Author: Mamian George

ARMENIAN AND CROATIAN PRESIDENTS HIGHLIGHT CURRENT LEVEL OF POLITICAL DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES

ARMENPRESS
SEPTEMBER 7, 2009
VELIKI BRIYUN

VELIKI BRIYUN, SEPTEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS: President of Armenia Serzh
Sargsyan at the invitation of his Croatian counterpart Stepan Mesic
paid a two-day official visit to the Republic of Croatia. The
delegation headed by the president includes Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandyan, Economy Minister Nerses Yeritsyan, Chairman of
the Armenian Manufacturers and Businessmen Union Arsen Ghazaryan,
Chairman of Trade-Industrial Chamber Martin Sargsyan, other officials
and businessmen.

After the official meeting ceremony which took place in Veliki
Briyun Island – White House – the face-to-face meeting of the two
presidents took place. The parties highly underscored the current
level of political dialogue between Armenia and Croatia. During the
conversation they discussed partnership between the two countries,
a number of international issues of mutual interest.

Expressing gratitude to Stepan Mesic for warm reception, the Armenian
president noted that the agreements reached during the visit of
Croatian president to Armenia are in process. The circumstance that
there are no open issues between the two countries promotes deepening
of partnership, and the passed historic ways of the two peoples is very
much alike. The sides also noted that there exists bilateral political
will to boost partnership in different spheres. President Sargsyan
positively assessed the circumstance that the delegation headed by him
consists of a large number of businessmen and at tomorrow’s business
forum the sides will have an opportunity to discuss concrete projects
of cooperation, initiatives of economic cooperation.

The presidents discussed issues on prospect of development of
cooperation in the tourism sphere, noting that there exist enough
resources for it. An arrangement has been reached that one of
the Armenia’s provinces start cooperation with one of the leading
tourism regions of Croatia, at the same time the Armenian students
wi in Croatian universities. The parties also discussed prospects of
implementation of joint programs in agricultural sphere.

Croatian president expressed assurance that the deepening of
cooperation between the two countries will contribute to the expansion
of ties between Balkan and South Caucasian regions. Pointing out that
this is his first visit to the Balkan region, President Sargsyan
noted that Armenia and Croatia have the same system of values and
it is necessary to use the great potential which exists for the
development of relations between the two countries.

President of Croatia presented the way his country passed after
getting independence, current agenda of the Croatia’s foreign policy,
informed on process of EU membership. During the meeting it was
noted that tomorrow a protocol will be signed between the foreign
ministers of the two countries on political consultations on the
European integration which is important for putting the cooperation
in this sphere on a firm basis.

Serzh Sargsyan underscored the cooperation between the two countries
within the frameworks of different formats and initiatives of EU.

Armenian president presented to his counterpart the recent developments
of political dialogue between Armenia and Turkey, Armenia’s vision
of normalization of relations, informed about the Karabakh conflict
regulation process.

President of Croatia welcomed the initiative of the Armenia’s president
on normalizing relations with Turkey and expressed assurance that the
normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations will promote establishment
of peace and security in the region.

For putting the cooperation between the two countries on institutional
basis the presidents of the two countries highlighted creation of
inter-governmental commission which will deal with implementation of
all the arrangements and promotion of the cooperation in new spheres.

After the face-to-face meeting the negotiations continued in an
extended format.

On the second half of the day the Armenian President given by
the President of Croatia, visited the exhibition dedicated to the
outstanding political figure Tito.

Today in the evening the delegation headed by the president will depart
for the capital of Croatia Zagreb where September 8 Armenian-Croatian
business forum will kick off during which the presidents of the two
countries will deliver speeches. Tomorrow the president will also
meet with the Chairman of the Croatian parliament. On the same day
the delegation headed by the Armenian president will arrive back home.

Armenia Expo 2009 opens in Yerevan on September 4

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenia Expo 2009 international
trade and industrial exhibition opened at Karen Demirchian Sport and
Concert Complex in Yerevan on September 4. More than 150 Armenian and
foreign companies are participating in this exhibition held for the
ninth time. It has been organized on the initiative of Logos Expo
Center company and the Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen of
Armenia (UMBA).

