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Administration Address: 26 Parpetsi St., No 9
Phone: +(374 1) 532422
Email: [email protected]
Internet: www.armenianow.com
Technical Assistance: (For technical assistance please contact Babken
Juharyan)
Email: [email protected]
************************* ************************************************** *
July 17, 2009
1. Who is the Real Target**:? Call for FM resignation illustrates need
for legitimacy at the top and in the opposition **
2.** Sounds of Summer: Open Music Fest hopes to put Armenia on the
musical map**
3. Mourning rite at Blue Mosque: Iranians in Yerevan pay tribute to
their compatriots
**4.** Armenian аviation veteran: No version of disaster can be
excluded yet
5. More Talk: Sargsyan-Aliyev meeting as viewed by analysts in Yerevan
and Moscow**
6.** Karabakh in focus: Opposition to Madrid principles grows at home
as Sargsyan travels to Moscow to meet Aliyev **
7. Letter home: A Diasporan discovers Armenia and `Armenianness' - The
Weddings
8. **Sport: Invincible King Arthur gives up his boxing belt as he
moves to upper division
************************************************ ****************************
1. Who is the Real Target?: Call for FM resignation illustrates need for
legitimacy at the top and in the opposition
A week after the President of Nagorno Karabakh Bako Sahakyan called for
pan-Armenian unity, the political party that hosted the conference from
which Sahakyan made his plea is showing unfortunate familiar contempt toward
fulfilling Sahakyan's wish.
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation, the `Dashnaks', on Thursday called
for the resignation of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Edward
Nalbandian.
The demand is more a referendum on the government of Serzh Sargsyan, with
whom the Dashnaks have split, over Sargsyan's perceived nuzzling up to
Turkey and in the process presumably jeopardizing the future of the
self-declared republic Sahakyan leads and robbing Armenia - especially
Diaspora - of its symbol of patriotic pride.
The Dashnaks - indeed all Armenians here, in Karabakh, and abroad
- are
right to worry over whether the blood-earned sovereignty of Karabakh is
being encroached by recent negotiations that may (or may not) stipulate
giving back land reclaimed by death and suffering through three years of war
and ongoing contact-line skirmishes despite a 15-year `cease fire'.
`For the purpose of eliminating the negative consequences that have emerged
in the foreign policy domain and restoring the national-state course, we
demand the resignation of Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, who is
immediately responsible for the sphere,' said ARF Supreme Council of Armenia
chairman Armen Rustamyan at a press conference Thursday.
`Immediately responsible'? What is Nalbandian but a mouthpiece? What good
would sacking him achieve?
The unlikely dismissal would, of course, notify all parties that the
Dashnaks remain a powerful influence, capable of shaping government policy
even after resigning (in April), their ministerial positions in the Sargsyan
administration.
Firing his foreign minister would also signify President Sargsyan's
willingness for a `do-over' of re-thinking how far Armenia
will de-normalize
herself in an effort to normalize relations with Turkey. Now would be a late
but better-than-never time to make such a move, with the anticipated flurry
of attention focused on the Karabakh-Azerbaijan/Armenia-Turkey situation
coming in October (when Football Diplomacy II takes place in Turkey).
And what message would it send to Turkey, to Azerbaijan, to the OSCE Minsk
Group negotiators?
Maybe a good one, depending on perspective - a message that says President
Sargsyan recognizes that consent should trump dictation in navigating a path
to peace and prosperity for his country and its neighbors.
It would also, however, be an admission of fault on Sargsyan's part. He is
not a man known for saying `oops, my bad'. And for that reason, we would be
most surprised if the president conceded to the Dashnak wishes.
This president sits in power on a seat propped up by the fraud, the unknown
deals, the support of Mother Russia, and the spineless acquiescence of the
US and Europe who helped put him there (if only by their pathetic
estimations of his `mostly democratic' election).
To admit weakness (by dismissing his link to countries with whom he has few
other representations) would likely raise, again, questions of Sargsyan's
legitimacy. With a diminished but yet active opposition licking its chops in
the wings, the president can hardly afford to show a crack in his resolve as
the chief of all Armenians.
For the latter reason, the call from the Dashnaks is not about Foreign
Minister Nalbandyan. It is not about Serzh Sargsyan, directly. It is about
Levon Ter-Petrosyan.
Were a more believable/reliable/trusted opposition leader in place, it is
likely the Dashnak demand would have been for the resignation of Sargsyan,
rather than for one of his lieutenants.
Such a call would have had less teeth than even this one, but the fact that
the target of the Dashnak discontent is a government ambassador rather than
the government leader says much about the ineffectiveness of Armenia's
opposition to groom a figure to offer alternative leadership. Simply put:
The Dashnaks (or any others) know that should they dethrone Sargsyan, their
action would be a de facto validation of Ter-Petrosyan. And nobody =80` save
radical oppositionists whose brains are in their adrenal glands - should
want that.
That the Dashnaks would bother with such a grandstanding stunt, illustrates
the frustration of a political society in which choices are limited and
trustworthiness at a premium. Calling for Nalbandian's resignation
is akin
to Diaspora's demand that any US Ambassador admit the Genocide.
Like an ambassador, the Foreign Minister is a fallguy for the policy of his
government. Demanding that he be sacked reduces a legitimate debate to
pettiness.
And Armenia politics has seen too much of that.
******************************************* *********************************
2. Sounds of Summer: Open Music Fest hopes to put Armenia on the musical
map
By John Hughes
ArmeniaNow editor
Residents and summertime visitors to Armenia will benefit from a unique
addition to Yerevan attractions starting in a couple weeks.
The National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia will present 23 outdoor concerts
beginning July 30 and continuing through September 21. (Tickets for the
events will range from about $5.5-$22.)
Named `Open Music Fest' the series of performances will take place in the
newly-renovated outdoor theater behind the Moscow Cinema (capacity about
800) and promise to be `open to the whole world and open to the wondrous
mosaic of international music,' according to NCOA principal conductor Aram
Gharabekian, who conceived the idea.
