Author: Khondkarian Raffi

NO ASPIRANTS FOR THE POST OF PUBLIC TELEVISION AND RADIO

KarabakhOpen
06-11-2007 17:28:04

Nobody has applied for the post of the executive director of the
Public Television and Radio yet, said the chair of the Public
Television and Radio Council Vardges Bagiryan in an interview with
Karabakh-Open.com. The deadline of submitting applications for the
position is November 9.

We have learned that Nicolay Davidyan, one of the founders of the
Artsakh television, is going to apply for the position.

The Council has also announced a competition for young journalists
to set up a youth TV studio. According to Vardges Bagiryan, 10 have
applied already.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Konstantin Zatulin: Yerevan’s position on Karabakh conflict will
remain unchangeable
03.11.2007 13:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Yerevan’s position on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
will remain unchangeable, said Konstantin Zatulin, member of the
Russian State Duma committee on CIS affairs.

Armenia can’t disown Nagorno Karabakh’s self-determination.

`Any political figure in Armenia who dares to speak out for surrender
of territories will have to commit a political hara-kiri,’ Zatulin
said.

Armenia in the name of Robert Kocharian undertook to represent
interests of Nagorno Karabakh. If the format is changed Karabakh might
become a party to the talks,’ he said, Day.az reports.

Public Television, Armenia
Oct 26 2007

Armenian leader says he will continue to serve his homeland

LENGTH: 731 words

Excerpt from report by Armenian Public TV on 26 October

[Presenter] One of the biggest budget-funded projects in our country
is already a reality. A new highway between Meghri and Kapan was
opened today with the Armenia president in attendance. New big
projects have started being implemented in the south of Armenia.

[Correspondent] Two and a half years and about 15bn drams – this is
the cost of the project. As a result, the highest point of the
Meghri-Kapan highway has been reduced by about 370 metres and roads
have become more reliable in winter, which will save drivers’
nerves. The new road connecting Meghri and Kapan has become a
reality. It is one of the biggest projects throughout the period of
our independence and was funded from the state budget.

[Video shows the opening ceremony]

[Armenian Transport and Communications Minister Andranik Manukyan] The
idea of building the highway belongs to the Armenian president. He
instructed us to study this complex landscape, carry out designing
work and finally construct this highway which is of high strategic
significance.

[Correspondent] The highest point of the old road is 2,535
metres. Complicated work was implemented to reduce it in the new
highway.

[Correspondent] The president today clearly mentioned the projects
which were recently discussed in the press – those which promise new
jobs and investments in the south of Armenia.

[Armenian President Robert Kocharyan] We have constructed a gas
pipeline, its extension is under construction now. We plan to
construct an oil pipeline, the construction of the third power line
will start next year, the second one has been constructed, as you
know, two years ago, we intended to have an oil refinery, and today we
are discussing very seriously the construction of a railway. And if we
also extend this road, reconstructing the Kapan-Sisian and Kapan-Goris
road – this is a rather complex road – this road will have a big
transit capacity in that case. I am rather confident that we will
implement that project as well. I congratulate you and wish you a good
mood.

[Correspondent] This road, so to speak, gives a new lease of life to
six communities in Syunik Region, through which it passes. Previously,
they [the communities] were isolated, and at some time, were under
Azerbaijani occupation [as heard].

[Correspondent] Will it be possible to implement the projects
mentioned by the president? Will our country have the capacity to
implement them? Yes, we just need to trust in our own forces, the
president believes.

[Kocharyan] If we did not have that approach, we would not have the
Selim road, we would certainly not have the Northern Avenue [elite
multi-storey residential estate in the centre of Yerevan], and you
know in Soviet times they said that nobody dared to take this burden.

[Kocharyan] The [1988 earthquake] disaster zone would not have been
reconstructed, Tsaghkadzor [a resort in Armenia] would not have its
current look, etc. So we should realize that we have a much greater
capacity and much greater opportunities than we imagined.

[Correspondent] Where will Robert Kocharyan be working when the
projects he mentioned are implemented? The president of the republic
says that after doing all these things, it is impossible to step aside
and leave.

