Author: Nahapetian Samvel

AMBASSADOR ARMEN SMBATYAN: THERE IS FAVORABLE CONDITION FOR THE MEMBERS OF ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI COMMUNITIES TO VISIT NAGORNO KARABAKH

APA
June 2 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku. Lachin Sultanova – APA. "I think there is favorable enough
condition to visit Nagorno Karabakh," Armenian ambassador to Russia
Armen Smbatyan said in his interview to Reghum agency, APA reports.

Commenting on the reports that members of communities of Azerbaijan
and Armenia will visit Nagorno Karabakh, Smbatyan said the idea to
repeat the visit appeared soon after the first visit.

"Because we (I hope not only we) felt the importance of such relations,
a small positive bridge uniting the two communities was established
during the visit. The aim of these visits is not to replace the
process of negotiations to some extent," he said.

Smbatyan mentioned that the negotiations were being held by the
presidents within the framework of OSCE Minsk Group and said the
representatives of various classes of the two countries should
continue communicating. Clarifying why the planned visit was kept
"secret" the ambassador said: "It is connected with arranging and
coordinating mechanism of the visit, because a number of political,
ethno-psychological, ethnocultural and social aspects are touched
on. If information about the visit is given beforehand, or formulated
incorrectly, it may affect the interests of the visit participants and
the visit will not take place. There are always forces, who ignore
the interests of the peoples and states, have mercantile intentions
and do not want the process to be realized. Taking this into account
I ask media representatives and "reliable sources" to approach every
statement and information on this issue with responsibility," he said.

STAFF CONFIRMED

A1+
06:21 pm | June 01, 2009

Politics

On May 30, Serzh Sargsyan signed an order on appointing Vazgen Manukyan
President of the Public Council.

Serzh Sargsyan today confirmed the staff of the Public Council which
is comprised of 24 members.

Robert Atoyan

Stepan Gishyan

Karine Danielyan

Baben Harutyunyan

Henrik Hovhannisyan

Markos Archbishop Hovhannisyan

Ara Minasyan

Hovik Musaelyan

Hayk Sargsyan

Sos Sargsyan

Armen Ter-Tachatyan

Beaten journalist refused to give police testimony
31.05.2009 15:18 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According to the statement released by Armenian
National Congress (ANC), Parliament MP Levon Sargsyan has today broken
into polling station 9/1 and ordered his bodyguards to remove from
there journalists Gohar Veziryan (`Tchorrord Ishkhanutyun’), Tatev
Mesropyan (`Hayq’) and Marine Kharatyan (`Zhamanak Yerevan’). `The
MP’s bodyguards beat media representatives and seizing their
dictaphones and mobile phones’ ANC activists say in the statement. ANC
also reports that journalists intend to report the incident to the
police.
According to available information, Gohar Vardanyan, who was called to
RA Police to give testimony, refused to answer law enforcers’
questions. `I consulted with my lawyer who informed me of my
constitutional right of not reporting the incident to the police. I
followed his advice and refused to answer policemen’s questions,’ she
said.

SCHMIDT TRIP TO TURKEY IRKS FOE
By Howard Wilkinson, [email protected]

Cincinnati.com
http://new s.cincinnati.com/article/20090529/NEWS01/905300326 /Schmidt+trip+to+Turkey+irks+foe
May 29 2009

U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Miami Township, has been in Turkey since
Sunday night, touring the country and participating in a conference
on relations between Turkey and the U.S.

The trip has one of Schmidt’s political opponents – David Krikorian, an
Armenian-American who is running for next year’s Democratic nomination
in the 2nd Congressional District – hopping mad.

"Like most Americans, I spent Memorial Day with my family and friends,"
Krikorian said in a statement released Friday morning. "Jean Schmidt
spent Memorial Day in Turkey on the dime of the Turkish Coalition
of America."

Barry Bennett, Schmidt’s chief of staff, who is also on the trip,
said that the Turkish Coalition of America did pick up the tab – it’s
not clear how much – for Schmidt’s weeklong stay in Turkey. Schmidt
is the only member of Congress on the trip, though other staff members
are also on the trip.

