Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

EU: AZERBAIJAN HARDLY MADE ANY PROGRESS IN FIELD OF DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS

15:02 28/03/2014 >> REGION

Last year almost no progress was observed in the fields of democracy
and improvement of human rights situation in Azerbaijan, it is stated
in the ENP Country Progress report 2013, placed on the website of EU.

“Presidential elections in the country raised serious concerns.

Significant problems were identified, including limitations in the
freedom of expression, assembly and association,” the report reads.

According to the report, the pre-election climate was marked
by pressure against journalists and activists. The fight against
corruption lacked a systematic approach. EU has also observed a lack
of progress in the process of Azerbaijan’s accession to WTO.

It is noted in the report, that Azerbaijan did not address key
recommendations to bring its electoral legislation into line with
OSCE/ODIHR.

Based on those observations EU calls on Azerbaijan to ensure
effective implementation of obligations, continue implementation
of the human rights action plan adopted in December 2011, bring
electoral legislation into line with OSCE/ODIHR recommendations and
ensure effective implementation before the forthcoming municipal and
parliamentary elections.

EU as well emphasized the need to reform the judiciary system and
defamation with the aim of decriminalizing libel. The report underlines
the importance of efforts to investigate cases of harassment and
murder of journalists and activists. The recommendations concerning
the field of economy relate to its diversification, provision of
market transparency, competition and favorable investment conditions.

EU calls on Azerbaijan to ensure unimpeded access for representatives
of the EU to Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions in support of
conflict transformation activities in full complementarity with the
efforts of the Minsk Group.

The need to intensify steps towards a peaceful settlement on the
basis of Madrid principles is emphasized.

“The EU calls to refrain from actions and statements that could
heighten tension and undermine the peace process,” it is stated in
the report.

From: Baghdasarian

World Socialist Web Site
March 29 2014

Ukraine conflict exacerbates tensions in the Caucasus

By Clara Weiss
29 March 2014

The Ukraine conflict is exacerbating the already tense situation in
the Caucasus. Following the US and European Union-backed coup in Kiev,
moves are now underway to speed up the inclusion of Georgia and
Moldova into the EU and NATO, and strengthen ties with Azerbaijan.
Both Georgia and Azerbaijan have lined up behind the imperialist
powers and the right-wing government in Kiev in their campaign against
Russia.

The Caucasus has been a renewed focal point of imperialist interests
since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and subsequent independence
of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. The region provides access to the
Caspian Basin–one of the largest energy reserves in the world–and
serves as a bridge between Europe and Central Asia.

Following the US-funded “Rose Revolution” in 2003, Georgia has emerged
as the main partner of the US and the EU in the Caucasus. In 2008,
Georgia conducted a war against Russia in an abortive bid to regain
control over South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The two regions remain under
Russian control and tensions between Russia and Georgia have
intensified enormously.

At the end of February, Georgian President Irakli Garibashvili met
with US President Barack Obama in Washington and urged the United
States to accelerate the integration of the post-Soviet states into
NATO and the EU. In particular, he called for NATO to accept Georgia
earlier than previously planned. Garibashvili described the
independence referendum in the Crimea as “illegal”.

NATO had originally promised Georgia membership in 2008, but allowed
the date to pass after its confrontation with Russia. The admission of
Georgia into NATO would be an open provocation and threat of war
against Russia.

Both Georgia and Moldova, which also has territorial disputes with
Russia due to the secession of Transnistria, are also on the verge of
concluding an Association Agreement with the European Union. Its
signing has been brought forward for a second time, and will now take
place in June.

Western propaganda frequently claims that after Crimea, Georgia could
be Russia’s “next target”. In fact, there is a real risk that Georgia
could provoke a war with Russia as it did in 2008. With its open
support for the coup in Kiev, the Georgian government has left no
doubt as to its willingness to once again provide a casus belli.

After Georgia, Azerbaijan is the second most important US ally in the
Caucasus–not only against Russia but also against Iran. The
Azerbaijani media is openly discussing direct military confrontation
between the imperialist powers and Russia and a possible territorial
breakup of Russia. The right-wing opposition Musavat party, which is
pushing for an even stronger orientation to the West, vigorously
supported the Kiev protests.

