ARTICLE BY BAROUYR AGHBASHIAN
BEIRUT, LEBANON
ՅՕԴՈՒԱԾ ՊԱՐՈՅՐ ԱՂՊԱՇԵԱՆԷՆ
ՊԷՅՐՈՒԹ, ԼԻԲԱՆԱՆ
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Happy Canada Day 2010
Keghart.com Updated Content
* Save Us from Our Amateur Experts Keghart.com Team Editorial http://www.keghart.com/Editorial_AmateurExperts
* Քրիստոնեաները եւ Թրքական Ներխուժումը Սէմ Րագուպեան http://www.keghart.com/Racoubian_ChristiansTurkey
* Fabricated Azeri ‘History’ Exposed (book review) Levon Chorbajian PhD http://www.keghart.com/Chorbajian_Galichian
* Կրօնափոխ Հայերու Վերադարձ Դէպի Հայրենիք Համօ Մոսկոֆեան http://www.keghart.com/Moskofian_SargsyanGermany
* Embracing the Global Reparations Movement George Aghjayan http://www.keghart.com/Aghjayan_Reparations
* Armenian-Turkish Relations: A look at the Future Razmik Panossian PhD http://www.keghart.com/Panossian_Relations
* Lingering National Disgrace in Armenia Berge Minasian http://www.keghart.com/Minasian_Earhtquake
* Why American Working People Hate the State James Petras http://www.keghart.com/Petras_AmericanWorkers
* Lebanese Banker Champion of Armenians Hamo Moskofian http://www.keghart.com/Moskofian_El_Khoury
* Mechanisms for Terrorizing Turkey's Minorities Sait Çetinoğlu http://www.keghart.com/Cetinoglu_CapitalTax
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ARMENIAN INSTITUTE
Wednesday, 7 July 2010, 7 – 9 PM
Brunei Gallery, SOAS, Russell Square WC1H 0XG (Tube: Russell Square)
Join us for our final party at the Brunei Gallery as the exhibitions enter their last weeks.
Artists respond to the stunning images on the postcards of My Dear Brother and the intimate narratives displayed through the objects of Armenian life 100 years ago.
Actors, musicians and artists will present their own ideas and invite you to share in an imagined conversation with the images and objects.
The evening will move between the two floors of the Gallery, along with the performances and new displays. This will be the last evening opening of the Gallery and an excellent opportunity to view My Dear Brother.
TREASURES OF ARMENIAN DAILY LIFE 100 YEARS AGO
Project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund
The Armenian Institute is grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund for supporting this and other forthcoming events under the project: Treasures of Armenian Daily Life 100 Years Ago.
The Armenian Institute is a London-based registered charity dedicated to making Armenian culture and history a living experience, through innovative programmes, educational resources, workshops, exhibits and performances. Its work is supported by friends, patrons and voluntary donations. For more information about the Armenian Institute or to find out about supporting the important work of the Institute, please visit our website at www.armenianinstitute.org.uk, contact us at info@armenianinstitute.org.uk or call 020 7978 9104. If you would like your email address to be removed from the list, please send an email with "remove" in the subject heading to info@armenianinstitute.org.uk.
Rant Number 402 30 June 2010
‘Frank, it was horrible! It really shook me up! Hope God doesn’t send me a dream like that again!’
My friend Ahmed was expostulating about a nightmare. He explained:
‘I was in Mecca Al Mukarrama, the Holy City. But something was wrong. I looked for the Kaaba, God’s House. I could not see it. How was that possible? Every Muslim can recognise it. And I am not a Hajji? Been on the pilgrimage three times. But the Kaaba was nowhere to be seen. Then I saw ruins. Stones and debris. Everything smashed and broken up. A booming voice cried: “The ruins of the Kaaba.’ Could not believe it. Also, the city, Mecca itself was a wreck. Gone were the Great Mosque, the minarets, the palaces, the houses...everything was wrecked, destroyed. It frightened me. How could God have allowed such thing to happen? Could the Israelis have dared? Then something else came into view. A huge encampment, by an oasis. I thought I recognised the city of Taif, not far from Mecca. The crowd was boundless, immense, like a human sea. All young people. Boys and girls. But they could not be Muslims. Some were almost naked. And they drank – not water but from beer bottles. Some injected themselves with drugs or smoked hash. Others danced about obscenely. To the tunes of some savage, bestial music. I saw things I would never want my daughters to see. Those kids did not behave like human beings. I saw filth, fornication, idolatry, disgusting things. And all taking place in the land of the Prophet! It was vile, unbearable...’
The priest is no dream interpreter but I immediately thought of the Glastonbury Festival. Bit loaded description, perhaps, but not too loaded. Upon inquiry, Ahmed admitted he had watched bits of it on TV the previous night – so, maybe it figures. Although, Pace Freud, hardly a wish fulfilment...
