Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

KARABAKH LEADERSHIP SHOULD PARTICIPATE IN NEGOTIATIONS – ARMENIAN MP

news.am
June 21 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Talks on Karabakh conflict resolution without participation
of Karabakh senior officials cannot be considered negotiations,
MP from opposition Heritage Party Larisa Alaverdyan told a press
conference on Tuesday.

Alaverdyan noted that she welcomes meetings bringing a positive
momentum, however, added that meetings without Nagorno-Karabakh’s
involvement cannot be considered negotiations. The MP emphasized that
Karabakh peace process does not follow a natural course.

As for the upcoming meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents
in Kazan, Alaverdyan said it will held in neutral atmosphere with
negative notes, if the Armenian side does not introduce new elements.

The MP believes that Armenian side’s rhetoric builds up the appetite
of Azerbaijan and Turkey, and cherishes vain hopes for possible
resolution of the conflict at the cost of one nation.

From: Baghdasarian

PASHAZADE WILL DECIDE ON VISIT TO YEREVAN AFTER MEETING WITH RUSSIAN PATRIARCH?

news.am
June 21 2011
Armenia

Participation of Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade in the session
of CIS interreligious council held in Yerevan will be discussed during
the regular meeting with Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus Kirill.

The decision on participation has not been made so far, spokesperson
for head of Caucasus Muslims Ragima Dadasheva told Trend agency.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am reported earlier, representative of Russian
Orthodox Church Roman Silantyev said that they arrange CIS session of
interreligious council presidium scheduled for November 28 in Yerevan.

From: Baghdasarian

KARABAKH ARMENIANS INSIST ON FINAL SAY IN PEACE PROCESS
Lusine Musayelian

21.06.2011

Nagorno-Karabakh — The unrecognized republic’s flag flies over the
presidential building in Stepanakert, 18 Jun 2000

Possible peace agreements reached by Armenia and Azerbaijan could
not be put into practice without being approved by Nagorno-Karabakh’s
ethnic Armenian leadership, a senior official in Stepanakert warned
on Tuesday.

Georgi Petrosian, foreign minister of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic (NKR), also declined to comment on chances of a breakthrough
at this week’s Armenian-Azerbaijani summit in Kazan, Russia. “We are
in a wait-and-see regime,” he said.

International mediators hope that Presidents Serzh Sarkisian and Ilham
Aliyev will finalize the basic principles of resolving the Karabakh
conflict at that meeting.

Petrosian did not specify the NKR leadership’s position on those
principles put forward by the U.S., Russian and French co-chairs of
the OSCE Minsk Group. Nor would he say how the Karabakh Armenians
will react if Aliyev and Sarkisian cut a deal not acceptable to them.

Nagorno-Karabakh — Foreign Minister Georgi Petrosian gies a press
conference in Stepanakert, 21Jun2010 Petrosian said only that the
disputed territory should have the final say on any peace accord. “One
can destroy us, but one can’t make decisions without us,” he told
journalists. “In the latter case, one must say, ‘We are ready to
destroy you.’ But one must say it openly.”

“International documents concerning Karabakh say that the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is a party to the conflict. If we, being
such a party, were able to stop the war and sign a truce [in 1994,]
then we also have the right to build our future, a peaceful future,”
he added.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian likewise said last week
that the framework accord pushed by the mediators would have to be
approved by the Karabakh Armenians. “It will be impossible to switch
to the second phase [of the peace process] if Karabakh doesn’t agree
to the basic principles,” he said.

The Minsk Group co-chairs normally visit Stepanakert and meet Karabakh
officials during their regular tours of the conflict zone. However,
Azerbaijan has refused to directly negotiate with the NKR since the
late 1990s, saying that the territory is occupied by Armenia and has
no legitimate government.

Unlike official Yerevan, the Stepanakert government is thought to have
serious misgivings about the peace formula favored by the mediators.

