Author: Boshkezenian Garik

ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER T. SARGSYAN PARTICIPATES IN THE SESSION OF THE BUREAU OF THE GROUP OF THE EUROPEAN PEOPLE’S PARTY

ARMENPRESS
MAY 7,2010
KARLOVY VARY

The session of the bureau of the Group of the European People’s Party
(EPP Group) kicked off yesterday in Czech town of Karlovy Vary with
participation of Armenian Prime Minister, member of the Council of
the Republican Party of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan. The core issues of
the discussion at the session are the challenges and prospects of
the Eastern Partnership, the 2002 strategy of Europe, the fighting
against crime, and creation of working places. The session under the
heading of "Eastern Partnership: the Challenges and Prospects of the
European Continent" will be summoned after the opening speeches.

The board of the European People’s Party, high-ranking officials from
the European countries and particularly from Czechia, participate in
the gathering.

Head of the EPP Group Joseph Daul welcomed the participation of
Tigran Sargsyan and pointed out that the EPP Group stands up for
cooperation with the Eastern partners, which is based not only on
business contacts but on democracy, freedom, strengthening of law
supremacy, interaction of the spheres of education and culture as well.

The speeches of Cyril Svoboda, chairman of the Czech
Christian-Democratic Party, and of Armenian Prime Minister T. Sargsyan
are intended, which will be followed by discussions. Gunar Hokmark,
vice-chairman of the EPP Group in the European parliament, responsible
authority of EU expansion and neighborhood policy affairs, will
deliver a closing speech.

Chairman of the European parliament Jerzy Buzek will take part in
the discussions. Even in this period of the global economic crisis
an importance is attached to maintenance of partner relations with
everyone, which shares the common merits of human rights, law supremacy
and democracy, which are laid in the basis of the European Union.

The European People’s Party is the largest one in Europe, it has
been established in 1 976, the central office is in Brussels. The EPP
is defined as center-right party. It is quite an influential power,
and 72 parties of 39 countries are affiliated with it.

Within the frameworks of the visit Prime Minister T. Sargsyan will
meet in Prague with his Czech counterpart Yan Fischer.

ARF CONFERENCE KICKS OFF IN YEREVAN
Anna Nazaryan

"Radiolur"
07.05.2010 18:45

The conference of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun,
featuring representatives of Armenian National Committees, kicked
off in Yerevan today. The forum will continue for three days and will
end in Nagorno Karabakh.

In his opening address, ARF Bureau member Levon Lazarian noted that
"the conference is aimed at unifying the Armenian nation within the
country, as well as in Karabakh and Diaspora for the settlement of
national problems." "This does not mean we seek war or extremism,
we simply wish to solve national problems in compliance with our
national interests," Levon Lazarian said.

"The dynamically changing geopolitical situation in the region incites
new challenges entailing the following question: how many independent
states will be in the South Caucasus, (3 states, 3+1, 3+2 or 3+3),"
chairman of the ARF Supreme Council and the Head of the Standing
Committee on Foreign Relations Armen Rustamyan said.

Turkey is aspiring to play a greater role in the region, Armen
Rustamyan said, adding that "if Turkey gets involved in regional
developments, Iran should also be given the chance to maintain the
balance."

According to Armen Rustamyan, Armenia is in isolation today, but
the process of coming out of this isolation and the establishment of
the Armenian-Turkish relations should not be realized at the cost of
national interests.

CYPRIOT AND ARMENIAN PEOPLES HAVE BEEN TIED WITH BONDS OF FRIENDSHIP FOR CENTURIES

Armradio.am
06.05.2010 19:15

On May 6 Armenian Ambassador Gagik Ghalachyan presented his
creadentials to the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Demetris
Christofias.

"The Cypriot and Armenian peoples have been tied with bonds of
friendship for long centuries now while they have also shared similar
destinies throughout history," the Ambassador said.

"In the aftermath of the Genocide of Armenians perpetrated in the
Ottoman Empire at the dawn of the previous century many Armenians,
having lost their historic motherland, found refuge and second home
in Cyprus. It was only recently that the sad 95th anniversary of that
great tragedy was marked worldwide, also in the Republic of Cyprus,
once again voicing that justice is yet to be served, and the crime is
yet to be acknowledged. We know that the friendly Cypriot people have
similar sentiments and resentments, with their homeland still divided,
their rights still trampled," Ambassador Ghalachyan stated.

The interlocutors exchanged views on the ways of further deepening
of bilateral relations, urgent international and regional issues.

President Christofias said that "as EU member state Cyprus is very
close to Armenia, both in political and geographic terms, and we will
continue to do our utmost to strengthen the EU- Armenia relations in
all areas."

"In this respect, let me express our support to the efforts undertaken
by President Sargsyan to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within
the OSCE Minsk Group process, without the use of force but through
negotiations based on the principles and norms of international law.

Allow me to also refer to the agreement between Armenia and Turkey
to advance the process of normalization of relations that currently
is experiencing a stalemate due to the fact that Turkey has not
proceeded with steps to ratify the Protocols. In this difficult turn
we commend President Sargsyan’s declared commitment to the vision of
peace, stability and reconciliation. In this way, Turkey would be
taking a step of political goodwill, that could hopefully serve as
a precedent for Ankara to recognize the Republic of Cyprus and abide
with international and European law," the President of Cyprus stated.

Mr. Christofias requested the Ambassador to convey to President
Sargsyan, as well as to the brotherly people of Armenia his warmest
greetings and a message of sincere friendship and solidarity. He
took the opportunity to renew an invitation to President Sargsyan to
visit Cyprus.

"KARABAKH PEOPLE’S POSITION IS OF A PRIMARY IMPORTANCE"

Aysor
May 6 2010
Armenia

Head of Media Relations Division of RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Tigran Balayan by the request of one of the Medias has commented
on the statements of Baku concerning the absence of the position of
Armenia as well as exceeding of some time limits, which as if Armenia
asked for the normalization process of the Karabakh issue.

The press, information and public relations department informs that
the answer runs as follows: "The position of the people of Nagorno
Karabakh expressed at the 1991 referendum is of primary importance in
the settlement of the conflict. Armenia has always supported and will
continue supporting this position. Azerbaijan is only losing time:
sooner or later it will have to reckon with the will of the people
of Nagorno Karabakh.

Not finding understanding of its destructive position in the
negotiation process, some Azerbaijani officials think of nothing
better than showing off in front of their own people through endless
chain of falsifications and sabre-rattling."

U.S POLITICAL ANALYST: WEST’S DOUBLE STANDARDS IN SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT CHANGE AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN POLICY

Trend
May 6 2010
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani leadership fundamentally changed foreign policy
in connection with the double standards of the West in the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, U.S political analyst, journalist,
expert on South Caucasus Samson Katzman said in his report at an
international conference in Tel Aviv on the theme "Asia: the media
and regional conflicts".

"Despite this, under the influence of Armenian lobby, mostly in
the U.S., some leaders of this country, as well as their friends
continue to put pressure on Azerbaijan and Turkey. It is seriously
hampering the normalization of the process and at the same time leads
to the emergence of new hotbeds of conflict. The obvious example is
Georgia", Katzman said, the Azerbaijani State Committee on work with
the Diaspora said.

Politicians, journalists and public figures from the U.S., Germany,
Russia and Ukraine participate in the conference. Organizers are
the Azerbaijani State Committee on work with the Diaspora and
the International Association Azerbaijan-Israel. Chairman of the
committee Nazim Ibrahimov and representatives of the Azerbaijani
media participate in the event.

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 7 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 the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s resolutions
on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the occupied
territories.

COMPARING AOUN AND MURR
Hazem al-Amin

NowLebanon
ArticleDetails.aspx?ID=165748
May 4 2010
Lebanon

The two men are of a different influence and mood, not to mention
the lack of cordiality and chemistry between them. However, one can
identify many similarities between their positions and what they
represent. The men in question are General Michel Aoun and MP Michel
al-Murr. One should not rush to deny such an assumption, which is
bound to draw denial… Indeed, a huge distance separates the two men
from one another, but this hypothesis is certainly tempting even if
promoting it requires a fair dose of imagination and adventure.

The two men hail from Christian social backgrounds that look anything
but similar. However, these backgrounds have granted those hailing
from them convergent views regarding their social, political and
sectarian relation with the Metn.