I could not perhaps happen in the heart of Islam but it has happened here, in pseudo-Christian Britain. The name of Glastonbury today conjures up images of trendy rock and pop bands, loud music and youthful ‘fun’. How many of the young revellers would bother to visit the ruined Abbey nearby? One of the most revered and magical amongst Christian sites. For centuries pilgrims journeyed there, yearning to pray by King Arthur’s grave. Where St Joseph of Arimathea, Jesus’ disciple and friend, came from the Holy Land to convert the pagan Britons. Bringing with him the Holy Grail. From Joseph’s staff sprang the famed hawthorn, still extant today near the melancholy remains of the ancient Abbey Church. All destroyed, wrecked and laid waste by the loathsome Henry VIII. For good measure that monster also had the Glastonbury monks hung, drawn and quartered on the Tor, the high hill which looks down, as if in muted judgment, on the carousing, intoxicated music addicts.
King Arthur’s origins seemed modest. A foundling ‘of no high blood born’, he was cared for by foster parents. When fourteen year old, he came across in a wood a sword quivering in a stone. Naturally, effortlessly, he pulled it out. Astonished, Arthur saw his father and brother kneeling before him. He then learned the truth about himself. He was of ancient, royal blood - within a year the boy was King of Britain, ‘by adventure and grace’. The exploits of the King’s adventurous knights and their mystical quest for the Holy Grail inspired the fascinating stories and poems of Geoffrey of Monmouth, Malory, Chretien de Troyes, Tennyson, T.H. White and a host of others. According to legend King Arthur sleeps on the island of Avalon, waiting for the time to return, riding to the rescue of the people of Britain.
Legend: is that the right word? A rich webs of stories and traditions has grown around Arthur’s name, sure, but archaeologist Leslie Alcock ‘s admirable Arthur’s Britain shows how Arthur was historical. A Dux Bellorum, the leader of Celtic Christian armies, Romanised Britons fighting against invading Anglo-Saxon hordes. The man must have been pretty remarkable, if his name has so endured through the ages. King Edward I and his Queen, Eleanor, prayed at Glastonbury and saw his remains. Edward III’s Order of the Garter aimed at rekindling the spirit of Arthur’s knights. Henry VII, a Welshman, believed his ancestry passed through Arthur and named his elder son after him. He made sure his birth took place at Winchester, allegedly the seat of Camelot, where the Round Table hung on the Cathedral Wall. Had a malignant fate not snatched away Prince Arthur at 16, England would have been blessed with another King Arthur. Methinks some demon must have been behind the poor boy’s demise. Considering that fiendish Henry VIII reigned instead – truly, one of the devil’s spawn. He who desecrated King Arthur’s grave and turned Glastonbury into a ruin.
‘Interesting, Frank’ comments Ahmed. ‘Did not know all that. May God not allow anything similar to happen to Arabia. But the music festival crowd...I wouldn’t want my children to go there, no...Still, do you think they are really so bad? Do they know any different way to be?’
You hit the nail on the head, friend. Those kids are not especially corrupt. In fact, I think young people are generally more generous, more idealistic than adults or the old. Don’t much care for the cacophony that passes for music there but I admit some festival goers, chicks like Emma Watson, Kate Moss and Pixie Geldof, are very attractive in their hot pants. You’d have to be made of stone not to be seduced by their looks. The problem is simple - they don’t know any other, different way to be happy. Our culture moulders have made sure too many of the young know only one way – sex, drugs n’alcohol - the shallowest, stupidest and ultimately self-destructive way. So, how can you blame them, if no one has ever shown them that it is not obligatory to go down that road? That there are alternatives to carnality, booze and drugs? Of course, the job to teach the young the better, higher way falls not to Rolling Stone or Channel Four but to the Church. But, if the Church is as dumb as a fish, what hope is there?
Only King Arthur. Great King, come back!
Reverend Frank Julian Gelli
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CYPRUS-ARMENIA DUEL AT
ANTONIS PAPADOPOULOS
Gibrahayer - Nicosia - 30 June - A Cypriot and an Armenian football team meet in Larnaca for the UEFA Europa League. Anorthosis - who are a refugee football club of Turkish- occupied Famagusta - host Banants of Armenia tomorrow Thursday at 8:00pm (+2 GMT) for the first of two leg matches. The rematch will be played in Yerevan in a week.
Anorthosis made history when they qualified in UEFA Champions League two years ago, while their impressive win over TrabzonSport of Turkey - is still talked about.
Banants have "lived" in the shadow of Pyunik who have dominated the Armenian Football League.
This is not the first time Anorthosis have faced an Armenian team. In 1975, USSR Champions Ararat, defeated Anorthosis 9-0 and 1-1, while in 2008 Anorthosis defeated Pyunik twice 1-0, 0-2 en route an impressive Champions League run with wins over Panathinaikos (3-1), and draws with Werder Bremen 2-2 and Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan 3-3.
The Armenian community of Cyprus is expected to make its presence felt at Antonis Papadopoulos stadium in Larnaca.
ARF DASHNAKTSOUTIUN ATTENDS SOCIALIST INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL AT UNITED NATIONS
Asbarez - New York - The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsoutiun participated in
the Socialist International (SI) Council meeting held at the United Nations in New York last week.
In addition to ARF Dashnaktsoutiun Bureau member Mario Nalbandian and SI vice-president
Maria Titizian, a four-member delegation from ARF Dashnaktsoutiun Eastern Region of the United States participated in the meeting.