[Kocharyan] I can say one thing definitely – both the experience and
knowledge I have accumulated will continue to serve my homeland. The
time and the development of events will show – in which form, by which
schedule and by which option. It is impossible to step aside after all
this, but there are different ways of participation and it does not
necessarily imply being attached to an office. We will see which
option will be more efficient and more beneficial for the country and
for the interests of the people.

[Correspondent] There is also good news for residents of Meghri. The
president knows how long the residents have been waiting for gas at
their homes. Robert Kocharyan said that an instruction has been given
and work will start in the near future.

Artur Grigoryan, Arman Gharibyan, "Haylur", Syunik.

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT TAKES DECISION ON OPERATION OF TEGHUT MINE

Noyan Tapan
Nov 1, 2007

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 1, NOYAN TAPAN. At the November 1 sitting, the
Armenian government made a decision on changing the end use of lands
and the allocation of land plots with the aim of implementing the
program on operation of the Teghut copper and molybdenum mine and a
decision on recognizing as an exclusive – superior public interest and
changing the end use of lands in some terriories within administrative
borders of Shnogh and Teghut communities in Lori marz of the Republic
of Armenia.

The RA minister of trade and economic development Nerses Yeritsian told
reporters following the sitting that with operation of the Teghut mine,
about 1,700 jobs will be created. The mine will be operated for 30-40
years, with the annual extraction of ores making 270 million dollars,
which will make up 40-50% of total production in the country. According
to the minister, the Teghut mine is the second largest in Armenia after
the Kajaran mine by the amount of resources. The mine’s confirmed
resources of ores make 450 million tons: 1.6 million tons of copper
and 99 thousand tons of molybdenum. The licence of operation of this
mine for 25 years was granted to Manes and Vallex company in 2001. The
company was reorganized and renamed "Armenian Copper Program" (ACP).

N. Yeritsian informed those present that the program envisages mining
and processing 7 million tons of ore a year at the first stage. The
company plans to make investments of 200 million dollars. Until now
50 million dollars has been invested.

In the words of the minister, last year the RA ministry of
environmental protection made a positive expert conclusion about the
impact of the mine’s operation on the environment. Public hearings were
held, during which the company developed an environmental protection
management plan of the program on operation of the mine. The minister
said that there is no professional substantiation that the mine’s
operation will cause serious environmental problems. Nevertheless, it
was stated that as a result of the Teghut mine’s operation, a 357-ha
section covered with forests will be cut down on the 716-ha production
area, while the company will preserve a 775-ha sanitary area. According
to N. Yeritsian, recreational zones will later be built in these areas.

SAN FRANCISCO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CALLS UPON CONGRESS TO ADVANCE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

armradio.am
02.11.2007 11:46

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors adopted by unanimous vote a
resolution calling upon the Speaker of the US House of Representatives,
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-08), to continue to support and
immediately schedule a vote on the Armenian Genocide Resolution
(H. Res. 106).

"It is time for our government to speak with moral clarity on the
historical record of the Armenian Genocide rather than be bullied by
Turkey’s brazen threats," said Haig Baghdassarian, a representative
of the Bay Area Armenian National Committee who attended the Board
of Supervisors meeting. "The Board of Supervisors vote demonstrates
the support for the Armenian Genocide Resolution by the people of
San Francisco."

San Francisco residents and elected officials, who have frequently been
at the forefront of human rights issues, have consistently supported
efforts for just policies regarding the Armenian Genocide. In 1997,
the voters of San Francisco approved the sale of Mount Davidson Cross
to Armenian-American organizations, which maintain the property
for public use and as a memorial for the victims of the Armenian
Genocide. The civic leadership in San Francisco supported these
efforts and fought attempts by genocide deniers to prevent the sale
of the Cross to Armenian-Americans, who also conducted a lengthy,
unsuccessful, legal battle to remove the memorial plaque. In September,
the plaque was stolen, and has not yet been replaced.

Mayor Gavin Newsom has consistently communicated his support for
H. Res. 106 to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Representative Tom
Lantos, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

President Peskin introduced the San Francisco measure to support San
Francisco’s Congressional members in their effort to promote a just
US policy regarding the Armenian Genocide. Calling upon the Speaker
to schedule a full vote on the bill, the San Francisco resolution
states "the proper recognition of the crime of genocide and other
crimes against humanity should never be sacrificed for perceived
political benefits."