The opening ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan,
Minister of Economy Nerses Yeritsian, other members of the government.

In his speech the prime minister said that the global crisis has caused
serious problems for Armenian entrepreneurs, but the exhibition will
create good prerequisites for overcoming them. He expressed a hope that
Armenia Expo 2009 will enable domestic businessmen to find new partners
and expand the markets. "We assist in holding such events in Armenia,
being aware of their significance for the formation of a business
environment", T. Sargsyan stated.

In the words of Chairman of UMBA Arsen Ghazarian, in the process of the
event’s organization, there were some doubts whether it would be
possible to organize the exhibition in conditions of the crisis. It
turned out that "there are no obstacles for Armenian businessmen".
"Armenia Expo 2009 proves that we will get out of the crisis with
minimum losses," he said.

Armenia Expo 2009 is being held with the support of Armenian Government
and the Ministries of Economy, Agriculture, and Transport and
Communication. It will last until September 6.

LET SERGE SARGSYAN NOT THINK TO RESIGN

hos||country&pid=15083
19:37:23 – 04/09/2009

Let us teach the nation not to expect Serge Sargsyan to resign and
Serge Sargsyan not to think even to resign otherwise `we will fall
under such winds…’the author of this state constructing idea is the
vice president of the Republican Party Galust Sahakyan who was hosted
at the Pastark press club on September 4. He answered this way to the
question whether in case of concessions in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue
or the Armenian and Turkish relations Serge Sragsyan will voluntarily
resign. Galust Sahakyan also noted that Serge Sragsyan is not the
political figure and does not have the biography to resign.

Turkey urges EU to stick to its pledges
05.09.2009 16:13 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey’s top diplomat Ahmet Davutoglu met his
British counterpart David Miliband in Stockholm on Friday.

In an opinion piece in Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter, Ahmet Davutoglu
said his country has started an "unparalleled reform" process to live
up to EU demands and urged the union to stick to its part of the deal
and assess the bid.

The article was published Saturday – the second day of an informal EU
foreign ministers’ meeting in Stockholm.

Davutoglu said the EU has to pressure the Greek Cypriots to take on a
"constructive attitude" in negotiations regarding the island nation,
which was split into Greek and Turkish parts in 1974, Hurriyet Daily
News reported.

CO-OP WITH ARMENIAN NGOS HONORING INTERNATIONAL LAW SEEN AS NORMAL

AssA-Irada
September 1, 2009 Tuesday
Azerbaijan

The head of Azerbaijans state body supporting local non-governmental
organizations has said he deems as normal cooperation with Armenian
NGOs honoring international law. Azay Guliyev, the chairman
of the Council for State Support to NGOs under the President,
told the Baku-based ATV channel that Azerbaijan should focus on
collaborating with organizations capable of putting pressure on
the Armenian authorities to achieve the Armenian sides constructive
stance. Unlike previous years, now it is wrong for local organizations
to object to cooperation with Armenian NGOs, said Guliyev. If Armenian
organizations manage to make recommendations on settling the Upper
(Nagorno) Garabagh conflict in line with international legal norms and
UN resolutions [on unconditional pullout of the Armenian armed forces
from the occupied Azerbaijani territories], we should not refuse
to cooperate with them. Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in
conflict for over a decade.

Peace talks that kicked off after the lengthy war ended with the
signing of a cease-fire in 1994, but have brought little tangible
result so far.

DENIZ BAYKAL: WE WILL NEVER VOTE FOR PROTOCOLS

Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am
Sept 3 2009
Armenia

"Turkish Republican People’s Party never had a fundamental strategy,
but the recent events, particularly Armenian-Turkish relations’
development made us reconsider our strategy," Deniz Baykal, Republican
People’s Party (CHP) leader stated, Milliyet reports.

"If we start protests and rallies throughout Turkey, Government
would not stand it for a day, it is our last warning to Turkish
authorities. Our patience is not endless. Until Azerbaijani territories
are not liberated, Republican People’s Party will never vote for
Armenian-Turkish reconciliation," Baykal said.

"Prime Minister Erdogan promised Azerbaijanis not to open the border
unless the occupation is removed. He gave a promise and if he is a
man of honour, irretrievable things would not happen. We will monitor
the situation closely and overall the developments connected with
the Armenian Cause are a matter of great anxiety for us," he added.