Nothing of the sort has taken place in independent Armenia and Gharabekian
says his beloved musical institution is seeking to `create a tradition that
would first and foremost be a restatement to Yerevan's abiding spirit of
cultural renewal.'
Speaking more casually than for press release purposes and in a reflection
of the maestro's creative spirit, Gharabekian also said: `Sometimes you just
have to try something a little bit crazy.'
The maestro's `crazy' idea has gained the support of several Armenia-based
organizations and sponsors include VivaCell-MTS, Converse Bank, HayPost, the
US Embassy of America, and Diaspora benefactor Hovig Kurkjian, and others.
Likewise, a collection of local businesses and institutions, have donated
services, volunteered time or pledged in-kind donations. (ArmeniaNow will
offer assistance to the festival as a media partner.)
The current (sixth-annual) Golden Apricot International Film Festival has
proved Armenia's capacity for art and cultural events of a grand scale.
Surely, the ambitious launch of Open Music Fest will challenge that
capacity, but organizers are confident it will demonstrate Armenia's embrace
of art and the cultural community's outstretched arms inviting world-wide
participation.
While the inaugural festival will highlight Armenian classical compositions,
it will also include, folk, ethnic, jazz, fusion, and avant garde and will
feature guests artists that so far include accordionist and bandoneonist
Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi, clarinetist Michel Lethiec, mezzo-soprano Anna
Maria Chiuri, and saxophonist Federico Mondelci. Favored local jazz group
Time Report will perform during an August show.
According to its press release, Open Music Fest will also offer master music
classes throughout its run taught by visiting artists.
Already looking toward future Open Music Fest, Gharabekian says the hopes of
the festival include education.
`It's all about preparing Armenia's next generation of great musicians,
nurturing their talents, and ultimately enabling them to contribute to the
panoply of world music,' the maestro said. `At the same time, we want to
establish a festival of such high quality and artistic diversity that it
will help earn Yerevan - and Armenia by extension - recognition as a musical
center of global relevance.'
The July 30 and 31 `Gala Opening Concert' will feature guests that include
Armenian pop vocalist Aramo, and Italy's Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi
(accordion / bandoneon).
Full programs for Open Music Fest can be found on the Chamber Orchestra
website: www.ncoa.am
*********************************** *****************************************
3. Mourning rite at Blue Mosque: Iranians in Yerevan pay tribute to their
compatriots
By Karine Ionesyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
Tarini and Nasiri, 20-years-old students were supposed to arrive from Tehran
to Yerevan on July 15 to continue their education in Yerevan State Medical
University, however the fatal light interrupted their plans and their lives.
These Iranian youngsters were among those 168 victims of the air crash of
Tu-154 airline.
`It was very sad for me to hear that news, they were still so young, and
they could achieve many things,' Rosana Lutsika, 37, who is their friend,
says with great grief.
Lutsika and dozens of Iranians living in Yerevan gathered July 16 in the
Blue Mosque in central Yerevan to participate in the requiem rite for those
lost in a Northern Iraq crater.
`We all send our deep condolences to the relatives of our brothers
and
sisters,' says Chapu Lotsin, who works in Armenia as a dentist.
Lotsin, like many others who gathered Thursday did not lose relatives at the
disaster, but all feel the loss of those who - like they -
might have been
on board such a flight.
Another Iranian, Bozu Bandi, who works at the Iranian Embassy to Armenia as
a diplomat also says he came just to pray for dead.
`I did not lose any friend or relative. Anyway, this is the tragedy of all
of us. And here we all pay our tribute to them. This was a very deplorable
accident for both Armenians and Iranians,' the diplomat says.
The rite started with an old prayer - Namaz; men and children took
their
shoes off, and sat on their knees in the Mosque. Separated by a curtain and
covered with paranjas beforehand, women also participated in the requiem
rite.
Some 1,500-2,000 Iranians live in Yerevan, 100-500 of them periodically
attend the Blue Mosque every Thursday.
*************************************** *************************************
4. Armenian аviation veteran: No version of disaster can be excluded yet
By Georg Khachaturyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
A flight specialist with a history of experience flying the make of airplane
that crashed in Iran on Wednesday told journalists today that the age of the
aircraft should not be considered a factor in determining the cause of the
deadly accident.
Dmitri Atbashyan, head of the General Administration of Civil Aviation in
1970-80s, and a pilot during the 1970-80s in Soviet Armenia has more than
3,000 hours in the cockpit of the Tupolev 154.
`Tu-154 is designed so that even if two out if its three engines go out of
order, the airline is quite able to fly. The reasons of the air crash can be
various - one of the turbine vanes could come off, damaging the whole system
of control, because of which the airline became uncontrolled and fell. Or
perhaps one of the fuel-pipes broke caused fire in the turbine,' said
Atbashyan, Chairman of the National Union of Aviation.
He stressed that the expiration period of Tu-154 is 30 years or 25,000 days,
and the airline of the `Caspian' Airlines has not exceeded
that limit.
`It is possible that when the engine burnt, a panic occurred among
the crew.
It is also not excluded that they did everything correctly, but the fire
caused such serious devastation, and it was not possible to rectify the
situation. The decoding of the `black boxes' is not carried out yet, and no
version of the disaster is excluded: even the airline could found itself in
sand-storms, which are so frequently met in the territory of Iran. A
terrorist act is not excluded, either' Atbashyan says.
***************************************** ***********************************
5. More Talk: Sargsyan-Aliyev meeting as viewed by analysts in Yerevan and
Moscow
By Sara Khojoyan **
ArmeniaNow reporter
The meeting between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan on Friday and
Saturday will not bring any changes in the Karabakh settlement process,
according to Armenian and Russian political analysts.
During a Yerevan-Moscow teleconference on prospects of Karabakh negotiations
on Thursday , participants said the July 17 meeting between Serzh Sargsyan
and Ilham Aliyev will be only an `insignificant step' in the Karabakh issue
that `requires years to settle.'