PLANS TO DESTROY TURKEY
Mohammad Khalifa

uruknet.info, Italy
Nov 1 2007

The foreign affairs in the American Congress have decided to legislate
a law that agrees the so-called the Armenian massacre claimed that
conducted by the Turks in 1915. The American Congress may confirm this
law in mid-November. The Turkish Presidential spokesman announced
that President Abdullah Gul has dispatched a letter to President
G. Bush warned him about the damages that may occur in the measures
of both countries relations in case the Congress has confirmed the
project. However, the warn was not beneficial; because the Congress
seems to continue on to confirm the decision as a part of its campaign
to annoy Bush.

It seems that USA for the first time takes decisions that damage its
policies and allied relations in the world, especially with Islamic
world of which Turkey is considered a part of it. But the reality is
that the American policy which planned by a secret government that
never cares about the allied matters in any place of the world. The
intention in this idea is the perception that USA is a super power,
and is capable to effect in any country whatsoever is big or small,
and every country must reluctant to face USA. Upon this concept Turkey
must obey, the mentioned decision is considered an interfering in
internal affairs.This law is the beginning of several laws.

ew&id=20215&a2b87
72a251fa96284dbfb639c835 a4b But why is this American contradiction
politics against Turkey? What is Turkey’s fault to be served as such
action? Is not Turkey a member in NATO since 1952, and has an American
military base in "Incirlik"?

Actually Turkey’s fault is still to be an empire country, so its
area is approximately 800 thousand M2 and the population is nearly 70
million. Its social life consisted of various ethnics and many kinds
of religion. There are a minority of Kurds reaches to 16 millions,
minorities of Arabs about two millions, and sectarian minorities
such as Alawis and Christian. In spite of the allies (as Britain and
France) has punished the Ottomans after the Ottomans defeat in facing
them in I. world war in 1918. They have had a vast land from Ottomans
especially the western region, but Turkey remained a big country. In
the framework of The Broader Middle East Project Turkey could be
divided to several states on ethnicities and sectarian bases, at last
get rid of Turks as they think that it is a super power in the region.

USA is performing upon this project that aims to divide the big
countries in Middle East to small states, and had started on applying
with Iraq. However the Congress has issued a decision on 26.09.2007
on partition Iraq into three states: For Shiites in the South, for
Sunnis in the middle of the country and third for Kurds in North of
the country. The Shiites and Sunnis have rejected this decision, but
the Kurds have considered the decision is as their victory because
by this decision they have closed to their dream of independent
country that could be announced in any time under the shadow of the
Americans. If a Kurdish state occurred in North of Iraq, then they
will require their little state be turned to the big Kurdistan state
which forms the Kurds of Iraq. Turkey, Iran and Syria.

Perhaps the Kurdish issue could be seen easy to Iran and Syria for
less Kurds population in their countries. But the matter in Turkey
is different and the problem is too big. There are fifteen Kurdish
provinces in Turkey. If the Iraqi independent Kurds want to include
the Turkey Kurdistan to their state, then the destruction of Turkey
will begin. The current Kurdish government of Iraq is supporting and
assisting PKK in order to continue their aggression attacks against the
Turkish national establishments setting out from the North of Iraq in
case the liberation of Turkey’s Kurdistan. Turkey is inspecting these
events and knows well enough that the Kurdish armed groups forms too
dangerous action to the existence and settlement of Turkish. But it
seems that Turkey is very aware to start war against the Kurdish in
North of Iraq. Furthermore US encourages the Kurds to challenge and
keep annoying Turkey.

Probably some will say that; where are those who defended the secular
of European Kemalists and Unitarians in Turkey, what is their attitude
towards their allied USA opposing Turkey? We don’t know whether these
Kemalists from the west will remain on their condition.

This article is translated by AMSI Press Department. © 2007

Original Article in Arabic:
iew&id=20215&a2b87
72a251fa96284dbfb639c83 5a4b

;s1=h1

–B oundary_(ID_L1TRdXkvszv02D/Zf6/GKg)–

SEVAN WATER RELEASE TO REMAIN UNCHANGED

Panorama.am
20:14 29/10/2007

The daily water release from Lake Sevan continues at 165 million
cubic meters, an amount to remain constant until rains pick up and
irrigation needs diminish.

