Author: Tashjian Arbi

Interfax, Russia
May 14 2010

High-ranking U.S. diplomat discusses Nagorno-Karabakh at Yerevan

YEREVAN May 14

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary
of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Tina Kaidanow discussed
negotiations on the settlement of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh
at a meeting on Friday.

Sargsyan and Kaidanow agreed on importance of continuing the efforts
the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are making to resolve the problem
peacefully, the Armenian presidential press service told Interfax.

Armenia attaches particular significance to broader cooperation with
the U.S., Sargsyan said. He thanked the U.S. government for
considerable assistance and efforts toward establishing peace and
stability in the region.

Kaidanow also discussed efforts to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.

Trend, Azerbaijan
May 15 2010

Official: Elections conducted by separatist regime can not be recognized
15.05.2010 17:24

Azerbaijan, Baku, May 15 / Trend K. Zarbaliyeva /

The elections, conducted by the separatist regime, can not have
official status, the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration
socio-political department head, Ali Hasanov, told media, ATV channel
reported.

May 23 separatist regime of Nagorno-Karabakh will hold the
"parliamentary elections".

"The status of Nagorno-Karabakh has not been resolved yet.
Azerbaijanis internally displaced from these areas have not returned
to their lands. The elections held there can not be officially
recognized. Their aim is to create problems for the Azerbaijani state
within the policy of separatist regime and hamper the return of
Azerbaijani population to these lands, " Hasanov said.

On Friday, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry expressed its official
protest about holding of the "parliamentary elections" in
Nagorno-Karabakh.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.

The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the
occupied territories.

Armenian Tennis Team Beats Albanians

11:12 – 15.05.10

The Armenian Tennis team has celebrated its second victory in the
Euro-African 3rd Division of the Davis Cup in Greece.

The Armenian team playing in the B Group has beaten the Albanians at a
3:0 score, reports local Armenian sports news website Armsport.am.

Earlier the Armenian team had lost to Montenegro and Moldova (0:3) and
beaten the San Marino team with the same score.
In the last tournament the Armenian team will compete with the Greeks
who have won in all the competitions during this Davis Cup.

Tert.am

RESEARCH FROM H.B. NERSISYAN AND CO-RESEARCHERS PROVIDES NEW DATA ON PLASMA PHYSICS

Physics Week
May 11, 2010

PLASMA PHYSICS

According to recent research from Armenia, "The spectral line
shapes for hydrogen like heavy ion emitters embedded in strongly
correlated two component electron ion plasmas are investigated with
numerical simulations. For that purpose the microfield fluctuations
are calculated by molecular dynamics simulations where short range
quantum effects are taken into account by using a regularized Coulomb
potential for the electron ion interaction."

"The microfield fluctuations are used as input in a numerical
solution of the time dependent Schrodinger equation for the radiating
electron. In distinction to the standard impact and quasistatic
approximations the method presented here allows to account for the
correlations between plasma ions and electrons. The shapes of the
Ly alpha-line in Al are investigated in the intermediate regime,"
wrote H.B. Nersisyan and colleagues.

The researchers concluded: "The calculations are in good agreement
with experiments on the Ly alpha-line in laser generated plasmas."

Nersisyan and colleagues published their study in Contributions to
Plasma Physics (Microfield Fluctuations and Spectral Line Shapes
in Strongly Coupled Two Component Plasmas. Contributions to Plasma
Physics, 2010;50(2):193-203).

For additional information, contact H.B. Nersisyan, Institute
Radiophys & Electrical, Division Theoret Physics, Alikhanian Bros
St. 1, Ashtarak 378410, Armenia.

Publisher contact information for the journal Contributions to Plasma
Physics is: Wiley-V C H Verlag GmbH, PO Box 10 11 61, D-69451 Weinheim,
Germany.

AZERBAIJANI MEDIA DISTORT EUROPEAN COMMISSION PROGRESS REPORT ON ARMENIA

Panorama.am
13/05/2010

News.az information agency spread disinformation over the European
Commission Progress Report Armenia 2009. Quoting Toby Vogel’s article
in the European Voice, Azerbaijani media presented his personal view
as the EuroCommission report.

Particularly, the report highlights Armenia’s success over signing
Switzerland-backed normalization protocols with Turkey. "The EU was
pleased to note Armenia’s continued commitment to pursue the process
of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations but at the same time
expressed concern about the loss of momentum in this process," the
report says.

The lack of progress in the protocol ratification process followed
as Turkey linked the opening of the borders and the establishment of
diplomatic relations with the progress of Armenia-Azerbaijan talks
on Nagorno-Karabakh, according to the report.

