Author: Andres-Papazian

ARMENIA TAKES 6TH, 8TH PLACES AT FIDE GRAND PRIX IN JERMUK

Aysor
July 7 2010
Armenia

The forth stage of the FIDE Grand Prix among women, which was held
in Armenia’s Jermuk, has ended bringing to Armenian chess players
the 6th and 8th places.

Elina Danielian at 223,3 points is the sixth-seeded, and Lilit
Mkrtchian at 213,3 points is the eighth-seeded.

The tournament’s winner is Georgia’s Nana Dzagnadze, who at 390 points
seeded the first overcoming Chinese representative, Hou Yifan. Hou
Yifan is the second, and Russia’s Tatiana Kosintseva joined top-three
players and seeded the third.

From: A. Papazian

ALIYEV CONFESSES, PLEDGES TO CONTINUE PROVOCATIONS

Panorama
July 7 2010
Armenia

“There is cease-fire agreement. But today there are no peacekeeping
forces in the region, there are Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers. The
distance between them sometimes makes 40-50 meters. No one can provide
guarantees that undesirable incidents will not occur there. How long
should Azerbaijani people wait? For how long it should accept this
unfairness? It could be explained somehow when there was military
balance between Armenia and Azerbaijan. But today there is no such
balance. And they are well aware of it,” Azerbaijan’s President Ilham
Aliyev said in a statement in Baku Tuesday.

Ilham Aliyev here tried to imply something and give spirit to
those under his command, however, willy-nilly he confessed that the
incident of June 18-19 night near the village of Chaylu was provoked
by “impatient Azerbaijani people”, explaining that “there is lack of
military balance.”

It’s remarkable that Aliyev openly announced that such provocations
will continue in the future.

From: A. Papazian

A. KRILOV: “ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN GOT WHAT EACH OF THEM WANTED TO”

Panorama
July 7 2010
Armenia

How is U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to the region,
particularly to Armenia assessed and observed in Russia? Panorama.am
had a talk with Russian political expert Alexander Krilov.

To the question what the expectations were and what we do have
now, A. Krilov said, as it was expected the sides have taken from
Clinton’s statement those parts they wished to hear: “Azerbaijan felt
champion, since Clinton spoke about territorial integrity, and Armenia
underscores the fact rejecting armed resolution of the conflict,”
expert said.

But still we should acknowledge that Ms. Secretary of State has made
no sensational statement, and according to A. Krilov, she couldn’t
even do that.

“The USA and the mediators have the same disposition over the Karabakh
conflict and they won’t make either side to solve the conflict, since
they expect the sides would be able to find compromise and they would
support that decision.”

Clinton’s visit is of great significance in the context of
Armenian-Turkish ties, though the Secretary of State hasn’t included
Turkey in her regional visit.

“USA and Turkey have never had such tensed ties they have today and
the reasons are numerous. But to blame only Turkey for the withdrawal
of Armenian-Turkish ties wouldn’t be accurately done,” expert said.

According to him many thought it was important to sign Zurich protocols
and then the problems would be solved. But things needed to be much
discussed.

“And the protocols should have been signed only after that, which
would record and fix that decision,” Krilov said.

From: A. Papazian

PROTESTS DEMANDING ARMENIA TO RETURN AZERBAIJANI SOLDIER HELD IN BAKU

news.az
July 7 2010
Azerbaijan

Defense Ministry The Nongovernmental Organization of Liberation of
Karabakh has held two actions in Baku with a demand to return the
body of Mubariz Ibrahimov.

He died during the recent armed incident on the contact line.

The action participants gathering outside the Defense Ministry of
Azerbaijan and the Baku office of the Red Cross demanded the soonest
solution of problems related to the return of Ibrahimov’s body.

Spokesman for the Defense Ministry Eldar Sabiroglu told the action
participants that the ministry is engaged in solution to this issue.

‘I assure you that the ministry and personally Defense Minister Safar
Abiyev are seriously dealing with this issue making everything possible
to return the body of our soldier’, he said.

According to the spokesman, Minister Abiyev discussed at the meeting
with the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group on the resolution of the
Karabakh conflict.

‘The minister told them that the failure to return the body of
Azerbaijani soldier is contrary to the norms of international law
and the overall norms of humanity’, Sabiroglu said.

One Azerbaijani and four Armenian soldiers died in the result
of the armed incident that occurred on the contact line of
Azerbaijani-Armenian troops on June 18. Ibrahimov’s body is still
kept by the Armenian side.

From: A. Papazian

SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION WORKS UNDERWAY IN ARMENIAN REGIONS

Aysor
July 7 2010
Armenia

Director of the “School Construction” projects within the framework of
Lindsay Foundation, Hrayr Sarkisian delivered Wednesday to journalists
a report on implemented works.

“The second stage of the “School Construction” projects within
the framework of Lindsay Foundation started nearly a year ago; the
projects envisage $9,5 million construction works, the total cost of
the programme is $12 million,” said Hrayr Sarkisian.

According to delivered reports, school construction projects are
under way in Lori and Shirak regions of Armenia, where three schools
in each region are being built and restored.

“The construction works will last from 12 to 16 months, and by next
academic session we will put into operation 6 schools of full value,”
he added.

From: A. Papazian

G. HARUTYUNAYN: THERE WILL BE NO WAR IN THE NEAREST FUTURE

Aysor
July 7 2010
Armenia

The possibility of the war that is being very often spoken over
recently is too little, said Gagik Harutyunyan the head of the
Noravank Fund.

“The extended actions in the upcoming future are excluded and the prove
for that are both the visit of the U.S. officials to the region and
the Russian mediatory as well as the continuation of the negotiations,”
G. Harutyunyan said.

He thinks that the war shouldn’t be excluded, “but also we should
remember that we are a winner nation.”

According to Mr. Harutyunyan the visit of Hillary Clinton to the
region was aimed at calling on Azerbaijan to be more restrained.

From: A. Papazian

OMBUDSMAN PROPOSES 2 WAYS TO REFORM SPHERE

Aysor
July 7 2010
Armenia

“Improvement of freedom of expression situation should proceed in
parallel with solution of public-political and other problems since
freedom of expression is closely connected with many other phenomena
and cannot develop separate from the general system,” Armenian
Ombudsman believes. When presenting special report “The Right of
Freedom of Expression in Armenia” he also presented a number of
proposals to promote freedom of expression in our country.

The Ombudsman proposed 2 types of reforms – short-term and long-term.

“Short-term reforms imply a package of legislative amendments in
freedom of expression, especially, media sphere to reduce to some
extent provisions hindering establishment of freedom of expression
and, on the contrary, to envisage additional provisions to secure
sphere development,” Mr. Harutyunyan said.

On the other hand, according to the Ombudsman, legislative amendments
are a necessary, yet not a sufficient condition to combat negative
phenomena in freedom of expression sphere. In his words, even perfect
legislation cannot completely liquidate limitations of freedom of
expression.

“It is connected with political, socio-economic, moral-psychological
and other situations in the country, that is why system combat is
needed,” Mr. Harutyunyan stressed adding: “Raising society’s legal
consciousness, establishing tolerance, striving for combating vicious
phenomena with joint efforts will also promote improvement of freedom
of expression.”

According to the Ombudsman, the above mentioned measures are long-term,
they need periodic and purposeful efforts by the state and interested
organizations. He also noted that an expert discussion on the Right of
Freedom of Expression in Armenia will be also held one of these days.

From: A. Papazian

CLINTON ACCEPTS NAGORNO KARABAKH AS PART OF TALKS, SAYS SAHAKIAN

Aysor
July 7 2010
Armenia

Armenian parliamentarian, a Republican Hovhannes Sahakian referred
at the press conference Wednesday to a statement made by Secretary of
State Hilary Clinton that â~@~the efforts towards settlement to the
[Karabakh] conflict derive from the interests of people of Azerbaijan,
Armenia, and Nagorno Karabakh.â~@~] This statement was not a random
message, according to Sahakian.

â~@~This means that Hillary Clinton had indirectly accepted
and recognized that Nagorno Karabakh is the third part of the
conflict,â~@~] he said. Politician pointed that new proposals within
the framework of the Madrid Document show Nagorno Karabakhâ~@~Ys
returning to talks.

â~@~That is people of Nagorno Karabakh who can determine their future
standing from the norms of international law, standing from the right
to self-determination,â~@~] stressed Hovhannes Sahakian.

From: A. Papazian

AZERBAIJAN COMMENTS ON COOPERATION WITH ARMENIAN MINISTRY

news.az
July 7 2010
Azerbaijan

Ministry of Culture and Tourism Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Culture and
Tourism has commented on information on cooperation of this ministry
with Armenia released by the Armenian media.

‘Our president has repeatedly expressed an official position which
lies in the fact that unless Armenia liberates the occupied lands of
Azerbaijan, any joint regional projects with this country is out of
the question”, said spokesman for Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Culture
and Tourism Zahra Aliyeva commenting on the statement released by
Armenia Today according to which the representatives of the Tourism
Ministries of Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan are going to sign
agreement on ski tourism in Tbilisi on July 7.

According to representatives of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism
of Azerbaijan, naturally, the representatives of this ministry are
visiting Tbilisi to negotiate with Georgian partners in this sphere.

‘In the future, it is possible to cooperate with Armenia but as I
have indicated earlier, it will be possible only after liberation of
the occupied lands of Azerbaijan and the resolution of the Karabakh
conflict. Currently, the cooperation with this country is impossible’,
Aliyeva said.

According to Armenia Today, referring to Kavkaz-Press, Armenia,
Georgia and Azerbaijan allegedly intend to develop ski tourism.

According to the Armenian resource, the agreement about it was planned
to be signed in Tbilisi on July 7. The document allegedly envisioned
the development of this sphere by equal standards.

From: A. Papazian

PARIS HOSTS OPEN CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

Aysor
July 7 2010
Armenia

Paris is hosting the Open Chess Championship of France, which gathered
together 68 chess players, among them 4 French players of Armenian
origin.

Tigran Karamian has scored 3,5 points after four rounds and is half
a point behind the tournament’s leader Grand Master Sebastian Feller
(France).

Thomas Saajian scored 2,5 points, IM Thierry Manouk erned 2 points, and
Harry Jiroyan scored 1,5 points, the Armenian Chess Federation said.

From: A. Papazian