Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

UN REPRESENTANT BASQUE APPELLE A L’INDEPENDANCE DE L’ARTSAKH

ARMENIE

Le règlement pacifique du conflit du Haut-Karabagh par la réalisation
du droit a l’autodétermination est une question importante a déclaré
le député européen, Inaki Irazabalbeitia Fernandez a Erevan. Le
membre du Parlement européen, représentant le Pays Basque d’Espagne,
était en visite en Artsakh dans les jours précédents.

Partageant les impressions de sa visite, le député a déclaré
que son parti (Verts/Alliance libre européenne) a longtemps été
lutté pour l’indépendance du Pays basque et en fera de même pour
le Haut-Karabagh, affirmant que ” l’autodétermination est le plus
important droit démocratique ”.

” Je pense que soulever la question de la reconnaissance de
l’indépendance du Haut-Karabagh dans le Parlement européen pourrait
être une première étape ” a déclaré Fernandez. ” Les initiatives
doivent venir de toutes les parties, y compris du Groupe de Minsk de
l’OSCE ”.

Interrogé sur ses pensées pour le fait d’ être “blacklisté”
par l’Azerbaïdjan pour avoir visité l’Artsakh, le représentant a
déclaré que son parti basque a une position très claire sur toutes
les questions relatives a l’autodétermination et ils n’ont pas peur
d’être inclus dans la ” liste noire ” de l’Azerbaïdjan.

Un membre du Parlement espagnol, Iñárritu Garcia, a accompagné
Fernandez lors de son voyage en Arménie et en Artsakh. Garcia a
déclaré a la presse arménienne qu’il considère le droit du peuple a
l’autodétermination en tant que droit démocratique le plus important.

Parlant de la visite au Haut-Karabagh, il a dit : ” Nous avons vu un
pays attaché a des valeurs européennes, qui aspirent a de nouvelles
valeurs, et fait mieux que certains Etats membres du Conseil de
l’Europe ”.

Les législateurs européens ont souligné que la République du
Haut-Karabagh doit être reconnu par la communauté internationale
comme dans le cas du Kosovo.

vendredi 16 mai 2014, Stéphane ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

UNE ILLUMINATION TARDIVE PAR BORIS TOUMANOV

REVUE DE PRESSE

En visite en Arménie le président Francois Hollande a fait
preuve d’une louable lucidité pour reconnaître que la situation
géopolitique particulière de ce pays transcaucasien rend
incontournable sa coopération économique avec la Russie dans le
cadre de l’Union douanière, que l’Arménie s’apprête a joindre dans
les semaines a venir.

” Dans une telle situation il serait absurde de demander a l’Arménie
de rompre sa coopération économique avec la Russie ”, a dit
Francois Hollande.

On sait qu’en prenant cette décision Erevan a dÔ s’abstenir a
signer l’accord d’association économique avec l’Union européenne,
association jugée par Bruxelles incompatible avec la présence de
l’Arménie dans l’Union douanière. D’ailleurs, c’était également
le cas de l’Ukraine qui, face a la perspective de perdre le marché
russe, a dÔ reléguer sine die, en automne dernier, la signature
d’un accord semblable avec l’Union européenne. Il faut préciser que
Kiev et Moscou ont essayé de sauver les pots cassés en proposant
a Bruxelles de trouver la solution de ce problème dans le cadre des
négociations tripartites entre l’Union européenne, l’Ukraine et la
Russie, censées trouver une formule qui permettrait a l’économie
ukrainienne de devenir une sorte de pont entre les économies de
l’Europe et de la Russie, et – qui sait ? – de créer a la longue un
embryon de l’espace économique de Lisbonne a Vladivostok prôné
depuis longtemps par Moscou. L’Union européenne a pourtant fait
la sourde oreille a cette proposition, ce qui, tout compte fait,
a prédéterminé l’actuelle gabegie ukrainienne.

Or, ce refus hautain de Bruxelles parait d’autant plus absurde –
pour employer l’expression de M. Hollande, – que la France trouve
aujourd’hui tout a fait naturel de proposer au président arménien
Serge Sargsian de chercher ensemble les voies et les méthodes qui
permettraient a l’Arménie la coopération simultanée avec l’Union
douanière et avec l’association européenne de libre échange. ”
L’Union européenne et l’Arménie doivent penser ensemble aux méthodes
qui assureront la compatibilité des deux unions douanières ”,
a dit Francois Hollande.