`The presidents, as always, will emerge from the meeting and say that there
is certain progress. Thank God, there is an opportunity for such meetings.
But it seems unrealistic to me to expect a meeting of two people, even top
people in their countries, to produce drastic changes in the conflict zone
that has a history of at least 20 years,' said Caucasus Institute Director
Alexander Iskandaryan from Yerevan.
In the analyst's estimation, the consensus in Armenia around the issue is
that the Karabakh conflict cannot be solved without asking the [opinion of]
Karabakh people.
`People in Karabakh are not infants in arms instead of whom big uncles and
aunts can decide their fate. If such an attempt is made, then it may elicit
the reaction both in Armenian society and from Karabakh,' Iskandaryan
stressed.
And in Azerbaijan, public consensus, according to the political analyst,
tends to be the exclusion of Karabakh's breaking from Azerbaijan.
`This is
clear from both opinion polls and media publication. Also, Azerbaijan's
constitution does not allow the holding of a referendum in a separate
territory of Azerbaijan,' said Iskandaryan.
Ruling Republican Party representative and MP Hermine Naghdalyan's
opinion
does not differ much from that of Iskandaryan. She said `the key to a
Karabakh solution is in Stepanakert.'
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan, who the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation has said must resign over Yerevan's failed policies on
Nagorno-Karabakh, visited Stepanakert on Thursday where he assured President
Bako Sahakyan that Karabakh's participation in the negotiations is
a
necessity and called it `an effective guarantee of the peace process.'
`It is natural that Karabakh may have other approaches in certain issues,
but I would like to emphasize that the opinion of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic has a great and important meaning to us, and Armenia cannot ignore
that, and moreover, it cannot make any agreement without the approval of the
people and leadership of Karabakh. And my being here today is anther proof
of that,' Nalbandyan said.
Meanwhile, at the conference, Hermine Naghdalyan said it is Azerbaijan's
contradictory statements that hinder the conflict resolution.
`Azerbaijan's opinions are conflicting. A [Meiendorf] declaration was signed
a year ago that was supposed to secure our peaceful development and in which
military operations were excluded, but, despite that, from time to time we
again hear war rhetoric from Azerbaijan's top leadership,'
said Naghdalyan.
The Armenian parliamentarian's comment referred to the statements made by
Azerbaijan's president Ilham Aliyev while on a visit to the United
Kingdom
earlier this week.
The Azerbaijani leader appeared to have stepped up pressure on Armenia to
comply with the proposed principles of settlement. He said `Nagorno-Karabakh
will never be recognized as an independent country.'
In what sounded more like blackmail, Aliyev added: `We've been in a process
of negotiations, which is the best indicator of our policy. But I can't
exclude a military option because Azerbaijan has a legal right to protect
itself and to restore its territorial integrity. As soon as we achieve a
breakthrough in negotiations, no use of force would apply, but if you do
that now, what incentive would Armenia have?'
Nevertheless, Deputy Director of the CIS Countries Institute Vladimir
Zhirikhin, who participated in the Thursday teleconference at the Russian
end, said he saw potential in the current presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan for resorting to unpopular steps. The analyst does not see an
opportunity for a solution to the Karabakh issue without such unpopular
steps.
`The sides have to agree to concession and consider security as a priority.
No doubt, such concessions will not be accepted with admiration on either
side. And either side will say it suffered a defeat, but there will be no
conflict solution without that,' said Zharikhin.
`But latest negotiations have shown that there is such an opportunity,' the
analyst added.
****************************************** **********************************
**
6. Karabakh in focus: Opposition to Madrid principles grows at home as
Sargsyan travels to Moscow to meet Aliyev
By Suren Musayelyan**
ArmeniaNow reporter
President Serzh Sargsyan was scheduled to hold a head-to-head meeting with
his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in the Russian capital Moscow on
Friday afternoon amid growing international hopes and, apparently pressures,
for the two parties to move closer to a settlement of the long-running
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Last week, the leaders of the United States, France and Russia that jointly
co-lead the international mediation effort in the conflict urged Sargsyan
and Aliyev `to resolve the few differences remaining between them and
finalize their agreement on these Basic Principles, which will outline a
comprehensive settlement.'
Yet, Sargsyan faced opposition from at least two political parties at home
demanding a change of tack on Karabakh.
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) indicated earlier
this week it wanted the foreign minister to step down. It also dropped hints
that a failure to change policy on Karabakh might entail their demand of the
resignation of Sargsyan himself.
Among Dashnaktsutyun's demands is that Sargsyan should not sign any document
based on the so-called Madrid principles of settlement proposed by the Minsk
Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). In
particular, these principles imply the withdrawal of Karabakh Armenian
forces from the districts outside Nagorno-Karabakh proper that they
currently control as a buffer zone as well as an indefinitely delayed status
for Nagorno-Karabakh to be decided in the future `through a legally binding
expression of will.'
`The president still has an opportunity to make drastic changes in
the
situation and, most importantly, not to sign the document that is being
proposed,' said Armen Rustamian, a senior member of Dashnaktsutyun, at a
press conference on Thursday.
Heritage, another opposition party in Armenia's parliament, also urged
Sargsyan, through a senior member of its parliamentary faction, not to sign
any documents based on the so-called Madrid principles.
Also, eight political parties in Karabakh, including local Dashnaktsutyun,
issued a statement on Thursday calling for Stepanakert's greater role in the
continuing negotiations with Azerbaijan and condemning all attempts to put
the internationally unrecognized republic's security at risk. They
said all
efforts to resolve the conflict without Stepanakert were `doomed to
failure.'
The statement echoed the concerns of Karabakh's public at large as
well as
leadership that presented similar claims through its foreign ministry
earlier this week.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, President Sargsyan stressed that no document will
be signed during his two-day working visit to Moscow on July 17-18.
And on Thursday, Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan traveled to Karabakh
where he assured the local authorities that `Armenia cannot ignore
Karabakh's opinion.'
