Month: August 2008

SAAKASHVILI STYMIED AMERICAN PLANS WITH REGARD TO IRAN

WPS Agency
What the Papers Say (Russia)
August 21, 2008 Thursday
Russia

Was it that Georgia decided that there was nothing it couldn’t try
now that it made its territory available to the Americans for a strike
at Iran?

DID WASHINGTON NEED GEORGIA FOR A STRIKE AT IRAN?; Saakashvili’s
escapade cost him dearly and jeopardized American plans regarding Iran.

Was Mikhail Saakashvili acting on his own or was he carrying out
orders? What was the South Ossetian escapade for? Experts’ comments
suggest the following hypothesis.

It was anticipated more than once already that if a blow were to
be delivered, it would be an American blow at Iran. The forthcoming
election of the US president compelled the Republicans to place their
stakes on a war – so as to take out Iranian nuclear and military
sites first and foremost. Time was running out. An excuse was needed.

Launch of satellite by Iran was reported when Mikhail Saakashvili
was up the South Ossetian creek without a paddle. Launch of a dummy,
that was. Since it was a dummy that the Iranians launched, absence
of a genuine satellite was quite clear. Why the hurry then? Satellite
launch had been scheduled for late September or early October.

Military experts meanwhile advise to focus attention on the delivery
means rather than on the payload. Tehran has proved that it possesses
the delivery means that are essentially ballistic missiles. Specialists
say that Iran has four of six of them.

Had Saakashvili kept a low profile, Iran would have launched the bona
fide satellite in October and consequently invited an attack on its
nuclear, military, and other vital sites. Launch of the dummy now
failed to prompt a strike. Why? Because there is no place for the
Americans to lash at Iran from.

To attack Iran, the United States needs a base or rather a territory
500-600 kilometers from the targets. What country could give the
Americans the permit to use its own territory?

Not Azerbaijan because, among other considerations, of all the
Azerbaijanis living in Iran. Turkey is out too because any such
permit to the Americans would foment colossal problems with brothers
in faith and stir the Islamists already eager to topple the secular
regime in Ankara. Moreover, Ankara closed the passage to the Black
Sea for the US Navy even on the humanitarian mission. It follows that
Turkey is not going to wave American carrier battle groups through to
where they will strike at Iran from. Armenia is out too, for obvious
reasons. Israel is somewhat too far, and its readiness to become
involved in so direct a manner is questionable in the first place.

With all these countries out, what is left? Georgia alone. It is the
launch pad for the Americans, courtesy of Saakashvili. Plus Ukraine
nearby, some experts point out.

Abkhazian volunteers returning from Georgia told Izvestia that Slav
and namely Ukrainian mercenaries had fought in the war and not just
in the Georgian infantry. Examination of the sites where Georgian
antiaircraft complexes had been stationed proved the latter manned
by professional Ukrainian military.

This piece of the puzzle fits if we assume that Ukraine intended
to assist the operation against Iran. It delivered antiaircraft
complexes to Georgia and posted them around the sites where US aircraft
would have been stationed prior to launching salvos at targets in
Iran. Moreover, Kiev graciously provided both the hardware and the
personnel capable of putting it to use against Iranian efforts to
retaliate against the US military in Georgia.

What do Ukraine and Georgia need it for? Victor Yuschenko and
Saakashvili demanded Membership Action Plan (MAP) for their respective
countries in return. Kiev and Georgia had been denied it in Bucharest
earlier this year, but the United States – principal advocate of
the MAP for these two Russia’s neighbors – never actually abandoned
the idea.

That was the general state of affairs at the moment when Saakashvili
decided that he was indispensable for Washington and when he tried
to solve his domestic problems as well. By and large, his reasoning
was solid: in return for the use of the Georgian territory in the
operation against Iran, official Washington would have to forgive
Saakashvili an aggression against South Ossetia and Abkhazia and even
support him if necessary. By all means available including military
ones. Saakashvili probably counted on a blitzkrieg, he thought to
pull it off over a day or two.

Tbilisi’s tactical designs are clear as well. Moscow would be slow to
react, and mass bombardment of Tskhinvali would send the survivors
stampeding through the Rok Tunnel and making it impassable for the
Russians. All of that would give Georgia time to overrun Tskhinvali
defenders, hoist the Georgian flag above the city, install Tbilisi’s
puppet Sanakoyev, and proclaim South Ossetia under Georgian control
again. Once that is accomplished, the international mechanisms
will kick in and Washington will waste no time shutting up foreign
objections to genocide and war crimes committed by the Georgian regime.

