Month: September 2013

WE ACCEPTED ARMENIA’S DECISION TO BECOME CUSTOMS UNION MEMBER AS NOTIFICATION – GERMAN MP

September 13, 2013 | 15:39

YEREVAN. – During the visit to Armenia, meetings were held with the
Armenian parliamentarians as a result of which I can note that the
approach, according to which Armenia must either enter the Customs
Union, or initial the EU Association Agreement, is still acceptable
for me.

Jurgen Klimke, member of the German Bundestag (Parliament) Standing
Committee on Foreign Affairs, stated the aforesaid during Friday’s
press conference at the Armenian National Assembly.

But the German MP added that this is his personal view.

“We accept Armenia’s decision to become a member in the Customs Union.

If Armenia has made such decision, it means this is the right [thing]
for it. We accept as a notification that Armenia has chosen the
Customs Union,” Klimke noted.

To the query as to how the Armenia-EU relations will be in the future,
the German Bundestag member replied by noting that if we consider
that the Association Agreement will not be initialed, it will be
difficult to say.

“Nonetheless, there will be cooperation with Armenia, but this will
no longer be about the quality of the cooperation. Relations with the
countries that initial the agreement will develop with other quality,
and they will receive a status,” Jurgen Klimke concluded.

DIRECT DIALOGUE BETWEEN YEREVAN AND BAKU MUST NOT BE END IN ITSELF – AZERBAIJANI OFFICIAL

September 13, 2013 | 15:12

YEREVAN. – Direct dialogue between Yerevan and Baku must not be end
in itself, Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev
told the Armenian News-NEWS.am correspondent.

“There was a dialogue, but it has been canceled. As to a direct
dialogue, everything will depend on preparation for it. There must be
serious preparation, serious issues. This must not be a meeting for
the sake of a meeting. There must be a discussion with some decisions.

It depends on presidents,” Mammad-Guliyev said on the margins of
informal meeting of the FMs of Eastern partnership member countries.

In his recent statement conveyed by U.S. Co-Chair James Warlick,
Barack Obama urged President Sargsyan to use an opportunity for a
direct dialogue with Azerbaijan in the months ahead and “to avail
yourself of the co-chairs’ time and experience.” Similar message was
conveyed to Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev.

THOSE WHO INTIMIDATE WITH “BLACK LIST” HURT THEMSELVES – GERMAN MP

September 13, 2013 | 15:56

YEREVAN. – Member of the German Bundestag said he would share his
impressions about trip to Karabakh during his visit to Azerbaijan as
a member of the OSCE observation mission.

Jurgen Klimke, member of the Bundestag Standing Committee on Foreign
Affairs, said before voicing opinion on Karabakh conflict, hе has
to visit Azerbaijan and hear the viewpoint of another party.

“My impression from the meetings with Karabakh officials is the
following: they spare no effort to ensure security of their citizens,”
Klimke told reporters in Yerevan.

Asked about his attitude to “black list” issued by Azerbaijan for
those visiting Nagorno-Karabakh, the Bundestag member noted: “Those who
intimidate people with “black list” or closed doors, hurt themselves.”

ARMENIA WILL EXPORT NUCLEAR MATERIALS AT CHEAP RATES – ENERGY MINISTER

September 13, 2013 | 13:53

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) is issued a
license to export nuclear materials.

To note, the aforesaid refers to the seven fresh nuclear fuel
compilations which the NPP has at present, and which it had imported
in 1979 and in 1987, but it was impossible to use them.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Armen Movsisyan said, during
Friday’s Cabinet meeting, that they will export these nuclear materials
at cheap rates: $5,000/kg.

These materials will be enriched at TVEL Company of Russia and brought
to the required level for enrichment.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SERVICE LIFE OF ARMENIAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT TO BE EXTENDED UNTIL 2026

YEREVAN, September 13, /ARKA/. Armenian energy and natural resources
minister Armen Movsisyan said today after a government session that
the service life of the Armenian nuclear power plant will be extended
by ten years up to 2026.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said after talks with his Armenian
counterpart Serzh Sargsyan in Moscow on September 3 that experts
from Russian state nuclear company Rosatom will help Armenian peers
to extend the service life of the Armenian nuclear power plant in
Metsamor for another 10 years until 2026.

“Armenia and Russia continue to cooperate in the nuclear energy field.

Rosatom and Armenian experts have agreed to concentrate efforts on
the implementation of a project to extend the service life of the
Armenian nuclear power plant for 10 years until 2026”, Putin said
according to RIA Novosti.

The Armenian government decided also today to allow the Armenian
nuclear power plant cjsc to export nuclear materials. Minister
Movsisyan explained that this means that Armenia will move to Russia
seven cassettes with nuclear fuel brought to Armenia in 1979-1987
and not used because of technical faults.

The Armenian nuclear power plant is located some 30 kilometers west
of Yerevan. It was built in the 1970s but was closed following
a devastating earthquake in 1988. One of its two VVER 440-V230
light-water reactors was reactivated in 1995. According to experts,
the plant can operate until 2016, however, the EU insists on shutting
it down. -0-

16:05 13.09.2013

From: Baghdasarian

ARMAVIA EMPLOYEES LEAVING ARMENIA – NEWSPAPER

September 13, 2013 | 08:33

YEREVAN. – The employees of Armavia Airline Company still demand
their salaries which they have not received in months, Zhoghovurd
daily reports.

