Author: Chatinian Lara

ARAKEL MIRZOYAN WINNER IN EUROPEAN WEIGHTLIFTING YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP

Noyan Tapan

Se p 18, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 18, NOYAN TAPAN. Representative of Armenia Arakel
Mirzoyan (69 kg, Etchmiadzin) performed on September 17 in the
European Weightlifting Youth Championship held in the city of Durres,
Albania. With the results of 140 kg in snatch, 170 kg in clean and
jerk, and 310 kg in biathlon he took the first place and received a
gold medal. He had been accompanied to Durres by his father, a coach,
Olympic champion Ogsen Mirzoyan.

ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF AMERICA
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
Email: [email protected]
Website:

PRESS RELEASE
September 17, 2008
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Email: [email protected]

HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS CHAIRMAN PRAISES ARMENIA’S
HELP TO U.S. DIPLOMATS DURING RECENT GEORGIA CRISIS

— Rep. Sherman Pushes for Aid to Armenia
and Javakhk; Expresses Concern about Ongoing
Anti-Armenian Efforts in Region

— Watch Video on ANCA Website:
releases.php?prid=1586

WASHINGTON, DC – House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard
Berman (D-CA), today, thanked Armenia for providing safe transit
for U.S. officials during the recent Georgia conflict, during
Committee consideration of a $470 million post-conflict assistance
package to Georgia, reported the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA).

Noting the "ripple effects" of the crisis beyond Georgia’s borders
and the absence of Armenia in the bill, Chairman Berman pledged
consideration of additional assistance to Armenia next year. He
stated, in his opening remarks, that, "I note that the ripple
effects of this crisis were clearly felt beyond Georgia’s borders.
The United States is grateful to the Armenian Government for
providing safe transit for American and international officials,
relatives of diplomats and NGO representatives and Georgia
nationals. Although this bill does not include funding for other
countries in the Caucasus region, it is my intention, when we
consider the authorization of assistance next year, to examine the
wider impact of this conflict and provide appropriate funding for
Armenia and other affected countries."

Rep. Sherman (D-CA), an outspoken supporter of post-conflict aid to
Armenia and Javakhk, expressed reservations about language in the
bill, which may support the construction of a new pipeline
bypassing Armenia.

"We see that there are pipelines in Georgia," stated Rep. Sherman.
"Why are there pipelines in Georgia? Because we funded an anti-
Armenia pipeline that violates the rules of geometry – that does
not use a straight line – but rather goes around Armenia in order
to benefit those who are trying to isolate Armenia and now there is
talk in this resolution of a new pipeline – again one designed to
avoid going through Armenia territory, avoid building a peace
pipeline between Azerbaijan and Armenia."

Rep. Sherman expressed regret that assistance to Armenia was not
included in this initial $470 million allocation and pledged his
support for future consideration. The Committee adopted the
measure with a vote of 24 to 9. The remaining $530 million will be
discussed in appropriations next year.

Video of Chairman Berman and Rep. Sherman’s remarks are posted on
the ANCA website at:
ses.php?prid=1586

"We commend Chairman Berman and Rep. Sherman for highlighting
Armenia’s large scale economic losses as a result of the Georgia
conflict," stated ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "While we
had hoped that assistance to Armenia and Javakhk would be included
in this first aid package to Georgia, we will continue to work with
the Foreign Affairs and Appropriations committees to ensure that
these funds are included in future assistance packages."

The ANCA has supported Congressional efforts, spearheaded by
Congressmen Brad Sherman, Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and George
Radanovich (R-CA) to ensure that the U.S. aid package includes 1) a
meaningful allocation for Javakhk, a under-developed and largely
Armenian population region in southern Georgia, and 2) a dedication
of funds to help offset the considerable economic harm that the
conflict has inflicted upon Armenia. Yerevan played a critical
role in helping to evacuate U.S. diplomatic personnel and other
international officials during the conflict.

During a hearing before this same panel last week, Congressman
Sherman pressed energetically for the aid package to include
funding for Armenia, which he described as an "innocent victim" in
the war between Georgia and Russia. Despite strong argumentation,
persistent questioning, and his recitation of facts concerning how
"Armenia has suffered tremendously as a result of this war," the
State Department’s witness, Assistant Secretary of State Dan Fried,
remained adamant in voicing the Administration’s opposition to
providing economic aid to Armenia as part of this package.