The relation with Armenian voters, important though it is in this
context, is not the only element that is shared by Michel Aoun
and Michel al-Murr. In fact, this relation bears witness to their
troubled positions in their respective religious communities and to the
drive toward an internal clash with the Armenian community. It also
represents an attempt to gain control of the Armenian community from
outside regardless of its particularity and its traditional position.

Murr’s Greek Orthodox identity may have weakened his "Maronite"
ambitions in the Metn, but he made up for it by his presence in the
state institutions. For decades, he used a vast network of relations,
which extended beyond Lebanon’s borders, to build himself a leadership
of an ambiguous sectarian and party identity in the northern Metn.

In contrast, Michel Aoun is nowadays trying – and has somewhat
succeeded in his endeavor – to bridge the gap with the Christian
public by using similar methods. He thus countered the receding
Christian support for him by tapping into Armenian votes in the Metn,
and Shia ones in Baabda and Jbeil. Today, he is trying to bolster his
status in the equation by being represented in state institutions,
including ministries and various departments, to make up for his weak
presence among the Christian masses.

If the weakness of the relation with their respective religious
communities is due to a willful decision to steer away from such a
sectarian structure, then this would be a good sign in Lebanon.

However, this is not the case for Aoun and his Metn rival, Michel
al-Murr, for they have preserved the Christian aspect in their
daily social output while striking bargains regarding the political
content of their respective messages. Both want to control the share
of Christians in the state in return for relinquishing this share
when it comes to the true meaning and function of the state.

Taking the comparison to other levels, other similarities can be
pointed out. Let us, for instance, imagine a televised interview
with Aounist MP Nabil Nicolas. Do his presence and statements not
give the impression that his "Aounism" is inspired by a chronic
"Murr-ism" that is deeply set in his mind and etched on his face? Is
MP Ghassan Mokheiber’s "realism" – which, for the past ten years,
has characterized this politician coming from the purity of the
academic milieu – not an example of the political culture shared by
Aoun and Murr?

We live today in a time of settlements and consensuses, and Michel
al-Murr is a symbol – or at least one of the symbols – of this period.

This article is a translation of the original, which was published
on the NOW Arabic site on Friday April 30, 2010

ELINA DANIELYAN LEFT AT THE BACK

Panorama.am
05/05/2010

FIDE Women’s Grand Prix is currently led by Russian Tatyana
Kosintseva. Russian chess player scored 6,5 points from possible 8
ones leaving behind her four rivals – Chinese Hou Yifan, Swedish Pia
Cramling, Georgian Nana Dzagnidze and Qatari Zhu Chen.

Lilit Lazarian-Baira Kovanova set ended with Armenian chess player’s
defeat. Another Armenian chess Elina Danielyan managed to end her
set in draw though she is still left at the back of the ranking table.

8th round Results Yildiz – Kosintseva 1/2 Koneru – Cramling 1/2
Dzagnidze – Hou Yifan 1:0 Munguntuul – Zhao Xue 0:1 Kovanova –
Mkrtchian 0:1 Zhu Chen – Danielian 1/2

Standing 1. Kosintseva, Tatiana 6½ 2. Dzagnidze, Nana 5 3. Hou
Yifan 5 4. Zhu Chen 5 5. Cramling, Pia 5 6. Mkrtchian, Lilit
4 7. Koneru, Humpy 4 8. Zhao Xue 3½ 9. Munguntuul, Batkhuyag 3
10. Kovanova, Baira 3 11. Yildiz, Betul Cemre 2½

RICHARD GIRAGOSIAN : L’ARMENIE JOUE AUX ECHECS, TANDIS QUE LA TURQUIE FAIT UN SHOW
Stephane

armenews
5 mai 2010
ARMENIE

"L’Armenie joue aux echecs, tandis que la Turquie fait un show "a
declare le Directeur du Centre armenien pour des Etudes Nationales
et Internationales Richard Giragosian lors d’une conference de presse.

" Dans les echecs il y a un gagnant et nous pouvons gagner. Dans le
theâtre il n’y a aucun gagnant. C’est ou bien un bon divertissement
ou bien un mauvais. Et nous jouons bien aux echecs " a-t-il dit.

