Author: Kalantarian Kevo

Political emigrants from Azerbaijan held rally in Brussels and met
with representative of European Parliament

18:25 07/06/2013 » REGION

More than 50 Azerbaijani political refugees living in Europe held a
campaign in Brussels on June 6, organized by the Democratic Movement
of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani information agency Turan reports.

Participants of the rally that was held on the Luxembourg square
demanded that the EU and the European Parliament intensified efforts
to ensure the transparency during the presidential elections in
Azerbaijan.

At the end of the action, political emigrants met with
Secretary-General of the Department for European parliament for Asia,
Philip Kamaris. During the meeting, which lasted more than an hour,
the participants informed about the situation in Azerbaijan,
violations and suppression of freedoms.

Then the representatives of the European Parliament and the European
Union have been distributed newsletters reflecting the political
landscape in Azerbaijan, as well as a statement. Emigrants are going
to continue the actions in other cities of Europe, Turan reports.

In May 2013, Mustafa Alinja, the head of the House
Strasbourg-Azerbaijan, stated that the Azerbaijanis of France do not
attend the events on Karabakh and Khojalu. On 22 April 2013 the
Azerbaijanis living in France ignored the rally against Armenia
organized by the Turkish activists. The rally was held in front of the
PACE.

Source: Panorama.am

Armenia has to create effective means with limited resources – Defense Minister

June 07, 2013 | 16:17

Under the current politico-military situation, Armenia is obligated to
create effective means with limited resources.

Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan stated the aforesaid on Friday, during
his talk with news reporters at the boundary with Azerbaijan.

`The precept of solving huge problems with small forces is at the
basis of our actions,’ the minister noted. Ohanyan added, however,
that this is not at all something new because this precept was one of
the peculiarities behind the formation of the Armenian army during the
Karabakh War and in the victory during the combat operations.

To the query with respect to purchasing new weaponry, Ohanyan
responded by stressing that Armenia considers having exact distance
measures and to complement them with a modern automated control link.

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am
News from Armenia – NEWS.am

PRESS RELEASE
ZORYAN INSTITUTE OF CANADA, INC.
Suite 310
Toronto, ON, Canada M3B 3H9
Tel: 416-250-9807
Fax: 416-512-1736
E-mail: [email protected]

CONTACT: Deborah Hay
June 6, 2013

Zoryan Institute Receives President of the Republic of Armenia Prize

Yerevan, May 29, 2013-The Zoryan Institute has received the President’s
Prize for 2012 for significant contribution to the cause of recognition of
the Armenian Genocide. The awards were handed out by President Serzh
Sargsyan and Albert Boghossian, one of the founders of the Boghossian
Foundation which sponsors the annual Prize. Describing the Zoryan Institute
as one of the “key institutions” in the Diaspora, President Sargsyan
declared, “The Armenian Diaspora’s crystallized spirit was reflected in the
activities of the Zoryan Institute, allowing our people not only to survive
the disaster, but also to reaffirm their determination to live on.”

The official citation recognizes Zoryan for “research on the Armenian
Genocide, publishing activities, and notable contribution to the preparation
of young scholars.” A second award was given to scholar and human rights
activist Dr. Tessa Hoffman, cited as an, “outstanding German expert in
Armenian studies and genocides.”

The acceptance speech of Mr. K.M. Greg Sarkissian, president and one of the
founders of the Zoryan Institute, acknowledged that the Institute’s
achievements, honours, and awards are the result of the hard work of
hundreds of Armenian and non-Armenian individuals.

In describing the goals and objectives of the Institute, Mr. Sarkissian
emphasized Zoryan’s “belief that the strongest defense of the causes of
universal human rights and the prevention of genocide is constant
education.”

With this concept in mind, Mr. Sarkissian stressed that, “through the
education of the Turkish people with irrefutable information, we will be
able to win their hearts and minds and eventually help achieve
reconciliation and coexistence between our two peoples in peace and
security.”

