Author: Chakrian Hovsep

PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN RESTATES HIS INVITATION TO GUL

Panorama.am
14:57 28/08/2008

President S.Sargsyan has reaffirmed his invitation to his Turkish
counterpart Abdula Gul for presence on September 6 Armenia-Turkey
match. In his interview to Turkish "Radikal" Sargsyan emphasized that
Gul’s visit to Armenia will certainly serve as grounds for development
of both countries’ interaction, despite the closed state borders for
15 years and absence of diplomatic relations.

"I wouldn’t make an invitation to my Turkish counterpart if I didn’t
believe in the significance of his visit. We’ve been neighbors for
centuries and have survived through many difficulties. Armenia is
in favor of development of our relations and expects the same from
Turkish side."

Questioned if he believed in successful end of secret negotiations,
Sargsyan said "I would not encourage them, if didn’t believe they
were useful for us."

"We have to make important decisions for the development of our
relations. These decisions will not be easy but I hope both Armenian
and Turkish people will encourage them," Sargsyan added.

President also emphasized that Armenia doesn’t consider Ankara’s
recognition of Armenian Genocide as precondition for the establishment
of diplomatic ties. "Every Armenian from any part of the world still
believes that the Genocide did take place, but we don’t make this an
essential condition for improvement of our relations," he added.

Note that Turkish president hasn’t decided yet if he would accept
Sargsyan’s invitation. "We still analyze the topic, we must know
if this will be useful for us or not," Abdula Gul told Turkish NTV
channel.

Telegraph.co.uk

Georgia president claims Russians are now within artillery range of Tbilisi
The Georgian president, Mikheil Saakashvili, has urged the West to take
immediate action against Moscow after accusing Russian forces of moving
their artillery to within range of the capital city Tbilisi.

By Adrian Blomfield near Akhalgori
26 Aug 2008

Just hours before Russia escalated the crisis by recognising the
independence of two separatist Georgian provinces, Mr Saakashvili said
Russian forces had advanced to the strategic Akhalgori heights 10 miles from
Tbilisi.
He warned that Georgia would respond with force if its capital was attacked
and told the West to act more forcefully against Russian aggression.
"They are trying to take the heights of Akhalgori," he told reporters at a
briefing this morning. "This is the most worrying thing at the moment. They
would be within 20km of Tbilisi.
"We are in a very precarious situation."
The president said that the West now had to act meaningfully to stop
Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, from heightening the crisis
still further.
"Some people in the West have been in denial for a long time," he said. "Now
there can be no more denial.
"The West has to show that this will cost them – really cost them. You are
dealing with bullies here and bullies do not understand the tender message."
As the crisis has unfolded, Western governments have limited themselves to
strongly-worded statements condemning Moscow’s aggression and vague threats
of limited retribution if Russia does not end its occupation of Georgian
territory.
Mr Putin has openly mocked the West’s response.
"This is the guy who thinks that statements don’t mean anything and that the
West will always blink first," the Georgian president said of Mr Putin.
The West is nonetheless likely to be extremely concerned if Russia has used
the cover of a truce brokered by the European Union to advance unchallenged
to within shelling distance of Tbilisi.
It was not possible to verify whether a Russian military buildup around
Akhalgori was underway.
The town, which technically lies within the boundaries of the breakaway
region of South Ossetia, but has been under Georgian government control
since 1992, fell to the advancing Russians earlier this month.
Bearded South Ossetian militiamen, sporting rocket launchers and fake
designer sunglasses, manned a makeshift checkpoint outside Akhalgori this
morning and refused to allow The Daily Telegraph into the town.
A fighter, who claimed to be a battalion commander and identified himself as
Anatoly, denied there had been any Russian military build up in the town.
"It is the opposite," he said. "There was a large Russian military presence
here before but now there are just Russian peacekeepers."
Asked why western reporters were being denied access to Akhalgori, Anatoly
was vague.
"Actually there is no problem with you entering but we are going to do some
events here and we don’t want any journalists," he said.
As he spoke a Russian helicopter gunship swooped low over the road above
him, heading in the direction of the nearby town.
European military monitors who attempted to gain access to Akhalgori were
also turned back by the militiamen.
A few hundred yards down the road, at a Georgian police checkpoint, officers
said that Georgian residents of the ethnically mixed town had begun to flee
the previous evening after noticing a significant troop build up.
"They saw columns of headlights moving along the track from South Ossetia
towards Akhalgori," one officer said.
The development came as two US warships headed towards the Georgian Black
Sea port of Poti, which remains ringed by Russian troops in contravention of
the terms of the truce brokered by Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president.
While ostensibly on a humanitarian mission to deliver aid supplies, the
presence of an American destroyer armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles has
enraged the Kremlin.
The Russian cruise ship the Moskva, which had been deployed off the Georgian
coastline during the five-day war, was seen leaving the Crimean naval base
of Sevastopol, headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea fleet.
Early reports indicated that the Moskva was sailing south, possibly towards
Poti – " raising the possibility of a naval face-off between the United
States and Russia for the first time since the Cold War.
Mr Saakashvili said that the only way to halt Russian aggression was by
imposing visa bans on Kremlin officials to prevent them, and their families,
from entering Europe.
"All their money is in the West," he said. "They get very upset when they
can’t go to Courchevel."
The Georgian president also claimed that Mr Putin had threatened him with a
war over the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in a telephone
conversation nearly two years ago.
According to Mr Saakashvili, the Russian leader threatened to turn Georgia
"into Northern Cyprus." When Mr Saakashvili reminded his counterpart that
Georgia had a close relationship with Nato, Mr Putin’s reaction was
allegedly one of amusement.
"He said to me: ‘Do you really think that Nato is going to come and fight us
in the Caucasus?’" Mr Saakashvili said.
The Georgian president appealed to Western countries to think carefully
about participating in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, which will be held in
Sochi, a Russian resort close to Abkhazia.
"If it takes place in these circumstances it would be a terrible thing," Mr
Saakashvili said, claiming that Abkhaz fighters had carried out "ethnic
cleansing" against Georgians just a few miles from Sochi.
"It reminds me of the 1936 Olympics. A month ago that would have seemed a
wild thing to say. Now it doesn’t."

