Author: Nalchajian Markos

SERZH SARGSYAN MEETS WITH PRESIDENT OF CZECH REPUBLIC AT CONCLUSION OF HIS WORKING VISIT TO DAVOS

Noyan Tapan

Feb 2, 2009

DAVOS, FEBRUARY 2, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
on January 31 met with Vaclav Klaus, the President of the Czech
Republic – a country currently holding the presidency of the EU,
at the conclusion of his working visit to Davos with the aim of
participating in the World Economic Forum. During the meeting the
sides discussed a wide range of issues related to bilateral as well
as Armenia-European Union relations.

V. Klaus pointed out the importance of the South Caucasian region
for the EU, saying that the Eastern Partnership initiative is an
essential instrument for developing consistently the relations of the
regional countries with the EU. He invited the Armenian president to
participate in an Eastern Partnership Summit to be held in Prague.

Attaching great importance to the initiative, S. Sargsyan stated
Armenia’s willingness to proceed along the path of further reforms
and democractization in accordance with the developed Action Plan. He
expressed satisfaction at Armenia’s opportunity to use the GSP+
trade regime which will help deepen the trade-economic links and
cooperation between Armenia and the EU.

At the request of V. Klaus, S. Sargsyan presented the latest
developments in the negotiation process on the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict settlement as well as in the Armenian-Turkish dialog.

According to the RA presidential press service, prior to leaving for
Armenia, S. Sargsyan met with the Armenian community of Zurich.

TOWARDS BRIGHT FUTURE OR DARK MIDDLE AGES?
by Garik Martirosyan

Azat Artsakh
10 Jan 09
NKR

The probability of the elimination of restriction on the presidential
term in Azerbaijan creates grounds for sad and serious concerns.

The Azerbaijani president has not yet said his "reputable" word
– either positive or negative – regarding the constitutional
changes. This imparts special mystery to the process.

A question arises: do the Azerbaijani people need a constitution
at all, if a "lifetime" president will rule that country and will
reserve for himself the right to personally set up the government, to
personally appoint Majlis [parliament] members and its speaker. Where
is Azerbaijan going with those "long strides" – to a bright future
or the dark Middle Ages? It is painful that European entities (and
not only them), which have assumed the role of zealous protectors
of human rights and freedoms, believe that those are exclusively
Azerbaijan’s domestic issues and continue to be guided by doubtful
standards and their own mercenary interests.

Azerbaijan’s political and cultural elite and intelligentsia
believe that it is impossible to ensure the country’s dynamic
development without [Azerbaijani President] Ilham Aliyev’s wise
management. Moreover, if we listen to them, there is no other leader
like him. He is exclusive and irreplaceable.

Not everyone in Azerbaijan like the idea of Aliyev’s unlimited
power. Baku’s Zerkalo newspaper writes: "An impression has been
established that the idea [of removing restrictions on the presidential
term] has been favoured at the highest level and is considered to be
a settled issue. The major indicator is that the heavy artillery –
intelligentsia – has been used. No matter how those who favour this
idea represent it, they cannot hide it in any way, and some even show
clearly that we are amending the constitution to suit one person."

Some Azerbaijani MPs misuse [the ideas of] "Azerbaijan’s geopolitical
situation" and "the failure to resolve the Karabakh conflict",
alleging that they "require the expansion of the powers of the head of
state". It has been even announced that the restriction of the head of
the state’s right to be elected for more than two terms contradicts
principles of democratic elections. To be brief, there is an attempt
to manipulate the law in accordance with the situation.

It cannot be ruled out that this unprecedented political show will
have a "sensational" outcome and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
will appear to his people as the number one supporter of democratic
and European values.

ERDOGAN’S REACTION UNLIKELY TO HAVE DIRECT IMPACT ON TURKEY-ISRAEL TIES

Hurriyet
Jan 30 2009
Turkey

ANKARA – The impacts of Turkish Prime Minister’s reaction to leave
the stage during the Gaza session in Davos with Israeli president
are unlikely have immediate impact on Turkish-Israeli relations but
it is expected to have indirect effects.

Tayyip Erdogan’s reaction sent shockwaves in the Turkish foreign
ministry. But it is unlikely to reduce the level of diplomatic
relations between Turkey and Israel to the extent of recalling the
ambassador in Tel Aviv, diplomatic sources said.

The phone conversation between Erdogan and Israeli President Shimon
Peres is another sign that the mutual relations will not be affected
by the incident, sources added.

On the other hand, sources warn that the incident might have indirect
impacts on the issues that interest Turkey. Here are the major issues
that might be effected by the incident, according to diplomatic
sources:

1. The Jewish lobby in the U.S. might withdraw its years-long
efforts to prevent the U.S. President to use the word "genocide"
in his message regarding the 1915 incidents.

