OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS EXPECTED IN YEREVAN NOV. 15
PanARMENIAN.Net
12.11.2008 18:10 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassador
Matthew Bryza of the United States, Ambassador Bernard Fassier of
France and Ambassador Yuri Merzlyakov of Russia will arrive in Armenia
at weekend, presumably on November 15.
The mediators will meet with the Armenian leadership to discuss
prospects of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement.
Today, they arrived in Baku.
BY FORECAST OF VAHAN SHIRKHANIAN, KARABAKH WAR TO RESUME
Noyan Tapan
Nov 10, 2008
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Prior to Robert Kocharian’s coming
to power, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution, which actually
established the existence of a confrontation between the Armenian
population of Karabakh and Azerbaijan. However, as the former deputy
minister of defence of Armenia Vahan Shirkhanian said at the November
10 press conference, during Robert Kocharian’s presidency, the UN
Security Council adopted another resolution, in which it called on
Armenia to withdraw its troops from the liberated territories. Thus,
in the words of V. Shirkhanian, "in fact, the UN recognized Armenia
as an aggressor, and this was the "present" of R. Kocharian to the
Armenian people".
Based on the process of negotiations on settlement of the Karabakh
conflict, as the former deputy minister of defence indicated,
one can arrive at a conclusion about the possibility of the war’s
resumption. V. Shirkhanian pointed out that the Madrid principles
presuppose considerable concessions by Armenia, and the Armenian
authorities are ready to make such concessions, whereas the peoples
of Armenia and Artsakh will not tolerate such a solution.
"Morever, if it comes to the withdrawal of troops from Artsakh, the
people of Artsakh will refuse to do so," V. Shirkhanian predicted,
adding that it will result in new military operations. "A new war in
Transcaucasia is desirable for international structures. If they had
been in favor of peace, they would have proposed some other solution
and not the Madrid principles," V. Shirkhanian said.
PanARMENIAN.Net
Sweden’s Azeri diaspora protest action didn’t frustrate
Bildt-Nalbandian meeting
08.11.2008 12:19 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt held talks
Friday with visiting Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian. Bildt said he welcomed the joint declaration this week by
the presidents of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan to seek a peaceful
solution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, referring to the breakaway
region claimed by both Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Bildt said the recent war between Russia and Georgia over the
breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia showed the danger that
so-called "frozen conflicts never stay frozen."
The Swedish Foreign Minister said he hoped to visit Yerevan before
Sweden takes over the six-month rotating presidency of the European
Union in July 2009.
In a speech organized by the Institute for Security and Development
Policy, Nalbandian said that the conflict in Georgia was a "matter of
grave concern" for Armenia.
As a neighboring state, 70 per cent of Armenia’s transits go through
Georgia so "any major event in Georgia, echoes in Armenia," he said.
The meeting of the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Moscow was
"a step forward," Nalbandian said.
He also noted that while the ramifications of conflict in Georgia were
yet to be assessed, it had sent a signal that "war is never an
answer," The Earthtimes reports.
On the eve of the meeting, the Azeri diaspora gathered to protest the
visit of Edward Nalbandian. After the action, the demonstrators handed
a statement `on Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan’ to the Swedish
MFA.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION TO HELP ARMENIA-EU ACTION PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.11.2008 16:13 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan met in Brussels
with President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso to
discuss some regional issues and creation of alternative routes.
"We are willing to render Armenia political and financial assistance
for implementation of the European Neighborhood Policy action plan,"
Mr. Barroso said after talks with the Armenian leader.
"Caucasus is a vital region for Europe and we will try to make words
and deeds never vary," he said, adding that political dialog between
Yerevan and Ankara can help establishment of security in the region
and settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
For his part, President Sargsyan emphasized that Armenia wants to
strengthen ties with Europe, what will help resolve the existing
problems, the RA leader’s press office reported.
