Author: Kanayan Tamar

POLITICAL EXPERT: NOT WORDS BUT ACTIONS WILL OPEN THE TRUE DOMESTIC POLITICAL SITUATION IN ARMENIA

arminfo
Thursday, June 7, 18:58

There are two types of political forces in the classical policy:
opposition and government. The Prosperous Armenia Party when leaving
the coalition did not declare itself the opposition. For this
reason, not words but actions will open the true domestic political
situation in Armenia, political expert Karen Kocharyan said at today’s
press-conference.

He also added that the first sessions of the new parliament have
already shown that the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) supports
the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), as it chiefly votes
for the proposals of the latter. So, leaving the coalition does not
indicate that the PAP will become the opposition. “The intrigue will
start in autumn when members of the parliament will come back from
vocation and start the presidential campaign. Then the problem of
supporting president Serzh Sargsyan’s candidacy by the PAP will rise”,
– Kocharyan said.

SIX-YEAR OLD CHILD FELLS FROM APARTMENT WINDOW IN YEREVAN

tert.am
07.06.12

A six-year old child Hayk Karapetyan fell from the 4th-floor window
of his apartment on June 6 as a result of negligence of his parents.

Photojournalist Gagik Shamshyan told Tert.am the boy was rushed to
hospital from where the police received a call about the incident.

The police have found out that the child lives in 24 Shinararner
Street. He has already been operated on but is under the supervision
of doctors.

The neighbors said the couple has another school age son. The father
worked as a taxi driver. The incident took place after the child
returned home from kinder-garten.

The police are preparing materials over the case.

SHARMAZANOV: TURKEY AND EUROPEAN INTEGRATION THOUGHTS FAR FROM BEING SYNONYMS

Panorama.am
07/06/2012

“Turkey is persistently ignoring the international obligations they
have assumed and keep distorting the reality,” Parliament Deputy
Speaker Eduard Sharmazanov said remarking on Turkish FM Ahmet
Davutoglu’s statement claiming “relations with Armenia might be
established when Armenia leaves the occupied territories.”

Speaking to Panorama.am Mr Sharmazanov said it is evidence that today
Turkey and European integration are thoughts far from being synonyms.

“The heads of countries lying in the west side of Armenia and in
the east side of Artsakh should know that, yes, there are occupied
territories, and that the Turks and the Azeris should leave those
occupied lands.

To refresh the memory of Turkish FM, I would like to stress that his
country has occupied the northern part of the Republic of Cyprus,
while Azerbaijan has occupied Shahumyan, Getashen and Martunashen
which are territories of Artsakh Republic…” he said.

FRANCE CONCERNS ABOUT VIOLENCE BETWEEN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN

APA
June 6 2012
Azerbaijan

Baku. Victoria Dementyeva-APA. France, which co-chairs the Minsk
Group, expresses its deep concern following the violent incidents on
the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan which have resulted in 8
deaths over the past few days, APA reports.

There can be no military solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The parties must be fully committed to implementing a peaceful
settlement based on the respect of the principles of the UN Charter
and the Helsinki Final Act, notably the non-use of force, territorial
integrity and the right of peoples to self-determination.

Another meeting between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan
and the Minsk Group’s co-chairs is scheduled to take place in June
in Paris in order to continue the negotiations. We are preparing for
this meeting.

ARMENIAN FM TO VISIT Ä°STANBUL AFTER DEADLOCKED RECONCILIATION TALKS

Today’s Zaman
June 6 2012
Turkey

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan is expected to visit
Ä°stanbul to participate in a meeting of the Organization of the Black
Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) on June 26 in Ä°stanbul, despite a
suspended normalization process between Turkey and Armenia.

Turkish officials said although they had not received any official
confirmation from Nalbandyan’s office, they would be pleased if
the Armenian foreign minister accepted the invitation, noting that
Nalbandyan had previously attended the same meeting in Ä°stanbul.

Armenian authorities confirmed receipt of the invitation and said it
was being assessed.

In November 2008, as chairman-in-office of the BSEC, Nalbandyan made
a one-day working visit to Ä°stanbul. Former Turkish Foreign Minister
Ali Babacan visited the Armenian capital, Yerevan, one year later to
attend the BSEC upon the invitation of his Armenian counterpart.