`Armenia cannot make any agreement without the approval of the people and
leadership of Karabakh. And my being here today being here is anther proof
of that,' Yerevan's top diplomat said in Stepanakert.
************************************************ **************************
7. Letter home: A Diasporan discovers Armenia and `Armenianness' - The
Weddings
B**y Danielle Hartounian
AGBU summer intern
The cultural differences between Armenia and the Diaspora never cease to
amaze me.
Break room discussions continue to nourish my curious appetite to further
educate myself about the vast inequalities in socialization, of which the
aspect of gender roles fascinates me most.
Being a nineteen year old female from Southern California, I am avidly
curious to discover and learn as to how girls my own age are raised here,
what expectations society has of them, and the expectations they have for
themselves. Working in the same environment with locals from Yerevan aids
my comprehension and contributes to my knowledge regarding the matter.
I had an idea of local girls here in Yerevan, but being an outsider in a
foreign country, I preferred to digest the matter with my coworkers and hear
what they had to say about the subject prior to my expression, for fear of
voicing my own thoughts, which could very well be rather narrow assumptions.
Apparently though, the truth was indeed that the majority of girls my age
are socialized to get married and start families. Coming from the =80=9Cland of
opportunity', this was unfathomable; I refused to believe it until
I asked
or heard from someone who would know the truth. On that note, it was also
true that there was definitely encouragement toward the advancement and
pursuit of education; I was relieved to hear that it is very normal for
young females to receive their college degrees because the way in which I
have been socialized within my own culture has no other way. With these
considerations, at this point it is just a matter of what these young women
are doing with their degrees. Or aren't, for that matter.
The discussion was interesting and eye-opening. As I was recollecting,
reflecting, and revising my thoughts, I was also visiting the churches of
Hripsime and Gayane. During my time there, at least two weddings were
taking place at both locations. The weddings themselves were immensely
interesting to observe, but what fascinates me most are the aspects which
stood out to me most in the occasions: first, that of age. None of the
brides could have been more than twenty-one or twenty-two.
Depending on the cultural lens, this age could be either quite agreeable to
social paradigms, or not. Second, there was more than one wedding being
held simultaneously. My girl friends and I discussed the potential havoc
that would erupt from such an occurrence that another bride had scheduled
her wedding within the same time span. Furthermore, it was unexpectedly
surprising to me that our casually dressed group of sweaty, tired, worn out
college students could simply walk into the church to light a candle to say
our own personal prayer as there was a wedding ceremony taking place.
These minor details elicit the essence of the diversity between the culture
of Armenia and the culture of the Diaspora (in America, at least).
As I argued in another `Letter Home', I believe importance
should be given
to overcoming the shock for the unknown, and to the flexible adjustment of
deciphering what to make of these differences. The gender roles is a
specific branch with which I am particularly intrigued because my personal
socialization has not prepared me-in any way, shape, or form, mentally,
emotionally, spiritually, or academically-to be engaged or married
in two
years. Consequently, I am trying to understand these circumstances in order
to refine and sharpen my perspective by practicing different ways in which
I
perceive my new surroundings.
Danielle Hartounian, 19, is a student at Orange Coast College, in Southern
California, where she majors in English and minors in studio arts. She is a
participant of the Armenian General Benevolent Union's Yerevan Summer
Internship Program, during which she is interning at ArmeniaNow.com.
********************************* *******************************************
8.** Sport: Invincible King Arthur gives up his boxing belt as he moves to
upper division
By Suren Musayelyan
Boxing
Armenia-born unbeaten International Boxing Federation middleweight champion
Arthur Abraham (performing for Germany) was in New York, USA, late last week
where he formally completed his move up to a super-middleweight division.
On Saturday, 29-year-old Abraham, known by his professional boxing alias of
`King Arthur', met IBF President Marian Muhammad and personally informed her
about his decision to return his IBF middleweight belt.
`It is about time for a new challenge,' King Arthur (30-0,
24 KOs)
reportedly said. `It was a lot of fun to fight at middleweight but
since
neither Felix Sturm nor Kelly Pavlik wanted to get in the ring with me, I
had to move on. Now I want to become the best boxer in the
super-middleweight division and I really look forward to making even bigger
fights in the future.'
Abraham captured the vacant IBF middleweight title in late 2005 and has
since staged ten spectacular title defences.
In his latest defence on June 27, Armenia's son Abraham overwhelmed
Turkish-German Mahir Oral making him kneel down on the ring in the
10thround and forcing his camp to throw a white towel of surrender.
Meanwhile, on the night that dashed Vic, `the Raging Bull', Darchinyan's
hopes for a bantamweight title, another Armenia-born fighter Khoren Gevor
failed in his challenge to the champion Felix Sturm from Germany in the WBA
middleweight division.
On July 12, Gevor was defeated on the judges' scorecards, with his
record
dropping to 30-4.
Gevor, was disappointed with the outcome.
`No one won that fight!' www.doghouseboxing.com quoted the
Armenian thumper
as saying after the fight.
Meanwhile, Sturm's next fight could be a showdown with Kelly, =80=9CThe Ghost',
Pavlik - ironically the kind of fight that King Arthur had been seeking
before giving up his belt and moving to a higher division.
Soccer
Armenia's longtime champion Pyunik ended in a goalless draw their first
international game this year hosting Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League
second qualifying round on Tuesday night.
Ninety minutes of play at Republican Stadium in Yerevan produced few chances
for Vardan Minasyan's charges to score. Nor did the Croatian champion
created too much threat near the Yerevan team's goal.
Pyunik will travel to Zagreb next week to play the second-leg game slated
for July 21.
Meanwhile, in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League,
Gandzasar (Kapan) was hosted by Dutch NAC on Thursday. The match ended 6-0
to the Dutch club. The second-leg game between the two teams is scheduled
for July 23.
Earlier, Armenia's Banants and Mika were eliminated from the Europa League
tournament by their first qualifying round competitors.
