Armenian News... A Topalian... 8 editorials

Armenpress.am

 24 January, 2019

‘Davos Forum is a global springboard for small Armenia’ – Le Figaro

The Davos World Economic Forum is a global springboard for small Armenia.

Le Figaro French daily published an article about Armenia. The newspaper interviewed Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Davos on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum.  

“This is a chance for me to present to the major foreign investors the opportunities that have been created in our country after the Velvet revolution. It’s important to tell the international business-society that after the democratic revolution we are carrying out an economic revolution”, Pashinyan told the newspaper.

Le Figaro says Pashinyan is committed to the matters on adopting new Tax Code, eliminating monopolies and eradicating corruption in the country. The Armenian PM wants to attract investors in the field of tourism, agriculture and energy’s renewable sources. Pashinyan told the French daily that the World Congress on Information Technologies will be held in Yerevan in October 2019 which will be attended by thousands of peoples from all over the world.

Le Figaro also informs that Pashinyan met with the leaders of eBay, Mitsubishi, Apple, as well as heads of different states, including Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Davos.

 

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan

RFE/RL Report

Bolton Voices U.S. Support For Pashinian

January 24, 2019

The United States regards the recent parliamentary elections in Armenia as democratic and supports Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s reform agenda, U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said on Thursday.

“I called Prime Minister Pashinian of Armenia yesterday to congratulate him on his re-appointment and applaud the Armenian people on free and fair elections in December,” tweeted Bolton. “The U.S. supports his efforts to secure a prosperous future for Armenia.”

Pashinian was quick to report the phone conversation with Bolton on his Facebook page. Writing from Davos, he said they “stressed the importance of U.S.-Armenian relations for our governments.”

Visiting Armenia in October, Bolton praised the new Armenian government’s stated efforts to democratize the country, combat corruption and strengthen broader rule of law. He also said Washington expects Pashinian to take “decisive steps” towards the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict’s resolution “right after” his widely anticipated victory in the December 9 parliamentary elections.

Bolton spoke with Pashinian by phone one day after the latter met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum held in the Swiss resort town. The Armenian leader said Wednesday that he did not discuss the Karabakh issue with U.S. President Donald Trump’s key adviser.

Trump sent a congratulatory letter to Pashinian late last week. “The United States supports a prosperous, democratic Armenia at peace with its neighbors,” 

he wrote. “Together, we can make progress on deepening trade between our countries, strengthening global security, and combating corruption. A peaceful 

solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will help these efforts.”

During his visit to Yerevan, Bolton also stated that normalizing relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey would enable Armenia to break “historical patterns” that have shaped its traditional foreign policy. He further indicated that Washington is ready to sell Yerevan U.S. weapons and thus reduce Russia’s “excessive influence” on Armenia.

Russia condemned those remarks, accusing the U.S. of meddling in its South Caucasus ally’s internal affairs. “We expect that the current leadership of Armenia … will have the courage to resist the unhidden external blackmail and pressure,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said last month.

Armenian leaders earlier played down the significance of Bolton’s statements.

Panorama, Armenia

Jan 25 2019

Pashinyan in Moscow: I am not authorized to negotiate on behalf of Artsakh

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia reiterated in Moscow that he is not authorized to negotiate on behalf of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) as he was asked to comment on the question whether he has discussed the issue of returning Artsakh to the negotiating table at the informal talks with the Azerbaijani president in Davos.

“I have repeatedly stated that I represent and can represent the Republic of Armenia in the negotiation process. I cannot represent Artsakh for the simple reason that its citizens have not elected me as their prime minister,” he told a briefing.

He stressed that the Artsakh citizens elect their own president, have their own government and parliament. “That’s why I can’t hold talks on behalf of Nagorno-Karabakh,” he said.

The Armenian leader noted everyone is naturally interested in all the details of the Davos meeting, but it is “unacceptable to reveal them for ethical reasons.”

“In general, you all know what we have talked about. 

The framework of the conversation corresponds to my public statements,” Pashinyan said.

