Author: Tamamian Anna

PHILIP GORDON PAYS PREPARATORY VISIT TO ANKARA PRIOR TO ERDOGAN-OBAMA MEETING

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
12.11.2009 20:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European
and Eurasian Affairs Philip Gordon paid his first official visit to
Ankara on Thursday to discuss common interests and the possibilities
for cooperation in light of regional developments.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu
received Gordon. Diplomatic sources said it was a preparatory meeting
as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan would go to Washington to meet
President Barack Obama in early December. The reconciliation process
between Ankara and Yerevan was Philip Gordon also discussed during
his visits, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

PEACEBUILDING DIRECTORY PRESENTED AT THE UN ARMENIA OFFICE

armradio.am
12.11.2009 14:02

Today a peacebuilding portal and a book "The Directory of Peacebuilding
Organizations in the Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth
of Independent States" were officially launched at the UN Office
in Armenia with participation of Mr. Dirk Boberg, UNDP Deputy
Resident Representative (UNDP DRR) in Armenia, H.E. Hans-Jochen
Schmidt, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Armenia,
and Ms. Dziunik Aghajanian, head of Department of International
Organizations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic
of Armenia.

The peacebuilding portal and the publication of the book is a joint
activity of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)
and UNDP, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of Germany.

The peacebuilding portal aims to promote collaboration and consultation
among organizations and individuals working in conflict prevention and
peacebuilding. It assists those in civil society, local and national
governments, and the international community with information on a
specific country or conflict theme, such as peacebuilding, conflict
management, gender issues, disarmament, environment, development,
and human rights, in a results based, real time way.

The publication aims to provide newly collected information in English
and in Russian about civil society and national organizations in
the CIS and in CEE working in the field of conflict prevention and
peacebuilding.

Welcoming the participants, Mr. Dirk Boberg, UNDP DRR outlined the
role of the UN system in the field of conflict prevention in general
and highlighted in particular UNDP’s approach to conflict sensitive
development. "UNDP has reaffirmed that crisis prevention should be
integral part of sustainable human development strategies. For UNDP
"peacebuilding" means the integration of conflict prevention into
development programmes, building and accompanying national processes
and institutions for conflict management, and building consensus
through dialogue" Mr. Boberg said.

The UNDP DRR stated that a successful preventive strategy depends on
the cooperation of many actors beyond the UN system and its different
organs, funds and programs. It includes member states, international,
regional, and sub-regional organizations, the private sector,
non-governmental organizations, and other civil society groups who have
an important role to play. In this context the Peacebuilding Portal
will play a pivotal role to facilitate information dissemination,
information exchange, and networking among national and international
stakeholders.

‘AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN COMMUNITIES OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH WILL DISCUSS FUTURE STATUS OF REGION’: AZERBAIJANI FM

Tert
Nov 11 2009
Armenia

Based on the results of the meeting to take place at the end of
November between the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents, the two
countries’ foreign ministries will continue consultations from December
1-2 in Athens, which is hosting the OSCE foreign ministers’ meeting,
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told journalists today,
as reported by Azerbaijani news agency News.Az.

Mammadyarov told journalists in Baku today that Azerbaijan "sees
three stages in the Karabakh conflict settlement".

"The first stage is the withdrawal of Armenian troops from Karabakh
with subsequent mine clearance. The second stage is the restoration of
infrastructure, the resolution of socio-economic problems and the third
— the return of all refugees to their native lands. Only after that
will it be possible to speak about the status of Nagorno-Karabakh,"
Mammadyarov said.

As reported by News.Az, during the three stages, the Azerbaijani
and Armenian communities of Nagorno-Karabakh will discuss the future
status of this region together.

"I would like to repeat that the issue of status can be settled only
within the framework of territorial integrity," concluded Mammadyarov.

ORIGINALS OF 21 WORKS BY ARSHILE GORKY SHOWN FOR FIRST TIME IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
Nov 9, 2009

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 9, NOYAN TAPAN. Public’s entrance to Cafesjian
Center for the Arts to see the exhibitions presented there was free on
November 8. American Armenian benefactor Gerald Cafesjian’s address
at the center’s opening ceremony mentioned that the agreements he
reached with RA President Robert Kocharian 6 years ago were very
important for the successful end of the Cascade Complex construction.

Works from American Armenian benefactor’s private collection, nearly
5000 works are presented in most part of center’s exhibition halls,
including works by Czech couple Stanislav Libenski and Jaroslava
Brikhtova, American vanguardist Dale Chihuly’s Persian Series glass
works, Czech Jaromir Ribak’s, Japanese Tadushi Sumi’s, Swedish Bertil
Valien’s works. G. Cafesjian’s collection is also rich in sculptures
and paintings by Fernando Botero, Arshile Gorky and Andy Warhol,
surrealistic works by Barry Flanagan and Ann Wrilink.

Prominent Armenian painter Grigor Khanjian’s famous monumental
tripicture, Armenian Alphabet, Avarayr, and Armenian Revival are
presented in an individual exhibition hall in the center. It is
the first time Arshile Gorky’s 21 original works, mainly drawings,
as well as some oil paintings are shown in Armenia.

It should be mentioned that except the exhibition hall on center’s
ground floor and Grigor Khanjian’s exhibition hall, entrance to other
exhibition halls will cost 1000 drams, for old people it will amount
to 750 drams (nearly 2 USD), for students 800 drams, and entrance
for children aged 12 and below will be free.