************************************ **************************************
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Administration Address: 26 Parpetsi St., No 9
Phone: +(374 1) 532422
Email: [email protected]
Internet: www.armenianow.com
Technical Assistance: (For technical assistance please contact Babken
Juharyan)
Email: [email protected]
************************* ************************************************** *
July 17, 2009
1. Who is the Real Target**:? Call for FM resignation illustrates need
for legitimacy at the top and in the opposition **
2.** Sounds of Summer: Open Music Fest hopes to put Armenia on the
musical map**
3. Mourning rite at Blue Mosque: Iranians in Yerevan pay tribute to
their compatriots
**4.** Armenian аviation veteran: No version of disaster can be
excluded yet
5. More Talk: Sargsyan-Aliyev meeting as viewed by analysts in Yerevan
and Moscow**
6.** Karabakh in focus: Opposition to Madrid principles grows at home
as Sargsyan travels to Moscow to meet Aliyev **
7. Letter home: A Diasporan discovers Armenia and `Armenianness' - The
Weddings
8. **Sport: Invincible King Arthur gives up his boxing belt as he
moves to upper division
************************************************ ****************************
1. Who is the Real Target?: Call for FM resignation illustrates need for
legitimacy at the top and in the opposition
A week after the President of Nagorno Karabakh Bako Sahakyan called for
pan-Armenian unity, the political party that hosted the conference from
which Sahakyan made his plea is showing unfortunate familiar contempt toward
fulfilling Sahakyan's wish.
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation, the `Dashnaks', on Thursday called
for the resignation of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Edward
Nalbandian.
The demand is more a referendum on the government of Serzh Sargsyan, with
whom the Dashnaks have split, over Sargsyan's perceived nuzzling up to
Turkey and in the process presumably jeopardizing the future of the
self-declared republic Sahakyan leads and robbing Armenia - especially
Diaspora - of its symbol of patriotic pride.
The Dashnaks - indeed all Armenians here, in Karabakh, and abroad
- are
right to worry over whether the blood-earned sovereignty of Karabakh is
being encroached by recent negotiations that may (or may not) stipulate
giving back land reclaimed by death and suffering through three years of war
and ongoing contact-line skirmishes despite a 15-year `cease fire'.
`For the purpose of eliminating the negative consequences that have emerged
in the foreign policy domain and restoring the national-state course, we
demand the resignation of Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, who is
immediately responsible for the sphere,' said ARF Supreme Council of Armenia
chairman Armen Rustamyan at a press conference Thursday.
`Immediately responsible'? What is Nalbandian but a mouthpiece? What good
would sacking him achieve?
The unlikely dismissal would, of course, notify all parties that the
Dashnaks remain a powerful influence, capable of shaping government policy
even after resigning (in April), their ministerial positions in the Sargsyan
administration.
Firing his foreign minister would also signify President Sargsyan's
willingness for a `do-over' of re-thinking how far Armenia
will de-normalize
herself in an effort to normalize relations with Turkey. Now would be a late
but better-than-never time to make such a move, with the anticipated flurry
of attention focused on the Karabakh-Azerbaijan/Armenia-Turkey situation
coming in October (when Football Diplomacy II takes place in Turkey).
And what message would it send to Turkey, to Azerbaijan, to the OSCE Minsk
Group negotiators?
Maybe a good one, depending on perspective - a message that says President
Sargsyan recognizes that consent should trump dictation in navigating a path
to peace and prosperity for his country and its neighbors.
It would also, however, be an admission of fault on Sargsyan's part. He is
not a man known for saying `oops, my bad'. And for that reason, we would be
most surprised if the president conceded to the Dashnak wishes.
This president sits in power on a seat propped up by the fraud, the unknown
deals, the support of Mother Russia, and the spineless acquiescence of the
US and Europe who helped put him there (if only by their pathetic
estimations of his `mostly democratic' election).
To admit weakness (by dismissing his link to countries with whom he has few
other representations) would likely raise, again, questions of Sargsyan's
legitimacy. With a diminished but yet active opposition licking its chops in
the wings, the president can hardly afford to show a crack in his resolve as
the chief of all Armenians.
For the latter reason, the call from the Dashnaks is not about Foreign
Minister Nalbandyan. It is not about Serzh Sargsyan, directly. It is about
Levon Ter-Petrosyan.
Were a more believable/reliable/trusted opposition leader in place, it is
likely the Dashnak demand would have been for the resignation of Sargsyan,
rather than for one of his lieutenants.
Such a call would have had less teeth than even this one, but the fact that
the target of the Dashnak discontent is a government ambassador rather than
the government leader says much about the ineffectiveness of Armenia's
opposition to groom a figure to offer alternative leadership. Simply put:
The Dashnaks (or any others) know that should they dethrone Sargsyan, their
action would be a de facto validation of Ter-Petrosyan. And nobody =80` save
radical oppositionists whose brains are in their adrenal glands - should
want that.
That the Dashnaks would bother with such a grandstanding stunt, illustrates
the frustration of a political society in which choices are limited and
trustworthiness at a premium. Calling for Nalbandian's resignation
is akin
to Diaspora's demand that any US Ambassador admit the Genocide.
Like an ambassador, the Foreign Minister is a fallguy for the policy of his
government. Demanding that he be sacked reduces a legitimate debate to
pettiness.
And Armenia politics has seen too much of that.
******************************************* *********************************
2. Sounds of Summer: Open Music Fest hopes to put Armenia on the musical
map
By John Hughes
ArmeniaNow editor
Residents and summertime visitors to Armenia will benefit from a unique
addition to Yerevan attractions starting in a couple weeks.
The National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia will present 23 outdoor concerts
beginning July 30 and continuing through September 21. (Tickets for the
events will range from about $5.5-$22.)
Named `Open Music Fest' the series of performances will take place in the
newly-renovated outdoor theater behind the Moscow Cinema (capacity about
800) and promise to be `open to the whole world and open to the wondrous
mosaic of international music,' according to NCOA principal conductor Aram
Gharabekian, who conceived the idea.
