Month: November 2009

REGIONAL ARMTECH 2010 FORUM SCHEDULED IN FRANCE FOR 2010

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.11.2009 14:10 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ ArmTech (Armenian Technology Congress) regional
forum is scheduled for June 2010 in France, said Armenian Development
Agency General Director Robert Harutyunyan during the third "ArmTech
2009" conference

He estimated ArmTech 2009 as a qualitatively new discussion platform
aimed at introducing to the world Armenia’s achievements in IT sphere,
attracting investors and partners and exchanging experience among
Diaspora representatives. "Considering those ideologies and goals,
ArmTech 2009 was held in US Silicon Valley".

"Congress helped coordinate Government’s subsequent steps and
predetermine ways for their solution next year," he said.

Harutyunyan believes ArmTech 2009 has become a platform for forming
knowledge-based economy.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OSCE MINSK GROUP WARNS AZERBAIJAN AGAINST BELLICOSE RHETORIC – SOURCE

Interfax
Nov 23 2009
Russia

The cochairmen of the OSCE Minsk group for the settlement of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict have urged Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev to refrain from bellicose declarations after his talks with
Armenian Presidents Serzh Sargsyan in Munich.

"Talking to journalists after the meeting of the presidents of Armenia
and Azerbaijan the cochairmen urged President Ilham Aliyev to refrain
from bellicose declarations," a source close to the negotiating
process in Munich told Interfax on Sunday.

Interfax has not obtained confirmation of this information from
official sources yet.

Earlier reports said that Aliyev and Sargsyan met at the residence of
the French consul general in Munich on Sunday. The sides exchanged
opinions about the current state and prospects of talks on the
settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno Karabakh.

Last Friday Aliyev said that if the meeting in Munich proves fruitless,
the war may resume in the area. Yerevan regarded the declaration as a
challenge to the entire international community, not just to Armenia
and Nagorno Karabakh.

TURKEY CALLS ON ISRAEL TO REVIEW ITS POLICY TOWARDS PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI CONFLICT

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.11.2009 19:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Tuesday that
Israel should show that it was sincere and eager for peace. Currently
there was a tranquility between Israel and Palestine, but it could be
deceptive, and undesirable developments might happen in the future,
said Gul during his meeting with Israeli Minister of Industry, Trade &
Labor Binyamin Ben Eliezer in Ankara.

Gul warned Israel to revise its policy regarding settlements.

Stressing the importance of Israel and Palestine’s living side by side,
Gul said that Israel could eliminate its concerns about security by
this way.

In an interview with Defense News, Israeli Persident Shimon Perez
called on Turkish leadership not to sacrifice Turkish-Israeli relations
to temporary benefits.

IRAN DECIDED TO BECOME MORE OPEN FOR REGION

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.11.2009 19:32 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Iran has decided to relieve visa regime with all its
neighbors including Armenia, Sevak Sarukhanyan, expert at "Noravank"
research centre, told PanARMENIAN.Net. Pointing out advantages
for both countries, expert said that obtaining RA visa could take
tourists no more than 20 minutes. Since both Armenians and Iranians
visit each other’s countries quite frequently, simplified visa regime
will relieve ordinary citizens from additional burden, expert said,
adding that "Iran has probably decided to be more open for the region."

Tehran is hosting the six joint session of Armenian and Iranian
Foreign Ministries’ Consulate Department Chiefs. Discussion focuses
on relaxation of visa regime between two states.

ARMENIA LAUNCHES "16 DAYS AGAINST GENDER VIOLENCE" CAMPAIGN

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.11.2009 14:17 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia will launch Wednesday "16 Days against
Gender Violence" campaign organized under the auspices of UN acting
permanent coordinator to RA, different UN programs as well as NGOs
and mass media. The campaign program includes press conferences,
public hearings and screening of social reels in Yerevan and regions
of Armenia.

RF STATE DUMA SPEAKER TO VISIT ARMENIA IN THE NEAR FUTURE

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.11.2009 19:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On November 21, National Assembly Speaker Hovik
Abrahamyan met with his Russian Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov in Moscow.

During the meeting, parties stressed that parliamentary cooperation
between two ally states contributed to Armenian-Russian dialogue, RA
Parliament Speaker’s Spokesman Nairi Petrossian told a PanARMENIAN.Net
reporter.

Armenian and Russian speakers highly assessed parliamentary
delegations’ cooperation within international organizations. They also
exchanged views on regional cooperation issues and Armenian-Turkish
rapprochement.

