Author: Felekian Ara

Ministry of Defense refutes

armradio.am
12.09.2009 12:31

One of the Armenian papers (Haykakan Zhamanak) reported today,
referring to `its sources at the NKR Defense Army,’ that on September
11 Azerbaijani helicopters violated the line of contact in 8-10
directionsin Aghdam.

In this regard, Press Secretary of the NKR Ministry of Defense,
Lieutenant Colonel Senor Hasratyan informs that the divisions of the
air defense of the NKR Defense Army noticed helicopters on the
Azerbaijani territory, 6-7 km away from the contact line. However, it
was on the territory of Azerbaijan and the Armenian side did not launch
response actions.

The Press Service of the Armenian Ministry of Defense informs also that
the air space of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic is constantly controlled
by divisions of the NKR Air Defense and they will decisively prevent
and attempt to violate the border.

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

WALID JUMBLATT LEADER OF PROGRESSIVE SOCIALIST PARTY
VISITS HIS HOLINESS ARAM I

On Thursday 10 September Walid Jumblatt Druze MP and Progressive Socialist
Leader visited His Holiness Aram I in Antelias. Catholicos Aram I and Deputy
Jumblatt discussed a number of issues and perspectives concerning the local
situation and the new developments in the region. Giving a new push to the
internal reconciliation process and the formation of a national government
acquired a dominant place in the discussion.

##
View the photo here:
tos/Photos398.htm
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission 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.

NAGORNY KARABAKH DEFENSE MINISTRY REFUTES REPORTS ON SKIRMISH IN DIRECTION OF AGHDAM

Arminfo
2009-09-10 13:49:00

ArmInfo. Nagorny Karabakh Defense Ministry has refuted the reports
on exchange of fire in direction of Aghdam.

The NKR Defense Ministry Spokesman, Lt. Colonel Senor Asratyan told
ArmInfo called the above reports by Azerbaijani media misinformation
and provocation. The NKR Defense Ministry is devoted to ceasefire
regime, S.

Asratyan said. He also added that no emergency situations were
registered overnight either in direction of Aghdam or in any other
directions. He said that the reports by Azerbaijani media probably
aimed to lay the guilt for wounding of an Azerbaijani soldier in the
Azerbaijani army on the Armenian party.

By unofficial data of the Azerbaijani press, the skirmish allegedly
took place approximately at 9:23am in the direction of Aghdam. Besides
the "killed" and "wounded" on the Armenian party, the Azerbaijani
party reports on wounding a Parviz Usubovm a soldier of the Azerbaijan
Armed Forces.

PRIME MINISTER OF ARMENIA: WE SHOULD TAKE MEASURES TO RULE OUT ANY POSSIBILITY OF FOOD POISONING AT SCHOOLS AND KINDERGARTENS

Arminfo
2009-09-10 16:31:00

ArmInfo. We should take additional measures to rule out any possibility
of food intoxication at schools and kindergartens, said Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan before the government’s session on Thursday. To recall,
27 children at Sisian kindergarten (south of Armenia) were hospitalized
because of food poisoning on September 5. "Our consistent work to
regulate the gold market, taxi-services, passport and visa services and
cemeteries has brought positive results. In case of consistent work
we will considerably increase also the quality of services provided
to our population. We are concerned about the recent food poisoning
in the kindergarten in Sisian and should discus additional measures
to prevent such incidents," the prime minister said.

In this context, he offered discussing the problem with the ministries
of health and agriculture with possible involvement of the Sisian
municipality.

The premier highlighted that the public will be informed of the
measures taken in this direction.

FM OF ARMENIA DOES NOT THINK THAT REPLACEMENT OF OSCE MG AMERICAN CO-CHAIR WILL SLOW DOWN NEGOTIATION PROCESS ON KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

ArmInfo
2009-09-08 14:26:00

ArmInfo. Foreign Ministry of Armenia does not think that replacement
of OSCE MG American co-chair will slow down the negotiation process
on the Karabakh conflict settlement.

‘I do not agree to the opinion that replacement of the American
co-chair will slow down the negotiation process’, Head of the Mass
Media Relations Department of the Armenian Foreign Ministry press
service Tigran Balayan said when commenting, at ArmInfo’s request,
the corresponding decision of the American authorities. To recall,
Robert Bradtke has been appointed the next U.S. OSCE MG co-chair on
the Karabakh conflict settlement.

WEST DRAWING ARMENIA TO NABUCCO PROJECT, REPORT CLAIMS

AssA-Irada
September 7, 2009 Monday
Azerbaijan

Europe and the United States are drawing Armenia to joining the Nabucco
pipeline that will pump Caspian gas to European markets bypassing
Russia, Russias influential Kommersant newspaper has claimed. The
publication said the reconciliation process that has started between
Turkey and Armenia, the two neighboring countries facing decades of
hostility, has produced unexpected results, prompting speculation
about Yerevans joining the Western-backed project. Though experts,
taking into account the unstable political situation in Georgia,
consider this option possible, the main obstacle on the path of
Armenias turning into a transit state [for Nabucco] is Azerbaijan,
Kommersant alleged.