“Former [airplane] engineer Garnik of Armavia [which is Armenia’s
national carrier] informed Zhoghovurd that last week solely fourteen
of the forty engineers had received the salary for last year’s
November. In his words, the company promised to pay the salaries of
all employees in one and a half months.

“Incidentally, Garnik informed that, during this time, ten of the
engineers are working in Moscow and in African countries while six
[other] engineers recently left for Kazakhstan, the seventh will
leave shortly, and four [others] have sent their resumes and are
waiting for a reply,” Zhoghovurd writes.

SIX FREESTYLE WRESTLERS TO REPRESENT ARMENIA AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN BUDAPEST

By Shushanik Hakobyan

YEREVAN. – Armenia will be represented by six freestyle wrestlers
at the Wrestling World Championship which will kick of in Budapest
on September 16, head coach of the Armenian team Arayik Baghdadyan
told NEWS.am Sport.

Armenian team includes Mihran Jaburyan (55kg), Arthur Arakelyan (60
kg), Grigor Grigoryan (74 kg), Musa Murtazaliyev (84 kg) and Edgar
Yenokyan (96 kg).

The Armenian wrestlers are holding a training camp in Minsk then to
travel to Budapest on Friday evening.

Greco-Roman wrestling tournament will kick off on September 21.

Photo by NEWS.am Sport

S. FULE: ARMENIA WON’T BE ABLE TO INITIAL ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT

Friday,
September
13

Armenia will continue close cooperation with the European Union –
to such an extent that it will not contradict the decision to join
the Customs Union, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian told a
press conference held in Yerevan today following an informal meeting
of Eastern Partnership Program’s foreign ministers.

“I welcome our cooperation with the Eastern Partnership framework. It
helped upgrade many spheres in our countries. We are grateful for
successful cooperation and expect that it will continue,” Nalbandian
stated.

European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Stefan
Fule who also participated in the press conference said he is glad to
visit Armenia again within a short time and at such a crucial moment.

According to Fule, he came to Armenia to understand what format further
cooperation with Armenian partners may take and what directions the
partners are interested in.

Asked by reporters to clarify whether Armenia may enter the Customs
Union and at the same time sign the Association Agreement with the
EU – without the agreement on a deep and comprehensive free trade
area (DCFTA), Fule replied that this is impossible: Armenia will no
longer be able to initial that agreement, even though it has worked
on it for 3.5 years. In the Commissioner’s words, he came to Armenia
to understand what expectations the Armenian partners place on the
Vilnius summit.

Fule noted that Association Agreement and DCFTA is one treaty. You
cannot separate one from another, he added. “I hope we together with
Armenia will be able to work on another document,” Fule noted.

A reporter asked E. Nalbandian why Armenia chose the Customs Union,
while in case of initialing the Association Agreement with the EU,
considerable investments would be made in Armenia.

“Armenia has serious allied relations with Russia, which was evident
during the September 3 meeting of two presidents in Moscow when deep
and close ties were discussed. I want to state again that Armenia
is ready co continue close cooperation with the EU, but not to the
detriment of its relations with Russia,” Edward Nalbandian said.

TODAY, 18:21

Aysor.am

PROSECUTOR GENERAL BIDS FAREWELL TO HIS SUBORDINATES

YEREVAN, September 13. /ARKA/. Armenia’s prosecutor general Aghvan
Hovsepyan said goodbye to his subordinates today after ending his
six-year term in office.

Under Armenia’s law, prosecutor general is appointed by the parliament
at the recommendation of the president. One and the same person can
not be appointed for more than two consecutive terms. Hovsepyan was
approved as prosecutor general by the Armenian parliament in 2007.

Before that prosecutor generals were appointed by president.

On Friday, leaving his office, Hovsepian crossed himself, said goodbye
to his subordinates and spoke to reporters. He said he was going to
walk home.

“I have worked for 40 years for this ssytem, 15 of them holding
high positions. I was appointed prosecutor general three times. I am
grateful to my fate for the honor to hold such a high office and to
serve our state,’ Hovsepian told reporters.

Hovsepyan graduated from the Law Faculty of the Yerevan State
University in 1974 and began his professional career began in
the same year. He was first appointed prosecutor general in
2004 by then president Robert Kocharian. -0- – See more at:

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

JUSTICE ACADEMY TO BE OPENED IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, September 13. /ARKA/. The Armenian government approved
today establishment of Justice Academy governmental noncommercial
organization.

In May 2013, the National Assembly passed a bill implying the
establishment of the academy as part of the 2012-2016 judicial system
reformation.

Earlier, Justice Minister Hrayr Tovmasyan said that mechanisms for
providing judicial and prosecutor institutions with specialists
differ from those for other state servants. It is not enough to have
universities diplomas to work here.

The minister said that in 2007, a new judicial code, which implied
establishment of judicial and prosecutor schools, but the two
institutions worked independently of each other, and this created
some problems.

Tovmasyan stressed that the merger of the two schools will make
it possible to manage resources in optimal ways, improve education
methodology and teach the two schools’ attendees by a single program
to leave no room for divergent interpretations of legal norms by the
prosecutor offices and judicial institutions. —0— – See more at: