Month: November 2009

ARFD WON’T VOTE FOR RATIFICATION OF PROTOCOLS WITH OR WITHOUT RESERVATIONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.11.2009 20:00 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "ARFD won’t vote for ratification of Armenia-Turkey
Protocols with or without reservations introduced," ARF Dashnaktsutyn
Parliamentary Faction leader Vahan Hovhannesyan told a news conference
in Yerevan.

"Armenia should have spoken about introducing reservations in
Protocols even before they were signed in Zurich; now, though, it’s
impossible. Still, we’re ready to discuss suggestions on the issue,
if Armenian government presents them," Vahan Hovhannesyan emphasized.

PROTEST AGAINST GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES AND GEORGIAN CHURCH KICKED OFF IN YEREVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.11.2009 14:43 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Demonstrators in Yerevan have started a protest
against Georgian authorities’ failure to take actions towards
preservation of Armenian monasteries in Tbilisi. Over 500 people have
gathered in front of Georgian Embassy to Armenia to hand to Ambassador
Targamadze a letter on barbarism against Armenian churches.

Demonstrators are holding placards reading "No to Cultural Genocide",
"Georgians are not Christians". A PanARMENIAN.Net correspondent reports
that protesters intend to head towards UN House in Yerevan, to raise
international community’s awareness of situation with religious
freedom in Georgia.

According to AAC Georgian Eparchy representative Mkhitar Aloyan,
Georgian authorities constantly degrade and insult Armenian clergymen
and believers. "When we go to Jerusalem on pilgrimage, the custom
service actually searches us, whereas Georgians get out-of-turn
permission. They are not Christians, because a Christian cannot
destroy a church. Our protest is not directed against Georgian people;
we are protesting against official Tbilisi," Aloyan said.

Last Friday, Surb Gevorg Armenian church (dating from 1356) was
demolished in Georgia. Armenian Apostolic Church accused Georgian
authorities of indifference to Armenian sacred places.

AZERI-ARMENIAN PRESIDENTS’ MEETING CONSTRUCTIVE – OSCE

Interfax
Nov 23 2009
Russia

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen have a positive impression from the
sixth meeting of the Azeri and Armenian presidents on the Karabakh
settlement. The meeting took place in Munich on Sunday.

"The talks, which lasted almost four hours, were constructive. In some
areas, progress was made. At the same time, some issues still remain
open," says a statement of the co-chairmen posted on the OSCE website.

"The two presidents engaged in a detailed and in-depth discussion of
the most important unresolved points in the Co-Chairs’ proposals,"
the statement runs.

"The Presidents instructed their foreign ministers to continue working
with the Co-Chairs on these matters. As a next step, the Co- Chairs
are organizing a working session with the two ministers in advance
of the OSCE Ministerial Council, which will take place December 1-2
in Athens," the co-chairmen said.

ITALIAN AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA AWARDED YSLU COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.11.2009 20:05 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Memorandum of understanding between Italian
Ambassador to Armenia Bruno Scapini and Rector of Yerevan State
Linguistic University after Brusov Suren Zolyan was signed in Yerevan
today. Under the new memorandum the center of Italian language and
culture named after Dante Alighieri will be enlarged at YSLU. Suren
Zolyan awarded Bruno Scapini with commemorative medal dedicated to
70th anniversary of the university and awarded him with the title of
YSLU professor.

MARIOS GAROYIAN CALLED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.11.2009 20:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The President of the Greek Cypriot House of
Representatives called for the international recognition of the
Armenian Genocide on Sunday, the Financial Mirror reported.

"I believe we have the duty to remember the Armenian Genocide and
reaffirm our steadfast faith towards the struggle for international
recognition of that terrible crime which marked the fate and the
course of the Armenian people," said Marios Garoyian, speaking after
Sunday mass at the Armenian Church of Nicosia.

"We ask for justice," he added. "We demand the restoration of the
historic truth, not its falsification." The Parliament of Cyprus was
the first in the EU to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide,
in 1982.

Garoyian pointed to recent attempt by Turkey to normalize relations
with Armenia as another attempt by Turkey to deny justice to the
Armenian people. He described agreements signed by Yerevan and Ankara
as an "attempt of the Turkish government" to falsify history though
so-called peace with Armenia.

The Cypriot leader drew a connection with the struggle for the
Armenian people’s struggle for justice and the efforts by Cyprus to
overcome nearly 3 decades of Turkish occupation of the northern half
of the island.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and
occupied the north, installing a government controlled by Ankara.

"Justice and freedom is what we want for our common country, Cyprus,
which for 35 years now suffers the consequences of the Turkish invasion
and occupation," Garoyian said.

"We want a just, functional and viable solution, that would restore
the unity of Cyprus’ territory, its people, its institutions and that
would safeguard human rights for all its people, Greek Cypriots and
Turkish Cypriots, Maronites, Armenians and Latins and bring an end
to the Turkish occupation of Cyprus, to Ankara’s policy to illegally
bring settlers to the island, to Turkish guarantees and intervention
rights," he stressed.

Garoyian said that the peace solution in Cyprus must be based on
international law, UN values and decisions, human rights and the EU
values and principles.

EBRD WELCOMES ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT’S ANTI-CRISIS PROGRAM

news.am
Nov 24 2009
Armenia

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) appreciates
the RA Government’s anti-crisis program, Olivier Descamps, Business
Group Director, South Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus,
EBRD, stated at his meeting with RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
on November 24.

At the meeting the EBRD official reported that the bank plans to
invest a total of U.S. $150m in Armenia this year – a record figure,
the Press Service, RA Government told NEWS.am. He also welcomed the
reforms implemented in Armenia.

RAU TO HOST CONFERENCE ON "INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW: PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES OF DEVELOPMENT" ON NOV. 26-27

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.11.2009 14:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Third International Scientific Research
Conference on "International Humanitarian Law: Problems and
Perspectives of Development" is scheduled for November 26-27 in
Armenian-Russian (Slavonic) University. The event is being organized
in collaboration with International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Discussions will bring together representatives from Russia, Belarus,
Moldova, Ukraine and specialists from International Legal Research
Center and local experts

KARABAKH DEFENSE MINISTRY REPORTS CEASEFIRE BROKEN

Interfax
Nov 23 2009
Russia

The ceasefire on the Karabakh- Azerbaijani contact line was broken
during a sniper incident, Karabakh Defense Ministry press secretary
Col. Senor Asratian told Interfax.

Nine Karabakh positions came under fire of small caliber and sniper
weapons from the Azeri side on November 21, 22 and 23, he said.

No one was hurt, he said.

The Karabakh Defense Ministry refuted Azeri media reports that alleged
the killing of an Azeri citizen by an Armenian sniper.

EURO COMMISSION CONSIDERS ABOLISHING VISAS FOR EASTERN PARTNERS

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.11.2009 20:55 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Euro Commission is planning in the near future
to abolish visas for citizens from some Eastern European states,
Euro Commission said in response to European Parliament members Lena
Kolarska-Bobinska and Pavel Pavel Zelevski’s request.

Lena Kolarska-Bobinska said EU member states and Eastern and Central
European countries will, in the near future, have to elaborate
a realistic and detailed plan for abolishing visa regime. "That
would be in keeping with the idea of Eastern Partnership, and raise
relationship with neighbors to a new level," BELTA correspondent
quotes EU parliamentarian as saying.

ARMENIA: ANNUAL IT TURNOVER REACHES USD 110 MILLION IN 2008

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.11.2009 14:58 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Currently, Information Technologies are an important
development factor in RA, Enterprise Incubator Foundation director
Bagrat Yengibaryan said in his statement on IT development challenges
in Armenia, delivered at IT competitiveness forum in Yerevan.

As Bagrat Yengibaryan informed, 4-year research results show the
major role IT technologies play in RA economy development.

According to foundation director, government-private sector
collaboration will further promote Information Technologies’
integration into society, providing availability of a number of
services.

Currently, 210 IT companies are already operating in Armenia, 25%
specializing in software programming and 13% in web-design. In this
context, Bagrat Yengibaryan noted that in 2008 annual IT turnover in
Armenia reached USD 110 million, exceeding 1998 results by 27%. The
sphere provided 5000 jobs in RA, with software production exports
comprising USD 70 million.