Presidents Of Armenia, Azerbaijan Met In Munich

PRESIDENTS OF ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN MET IN MUNICH

armradio.am
23.11.2009 13:16

The Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham
Aliyev met in Munich on November 22. The Munich meeting was the six
this year within the framework of the process of negotiations on the
settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia),
Bernard Fassier (France) and Robert Bradtke (USA), the Personal
Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Andrzej Kasprzyk, as
well as the Foreign Ministers of the two countries, Edward Nalbandian
and Elmar Mammadyarov participated in the meeting. The talks later
continued face-to face.

During the meeting at the French Consulate that lasted about four
hours the parties continued the discussion of issues related to the
peaceful and comprehensive settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

The Presidents instructed their foreign ministers to continue working
with the Co-Chairs on these matters. As a next step, the Co-Chairs are
organizing a working session with the two ministers in advance of the
OSCE Ministerial Council, which will take place December 1-2 in Athens.

The Co-Chairs assessed the meeting as constructive and emphasized
that there was no military solution to the Karabakh issue and there
was no alternative to the negotiations.

BAKU: Turkish reporter denies her controversial statement on NK

AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
Nov 19 2009

Turkish reporter denies her controversial statement on Garabagh

19-11-2009 06:08:20
The Turkish journalist who has visited Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh, an
Azerbaijani region under Armenian occupation, has dismissed Armenian
media reports that quoted her as saying that the region is Armenian
land, an allegation that has drawn ire from Azerbaijan.
Nagehan Alci, a writer for the Akhsham newspaper, speaking in
Istanbul, told Radio Liberty’s Armenian service that she had not said
Upper Garabagh is `100 percent Armenian land.’
According to Alci, her interview with the separatist regime’s public
television channel had been distorted.
`I said we had come there to see and cover what’s going on. We
witnessed that, today, this is an Armenian land, an Armenian country,
because 100 percent of its population are Armenians. Though it is not
internationally recognized, there is an Armenian government there
today,’ the reporter alleged.
Alci added that the TV channel employees cut out the word `today’ from
her statement, trying `to hide which tense she was talking in.’
Following the journalist’s visit to the occupied territories without
Baku’s authorization, she was included in the list of `personas non
grata.’ But the Akhsham editorial office has assured it had not
instructed Alci to visit the region.
Upper Garabagh is an historical Azerbaijani territory. Armenians were
settled there in the early 19th century. Azerbaijan and Armenia have
been locked in conflict over the mountainous region for over a decade.
OSCE-brokered peace talks kicked off after a lengthy war that ended
with the signing of a shaky cease-fire in 1994. Armenia continues to
occupy Upper Garabagh and seven adjacent Azerbaijani districts in
defiance of international law.*

3rd Annual IT Competitiveness Conference to take place in Yerevan

3rd Annual Armenian IT Competitiveness Conference to take place in Yerevan

armradio.am
21.11.2009 10:41

The USAID-funded Competitive Armenian Private Sector (CAPS) Project
will host the 3rd Annual Armenian Information Technology (IT)
Conference on November 24 in Yerevan. The event is being organized in
collaboration with industry representatives, including the Ministry of
Economy, Armenian Development Agency, Microsoft Armenia, Enterprise
Incubator Foundation, D-Link, Arminco and IT business associations,
and aims to bring the industry together on pressing issues.

Despite the declines in sales and investment due to the global
economic crisis, the Armenian IT industry had a number of achievements
during the past year, such as improved tax and customs procedures as a
result of successful public private sector cooperation; entrance of
the third mobile operator into the telecommunication market, number of
local and regional IT expos and forums securing business deals for
Armenian IT firms; and ArmTech Congress in Silicon Valley showcasing
Armenia’s high tech capabilities in one of world’s largest high tech
economic centers.

While in light of the latest political and economic developments, the
conference aims to analyze the current opportunities and challenges
and define IT industry priorities for the future. The conference will
raise and seek solutions to Armenia’s telecommunication sector
development, will highlight how academic partnerships can result in
competitive educational curricula, and how the creation of venture
capital funds can support the development and expansion of high tech
businesses.

