Month: May 2008

ARMENIAN DEFENCE MINISTER: AZERBAIJANI PARTY EXPLAINS THE DELAY IN THE RETURNING PROCESS OF FOUR ARMENIAN CAPTIVES BY HOLDING ‘THE RELEVANT WORK’

arminfo
2008-05-23 15:52:00

ArmInfo. Azerbaijani party explains the delay in the returning
process of four Armenian captives by holding "the relevant work",
Armenian Defence Minister Seyran Ohanyan said today over the meeting
with students and teachers of Yerevan State Pedagogical Institute
after Khachatur Abovyan.

To recall, civilians Vanik Zmboyan (Gavar), Artyom Zohrabyan (Noraduz),
Karen Torosyan (Noraduz) and Aghasi Yenokyan (Noraduz) turned out to
be on the Azerbaijani side after the incident in one of Nakhichevan
near-border military units. The incident happened due to interpersonal
relations. By unofficial data, a group of civilians arrived "to help"
their friend, having been recently transferred to the new military
unit. A conflict started among the young man and his comrade-in-arms,
and the "brothers" arrived by several cars at the unit to settle the
dispute. A scuffle happened and the commander had to shot in air to
stop it, unofficial data say. As a result, the stranger- young men
were captivated. The Azerbaijani party tries to represent them as
raiders in every way.

RUSSIA WILL HAVE HARD CHOICE IF BATTLE ACTIONS START IN NAGORNYY KARABAKH, RUSSIAN POLITICAL EXPERT THINKS

arminfo
2008-05-23 15:50:00

ArmInfo. Russia will have hard choice if battle actions start in
Nagornyy Karabakh, Russian political expert Sergey Markedonov told
ArmInfo correspondent.

He also added that there is possibility of the battle actions
restart because of an active unfreezing process of all the post-Soviet
conflicts, to which the Kosovo precedent, domestic political situation
and election in Azerbaijan promote

VAHAN HOVANNISYAN NOT TO BE APPOINTED CHAIRMAN OF PUBLIC COUNCIL UNDER THE PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA

arminfo
2008-05-23 15:49:00

ArmInfo. At today’s briefing in the parliament member of ARF
Dashnaktiutyun parliamentary faction, Ara Nranyan, disproved the
rumours that head of the same faction Vahan Hovannisyan will be
appointed chairman of Public Council under the president of Armenia.

Touching on the 1 March events in Yerevan, he said that ‘despite
the results of the election, the main purpose of ex-president Levon
Ter-Petrosyan was to destabilize the situation in the country’.

MOSCOW AVOIDS KARABAKH ISSUE FOR TOLERABLE RELATIONS WITH AZERBAIJAN: RUSSIAN POLITICAL EXPERT

arminfo
2008-05-23 15:44:00

ArmInfo. Russia has displayed a special attitude to Karabakh conflict
since the moment when the ex-president Vladimir Putin declare the
so-called universal approach i.e. application of Kosovo precedent in
the post-Soviet area and Nagorny Karabakh proved outside it. Head
of Inter-ethnic Relations Department of the Russian Institute for
Political and Military Analysis Sergey Markedonov says in an interview
with ArmInfo.

He stressed that Karabakh problem was not included in the March
statement of State Duma 2008 either. ‘The Karabakh conflict is avoided
since official Moscow believes the relations with Azerbaijan not as
bad as with Georgia.

So, Moscow has not washed up Moldova and Azerbaijan so far unlike
Georgia’, he said.

NA SPEAKER TIGRAN TOROSYAN MET WITH OLISH SENATE MARSHAL BOGDAN BORUSEWICZ

armradio.am
23.05.2008 17:01

On May 22 in Strasbourg the Speaker of the National Assembly of
Armenia Tigran Torosyan met with the Polish Senate Marshal Bogdan
Borusewicz. Noting that many elections have taken place in Armenia
and Poland, the Armenian Parliament Speaker expressed confidence that
good opportunities and perspectives have opened for the active and
multifaceted relations between Armenian and Poland.

The Marshal of the Polish Senate Bogdan Borusewicz once again
congratulated the Armenian Parliament Speaker for the conduct of
successful elections, reconfirmed the invitation to Tigran Torosyan
to pay an official visit to Warsaw, noting that the interest in
the Caucasus is growing not only in Poland, but also in whole
Europe. Turning to the March events, Mr. Borusewicz attached importance
to the fact that the situation is currently stable in Armenia
and expressed hope that the restrictions on conducting meetings,
demonstrations and rallies will be lifted. The Senate Marshal also
reconfirmed the position of Poland on the Nagorno Karabakh issue,
i.e. its support for the OSCE Minsk Group activity.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MOD CONTINUES THE WORK IN THE DIRECTION OF RETURNING THE FOUR ARMENIAN CAPTIVES

armradio.am
23.05.2008 17:18

The works continue in the direction of returning the four Armenian
citizens that crossed the border of Nakhijevan in April. RA Defense
Minister Seyran Ohanyan noted during today’s meeting with students
of the State Pedagogical University of Yerevan that corresponding
negotiations have been conducted with the leadership of the Armed
Forces of Azerbaijan.

