Author: Chalian Meline

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Jan 20 2008

Azerbaijan applies to international organizations for inclusion of
Armenian votes into voters’ list

[ 20 Jan 2008 13:40 ]

Azerbaijan’s Central Election Commission has sent a repeated appeal
to international organizations for inclusion of Nagorno
Karabakh-based Azerbaijanis of Armenian origin into the voters’ list.

Mazahir Panahov, Chairman of the CEC, said Azerbaijani citizens of
Armenian origin are entitled to enjoy the right to vote and
Azerbaijan is ready to ensure their rights.
`We decided to resort to international organizations for inclusion of
Azeri citizens of Armenian origin into voters’ list. However,
international organizations seem passive,’ he added.
He added that Azerbaijan has done the best to ensure Internally
Displaced Persons’ right to vote.
`It is problematic to do this as they have no permanent place. IDPs
have to be returned to their homelands,’ he added. /APA/

Panorama.am

20:31 18/01/2008

IMPRESSED BY POVERTY OVERCOMING POLICY

Today Vardan Oskanian, the minister of foreign affairs
received Maria Dolores Castro Benitessy, the new
mentioned leader of World Provisions Program’s
Armenian office.

According to the press and public relations department
of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the minister
congratulated Castro for running Armenian office of
such international program, and highly evaluated the
projects carried out by the program in Armenia.

Mrs. Castro said that she is impressed with the
results of `Poverty Overcoming Policy’ program, and
the measures taken by Armenian Government.

Source: Panorama.am

Levon Ter-Petrosyan: Ruling regime in Armenia not able to withstand
power of people’s movement

2008-01-18 17:45:00

ArmInfo. The ruling regime in Armenia is not able to withstand the
power of the people’s movement, first President of Armenia Levon
Ter-Petrosyan said in an interview with the "Izvestiya" Russian
newspaper.

The first president said that he feels responsibility for the coming of
Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan to power in the country. "It seems
to me that I should beg the whole Armenian people’s pardon for that",
he emphasized. Asked whether a process of the property redistribution
will start in case of his return to power, the first president said
that he will try not to allow a "witch-hunt" and the attempts of the
property redistribution during disclosure of the economic crimes. At
the sama time, L. Ter-Petrosyan said that those who abused the state
power will be severely punished, but not the businessmen, and added
that the businessmen will also undergo reformations and those, who
enjoyed the status of the "oligarchic inviolability" so far, will have
to enter the legal and tax field just as everyone and repair the damage
caused earlier to the state.

SAMVEL DILOYAN ELECTED PRESIDENT OF TABLE TENNIS FEDERATION OF ARMENIA

YEREVAn, JANUARY 18, NOYAN TAPAN. The reporting and election conference
of the Table Tennis Federation of Armenia was held at Yerevan’s
Congress Hotel on January 16. The 2-year activities of the federation’s
president Hrant Avagian were given a positive assessment.

At the conclusion of the conference, Samvel Diloyan (Vanadzor) was
unanimously elected the new president of the Table Tennis Federation of
Armenia. Prior to that he headed the Table Tennis Federation of the
city of Vanadzor.

KARABAKH MUST JOIN THE TALKS IN THE NEXT STAGE

KarabakhOpen
16-01-2008 14:02:47

After the meeting with the NKR President Bako Sahakyan on January
15 in Stepanakert the Russian co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Yuri
Merzlyakov said in the current stage of the talks the basic issues
of settlement are under consideration. When agreement is reached, the
text of the agreement will be drafted which will have various parts,
and they believe it will be impossible without the participation
of Nagorno-Karabakh, he said. Yuri Merzlyakov thinks so because the
lives of people are concerned.

His French counterpart Bernard Fassier said they stated in both
Yerevan and Baku they should start thinking how to bring into being the
agreement and involve the representatives of Karabakh in this process.

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Jan 14 2008

Regulation of Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict to Rise after Presidential
Election in Armenia – Pieter Sabnebi
14.01.08 17:44

The possibility of the regulation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
will rise after the presidential election in Armenia, Pieter Semnebi,
the special representative of the European Union on South Caucasus,
stated to journalists on 14 January, Armenia-News reported.