In a Congressional letter, which will soon be sent to President
Bush, Representatives Pallone and Radanovich outline two
recommendations to the White House. Firstly, ensuring that a
"meaningful level of this aid program is specifically targeted to
the vital Samtshke-Javakheti region. This largely Armenian-
inhabited area, home to roughly five percent of Georgia’s overall
population, remains, in great measure, economically undeveloped. Of
the $1 billion proposed for Georgia, a proportional share on a per
capita basis – should be officially dedicated to developmental
programs in Samtshke-Javakheti, with a special focus on alleviating
poverty, developing transportation and communication links,
promoting international trade and investment, and supporting
sustainable economic growth."

Secondly, "in light of Yerevan’s extensive assistance during this
crisis and also the large-scale economic harm it has endured as a
result of the fighting in the region," they called for setting
aside a portion of the post-conflict aid package to "help offset
the ongoing damage to Armenia’s economy." The legislators
explained that, "As a country beset by twin blockades, Armenia
conducts the vast majority of its trade through Georgia. Since the
outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Georgia, Armenia has
experienced significantly higher transportation costs, increased
prices for basic commodities such as food and fuel, and a slow down
in international investments. This harm has been estimated by
senior Armenian government officials, including the Prime Minister,
Chairman of the National Security Council, and Ambassador to the
United States, at between $680 million and $1 billion."

The Armenian government’s post-conflict contributions have been in
four key areas: 1) Safe transit for U.S. and international
officials and relatives of diplomats, NGO representatives, and
Georgian nationals; 2) reconstruction assistance for damaged
Georgian infrastructure; 3) regional dialogue toward peace and
stability, and; 4) alleviating the humanitarian burden on the
Georgian government.

To read about Congressman Sherman’s efforts, and to view video of
his exchange with a senior State Department official, visit:
es.php?prid=1584

For the full text of the Congressional letter to President Bush,
visit:
ess_releases.php?prid=1585

To view the ANCA action alert on this subject, visit:
lertid=11926716&type=CO

The full text of the ANCA issue brief circulated to Congressional
offices is provided below.

#####

ANCA Issue Brief:

Armenia’s constructive response to the crisis in Georgia

Armenia has played a balanced and constructive role in addressing
the humanitarian crisis caused by the recent Russian-Georgian
conflict, and is working with the nations of the region to help
restore peace and stability.

1) Safe transit

Armenia provided a "humanitarian corridor" for the safe transit of:

— More than 150 U.S. officials and their family members.

— Hundreds of international personnel, including foreign embassy
officials
and NGO representatives.

— Thousands of Georgian nationals seeking refuge from the
conflict.
(Armenia waived all airport fees and transportation taxes.)

2) Reconstruction assistance

Armenia sent a team of repair personnel to Georgia’s Gori region,
along with a train of rail cars carrying construction materials, to
help rebuild a key Georgian railroad bridge that was destroyed in
the fighting.

3) Peace and stability

Armenia’s President has spoken to both Georgian President Mikhail
Saakashvili and Russian President Dimitry Medvedev to express
Armenia’s condolences over the loss of life during the recent
fighting, and to discuss Armenia’s hope for a timely return to
peace and stability in the region.

4) Regional cooperation

Armenia helped alleviate a potential additional humanitarian burden
on the Georgian government by managing the timely and orderly
return to Armenia of several thousand Armenian nationals who were
visiting Georgia at the time of the conflict.

Kommersant, Russia
Sept 12 2008

Georgia Rejects Goods of Russia in Favor of Ukrainian Product

In the wake of the military clashes with Russia, Georgia intends to
halt import of Russia’s consumer goods, shifting to the product of
Ukrainian make, GUAM General Secretary Valery Chechelashvili announced
in Kiev. GUAM is a regional organization comprising four ex-Soviet
states – Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova.

Ukraine will be the leading trading partner of Georgia. It ranks the
third or the fourth now, after Turkey and Azerbaijan. But the role of
Ukraine will be growing; it will completely substitute for the
economic relations that Georgia had with Russia, Newsru.com reported
with reference to Chechelashvili.

Through the help of the United States, the EU and Ukraine, Tbilisi
will re-establish economy as soon as possible. The worth of
Ukrainian-Georgian economic relation will soon reach $1 billion,
Chechelashvili was sure.

For Georgia, economic aftereffects of the war are grave. The Economy
Ministry has downgraded the outlook for the GDP growth from 12 percent
to between 5 percent and 6 percent. But the size of the humanitarian
aid is impressive. Chechelashvili said Washington appropriated $1
billion, the EU gave ?¬130 million and Ukraine provided 100
million hryvnias.

