Author: Hambardsumian Paul

RA PRESIDENT HOPES THAT REAL INTEREST OF AZERBAIJAN IS PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF KARABAKH CONFLICT

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.09.2008 16:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Months ago the UN adopted with only 39 states out
of 146 voting "for". It was a resolution which is related to the one
of the episodes of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Armenian President
Serzh Sarsgyan said in his address to the UN General Assembly.

"A fundamental and sensitive problem with deep roots, painful and
bloody developments, and immense efforts to give it a peaceful
resolution was decided upon by the majority to support one of the
parties. The outcome was more than predictable – a new wave of
belligerent statements in Azerbaijan, fake laurels of political
speculations, etc.

But wasn’t that voting a lip service to Azerbaijan? I hope that the
real interest of Azerbaijan is not in miscellaneous international
labelings of the different elements of the conflict but rather the
peaceful and comprehensive resolution of the conflict, just like it is
in the interest of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh and the Republic
of Armenia.

The process mediated by the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group is to reach
exactly that goal, and I think that understand made almost 4/5 abstain
from voting "yes’ for that resolution. Look at the voting of the US,
France and Russia – the most well-informed third parties, regarding
the NK conflict and its resolution.

Is it absolutely necessary to shed blood to understand that the
frozen conflicts demand expert and conscientious approach and cannot
be solved through the discussions in different fora?

We have done some serious work with the mediation of the OSCE Minsk
Group Co-Chairs. Isn’t it possible to at least abstain from creating
new challenges for the process?" he said.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT MEETS WITH HIS SERBIAN AND LATVIAN COUNTERPARTS, U.S. STATE SECRETARY AND DELIVERS SPEECH IN FRONT OF AMERICAN ARMENIAN COMMUNITY

ARMENPRESS
September 25, 2008

NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 25, ARMENPRESS: Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan,
who is New York to participate in the 63d session of the UN General
Assembly, had a number of bilateral meetings on September 24.

During the meeting with his Serbian counterpart Boris Tadic, the
sides underscored the necessity of further development of political,
economic and cultural relations between Armenia and Serbia. The two
presidents pointed out that there exists enough potential and concrete
steps are necessary for its effective usage.

Serzh Sargsyan and Boris Tadic pointed out that in spite of
the geographic distance Armenian and Serbian peoples have many
historic-cultural similarities and warm attitude towards each other.

With the request of the Serbian president, Serzh Sargsyan
presented Armenia’s approaches towards Karabakh conflict regulation,
Armenian-Turkish relations and recent developments in the region. Serzh
Sargsyan and Boris Tadic agreed that peaceful regulation of all the
conflicts is the way to progress and development of the region. The
Serbian president also pointed out the role of the Serbian-Armenian
community in further development of bilateral relations. Boris Tadic
also invited Serzh Sargsyan to pay visit to Belgrade.

On the same day Serzh Sargsyan met with his Latvian counterpart Valdis
Zatlers. The two presidents said they are pleased with the level of
relations between Armenia and Latvia, underscored the necessity of
their further development.

Serzh Sargsyan and Valdis Zatlers also underscored cooperation within
the framework of EU’s New Neighborhood policy. In this respect Latvian
president expressed readiness of his country to support Armenia in
European integration process. The two presidents also referred to a
number of regional issues. Valdis Zatlers invited Armenian president
to visit Riga.

Afterwards Armenian President visited New York’s "Metropolitan" museum.

On the second part of the day Armenian President received U.S. State
Secretary Condoleezza Rice. During the meeting the sides discussed
a wide-range of issues on Armenian-U.S. relations, regional
developments. Serzh Sargsyan thanked the U.S. government for the
support provided to Armenia. In response, the secretary of state
pointed out that she has registered progress in Armenia’s political
reforms which is a good basis for continuing the support to Armenia.