`We cannot lose our hope for regulation of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. The diplomatic negotiation process has been continued and
all measures have been taken to settle the conflict. I hope that the
presidential election in Armenia will give the possibility to attract
special attention to the problem,’ he stated.

Sabnebi noted that the Karabakh conflict can only be settled
peacefully. Commenting on the connection between the Kosovo conflicts
to Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Sabnebi, stated that no connection was
between the both conflicts.

`The peaceful negotiations on the regulation of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict must be continued,’ he said.

OFFICIAL SLOVAKIAN DELEGATION TO VISIT ARMENIA ON JANUARY 18-20

YEREVAN, JANUARY 14, NOYAN TAPAN. The official delegation of the Slovak
Republic will come on a 3-day visit to Yerevan on January 18. The
delegation is composed of members of Slovakia’s government and the
National Council, a number of famous political figures and directors of
big companies. The purpose of the visit is to strengthen the agreements
reached during the Armenian-Slovakian business forum held in Yerevan in
October 2007 and to hold discussions on solution of the Artsakh problem.

NT was informed by Ashot Grigorian, the initiator and organizer of this
visit, chairman of the Representative Office of Armenian Organizations
in Europe, advisor to the Armenian foreign minister that agreements on
financing and investments of several dozen million euros in Armenia and
Artsakh have already been reached. Meetings are scheduled with
high-ranking Armenian officials, ministers, as well as with the
delegation that has come from Artsakh in order to discuss some
cooperation programs.

Prior to the delegation’s visit, considerable organizational work has
been done by Nig-Aparan union of compatriots and its honorary chairman
Aghvan Hovsepian, on whose initiative a memorial khachkar was erected
in the center of Bratislava in connection with adoption of the
resolution on the Armenian Genocide by the National Council of the
Slovak Republic. According to A. Grigorian, on the day prior to the
visit to Yerevan, the delegation will lay a wreath at the memorial
khachkar. The chairman of the Economic Committee of the National
Council Marosh Kondrot, the first deputy minister of finance Peter
Kazhimir, the governor of the Trnava region Tibor Mikus, the former
prime minister Yan Carnogursky, the first chairman of the National
Council Frantisek Miklosko and other officials will take part in the
ceremony. The ceremony will also be attended by the Armenian ambassador
to the Slovak Republic Ashot Hovakimian (residence – Vienna).

Minister Oskanian presented Armenian approaches towards the latest
document

armradio.am
15.01.2008 17:08

On January 15 RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian received the OSCE
Minsk Group Co-Chairs Bernard Fassier, Matthew Bryza and Yuri
Merzlyakov.

The Minsk Group Co-Chairs presented the results of yesterday’s
negotiations with the Azerbaijani leadership in Baku.

Minister Oskanian conveyed to the Co-Chairs the approaches of Armenia
toward the document the mediators submitted to the parties in Madrid in
November 2007.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Rubezh 2008 exercise not directed against Baku
11.01.2008 13:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Rubezh 2008 exercise due in Armenia
in spring 2008 is by no means targeted at Azerbaijan,
CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha said.

`Making the decision to hold the maneuvers we took
account of the complicated situation in the Caucasus
and exerted every effort to convince Azerbaijan that
these are not directed against it,’ Mr Bordyuzha told
a news conference in Moscow. `These will be command
and staff anti-terror exercises,’ he added.

`I do not think Azerbaijan will have a negative
reaction to the exercise, which is not meant to tense
situation in the region,’ the CSTO Sec. Gen said
adding that any state is entitled to hold maneuvers to
ensure national security, The New Times reports.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Canadian Turks protest Armenian Genocide class
11.01.2008 13:55 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Over 1,200 Turks in Canada signed a
petition against a class that describes the 1915
events as the Armenian Genocide.

`These are very significant, horrible parts of
history, and without sounding hackneyed, we hope we
can learn something from them so we can make a better
world for our children’s children,’ said Trustee Gerri
Gershon, of the Toronto District School Board, who
proposed the course after a moving tour in 2005 of the
Nazi death camps in Poland.

`This isn’t a course to teach hatred or blame the
perpetrators,’ Gershon said. `Our goal is the exact
opposite: to explore how this happens so we can become
better people and make sure it never happens again,’
he added, Toronto Star reports.