Author: Tashjian Arbi

YEREVAN DENIES NEW "ROAD MAP" TALKS WITH TURKEY

Voice of Russia
May 21 2010

Armenia has refuted Turkey’s reports that Ankara and Yerevan are amid
talks on a new "Road Map" plan for settling bilateral relations. This
is a downright lie, so I don’t see any need for commenting on false
reports, said the Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian earlier
today. Yesterday an official of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development
party said that Yerevan and Ankara have agreed to keep silence, given
that a new "Road Map" plan for a bilateral settlement is currently
on the negotiating table.

EXAMINATION OF ANCIENT CHURCH YIELDS INSIGHT INTO LOCAL FAUNA

Today’s Zaman
May 21 2010
Turkey

Photo: A team led by Dr. Ozdemir Adızel of Yuzuncu Yıl University
extracted important data in the fields of biology and art history by
studying reliefs on the walls of an ancient Armenian church.

A team of university researchers analyzing friezes on the exterior
walls of the Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross has determined that
a number of the animals depicted in the historic bas-reliefs are now
extinct or facing the threat of extinction.

A team led by Dr. Ozdemir Adızel, a faculty member in the biology
department at Yuzuncu Yıl University, has been studying the reliefs
on the walls of the church, which was constructed on Akdamar Island
in Lake Van by architect-monk Manuel between 915 and 921 A.D. under
the patronage of Armenian King Gagik I. A two-year study by Adızel,
titled "A Biological Look at the Historic Akdamar Church," involved the
examination of every single animal depicted in the church’s friezes.

Adızel said the work had been very productive, yielding important
information, as the church contains 1,100-year-old clues to the past
unparalleled elsewhere in the world. "All of the reliefs on the church
walls are positioned within a five-band format; the first three of
these bands concern animal and plant types that have survived from
the past to the present day. The two bottom bands are images that
have more to do with belief and culture," he explained.

The biologist highlighted the study’s three main finds. "One of these
is that many of the animal types that lived in this region in the past
have become extinct. We determined that the rest of them still exist.

For example, the Anatolian tiger featured on the church’s eastern face
hasn’t been seen since the 1970s," he said. "The second important
result has to do with the animal types that exist today — some of
these, such as the bustard and some types of swan and duck, still
live today, but are under threat of extinction."

Adızel said that the final discovery had to do with the mislabeling
by art historians of the animal types featured in the reliefs. The
correction of these errors, he said, would be an important contribution
to art history.

SIGNING OF TREATY ON NONE-USE OF FORCE BETWEEN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN: IS IT POSSIBLE?

Today
/68444.html
May 21 2010
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani political expert Zardusht Alizade says the resolution of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict depends on what degree the conflicting
parties trust each other. He was commenting on possible use of "2+3+2"
formula in the conflict resolution.

"Under this plan, in the best case, Azerbaijan will recover control of
two of its regions at the initial stage and three more regions will
be liberated later. This will mark starting point of a cooperation
in some spheres between the parties," the expert said.

"I think that both sides should understand that cooperation is better
than confrontation. Countries in conflict need to get rid of the myths
that have settled over the relations between nations. In the worst
case, there will be need to involve psychiatrists," the political
expert added.

Asked whether there is a link between a new document that reportedly
stands on the Armenian-Turkish talks’ table and items of the "2 +3 +2"
formula of de-occupation of Azerbaijani territories, Alizade said that
"the borders between Armenia and Turkey will reopen when relations
between Baku and Yerevan see at least some progress. I have always said
that the Armenian-Turkish normalization is profitable for Azerbaijan."

Speaking about the conditions under which Azerbaijan may agree to sign
an agreement on non-use of force in resolving the Karabakh conflict,
the political scientist said "although Azerbaijan has every right
to solve the conflict by military means, it has not done this for 16
years. It shows that Azerbaijan is committed to a peaceful solution to
the Karabakh conflict. And when joining the Council of Europe and the
Madrid principles, we have pledged to resolve the issue by diplomatic
means. Therefore, if Armenia fulfills all its commitments under
possible agreements with Azerbaijan, I see no reason for Azerbaijan
to launch military action."

UZHGOROD CITY COUNCIL RECOGNIZES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 20, 2010 – 13:51 AMT 08:51 GMT

The city council Uzhgorod, Ukraine, recognized the Armenian Genocide,
following a statement issued by Ararat Cultural Center, Analitika.at.ua
reported.

Earlier, Kyiv city council declared April 24 the Day of Remembrance
of the Armenian Genocide.

COMMISSION FOR PROTECTION OF ECONOMIC COMPETITION FINES ALEX GRIG FOR UNFAIR COMPETITION

/ARKA/
May 19, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, May 19, /ARKA/. Armenia’s State Commission for Protection
of Economic Competition has ruled today to fine Alex Grig company in
the amount of 3 million Drams for unfair competition and the failure
to present data required by it in due time. The Commission started a
process against this company on May 7 after finding that it produced
and sold five brands of vodka that could confuse consumers.

Vahan Gspoyan, head of a Commission unit in charge of issues related
to unfair competition, said Alex Grig produced and sold vodkas that
resemble to a great degree vodkas produced by Ukraine. He said labeling
on one brand was entirely in Ukrainian.

