Author: Greg Madatian

DILIJAN HOSTED THE LAST IN THE SERIES OF UNDP ORGANIZED CONCERTS

armradio.am
05.05.2009 18:45

On 5 May 2009 the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
in Armenia, within the framework of UNDP project "Music and Public
Outreach in the Regions: Highlighting the Needs of the Regions through
a Cultural Lens," addressed environmental issues in Tavush region
through a concert and a public awareness campaign in the city of
Dilijan. The performance was given by the National Chamber Orchestra
of Armenia (NCOA), led by maestro Aram Gharabekian.

The event in Dilijan was the last in the series. All the concerts
and public awareness campaigns received an overwhelming response
from the audience in Ararat, Syunik, Kotayk, Gegharkunik, Shirak and
Tavush regions.

The main objective of the project is to support the revival of cultural
life in the regions, break the cultural isolation and raise public
awareness on the needs of communities using culture and, particularly,
music as vehicle for this purpose.

Deutsche Welle , Germany
March 21 2009

EU’s Eastern Partnership Draws Ire From Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized on Saturday the
European Union’s new partnership with six former Soviet states,
suggesting the 27-member bloc was seeking to extend its own sphere of
influence.

"We are accused of trying to have spheres of influence," Lavrov said
during the annual Brussels Forum in the Belgian capital. "What is the
‘Eastern Partnership’? Is it a sphere of influence, including
Belarus?"

On Friday, after a two-day summit in Brussels, EU leaders approved the
new partnership, which would allow the union to increase its aid to
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and possibly Belarus by
600 million euros ($814 million).

"Our dream has come true, we have been able to adopt the Eastern
Partnership," said Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, whose
country currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency.

Under the scheme, the EU is to negotiate new association agreements —
accords setting terms for cooperation with non-member states — as
reward for democratic and free-market reforms.

The plan envisages the gradual creation of a free-trade zone with the
countries. Of the 600 million euros in aid, some 350 million euros
will be new funds for strengthening state institutions, border control
and assistance for small companies.

Giving Belarus a chance?

The EU’s interest in its eastern neighborhood has surged since
Russia’s August invasion of Georgia. The bloc is now keen to
strengthen its ties with its neighbors to counter-balance Moscow’s
growing assertiveness in the region.

As a gesture of goodwill towards Russia’s staunch ally Belarus, EU
foreign ministers on Monday extended until December the suspension of
travel restrictions for the country’s top government officials,
including President Alexander Lukashenko,

The EU put the ban into effect in 2006 in response to human rights
violations allegedly committed by Lukashenko, whose regime former US
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice once called "the last remaining
true dictatorship in the heart of Europe."

But the bloc put the visa ban on ice in October in a bid to encourage
the Belarus president to take a more pro-Western and pro-democracy
course as part of a carrot-and-stick policy.

A sore spot for Russia

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The
West did not recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia
Lavrov, however, condemned the union’s effort to draw ex-Soviet
countries closer to the West as meddling into other countries’
internal affairs.

"When my good friend Karel Schwarzenberg publicly says that if Belarus
recognizes Abkhazia and South Ossetia it could forget about "Eastern
Partnership", is it blackmail or is it democracy at work?"

"After those kinds of statements, we have questions," Lavrov
added. "Is it about pulling countries (away) from the decisions that
they are supposed to take freely?"

Russia recognized the independence of the breakaway Georgian regions
following its short war in Georgia in August to widespread
international condemnation. Moscow has been urging its neighbor to
follow suit.

The official launch of the EU’s partnership with six eastern European
countries, which is backed strongly by Poland and Sweden, is set for
May 7, although doubts remain about whether Lukashenko will be
invited.

"That will depend on the behavior of Mr. Lukashenko and the Belarus
government in the coming weeks, but Belarus should be in the ‘Eastern
Partnership’," Schwarzenberg said on Friday.

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Hetq online

Archbishop Nerses Pozapalyan Attacked in Etchmiadzin Apartment
2009/02/19

The Press Office of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin reports that
Archbishop Nerses Pozapalyan suffered a brain seizure after a robber
attacked him after gaining entry to the clergyman’s apartment on the
grounds of the Holy See yesterday evening. Hearing Archbishop
Pozapalyan’s cry for help a worker at the Brotherhood’s residence
rushed to the scene to find the clergyman on the floor.

An ambulance rushed Archbishop Pozapalyan to the hospital in the town
of Etchmiadzin and he was later taken to the Nairi Medical Center
where he was diagnosed as having sustained a brain seizure.

The attacker has been arrested and a preliminary investigation is
underway.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT TO TAKE PART IN EASTERN PARTNERSHIP CONFERENCE IN PRAGUE

ARKA
Feb 2, 2009

YEREVAN, February 2. /ARKA/. Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan has
been invited to participate in the Eastern Partnership summit to take
place in Prague this spring, the RA President’s Press Service reports.

During the Davos meeting on January 30, Czech President Vaclav Klaus
invited his Armenian counterpart Sargsyan to the Prague summit.

Approved by 27 EU member-states at the December 2008 summit in
Brussels, the initiators of the Eastern Partnership were Poland
and Sweden. The program aims at bringing together Ukraine, Armenia,
Moldavia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and, possibly, Belarus.

The program’s objective is to boost political cooperation and
integrate ex-soviet states into EU economy, as well as extend financial
assistance to these countries and ensure energy safety in post-soviet
space.

Stressing the role of the South Caucasus for EU, President Klaus
said the Eastern Partnership is essential in promoting the region’s
collaboration with EU.

In his turn, RA President Serzh Sargsyan said Armenia stands ready
to stimulate democratic processes fixed in the program of actions.

During the meeting, the presidents touched upon a range of issues on
bilateral cooperation and Armenia-EU relations.

Sargsyan greatly appreciated the Generalized System of Preferences
(GSP+, duty and quota-free access to developing countries that have
implem ented sustainable development and good governance policies
under the GSP+ incentive – ARKA), adding the agreement contributes
to Armenia-EU trade partnership.

At the Polish president’s request, Sargsyan also touched upon the
current negotiations over a peaceful settlement of the Karabakh
conflict and Armenia-Turkey dialogue.

EDWARD NALBANDIAN: "ARMENIA AND TURKEY ARE INTERESTED IN ESTABLISHMENT OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS AND REOPENING BORDERS"

Azeri Press Agency
Dec 10, 2008
Azerbaijan

Brussels-APA. Belgium Royal Institute for International Relations
discusses Nagorno Karabakh conflict and Turkey-Armenia relations,
APA reports quoting Armenian News

Francois De Donnea, Belgian Minister of State, Peter Semneby,
EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus, Robert Simmons,
NATO’s first ever Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central
Asia, members of Senate and Parliament of Belgium, representatives of
diplomatic missions in this country, state bodies, scientific centers,
universities, analysts and journalists attended the debates.

Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandian addressing the event
charged Azerbaijan with delay of settlement process of Nagorno
Karabakh conflict. Nalbandian touching upon Turkey-Armenia relations
underlined that both of countries were interested in establishment of
diplomatic relations and reopening borders and accepted settlement of
the relations without any terms. Nalbandian highly assessing meetings
with his Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan mentioned that they were
coordinated to continue such meetings.

AZERBAIJAN LEADING AMONG CIS COUNTRIES FOR CHILDREN’S DEATH RATE

Today.Az
22 September 2008 [15:07]

UNICEF has released a report (The State of the World’s Children 2008)
about the state of children in the world.

The report says that through the past 20 years the children’s death
rate has dropped by 27%. For example, 9.2 mln children at the age of
up to 5 years died in 2007, which is 60% lower as compared to 1960
(12.7 mln).

The drop in the death rate is recorded in all regions of the world. The
children’s death rate in the Central and Eastern Europe was reduced by
50% as compared to 1990. In Central, Eastern Europe and CIS states 26
out out of 1000 (55 in 1990) die. For comparison, in the industrially
developed countries, 6 out of 1,000 children die, in the countries
of Asian-Pacific region -28, Latin America – 27 and Near East – 46.

The situation is quite different in poor countries: the frustrating
record was set in Sierra-Leone, where 270 out of 1000 newborns die
before they reach the age 5 years. The first top five countries,
where the situation is the poorest, include Angola, Afghanistan,
Niger and Liberia (235 deaths).

The former USSR countries occupy the following positions: Azerbaijan
(46th place, 88 out of 1000 children do not reach the age of 5 years),
Tajikistan (57 and 68 respectively), Turkmenistan (67, 51), Uzbekistan
(69, 43), Kyrgyzstan (71, 41), Georgia (86, 32), Kazakhstan (92,
29), Armenia and Ukraine (101, 24), Moldova (116, 19), Russia (125,
18), Belarus (135, 13), Latvia (148, 9), Lithuania (151, 8), Estonia
(157, 7).

The best situation is recorded in Sweden, Singapore, San-Marino,
Lichtenstein, Iceland and Andorra (all on the 189th place), which
account for 3 cases of death among 1,000 children.

The United States is on the 151th place (8 cases), To compare, Israel
(167, 5), Cuba (157, 7), Kuqait (143, 11), China (101, 24), Saudi
Arabia (97, 25), Iran (83, 34), India (49, 76).

The authors of the report list poverty, which does not allow people
to get proper nutrition and medical aid, as a main cause of death
among children.

Pneumonia, malaria, diarrhea, AIDS and so on remain the main killers
of underage children. Deficit of nutrition is responsible for the
death of every third child.

ARMENIA VIEWS RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES AS COOPERATION SYMBOL

RosBusinessConsulting
Aug 25 2008
Russia

RBC, 25.08.2008, Yerevan 15:09:55.Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan
believes that Russian military bases in the republic symbolize
efficient cooperation between the two countries, rather then hegemony,
the ARKA information agency reported today.

Sargsyan pointed out that Armenia stood on principle of sovereignty,
adding that at the moment such sovereignty included participation
in efficient international and regional security systems. He also
reiterated that one of the main principles of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO), which Armenia had made a decision to join,
was that an attack on one of its members meant an infringement on
all members.

RAMIN MUSAYEV SAYS AFFA IS TO PASS DECISION ON RASIM KARA

Azeri Press Agency
12 Aug 2008 15:47
Azerbaijan

Baku. Mehman Suleymanov – APA-SPORT. "Rasim Kara was at the
technical zone in the visit match against Karvan as a head coach
of Khazar-Lankaran on our approval. Garabagh, the club that still
has contract with Kara, is aware of that", Azerbaijan Professional
Football League president Ramin Musayev told APA-SPORT.

He stated that the issue on Rasim Kara is still under the
investigation.

"WE asked FIFA and UEFA to help us to make a decision. Rasim Kara
changed Garabagh to Khazar-Lankaran as a coach. We have no article in
the regulations on such a case. We should wait for some time. AFFA
Department is carrying out the investigation on the issue. We
considered it expedient to allow Kara to attend the matches. However,
he is a head coach of Khazar-Lankaran", he said.

SERGEI MARKEDONOV: "TATARSTAN AUTONOMY MODEL DOES NOT COINCIDE WITH NAGORNO KARABAKH"

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
June 11 2008

Baku. Tamara Grigoryeva-APA. "Tatarstan Autonomy model does not
coincide with Nagorno Karabakh", analyst Sergei Markedonov addressed
Yerevan-Moscow-Baku video-conference, APA reports.

He explained that there were not victims of military conflict in
Tatarstan.

"Tatarstan did not announce its separation from Russia and ethnic
cleansing was not committed in Tatarstan. Negation of Tatarstan model
does not mean that Nagorno Karabakh should be given independence",
he said.

–Boundary_(ID_ZMFur6GnZQCQxQvvemMsDg)–

SEYRAN OHANIAN: ARMENIA SHOULD NOT LAG BEHIND AZERBAIJAN

Noyan Tapan

Ju ne 9, 2008

YEREVAN, JUNE 9, NOYAN TAPAN. A military solution to the Nagorno
Karabakh problem has been already implemented, and today we should do
our best for problem’s peaceful settlement. RA Defence Minister Seyran
Ohanian gave assurance during his June 9 meeting with journalists. He
said that peaceful settlement is in the interests of both Armenian
and Azeri peoples.

According to the Minister, the idea of peaceful settlement is the basis
of today’s negotiations process, and during the meeting of Armenian
and Azeri Presidents held lately the sides confirmed readiness to
continue the negotiations with the current basis.

Touching upon Azeri Armed Forces’ intention to buy planes without
pilots, the RA Defence Minister did not exclude that with the help
of them the Azeri side wishes to examine the border zone of NKR
and RA. S. Ohanian stated that if the Azeri side buys such planes,
the Armenian side will also do the same, as "Armenia should not lag
behind Azerbaijan."