Russia in the meantime reacted swifter and more efficiently
than Saakashvili (and probably his American curators too)
expected. Moreover, the response was smart. The Russians never
restricted it to driving the Georgians out of Tskhinvali environs. They
hit elements of the military and transport infrastructure the Georgian
regular army was using or could use to counter the Russian advance
into South Ossetia. The Russians hit airfields (their runways) and
seized the crossroads controlling transport arteries. It prevented
Georgian reinforcement in the conflict area and therefore prevented
procrastination of the conflict itself.

Hence the emotional reaction to the Russian deployment in Washington,
a reaction which promptly deteriorated into hysterics. Saakashvili
set himself up and jeopardized the American plans of a strike at
Iran. Tehran in the meantime saw through the disguise and decided quite
correctly that it was a perfect opportunity for the launch – even
of a dummy. Needless to say, the Americans could not simulate wrath
and lash at Iran from the Georgian territory at the moment. Moreover,
any attempt to dispatch US troops to Georgia would have been seen in
Moscow as a probable aggression against Russia with all that it would
imply. It is clear that America could not afford a direct confrontation
with Russia, in the state of hysterics (feigned in the first place)
or not.

It is necessary to add a few words about US State Secretary
Condolleezza Rice and her role in all of that. Rice kept telling
whoever was willing to listen that she was firmly in control of
thoroughly inadequate Saakashvili. This "eater of ties", however,
proved her utterly wrong – much to Rice’s chagrin. Rice meanwhile
had more riding on it than the presidential campaign currently under
way. She apparently counted on vice presidency in four years (or twice
four years). Or even presidency perhaps? In any event, Rice’s dismal
failure in Europe that obstinately refused to see the American stand
on the matter as unconditionally and unquestionably correct might put
an end to her political future. Hence garbled statements and nearly
hysterical bouts.

Russia meanwhile should wonder what is going to happen should it
withdraw the troops. Indeed, what will the Americans do if we bow to
the demands and pull out? The Americans demand withdrawal of the troops
in order to send some sort of contingent (NATO’s or international)
to the conflict area to block Russian peacekeepers there. Will they
try to repair runways so as to move their aviation to Georgia and
strike at Iran? Washington is running out of time. It has to lash
out before the election, so that the current US Administration will
shoulder all responsibility. Bush does not care. He is about to return
to his family business. It is McCain who will have to continue along
these lines – and will be happy to.

It is not as though Russia was out to make things lively for Washington
at all costs. Decimation of Iran will be just a beginning of the
process of rearrangement of the world order around Russia. It does
not appear as if ordinary Georgians and Ukrainian guessed what their
presidents were angling for or what colossal a folly Saakashvili and
Yuschenko were cogs in.

American "relief aid" in the meantime is ferried to Georgia by
the Pentagon and not through the usual channels (non-governmental
organizations, that is). The shipments are not to be approached
by non-authorized personnel. Does it mean that Operation Iran is
not aborted?

P.S. Ruslan Pukhov (Center for Analysis of Strategies and Techniques):
Charting an operation against Iran, the Americans more or less follow
the scenario of their Iraqi operation. If it is ever to be launched
or not is not clear at this moment, but preparations for the operation
continue with zest. Since not all of the Iranian neighbors are prepared
to make their territories available to the Americans, the latter need
Georgia as this bridgehead. Particularly when Turkey flatly refused to
participate in this escapade. Ankara’s stand is understandable: the
Americans are getting increasingly more pro-Kurdish. What with their
plans to have sovereign Kurdistan established and all… Needless
to say, Turkish society and the army (and the latter is playing an
instrumental part in this country) cannot accept it. In 2003, the
Turks denied the Americans the permit to advance on Iraq via their
territory and thus prevented the second front against Saddam Hussein.

Azerbaijan is unlikely to desire involvement for approximately similar
reasons. High oil prices allow for a steady economic growth. In a war,
Iran may fail to reach out far enough to strike at the United States
but create major problems for Azerbaijan it certainly will. Beginning
with missile strikes and ending with the fact that the Azerbaijanis
themselves belong to the same school of Islam. They are Shi’ah. And
since Tehran backs and sponsors Shi’ah all over the world, it might
even incite a turnover and Ilham Aliyev in Baku knows it.

Saakashvili on the other hand turned out to be a hothead with a fuse
sufficiently short to sacrifice his own country in return for some
preferences.

