Author: Yeghisabet Arthur

ARONIAN ENDED IN DRAW

Panorama.am
20:41 08/08/2008

The seventh round of FIDE Grand Prix finished and Armenian GM
Levon Aronian ended his meeting with Russian Dmitri Yakovenko in
draw. Totally six meetings from seven ones ended in draw.

To conclude, after the seventh round first horizontals are shared
by Ivan Cheparinov and Temur Rajabov who have 4.5 points, Levon
Aronian and Hashimov are on the 3-4 horizontals, 5-11 horizontals
are occupied by Kamski, Wang Yue, Svidler, Yakovensko, Grishchuk,
Ivanchuk and Kariakin.

KAMIL SALIMOV: "EXPLOSION AT BTC CAUSED THE GREATEST DAMAGE TO AZERBAIJAN"

Today.Az
s/politics/46824.html
Aug 7 2008
Azerbaijan

Day.Az interview with Kamil Salimov, doctor of law and expert in the
sphere of combat with terror.

– How would you comment on the explosion at Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
pipeline?

– The threat of terror acts against BTC was taken into account while
planning the construction of the pipeline. The participating countries
took into account the real threats at all sections of the pipeline. The
threats of terror acts from the Armenian side were taken into account
at the Azerbaijani section of the pipeline, Abkhaz and South Ossetian
at Georgian section and Kurdish at Turkish.

Another fact should be underlined. While planning the pipeline
construction, Azerbaijan proposed a convention for defining the system
of international security of BTC, envisioning its security in line with
international law. Its essence was as follows: the pipeline is guarded
by three states-Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia; the special services of
the three countries are closely cooperating for guarding the pipeline.

The modern concept of war on terror envisions cooperation of the
whole world society. There are 13 international conventions today,
in line with which the states are bound to present information to
avert terrorist acts, depending on the object of terrorist attack.

Hypothetically, let’s imagine that special services of Belgium have
information about the preparing attack on the BTC pipeline. In case
BTC was an object of international defense, if exactly, if it was on
the list of the said 13 conventions, Belgium will be bound to present
information to the three countries, participating in the BTC pipeline
immediately. But if BTC is not on the list, Belgium may present this
information or it may not.

Thus, while laying the pipeline, Azerbaijan presented the draft
convention on international defense of oil interstate pipeline
to UN, including BTC as ecological damage from the explosions is
quite significant. Unfortunately, at that time the proposal of the
Azerbaijani side was not taken into account.

– The Kurdish terror organization PKK assumed responsibility for
explosion at the BTC pipeline…

– The philosophy of the terrorist act lies in causing damage to the
most critical points of the country, including civilians, strategic
objects and so on, which may create serious concerns of the country
and the world society. The most painful point for the whole region
is the BTC pipeline. The due infrastructure including terminals, oil
tankers and others, has been created for the purpose. The explosion
suspended operation of the whole infrastructure.

– Which country suffered greatest losses from the explosion at BTC
pipeline?

– Undoubtedly, the terrorist act against BTC caused a colossal damage
to the entire region. As I have already said, it is necessary to
search an alternative way of transportation. It is unclear how much
time will be needed for pipeline restoration. We had to transport
oil by the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline, which are many millions of
expenses. Terrorists have reached their goals. Colossal economic
damage was caused to the region, not speaking of the ecological damage.

– Do you think the third powers have a hand in the explosion?

– As a rule, terrorist organizations cooperate with each others. But
there is also a policy of state terrorism. Participation of
the Armenian special services in the terrorist act is not ruled
out. Yerevan is isolated from regional economic projects, it is in a
state of war with Azerbaijan, it has territorial claims to Turkey, its
relations with Georgia cooled due to the recent events in Javakheti.It
is necessary to take into account the fact that Armenia has links
with Kurdish separatists. But still it is difficult to state it
without proofs.

– Which measures should be taken to strengthen BTC security?

– It is impossible to ensure the security of the pipeline by a whole
army, even if there were guards at each meter. The terrorist act of
September 11 of 2001 demonstrated vulnerability of the defense systems
of state objects, regulated by the man factor. The United States,
having great opportunities of espionage and counterespionage, fell
victims. I consider it necessary to adopt the 14th convention of the
international security of interstate pipelines. The document should
be approved by European structures. I think it will be approved by
Europe, as BTC is important for it. And later the document could be
presented to UN.

MATTHEW BRYZA: TO REACH POLITICAL SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT, ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE TO REACH A COMPROMISE ON NK’S STATUS

arminfo
2008-08-05 13:49:00

ArmInfo. "Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers’ meeting in
Moscow on August 1 was positive. As both Ministers Elmar Mammadyarov
and Edward Nalbandian stated at their press conference, their one-
on-one discussion lasted over an hour and was held in a positive mood,"
American Co-Chair of OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza told APA.