Nothing of the sort has taken place in independent Armenia and Gharabekian
says his beloved musical institution is seeking to `create a tradition that
would first and foremost be a restatement to Yerevan's abiding spirit of
cultural renewal.'
Speaking more casually than for press release purposes and in a reflection
of the maestro's creative spirit, Gharabekian also said: `Sometimes you just
have to try something a little bit crazy.'
The maestro's `crazy' idea has gained the support of several Armenia-based
organizations and sponsors include VivaCell-MTS, Converse Bank, HayPost, the
US Embassy of America, and Diaspora benefactor Hovig Kurkjian, and others.
Likewise, a collection of local businesses and institutions, have donated
services, volunteered time or pledged in-kind donations. (ArmeniaNow will
offer assistance to the festival as a media partner.)
The current (sixth-annual) Golden Apricot International Film Festival has
proved Armenia's capacity for art and cultural events of a grand scale.
Surely, the ambitious launch of Open Music Fest will challenge that
capacity, but organizers are confident it will demonstrate Armenia's embrace
of art and the cultural community's outstretched arms inviting world-wide
participation.
While the inaugural festival will highlight Armenian classical compositions,
it will also include, folk, ethnic, jazz, fusion, and avant garde and will
feature guests artists that so far include accordionist and bandoneonist
Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi, clarinetist Michel Lethiec, mezzo-soprano Anna
Maria Chiuri, and saxophonist Federico Mondelci. Favored local jazz group
Time Report will perform during an August show.
According to its press release, Open Music Fest will also offer master music
classes throughout its run taught by visiting artists.
Already looking toward future Open Music Fest, Gharabekian says the hopes of
the festival include education.
`It's all about preparing Armenia's next generation of great musicians,
nurturing their talents, and ultimately enabling them to contribute to the
panoply of world music,' the maestro said. `At the same time, we want to
establish a festival of such high quality and artistic diversity that it
will help earn Yerevan - and Armenia by extension - recognition as a musical
center of global relevance.'
The July 30 and 31 `Gala Opening Concert' will feature guests that include
Armenian pop vocalist Aramo, and Italy's Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi
(accordion / bandoneon).
Full programs for Open Music Fest can be found on the Chamber Orchestra
website: www.ncoa.am
*********************************** *****************************************
3. Mourning rite at Blue Mosque: Iranians in Yerevan pay tribute to their
compatriots
By Karine Ionesyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
Tarini and Nasiri, 20-years-old students were supposed to arrive from Tehran
to Yerevan on July 15 to continue their education in Yerevan State Medical
University, however the fatal light interrupted their plans and their lives.
These Iranian youngsters were among those 168 victims of the air crash of
Tu-154 airline.
`It was very sad for me to hear that news, they were still so young, and
they could achieve many things,' Rosana Lutsika, 37, who is their friend,
says with great grief.
Lutsika and dozens of Iranians living in Yerevan gathered July 16 in the
Blue Mosque in central Yerevan to participate in the requiem rite for those
lost in a Northern Iraq crater.
`We all send our deep condolences to the relatives of our brothers
and
sisters,' says Chapu Lotsin, who works in Armenia as a dentist.
Lotsin, like many others who gathered Thursday did not lose relatives at the
disaster, but all feel the loss of those who - like they -
might have been
on board such a flight.
Another Iranian, Bozu Bandi, who works at the Iranian Embassy to Armenia as
a diplomat also says he came just to pray for dead.
`I did not lose any friend or relative. Anyway, this is the tragedy of all
of us. And here we all pay our tribute to them. This was a very deplorable
accident for both Armenians and Iranians,' the diplomat says.
The rite started with an old prayer - Namaz; men and children took
their
shoes off, and sat on their knees in the Mosque. Separated by a curtain and
covered with paranjas beforehand, women also participated in the requiem
rite.
Some 1,500-2,000 Iranians live in Yerevan, 100-500 of them periodically
attend the Blue Mosque every Thursday.
*************************************** *************************************
4. Armenian аviation veteran: No version of disaster can be excluded yet
By Georg Khachaturyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
A flight specialist with a history of experience flying the make of airplane
that crashed in Iran on Wednesday told journalists today that the age of the
aircraft should not be considered a factor in determining the cause of the
deadly accident.
Dmitri Atbashyan, head of the General Administration of Civil Aviation in
1970-80s, and a pilot during the 1970-80s in Soviet Armenia has more than
3,000 hours in the cockpit of the Tupolev 154.
`Tu-154 is designed so that even if two out if its three engines go out of
order, the airline is quite able to fly. The reasons of the air crash can be
various - one of the turbine vanes could come off, damaging the whole system
of control, because of which the airline became uncontrolled and fell. Or
perhaps one of the fuel-pipes broke caused fire in the turbine,' said
Atbashyan, Chairman of the National Union of Aviation.
He stressed that the expiration period of Tu-154 is 30 years or 25,000 days,
and the airline of the `Caspian' Airlines has not exceeded
that limit.
`It is possible that when the engine burnt, a panic occurred among
the crew.
It is also not excluded that they did everything correctly, but the fire
caused such serious devastation, and it was not possible to rectify the
situation. The decoding of the `black boxes' is not carried out yet, and no
version of the disaster is excluded: even the airline could found itself in
sand-storms, which are so frequently met in the territory of Iran. A
terrorist act is not excluded, either' Atbashyan says.
***************************************** ***********************************
5. More Talk: Sargsyan-Aliyev meeting as viewed by analysts in Yerevan and
Moscow
By Sara Khojoyan **
ArmeniaNow reporter
The meeting between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan on Friday and
Saturday will not bring any changes in the Karabakh settlement process,
according to Armenian and Russian political analysts.
During a Yerevan-Moscow teleconference on prospects of Karabakh negotiations
on Thursday , participants said the July 17 meeting between Serzh Sargsyan
and Ilham Aliyev will be only an `insignificant step' in the Karabakh issue
that `requires years to settle.'