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Aug 25 2008

Turks dislike Obama’s selection of Joe Biden as running mate

A considerable number of Turkish daily newspapers yesterday covered US
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s selection of Senator
Joe Biden as a running mate, with headlines expressing displeasure at
Obama’s choice.

The Associated Press (AP) commented that Obama’s selection of Biden
was designed to blunt criticism from Republican John McCain, who was
drawing virtually even in the polls by attacking the Illinois senator
as an inexperienced elitist not ready for the White House.

"Biden, who is 65, was clearly chosen over lesser-known Democrats to
plug holes in Obama’s relatively thin resume on the national political
scene and to blunt McCain’s relentless attacks on his lack of
experience at a time when the United States is fighting two wars.

While polls show voters are most concerned about the country’s wobbly
economy — home mortgage foreclosures, high fuel costs and growing
unemployment — McCain’s appeal appears to be growing out of the
lingering shock to Americans’ sense of security from the Sept. 11,
2001, terror attacks. McCain called Biden a ‘wise selection.’ But
McCain indicated that he believed there was still plenty to
criticize," AP also reported.

In Turkey, the Sunday editions of newspapers covering Obama’s
selection focused on Biden’s policies related to Turkey and a
considerable part of which are not in line with those of Ankara.

"[Obama] made ‘inconsiderate’ Biden his right-hand man,"
Hürriyet said on its front page, reminding readers of a 1999
conversation between Biden, who is close to both Greek and Armenian
lobbies, and late Bülent Ecevit, then prime minister of Turkey.

"If you do not solve the Cyprus problem, then I will not approve the
financial aid package of $5 billion which you expect from us, from the
Congress," Biden was then reported to have told Ecevit in a bid to put
pressure on the Turkish government.

Ecevit, in response, was reported to have emphasized the Turkish
Cypriots’ concerns and rights, while pointing out that they had
reached an agreement with then-President Bill Clinton that "there will
be no going back to the period before 1974 as far as safety and
security are concerned."

Hürriyet said following the conversation between Biden and
Ecevit, Turkish media labeled the US politician as "inconsiderate."

Biden’s call two years ago to divide Iraq into autonomous regions
along sectarian and ethnic lines was another factor highlighted by the
Turkish media. The call completely contradicted Ankara’s firm policy
focusing on protection of territorial integrity and political unity of
the neighboring country.