He said the Foreign Ministers agreed to continue negotiations under the
Minsk Group to reconcile their countries’ respective positions on the
remaining issues as outlined in the Co-Chairs’ November 2007 Madrid
Document, which sets out suggestions proposed by the Co-Chairs to
guide the negotiation of a framework agreement for a final resolution.

"The Co-Chairs’ suggestions form a balanced package. It is very
important to remember that no single element has been agreed. The only
way any element of the Madrid Document can be agreed is if all elements
are agreed at the same time in a broad package," the Co-Chair said.

Matthew Bryza said the Co-Chairs proceed from a starting position of
recognizing Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

"To reach a political settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
Armenia and Azerbaijan will eventually have to reach a compromise on
NK’s status. We cannot predict what that compromise will look like,
or when it will emerge.

But, the Co-Chairs recommend that the residents of NK play a key
role in determining their region’s status through some type of voting
process at some point in the future," he said.

American mediator considers that the specifics of such a voting
process must be negotiated. "Such a voting process could only emerge
after the return of internally displaced persons and refugees, which
could take quite some time," he said.

VIC DARCHINYAN GOES FOR GOLD THIS SATURDAY NIGHT ON SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING AGAINST DIMITRI KIRILOV
By Eileen Teran

ringsidereport.com
Aug 1 2008
VA

Get ready for a clash of the titans as two of the best super flyweights
meet to see who will be going home with the IBF World Title this
Saturday night. Defending Champion, Dimitri "The Baby" Kirilov, 29-3-1,
9 KO’s, will square off against Vic "Raging Bull" Darchinyan, 29-1-1,
23 KO’s, at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington.

Kirilov is the more calculating and controlled fighter. He is very
fast, disciplined, always in great shape, works hard, and he’s a
world class boxer. He will be looking to utilize these gifts as he
tries to methodically wear out the knock out obsessed Darchinyan.

Kirilov doesn’t have superior knockout power, so he’s going to have
to try to be crafty and make it go the distance. He is Russian, and
he is currently trained by the brilliant Freddie Roach. This will be
Kirilov’s third time fighting in the U.S. and it will be Kirilov’s
second title defense.

Making this bout very interesting is the fact that Kirilov has never
been knocked out in his career and possesses a solid chin. Darchinyan
is no stranger to title fights, having defending his IBF title
six times in the lower weight division of flyweights. He’s from
Armenia, but makes his home in Australia now. He had a perfect record
before suffering a huge knockout loss against Nonito Donaire in July
2007. Since then, he’s moved up a weight class, and has defeated the
two guys he met in the ring. He does have knockout power, so it will
be great to see who wins this chess match of strength versus control.

The undercard will feature a fight between undefeated Middleweights,
25 year old southpaw from Michigan, Andre Dirrell, 25-0, 15 KO’s, and
28 year old Mike Paschall, 17-0-1, 4 KO’s, from Baltimore, Maryland.

Dirrell is pretty well known from his fights on ESPN. Paschall is
not as easily recognized or known as this will be his first fight out
of the state of Maryland. The odds are heavily in Dirrell’s favor as
fight night approaches.

Dirrell’s most recent win, was a very respectable TKO win over Anthony
Hanshaw. Paschall is looking to start his career rise with an upset
victory over Dirrell, and has already scheduled his next fight in
early September. This fight is scheduled for 10 rounds.

KEY PROJECTS ON TAP IN LITTLE ARMENIA
By Arin Mikailian

Los Angeles Independent
Aug 1 2008
CA

Little Armenia will be seeing significant changes starting this
fall and into the next year, say civic leaders and businesspeople in
the community.

Two of the largest Armenian news outlets in Southern California will
being moving their headquarters from Glendale to 1203 Vermont Ave. in
September, while a new youth center on Sunset Boulevard is slated to
open next fall.

Asbarez, a popular Armenian newspaper, will occupy the second floor
of what used to be the Armenian Center of Hollywoo; the cable channel
Horizon will set up offices on the first floor.

Harry Vorperian, general manager of Horizon, said he thinks the move
to the section of Hollywood was a good decision given the nature of
his company.

"We looked around and realized, us being an Armenian television
channel, that havnig a little Armenia address would be interesting,"
he said. "Those were big plusses for us."

Renovations at the community center began in April to prepare for
the arrival of the two media outlets in September.

However, some of the previous occupants of the community center won’t
be packing up for good.

A number of Armenian organizations had offices set up in the building,
including the Armenian Youth Federation and an office for Homenetmen,
one of Southern California’s largest sports organization for Armenian
youths.

Although those organizations are currently operating out of satellite
locations, they will find new homes next year in the upcoming Armenian
Youth Center.

On July 9, a groundbreaking ceremony was held near the corner of Sunset
Boulevard and Alexandria Avenue for the new Armenian Youth Center.

Armenian National Commitee Hollywood representative Harout Beshlian
said the 8,000-square-foot center will house a computer lab and other
facilities where local children can head to after school and engage
in various activities.

The center will also house an office for the Armenian Youth Federation
and the Los Angeles Chapter of Homenetmen as well as the Armenian
Relief Society Mayr chapter and the Armenian-American Council on Aging.

The occupants of a nearby private school and church on Alexandria
Avenue say they are looking forward to the youth center because it
will complement services they already offer.

One of those occupants is Dr. Viken Yacoubian, principal of Rose and
Alex Pilibos Armenian School, which opened its doors in 1969.

Yacoubian said having the new facility just a few hundred feet away
from the K-12 school will "bring a sense of community."

"It will make the area much more dynamic in terms of what [Little
Armenia] contributes to the larger society," he said. "This is going
to be a place where the youth can thrive after school and participate
in community activities. I think it’s going to be a great change."

He also added having the ability to create numerous resources for
the community proves to him how far Armenians have come since they
began to settle down in Little Armenia.

"We feel very comfortable here," he said. "We feel respected, embraced
and accepted."

The population of Armenians in Hollywood began to grow during the
late 1960s and 1970s after Armenians from mainly Lebanon and Armenia
left for America to avoid internal conflicts.

In the 1970s, it was mostly Armenians from Lebanon coming to Little
Armenia trying to escape the country’s civil war at the time, while
throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, more started to migrate from
Armenia during the decline of the Soviet Union.

Since then, it has served as a hub for newly arriving Armenians to
start a family, find work and move to other suburbs, such as Glendale,
Burbank or North Hollywood.

Some lifelong residents of Little Armenia, such as Manouk Choulian,
an arch deacon at St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church, said while
growing up he could not recall an instance where he was singled out
for his heritage.

But one trend he said he has noticed was how his culture began to
interact more frequently with others in Hollywood.

Choulian said in the past two or three years he has seen whites,
Latinos and other cultures participate in the annual march for
recognition of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, which, he said, in the
past was solely attended by Armenians.

"That has been changing a little bit," he said.

He added he expects to see more of that in the coming years.

According to the 2007 Hate Crime Report, released by the Los Angeles
Human Relations Commission on July 24, about 15 hate crimes were
committed against Armenians last year within the county, which is 2
percent of the 763 total crimes.

However, Yacoubian said he does not believe hate crimes or racism
have been an issue for Armenians living in Little Armenia.

Although he did say that does not mean racism doesn’t exist, the
Armenian community in Hollywood has been treated fairly throughout
the years, especially when Little Armenia was designated as its name
in 2000 by the Los Angeles City Council.

"It has really brought a sense of anchoring and grounding for the
Armenian community," he said. "The way we’ve been recognized and
acknowledged, it’s given us a sense of empowerment."

AZERBAIJAN: MEETING ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH "USEFUL"

Interfax News Agency
Aug 1 2008
Russia

MOSCOW. Aug 1 (Interfax) – An Armenian-Azeri meeting on Friday as
part of talks to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was "useful,"
but "a breakthrough is still a long way down the line," the Azeri
foreign minister said.

"The meeting was useful, we decided to hold more negotiations, but
a breakthrough is still a long way down the line," Elmar Mammadyarov
said in a comment on his meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard
Nalbandian, held in Moscow.

Mammadyarov said that, at their meeting, he and Nalbandian looked
at chances to remove "stumbling blocks that are obstacles at the
negotiations."

The Armenian minister said he and his Azeri counterpart had discussed
how to move forward "on the basis of proposals that the co- chairmen
of the Minsk Group of the OSCE put forward in Madrid."

The Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe is a body co-headed by Russia, the United States and France
and appointed to mediate in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Nalbandian also expressed the belief that there is a chance of
him reconvening with Mammadyarov at the next UN General Assembly
session. "There are sensitive issues, they should be handled
cautiously. We are trying to create an adequate environment for
negotiations to continue," the Armenian minister said.

SERGE SARGSIAN VISITS UNIVERSITY EXAMINATION CENTER ON SUBJECT "PHYSICS"

Noyan Tapan

Au gust 1, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 1, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian president Serge Sargsian
on August 1 visited the higher educational institution entrance
examination center on "Physics" subject. The center is located at the
State Engineering Univeristy of Armenia. After visiting the center,
S. Sargsian had a short conversation with parents of university
entrants.

The president was accompanied by the RA minister of education and
science Spartak Seyranian, in whose words, "Physics" examination
center was chosed as a place to be visited by the president for the
reason that a lot of university entrants take exams on this subject.

The minister said that the exams passed well in terms of their
organization, and in this connection there were no complaints from
the entrants and their parents. On the other hand, many examination
commissions did not register the maximum 20 points, and in general
the number of entrants who received 18-20 points was quite small. The
number of those to receive 14-14.5 points was the largest one due to
the fact that as compared with previous years, higher standards of
examinations were used this year. S. Seyranian expressed an opinion
that the lowest passing score may be lowered for a number of subjects
as compared with previous years.

It was mentioned that unlike the previous years, no cases of expert
disputes on contents of exam papers were registered this year. "The
republican commission on entrance examinations is satisfied with
general objectivity, which is reflected in the low number of complaints
about exam scores".

He reminded that the last day of exams is August 4, 3 days after
which the examination of complaints will be completed, and the contest
process will start. The minister expressed confidence that the list
of those who entered the higher educational institutions will be
published no later than on August 14.

The chairman of the exam commission on "Physics" Roma Alaverdian said
that over 2,000 entrants took exams on this subject. The highets score
was 19.8 points. Those to have received 15-17 points make the largest
number, and as compared with previous years, the level of knowledge
of examinees on "Physics" did not change notably. R. Alaverdian also
underlined a considerable decline in the number of complaints about
exam scores: about 2% of entrants filed such complaints, and in most
cases the scores were raised by 1 point.

THE SITUATION IS WHAT IT IS

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on Aug 01, 2008
Armenia

In the estimation of GOURGUEN ARSENIAN, "The internal political
situation is what it is. Today we are facing a rather tense internal
political situation: the bipolar pro-opposition camp with the political
structure involved in it and the ruling authority with the coalition
government and the political ‘satellites’ supporting it.

The continuing demonstrations testify to the fact that there is
no unanimity in society – in the hearts and minds of the citizens
of Armenia."

FIRST TIME IN ARMENIA – PASSENGERS OF ARMAVIA FLIGHTS ARE DISTRIBUTED FREE OF CHARGE VOUCHERS FOR VIVACELL PREPAID CARDS

arminfo
2008-07-31 15:14:00

ArmInfo. VivaCell, a subsidiary of Mobile TeleSystems OJSC (NYSE: MBT),
announces that for the first time in Armenia, effective July 3 all
passengers on Armavia flights can receive VivaCell prepaid cards free
of charge, VivaCell pres-service reports. In the framework of a joint
innovative promotional action of Armenia’s leading mobile operator
VivaCell and Armavia air company, henceforth, special vouchers will
be distributed to all passengers on Armavia flights to Armenia, during
the flights. These can be redeemed against VivaCell ALO prepaid cards,
either with Menk or Barbar tariff plan, at one of VivaCell Service
Centers, at anytime.

Persons aged 18 or above can receive the card upon presenting their
passport. As for all other coming flights, passengers can get an
Alo prepaid card free of charge, from the Airport free zone arrival
VivaCell Service Center.

VivaCell (K-Telecom CJSC) is the leading Armenian mobile operator,
providing a wide range of Voice and Data services. Since its launch
on 1st July 2005, in a short period of time VivaCell has managed to
build a nationwide network and a considerable customer base. VivaCell
drives the development and offering of innovative mobile communications
products, services and features in the Armenian mobile communications
market. For more information, visit Mobile TeleSystems
OJSC ("MTS") is the largest mobile phone operator in Russia and
the CIS. Together with its subsidiaries, the Company services over
86.94 million subscribers. The regions of Russia, as well as Armenia,
Belarus, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan, in which MTS and its
associates and subsidiaries are licensed to provide GSM services,
have a total population of more than 230 million. Since June 2000,
MTS’ Level 3 ADRs have been listed on the New York Stock Exchange
(ticker symbol MBT).

HADRUT AND NEAREST VILLAGES TO BE SUPPLIED BY GAS

Panorama.am
21:17 30/07/2008

Currently five projects being implemented by "Armenia" All Armenian
Fund are to be finished in Hadrut region. In the beginning of September
the official opening ceremony is planed to be held, reported the
Fund. According to the source a part of the projects are being
implemented in the frmes of "Artsakh Rebirth" project.

The projects are funded by TV Marathon 2006. The main projects
implemented in the region are supplying the territory with gas, water;
reconstruction of a school and hospital.