Towards this end Zoryan has sponsored fifteen Armenian and fifteen Turkish
students, respectively, to attend the Institute’s annual Genocide and Human
Rights University Program, held in partnership with the University of
Toronto.

Some of those students have gone on to earn their PhD’s, teach, and write
books and articles that add to the Institute’s effort in establishing a
factual history in this area, so crucial to the mutual understanding and
dialogue between Turks and Armenians.

The full text of the speech in English and in the original Armenian is
reproduced below.

The Zoryan Institute and its subsidiary, the International Institute for
Genocide and Human Rights Studies, is the first non-profit, international
center devoted to the research and documentation of contemporary issues with
a focus on Genocide, Diaspora and Armenia. For more information please
contact the Zoryan Institute by email [email protected] or
telephone 416-250-9807.

——————————————————————–

Mr. President, Distinguished Guests, Dear Compatriots:

It is with deep appreciation and humility that I accept this award. I must
say that, while the concept of the Institute was the vision of a few,
thirty-one years of achievements, honours and awards are the result of the
hard work of hundreds of Armenian and non-Armenian individuals-directors,
scholars, faculty, staff, volunteers, students and supporters around the
world. This award is an acknowledgment of their accomplishments. This work
includes producing over forty books in nine languages, two international
academic journals, 135 Open University seminars, over twenty major
conferences, collecting priceless archival documentation, plus some 3,000
hours of oral history testimonies on video of Genocide survivors. But there
is more to Zoryan than preserving and documenting our contemporary history.

History can be an obstacle to peace between neighbours and regional
security. True peace for neighbouring nations may be had only when they can
talk openly about their common past and the unresolved issues that exist
between them today. To be able to talk meaningfully with one another, they
must have a common understanding of their history, based on a foundation of
mutually agreed facts as to what actually happened. With this in hand,
neighbours can then begin to understand each other’s point of view, which
can lead to acceptance, dialogue and eventually reconciliation, instead of
suspicion and anger. Turkey and Armenia, as neighbouring states, are not
exceptions to this rule. Having this in mind, Zoryan has worked continuously
and systematically since 1982 to unearth, analyze, and interpret historical
facts about our recent history, particularly the events surrounding the
Genocide. In doing so, Zoryan has been able to bring out the shared history
of the Turkish and Armenian people. Zoryan, as an independent voice,
interprets and translates research into a language and form that is
understandable, reliable, and accessible, acting as a bridge between
academia and civil society in both Turkey and Armenia. This includes
intellectuals, opinion- and policy-makers. It is Zoryan’s belief that,
through the education of the Turkish people with irrefutable information, we
will be able to win their hearts and minds and eventually help achieve
reconciliation and coexistence between our two peoples in peace and
security.

Our work using this approach has made some significant inroads. One
noteworthy example is provided by the late Turkish journalist Mehmet Ali
Birand. Describing a recent Zoryan publication in an article titled, “We Are
Surrendering to Genocide,” he wrote, “.if you read the book and look at the
documents, if you are a person who is introduced to the subject through this
book, then there is no way that you would not believe in the genocide and
justify the Armenians.” The more such publications are made available to
Turkish society, the more it will be empowered with the knowledge to
question the state-imposed denial, and the greater opportunity there will be
for mutual understanding and dialogue. Who could have imagined just ten
years ago that today, in major cities in Turkey, the Armenian Genocide would
be commemorated?

This work is complex and involves significant financial and human resources,
requiring trained specialists and committed scholars of multiple disciplines
to undertake years of research and analysis.

So, another area in which Zoryan has been working strategically is the
investment in the future of our youth, especially here in Armenia. For
example, fifteen students from Armenia have attended the Institute’s annual
Genocide and Human Rights University Program at the University of Toronto
over the years. Last year alone, we sponsored five students from Armenia.
Three of them currently work at the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute, two
at the Foreign Ministry, and one at the Armenian Mission to the United
Nations in Geneva. Just as importantly, many of the fifteen Turkish students
the Institute sponsored who also have graduated from the Zoryan university
program have gone on to earn their PhD’s, teach and write books and articles
that add to the Institute’s effort in creating the shared common body of
history in this area, so crucial to mutual understanding between Turks and
Armenians.

We believe that there is a great future for this type of work in Armenia. It
is our heartfelt wish to see more institutions like Zoryan flourish in
Armenia, championed by the coming generation. With a sense of shared
responsibility and shared benefits for our people everywhere, the Zoryan
Institute is ready, willing and able to share its vision, its hopes, and its
strategies here in Armenia.

We at the Zoryan Institute strongly believe in the strategic value of
genocide research and scholarship as a means of helping to remove the
obstacles to peace today. A shared view of history can be a catalyst to
peace and reconciliation in the region. A secure future depends on the
mutual knowledge of our shared history with our neighbours, and the
awareness of this history by the thinkers, the opinion-makers, and the
leaders of both societies.

Our strategy of learning about history strives not only to bring Armenians
and Turks to reconciliation, but also, through sharpened awareness, to be
instrumental in preventing such crimes from happening again, to any people
anywhere in the world. It is the Zoryan Institute’s firm belief that the
strongest defense of the causes of universal human rights and the prevention
of genocide is constant education.

END

PRESS RELEASE
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network
28, Chovelidze street
Tbilisi, 380008, GEORGIA
Tel: ++ 995 32 99 63 28, 995 99 57 77 22
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]
Web:

Countries of the Caucasus Meet in Tbilisi to Address Common Challenges on
Water and Health Issues

A workshop to address and improve the situation of water and health in the
Caucasus was held in Tbilisi on 27 and 28 May 2013. Specifically, the
meeting gathered over 40 representatives of major governmental and
non-governmental stakeholders from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia to
discuss the challenges related the implementation of the Protocol on Water
and Health to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary
Watercourses and International Lakes, which obliges countries to set targets
for improving health-related water indicators in their countries.

The workshop, part of a subregional project supported by Finland, was
organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and
the Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Georgia, in
cooperation with the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe
(WHO/Europe) and the Global Water Partnership Georgia.

At the opening session, the Deputy Minister of Environment Protection and
Natural Resources of Georgia, Ms. Nino Sharashidze, and the United Nations
Resident Coordinator in Georgia, Mr. Jamie McGoldrick, delivered welcoming
statements highlighting the importance of achieving progress in ensuring
safe drinking water supply and adequate sanitation in Georgia and the
Caucasus.

During plenary and working group sessions participating countries exchanged
experiences on health-related water issues, such as small-scale water supply
and sanitation, water and sanitation safety planning, wastewater treatment,
access to water and sanitation in rural areas and public participation under
the Protocol. It was underlined that all three countries had achieved
important progress in access to improved drinking water in rural areas:
during 2005-2012 Azerbaijan had seen an increase from 69 to 74 per cent and
Georgia from 80 to 96 per cent, while Armenia had achieved an increase from
92 to 94 per cent in the period 2008-2012. However, access to sanitation in
rural areas has not seen any substantial improvement in recent years.

Currently, Azerbaijan is the only Party to the Protocol in the Caucasus,
while Armenia and Georgia are moving towards its ratification. In this
regard, the workshop focused on the implementation of the core obligation
under the Protocol, reflected in its article 6, which requires Parties to
establish national and/or local targets and target dates in different areas
to achieve or maintain a high level of protection of human health and
well-being and for the sustainable management of water resources. All three
countries committed to intensifying their efforts to officially set relevant
targets under the Protocol that would serve as a comprehensive policy
framework to work towards improving situation in water supply and sanitation
for the benefit of the entire subregion.

