Author: Tadevosian Garnik

Agrimarket Consulting, Ukraine
May 11 2005

Belarus and Armenia negotiated cooperation in farm sector

Belarus and Armenia are interested in development of trade
cooperation in the farming sector, Deputy Ministers of Agriculture of
the two countries Vasily Pavlovsky and Levon Rukhyan said on May 3,
following the talks they had had Belarus’ Ministry of Agriculture and
Food Industries.

Farm industry specialists from Armenia said they were interested in
supplies of highly productive potato and malting barley seeds of
Belarusian breed, and also Belarusian farming equipment (tractors),
which are best suited for serving small farming land plots. In their
turn, Armenian partners are ready to supply to Belarus early-ripening
fruits and vegetables, premium quality wine materials and cognacs.

Belarusian party also said it was willing to sell to the Caucasian
republic canned milk and meat products, milk powder and other dairy
products (one of Belarus’ milk canning plants has already had an
experience of selling its products to Armenia).

Turkish official warns UN over Armenian nuclear plant security

Anatolia news agency, Ankara
5 May 05

Kars, 5 May: Kars Mayor Naif Alibeyoglu said on Wednesday [4 May]
that Metzamor Nuclear power plant near Turkey-Armenia border, is a
risk like a nuclear war for the security of the region.

Kars mayor informed members at a UN General Assembly meeting about
his remarks. Alibeyoglu told the meeting that Metzamor nuclear power
plant was erected in 1970 on a fault line which was only 40 kilometres
to Yerevan, 16 kilometres to Igdir and 60 kilometres to Kars.

Pointing out to the security problems in the plant, Alibeyoglu said
that “an accident may happen at that nuclear station any time, or
there can be explosions due to a possible earthquake or any other
reason. In such a case, Kars and Igdir in Turkey and Armenia will
totally be devastated. We’ve conveyed our concerns to International
Atomic Energy Agency about this issue. But Armenian officials don’t
want to shut down the plant saying that they need energy.”

The nuclear power plant was closed down after the earthquake in the
region in 1988, but reopened in 1992.

‘Armenia may be expelled from CE’

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
May 6 2005

Baku, May 5, AssA-Irada

Armenia may be expelled from the Council of Europe (CE), says Shavash
Kocharian, member of the Armenian “Justice” faction and the Armenian
delegation at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE).

Kocharian accused official Yerevan of not fulfilling its commitments
to the CE, Armenian news agencies reported.

He said the individuals, who falsified the 2003 presidential
elections and used force during the elections and rallies, remain
unpunished. The proposed changes to the law on free assembly have not
been introduced. The authorities must also fulfill the commitment on
amending the Constitution, he said.

Kocharian continued that all this will lead to CE sanctions on Armenia.

“Robert Kocharian’s government has three alternatives: to maintain
the current situation, resign due to public outrage, or hold fair
elections.”

The Armenian representative added maintaining the current situation
is unacceptable in view of Armenia’s admission to the European Union.*

Zaman, Turkey
May 6 2005

Yerevan: Erdogan-Kocharian Meeting not Definite yet
By Anadolu News Agency (aa)
Published: Friday 06, 2005
zaman.com

Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian has noted that a proposed
meeting between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and
Armenian President Robert Kocarian to speak about the Armenian Genocide
allegations is not definite yet.

Oskanian said that there is no official offer for the negotiation from
any of the parties yet and added that the news on this issue may be
an indirect offer from Ankara or the assumption of the journalists.

PACE calls on Armenia to accept Turkey’s proposal

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
May 5 2005

97 members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE) have sent an appeal to Armenian President Robert Kocharian
calling on him to accept Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan’s proposal to study the so-called ‘genocide of Armenians’
documents.

10 Turkish, 10 Russian, 8 Azerbaijani, and 4 Georgian MPs signed the
appeal.

Erdogan earlier forwarded a letter to the Armenian President
proposing to set up a joint commission and draw historians to look
into the 1915 developments in the Ottoman Empire.

Kocharian, in his reply several days ago, rejected the proposal.

Zaman, Turkey
April 3 2005

‘Europe Turns Back to Medieval Mentality’
By Erdal Sen, Anadolu News Agency (aa)
Published: Tuesday 03, 2005
zaman.com

Turkish Institute of History (TTK) President Professor Yusuf Halacoglu
evaluated the Swiss authority conducting an inquiry because of a
speech he made about the so-called Armenian genocide allegations as
reactive against Europe.

Stating that he found the conduction an inquiry regarding one of his
remarks undemocratic, Halacoglu interprets the situation that he faced
as Europe returning to medieval mentality. The TTK President revealed
that there is more democracy in Turkey than in European countries
and added he will not hesitate to continue to conduct conferences
in European countries. Halacoglu asks, “If I speak from Ankara, will
Europeans hear?” and expressed the Turkish public’s reaction to the
incident: “There are hundreds of people who called me on the telephone
and said ‘we will accompany you to prison.” The TTK President had
learned of the inquiry decision through newspaper reports. However,
he has not become disparaged. On the contrary, he believes that
the realities need to be voiced even louder. According to him, the
reason for conducting the inquiry is that he noted something that the
Europeans did not like. He revealed his views about the reactions
of the Swiss people: “This incident shows the medieval mentality
of Europe. I am a scientist and invite your scientist to talk. I
made a speech in Switzerland in May 2004. Now I am talking here, I
explained the same issues there as well and I will go on talking. I
will talk in other European countries if not Switzerland. Although
the non-existence of the genocide is proven by documents, we cannot
say the ‘genocide occurred”. Halacoglu also determined that he would
apply to the European Court of Human Rights.”