`The competitiveness of the Armenian IT industry is highly dependant
on a fast transfer of new technologies into the country, adoption of
international best practice, availability of Armenian information and
creation of a sound educational environment. The conference provides
an excellent opportunity to bring the cluster together to discuss ways
for improved management of these processes,’ Armen Abrahamyan, CAPS IT
Cluster Coordinator says.

Instanbul Singer Brings Her Inspirational Story To Corvallis

INSTANBUL SINGER BRINGS HER INSPIRATIONAL STORY TO CORVALLIS
By Nancy Raskauskas,

Corvallis Gazette Times
Nov 19 2009
Oregon

CORVALLIS — Ankine Ugur, a well-known singer from Istanbul, Turkey,
will share her irrepressible and charismatic style of music at a
concert this Friday in Corvallis .

Ankine has performed an old vaudeville style of music called Kanto
for more than 30 years in Turkey.

An unlikely star, she refused to let the conservative culture in her
predominantly Islamic homeland hold her back from her dreams of being
a singer.

Complicating matters, she is a Christian of Armenian heritage. It’s
a fact she hid from most people — including her husband’s Muslim
family for many years — going by the stage name "Aysun Isik."

A few years ago, she was able to reveal her true identity to her many
fans , and since has been on tour to Germany and the subject of a
documentary filmed in 2008.

Ankine will perform traditional Turkish music and Kanto with
Eugene-based Ala Nar and guest dancer Salome at 9:30 p.m. Friday, Nov.

20, at Cloud 9 in Corvallis. Admission is $5.

Corvallis audiences can thank the strong bond between Ankine and
her husband, Omer, and their only son, Arda, for their chance to see
her perform.

Arda, a structural engineer, moved to Eugene in 2005.

Ankine and Omer first visited Oregon a year ago, when Arda and his
wife had their first child, a daughter they named Azra Ankine. The
proud grandparents came back for another visit recently and will be
in Eugene through January.

"My mother has always been very enthusiastic about her music," Arda
said. He agreed to translate an interview with Ankine, who does not
speak English.

"Arda is our only son, and we always had strong family ties," Ankine
said. "Before our first visit, Arda had been living in the States
for three years and seeing him again was a mix of a lot of emotions:
happiness, excitement and a lot of tears."

While visiting this year, Ankine attended a show by Ala Nar.

Leigh Ann Starcevich, a Corvallis musician who plays saz with the
Eugene-based band, recalled seeing Ankine singing along at a recent
concert.

"We were wondering, ‘who is this woman?’" she said.

Ankine was equally surprised to find a group playing Turkish music
in Oregon.

"I was very, very surprised and excited. It made me extremely happy to
see a group of talented Americans who play our music and traditional
instruments, sing our songs in this part of the world," Ankine said.

"I was thrilled. At the end of their concert I met with Leigh Ann,
and that’s how our acquaintance started."

Ankine was persuaded to join Ala Nar for several upcoming concerts
in Corvallis and Eugene. In the meantime, she’s taught the group a
thing or two.

"I found Ala Nar very entertaining when I first listened to them,"
Ankine said. "When I rehearsed with them for the first time, I
introduced some songs they were not familiar with and some songs they
had not performed at their concert but that they were familiar with."

"Most of these songs were old and classic Istanbul songs. On the
other hand, I introduced them to my genre of Kanto, which they seem to
enjoy playing," she added. "I will be sharing a mix of Turkish music,
which mainly consists of classic Istanbul songs and authentic Kanto,
at our upcoming Eugene and Corvallis shows."

"She really whipped us into shape," Starcevich said. "She is such a
charismatic performer. What you see on stage is how she always sings.

This music is such a part of how she thinks and breathes and lives."

Ankine had no problem giving up part of her vacation to the U.S. to
perform with Ala Nar.