Thus answered a water department official to a question by a
Panorama.am journalist. In his opinion, the irrigation season cannot
be considered as finished.

We note that this year, by government decision, the amount of
water released from Sevan was doubled. By an August 23 decision,
the amount was set at 150 million cubic meters, and on October 4,
165 million cubic meters. The changes were done to satisfy the needs
of the Hrazdan-Sevan irrigation-energy system, as well as irrigating
the Sevan agricultural region. We note that as of May, Sevan’s level
was at 1898.6 meters. It is planned for the lake to rise at a yearly
rate of 20 cm., finally reaching 1903.5 meters.

SHOULD US FIX HISTORY?
C. Gopinath

Sify, India
Oct 29 2007

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives (lower
house), on October 10, bravely passed a resolution that, among other
things, a systematic campaign had been undertaken to kill Armenians
in Turkey between 1915 and 1923, and called upon the US President
to "ensure that the foreign policy of the US reflects appropriate
understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human
rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the US record
relating to the Armenian Genocide". It is a non-binding resolution
and is scheduled to be presented to the full House for a vote.

Should the US Congress take on itself the responsibility of fixing
problems of historical record? Perhaps being a super-power gives
it that right. It takes courage, integrity and a total lack of
rationality. That is right. The Congress tried and failed to pass
a resolution to make its own President end the current war in Iraq,
but was not even able to pass a time-line for withdrawal of troops
from there, and has been continuing to pass Bills authorising the
billions that are being spent in fighting the war in Iraq.

This Congress is unable to impact current events, so it has decided
to go back to history, so to speak. For the US politicians, it was
easier to assuage their conscience by dealing with an issue that took
place 92 years ago and 8,400 km away.

‘Genocide’ against Armenians?

Turkey is very upset about it, which is somewhat surprising. The
perpetrators were the Ottomans and the current Turkish government,
successors to a country salvaged from the Ottoman Empire, could have
merrily joined in the condemnation.

But, of course, they felt that the nation was being slighted and the
Turks have not forgotten the efforts of the western powers of that time
to carve up the Ottoman Empire. Nobody can sit quiet today about that!

The Turks agree with the Armenians that several people died at that
time. Estimates range from 800,000 to 1.5 million. The sticking point
is whether it was ‘genocide’ against Armenians, for that term has
all kinds of issues related to intent of action and ethnic cleansing
connotations attached to it.

>From Turkey’s point of view, it was nasty business that took place
in the last days of the Ottoman empire, full of confusion and change.

Fighting the labelling battle

Turkey is an ally of the US, and is realising that in the rough and
tumble of US politics, with power fractured between the Presidency
and the Legislature, when different parties control them, friends
and foes get treated equally badly. National identities are built on
interpretations of history, and Turkey has its own version of what
happened. The Turks are now fighting the battle about the labelling
in the US on many fronts. The government has protested officially
and withdrawn its ambassador from Washington.

Turkish generals have been issuing dark warnings that they would end
cooperation with the US war in Iraq. The government released full-page
advertisements in US newspapers and even hired lobbyists in the US to
work behind the scenes and prevent any resolution from being passed
in the full House. Anti-US demonstrations have taken place in Ankara.

US history

I have a suggestion. The right move in this game of shadow-boxing
is for Turkey to take commensurate action by poking its finger in US
history. I have at least two resolutions that the Turkish parliament
can pass:

The indigenous peoples of North America (also referred to as Native
Americans and as Indians) faced the waves of European immigration
between the 16th and 19th centuries and lost their lands. Some tribes
were wiped out in the ensuing conflicts, and the new diseases that
came also took their toll.

When many tribes entered into agreements with the US government,
these were often ignored, violated through military actions, and
the natives continued to lose territory and rights. Why not pass a
resolution calling it a genocide by the US government against the
natives and ask the UN to look into it? Non-binding, of course.

Slavery was official in the US from the 16th century till 1865.

Slaves contributed significantly to the economy of the country and
helped make it the power that it is. A movement in the US has been
advocating that the US Government apologise to the descendants of
the slaves for the inhuman practice, and to pay compensation. Why
not the Turkish Parliament pass a resolution condemning the practice
of slavery, and urge the US Government to apologise to all those
countries from whom it imported slaves?