2. A possible attempt in the U.S. Congress to recognize the 1915
incidents as "Armenian genocide" will pass easily as the Jewish lobby
withdraws its support to Turkey’s arguments.

3. Israel could raise its voice in the argument that compares its
struggle with Hamas to Turkey’s fight against the terror organization
PKK. The Jewish lobby might withdraw its support to Turkey in its
struggle with PKK in Europe as well as the U.S.

4. This incident might have a negative impact on Turkey-Armenia
relations. The Armenian diaspora could garner the support of the
Jewish lobby.

5. This might end Turkey’s "mediation" efforts in the world especially
in the Middle East.

6. The Davos crisis might harm Turkey’s image of a "neutral country"
in the UN Security Council.

ARMENIAN PREMIER: ARMENIA NEEDS NEW RESERVE AIRPORT

ArmInfo
2009-01-30 13:05:00

ArmInfo. Armenia needs new reserve airport which can serve to
international flights, Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisyan
said today over discussion of the annual report of the head of Civil
Aviation General Department [CAGD].

Stemming from the speech of the head of the CAGD Artem Movsisyan, the
premier came to the conclusion that the Shirak airport as a reserve
one cannot serve international flights because of its location at
highlands, if the Yerevan Zvartnots airport is shut down because bad
weather conditions.

Tigran Sarkisyan said that European air companies are afraid of landing
at Shirak airport from the pint of view of security and land in the
airports of neighbouring Georgia and Turkey. "We have to do everything
possible to have the third reserve airport. This is stemming from
the idea of security of the country", – he said. The premier charged
Movsisyan to investigate the issue.

To note, there are 13 airports in Armenia, and only 3 of them are
functioning.

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT RAISES SALARIES OF POLICE TECHNICAL STAFF

ARKA
Jan 29, 2009

YEREVAN, January 29. /ARKA/. Armenian Government raised the salaries
of technical staff or other employees of the Police not having a
military rank or a police rank.

The salaries of the above staff are raised by 5,000 Drams up to
30,000Drams monthly, Chief of the country’s Police Alik Sargsyan
reported. This is done to meet the minimum salary requirement that
is brought up to 30,000Drams monthly in Armenia as of January 1 2009,
he said.

ARMENIAN PACE DELEGATION’S PLANE REALIZES EMERGENCY LANDING IN TURKEY

Trend News Agency
Jan 29 2009
Azerbaijan

A plane of the Czech airlines which comprised Armenian delegation
at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and
journalists in Strasbourg committed an emergency landing at the
Trabzon airport in Turkey due to unfavorable weather conditions,
Press Secretary of Armenia – International Airport company Gevork
Abramyan told Novosti-Armenia news agency.

"At present the plane is in Trabzon. It should be arrive in Yerevan
at 04:20 local time on Jan. 29. But delay of the flight was announced
after arrival in Trabzon, the Czech airlines said," he said.

Abramyan noted that the morning fog in Yerevan caused emergency
landing of the plane flying from Prague.

"It has been several days that we are experiencing fog in mornings
which clears away in the second half of the day. However, fog was
too thick in the morning on Jan. 29," he said.

The plane is expected to arrive at Zvartnots airport of Yerevan in
the early morning on Jan. 30, the press secretary said

"At present the airport is functioning normally and receiving planes,"
Abramyan said. The plane’s flying from Trabzon is scheduled to 01:00
local time on Jan. 30, the Czech airlines company told Novosti-Armenia
news agency.

WORLD FINANCIAL CRISIS RESULTS IN SHARP GROWTH OF UNEMPLOYMENT IN ARMENIA

ArmInfo
2009-01-26 14:41:00

ArmInfo. World financial crisis has resulted in sharp growth of
unemployment in Armenia.

Sona Haroutiunyan, Head of the State Employment Service Agency
said at a press conference at Friday Club that by the data for late
2008 large-scale axing of jobs was registered in the country. The
highest level of unemployment was registered in the regions of Lori
and Syunik due to slackening of the mining industry. As of January
20 2009, 414 jobs were cut, 1603 people were notified of dismissal
and another 1609 were dismissed on the basis of own letters of
resignation or in connection with expiry of labor contracts. In
particular, S. Haroutiunyan said GPM cut 84 jobs, ArmenTel – 82
jobs, Armenian Center of Scientific-Technical Information – 180. To
show a more precise picture of the situation in the labor market,
the following data are brought: As compared to Dec 2007 in Jan 2008
the number of people searching jobs decreased. Now, the dynamics is
quite different. Thus, in Dec 2008 the number of people searching
jobs totaled 90.5 thousand whereas on Jan 23 2009 they numbered
already 95,000. The number of the unemployed increased by 400 people
as against last year and totaled 75.000 people. The share of women is
still high. Sona Haroutiunyan believes that another 500-1000 people
may become unemployed in Feb-Mar 2009.