Following weeks of silence, the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
addressed the crisis in Ukraine for the first time on 20 March, a few
days after Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Without naming Russia, he
declared that the “territorial integrity of a country” could not be
“changed without its consent,” thereby echoing the political line of
Washington and Brussels.

The Internet newspaper Eurasianet quoted a senior Azerbaijani Foreign
Ministry official, who stated that Baku could break all relations with
Crimea: “There is still no decision made, but I expect it”, he said.

In the war between Georgia and Russia in the summer of 2008, Baku
refrained from taking sides. The integration of Azerbaijan into the
preparations for war against Iran, however, has served to intensify
tensions with Moscow in recent years. At the end of December 2012 the
government in Baku forced Russia to abandon its radar station in
Azerbaijan by demonstratively increasing the rent from 7 to 300
million dollars per year. The station was originally planned as the
starting point for a joint missile defense project between Russia and
Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan is becoming increasingly important to the strategy of US
imperialism following the war preparations against Iran and attempts
to re-route energy supplies from the post-Soviet region to Europe,
bypassing Russia. On 18 March the American ambassador in Baku, Richard
Morningstar, stated that the crisis in Ukraine made relations between
Azerbaijan and the US and the EU even more important.

George Friedman of the Stratfor Information Service, which has close
links to US intelligence agencies, proposes forming an alliance of
states, stretching from Estonia across Poland and Romania to
Azerbaijan in order to “to engage and confront Russia” These states
should build up their armed forces in a massive fashion and receive US
military training, Friedman states.

“A failure to engage at this point would cause the countries around
Russia’s periphery, from Estonia to Azerbaijan, to conclude that with
the United States withdrawn and Europe fragmented, they must reach an
accommodation with Russia” Friedman writes. “This will expand Russian
power and open the door to Russian influence spreading on the European
Peninsula itself. The United States has fought three wars (World War
I, World War II and the Cold War) to prevent hegemonic domination of
the region. Failure to engage would be a reversal of a century-old
strategy.”

In a document from December 2013, “Azerbaijan’s security and U.S.
interests: time for a reassessment”, Stephen Blank, who works for the
United States Army War College, and various Washington think tanks,
stresses that Azerbaijan is a key country in the region.

He quoted former US National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, who
wrote in the 1990s: “Azerbaijan can be described as the vitally
important “cork” controlling access to the ‘bottle’ that contains the
riches of the Caspian Sea basin and Central Asia. An independent,
Turkic-speaking Azerbaijan, with pipelines running from it to the
ethnically related and politically supportive Turkey, would prevent
Russia from exercising a monopoly on access to the region and would
thus also deprive Russia of decisive political leverage over the
policies of the new Central Asian states.”

Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey form an important corridor for the
transportation of oil and gas from the Caspian region to the West,
bypassing Russia. A number of pipelines are already up and running.
The Trans-Anatolian pipeline (TANAP) is due to be completed in 2018
and is expected to deliver up to 30 billion cubic meters of gas from
Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz field in the Balkans.

TANAP could also supply Ukraine, which struck a deal with Baku in
November 2013 to form a joint consortium for the construction of the
pipeline. Ukraine is heavily dependent on Russian gas supplies and has
tried for years to lessen its dependency by promoting shale gas,
liquefied natural gas imports and finding other energy suppliers.

Since the beginning of the TANAP project Azerbaijan has expanded its
economic relations with a number of other Eastern European countries.
On 18 March, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said that the
Ukraine crisis could transform TANAP into the key pipeline project in
the region.

The ruling elites in Azerbaijan, however, are divided on the question
of how far they should seek confrontation with Russia, fearing a
resurgence of the war over Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict between
Armenia and Azerbaijan over the small mountain region of
Nagorno-Karabakh resulted in around 25,000 fatalities between 1988 and
1994. A million were made homeless, and many have still found no
permanent place to live. Since then there have been repeated border
conflicts.

Tensions have increased in recent months with many observers fearing a
new outbreak of war. Armenia has close political and military links
with Russia, while Azerbaijan has close relations with NATO member
Turkey.

The confrontation between Russia and the imperialist powers in Ukraine
has served to further exacerbate the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia is the only Caucasian country to back Russia. So far, peace
negotiations have been carried out by the so-called Minsk Peace group
led by Russia, the US and France. Given the sanctions imposed by the
West against Russia and a possible escalation of the conflict,
however, it is unlikely that this fragile framework will be able to
stabilize the situation.