Given this statement of Chechelashvili, the destiny of Russia’s assets
in Georgia provokes speculations. Russia’s business owns quite a
number of assets there, LUKOIL-Georgia, for instance, covers up to 25
percent of diesel fuel and petrol retail and Bank VTB (Georgia) is one
of the leaders of Georgian banking sector with its 14 branches and 13
service offices in all regions of the country. Itera-Georgia supplies
gas to 103 enterprises in Georgia, including 38 regional gas
distribution companies, in nine of which it owns majority
stakes. What’s more, Russia hasn’t halted gas supplies to Georgia and
the fuel transit to Armenia via Georgia.

Russia had been the fifth biggest trading partner of Georgia before
the South Ossetian war. It had followed Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ukraine
and Germany in terms of the trading turnover.

WHO LIES TO WHOM?

A1+
[06:29 pm] 12 September, 2008

"Armenia has promised to surrender the occupied territories to
Azerbaijan," Turkey’s President Aldullah Gul’s was quoted by Azeri
mass media when saying to Turkish "Sabah" daily.

Armenia’s parliamentarians interpreted the statement otherwise. Orinats
Yerkir (OYK) faction MP Hovhannes Margarian indubitably stated that,
as always, Turkish media are lying.

ARF Dashnaktsutiun MP Artuysha Shahbazian didn’t possess enough
information to comment on Gul’s words. He simply noted that "if Gul has
made the statement, we still have no idea what might have proceeded
or followed that sentence in his speech. He promised to inquire from
Serzh Sarkissian whether the sides have reached such an agreement.

Bargavach Hayastan (BHK) Secretary Aram Safarian simply refused to make
comments on the information disseminated by Azeri mass media. He said
that they will share their stance after Armenia’s official circles
express their viewpoints on the subject matter.

Republican (HHK) faction MP and HHK spokesperson Edward Sharmazanov
didn’t even make a reference to Gul’s statement. He only enumerated
the provisions of Serzh Sarkissian’s campaign programme which, in
his words, will help solve the NKR conflict.

In this regard, Zharangutiun faction MP Vardan Khachatrian said to A1+:
"Armenian citizens have not been informed about these negotiations. We
have learnt the statement from the mass media accompanying Gul during
his flight from Turkey.

"Now we witness various, in some cases, rather controversial
opinions on the same issue. If you remember we were informed that
the Presidents hadn’t even touched upon the Karabakh conflict during
their meeting. Now we learn from Azeri sources that Abdullah Gul
directly mentioned that "Armenia has agreed to vacate the occupied
territories." Now we still need to differentiate, what they meant by
the expression "occupied territories"; do they mean the liberated
territories or the whole NKR? Citizens must be informed of such
talks. Unfortunately, this imperative is ignored every time. Serzh
Sarkissian’s press secretary Samvel Farmanyan promised A1+ to comment
on Gul’s statement later in the day.

ARMEN MELIKIAN ELECTED VICE-CHAIRMAN OF NA STANDING COMMITTEE FOR AGRICULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Noyan Tapan

Se p 11, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 11, NOYAN TAPAN. Armen Melikian, a member of
the RA NA Bargavach Hayastan (Prosperous Armenia) faction, has
been unanimously elected Vice-Chairman of the RA National Assembly
Standing Committee for Agricultural and Environmental Issues at the
commission’s September 11 special sitting. Noyan Tapan was informed
about it by the RA NA Public Relations Department.

TURKEY: ARMENIA TIES COULD END GENOCIDE RESOLUTIONS

The Associated Press
September 10, 2008

ANKARA, Turkey: If Turkey and Armenia forge diplomatic ties and are
seen to have good relations, other countries could well stop passing
resolutions that accuse Ottoman Turks of genocide against their
Armenian population during World War I, Turkey’s foreign minister
said Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said in a television interview that after
the Turkish president’s breakthrough visit to Armenia on Saturday,
the two countries had stepped up efforts to resolve their differences.

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed in
1915-18 in Ottoman Turkey in what is widely regarded as the first
genocide of the 20th Century. About 20 parliaments have passed
resolutions to this effect.

Turkey denies any genocide, saying the death toll has been inflated
and the dead were victims of civil war and unrest.

