Author: Nalchajian Markos

"IF AGREEMENTS ARE UNCOMPLETED VISIT TO TURKEY IS UNPURPOSEFUL"

Panorama.am
15:12 07/08/2009

Armenian-Turkish ties will by no way have influence on the settlement
of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, expert Ruben Melqonyan said at news
conference. The simplest reason to it is that Turkey is not OSCE Minsk
group member. "O would not like to link Armenian-Turkish ties with
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Turkey has not any place or influence on
that group," expert said.

Regarding President Serzh Sargsyan’s travel to Turkey in October,
expert said that at joint press conference with Serbian President
Serzh Sargsyan "has sent serious messages" to the Turkish side.

According to Melqonyan, the President has just reminded Turkish side
about their agreements. "If we consider the agreements uncompleted
then the visit would be unpurposeful." He said.

YOUSUF KARSH AT THE CANADIAN EMBASSY
By Louis Jacobson

Washington City Paper
hp?id=37629
Aug 5 2009

Send a Letter to the Editor Yousuf Karsh, the Armenian-born Canadian
photographer, had a reputation for being overly respectful of his
clients, who were almost always famous, powerful, or both. But while
a centennial exhibition of 28 brooding, often pretentious images of
artists does little to dispel such critiques, Karsh drops scattered,
unexpected hints of a more playful mind at work. Karsh photographed
cellist Pablo Casals facing away from the camera, playing to a
wall whose stones, in the gloom, could be mistaken for heads in
an audience. Karsh’s photograph of Frank Lloyd Wright offers an
abundance of triangles and diagonals–hardly the forms you’d expect
in an image of the horizontal-minded prairie architect. The bristles
of the paintbrush in Andy Warhol’s hand distinctly mirror the strands
of his famous shock of hair. And Karsh’s image of Georgia O’Keefe
recapitulates the skulls, gnarled wood, and adobe walls familiar from
Alfred Stieglitz’s photographs of his wife, even as he undercuts the
reverence by seemingly peeking around the corner to gaze, distractedly,
out an open door.

THE EXHIBIT IS ON DISPLAY MONDAY TO FRIDAY FROM 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. TO
DEC. 18 AT THE CANADIAN EMBASSY, 501 PENNSYLVANIA AVE. NW. FREE. (202)
682-1740.

RA MINISTER OF DIASPORA MEETS DIASPORAN ARMENIAN TEACHERS RETRAINED IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
Aug 3, 2009

YEREVAN, AUGUST 3, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. RA Minister of
Diaspora received on July 31 79 Diasporan Armenian teachers retrained
in Armenia.

This retrainment is one of the annual official continuous programs
held in Armenia which is organized by the RA Ministry of Education
and Science with means of the state budget.

The RA Ministry of Diaspora, cooperating with the RA Ministry of
Education and Science since 2008 October, with the help of Armenian
structures, has been working in the direction of spreading in
Diaspora information about giving educational literature to Diasporan
Armenian educational institutions, about the pan-Armenian Olympiad
of the Armenian Language and Literature, competition on Armenology,
retraining courses for Diasporan Armenian teachers.

The number of teachers willing to take part in the program decreased
during the recent years (according to the RA Ministry of Education
and Science, 67,27, 22 teachers took part in the program in 2006,
2007 and 2008, accordingly), and the RA Ministry of Diaspora does
some works with about 500 structures of Diaspora: with community and
other Armenian organizations, schools, state cultural-educational
institutions of organizing countries.

The information bundles of the RA Ministry of Education and Science
concerning all the mentioned programs, the address letters of the
Ministry were sent to the websites of national-cultural, Armenological
institutions and Armenian media.

Work was implemented in March-July, 2009, with separate schools,
teachers, officials of communities, especially towards studying
the demand of Diasporan schools for the program of the teachers’
retrainment and towards providing their participation in it.

As a result of these activities the geography of the participant
countries was enlarged in 2009, participation of Armenian teachers of
Armenian schools from 13 countries was registered (Turkey, Argentina,
Iran, Syria, Lebanon, etc).