`The presidents, as always, will emerge from the meeting and say that there
is certain progress. Thank God, there is an opportunity for such meetings.
But it seems unrealistic to me to expect a meeting of two people, even top
people in their countries, to produce drastic changes in the conflict zone
that has a history of at least 20 years,' said Caucasus Institute Director
Alexander Iskandaryan from Yerevan.
In the analyst's estimation, the consensus in Armenia around the issue is
that the Karabakh conflict cannot be solved without asking the [opinion of]
Karabakh people.
`People in Karabakh are not infants in arms instead of whom big uncles and
aunts can decide their fate. If such an attempt is made, then it may elicit
the reaction both in Armenian society and from Karabakh,' Iskandaryan
stressed.
And in Azerbaijan, public consensus, according to the political analyst,
tends to be the exclusion of Karabakh's breaking from Azerbaijan.
`This is
clear from both opinion polls and media publication. Also, Azerbaijan's
constitution does not allow the holding of a referendum in a separate
territory of Azerbaijan,' said Iskandaryan.
Ruling Republican Party representative and MP Hermine Naghdalyan's
opinion
does not differ much from that of Iskandaryan. She said `the key to a
Karabakh solution is in Stepanakert.'
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan, who the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation has said must resign over Yerevan's failed policies on
Nagorno-Karabakh, visited Stepanakert on Thursday where he assured President
Bako Sahakyan that Karabakh's participation in the negotiations is
a
necessity and called it `an effective guarantee of the peace process.'
`It is natural that Karabakh may have other approaches in certain issues,
but I would like to emphasize that the opinion of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic has a great and important meaning to us, and Armenia cannot ignore
that, and moreover, it cannot make any agreement without the approval of the
people and leadership of Karabakh. And my being here today is anther proof
of that,' Nalbandyan said.
Meanwhile, at the conference, Hermine Naghdalyan said it is Azerbaijan's
contradictory statements that hinder the conflict resolution.
`Azerbaijan's opinions are conflicting. A [Meiendorf] declaration was signed
a year ago that was supposed to secure our peaceful development and in which
military operations were excluded, but, despite that, from time to time we
again hear war rhetoric from Azerbaijan's top leadership,'
said Naghdalyan.
The Armenian parliamentarian's comment referred to the statements made by
Azerbaijan's president Ilham Aliyev while on a visit to the United
Kingdom
earlier this week.
The Azerbaijani leader appeared to have stepped up pressure on Armenia to
comply with the proposed principles of settlement. He said `Nagorno-Karabakh
will never be recognized as an independent country.'
In what sounded more like blackmail, Aliyev added: `We've been in a process
of negotiations, which is the best indicator of our policy. But I can't
exclude a military option because Azerbaijan has a legal right to protect
itself and to restore its territorial integrity. As soon as we achieve a
breakthrough in negotiations, no use of force would apply, but if you do
that now, what incentive would Armenia have?'
Nevertheless, Deputy Director of the CIS Countries Institute Vladimir
Zhirikhin, who participated in the Thursday teleconference at the Russian
end, said he saw potential in the current presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan for resorting to unpopular steps. The analyst does not see an
opportunity for a solution to the Karabakh issue without such unpopular
steps.
`The sides have to agree to concession and consider security as a priority.
No doubt, such concessions will not be accepted with admiration on either
side. And either side will say it suffered a defeat, but there will be no
conflict solution without that,' said Zharikhin.
`But latest negotiations have shown that there is such an opportunity,' the
analyst added.
****************************************** **********************************
**
6. Karabakh in focus: Opposition to Madrid principles grows at home as
Sargsyan travels to Moscow to meet Aliyev
By Suren Musayelyan**
ArmeniaNow reporter
President Serzh Sargsyan was scheduled to hold a head-to-head meeting with
his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in the Russian capital Moscow on
Friday afternoon amid growing international hopes and, apparently pressures,
for the two parties to move closer to a settlement of the long-running
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Last week, the leaders of the United States, France and Russia that jointly
co-lead the international mediation effort in the conflict urged Sargsyan
and Aliyev `to resolve the few differences remaining between them and
finalize their agreement on these Basic Principles, which will outline a
comprehensive settlement.'
Yet, Sargsyan faced opposition from at least two political parties at home
demanding a change of tack on Karabakh.
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) indicated earlier
this week it wanted the foreign minister to step down. It also dropped hints
that a failure to change policy on Karabakh might entail their demand of the
resignation of Sargsyan himself.
Among Dashnaktsutyun's demands is that Sargsyan should not sign any document
based on the so-called Madrid principles of settlement proposed by the Minsk
Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). In
particular, these principles imply the withdrawal of Karabakh Armenian
forces from the districts outside Nagorno-Karabakh proper that they
currently control as a buffer zone as well as an indefinitely delayed status
for Nagorno-Karabakh to be decided in the future `through a legally binding
expression of will.'
`The president still has an opportunity to make drastic changes in
the
situation and, most importantly, not to sign the document that is being
proposed,' said Armen Rustamian, a senior member of Dashnaktsutyun, at a
press conference on Thursday.
Heritage, another opposition party in Armenia's parliament, also urged
Sargsyan, through a senior member of its parliamentary faction, not to sign
any documents based on the so-called Madrid principles.
Also, eight political parties in Karabakh, including local Dashnaktsutyun,
issued a statement on Thursday calling for Stepanakert's greater role in the
continuing negotiations with Azerbaijan and condemning all attempts to put
the internationally unrecognized republic's security at risk. They
said all
efforts to resolve the conflict without Stepanakert were `doomed to
failure.'
The statement echoed the concerns of Karabakh's public at large as
well as
leadership that presented similar claims through its foreign ministry
earlier this week.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, President Sargsyan stressed that no document will
be signed during his two-day working visit to Moscow on July 17-18.
And on Thursday, Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan traveled to Karabakh
where he assured the local authorities that `Armenia cannot ignore
Karabakh's opinion.'