"At first, they expressed willingness to return the captives, but
later they started delaying. They say corresponding work should be
done before the captives will be returned. It also depends on their
wish to return. For example, we have an Azeri captive here who does
not want to return to Azerbaijan," the Minister said.

To remind, in April RA citizens Vanik Zmboyan (Gavar), Artyom Zohrabyan
(Noratus), Karen Torosyan (Noratus) and Aghasi Yenokyan (Noratus)
went to see their friend serving at the military unit in Khachik
village. After an incident at the military unit they escaped, lost
the way and passed to the Nakhijevani side.

ARMENIAN, GEORGIAN, AZERI PARLIAMENTARIANS TO MEET IN LONDON IN JUNE

armradio.am
23.05.2008 17:40

The recurrent meeting of Armenian, Georgian and Azerbaijani
parliamentarians will take place in London in June, Denis Samust,
Head of the South Caucasus Parliamentary Initiative, informed.

The South Caucasus Parliamentary Initiative was created on the basis
of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Parliaments of the
three countries in 2003. It aims to promote the exchange of views
and development of dialogue between the Parliaments of Azerbaijan,
Armenia and Georgia.

MICROSOFT TO PROVIDE SOFTWARE TO "ELECTRIC NETWORKS OF ARMENIA"

ARKA
May 23, 2008

YEREVAN, May 23. /ARKA/. General Director of "Electric Networks of
Armenia" Yevgeniy Gladunchik and Director of Microsoft in Armenia
Grigor Barseghian signed an agreement on cooperation for three years.

Under the agreement, Microsoft is to provide a complete range of
services to "Electric Networks of Armenia", particularly recent
licensed software under preferential terms, Barseghian said. He also
reported that Microsoft is to provide consulting services to raise
the professional skills of the staff of "Electric Networks of Armenia".

Barseghian gave high appraisal of the contribution of "Electric
Networks of Armenia" to the country’s economy. The quality of services
offered by the "Electric Networks" is being improved, and the company
provides uninterrupted power supply to its clients," he said.

According to him, the agreement raises the level of long-year
cooperation between Microsoft and "Electric Networks of Armenia"
to a new level.

Gladunchik, in his turn, considered it an honor to work with a world’s
leading company like Microsoft.

Russian INTER RAO EES holds 100% of the shares of "Electric Networks
of Armenia" CJSC. Distribution and sale of electricity is the
main activity of the company. The company provides services to
approximately 935,000 consumers and has 12 branches (including 5
branches in Yerevan).

On January 30 2007, the Armenian Government and Microsoft Corporation
signed an agreement on cooperation in Edinburgh. Under the agreement,
Microsoft is to implement a number of investment, educational and
innovation projects in Armenia.

REAL ALTERNATIVE WITH SERIOUS PROGRAMS
Gevorg Haroutyunyan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on May 22, 2008
Armenia

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsoutyun started its
30th General Assembly yesterday afternoon

The third assembly, convened in Armenia after the country’s regaining
independence, is attended by deputies and responsible activists
representing the party in 30 countries of the world.

The official opening of the 30th General Assembly took place in the
conference hall of the Government. Among the invitees were Prime
Minister Tigran Sargsyan, Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandyan, Vice
Chair of the Republican Party Galoust Sahakyan, leader of "Prosperous
Armenia" party Gagik Tsaroukyan, Vice Chair of "Rule of Law" party
Heghine Bisharyan, NDU leader Vazgen Manoukyan, Head of the National
Democratic Party Shavarsh Kochayan, Secretary of the Political Council
of "Heritage" party Vardan Khachatryan, ex-Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanyan, well-known American-Armenian historian Richard Hovhannisyan
and many others.

The chief speaker was HRANT MARGARYAN, representative of the ARFD
bureau. In his opinion, Dashnaktsoutyun has been an alternative both to
the opposition and the authorities during the past 10 years. "Although
in 1998-2008 we collaborated with the authorities and managed, to a
certain extent, have our participation in the progress as well as the
extremely important process developing the national policy, we also
expressed our disagreements. We didn’t agree to the economic policy,
we were dissatisfied with the fact that the country didn’t organize
a coordinated struggle against corruption; we considered the illegal
demeanor of the privileged group and criminal and half-criminal
elements intolerable. We considered that all this moved the country
towards autocracy or instability.

By participating in the presidential race, we were putting an end to
our previous cooperation with the authorities and somehow, creating a
possibility of a new beginning for us. We didn’t have the right to act
as timeservers at the last moment, by quitting our former partners."

In the estimation of Hrant Margaryan, the last four presidential
elections were held in an extremely tense atmosphere. There were bloody
clashes twice – in 1998 and in 2008. Is it by mere accident that
in both cases the chief player and participant was the same person,
acting as a representative of the authorities in he former case and
as a pro-opposition figure in the latter?

"After ten years of silence, there appeared a person on the political
arena whom society remembers with hatred. The policy course he pursued
in our country suffered a crushing defeat. Realizing this perfectly
well, the former leader returned to the Armenian Pan-National Movement,
his organization, thus hiding his supporters, all his programs and,
after all, his personality behind the dissatisfaction existing in
the country. It turned out that leading a program-based ideological
struggle was not his objective," the representative of the ARFD
bureau mentioned.

THE MISSION OF LEVON’S EMISSARIES
Vrezh Aharonyan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on May 22, 2008
Armenia

As shown by the developments of the internal political life, the
discussions around PACE Resolution # 1609, adopted on April 17, are
becoming more and more heated. There are great expectations especially
in Mr. Ter-Petrosyan’s team.

Here, the process of increasing the "extent of pressure" upon the
Armenian authorities through the European structures is viewed as
a priority.

For solving this problem, the pro-Levon activists have put into
practice all the potentials of their political arsenal, including both
delicate irony and swaggering. As to what extent the expectations of
L. Ter-Petrosyan’s political team from the PACE Resolution are real
and to what extent the team will manage maintain this policy as a
"hot line" by the established time-limit (June), it’s a matter of time.

However, one fact is already obvious: the European diplomatic and
political circles are beginning to adopt a reserved attitude towards
revolutionary extremism.

It’s a well-known fact that a week before the May 2 congress,
L. Ter-Petrosyan’s office sent invitations of participation to all
the Heads of the embassies (especially those of the Member States of
the Council of Europe) accredited to Yerevan and the international
organizations, being confident that they would attend the first big
event organized after March 1. However, no serious representative of
the diplomatic corpse was present at the May 2 congress (there were
only three diplomats); the embassies of the United States, England
and Romania were represented on the level of ordinary employees.

This fact infuriated the leadership of the movement and especially
L. Ter-Petrosyan who, if you remember, constructed his speech in
the context of sending "messages" to foreign countries. For two days
following the congress, Ter-Petrosyan’s office was busy translating
the text of the ex-President’s speech; later, the material was sent
to the embassies in DVD format.

Of course, the European diplomatic structures did the right thing by
refusing to participate in the congress; however, in case of a more
in-depth analysis, they will arrive at the conclusion that Armenia’s
compliance with the requirements of PACE Resolution # 1609 is not
advantageous to L. Ter-Petrosyan and his movement. Because in that
case they will have but one choice: to publicly recognize and admit
their own defeat.

The developments around the requirements of the PACE Resolution and
the authorities’ delay in complying with some of its clauses directly
serve as a lifebuoy for Ter-Petrosyan and his team, as they have found
themselves in a deadlock. We believe the "pan-national movement" has
already exhausted itself, and Resolution # 1609 is L. Ter-Petrosyan’s
last chance for saving the reputation the collapsing movement
vs. stabilizing the situation in the country.

Anyway, all L. Ter-Petrosyan wants is to have the PACE not only
deprive Armenia of the right to vote but also raise the question of
our country’s membership in that structure. But the issue is whether
the overwhelming majority of the RA citizens desire that. This is the
question that should arouse concerns among the European structures
as well.

By the way, according to available information, L. Ter-Petrosyan
has decided to send a group of emissaries to Washington under the
leadership of David Shahnazaryan, being dissatisfied with the results
of the recent hearings held in the US Congress with regard to the
current situation in Armenia. The most noteworthy circumstance is that,
during all the meetings in the United States, the above-mentioned
group will try to substantiate the fact that all the allocations under
the "Millennium Challenges" program as well as the other financial
investments will be reduced to dust in our country which is facing
political instability.

This is the true story. Seeking, on the one hand, to win sympathy in
society, and on the other had, disguise his treacherous image, L.

Ter-Petrosyan appeals to the United States not to suspend the
financial allocations; on the other hand, its team is doing its best
to substantiate that "there’s no need to give money to transitional
authorities."

This is L. Ter-Petrosyan’s political style; here is an issue that
foreign countries should really think about.