Author: Kanayan Tamar

SEYRAN OHANYAN AND CELESTE WALLANDER DISCUSS ISSUES RELATED TO THE COOPERATION OF THE MINISTRIES OF DEFENSE OF BOTH STATES

Noyan Tapan

27.06.2011

(Noyan Tapan – 27.06.2011) On June 27, Armenian Minister of Defense
Seyran Ohanyan received Celeste Wallander, US Deputy Assistant
Secretary of Defense for Russia, Eurasia and the Ukraine. Issues
related to the cooperation between the defense agencies of
the two countries were discussed. The parties stressed that the
Armenian-American defense cooperation was successfully developing both
in bilateral format and within the framework of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO).

Attaching importance to Armenia’s participation in international
peacekeeping activities, Celeste Wallander highly appreciated
the mission of Armenian peacekeepers in Afghanistan, as well as
our country’s willingness to participate in the training of the
security forces in Afghanistan. The US Deputy Assistant Secretary
of Defense assured that the United States would continue supporting
Armenia’s efforts towards implementation of reforms in the fields of
peacekeeping, military education and defense.

Seyran Ohanyan expressed gratitude to Celeste Wallander for the
expert assistance of the US to the process of Armenia’s Defense
Strategy review.

During the meeting the parties exchanged views on issues of regional
security, particularly the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. RA Minister of
Defense noted that Armenia, committing to the peaceful settlement
of the Karabakh issue, strictly observes the cease-fire regime and
is in no way interested in aggravating the situation at the line of
contact between the armed forces of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan. At
the same time, Seyran Ohanyan expressed concern over the fact that
Azerbaijan fails to demonstrate willingness to maintain the cease-fire
regime, which results in numerous violations of the truce.

Noyan Tapan is informed about this by RA MD Information and Public
Relations Department.

NUMBER OF SMALL HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANTS IN ARMENIA GROWS 10% ANNUALLY

/ARKA/
JUNE 27, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, June 27. / ARKA /. The number of small hydroelectric power
plants in Armenia is growing steadily by about 10% annually, and
this is a positive trend in terms of renewable energy development and
job creation, Abgar Budaghyan, head of a Public Services Regulatory
Commission (PSRC) in charge of investment projects, told ARKA.

“Today we have 108 small hydropower stations across Armenia with an
average capacity of 130 MW, which generate 450 million kWh of energy
per year. This represents about 10% of the total consumption and 8%
of the total production in the country, “said Budaghyan.

According to him, 65 more small hydropower plants are under
construction. He also said that by the end of 2011 the number of
operating small hydropower plants in Armenia will rise to 165 with
total capacity of 265 MW and annual power generation of 923 million
kWh.

ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER HANDS GRADUATION DIPLOMAS AND PARTY MEMBERSHIP CARDS IN LORI PROVINCE

/ARKA/
JUNE 27, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, June 27. / ARKA /.Prime minister Tigran Sarkisian visited
last Saturday Armenia’s third-largest town of Vanadzor, the capital
of northwestern province of Lori, to hand diplomas to the graduates
of the local teachers’ training institute and the local branch of
the State Engineering University who graduated cum laude and then
visited the town of Alaverdi to hand Republican Patty membership
cards to its newly enrolled members.

During the ceremony in Vanadzor, prime minister Sarkisian expressed
hope that the young graduates will use their knowledge for educating
and training the younger generation.

“From this point of view the role of the pedagogical university is
invaluable. That’s why teachers are at the center of our constant
attention and a large enough portion of the budget allocations is
directed into this area,” he said.

According to the prime minister, the 21-st century is a century of
intellectual competition, and knowledge is a necessity today.

“Developed nations are those which attach great importance to knowledge
and can produce knowledge. The teacher must not only pass knowledge
and educate the students, but also teach them to think independently,
make wise decisions,” said the prime minister.

During the visit the prime minister also visited the primary health
care center if the village Shahumian, which needs renovation.

Sarkisian spoke to the staff promising to help in overcoming the
existing problems.

In Alaverdi Tigran Sarkisian met with the local activists of the
governing Republican Party and handed party membership cards to 30
new members.

“It’s no secret that we are facing many challenges. You need to be
responsible and courageous in order to take on a high and important
mission – to become a member of the Republican Party and together
with us to solve our problems,” Sarkisian said, congratulating the
new party members. He also took questions from the audience.

Etchmiadzin Scuffle: Lead-Up to Parliamentary Elections?

Grisha Balasanyan

hetq
12:02, June 24, 2011

The Etchmiadzin Police Department has confirmed that unknown
individuals physically attacked Vardan Sakhkalyan, son of construction
businessman Edik Sakhkalyan.

Police say no serious harm was done and that no one was taken to
hospital as a result of the altercation. No suspects have been
identified as yet.

Some press reports point the finger at friends of General Manvel
Grigoryan and that the scuffle was linked to the renovation of the
town’s dormitory.

The Union of Homeland Defense Volunteers, a group headed by Grigoryan,
has stated that the general has no connection to Sakhkalyan and that
they have no information about the incident.

The Etchmiadzin Municipality said in a statement that residents of the
dormitory had been issued ownership papers and that it had nothing to
do with any subsequent repair work.

A year ago, the Presidential Control Service, gave the contract for
construction work at the dormitory to Sakhkalyan’s company. The job
remains uncompleted.

Dormitory residents expressed their displeasure about the situation to Hetq.

Local residents point to the upcoming parliamentary elections as a
reason for linking the incident with Manvel Grigoryan.

They say that former MP Hakob Hakobyan is concerned that Karen
Grigoryan, the current Etchmiadzin mayor and son of the general, might
throw his hat in the race. Thus, the theory goes, the Hakobyan camp is
trying to discredit Karen Grigoryan through his father.

The Etchmiadzin Municipality claims that the mayor has no intention of
running for parliament.

We tried to contact Edik Sakhkalyan and Hakob Hakobyan but their
phones were turned off.

ARMENIA ORGANIZED TRAINING FOR DIASPORA JOURNALISTS

news.am
June 24 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN.- Journalism department of the Yerevan State University
jointly with Ministry of Diaspora organize training for journalists
from Diaspora.

Nineteen journalists under the age of 33 with working experience in
Armenian-language media outlet will participate in the trainings.

They will represent eleven countries, including U.S., Brazil, UK, the
Netherlands, Egypt, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Russia, Estonia and Georgia.

Journalists will present their works at the end a program providing
trainings in a number of Armenian media outlets.

NEW ROUND OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH TALKS BEGINS

Voice of Russia
June 24 2011

Dmitry Medvedev (C), Ilham Aliyev (L), Serge Sargsian (R). Photo:
RIA Novosti

The Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents are meeting in the
capital of the Russian republic of Tatarstan, Kazan, today in another
attempt to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Russia galvanized its mediatory mission in November 2008 by pushing
the trilateral contacts to the top level. In 2008, Dmitry Medvedev,
Ilham Aliyev and Serge Sargsian adopted the Moscow Declaration and
pointed out the need for resolving the conflict exclusively through
peaceful means.

Meanwhile the US President Barack Obama urged his Azerbaijani and
Armenian counterparts in the run-up to Friday’s meeting to sign the
basic principles for a Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.

The armed conflict flared up after Nagorno-Karabakh, an
Armenian-populated enclave in Azerbaijan, spun out of Baku’s control
following the break-up of the USSR.

‘ARMENIANS NEVER MADE MAJORITY IN NAKHCHIVAN’

news.az
June 24 2011
azerbaijan

‘Armenians are not indigenous people in these lands and they never
made up majority not only in Nakhchivan, but also in Yerevan’.

The statement came from academician at Azerbaijan National Academy of
Sciences Vali Aliyev while commenting on Armenian leader’s remarks for
Euronews that ‘Armenians used to live in Nakhchivan in large numbers.
But later the correlation between the number of populations were
changed and no Armenian were left there.’

‘Yerevan which is populated by Armenians now is a historical land
of Turks. Simply, public and political processes in the region back
1918-1920 made their positions stronger. They still want to have
Nakhchivan. At that time the Czarist Russia were using them for its
own purposes by misleading them. The Czarist Russia was seeking to
gain foothold in the South Caucasus. They were trying to control
processes with the help of Armenians,’ Aliyev added.

‘The Armenians failed to understand that they these lands belonged
to Turks.’

The academician said the time will come when Armenians will understand
that they have made gross mistakes.

‘But then it will late. The historical and cultural monuments in
Yerevan that Armenians introduce to the world belong to Turks. The
traces of Turks are still very well visible in every village, district
there,’ the academician noted.

RUSSIA SEEKS END TO TERRITORIAL ROW BETWEEN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN

Monsters and Critics

June 24 2011

Moscow – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met with the leaders of
Armenia and Azerbaijan Friday in a bid to reach an agreement between
the two countries on the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Medvedev was hosting a summit with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, in the central Russian
city of Kazan.

Nagorno-Karabakh is an ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan that
has been controlled by Armenia since 1994, war ended between the
two countries. The dispute over the territory’s status, dating from
the last years of the Soviet Union, is one of the most intractable
conflicts in the Caucasus region.

Medvedev said he wanted to bring Yerevan and Baku back to the
negotiating table to find a solution to the dispute.

Nagorno-Karabakh’s territory currently is marked by a ceasefire line,
where Armenian and Azerbajini troops sometimes exchange fire.

A Kremlin statement said a top goal of the conference was obtaining
a commitment from both sides to renounce force in resolving the
Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.

Both Sargsyan and Aliyev, in pre-summit comments, said they were
‘optimistic’ the talks would help negotiators make progress towards
ending the current deadlock.

‘We believe that there can be great autonomy (for Nagorno-Karabakh)
Aliyev said, in comments reported by the Interfax news agency. ‘But
the territory is an unalterable part of Azerbaijan.’