But it has until now avoided voicing them publicly, stressing instead
the need for the NKR’s renewed participation in Armenian-Azerbaijani
peace talks.

From: Baghdasarian

SYRIA, EGYPT DEVELOPMENTS INCREASE INBOUND TOURISM TO ARMENIA

epress.am
06.21.2011 16:30

The number of tourists coming to Armenia this June dropped as
compared to June last year, Mika Intour LLC representatives told
Epress.am today.

Mika Intour customers mainly prefer to vacation in the Armenian towns
of Tsaghkadzor, Dilijan and Jermuk.

Another local tour operator, Ani Tour, likewise noticed a drop in the
number of tourists. According to a company spokesperson, those wanting
to vacation in Armenia prefer to visit mainly historical and cultural
spots – Garni, Geghard, Khor Virap, Haghartsin, Sevan and Dilijan.

However, unlike Mika Intour and Ani Tour, the number of tourists
using the services of Armenia Travel has increased.

According to the travel agency’s tour manager, this is due to an
improved level of service, as well as with developments in the rest
of the world. As an example, the Armenia Travel tour manager cited
Syria and Egypt being “closed” due to the political situation in
these countries. The number of tourists visiting these countries has
dropped and people are looking for new holiday spots in the region.

The Armenia Travel tour manager also noted that their customers
approach them with a set agenda and prefer mainly historical and
cultural venues: Garni, Geghard, Khor Virap, Noravank, and now Tatev,
as well as Yerevan.

ABP Armenian Travel Bureau reservation manager Hasmik Hakobyan,
speaking to Epress.am, stated the number of tourists approaching their
office has remained the same as compared to the same period last year.

Their customers prefer Jermuk and Yerevan, she added.

From: Baghdasarian

GEORGIANS DEMANDED BUILDING CHURCHES IN ARMENIA

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 21:33:01 – 21/06/2011

Bishop Arshak Khachatryan, the Chancellor of the Holy See St.
Echmiadzin, said the patriarchal visit of Garegin II to Georgia was
a success, and the realistic expectations which the Holy See had came
true. St. Echmiadzin was consecrated which had been ruined for a long
time and was repaired on the initiative of the Holy See.

The Javakheti Armenians were also enthusiastic. “Our purpose was to
have the government provide churches to meet the spiritual needs of
the community of 250 thousand Armenians, to underscore care of the
churches which collapsed or are ruined (such as St. George Church in
Mughni or St. Nshan),” Bishop Arshak said, adding that these issues
have been brought up in the meeting with Mikheil Sahakashvili.

He also said they wanted to have churches in Georgia to host our
spiritual mission. Instead, the Georgian side demanded to build
churches in Armenia, and the questions are asked under the principle
of mutuality guided by the logic of market relations. He says the
demand to establish a church in Armenia changes the essence of the
issue. The problem set forth by us fits the necessity to meet natural
needs, whereas the demand set forth by Georgia changes the issue,
he says. They say they used to have Chalcedonic churches in some
period they want to return, which is suspicious.

Dwelling on the Georgian press reports on the signing of the communique
between the Armenian and Georgian churches, Bishop Arshak said it
was the draft of the Georgian church which pursued a provocation
and definitely succeeded because here the press rapidly reported it
as reality.

Archbishop Yeznik Petrosyan, member of the Brotherhood of St.
Echmiadzin, said today there are about 30 Armenian churches in
Georgia, while in the Soviet Union there were only four, and the
problem of five churches is determined by their strategic importance,
therefore the Georgian church either has expectations or keeps them
as a “trump card”.

At present, there is a Georgian church in Armenia.

From: Baghdasarian

LARISA ALAVERDYAN: THE WEST IS TRYING TO CREATE NEW PROBLEMS
Anna Nazayan

“Radiolur”
21.06.2011 18:37

“By closing eyes to Aliyev’s murderous activity, the international
community demonstrates that it tolerates his policy,” Secretary of
the Heritage faction Larisa Alaverdyan told a press conference today.