Touching upon the launch of official negotiations with Azerbaijan, the PM said the foreign ministers of the two states are working on it, but there is no exact arrangement yet. 

ArmInfo, Armenia

Jan 25 2019

Tatevik Shahunyan

Pashinyan refused to declassify the whole conversation with Aliyev  for ethical reasons

No results from the meeting with Aliyev were envisaged. This was stated by the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan at a briefing in Moscow, speaking  about the results of a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the WEF fields in Davos.

"It was just communication. Neither Aliyev nor I expected results. We  just talked. Of course, we discussed the Karabakh problem. But these  are not official talks; we are simply talking about our perceptions  of this problem, about how we ourselves perceive this problem, how  our people perceive it, "Pashinyan explained.

In response to the question of whether the possibility of  transferring the territories controlled by the Armenian side or  returning Artsakh to the negotiating table was discussed, Pashinyan  assured that the whole conversation was taking place within the  framework of his public statements. "I voiced my public statements  and positions. I said that I represent Armenia, and not Artsakh,  because the citizens of Artsakh do not participate in elections in  Armenia and did not elect me. 

They have their own government, their  president. Therefore, I cannot to negotiate on behalf of Artsakh, I  can negotiate on behalf of Armenia, "said Pashinyan. However, he  refused to disclose all the details of the meeting, referring to the  requirements of ethics. Speaking about the timing of the official  talks with Aliyev, he noted that the foreign ministers of the two  countries are negotiating, but so far there is no specifics.

RFE/RL Report 

January 24, 2019

European Court Reports Further Drop In Appeals From Armenia

The number of appeals filed by Armenians in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) continued to fall rapidly last year, the Strasbourg-based tribunal said 

on Thursday.

“For Armenia, the number of new applications allocated to a judicial formation was 167, more than a two-fold decrease as compared to 356 in 2017,” the ECHR said in an annual report presented by its president, Guido Raimondi, at a news conference.

The ECHR recorded 753 lawsuits from Armenia in 2016.

Armenia fell under the European court’s jurisdiction when it joined the Council of Europe in 2001. Its government lost the first case in Strasbourg in 2007.

The ECHR has ruled against various Armenian government, judicial and law-enforcement bodies on 94 occasions since then, costing them more than $1.2 million in damages. “The highest number of violations related to the right to a fair trial, and right to liberty and security,” says its report.

The ECHR handed down 15 rulings against the Armenian state in 2018, up from 11 such judgments in 2017.

“By January 1, 2019, there were 1,901 cases pending for Armenia, a small increase as compared to 1,819 in 2017. Armenia has remained in the top-ten states by the number of pending applications,” says the report.

The large number of lawsuits reflects a lack of judicial independence and corruption among law-enforcement officers and judges in Armenia.

The current Armenian authorities have repeatedly pledged to address the problem since they came to power in a democratic revolution in May. Their critics 

claim, however, that just like their predecessors, they pressure courts to side with prosecutors in high-profile criminal cases. Government officials -- and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in particular -- strongly deny this.

Armenpress.am

24 January, 2019

Yerevan subway to have 2 new stations

Yerevan City Hall plans to open two new subway stations in the Ajapnyak district, according to the city’s Chief Architect Artur Meschyan.

“We are planning to build new stations, we already have the project,” he said at a news conference today. “We are planning to have two stations in Ajapnyak,” he said.  He said they will start by the most strategic line: Linking Ajapnyak with downtown.

He didn’t rule out building a subway station in the Davitashen district in the future also.

The Yerevan subway currently operates 10 stations, with the most recent one being opened in 1996.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

[Michel Legrand's mother's maiden name was Der Mikaelian]

Agence France Presse 

January 26, 2019 Saturday 9:39 PM GMT

Oscar-winning French composer Michel Legrand dies aged 86

 

Prolific French composer Michel Legrand, who won three Oscars and five Grammys during a career spanning more than half a century, died aged 86 on Saturday, prompting an outpouring of tributes for his "inexhaustible genius".

