Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

DETAILED REFERENCE TO THE KARABAKH ISSUE WAS CORRECT AHEAD OF KAZAN MEETING
Siranush Muradyan

“Radiolur”
23.06.2011
Strasbourg

“President’s speech made a reference to the internal political
situation in Armenia, the ways of development, as well as Armenia’s
position on a number of important issues of international relations,”
head of the Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe David Harutyunyan said.

“The primary issues to be raised here included Karabakh and the
Armenian-Turkish relations, and I think the President gave a clear
assessment to all issues both in his speech and during his meetings in
Strasbourg,” David Harutyunyan said, adding that the speech marks the
start of a new stage, since new elections are expected in our country.

“The President’s position clearly demonstrates how much we emphasize
the proper conduct of the next elections and the establishment of an
appropriate atmosphere in Armenia, without which the development of
the country is practically impossible,” he said.

“Detailed reference to the Karabakh conflict and the positions of
the parties was correct ahead of the meeting in Kazan,” member of
the Armenian delegating to PACE, representative of the ARF faction
Armen Rustamyan said.

According to him, it was important to present the differences of
position of the conflicting parties from that high podium. “There was
a clear message in the President’s speech that we stand for peace and
we are in no way interested in the resumption of war in the region,
while Azerbaijan has the opposition stance.”

Touching upon the question on snap elections Zaruh Postanjyan addressed
to President Sargsyan, Armen Rustamyan said “it was positive for
Armenia’s image.”

“For example, if someone demands the President’s resignation in
Azerbaijan, he may appear in jail the next day, even if he writes it
in a blog without addressing the question directly,” Rustamyan said.

From: Baghdasarian

MURAD MEJLUMYAN WINS FRENCH UNIVERSITY OF ARMENIA-ORGANIZED CHESS CUP

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 23, 2011

PanARMENIAN.Net – On June 13-22, the French University of Armenia
hosted UFAR Chess Cup qualification tournament, with 72 chess players,
aged 5-75 participating.

An award ceremony was held upon completion of a two-stage tournament,
with the university rector Joelle le Morzellec, Armenian Chess
Federation vice-president Ashot Vardapetyan and the head of FAU sports
department David Khitaryan attending.

Khachatur Hovhannesyan took the second place, followed by Serob
Ghazaryan. Murad Mejlumyan, the tournament winner, was awarded with
FAU cup along with a certificate and a medal.

From: Baghdasarian

ALIYEV SUDDENLY SPEAKS OF CONSTRUCTIVE APPROACH ON EVE OF KAZAN MEETING

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 23, 2011

PanARMENIAN.Net – Upon completion of the meeting with EC President
Herman Van Rompuy in Brussels, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev
said that recent statements by heads of states of OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairing countries were encouraging.

As Azerbaijan President noted, the leaders specifically stressed
the unacceptability of status quo, as well as the fact that the
conflict must be solved on the basis of Helsinki Final Act, combining
the principles of territorial integrity and people’s right for
self-determination, which, as Aliyev noted, are not mutually exclusive.

Dwelling on June 24 meeting in Kazan, Aliyev noted that Azerbaijani
side expects Armenia to demonstrate constructive approach, stressing
that Azerbaijan wished the conflict to be settled as soon as possible.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs came out with a statement
with regard to Kazan meeting of Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian
Presidents.

“The meeting between President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and President
of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev with participation of President of Russia
Dmitri Medvedev is designed to serve as a landmark in Nagorno Karabakh
conflict settlement. We expect Baku and Yerevan to react constructively
on the joint statement made on May 26 in Deauville by the Presidents
of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries, which contains a call
upon the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to demonstrate political
will and finalize the basic principles (of a peace agreement) during
the forthcoming summit in June,” the statement of the RF Foreign
Ministry runs.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT DOESN’T BELIEVE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TIRED OF KARABAKH ISSUE

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 23, 2011

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan commented on
Deauville statement of the presidents of the United States, France and
Russia who said the situation in Karabakh was no longer acceptable,
which might mean that international mediators are getting tired of
the deadlock.