Schmidt’s close ties to the Turkey have been a bone of contention
between her and Krikorian for over a year now. Last year, Krikorian ran
as an independent candidate in the 2nd District and accused Schmidt
of taking $30,000 in "blood money to deny the genocide of Christian
Armenians by Muslim Turks" during World War I.

Schmidt filed an Ohio Elections Commission complaint against Krikorian,
saying he made false statements. The commission agreed earlier this
month to investigate the complaint.

Bennett said Schmidt has been interested in U.S. relations with Turkey
because "we can’t ignore one of the major democracies in this region;
one that is tolerant of people of all religions."

"Krikorian hates Turkey; I understand that, but he needs to get over
it," Bennett said. "If he wants to be a United States congressman,
he is going to have to be a little more open-minded when it comes to
the rest of the world."

Krikorian’s press release Friday blasting Schmidt said that "over
Memorial Day weekend," the congresswoman laid a wreath at the mausoleum
of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turk Republic.

Bennett said the wreath-laying occurred on Wednesday; and pointed
out that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi have done the same thing in recent months.

Schmidt spent Saturday and most of Sunday in her district attending
Memorial Day events before leaving for Turkey Sunday night, Bennett
said. Friday, she was to be the keynote speaker at a conference dinner
in Istanbul, Bennett said. She will return to the U.S. Sunday.

So far, Krikorian, a Madeira resident, is the only candidate who has
announced plans to challenge Schmidt in 2010.

The Turkish Coalition posted a photo and account of Schmidt’s trip
at

EDUARD SHARMAZANOV IS SURE THAT REPUBLICAN PARTY OF ARMENIA IS THE FRONT-RUNNER AT MAY 31 ELECTION

ArmInfo
2009-05-29 17:21:00

ArmInfo. The Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) positively assesses the
pre-election campaign. Secretary of RPA faction, RPA Press-Secretary
Eduard Sharmazanov told ArmInfo correspondent that the pre-election
campaign passed quite efficiently.

"Though there are certain problems, the society trusts the Republican
Party, particularly, Gagik Beglaryan and Taron Margaryan",-
Sharmazanov said. He added that unlike the political forces, which
only give pre-election promises, RPA will carry out all the items of
its pre-election program.

Sharmazanov highly assesses RPA’s chances for victory. "The
front-runner during May 31 election is the Republican Party",- he said.

TURKISH PRESIDENT DISSATISFIED WITH NEGOTIATION PROCESS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
29.05.2009 19:51 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Neither Armenia nor Turkey are satisfied with the
current stage of the negotiation process, Turkish President Abdullah
Gul said. Armenia’s calls for Turkey’s non-interference in Karabakh
issue halted the negotiation process. "Turkey has not changed its
radical stance on Kharabakh conflict settlement, and mediators are
required to assist in the process," Turkish media quote Mr. Gul
as saying.

CO-CHAIRS VISIT THE REGION TO ARRANGE THE MEETING OF PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN

armradio.am
29.05.2009 11:27

The co-chairs of OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza (USA), Bernard Fassier
(France) and Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia) have started their visit to
the region, APA reports.

The mediators arrived in Baku on May 28. The diplomats told journalists
at the airport that the aim of their visit was to arrange the meeting
of the Armenian and Azerbiajnai presidents in Saint Petersburg.

Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev
met at the U.S. Embassy in Prague to discuss the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as part of the EU Eastern Partnership summit
on May 7.

The next meeting between the two presidents is scheduled for early
June on the sideleines of the economic forum in St. Petersburg.

RUSSIAN MOBILE FIRM VIMPELCOM POSTS $271.5 MLN LOSS IN Q1

RIA Novosti
May 28, 2009
MOSCOW

Russia’s second largest mobile phone operator VimpelCom announced
on Thursday a net loss of 8.5 billion rubles ($271.5 million) in
January-March against a profit of 14.59 billion rubles ($466 million)
a year ago.

