Author: Kanayan Tamar

POLITICAL EXPERT: THE RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA ARE VERY MUCH IMPORTANT FOR THE PRESIDENT OF FRANCE AT LEAST BECAUSE OF BIG ARMENIAN COMMUNITY IN FRANCE

arminfo
Thursday, October 6, 15:44

The relations with Armenia are very much important for the President of
France Nicolas Sarkozy, at least because of a big Armenian community in
France, which may affect the result of the forthcoming presidential
elections, political expert, director of the Caucasus Institute
Aleksandr Iskandaryan said at today’s press-conference when commenting
on the two-day visit by the French president to Armenia today.

“Sarkozy’s positions on the threshold of the elections are not strong
enough, and the new impulse in the relations with Armenia may become
resolute for reelection of Sarkozy”, – he said.

Iskandaryan thinks it is not accidental that over his regional visit
President of France will stay in Armenia longer than in Georgia and
Azerbaijan. This factor is of a certain significance in the world
diplomacy.

He also added that the agenda of the talks between Serzh Sargsyan
and Nicolas Sarkozy will be rather thick because of several reason.

“France is a co-chair state of the OSCE Minsk Group. It has
traditionally friendly relations with Armenia. France is the second
after Russia by the volume of investments in the economy of our
country. And we have old cultural relations. For this reason, both
presidents have much to talk about”, – Iskandaryan said.

JAILED GEORGIAN-ARMENIAN ACTIVIST DECLARES OPEN-END HUNGER STRIKE

Tert.am
06.10.11

Vahagn Chakhalyan, a Javakhk-Armenian public and political figure
sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment by the Georgian authorities,
declared an open-end hunger strike on October 5.

In a phone conversation with Yerkir Union, the activist said he is
protesting against the inhuman and degrading conditions in prison. He
called for ending pressures and enhancing conditions in his prison
cell.

Chakhalyan, who serves his time in Georgia’s Roustavi 6 penitentiary,
said the prison authorities refuse to register the fact of his
hunger-strike.

Earlier in September, the activist’s lawyer Stepan Safarya had issued
a statement, voicing concern over the Georgian authorities’ increased
pressure against the Georgian-Armenian activist.

KAPAN THINKS OF HAVING AN AIRPORT

ARMENPRESS
OCTOBER 6, 2011
YEREVAN

Owner of the “Dino Gold Mining Company” Jonathan Goodman, who is
the chairman of Canadian “Dandy Precious Metals” company offered a
financial assistance for the re-operation of the former airport of
Kapan. Maxim Hakobian, director general of “Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum
Plant”, businessmen, residents of Kapan also offered assistance for it.

“The issue is not of financial nature. The problem is that the location
of the airport is in a way that the planes during the landing and
takeoff must pass through liberated territories. There is no other
way. It is the only circumstance that impedes the process. The issue
of construction of a new airplane was also discussed but huge sums
are necessary for it. It is not realistic. At the same time the issue
is very important and must be solved”, mayor of Kapan Arthur Atayan
told the reporters.

REGIONAL STATE COLLEGE OPENS IN ARARAT MARZ
Hasmik Dilanyan

“Radiolur”
06.10.2011 16:12

Today Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan participated in the opening
of the Regional State College in Ararat marz, which has been fully
reconstructed and furnished with all modern equipments and laboratory
tools.

Accompanied by Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan and
Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia Raul de Luzenberger, PM Tigran
Sargsyan toured in the building and familiarized with the conditions.

The college offers courses of pharmacy, cosmetology, accounting,
organization of transfers, management and programming.

Twelve such vocational educational establishments have been opened in
Armenia over the past few years as a result of cooperation between
the Armenian Government and the European Union. The program aims to
raise the quality of vocational education in the region. The EU has
allocated ~@30 mln for the implementation of the program.

OSCE, RUSSIAN COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY ORGANIZATION BOOST TIES

Press TV
Oct 5 2011
Iran

The head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
came to Moscow for talks on enhancing stability and preventing
conflicts in the eurasian region.He met the chief of the Collective
Security Treaty Organization.

Both organizations reiterated their interest in a stable Afghanistan
and the need to work out common solutions.Talks also touched on
protracted conflicts.

Lamberto Zannier praised Moscow’s mediation between Armenia and
Azerbaijan on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.

The officials discussed fight against terrorism, drug and people
trafficking.

Earlier Lamberto Zannier met Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov.

It is his first talks with Russian officials since he became secretary
general of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
three months ago.

Zannier said the CSTO plays a key role in ensuring security in
Central Asia.

He called for wider cooperation with the organization, with which
NATO refuses to interact.