Biden proposed in a 2006 op-ed article in The New York Times that Iraq
should be divided into separate Kurdish, Shiite and Sunni regions to
defuse the wave of sectarian violence sweeping the country then. In
the 2006 article, Biden and co-author Leslie Gelb said the proposal
was aimed at maintaining "a united Iraq by decentralizing it" so that
each major sectarian and ethnic group would have "room to run its own
affairs." Nevertheless, Iraq has a long history as a centralized
state, and concepts such as federalism and regional autonomy have
proven a hard sell, as AP noted.

"Separatist partner for Obama," Star daily said in its title,
referring to Biden’s call for division of Iraq, while it also reminded
its readers of the fact that Biden has been a keen supporter of
Armenian lobby efforts at the US Congress for official recognition of
the killings of Anatolian Armenians during the early 20th century as
"genocide."

"Obama’s right-hand man had divided Iraq into three," Yeni
Å?afak daily said, also referring to Biden’s proposal for
dividing Iraq. Milliyet, meanwhile, covered Obama’s choice of Biden
with a headline saying "Obama chose Greek Cypriot-Armenian lobbyists."

In first months of the 2007, following the killing of Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink in January, a sentence in a preliminary draft
drawn up by Biden, chairman of Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee,
said, "Mr. Dink underwent prosecution under Article 301 of the Turkish
Criminal Code, as he spoke about the Armenian genocide." Following an
objection by Republican Richard Lugar, the sentence was changed to
"Legal measures were taken about Mr. Dink, as he regarded the events
that happened in 1915 as genocide."

Armenia says some 1.5 million Armenians suffered genocide at Ottoman
Turkish hands, but Turkey denies systematic genocide of Armenians took
place, saying large numbers of Christian Armenians and Muslim Turks
died in inter-ethnic fighting during World War I.

Retired Ambassador Nüzhet Kandemir, speaking with Milliyet,
said, "Biden has so far been involved in all kinds of movements which
are against Turkey," and that "Biden’s anti-Turkey manner has
ossified," apparently hinting that Biden’s attitude would not change
even when he takes on responsibilities as vice president. Biden was
among a delegation of US senators who visited Ankara in February this
year, when they also met with both President Abdullah Gül and
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an.

Then, Biden, along with John Kerry and Chuck Hagel, spoke with
Gül and ErdoÄ?an, praising both the relations between
their country and Turkey and Ankara’s support in restive parts of the
world such as Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Their visit to Ankara was part of a tour that included stops in India
and Pakistan. Speaking to reporters after a one-hour meeting with
ErdoÄ?an, Biden then said Turkey and the United States shared
strategic interests and objectives.

KınıklÄ&#x B1;oÄ?lu planning to hold talks with
McCain, Obama consultants

Amid concerns within domestic public opinion over US Democratic
presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama’s selection of Senate
colleague Joe Biden as his running mate since Biden is well known for
his policies that run against the interests of Ankara, a leading
deputy of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is
considering visiting the United States in October.

Suat KınıklıoÄ?lu , the AK Party’s
Ã?ankırı deputy, told Today’s Zaman yesterday that
he has been planning to meet with figures from both the campaigns of
Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain and Obama when
he travels to the United States in October.

"I must say that I’m surprised with Obama’s selection of Biden. It is
not easy to be happy with this selection when looking from Turkey and
considering Biden’s almost two-decade-long firm support of the
Armenian disapora’s efforts for recognition of their allegations of a
genocide," KınıklıoÄ?lu , who was head of
the German Marshall Fund’s Turkey office before being elected to
Parliament in July 2007, said when reminded of the fact that a
considerable number of Turkish daily newspapers yesterday disapproved
of Obama’s selection of Biden as a running mate. "The only thing we
can do now as citizens of Turkey is to wish Obama and Biden luck,
although this combination is not very hope-inspiring from Turkey’s
perspective. However, the most important duty for nongovernmental
organizations and the media as well as politicians is to thoroughly
inform the Obama camp about Turkey’s policies and understanding on
certain issues. We should engage both the McCain and Obama camps
before one of them is elected, not after the election is over,"
KınıklÄ&#xB 1;oÄ?lu said.

"I believe domestic public opinion will follow McCain’s strategies
during the electioneering more closely than before given the
disappointment over Biden’s selection," he, nonetheless, added. Emine
Kart Ankara

25 August 2008, Monday
TODAY’S ZAMAN ANKARA

Youth of Turkey call for opening border with Armenia

2008-08-23 10:57:00

ArmInfo. The democratic youth movement of Turkey "Young Civilians" has
called on authorities to open Turkey’s border with Armenia for 24 hours
on Sept 6 in connection with the Armenia-Turkey FIFA 2010 qualification
match in Yerevan, reports Today’s Zaman.