WHOSE GOAL WAS SCORED?

JAMES HAKOBYAN

mments&pid=15029
12:14:12 – 01/09/2009

We have to admit that few of those who track the Armenian and Turkish
relation would expect the two protocols, released on August 31. Even
if such an event was expected in the process of normalization of the
Armenian and Turkish relations, nevertheless, very few people imagined
such a thing happen in the nearest future.

Above all doubts, the Armenian government will present this event
as the success of Armenia because the protocols prepared by Armenia
and Turkey dwell on the opening of the border and establishment
of relations.

But both protocols contain not only admirable but also worrying
points for the Armenian side. The point is that the protocols run
that Armenia and Turkey, the countries which sign the protocols,
respect the territorial integrity of other countries. Is there no
danger in connection with the Karabakhi conflict? Is Azerbaijan not
one of the other countries? The point is that there does not seem to
be any exception in the protocol.

Besides, the sides also recognize each other’s borders. Perhaps no
comment is needed here, as well as regarding the fact that the sides
agree to set up an intergovernmental commission to shape an atmosphere
of mutual confidence between the societies, which will also consider
other issues, including a sub-commission to study the genocide issue.

There is not a statement about the genocide or that the commission
is to study it. But what does it mean an impartial and through study
of historical documents? Turkey has never set forth or acknowledged
the issue of genocide as such, it has always dwelt on historical
issues. Consequently, Turkey means the study of the genocide,
and the Armenian side should understand the real implication of
the statements. If the Armenian side fails to get the real meaning,
this means that the document with Turkey is signed by people who have
nothing to do with politics and diplomacy.

In other words, it seems to be evident that the protocols signed
by Armenia and Turkey include all the three preconditions which the
Turkish side offered to the Armenian side in return for opening the
border and establishing diplomatic relations through leakages and
Turkish high-ranking officials.

The Armenian side has always denied the existence of preconditions but
after reading the text of the protocols it is difficult to believe
those denials. We only need to believe that during these six weeks
of consultations, which are going to be held on the protocols, the
Armenian side will manage to eliminate the dangers present in the texts
of the protocols. However, the fact that the text was published by
the Armenian Foreign Ministry means that it did not find any dangerous
points in it or it did not want to.

2948 STUDENTS ENTERED YEREVAN STATE UNIVERSITY

country&pid=15046
13:41:56 – 02/09/2009

The rector of Yerevan State University Aram Simonyan says he is
satisfied with the results of university admittance this year. Instead
of the estimated 2466 students 2948 have been admitted. The reason
is that in 2010-2011 schools will not have school-leavers and all the
universities will face serious financial problems. This is the reason
why many universities, having opportunities, admitted more than they
were going to admit. The Ministry of Education has given permission
to introduce pre-bachelor programs.

Simonyan noted that the number of student preferring natural sciences
dropped, which is very worrying. The government must work out a
program of assistance to prevent this. In particular, in chemical and
ecological departments the number of students is below the number
of government scholarships. According to the rector, the reason
is the state of the chemical industry. The number of applicants
keeps decreasing year over year in the departments of physics,
mechanics even though Armenia has a nuclear plant. Biology is not
popular either. Applicants are less interested in French and German
languages. Schools are to blame for this. Many schools where German
or French are taught are shifting to English, says Aram Simonyan.

There are problems connected with refreshment and imrpovement of
staff. There is a problem of enhancement of education quality, job
procurement for university graduates. According to Simonyan, the
establishment of branches of state universities in the regions is a
positive phenomenon. For example, Yerevan State University has a branch
in Ijevan, which keeps a large number of young people living there.

PRICES FALL BY 0.4 PER CENT IN CONSUMER MARKET IN AUGUST

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.09.2009 18:10 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ 0.4 per cent price reduction was observed in
Armenia’s consumer market in August compared with July. According
to the data of the National Statistical Service of Armenia, price
reduction in the consumer market is a result of seasonal changes in
prices for agricultural products.