Then, T. Vogel expresses his own view on the issue stating that
Nagorno-Karabakh "is Azerbaijan’s territory, occupied by the Armenian
military forces in 1990." Naturally, the European Commission report
puts nothing of the kind. To make sure, you can read the report here:
10/sec10_516_en.pdf

Thus, we can do nothing but advise our Azerbaijani colleagues to work
with the real, initial sources.

TURKEY’S ARMENIAN COMMUNITY STILL DIVIDED ON PATRIARCHATE

Tert.am
17:56 12.05.10

Turkish Armenians are still not able to elect a new patriarch, partly
due to the government’s delay and partly due to a conflict of ideas
within the congregation.

If the Interior Ministry does not announce a date for the new election
within 60 days of notice, the Armenian community is planning to take
legal action, sources told Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

An "Initiating Committee" formed by the community foundation’s
executives and members of the Civilian Initiative applied to the
Istanbul Governor’s Office for the second time last week. According
to the schedule planned months ago, May 9 was to be the date for the
delegation election, and May 12 was to be the date for the election
of a new patriarch.

Speaking to the newspaper, Setrak Davuthan, a member of the Initiating
Committee and the community’s attorney, expressed amazement at the
latest developments. "In every election until this one, the ministry
used to send us a document stating every detail on how the election
should be conducted. Not this time," Davuthan said.

The committee had to go a second time to the Governor’s Office after
receiving no reply to their first application, Davuthan said.

"Legally, we must receive an answer within 60 days. If we do not,
we will go to court."

The impediment for the election does not only come from the ministry.

The congregation itself has not yet reached a consensus on whether
to choose a patriarch or a co-patriarch. Therefore, in the last few
months there have been two separate applications submitted to the
Governor’s Office from the Initiating Committee and from the Turkish
Armenian Patriarchate Spiritual Assembly Committee.

The latter insists that a co-patriarch should be elected, whereas
the Initiating Committee says a new patriarch is a must. Mesrop II,
the current patriarch, suffers from dementia and cannot fulfill his
duties. According to the rules of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
a new patriarch cannot be assigned before the previous one passes
away. The Initiating Committee, on the other hand, is concerned that
legal conflicts might arise if a co-patriarch is elected.

LA CEREMONIE DU 24 AVRIL A CHAVILLE
par Stephane

armenews
jeudi13 mai 2010
FRANCE

La ceremonie a debute au Monument armenien par un requiem prononce par
le Père Gourgen Aghababyan a la memoire des 1.500.000 victimes. Après
les depôts de gerbes suivi des deux hymnes nationaux et d’une minute
de silence, se sont successivement exprime : Le Père Aghababyan
(en armenien), Cure de la paroisse armenienne de Chaville, Mme Aïda
Der-Kaloustian, Presidente de la section de Chaville de la Croix
Bleue des Armeniens de France, M. Antoine Bagdikian, President de
l’Association des Anciens combattants et resistants armeniens de
l’armee francaise et enfin M. Jean-Jacques Guillet, Depute-Maire
de Chaville.

Chacun des orateurs a fermement condamne le negationnisme persistant
des dirigeants turcs actuels tout en saluant haut et fort le courage de
cette centaine d’intellectuels et artistes qui ont ose brise a Istanbul
ce 24 avril, le mur du silence en manifestant avec les portraits des
200 intellectuels armeniens, deportes puis massacre les 24 avril,
1915, coup d’envoi du premier genocide du 20e siècle.

La ceremonie s’est achevee par un chant armenien interprete par la
chorale de l’eglise de Chaville sous la direction d’Astrig Dedeyan.

VIGEN CHALDRANYAN PRESENTING HIS OWN EUGENE ONEGIN IN YEREVAN

Tert.am
13:03 13.05.10

On May 13 famous Armenian film director Vigen Chaldranyan and the
Armenian State Philharmonic Orchestra will present the Eugene Onegin
opera written by the Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky.

Recently Chaldranyan has changed his preferences to some extent and
this time he presents himself as staging director and producer.

Tatiana’s aria from Eugene Onegin will be performed by Armenian
soloists Roza Hovsepyan, Liana Ghazaryan, Suzanna Melkonyan.

Olga’s part will be will be performed by Greta Baghyan, while that
of Onegin – by Gevorg Hacobyan.

The Orchestra will be conducted by Eduard Topchyan. Hover Chamber
Choire headed by Sona Hovhannisyan will also take part in it.

TURKISH AMBASSADOR HOPES RUSSIA WILL INTENSIFY KARABAKH SETTLEMENT EFFORTS

Interfax
May 10 2010
Russia

Russia could play a more active role in the Karabakh settlement and
the establishment of Turkish-Armenian relations, Turkish ambassador
to Russia Halil Akinci believes.