>From Moscow, Lamberto Zannier is heading for Kyrgyzstan where he will
discuss the presidential elections scheduled for October 30.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BEGINS THE WORK OF THE FOUR-DAY SITTINGS OF THE AUTUMN SESSION

National Assembly of RA

Oct 5 2011
Armenia

On October 3 the second four-day sittings of the tenth session of
fourth convocation of the National Assembly began. The NA deputies by
voting approved the agendas of the session and the four-day sittings,
then passed by voting 13 bills debated in the previous four-day
sittings and ratified two international treaties.

The NA deputies welcomed the professors and students of Yerevan
Northern University, who visited the National Assembly within the
framework of the “Open Doors” programme.

The NA deputies ended the debate of the bill “On Amending the RA
Land Code.”

The bill “On Amending the RA Law on General Education,” which submitted
the RA Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan, was debated.

Anahit Bakhshyan, the member of the NA Standing Committee on Science,
Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, submitted the committee’s
endorsement.

The National Assembly began to debate the bill submitted by the
NA deputies Galust Sahakyan, Rafik Petrosyan, Vardan Bostanjyan,
Hovhannnes Margaryan, Aram Safaryan and the RA Government “On Amending
the RA Law On Constitutional Court.”

It was proposed to make appropriate amendments in the articles
envisaging mandatory basis of reviewing the new circumstance as court
document of the RA Civil Proceedings and Criminal Proceedings Code.

The debate of the issue will continue at October 4 sitting of the
National Assembly.

ARAZ OZBILIZ TO PLAY AT ARMENIAN NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM

AZG DAILY
06-10-2011

Armenian football player and AFC Ajax forward Araz Özbiliz arrived
in Yerevan early yesterday.

Recall, Özbiliz was invited to play for the Armenian national team
back in August, ahead of the qualifying match with Lithuania; however,
he had received injuries and wasn~Rt playing in the future matches.

Aras Ozbiliz is still injured and his participation in the Euro 2012
Armenia-Macedonia and Ireland-Armenia matches is still in question.

At the airport, Ozbiliz was greeted by members of the First Armenian
Front (FAF), “the official fan club of the Armenian national football
team.”

The official presentation ceremony welcoming the player to the Armenian
national team took place at the Avan Football Academy on October 4.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT RECEIVES DELEGATION HEADED BY KUWAITI FINANCE MINISTER

ARMENPRESS
19:25, 5 October, 2011

RA President Serzh Sargsyan received today the delegation headed
by Kuwaiti Minister of Finance, Co-Chair of the Armenian-Kuwaiti
Intergovernmental Commission Mustafa Jassem al-Shamal.

Presidential press service told Armenpress that welcoming the visit
of the delegation to Armenia, the President attached importance that
it takes place during the days of the session of the Armenian-Kuwaiti
Intergovernmental Commission. The head of the republic considered
the work within the framework of the commission an efficient format
for development of bilateral relations and expansion of cooperation.

The Kuwaiti Finance Minister said that his country is interested
in making investments in different spheres of Armenia’s economy,
and those opportunities were thoroughly discussed.

President Serzh Sargsyan said that since independence Armenia has
been efficiently developing interstate relations with the countries
of the Arabic world, and the centuries-long friendship of Armenian
and Arab people lay in its basis.

SAUDI ARABIA VOWED TO USE “AN IRON FIST” AFTER UNREST

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 5, 2011 – 11:19 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Saudi Arabia vowed to use “an iron fist” after
11 members of the security forces were injured by attackers during
unrest in a Shiite Muslim town in the east, Bloomberg said citing a
report of the official Saudi Press Agency.

The government accused an unnamed “foreign country” of seeking to
undermine the stability of the kingdom as a result of the violence in
Awwamiya, in which the assailants, some on motorcycles, used machine
guns and Molotov cocktails, the Riyadh-based news service reported
late yesterday. A man and two women were also injured, the news
service said.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil supplier, escaped the mass
protests that toppled the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia this year and
spread to the Saudi neighbors of Yemen and Bahrain. There were some
rallies earlier in the year in mostly Shiite eastern Saudi Arabia,
including Awwamiya and al-Qatif village.

ARTSAKH DOES NOT PIN HOPES ON OSCE MG

04:58 pm | Oct 5, 2011

The issue of resettling the liberated territories has been partially
solved, with Kashatagh and Shahumyan being the most populous areas,
NKR Prime Minister Ara Harutyunyan said on Wednesday.

According to the NKR official, the economic growth reached 10 percent
in 2011, but the country’s authorities expect higher rates.

In reply to A1+’s question why the country does not populate the other
liberated territories, Harutyunyan said they lack financial resources.

Asked whether the NKR authorities are reconciled to the idea that they
will have to cede the territories one day, the NKR Prime Minister said,
“To keep the territories we need an army, an efficient army.”

Speaking about the OSCE Co-Chairs’ forthcoming visit, Harutyunyan
said that Artsakh does not pin great hopes on the visit.

“We are waiting for them to agree to our proposals,” he concluded.