Also in attendance were notables such as Segolène Royal, former presidential candidate of the Socialist Party of France; George Papandreou, Prime Minister of Greece and President of SI; Jack
Layton, Head of the New Democratic Party, Canada; Digvijay Singh, General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee; a high-ranking delegation from the new leadership of the Turkish CHP party and
many others.
Prior to the Council meeting, Maria Titizian had attended the Socialist International Presidium dinner-meeting, where she discussed the consequences of the global financial crisis in the CIS.
The main agenda items for the Council were the Global Economy, Climate Change, Middle East Peace and Disarmament and non-proliferation.
ARF Dashnaktsoutiun Bureau Member Mario Nalbandian and Socialist International Vice President
Maria Titizian with Socialist International President and Prime Minister of Greece George Papandreou
TURKEY PICKS UP A FIGHT WITH GOOGLE
FT - Delphine Strauss in Ankara - June 24 - Turkey's Communications Minister on Thursday hit at Google for "picking a fight" with the Turkish state, as he responded to growing criticism of web censorship that includes a long-standing ban on Google's YouTube subsidiary.
Ankara insists that the online video-sharing site must open offices in Turkey and register for tax purposes before it can expect any help in reversing court bans that have kept the site officially off-limits for Turkish users for more than two years.
"In many countries this sharing site registers local sales, in Turkey it doesn't."
Mr Yildirim has been attacking Google for weeks, but Thursday's language is by far the strongest he has used.
Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
But the attack follows a wave of complaints from Turkish web-users after state efforts to enforce the ban more rigorously earlier this month inadvertently disrupted other Google services, including some that web businesses relied on.
YouTube's pariah status in Turkey stems not from its tax arrangements, but from a law passed in 2007 giving judges power to ban websites that insulted Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the modern state's architect. YouTube fell foul of the judges on this count after Turkish and Greek nationalists posted a series of abusive videos. The law also banned sites that it said incited suicide, drug use, pedophilia, immorality and illegal prostitution.
Turkish web-users have long found ways to circumvent the ban, and YouTube regularly scores among the 10 most-visited sites in the country.
Temporary bans have affected many other sites, including the blogging platform Wordpress and the trading site Alibaba.com, and the issue of web censorship is breeding both bitter criticism and inventive parody.
One such parodist is the website millimotor.com - which translates roughly as "national engine" - which pokes fun at Turkish nationalism in general and ministers' calls for a national search engine to rival Google in particular.
Type "Kurdish culture" into millimotor, and it suggests a link to Ataturk's address to youth. Type the Turkish for "Armenian genocide", and it responds: "Did you mean the so-called Armenian genocide?"
KALFAYAN COLLECTION ON EXHIBIT AT BYZANTINE MUSEUM
GIBRAHAYER e-magazineAlexander-Michael Hadjilyra for Gibrahayer e-magazine - Thessalonica is the place to visit if you want to enjoy the Kalfayan Collection of Armenian Art. The exhibition was opened on Friday, 11 June and will be running until Sunday, 19 September at the Museum of Byzantine Culture. About 200 exquisite, unique and beautiful Armenian objects, dating from the 16th to the 19th century, will be on public display for the first time. The collection consists of both ecclesiastical and secular artefacts that were either made by or belonged to Armenians, many of which are very rare, including manuscripts, textiles, porcelains, ceramics and decorative objects, representing only a portion of the entire Kalfayan collection.
Through the collection we learn about Armenian trading with Europe, the Middle and Far East, India and China. Unfortunately, the horrific massacres, massive deportations and the Genocide led to the dispersion of many portable Armenian works of art, an aspect of what I would call “cultural Armenian Genocide”. Since the early 1970s, the Kalfayan family has attempted to collect the scattered items and then catalogue, photograph and restore them. Bravo, I say, looking forward to enjoying the exhibition myself!
GIBRAHAYER CALENDAR OF EVENTS
*
Wednesday 30 June 2010 5:30-6:30 pm at Utudjian Hall - 6-12 year old members of the Armenian Representative Office's Art School Dance Group are having their end of year performance. Parents and community members are encouraged to attend.
*
Wednesday, 30 June 2010 at 8.00 pm - Hayastan All Armenian Fund - Projects in Armenia and Artsakh - Presentation (in Armenian) – Sebouh Tavitian followed by the screening of a related video and the presentation of certificates to donors for the 2009 telethon at the Utudjian Hall of The Armenian Prelature. All members of our community are cordially invited.
*
July 16 to August 1 - Khalkidiki Camp of the Armenian Relief Society of Greece (Gabouyd Khach) - From July 16 to August 1 - For participants of the age group 10-16 years old. For more details please contact Louise Aynedjian on 99533684.
*
Friday September 17 - Concert by Haroutune Bedelian (violin) and Lorna Griffitt (piano) at The Presidential Palace in Nicosia, organised by The Armenian Relief Society of Cyprus (HOM) on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Relief Society (HOM). More details to follow.