Touchy about past

These two resolutions will continue this fascinating pursuit of
name-calling and keep the dispute at the level of distraction that
we all need in our lives!

Unfortunately, countries are touchy about their past and every
country on this planet has its own interpretation of events. These
interpretations often change when governments’ change and history
books get re-written.

The US is so touchy about how it presents its treatment of the
indigenous peoples and slavery that these subjects are generally
white-washed in the approved textbooks used in the schools. Read
James Loewen’s Lies my teacher told me (New Press, New York, 1995)
for a fascinating analysis of this.

Driving force behind resolution

Ironically, even those in the US Government who opposed the resolution
that was passed did so not because they thought it was silly and
unnecessary mischief, but because they felt that Turkey is a key
gateway to moving men and materials for the Iraq war now and the
resolution will disturb that arrangement.

The driving force for the resolution is said to be the pressure from
Armenians settled in California on their elected representatives.

The Armenians have brought such resolutions through the Committee
in the past too, although they have all failed to reach the stage of
voting in the full House.

This resolution falls into a time-honoured US tradition of foreign
policy positions taken to satisfy domestic pressure points of the day.

The classic example of that is the continuing influence in shaping US
foreign policy towards Cuba by the big constituency of refugees and
other immigrants from Cuba who are settled in Florida and continue
to rabidly hate Castro.

It’s all in the game

In the game of international gamesmanship, it might all work out in
Turkey’s favour. Turkey has been wanting to attack Kurdish bases in
Iraq from which terrorists are alleged to regularly launch attacks
inside Turkey.

Turkish soldiers have been killed and they are itching for a fight
that would take them well into northern Iraq. The US has warned it
not to, but the US leverage is getting weakened.

Slowly, many of those who originally supported the resolution in the
US Congress are having second thoughts and it might well come to pass
that wisdom would dawn on the Speaker of the House (who counts many
Armenian-Americans among her constituents) and the resolution may
not be brought for a vote this time also.

Turkey, smelling that, may capitalise on its ‘hurt’ and quickly
launch a few attacks on Iraq to establish its ‘right’. And, thus,
the grown-ups play.

The simple lesson coming out of the misadventure of the US Congress
is that it is important to poke your nose into the affairs of other
nations if you can help them when they are killing each other;
otherwise, keep your nose to yourself.

d=14551457

CONGRESSIONAL RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IS TABLED
Joshua Kucera

EurasiaNet, NY
Oct 29 2007

A bill that would have recognized the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians
in Ottoman-era Turkey as genocide has been tabled after the White
House, the US military and the Turkish government convinced many
original supporters of the measure that it would irreparably damage
US-Turkish relations.

The bill appeared to be on track for approval after it passed the
House Foreign Affairs Committee on October 10. [For background see the
Eurasia Insight archive]. The Armenian community and their lobbying
groups in Washington have been pushing for such a resolution for
years without success. This year, though, all the pieces seemed to be
in place: The new speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, is a longtime
supporter of Armenian-American causes, and Democrats, who generally
are more supportive of genocide recognition, are in the majority. At
one point, 227 of the 435 members of the House of Representatives
had signed on as cosponsors, suggesting that the resolution would
pass if it came to a vote.

But the closer the resolution came to success, the more Turkey and
the Bush administration fought against it. All eight living former
secretaries of state came out against the measure and President
George W. Bush spoke publicly against it. The day after it passed the
committee, Turkey recalled its ambassador to Washington, and Turkish
officials threatened to cut off cooperation in Iraq. Gen. David
Petraeus, the commander of US forces in Iraq, met privately with
several members of Congress to try to convince them to withdraw
their support.

In the days after it passed the committee, 11 of the bill’s original
co-sponsors removed their support from the bill and other cosponsors
publicly said they would not vote for it. On October 24, four of the
measure’s most vocal supporters wrote to Pelosi, asking her not to
bring the measure to a full vote. "We believe that a large majority of
our colleagues want to support a resolution recognizing the genocide
on the House floor and that they will do so, provided the timing is
more favorable."

