Author: Babajanian Karo

LATENT RECOGNITION OF ARTSAKH

17:42 20/03/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

A number of French MP, as well as many other civil figures,
have announced about the creation of France-Artsakh parliamentary
friendship group.

Based on the critical importance of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and fundamental freedoms, democratic values, supporting the
right of all peoples, including the people of Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh
to self-determination, realizing the necessity to establish long-term
peace and stability in the South Caucasus region, contributing to the
objectives of the co-chairs OSCE Minsk Group on the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict and the efforts made by the French Republic in that direction,
welcoming the successive steps taken by the people and the authorities
of Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh for the creation and development of a free
and democratic society, being sure that the isolation of the people
of Artsakh from international processes does not boost the dialogue
between nations and establishment of stable peace, we, politicians,
MPs and senators of France declare our decision to create a range of
friendship with Artsakh, is said in the statement issued by French
officials.

Recall a parliamentary friendship group has been recently formed also
between Lithuania and Karabakh. In this relation, the Azerbaijani
government sent several protest notes to the Lithuanian government
and was answered that the MPs are free in their activities, and the
group does not reflect the official position of Lithuania in relation
to the Nagorno Karabakh issue.

Of course, there could be no other answer but the fact is that the
self-determination of Artsakh is “documented” somehow more often. In
case of France, the point is about a co-chair country of the OSCE
Minsk Group.

A process of latent recognition of Artsakh is obviously underway in
the world, which is irreversible.

It is noteworthy that the statement on the creation of franc-Artsakh
parliamentary group is issued while the Minsk Group co-chairs are in
the region.

RAFFI HOVANNISIAN’S PARENTS ARRIVE FROM USA

11:52 AM | TODAY | POLITICS

The parents of Heritage party leader Raffi Hovannisian arrived in
Armenia on March 20. At dawn, they went to Freedom Square to see their
son, who has been staging hunger strike at the square since March 10
in protest against last month’s presidential election.

Richard Hovannisian and his wife Varditer Kocholozian-Hovannisian
live in the USA.

Asked how long they would stay in Armenia, Hovsep Khurshudyan,
Spokesman for Hovannisian’s Heritage party, said he was unaware of
the details.

ARMENIA AND EU ACTUALLY COMPLETE TALKS ON ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT

YEREVAN, March 20. / ARKA /. Armenia and the European Union have
actually completed negotiations over the Association Agreement, a
deputy Armenian foreign minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian said today to
a news conference.

He said the 12th round of negotiations on the Association Agreement
was held on March 19-20 in Yerevan. “All provisions of the document
have already been discussed, and I do not think another round of
talks will be needed,” he said.

Mr. Mnatsakanian said Armenia remains committed to its policy of
European integration, and expects to initial the document at the next
summit of Eastern Partnership Program in Vilnius, which will take place
on 28-29 November 2013. He added, however, that the completion of the
negotiations does not mean the end of the process. The negotiations
will be followed by procedural process.

He said the document should be discussed in EU member countries,
be translated into the languages of member states, and go through
additional legal checks, etc..

Stressing that one of the main elements of the association agreement
is creation of a deep and comprehensive free trade area with the
EU, Mnatsakanian said negotiations on it are also proceeding very
effectively.

The Association Agreement will substitute the agreement on partnership
and cooperation between Armenia and EU. It is aimed at strengthening
relations between Armenia and the European Union in different spheres,
particularly in the sphere of foreign policy, democracy, economic
integration, movement of people and energy. The EU is in similar
negotiations with Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova.

The Eastern Partnership Program aims to help these former Soviet
republics build closer ties with EU. Under it they are to receive 600
million euros by 2013 from EU to strengthen their state institutions,
border control and assist small businesses. -0-

ORANGE ARMENIA DEPLOYS ADVANCED FIBER-OPTIC BACKBONE NETWORK TO MEET GROWING DEMAND FOR MOBILE BROADBAND

14:49 20/03/2013 ” ECONOMY

Orange Armenia completed the upgrading works on its fiber-optic data
transport backbone network to offer improved high-quality mobile
broadband services, company’s press service reported.

Orange Armenia’s upgraded network – which is built around
Alcatel-Lucent’s optical coherent technology – dramatically increases
the speed and capacity of the “backbone” network supporting the
delivery of high-bandwidth services such as high-definition video and
mobile gaming on its 3G network. The deployment also strengthens the
data link between Armenia and Georgia, an important regional gateway
to the global Internet.

Francis Gelibter, Orange Armenia CEO, said: “This new upgrade on our
network will allow us to offer even better quality and comfort to
our clients. In Armenia, the demand for Orange mobile internet keeps
growing, with increasing number of customers and volumes of traffic.

We are now fully ready to welcome new clients on our network and
especially offer them to benefit from our recent offer, where we
offer a huge volume of high speed traffic.”

Source: Panorama.am

AZERI LEADER SLAMS ARMENIA OVER HAMPERING PROGRESS IN KARABAKH SETTLEMENT

KARABAKH | 20.03.13 | 12:27

Photo:

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has accused Armenia of impeding
a resolution to the protracted Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, claiming
that international mediators show indifference on this account.

“The most painful issue for our country, the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, unfortunately won’t find a solution,”
said Aliyev in a speech on the occasion of Nowruz, which is also
traditionally celebrated in Azerbaijan as the New Year.

The Azeri leader criticized Armenia for what he described as a
non-constructive position, at the same time noting that the Minsk
Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe,
the main international format brokering a solution to the conflict,
has remained indifferent.

“Armenia is, of course, interested in the maximum long maintenance
of the status quo, a situation which implies neither war nor peace,
but that cannot satisfy us. Azerbaijan uses and will keep using all
possible tools to promote progress and development in the negotiation
process to achieve a quick settlement and have its territorial
integrity restored,” stressed Aliyev.

Officials in Yerevan have routinely dismissed such criticism,
countering that Baku itself shows lack of constructivism and torpedoes
peace initiatives.

In his address, the Azerbaijani leader, meanwhile, again voiced
certitude that the ultimate resolution of the Karabakh conflict will
be in Baku’s favor.

“We now prefer a diplomatic solution. Meanwhile, we are strengthening
our country and isolating Armenia from all regional projects. And we
will pursue these policies in the future,” he said.

The remarks by the president of Azerbaijan came amid another visit
of Minsk Group mediators to the region. On Tuesday, the American,
Russian and French co-heads of the Group met with Karabakh leader
Bako Sahakyan. The international mediators are also expected to meet
with officials in Yerevan and Baku.

NEWSPAPER: RELATIONS OF SAMVEL ALEKSANYAN AND ROBERT KOCHARYAN GROW TENSE

ARMINFO
Wednesday, March 20, 10:32

The relations of Samvel Aleksanyan, a parliamentarian, big businessman,
and Robert Kocharyan, the second president of Armenia, have become
quite tense recently. A local Zhamanak newspaper writes that Aleksanyan
tried to take control of some businesses that have been ‘traditionally’
controlled by Kocharyan.

By the paper’s data, Aleksanyan’s attempts were slammed by the
ex-president. To ease tension in the relations, Aleksanyan met with
Kocharyan’s son assuring him that he has “nothing against Kocharyan”
and will not afford himself such high- handedness in future.

RUBEN GEVORGYANTS RE-ELECTED AS CHAIRMAN OF CINEMATOGRAPHER’S UNION OF ARMENIA

14:37, 19 March, 2013

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. Ruben Gevorgyants has been re-elected
as the Chairman of the Cinematographer’s Union of Armenia during the
March 19 conference of the union. As report “Armenpress” 174 cinema
figures out of 191 members of the Cinematographer’s Union of Armenia
unanimously elected Rouben Gevorgyants during the open polling.

Rouben Gevorgyants was born in 30.11.1945 in Yerevan. Gevorgyants
graduated from the Directing Department of Yerevan Theatre Institute
in 1968. He has won 18 medals at various international film festivals.

Rouben Gevorgyants also is an honored worker of art of Armenia. Also
he is the author of 18 documentary and fiction films and 3 literary
collections. He is a Professor at Yerevan State University. Rouben
Bevogryants is the director of the documentary short film studio
Hayk/Haik in Armenia, which used to be known as the Yerevan Documentary
Studio under Soviet rule.

12TH PLENARY SITTING ON ARMENIA-EU ASSOCIATION TALKS KICKS OFF IN YEREVAN

14:30 19.03.2013

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received the delegation
headed by Gunar Wiegand, Director for Russia, Eastern Partnership,
Central Asia, Regional Cooperation and OSCE at the European External
Action Service, the chief negotiator of the European side at the
Armenia-EU Association Agreement talks.

Greeting the guests, Minister Nalbandian noted that the negotiations
on the Association Agreement that were launched in July 2010 are
entering a final stage thinks to bilateral efforts. The talks on
the creation of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area are also
proceeding effectively.

Minister Nalbandian said the Armenian authorities have undertaken
large-scale reforms aimed at reinforcement of democratic institutions
and rule of law, protection of human rights and fundamental
freedoms, improvement of the electoral processes and legislature and
consolidation of the role of the civil society.

The interlocutors stressed the common objective of concluding the
Association Agreement before the Vilnius summit in November 2013.

Edward Nalbandian and Gunar Wiegand attached importance to the progress
registered in the mobility of citizens between Armenia and the European
Union, particularly the visa facilitation agreements signed in December
2012, which will soon be ratified and will enter into force.

Reference was made to the discussions on the formation of the
Association agenda, which will come to replace the Action Plan of
the European Neighborhood Policy.

The 12th plenary sitting on the Association Agreement started at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs today; Minister Edward Nalbandian offered
opening remarks. It was followed by a working sitting co-chaired by
Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan.

NEW SPIN DOCTORS PREFER TERROR
Naira Hayrumyan

12:34 19/03/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

According to press reports, head of Serzh Sargsyan’s administration
Vigen Sargsyan has taken a leave but the story may end up in his
dismissal. Earlier Serzh Sargsyan’s son-in-law Michael Minasyan was
dismissed and appointed ambassador to Vatican.

After Minasyan’s appointment everyone said Serzh Sargsyan is changing
his spin doctors. Who will replace them? Have new spin doctors been
already hired? What is their position on home and foreign policies? Or
has Serzh Sargsyan decided to concentrate power in his own hands?

Serzh Sargsyan is obviously dissatisfied with the work of his spin
doctors during the presidential elections. Either they could not
predict Raffi Hovannisian’s success or they could not predict that
people would vote against Serzh Sargsyan or attend post-electoral
rallies. Serzh Sargsyan is angry.

At his post-electoral press conference he spoke as if voters, the
opposition and journalists are ingrates who cannot appreciate what
is being done. His anger was felt during the campaign too when he
behave without respect towards the mother of a non-combat victim and
to a border village resident who complained of emigration.

What did Serzh Sargsyan expect from voters and the opposition? Did
he expect that people would ignore their own hard lives and would
judge about the government policy by the information provided by TV
news show and speeches of spin doctors?

Anyway, spin doctors are being replaced. The policy of liberalization
and democratization can be considered finished. Serzh Sargsyan stated
bluntly that he will not do anything about the oligarchs who are
obstacles to liberalization. According to his statement to increase
salaries and pensions on July 1, the new political strategies will
not be democratic but social. Perhaps new spin doctors advised Serzh
Sargsyan to invest in improvement of the quality of life of people
so that they do not care for democracy.

Will this policy be effective? Or will the spin doctors again fail
to predict the society’s reaction which does not believe in such
social pledges? The present social situation may be overcome either
through liberalization of economy or terror. Judging by Oskanian’s
case and checking of Andrias Ghukasyan’s company the new spin doctors
prefer terror.

ARMENIA’S DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER DEPARTED FOR UAE, KUWAIT, AND QATAR

11:02, 19 March, 2013

YEREVAN, MARC 19, ARMENPRESS. The Deputy Prime Minister of the
Republic of Armenia, Co-Chair of Armenia-UAE, Armenian-Kuwaiti, and
Armenian-Qatari intergovernmental commissions Armen Gevorgyan paid
a working visit to the United Arab Emirates. From there he will head
to Kuwait, and then to Qatar. The Public Relations Department of the
Ministry of Territorial Administration of the Republic of Armenia
informed “Armenpress” that within the framework of the working
visit the Deputy Prime Minister will have a number of meetings with
the representatives of the Governments. A row of issues regarding
the development of bilateral cooperation and strengthening trade
relations will be under discussion at the course of the visit. Also
the sides will touch upon the issues of intergovernmental commissions
activities. The Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia
Armen Gevorgyan will have meetings with the representatives of private
sector companies as well.