Gagik Khachatryan Hopes Armenia Will Have International Class Checkp

GAGIK KHACHATRYAN HOPES ARMENIA WILL HAVE INTERNATIONAL CLASS CHECKPOINTS IN TWO YEARS

PanARMENIAN.Net
November 3, 2010 – 15:45 AMT 11:45 GMT

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan held a working meeting with
representatives of the RA customs service at Bagratashen checkpoint
located at the Armenian-Georgian border.

A PanARMENIAN.Net correspondent reported from Bagratashen that the
Armenian President displayed interest towards the reforms implemented
in the country’s customs system.

“Frontier checkpoints in compliance with European and international
standards are of keen importance for us. We want business circles
as well as those citizens, who cross the border, see the reforms
implemented on simplification of the current procedures,” Chairman
of the RA State Revenues Committee Gagik Khachatryan told journalists.

According to him, these processes are in the focus of the Armenian
President’s attention. Khachatryan added that relevant conditions
have been created in Armenia to have international class checkpoints
in the country.

He said that an international tender have been announced, in which
countries with the best European experience will participate. Projects
will be drafted based on their technical offers and then relevant
construction works will be launched. Gagik Khachatryan expressed hope
that similar checkpoints will be established in Armenia in two years.

“Currently, the most important thing is that we have simplified the
procedure for border crossing, and currently only three documents
need to be submitted at checkpoints against previous 8 ones,” he said.

Khachatryan said that the new checkpoints will allow creating a common
system of border management in Armenia. “All structures working at
borders with business circles should operate within a common system
to avoid additional interferences, i.e. different structures should
not demand the same documents,” he said.

From: A. Papazian

Armenian-Syrian Task Group To Meet In Yerevan

ARMENIAN-SYRIAN TASK GROUP TO MEET IN YEREVAN

news.am
Nov 3 2010
Armenia

The task groups formed under an Armenian-Syrian business program will
hold a regular meeting in Yerevan. At their meeting RA Ambassador
to Syria Arshak Poladyan and the Syrian Minister of Health Dr. Rida
Saeed reached a relevant agreement.

The press service of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed
NEWS.am that the sides discussed the present level of Armenian-Syrian
health cooperation and prospects for development.

The sides discussed the potential for cooperation in health and
medical science.

Dr. Rida Saeed stressed that she is ready to visit Armenia to study
development prospects here.

From: A. Papazian

Polish President To Visit Armenia Next Year

POLISH PRESIDENT TO VISIT ARMENIA NEXT YEAR

news.am
Nov 3 2010
Armenia

President of Poland BronisÅ~Baw Komorowski has accepted RA President
Serzh Sargsyan’s invitation to pay an official visit to Armenia. The
invitation was conveyed to the Polish leader by Secretary of the
RA National Security Council Artur Baghdasaryan, who is heading an
Armenian delegation that is on a visit to Poland.

The press service of the RA National Security Council informed NEWS.am
that Secretary Artur Baghdasaryan thanked the Polish President for
recognition of the Armenian Genocide, as well as Poland’s balanced
approach to the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.

President BronisÅ~Baw Komorowski pointed out Armenia’s great
contribution to Poland’s cultural and economic life. He underlined the
importance of condemning genocides for preventing further crimes. In
the 21st century relations must be based on peace and cooperation.

The Polish leader expressed his willingness to support reforms as
part of EU-Armenia cooperation. He also stressed the importance of
Eastern Partnership program.

From: A. Papazian

Armenia: Yerevan Still Bitter Over Biden Comments

ARMENIA: YEREVAN STILL BITTER OVER BIDEN COMMENTS
by Marianna Grigoryan

EurasiaNet
Nov 3 2010
NY

A US Embassy statement in late October doesn’t seem to have defused
tensions in Armenia over a controversial YouTube video clip that
shows US Vice-President Joe Biden claiming that Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan asked him not to push the issue of genocide recognition
with Turkey.