The forcefulness of the opposition to the genocide recognition turned
the tide against the measure, said one Congressional staffer, speaking
on condition of anonymity. "The [Democratic House] leadership said
‘we are going to bring this to the floor by Nov. 6,’ and they were
very adamant about it," the staffer said. "Then you saw the Turkish
community, the Turkish lobby started to get very active about it. The
Armenian community is very well organized and the Turkish community has
not been. When it passed committee and Pelosi and Hoyer said that it’s
coming to the floor, then they said, ‘now we’ve got to step it up.’"

Many members of Congress signed on to the resolution without
recognizing the extent to which it offended Turkey. "When they recalled
their ambassador, members realized they weren’t joking," the staffer
said. "I talked to the chief of staff of one of the members who got
off the bill and I said ‘I saw your boss got off the bill.’ He said
‘Yeah, I don’t even know why we got on the thing in the first place.’ I
think people sponsored it without thinking very much about it."

Armenian lobbying groups put a brave face on the latest developments,
refusing to admit defeat. "This is a retooling of the timeline," said
Elizabeth Chouldjian, a spokeswoman for the Armenian National Committee
of America. "We’re confident it will come up again during this term,"
she said. The term of this Congress ends at the end of next year.

"The administration reinforcing these threats as opposed to standing
firm to them, as well as the Turkish government’s multimillion-dollar
lobbying efforts definitely had an impact," said Bryan Ardouny, the
executive director of the Armenian Assembly of America. "But this is
not a defeat. It’s an uphill battle."

The defeat of the resolution will likely help President Bush in early
November when Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan comes to
Washington. One of the key issues on the agenda will be a spike in
attacks by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which uses rear bases
in northern Iraq to attack targets in Turkey. US officials have
urged Turkey to not use its military to pursue the PKK inside Iraq,
and a top Turkish general said recently that Turkey would hold off
on a decision until Bush and Erdogan meet on Nov. 5. [For background
see the Eurasia Insight archive].

The resolution’s defeat will help Bush’s hand in negotiating, said
Hugh Pope, an Istanbul-based senior analyst for the International
Crisis Group. "It will help some. But there’s a level of nationalist
backlash here that will make managing the situation very hard for the
United States, if they don’t offer something that will limit the PKK,"
he said.

That "something" could include US attacks on the PKK, permission
to send Turkish fighter-bombers into Iraq to attack PKK targets,
or other sorts of military access. "Of course, this puts the United
States into a very tough corner, but words aren’t going to satisfy
the Turks," Pope said.

Overall, however, the defeat of the Armenian resolution has helped
temporarily shore up US-Turkish relations, which have been rocky over
the past several years. "Lots of countries have passed bills. This is
the first time that a country has decided not to go ahead so publicly,"
Pope said.

Editor’s Note: Joshua Kucera is a Washington, DC,-based freelance
writer who specializes in security issues in Central Asia, the Caucasus
and the Middle East.

Public TV, Armenia
Oct 26 2007

Armenian premier, French leader discuss bilateral cooperation

[Presenter] Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan’s visit to France
ended with a meeting with French students of Armenian origin at
Armenia’s embassy in France. Prior to this, the Armenian prime
minister met French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Bilateral cooperation
in various spheres, including cultural, education, military and
nuclear power spheres, was discussed at the meeting. The prime
minister’s visit was also marked with a meeting with Charles Aznavour
[a French singer of Armenian origin].

[Correspondent reporting from Paris over the video] Sargsyan met
Aznavour in a restaurant today. After the dinner, Sargsyan headed for
the French president’s residence to continue the main part of his
visit. French President Nicolas Sarkozy met the Armenian primer
minister at the threshold of the presidential residence. The meeting
between the French president and the Armenian prime minister lasted
about 30 minutes. They discussed prospects for relations between
Armenia and France and noted the importance of expanding education,
cultural and military cooperation between the two countries.

[Sargsyan] The French president said that he wants Armenian-French
relations to continue at their own pace. He also said that France is
interested in developing nuclear power and added that France is ready
to cooperate with Armenia in the military sphere. He also said that
France is interested in developing higher education in Armenia and
they are satisfied that the French University is normally functioning
in Armenia. He is pleased with the Armenian community in France and
the success of ongoing Armenian-French relations. I thanked the
French president and asked him to order the setting up of an Armenian
culture house in Paris and a French culture house in Yerevan.