The Commission has ruled also to fine the company in the amount of
500,000 Drams for providing incomplete information in regard to prices
of sugar that it imported and sold in Armenia in 2009.

The ruling related to vodkas was protested by Lernik Hovhanesian,
a company’s lawyer, who argued that the company would agree to the
rulings if they were prompted by complaints from companies owing
vodka brands.

He said the company will take the case to court because ‘the ruling
is not supported legally.’

Alex Grig is owned by a parliament member Samvel Alexanian. Last year
it was fined by the Commission in the amount of $3,000 for unfair
competition on the complain from Manukian and Partners company,
a distributor of several brands of Russian vodka in Armenia.

OIC FOREIGN MINISTERIAL COUNCIL ADOPTS THREE RESOLUTIONS ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH

Today
May 19 2010
Azerbaijan

The thirty-seventh session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the
Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) adopted three resolutions
on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, according to which Armenia was
recognized as an aggressor.

The first resolution is political one. The resolution that recognized
Armenia as an aggressor will become a reference point in the discussion
of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict at the Islamic countries’ upcoming
summit to be held in Cairo in March 2011, Azerbaijani Ambassador to
Saudi Arabia and Permanent Representative to the OIC Tofig Abdullayev
told Trend.

The OIC Foreign Ministerial Council, which will continue for three
days, opened in Dushanbe on Tuesday with the participation of 80
delegations of the OIC member-states, delegations of the observer
countries, and international and regional organizations.

The session mainly focuses on the issues regarding the escalation in
the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and transformation of the Middle East
into a nuclear-free zone, as well as the situation in Iraq and Somalia

"Substantial changes were made to the first resolution that adopted
annually. The question of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be
continually raised at the OIC meetings, otherwise we will step back,"
Abdullayev said.

The second resolution considers providing of financial and economic
assistance to the victims of the Armenian aggression, he said.

"This is an appeal to the Islamic institutions and countries in
support of Azerbaijan," Abdullayev said.

Regarding the third resolution, it condemned the destruction of the
historic Islamic monuments in the territories of Azerbaijan as a
result of the Armenian aggression, Abdullayev said.

HAKOBIAN WINS OVER INARKIEV IN ROUND 8 OF FIDE GRAND PRIX

Aysor
May 19 2010
Armenia

In round eight of the FIDE Grand Prix among men, taking place in
Russia’s Astrakhan, Armenia’s Grand Master Vladimir Hakobian won 1:0
over Russia’s Ernesto Inarkiev. It’s worth mentioning that Ernesto
Inarkiev played the game well; however, he was overcome.

Despite the victory in this round, Vladimir Hakobian is still on the
last position of the tournament table; however, he has got a chance
to improve his results.

L. ANANYAN, "WE MUST BE ABLE TO PRESERVE THE PURITY OF THE MOTHER LANGUAGE"

ARMENPRESS
MAY 18, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, MAY 18, ARMENPRESS: "Thunder from the Blue Sky," with similar
words defined Chairman of Writers’ Union Levon Ananyan the issue on
opening foreign-language schools in Armenia. L. Ananyan said today
at a meeting with journalists that the project must not be adopted
and must be returned to the government, as the language is one of
the bases of the Armenian identity.

ARMENIAN, FOREIGN STUDENTS AT MUSEUM-INSTITUTE OF GENOCIDE

Aysor
May 18 2010
Armenia

The Museum-Institute of Genocide of Armenians is holding Tuesday a
panel discussion between the museum’s director Hyke Demoyan and the
students. The meeting is initiated by the Armenian Assembly of America
(AAA) and the "Youth" public organisation, AAA spokeswoman Ekaterina
Hayrapetian told Aysor.

The meeting’s highlights are to discuss issue of the Genocide of
Armenians as there are illiteracy and some sort of barbarism in
relation to the issue of the Genocide, especially, when some ones say
the reason that caused the mass killings are the Armenians themselves.

"In order to eliminate these demonstrations of illiteracy and ignorance
we are organizing the meeting, bringing together the young adults and
scholars for a discussion, where one can ask a question to experts
and receive a respond, based of facts," said Mrs Ekaterina Hayrapetian.

The Armenian Assembly of America is a public organisation, whose
mission is to represent and promote Armenian interests and contribute
to the international recognition of the 1915 Genocide.

Today’s meeting will gather both Armenian and foreign students.

Included in the meeting’s program is an excursion in the Museum.

CRIMINAL CASE INITIATED ON FACT OF BREAKDOWN OF ‘TYPHOON’ MERRY-GO-ROUND IN THE VICTORY PARK

ArmInfo
2010-05-18 12:57:00

ArmInfo. A criminal case has been initiated on the fact of breakdown of
"Typhoon" merry-go-round in the Victory Park in Yerevan.

The chains of the merry-go-round called "Typhoon" broke on May 9
in the Victory Park of Yerevan. Four people were injured: Sirarpi
Navoyan (born in 1996) and Susanna Galstyan (born in 1997) suffered
lighter injuries (injuries of head and extremities), whereas Marine
(born in 1975) and Menua (born in 1997) Vardanyans were taken to
Mikaelyan Medical Center (backbone injury and brain concussion).

The Police press-service told ArmInfo the criminal case has been in
initiated on Article 279 part 2 point 1 (production and exploitation
of product not meeting safety requirements). "Typhoon" was installed
and used illegally.