Switzerland: We conducted an inquiry into Halacoglu

Switzerland confirmed that they opened an inquiry into the TTK
President Halacoglu regarding his speech about the so-called Armenian
genocide. It was announced at the Swiss Embassy in Ankara that an
inquiry was being conducted into Halacoglu due to his speech on the
so-called Armenian genocide allegations that he made last spring. The
announcement indicated that the inquiry was conducted due to the
complaints of a third party to the local judicial authorities in
Winterthur rather than the direct application of the federal attorney.

EU, Russia completing toughest areas of long-delayed partnership deal
By ROBERT WIELAARD

AP Worldstream
May 03, 2005

“The EU is ready to work in partnership with Russia to achieve our
common goals,” European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said
Tuesday as final negotiations began.

Officials sounded confident a deal could be reached Wednesday enabling
the partnership to be signed, even though politically touchy areas
may be left fuzzy, to be fine-tuned later.

These include visa requirements for Russians and _ a closely related
issue in the EU’s view _ Moscow’s readiness to take back Russians now
illegally in Western Europe. The EU also wants Moscow to promise not
to pressure ex-soviet republics into pledging loyalty to Russia.

The EU is pursuing broad cooperation accords with all its neighbors
and has granted Moscow’s request for a special “partnership” deal to
reflect its status as a global power. But the bloc has been struggling
to get Moscow to agree on the detail of the pact.

The draft accord covers cooperation in four main areas: the economy,
external security, justice and cultural affairs.

At a summit in the Netherlands last November _ overshadowed by unrest
in Ukraine that later saw a pro-Western government take office in
Kiev _ no agreement was reached on “external security” issues.

These touch on Russian relations with Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus and
the Caucasus republics, areas of “frozen conflicts” that the EU wants
to see resolved in line with Russia’s commitments on human rights
and issues.

“There can be no move (by Moscow) to set up new ‘spheres of
interest.’ There can be no claim to any near-abroad,” said an EU
diplomat who briefed reporters on the final negotiations. He spoke
on condition his name not be used.

The “near-abroad” is Moscow’s term for the Commonwealth of Independent
States, a loose grouping of 12 former Soviet republics that Moscow
created in 1991 after the breakup of the Soviet Union. It was looking
for a forum of cooperation but that bid has been hamstrung by regional
squabbles and fears of Russian domination.

Apart from Russia, the CIS comprises Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine,
Uzbekistan and Belarus _ countries with which the EU seeks closer ties.

This has rankled with Russia, which sees the EU poaching its
neighbors. Last year, eight East European nations joined the EU.

Through the partnership deal with Russia, the EU aims to craft a
single EU-Russian market with no barriers to trade and to introduce
economic reforms, competitiveness and good economic governance in
Russia. It also wants more cooperation on investments, financial
services, telecommunications, transport, energy and the environment.

The EU also wants to get Moscow to sign “readmission” accords to
take back Russians and others who enter the EU illegally from Russia.
Under the pact, Moscow must accept visas for EU-bound Russians with
visa-free travel a “long-term perspective.” The EU also plans programs
to foster democracy, the rule of law, human rights, an independent
judiciary and media and cooperation on combating terrorism, organized
crime and corruption.

The EU seeks enhanced cooperation to end “frozen conflicts” in
Trans-Dniester, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh by taking
humanitarian and economic aid to those regions and tackle poverty and
human rights abuses there that the EU sees as causes of instability.

Increased educational and cultural exchanges, as well as strengthened
joint research projects are also goals.

Exhibition devoted to the 90th anniversary of the Genocide
By Tamar Gasparian

Yerkir
April 29, 2005

The Armenian Union of Painters organized an unprecedented exhibition
devoted to the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. In the
exhibition hall on the first floor the works of Armenian artists were
displayed while the works of foreign and Diaspora Armenian artists
occupied the second floor exhibition hall.

The exhibition included photos, graphic works, fine art, sculptures,
gobelins and other works from Armenia, USA, Germany, Syria. Each of
the artists had presented his feelings and emotions.

There was sorrow and terror, anger but not hostility in the works
of art such as Thereza Mirzoyan’s “Sorrow”, Levon Tokmajian’s “April
1915”, Nune Tumanian’s “Hell” sculptures, Karen Aghamian’s “Diaspora”
and Armine Kalents’ “Nostalgia” paintings.

The obvious difference between the works of Armenian and foreign
artists was very interesting. The works of foreign artists were rather
abstract combining the traditions of the XX century Western European
art and national traditions.

