SERZH SARGSYAN AND HILLARY CLINTON DISCUSSED RA-TURKISH RELATIONS
PanARMENIAN.Net
21.09.2009 12:51 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ RA President Serzh Sargsyan had a telephone
conversation with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The
conversation focused on current stage of RA-Turkish rapprochement,
RA President’s press service reported.
DAVUTOGLU BEGINS CONSULTATIONS WITH TURKEY’S OPPOSITION
AZG DAILY
18-09-2009
Armenia-Turkey
On September 12, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu began
consultations with Turkey’s oppositional parties on the subject of
Armenian-Turkish relations.
Davutoghlu met with Republican People’s Party Leader Deniz Baykal.
During the meeting, they discussed Armenian-Turkish relations,
and Baykal stated that they consider the pre-signed Protocols to
be favourable.
After the meeting with Baykal, Davutoglu had a talk with Nationalist
Movement Party Assistant Secretary M. Shahin (and not with the party
leader Devlet Bahcheli). The foreign minister discussed the Protocols
with Shahin, tert.am reports.
PAPIERS D’ARMENIES WILL GIVE A CONCERT IN GYUMRI AND JAVAKHQ
Aysor
Sept 17 2009
Armenia
On September 19 in the Narekatsi Art Union will take place the
concert of the French group "Papiers d’Armenies". As Aysor.am was
told the repertoire of the group is special in genres, by style and
by thematic. The East and the West are mixed in here, cultures of
different countries – Armenian, Greek, Georgian, French, Gypsy and
sometimes all these accompanied with Eastern melodies. It is very
impressive listening to many famous Armenian national works presented
by qamancha, duduk, and accordion.
The first concert of the group "Papiers d’Armenies" in Armenia took
place yesterday on September 16.
The group consists of 5 Armenians. Their leader is Dan Gharibyan who
is too famous in France.
"Papiers d’Armenies" will give a concert on 18 September for Gyumri
audience, then will leave for Javakhq.
In NAU the art lovers can get acquainted with the photo works of Arthur
Manucharyan. The author told Aysor.am that since September 10 there
have been shown 36 works in exhibition which are mainly photos of
Armenian nature and architectural monuments. But he underlined that
not the famous monuments are presented but those that are hidden in
the forests and distant places.
The exhibition will go on till the 18th of September. The entrance
for the exhibition and for the concert is free.
TURKISH FM MEETS OPPOSITION LEADER TO DISCUSS TURKEY-ARMENIA PROTOCOL
Trend
Sept 15 2009
Azerbaijan
Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davudoglu met with Deniz Baykal, Leader
of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), to discuss the Turkey-Armenia
protocol reached under the mediation of Switzerland, Turkish Cihan
news agency reported.
On Aug. 31, Turkey and Armenia in the talks mediated by Switzerland
reached an agreement to launch "internal political consultations"
to sign the Protocol on Establishment of Diplomatic Relations and
Protocol on Development of Bilateral Relations, the Turkish Foreign
Ministry reported.
Political consultations will be completed within six weeks, and
following that two protocols will be signed and submitted to the
two countries’ parliaments for approval. At present Turkey does not
plan to open the borders with Armenia, Turkish Foreign Minister,
Ahmet Davudoglu, said.
Armenian-Turkish ties have been severed since 1993.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed
forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including
the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts. Azerbaijan
and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of
the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. – are currently
holding the peace negotiations.
The Turkish Foreign Ministrer appealed to hold a meeting to discuss
the Turkey-Armenia protocol reached by the mediation of Switzerland
in the Turkish Parliament. Davudoglu said that he will meet with
the leaders of the country’s opposition leaders to discuss the
Ankara-Yerevan protocol.
The meeting between the opposition leader and Davudoglu to discuss
the protocol is expected to take place on Sept.15.
Deniz Baykal, Turkish Opposition Leader, demanded to include the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue in the Ankara-Yerevan protocol signed in August.
Devlet Bahcheli, Leader of other opposition party "National movement",
refused to meet with Davudoglu.
RAFFI HOVHANNISYAN READY TO SOLVE PROBLEMS
Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am
Sept 18 2009
Armenia
If the internal conflicts in &’Heritage’ Party are not solved till
September end, I will have to interfere," Leader of "Heritage"
Party Raffi Hovhannisyan told NEWS.am. He arrived in Yerevan from
Nagorno-Karabakh on September 17, 2009.
Hovhannisyan is negative to the current developments in the party
and considers its rupture unacceptable due to self-interests of
some members.
Recently three "Heritage" party members Zoya Tadevosyan, Vardan
Khachatryan and Movses Aristakesyan were expelled accused of
espionage on behalf of Armenian National Congress. There were
personnel rotations as well. Presently, the party is headed by Armen
Martirosyan, and the fraction-by Stepan Safaryan. Several days ago,
Raffi Hovhannisyan vacated the seat reasoned by Armenia-Turkey
Protocols. Earlier Hovhannisyan resigned as head and leader of the
"Heritage" parliamentary faction.
IMF FORECASTS 15 PERCENT CONTRACTION FOR ARMENIAN ECONOMY
Agence France Presse
September 16, 2009 Wednesday 3:57 PM GMT
YEREVAN, Sept 16 2009
Armenia’s economy is expected to contract by 15 percent this year
as the ex-Soviet republic struggles with the global economic crisis,
an International Monetary Fund official said Wednesday.
"2009 has been a very challenging year for Armenia, with real GDP
(gross domestic product) now expected to decline by about 15 percent,"
the head of an IMF mission to Armenia, Mark Lewis, told a press
conference.
"In a difficult global environment, these developments have led to
some weakening in the balance of payments and public finances, and
posed additional hardships on the Armenian population," he said.
A significant drop in tax revenues could see Armenia’s budget deficit
rise to about 7.5 percent of GDP, he added.
Isolated Armenia has been among the countries hardest hit by the
global recession, especially as remittances from Russia have fallen
sharply in a severe downturn there.
Armenia’s economy shrank by 18 percent in the first seven months of
this year, according to official figures.
The IMF in March agreed to provide Armenia with a 540-million-dollar
(368-million-euro) loan to deal with the effects of the crisis.
Lewis also said plans for the Armenian-Turkish border to re-open
would give the country’s economy a boost.
"Opening the border will lead to a decrease in transport charges that
will in turn increase the competitiveness of Armenian companies. The
price of imported goods will also decrease, increasing the purchasing
capacity of the country’s population," he said.
Armenia and Turkey announced last month that they had agreed a
framework to establish diplomatic ties and re-open their border.
The two countries said they would hold internal political consultations
for six weeks before submitting to their parliaments two protocols
on establishing diplomatic ties and developing bilateral relations.
Armenia and Turkey currently have no diplomatic relations, a closed
border and a long history of hostility rooted in massacres of Armenians
under the Ottoman Turks during World War I.
ARMENIA NOT STATES A REASON FOR NOT ATTENDING BSEC CONFERENCE IN BAKU
Today.Az
Sept 18 2009
Azerbaijan
Armenia has refused to participate in the conference of the heads of
the emergency situations agencies of the Organization of Black Sea
Economic Cooperation (BSEC) in Baku.
"We have sent invitations to all member states of the BSEC, including
Armenia," said Altay Efendiyev, BSEC Deputy Secretary General at a
news conference following the event.
Today Baku is hosting a conference of the heads of the emergency
situations agencies of the Organization of Black Sea Economic
Cooperation (BSEC). The conference of the heads of BSEC has adopted
a declaration.
Afandiyev said Armenia did not mention the reasons for their refusal
to participate in the conference. Albania, along with Armenia, also
did not participate in the conference.
Azerbaijan, Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Moldova,
Russia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine are the BSEC member states.
ARFD REFUTES RA MFA OFFICIAL STATEMENT
Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am
Sept 18 2009
Armenia
"Article 19 of RA International Agreements’ Law reads: "International
agreements are negotiated up to their full signature. Thus, in
desired, changes can be made in Armenia-Turkey Protocols," Vahan
Hovhannisyan, Head of ARF Dashnaktsutyun, said at the briefing in RA
National Assembly thereby refuting RA MFA previous statements that
no amendments can be made in Protocols before signing.
Hovhannisyan emphasized that RA President Serzh Sargsyan did not
rule out the possible changes in documents. ARFD leader emphasized
the party will struggle for amending the Protocols till the very end
and if failed to do so, will do its utmost to torpedo the Protocols’
ratification in the Parliament.
He informed ARFD will join "Heritage" party initiative on
political-forces joint statement on Armenia-Turkey Protocols. "I
certainly have doubts that any other parliamentary force except ARFD
and Heritage joins the statement, but then non-parliamentary parties
could get involved," Vahan Hovhannisyan concluded.
SPAIN AND AZERBAIJAN TO FACE EUROVISION FINES?
esctoday.com
Sept 17 2009
The Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group that met in Oslo on 10th
September did discuss Spain’s breach of Eurovision Song Contest
rules by broadcasting the semi final on a time delay, rendering a
televote impossible. It has also concluded it’s investigation into
whether Azeri broadcaster Ictimai deliberately blocked or distorted
the picture to blur out the voting number for Armenia.
The Reference Group recommendations about any action to be taken
against Spanish broadcaster after the decision was made to broadcast
the conclusion of a live tennis match meant that the Eurovision
Song Contest semi final show was delayed for Spanish viewers by
approximately one hour. As a result, no televote could take place in
Spain and the country’s semi final vote was made via the back-up jury.
Several reports that Ictimai, the national broadcaster of Azerbaijan,
blurred or blocked the voting number for Armenia during the 2009
Eurovision Song Contest final have also been investigated. If they
are proved to be true, the broadcaster would face punishment. Earlier
today, Ictimai avoided any action by the EBU concerning the national
telecom company issuing records of Eurovision Song Contest voting to
the government, and the ministry of the interior questioning people
that voted for Armenia. The issue of blocking the voting number is
however being investigated separately.
If any punishment is to be made, the decisions would need to be
ratified by the EBU Television Committee. It is likely that the final
decisions will be made public in the next two weeks.
RA AUTHORITIES BEAR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL DEVELOPMENTS
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
17.09.2009 22:18 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Touching upon the question who is to blame for March
1 events, I will definitely say that authorities bear responsibility
for all developments in the country," RPA Secretary Edward Sharmazanov
told today an extraordinary parliamentary session devoted to the
discussion of interim committee’s report.
At that he stressed the importance of making a clear-cut distinction
between "being guilty" and "bearing responsibility". Responsibility
certainly lies upon Armenian authorities, but we are to blame those who
instilled ideas of political denial in society for several months. "Had
Levon Ter-Petrosyan responded to President Sargsyan’s post-electoral
call for cooperation, March 1 tragic events wouldn’t have occurred,"
Sharmazanov stressed.