The sides also referred to the process of negotiations over Nagorno
Karabakh conflict regulation. Armenian president reiterated
Armenia’s readiness to solve the conflict peacefully, through
negotiations. Condoleezza Rice underscored the peaceful regulation
of the conflict and pointed out that such solution of the conflict
will promote the establishment of peace and cooperation in the region.

The state secretary also congratulated the Armenian president for his
initiative directed towards the regulation of relations with Turkey
and expressed hope that the visit of the Turkish president to Armenia
will be a beginning of a future cooperation.

Late in the evening of September 24, Armenian president was present at
a reception organized on his honor where he delivered a speech. More
than 700 representatives of the American Armenian community were
present at the event.

NABUCCO PIPELINE CANNOT PASS THROUGH ARMENIA

AZG Armenian Daily
25/09/2008

International, Economy

The NABUCO pipeline, which is intented to transport gaz from Central
Asia and Azerbaijan to Europe, cannot pass through the territory of
Armenia, said representative of the Presidential Cabinet of Azerbaijan,
Ali Hasanov.

He stated that the route of the pipeline is arleady defined. The
pipeline shall go through azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Greece and
Italy.

INTERNATIONAL TALKS ON CAUCASUS TO OPEN IN GENEVA OCT. 15

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.09.2008 13:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ International talks on the Caucasus will open in
Geneva on Oct. 15, EU Enlargement Commission spokesperson said.

"The European Commission is hopeful that discussions on implementation
of the Medvedev-Sarkozy plan to alleviate the Georgian-South Ossetian
tensions will be launched," Krisztina Nagy said.

The agenda will also include discussion of stability and security
issues and return of refugees in compliance with international norms,
RIA Novosti reports.

As to the status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov said that "the matter is settled and Moscow
is not going to discuss it."

Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states
on August 26.

U.S. TO FACILITATE DEMOCRACY AND MARKET ECONOMY DEVELOPMENT IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
22.09.2008 19:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, Ms Marie
Yovanovitch handed her credentials to RA President Serzh Sargsyan,
the RA leader’s press office told PanARMENIAN.Net.

The President said Armenia attaches importance to development of
multilateral relations with the United States and thanked the
U.S. government for the assistance it rendered to independence
Armenia. He also appreciated highly the U.S. mediation for the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict settlement.

For her part, Ms. Yovanovitch said she will do everything in her
power to promote the U.S.-Armenia relations and, on behalf of the
U.S. government, welcomed President Sargsyan’s initiative to invite
Turkey’s Gul to Yerevan.

AMIN ASIKAINEN VS KHOREN GEVOR: MORE THAN A EUROPEAN TITLE FIGHT

EastsideBoxing.com
Sep 22, 2008

22.09.08 РMiika Forsstr̦m: Stakes are high when world-class
contenders "Idi" Amin Asikainen (25-1, 17 KOs) and Khoren Gevor
(29-3, 15 KOs) will clash for the vacant European middleweight
title November 28th in Helsinki Finland. The promoters P3 Boxing and
Live Nation expect over 10,000 spectators to the beautiful Hartwall
Arena. Asikainen´s trainer-manager Pekka Mäki told Eastside Boxing;
"This is more than a European titlefight. We have two high ranked
world class middleweights and the winner of this fight will be very
close to shot at world title".

Asikainen is rated #4 by the IBF, #7 by the WBA, #8 by the WBO and #19
by the WBC. Khoren Gevor is rated #5 by the IBF, #15 by the WBC, #6 by
the WBA and WBO. Respected The Ring rank´s Asikainen as middleweight
champ Kelly Palvik´s #4 challenger..

In July Sebastian Sylvester relinquished the European middleweight
title in order to fight the WBA world champion Felix Sturm. Asikainen
was the #1 challenger to the title and European Boxing Union (EBU)
named Gevor as the co-challenger. Asikainen vs. Gevor was announced
last week in a press-conference in Helsinki.

"I am glad that we got this fight to Finland. The support of my
fans will help me. I will train extremely hard for this fight and do
everything I can to beat Gevor. When two world class athletes compete,
everything is possible. The other one wins and the other loses. But
I am confident that I will defeat Khoren Gevor" Asikainen stated.

Asikainen won the European middleweight title in 2006, when he stopped
Sebastian Sylvester in the round 8 in Germany. Asikainen defended his
title successfully against Alexander Sipos and tough Italian Lorenzo
di Giacomo. Sylvester beat Asikainen by a TKO in round 11 in June
2007 in a controversial fashion in the rematch. Asikainen´s manager
Pekka Mäki made a protest about the referee´s actions in the fight,
but EBU did not accept it. After two easy comeback fights Asikainen
stopped former super welterweight champion Yori Boy Campas in round
7 in February. In August 30 Asikainen brutally knocked out Brazilian
Roberto Oliveira de Jesus in two rounds.

"My goal is to become a world champion. To get another shot at world
title I will have to beat Amin Asikainen. This fight is extremely
important to me. If he beats me fairly I will retire from boxing. But
that won´t happened, I will win and after that I will win world
title. November 28th I will end Asikainen´s boxing career" Gevor
told in the press-conference.

"Actually Gevor´s career ended already a year ago, when he was
knocked out by Abraham" Asikainen responded to Gevor´s statement.

Armenian-born southpaw Khoren Gevor, who lives in Hamburg, Germany, won
IBF and WBO Inter-Continental middleweight titles in 2005 by stopping
28-0 Gustavo Magallanes from Mexico in eight rounds. The next year
Gevor defended his titles successfully by beating previously unbeaten
(16-0-1) Sergey Khomitsky on points. In 2007 Gevor beat 23-1 Rafael
Sosa Pintos on points.

In August last year Gevor challenged the IBF world champion
"King" Arthur Abraham in Berlin. The brutal early rounds were very
close. Gevor seem to outwork and outbox the harder hitting champion. In
round eight Abraham rocked Gevor with very hard punches. Gevor proved
that he can really take a punch and bravely kept on fighting. In
round 11 Abraham landed a devastating left hook that knocked Gevor
out cold. Although he lost the fight, Gevor gained the respect of
the fans with his good effort against tough champion.

Asikainen will prepare to the fight in a training camp in Tenerife,
where he will run in the mountains. After it Asikainen will have
a three weeks sparring camp in Finland. "We will get him good left
handed sparring partners from East" Asikainen´s trainer Pekka Mäki
told. Gevor will train hard as usual in his hometown Hamburg. Gevor
will be trained to this fight by Fritz Sdunek, who is right now
working with Vitali Klitschko.

"Gevor´s style should suit me real well. I have always been at my
best against shorter and aggressive fighters, just like Gevor. The
biggest problem is the fact that he is a southpaw, but I can deal
with it. I have fight very well to beat him." Asikainen told about
the styles of the boxers.

"Asikainen is right handed and taller than me. That is no problem,
because almost all of my opponents have been right-hander´s and taller
than me. I can handle his style, but can he handle my?" Gevor asked.

–Boundary_(ID_DBdB0ka8p4bghLAJQELFQA)–

USA APPROVES TURKEY’S INITIATIVES ON ESTABLISHING PEACE IN CAUCASUS

AZG Armenian Daily
20/09/2008

Regional

US Vice-Secretary of State for Political Issues William Burns stated
in the Senate that America approves Turkey’s efforts to reduce the
tension in South Caucasus. Reminding about the Gul-Sarkisian meeting
in Yerevan, the American diplomat said that establishment of normal
relations between Armenia and Turkey can unlock all the transportation
and trade routes in the region.

Matthew Bryza, OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairman and assistant to
Vice-Secretary of state for Eurasia, in his turn highly appreciated
Turkey’s initiative on the Caucasian peace and stability platform. He
said that the Turkish side is very well informed about the conflict
in Karabakh and noted that Ankara’s participation in the peace process
may have strongly positive result.