*
Saturday 2 October - Main political event in Cyprus for the 120th anniversary of The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsoutiun at PALLAS Theatre in Nicosia. More details of the celebrations to follow.
*
May - October 2010: Tatiana Ferahian is among 17 international artists participating in the "Out of Space" environmental art project, which takes place in the Nature Reserve De Rottige Meentein in Holland.
*
Saturday 20 November 2010 at 7:00 pm at the Strovolos Municipal Theatre - Composer Ara Gevorgian and his entourage in Cyprus, performing in co-operation with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra and participation of our SIPAN Dance Group. This unique event is organised by the Office of the Armenian Representative on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Republic of Cyprus.
*
Sunday 21 November 2010 at 6:00 pm at the Strovolos Municipal Theatre - Composer Ara Gevorgian and his entourage in Cyprus, performing in co-operation with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra and participation of our SIPAN Dance Group. This unique event is organised by the Office of the Armenian Representative on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Republic of Cyprus.
CYPRUS
SUMMER MUSICAL CALENDAR
* Gibrahayer - Nicosia 30 June - For all the lovers of Greek music, here is this summer's schedule of musical events from today until August 15.
* 30 June-DJ Tiesto at Dolce Club - Limassol
* 7 July-Anna Vyssi - Pattichio Amphitheater - Larnaca
* 8 July-Charis & Panos Katsimichas-Famagusta Gate moat- Nicosia
* 9 July-Lavrentis Macheritsas-Giannis Kotsiras-Tafros Pylis Ammochostou-Nicosia
* Anna Vyssi-Paphiako Stadio-Paphos
* 10 July-Vasilis Papaconstantinou-Tafros Pylis Ammochostou
* 12 July-Alkistis Protopsalti-Stefanos Korkoklis-School Of The Blind Amphitheater - Nicosia
* 13 July-Alkistis Prostopsalti-Stefanos Korkoklis-Pattichio Amphitheater-Larnaca
* 16 July -David Guetta-Monte Caputo-Limassol
Alkistis Protopsalti - Stefanos Korkolis -Municipal Gardens - Limassol
* 28 July-Goran Bregovic-Municipal Gardens-Limassol
* 29 July-Goran Bregovic-Pattichio Amphitheater-Larnaca
* 30 July-Sakis Rouvas-Municipal Port Parking-Larnaca
Notis Sfakianakis-Municipal Stadium of Pelendri-Limassol
* 1 August-Notis Sfakianakis-Pafiako Stadium-Paphos
* 7 August-Yiannis Kotsiras-Agiou Ioannou Stadium-Pitsilia
* 14 August-Michalis Hadjiyiannis-Municipal Stadium of Kyperounta-Limassol
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News in Brief - by Sevag Devletian
* On June 28, President of Artsakh Bako Sahakyan took part in events dedicated to the 17th anniversary of the liberation of Martakert city. Sahakyan laid wreaths at the memorials of the residents of Martakert who died in the Great Patriotic War and the Artsakh war and presented awards to a number of freedom fighters and benefactors during a solemn session.
* Armenian Minister of Transport and Communication Manuk Vardanyan said that, according to calculations of Armenian designers, the estimated cost of the Iran-Armenia railroad will total 1.8 billion US Dollars. According to preliminary calculations, the length of the Armenia-Iran railroad will be 470km, with 60km on Iran's and 410km on Armenia's territory respectively.
* The Presidents of the United States, France and Russia on Saturday issued a joint statement on Nagorno-Karabakh during the G8 summit in Canada, urging the parties to the conflict to accelerate work and move closer to a peace deal. Barrack Obama, Nicolas Sarkozy and Dimitry Medvedev called on the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to "take the next step and complete the work" on the main principles of settlement of the protracted conflict in order to begin drafting a peace agreement.
* U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton plans to travel to Yerevan, Assistant Secretary Philip J. Crowley said. Ms. Clinton plans to also visit Kyiv, Krakow, Baku and Tbilisi. According to the source, Clinton will hold meetings in Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan with government officials and civil society leaders to discuss bilateral issues, as well as issues related to regional peace and stability.
* The ruling coalition of Armenia pushed through parliament on last week controversial legal amendments allowing establishment of foreign-language schools in the country, amid criticism and protests. Opposition groups, prominent intellectuals and other public figures who regard the amendments as a serious threat to Armenias sole official language, have voiced concerns, calling the move, a sell-off to Russia.
Nareg announcement
Armenian Sports by Sevag Devletian
* BASKETBALL - Hosts Armenia made a statement on the opening day of the European Championship Women Division C, crushing Gibraltar 98-45 on Monday. Playing in front of a Division C-record crowd of 1,500 fans Christina Kepenekian led the way with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Hasmik Mamikonyan was as impressive with 13 points and 15 boards, 13 of them coming on the defensive end of the floor.
* CHESS - Armenia’s Lilit Mkrtchyan defeated Antoaneta Stefanova of Bulgaria, while Elina Danielyan tied a game vs. Hou Yifan (China) in the 5th round of FIDE Women’s Grand Prix in Jermuk. Nana Dzagnidze (Georgia) tops the standings. Tatiana Kosintseva (Russia) is the second. Lilit Mkrtchyan and Elina Danielyan are 3rd and 4th respectively.