In an interview with Euronews, President Sargyan said, “I don’t
think the international community is tired of Karabakh issue. The
international community has called on Armenia, Karabakh and Azerbaijan
to give a definitive answer on whether or not we are ready to move
towards a solution based on principled voiced. We have been told to
answer “yes” or “no” without delay. This is the question we have to
answer in Kazan.”

Commenting on the possibility of progress in Kazan, considering
that to Armenia the self-determination for Nagorno Karabakh is
a prerequisite to negotiate a deal, while Azerbaijan rejects this
condition, the President noted, “In that case Azerbaijan should declare
that it is against one or two of the basic principles. Or else, the
international community must announce that it does not recognise the
right to self-determination.

The second scenario will mean the progress of recent decades will
be lost. Because if the right to self-determination is not feasible,
how was it possible to create ten new states based on that right. I
might cite Kosovo as an example.

I also recall that there was another region of Azerbaijan populated
by Armenians, the autonomous Republic of Nakhichevan, but there are
no longer any Armenians living there, as the region was cleansed of
Armenians in Soviet epoch.”

The Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia – Serzh Sargsyan,
Ilham Aliyev and Dmitry Medvedev – are slated to meet on June 25 in
the Russian city of Kazan, the next in a series of trilateral meetings
on the Karabakh conflict settlement.

There are certain expectations with respect to the meeting, taking
into consideration the Deauville statement adopted by the leaders
of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries, who said “the time has
arrived for all the sides to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict to take
a decisive step towards a peaceful settlement. Further delay [in the
settlement] would only call into question the commitment of the sides
to reach an agreement.”

From: Baghdasarian

ARTUR BAGHDASARYAN RECEIVED THE DELEGATION LED BY THE DEPUTY OF THE HEAD OF THE EUROPEAN UNION’S REGIONAL PROGRAM ON MANAGEMENT OF BORDERS IN SOUTH CAUCASUS RISHAR MARTINEZ

Noyan Tapan

23.06.2011

(Noyan Tapan – 23.06.2011) The Secretary of NSC Artur Baghdasaryan
received the delegation led by the deputy of the head of the European
Union’s regional program on management of borders in South Caucasus
Rishar Martinez, who was in Armenia for estimating the results of
the above mentioned program.

Rishar Martinez underlined the tangible progress in Armenia in the
frames of the program for the border security, gave importance to
the adoption of fundamental documents regulating the field and the
coordination of processes implemented in that filed by NSC.

By the estimation of the delegation, the reforms in the field allow
to regard Armenia as a leading country based on the registered results
in this field.

From: Baghdasarian

THE TRAINING OF TEACHERS OF ARMENIAN SCHOOLS IN GEORGIA STARTED

Noyan Tapan

23.06.2011

(Noyan Tapan – 23.06.2011) In the frames of the arrangement reached
between the RA Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan and
Georgian Minister of Education and Science Dmitri Shashkin the training
classes of teachers of Armenian schools in Georgia have started in
the Management school after Z. Jvanis in the town of Kutaisi.

The 32-hour long training classes implemented by the task group of the
National Institute of Education of the RA Ministry are intended for
teachers of the “Armenian History”, “Armenian Language”, “Literature”
subjects and teachers of elementary classes.

92 teachers from Armenian schools in Akhalkalaki, Akhaltskhe and
Tbilisi participate in the classes. The classes first were organized
in 2010 and 100 teachers from Akhalkalaki, Ninotsminda, Aspindza,
Borjomi, Marneuli, Tbilisi and Akhaltskhe took part in it.

The training classes are implemented with the co-financing of the
both sides.

From: Baghdasarian

DAVIT JAMALYAN: “WE HAVE PREPARED FOR PEACE BY TAKING A WAR INTO CONSIDERATION”

Noyan Tapan

23.06.2011

(Noyan Tapan – 23.06.2011) After the meeting of the presidents of
Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan to be held in Kazan the possibility of
a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan will decrease. Such conviction was
expressed by military expert Davit Jamalyan during the press conference
held on June 23. According to him, there is no any fact which will
prove that the Azerbaijan Army has become more efficient during the
last month. “Azerbaijan is trying to connect the possibility of a
war with the result of the meetings to be held in Kazan. That is an
unreasonable approach, since I don’t see any changes in the military
potential of the troops of Armenia and Azerbaijan,” said the expert
noting that Azerbaijan would never agree to adventure.

