Month: November 2009

OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS IN BAKU

Trend
Nov 5 2009
Azerbaijan

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are on a visit to Azerbaijan.

OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia), Bernard Fassier
(France) and Robert Bradtke (U.S.) will meet with Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov to
discuss resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict today, the Foreign
Ministry told Trend News.

Following their Baku visit, the co-chairs will head to Yerevan.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN OFFICE’S BUDGET TO REMAIN UNCHANGED

news.am
Nov 5 2009
Armenia

The funding of Armenia’s Foreign Office next year will remain
unchanged, RA Deputy Minister of Finance Pavel Safaryan stated in
Parliament, without citing particular figures.

NEWS.am’s attempts to receive more detailed information proved futile.

Safaryan said that the approximate sum is 6bn AMD. Not only the
financial experts of the RA Foreign Office, but also RA Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian found it difficult to report exact
figures as well. The RA Foreign Minister referred journalists to
Pavel Safaryan again.

So it turns out that both Minister Edward Nalbandian and other
Government members are not at all interested in the budget of the RA
Foreign Office. Safaryan pointed out that the Protocol Department
of the RA Foreign Office will receive smaller funds next year than
this year. 14bn AMD less will be directed to business trips, and
3bn AMD less to liaison. A total of 1.071bn AMD will be allocated as
Armenia’s membership at international organizations, with 832m AMD
for next year and 239m for the previous years.

A total of 4.006bn AMD will be allocated to Armenia’s diplomatic
missions abroad – as much as this year. Safaryan pointed out that
the revaluation of U.S dollar and Euro created some problems with
diplomats’ salaries, which, in terms of USD and Euro, have decreased.

A total of 92m AMD are intended for cultural and religious events
organized by the RA Foreign Office. Safaryan said that 20m AMD of
them will be allocated to the Armenian Drama after Petros Adamyan
in Tbilisi, 4m AMD for the pantheon of Armenian poets in Tbilisi,
10m AMD to the Armenian-language newspaper Georgia, 20m AMD for the
preservation of Armenian cultural monuments abroad. Other expenses
will reach 32m AMD.

Speaking in Parliament, Shirak Torosyan of the Republican Party of
Armenia (RPA) pointed out the inadvisability of funding the Georgia
newspaper — the advisor to the Georgian President, who encourages
Georgia’s anti-Armenian policy in Javakhk (a Georgian region densely
populated by Armenians) and hailed the court verdict on Vahagn
Chakhalyan, has been appointed editor-in-chief of the newspaper.

"ORANGE ARMENIA" LAUNCHED

Aysor
Nov 5 2009
Armenia

As it was promised the Orange Armenia company started its services
since today. So the number of the cell operators in our country now
is added.

The arrival of the "Orange" brand didn’t have luxury typical for
French. Today Didier Lombard, President of the Orange Company announced
the start of the "Orange Armenia" activities in Armenia.

"I am sure that "Orange" will have a nice and brilliant life in
Armenia. After the one year hard work of preparation we have all
rights to be successful here", – said Didier Lombard.

"Our aim is to create such cell operators possibilities that which
can serve everyone’s needs", – said the vice president of France
Telecom Company.

ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER MEETS WITH PRESIDENT OF LINCY FOUNDATION

Aysor
Nov 5 2009
Armenia

Paying a visit to U.S., Armenia’s Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisyan met
with President of Lincy Foundation Jay Rakow and First Vice President
Harut Sasunyan, Cabinet’s press-office reports.

During the meeting the parties discussed issues of cooperation
between Armenia and Lincy Foundation. Armenia’s Prime Minister Tigran
Sarkisyan is paying a working visit to San Jose to participate in
Armenian high-tech industry Conference (ArmTech). Armenian delegation
to U.S. involves head of Administration, David Sarkisyan, Minister
of Economy, Nerses Yeritsyan, and officials and representatives of
ministries and Government.

NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT SOLUTION IS ONE OF MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS, EVEN MOST IMPORTANT FOR ARMENIA: FM

Trend
Nov 5 2009
Azerbaijan

Armenia’s position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains unchanged –
the conflict must be resolved peacefully," said the Foreign Minister
of Armenia Eduard Nalbandian, News-Armenia reported.

"The settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is one of the
most important questions, even the most important for Armenia. Our
approaches to the settlement of the Karabakh conflict remain unchanged
– we see no alternative to peaceful solution of the conflict. The
conflict must be resolved through negotiations," said Nalbandian on
Nov. 5 during discussions on the project of the country’s 2010 budget
at the parliamentary standing committees on foreign relations and
financial-credit and budgetary affairs.

According to the Foreign Minister of Armenia, the Karabakh conflict
must be resolved based on the principles and norms of international
law.

The Armenian Foreign Minister said that the principal in the
negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict solution is the status
of Nagorno-Karabakh, providing security guarantees to Nagorno-Karabakh,
ensuring land border with Armenia.

The Minister also remembered that the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk
Group will arrive in Armenia on Nov. 6.

COOPERATION CONTINUES

National Assembly
Nov 5 2009
Armenia

On November 5. Vice President of the National Assembly Mrs. Arevik
Petrosyan received United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Armenia
Office Director Ms. Laylee Moshiri.