In the clip, allegedly recorded before a 2009 speech by US President
Barack Obama on the 94th anniversary of the 1915 slaughter of ethnic
Armenians by Ottoman Turkey, Biden tells a representative of the
Armenian diaspora that Sargsyan had asked him not to force the issue
of genocide recognition with Turkey while Armenia’s negotiations with
Ankara about diplomatic reconciliation were underway. Talks between
Turkey and Armenia came to a standstill earlier this year amidst
heated disputes over mutual grievances, including demands from many
Armenians that Turkey recognize the 1915 slaughter as genocide.

In an October 30 statement, the US Embassy in Yerevan asserted
that President Sargsyan did not address Vice-President Biden about
President Obama’s statement for Armenian Remembrance Day, which
commemorates the massacre, or seek a delay in consideration of a
congressional resolution that would have recognized the event as
genocide. “Instead, the discussions between Vice President Biden and
President Sarkisian that were recently referenced . . . were about the
need to take immediate steps to improve Armenian-Turkish relations,”
the statement reads. “The two leaders agreed that there should be no
preconditions to normalizing relations between Armenia and Turkey.”

The statement hit many Armenian analysts as a weak attempt to use
diplomacy to smooth over an awkward situation. “I don’t think the US
vice-president would say those words without having any grounds,”
commented Manvel Sargsian, a political scientist at the Armenian
Center for National and International Studies, a think-tank run by
opposition Heritage Party founder Raffi Hovannisian. “The United
States understood pretty well that this issue would provoke a huge
scandal, if it entered the domestic [Armenian] arena, so they decided
to escape it. Maybe it was Armenia that addressed them with such a
request. Anyway, the situation still remains unclear.”

A senior member of the nationalist Armenian Revolutionary
Federation-Dashnaktsutiun, one of the most outspoken Armenian political
parties on genocide recognition, claims that the embassy statement
was an attempt “to avoid the problem.”

“Yet they could not totally escape it, and had to provide some
explanations saying it was not true, in a … diplomatic way,” claimed
Kiro Manoian, head of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau’s
Hay Dat (Armenian Cause) and Political Affairs Office. “But this does
not solve the problem at all.”

The controversy only underlines that, despite earlier pledges to pursue
reconciliation with Turkey without conditions, the issue of genocide
recognition exists as a criterion for Yerevan in order to normalize
relations with Ankara, commented independent political analyst Yervand
Bozoian. “It does not really matter now who phoned whom. The fact is,
the genocide issue was taken as a precondition; in other words, the
Armenian side made a miscalculation in this process,” said Bozoian,
in reference to the talks with Turkey. “The video confirms that the
genocide issue has received a serious blow.”

The government and Sargsyan’s governing Republican Party of Armenia
have dismissed claims that the president would ever urge a go-slow
approach on genocide recognition. Republican Party of Armenia
spokesperson Eduard Sharmazanov called the video “absurd.” Sargsyan’s
office has asserted that the conversation between Biden and the
president did not take place, and has promised to “publish the record
of the mentioned conversation.” So far, a transcript has not been
released.

Vladimir Karapetian, the spokesperson for Armenia’s largest opposition
coalition, the Armenian National Congress, contended a joint 2009
statement made by Armenia and Turkey about agreement on a “road map
to peace” indicates that Sargsyan’s alleged request to Biden to tread
lightly with Turkey on genocide recognition could be “quite likely.”

Representatives of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, in turn,
have used the scandal to call on President Obama to make amends by
recognizing the World War I-era slaughter of ethnic Armenians by
Ottoman Turkey as genocide. The adoption this spring of a non-binding
resolution on genocide recognition by a US congressional committee
stalled in the House of Representatives.

Editor’s note: Marianna Grigoryan is a freelance journalist based
in Yerevan.

From: A. Papazian

BAKU: ARMENIA TO TRANSFER POW TO AZERBAIJAN

ARMENIA TO TRANSFER POW TO AZERBAIJAN

Trend News Agency
Nov 3 2010
Azerbaijan

The Armenian Defense Ministry will transfer an Azerbaijani POW to Baku,
RIA Novosti quoted the ministry.