For more information, please visit:

or contact:

Mr. Nicholas Bonvoisin
UNECE-WHO/Europe Protocol on Water and Health secretariat
Phone: +41 (0)22 917 1193
E-mail: [email protected]

LE MINISTRE ARMENIEN DE LA DEFENSE A MINSK POUR UN SOMMET DE LA CEI

Une delegation conduit par le ministre armenien de la defense Seyran
Ohanyan s’est rendue a Minsk le mercredi 5 juin pour participer a un
sommet du Conseil des ministres de la defense de la CEI. Les ministres
reunis dans la capitale bielorusse vont discuter d’une vingtaine
de sujets relatives au developpement de la cooperation militaire et
technique entre les pays membres de la CEI. A cette occasion, M.

Ohanian devait avoir une serie de rencontres bilaterales avec ses
homologues des republiques de l’ex-URSS membres de cette union aux
contours lâches. Ce sommet intervient quelques jours après celui a
Bichkek des six pays membres de l’Organisation du Traite de securite
collective, une alliance militaire dirigee par la Russie, dont est
membre l’Armenie. Le president armenien Serge Sarkissian ne s’etait
pas rendu a ce sommet le 28 mai, non plus qu’a celui dedie a l’Union
eurasienne le lendemain au Kazakhstan.

vendredi 7 juin 2013, Gari ©armenews.com

VERS UN PRINTEMPS TURC

Le Point, France
6 juin 2013

Par BERNARD-HENRI LEVY

Etrange comme l’Histoire hesite, begaie, se noue, s’accelère et,
soudain, cristallise.

On tolerait tout, depuis dix ans, chez Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

On tolerait les arrestations de journalistes et d’intellectuels,
l’arbitraire et la terreur au quotidien.

On tolerait les debits de boissons fermes sous pretexte de sante
publique et les condamnations, pour blasphème, d’ecrivains,
d’humoristes, de pianistes.

On acceptait, au nom de l'”islamisme modere” qu’il etait cense
representer, les poussees de fièvre antisemites et le refus obstine,
presque fou, a quelques mois de son centenaire, de reconnaître le
genocide armenien.

On refusait de voir la repression des Kurdes et des autres minorites.

On refusait d’admettre qu’il avait, lui, Erdogan, avant que l’Europe
ne lui rappelle les conditions, non seulement economiques, mais
politiques et morales, posees a n’importe quel entrant, choisi de
tourner le dos a l’Europe et aux valeurs qu’elle suppose et incarne.

Ankara valant bien un preche, on avait forge le mythe d’un “modèle
AKP” fonde sur un islamisme d’Etat, contrôle donc pondere, et cense
ressembler – en un peu plus muscle mais a peine ! – a une democratie
chretienne a l’italienne ou a l’allemande.

Otan oblige (et aussi, il faut bien le dire, les futurs tuyaux et
pipelines d’Asie centrale permettant d’echapper un jour, pensait-on,
a la main de Moscou sur le robinet energetique dont dependent
les capitales europeennes), on fermait pudiquement les yeux sur
l’etouffement de la petite Armenie voisine, sur l’expansionnisme dans
les republiques musulmanes de l’ex-URSS, sur le soutien sans faille
ni scrupule a tous les potentats locaux.

La societe turque elle-meme, cette societe musulmane qui pensait
avoir, depuis un siècle, definitivement exorcise les mauvais demons
de l’islamisme radical, assistait, impuissante, apparemment resignee,
ou peut-etre sans y croire tout a fait, au detricotage lent mais
methodique de l’heritage kemaliste et de ses belles conquetes de
civilisation.

Et voila qu’un projet immobilier, un simple quoique pharaonique
projet immobilier, met le feu aux poudres et precipite une revolte
qui couvait en secret mais n’avait trouve ni les mots pour le dire
ni le courage de s’affirmer.

Qui sont les manifestants de la place Taksim et ceux qui, dans les
autres villes du pays, leur ont emboîte le pas ?

Des ecologistes mobilises pour sauver des arbres centenaires ?

Des laïques qui savent que leur ville abrite deja quelques-unes
des plus belles mosquees du monde et ne voient pas l’interet
d’en construire une de plus sur ce haut lieu, non seulement de la
contestation, mais du vivre-ensemble stambouliote ?

Des kemalistes epouvantes de voir cette mosquee, doublee d’un centre
commercial reproduisant a l’identique une ancienne caserne ottomane,
remplacer le Centre culturel Ataturk qui borde le parc Gezi et faisait
leur fierte ?

Des Alevis considerant que baptiser le futur troisième pont sur le
Bosphore du nom de Selim Ier, le sultan responsable des massacres
qui les ont decimes il y a cinq siècles, est une provocation qui,
s’ajoutant a tant d’autres vexations et stigmatisations, fait franchir
le seuil de l’intolerable ?

Des democrates qui, dans ce centre commercial et religieux projete
par un nouveau sultan en voie de poutinisation version ottomane,
voient l’exacte image de l’affairisme a visage islamiste qui est au
coeur de ce regime et en constitue la signature ?

Tout cela a la fois, bien sûr.

C’est comme un voile qui se dechire ou un masque qui tombe.

C’est la verite d’un Etat qui, après presque onze ans d’un pouvoir de
plus en plus etouffant mais beneficiant d’une croissance economique
exceptionnelle qui faisait de la Turquie la neuvième puissance
mondiale, eclate aux yeux de tous.

C’est le roi Erdogan qui est nu et le mythe de son islamisme souriant
qui se dissout comme un mirage.

Il n’y a pas que les printemps arabes.

Il y a, il y aura, un printemps turc mene par ce meme peuple
d’etudiants, intellectuels, representants des professions liberales,
pro-europeens, amoureux des villes et de la democratie, qui, il y a
six ans, après l’assassinat du journaliste Hrant Dink, manifestaient
au cri de “Nous sommes tous des Armeniens”.

La Turquie entrera, un jour ou l’autre, en Europe.

Ce sera une chance pour le pays comme pour une Europe qui s’enfonce
dans la crise.

Mais elle devra reprendre, pour cela, sa marche vers la democratie.

Elle devra se convertir pleinement au respect de l’Etat de droit et
des droits de l’homme.

Et Erdogan n’est plus – et n’a, en realite, jamais ete – le dirigeant
qu’il lui faut pour cela.

Il convenait aux chancelleries et a la realpolitik de l’Occident.

Mais il est devenu l’ennemi d’une societe civile qui ne se laissera
pas si facilement confisquer la part noble de sa memoire et qui,
aujourd’hui, lui dit : “Toi aussi, Erdogan, degage !”

AZERBAIJAN ISSUES PROTEST TO SPAIN OVER OPERA SINGER CABALLE’S TRIP TO OCCUPIED REGION

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
June 6 2013

6 JUNE 2013, 20:09 (GMT+05:00)

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Spain delivered a note to the country’s
Foreign Ministry in connection with the world-famous opera singer
Montserrat Caballe’s illegal trip to the occupied territories of
Azerbaijan, the embassy told Trend news agency.

On June 5, the head of the separatist regime in Nagorno Karabakh Bako
Saakyan received Montserrat Caballe, the Armenian media reported.

Caballe’s concert in Yerevan will take place on June 9 at the National
Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet.

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stated that such visits
conducted without prior notification of the appropriate authorities of
the Republic of Azerbaijan are illegal and damaging to the settlement
process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are
currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding
regions.

HENRIKH MKHITARYAN, LIVERPOOL’S NEXT SUPERSTAR?

Sport, UK
June 6 2013

By Armen Bedakian (columnist) 06 Jun 2013 09:17:57

The Armenian international and Shakhtar Donetsk star is set to make
his big move at last with English Premier League outfit Liverpool FC.