Mrs. Petrosyan and Ms. Laylee Moshiri thoroughly discussed the issues
of the events being included in the 2010-2011 annual joint project
stemming from the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the
National Assembly and UN Children’s Fund on July 7, 2009, as well as
the issues of the events being organized in the National Assembly on
the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention
on the Rights of the Child.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TERRY DAVIDSON: "U.S. SUPPORTS PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT WITHIN THE TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF AZERBAIJAN"

APA
Nov 5 2009
Azerbaijan

Embassy in Azerbaijan Terry Davidson visited Ganja City and met with
the head of executive power of Ganja Eldar Azizov, APA western bureau
reports. Davidson told journalists that they mentioned series important
issues at the meeting. "This is my first visit to Ganja. We discussed
mostly education issues with the head of Ganja executive power. I
was proud that one of the Ganja residents is getting education in
the United States, in the state where I was born. We decided to
invite certain people from the United States to Ganja and to create
opportunity for the Ganja students to get education in USA.

Such relations are strengthening understanding between the two
peoples".

Terry Davidson announced his country’s position on the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. "U.S. understands that this is very important issue for
Azerbaijani peple, Washington is making efforts for peaceful and
fair solution to this conflict and supports peaceful solution within
the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. President Barack Obama
and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attach great importance to
this issue".

Terry Davidson said Turkish-Armenian rapprochement was giving only
technical dynamic to the solution of Nagorno Karabakh problem. The
embassy official said U.S. co-chair Robert Bradtke was in Baku together
with other co-chairs. He said Washington was continuing its efforts
toward the solution to the conflict.

RAUF GURBANOV SAYS RUBEN TOVMOSYAN DENIED REPORT ABOUT HIS MEETING WITH AZERBAIJANI COMMUNISTS BECAUSE OF ANTI-DEMOCRATIC SITUATION IN ARMENIA

APA
Nov 5 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku. Elnur Mammadli – APA. "Leadership of the Armenian Communist
Party was forced to deny its meeting with the Azerbaijani communists in
Moscow under the pressure of authorities of that country", Chairman of
the Azerbaijan Communist Party (ACP) Rauf Gurbanov told APA. He said
Armenian and Azerbaijani communists met in Moscow within the congress
of the Union of Communist Parties and exchanged opinions about the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict. "Reports of our newspapers about that
meeting irritated Armenia and therefore chairman of the Armenian
Communist party Ruben Tovmosyan denied this meeting. Armenian
communists said for many time and at the last meeting as well
that Nagorno Karabakh is Azerbaijani land. If they don’t take this
position, what is difference between them and Dashnaksutyun and other
nationalist parties? I link the Tovmosyan’s statement with the strain
and anti-democratic political situation in Armenia. He was forced to
say what he doesn’t think".

Gurbanov said it was impossible to deny meetings between the parties
because top representatives of the Azerbaijani and Armenian communist
parties attended it.

Chairman of the Armenian Communist Party Ruben Tovmosyan said in a
press conference that he didn’t meet with the Azerbaijani communists
and met Gurbanov only in the corridor of the conference hall where
the congress took place.

SITTING OF THE ARMENIA-US INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE HELD

Aysor
Nov 5 2009
Armenia

The recurrent sitting of the Armenia-US Intergovernmental Committee
was held at the US Department of State on November 3. The Armenian
delegation was headed by Minister of Economy Nerses Yeritsyan. The
delegation comprised Chairman of the State Revenue Committee Gagik
Khachatryan, Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosyan, Armenian
Ambassador to the US Tatul Margaryan, Deputy Minister of Finance Vardan
Aramyan, Deputy Minister of Justice Emil Babayan, and other officials.

The American side was co-chaired by Daniel Rosenblum, Coordinator
of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia. Opening speeches were
delivered by U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Tina Kaidanow
and US Ambassador to Armenia Maria Yovanovitch.

During the sitting were discussed issues related to the improvement
of the business atmosphere in Armenia, fighting corruption, questions
related to the reforms in the systems of democracy and governance. The
Armenian delegation presented the achievements of the fields and
introduced the future projects.

The Armenian delegation has hold separate meetings in State Department,
Trade Departmen, US Trade Representative’s Office and International
Fund of Currency.

The parties signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of science
and technologies, which will promote the cooperation between the two
countries in the fields of information technologies, intellectual
property and fundamental sciences, informs the information and press
department of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

KARABAKH POLITICIAN QUESTIONS TURKEY’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE REGION

The Messenger
Nov 5 2009
Georgia

Member of the Karabakh National Convention Maxim Mizuian thinks that
Turkey wants to dominate the Caucasus region and lay down conditions
for the other countries. Mizuian thinks that the Caucasus is a very
weak point for Russia and therefore Turkey wants to take advantage
of such a situation.

He suggests that the Armenian-Turkish relationship is not connected
with the Karabakh issue but the Turkish side wants to connect the two.

Mizuian thinks that Armenia should be very careful in what compromises
it makes and should not establish relations with Turkey at the expense
of losing its security guarantees.