“Azerbaijani citizen, who illegally crossed the border in 2010, will be
transferred to Azerbaijan on the Ijevan-Kazakh road on Nov. 4 at 12.00
[local time] in pursuance of the declaration signed by the Presidents
of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia in Astrakhan,” the ministry reported.

Under the agreement, the POW’s name is withheld until his transfer.

Astrakhan hosted the trilateral meeting of the presidents of
Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia – Ilham Aliyev, Dmitry Medvedev and
Serzh Sargsyan on Oct. 27. The ways of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict were discussed there. The parties signed a declaration, which
envisages the return of prisoners of war and takes a humanitarian
nature, Medvedev said on Wednesday after the trilateral meeting.

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.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

From: A. Papazian

Armprodexpo 2010 International Food Exhibition Due November 23-26 In

ARMPRODEXPO 2010 INTERNATIONAL FOOD EXHIBITION DUE NOVEMBER 23-26 IN YEREVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
November 3, 2010 – 18:12 AMT 14:12 GMT

Armprodexpo 2010, 10th international food exhibition is due November
23-26 in Yerevan.

The exhibition will host manufacturing enterprises, local and foreign
commercial organisations, advertising agencies.

The event was organised by Armenian Ministry of Agriculture, Foreign
Ministry, Yerevan Mayor’s Office, Armenian Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, Agribusiness Development Centre.

From: A. Papazian

TBILISI: Half-Insane Bolshevism Is Replying From Tskhinvali

HALF-INSANE BOLSHEVISM IS REPLYING FROM TSKHINVALI
Giorgi Tsiklauri

Expert Club

Nov 3 2010
Georgia

Ambassador of France is concerned about the situation in the occupied
regions of Georgia and talks about attempts to erase traces of Georgian
presence in the occupied territories of Russia. “Hate in the Caucasus
again hinders resolution of conflicts”, – said Eric Fournier in his
monthly address, where special emphasis is placed on Akhalgori.

Before the Georgian-Russian war in August 2010 this area was
outside the conflict zone and was captured as the result of the
Russian aggression. And military control of the Russian Federation
and governance of the South Ossetian puppet administration was
established there.

Fournier stressed that “a policy is pursued in Georgia which was
started by the Tskhinvali regime to destroy (remove) Georgian villages
in the Akhalgori district … After the expulsion of thousands of
people the regime is trying to erase the memory as if it were possible
to erase the history of a people or language from the map. ”

Speaking about the renaming of the district centre of Akhalgori into
Leningori that was done by the puppet administration together with
renaming of all Georgian villages, the French ambassador also said that
“authorities in Tskhinvali wish to change the name Akhalgori into
Leningori, while in Russia it’s been twenty years since Leningrad
is again called St. Petersburg”. At that Eric Fournier notes that
“for some reason it became necessary that in the (Ksani) gorge could
be heard the name of this half-insane Bolshevik (Lenin), whose ideas
have caused much bloodshed in the past century.”

Assessments of the French Ambassador have already led to a reaction
from occupied Tskhinvali. Local expert, member of the society South
Ossetia against Nazism Yuri Beteev justifies Ossetian Nazism in an
interview with news agency Osinform. Firstly, this “expert” believes
that “the French diplomat puts his nose” when he expresses his
views with regards to the conflict that was stabilised with direct
participation of the President of France who brokered a ceasefire
agreement that was signed by the presidents of Georgia and Russia
on August 12, 2008. So what if Fournier is a representative of one
of the key EU states, which is officially a mediator of the Geneva
negotiating process and provides for the monitoring observer mission
on the line of the Russian occupation?

Secondly, Mr. Bateev calls on Eric Fournier “if he is so passionate
about restoring historical justice” to speak of “hundreds of Armenian
churches, which gradually becoming Georgian through destruction
of frescoes and inscriptions”. Knowledge of Tskhinvalian “expert”
is all the more impressive that even the government of Armenia
does not suspect existence of such problem. Perhaps Yuri Beteev
should sent a full list of “hundreds of Armenian churches which are
gradually becoming Georgian” to Yerevan for this question to be put
on the agenda of bilateral relations and the Armenian side to call
on Tbilisi to stop outrageous barbarism …

Bateev also calls on the French ambassador not to keep quiet about
the fact that “Georgian authorities in the Soviet period has done
everything to get rid of Ossetian surnames of citizens of Ossetian
origin.” While we urge Beteev not remain silent about the fact that –
despite all efforts of “Georgian authorities” – it was exactly the
Soviet period when the process of Russification of Ossetians was
launched and they moved in masses towards Russian form of writing
of their names. Ossetians of Shida Kartli region, who according to
centuries-established tradition, used to register in church books
and other documents of Georgia with surnames with Georgian endings
(“-shvili”, “-dze” while the root of the surname indicated to Ossetian
origin of the name), suddenly received Russian ending “-ov” and
“-ev ” (just like our “expert”). At that, with all this talk about
Georgianization, they somehow did not think to restore their own,
Ossetian forms with endings “y” or “i”.

Further comments by Yuri Beteev very clearly indicated the same
half-insane Bolshevism in occupied Tskhinvali region. “South Ossetia is
an independent state,” – says our “expert” clearly demonstrating the
issue of insanity. “And it has a right to restore historical justice
on its territory”, – he continues thus leading us to Bolshevism
that artificially and without any legal or historical basis created
South-Ossetian Autonomous District after annexation and Sovietization
of the Democratic Republic of Georgia by the Soviet Russia in 1921.

“The processes that are occurring in the toponymy of the Republic
of South Ossetia must intensify” – calls the member of the society
South Ossetia against Nazism referring to the process of mass
substitution of Georgian toponyms known from ancient sources with
previously unknown Ossetian names that is taking place after the
ethnic cleansing of Georgian population. At that it is necessary to
appreciate Beteev’s generosity. He just talks about many “decades”
of violent “Georgianization” of their “state”, although historical
records suggest many centuries and even millennias of “Georgianization”
of “Ossetian” land, “real” owners of which in those days, by strange
coincidence, were wandering in steppes somewhere far from the Caucasus.

Another example of Bateev’s generosity. He accuses Georgians of
only three genocides of Ossetians, although some specialists in
Tskhinvali mentioned bigger numbers. We clearly need to appreciate
that the representative of the Ossetian expert community agrees
not to remember, for example, the liberation of Gori in 1326 from
troops of the Ossetian prince Bagatar. He captured this city that was
founded by David IV the Builder in 1292 having taken advantage of the
Mongol invasion into Georgia. The history says that Ossetian troops
had been completely destroyed and those of them who fled were long
pursued through the gorges by soldiers of the George V the Brilliant
of Georgia weaning from the habit of setting their eyes on others’
property. How it’s not a genocide?

But those three genocides that Yuri Bettev have chosen from the
contemporary history are no less “impressive”: 1) suppression of the
Bolshevik uprising in 1920 similar to events in other mountain regions
of Georgia and in which (suppression) Ossetians non-infected by the Red
plague also had their part; 2) low-intensity conflict of 1989-1992,
with relatively small and comparable losses of the parties that was
a result of illegal actions of the Supreme Council of South Ossetian
Autonomous District that had decided to unilaterally raise its status
from the level of autonomous district to autonomous republic with
the subsequent declaration of independence; 3) repulsion of Russian
aggression in August 2008, when Ossetian armed formations lost,
according to various estimates, from several dozen to 160 people
(based on materials of prosecutors investigative commission of the
Russian Federation ).

In conclusion of his short, but Bolshevik-style impassioned speech
the Tskhinvalian expert says that Mr. Fournier “can be safely called
an accomplice and follower of Nazi traditions”. It seems we should
sympathize with the French Ambassador to Georgia. Now, with such a
stigma and from such influential people at that he might be forced
to say goodbye to a diplomatic career and pack his suitcases…

From: A. Papazian

http://eng.expertclub.ge/portal/cnid__6625/alias__Expertclub/lang__en/tabid__2546/default.aspx

Azerbaijani FM: "Roadmap Is Ready"

AZERBAIJANI FM: “ROADMAP IS READY”

A1Plus.am
03 Nov 2010

The Foreign Ministers of Turkey and Azerbaijan, Ahmet Davutoglu and
Elmar Mammadyarov held a meeting in Istanbul. The meeting was held
behind closed doors.

The officials focused on bilateral issues, as well as the resolution
of the Karabakh conflict.

“OSCE summit in Astana may be a turning point in the process of
finding a peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,”
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told journalists in
after the meeting.

According to the Azerbaijani FM, the “roadmap” on the resolution of the
conflict is prepared to restore peace and stability in the Caucasus.

Elmar Mammadyarov said that he plans to meet his Armenian counterpart
Edward Nalbandyan in the near future to discuss preparation of the
sides to the Astana summit.

In the course of presidential meeting in Astrakhan, Armenian and
Azerbaijani FMs were instructed to continue the peace process and
prepare the sides for the Astana meeting.

Another high-level meeting took place in Baku today between the Prime
Ministers of Azerbaijan and Turkey. After the meeting, Azerbaijani
PM Safar Abiyev announced that Azerbaijan would restore to other
measures if the talks on the Karavbakh issue yielded no result.

From: A. Papazian

Armenian Assembly Of America: We Support Those, Who Support Us

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA: WE SUPPORT THOSE, WHO SUPPORT US

news.am
Nov 3 2010
Armenia

Distribution of pro-Armenian and anti-Armenian forces in the political
structures of U.S. before mid-term elections is almost unreal,
Communications Director of Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA) Elizabeth Chouldjian told NEWS.am.

According to her, now both pro-Armenian forces and their opponents
are in the vague.

“It is hard for us in Nevada, as the situation is rather tensed. It
is easier in California. In general, the country will face a tough
struggle,” she said.

As to her standpoint on “opponents”, Elizabeth Chouldjian said. “They
are those who hinder recognition of Armenian Genocide, oppose
the recognition of Karabakh’s independence an cerate obstacles for
increasing aid to Armenia, as well as pro-Turkish and pro-Azerbaijani
forces.”

“The senators, congressmen, politicians and public figures with whom
the Armenian community in U.S. is on close terms will go on deepening
bilateral friendly relations,” a representatives of the Armenian
Assembly of America Taniel Kushakyan told NEWS.am.

In conclusion, Kuashakyan said the Armenian community is not for
any political force-Democratic or Republican. “We support those,
who support us,” he stressed.

As NEWS.am reported previously, on November 2 mid-term elections were
held in U.S. Congress.

From: A. Papazian

Polish Official Signified Peaceful And Compromising Resolution Of NK

POLISH OFFICIAL SIGNIFIED PEACEFUL AND COMPROMISING RESOLUTION OF NK CONFLICT

Panorama
Nov 3 2010
Armenia

The armed resolution of NK conflict doesn’t have perspectives; the
statement was made at the joint news conference between Armenian
Secretary General of National Security Council Arthur Baghdasaryan
and Polish National Security Bureau Chairman Stanislav Kozier. It’s
worth reminding that Arthur Baghdasaryan headed a delegation to Poland
on the invitation of His Polish counterpart.

According to Armenian NSC press service, Stanislav Kozier and Arthur
Baghdasaryan had a separate talk which was followed by wide format
negotiations. The highlights of the meeting were Armenian-Polish
cooperation in security field.

“We condemn the armed statements of Azerbaijan’s authorities, we find
it unacceptable their policy of holding negotiations from one side
and making threats from another,” Arthur Baghdasaryan said.

Polish officials signified the peaceful and compromising resolution of
the NK conflict based on the principles of nation’s self-determination
right and territorial integrity. He stated that armed resolution of
similar conflict doesn’t have perspectives and is unacceptable for
the international community.

From: A. Papazian