Author: Kajoyan Gevork

CONSULTATION HELD ON PLANNED RESERVIST MUSTER CARRIED OUT IN ARTSAKH

ARMENPRESS
OCTOBER 6, 2011
YEREVAN

On 6 October President of the Artsakh Republic Bako Sahakyan convoked
a working consultation dedicated to the planned reservist muster
carried out in the republic, Central Information Department of the
Office of the Artsakh Republic President reported.

Defense minister of Artsakh Movses Hakobyan and responsible officials
of the corresponding structures delivered reports.

The NKR President called important proper realization of the musters
noting that they were among pivotal components of the country’s
defense capacity.

Chairman of the National Assembly of the NKR Ashot Ghoulyan,
vice-premier, finance minister Spartak Tevosyan and other officials
partook at the consultation.

“NAIRI” CINEMA TO REOPEN OCT 8

ARMENPRESS
OCTOBER 6, 2011
YEREVAN

After about 2 years of pause “Nairi” cinema will open its doors for
the film lovers October 8.

“On the opening day the film by director Edgar Baghdasaryan “Country
of Saint Traditions” will be shown, which will be symbolizing for us”,
Hovhannes Galstyan, director of film showing programs of the cinema
said speaking to Armenpress. He said the cinema will be presented in
a new format to regain the former love toward it.

Galstyan said in the big hall American, European, Asian films,
cartoons will be shown, films of upbringing nature will be presented
for schoolchildren after which film discussions will be organized.

After reopening “Nairi” cinema will operate under the auspices of
Armenia’s National Cinema Center which will give new prospects and
opportunity to the cinema.

MINISTER OHANYAN CALLS THE ATTENTION OF AZERBAIJANI DM TO THE CEASEFIRE VIOLATIONS

armradio.am
06.10.2011 16:24

Within the framework of the visit to NATO headquarters, Armenian
Defense Minister Seyran Ohnayan had a meeting with the Personal
Representative of the NATO Secretary General for the South Caucasus
and Central Asia, James Appathurai. Discussed were issues related
to the Armenia-NAO Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP), the
defense reforms implemented in Armenia and the support of NATO in
that direction.

The Armenian Defense Minister attached importance to the balanced
position of the Alliance in the region, particularly in the sensitive
process of conflict settlement.

Seyran Ohanyan had a meeting with NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander
in Europe Admiral James Stavridis. The process and perspectives of
Armenia-NATO and US-Armenia cooperation were discussed. Admiral
Stavridis welcomed the participation of Armenian troops in NATO
actions in Kosovo and Afghanistan and highly appreciated their combat
readiness and professional skills. The parties exchanged views on a
number of international and regional questions.

Today DM Seyran Ohnayan participated in the sitting of the Defense
Ministers of NATO member and partner countries participation in the
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. The
Defense Minister of 17 countries participating in the sitting adopted
a joint communique.

Within the framework of the visit to Brussels Seyran Ohnayan had a
short conversation with Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister Safar Abiyev
and called the attention of the latter to the frequent violations of
the ceasefire regime by Azerbaijan.

IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER DID NOT TRUST ALLAHSHUKUR PASHAZADEH’S MEDIATION MISSION

Panorama
Oct 5 2011
Armenia

Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office (CMO) Sheikh-ul-Islam Haji
Allahshukur Pashazadeh has visited Iran lately where he, despite a
warm welcome, did not manage to achieve his goal. Pia.az reported that
Pashazadeh was trying to smooth over the tension in Iran-Azerbaijan
relations, but all his efforts proved vain.

The source reports that Pashazadeh was the initiator of this mediation
mission, and his own personal interests were hidden behind this
mission. If succeeded, Pashazadeh would be able to get back his
position in Iran as well as to reinforce his position in Baku.

However, the Sheikh’s expectations did not come true. Iran’s supreme
leader honored him with a high-level reception, nevertheless,
Ayatollahs of Khoy and Ardabil gave an answer to Pashazadeh’s
initiative. They once again spoke about Azerbaijan harshly.

“It is noteworthy that such statements came immediately after
Pashazadeh’s meeting with Khamenei who thus demonstrated to the
Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office that he does not trust Sheikh’s
mediation mission, and Iran has no need for mediation at all,” the
website said.

ARMENIA PLANNING EMBASSY TO LITHUANIA

Baltic News Service / – BNS
October 4, 2011 Tuesday 12:43 PM EET

VILNIUS, Oct 04, BNS – Armenia plans to open an embassy in Vilnius,
and the issue has been included into the agenda of the Thursday’s
meeting of the Armenian government, kavkaz-news.info portal said.

Armenia’s interests in Lithuania are currently represented by the
country’s embassy in Warsaw, capital of Lithuania’s neighboring Poland.

Lithuania opened a diplomatic mission in Yerevan on Oct. 1 2007.

Lithuania and Armenia started diplomatic relations in 1991.

EUROPEAN SECURITY CANNOT BE GUARANTEED WITHOUT RUSSIA – OSCE

Interfax
Oct 4 2011
Russia

The mission, delegated to the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe, is to create trustful interstate relations in order to
guarantee European security, and Russia’s role in this process is very
important, OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier said in an article,
published by the daily Kommersant on Tuesday.

The OSCE is working to put into life the idea of a free, democratic,
common and indivisible Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian security community
on the basis of the respect and common ground achieved, and regard
for the differences, he said.

As one of the main players in the OSCE region Russia must play a key
role in this process, Zannier writes.

Trust is the essence and pivotal point of the OSCE’s activities.

Through trust can reconciliation be achieved between the member-states,
he said.