AZERBAIJAN SEIZED THE OPPORTUNITY
Karine Asatryan

A1+
[06:28 pm] 26 January, 2009

When addressing the Assembly parliamentarians member of the Azerbaijani
delegation Guljatin Hajieva referred to the conduct of the 2008
Presidential election in Azerbaijan.

Hajieva said the election was the best in the country’s history, and
even if they were inaccuracies, they were in the main of technical
character. The Council of Europe fully realises that Azerbaijan does
its best to stay loyal to the European values.

By the way, seizing the given opportunity Hajieva accused Armenia of
election fraud. She reminded that 20 % of Azerbaijan is occupied by
Armenia, they have over a million refugees, and naturally it affects
the country’s social and political life.

Tadias Magazine, NY
Jan 25 2009

Treasure Trove of Ethiopian Music: Who is Tezera Haile Michael?

Published by Lifestyle Editor January 25th, 2009 in Reviews.

Photo: The Swinging Sixties – The Police Band strut their
stuff in 1965/6.

Source: Radiodiffusion

Obsession. That is the word that describes Francis Falceto. He is the
man behind the volume, and counting, Ã?thiopiques series on Buda
Music. In April of 1984, a friend of his lent him a copy of a Mahmoud
Ahmed album. A month later, he went to Ethiopia. Although it would be
over a decade before the Ã?thiopiques discs started showing up
in record shops around the world, he was responsible for the first
release abroad of modern Ethiopian music with the reissue of Mahmoud
Ahmed’s 1975 album `Erè Mèla Mèla’ for Crammed
Discs in 1986. But it is surprising, that in the span of the twenty
three discs and two DVDs that have been released since 1997, that
there is still plenty of territory that has yet to be covered.

The music of Ethiopia is the result of a very specific series of
events. First, there is Emperor Haile Sellassie’s visit to Jerusalem
in 1923. While he was there, two significant things happened: He heard
brass band music for the first time and he met the `Arba Lijoch’. The
`Arba Lijoch’ were a group of forty Armenian orphans (Amharic `forty
children’) living at the Armenian monastery in Jerusalem, who had
escaped from the Armenian genocide in Turkey. They impressed Haile
Selassie so much that he obtained permission from the Armenian
Patriarch of Jerusalem to adopt them and bring them to Ethiopia, where
he then arranged for them to receive musical instruction. They arrived
in Addis Ababa on September 6, 1924, and along with their bandleader
Kevork Nalbandian to become the first official orchestra of the
nation. Nalbandian’s nephew, Nerses Nalbandian – who was a composer,
arranger, chorus leader, and music teacher, would go on to become a
core person to develop modern music in that country. Throw in Peace
Corps volunteers bringing records from America, as well as the
American military radio at Kagnew Station in neighboring Eritrea
broadcasting the latest R & B, Soul, Rock and Pop hits, and you have a
potent combination of influences that produced one of the most unique
musical movements found in any country at that, or really any, point
in time.

But all of that ended in 1975, when the Derg ousted Emperor Haile
Selassie from power. The Derg, which means `committee’ or `council’ in
Ge’ez, is the short name of the Coordinating Committee of the Armed
Forces, Police, and Territorial Army and was a communist military
junta led by a committee of military officers. Under their rule, the
nightlife of Addis Ababa faded away and the record labels
disappeared. The musicians were unable to leave the country, since
emigration became almost impossible and they needed an exit visa to
leave the country. The music may never have left Ethiopia, if it were
not for the few vinyl records that managed to find their way out into
the rest of the world.

The only information that I have been able to find about Tezera Haile
Michael, is that he was primarily a songwriter and arranger, who’s
songs that were recorded by Bezunesh Bekele, Mahmoud Ahmed (on all of
his self released singles) and Tilahoun Gessesse. I have also seen him
credited as a back up singer for some of the early recordings of the
Imperial Body Guard Band, who are the backing band on this record. As
far as I know, this was his only recording where he was the featured
vocalist.

25/treasure-trove-of-ethiopian-music-who-is-tezera -haile-michael/

SERZH SARGSYAN MET NEWLY APPOINTED DIRECTOR

A1+
[06:53 pm] 22 January, 2009

Serzh Sargsyan met today executive director of the "Perno Ricar
Eastern Europe" company Eric Labord, newly appointed director of the
"Yerevan Brandy Company" CJSC Ara Grigoryan and former executive
director Sedrik Retaio.

Sargsyan expressed gratitude to Sedrik Retaio for productive activity
in Armenia. During the meeting the issues discussed related to the
upcoming plans of the Yerevan Brandy Company and development of
the field.