* BOXING - Armenian boxers have won four medals at 2010 European Junior Boxing Championships, which finished in Lviv, Ukraine, on June 27. Pinweight Henrik Mokoyan and flyweight Arthur Nersisyan won silver. Featherweight Gor Yeritsyan and heavyweight Rafael Simonyan won bronze.
* SAMBO - From July 16 to 19, Yerevan will be hosting an international youth sambo tournament dedicated to Double Hero of the USSR Nelson Stepanyan and 65th anniversary of the Great Victory. Sportsmen from Artsakh Republic, Georgia, Greece, as well as Krasnodar and Stavropol regions of Russia have already applied for participation in the tournament.
* DOMINO - The ninth summit of International Domino Federation will be held in Yerevan. This was decided resolution was taken at the June 10-12 summit of the International Domino Federation in Barcelona. The Barcelona summit hosted national delegations from 38 countries including Spain, Italy, Germany, Armenia, Algeria, Belgium, Egypt, Andorra and Romania.
* FOOTBALL - Arman Amirkhanyan, Zaven Hovhannesyan have been appointed as referees at the European Under 19 Football Championship due October 6-13 in Bulgaria.
There is a summer group being organised for friends and subscribers of Gibrahayer e-magazine taught by Marlen Shahinian who is a graphic designer. If you want to join it, feel free to contact us on 99437073, or by email on newsletter at gibrahayer.com
PEST CONTROL - Call Raffi on 99744762
UK certified pest controller for ants, cockroaches, silverfish, lice, termites, mosquitoes and rodents.
Armenian Premier League - Week 13 Results and standings
FC Banants 2 - FC Kilikia 0
FC Ulysses 4 - FC Shirak 0
FC Pyunik 0 - FC Gandzasar 1
FC Impuls 2 - FC Mika 2
1st-Banants 32 points, 2nd- Ulysses 29 points, 3rd-Pyunik 26 points, 4th-Mika 22 points, 5th -Impuls 14 points, 6th-Gandzasar 13 points, 7th-Kilikia 10 points, 8th-Shirak 3 points
Interfax, Russia
June 19 2010
Azerbaijan, Armenia blame each other for deadly clash
BAKU June 19
Azerbaijan has blamed Armenia for a deadly clash between Azeri and
Armenian troops in the vicinity of Azerbaijan's disputed enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh that broke out late on Friday.
The Armenian media said four Armenian soldiers were killed and another
four were wounded in the skirmish, and that one Azeri soldier died.
"Armenia has led itself into a trap by violating the ceasefire regime
in seeking to avoid current negotiations to settle the Nagorno-
Karabakh conflict," Azeri Defense Ministry spokesman Eldar Sabiroglu
said in a statement. "This must be qualified purely and simply as one
of its regular provocations."
Sabiroglu said the skirmish broke out around midnight and went on for
a long time.
He said there had been increasingly frequent clashes between Azeri and
Armenian troops recently and that, in the latest skirmish and previous
clashes, the Armenian soldiers drew back.
"However, it is a remarkable fact that, for the first time, the enemy
has been forced to openly admit its defeat during the battle. This is
very interesting because, as a rule, the Armenians try to conceal
their losses. In our view, there is no need to look for the reason,"
the spokesman said.
He argued that behind Azeri-Armenian armed clashes is an Armenian ploy
to divert public attention in Armenia from the country's economic
problems. He claimed there is growing public discontent over economic
adversities in Armenia.
"They have once again understated their casualty statistics. We have
accurate information that they sustained greater losses than they have
admitted," Sabiroglu said.
"It must come home unambiguously to aggressive Armenia that, unless it
peacefully withdraws from the occupied lands or resorts to other
provocations of this kind, it will receive even heavier strikes. The
Azeri Armed Forces possess sufficient resources for this," he said.
Armenia occupies Nagorno-Karabakh and Azeri lands bordering it.
Armenia has laid the blame for the latest skirmish on Azerbaijan,
claiming the incident had been designed to wreck Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict settlement talks.
U.S. Secretary of State to visit Armenia
June 26, 2010 - 11:39 AMT 06:39 GMT
PanARMENIAN.Net -
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to Ukraine,
Poland, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia from July 1 to 5, the U.S
Department of State said.
In Kyiv, Secretary Clinton will open the second meeting of the
Strategic Partnership Commission and meet with government officials,
including President Yanukovych and Foreign Minister Gryshchenko, and
with civil society and independent media leaders.
In Krakow, Secretary Clinton will participate in the celebration of
the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Community of Democracies,
an organization initiated by former Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright and her Polish counterpart Bronislaw Geremek in 2000.
Secretary Clinton will also meet with Polish Foreign Minister
Sikorski.
The Secretary will continue on to Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia,
where she will hold meetings with government officials and civil
society leaders to discuss bilateral issues, as well as issues related
to regional peace and stability.