Replacement of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops on the ceasefire line
with peacekeepers from neighbouring countries was another probable
discussion topic for the summit, Interfax reported.

Armenia has historically had a stronger army than Azerbaijan. The
military balance between the two countries has shifted in recent
years because of substantial arms purchases by oil-rich Azerbaijan.

FACTBOX-NAGORNO-KARABAKH – DISPUTED BY AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA

Reuters
June 24 2011

June 24 (Reuters) – The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan meet
along with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday to discuss
the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Mediators Russia, the United States and France have urged the leaders
to endorse a framework document that would pave the way for talks to
resolve the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, where ethnic Armenians
threw off Azeri rule in the early 1990s.

Here is a profile of the region and the conflict:

HISTORY:

The status of Nagorno-Karabakh has been disputed since 1918, when
Armenia and Azerbaijan became independent from the Russian empire.

Soviet rule was imposed in the South Caucasus in 1921, and
predominantly Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh became an autonomous
region within the Azeri Soviet republic. In 1988, the Nagorno-Karabakh
authorities demanded to be transferred to the Armenian republic. The
Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and Nagorno-Karabakh declared
independence in a referendum boycotted by most of the local ethnic
Azeri population.

WAR:

Sporadic fighting between Christian Armenians and Muslim Azeris
erupted in all-out war in 1991. Ethnic Armenian forces, backed by
Armenia, drove back Azeri forces and took control of seven districts of
Azerbaijan adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh. Some 30,000 people were killed
and about 1 million became refugees, the majority in Azerbaijan. A
ceasefire was signed in 1994, but there are frequent violations.

GEOGRAPHY, POPULATION:

Statistics are disputed, but Nagorno-Karabakh is estimated to have
a population of a little over 100,000 ethnic Armenians. Almost all
Azeris fled during the war. The capital is Stepanakert. Renowned for
its beauty, the mountain region is around 4,400 square km (1,760 miles)
in area. It has its own political institutions, but is closely linked
politically and economically to Armenia. Its declared independence
has not been recognised by any state, including Armenia.

NEGOTIATIONS: The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s
Minsk Group of U.S., French and Russian envoys leads mediation
efforts, and have organised many meetings between the Azeri and
Armenian leaders since the 1990s.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has stepped up Moscow’s mediation.

Before Friday, he had met together with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev
and Armenia’s Serzh Sarksyan eight times since he took office in 2008.

BASIC PRINCIPLES:

The mediators hope Armenia and Azerbaijan will finalise and endorse
a 14-point framework document setting out key elements — or Basic
Principles — of a resolution and paving the way for negotiations in
a final settlement of the conflict.

The document, which has not been made public, would set guidelines
on six issues at the centre of negotiations:

-The return of Armenian-held territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh
to Azeri control.

-An interim status for Nagorno-Karabakh providing for security and
self-governance.

-The future determination of the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh by
an expression of the will of the people.

-The provision of a land corridor linking Nagorno-Karabakh with
Armenia.

-The right of return of displaced people and refugees on both sides

-International security guarantees, including a peacekeeping force.

PITFALLS:

-If they do agree a framework document, the leaders of Azerbaijan and
Armenia will have to decide whether to make it public after years of
secretive talks, and could face difficulties convincing citizens of
the wisdom of the agreement.

-Fighting along the frontline could jeopardise agreement.

-Diplomats and analysts warn that the sides could drift apart again if
agreement on a framework document is not followed within a reasonable
period by a final peace settlement.

-A resolution will have to square the principles of territorial
integrity, which is emphasised by Azerbijan, and self-determination,
emphasised by Armenia.

-Negotiations on a peace settlement will likely have to involve the
de-facto leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh itself, adding another element
to the volatile mix.

Sources: Reuters/

(Writing by Matt Robinson and Steve Gutterman)

DAVIT BABAYAN SAYS OBAMA’S MESSAGE MEANS THAT NK CONFLICT CANNOT BE SETTLED WITH PARTICIPATION OF KARABAKH IN THE PROCESS

ARMENPRESS
JUNE 24, 2011
YEREVAN

The statement of the US President Barrack Obama was an interesting
development which shows that the OSCE Minsk group co-chairing countries
are gradually coming to the conviction that it is impossible to
reach settlement of the conflict without participation of the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic in the talks, head of staff of the NKR president
Davit Babayan said speaking to Armenpress.

At the same time Babayan said he does not think that a document or an
agreement will be worked out at the Kazan meeting today. “Especially
in case when president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev in an interview to
Euronews presenting the official position of Baku noted that he has
nothing to offer for Karabakh “as it was the inseparable part of
Azerbaijan for a long time”. How it is possible to come to common
agreement with a president who is guided with such philosophy. I do
not think anything serious will be registered in Kazan. The utmost
thing will be adoption of a common statement over certain principles
and nothing more”, Babayan said.