Pops concert ends season with bang
By Marilyn Mantay

Fairfield Daily Republic, CA
May 3 2005

Daily Republic CORRESPONDENT

When the Solano Community Symphony presented the Annual Pops Concert –
the last concert of the orchestra’s 18th season – nobody was having
more fun than the musicians.

They projected excitement in vibrant solo passages, rousing refrains
and brassy fanfares at the Vacaville Performing Arts Theater on Sunday
afternoon. They gave strong backing to their guest trumpet soloist,
Brian Anderson.

It was mostly energetic music set in motion by Conductor Semyon Lohss,
and with enthusiasm high, the orchestra seemed to reach out to the
audience in a great big musical bear hug.

Of course a concert beginning with Victor Herbert and ending with
John Phillip Sousa, and including selections from “Kiss Me Kate”
and “Camelot,” offers the pleasures of the familiar. But there were
delightful surprises as well: A little piano (Teri Yumai) and trombone
(Gary Piner) duet; a classy closing for selections from “Camelot”
with Concertmaster Abraham Becker’s solo turns; a strong repetitive
grounding by cellos and basses for otherwise languid strings playing
Astor Piazzolla’s romantic “Melodia”; and from there a transformation
when violinists, playing Leroy Anderson’s “Fiddle Faddle,” became
instant fiddlers, and perpetual motion fiddlers at that.

Now to the trumpet soloist. After last concert’s disaster with the
piano solo – turns out, according to information from the Symphony
president, that it was the sound not the pianist – my fingers were
crossed. They needn’t have been. Brian Anderson chose the splendid
Trumpet Concerto in E Flat (1950) by Armenian composer Alexander
Arutunian, a piece that emphasizes scales and minor key passages that
make it seem Eastern, but has a short middle passage that feels very
much like jazz.

Anderson embraced all that variety. And he could make fast arpeggios
as smooth as flowing water or as edgy as broken glass. Yes, it was
the performance of a virtuoso.

The balance between soloist and orchestra was excellent. It seemed
to be achieved by simply making everything loud. You could hear pages
being turned by the musicians; you could hear a sloppy entrance or exit
– fortunately very few; and you could hear wrong notes. But you could
also hear and see music being made. When it’s great, as Anderson was,
you are thrilled. When it’s exciting, as the orchestra was, you are
also thrilled.

Adding to the excitement were solos. Charles Little’s horn in the
“Trumpet Concerto” was a delight. From the orchestra were fine
contributions by Dan Scharlin (flute), Charles Bell (oboe and
English horn), Greg Gallant (clarinet), Bob Sindlar (bass clarinet
and saxophone), Roger Abrew (trumpet). Throughout the afternoon, the
trombone section with a good assist from trumpets and tuba, turned
march pieces like “Stars and Stripes Forever” into rousing . . .
well, marches. And speaking of the great Sousa work, who could forget
the piccolos? For slick high-pitched piping, credit Scharlin, Heather
Wisswell and Cyndi Chancellor.

If a writer has a favorite piece, it has to be the selections Lohss
chose from Cole Porter’s “Kiss Me Kate.” In what other show are there
songs to call forth such a range of adjectives? Without even trying:
sultry, perky, romantic, playful, and, of course, classy. It was so,
so Broadway. And lots of fun besides.

With the season over, the symphony folks are looking ahead. First comes
the 14th Annual Home Tour on Saturday, May 14. Homes presented will
be in Fairfield and Vacaville, and tickets include lunch that will
be served on the Pavilion of the Vacaville Museum. Tickets are $30,
or $100 for parties of four. For information call 447-7275 or 447-1453.

And with the 18th season over, the 19th is announced. The opening
concert, Oct. 8 in Fairfield and Oct. 9 in Vacaville, will feature the
“Shostokovich Symphony No. 5.” For the Holiday concert in December, the
Solano Choral Society will join the orchestra. In February, the Salute
to Youth will feature winners of the Young Artists Competition. A
perennial favorite, Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf,” will also be
performed. In March, pianist Dickram Atamian will return, this time
to perform Tchaikowsky’s “Piano Concerto No. 1.” Which brings us to
a year from this week when the Annual Pops Concert is set for May 6
and 7, 2006.

Marilyn Mantay is a Davis-based music and theater reviewer and can
be reached at [email protected].

Symphony review

Solano Community Symphony

Annual Pops Concert

SINCE MAY 1 IEC SUSPENDED ARMENIAN ENERGY EXPORT TO GEORGIA

Pan Armenian News
02.05.2005 06:25

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Since May 1 the International Energy Corporation
CJSC (IEC) has suspended the export of the Armenian energy to Telasi
Georgian company, IEC Deputy Director General Mels Hakobian stated,
RIA Novosti reports. In his words, the main reason for the export
suspension has become the continuing debase of the US dollar to AMD
resulting in commercial impracticability of the energy export. “We
obtain energy in terms of drams and sell in terms of dollars, however
due to the dollar devaluation we suffer great losses”, Hakobian
noted. He also informed that the IEC held negotiations with Telasi
but the latter said the Georgian party is not ready to raise tariffs
for the energy at present. To note, the IEC exported on average 2.45
million kilowatt-hour day and night with a tariff of 2.75 cents for
a kilowatt.