In Mkhitaryan, Liverpool gain a player with tremendous talent and
output, and fans at Anfield have every reason to be excited for a
player whose name may be hard to pronounce but may soon be making
headlines across the country. Simply put, Mkhitaryan is a classic
talent. He consistently makes the list for top young players to watch
in the Champions League, and has been linked to Manchester City,
Chelsea and Juventus, to Liverpool and Tottenham. Well, the transfer
saga looks to be coming to a close, with Liverpool FC declaring their
interest weeks ago and now looking to wrap up the signing for roughly
£22 million.

At 24 years old, Mkhitaryan is already an accomplished player. An
Armenian international since 2006, when he started at the under 17
level, Mkhitaryan enjoyed a stellar 2012/2013 season in Ukraine,
scoring 25 goals and recording 10 assists for Shakhtar Donetsk, one
of the highest goalscoring margins in Europe for a midfielder. He’s
an attacking player, with great vision and an ability to spot the
goal from outside the box, a la Frank Lampard, and his free-kick
ability is strong, too. It doesn’t hurt that he’s a trophy winner,
potentially joining a Liverpool side that is hungry for silverware.

Mkhitaryan has won 14 trophies throughout his career with both
FC Pyunik and Shakhtar, and Liverpool is in desperate need for
trophy-winning players. His desire to join a big club was evident
for a long time, with his recent agent change seeing him sign up with
Mino Raiola specifically to get him to a big-name outfit. What you get
is what you see with Mkhitaryan. He is not a player whose quality is
shadowed by buzzwords like “potential;” he is a performer, perhaps a
clutch performer, at every level he has played in. His acclimatization
to English football may not see him explode onto the scene, but once
he picks up steam, Mkhitaryan is exactly the kind of player who can
perform when relied upon.

His style of play, however, is more in-tune with the Italian game,
where defenders are slower and the build up is steadier. In the
fast-paced English league, Mkhitaryan’s influence will be reliant on
his pace and his ability to beat physically capable defenders, an area
Mkhitaryan is adept at, too. In fact, while Shakhtar remained in the
competition, Mkhitaryan covered more recorded ground than any other
player, beating out workhorses like Andrea Pirlo and Xavi in midfield.

For Armenia, he has been used as a central attacking midfielder, but
also as a central midfielder and as a left-winger, swapping the role
with Yura Movsisyan, formerly ofReal Salt Lake in Major League Soccer.

The two have heralded a new generation of Armenian talent and are
largely responsible for the national team’s rise in the FIFA rankings
as well as their recent string of competent performances against
superior opposition. It’s these types of performances that have made
him Armenia’s player of the year in 2011 and 2012, a feat he is set
to repeat for 2013, too.

At Liverpool, Mkhitaryan would need to slot in behind a forward to
be most effective, or be used alongside Steven Gerrard in a sort of
compacted 4-3-3. At Shakhtar, Mkhitaryan’s best displays came from
playing right behind a centre forward, most often Luiz Adriano. He
also had a lot of support from Fernandinho in midfield, in a 4-2-3-1
formation that saw him play wedged between the two. Mkhitaryan’s
success this season is due, in large part, to the strong play from
the Brazilian duo surrounding him, and Liverpool need to provide
similar options up top and right behind to utilize Mkhitaryan’s full
capabilities. He’ll be playing against Fernandinho, who has just
signed for Manchester City.

That’s not to say that Liverpool needs to splash more cash to justify
Mkhitaryan’s place in the starting line up; he is a starter through and
through and has been able to adapt to different teams with relative
ease. His tendency to pop into the game at the most opportune time
makes him a worry for defenders, too. However, it would be a keen
signing for Liverpool to link Mkhitaryan up with Luiz Adriano, since
Luis Suarez is set to depart from Anfield for a large figure. The
only concern with Mkhitaryan is how he will adjust to a Liverpool
line up that has, for the most part, relied on Steven Gerrard behind
a forward for a long, long time.

Though Gerrard has been used in almost every position in midfield over
his 15+ years at Liverpool, he has been most effective as a second
striker, the position that Mkhitaryan also excels at. It would be
difficult to replace the Liverpool legend, but Mkhitaryan is not a
bench player, either; he is a player who has the skill and ability to
warrant a starting spot and his work ethic has made him a favourite
of Shakhtar head coach Mircea Lucescu. Still, it is not impossible,
and as Gerrard isn’t getting any younger, the signing of Mkhitaryan
could very well be a long-term solution for the Reds. The signing,
it seems, is hung up on the sale of Luis Suarez.

Until the Uruguayan has departed, it looks like Mkhitaryan’s signature
will have to wait. However, if Mkhitaryan does sign for Liverpool,
one thing is certain, besides the numerous mispronunciations and
misspellings of his name: He’ll be a treat to watch!

BERZINS OFFERS COOPERATION TO ARMENIA ON ITS PATH TOWARDS EU

The Baltic Course
June 6 2013

BC, Riga, 06.06.2013.Print version

During a meeting between Latvian President Andris Berzins and the
Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Hovik Abrahamyan on Thursday, the
two sides discussed bilateral relations, cooperation between Armenia
and the European Union, as well as Latvia’s experience in joining
the EU, and what Latvia can do to help Armenia in this process,
informs LETA.

Hovik Abrahamyan and Andris Berzins. Riga, 6.06.2013.

The president pointed out that Armenia is an important partner for
Latvia in the South Caucasus region, and that Latvia is satisfied with
the development of bilateral relations, as well as the constructive
dialogue between the two countries.

Abrahamyan expressed gratitude for the warm welcome he has received
during his visit to Latvia, saying that he “truly feels like a
friend.” He also pointed to the active exchange of visits, which has
helped improve relations and has given the opportunity of becoming
better acquainted with one another.

The parliamentary speaker said that one of Armenia’s priorities is
the development of cooperation with the European Union, thus Latvia’s
experience is very important. Berzins confirmed that Latvia is ready
to share its experience, as well as the benefits of being a EU member –
and the mistakes made along the way.

Abrahamyan pointed out that he sees cooperation potential in such
areas as pharmaceuticals, information technology, as well as tourism.

He also called for the renewal of direct flights between the two
countries.

Both officials said that it is important to consider opening
embassies in their respective capitals. Berzins said that this would
be additional incentive in expanding contacts between residents of both
countries and allow them to become better acquainted with one another.

Berzins invited Abrahamyan to visit Riga in 2014, when the Latvian
capital will become Europe’s Capital of Culture, and urged not only
Armenian officials to visit, but also any Armenian, so that they
could personally acquaint themselves with Latvia.

The speaker of the Armenian Parliament has arrived on an official
visit to Latvia.

ABOLTINA MEETS WITH ARMENIAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SPEAKER

LETA (Latvia National News Agency)
June 5 2013

LENGTH: 247 words

Latvia has accumulated valuable experience of euro-integration and
reforms, and is ready to share this experience with Armenia, Saeima
Chairwoman Solvita Aboltina said during a meeting with Speaker of
the National Assembly of Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan yesterday.

“Latvia and Armenia enjoy excellent bilateral relations, and both
countries are interested to further develop these relations on not
only political, but also economic, cultural and education levels,”
said Aboltina, as Saeima Press Service informed LETA.

Latvia considers Armenia an important cooperation partner in the South
Caucasus and both countries have developed successful cooperation
on the parliamentary level, said Aboltina, noting that this was once
again proven by Abrahamyan’s visit to Latvia.

Discussing opportunities to foster economic cooperation between both
countries, Aboltina said Latvia was interested in the development of
the relations, adding that Latvian-Armenian trade volumes had been
growing the past few years. Both countries have signed agreements on
the protection of investments and avoidance of double taxation. Latvia
supports the signing of Armenia’s association treaty with the European
Union that will take place in Vilnius later this year, said Aboltina.

Closing the meeting, Aboltina said that Latvia had always emphasized
the need for closer relations between the EU and neighbor countries
in the south, and wished Abrahamyan every success at the Eastern
Partnership Summit due this fall.