A mon tour je lui dis : ” Bravo, Monsieur Hollande ! ” tout en
regrettant que cette phrase n’ait pas été prononcée il y a six mois.

Lire la suite :

vendredi 16 mai 2014, Stéphane ©armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

EXHIBITION ON ‘ARMENIANS OF BITLIS’ DRAWS CROWD AT FRESNO STATE

Thursday, May 15th, 2014

L. to r.: Fresno State Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Ara Sarafian of
the Gomidas Institute, and Dr. Sergio La Porta

BY DENISE ALTOUNIAN

FRESNO, Calif.–For many Armenians in Fresno, California, the city
of Bitlis, located today in the Republic of Turkey, holds a special
place in their hearts. Not only was it the birthplace of the family
of noted Fresno native William Saroyan, but also the birthplace to
many of the Armenians who settled in Fresno in the years following
the Armenian Genocide.

For much of its history, including the Ottoman period, Bitlis
flourished as a center of Armenian culture and tradition. Much of this
legacy has almost vanished in the nearly hundred years following the
Genocide of 1915.

However, in recent months there has been an attempt to shed light
on the history of the city and the impact Armenians had there. Ara
Sarafian, director of the Gomidas Institute in London, England,
returned to Fresno State to discuss his most recent endeavor, a
“bridge-building initiative” which was started in June 2013 to build
contacts between Armenians, Turks, and Kurds.

On Sunday, March 30, Fresno State students, faculty, and the community
were invited to the opening of a new exhibit, “Remembering the
Armenians of Bitlis,” on display at the Henry Madden Library for
the month of April. The exhibit was organized by Sarafian, with the
support of Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian and the Armenian Studies
Program, to highlight some of the new documentation on Bitlis and to
show never before seen photographs of Bitlis.

“This initiative is an important step in the process of recovering so
much of Armenian culture lost as a result of the Genocide,” stated
Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Director of the Armenian Studies
Program. “It is also a way to build bridges between people.”

Sarafian was on hand in Fresno to open the exhibit and to give a talk
“Down and About Bitlis: An Exhibition on Bitlis Armenians on the
Shores of Lake Van.”

Sarafian initiated contacts with residents of Bitlis last year, and the
exhibit was a culmination of extensive research in Russian, Ottoman
and Armenian archives to examine the number and role of Armenians in
the Ottoman Empire, especially the eastern region. This culminated
in an exhibition, “The Armenians of Bitlis” (Bitlis Ermenileri),
that first debuted on March 1-2, 2014, in Tatvan, Turkey, located on
the shores of Lake Van.

As Sarafian explained, some people were doubtful that it would
be possible to display data that directly contradicts the Turkish
government position on the Genocide. However this project represents
a new opportunity for scholarship in the area. The display consisted
of ethnographic maps and photographs of Armenians living in Bitlis,
documenting the historic presence of Armenians there. The exhibit were
based on research at the ABCFM Archives (Houghton Library, Harvard
University), Mt. Holyoke College Archives (Mass.), AGBU Nubarian
archives (Paris), and the Ottoman Prime Ministry Archives (Istanbul).

The photographs represented a significant milestone, because many
people in Eastern Turkey had never actually seen an Armenian face
before. The photos showed the daily lives of the Armenians, their
schools, churches, and more. Although it may seem a small step, these
photographs represent the human connection that is often lacking when
it comes to Armenian, Kurdish, and Turkish relations.

The maps, based on demographic research from Russian and Turkish
sources, displayed the ethnic composition of the Ottoman Empire. The
research indicates that Armenians and Kurds in the Bitlis and Van
provinces actually made up the majority of the population, with few
Turks in the region. The Turkish government has deliberately argued
that Armenians and Kurds were not in the majority.

One interesting outcome of the initiative was the immense support
and interest in the project shown by the Kurdish population of Bitlis.

They were very supportive of unearthing Armenian history in Turkey.

Many Kurdish youth acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and want to know
what role they can play in moving forward. Several Kurdish politicians
and prominent attorneys attended the debut of the exhibit in Tatvan.

According to Sarafian, as many as one in six Kurds in these areas
may have Armenian ancestors.