`Armenia cannot make any agreement without the approval of the people and
leadership of Karabakh. And my being here today being here is anther proof
of that,' Yerevan's top diplomat said in Stepanakert.
************************************************ **************************
7. Letter home: A Diasporan discovers Armenia and `Armenianness' - The
Weddings
B**y Danielle Hartounian
AGBU summer intern
The cultural differences between Armenia and the Diaspora never cease to
amaze me.
Break room discussions continue to nourish my curious appetite to further
educate myself about the vast inequalities in socialization, of which the
aspect of gender roles fascinates me most.
Being a nineteen year old female from Southern California, I am avidly
curious to discover and learn as to how girls my own age are raised here,
what expectations society has of them, and the expectations they have for
themselves. Working in the same environment with locals from Yerevan aids
my comprehension and contributes to my knowledge regarding the matter.
I had an idea of local girls here in Yerevan, but being an outsider in a
foreign country, I preferred to digest the matter with my coworkers and hear
what they had to say about the subject prior to my expression, for fear of
voicing my own thoughts, which could very well be rather narrow assumptions.
Apparently though, the truth was indeed that the majority of girls my age
are socialized to get married and start families. Coming from the =80=9Cland of
opportunity', this was unfathomable; I refused to believe it until
I asked
or heard from someone who would know the truth. On that note, it was also
true that there was definitely encouragement toward the advancement and
pursuit of education; I was relieved to hear that it is very normal for
young females to receive their college degrees because the way in which I
have been socialized within my own culture has no other way. With these
considerations, at this point it is just a matter of what these young women
are doing with their degrees. Or aren't, for that matter.
The discussion was interesting and eye-opening. As I was recollecting,
reflecting, and revising my thoughts, I was also visiting the churches of
Hripsime and Gayane. During my time there, at least two weddings were
taking place at both locations. The weddings themselves were immensely
interesting to observe, but what fascinates me most are the aspects which
stood out to me most in the occasions: first, that of age. None of the
brides could have been more than twenty-one or twenty-two.
Depending on the cultural lens, this age could be either quite agreeable to
social paradigms, or not. Second, there was more than one wedding being
held simultaneously. My girl friends and I discussed the potential havoc
that would erupt from such an occurrence that another bride had scheduled
her wedding within the same time span. Furthermore, it was unexpectedly
surprising to me that our casually dressed group of sweaty, tired, worn out
college students could simply walk into the church to light a candle to say
our own personal prayer as there was a wedding ceremony taking place.
These minor details elicit the essence of the diversity between the culture
of Armenia and the culture of the Diaspora (in America, at least).
As I argued in another `Letter Home', I believe importance
should be given
to overcoming the shock for the unknown, and to the flexible adjustment of
deciphering what to make of these differences. The gender roles is a
specific branch with which I am particularly intrigued because my personal
socialization has not prepared me-in any way, shape, or form, mentally,
emotionally, spiritually, or academically-to be engaged or married
in two
years. Consequently, I am trying to understand these circumstances in order
to refine and sharpen my perspective by practicing different ways in which
I
perceive my new surroundings.
Danielle Hartounian, 19, is a student at Orange Coast College, in Southern
California, where she majors in English and minors in studio arts. She is a
participant of the Armenian General Benevolent Union's Yerevan Summer
Internship Program, during which she is interning at ArmeniaNow.com.
********************************* *******************************************
8.** Sport: Invincible King Arthur gives up his boxing belt as he moves to
upper division
By Suren Musayelyan
Boxing
Armenia-born unbeaten International Boxing Federation middleweight champion
Arthur Abraham (performing for Germany) was in New York, USA, late last week
where he formally completed his move up to a super-middleweight division.
On Saturday, 29-year-old Abraham, known by his professional boxing alias of
`King Arthur', met IBF President Marian Muhammad and personally informed her
about his decision to return his IBF middleweight belt.
`It is about time for a new challenge,' King Arthur (30-0,
24 KOs)
reportedly said. `It was a lot of fun to fight at middleweight but
since
neither Felix Sturm nor Kelly Pavlik wanted to get in the ring with me, I
had to move on. Now I want to become the best boxer in the
super-middleweight division and I really look forward to making even bigger
fights in the future.'
Abraham captured the vacant IBF middleweight title in late 2005 and has
since staged ten spectacular title defences.
In his latest defence on June 27, Armenia's son Abraham overwhelmed
Turkish-German Mahir Oral making him kneel down on the ring in the
10thround and forcing his camp to throw a white towel of surrender.
Meanwhile, on the night that dashed Vic, `the Raging Bull', Darchinyan's
hopes for a bantamweight title, another Armenia-born fighter Khoren Gevor
failed in his challenge to the champion Felix Sturm from Germany in the WBA
middleweight division.
On July 12, Gevor was defeated on the judges' scorecards, with his
record
dropping to 30-4.
Gevor, was disappointed with the outcome.
`No one won that fight!' www.doghouseboxing.com quoted the
Armenian thumper
as saying after the fight.
Meanwhile, Sturm's next fight could be a showdown with Kelly, =80=9CThe Ghost',
Pavlik - ironically the kind of fight that King Arthur had been seeking
before giving up his belt and moving to a higher division.
Soccer
Armenia's longtime champion Pyunik ended in a goalless draw their first
international game this year hosting Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League
second qualifying round on Tuesday night.
Ninety minutes of play at Republican Stadium in Yerevan produced few chances
for Vardan Minasyan's charges to score. Nor did the Croatian champion
created too much threat near the Yerevan team's goal.
Pyunik will travel to Zagreb next week to play the second-leg game slated
for July 21.
Meanwhile, in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League,
Gandzasar (Kapan) was hosted by Dutch NAC on Thursday. The match ended 6-0
to the Dutch club. The second-leg game between the two teams is scheduled
for July 23.
Earlier, Armenia's Banants and Mika were eliminated from the Europa League
tournament by their first qualifying round competitors.
************************************ **************************************
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress