Author: Badalian Vardan

DEFENSE MINISTER RECEIVES NATO SPECIAL ENVOY JAMES APPATHURAI

Tert.am
28.06.11

Armenia’s Defense Minsiter Seyran Ohanyan received James Appathurai,
Nato Secretary General’s Special Envoy to South Caucasus and Central
Asia on Tuesday.

According to a Defense Ministry press release, the parties discussed
issues related to the Armenia-Nato cooperation.

Ohanyan and Appathurai stated that the Armenia-Nato cooperation
develops successfully and involves such directions as peacekeeping
mission, military education, military games and reforms in the
defense system.

Seyran Ohanyan also congratulated James Appathurai on the occasion
of his appointment as Nato’s special envoy in the region.

Ohanyan also expressed hope that Appathurai’s term in office will
give a new impetus to the development of the Armenia-Nato cooperation.

ARMENIA PARTICIPATES IN HSBC’S “TRADE EXCHANGE” EVENT IN CHINA

/ ARKA /
June 28
YEREVAN

On Monday, HSBC Commercial Banking in Europe has launched its Trade
Exchange event in Shanghai. HSBC has taken 30 of Europe’s leading
businesses to Trade Event, where European and Asian business leaders
have gathered to explore the immense trade potential already evidenced
in China, and discuss how European businesses can best redefine their
business plans in a global context.

HSBC Bank Armenia customer Norayr Khachatryan, IMEX Group President
(IDEAL System store chain) represents Armenia in the Trade Exchange
event in Shanghai. IMEXGroup has been chosen by HSBC Commercial Banking
in Europe as a fast growing company well-placed to expand into China.

The delegates include businesses across Europe who are either already
doing business with China and see more potential but don’t know how
to capitalize on it, or considering the opportunity seriously. The
exchanging of information, advice and guidance will take place in
the form of key note speeches from industry experts, organizations
who specialize in helping businesses do business in China, as well
as HSBC experts.

“The Trade Exchange will bring together some of the best business
thinkers and entrepreneurial leaders to help European businesses
understand the way the world is changing and how they can benefit.

HSBC Armenia is very pleased to provide this unique opportunity to its
customers, enabling Armenian businesses to shift to a more globalised
outlook and go beyond the boundaries of their domestic market”, –
said Astrid Clifford, Chief Executive Officer HSBC Bank Armenia cjsc.

Survey conducted among HSBC Bank Armenia Corporate customers in 2010
showed, that for 51 % of Armenian business entity China is the main
trade partner.

According to the official data, in recent years the Armenian-Chinese
trade relations have significantly improved. Only in 2010 trade
between the two countries amounted to about half a billion dollars.

Growth was 44.4 percent in comparison with 2009. In the last three
years trade turnover between the two countries doubled.

TRANSPORT MINISTER AND WORLD BANK YEREVAN OFFICE HEAD DISCUSS $40 MILLION LIFELINE ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

/ ARKA /
June 28
YEREVAN

Armenian transport and communications minister Manuk Vardanyanand
head of World Bank Yerevan Office, Jean-Michel Happi, met today to
discuss a $40 million World Bank-funded Lifeline Road Improvement
Project in Armenia, the press service of the ministry told ARKA.

It also quoted Mr. Happi as saying that the focus is being shifted
now from social projects that were designed to overcome the fallout
from the latest economic crisis to agriculture development projects –
to directing assistance to farms, improvement of irrigation systems
and infrastructure that include also the availability of safe roads.

Highlighting the role of rural roads in the development of agriculture,
minister Vardanian said the ministry has already undertaken a
comprehensive study of roads, especially in terms of building earth
roads to mountainous and remote villages.

The minister also spoke of the need to finance projects designed
for main roads, particularly, about North-South transport corridor
and two highways towards the Georgian border. He said a preliminary
agreement to this end was reached with the World Bank and European
Investment Bank.

The two men were said to have also discussed a variety of issues
on design and application of new road technologies, as well as the
formation of institutional capacity.

The sides also discussed World Bank’s assistance for organizing and
conducting a tender to select a concessional operator for Armenian
bus terminals. Happi was quoted as saying that this question was
under discussion at the World Bank.

EDUARD SHEVARDNADZE SAYS GEORGIA MUST RECOGNIZE ABKHAZIA’S INDEPENDENCE

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 28, 2011

PanARMENIAN.Net – Former Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze
said it would be “wise” for Georgia to recognize Abkhazia as an
independent country.

“It’s clear Abkhazia can’t be a normal region of Georgia any longer,”
Shevardnadze said in an interview published in the Asaval-Dasavali
newspaper. Recognizing the region would improve relations between
Georgians and Abkhazians, he added, the newspaper said.

Shevardnadze was responding to comments by Mamuka Areshidze, an
analyst at the Caucasus Strategic Research Center, who said two weeks
ago that Georgia should consider recognizing Akhazia’s independence,
Asaval-Dasavali reported.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia, declared independence after a five-day war
between Russia and Georgia in August 2008. Only Russia, Nicaragua,
Venezuela and the South Pacific nation of Nauru recognize their
independence. Georgia maintains Russia occupied the two regions after
the conflict, Bloomberg reported.

TURKISH OPPOSITION BOYCOTTS PARLIAMENT SWEARING-IN

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 28, 2011

PanARMENIAN.Net – Opposition parties in Turkey have boycotted the
swearing-in of the new parliament after judges barred nine elected
MPs from taking their seats.

The biggest opposition party, the secular CHP, joined pro-Kurdish
members in shunning the swearing-in ceremony at the parliament
in Ankara.

The ruling AKP won this month’s polls but is under pressure to consult
the opposition on big policy decisions. One such decision is the
drafting of a new constitution.

The election was widely praised as a sign of Turkey’s political
maturity but Tuesday’s boycott has exposed old fault-lines that still
threaten the country’s democratic development, BBC reported.

ARMENIA-NATO COOPERATION SUCCESSFULLY DEVELOPING

armradio.am
28.06.2011

Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan received James Appathura,
the Special Representative of the NATO Secretary General for the South
Caucasus and Central Asia. Issues related to Armenia-NATO cooperation
in the field of defense were discussed.

The parties noted that the Armenia-NATO cooperation was successfully
developing, embracing new spheres like peacekeeping, military
education, military trainings and defense reforms.

Seyran Ohanyan congratulated James Appathura on being appointed as
Special Representative of the NATO Secretary General for the South
Caucasus and Central Asia and voiced hope that his tenure in office
would give new impetus to the development of Armenia-NATO cooperation.

EDWARD NALBANDIAN HOSTED NATO SECRETARY GENERAL’S SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE

Panorama
June 28, 2011
Armenia

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian hosted today NATO Secretary
General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia
James Appathurai.

Greeting the guest Minister Nalbandian congratulated him for assuming
the office of NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative and
expressed hopes that Mr. Appathurai would contribute to the development
of Armenia-NATO cooperation.

Foreign Ministry press service informs the diplomats have focused on
a range of issues, including Armenia-NATO collaboration, cooperation
in different projects, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the recent
presidential summit in Kazan.

US CALLS ‘DISAPPOINTING’ FAILURE OF KARABAKH TALKS

AsiaOne

June 28, 2011
Singapore

WASHINGTON – The United States on Monday called “disappointing”
the failure of a peace summit aimed at reducing tensions around the
separatist territory of Nagorny Karabakh.

“I would says it’s disappointing,” said US State Department spokeswoman
Victoria Nuland, when asked about the summit organized last week
in Russia.

The failure of Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian and Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev to reach an agreement on “basic principles”
last Friday was a major disappointment after hopes had been raised
in the talks, which were presided over by President Dmitry Medvedev
in the Russian city of Kazan.

President Barack Obama had called the two leaders and asked them to
sign the basic principles agreement.

Nagorny Karabakh, whose population is mostly Armenian but which was
part of Azerbaijan during the Soviet era, proclaimed its independence
after a war which resulted in the deaths of some 30,000 people and
created hundreds of thousands of refugees between 1988 and 1994.

But it is not recognized by the international community.

The interim basic principles agreement would see an Armenian
withdrawal from areas around Karabakh that were also seized during
the post-Soviet war.

It also envisages international security guarantees and a vote on
the final status of the territory at some point in the future.

Even if the basic principles are finally agreed, huge obstacles remain
to a final peace deal.

While Armenia insists that Karabakh will never return to Baku’s
control, Azerbaijan insists that the region must remain part of its
sovereign territory.

PETITION POUR UNE SOLUTION POLITIQUE A LA QUESTION KURDE : NOUVELLES SIGNATURES

Source/Lien : Amities kurdes de Bretagne
Publie le : 29-06-2011

Info Collectif VAN – – Le Collectif VAN vous
invite a lire cette information publiee sur le site des Amities kurdes
de Bretagne le 26 juin 2011.

dimanche 26 juin 2011 par Amities kurdes de Bretagne

La petition lancee le 21 juin “Oui a une solution politique a la
question kurde en Turquie” prend son envol. Initiee par les Amities
kurdes de Bretagne, Amara, Maison du peuple kurde, le Mouvement de la
Paix et la Maison internationale de Rennes, elle a recueilli l’adhesion
immediate de Daniel Delaveau, Maire de Rennes, d’Edmond Herve, ancien
Ministre, Senateur d’Ille-et-Vilaine, d’elus de la ville de Rennes,
de Mr Jacques Gaillot, de personnalites politiques socialistes,
communistes, democrates bretons, ecologistes et autres.

Elle A aussi recu l’appui du monde associatif.

Aujourd’hui elle compte deja plus de 350 signatures dont celles du
Parti socialiste, Federation d’Ille-et-Vilaine, de l’Union democratique
bretonne (UDB), du Parti communiste francais (PCF) et de sa Federation
d’Ille-et-Vilaine, du MRAP, de SOS Racisme 35, de la Ligue des Droits
de l’Homme (LDH), section de Rennes, de la Conference permanente des
Coordinations associatives Bretagne (CPCA), des Amis du Peuple kurde
a Strasbourg, de l’Association iseroise des Amis des Kurdes (AIAK)
et des Amities Corse Kurdistan. Aux personnalites deja citees, il
faut ajouter Michel BILLOUT et Isabelle PASQUET, Senateurs, Jean-Rene
MARSAC et Philippe TOURTELIER, Deputes, Frieda BREPOELS et Nicole
KIIL-NIELSEN, Deputees europeennes, Lydie ERR, Deputee du Luxembourg,
membre de la delegation parlementaire au Conseil de l’Europe,
Jean-Louis TOURENNE, President du Conseil General d’Ille-et-Vilaine,
Claudy LEBRETON, President du Conseil general des Côtes-d’Armor,
President de l’Assemblee des Departements de France, Lena LOUARN,
Vice-presidente du Conseil regional de Bretagne, Frederic BOURCIER,
Adjoint au Maire de Rennes, Premier Secretaire federal PS 35, Wilfrid
LUNEL, Membre de la direction nationale PCF, Premier secretaire PCF
35… (voir liste complète suite au texte de la petition).

Signez, faites signer la petition : “oui a une solution politique a
la question kurde en Turquie”

Retour a la rubrique

LE HAK ESPIRE TOUJOURS UN DIALOGUE AVEC LE GOUVERNEMENT
Marion

armenews.com
mercredi 29 juin 2011

Stepan Demirchian, l’un des principaux leaders du Congrès national
armenien (HAK), a declare mardi 28 juin, que le HAK espère toujours
s’engager dans un dialogue constructif avec le gouvernement.

” Nous ne considerons pas ce processus comme un echec complet. Les
autorites ont encore le temps de tirer des conclusions “, a-t-il
affirme aux journalistes.

Le president Serge Sarkissian a ouvert la voie a un dialogue avec
l’opposition le mois dernier en realisant d’importantes concessions au
HAK, dont la liberation de tous les militants d’opposition emprisones.

Aucune reunion en face-a-face n’a pour le moment ete tenue sur les
moyens d’apaiser les tensions politiques en Armenie.

Le HAK insiste sur le fait que le dialogue devrait prendre la
forme de negociations entre des delegations speciales formees par
l’administration Sarkissian et l’alliance d’opposition. Le president et
son Parti republicain (HHK) ont categoriquement rejete cette formule
jusqu’a recemment.

Dans une declaration du 17 juin, S. Sarkissian a fait preuve d’une plus
grande souplesse sur la question, en declarant que les deux partis
rivaux pourraient discuter des defis auxquels fait face l’Armenie
” par le biais de personnes specialement designees “. Il a declare
que les representants du HHK et de deux autres partis representes
au sein de la coalition gouvernementale pourraient ” s’asseoir a la
table des negociations ” avec une delegation du HAK.

Le HAK et son leader, l’ancien president Levon Ter-Petrossian,
devraient reagir a cette declaration lors du prochain rassemblement
d’opposition a Erevan prevu, jeudi 30 juin.

Vartan Bostanjian, depute de l’un de ces partis, Armenie prospère
(BHK), a insiste, mardi 28 juin, sur le fait que la coalition au
pouvoir n’a pas encore discute du dialogue avec le HAK.

” Lorsque cette question sera examinee au sein de la coalition, quand
Armenie prospère en parlera franchement… nous debuterons un dialogue
“, a declare V. Bostanjian lors d’une conference de presse.

” Ce que je sais c’est que tous les partis ont une idee claire du
contenu global du dialogue “, a-t-il ajoute.

V. Bostanjian a egalement souligne que le dialogue portera
essentiellement sur l’alliance presidentielle du HHK et du HAK.

Autre pierre d’achoppement, la demande du HAK d’organiser des
elections presidentielles et legislatives anticipees. S. Sarkissian
et sa coalition ont a maintes reprises rejete cette eventualite.

S. Demirchian, ancien candidat a la presidence en 2003, a reconnu que
les autorites sont peu susceptibles d’avancer le calendrier electoral.

” Je pense que les autorites ne prendraient des mesures que sous
la pression populaire “, a-t-il avance. ” Les elections anticipees
doivent etre imposees par la societe, par nous tous. ”

S. Demirchian a aussi averti : ” Je dis que nous donnons encore du
temps [au dialogue] pas que nous allons attendre indefiniment. Tout
a une limite. ”