Baku has repeatedly stated that opening the Turkish-Armenian border
does not meet its interests until the [Armenia-Azerbaijan] Upper
(Nagorno) Garabagh conflict is settled. In other words, Azerbaijan
will never agree with the idea of transporting its gas through Armenia
until an acceptable solution is found to the Garabagh conflict. Sinan
Oghan, the head of TURKSAM, a Turkish center dealing with international
relations and strategic analysis, has told the newspaper that it is
possible that the developments will unfold this way. When preliminary
agreements were being reached on protocols covering restoration of
diplomatic ties between Turkey and Armenia, Armenian Foreign Minister
Eduard Nalbandian said his country was ready to participate in all
energy projects in the South Caucasus region, Oghan noted. He did not
cite the Nabucco project, but everyone understood what he was talking
about. The European Union and the U.S. are to specify the Nabucco route
by the end of the year. Ankara has therefore expedited the process
of drafting the protocol on diplomatic ties. Ankara and Yerevan on
August 31 agreed to start consultations on forging diplomatic ties
and developing bilateral relations. The two governments announced
they would complete domestic consultations over two protocols within
six weeks, to be followed by their ratification at the Turkish and
Armenian parliaments. The 3,300-kilometer Nabucco pipeline, which will
run from eastern Turkey to the Austrian capital Vienna, is expected to
come online in 2014. Azerbaijan, Iraq and Egypt will become the main
suppliers for Nabucco, which will carry 31 billion cubic meters of
gas annually, when fully operational. The project will help European
countries to diversify supplies of energy, while the U.S. believes
Nabucco could help ease Russias grip on gas supplies to world markets.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT ON VISIT TO CROATIA

Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am
Sept 7 2009
Armenia

RA President Serzh Sargsyan and his Croatian counterpart Stjepan
MesiÄ~G held a private meeting at the White House on Veliki Brijun
Island, Croatia.

The RA presidential press office told NEWS.am that the Armenian leader
has arrived for a 2-day official visit to Croatia at the invitation
of his Croatia counterpart.

The Armenian President-led delegation includes RA Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandyan, Minister of Economy Nerses Yeritsyan, Chairman of
the Union of Manufacturers (Employers) and Businessmen Armen Ghazaryan,
Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Martin Sargsyan,
other officials and businessmen.

During their meeting the two Presidents discussed the bilateral
cooperation and other issues of mutual interest on the international
agenda.

The Croatian leader outline the way Croatia has past since it gained
independence, the country’s present-day foreign policy agenda and
the process of joining the European Union (EU).

The sides pointed out that the Armenian and Croatian Foreign Ministries
are to sign tomorrow a protocol on political consultations on European
integration, which is of importance for laying solid foundations for
cooperation in this field.

The Armenian President informed his Croatian counterpart of the latest
developments in the Armenian-Turkish political dialogue, prospects
for the normalization of relations, as well as of the Nagorno-Karabakh
peace process. The Croatian leader hailed his Armenian counterpart’s
initiative to normalize relations with Turkey and expressed the
confidence that the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement will, in turn,
will consolidate regional peace and stability.

The Presidents’ private meeting was followed by the Armenian and
Croatian delegations’ meeting.

In the latter half of the day, the Armenian President took part
in an official dinner party organized in his honor by the Croatian
leader. President Sargsyan also visited an exhibition opened on Veliki
Brijun Island and dedicated to the renowned political figure Josip
Broz Tito.

The Economist: how long the process between Armenia and Turkey can
last is anybody’s guess
05.09.2009 18:06 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ This week Armenia and Turkey announced plans for six
weeks of `internal political consultations’ before establishing
diplomatic ties and reopening their border. Coming after several
months of Swiss mediation and arm-twisting by America, the declaration
makes reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia a real prospect – but
not a foregone conclusion, The Economist writes.

Hopes of a new friendship blossomed in September 2008 when Turkey’s
president, Abdullah Gul, became the first modern Turkish leader to
visit Armenia, for a football World Cup qualifier. A full deal seemed
imminent in April when the two countries initialed a preliminary
agreement, including a plan to reopen the border¦ Turkey had
earlier insisted that it would not reopen the border until Armenia and
Azerbaijan had made peace. But in April it seemed to change tack. The
main reason was to stop America’s Congress adopting a resolution to
label the mass slaughter of the Ottoman Armenians in 1915 as
genocide. It worked: Barack Obama did not use the term in his annual
April 24th statement, the article says.

Yet days later the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
reverted to previous policy by insisting that peace with Armenia would
come only if the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was solved. The switch back
reflected nationalist reaction at home as well as Azerbaijan’s threat
to turn towards Russia. Armenia’s president, Serzh Sargsyan,
retaliated by saying he would not attend a return football match in
Turkey on October 14th unless the border was on the verge of being
reopened, it says.