The Movement says that this will make it easier for supporters to get
to Yerevan. "We just want to see the game and then return home," say
the youth and note that this match is an excellent chance for Turkey
and Armenia to normalize their relations.

157 GOODS WAGONS WITH CARGO FOR ARMENIA, INCLUDING 107 WITH WHEAT ARE IN GEORGIA

ArmInfo
2008-08-22 13:12:00

ArmInfo. At present there are 157 goods wagons with cargo for Armenia,
including 107 with wheat are in Georgia, Armenian prime minister’s
adviser, coordinator of the working group on cargo delivery to Armenia
Gagik Martirosyan told Arminfo correspondent.

At the same time he declined to comment on the reasons of the Georgian
party refusal to use an alternative railway bridge.

AUCTION HELD ON PLACEMENT OF STATE BONDS OF AMGT39215098 ISSUE

Noyan Tapan

Au g 22, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 22, NOYAN TAPAN. An action on placement of state
(treasury) short-term bonds of AMGT39215098 issue with a redemption
period of 39 weeks was held on August 21.

The bonds subject to placement amounted to 1.5 billion drams, the
demand made 2 bln 523 mln 427 thousand drams. The placement of bonds
made 1.5 bln drams. The placement proceeds made 1 bln 411 mln 309
thousand 529 drams. The weighted average yield from placement made
8.2869%, the maxiumum yield – 8.4700%.

According to the press center of the RA ministry of finance, ten
dealers participated in the auction.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION FALLS DOWN IN SOFIA’S CENTER

Focus News
Aug 19 2008
Bulgaria

Sofia. There had been a terrible explosion at about 14.30 at the
region of the former Military Museum, Petko Petkov, witness of the
accident told FOCUS News Agency. He had send pictures of the fallen
scaffolding. His liwe had called 112 immediately.

Petkov said that the windows of the building, which replaces the
military museum, were put yesterday. This is an Armenian object and
Ministry of Defense will probably use it.

There had been two men at the scaffolding at the region of the
former Military Historical Museum when it fell down. One of them hade
been taken to Pirogov hospital. According to the initial diagnoses
the 44-year- old man, named St.M. was that he had wound and broken
coxofemoral joint. The other one had not been injured, chief inspector
at National Service "Fire Safety and Population Protection" Dimitar
Ivanov said. The reason for the accident hasn’t been known. The owner
of the object has been waiting at the place of the incident.

The police and the fire brigade have been stepped up in the area. The
traffic along "Knyaz Boris I" has been closed off because even the
slightest vibration can demolish the rest of the scaffolding. It
had smashed at about ten cars, which were parked at the region of
the building.

A human mistake was the reason for the falling of the scaffolding
at the building of the "National Armenian Complex," the owner of the
Hufu Company Dimitar Atanasov said. According to him the incident had
happen during the dismantling of the scaffolding. One of company’s
workers had been injured. Hufu is a big company, specialized in the
work with scaffoldings. The worker hadn’t been injured seriously and
probably the company will pay for him treatment.

The "Hu- Fu" building company has been the chief executer of the
National Armenian Complex construction, where there had been an
explosion on Tuesday afternoon and one of the workers had been injured,
Ministry of Defense press center reports.

The company had been chosen in 2004 by a public procurement under the
Public Procurement Act. Ministry of Defense press center said that
according to item 14 from the agreement signed between the executors
"Hu-Fu" company and the contradicting authority- the former Military
Clubs and Information Executive Agency the "Executor takes all the
responsibility for the safety of all kinds of works and activities
at the object, for the safety of the workers and the observing of
the safety rules and guidance of the work."

The owner of the scaffolding, from which the worker at the national
Armenian Complex object had fallen, is the Black Pearl Company but it
had been let out. Company’s engagement is to assemble and dismantle
the scaffolding, person in charge of the technical sector in the
company Dani Dundov said. According to him the scaffolding had been
assembled at this object at about a year ago. They haven’t received
any information for it’s dismantling. He added that no matter who is
the owner of the scaffolding the company, which had taken it for rent,
takes the responsibility for its proper use.

According to Dundov the probable reason for the explosion is the
removing of installation elements but he added that this is only
his theory.