Larisa Alaverdyan expects no breakthrough from the forthcoming
presidential meeting in Kazan, noting that attempts will be made to
combine two different approaches.

According to her, Artsakh should be involved in the negotiations.

“Since its not the case now, the summit in Kazan is going to be one
of the recurrent meetings,” she said.

The calls of the mediator to speed up the process are dangerous,
Larisa Alaverdyan says. “The West is trying to create new problems
rather than solving the existing ones. Acceleration of the process will
not result in the resolution of the Karabakh conflict,” she stated.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT SIGNS LAW ON FREE ECONOMIC ZONES

/ARKA/
June 21, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, June 21. /ARKA/. On Tuesday, Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan signed the law on free economic zones and related laws,
the president’s press office reports.

The law institutes a new legal regime for economic activities.

The aim of the new law is to establish favorable economic environment
for export-oriented companies.

The law states that if a zone is not used within one year the
government’s decision will lose its force.

Special tax and customs regimes and preferences on some taxes will
be set for such zones.

The first two free economic zones will be set up this year in the
country – one of them will be at Mars plant in Yerevan and the second
at Zvartnots international airport.

The concept of a free economic zone at Zvartnots airport territory
was approved by the government in 2008 November. The companies that
will register there will be granted a set of tax and other privileges.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN VAHRAM SIMOVIAN AMONG VICTIMS OF TU-154 JET CRASH

ARMENPRESS
JUNE 21, 2011
YEREVAN

Ukrainian citizen of the Armenian descent Vahram Simovian is one of the
victims of the Russian plane crash near Russian Petrozavodsk, spokesman
for the Armenian Foreign Ministry Tigran Balayan told Armenpress.

The crash-landing of the Tupolev-134 killed 44 people aboard and
left only eight survivors, seven of them in a very heavy condition,
medical reports said.

The jet took off from Moscow’s Domodedovo airport at 22:30 Monday.

Slightly less than an hour and a half later it hit the surface of
the Petrozavodsk-Suojarvi road, splitting into parts and catching fire.

From: Baghdasarian

DAYS OF ARMENIAN CULTURE EXPECTED IN CHINA, UKRAINE

ARMENPRESS
JUNE 21, 2011
YEREVAN

Days of Armenian Culture will be conducted in China June 22-29. The
Armenian cultural delegation will be headed by Minister Hasmik
Poghosyan. Within the framework of the event concerts and exhibitions
will be conducted, besides, a program on cooperation will be signed
between the ministries of the two countries for 2012-2014.

Press officer of the ministry Gayane Durgaryan said in parallel to
the official visit of the President Serzh Sargsyan to Ukraine June
30-July 5 Days of Armenian Culture will be conducted in that country.

A gala concert, photo exhibition “Armenian trace in Ukraine” and
retrospective show of Armenian films will be conducted. Meeting of
writers, book presentations will be organized. The cultural delegation
will be headed by culture minister Hasmik Poghosyan.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN ECONOMY BUILT ON WRONG DECISIONS – EX PREMIER

Tert.am
22.06.11

Former Armenian Prime Minister Hrant Bagratyan is very hesitant about
the dialogue between the opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC)
and the ruling Republican Party.

The ex-premier believes Armenia’s economy is built on wrong decisions,
and a coordinated approach is needed to reform everything. As a
first step towards such efforts, Bagratyan proposes replacing the
prime minister.

“Why doesn’t [the president] remove Tigran Sargsyan? No need to keep
that guy in office” he told a news conference on Wednesday.

Bagratyan, who is a member of the Armenian National Congress, finds
that no economically right decisions are being made at present,
with all the sectors recording no progress at all.

“Why won’t [Serzh Sargsyan] appoint Galust Sahakyan [a senior
representative of the Republican Party – Tert.am]. That would be much
more interesting. At least, that person will refrain from taking any
step. Is it really impossible to find someone and ask him not to do
anything?” he added.

From: Baghdasarian