RA FM DOES NOT OBJECT MEETING IN TRILATERAL FORMAT WITH AZERBAIJANI AND TURKISH FMS

DeFacto Agency
2008-09-19 14:49:00
Armenia

YEREVAN, 19.09.08. DE FACTO. The contacts between Armenian and Turkish
diplomats always took place, and there is nothing unusual about the
meetings, RA FM Edvard Nalbandian stated answering ArmInfo question
if information concerning Armenian and Turkish diplomats’ meeting in
Switzerland corresponded to reality.

Answering a question on information concerning a trilateral meeting
between Armenian, Azerbaijani and Turkish FMs to be held in New
York, Edvard Nalbandian noted as early as on September 7 Armenian
and Turkish FMs agreed to meet within the U. N. GA frames in New
York. "Mr. Babacan also suggested that a meeting in a trilateral
format be held. I do not object such a meeting’s initiation", he said,
RA MFA Press Office reports.

IMF FORECASTS 7.5% INFLATION IN ARMENIA

Interfax
Sept 17 2008
Russia

The IMF is forecasting that inflation in Armenia will be 7.5% in
2008, well above the target of 4% plus or minus 1.5%, the head of the
International Monetary Fund’s mission in the country, Marta Castelo
Branco said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The situation with inflation is more unpredictable this year than
in the past due to external factors, she said. The forecast of 7.5%
is realistic if there are no new external shocks, she added.

Commodities prices, particularly for oil products and grain, have
begun to fall throughout the world and this trend has also been seen
in Armenia, which imports these products, she said.

If the economic situation in Armenia does not deteriorate under
the impact of external factors, GDP growth will be 10% this year,
as forecast earlier, she said.

Armenian National Committee – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

September 18, 2008
Contact: Ani Garabedian

ANC-WR Welcomes New Class of Interns and Externs

Los Angeles, CA – The Armenian National Committee – Western Region
recently welcomed its participants for the autumn session of its
Internship-Externship Program (ANC-WR IEP). Following the footsteps
of the seven graduates of the summer session, four university students
join the program which began in 2006.

The ANC-WR IEP autumn session participants include Patil Aslanian,
Elsa Menounou, Anna Maria Nishanian, and Thora Giallouri, who are all
students in Southern California, two of whom have come from Athens,
Greece. The four students began work on assigned projects ranging from
organizing community events and meetings with public officials to
media outreach and educational activities. In addition to their
projects, the participants will partake in a series of lectures,
workshops, and media review seminars featuring a range of community
professionals, leaders and organizations.

"We are happy to have four motivated and accomplished students, both
undergraduate and graduate, joining us for the 2008 Autumn Session,"
said Haig Hovsepian, ANC-WR Community Relations Director and IEP
Coordinator. "Working with our staff and with our partners in the
community, they will not only learn a great deal more about the issues
that are important to our community, but make a significant and
positive difference as well," he added.

Patil Aslanian is a Political Science major at the University of
California, Irvine and an intern focusing on Organizational
Administration and Development. Joining Aslanian is fellow intern
Anna Maria Nishanian, a Broadcast Journalism major at California State
University, Northridge, who is specializing in Public and Media
Relations this session.

Thora Giallouri and Elsa Menounou, both international students from
Greece, are pursuing their Masters Degrees in Political Science at
California State University, Los Angeles. Giallouri has been assigned
as an extern with Asbarez Daily Newspaper and Menounou is working on
Community and Government Affairs as an intern with the ANC-WR.
Asbarez is now an established IEP extern partner organization with the
ANC-WR.

The application for the 2009 Spring Session will be released in early
October and the deadline to submit is December 1st. For more
information about the IEP and a downloadable version of the
application please visit
.php.

The Armenian National Committee – Western Region is the largest and
most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in
the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of
offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States
and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANC-WR advances
the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of
issues.