Trust-building as the groundwork for reconciliation is a must for
progress in the long drawn-out regional conflicts. The resumption of
the 5+2 talks on the Transdniestrian settlement thanks to Russia’s
attention is a good example of this, he writes.

Facilitating the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and,
concurrently, making efforts to prevent further escalation of tensions,
is one more priority aspect, where the position of Russia and of
other key OSCE members coincide, Zannier said.

The Geneva discussions, launched after the August 2008 conflict in
Georgia, too, require Russia’s active and constructive participation,
says Zannier.

FRANCE’S SARKOZY TO PROMOTE PEACE IN CAUCASUS
By Emmanuel Jarry

Reuters
Oct 5 2011
UK

YEREVAN, Oct 6 (Reuters) – French President Nicolas Sarkozy will
urge Georgia to improve relations with Russia in a brief trip to the
Caucasus starting on Thursday, reviving memories of his mediating
role when the two countries went to war in 2008.

Sarkozy, who is trying to boost his ratings before an April
presidential election, will also encourage the leaders of Armenia
and Azerbaijan to resolve a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a mainly
Armenian-populated enclave in Azerbaijan.

He arrives in Armenia on Thursday evening, goes on to Azerbaijan on
Friday and spends less than three hours in Georgia before heading
back to Paris the same evening.

Sarkozy’s success in mediating a ceasefire in Georgia’s war with Russia
three years ago guarantees a warm welcome in the capital Tbilisi,
where he will meet President Mikheil Saakashvili and address a crowd
in the central Freedom Square.

Sarkozy will urge Saakashvili to look beyond the countries’
differences, including over how they interpret the ceasefire terms,
and rebuild trust in relations with Moscow.

“You have to pick up the thread of dialogue with more determination.

That is the message that Nicolas Sarkozy will send to Mikhail
Saakashvili, as he did to Russian leaders,” a source at the French
presidency said.

Each side accuses the other of acting provocatively and sabotaging
relations. Moscow has angered Tbilisi by recognising breakaway Abkhazia
and South Ossetia as independent regions.

It was not clear whether Sarkozy would discuss Russia’s bid to join
the World Trade Organisation which Georgia, as a member, could block.

Moscow hopes to complete its entry to the 153-member trading body
this year.

HOPING TO BOOST RATINGS

Sarkozy mediated the 2008 ceasefire on behalf of the European Union
as France held the bloc’s presidency at the time.

That ended the war over Abkhazia and South Ossetia, but Georgia
says Russia has violated the terms by not withdrawing troops to the
positions they held before the war.

TV images of Sarkozy addressing jubilant crowds will do him no harm as
he tries to improve his poor ratings before the two-round election on
April 22 and May 6. An opinion poll on Tuesday put Socialist Francois
Hollande well in the lead.

Sarkozy is expected to discuss the frozen conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh
with Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan in Yerevan and with Azeri
President Ilham Aliyev in Baku.

France has a leading role in the Minsk Group of countries from the
Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) which is
trying to resolve the conflict.

“He will make a vigorous appeal for the Armenian and Azeri leaders
to show their openness and their sense of compromise,” the French
presidency source said.

Armenian-backed forces wrested Nagorno-Karabakh from Azeri control
after the Soviet Union collapsed. When the conflict ended in a
ceasefire in 1994, 30,000 people had been killed and about 1 million
had been driven from their homes.

Sarkozy will also promote business during the visit but officials
gave no details of any planned contracts.

French oil group Total said last month it had made a major gas
discovery at Azerbaijan’s Absheron block in the Caspian Sea. French
companies could also be in the running to help extend the Baku metro,
or subway. (Reporting by Margarita Antidze in Tbilisi and Emmanuel
Jarry in Paris, Writing by Timothy Heritage; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

MARIA GEVORGYAN’S INTERNATIONAL NORM

AZG DAILY
06-10-2011

Armenian chess player Maria Gevorgyan fulfilled the norm of Women’s
International Master in the European Girls’ Championship which was
held in Albena, Bulgaria, armchess.am reports. This is the 2nd such
success of Gevorgyan – before that she had fulfilled the norm in the
European Women’s Championship-2011 which was held in Tbilisi, Georgia.

ARMENIAN PM: GOVT. TO BOOST TAX COLLECTION BY UPPING MAJOR BUSINESSES’ TAXATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 5, 2011 – 20:01 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian government plans to boost tax collection
in 2012 by upping major businesses’ taxation, working to decrease
shadow economy, and improving tax administration, Armenian Prime
Minister said.

“In draft budget for 2012, the government suggests a bold step –
increasing tax share in GDP by 0,6%,” Tigran Sargsyan said, stressing
that taxation increase will refer to major businesses, rather than
medium and small ones.

As PM also noted, a law on earth deposits will be adopted before
yearend to boost tax proceeds.

According to Sargsyan, the measures described are meant to enable
support for medium and small businesses, as well as solve a number
of social issues, including 10% pension raise.

AUTUMN SESSION LAUNCHED TODAY IN “NAREKATSI” ART UNION BY A GROUP EXHIBITION

ARMENPRESS
18:23, 5 October, 2011

The autumn session launched today in “Narekatsi” art union by
exhibition of five artists – Armen Khojoyan, Hovnan and Gevorg
Sargsyans, Tigran Asatryan, and Sevan Naghashyan.

Figurative paintings compositions, portraits and landscapes are
presented at the exhibition. The five artists have been highly
appraised by Armenian and foreign art-loving society, art figures,
art critics and authoritative jury. They have come forth both with
individual and group exhibitions in exhibition halls of Armenia
and abroad.

The exhibition will last till October 9.