Decades of Stalinist rule, the destruction of the Soviet Union and the
restoration of capitalism have transformed the entire region into a
powder keg that could explode at any time. As was the case in
Yugoslavia, the imperialist powers are exploiting national and ethnic
tensions in Russia and the entire post-Soviet sphere to prepare
military action aimed at imposing their control over the vast
resources of the region.

From: Baghdasarian

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Mach 29 2014

Armenia’s Heritage party slams government’s position on Crimea

29 March 2014 – 2:08pm

During its rally held on March 28 Armenia’s Heritage party condemned
the Armenian government’s official position on the Crimean crisis.
Armenia recently voted against the UN resolution calling for the
territorial integrity of Ukraine.

According to the party’s leader, Raffi Ovaninnisyan, Armenia “could
have at least abstain from voting.”

From: Baghdasarian

Armenian Assembly of America News
1334 G Street, N.W., Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20005
Tel: (202) 393-3434
Fax: (202) 638-4904
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

U.S. State Department “Deeply Troubled” by Attacks Against Armenians
in Kessab, Syria

March 29, 2014
By Taniel Koushakjian

Yesterday, Marie Harf, Deputy Spokesperson at the U.S. Department of
State, made the following statement during the daily press briefing:

We are deeply troubled by recent fighting and violence that is
endangering the Armenian community in Kessab, Syria, and has forced
many to flee. There are far too many innocent civilians suffering as
a result of the war. All civilians, as well as their places of
worship, must be protected. As we have said throughout this conflict,
we deplore continued threats against Christians and other minorities
in Syria. And as you may have seen from the readout of President
Obama’s conversation with Pope Francis yesterday, they discussed among
other things the plight of minorities, especially Christians, inside
Syria today.

We have seen some statements by groups fighting in Kessab saying they
will not target civilians and will respect minorities and holy places.
We expect those commitments to be upheld. The United States will
continue its steadfast support to those affected by violence in Syria
and throughout the region, including Syrian Armenians. We have long
had concerns about the threat posed by violent extremists, and this
latest threat to the Armenian community in Syria only underscores this
further.

The statement comes after reports of Islamic extremists entering Syria
from Turkey laying siege to the predominantly Christian Armenian city
of Kessab, near the coastal city of Latakia in northeastern
Syria. Over 650 Armenian families have fled the city, with Armenian
homes, businesses and religious sanctuaries being overrun and looted,
according to the reports.

On Thursday, the Armenian Assembly of America’s executive director,
Bryan Ardouny, and Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Diocesan Legate of the
Armenian Church of America (Eastern),met with officials at the
U.S. Department of State. The meeting came just days after the
Assembly sent a pointed letter to President Barack Obama urging him to
take steps to safeguard the Armenians of Kessab. On Wednesday, the
Assembly publicly condemned the assault on Kessab and remains alarmed
at reports that Al-Qaeda affiliated Islamic extremists crossed into
Syria via NATO ally Turkey, resulting in the displacement of 2,000
people and the confiscation and looting of Armenian homes, businesses
and religious sanctuaries.

Also, this week the Turkish government blocked access to Twitter and
YouTube just days before the March 30th local elections that are
largely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Erdogan and his ruling
AKP party. Erdogan vowed to `eradicate Twitter’ at a recent campaign
rally. Anti-government protests have plagued Turkey since the last
summer’s Gezi Park protests that erupted after the Turkish government
announced plans to demolish a park in the city center in order to
construct a shopping mall. In recent months, allegations surrounding a
government graft probe, and the subsequent dismissal of officials
carrying out the probe by AKP party elite, has led to a wide spread
revolt against the increasingly autocratic Prime Minister Erdogan
throughout the country of 74 Million people.

According to the most recent leaked audio tape on YouTube that led to
the government censorship, senior Turkish government officials were
planning a provocative event inside Syria in order to justify Turkish
military intervention. It is currently unknown if the assault on
Kessab is related to the recent downing of a Syrian fighter jet, which
occurred hours before the terrorist siege on Kessab, Turkish
government plans for Syria, and the upcoming Turkish elections.

Below is the full exchange of Ms. Harf yesterday with a reporter on
the issue of the Syrian Armenians:

QUESTION: Yes. Regarding this statement that you made about the Syrian
Armenians?

