Author: Nahapetian Lilit

MILICA LEAVES YEREVAN, PROMISES TO RETURN

Tert.am
13:16 ~U 21.01.10

Early this morning, Milica Dabovic returned to Serbia on a
Yerevan-Moscow-Belgrade flight. The Hatis Yerevan women’s basketball
team player, in speaking with ArmSport.am, said that she will most
definitely return to Armenia. Dabovic came to Armenia in November and,
in a short time, played numerous successful games.

"I played in the EuroCup with great enthusiasm, since Armenia’s
basketball fans were so welcoming… I haven’t seen that kind of
support anywhere. I was playing for the Armenian people and I will
gladly retun in the summer, so that I can continue to make people
happy," said Dabovic.

NATIONAL PRESS CLUB CONDEMNS VERDICT AGAINST PASHINYAN

news.am
Jan 20 2010
Armenia

National press club issued a statement voicing its indignation over
the verdict of conviction against Haykakan Zhamanak daily chief editor
Nikol Pashinyan.

"Accusations of fomenting unrests are nothing but an execution of the
right on having beliefs under the Human rights declaration article
19, adherence to them, getting and spreading ideas by journalist,
for which Nikol Pashinyan will pay with 7 years of his life," the
statement reads. The verdict aims at filling the journalists with
dread towards the professional activities and deepening of censorship,
the authors add.

Yesterday, Jan.19, the verdict against oppositional Haykakan Zhamanak
daily chief editor Nikol Pashinyan was delivered in the Nork-Marash
district court. He was accused of organization of mass unrests and
use of force against a policeman.

Pashinyan was acquitted by the court under RA Criminal Code article 316
(use of force against authority), however he was sentenced to seven
years’ imprisonment under the 255 article (organization of mass riots).

PRESIDENT SARGSYAN MEETS MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS

armradio.am
20.01.2010 16:56

President Serzh Sargsyan today received the Co-Chairs of the OSCE
Minsk Group, Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia), Bernard Fassier (France)
and Robert Bradtke (USA), and the Personal Representative of the
OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Andrzej Kasprzyk. Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian was present at the meeting.

The interlocutors discussed the current stage of the process of
settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Reference was made
to issues of future high-level meetings, President’s Press Office
reported.

Trend, Azerbaijan
Jan 15 2010

Signing road map between Azerbaijan and Turkey is still urgent: MP
15.01.2010 18:04
Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan.15 / Trend News, A.Huseynbala /

Azerbaijani MP believes signing "Road map" between Azerbaijan and
Turkey is necessary.

"The proposal for signing the "Road map" between Azerbaijan and Turkey
is still urgent. This document is required for taking joint adequate
steps by countries in unexpected situations occurring in the region
and worldwide," the member of the committee on security and defence of
the Milli Majlis, Zahid Oruj told Trend News today.

Signing "Road map" between Turkey and Azerbaijan was offered at one of
the meeting of the Azerbaijani Parliament’s autumn session in 2009.

According to Oruj, one of the regulations of the "Road map" should be
related to advancing Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to
the forefront in Turkey’s policy.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. – are
currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. General Assembly’s
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the
occupied territories.

"This document should reflect Azerbaijan’s obligations on recognition
of Turkey’s interests," he said.

ARMENIAN CHESS PLAYERS WIN 5TH PLACE AND INDIVIDUAL MEDALS AT WORLD TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

PanARMENIAN.Net
15.01.2010 19:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian chess players came 5th at World Team Chess
Championship 2009 in Bursa, with 10 (17,5) points to their score.

Armenian team members showed good results, winning individual medals:
Levon Aronian (silver medal) Vladimir Hakobyan, Gabriyel Sargsyan
and Arman Pashikyan (bronze medals).

The World Team Championship was established in 1985 and is being held
in four year cycles. It was first planned that the event be played
in Lucerne for keeps, but recently this idea has been dropped. Due
to instability of the results produced by the Swiss system adopted
at the Olympiads the World Team Championship was scheduled to be
an invitational round robin event. Only ten teams qualify; the
invitation rules varied over decades evolving to the following
contemporary formula: the host team, three top teams from recent
Olympiad, four continental champions, winners of Women’s Olympiad
and one invited team.

At the Championship, Armenian National Team won bronze in 1997,
2001 and 2005.

RUSSIA CALLS ON TURKEY AND ARMENIA TO CEMENT TIES

Turkish Press
Jan 15 2010

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is holding contacts in the
Armenian capital Yerevan. He was received by his Armenian counterpart
Edward Nalbandyan on Thursday, January 14.

Lavrov said that Russia is interested in normalizing relationship
between Turkey and Russia, adding that the sooner that happens, the
better for the whole region.

Armenian Foreign Minister Nalbandyan stated that they hope Ankara
would ratify the protocols that stipulate reopening of the border.

Turkey and Armenia agreed to establish diplomatic ties and reopen
their land border closed by Ankara in 1993 by signing protocols in
October 2008. The protocols need parliamentary ratification, and
Turkey links the step to constructive steps by Armenia on the Upper
Karabakh issue, a conflict with Turkish ally Azerbaijan.

