti-Armenian and did not correspond to the expectations of our
people", noted Hovhannisyan.

BARONESS CAROLINE COX VISITS NAGORNO-KARABAKH

Panorama.am
16:47 08/06/2009

On 8 June President of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan received
the U.K. House of Lords’ deputy speaker Baroness Caroline Cox and
the delegation chaired by her, NKR President’s Administration reports.

Baroness Cox says every time she visits Artsakh she becomes inspired
by positive changes in Artsakh.

At the instance of the guests Bako Sahakayn introduced current
situation and development prospects of different spheres of
economy. Issues related to the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh
conflict were touched upon too.

According to the President international recognition of NKR’s state
independence in a matter of time and the main mechanisms to achieve it
is persistent development of the Artsakh statehood and strengthening
democratic values.

At the end of the meeting the President expressed his gratitude to
the guests for their continued attention and assistance to Artsakh.