Author: Navasardian Karapet

TURKISH-ARMENIAN RAPPROCHEMENT AND OBAMA’S POLICY IN THE CAUCASUS

Národná Obroda
July 15 2009
Slovakia

I have asked Vahan Dilanyan, President of Political Developments
Research Center, Yerevan, to write an article for Slovak magazine
Euro-Atlantic Quarterly. He was very kind and he agreed. His piece
was published in Slovak in 2/2009 edition and you can find it here
in English.

The developments from the Russian-Georgian war of last August, to
the global financial crisis brought about essential changes in the
political situation in the Caucasus. All the energy programs that
have until now been implemented in the region, having Armenia debarred
from, have always made the Caucasus "incomplete" in terms of regional
security. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Supsa pipelines blocked
during August war asserted the time for "political railroads, roads
and pipelines" is over and that the Caucasus would be more secure
if it were full of "economic cross-roads". In these circumstances,
Turkish and Armenian leaders took historic and courageous steps on
reconciliation of their over 15 years "closed" relationships. The
rapprochement of Turkey and Armenia considers being "a new Door" for
resolution the vacuum in the region and creation of good atmosphere
for future regional intimacy.

In 1993 Turkey closed the borders with Armenia regarding
Nagorno-Karabakh war between Azerbaijan and Armenians. Ankara
has always set preconditions on Armenia to opening the borders;
withdrawal of Armenian troops from Nagorno-Karabakh and refusal of
Armenian Genocide done by Ottoman Turks in 1915. Instead, Yerevan
has been demanding the opening of the border and the establishment
of diplomatic relations "without any precondition."

Turkey and Armenia intensified their negotiations in August 2007 with
diplomats regularly meeting in Geneva to discuss the issues related
to reconciliation. With President Abdullah Gul’s visit to Yerevan in
September last year to attend a Turkish-Armenian soccer match, and the
meeting between Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian and Turkish Prime
Minister Tayip Erdogan in January 2009 during World Economic Forum in
Davos, indicated the political will of both sides about proceeding with
rapprochement. The next meeting of Armenian and Turkish Presidents in
Prague on the 8th May 2009 was the "verification of common wishes";
"We agreed to respect the agreement reached," the Armenian President
told reporters.

Since mid 1990s US has worked intensively on establishing a
dialogue between Turks and Armenians through meetings among Civil
society actors. Both of these two nations entertained big hopes with
President-elect Obama. The recent visit to Ankara of US President made
obvious that US fully supports the started dialogue between Ankara
and Yerevan. "An open border would return the Turkish and Armenian
people to a peaceful and prosperous coexistence that would serve both
of your nations. That is why the United States strongly supports
the full normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia."-
President Obama stated in the Turkish Parliament. Back then both Turks
and Armenians were impatient to observe president Obama’s annual
April 24 statement, the day when the world’s Armenians commemorate
the historical tragedy. Barrack Obama’s campaign promise was to call
the mass slaughter of Ottoman Armenians in 1915 a "Genocide".

Turkey is sensitive about Genocide issue. It had several times been
stated by Turkish side that the incremental diplomatic progress could
well be lost if Obama recognizes Armenian Genocide. The "solution" was
found in April 22, when Turkey and Armenia, together with the Swiss
mediators, signed a joint statement saying: "The two parties have
achieved tangible progress and mutual understanding in this process
and have agreed on a comprehensive framework for the normalization
of bilateral relations in a mutually satisfactory manner." In this
context, a road-map has been identified. Later on April 24 American
President tried to please all sides, by uttering the Armenian term
"Medz Yeghern", meaning "great calamity" and praising Turkey’s and
Armenia’s peacemaking efforts. The Turkish newspaper Hurriyet writes,
Turkey signed the agreement under US pressure to escape from the
Obama’s possible pronunciation of the term "Genocide".

The US State Department welcomed the agreement. "It has long been and
remains the position of the United States that normalization should
take place without preconditions and within a reasonable timeframe,"
said spokesman Robert Wood. It was obvious that the "road-map" was one
of the achievements of Obama’s policy in the Caucasus. It essentially
refreshed the US traditional position in Turkish-Armenian dialogue
process and balanced the recently activated Russian influence over it.

Baku is distressed about Turkish-Armenian rapprochement as it
has always had Turkey’s sympathy over Azerbaijan regarding the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue. The road-map alarmed the possible end of
"one nation-two states" Azeri-Turkish concept as no mention of the
Karabakh precondition was there in the agreement. Yet the philosophy
of Obama’s security policy considers the opening of Armenian-Turkish
borders as a "clue" of re-establishing "Trust" in the region and
a stimulus to settle the Karabakh conflict. The "positive mood"
created by the Turkish-Armenian roadmap, "gives a new energy to
accelerate our work to help resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict"
said Matthew Bryza, US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group.