Armenian Constitutional Court had opened the way for ratification by
the Parliament by deciding that the protocols comply with the
Constitution.

However, Armenia opposes Turkey’s conditioning the improvement of
relations to a progress in the Upper Karabakh issue.

PURCHASE AND SALE TRANSACTIONS OF .22 MILLION CONDUCTED AT NASDAQ OMX ARMENIA OJSC ON JANUARY 14

NoyanTapan
Jan 14, 2010

YEREVAN, JANUARY 14, NOYAN TAPAN. Purchase and sale transactions of
.22 million at the weighted average exchange rate of 377.29 drams
per dollar were conducted at Nasdaq OMX Armenia OJSC on January 14.

According to the press service of the Central Bank of Armenia, the
closing price was 377.2 drams.

ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR AVET ADONTS MEETS WITH NETHERLANDS’ MINISTER FOR DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION ALBERT KOENDERS

NoyanTapan
Jan 14, 2010

AMSTERDAM, JANUARY 14, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenian Ambassador to Belgium
and the Netherlands Avet Adonts on January 13 had a meeting with the
Netherlands’ Minister for Development Cooperation Albert Koenders.

During the talk, the minister spoke about the ongoing reforms in EU
bodies, underlining the urgency of updating bilateral and multilateral
relations of the European Union and partner states in parallel with
this process. When discussing the active cooperation of the Netherlands
and Armenia in the sphere of his responsibility – the implementation
of projects financed by the World Bank and the International Monetary
Fund, as well as in customs sector, A. Koenders proposed reviewing the
use of the available resources and program implementation instruments
to ensure greater efficiency.

The RA MFA Press and Information Department reported that at the
request of A. Koenders, A. Adonts presented Armenia’s economic policy
and government programs on stabilization and diversification of the
country’s economy.

ARMENIA TO TAKE PART IN XVII INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR EXHIBITION ‘BOOKS OF BELARUS 2010’

ArmInfo
2010-01-13 18:57:00

ArmInfo. Armenia will take part in XVII International Book Fair
Exhibition "Books of Belarus 2010" to be held in Minsk, Belarus,
Feb 10-14 2009.

The head of the Book Publishing Agency of Armenia Edward Militonyan
says that over 100 books will be presented during the exhibition:
encyclopedias, arm albums, books on Armenian art and culture.

Armenia may also take part in Salon du Livre, an exhibition gathering
several thousands of authors and editors every year. In 2009 the
exhibition gave a special pavilion to outstanding Armenian poet
Eghishe Charents.

"Participation in international exhibitions stimulates the interest in
Armenian books and fosters contacts with foreign editors. For example,
after last year’s Salon du Livre a number of French editors expressed
wish to publish certain Armenian authors," says Militonyan.

In 2009 Armenia took part in 10 international book exhibitions. While
Russian readers are mostly interested in Armenian history, book lovers
in Paris and Frankfurt give preference to modern Armenian writing.

Albums featuring the lives of well-known Armenian artists and sculptors
are also very popular abroad and are therefore published not only in
Armenian but also in Russian, English and French.

CHARLES AZNAVOUR RECORDED NEW SONG IN ARMENIAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.01.2010 16:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ World famous chansonnier Charles Aznavour along
with his sister Seda Garvarents recorded a song in Armenian Im Yare
( "My sweetheart"), independent French journalist Jean Eckian told
PanARMENIAN.Net.

This is the second song Aznavour writes in his native language.

Previously, he wrote the famous song of Sayat-Nova "Ashharums"
("I my world").

Charles Aznavour was born in Paris on May 22, 1924, the son of Armenian
immigrants from Turkey. His artistic parents introduced him to the
world of theater at an early age. He dropped out of school at the
age of nine, already aspiring to the life of an artist. He began to
perform at this time, and soon took the stage name "Aznavour". His
big break came when the singer Edith Piaf heard him sing and arranged
to take him with her on tour in France and to the U.S.

Aznavour’s voice is shaded towards the tenor range, but possesses the
low range and coloration more typical of a baritone, contributing to
his unique sound.

Often described as the "Frank Sinatra of France", Aznavour sings
mostly about love. He has written musicals and about a thousand songs,
and made more than one hundred records. Aznavour speaks and sings in
many languages, which has helped him perform at Carnegie Hall and
other major venues around the world. He also recorded at least one
song from the 18th century poet Sayat Nova, in Armenian.

In 1974 Aznavour became a major success in the UK where his song "She"
went to Number One in the charts. At 85, Aznavour is in excellent
health, although admittedly 60 years on stage have made him "a little
hard of hearing". He still sings in multiple languages and without
persistent use of teleprompters, but typically sticks to just two
or three (French and English being the primary two, with Spanish or
Italian being the third) during most concerts. On 30 September 2006,
Aznavour performed a major concert in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia
to start off the cultural season "Armenie mon amie" in France.

In 1998, Charles Aznavour was chosen as Entertainer of the Century by
CNN and users of Time Online from around the globe. He was recognized
as the century’s outstanding performer, with nearly 18 per cent of
the total vote, edging out Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan. He has sung
for presidents, popes, and royalty, as well as at humanitarian events,
and is the founder of the charitable organization Aznavour for Armenia.