Turkey lobbies vigorously whenever a legislature handles a bill
that describes the mass killings as an act of genocide. Last year
President George W. Bush narrowly prevented the passage of a nonbinding
resolution to that effect in the U.S. Congress. He warned lawmakers
that it would imperil Turkey’s logistic support for U.S. military
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in protest over its
support for Armenians fighting for the secession of Nagorno-Karabakh
from Azerbaijan, a Turkish ally. In addition, Armenian nationalists
claim the Mount Ararat region of Turkey as western Armenia. But the
most contested problem is the massacre of Armenians in the final
years of the Ottoman Empire.

"If we manage to make rapid progress in our initiative to solve the
problems," Babacan told the local channel NTV, "then there will be no
need for third country parliaments to discuss these issues. We can
tell them: ‘Mind your own business. Armenia and Turkey are getting
along well.’"

He declined to say which problem the two governments would tackle
first, saying all the issues must be laid on the table.

Armenia "has a solution-focussed position," Babacan said. "There is
a political will on both sides for a solution."

He added he might take part in a tripartite meeting with the
Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers on the sidelines of the
upcoming U.N. General Assembly in New York.

Turkey’s closure of its border with landlocked Armenia is known to
have hurt the smaller country’s economy. But Babacan said Turkey
and Armenia were still conducting trade worth US$500 million a year,
with the goods traveling through Georgia.

ARMENIA AND RUSSIA HAVE CONSIDERABLE COMMON EXPERIENCE IN ATOMIC ENERGY SECTOR

Noyan Tapan

Se p 9, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, NOYAN TAPAN. Issues related to Armenian-Russian
cooperation in the atomic energy sector were discussed during the
September 9 meeting of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and the
Director General of Rosatom state corporation (Russia) Sergei Kirienko
who is on a visit to Armenia. According to a press release of the RA
presidential press service, the sides expressed their satisfaction
at the current level of cooperation and the process of the projects
on its development, saying that Armenia and Russia have accumulated
considerable common experience in this sector.

As for the operation of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, S. Kirienko
said that it is in an excellent state, with all the conditions for
its reliable and safe operation being ensured.

The interlocutors discussed the opportunities of constructing a new
power unit of the plant and the process of organizing the geological
prospecting of uranium mines in Armenia.

CHP SNUBS BABACAN, GETS EU REFORM PLAN BY MAIL

Today’s Zaman
Sept 10 2008
Turkey

The government sent an extensive reform program to the main opposition
Republican People’s Party (CHP) by mail after party officials refused
to meet with Foreign Minister Ali Babacan and Foreign Ministry
diplomats for a briefing on the blueprint.

The CHP rejected a request from Babacan to meet with its leader,
Deniz Baykal, to introduce the draft Third National Program, a
more-than-400-page blueprint outlining reforms to meet European Union
standards for membership. Babacan was told he could contact Deputy
Chairman Onur Oymen instead. Babacan then said a Foreign Ministry
delegation would meet with Oymen, but officials told Today’s Zaman
that Oymen later cancelled the appointment. "We have sent the program
by mail," Babacan told a conference in Ankara on EU-Turkey civil
society dialogue. Senior officials from the Foreign Ministry and the
Prime Ministry’s Secretariat-General for EU Affairs visited Osman
Cakır, deputy chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP),
another opposition party whose leader, Devlet Bahceli, rejected a
similar request from Babacan, to introduce the national program later
on Tuesday.

Cakır said the MHP refusal to meet with Babacan was not because his
party was against the EU, saying instead it was a protest against a
visit by President Abdullah Gul on Saturday to Armenia.

Opposition leaders’ refusal to meet with Babacan underlines
the tensions between the government and the two main opposition
parties. Both the CHP and the MHP are cool towards the government’s
reform efforts in many areas, saying national interests are being
sacrificed for the sake of meeting EU standards. More recently, the
two parties slammed the government for Gul’s visit to neighboring
Armenia, with which Turkey has no formal ties. Babacan accompanied
Gul on the visit, the first by a Turkish president since Armenia
declared independence from Soviet Union in 1991, and had talks with
his Armenian counterpart on ways to normalize relations.

Babacan called on the two parties for dialogue and compromise and said
the EU reform process should not be sacrificed for domestic political
disputes as local elections loom on the horizon. "The leaders of the
two political parties did not want to listen to us. I hope this does
not mean they will reject everything that the government does even when
interests of the Turkish people are at stake," Babacan said. "I hope
our opposition parties will support the reforms, which will benefit
the Turkish people. I hope at least they will try to understand what
reforms are planned."