This exhibit was a significant step forward in the future of Armenian
Studies in Turkey. It is important that projects like these continue
to record history before it is lost. Many Armenian landmarks still
exist in Turkey and any attempt to falsify history can never eliminate
local memories. The Armenian issue is far from closed and it is up
to the new generation to continue scholarship in the area.

From: Baghdasarian

YAZIDIS OF ARMENIA HOLD AN ACTION OF PROTEST IN FRONT OF UN OFFICE IN YEREVAN IN SUPPORT OF IRAQI YAZIDIS

ARMINFO
Thursday, May 15, 20:56

Yazidis of Armenia gathered in front of the UN Office in Yerevan on
Thursday to protest against the recent attacks on Yazidis in Iraq.

Head of the Sinjar Yazidi Association Boris Muraz, the rights of
Iraq Yazidis are ignored not only by the world community but even by
Yazidis in other countries because of the disunity of that people.

“It is a serious problem that the killers of Yazidis in Iraq are
not punished. It is time to make this known to the world community,”
Muraz said.

The protesters sent a letter to the head of the UN Office in Yerevan.

As a result of terrorist attacks in Iraq, over 4,000 Yazidis have
left their homes.

From: Baghdasarian

THE CREATION OF ARMENIA

By Jirair Tutunjian, Toronto, 11 May 2014

When considering Armenia’s recent and somewhat reluctant alliance
with Russia it’s important to remember that today’s Armenia is mostly
a Russian creation.

Following more than a century of desperate lobbying by Armenia,
tsarist Russia’s army finally moved deeper into the Caucasus, in the
early 19th century, and liberated most of the region from Turkic
and Persian rule. What we now call modern Armenia was occupied by
Russia and was named “Armenian Province”. Thus for the first time,
since 1375, Armenia appeared on maps as a political entity. Soon
after ultranationalist and narrow-minded Tsar Nicholas I changed the
region’s name to “Yerevan Province”, but it was now recognized that
the region was Armenian, although the majority of population was
non-Armenian due to foreign occupation.

These and many other facts about the roots of modern Armenia were
limned by Dr. George Bournoutian in his talk titled “Russo-Iranian
Relations and the Formation of the Modern Armenian State” at AGBU’s
Alex Manoogian Cultural Centre in Toronto on May 9. Dr. Bournoutian
is on a book tour about his recent “From Tabriz to St. Petersbourg”.

Attendees at the standing-room-only event were also regaled by exciting
mini-sketches of Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, the slaying
of Sayat Nova, Shah Fath Ali who had 145 children, a eunuch shah, and
Generals Tsitsianov and Paskievich. Attendees also took away stories
about the several Russo-Persian and Russo-Turkish Wars, about the
bravery of Armenian volunteers, the Karapagh meliks, the colorful
Armenian, Russian, and Persian characters who were involved in the
transformation of Southern Caucasus, and the several repatriations
of Armenians from Persia, Ottoman Turkey and Russia.

One of the most dramatic stories Dr. Bournoutian told was that of the
pro-Armenian Russian Ambassador Alexander Griboyedov who was sent
by Tsar Nicholas I, in 1829, to Persia to ratify the recent treaty
between Russia and Persia. A larger-than-life character, Griboyedov
was a famous playwright, poet, composer, and friend and rival of
Alexander Pushkin.

One of Griboyedov’s duties was to assure the return of Christian
prisoners taken by the Persians during their recent war with Russia.

An unexpected conflict flared up when an Armenian eunuch escaped
from the harem of Fath Ali Shah and two Armenian girls escaped from
the harem of the shah’s son-in-law. All three sought refuge in the
Russian embassy. The shah demanded that the Armenians be returned. When
Griboyedov refused, Persian mobs, incited by the mullahs, attacked the
Russian embassy. Griboyedov and his Cossacks put up a brave fight but
were killed along with the 45-member staff. Griboyedov was 34. The
Armenian eunuch was also killed. The fate of the two girls remains
unknown. The young ambassador’s body was taken to Tbilisi where
it’s buried.

Fearing a massive Russian retaliation, the shah sent a 40-man
mission to Moscow, carrying fabulous gifts, including vast carpets,
manuscripts, and a large diamond. With peace established between the
two empires, the Yerevan Province, now largely inhabited by Armenians,
became a backwater. It remained so for the next 80 years, said Dr.