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Aug 18 2008

Gül denies US pressure in energy deal with Iran

President Abdullah Gül has said Ankara and Tehran need more
time to finalize a major natural gas deal, playing down reports that
US pressure on Turkey to abandon the project is behind the delay.

"We would have liked to move ahead with the project" when Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met with Turkish leaders in
İstanbul on Thursday and Friday, Gül said in the central
Anatolian province of NevÅ?ehir on Saturday. "But we saw that
the preparations are as of yet insufficient, and we instructed our
energy ministries to carry out more detailed work," he added.

Ahmadinejad arrived in Ä°stanbul on Thursday for a landmark
visit, a first since he took office in 2005. Turkey and Iran signed a
series of agreements on the first day of his visit to further
cooperate in a number of areas, including the fight against terrorism
and organized crime, but fell short of signing an energy deal that the
United States had opposed. A joint statement released prior to a press
conference by Ahmadinejad and Gül said the two countries would
continue to discuss further cooperation in the field of
energy. "Undoubtedly, Turkey has allies. … Undoubtedly Turkey
differs with Iran on many issues. … But we would regret it if some
would think that we do things because someone tells us to," Gül
said.

The president, meanwhile, also said that police had intelligence of a
"threat" to Ahmadinejad during his visit to Turkey. He said the high
security during the visit was prompted by intelligence of a threat to
the visiting leader; he did not elaborate further. Police banned
traffic on roads that Ahmadinejad used during his visit, leaving many
local residents and tourists stranded and causing some air travelers
to miss their flights.

Also in NevÅ?ehir, in a reconciliatory message to neighboring
Armenia, Gül said Turkey was "no enemy" to any country in its
region. His statement comes as he ponders a possible landmark trip to
Yerevan. Gül said the conflict between Georgia and Russia
displayed the need for "early measures to resolve frozen problems in
the region and … prevent instability in the future."

"This is our understanding on all problems. We are no enemy to anyone
in the region," he said, reiterating a Turkish proposal to set up a
regional forum for stability in the Caucasus. His remarks came in
response to a question on whether he would accept an invitation by
Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan to go to Yerevan in September to
watch a World Cup qualifying match between Turkey and
Armenia. Gül said he was still evaluating the invitation.

`US must share power’

Also Saturday, an interview with Turkey’s president by UK daily The
Guardian was published — Gül’s first interview with a foreign
newspaper since assuming the presidency in August 2007.

The conflict in Georgia showed that the United States could no longer
shape global politics on its own and should begin sharing power with
other countries, Gül told The Guardian.

"I don’t think you can control all the world from one center … What
we have to do is, instead of unilateral actions, act all together,
make common decisions and have consultations with the world. A new
world order, if I can say it, should emerge," he said.

18 August 2008, Monday

TODAY’S ZAMAN WITH WIRES ANKARA

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version: nian.htm

THE YOUTH CONFERENCE IS LAUNCHED IN BIKFAYYA

"The meaning of the church cannot be explained in its sanctity only, but in
the realization of its mission, in which our youth should participate"

SAYS HIS HOLINESS ARAM I

The youth conference organized by the Catholicosate of Cilicia’s Youth
Department was officially launched in the Saint Mary Monastery in Bikfaya on
August 14. The conference convenes under the theme "The Armenian Youth in
the face of the challenges of the 21st century."

The conference is held under the auspices of His Holiness Aram I, who also
presided over the opening ceremony and addressed the young delegates
participating the conference from Armenian communities worldwide. The
conference brought together over 100 young Armenians from the Eastern and
Western prelacies of North America, Istanbul, Cyprus, Kuwait, the Arab Gulf
countries, Tehran and Isfahan, Syria and Lebanon. The prelacies of Greece
and Azerbaijan in Iran did not send representatives.

In his opening remarks the director of the Catholicosate of Cilicia’s Youth
Department, Rev. Sahag Yemishian, underlined the unique character of the
conference and its promising prospects. He wished that the conference
participants would appropriately discuss the ideas and proposals expressed
during the sessions with a view to plan new projects that would improve the
lives of young Armenians.

The opening ceremony became all the more exciting with the encouraging words
of His Holiness Aram I- a hearty Pontifical message spoken to the Armenian
youth. The young participants intently listened to the wise words of the
Catholicos who, fully aware of present circumstances, inspired them to face
all the challenges they encounter.