GEORGIA AND THE RENEWED US-RUSSIAN RIVALRY

Business Line
August 21, 2008 Thursday

One of the major premises of American foreign policy has been that,
with the disintegration of the Soviet Union, a policy of "containment"
of a weakened, impoverished and dispirited Russia could succeed, by
an aggressive expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
(NATO) alliance to Russia’s borders, accompanied by domination
of the oil and gas resources not only of Russia, but also of the
former Soviet Republics in Central Asia and the Caucasian regions,
by American and western oil companies. The aim was to integrate the
Caucasian Republics – Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan – into NATO
and construct pipelines bypassing Russia, to carry oil and gas from
countries such as Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan to ports like Ceyhan in
Turkey, for onward shipment to America’s NATO partners in Europe.

Strategic objectives The American strategy for access to Caucasian
energy resources was spelt out by Ariel Cohen, a leading analyst of the
Washington-based neo-conservative think-tank, the Heritage Foundation
in 1999. Cohen then proclaimed: "US interests in the Caucasus boil
down to providing guarantees of greater independence to Georgia,
Armenia and Azerbaijan; controlling Iran; ensuring access to energy
resources and precluding the possible revival of Russian imperial
ambitions in the region".

To achieve these objectives, Cohen urged more political support for
an oil pipeline project bypassing the Russian pipeline networks, from
Azerbaijan to the Turkish port of Ceyhan. He argued that if this was
not done, Russia and Iran would control access to and investment in a
major part of the Caucasian energy resources, making the West dependent
on Russia and Iran. As the pipeline was to be constructed through
Georgia, Cohen urged the promotion of "security collaboration with
Georgia" and expanding ties with Azerbaijan and Armenia as a "signal"
to Moscow that its support for separatism in South Caucasus would
lead to an end of US economic assistance. Worse still, Cohen urged
that for the US to achieve its strategic objectives, it should open
talks with leaders of North Caucasian ethnic groups – a euphemism for
promoting Muslim separatism in Russia’s Chechen and Dagestan Regions.

Russia’s power potential What Cohen and US policymakers failed to
anticipate was that under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, Russia
would stage a remarkable economic recovery. In less than a decade,
Russia emerged as a global player, shrewdly using its position as
holding the world’s largest resources of natural gas, the second
largest resources of coal and as the world’s second biggest producer
of oil, to effectively make America’s European allies look to it with
respect and realism. Under Putin’s leadership, Russia’s economy has
grown at over 7 per cent annually since the year 2000.

Russia has wielded diplomatic clout as a Permanent Member of the UN
Security Council and its participation in groupings like the G-8,
The Middle East Quartet, the Six Power initiative on North Korea’s
nuclear programme, APEC, OSCE and in the Russia-NATO Council. Russia
has also expanded its power potential in crucial areas such as its
Defence and space industries. Moreover, with significant Russian
minorities in former Soviet Republics such as Kazakhstan and Ukraine,
Moscow has signalled that it will not remain unconcerned about how
ethnic Russians are treated in these countries.

Unmindful of these changes in power equations, the Americans have
attempted to virtually encircle Russia by proposing missile defences
in former Warsaw Pact members and by encouraging Russia’s neighbours
such as Ukraine and Georgia to join NATO. On the eve of the last
NATO Summit in Bucharest in April 2008, President Bush commended
the "bold decision" of the Ukrainian President, Viktor Yuschenko,
to apply for NATO membership and dispatching Ukrainian troops to Iraq
and Afghanistan. Bush added: "In Bucharest this week I will continue
to make our position clear about our support for MAP (NATO membership)
for Ukraine and Georgia".

Recognition of Georgia The Kremlin strongly opposed NATO expansion and
warned that it could lead to Moscow’s recognition of the breakaway
regions of Abhkazia and South Ossetia in Georgia which had asserted
their independence and were protected by Russian peacekeepers. While
the US and the European Union were opposed to independence for these
regions, Russia’s Parliament proclaimed that if the western powers
could recognise the independence of Kosovo after military intervention,
there was no reason Russia could not do likewise in Georgia.

Georgia’s immature US educated President, Mikhail Sakashvili, gave
the Russians the opening they seized when, bolstered by arms supplies
from Ukraine and expectations of full-scale American support, he
mounted a military operation to establish control over South Ossetia
on August 8. Within days, the Georgians were humiliatingly defeated
by the Russians and forced to accept EU mediation by French President,
Nicholas Sarkozy. The proposals agreed to between Sarkozy and Russian
President, Dmitri Medvedev, include a provision for "international
talks on the future status of Abhkazia and South Ossetia and ways to
provide for their security".