The net loss resulted from foreign exchange losses of 23.6 billion
rubles ($754 million), VimpelCom said.

At the same time, operating revenues climbed 30.7% to 66.8 billion
rubles ($2.1 billion) while OIBDA (operating income before depreciation
and amortization) increased 5% on the fourth quarter to 32.2 billion
rubles ($1.03 billion), with the OIBDA margin improving from 44% in
October-December 2008 to 48.1% in January-March 2009, VimpelCom said.

VimpelCom, which operates under the Beeline brand, provides services
in Russia and also in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan,
Georgia and Armenia. In 2008, VimpelCom acquired licenses in Vietnam
and Cambodia.

The mobile operator covers a territory with a population of 340
million. Its franchise stood at 62.7 million as of March 31, 2009.

POLITICS BEHIND KARABAKH VISA DENIAL FOR JOURNALISTS

Today’s Zaman
May 28 2009
Turkey

Masis Mayilian, former deputy foreign minister of Nagorno-Karabakh,
has said the recent denial of visas for Turkish journalists hoping
to travel to Karabakh was connected to Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayip Erdogan’s recent speech at the Azerbaijani parliament in which
he said the normalization of relations with Armenia was contingent
on the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

"I directly asked the [Armenian] Foreign Ministry about the issue,
and this is the response they gave me. I am personally opposed
placing obstacles in front of journalists," he told Today’s Zaman
at the Turkey-Armenia Relations Workshop organized by the Foundation
for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA).

Last week 10 journalists who were in Armenia for the Turkey-Armenia
Journalist Dialogue Project, organized by the International Hrant Dink
Foundation, attempted to get visas to go to Karabakh on May 23 and
24. But after receiving initial approval from Karabakh, the journalists
later received a last-minute response from the Karabakh authority in
Yerevan denying them authorization to visit the region. Aris Nalcı,
who submitted the visa applications on behalf of the journalists,
said he was not given an explanation for the denial.

Mayilian, who is president of the Public Council for Foreign and
Security Policy based in Karabakh, said he hoped the journalists
would try once again to visit the region.

In Baku Erdogan had said there would be no normalization in ties with
Armenia unless Armenia withdrew from Nagorno-Karabakh. The statement
pleased Azerbaijan but drew ire from Armenia, which said Turkey should
not interfere in the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute and warned that such
moves by Ankara would harm efforts to resolve the deep-seated conflict.

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in a show of solidarity
with Azerbaijan after Armenia invaded Nagorno-Karabakh and seven
regions adjacent to it. Armenian withdrawal from Azerbaijani territory
was a condition for normal ties with Yerevan, but the conditionality
was apparently softened when Turkish and Armenian diplomats started
closed-door talks to normalize ties one-and-a-half years ago. Last
month, they announced that they had reached a framework agreement on
restoring their ties, sparking protests from Azerbaijan.

ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENTS TO CONTINUE DISCUSSION OF ISSUES IN SAINT PETERSBURG

ARMENPRESS
May 25, 2009

YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS: Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan
will continue discussion of those issues which remain unsolved in
the Karabakh conflict regulation agenda, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister
Elmar Mamedyarov who is currently in Syria stated.

In Damascus Mamedyarov is participating in the 36th session of the
member states of the Islamic Conference Organization.

The discussion between the sides will take place within the frameworks
of the already outlined agenda and will become the continuation of
the contacts in Prague, Mamedyarov said.

The coming meeting of the presidents is expected to be conducted in
Saint Petersburg in June within the frameworks of economic conference.

"During the former Administration of Armenia we have reached everything
in the peaceful process but with the current Administration we have
not reached anything. As a negotiating side, I may say that I cannot
be proud of the changes we reached in the process," he said.

In response to the Azerbaijani statements that Armenia has toughened
its position in the process, Armenian President said at a joint
press conference with Croatian President that "I do not think that the
Republic of Armenia has toughened its position in the negotiations with
Azerbaijan. The core issue of the process is the status of Nagorno
Karabakh and if we put definitely this issue expecting answers it
does not mean that we have toughened our position."