News from Armenia - NEWS.am
Turkey returned to language of preconditions, Edward Nalbandian says
June 25, 2010 | 12:43
If Turkey agrees to ratify and implement the Protocols without
preconditions, the Armenia-Turkey normalization process will be
underway, RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian stated at the June 25
press conference in Yerevan.
However, today Turkey has returned to the language of preconditions,
RA FM said. `For some reasons Ankara does not show respect for the
Armenia-Turkey accords signed in Zurich. Turkey constantly reiterates
that it does not set preconditions and does the opposite,' the
Minister said. Not only Yerevan, but also the international community
repeatedly stated on the matter, he noted.
Yerevan suspended Armenia-Turkey deal in April 2010 after Turkey
constantly torpedoed the adoption of the documents in the Parliament.
TODAY, 14:01
Aysor.am
Why is Austria opening its first South Caucasus Embassy in Baku?
Austria's Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger said Friday in the
press conference at the Armenian Foreign Ministry that Austria is
interested in Nabucco project and this was a reason for opening its
first in the South Caucasus region embassy in Azerbaijan.
`Our former minister said embassies would be open in all states of the
South Caucasus, however, crisis got in the way,' said Michael
Spindelegger.
When asked why he didn't respond to the military statements of the
Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, which were made in the joint press
conference with Michael Spindelegger, Austrian Foreign Minister said:
`I do not give comments on statements of my colleagues. I came here
not for solving the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. There is
a special body for that - the OSCE Minks Group. We came here to listen
to sides' positions and understand what is going on,' said minister.
Panorama.am
Memorial service in Holy Echmiatsin for the 4 Armenian soldiers killed
in the Azerbaijani sabotage
14:17 25/06/2010 » Society
Holy mass will be served in the Mother See of Holy Echmiatsin June 27,
to be followed by a memorial service for the 4 Armenian soldiers
killed in the Azerbaijani sabotage, a condemnable incident in the line
of contact in the sector of Chaylu, Martakert at the night from June
18 to June 19, Mother See press office reported.
EurasiaNet, NY
June 25 2010
Apricot Farmers Struggling in Armenia amid Crop Failure
June 25, 2010 - 3:30pm, by Marianna Grigoryan
Apricots may have served as Armenia's calling card at this year's
Eurovision pop music contest, but, back home, severe crop damage has
transformed these `kisses of the earth, fruits of the sun' into a
source of economic hardship.
`We have no idea what to do. I want to cry bitterly looking at my
orchard trees,' said Margo Vardanian, the owner of an apricot orchard
in Jrashen, a village in central Armenia's Ararat Valley. `Hail and
rain have spoilt the crop. The apricots that survived ¦ are not fit
for export.'
Freezing temperatures in late March, along with protracted rain,
severely damaged apricot orchards in the Ararat Valley, the
3,071-hectare-large epicenter of Armenia's apricot industry. Nearly
three months after the procession of storms, orchard owners are still
cursing the bad weather.
Agriculture Minister Gerasim Alaverdian has predicted a 30-40 percent
slump in the 2010 apricot harvest, compared with last year's yield of
85,000 tons. That slump is reflected in prices at Yerevan's central
market, where imported bananas now sell for far less than local
apricots -- about 600 to 800 drams (about $1.60 - $2.00) per kilo of
bananas compared to 1,000 to 2,500 drams (about $3.00 - $6.50) for a
kilo of apricots. Those prices, roughly three to eight times the level
of last year's prices, have made apricots a delicacy for many
Armenians.
At a June 2 press conference, Alaverdian pledged that `[t]here will be
no problems with apricot export and storage,' but high prices and
short supplies make some experts skeptical about how well Armenia's
apricots will be able to compete this year in Russian and European
markets. Last year, Armenia exported 13,500 tons of apricots to Russia
and the European Union. Data on the revenue value of those exports was
not immediately available.
The country's largest apricot export company, Spayka, is expecting to
slash its exports by 30 percent this year, according to Spayka
Development Manager Karen Baghdasarian.
Apricot farmer Vardanian shares the skepticism about the market
outlook for apricots. She expects less than a ton of apricots from her
one-hectare orchard this year. In 2009, the orchard produced about 22
tons. To keep the orchard going, her family took out a bank loan of
more than a million drams, or about $2,670, she said. `Huge loans and
debts -- this is all we have now, we don't know what to live on,'
Vardanian recounted. `I wish the government helped us by freezing
[interest payments on] our loans until next year's harvest.'
An apricot orchard owner from Etchmiadzin, a town about a half-hour's
drive from Yerevan, expressed similar frustrations. `The trade in our
orchards was in full swing at this time in the past, while now we have
neither work to do nor any expectations [of work],' complained the
orchard owner.
But, for now, whether or not the government plans to intervene remains unknown.
Deputy Agriculture Minister Samvel Galstian said the ministry is still
evaluating the damage to Armenia's apricot crop and will submit a
report for cabinet consideration in July. `We don't know yet whether
the government will be able to help the farmers or not; we have to
wait now,' Galstian said.
Meanwhile, apricot farmers are settling down to wait, too. `We must
survive until next year, then we'll see what we can do,' said one
Etchmiadzin orchard owner, pointing out the poor quality of his
orchard's speckled apricots. `Still, a question remains whether we'll
manage or not.'
Editor's note: Marianna Grigoryan is a freelance reporter based in
Yerevan.
US Fed News
June 25, 2010 Friday 5:19 PM EST
CONTENTS OF WORLD'S OLDEST LEATHER SHOE MAY YIELD
CLUES TO ANCIENT AGRICULTURE
WATERBURY, Conn., June 24 -- The University of Connecticut issued the
following news release:
The discovery of the world's oldest known leather shoe set the
archaeological world and the public abuzz. But what really excites
UConn archaeologist Alexia Smith is not the shoe itself but its
contents.
Smith, an assistant professor in the anthropology department in the
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is part of a multi-national team
that recently announced the discovery of a 5,500 year-old shoe at the
excavation site of Areni-1 in Armenia.
The shoe, made of cowhide and perfectly preserved, is an
archaeological marvel because of its age - it dates back to around
3500 B.C. - and its pristine condition. It is stuffed with grass,
perhaps to maintain its shape or to prepare it for storage. And that's
what interests Smith. What a casual observer might see as simply a
handful of grass is for her an intriguing puzzle waiting to be solved.
The shoe contains Poaceae, a family of grasses that includes the
staple food grains and cereal crops grown throughout the world. Smith
is a archaeoethnobotanist, whose primary research interest is the
recovery and identification of ancient plant remains. She uses this
evidence to determine the effects of climate change on food production
in Bronze and Iron Age settlements in the Near East.
"Once the shoe is conserved," she says, "the grass will be removed and
I'll conduct a full analysis. By identifying the grasses, I'll
hopefully be able to reconstruct the specific types of vegetation in
existence at the time it was worn."
Typically, plant remains are preserved through carbonization, and
certain species do not survive the process. But because the floor of
the cave at Areni-1 was covered by a thick layer of sheep dung, the
artifacts left behind were effectively desiccated, leaving both the
shoe and its contents in superb condition for analysis.
Animal bones found at the site point to a society in which cows,
sheep, and goats were domesticated. The presence of additional
artifacts suggests the existence of a range of household activities,
such as cooking over stone hearths and the grinding of grains for
human consumption.
What especially intrigues Smith is evidence that the inhabitants of
the cave heavily exploited tree fruits. "This was a real surprise to
us," she says, "because so few are found at other sites."
In addition to her work at the Areni-1 site, she is working at the
Tell Leilan project in Syria. This is one of the largest
archaeological sites in that country and was one of the most important
cities in northern Mesopotamia during the second and third millennia
B.C.
Work at that site also focuses on the relationship between humans and
their natural and social environment. Located in the Fertile Crescent,
Syria was one of the areas where hunter-gatherers settled and complex
societies based on formal agricultural principles were developed. This
included not only the propagation of grain crops, such as wheat,
barley, and flax, but also trees such as fig and olive.
The realization that fruit trees were an important component of the
agricultural landscape in Armenia, outside the Fertile Crescent and at
a transitional time between the Neolithic and Bronze Ages (the
Chalcolithic period), adds to the intrigue at the Areni-1 excavation,
because so little is known about their process of domestication.
Currently all evidence points to the Caucasus as the most likely
region of origin.
"Very little is known about food production during the Chalcolithic
period in this region," says Smith, "so any new information is truly
exciting."
Armenian Weekly
Breaking News: Medvedev, Obama, and Sarkozy Issue Joint
Statement on Karabakh
By: Weekly Staff
MUSKOKA, Canada—On June 26, Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev, U.S. President Barack Obama, and French President
Nicolas Sarkozy, issued the following statement on Karabakh from
the G8 summit:
We, the Presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group’s Co-Chair countries,
France, the Russian Federation, and the United States of America,
reaffirm our commitment to support the leaders of Armenia and
Azerbaijan as they finalize the Basic Principles for the peaceful
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
We welcome as a significant step the recognition by both sides that
a lasting settlement must be based upon the Helsinki Principles and
the elements that we proposed in connection with our statement at
the L’Aquila Summit of the Eight on July 10, 2009, relating to: the
return of the occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh,
interim status for Nagorno-Karabakh guaranteeing security and
self-governance, a corridor linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh;
final status of Nagorno-Karabakh to be determined in the future by
a legally-binding expression of will, the right of all internally-displaced
persons and refugees to return, and international security guarantees,
including a peacekeeping operation.
Now the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan need to take the next
step and complete the work on the Basic Principles to enable the
drafting of a peace agreement to begin. We instruct our Ministers
and Co-Chairs to work intensively to assist the two sides to overcome
their differences in preparation for a joint meeting in Almaty on the
margins of OSCE Informal Ministerial.
Escalation in Karabakh in the Context of President D. Medvedev's
Visit to the US and the Coming «Battle Over Iran»
en.fondsk.ru Оrbis Terrarum
23.06.2010
Andrei ARESHEV
The provocation at the Armenian-Azerbaijani Line of Contact in
Karabakh, in the proximity of the village of Chaylu, on the night of
June 19 had repercussions worldwide. The attempt of an Azerbaijani
reconnaissance group to cross the line left 4 Armenian conscripts dead
and 4 – injured. Reportedly, some of the attackers were also killed.
