Author: Kanayan Tamar

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.

FRENCH-ARMENIAN CITIZEN DETAINED IN DIYARBAKIR, TURKEY

epress.am
10.05.2011 17:12

A French citizen of Armenian descent was taken under police custody
during the Mesopotamia Social Forum which took place from Sept. 21-25
in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir. News of his being
detained was disseminated only today, when Tigran Yegavian returned to
France and contacted the French Consulate in Istanbul to investigate
the issue.

Ahead of the forum, police stopped and searched Yegavian, along
with others. After they found phone numbers of MPs of Turkey’s
main Kurdish party, the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), in his
possession, police called him in to be questioned about his meetings
with members of Turkey’s Kurdish community, because they, according
to police officials, are tied to “the acts of terrorism supported by
the European community.”

Yegavian, according to the Epress.am correspondent in Istanbul, is
a member of a very important Armenian foundation in France. He had
travelled to Turkey to conduct studies on Armenians and had meetings
with some public figures in order to write articles, as well as to
support dialogue among Armenian, Turkish and Kurdish peoples.

Note, on Sept. 20 members of the French branch of Yerkir Union (Yerkir
Europe) met with Diyarbakir mayor Osman Baydemir of Kurdish descent
to discuss possible joint intercultural programs between the civil
societies of Armenia, Turkey and the Armenian diaspora, which, most
likely, was the reason Turkish authorities called forum participants
in for questioning.

Updated on 6 pm, same day: “Two French-Armenian citizens” changed to
one French-Armenian citizen and his name, Tigran Yegavian, added.

MP: ARMENIA ENJOYS PRESTIGE IN EASTERN PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM

ARKA
Oct 5, 2011

YEREVAN, October 5. /ARKA/. Armenia has a firm position in the
European Union’s Eastern Partnership Program and enjoys prestige
here, Artak Zakaryan, MP from the ruling Republican Party of Armenia,
said Wednesday at a news conference.

The program embraces six countries – Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus,
Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

“We see several aspects of the concept of European integration –
reinforcement of Armenia’s positions in the international arena
and development of economic and political cooperation with other
countries,” he said.

In his opinion, European Union’s Eastern Partnership Program is more
effective than its Neighborhood Policy.

“The program is definitely not focused on security problems, military
support and military cooperation, but under this partnership,
participant countries affirmed their stance on Karabakh conflict,”
Zakaryan said.

The European Union’s Eastern Partnership Program is aimed at making
political and economic ties among Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia,
Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus closer.

Under this program, ~@600 million will be provided to the mentioned
countries to help them strengthen their governing institutions,
control borders and support small businesses.

ARMENIAN CATHOLICOS MEETS WITH LEBANON’S PARLIAMENT SPEAKER

news.am
Oct 5 2011
Armenia

ETCHMIADZIN. – Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II received,
at the Holy See of St. Etchmiadzin on Tuesday, Lebanese National
Assembly Speaker Nabih Berri and Armenian National Assembly Deputy
Speaker Samvel Nikoyan.

During the meeting, Karekin II reflected on the close relations
existing between the two peoples, noting that Lebanese Armenians have
always been valued and loved by the people and authorities of Lebanon.

He conveyed his thankfulness to the people of Lebanon for their
warm reception of, and care toward, the Armenians who found refuge
in Lebanon ever since the years of the Armenian Genocide. He also
expressed his special gratitude to the Government of Lebanon for its
serious steps toward the Genocide’s recognition and condemnation,
and its balanced position on settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

In his turn, Speaker of Lebanese Parliament spoke, with great
appreciation, about the Armenians’ important contribution to the
Lebanon’s political, economic, and cultural life.

The interlocutors also discussed Armenian Church’s involvement in
dialogue among religions, and religious leaders’ joint efforts toward
establishing peace in the region, the Holy See informed Armenian
News-NEWS.am.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT TO AWARD MEDVEDEV WITH ORDER OF GLORY

Panorama
Oct 5 2011
Armenia

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree on awarding Russian
President Dmitry Anatoli Medvedev with an Order of Glory.

The decree particularly says: “Having strengthened traditional friendly
ties between the peoples of Armenia and Russia, having expanded and
reinforced federative strategic relations between the Republic of
Armenia and Russian Federation, as well as having great personal
contribution in peace and international security affairs, Russian
President Dmitry Anatoli Medvedev is awarded with Order of Glory.”