Touching upon the RA president’s declaration according to which the
Armenian side has always prepared for peace, D. Jamalyan noted that
Azerbaijan, by its declarations and actions, “made us always take
a war into consideration”. “We, especially the Armenians living in
Artsakh are ready for the war. I have noticed a little indifference
within the citizens of Armenia towards this issue, but we will draw
together in case of any danger, as it was at the beginning of 1990s”,
mentioned the expert.

D. Jamalyan stressed that there aren’t liberated lands, but there is
liberated Artsakh which has never been a part of the new independent
Azerbaijan. “The Armenian positions aren’t so weak to make us go in for
dangerous concessions. We must have the feeling of the owner towards
those 12 thousand square kilometers and our duty is to maintain and
tighten the victory”, he declared suggesting “to develop Artsakh step
by step, to transmigrate it directing the whole potential of Armenia
to Artsakh”.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT RATIFIES LOAN AGREEMENT WITH ADB FOR CONSTRUCTING NORTH-SOUTH TRANSPORT CORRIDOR

/ARKA/
June 23
YEREVAN

Armenian National Assembly ratified a loan agreement between the
Armenian government and the Asian Development Bank at its extraordinary
session on Thursday.

The agreement was signed on May 30, 2011 to implement the second
component of the program of construction of the North-South transport
corridor.

Economy Minister Tigran Davtyan said that the $170 million, the second
on tranche of the credit, would be lent for 20 years with four-year
grace period at LIBOR+0.3% interest rate.

He said that this money would be spent for rehabilitation of 41
kilometers of Ashtarak-Talin road, a section of North-South corridor.

The minister said that a tender will be announced for choosing
a contractor.

He said that construction would be carried out in accordance with
international standards. The construction will be completed by the
end of this year.

Davtyans aid that construction of the first section of the highway has
been suspended for construction of another, badly dilapidated section.

It was also decided to unite two sections for attracting large
companies to the construction.

The program and the $500-million agreement with the Asian Development
Bank were approved by the Armenian government on January 14, 2010.

From: Baghdasarian

5.4 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE SHOCKS TURKEY’S EASTERN PROVINCE

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 23, 2011

PanARMENIAN.Net – A 5.4 magnitude earthquake rattled the eastern
province of Elazıg early on Thursday, June 23.

According to Today’s Zaman, initial reports said the quake did not
cause any fatalities or serious damage. Bogazici University’s Kandilli
Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute said the epicenter
of the quake, which hit the province at 10:34 a.m., was the Ä°cme
district and it occurred at a depth of 6.1 kilometers.

The quake was also felt in the neighboring provinces of Malatya,
Bingöl, Diyarbakır and Tunceli.

The quake led to panic among Elazıg residents who rushed into the
streets and left their homes following the tremor. Speaking on NTV
news in a phone interview, Ä°cme Mayor Faruk Erdem said no fatalities
have been reported. Elazıg Mayor Suleyman Selmanoglu also confirmed
that there are no casualties, but that the quake caused landslides
in mountainous areas.

He also said some houses were damaged in SarıkamıÅ~_ village and
that the minaret of a mosque had collapsed.

An earthquake that registered 5.9 magnitude in the western province
of Kutahya’s Simav district in May killed two people and damaged
103 buildings.

From: Baghdasarian

RI GOV. SIGNS BILL TO CREATE GENOCIDE CURRICULUM FOR SCHOOLS

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
June 22, 2011 – 6:11 pm

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee (CHAY’-fee)
has signed a new law that aims to help educators teach students
about genocide.

The legislation, signed into law Wednesday by Chafee, directs state
education officials to create online curricular materials dealing
with past genocides.

The material will be designed to help local middle and high schools
create lesson plans on the Holocaust and genocides in Armenia,
Cambodia, Iraq, Rwanda and Darfur.

The bill was sponsored by state Rep. Anastasia Williams, a Providence
Democrat, and state Sen. Joshua Miller, a Cranston Democrat.

Williams and Miller say students need to learn about the dark chapters
of human history to become thoughtful and informed citizens.

From: Baghdasarian