"No, I do not mind at all," she said. "On the contrary, I enjoy it
very much, and I appreciate the opportunity to meet and perform with
such talented musicians. I am so lucky that I am able to perform in
the U.S. after Germany and my home country Turkey."

Ankine was 25 years old when she started her professional singing
career. She competed in five major singing competitions in Turkey,
and placed first in four of them and second in the other.

"That was absolutely one of the highlights in my career," she said.

Last year, during Ramadan 2008, she performed Kanto in Berlin,
Germany. During the tour, she had interviews with top newspapers and TV
channels from Turkey which are also published and broadcast in Germany.

She was also the subject of a documentary on her personal and
professional life called "Hayatin Ritmi: Aksak" directed by Yasin Ali
and translated by Bob Beer. The film received an award last year from
the Turkish National Television and Radio Network.

"As I look back at my 31 years of performing, the thing that I am
most proud of is my role of keeping authentic Kanto alive and doing
this without taking the easy way out by performing popular music,"
Ankine said, adding that she is also proud of "successfully preserving
my family and marriage."

"As long as I recieve offers and get opportunities to perform Kanto I
wish to continue singing Kanto whether I am in Turkey or the U.S.,"
she said. "As you would appreciate, authentic arts such as Kanto is
a dying part of our culture."

CHECK IT OUT WHO: Ala Nar with Istanbul Kanto singer Ankine and
dancer Salome

WHAT: Traditional Turkish music and Kanto

WHEN: 9:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20

WHERE: Cloud 9, 126 S.W. First St., Corvallis

COST: $5.

INFO: or

KANTO

The word "kanto" comes from the word "cantare" in Italian, which
means "to sing," and it was adopted from an Italian vaudeville that
was visiting Istanbul in late 1800s. From the early 1900s to the
first years of the Republic (1930s), Kanto was the most important
entertainment element of Istanbul’s night life. In fact, introduction
of the western musical instruments into Turkish music started with
Kanto. Back then, it was forbidden for Muslim women to take to the
stage and sing, therefore most of the kanto singers were non-Muslim
women, particularly Armenians.

www.ala-nar.com
www.myspace.com/alanarmusic.

RPA Considers Opposition Leader’s Statement Incapable Of Changing Po

RPA CONSIDERS OPPOSITION LEADER’S STATEMENT INCAPABLE OF CHANGING POLITICAL SITUATION

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
20.11.2009 20:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) has always
attached importance to pro-Government and pro-opposition forces’
cooperation over problems faced by Armenia," Vice Chair of RPA faction
Galust Sahakyan told a news conference in Yerevan.

However, touching upon Armenian National Congress leader Levon
Ter-Petrosyan’s statement on cooperation with authorities, he didn’t
consider it something serious.

BAKU: Turkey-Armenia Rapprochement To Contribute To Nagorno-Karabakh

TURKEY-ARMENIA RAPPROCHEMENT TO CONTRIBUTE TO NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT RESOLUTION, CE GENERAL SECRETARY

Trend
Nov 19 2009
Azerbaijan

The Council of Europe hopes rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia
will contribute to resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, General
Secretary Thorbjorn Jagland said at a press conference following
the hand-over ceremony of the Committee of Ministers chairmanship to
Switzerland today.

He said the Council of Europe is ready to assist the parties in the
rapprochement process.

"As to rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia, the Council of Europe
will do anything to assist the parties in the issue," Jagland said.

"No party turned to us in this regard. Both parties are Council of
Europe members, and this fact is important for these countries, as
well as for entire process. I welcome this rapprochement and hope it
will create an opportunity to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict."

Under-21 Armenia 4 — Republic Of Ireland 1

UNDER-21 ARMENIA 4 — REPUBLIC OF IRELAND 1

Sport News
November 17, 2009 Tuesday 3:03 PM BST

The Republic of Ireland Under continued their winless run in Group 2
of the Under-21 European Championship as Henrik Mkhitaryan plundered
a hat-trick to fire Armenia to a comfortable win in front of their
own fans.

Led for the first time by MK Dons midfielder Stephen Gleeson, the
Republic fell behind to Mkhitaryan’s opener after half-an-hour’s play.

Mkhitaryan made it 2-0 to the hosts in the 61st minute before
Plymouth’s Cillian Sheridan gave his side a lifeline four minutes
later, turning in James O’Shea’s cross.

Armenia continued to enjoy the best of the game, though, and
re-established a two-goal gap through Hovhaness Goharyan’s 20-yard
strike with 15 minutes to play.

Mkhitaryan slotted in a fourth, and his third, with an 82nd-minute
penalty.

The Republic now sit bottom of Group 2, swapping places with their
opponents, with just four points from six games.

Azeri Lobbyist Fundraises For Krekorian Opponent

AZERI LOBBYIST FUNDRAISES FOR KREKORIAN OPPONENT
By Ara Khachatourian

Christine Essel (L) and Paul Krekorian (R)
Nov 18th, 2009

LOS ANGELES-With less than three weeks left to the Los Angeles City
Council run-off elections between Paul Krekorian and Christine Essel,
Asbarez has obtained an email from a leading Azeri lobbyist asking
for support and donations for the Essel campaign.

Jason Katz, who is the principal of The Tool Shed Group, a strategic
communications, business development and public affairs company,
has received $35,000 to lobby for the government of Azerbaijan and
shows the Consulate General of Azerbaijan as a client in documents
filed in the US Justice Department.

In his Nov. 13 email, which is signed by him and clearly states
his affiliation with The Tool Shed Group, Katz urges recipients to
contribute to the Essel campaign.

"I can tell you with no reservation that Chris Essel understands the
needs of the business community and the public and navigates these
communities and issues, often at odds with one another, with a smart,
fair and pragmatic approach," said Katz in his email.

"I can also tell you from direct and personal experience that none
of these things can be said of her opponent in this race," added Katz.

This past February, Katz drafted a letter, which was circulated to
California State Assembly and Senate members and signed by only one
member, expressing sympathy to Azeri president Ilham Aliyev for "the
victims of the Khojali tragedy." Azerbaijan claims Armenian soldiers
massacred Azeri citizens in Khojaly during its war in the early 90s
against the newly independent Armenian Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Essel’s opponent Assemblyman Paul Krekorian worked to prevent
legislators from signing the Azeri letter by alerting his colleagues
about the falsehoods contained in it. The lone signatory, Assemblyman
Felipe Fuentes, by Fuentes was hailed by the Azeri Consulate as a
hero and victory for Azerbiajan.

In October, Katz authored an opinion piece in Turkey’s Today’s Zaman,
in which he painted Armenia as an aggressor and called on the US to
focus its alliances with Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Last month, Essel issued an appeal to the Armenian-American community
after the Azeri press reported that she attended a fund-raiser by
"Turkic-Americans."

"While it is true that I was a guest at a gathering hosted by a
Turkish-American, my stance on the Armenian Genocide is unwavering. It
is, and always has been, my position that the genocide of the Armenians
from 1915 to 1918, like other atrocities, must be recognized as
historical fact," Essel said in her appeal.

On October 17, LA-based millionaire and Turkish community leader Mike
Mustafoglu and his wife, Demetra George hosted a champagne brunch at
their Beverly Hills home. News reports following the event indicated
that it was sponsored by a "Pax Turcica," an umbrella organization
for Turkish groups that includes the Assembly of Turkish-American
Associations, the Azerbaijani-American Council and Turkish Coalition
of America, among others.

An invitation letter authored by Dr. Javid Huseynov of Pax Turcica
read: "Turkic-American support for Chris Essel is of greatest
importance, especially due to her runoff election against Assemblyman
Paul Krekorian."

"As a community, we must stand up in support of Chris Essel and not
let the ethnophobic policies poison the Los Angeles City Council,"
continued Huseynov in his letter, at the end of which he urges
individuals who could not attend the event to contribute to Essel’s
campaign.

Essel’s campaign manager Tom Berman stressed to Asbarez at the time
that he event was a campaign "meet and greet," adding that there were
no funds raised at the event.

During a meeting with Armenian-American community leaders earlier this
month, Essel was asked to return any donations she may have received
from Turkish or Azeri Americans.

The most recent financial report filed by the Essel camp showed the
receipt of donations from – Ergun Kirkolavi, president of the Assembly
of Turkish American Associations, as well as from Katz and his wife.

Armenian Nuclear Power Station Will Be Closed Only After The Constru

ARMENIAN NUCLEAR POWER STATION WILL BE CLOSED ONLY AFTER THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW NUCLEAR POWER BLOCK

ARKA
November 18, 2009
Yerevan

YEREVAN, November 18. /ARKA/. "Armenian Nuclear Power Station will be
closed only after the construction of new nuclear power block", said
Armen Movsisyan, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Armenia.

He said that two reactors will be functioning in Armenia for a certain
period of time. Maximum capacities of the functioning energy block
will be used. Recently Armen Movsisyan met with the management of
Ukrainian holding on production of turbines "Turboatom" in Yerevan.

"Viktor Subotin, General Director of "Turboatom announced about their
willingness of investing 200 million dollars for modernization of
Armenian Nuclear Power Station which will allow to prolong the dates
of exploitation of the functioning station.

Ukrainian party suggested us to discuss such an opportunity and see
whether it is advantageous for us. Currently we are discussing this
proposal. But prolongation of exploitation date of Armenian Nuclear
Power Station can only allow the Committee of International Experts",
said Movsisyan. In 2016 it is planned to perform global expertise of
the station and its technical state, after which decision will be made
whether to continue exploitation or not. "It is early to speak about
prolongation of exploitation dates of the station," said the Minister.

Armenian Nuclear Power Station is located near the city Metsamor
(about 30 km to the South from Yerevan).

It starts functioning in 1980 and terminated in March 1989 after the
earthquake in Spitak in December 1988 which took lives of 25 thousand
people. Second time it started functioning in November 1995 due to
strong energy crisis in the country. Two power blocks of the station
are equipped by Russian reactor ÷÷uò-440 of first generation. At
present functioning of the first block is terminated. The second
block with the capacity of 407.5 MVt produces in average from 40% to
50% energy in Armenia. According to the assessments of the experts,
the station can function till 2016.

Armenian Nuclear Power Station is under trust management of Open JSC
"INTER RAO ES" since September 2003 till 2013, the owner of which is
Russian state corporation "Rosatom". The date of license of Armenian
Nuclear Power Station for the production of energy was prolonged on
November 3, 2009 till June 10, 2014. Armenia plans to build new block
of Armenian Nuclear Power Station with the capacity of about 1000 MVt.

This project can cost about 5 billion dollars. With the aim of
involving foreign capital for the implementation of the project, in
2006 the Parliament of Armenia cancelled the monopoly of the right of
possessing new nuclear blocks. Construction works are planned to start
from 2011 and the new block will function till 2017. Till that time
the functioning energy block will be closed. Armenia and international
consortium Worley Parsons signed a contract on management of the
process of construction and montage of new energy block in the country
on May 28, 2009 which will cost of 459.7 million dollars. Worley
Parsons was recognized a winner of the relevant tender on May 12, 2009.

Best 42 Armenian Students Granted Gagik Tsarukyan Foundation Scholar

BEST 42 ARMENIAN STUDENTS GRANTED GAGIK TSARUKYAN FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
17.11.2009 13:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Best 42 Armenian students were granted Gagik
Tsarukyan Foundation’s scholarship on occasion of the International
Students’ Day. Each student was awarded a certificate and $500.

"I congratulate all students and will spare no efforts to help them
realize their dreams.The scholarship will be annual and the number
of recipients will increase," Mr. Gagik Tsarukyan said.

Gagik Tsarukyan Foundation also donated $100 thousand for the students
who can’t pay the tuition fee.