Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

NO WAR IN KARABAKH THIS YEAR BECAUSE OF EUROVISION: SAFARYAN

epress.am
06.28.2011

No matter how much the mediators had expressed optimism regarding
conflict settlement, the internal contradictions among the Minsk
Group co-chairs were evident during the meeting in Kazan and it’s very
important to understand that similarity in position is not similarity
in interests, said head of the Heritage Party parliamentary faction
Stepan (Styopa) Safaryan, speaking to journalists in Yerevan today
and referring to the Jun. 24-25 meeting of the presidents of Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Russia in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia.

“Under similar positions were very different interests, and in this
sense, the Kazan meeting was doomed to fail from the start – not only
because of the difference in the Minsk Group co-chairs’ interests,
but also for one simple reason: the fact of Azerbaijan giving room
to maneuver,” he said.

According to the MP, the projection by the Armenian National Congress
(HAK) that at the meeting Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan will
stand before two facts – either sign the document and have problems
back home or, in order to gain time, be forced to come to Armenia
and organize early elections – was too simple.

“In this case too the [Armenian National] Congress would declare that
its pressure yielded outcomes, that its projections have come true.

They simply don’t take into account that there is also a third path:
the Armenian side took advantage of all the emergency exits and now
the responsibility falls on Azerbaijan,” said Safaryan, adding he
arrived at such a conclusion after recent statements by HAK members.

However, he did not explain who or which statements he was referring
to.

The opposition MP stated that it’s not worth waiting for major shifts
in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict – even the possibility of war doesn’t
seem real to him.

He explained, with a smile: “In any case, there can’t be a war this
year at least because Azerbaijan, with great fanfare, is preparing
for Eurovision, and probably one of the smartest moves by the Armenian
side will be to appeal to the international community with the proposal
to declare Baku the Eurovision capital once and for all.”

From: Baghdasarian

SERZH SARGSYAN ATTACHES IMPORTANCE TO THE REINFORCEMENT OF RELATIONS BETWEEN ARMENIA AND THE UNITED STATES

Noyan Tapan

28.06.2011

On June 28, President Serzh Sargsyan received Celeste Wallander,
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Eurasia and the
Ukraine. The President attached importance to the reinforcement of
relations between Armenia and the United States, highly appreciating
the balanced approaches and policy of the US in our region.

“The involvement of the United States in our region is a factor that
reinforces stability. We appreciate the progress in our bilateral
relations in a number of spheres and wish to register greater progress
in trade and economic relations,” President Sargsyan said.

Noting that she’s paying her third visit to Armenia, the US Deputy
Assistant Secretary of Defense underlined that she has had excellent
meetings in Armenia and has presented the results to the US President.

Celeste Wallander expressed gratitude for Armenia’s participation in
international peacekeeping activities, welcoming the increase of the
number of Armenian peacekeepers in Afghanistan.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA TO DECIDE ON PARTICIPATION IN BAKU-HOSTED EUROVISION 2012 SOON

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 28, 2011

PanARMENIAN.Net – The head of the Armenian delegation to Eurovision
Gohar Gasparyan said details will soon be provided on whether Armenia
will participate in Baku-hosted Eurovision 2012 song contest.

As Ms. Gasparyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, decision-making on
the issue is in progress, with specific details to be announced soon.

According to her, negotiations with the European Broadcasting Union
to provide Armenian contestant’s safety are to be held.

Azerbaijan’s Ell/Nikki duet with Running Scared song won the Eurovision
2011 in Dusseldorf, thus giving Baku the chance to host the contest
next year.

Armenia’s Emmy was knocked out of Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in
the May 10 seminal, although her performance of Boom Boom song was
met warmly by the audience at Arena stadium in Dusseldorf, Germany.

From: Baghdasarian

SLOVENIA PRESIDENT: USE OF FORCE IN KARABAKH ISSUE UNACCEPTABLE

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 28, 2011

PanARMENIAN.Net – President of Slovenia Danilo Turk stressed the
importance of peaceful settlement of Karabakh conflict in a phone
conversation with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.

“Military rhetoric or use of force are unacceptable in Karabakh
conflict settlement,” Slovenia President stated.

At the request of Mr. Turk, President Sargsyan briefed him on the
results of Kazan-hosted Armenia-Russia-Azerbaijan meeting on Karabakh,
presidential press service reported.

The summit between Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia in Kazan on June
24 completed without an agreement on basic principles of Nagorno
Karabakh conflict settlement. “The countries’ leaders registered mutual
understanding on a range of problems, the resolution of which boosts
creation of conditions for approving main principles. The meeting
participants considered the course of works carried out with the aim
of coordination of the project with basic principles,” according to
the statement. The Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan expressed
gratitude to the Russian, French and U.S. leaders, the OSCE Minsk
group co-chairs, for ‘their constant attention to Nagorno-Karabakh
problem’ and highly praised personal efforts of the Russian President
in support of agreements.

Later on Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian noted that the
June 24 meeting was not a breakthrough, as Azerbaijan proved unready
to accept the final version of the basic principles suggested by the
OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs. Instead, the Azerbaijani leader attempted
to impose 10 new proposals, thus precluding the possibility of any
agreement on the issue,” he added.

From: Baghdasarian

APRICOT PRICES TO BE HIGHER IF LARGE SCALES ARE EXPORTED

Tert.am
28.06.11

Apricot prices will remain higher if it is exported in large scales,
Hrach Berberyan, the head of the Agrarian-Farming Union has said.

“Generally, there is a view that I and our organization are against
exports. But perhaps one thing should be understood that our farmers
work first of all for our people,” said he.

“Of course, exports should be boosted, but at the expense of excess
[harvest] rather than at the expense of our population,” he added.

According to Berberyan, relevant bodies should calculate how much
apricot is needed to satisfy the domestic demand so that to export
only the rest.

“Of course, it is very good that it is being exported, but the retail
market price of apricot was not less than one euro. And that, of
course, is not affordable for most of our population,” he explained.

According to his estimates, there will be around 20,000 tones of
apricot this year of which over half will be consumed domestically.

If apricot has an affordable price, according to him, about 5000 tones
will be processed in Armenia, and only the remaining 5000 tones will
be exported.

From: Baghdasarian

KAREN BEKARYAN: ALL AZERBAIJAN CAN COUNT FOR IS DIRECT TALKS WITH KARABAKH
Lena Badeyan

Radiolur
28.06.2011

“Signing a document in Kazan would be a mere imitation of a
breakthrough, rather than an actual breakthrough,” head of the European
Integration NGO, analyst Karen Bekaryan said at the Yerevan-Moscow
space bridge dedicated to the results of the Kazan meeting.

“A breakthrough is impossible with Azeri leader making one statement
inside his country and a different one outside it. No breakthrough is
possible with the unnatural logic of the ongoing negotiation process,”
Bekaryan stated, adding that “all Azerbaijan can count for is direct
talks with Karabakh.” “Only then a breakthrough will be possible,”
the expert said.

According to Karen Bekaryan, Azerbaijan’s behavior in Kazan was
connected with the Turkish factor. “Turkey has its own interests
and it does not want the issue to be solved. The non-constructive
statement of the PACE President ahead of the meeting are a vivid
evidence of this,” the he said.

From: Baghdasarian

OIC CONCERNED ABOUT NAGORNO KARABAKH, CYPRUS
A. Maratov

Trend
June 28, 2011
Azerbaijan

OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu expressed his concern
today over the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh and Cyprus issues.

“Mutual relations between Turkey and Cyprus, and the Azerbaijani
territories occupied by Armenia are issues of concern for the OIC,”
Ihsanoglu said, while addressing a session of the Council of OIC
Foreign Ministers today.

At the OIC session, which is underway in Astana, the organization
has been renamed as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

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 seven 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 peace talks.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding
regions.

From: Baghdasarian

‘PARADE SHOWS MODERN WEAPONS IN AZERBAIJAN’S POSSESSION’

news.az
June 28, 2011
Azerbaijan

‘The high level parade was an important event to strengthen
Azerbaijan’s position in the region’.

The remarks came from Mahmut Kocak, Head of the Ankara-based Turkey
Alternative Studies Center, former MP.

“The parade showed what modern weapons Azerbaijan possesses once
again. The balance of forces has always been in favor of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan will continue to enhance its military might.”

“There is a need to establish peace in the region. To ensure peace
in the region requires initiatives from Armenian politicians and
increased efforts to resolve Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The war will
damage the overall picture in the region and Armenia will suffer from
this most of all,” Kocak added.

Gun.Az

From: Baghdasarian

IF RUSSIAN PRESIDENT WERE DISAPPOINTED AT KAZAN MEETING HE WOULD TELL IT OPENLY – MP

news.am
June 28, 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN.- If Russian President Dmitry Medvedev were disappointed
at the Kazan meeting, he would inform about it openly, said head of
Heritage parliamentary group Stepan Safaryan.

“No agreement reached at the Kazan meeting cannot be reason for
disappointment and make the president give up mediator’s mission in
the Karabakh peace process and thus lose the leverage of political
influence,” said MP.

“I do not think that Russia will be disappointed as mediator’s role
in the Karabakh peace process has political objectives. It is first
of all restoring country’s reputation after the August 2008 war,”
Safaryan said.

Earlier the Russian Kommersant newspaper wrote referring to its sources
that Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev is so disappointed at the results of
Kazan summit that is ready to stop his mission as a mediator in
resolution of the Karabakh conflict. “He intends to organize the
next meeting of Mr. Aliyev and Sargsyan only on condition that the
Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents finally sign basic principles,”
the newspaper writes.

From: Baghdasarian

WAR TO RESUME IN KARABAKH IN CASE RUSSIA REDUCES EFFORTS ON MEDIATION – EXPERT

news.am
June 28, 2011
Armenia

The parties failed to sign a document in Kazan on Karabakh conflict
resolution due to a trivial reason – polar opposite positions
of the sides, said head of the Institute of Caspian Cooperation,
Sergey Mikheyev.

According to him, efforts of the mediators fail due to non-constructive
stances of the sides.

“The sides call each other fools. What should the mediators do,
tell both they are fools?” the expert wonders.

He stressed that as soon as Russia reduces its activity in the
negotiation process, the United States will intensify the efforts. In
this case, war cannot be avoided.

“Name a single conflict mediated by the United States which was
solved peacefully. Washington always provokes war to gain benefit,”
Mikheyev said.

From: Baghdasarian