But experts say given the cool stance the CHP and the MHP have
towards the EU, it is no surprise that they refused to meet with
Babacan. "Their opposition to amending Article 301 [on freedom of
expression] and taking the EU-backed reform of the Foundations Law
to the Constitutional Court underline that they are not pro-EU," said
Cengiz Aktar of Galatasaray University. "What they do is nothing but
cheap nationalism."

According to Aktar, opposition parties backed the past national
programs in 2001 and 2003, helping in the emergence of a national
consensus on the EU membership goal. But now, the stance of the two
opposition parties is undermining this national consensus, he said.

Speaking after talks with EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn in
Brussels on Monday, Arzuhan Yalcındag, leader of Turkey’s biggest
business group, the Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen’s
Association (TUSÄ°AD), also said the opposition parties must be
mobilized to support the EU process. "We acted in a spirit of national
mobilization to achieve EU membership a few years ago. We discussed
what we can do to restore this sprit and excitement," she said after
talks with Rehn.

The government, criticized by the EU for a slowdown in reform pace,
prepared the Third National Program as part of its efforts to speed up
the process. The program has been personally introduced by Babacan to
other parties in Parliament and sent to more than 80 nongovernmental
organizations so they could assess it before it becomes final.

Babacan said the government expected the political parties and the
nongovernmental organizations to state their views on the national
program in the next two or three weeks so that the program could
be debated and passed in Parliament when it returns from its summer
recess on Oct. 7.

The government pledged to reinvigorate EU reform efforts after a period
of slowdown amid fierce political tensions at home last year. Babacan
said in his speech that the coming period was a time for Turkey to take
brave steps and make essential reforms on its way to EU membership.

Despite criticism of a slowdown, Parliament has passed 29 reform
laws in the past one year alone, Babacan said. "It is impossible to
take such courageous steps in a short time without strong public
support. The policy to become an EU member-country is a strategic
target for Turkey, and it has become state policy as well. But Turkey
is also a country that has a long way to go in terms of political
criteria," he added.

He said, however, that Turkey has achieved much in the way of
fundamental rights and freedoms as well as ensuring that the rule of
law is respected. "When you look from abroad, these achievements are
described as revolutions," he said.

Babacan also said that Turkey has changed a lot over the past five
or six years, not only in economic terms but also in the level of
democratization. "Turkey is now a country, an economy and a society
which is more open when compared to five or six years ago," Babacan
said.

–Boundary_(ID_K+zGyh9n1rptn+LZOsLh Bw)–

AZERI PUNDITS, PAPER DOWNBEAT ON TURKISH MEDIATION IN KARABAKH CONFLICT

Yeni Musavat
Zerkalo, Azerbaijan
Sept 9 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani independent political analyst Vafa Quluzada has said that
the Caucasus platform of security and cooperation initiated by Turkey
may replace the OSCE Minsk Group in moves towards the resolution of
the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict.

"Turkey will replace the West – France and the USA – in the Karabakh
resolution. This will, however, be a completely inactive body,
because Turkey has not so far managed to strengthen its positions
in the Caucasus. The new group to be set up will imitate the OSCE
Minsk Group," Quluzada told the opposition daily Yeni Musavat’s 9
September edition.

Quluzada added that Russia and the West were interested in the
establishment of such a body as they did not want to leave the Karabakh
resolution in the lurch.

"The USA gave its consent for Turkey’s involvement in this
issue. Russia is also interested in the continuation of empty talks,
as they enable Russia to conceal. It wants to show that it is allegedly
involved in the resolution of the frozen conflicts," Quluzada said.

The paper quoted another analyst, Elxan Mehdiyev, as saying that he
did not believe that the developments led to Turkey’s co-chairmanship.

"Because the Minsk Group is involved in this issue and it established a
monopoly on it. Not a single co-chairing country agrees with Turkey’s
one-sided chairmanship. Although a "cold war" has started between
Russia and the USA, both of them regard the conduct of talks in the
OSCE Minsk Group format as satisfactory," Mehdiyev said.

According to the analyst, although Russia is not much interested in
the Turkish-Armenian rapprochement, Moscow does not stand in the way
of these relations given Armenia’s isolation.

"Armenia asked Russia to give its consent to talks with Turkey…A
rapprochement is under way between Turkey and Russia. The [Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdogan regime is conducting this
policy. Russia wants to have the role of Turkey here, but not that
of the USA and Europe," he added.