Nalbandyan’s June visit would come amid strained relations between
Turkey and Armenia, which have not healed despite reconciliation
efforts that started in 2008. However, the tense bilateral relations
have not hindered ministers from both sides from coming together at
various regional and international platforms — which are viewed by
both Turkey and Armenia as excellent opportunities to hold bilateral
meetings. The upcoming BSEC Ä°stanbul meeting will be one of those
opportunities, should Nalbandyan attend.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is currently visiting
countries in the South Caucasus, including Armenia, Azerbaijan and
Georgia. After that, Clinton will head to Turkey to attend the Global
Forum on Fighting Terrorism that will be held on June 7-8 in Ä°stanbul.

During her visit, Clinton will meet with Turkish Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu.

ARABASLIK Turkish, Azerbaijani, Georgian FMs to gather for tripartite
meeting

The foreign ministers of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia will come
together for a tripartite meeting in Trabzon on June 8.

During the meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu, Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Georgian Foreign Minister
Grigol Vashadze will discuss bilateral and regional issues, increasing
cooperation between the countries and regional stability and security.

FEUD BETWEEN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN WORSENS

Gulf Times

June 6 2012
Qatar

Armenian forces killed five Azerbaijani soldiers in a border clash
yesterday in a new flaring of tensions as US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton visits the volatile Caucasus region.

The Azerbaijani defence ministry said fighting broke out when
“a group of Armenian saboteurs made an attempt to penetrate the
military positions of the national army” in the country’s northwest
– the second reported outbreak of deadly violence along the border
between the ex-Soviet enemies this week.

“During the fight, four soldiers of the Azerbaijani armed forces were
killed and another died as a result of the Armenians opening fire,”
the ministry said in a statement.

Armenia however blamed Azerbaijan for causing the violence, saying
that “a subversive group of 15 to 20 people attempted to infiltrate
Armenian territory”.

“Thanks to the vigilance of the Armenian servicemen, the group was
discovered and neutralised. Five were killed and many others wounded
from the Azerbaijani side,” the Armenian defence ministry said in a
statement, adding that none of its troops were injured.

On Monday, Armenia alleged that Azerbaijani forces had killed three of
its soldiers and wounded six more when an attempted military incursion
ended in a firefight on the border, a report Baku denied.

Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a long-running conflict over the
territory of Nagorny Karabakh, where they fought a war in the 1990s
that killed some 30,000 people.

Unusually, this week’s clashes erupted well to the north of the
disputed region.

According to Azerbaijan’s defence ministry, yesterday’s violence hit
the region west of the Azerbaijani town of Gazakh. The deadly clashes
on Monday also took place nearby.

Visiting Yerevan on Monday, Clinton said that she was concerned by
the rising tensions and warned Armenia and Azerbaijan not to settle
their conflict by force.

“I am very concerned about the danger of escalation of tensions and
the senseless deaths of young soldiers and innocent civilians,” she
said after Monday’s violence. “The use of force will not resolve the
Nagorny Karabakh conflict and therefore force must not be used.”

The Karabakh war saw Armenia-backed separatists seize the mountainous
enclave from Azerbaijan amid a bitter struggle that caused hundreds
of thousands of people to flee their homes in both countries.

Despite years of negotiations since the 1994 ceasefire, the two sides
have not yet signed a final peace deal and there are still frequent
exchanges of gunfire along the front line.

Azerbaijan has threatened to use force to win back Karabakh if peace
talks fail to yield satisfactory results, but Armenia has warned of
large-scale retaliation against any military action.

Today Clinton is due to visit Baku, where officials said that finding
a resolution to the Karabakh conflict would be the main topic of
discussion.

“We expect good results from the meeting with Clinton,” Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told journalists.

Mammadyarov blamed Yerevan for thwarting progress toward a peace deal,
saying that “sometimes we cannot understand the Armenian side’s logic”.

The latest round of negotiations in Russia in January ended with
promises to speed up the process but failed to make any visible steps
toward signing a “basic principles” roadmap agreement, seen as key
to any settlement.

TURKEY CONCERNED OVER ESCALATION OF TENSIONS ON ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER

Vestnik Kavkaza
June 6 2012
Russia

Ankara is concerned over the escalation of tensions on the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border, spokesman for the Turkish Foreign
Ministry Seljuk Unal said, commenting on the deaths of five Azerbaijani
servicemen countering an Armenian sally, 1news.az reports.

Azerbaijani and Turkish interior ministers are holding meetings.

Turkish Commander of the Ground Forces, Army General Hayri Kivrikoglu,
is on a visit to Baku. Commander of the Turkish Coastal Guards,
Rear Admiral Sardar Dulger, plans a visit to Baku as well.

As reported by Vestnik Kavkaza, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry
published a message on June 5 stating that an Armenian sally group was
countered at the village of Ashagy Eskipara in the Gazakhsky District.