Simultaneousely, prices for food products, including alcoholic
beverages and tobacco decreased by 1.3 per cent in August compared
to July, while prices for industrial goods and services increased
respectively by 0.3 and 0. 8 per cent.

ARMENIAN BREAKTHROUGH WILL HELP TURKEY’S EU BID, BAGIS SAYS

Today’s Zaman
Sept 2 2009
Turkey

News Diplomacy

Commenting on the announcement that Turkey and Armenia are set to
establish diplomatic ties, Egemen Bagis, Turkey’s state minister
and chief EU negotiator, has said the process of rapprochement will
positively impact Turkey’s ties with Europe.

On the plane en route to Austria on Tuesday, Bagis told Today’s Zaman
that he expects the opening with Armenia to be reflected in the
upcoming progress report by the European Union. "The zero-problem
policy with our neighbors has resulted in this new opening, and it
reflects Turkey’s commitment to compromise, which is very much at
the core of the EU," he said.

He cautioned, however, that Turkey will maintain a balanced approach
concerning the Caucasus and pay heed to the concerns of Azerbaijan. "We
want a total and comprehensive approach in the region, and the issue of
Nagorno-Karabakh needs to be resolved as well," he underlined. As for
the Armenian diaspora, which was predominantly against rapprochement,
Bagis said, "We are actually helping Armenian expatriates reduce the
burden of supporting the Armenian national economy." He lamented,
however, the diaspora’s unwillingness to acknowledge this positive
development but instead respond to issues emotionally and dwelling
in the past.

He reiterated that the party Turkey addresses is not the diaspora but
the current Armenian government. He called upon the diaspora to stop
exploiting the nationalistic feelings of Armenians.

Bagis noted that his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party)
government was the first one to allow Armenian airlines to fly to
and from Turkey in 2002. "We also allow a large number of illegal
Armenian workers to work and send remittances to their families,"
he said. It is estimated that around 50,000 to 70,000 Armenians work
in Turkey illegally.

Chief negotiator Bagis also drew attention to the fact that the
Armenian economy is struggling and unemployment is soaring. "Good
relations with Turkey will help the Armenian economy," he said.

Bagis also noted that the conditions in the region have changed
dramatically. Armenia is surrounded by energy-rich Azerbaijan and
Georgia, with strong links to the US and the EU. "Turkey has also
recuperated from the worsening relations with the US during the
Bush presidency and established very close ties with the current
US administration," he stated. "Against this backdrop, it is in the
interest of Armenia to get close to Turkey," he added.

Touching on the government democratization process, Bagis said Turkey
is trying to resolve its outstanding issues on its own and dismissed
the accusation that the process as well as the opening with Armenia
is imposed by the EU or the US.

"What we are trying to do is to place the citizen, not the state,
at the center of the government," he stressed, lamenting the fact
that Turkey, for a long time, revered the state rather than not its
citizens. "EU culture is actually similar to our own culture, which
we have had for thousands of years," he said. "With the membership
process, we are in fact returning to our roots, which are a culture
of compromise stripped of extremism on either side of the spectrum."

The chief EU negotiator pointed out that public support for the
democratization process is substantial and citizens rally behind the
government. He emphasized that Kurds have not only suffered from
rigid state regimes but other groups, including minorities, have
also paid prices. "Everybody ought to accept everybody as they are,"
he stated, stressing that "total democratization is a solution to
Turkey’s problems."

Bagis pointed to Parliament as the entity to solve the problems and
noted that the government alone cannot deliver on its promises. "The
opposition should be involved, and a solution should be sought with
broader public support and commitment," he underlined.

He further noted that Turkey should focus on real problems such as
the economy and unemployment and stop dwelling on symbolic discussions
devoid of any concrete substance. "We would like to deliver a bright
and promising future to our younger generations," he remarked. As
for EU reforms, the chief negotiator deflected criticism that the
government is not doing enough. "We have declared May 1 an official
holiday, established a commission for gender equality, launched a
major reform in the justice system, allocated billions of dollars
for investment in the impoverished southeastern regions, submitted a
draft law regulating the EU secretary-general in Turkey and devised
a major communications strategy to boost public support for the EU
membership process." Bagis also disclosed for the first time that
the government will soon be launching a strategy to fight corruption.