MS. HARF: Mm-hmm.

QUESTION: I was just wondering if you have anything – update about the
situation, or just – is this a past tense? Is something happened, or
it’s – I think it’s the ongoing – I mean –

MS. HARF: It’s an ongoing issue, certainly, that we’re concerned
about.

QUESTION: And then how you –

MS. HARF: But there – as I noted in my statement, though, there has
been some recent fighting and an increase in violence, which is why we
wanted to note it specifically today.

QUESTION: So are there – because there are some news reports from
different sides regarding this issue for – either from the Armenians
or from the Turks and from the Syrians in the same time. Are you
following this story – I mean, this case? Are –

MS. HARF: Well, we are – I don’t know if you’re referring to a
specific case – we’re certainly following the situation for Armenians
inside Syria for all minorities, including Christians, and know that
violent extremists such as ISIL have targeted them, among many people,
but we’re particularly concerned about these minority communities and
want to make sure that their rights are protected.

QUESTION: Beside being concerned – because let me be specific about
=80` are you in touch with any of the governments, including the
Turkey =80` Turkish Government or other UN organization to figure out
exactly =80` because it’s – some of – there is a deportation of people
taking place in the last week, which is, like, starting from last week
till now. Are these – anything is going on in that regard?

MS. HARF: I can check and see who we’re talking to. Obviously, we talk
to a host of countries in the region, Turkey and others, about a wide
range of issues, but I can check on that specifically.

QUESTION: So you don’t have any – your – what you have is just, like,
observation of what’s going on, or you have information?

MS. HARF: Well, I think we have both, right. We’ve seen reports, as I
said – recent fighting, violence against the Syrian Armenian
communities. We see the reports coming out of there. Obviously, we
talk – we try to get as much information from the ground as possible,
as we do in all places in Syria, but it’s hard to get. But clearly,
there have been some very troubling trends lately.

QUESTION: Because according to some reports, that those people were
Jabhat al-Nusrah people – I’m not sure if you mentioned them in the
statement or not.

MS. HARF: Well, I was – what I’m talking about is extremist groups
like ISIL attacking innocent civilians – in this case, the Syrian
Armenian community, a minority community, as they have with other
minority communities, Christian communities, and others inside
Syria. So this is =80` what I’m talking about is those kinds of
attacks. I know there are a lot of dynamics broadly here in the Syrian
conflict, but I was speaking to one specific dynamic.

QUESTION: There is another thing which is written about this. When you
mentioned the President and he raised the issue with the Pope or the
Pope raised it with –

MS. HARF: They discussed it, mm-hmm.

QUESTION: – him, the issue, maybe I’m not – to be more accurate – is –
this issue is raised with the Syrian opposition people? Because it’s
like sometimes they don’t =80` according to what I heard last week
from the Ambassador Ford that, definitely, they are usually avoiding
to condemn publicly what’s going on by Islamic groups or a Jihadist
group in Syria.

MS. HARF: Well, let’s be clear when we’re talking about the
opposition, to be very clear that what – the violence I’m talking
about is being perpetrated by groups like ISIL, so not the moderate
opposition, not the folks we work with repeatedly and consistently on
things inside Syria. I think that the opposition has been very clear
in condemning extremism and saying they will fight extremism inside
Syria and that that’s something they’re committed to,
absolutely. They’ve said that for many, many months.

QUESTION: Thank you.

MS. HARF: Yes.

QUESTION: On Syria?

MS. HARF: Okay.

QUESTION: According to reports in Turkey, the Foreign Minister
Mr. Davutoglu planned a provocative act inside Syria so Turkey has the
excuse to invade Syria. Do you want to comment on this?

MS. HARF: Are you referring to an alleged phone conversation?

QUESTION: Yes.

MS. HARF: As I said yesterday, I don’t have anything for you on
alleged calls or conversations that are out there among Turkish
officials.

QUESTION: Yeah, but Mr. Davutoglu –

MS. HARF: It’s not for me to comment.

QUESTION: But Mr. Davutoglu said that the tape is genuine.

MS. HARF: Again, not for me to comment on those allegations that are
out there. Yes, in the back.

—-
The entire transcript of yesterdays U.S. Department of State daily
press briefing is available here.