Selon Giragosian, l’Armenie a eu deux victoires strategiques
dans le processus armeno-turc. " L’une est les relations entre
l’Azerbaïdjan et la Turquie. Le concept d’une nation deux etats est
mort. La deuxième victoire strategique regarde le Nagorno Karabakh,
où meme les Americains et les Russes disent a la Turquie " non. " Le
Karabakh n’est pas directement lie avec les relations armeno-turques
" a-t-il il affirme.

" La meilleure option pour l’Armenie est de demontrer de la dexterite
politique et de ratifier les protocoles maintenant ce qui augmentera
les pressions sur la Turquie. Pour moi c’est la bonne politique "
a dit Richard Giragosian.

" La rencontre Sarkissian-Erdogan a Washington etait le premier
pas, pas le dernier. Nous pouvons attendre la seconde reunion
Sarkissian-Erdogan fin mai ou au debut de juin a Moscou " a dit Richard
Giragosian qui a explique que la reunion pourrait devenir possible
grâce a la prochaine visite du President russe Dmitry Medvedev en
Turquie en mai.

Il est convaincu que la Russie continue a jouer un rôle actif dans
le processus Armenie-Turquie. " La chose interessante est, cependant,
que la Russie et les Etats-Unis reconnaîssent que le Nagorno-Karabakh
ne peut plus etre une condition prealable " a dit l’analyste.

CHINESE, ARMENIAN LEADERS DISCUSS CHINA’S PARTICIPATION IN ARMENIA-IRANIAN RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION

Trend
May 3 2010
Azerbaijan

Chinese leader Hu Jintao and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
has discussed China’s participation in a construction of a railway
between Armenia and Iran, Armenian state’s press-service said Sunday,
RIA Novosti reported.

Last year the Armenian and Iranian transport ministers signed an
agreement to build a railway linking Armenia with Iran’s Persian Gulf
ports. The construction of the 470-kilometer long railway, with 410
kilometers passing through Armenian territory, is expected to last
for at least five years and to cost $1.5-$1.8 billion.

"Sargsyan said that a development of the relations with China is
a priority of Yerevan foreign policy, and noted that bilateral
relations do already have a good dynamic of their development,"
the statement said.

The sides also noted with satisfaction the successful implementation
of various joint projects in energy, chemical industry, agriculture,
science and technology, defense, culture and education, stressing
that an exploitation of the Shanxi-Nairit joint Armenian-Chinese
chloroprene rubber production plant is an important evidence of the
development of Armenian-Chinese economic cooperation.

Last year Armenia reached an agreement with Iran on a $400 million
loan for the construction of a railway between the two countries.

An agreement on the construction of the strategic route was signed
by the Armenian transport minister, Gurgen Sargsyan and his Iranian
counterpart, Hamed Behbahani, in April 2009 in Tehran.

The construction of the 500-kilometer (310-mile) railway, with 60
kilometers (37 miles) in Iranian territory, is expected to take at
least five years and cost $1.5-$1.8 billion.

The railway, with the Armenian section connecting the northern city
of Sevan to the southern city of Meghri on the border with Iran,
will ensure the transportation of energy supplies and other goods,
and increase trade between the countries.

Landlocked Armenia has rail links with other countries only through
the territory of Georgia, which is complicated by Tbilisi’s often
fractious relations with Moscow.

Russia and Ukraine had also expressed interest in financing the
project.

THREE PARTIES MAY GET SEATS IN BREAKAWAY KARABAKH’S PARLIAMENT – ARMENIAN SURVEY

Mediamax
May 3 2010
Armenia

Yerevan, 3 May: Following parliamentary elections in the Nagornyy
Karabakh republic [NKR] due on 23 May, three political forces may be
represented [in parliament], Director of Sociometer Aharon Adibekyan
said in Yerevan today.

Referring to the data of a public survey held on 8-10 April in the
NKR, he said that the Free Homeland Party may get 39 per cent of the
electors’ votes at the elections, the Democratic Party of Artsakh 36
per cent, and [Armenian Revolutionary Federation -] Dashnaktsutyun
25 per cent.

According to Aharon Adibekyan, the turnout on election day may make
up to 57.5 per cent.

The NKR president’s work was positively assessed by 92.5 per cent
of the respondents, the work of the prime minister by 76 per cent,
and the speaker of parliament by 73.5 per cent.

The survey was held in Stepanakert [Xankandi], six regional centres
and 28 villages of Nagornyy Karabakh with the participation of
1,408 people.