WHEN MEDVEDEV’S RESOURCES EXHAUST
168 Zham
Oct 30 2008
Armenia
A tripartite meeting of the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian
presidents will take place on 2 November in Moscow. The press services
of both Russian and Armenian presidents reported this yesterday
[29 October].
"According to the arrangement achieved, a meeting between Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, devoted
to the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, will take place on 2
November in Moscow, and Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev Enhanced
Coverage LinkingDmitriy Medvedev -Search using: Biographies Plus News
News, Most Recent 60 Days will take part in it," the statement of the
press service of the Russian president says. Medvedev announced the
intention to organize a meeting between the presidents of the three
countries in Moscow during his visit to Yerevan last week.
Thus, Russia has managed at least at this stage to "neutralize"
the Western initiative in the Karabakh settlement, which is currently
represented by "Turkish mediation". It is difficult to state definitely
what will be the circumstances of this "turn" for Armenia. However,
one can suppose that Russia made some concessions for Aliyev’s
participation at the Moscow meeting. (Let us recall that a possibility
of deployment of Russian peacekeepers in the liberated territories,
which Azerbaijan objects, is currently being discussed in the framework
of the "Russian initiative" on the Karabakh settlement.)
However, this does not at all mean that Turkey will give up its
intention of mediation, or as the Armenian side says, of "assistance"
in the settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict. It is not
accidental that almost concurrent with the statement made by the
Kremlin, the Turkish government announced a forthcoming meeting of
the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in Helsinki. The most painful
thing in this situation is that in practice the Armenian government
does not have a resource to turn down any of the sides and takes part
in all meetings which Aliyev consents to participate in.
ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN TO DIRECTLY ENGAGE FOR SOLVING KARABAKH
Vinay Shukla
The Press Trust of India
November 2, 2008 Sunday
The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan today agreed to resolve the
Karabakh issue – ex-Soviet Union’s oldest territorial conflict through
direct negotiations after Russian President Medvedev’s intervention.
The two neighbours of the South Caucasus, Armenia and Azerbaijan
have fought over Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave inside
Azerbaijan.
During the last years of the Soviet Union the enclave had declared
its independence from Baku and through use of armed militia captured
the so called Lachin corridor to link it with Armenia followed by
the ethnic cleansing of Azeris.
Also known as the Artsakh Republic, the region, which is inhabited
mainly by Armenians unilaterally declared independence from Azerbaijan
in 1991. An armed conflict broke out, which ended with an unofficial
ceasefire three years later, but the region is still in limbo.
After the talks at Russian president’s Meindorf Castle retreat near
here today Medvedev announced that the three leaders have in depth and
substance discussed the prospects of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict through political means and direct dialogue.
With the mediation of Russia, United States and France, who are the
co-chairs of the Minsk Group and they have signed a declaration to
this effect.
President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Armenian leader Serge Sargsyan
have declared that they will contribute to the improvement of situation
in the South Caucasus and ensure the restoration stability and security
in the region through political solution of the conflict.
They said that the issue will be resolved on the principles and norms
of the international law and decisions and documents adopted within
their framework. They also declare to create a conducive climate for
the economic development and all-round cooperation in the region.
The three presidents also agreed that the peaceful solution should
be propped by legally binding international guarantees at all stages.
In the wake of Tbilisi’s failure to retake its breakaway province
of South Ossetia last August with the help of brutal military force,
Baku has agreed to give peace a chance.
Through diplomatic efforts of Moscow and Ankara, which have a stake
in the region, the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia have agreed for
Russia’s mediation, after it asserted its dominant role in Caucasus
after five day war with the US and NATO- backed Georgia.
3.3 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE IN ARMENIA
armradio.am
05.11.2008 13:13
On November 4, at 22:53 a 3.3 magnitude earthquake was registered 7
km to the west of Masis city, Armenia.
The earthquake was measured 4 in Yerevan.There are no victims and
destructions.