From: Baghdasarian

TURQUIE
Turquie : le blocage de Twitter bientôt levé

Le président turc Abdullah Gül a déclaré lundi que le blocage de
Twitter, qui a suscité des critiques en Turquie et sur le plan
international, serait prochainement levé.

“Il n’est pas légalement possible de fermer Internet et de tels sites”
comme Twitter, a dit Gül avant son départ pour les Pays-Bas où se
tient à partir de lundi une conférence internationale sur la sécurité
nucléaire. “Je pense que le problème sera réglé bientôt”, a-t-il
assuré. “C’est évidemment une situation déplaisante pour un pays
développé comme la Turquie qui est un acteur régional de poids, et en
négociations avec l’Union européenne. Pour cette raison, ce problème
sera surmonté rapidement”, a-t-il ajouté.

Le président a également confirmé que le site de microblogging Twitter
avait engagé un avocat en Turquie pour négocier avec les autorités.
“Twitter n’avait pas de représentants en Turquie. Il devrait y avoir
de bons circuits de communication avec de pareils …. géants. Ils ont
à présent un avocat qui travaille pour eux ici”, a-t-il encore
déclaré.

Abdullah Gül, qui est un utilisateur régulier des réseaux sociaux, a
dénoncé vendredi sur son compte Twitter le blocage la veille de ce
réseau social par le gouvernement islamo-conservateur du premier
ministre Recep Tayyip Erdogan, éclaboussé par un scandale de
corruption. Le président turc est le plus haut responsable à s’être
insurgé contre cette mesure.

samedi 29 mars 2014,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

2/3 of Armenia exports are sent to CU countries – Premier

March 29, 2014 | 14:03

YEREVAN. – Two-thirds of Armenia’s exports are sent to the Customs
Union (CU) countries.

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan stated the abovementioned at Saturday’s
Second Economic Forum–titled “Armenia-Customs Union: Opportunities and
Challenges”–of the ruling Republican Party.

Hence, according to the PM, the facilitation–within the framework of
the CU integration–of the procedure for the transferring of goods is
very important for business.

As per Sargsyan, the industrial culture and the amount of the added
value of the products in the CU member countries are similar with the
level in Armenia; this means that working in the Russian, Belarusian,
and Kazakh markets will be much easier, the premier added.

According to the Prime Minister of Armenia, the technical regulations
are being coordinated, too, and therefore the goods manufactured with
national standards can be exported to the Single Customs Union
territory without additional conditions.

Following the talks that were held on September 3, 2013 in Moscow
between Armenian and Russian Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Vladimir
Putin, Sargsyan had announced that Armenia plans to join the Customs
Union and subsequently engage in the formation of the Eurasian
Economic Union. In December 2013, the “road map” for Armenia’s
accession to the Customs Union was adopted. And in January of this
year, the Government of Armenia approved the action plan for the
implementation of this “road map.” The formal joining is expected in
May. Aside from Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan likewise are members in
the Customs Union.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

From: Baghdasarian

West’s sanctions against Russia not to affect Customs Union
integration – official

March 29, 2014 | 18:18

YEREVAN. – West’s sanctions against Russia cannot affect integration
within Customs Union, Russian Minister said.

“It is not the topic we have to think about now. We should think about
deepening of relations with our partners. We are interested in
economically stable world. But, we want to create integration unions
where all participants will lay down the rules not being uninvited
guests,” Tatyana Valovaya said during a briefing in Yerevan.

Russian official said they believe Customs Union, and in the future
Eurasian Economic Space, will be a good example of such mutually
beneficial cooperation.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

From: Baghdasarian

Armenian, Azerbaijani FMs to meet in Moscow in early April

14:03 29.03.2014

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the
Russian Federation, Jacques Faure of France, and James Warlick of the
United States of America) met separately with President Serzh Sargsian
of Armenia and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan in The Hague on
March 23-24. The Personal Representative of the Chairman in Office,
Andrzej Kasprzyk, also attended the meetings.

The Co-Chairs informed the Presidents of the work done with the
Foreign Ministers on the issues raised during the summit meeting in
November. They emphasized the need to avoid violence on the border
and the Line of Contact, and encouraged the sides to refrain from
inflammatory rhetoric that could increase tensions in the region.