His Holiness welcomed the young Armenians that had come to Bikfaya from
around the world and presented a thorough analysis of the difficulties that
the Armenian youth face both at the global and national levels. Referring to
the characteristics relevant to a person’s adolescent life, he underlined
the importance of Christian formation and a purpose-goal life. His Holiness
considered that the Church, as a source of morality, is a compass, a path
leading to Christ, an institution that organizes social life based mutual
respect of the laws governing society.

"In the life of present-day society, religion has started becoming an
existential presence. In the past, particularly in the West, religion was an
individual matter. Today, it is a matter of public concern. Inter-faith
meetings are held today with utmost seriousness and uninterrupted
continuity- a non-existing phenomenon in the past. The youth cannot remain
indifferent towards this. However, where is the youth in all this?" wondered
His Holiness.

In his message, the Pontiff stressed the importance of participation. "The
youth and passivity are opposing concepts. The youth should be present in
our collective life. Its role is not marginal; it is important, it is
central. Look at today’s world and you will see that those occupying
important position are mostly the youth. This is so because it is through
your work that our life flourishes and develops. Otherwise, our collective
life will become immobile like a swamp. Our church needs your fresh forces
and minds," he said.

In the last part of his speech, the Pontiff spoke about the dangers
threatening the life of the youth. "We are becoming witness to mentalities
and lifestyles that do not correspond to our traditions and are based on
morally different perceptions. The youth is quickly affected by such
phenomena. It is true that in the current world we cannot build up walls
around ourselves or live in isolation. However, with the guidance of the
Church the youth can find its true path, renewing the church in its mission
and service. The meaning of the church cannot be explained in its sanctity
only, but in the realization of its mission, in which our youth should
participate," His Holiness stressed.

The Pontiff’s message became a guideline for the conference. During the
following session, Garo Hovhannessian delivered a presentation entitles:
"Where is the Armenian youth in face of the challenges of the 21st century
and how does he overcome them?" Hovhannessian stressed the concepts of
national identity and the need for an understanding of national belonging
among the youth. He made a call for reviewing the concept of "culture" and
underlined the importance of preserving the Armenian Language for the
preservation of Armenian identity. Referring to the contribution expected
from the youth, he said: "In our history we have not had a period when we’ve
had so many of our youngsters enrolled in universities. However, we feel the
lack of man force everywhere today. Degrees have no meaning if they do not
contribute to our highest national interests and to the realization of our
primary goals."

Following the lecture, the participants were divided into workshops to
discuss more deeply the issues at hand and prepare brief reports of the
ideas and thoughts expressed. The workshops became serious discussions,
healthy criticism, fiery debates and attempts to reach the truth through the
exchange of viewpoints.

One of the sessions was dedicated to the exchange of information on the
experiences of the youth living in different geographic locations and
communities. The session was also rich in relevant topics with young
Armenians providing information about their respective communities and
environments, explaining their concerns and the obstacles they face. The
dangers threatening the life of the youth were also discussed with a view to
seek preventive measures.

The conference started with the morning service, at the end of which
spiritual contemplation was performed by Rev. Magar Ashkarian. After the
day-long sessions, the participants attended the Evening Mass in the St.
Mary Monastery.

##
View the photos here:
c/Photos/Photos298.htm
http://www.armenianorthodox church.org/v04/doc/Photos/Photos299.htm

*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the youth
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

CSTO MEMBER-STATES COORDINATE STANCES ON AGENDA OF 63RD SESSION OF UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

arminfo
2008-08-15 11:59:00

ArmInfo. CSTO member-states coordinated their stances on the agenda
of the 63rd session of UN General Assembly, CSTO Information Office
Adviser Vitaliy Strugovec told ArmInfo.

CSTO member-states focused on strengthening of versatile
initiatives in world affairs, the increase of UN’s role in search
for adequate responses to new challenges and threats, and reforms
of the Organization. Security and stability especially in the CSTO
responsibility area were outlined during the consultations. Russian
party informed the participants of the developments in South
Ossetia. Representatives of CSTO member-states discussed the settlement
of conflicts in particular in Afghanistan, Iraq and the situation
after the unilateral independence of Kosovo. They agreed to continue
effective practice of consultations to coordinate the stances of CSTO
member-states on key international problems including through their
permanent representatives at international organizations in New York,
Geneva, Vienna and Brussels.

Representatives of all the member-states participated in the
consultations chaired by Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry
Department for International Organizations Vladimir Zayomsky.