Author: Andres-Papazian

US Ambassador is in Tavush on an official visit

IJEVAN, JUNE 11, ARMENPRESS: The US ambassador to Armenia Marie
Yovanovitch is in Armenian province of Tavush on a two-day official
visit. Today in the morning the ambassador met in the protection and
assistance center of the actions against corruption and mobilization
program with representatives of the province’s non-governmental
organizations. Presenting to Armenpress the goal and the agenda of the
visit Marie Yovanovitch said that at today’s meeting mainly heads of
`Young Tavush’ and `Dilnet’ NGOs were taking part. Issues on
corruption, what to do to keep the young people in the province,
difficulties existing in the sphere of agriculture were discussed at
the meeting.

`We also spoke about the development of tourism as these places are
also one of the most beautiful corners of Armenia,’ the US ambassador
said.

Together with the governor of Tavush province Marie Yovanovitch
participated in the opening of center of celebrations in Aygedzor. She
highlighted the program within the framework of which the center has
been built. `This program was a response to the economic crisis, it is
a small program of infrastructures we are implementing in the
provinces,’ Marie Yovanovitch said. According to her, thanks to the
program a number of community residents have been ensured with
temporary jobs and in the center of celebrations three people will
have permanent job. Marie Yovanovitch will also visit ambulatory,
other places where programs have been and are still being carried out
by the USAID.

From: A. Papazian

The 4th meeting of the Advisory Board of the EU takes place in Yerevan

YEREVAN, MAY 11, ARMENPRESS: The 4th meeting of the Advisory Board of
the EU co?chaired by Arthur Baghdasaryan, Secretary of the National
Security Council, and Raul de Lutzenberger, Head of the EU Delegation
to Armenia was held today in Yerevan.

Arthur Baghdasaryan positively assessed the assistance of the EU
Advisory Group during the year. The latter provided high-quality,
specially developed and based on the EU’s best experience
consultation, assisted Armenia’s government in the implementation of
reforms.

`Today’s meeting is a very good occasion to sum up the implemented
works and point out the programs of the future. I want to thank the EU
delegation to Armenia, the Advisory group for assisting in the
implementation of reforms. The Armenia-EU advisory activities program
supposes reforms in 190 directions and the EU Advisory group is
actively involved in these works,’ Arthur Baghdasaryan said. He
highlighted works carried out in several directions and expressed hope
that soon better results will be registered. It is spoken about the
association agreement, as well as deep and comprehensive free trade
agreements, freedom of justice, security issues.

`As positive achievement I want to note the establishment of Diplomacy
School in Armenia, steps carried out toward facilitation of process of
getting visas, reforms taking place in the legal sphere. As a result
we approved the program of reforms of the police sphere. This year we
will wrap up the national program on protection of human rights.
Serious reforms have been carried out in the free trade sphere as a
result of which we hope it will be possible to establish such
relations with the EU so that our businessmen will manage to export
their products to the EU markets without any obstacles,’ Arthur
Baghdasaryan said.

Raul de Lutzenberger, highlighting the works carried out by the
Advisory group, noted that there is still work to be done. `I am glad
for the assessment voiced about the carried out work. For me it is
important that Armenia felt the concrete results getting concrete
assistance within the framework of the Advisory group. I am glad that
we will be able to continue the joint work,’ R. de Lutzenberger said.

UN coordinator in Armenia Dafina Gercheva underscored the importance
of the meeting which has two main goals ` discuss and approve the last
year’s work of the Advisory group as well as point out the working
plan of the second phase.

Team Leader Rolf Boehnke noted that during the previous year the EU
group presented suggestions on the implementation of reforms in
political and economic spheres. Assistance has been provided for the
negotiations over signing the EU deep and comprehensive free trade
agreement.

From: A. Papazian

Margaret Sekaggyan, special rapporteur on the status of UN Human
Rights Defenders, to implement her first mission in Armenia

YEREVAN, MAY 11, ARMENPRESS: Margaret Sekaggyan, special rapporteur on
the status of UN Human Rights Defenders, will implement June 14-18 her
first mission in Armenia. UN Armenia office told Armenpress that this
will be the first visit of the UN Human Rights Ambassador since 2000.

M. Sekaggyan, who will pay visit to Armenia at the invitation of the
government, noted that the last review of the general periodical
report of the Human Rights Council gives a good opportunity of
discussing the proposals of the mandates of Human Rights Defenders and
of assessing those mechanisms of the government, which are intended to
apply in future.

`The goal of the mission is to assess the situation of human rights
defenders in the country in an unbiased way and to undertake a process
of constructive cooperation with authorities,’ M. Sekaggyan said.

For gathering information the rapporteur will meet with state
officials, representatives of legislative and judicial branches, with
wide circle of civil society, press, UN agencies, with representatives
of regional organizations and with the diplomatic corpus. A press
conference concluding the visit of the special rapporteur to Armenia
will take place June 18 in in the hall of UN summits, Yerevan. The
final report will be presented at 2011 Human Rights Council.

Judge of Uganda Margaret Sekaggyan has been appointed special
rapporteur by the Human Rights Council and is independent from any
government.

From: A. Papazian

Meeting of Commission of SOCINTERN in Yerevan

YEREVAN, JUNE 11, ARMENPRESS: The two-day forum of the CIS, Caucasus
and Black Sea Commission of the Socialist International (SOCINTERN)
kicked off today in Yerevan. Representatives of socialist and
social-democratic parties from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan,
Belarusia, Moldova, Greece, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Sweden and
Palestine took part in the meeting of the commission hosted by the
ARF. The representative of Azerbaijan, too, agreed to partake in the
meeting, but has not been introduced yet.

Member of the ARF supreme body Armen Rustamyan said in a briefing with
journalists that this is a regular meeting, which takes place in
Armenia for the first time. According to him, the meeting will touch
upon issues on the socialist movement arisen in the region; reports on
the social state of different countries will be presented. The issues
on Caucasus will be referred separately.

The representative of the ARF positively assessed the participation of
Azerbaijan noting that it will enable to conduct a dialogue with
Azerbaijan, to find a platform of communication with each other on the
basis of the merit system of the socialism, as well as to think how it
will be possible to contribute to solution of the Karabakh conflict
with joint efforts. `This will be the first contact with the
Azerbaijani at such a level. We will do our best to activate our
contacts with them in that direction and will work out joint
cooperation programs,’ A. Rustamyan said.

Representative of Russia, member of `Fair Russia’ party Tatyana
Moskalkova, too, attached importance to the gathering noting that it
contributes to strengthening of cooperation between countries,
expansion of the dialogue. According to her, the OSCE Minsk Group does
its best to solve the Karabakh conflict in a peaceful way. `I want
very much that today we find right receipts and propose to countries
for giving a peaceful solution to conflicts,’ the Russian
representative said.

M. Nalbandyan said that tomorrow the commission team will adopt a
statement, by which it will refer to issues connected with separate
regions and countries. It will be the assessment of the SOCINTERN to
the situation of countries and its support to solution of those
issues.

The SOCINTERN is a global institution of social democratic, socialist
and labor parties, which unites 170 parties and organizations from all
the continents.

From: A. Papazian

Four Scientists of US and Israeli Universities Call on Tel Aviv to
Recognize Armenian Genocide

WASHINGTON, JUNE 11, ARMENPRESS: After the attack of Israeli soldiers
on the Turkish `Mavi Marmara’, which was shipping `humanitarian aid’
to the sector of Gaza, the Turkish-Israeli relations fell into a new
crisis. The two sides attributed blame to each other in public and
state levels. Anti-Isreali and anti-Semitic moods have become active
in Turkey. Armenpress reports citing ‘Firat’ Agency that four
professors of the US Georgetown and Isreali Bar-Ilan Universities
called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to recognize the
Armenian Genocide and make a corresponding official decision. The
scientists sent a letter to the Israeli Prime Minister. They called on
Ankara `to grant the status of autonomy to millions of Kurds, living
in Turkey’.

From: A. Papazian

Delegation of RA Agriculture Ministry in Belarus

YEREVAN, JUNE 11, ARMENPRESS: The delegation, headed by RA Agriculture
Minister Gerasim Alaverdyan, was on a visit to Belarus June 7-9 for
the purpose of partaking in the works of ‘Belagro-2010’ 20th
international exhibition.

An official from the press and information department of RA Foreign
Affairs Ministry told Armenpress that during the meeting with
Belarusian Minister of Agriculture and Food Mikhail Rusy June 7, RA
Agriculture Minister Gerasim Alaverdyan mentioned about the interest
of the Armenian side in the products of Minsk Tractor Factory, as well
as in the establishment of service-centers in Armenia and provision of
spare parts. RA Agriculture Minister also said the Armenian side is
interested in importing seeds from Belarus and is ready to export
vegetables, fruits, mineral water and alcoholic beverage to Belarus.

Mr. Gerasim Alaverdyan offered to study the possibilities of
establishing permanent exhibitions of agricultural food in both
states.

RA Ambassador to Belarus Armen Khachatryan, who partook in the
negotiations, mentioned about the possibilities of exporting fish
products from Armenia to Belarus and the desire to increase the quota
of exporting Armenian cognac. He also underscored the importance of
exchanging experience.

Mr. Mikhail Rusy mentioned about the advantages of establishing joint
enterprises.

The delegation of RA Agriculture Ministry visited a number of leading
Belarusian companies, got acquainted with the modern Belarusian
methods of organizing works, as well as with the new technologies for
stock-raising and milk production.

From: A. Papazian

61 Belarusian Tractors to be Imported to Armenia

YEREVAN, JUNE 11, ARMENPRESS: Importing works on 61 Belarusian
tractors of different power has started on account of the grant of the
Japan government. Aram Michaelyan, head of the Service Department of
the Armenian Agriculture Ministry told Armenpress that with the
decision of the Armenian government the above mentioned agricultural
engineering will be provided to boundary villages through an auction.

According to the head of the department, in the last 10 years 818
tractors and 116 grain harvester combines have been imported to the
republic on account of the grant.

A program on `Importing of Spare Parts’ has been worked out in the
ministry for repairing and updating the mentioned agricultural
engineering, which in near future will be presented to the government.
The program is directed toward gathering of the harvest in time and
without loss.

From: A. Papazian

Meeting of `ITT Leaders’ in Tsaghkadzor

YEREVAN, JUNE 11, ARMENPRESS: The forum of `Meeting of ITT Leaders’
will be held June 12-13 in `Kecharis’ resort house, the goal of which
is to discuss the primary issue on development of high technologies in
a non-official atmosphere, particularly, the educational issues of the
ITT sphere. The organizers of the forum are the Union of Information
Technology Enterprises, the Armenian Ministries of Economy, Education
and Science.

An official from the Union of Information Technology Enterprises, told
Armenpress that during the forum issues on increase of the motivation
and pretensions of the participants of the educational process, on
forming a tie between suppliers of the educational sphere and
customers, etc will be discussed.

The professional and continuous education, the education in the army
and the foreign language are among the issues to be discussed.

Nearly 90 representatives of the companies of the ITT sphere,
educational sphere, of corresponding ministries and departments, and
NGOs will partake in the event. The participation of Armenian
Education and Science Minister Armen Ashotyam and Armenian Economy
Minister Nerses Yeritsyan is intended.

From: A. Papazian

Vahan Hovhannisyan, `The Turkish-Israeli Conflict is Frank’

YEREVAN, JUNE 11, ARMENPRESS: The Turkish-Israeli conflict is frank
and there is no `staging’ here, head of ARF faction Vahan Hovhannisyan
said today in a briefing in the National Assembly. In his opinion, the
West has a goal to take out the Palestine movement from the influence
of Iran and put the commitments of its leader on Turkey, which is more
predictable, as it has certain commitments between the NATO, European
Union and USA.

`As a result of these commitments, Turkey will have more restricted
opportunities, which will make that country predictable. No matter how
much the West wishes to make Turkey leader of the Palestine movement,
Iran and the Islamic world will not allow that, understanding the
possible challenges stemming from that,’ V. Hovhannisyan said.

Member of `Heritage’ faction Larisa Alaverdyan said she is of the
opinion that the Turkish-Israeli conflict can bring forward a larger
tension. `It will result in activation of the Palestine movement’, L.
Alaverdyan said.

Referring to the Karabakh conflict, she expressed opinion that Armenia
first must recognize the independence of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic, only after which will we discuss the rest of the issues with
Azerbaijan.

From: A. Papazian

NKR Parliament Members Form Group-Factions

STEPANAKERT, JUNE 11, ARMENPRESS: The political forces of the newly
elected parliament of the fifth convocation – `Free Homeland’, Artsakh
Democratic and Armenian Revolutionary Federation parties, have formed
the factions of `Hayrenik’ (14 members), `Democracy’ (10 members) and
`Federation’ (6 members).

Press service of the NKR National Assembly told Armenpress that
`Artsakhatun’ group of independent parliament members has been formed
as well. The factions and the group will get a formulation after
presenting the documents defined on that occasion.

From: A. Papazian