DMITRY MEDVEDEV: RUSSIA WILL NOT LOSE GROUND IN CAUCASUS
PanARMENIAN.Net
05.11.2008 16:33 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Georgia’s aggression in South Ossetia and the global
financial crisis have common origin, the Russian President said.
"This is the consequence of Washington’s presumptuous policy," Dmitry
Medvedev said in his annual address to the Federal Assembly.
"Russia will not lose ground in the Caucasus. Mechanism should be
created to block erroneous, selfish and dangerous decisions of some
members of the international community. Being responsible for the lives
of thousands of people, it’s extremely hard to take decisions. But
there are principles and values that can’t be waived. That is why we
will not yield our positions in the Caucasus," the RF President said.
DESPITE OF EVERYTHING ANKARA SHOULD CONTINUE SPEAKING WITH THE ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES
AZG Armenian Daily
06/11/2008
Armenia-Turkey
Despite the fact that Barack Obama, who won the US presidential
elections, promised to recognize the Armenian Genocide after being
elected, Turkey should continue its initiatives towards Armenia,
former US Ambassador to Ankara Mark Grossman said according to Turkish
news agencies.
Former US Deputy Secretary of State Grossman particularly underlined
that Ankara should continue its efforts in making of a joint commission
of historians, also speaking with the Armenian authorities.
At the same time, Mark Grossman underscored that Barack Obama
attaches great importance to the issue of the Armenian Genocide,
Noyan Tapan reported.
ARMENIAN PRESIDENT MEETS WITH PRIME MINISTER OF FRANCE AND CHAIRMAN OF THE SENATE
ARMENPRESS
Nov 4, 2008
PARIS, NOVEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS: Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, in
the morning of the second day of his working visit to France, met with
Prime Minister of France Francois Fillon. The latter highly assessed
the existing historic deep relations between the two countries,
underscored the role of the Armenian community in consolidation of
Armenian-French ties.
With the request of the prime minister, Serzh Sargsyan presented
Armenia’s approaches towards recent events in the region, present
situation over Nagorno Karabakh conflict regulation and details of
the declaration signed over it on November 2 in Moscow as well as
steps directed towards regulation of Armenian-Turkish relations.
Serzh Sargsyan noted that the high level dialogue between the two
countries is a bright expression of Armenian-French warm friendly
relations. During the meeting the sides also discussed programs
carried out within the framework of EU’s New Neighborhood program,
Armenia-EU relations, bilateral economic partnership particularly in
energy, telecommunication and other spheres.
They also underscored Armenian-French partnership in construction of
new atomic station in Armenia, activity of the third mobile operator
on behalf of French "Orange" company. The sides noted that though the
trade turnover between the two countries increased by 30 percent, there
still exists great potential for its expansion. During the meeting
they also referred to cooperation in humanitarian and cultural spheres.
Referring to the regional issues, S. Sargsyan said that the sooner
the issues in the region are solved, the sooner the efforts will
be directed towards the implementation of joint regional economic
programs. The French prime minister assured that France supports all
the initiatives carried out by Armenia and the constructive steps both
in the sphere of economic reforms and in regulation of other issues. He
assured that France and EU will also support these initiatives.
Chairman of the French Senate Gerar Larchen assumed his office 30
days ago and President of Armenia is the leader of the first country
to meet with him.
During the meeting the sides highly assessed the existing
Armenian-French friendly relations in political, economic, cultural
and social spheres. Armenian president pointed out the traditional
warm attitude of the Armenian people towards France.
Serzh Sargsyan underscored also the further deepening of
inter-parliamentary cooperation, saying that he is pleased with the
existing high level of cooperation.
Serzh Sargsyan expressed gratitude to France for supporting Armenia’s
associative membership to World Francophone Organization, noting that
it will promote further dissemination of French culture in Armenia.
After the meeting with French prime minister and chairman of the
Senate, Armenian president met with world famous singer Charles
Aznavour.
On the second half of the day Armenian president will meet with French
President Nicolas Sarkozy and in the evening will leave for Brussles.