Russia views this as EU acceptance of the impossibility of return
to the pre-war status quo. With Chancellor Merkel of Germany and
the French Prime Minister, Francois Fallon, having opposed NATO
membership for Ukraine and Georgia, the US now finds that apart from
support from the ever-loyal British, its other major partners in NATO
such as Germany, France and Italy, which are increasingly dependent
on Russian oil and natural gas, have no desire to embark on another
Cold war against Russia.

Global implications These developments are going to have profound
implications on global politics in coming years. The Americans are
not going to give up their attempts to encircle Russia. The Russians,
in turn, could make American diplomacy on issues like the nuclear
programmes of North Korea and Iran very difficult, should the Americans
become confrontational.

Former Soviet Republics like Kazakhstan, which have huge energy
resources, will now become more cautious in their dealings with
the US out of fear of Russian reaction. In the face of such rivalry
from Russia, the Americans will now seek closer ties with Beijing –
a development of some importance for India and the balance of power in
Asia. Like in the Nixon and Clinton years, China will seek to prove
that it is a useful partner to the US and endeavour to isolate India
diplomatically, skilfully using our Communist Parties to undermine
India-US relations, as they have done in recent times.

India has traditionally had close relations with Russia. Even today,
Russian supply of enriched uranium keeps the Tarapur Nuclear Power
Plant functioning in the face of an American embargo, and crucial
areas of Defence requirements like the acquisition of cruise missiles
and futuristic fifth generation fighter aircraft are based on joint
collaboration and development with the Russians. New Delhi would be
well advised to ensure that on energy-related issues such as the
proposed pipelines with Iran and Turkmenistan and developments in
Central Asia, it pays greater attention to Russian policies. Moreover,
Indian diplomacy should seek to promote a dialogue between the US,
on the one hand, and Russia and Iran, on the other, on issues like
the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, where US policy has
been to exclude these countries, as far as possible. Even though the
Americans were inclined to show accommodation of Chechen separatism
earlier, they now have a better understanding of Russian imperatives,
after the terrorist strikes of 9/11.

AZERI PAPERS COMMENT ON RUSSIA-GEORGIA CONFLICT’S IMPACT ON KARABAKH PROBLEM

BBC Monitoring International Reports
August 21, 2008 Thursday

An Azerbaijani independent daily has expressed its concern about the
consequences of "the US-Russian fight to put the South Caucasus in
the sphere of their influence".

On 20 August, in a comment on the latest developments in the South
Caucasus region after the Russian-Georgian conflict, Ekspress said: "It
is obscure where the US-Russian standoff is leading the region. One of
them want to take control over our wealth, the other wants to control
our territories as well. Europe comes up as another geopolitical actor
in the region in the person of the third co-chairing country – France."

The paper added that "the resolution of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict
by means of such mediating countries conflicting is impossible as
each of them promises us only nasty surprises".

"When Georgia entered South Ossetia, it saw the US support at least
although it was late. If we want to enter Karabakh, all the three
co-chairing countries will stand by Armenia," Ekspress said.

The opposition daily Azadliq quoted independent expert Rasim Musabayov
as saying that everything can be expected from Russia now.

Asked about the possibility of Russia’s military incursion into
Azerbaijan, Musabayov said that there was still no reason and need
for that.

"First, we have an opportunity to head off this provocation. Second,
it is impossible to create this artificially," Musabayov said.

The political analyst thinks that as Russia has faced a threat of
losing several partners, it prefers cooperation with Azerbaijan,
the paper said.

In an interview with another opposition daily Yeni Musavat, Musabayov
said that "the reality is that Russia is seeking for a pretext to
destroy Georgia. The world, including the USA, understands that Russia
does not enjoy great power. From this standpoint, the West considers
achieving success as a result of diplomatic pressure. Russia does
not have much room for manoeuvres".

He added that the Russian president and premier did not want to be
isolated from the world and wanted to be represented in G8.

The analyst said that Russia would be expelled from Georgia by force
and added that "the blow of any serious step that the USA takes in
any case will hit Turkey".

However, he added that Turkey is trying to regulate ties with Moscow
so that to avoid risks against itself and Azerbaijan.

Asked if Azerbaijan is Russia’s next target in the South Caucasus,
political expert Vafa Quluzada told Azadliq that "if Russia wants
to really take control over the South Caucasus, then the capture
of Azerbaijan will be put on agenda whether you like it or not. But
nobody can say precisely if Russia will attack Azerbaijan or not".

In a comment on the latest developments, the Yeni Azarbaycan newspaper
of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party said that "although it is logical
to think that the Georgian developments will speed up its NATO
membership, one should take into account that a political decision
is also of great importance here… In any case, the resolution of
the conflict or Georgia’s NATO membership demands political will. If
this will is not displayed [by the West], Tbilisi will suffer from
its pro-Western policy".

AZERI DAILY CRITICIZES TURKEY’S HANDLING OF GEORGIAN-RUSSIAN CONFLICT

BBC Monitoring International Reports
August 21, 2008 Thursday

An Azerbaijani independent daily has described as "insincere" Turkey’s
handling of the conflict between Georgia and Russia.

Russian-language Zerkalo said on 21 August that Turkey, which is a
NATO member, is openly aiding Russia. While Turkey backed the NATO
declaration on Georgia, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
failed to condemn Russia’s invasion of Georgia during his visit to
Baku on 20 August, Zerkalo said.

The paper also criticized Ankara for its failure to discuss the idea
of a Caucasus stability pact with its NATO allies, including the
USA. The Caucasus Home, suggested by Turkey, is to include Turkey,
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia and Russia.

"Apparently, the Turkish leadership has an illusion that the
Kremlin will be reckoning with its opinion in geopolitical issues
in the region," Zerkalo said. "In fact, Erdogan is suggesting that
Azerbaijan toe Russia’s line. This is a dangerous path which will
sooner or later make Azerbaijan a vassal of Russia."

The daily said that the reason for Turkey’s behaviour could be its
attempt to delay the regional countries’ Euroatlantic integration.

"Up until today, Turkey was the ‘last barrier’ on NATO’s southeastern
flank. However, after the regional countries integrate into the
Euroatlantic space, Turkey will lose this significance for the
West. This is where its interests coincide with those of Russia,"
Zerkalo said.

ARMENIANS OF SOUTHERN GEORGIAN REGION SEEK AUTONOMY

Azg
Aug 20 2008
Armenia

"Georgia’s only way is federative country"

The board of non-governmental organizations of Armenians in [Georgia’s]
Samtskhe-Javakhk [Samtskhe-Javakhketi] and Kvemo Kartveli has issued a
statement, which says in particular: "It is apparent that the civilian
population suffers most from the attempts to settle inter-ethnic
issues by military methods. We, the public representatives of the
Armenians in Samtskhe-Javakhk and Kvemo Kartveli regions, being
concerned about peace and stability and the future of our country,
believe that in order to restore Georgia’s territorial integrity
and sovereignty in a stable and democratic way, in order to settle
the current ethnic problems fairly, Georgia should be a federation
consisting of regional units and central government."

The statement also says that "Samtskhe-Javakhk, with its current
borders, and those neighboring villages of Kvemo Kartveli that are
predominantly populated by Armenians should be reorganized as an
autonomous region within the federative Georgian state, granting it
substantial self-governing rights." The statement then concludes:
"We realize that this statement will not be accepted in the same way
by everybody: there will be attempts to misinterpret and exploit
it. But we, being citizens who are concerned about the fate of
Georgia, had to repeat this truth we have been voicing for years. We
will be led exclusively by the interests of Georgia and its part of
Samtskhe-Javakhk. The memory of those killed in the recent clashes
calls for this, this is what Georgia’s future calls for."

ARMENIA TO SUSPEND NUCLEAR PLANT DUE TO MAJOR OVERHAUL IN SEPTEMBER

ArmInfo News Agency (in Russian)
Aug 21 2008
Armenia

Yerevan, 21 August: The operation of the Armenian nuclear power plant
[NPP] will be suspended at the beginning of September due to a complete
overhaul that will be carried out there, the director-general of the
NPP, Gagik Markosyan, has told Arminfo.

He said that the NPP’s complete overhaul would take about 85
days. It is planned to upload nuclear fuel and inspect the nuclear
reactor. Similar measures, unlike the annual scheduled maintenance
work, are carried out once in four years.

"A great amount of non-standard work is expected, the major task being
the inspection of the nuclear reactor," the director-general said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENISCHE ABSCHLUSSE MIT WELSER PARTNERN
Stefan Mey

Wirtschaftsblatt
21.08.2008

Fernstudium: Uni in Eriwan, Student in Paris

Es gibt weltweit rund zehn Millionen Armenier, von denen aber weniger
als ein Drittel in Armenien lebt – der Rest, rund acht Millionen,
lebt in der Diaspora. Von dort tragen sie zu rund der Halfte des
armenischen Bruttonationaleinkommens bei. Und obwohl sie im Ausland
leben, studieren sie gerne mit armenischem Abschluss. Das ist
ein guter Nahrboden fur das Institute of Economics and Management
(IEM) in Eriwan, der armenischen Hauptstadt. Das Institut bietet
Studienabschlusse im Fernstudium: ein Armenier kann in Paris leben und
mit einem armenischen MBA oder Master of Public Administration (MPA)
abschließen. Der nachste Schritt ist, dass das Institut Kooperationen
mit westlichen Partnern eingeht. Die in Wels ansassige "world wide
education GmbH" (wwedu) bietet nun gemeinsam mit dem IEM Lehrgange an,
mit denen die Armenier mit armenischen und osterreichischen Titeln
abschließen. "Die Inhalte sind teils international, teils lokal
spezialisiert", sagt Martin G. Stieger, Studiengangsleiter wwedu.

Offensive erwunscht

Fur Europa sieht Stieger in der Region Potenzial. Armenien sei noch
heute stolz darauf, bereits 301 das Christentum als Staatsreligion
eingefuhrt zu haben; das Land wolle sich Europa gegenuber offnen. Die
fur Stieger logische Reaktion: "Darauf muss Europa mit einer
Bildungsoffensive fur andere Lander antworten."

–Boundary_(ID_LU6UgBJKYl90Ktv87 QPWbQ)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA’S UNDER 21 NATIONAL FOOTBALL SQUAD BEAT PEERS FROM TURKEY 2-1

ARMENPRESS
Aug 21, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 21, ARMENPRESS: Armenia’s under 21 national football
squad upset peers from Turkey on Wednesday in Yerevan 2-1. The two
last goals from Karlen Mkrtchian and Henrik Mkhitaryan denied Turkey
a move to the top of qualifying Group 2.

Turkey needed three points to leapfrog the Czech Republic and take
pole position in the race for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship
play-offs.

The Turks did their best to exploit their best players. The first
goal was scored by Turkey at 66 minute. However, to the delight of
a 12,000-strong crowd at the Hrazdan Stadium in Yerevan, Mkrtchian
finished from a Goharyan free-kick one minute from time, with
Mkhitaryan atoning for his earlier miss in added time by scoring the
second goal.

Armenia has now 10 points, the Czech have 14 and Turkey 13 points.

Foreign minister Edward Nalbandian and president of the Armenian
Football Federation Ruben Hayrapetian met with players after the
match to congratulate them on the brilliant victory.

Speaking at a news conference after the game Turkish head coach Mutif
Erkasap said they were given ‘excellent’ welcome in Armenia. He said
his players expected the game to be too tough and tense, but their
fears did not prove.

PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN CONGRATULATES HIS HOLINESS, CATHOLICOS KAREKIN II, ON HIS BIRTHDAY

ARMENPRESS
Aug 21, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 21, ARMENPRESS; Prime minister Tigran Sargsyan sent a
message of congratulations today to His Holiness, Catholicos Karekin
II, head of the Armenian Apostolic church, on the occasion of His
Holiness birthday.

The government department for public relations and information told
Armenpress that the message reads as follows.

"Your Holiness, on behalf of the government and myself I congratulate
your on the occasion of your 57-th birthday anniversary. I wish
you good health, long life, inexhaustible power and energy for
implementation of your patriarchal mission, new deeds, which are
pleasant for God for the sake of further strengthening of relations
between our state and our Church and to the glory of our people’s
Christian reawakening."-

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CONDOLES DEATH OF TEN FRENCH SOLDIERS IN AFGHANISTAN

ARMENPRESS
Aug 21, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 21, ARMENPRESS: Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan sent
a letter of condolences to his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy to
express his grief over the death of ten French soldiers in Afghanistan.

The presidential press service told Armenpress that Sargsyan’s message
runs as follows.

"Mr. President, it was with great sadness that I learned about the
death of ten French soldiers killed in Afghanistan. At this moment of
grief for the French people I express my sincere condolences to you,
the families of the killed soldiers and to the friendly people of
France on behalf of the people of Armenia and myself .

Please accept, Mr. President, assurances of my deep respect."