Azerbaijani President I. Aliyev left for Baku unexpectedly after the
June 17 talks with his Russian and Armenian counterparts in St.
Petersburg, and the very next day the northern part of Karabakh's
Martakert region came under the Azerbaijani attack followed by 24
hours of continuous fire. Armenia termed the incident an act of armed
blackmail and a military extension of the politics of diplomatic
pressure exerted on it by Azerbaijan. There was an impression that the
region was on the verge of resuming full-scale hostilities.
Azerbaijan's defense and foreign ministries de facto accepted
responsibility for the outbreak of violence, stating that the Karabakh
conflict is not a frozen one and that Armenia stands to suffer even
more serious blows unless it withdraws from the disputed territories.
The obvious truth is that negotiations at gunpoint – at the face of
capitulation demands – are impossible. If, in evident anticipation of
a response that it would be possible to regard as casus belli,
Azerbaijan proceeds with the military pressure on Karabakh, the
situation thus created will fit into the pattern described by Gen. M.
Gareev as a part of the analysis of another war: “Throughout history,
country leaders were oftentimes oblivious to the multilateral nature
of military conflicts and wars, due to which things never evolve
entirely as planned. Opponents tend to take the least expected
steps”1.
The state of the Karabakh conflict was influenced by a number of
countries locked in a rivalry over the Caucasian energy resources and
transit routes. While watchers did discern the connection between the
trilateral meeting in St. Petersburg and the recent escalation in
Karabakh, it somehow flew below the radar that the skirmishes took
place on the eve of Russian President D. Medvedev's visit to the US
and against the backdrop of Washington's growing activity involving
Azerbaijan. Matthew J. Bryza, a diplomat notorious for the provocative
role he had played in August, 2008, was dispatched to Baku as the US
ambassador, US Secretary of Defense R. Gates honored the Absheron
Peninsula with his presense, and Washington announced that H. Clinton
will tour the Caucasus next July. On top of all that, a clearly
deceptive rumor goes around that Russian peacekeepres will soon be
deployed in Karabakh2.
Sergey Markedonov, currently a visiting scholar at the
Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies,
maintains that chances for peace in Karabakh depend on the ability of
Washington and Moscow to jointly formulate resolute policies meant to
prevent fighting in the region. He is, however, highly skeptical about
the prospects for such synchronism between the two heavyweights3, and
indeed the Mensk Group's incoherent reaction to the recent escalation
seems to be indicative of serious discord. No international
investigation into the recent incident looms on the horizon, and Baku
can feel free to erode the current ceasefire regime with renewed
vigor.
The escalation at the Armenian-Azerbaijani Line of Contact in Karabakh
is likely incited by outside forces. Thomas de Waal, a British expert,
expressed the view that the parties to the Karabakh conflict would
have to be a lot more discontent with the status quo to start making
serious concessions4. The June 18 clashes were clearly meant to make
the status quo look like a not too attractive option, to expose the
volatility of the current situation, and to strengthen the dissonances
in Armenia's domestic politics5.
Overall, the developments suggest the existence of a broad agenda
which is not limited to discrediting the Russian-Armenian
military-political alliance and Russia as a mediator in Karabakh. Some
of the objectives may be of a more fundamental character, Iran likely
being the actual target. Iran is increasingly encircled by a network
of US military bases, and the new US Administration may be viewing the
Karabakh problem through the prism of the role Azerbaijan - as Iran's
neighbor - has a potential to play in a future campaign. No doubt,
Washington will be trying to draw Azerbaijan into the orbit of its
politics aimed at isolating and weakening Iran6.
Regardless of its outcome, a new round of fighting in Karabakh would
result in the complete expulsion of Russia from the South Caucasus,
become a logical outgrowth of the US anti-Iranian politics, and be a
prologue to a major war in the Middle East.
_______________________
(1) Nezavisimoe Voennoe Obozrenie, #22, p. 10, 2010.
(2) The idea of deploying the US troops in the Fizuli district
bordering Iran is sold as a «joint Russian-US initiative» aimed at
countering the ambitions of Turkey and Iran in Transcaucasia.
(3) S. Markedonov. Karabakh Reverting to the Hot Phase //
http://www.politcom.ru/article.php?id=10314
(4) http://www.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/170367/
(5) The plan is doomed to failure as the oppositional Armenian
National Congress pledges to spearhead the rescue of Karabakh.
(6) http://www.regnum.ru/news/polit/1296636.html
In the current issue of the English Speaking Union's magazine, Dialogue, :
"In late May and early June (2011) the ESU welcomes Turkey and Malta into
the ESU. Both launches will be attended by delegations of over 40 ESU
members from all over the world who join the committees of ESU Malta and
ESU Turkey to support them in their launch ceremonies.
ESU Malta's launch reception will take place in the residence of the British
High Commissioner and the launch of ESU Turkey will be held at the
British Consulate in Istanbul".
It's a pity the ESU does not impose certain conditions - human rights abuses, etc.
- on intending members.