Agreement was reached for organizing Russian State Duma Speaker’s
visit to Armenia during the upcoming months.

As mentioned by Armenian Parliament Speaker’s press secretary, Mr.

Abrhamyan also took part in "Karot" (Nostalgia) festival and the
opening of Admiral Isakov’s bust.

ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN WILL CONTINUE TALKS ON KARABAKH AT MINISTERIAL LEVEL IN DECEMBER

Interfax
Nov 23 2009
Russia

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan agreed to continue talks on the Karabakh settlement at the
end of their Sunday meeting in Munich, Azerbaijani ANS TV channel
reported quoting French cochairman of the OSCE Minsk Group Bernard
Fassier as saying.

The diplomat did not go into any other further details noting that
the talks were confidential.

He said though that talks will continue at the level of the foreign
ministers of the two countries whom the presidents bound to work out
unresolved issues.

The next ministerial meeting will take place in Athens at the beginning
of December in the framework of the session of the OSCE Council of
Foreign Ministers, the TV channel reported.

Fassier said that the Sunday meeting can be regarded as a step forward.

At the meeting that lasted for over four hours the presidents
thoroughly discussed the issues that still remain unresolved, he said.

Some new questions were also raised, he said.

The TV channel noted that the meeting lasted longer than planned.

TURKEY CONDUCTS "NEO-OSMANISM" POLICY

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.11.2009 19:43 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Speaking at the session of ruling Justice
and Development Party, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
acknowledged that the country conducts "neo-osmanism" policy.

"There is heritage left by Ottoman Empire. We are called ‘neo-osmans’.

And we really are. We are forced to deal with neighboring countries’
problems," Takvim Turkish periodical quotes FM Davutoglu as saying.

TURKEY INCREASES ITS INFLUENCE IN THE REGION, FINANCIAL TIMES WRITES

Focus news
Nov 24 2009
Bulgaria

British newspaper Financial Times has published Tuesday detailed
analysis, entitled "Turkey: Ottoman mission,", Turkish Zaman newspaper
writes. The analysis has taken up the present foreign policy of the
country. Turkey’s history has been mentioned and it this relation the
following comment has been made: "Turkey, who has been turned towards
West for a long time, now, the ruling Justice & Development (AK)
party is re-engaging with territories once ruled by the sultans,
from the Balkans to Baghdad, in a drive to return Turkey to a
place among the leadership of the Muslim world and the top ranks of
international diplomacy." It was noted the architect of the policy was
the Turkey foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu, despite he has rejected
the expansionist tag of "neo-Ottoman" preferring his well-used slogan,
"zero problems with neighbours".

It was noted in the analysis that with the growing of its economic
power and with its diplomacy the country has increased its influence
on hard and problematic issues like Caucasus, Iran and Iraq noting
the recent development of the relations between Turkey and Cyrus,
Iraq and Armenia.

The analysis also reads Davutoglu will pay a visit to European capitals
to assure them that "Turley has not changed its aim to access the
EU" and to present its good relations in the region as a "value"
for the West.

EBRD TO ASSIST ARMENIA IN POST-CRISIS PERIOD

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.11.2009 19:57 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ EBRD Business Group Director for Southeast Europe.

Caucasus and Central Asia Olivier Descamps is carrying out a visit
to Armenia to get familiarized with the bank’s current activities
and assist the country in post-crisis period. "The goal of my visit
was to know how successfully Armenia is overcoming crisis impact, and
help country suffer minimal losses as a result of global recession,"
he told journalists in Yerevan. Assessing the situation in Armenia,
he noted several positive tendencies in comparison with other states.

"First, Armenia’s banking system remained stable thanks to its
liquidity and capitalization. That results from the Central Bank’s
sustainable policy," EBRD business group director said.

Olivier Decamps also noted that meeting with Armenian PM Tigran
Sargsyan and his group clearly showed their commitments to implement
reforms aimed at infrastructure development and fight against
corruption as well as modernization and innovations.

During his two-day visit, Olivier Decamps will have meetings with
Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, Minister of Economy Nerses
Yeritsyan, Minister of Finance Tigran Davtyan, as well as with Governor
Artur Javadyan, and the Mayor of Yerevan Gagik Beglaryan.EBRD Business
group Director will also meet with representatives of international
financial institutions, diplomatic and donor community in Yerevan,
as well as with several companies and banks benefiting from EBRD’s
investments.