Author: Babajanian Karo

IRAN STRESSES IMPLEMENTATION OF JOINT PROJECTS WITH ARMENIA

Fars News Agency
May 1 2012
Iran

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran’s President Ahmadinejad reiterated the need for
the implementation of Tehran-Yerevan joint economic projects.

Speaking in a meeting with Armenian Foreign Affairs Minister Edward
Nalbandian, the Iranian president underlined that “Iran attaches
much importance to the implementation of joint economic projects
with Armenia”.

Also during the meeting, Nalbandian submitted a message from Armenian
President Serzh Sargsian to Ahmadinejad.

Nalbandian arrived in Tehran on Sunday on an official visit at the
invitation of his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi.

Upon arrival, Nalbandian held talks with his Iranian counterpart,
where they examined avenues for further improving the friendly ties
between the two countries and the activities of the Armenian-Iranian
Intergovernmental Commission.

They reflected on bilateral cooperation, and exchanged views on
expanding the legal framework.

Salehi gave details on the latest developments with respect to Iran’s
nuclear program, and Nalbandian expressed a satisfaction that a
positive trend was recorded during the last meeting in this regard.

Nalbandian also briefed his Iranian colleague on the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict’s settlement talks.

They agreed to hold their next meeting in Armenia’s capital, Yerevan.

Also, during his Tehran visit, Nalbandian met with Parliament Speaker
Ali Larijani as well as Iran’s Supreme National Security Council
(SNSC) Secretary and chief negotiator Saeed Jalili.

ZURABYAN MET SEKERINSKA

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 21:06:01 – 01/05/2012

On May 1 the coordinator of the Armenian National Congress Central
Office Levon Zurabyan met with Radmila Sekerinska the head of the
OSCE/ODIHR monitoring mission to the parliamentary elections who has
arrived in Armenia.

They discussed the conduct of elections, the violations of the
election law, their prevention and reporting, the press service of
the Congress informed.

‘STRENGTHENING OF AZERBAIJAN’S MILITARY POWER DIRECTED TO RETURN OCCUPIED LAND’

TODAY.AZ
01 May 2012

The Azerbaijani parliament discussed today issues related to the
twentieth anniversary of the Armenian occupation of Shusha.

Deputy Chairman Bahar Muradova, noting that Shusha has been for two
decades under the heel of the Armenian occupiers, said she speaks
not like a politician, but as an individual, exiled from native land.

“It’s been 20 years since we lost Shusha, Karabakh. It’s unbearable
to tolerate double standards applied in the discussion of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Unfortunately, these standards do not
change. International organizations have different attitudes toward
Azerbaijan and Armenia, closing eyes to the violated rights of citizens
of Azerbaijan while killers of our women and children at this time
are in power in Armenia,” she said.

Muradova said that international organizations should provide a legal
assessment of occupation of Azerbaijani territories.

She also noted that Azerbaijan itself solves its problems and some
forces do not like it.

“Today strengthening of the military power of Azerbaijan is
directed to return the occupied land. International organizations,
especially the UN, should adopt new decisions in connection with the
Nagorno-Karabakh. Once the UN Security Council adopted resolution on
the unconditional liberation of Armenian-occupied lands, but there
is no mechanism for returning the land,” she added.

Parliamentary chairman Ogtay Asadov said that there is no need to
take new decisions on the Karabakh conflict at the level of the
same international organizations, it’s necessary, simply, to fulfill
earlier resolutions and requirements.

RUBEN HAYRAPETYAN: “IS THE CHILD MY SUPPORTER?”

05:02 pm | Today | Politics

Deputy candidate of “Heritage” Party Stepan Safaryan has declared
that Ruben Hayrapetyan’s supporters are impeding “Heritage” Party’s
efforts in the Avan district.

“They came and recognized those supporters, who were two 13-year olds.

How could children be my supporters? The 13-year old ripped the
booklet. Did I tell him to do that?” said deputy candidate Ruben
Hayrapetyan.

GULOYAN’S BODY FOUND IN LAKE SEVAN

06:47 pm | Today | Social

A body was found near Miami Lakeside at Lake Sevan today. An on-duty
rescue crew left for the scene and brought out the body of citizen of
Sevan Hrant Guloyan (born in 1930) and handed it to law-enforcement
bodies, reports the press service of the Ministry of Emergency
Situations.

ARMENIAN SIDE PROPOSES TO INCREASE OSCE MONITORING AT LINE OF CONTACT WITH AZERBAIJAN

news.am
May 01, 2012 | 13:29

The Armenian side considers it necessary to increase the OSCE
monitoring being conducted at the line of contact with Azerbaijan.

Lieutenant Colonel Andranik Mkrtumyan-representative of the
General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces-informed this to OSCE
Chairman-in-Office field assistants Hristo Hristov and Irji Aberle,
during the OSCE monitoring on Monday.

“On the average, three monthly monitoring were conducted last year.

[But] In the [first] four months of this year, the monitoring
reduced to until two, because the holding of so many monitoring is
‘inconvenient’ for the Azerbaijani side. We can conclude [therefore]
that if the monitoring were not conducted at all, this would be more
convenient for Baku,” Mkrtumyan noted, and stressed that no side
should be allowed to dictate the monitoring terms.

The Armenian side considers that the optimal is to conduct monitoring
once a week. In Mkrtumyan’s words, the arrangement for the monitoring
date and location often “causes problems” for the Azerbaijani side.

“We [, on the other hand,] almost always agree with the monitoring date
and direction which the OSCE mission proposes,” Lieutenant Colonel
Andranik Mkrtumyan recalled, and added: “You yourselves observe that
the tension only escalates. The number of ceasefire violations is
growing each year with geometric progression. Something needs to
be done.”

FARS: ISRAELI-AZERBAIJANI RELATIONS RISK IRAN’S NATIONAL INTERESTS

Panorama.am
01/05/2012

Israeli-Azerbaijan relations risk Iran’s national interests, Iranian
FARS news agency analytical report said.

Iranian statesmen describe the unprecedented military, security and
information cooperation between Azerbaijan and Israel a real threat
against Iran’s national interests.

The story highlights why Israel has chosen Azerbaijan from three
regional countries.

“Having strained relations with Iran, Israel targets installation
in the northern borders of Iran. Georgia does not have a common land
border with Iran – Tbilisi and Tel Aviv share only military technical
cooperation. Closed relations of Armenia and Iran exclude any kind
of cooperation between Yerevan and Tel Aviv. Thus, only Azerbaijan
has cold, sometimes strained relations with Iran.”

VAHAN HOVHANNISSYAN ON PUBLIC OPINION POLLS

tert.am
01.05.12

Representative of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau
Vahan Hovhannissyan said he does not believe the pre-electoral public
opinion polls.

Speaking to reporters today, Hovhannissian said those who order the
polls do not believe in the presented figures either. ‘Respondents
fear and do not tell the truth. If polls are conducted via phone,
it means they know your address and who you are. It means it is not
an unnamed poll,’ he said.

Hovhannissyan reminded that such like polls were conducted during
the previous elections as well when the ARF was predicted to get 3-4%
of votes, while in reality it got 17%.

The ARF representative also doubted the impartiality of the
organizations conducting the opinion polls, like for instance the
VTSIOM All-Russian Centre for the Study of Public Opinion which is a
‘discredited Kremlin organization the money earning tendencies of
which have been revealed’.

Referring to the other organizations, Hovhannissyan said, ‘It is
said that there are not the real Gallup representatives’. ‘Not so
‘clean offices’ are being invited to Armenia. They work with orders
and do not give correct results,’ Hovhannissyan said.

They are trying to create an atmosphere through guided social opinion polls

14:17 . 30/04

Tension is increasing as May 6 is approaching. Summing up the past weeks of
the pre-election campaign, today the coordinator of ARF-D campaign Aghvan
Vardanyan expressed hope that the rules of a civilised competition will be
observed before the election and after it.

`We haven’t come out to a last battle,’ the politician said.

He noted the guided opinion polls as one of the peculiarities of the
campaign: it is attempted to create an atmosphere not corresponding to the
real picture.

`They also conducted opinion polls during the previous elections and said
ARF-D would get 5-5,5% of votes. But ARF-D got 12% of votes. There is a
group of people, that has these opportunities and enjoys doing such
things,’ Aghvan Vardanyan said.

Recently they are also trying to find disagreements between the first
persons and ordinary members of ARF-D. The ARD representative reminded it
is impossible to split the members and the leadership of ARF-D.

`ARF-D has proved that it is a united organization and it is a team,’ the
speaker said.

He also informed that in the 4th election district ARF-D supports the
editor-in-chief of the `168 Hours’ newspaper Satik Seyranyan. In the news
conference Aghvan Vardanyan spoke about the absence of the political
debate. No debate took place because of the authority representatives’
refusal.

`No one attempted to prove its programme is good through open, public
debate. We did it and haven’t still received any response. Each citizen has
the right to listen to debates. This is the way in civilized countries.
ARF-D wishes us also to become a civilized country. But perhaps many prefer
to ensure votes by the help of village heads, community heads and the
police, or by distributing something rather than to give the voters an
opportunity to base their choice on the parties’ prorammes,’ Aghvan
Vardanyan said.

Suicide in Yerevan; man throws himself off building roof

tert.am
21:13 – 29.04.12

A 60-year old man has committed suicide by throwing himself off the
roof of a 10-storey building in capital Yerevan.

As Photo reporter Gagik Shamshyan told Tert.am, the incident occurred
at around 5:00 pm on Saturday.

A police task force arrived on the scene to inquire into the circumstances.

The neighbors told Shamshyan that the men had been recently discharged
from a mental clinic. According to them, he had made a suicide attempt
several years ago, but remained alive after throwing himself from the
sixth floor.