The Foreign Ministers agreed to meet in Moscow in early April in
preparation for a meeting of the Presidents in the near future.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIE
Edouard Nalbandian : Erevan prendre les mesures nécessaires pour aider
les Arméniens de Kessab

Les envoyés arméniens prennent les mesures nécessaires pour remédier à
la situation des Arméniens de Kessab en Syrie a déclaré le ministre
des Affaires étrangères, Edouard Nalbandian, au parlement.

Lors d’une séance de questions-réponses, il a rappelé que le président
Serge Sarkissian a chargé les organes gouvernementaux concernés à
faire de leur mieux pour fournir une assistance à la population
arménienne de Kessab, une ville dans le nord-ouest de la Syrie, qui a
récemment été attaqué par des militants islamistes pénétrant à partir
du territoire de la Turquie.

>, a déclaré Edouard Nalbandian.

> a-t-il ajouté.

Une délégation parlementaire arménienne de six membres est
actuellement en visite en Syrie afin de se familiariser avec la
situation sur le terrain. Edouard Nalbandian a déclaré qu’ils avaient
l’intention de retourner à Damas plus tard après une visite à
Lattaquié.

> a conclu le ministre arménien des
Affaires étrangères.

samedi 29 mars 2014,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIE
L’Arménie prolonge encore de 10 ans l’activité de la centrale
nucléaire de Medzamor

Faute des investissements nécessaires au financement de la
construction d’une nouvelle centrale nucléaire, et en l’absence de
sources d’énergie alternatives, l’Arménie devra encore compter sur la
centrale nucléaire de Medzamor, datant de l’ère soviétique, dont
l’arrêt a été maintes fois annoncée et toujours repoussé. Alors que la
centrale aurait dû cesser de fonctionner dans un proche avenir,
conformément aux exigences de l’Union européenne notamment, les
autorités arméniennes ont décidé de repousser encore une fois
l’échéance, en accordant à la centrale de Medzamor dix années de vie
supplémentaire. La centrale, située à une trentaine de kilomètres à
l’ouest de Erevan, devait cesser ces activités en 2016, mais
l’économie arménienne ne peut se passer d’un réacteur qui fournit près
de 60 % de l’électricité du pays. La centrale avait été fermée une
première fois en 1989, au lendemain du séisme du 7 décembre 1988 qui
avait dévasté le nord-ouest de l’Arménie sans toucher la centrale,
mais les autorités de l’Arménie indépendante avaient dû se résiggner à
la remettre en activité dans les années 1990, pour faire face à la
grave crise énergétique qui frappait le pays. Différentes mesures ont
été néanmoins prises pour garantir la sûreté maximale du réacteur, et
récemment, une équipe d’experts de l’AIEA, après l’avoir inspecté,
avait estimé que la centrale de Medzamor ne présentait pas de risque.
La décision de repousser le fonctionnement de la centrale jusqu’en
2026 a été approuvée par le gouvernement lors du conseil des ministres
du jeudi 27 mars. Le ministre de l’énergie et des resources naturelles
Armen Movsisian a expliqué que la mesure était justifiée par les
délais requis pour construction du nouveau réacteur nucléaire dont
l’Arménie entend se doter. Par ailleurs, le ministre a souligné que
l’Arménie poursuivait ses efforts en ce sens. M. Movsisian a mis en
avant le contexte de crise économique mondiale et certains “processus
géopolitiques” pour expliquer les diifficultés de l’Arménie à obtenir
les investissements nécessaires à la construction d’une telle
centrale. Le gouvernement arménien en appelle depuis des années à des
investisseurs pour ce projet très ambitieux, dont le coût est estimé à
plusieurs milliards de dollars. S’exprimant lors de la reunion du
conseil des ministres, M. Movsisian a indiqué que l’Arménie espérait
pouvoir se doter d’un nouveau réacteur nucléaire d’ici 15 ans. Il a
ajouté que le projet pourraitr être mis en oeuvre par la compagnie
russe Rosatom. La décision de prolonger de 10 ans l’acticité de
Medzamor intervient aussi au lendemain de la réunion internationale de
La Haye sur la sécurité nucléaire à laquelle participait le président
arménien Serge Sarkissian. Mais le sujet de la centrare arménienne
n’était pas à l’ordre du jour de ce sommet consacré à des questions de
sécurité nucléaire, liée à la prolifération et au terrorisme, et non
de sûreté nucléaire.

samedi 29 mars 2014,
Gari (c)armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian