Author: Hambardsumian Paul

12th Republican Party of Armenia Convention Begins Today

Tert.am
11:45 – 28.11.09

The 12th Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) convention began at 11 am
today in Yerevan’s Karen Demirjian Sport and Concert Complex. The
building is already packed with numerous RPA members, the country’s
leading officials and a number of other guests from different
political parties.

Planned during the convention is a statement by Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan, possible changes to the RPA statues, the election of
the RPA president, and elections of RPA executive board members and
audit committee members.

As previously reported by Tert.am, also planned during the convention
is the election of additional members to the executive board,
including Armenian prime minister Tigran Sargsyan and Yerevan mayor
Gagik Beglaryan.

MP SAYS AZERBAIJAN MAY HAVE TO LIBERATE LAND BY FORCE

news.az
Nov 26 2009
Azerbaijan

Sabir Hajiyev MP Sabir Hajiyev, chairman of the Civic Unity Party,
has joined the chorus of comments on the liberation of Azerbaijan’s
occupied land by force if the peace negotiations with Armenia fail.

"As you know, our president and foreign minister are continuing
negotiations on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, but every
negotiating process should have a time limit, we cannot continue
endless discussions – we want a result as soon as possible," Hajiyev
told 1news.az.

"If Armenia tries to protract the conflict settlement, we have neither
the time nor the will for this, and in this sense I share the opinion
of the country’s president and defence minister that if the talks
are ineffective we have to liberate our lands through war.

"You know our patience is exhausted," the deputy said.

Asked about the causes of Armenia’s behaviour, the deputy said:
"Armenia has an unrealistic approach to life. Otherwise, it would have
understood that it has no alternative to normalizing relations with
Azerbaijan. However, ambitions prevent this country from understanding
reality and this causes all its failures."

JAPAN WELCOMES RECONCILIATION BETWEEN ARMENIA AND TURKEY

Aysor
Nov 26 2009
Armenia

Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan, who is on a visit to
Japan, has met with Speaker of the Japanese Parliament’s Speaker
Takahiro Yokomichi.

The parties have discussed matters of cooperation between the two
counties, shared views on international matters, and those of the
Caucasus and Pacific regions, spokesman of Armenia’s Foreign Ministry
told. As there is a Group of Friendship at the Armenian Parliament,
the similar group is expected to be established at Japanese Parliament.

Mr. Takahiro Yokomichi has praised Armenian-Turkish reconciliation
and efforts aimed at settling stability in the region, and said he
believes the process of normalisation of relations will positively
influence settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

ARAM SARGSYAN: ARMENIA’S RESPONSE TO AZERBAIJAN SHOULD BE ADEQUATE
Karen Ghazaryan

"Radiolur"
27.11.2009 17:25

Leader of the Democratic Party of Armenia Aram Sargsyan considers
that the authorities of the Republic of Armenia never managed to
properly present the essence of the Karabakh issue to the international
community, while Azerbaijan successfully continues distorting it.

"The Armenian side cannot have any expectations unless certain
conceptual changes are made in the process of settlement of the
Karabakh issue," Aram Sargsyan said.

"We know that the Madrid Principles envisage return of territories. It
means that the Armenian side, in principle, agrees that the territories
should be returned," he said. According to the leader of the Democratic
Party, if this is not so, it’s more than necessary to suspend the
negotiation process and demand from the Minsk Group Co-Chairs to
express a clear stance on the bellicose statements of the President
of Azerbaijan. The co-chair countries also have to condemn such
statements.

Armenia should have recognized the independence of Nagorno Karabakh
long ago, Sram Sargsyan believes. "First, Armenia had to recognize
the fact of Nagorno Karabakh’s secession from Azerbaijan, which took
place in line will all norms of international law and the Soviet
legislation."

The leader of the Democratic Party considers that Armenia should take
adequate steps in response to the aggressive statements of Azerbaijan.

MIKAEL HAYRAPETYAN IS PLEASED
Victoria Abrahamyan

11/27/mikael-hayrapetyan
07:15 pm | November 27, 2009

Politics

Leader of the RA Conservative Party Mikael Hayrapetyan is pleased
with the Munich meeting of Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan.

I am pleased with the meeting. Unlike the Zurich meeting (during the
signing ceremony of the Armenian-Turkish Protocols) no one patted
the heads of our country. I consider it as a great achievement and
I am glad for it.

– Don’t you think the scenario repeated in Munich but it wasn’t
simply recorded?

I don’t think so otherwise there would be a flow of information.

– Can we consider a lack of a "gesture" as progress in the Karabakh
conflict settlement?

One must always beware of Armenian authorities. They are henchmen and
one cannot expect them to act on their own. In Munich the Armenian
top brass got definite instructions and soon we shall witness the
fruits of their preliminary arrangements.

-Will the Armenian-Turkish border open as a result of these
arrangements?

– I think it won’t be opened in the near future since the opening
implies a hasty resolution of the Karabakh conflict and new pressure
on Armenia and Karabakh.

– Don’t you think the political domain is passive today?

Things are as they are and each political force takes steps deriving
from its interests. Armenia lacks a bipolar classical political domain;
hence we cannot expect classical solutions. I feel the influence of
foreign powers on Armenia and I fear the worst. God grant that no
Armenian-Azerbaijani war is waged.

– Do you have premonition?

I think the greatest danger is awaiting on the Armenian-Azerbaijani
front since Russia as usual is doing its dirty deed in South Caucasus.

I expect Russia to put Armenia on the altar to secure its presence
in Azerbaijan and Iran.

– Which is the most important issue today?

My party and I think that the first and foremost issue today is to
release the prisoners.

MOSQUES IN SWITZERLAND MAY HAVE NO MINARETS

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.11.2009 19:28 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Swiss authorities have appointed a date for holding
a nationwide referendum on constitutional amendments banning minarets
construction. Voting is due on November 29.

A few years back, the issue was raised by Swiss People’s Party (SPP)
which held victory in 2007 parliamentary elections. The party called
for ban on minarets fearing a creeping Islamicisation. In the summer of
2008, SPP collected almost 115,000 signatures for holding a referendum,
BBC News reports.

Islam is the second largest religion in Switzerland which has 400
thousand Muslims living on its territory (with the total population
being 7.7 million). The country has 3 mosques with minarets.

PRIME MINISTER OF ARMENIA AND YEREVAN MAYOR TO RUN FOR RPA EXECUTIVE BODY

ArmInfo
2009-11-26 18:45:00

ArmInfo. Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan and Yerevan Mayor
Gagik Beglaryan will run for the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA)
Executive Body, Galust Sahakyan, RPA Vice Chairman, Head of RRA
Faction, said in a press conference on Thursday.

The parliamentarian said that the candidatures of the prime minister
and the mayor will be advanced during the elections to the RPA
Executive Body at the next RPA Congress on November 28. G. Sahakyan
said that the RPA Executive Body staff will be enlarged i.e. it will
comprise 14 instead of present 12 representatives. After the new staff
is elected, the RPA Leader, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan will
elect the Vice Chairmen of the Party. G. Sahakyan did not rule out
that Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan will be elected one of the RPA
Vice Chairmen.

As regards the rumors that Prosecutor General and Head of the National
Security Service of Armenia will be allegedly dismissed, G. Sahakyan
said the RPA has not discussed the given issues.

IT IS PROPOSED AMENDING SOME PROVISIONS OF RA LAW ON DUAL CITIZENSHIP

Noyan Tapan
Nov 26, 2009

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 26, NOYAN TAPAN. At the November 26 sitting,
the Armenian government made an addition to Decision No 821 of
December 25, 1998. The addition is conditioned by the circumstance
that foreign citizens who receive Armenian citizenship or special
status of residence in the Republic of Armenia often have problems
with transcription of their first names and family names, which later
results in numerous obstacles and complaints. Under the decision,
in such cases the English spelling of the first and family names of
the person shall coincide with the English spelling in the passport
received in the foreign state, and his (her) first and family
names shall be transcribed from English to literary Armenian, while
in especially complicated cases, the reference given by the State
Language Inspection of the RA Ministry of Education and Science shall
be assumed as a basis for transcription.

At the briefing following the government sitting, RA Minister of
Diaspora Ms. Hranush Hakobian said that over the two years when the
law on dual citizenship has been in force, some problems have arisen,
causing discontent of Diaspora Armenians. So the Armenian president has
instructed the Ministry of Diaspora, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
and the RA Police to jointly discuss these problems.

"According to the procedure, a person’s first and family names were
directly transcribed from English to Armenian, as a result of which
the individual, who was to receive an Armenian citizen’s passport he
dreamt of, would become a completely new person – in the Armenian
version," H. Hakobian said. According to her, there have even been
cases when people refused to receive a passport because of distortion
of their names. The minister informed those present that the amendment
envisages that transcription of first and family names from English to
Armenia will be done in literary Armenian. In case of a request of a
foreign citizen of Armenian descent who has received citizenship, the
name will be transcribed from English to Armenian by the version he
(she) prefers. If it is a complex name and does not conform with any
pattern, the opinion of the State Language Inspection shall be taken
into account. "However, if the first and family names in Armenian
are unaccepatble after joint discussion by the police, the Language
Inspection and the given person, then the name will be written in
the form preferred by the person," the minister said.

In her words, the number of those acquiring dual citizenship is
gradually growing: 1,350 persons received dual citizenship in 2008,
and 3,514 ones in the first ten months of 2009. Discussions are
underway to amend some provisions of the current law in order to
facilitate the process of receiving dual citizenship.

H. Hakobian said that it is mostly the heads of all-Armenian
organizations and the Armenians dealing with problems of Armenian
identity preservation in the Diaspora who acquire dual citizenship.

She added that there have been cases when dual citizenship was granted
to people who had never been to Armenia but who dreamt of having an
Armenian passport.

EBRD HAILS ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES’ BAILOUT POLICY

ARKA
Nov 26, 2009

YEREVAN, November 26. /ARKA/. Olivier Descamps, EBRD Business Group
Director in South Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus, met
with Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan in Yerevan on Tuesday,
the press office of Armenian government reports.

He gave a high mark to Armenian government’s efforts to ward off the
crisis and welcomed its bailout policy.

Descamps also hailed the premier’s speech in National Assembly.

He said that the EBRD intends to invest $150 million in Armenia
this year hitting the historical record and added that the bank is
interested in establishment of pension and insurance funds.

Descamps said EBRD would keep supporting small and medium entrepreneurs
in their efforts to save energy.

The premier and the EBRD business group director also spoke about the
bank’s probable participation in creation of a free economic zone in
the areas adjacent to Yerevan’s Zvartnots Airport.

Prospects for construction of North-South transport corridor were
discussed at the meeting as well.

EP SUPPORTS ALLOCATION OF 100M ASSISTANCE TO ARMENIA

armradio.am
25.11.2009 18:30

The European Parliament supported the allocation of macro-financial
assistance to Armenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Georgia. The relevant
decisions were approved by European Parliament at the Strasburg
session.

MPs approved 4 reports on allotting ~@100m assistance to Armenia
(~@65m – credit, ~@35m – grant), ~@200 m to Serbia (credit), ~@100m
assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina (credit) and ~@46m – to Georgia
(grant).

The corresponding decisions on coming into effect were supported by
the EU Council.