Office of Assemblyman Paul Krekorian
Jeremy Oberstein | Press Secretary
300 E. Magnolia Blvd., Suite 504
Burbank, CA 91502-1145
Tel: 818-558-3043
Cell: 323-632-2492

Event Date: Thursday, Nov. 12 at 10 a.m.
Contact: Jeremy Oberstein (818) 558-3043

Assistant Majority Leader Paul Krekorian to
Join Environment California
Group will reveal never before released data on air quality

BURBANK – Assemblymember Paul Krekorian (D-Valley Glen) will join
Environment California <; Thursday
morning as the environmental group will release a new analysis of
government data on clean air trends. The report will detail carbon
dioxide levels from fossil fuel consumption in California and around the
country from 1990 to 2007 – the first time the 2006 and 2007 data levels
for California have been released. The report comes as Congress moves to
consider a major energy and global warming bill, as EPA considers the
first-ever federal rules to cut global warming pollution from tailpipes
and smokestacks and as California continues to advance the state’s
global warming pollution regulations.

Krekorian is the author of AB 64, legislation the governor vetoed that
would have delivered some of California’s toughest clean air regulations
in decades. He also wrote legislation in 2007 that imposed strict
restrictions on plastic pollution in ocean run-off.

Who: Assemblymember Paul Krekorian
Assemblymember Kevin de Leon
State Sen. Fran Pavley =09
Dr. Glen MacDonald, Director, UCLA Institute of the Environment
Mike Kantor, Federal Field Organizer, Environment California

Where: UCLA Institute of the Environment, Los Angeles, CA 90025
La Kretz Hall, Suite 300
Conference Room
Map and directions here
< ?parentid=3D974>

When: Thursday, November 12 at 10 a.m.

Assemblymember Paul Krekorian represents the cities of Burbank and
Glendale, and the Los Angeles communities of Atwater Village, Los Feliz,
North Hollywood, Silver Lake, Toluca Lake, Valley Glen, Valley Village
and Van Nuys. His website is Follow him
on Twitter <; (@PaulKrekorian) and
Facebook <; .

###

SUDANESE PRESIDENT WON’T PARTICIPATE IN OIC MEETING IN ISTANBUL

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.11.2009 12:05 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Omar al-Bashir told Abdullah Gul, his Turkish
counterpart, on Sunday that he would not attend a meeting of the
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Istanbul on Monday,
Al Jazeera reported.

The cancellation came after the European Union put pressure on host
Turkey to either stop al-Bashir from attending the economic summit or
arrest him upon arrival. Sudan’s leader is wanted by the International
Criminal Court (ICC) for trial on charges of war crimes and crimes
against humanity in the western region of Darfur.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, questioned the
charges against al-Bashir and said that "no Muslim could perpetrate
a genocide", according to Turkey’s Anatolia news agency. "If there
was such a thing [genocide], we could talk about it face to face with
President Bashir."

Europe to mark 500th anniversary of Armenian book printing

2009-11-07 16:11:00

ArmInfo. Europe is going to mark the 500th anniversary of Armenian
book printing.

Armenian Culture Minister Hasmik Poghosyan said at today’s
press-conference that Armenian will shortly considers all the
proposals received from European countries concerning organization of
exhibitions of Armenian books. For example, Zurich expressed
willingness to completely dedicate its international fair to Armenia.
The minister pointed out that according to preliminary data, Armenia
will be able to participate in foreign activities on marking the
Armenian book printing anniversary. As regards the insurance of works
of culture and art, which is an important component of such guest
exhibitions, Poghosyan said that various sponsors, including an
insurance company, are providing their support. Moreover, sometimes
the hosting country covers most of insurance costs.

‘ADANA 1909’: TWO-DAY SEMINAR IN ISTANBUL

Tert
Nov 6 2009
Armenia

The History Department at Bogazici University in Turkey, Gomidas
Institute, International Hrant Dink Foundation, Istanbul Bilgi
University History Department and Sabanci University are pleased to
present a workshop titled "Adana 1909: History, Memory and Identity
from a Hundred-Year Perspective" to take place at Sabanci University
(Sakip Sabanci Museum) in Istanbul from November 6-7, 2009.

Today’s sessions will cover Adana’s historical, political and economic
context and will run till 5 pm local time. Tomorrow’s sessions begin
at 9:30 am and run till 6 pm, and cover the topic "Testimonies and
Responses."

Speakers include Lou Ann Matossian from the Cafesjian Family
Foundation; Rita Kuyumjian from McGill University in Montreal, Canada;
Marc Nichanian from Columbia University; Barbara Merguerian from the
Armenian International Women’s Association; Zakarya Mildanoglu from the
International Hrant Dink Foundation and a number of other academics,
historians and experts on the topic.

The seminars will be presented in both Turkish and English, with
simultaneous translation provided.

For more information, please send an email to [email protected].

DECREASE OF DEFENSE EXPENSES BY 22% IS PLANNED IN THE DRAFT BUDGET OF ARMENIA

WPS Agency
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
November 6, 2009 Friday
Russia

The draft state budget of Armenia makes provisions for reduction of the
money allocated for defense. The country plans to allocate 22% less for
defense than in 2009. Thus, whereas in 2009 defense expenses amounted
to 149 billion drams ($1 is equivalent to 383 Armenian drums), in
2010 the government planned to allocate 116 billion drums for defense.

MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES OF CIS AND BALTIC STATES TO HOLD THEIR FORUM IN MOSCOW

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.11.2009 15:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Early in December, Moscow will host a forum with
participation of CIS and Baltic states’ media representatives,
Ara Saghatelyan, Chief of Information and Public Relations
Department of presidential staff, told today a news conference in
Yerevan. "Event aims at restoring relations between CIS countries’
media representatives, as well as creating a common information
domain," he said.

Discussion, according to him, will focus on such issues as public
trust in media, decreased quantity of print media in CIS countries etc.

Forum will take place under the aegis of RIA Novosti Russian news
agency.