Author: Kanayan Tamar

ARMENIAN FM WELCOMES EU’S DECISION TO PLAY A MORE SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

Mediamax
Sept 7 2011
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. Today, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan
welcomed the decision of the European Union to play a more significant
role in the process of NK conflict settlement to back the existing
format of the OSCE Minsk Group.

Edward Nalbandyan said this in Yerevan today during a joint press
conference with the new EU Special Representative for the South
Caucasus, Philippe Lefort, Mediamax reports.

According to Armenian FM, the European Union has frequently stated
that there is no alternative to the peaceful resolution of the
Karabakh conflict.

Philippe Lefort said in his turn that the EU attaches great
significance to the South Caucasus region which has huge perspectives.

He pointed out that the main mandate at the talks on Nagorno Karabakh
belongs to the OSCE Minsk Group, however the EU, having big mediation
experience in resolving conflicts, could have brought in additional
efforts to help Armenia and Azerbaijan come to peace.

ARMENIAN POPULATION DISARMS

news.am
Sept 7 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Armenian law enforcement agents continue to confiscate
weapons from the citizens, who keep them illegally.

An unknown citizen called police at 07.35 p.m. on Monday and said
that he is going to leave weapons near the Dinamo Stadium in Yerevan,
police press service informs Armenian News-NEWS.am. Police arrived
at the scene and found the weapons.

The same day another citizen called and told the police that he leaves
weapons near the Nork district cinema. Police found gun and bullets
at the scene.

Besides the capital city, gun was confiscated also in the Gegharkunik
region on Tuesday. Weapons are sent for the expertise. Investigation
is underway.

ISTANBUL AIRPORT: TURKEY DETAINS 40 ISRAELIS FOR 90 MINUTES, FOR NO REASON

Examiner.com

Sept 7 2011

Add a comment Adam Taxin, Philadelphia Jewish Culture Examiner
September 7, 2011

40 Israeli passengers were held up for no apparent reason for 90
minutes, with passports seized, after their arrival in Istanbul
(formerly Constantinople) Airport.

According to Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor, the
Israelis, mostly businessmen, were not told why they were taken to
a side room in the airport, where their passports were taken from them.

Israel Radio has reported that, on another flight from Israel to Tel
Aviv, passengers were “humiliated.”

It is not known at this point if any of the held-up Israeli passengers
had close ties to the Philadelphia area.

Israeli-Turkish relations have been deteriorating in recent years. A
particularly divisive incident occurred on May 31, 2010 when Israeli
military personnel intervened to prevent a Turkish-sponsored pro-Arab
Muslim “flotilla” from bringing weapons, terrorists and Muslim/Leftist
provocateurs into the Gaza Strip.

Advertisement In 2005, led by its President Abraham Foxman, the
Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which has been under fire lately,
gave Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan something called
the “Courage To Care Award.” In 2007, the ADL fired its New England
regional director after he had the audacity to suggest that the Turkish
(and Kurdish) Muslim extermination of up to 1.5 million Armenian
Christians during World War I should be acknowledged as a “genocide.”

Nadia Silk, of Jewish and Armenian descent, and who is on the executive
committee of the Philadelphia Armenian Genocide Walk and an active
member at Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church in Cheltenham,
expressed concern for the travelers. Silk added that: “the current
incident is another reason to be wary of traveling to Turkey … as
if the despicable failure by its government to recognize, 96 years
later, the Turkish genocide of 1.5 million of its Armenian citizens
weren’t enough reason to hesitate before traveling to Turkey.”

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TO HOST EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO SOUTH CAUCASUS

Panorama
Sept 7 2011
Armenia

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received today Phillip
Lefort, the EU Special Representative on South Caucasus and crisis
in Georgia.

Minister Nalbandian congratulated Mr. Lefort on assuming EU Special
Representative’s office and expressed hopefulness that he would
contribute to the reinforcement of Armenia-EU relations.

Phillip Lefort has hailed dynamically developing Armenia-EU relations.

Mr. Lefort has said he supports efforts by the OSCE Minsk Group
towards the resolution of NK conflict.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PUBLISHERS TO PRESENT 2000 BOOKS AT ARMENIA EXPO 2011

ARMENPRESS
20:18, 7 September, 2011

At Armenia Expo 2011 international expo-fair the National Association
of Publishers will present 2000 books, published in the recent years
by the member-publishers of the association. The expo-fair will be
held September 9-11 at Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex.

GEORGIAN DEPUTIES FOR PRIVATIZING RUSSIA-ARMENIA GAS PIPELINE

PanARMENIAN.Net
September 7, 2011 – 21:03 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Amendments to legislation have been initiated
in Georgian Parliament enabling the government to sell shares of
strategic entities in international stocks.

Among such entities are the gas-main pipeline connecting Russia
with Armenia, railway, power supply system, Vzglyad reports quoting
Georgian Pirveli.

The authors of the bill are Zviad Kukava and Mikheil Tskitishvili.

Earlier Georgian prime-minister Nika Gilari said that 20-25% shares
are possible to sell in New York, Warsaw, London markets. That “will
allow us to attract considerable capital to the country,” he sad at
a government sitting.

“That will also prompt our private companies to similar actions with
regard to opening new work places,” Gilari said. According to him
investors have high trust in Georgia.

The existing legislative regulations did not allow that. Amendments
will be discussed at autumn session. The opposition stands against
the government to sell shares of strategic entities.

AZERBAIJAN’S BECOMING NON-PERMANENT MEMBER OF UN SC TO DO NO GOOD TO THE IMAGE OF THE ESTABLISHMENT

ARMENPRESS
13:17, 7 September, 2011

“The chief goal and the issue of the UN Security Council is the
establishment, preservation and reinforcement of peace”, Foreign
Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian said, referring to the attempts
of Azerbaijan to become non-permanent member of the UN Security
Council.

The foreign minister said how a country propagating war, boasting that
it has 20 times during the 6 years increased the military budget,
threatening to peace claim to become non-permanent member of the
Security Council.

According to Edward Nalbandian, in its campaign to become non-permanent
member of the UN SC Azerbaijan, which is conducting negotiations
with the EU over Association Agreement, has come against two EU
member states – Hungary and Slovenia. “Azerbaijan is claiming that
these two members of the EU cannot do better as Azerbaijan does and
that it will be better if member of the UN SC become not EU member
state”, the minister said, pointing out that the rest is the issue
of responsibility of the certain states whether they will give their
voices to Azerbaijan or not.

“One thing is clear, it will not do anything good to the image of
the SC, but just the opposite”, Nalbandian pointed out.

PHILIPPE LEFORT: EU WANTS TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE IN THE KARABAKH SETTLEMENT PROCESS
Anna Balyan

Radiolur
07.09.2011 15:12

“The South Caucasus plays a role of a bridge and has a great potential
of cultural and economic development, especially is peace is finally
established in the region,” European Union Special Representative
(EUSR) for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, Ambassador
Philippe Lefort said at a joint press conference with Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian.

“The European Union, which is an important role-player in the world,
is ready to help the region reach peace,” he said.

Nevertheless, Ambassador Philip Lefort noted that negotiations on
the Karabakh conflict settlement proceed within the framework of the,
the Minsk Group plays the main role here, while the EU wants t provide
additional assistance.

“The EU possesses corresponding mechanisms and experience to contribute
to such processes and wants to help Armenia and Azerbaijan equally,
since it considers that both countries are equal victims of the
conflict. This is the approach I’m starting my mission with,”
he stated.

Philippe Lefort underlined that the settlement of conflicts is the
shortest way towards the European Union.

Touching upon Azerbaijan’s claims of becoming a non-permanent member
of the Un Security Council Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian
said: “I doubt that a country, which boasts of having increased the
military budget 20 times during six years, can join the structure,
which has assumed the main peacemaking and peacekeeping role.”

U.S.-ARMENIA AGREEMENT ON CONTINUED JUSTICE SECTOR ASSISTANCE

armradio.am
07.09.2011 18:08

On September 7, Bruce Donahue, Charge d’affaires, a.i. of the United
States Embassy in Armenia, and Aghvan Hovsepian, Prosecutor General
of the Republic of Armenia, signed an agreement to amend the Letter
of Agreement on Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement between the
Government of the United States of America and the Government of
Armenia. This is the thirteenth amendment to the original Letter
of Agreement signed in 2001, according to which the United States
undertakes to provide Armenia additional justice sector assistance
in the amount of approximately $2.3 million.

The new agreement and commitments taken therein provide yet another
strong example of the enduring, successful partnership between the
United States and Armenia. The assistance provided through the new
agreement will benefit the Armenian people by continuing to help the
Government of Armenia more effectively fight transnational crimes
such as human trafficking, the illicit international drug trade,
and money laundering. It will also enhance Armenia’s rule of law by
augmenting law enforcement capacities and support overall judicial
and legislative reform.

Some of the projects supported by the assistance include support
to victims of human trafficking, improvements to the forensic
laboratory of the National Bureau of Expertise, and the strengthening
of the Central Bank of Armenia’s anti-money laundering capacities. In
addition, the assistance supports the continued presence in Armenia of
a Resident Legal Adviser from the U.S. Department of Justice, a legal
socialization project carried out by the Project Harmony International
NGO, and the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Rule of Law Initiative.

Charge d’affaires Bruce Donahue noted that, “The people of the United
States are proud to work with their Armenian partners to build a
society where every citizen can live in freedom and dignity, free from
the fear of crime and confident of protection under the rule of law.”

Since the signing of the original Letter of Agreement in 2001, the
United States has provided over $16 million justice sector assistance
to Armenia through the U.S. Embassy’s International Narcotics and
Law Enforcement Section.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM OF ARMENIA WON THE SLOVAKS AND CONTINUES THE STRUGGLE FOR ENTERING THE FINAL PART OF EURO-2012 CHAMPIONSHIP

ARKA
Sep 7, 2011

YEREVAN, September 7. /ARKA/. National football team of Armenia
yesterday won the Slovak team with a score of 4:0 getting a chance
to enter the final part of Europe championship.

Armenian football-players occupy the third place in the pick group
with 14 scores with one score after Irish team. The sole leaders of
the group with 17 scores are Russians.

The Slovaks have also 14 scores but they are behind the Armenian
football-players by the results of confrontation games.

Macedonian team has 7 scores and occupy the fifth place. Andorra has
lost all its matches and occupy the last place of the competition
table. All the teams had by 8 games. Armenian football-players have
the best difference of kicked and missed goals – 17-7.

After the game, the coach of national football team of Armenia Vardan
Minasyan said that he is proud of his team.

“We demonstrated a fantastic game and I am very proud of my team. We
got prepared to this game in detail, studied the strengths and
weaknesses of the national team of Slovakia”, cited the words of the
coach Internet-resource sportinfo.am.

He avoided to make any forecasts regarding the struggle in the group.

“We don’t look so far. Now we are going to celebrate our victory
and then will start to get prepared to the game with Macedonia”,
said Minasyan.

The coach of national team of Slovakia Vladimir Vayss said after the
defeat that Armenian football-players demonstrated an excellent game
in the second half.

“First of all I would like to congratulate the national team of
Armenia which demonstrated a wonderful game in the second half. We
also played not bad but when we can not kick a goal we have no chances
for success. The competitor was stronger today, especially in the
second half. I am to blame for such a defeat. Probably we lost the
game because I didn’t involve the players in this game who played
with Irish team” cited RIA Novosti the words of the coach.

On October 7 Armenian football-players will have a game with Macedonian
team in Armenia. On October 11 probably the final game between Armenian
and Irish football-players will take place in Ireland.