"We believe that Russia as a country of the region is capable of
contributing to the solution of the problem of Karabakh because out of
the three cochairman of the [OSCE] Minsk group only Russia a regional
country," he said in an interview with Interfax ahead of the visit
of President Dmitry Medvedev to Turkey on May 11-12.

Akinci expressed the conviction that Russia’s involvement could
be more active. In his opinion, the issue will be discussed during
Medvedev’s coming visit to Ankara.

"The sides to the conflict must be encouraged. They have to be pushed
to bring their positions closer. And Russia can cope with this task
as no other country," he said.

The ambassador also believes that Russia could promote the development
of relations between Turkey and Armenia. "Russia can do much to
facilitate the process. Turkey’s terms and well as the limits of its
actions are known to everyone," Akinci said.

"The ratification of the protocol on normalizing relations is
impossible separately from the question of Nagorno Karabakh," he said.

"We have done everything we could. Armenia cannot endlessly keep
Azerbaijani territories occupied. One day it will have to free them,"
he said.

NOAH’S ARK MAKES WAVES; DOUBTS ARE RAISED OVER A CLAIM THAT THE BIBLICAL SHIP HAS BEEN FOUND IN TURKEY
by Chris Taylor

South China Morning Post
May 10, 2010 Monday
Hong Kong

News that a Christian group based in Hong Kong may have discovered
the biblical Noah’s Ark in Turkey is making headlines around the world.

The announcement has also prompted Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and
Tourism to investigate how parts of the alleged find ended up in
Hong Kong.

Explorers from Noah’s Ark Ministries International said they had found
wood and compartments that could have housed animals that were believed
to have been saved from the global flood narrated in the Bible.

They said they were "99.9 per cent sure" that they had finally located
the legendary boat, about 4,200 metres up Mount Ararat in eastern
Turkey. The evangelist group said carbon dating had proved wood from
the site was 4,800 years old.

The group also raised eyebrows when it made the same announcement
in 2008.

One of the sceptics, archaeologist Peter Kuniholm, said of the latest
finding: "There’s not enough H2O in the world to get an ark that high
up a mountain."

More damaging still, an e-mail by evangelist and Ark researcher Dr
Randall Price was leaked to the PaleoBabble website, in which he
describes the discovery as a hoax.

Price says he was the archaeologist in the 2008 trip, a claim that
one of the expedition members, Yeung Wing-cheung, has confirmed to
Young Post.

Price’s e-mail details how the expedition’s Turkish guide had beams
of wood moved from "the Black Sea area" – where he says the original
2008 ark pictures were taken – up the mountain and put in a cave.

He says in the e-mail: "I and my partners invested US$100,000 in this
expedition … which they have retained, despite their promise and
our requests to return it, since it was not used for the expedition."

Price elaborated on his leaked e-mail last Tuesday on the World of
the Bible Ministries website. He said: "In Dogubabyazit, the village
at the foot of Mount Ararat, where Parasut, the Chinese guide, is
well known, the locals know that the true story that the structure
in the cave is a grand hoax."

He quoted from an alleged e-mail from one of the villagers, saying
Parasut had been putting "wood in the cave … for money" for three
years.

Yeung denied the claim, pointing out that road access on Ararat only
went up to 2,000 metres and it was "physically impossible to carry
such a large structure" up 4,200 metres.

"Everyone who has ever climbed Mount Ararat would know the terrain
above 3,800 metres is so rugged that you cannot carry anything more
than a backpack," the group said on its website.

Yeung also defended the team’s use of the US$100,000 "investment",
saying part of the money had gone to local mountaineers who filmed
video to prove to Price that the 2008 expedition could be not be
undertaken due to bad weather.

Meanwhile, scientists who were not involved in either expedition were
sceptical for other reasons.

Paul Zimansky, an archaeologist at Stony Brook University in New
York State, said that he would want to see evidence of a particularly
catastrophic flood in Turkey 4,800 years ago. "We know what was going
on with Turkey archaeologically at that time, and there was no major
interruption in the culture," he said.

Other scholars doubted whether Noah’s Ark – if it was not merely a
biblical myth – actually came to rest on Mount Ararat.

"The whole notion is odd, because the Bible tells you the ark landed
somewhere in Urartu," biblical scholar Jack Sasson said, referring
to an ancient kingdom in the Armenian highlands. "It’s only later
that people identified Mount Ararat with Urartu."

Ark hunter Bob Cornuke, of the Bible Archaeology, Search and
Exploration Institute, said the ark landed in the Alborz mountains,
in what is now northern Iran.

Not that any of this is likely to deter future expeditions and
"discoveries", which have been taking place since the early 1820s,
as Zimansky said ironically in an interview with National Geographic:
"I don’t know of any expedition that ever went looking for the ark
and didn’t find it."