 

Legrand's music spanned a wide range of styles and genres. He composed for more than 200 film and TV productions and was associated with over 100 albums.

 

"Since I was a child, my ambition has been to live completely surrounded by music, my dream was to not miss anything, which is why I have never focused on a single musical discipline," he once said.

 

He first won an Academy Award in 1969 for the song "The Windmills of Your Mind" from Norman Jewison's hit thriller "The Thomas Crown Affair".

 

He followed that with Oscars for his music for "Summer of '42" in 1972 and for "Yentl" in 1984.

 

Legrand, who had been scheduled to stage concerts in Paris in April, died at his home in the French capital early Saturday with his wife, the actress Macha Meril, at his side, his spokesman told AFP.

 

French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the "inexhaustible genius" of Legrand, whose "inimitable tunes" became "the soundtrack of our lives".

 

"He was one of the greatest French musicians and composers and one of the world's most famous creators of film music," Macron said in a statement, passing on his condolence's to Legrand's family.

 

The list of stars who performed Legrand's pieces over the years reads like a who's who of 20th-century music. It includes jazz musicians such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Bill Evans and singers as varied as Frank Sinatra, Kiri Te Kanawa, Barbra Streisand and Nana Mouskouri.

 

He won five Grammys from 17 nominations, including one for the theme from "Summer of '42".

 

French composer and conductor Vladimir Cosma told AFP that "for me, he is immortal, through his music and his personality".

 

"He was such an optimistic personality, with a kind of naivety in optimism, he saw everything in rosy colours!"

 

- 'A magical world' -

 

Born on February 24, 1932, into a musical family near Paris, Legrand started out by playing the piano songs he had heard on the radio.

 

His father Raymond Legrand was himself a composer, and although he left the family home when his son was only three he was later to help him launch his career.

 

His mother, of Armenian origin, enrolled him at the Paris Conservatory from age 10. He was to spend seven years there, before graduating with top honours in 1949.

 

"For me, who hated life, when I first came to the Conservatory I crossed the threshold into a magical world where the only question was music," he said.

 

The end of World War II saw jazz take off in a big way in France, and Legrand became hooked after hearing a performance by the American trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie.

 

- 'Artistic adventure' -

 

Legrand's first album, "I Love Paris", produced in 1954 by an American label, propelled him to worldwide fame.

 

In the late 1950s and 1960s he worked on what became known as French New Wave cinema, scoring films for directors Jean-Luc Godard, Jacques Demy and Agnes Varda.

 

Varda said she felt the loss "in her heart", hailing the "artistic adventure" Legrand had with her husband Demy, including "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" and "The Young Ladies of Rochefort", for both of which Legrand was nominated for Academy Awards.

 

Legrand also wrote the music for the Joseph Losey film "The Go-Between", which won the Golden Palm award at the Cannes festival in 1971.

 

In 1966 he moved to Los Angeles with his family.

 

"It was a real risk to leave France, landing in Hollywood without real commitment," he wrote in his 2013 autobiography, describing this step as "part of Russian roulette".

 

In the 1980s and 1990s Legrand continued performing live with his own jazz trio. He also set up and led a big band which he took on several international tours, accompanying stars such as Ray Charles, Diana Ross, Bjork, and Stephane Grappelli.

 

Streisand said having spent time around the piano with Legrand had been one of the "highlights of my life in music so far".

 

"His contribution to music is immeasurable. He enchanted and warmed the hearts of everyone and his legend and great music will live on," she said on Instagram.

 

Legrand was married three times. With his first wife, Christine Bouchard, he had three children.

Oxford Mail, UK

Jan 24 2019

Tigran brings Armenian jazz genius to Oxford's SJE Arts

By  Tim Hughes

A master of jazz piano, Tigran Hamasyan is loved around the world for his flights of musical fancy and blending of styles. But the Armenian composer and musician admits his career could have ended up very differently indeed, as his first ambition was to be a heavy metal guitarist. 

“I was born and raised in a town which was, at the time, part of the Soviet Union,” he recalls. 

“As a toddler I was exposed to a lot of classic hard rock bands that my father listened to. He was really passionate about rock and would pay a fortune for a number of records that were smuggled into Soviet Armenia. 

“He would pay his entire month’s salary to get the new Led Zeppelin album and there is this story that he was once taken in by the KGB because he played a Black Sabbath song at a party!” 

Metal’s loss was jazz’s gain, however. Under the guidance of his funk and soul-loving uncle, and with the help of a piano at his grandparents’ home, he was initiated in the magic of James Brown, Al Jarreau and Curtis Mayfield as well as jazz stars like Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis and Chick Corea. 

Tigran recalls: “I remember being so into Herbie that I even transcribed Chameleon. 

“As a child, I would also pick up songs by Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath and try to imitate them on the piano – I loved improvising around what I was listening to. 

“At the age of 11, I had an incredible jazz teacher named Vahagn Hayrapetyan, who finally taught me how to improvise within structure, through teaching me bebop.” 

Tomorrow Tigran returns to Oxford for a show at St John the Evangelist in Iffley Road. The gig will see him performing favourites from his surprisingly lengthy repertoire (given that he is still only 30) along with tunes from 2017’s An Ancient Observer – in which he reflects on his return to Armenia after more than a decade of living in the United States. 

Tigran left his hometown of Gyumri and moved to Los Angeles as a teenager, acquiring his own piano – an upright Yamaha – at the age of 16. There he developed his unique style of Armenian-accented jazz. 

He has released eight studio albums and fans include jazz legends Brad Mehldau, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock. 

“The category of my music is called Armenian independent soulful punk jazz,” he says. “With a bit of classical and thrash metal spice!” 

And what inspires him? “Human beings.” he says. 

Tigran has been back in independent Armenia for five years and is one of its greatest cultural ambassadors. His journey inspired latest album An Ancient Observer – on which he reflects on his return to Armenia after more than a decade of living in America. the album will form the basis for tomorrow’s concert. 

“Armenia is Eden on earth,” he waxes. “It’s a mountainous country with rich nature from high altitude desert-like places to lush green mountainous regions. 

“It is full of ancient and new culture. It’s a place where, up until industrialisation, every single bit of daily life was accompanied by music. It’s the place where people first embraced Christianity – it’s the state religion. 

“It is also a country where there are water fountains everywhere for people to drink spring water; a place where numerous poets, musicians and architects created masterpieces that are still standing and are part of our daily life; a place where monasteries were built on unreachable mountain tops and where a poor person will invite a stranger in and offer all he has. 

“It’s the place where Noah’s ark landed.” 

So is he proud to be putting the country on the musical map? 

“I am not putting Armenia on the musical map,” he answers. “It’s the country that’s putting me on the map.” 

And that map covers the world. The pianist admits he loves touring and has plenty of stories of life on the road. 

So, are there any amusing tales he might care to share? “Well, there are a lot of them,” he says. 

“I am the type of person that always spills or drops something. I frequently injure myself accidentally. Really dumb stuff happens to me all the time. 

“My band members call it ‘having a Tigran moment’. 

“The worst one I can remember now is the occasion that I was so into the moment during one concert with my trio, that I hit my head on the edge of the piano. I started getting light-headed and this giant bump appeared on my head during the song.” 

He goes on: “I try to explore on tour too, but the concert the most important thing; that is the reason I travel. I always have to make sure I don’t get too tired and explore too much. 

“Unfortunately, I have not yet had a chance to really explore Oxford. I am looking forward to it though.” 

So what little luxuries does he bring with him to make life on the road a little smoother? “Dark chocolate, a computer, some books and my phone – so I can record new ideas and compositions,” he says. 

“And every once in a while, some Armenian brandy!” 

So does he still daydream about becoming a hard rocker? 

“I would love to play the guitar, but I still have so much to figure out on the piano,” he says. 

“I love certain metal bands – not just any metal band though. 

“I love the that sound; I love metal, but it’s unlikely you’ll get a metal record from me – although I have made several records that have metal influences.