This week’s announcement is calculated to ensure that Mr Sargsyan
comes to the match, maintaining the façade of
reconciliation. By careful coincidence the time for internal political
consultations ends just before the match. Links of various sorts
between the two countries are growing fast and Armenian tourists h
ty to a deal from opposition parties in both countries is strong.

Armenia’s hardline nationalists are furious that the government has
agreed both to the present border and to a joint historical commission
that might yet call the genocide into doubt. They also accuse Mr
Sargsyan of selling out Karabakh. Even if the April 22nd deal is
accepted, another hurdle has been raised: both countries’ parliaments
must agree. To stifle domestic anger (and perhaps embarrass the Turks)
Armenia also chose to publish the full text of the agreements in
April. They do not mention Nagorno-Karabakh.

Turkey’s response has been contradictory. Its foreign minister, Ahmet
Davutoglu, insists that he hopes that the border will be reopened by
the end of the year. But he also says that peace with Armenia is
sustainable only if it makes peace with Azerbaijan. Long-running talks
between Armenia and Azerbaijan seem to be going nowhere. Mr
Davutoglu’s most accurate assertion may be that Turkey and Armenia are
at the start of a `long process.’ How long is anybody’s guess, the
article says.

WPS Agency, Russia
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
September 4, 2009 Friday

ARMENIA AND TURKEY: RECONCILIATION
Russia does not object

by Kirill Zubkov

ARMENIA AND TURKEY ARE A STEP CLOSER TO NORMALIZATION AND
ESTABLISHMENT OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS; An update on the
Armenian-Turkish rapprochement.

Closed since 1993, the state border between Armenia and Turkey might
be finally deblocked come winter. Yerevan and Ankara are even prepared
to establish diplomatic relations. Fortunately, the Armenian-Turkish
rapprochement does not encroach on the interests of Russia in Armenia
or, broader, in the South Caucasus. Moscow, Yerevan, and Ankara want
peace and stability for the region.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry reported yesterday that Ankara and
Yerevan with Switzerland as the broker were working on the protocols
"On establishment of diplomatic relations" and "On development of
bilateral relations". "The consultation will take six weeks, so that
the Turkish-Armenian will hopefully be opened by 2010," Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.

The state border was closed in 1993 in a show of Turkish solidarity
with Azerbaijan that lost Nagorno-Karabakh to the Armenians this
year. As for diplomatic relations, Turkey never even established them
with Armenia when the latter became a sovereign state in 1991. Yerevan
demanded from Turkey to recognize the genocide in the Ottoman Empire
in 1915-1917, something Ankara could not do, of course.

Mikhail Alexandrov, Chief of the Department of the Caucasus of the
Institute of CIS Countries, plainly told RBC Daily that "the
Armenian-Turkish reconciliation does not mean dismantlement of the
special relationship between Yerevan and Moscow." Sandwiched between
Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Georgia, Armenia found itself isolated on all
sides after the last year war in South Ossetia. The opening of the
border with Turkey will make life considerably easier for Armenia.

In the meantime, the reconciliation will also benefit Turkey which
aspires to the status of the regional leader. "Ankara is through both
with being exceptionally pro-Western and with its pan-Turkic
illusions," Alexandrov said. "The period when Ankara participated in
the blockade of Armenia in the name of solidarity with Azerbaijan is
finally over."

Maintenance of regional stability in accordance with the Security and
Development Platform plan is Ankara’s number one priority. Bracing for
the forthcoming withdrawal of the US Army from Iraq, Turkey prepares
itself for the nearly inevitable deterioration of the Kurd
problem. Neither do Armenia and Russia want anything but stability in
the region.

Source: RBC Daily, September 2, 2009, p. 2

ARMENTEL ORGANIZES PROFESSIONAL ORIENTATION TRAININGS FOR ARMENIAN SCHOOLCHILDREN

ArmInfo
2009-09-04 10:17:00

ArmInfo. ArmenTel CJSC launches public professional orientation
trainings for Armenian schoolchildren studying in the 9th-11th grades
of comprehensive schools. Company’s top managers and Beeline corporate
university’s trainers will introduce high school students to their
subdivisions’ activities, including marketing, finance, technical bloc.

ArmenTel CJSC’s General Director Igor Klimko has called on all
interested schools to submit their applications to the company. "We’ll
be happy to open Beeline corporate university called Armenia in
Front of Armenian Students. I am sure that the information gained
from Armenia’s biggest telecommunication operator will orient young
generation towards choosing a future profession."

The training scheme designed for schoolchildren takes into
consideration such factors as their situation and interests in
concrete spheres of professional activity, Head of Beeline corporate
university (Armenia) Nana Hovhannisyan said. "Our goal is to enable
high school students to have full understanding of mature life and
career development issues."

Schools are welcome to submit their participation claims till
September 18.