The independent Zerkalo newspaper reported that Russia was one of
the countries that would generally gain from the situation around
the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict and is therefore trying to maintain
the status quo as long as possible.

"Russia is actually becoming a Caucasus monopolist and the situation
with regional stability will not improve: on the contrary, it will
worsen. Naturally, neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan can resolve the
conflict on their own as was the case in Georgia. Of course, it should
also be taken into account that no serious talks about the creation
of new rules of the game have been held between Russia and Turkey,
who want to be the main players in the resolution of this conflict,"
Zerkalo said.

The paper added that the hopelessness of the situation was also
aggravated by the fact that "there is no confidence if Ankara is
ready to sacrifice its good ties with Moscow, which are being formed,
for restricting the Kremlin’s influence on the problem".

The paper said that the conflict resolution was impossible without
overcoming the barriers placed between Azerbaijan and Armenia by Russia
itself and without the regional integration of the whole Caucasus.

EVERYTHING TO BE DISCUSSED AFTER THE SESSION OF THE COUNCIL
Lilit Poghosyan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
09 Sep 2008
Armenia

Yesterday was the first day of the National Assembly’s fall session
which is going to last four days. The session started as usual,
without extraordinary incidents, within the frames of everyday agenda
discussions.

Whereas the previous day’s statement published by the RPA Executive
Body on the "inexpediency" of NA Speaker Tigran Torosyan’s remaining
in office implied a stormy, if not a scandalous start.

The thing is that Tigran Torosyan has said on different occasions,
(both in a public manner and in private interviews) that he has
no intention to resign from post and hand over his duties to newly
elected MP Hovik Abrahamyan, former Head of the Presidential staff.

Announcing the start of the session, the NA Speaker actually reiterated
his attitude. He didn’t hand in his resignation and didn’t absolutely
touch upon the decision adopted on the level of the party’s Executive
Body.

Moreover, answering the questions of the journalists during the
break, he stated once again that his approach with regard to the
NA "chairmanship" remained unchanged. Mr. Torosyan avoided making
assessments and comments in this connection. Below, we present some
"episodes" from the interview with the NA Speaker.

"Mr. Torosyan, what’s your attitude towards the statement adopted
during the session of the Executive Body?"

"I believe it’s clear to you what my attitude was during the session. I
don’t want to make any comments on the decision of the Executive Body
because such decisions should be approved during the session of the
Council of the party. This is what is required by the regulations.

The issue was discussed during the session of the Executive Body,
and a proposal was made to convene a council session on September
16. This is the procedure, and there is no point in discussing anything
before that."

"Some of your colleagues are sure that you will submit a notice on
resigning from post, and others, on the contrary, are sure that you
will not hand in resignation. What will be your steps? Will you submit
a notice on your resignation before September 16 or not?"

"I said I have no desire to make any comments before the session
of the Council. The party’s work has its procedure. As soon as the
procedure is over, I will express my opinion, make my comments and
answer any question you may ask."

"Has the Executive Body advanced a proposal or has it made a decision
on the inexpediency of your remaining in office."

"The Executive Body cannot propose solutions. Under the regulations
of the party, the Council approves the decisions of the Executive B
ody. This is the issue. That’s to say, the approval of the Council
is required for the decision to become final."

"There are rumors that you are going to be appointed as the Ambassador
of Armenia in France. Do you agree to such ‘castling’?"

"I believe you are not the President of the Republic to make proposals
and see whether or not I will agree to them. All kinds of absurd
rumors and articles have been circulating during the recent months;
I don’t want to make any comments on them."

"Don’t you feel offended that your party members have decided to
‘surrender’ you?"

"We have worked together in this hall for 9 years. I believe you
have seen how patient I am. That patience will suffice me to wait
till the session of the Council and then make my comments."

"Do you imagine yourself in the role of an ordinary MP?"

"When I came to the Parliament in 1999, I was offered to hold
ministerial office. I refused the offer, and before being elected to
the post of the NA Vice Speaker, I was an ordinary MP for some time,
and I should say I didn’t feel bad at all."

"Have you met with the President of the Republic recently? If yes,
what questions did you discuss?"

"Of course, I have met with him. We have discussed various
issues concerning20the activities of the National Assembly, the
Armenian-Turkish relations, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict. We have discussed all the problems existing
in our country, and such discussions took place more than once."