As a result of the work done by the corresponding structural
departments of the RA Ministry of Diaspora with national seminaries of
Turkey, the authorities of the Armenian Cultural Union of Argentina,
8 teachers from Turkey and 2 from Argentina took part in the courses
held this year for the first time. The teachers brought with them 21
young people taking part in the Ministry’s Come Home program.

Assistance was shown in the issues of meeting and settling the teachers
visiting Armenia for the first time, some tours to historical places
and sightseeings of Armenia were organized for the Armenian teachers
of Turkey.

According to the Press and Public Relations Department of the RA
Ministry of Diaspora, at the beginning of the meeting Minister
H. Hakobian noted that the size of the budget allocations for the
teachers’retrainment grows year by year. It was 2.7b drams (.3 mln)
in 2009. Then she presented the directions of the changes towards
the Diaspora during the recent years: affirmation of the conception
of "Armenian Diaspora" in the RA Constitution, affirmation of the
institute of dual citizenship in the Legislation, creation of the
RA Ministry of Diaspora, fostering of the ideology of partnership in
the Diaspora-Armenia economical relations. H. Hakobian also presented
the functions and problems of the RA Ministry of Diaspora.

The Minister also noted though the Diaspora is laminated it should be
united in providing and strengthening the security the of Armenian
State, in final and peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
problem, in the issues of international recognition of the Armenian
Genocide. "We are 10 million and should inspire our nation with
pride. The 21th century should be the century of the Armenian people",
Minister H. Hakobian stressed.

She attached importance to the role of an Armenian teacher especially
in the preservation of Armenian spirit noting that the greatest
benefactor in the Diaspora is the very teacher, it is teacher who
does the work of keeping an Armenian as an Armenian.

The Diasporan Armenian teachers who arrived in Armenia from Argentina,
Georgia, Russia, Iran, Egypt, Kuwait, Syria, Turkey, Switzerland
and were retrained here, introduced their questions and suggestions
to the RA Minister of Diaspora. In response to the suggestion on
the Armenian state’s assisting the Diasporan Armenian teachers,
the Minister noted that the RA government has already begun giving
some financial assistance for development of the Armenian school and
Armenology in Diaspora. Besides, the state allocates very extensive
resources for implementation of all-Armenian programs and events of
the spheres of education, youth, culture and others.

The same is the Come Home program the first two-week stage of which
ended on July 30. On this occasion words of gratitude were addressed
to the RA Minister of Diaspora. The Egyptian Armenian teacher Shake
Artinian said that all 6 Egyptian Armenian young people who were
hosted by Armenian families within the framework of the program
returned to their countries pleased. The Egyptian teacher noted many
Egyptian Armenian young people expressed willingness to visit their
Homeland within the framework of the Come Home program.

CDPF REPRESENTATIVE: CULTURE OF COOPERATION OF PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS AND GOVERNMENTAL STRUCTURES ORIGINATES IN ARMENIA

ArmInfo
2009-08-05 13:15:00

ArmInfo. Culture of cooperation of public organizations and
governmental structures originates in Armenia, Director of Civic
Development and Partnership Foundation (CDPF) Zhirayr Edilyan told
journalists at Wednesday conference, organized by the Foundation on
a topic "Armenian experience, approaches in protection of interests".

According to him, ‘we are just learning the culture of hearing and
trusting each other, and this is the major problem in protection
of interests’.

‘DPF director said this problem is typical to all the countries of
the post-Soviet space, however, certain progress has been marked in
Armenia and it somewhat advances other countries. According to Z.

Edilyan, the conference aims at summing up the accumulated experience
concerning protection of interests, as well as determining the problems
and achievements. Representatives of over 100 different organizations
have been invited to attend the conference. They will discuss the
topics on mobilization of the public forces, establishment of public
communications, legislative changes, work with the government and
the parliament and other topics.

As Head of CDPF Armenian Office Alex Sardar said, the representation
in Armenia serves an example of innovations used in other countries
where the Foundation operates. ‘DPF in Armenia works wit h 300 public
organizations within the frames of UDAID funding. The Foundation
advocates financial stability of public organizations as a pledge of
successful solution of the public problems.

To note, about 6,000 public organizations have been registered in
Armenia, however the number of the active ones is unknown.

AZERBAIJANI DEFENSE MINISTER: "THE MILITARY SITUATION IS UNAVOIDABLE IF THE NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT IS NOT SOLVED PEACEFULLY"

APA
Aug 3 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku -APA. Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, who was on a
working visit to Azerbaijan on August 1-2, met with Defense Minister
of Azerbaijan Colonel-General Safar Abiyev. The ministers discussed
the prospects of the development of military-technical cooperation
between Russia and Azerbaijan, existent military-political situation
in the South Caucasus and Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, press service
of the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan told APA.

Abiyev said Russian efforts in the process of solution to the conflict
were estimable and hopeful. He noted that the military situation is
unavoidable if the conflict is not solved peacefully.

RUSSIAN MILITARY BASE AROUSES TENSIONS BETWEEN RF, UZBEKISTAN

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
04.08.2009 12:16 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Uzbekistan has condemned Russian plans to escalate
its military presence in neighboring Kyrgyzstan saying it could foment
instability across Central Asia.

The ministry said that "implementation of such projects" could
"reinforce militarization processes" as well as "seriously destabilize
the situation in the vast region."

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Kyrgyz counterpart Kurmanbek
Bakiyev signed on Saturday a memorandum on Russia’s military presence
in Kyrgyzstan. The agreement allows Russia to significantly boost
the number of troops it has deployed in Kyrgyzstan for a period of
up to 49 years.

In line with the memorandum, the republic will also host an additional
Russian military contingent up to battalion size and a training center
for both countries’ service personnel, RBC reported.

Lubov Kazarnovskaya to perform in Yerevan
01.08.2009 16:44 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Prominent opera singer Lyubov Kazarnovskaya will
give a concert in the Armenian government’s Reception House on August
2. The concert is dated to the Day of Railwayman and is initiated by
the South Caucasus Railways CJSC in an aspiration to establish
cultural ties and cooperation with creative intelligentsia.

ARMENIAN TV COMPANIES’ CREATIVE GROUPS TO TAKE PART IN ZOLOTOY BUBEN FESTIVAL

NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY
JULY 31, 2009
KHANTY-MANSIYSK

KHANTY-MANSIYSK, JULY 31, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The
council of experts of the Zolotoy Buben (Golden Tambourine) 13th
International Festival of Television Programs and Films opened in
Khanty-Mansiysk. Its members are to watch and evaluate about 300 works
which were sent to the festival’s creative competition from 65 cities
of Russia and 148 foriegn TV companies.

Programs and films were sent from the USA, the Netherlands, Germany,
Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, France, Finland, Bulgaria, Belarus,
Armenia and Kyrgyzstan.

This year director of documentary films, producer and author of
various authentic films Yevgenia Golovnia heads the council of experts.

The Zolotoy Buben 13th International festival will be held on September
12-18. In a week the council of experts is to select about seventy
pretenders to the Golden Goddess figurine from the Zolotoy Buben
2009 awards.

IFC TO BOOST ARMENIA’S INVESTMENT MARKET

ARKA
July 30, 2009

YEREVAN, July 30. /ARKA/. The International Financial Corporation (IFC)
plans to invest in Armenia’s mortgage market, offering its support
to boost the country’s hydropower engineering and financial sector,
IFC Vice President Yurki Koskelo said today during his meeting with
RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan.

The RA Government’s press service quoted the premier as saying the
IFC programs in Armenia would be a success.

The IFC vice president pointed out effective projects in Armenia’s
mining industry, information technologies and healthcare.

In his turn, Sargsyan stressed the need for exchanging experience with
IFC specialists, hoping for sustainable and long-lasting cooperation
between Armenia and IFC.

PRESIDENT SARGSYAN HANDS OUT DIPLOMAS

2009/07/30 | 14:41

Society

Today, President Sargsyan handed out diplomas to the graduating class
of the Ministry of Defense’s Vazgen Sargsyan Military Institute and
on the school’s 15th anniversary.

The ceremony was accompanied by a military brass band and the
traditional march of the graduates.