Bournoutian, and became important only in Soviet times. He pointed out
that while there were many obvious negative aspects to Soviet rule,
one should not forget that present-day Yerevan is a legacy of the
Soviet Era, and that scientific and artistic life bloomed in that
period as opposed to the post-independence era.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN AGREEMENT ON EURASIAN ECONOMIC UNION MEMBERSHIP TO BE READY ON JUNE 1

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
May 14 2014

14 May 2014 – 11:39am

Anton Azarov, the head of the section for international interaction of
the Development and Integration Department of the Eurasian Economic
Commission, said that the project of the agreement on membership of
Armenia in the Eurasian Economic Union will be ready by June 1, 2014.

He reminded that a working group had been formed for Armenia to join
the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space. The working group
has held several meetings in Moscow and Yerevan.

From: Baghdasarian

“IF WE RETURN LIBERATED TERRITORIES TO AZERBAIJAN, IT WILL TAKE KARABAKH WITH BLITZKRIEG.” ARMEN MARTIROSYAN

May 13 2014

Today, with regard to the 20th anniversary of the ceasefire concluded
between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs
disseminated a statement. In the conversation with Aravot.am,
vice-president of “Heritage” party Armen Martirosyan commented on
the statement as follows, “The co-chairs actually fully confirmed
Warlick’s words. It is clear that Warlick would not say these 6
elements. He has said what was in the document. There is just one
problem, Warlick with his statement counterbalanced to Russia’s recent
actions and statements, Russia’s Ambassador’s statement that it will
not allow anyone to breach the the status quo unilaterally on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. For example, in the Crimea and eastern
Ukraine, we see that despite the agreements, today, the Crimea is in
the composition of Russia due to its active efforts. Such situation
occurs in Ukraine. This shows that it would not allow Russia to carry
out such operations in Karabakh. In this regard, Warlick’s statement
is balancing for Armenia and beneficial.” According to Mr.

Martirosyan, it is unacceptable when the co-chairs are talking
about the liberated territories. “No one can give a guarantee that by
arriving of peacekeeping forces to liberated territories, what position
the same peacekeeping forces will take tomorrow. Peacekeeping forces
are not going to stay forever, but after they left, Azerbaijan will be
in a very advantageous position, and no one can give a guarantee that
after this comprehensive agreement, when the liberated territories
will be returned to Azerbaijan, it would not take the whole Karabakh
with blitzkrieg. It is very easy to reach it through this narrow
corridor.” In his speech, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair James Warlick
opened the brackets by saying that the corridor, which will connect
Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh, should have sufficient width to ensure a
safe transition, but it cannot cover the entire Lachin region. As said
by Armen Martirosyan, “Probably, they meant at the maximum of 22-23 km
wide. In any case, if Azerbaijan opens a fire onto this corridor from
both sides, in one minute this corridor will be blocked and it will
not be technically difficult to occupy NKR in terms of military. But
now, in the case of these liberated territories, we are the very
guarantors to maintain this security, which is most important. Such
good strategic positions are the cause that we were able to maintain
the peace until now. I do not think that Azerbaijan has not declared
war only under the international agreements. I have the belief that
Azerbaijan had not conducted war because it knows that it definitely
cannot get even a meter of land back as a result of this war, moreover,
it may appear in a poorer condition. Therefore, for security reasons,
these liberated territories, in fact, are necessary to us to keep
the peace. In addition, these territories are the result of the war
unleashed by Azerbaijan. Very many people of us have fallen to victim
to this war.

It has not given to us as a gift. Finally, our partners talking
about the guarantees first of all would be good to be able to call
the Sevres Treaty to life, and we would see that the international
treaties have the force to come to life in the case of Armenia. Let
them ensure the return of due land to Armenia by the Treaty of Sevres.

But, as it is clear that the politics and reality are on different
dimensions, the return of those liberated territories is totally
unacceptable to us.” Mr. Martirosyan finds that the return of liberated
territories will bring thousands of problems with it.

“Peacekeeping forces task is also dangerous, because we do not know
what peacekeeping forces they are, what is their goal, and whether
they cannot provoke military clashes here in favor of Azerbaijan.

That’s why it’s a very dangerous provision. The refugees issue is
another problem. Which refugees are we talking about? What rights
are they going to have? Will they be able to retrieve their belongings?

All Azerbaijanis have left Armenia by exchanging their houses or
selling their properties. But the Armenians in Azerbaijan had simply
left their untold riches and escaped. Now will they be able to ensure
the restoration of their property? This is also a problem. It is clear
that the document, the Madrid principles, and the OSCE co-chairs’
recent statement have many drawbacks. The solution to the problem is
completely on a different dimension, in the reforms in Armenia, in
keeping the population of Armenia in its homeland. The land liberated
by the blood and life of our brothers gives us the very opportunities
that we are able to maintain our security and vital interests with
much more relaxed and fewer resources.”

Hripsime JEBEJYAN

Read more at:

From: Baghdasarian

FACTBOX: THE WORLD’S UNRECOGNIZED STATES

17:03 13/05/2014

MOSCOW, May 13 (RIA Novosti) – The Donetsk and Luhansk regions have
declared independence from Ukraine based on the results of referendums
held on Sunday.

There are some 120 unrecognized states located in the territory of
approximately 60 countries.

Unrecognized states are countries that are not recognized by all
or some of the world’s other countries, but they have all the other
elements of a state: population, territory, government and sovereignty.

The term “unrecognized states” was first used in the early 1990s.

Other terms used to describe them are de facto, disputed, breakaway
or self-styled states.

Unrecognized states can keep their transition status and ultimately
become fully sovereign states, like Eritrea, which seceded from
Ethiopia in 1993. In some cases, de facto states are absorbed by
the countries from which they tried to secede, like Saarland, whose
inhabitants voted to become a region of West Germany in 1955.

The Republic of China (Taiwan)

Mainland China severed official relations with Taiwan in 1949, when
the Chinese Nationalists (Kuomintang), led by Chiang Kai-shek, fled
to Taiwan after their defeat by the Chinese Communist Party under
Mao Zedong.

The Republic of China (ROC) held the seat of China on the Security
Council and other UN bodies until 1971, when the People’s Republic of
China was recognized as China’s sole representative in the UN. The
issue of Taiwan’s membership in the UN and recognition of its
sovereignty has been raised several times since 1993.

It has been recognized by 23 countries.

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Cyprus was de facto divided between the Greek and Turkish communities
in 1974, when Turkey invaded the island after a coup staged by
the supporters of a Greek military junta. In 1983, Northern Cyprus
unilaterally declared independence as the Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus. Turkey has deployed troops there.

UN-led talks on the reunification of the island as a federal state
stopped in spring 2012 and resumed only in February 2014.

It has been officially recognized by Turkey.

The Republic of Abkhazia

The Supreme Council of Abkhazia adopted a declaration of sovereignty
on August 25, 1990. Abkhazia became a de facto and de jure independent
state after Georgia severed state and legal relations with it and
following the Georgian-Abkhazian war of 1992-1993.

It has been officially recognized by Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela
and Nauru. Tuvalu recognized Abkhazia’s independence in September
2011 but withdrew its recognition in March 2014.

The Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), or Transnistria

Transnistria wanted to secede from Moldova even before the dissolution
of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Pridnestrovian Moldavian Soviet
Socialist Republic was proclaimed as a Soviet republic at the
Second Extraordinary Congress of Peoples’ Deputies of all levels of
Pridnestrovie (Transnistria) on September 2, 1990. The decision was
based on the results of referendums and public meetings held in 1989
and 1990.

Moldova lost all control and influence over the region in 1992,
after an unsuccessful attempt to resolve the conflict with the use
of military force.

Transnistria has been officially recognized by Nagorno-Karabakh (2001)
and South Ossetia (1994).

The Republic of South Ossetia

The republic became de facto independent after the Georgian government
abolished the South Ossetian Autonomous Region in December 1990, which
led to an armed Georgian-Ossetian conflict. South Ossetians almost
unanimously voted for independence at a referendum on January 19,
1992. On May 29, 1992, the Supreme Council of the Republic of South
Ossetia declared independence, after which mixed Russian, Georgian
and Ossetian peacekeeping forces were deployed in the republic.

In August 2008, Russia became the first state to recognize the
independence of the Republic of South Ossetia. Since then, its
independence has been recognized by Venezuela, Nicaragua and Nauru.

Tuvalu recognized South Ossetia’s independence in September 2011 but
withdrew its recognition in March 2014.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR, or the Republic of Artsakh)

The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh began in February 1988, after the
Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its secession from the
Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.

On September 2, 1991, the joint meeting of the Council of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Region and the Council of People’s Deputies of
the neighboring Shaumyan District announced the establishment of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic within the boundaries of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Autonomous Region and the Shaumyan District.

The Azerbaijani authorities did not recognize the decision and
abolished the autonomous status of Nagorno-Karabakh, leading to
an armed conflict, which lasted until May 12, 1994, when the sides
negotiated a ceasefire agreement.

As a result, Azerbaijan lost all control over Nagorno-Karabakh and
several adjacent districts. The OSCE Minsk Group, co-chaired by the
United States, Russia and France, has been trying to find a solution
to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict since 1992.

The Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija

On June 10, 1999, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1244
making the south Serbian province of Kosovo a UN protectorate and
authorizing an international civil and military presence in the area.

The UN administration and the NATO-led international peacekeeping force
(KFOR) were deployed in Kosovo after the 78-day NATO bombing raids of
Serbia. NATO interfered in the 1998-1999 Kosovo conflict on the side
of its Albanians, who were fighting for their independence from Serbia.

On February 17, 2008, the Albanian authorities of the Autonomous
Province of Kosovo and Metohija, supported by the United States and
several EU countries, declared independence, establishing the Republic
of Kosovo. Several countries have recognized its independence.

As of December 2009, the independence of the self-styled Kosovo
Republic was recognized by 63 countries. Serbia, Russia, China,
India and several other countries have not recognized it.

The list of unrecognized states also includes Somaliland, Tamil Eelam
(in Sri Lanka), the Islamic Emirate of Waziristan (a territory in
northwestern Pakistan which declared independence in February 2006),
Kashmir, Western Sahara, Palestine, Kurdistan and several other
self-styled states such as Sealand, a micronation in the North Sea that
is actually a former WWII platform off the coast of Suffolk, England.

From: Baghdasarian

FRANCE WANTS FULL ASSOCIATION OF ARMENIA AND EU

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
May 13 2014

13 May 2014 – 1:25pm

French President Francois Hollande said at a joint press conference
with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan that France wanted full
association of Armenia and the EU without breaking ties with Russia,
Arminfo reports.

Sargsyan noted, commenting on Armenia’s decision to join the Customs
Union, that Armenia and Russia had close cultural and historical
connections and had been part of a common state for decades. He added
that Armenia was integrated into the Russian economy and was part of
the OSCE with Russia.

Moreover, according to Sargsyan, Armenia will be given discounts for
energy resources as part of the Customs Union.

French President Francois Hollande said at a joint press conference
with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan that France wanted full
association of Armenia and the EU without breaking ties with Russia,
Arminfo reports.

Sargsyan noted, commenting on Armenia’s decision to join the Customs
Union, that Armenia and Russia had close cultural and historical
connections and had been part of a common state for decades. He added
that Armenia was integrated into the Russian economy and was part of
the OSCE with Russia.

Moreover, according to Sargsyan, Armenia will be given discounts for
energy resources as part of the Customs Union.

From: Baghdasarian

CUSTOMS UNION DOES NOT RULE OUT ASSOCIATION WITH EU, SAYS ARMENIAN PRESIDENT

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
May 13 2014

13 May 2014 – 1:49pm

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said at a joint press conference
with his French counterpart Francois Hollande that membership of
the Customs Union would not be an obstacle to signing an association
agreement with the EU, Gazeta.ru reports.

He pointed out that Armenia had intense economic ties with Russia,
part of a common security system.

The Armenian leader clarified that the Customs Union will provide
the country with discounts for energy resources.

Sargsyan said that France had invested about $1 billion in Armenia. He
added that there were about 180 French companies operating in Armenia.

The president noted that the two states had 42 documents on
socio-economic cooperation.

Sargsyan said that the first Carrefour hypermarket will open during
the visit of Hollande.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said at a joint press conference
with his French counterpart Francois Hollande that membership of
the Customs Union would not be an obstacle to signing an association
agreement with the EU, Gazeta.ru reports.

He pointed out that Armenia had intense economic ties with Russia,
part of a common security system.

The Armenian leader clarified that the Customs Union will provide
the country with discounts for energy resources.

Sargsyan said that France had invested about $1 billion in Armenia. He
added that there were about 180 French companies operating in Armenia.

The president noted that the two states had 42 documents on
socio-economic cooperation.

Sargsyan said that the first Carrefour hypermarket will open during
the visit of Hollande.

From: Baghdasarian