5 Azerbaijani troops died. According to the Azerbaijani Defense
Ministry, Armenian troops suffered casualties as well, forcing them
to retreat.

VARTAN OSKANIAN: “ARMENIA SHOULD GIVE AN ADEQUATE RESPONSE”

08:25 pm | Today | Official

Vartan Oskanian, ex-foreign minister of Armenia and an MP from the
Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), expressed on his Facebook page his
concerns over the recent Azerbaijani sabotage along the line of
contact between Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces.

“I am concerned that the sabotage was reported during the regional
visit of U.S. Secretary of State – a major mediator in the Karabakh
peace deal,” said Mr. Oskanian.

“Generally speaking, the 1994 ceasefire was maintained by two factors:
first, the prospect of settling the issue through talks, second,
the military equilibrium along the line of contact.

The number of incidents on the frontline increased especially when
the talks seemed to be frustrated or when the enemy felt that it had
some privileges along the contact line.

The main concern is that Azerbaijan is, on the one hand, losing
its faith in the peaceful settlement of the conflict while posing
unrealistic demands. On the other hand, the country begins to believe
in its military advantage after making numerous bellicose statements
and spending vast sums of money on armaments. The real danger lies
behind the confrontation of these two factors.

The Armenian side should give an adequate response to Azerbaijan for
the latter not to cling to delusions,” said the former official.

THE ELECTRIC POWER PRODUCED BY ” MEGHRI” TO BE TRANSPORTED TO IRAN

On Line: 06 June 2012 15:06
In Print: Thursday 07 June 2012

YEREVAN, ( Armenpress): The foundation of “Meghri” HPP on the river
Araks is scheduled in Meghri , on August 22.The construction will be
carried out within five year time, after which the produced electric
power is set to be transferred to Iran by 230 KV voltage electric
wiring built by the investor.

“In accordance with the financing scheme ” Meghri” HPP construction
will cost 323 milllion U.S. dollars” Ministry of Energy and Natural
Resources informed Armenpress.Armen Movsisyan Armenian Minister
of Energy and Natural Resources signed a permission contract
with his Iranian counterpart Majid Namjoo on the basis of ”
building-ownership-operation-transfer” of “Meghri” HPP in 2010.

This investment project was the first suchlike program implemented
in Armenia. In accordance with the memorandum feasibility study
of the hydro power plant was conducted by Iranian ” Mahab -khods”
consulting company, by the order of the Iran’s water and energy
development company.

ITF’s elaboration work was coordinated and monitored by
Armenian-Iranian Joint Technical Committees.

Two HPPs are scheduled to be built on Araks river; from Armenian side
” Meghri” HPP, from Iranian side HPP called ” Kharachilar”.

CLASHES BETWEEN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN ALARM CLINTON

6 June 2012 Last updated at 15:37 GMT

Armenian fighters parade in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh, 9 May
2012 Nagorno-Karabkah has its own army which is not recognised
internationally

Visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she is “deeply
concerned” about continuing clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Speaking after talks in Baku, she again warned of the threat of
an escalation, which “could have unpredictable and disastrous
consequences”.

Five Azerbaijani and three Armenian soldiers were killed this week.

A further Armenian fighter was killed on Wednesday in the disputed
territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenians said.

They accused Azerbaijani troops of attempting an incursion into the
enclave early on Wednesday, and say two other Armenian fighters were
wounded as they beat off the alleged attack.

Azerbaijan and Armenia, both former Soviet republics, fought a war
over the enclave in the early 1990s which left some 30,000 people dead,
and displaced hundreds of thousands.

Fighting this week, on the border between Tavush in Armenia and Qazax
in Azerbaijan, was among the fiercest seen in recent years.

BBC map

Speaking after talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Mrs
Clinton said: “This cycle of violence and retaliation must end.”

Together with Russia and France, the US co-chairs the Minsk Group,
set up by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
after the 1994 ceasefire in Karabakh to help resolve the conflict.

Addressing Azerbaijan’s widely criticised human rights record,
Mrs Clinton urged the government “to respect their citizens’ right
to express views peacefully, [and] to release those who have been
detained for doing so”, according to the Reuters news agency.

Mrs Clinton also paid tribute to Azerbaijan’s role as an energy
provider. Caspian Sea pipelines cross its territory, bringing oil to
southern Europe.

She said she appreciated “the central role that Azerbaijan plays in
efforts to diversify supplies of oil and gas as well as the routes
over which they are transported”.