Turkish-Armenian intimacy will also destroy the "century wall" between
US and Russia. Armenia is the only country bordering Turkey, a NATO
member, where Russia has troops, the only Russian military presence
in the Caucasus. After the borders open and diplomatic relations
establish, there will be no need of Russian troops presence. It will
assist NATO’s enlargement towards the East, and US could see Turkey
as a "controller" in the Caucasus. Turkish-Armenian intimacy could
positively influence the possible formation of a dialogue between
Iran and West taking Armenia’s friendly relations with Iran.

Therefore, this will have a regional re-balancing role on the Russia
dimension. The latter though, meets several challenges. Turkey imports
65% of its natural gas and 25% of its oil from Russia, Armenia’s
railroads belong to Russian Railways and 70 % of the energy sector of
the country also is owned by Russians. These facts create obstacles
on Armenia’s entire integration to the West through Turkey. However,
the re-opening of Kars-Gyumri rail-road, which could be one of the
1st steps of the road-map, is welcomed by Russia as well. Moscow now
supports the Turkish-Armenian rapprochement while it has always been
worried about loosing control in the Caucasus if Armenia integrates
with Turkey. The August war has "cut" Russia’s "connections" with
the South. Now it needs to functionalize "alternative connections",
through Armenia and Turkey, while trying to isolate Georgia. Moscow’s
will to buy Azerbaijan’s gas which is considered to become one of
the main suppliers for Nabucco, and the intention to realize the
Russia-Azerbaijan-Iran railroad project, pursues the same purpose.

It should be noted that the Turkey’s recently activated "eastern
initiative" has formed a new environment for Turkish-Russian
rapprochement. US should take into consideration the recent
actions by Turkey; the fact that Turkey, being a NATO member,
kept a neutral position in Russian-Georgian war and the "Security
Platform in Caucasus" offered by Turkey without the consent of the
United States. However, Obama’s opposition on the war in Iraq, which
caused Turkey to turn away from the US, has created a good atmosphere
to re-evaluate the American-Turkish partnership. The recent visit of
president Obama to Turkey was a big boost towards this end. The US full
support on Turkish-Armenian dialogue adds on to the reconsideration
of the Turkish role in key energy pipelines. In this case, if Turkey,
under US pressure, manages to reach to stabilized relations with
Armenia, new routes for natural gas to Europe could open up in
the future, decreasing Russian leverage against Europe. The law of
Geopolitics highlights that the closeness of two Eurasian Powers’
interests is timely, and that they naturally confront. Thus,
Turkey should realize the rapprochement with Russian isn’t
long-lasting. Besides, Obama’s new administration should coordinate
efforts on keeping up with its traditional image on Turkish-Armenian
dialogue formation, which will affect the resolution of other conflicts
in the region, create a "window of opportunity" for alternative energy
projects and move the Caucasus states towards a common secure future.

SCORES KILLED IN IRAN PLANE CRASH

BBC NEWS
iddle_east/8151327.stm
2009/07/15 11:59:30 GMT

All 168 passengers and crew have died in a Caspian Airlines plane
crash in the north of Iran, officials say.

Wreckage was spread over a large area in a field in Jannatabad village,
Qazvin province, about 75 miles (120km) north-west of Tehran, state
TV said.

The Tupolev plane was flying from the Iranian capital to Yerevan in
Armenia, with mostly Armenian passengers.

The cause of the crash, which happened soon after take-off, was not
known. Witnesses said it dropped from the sky.

"The 7908 Caspian flight crashed 16 minutes after its take-off from
the International Imam Khomeini Airport," Iran’s Aviation Organisation
spokesman, Reza Jafarzadeh, was quoted by Iranian Press TV as saying.

An eyewitness said the plane dropped out of the sky and exploded
on impact.

Iranian media reported officials confirming the deaths.

Mohammad Reza Montazer Khorasan, the head of the disaster management
centre at Iran’s health ministry said: "All people aboard… the
crashed plane are dead," according to AFP news agency.

The Qazvin Fire Department Chief said residents began calling emergency
services about noon local time after seeing thick smoke.

"After going to the crash scene and scouting, we found that the area
of the disaster is very wide and wreckage of=2 0the crashed plane
have been thrown around as far as 150 to 200m," he said.

Television footage showed a massive crater in a field, with smouldering
debris over a wide area.

>From Jon Leyne, BBC correspondent: Iran has a notoriously bad air
safety record. Because of sanctions imposed by the United States,
Iran relies on an increasingly ageing fleet of airliners, and has
trouble buying spares. There are tales of aircrew buying spare
parts on flights to Europe, then sneaking them back to Iran in the
cockpit. While those sanctions don’t apply to aircraft from Russia
and Ukraine, many planes from those countries in the Iranian fleet
also appear well past their best.

For some people, flying in Iran can be a nerve-wracking
experience. Stepping on board, it often becomes quickly apparent you
are in a plane that has done many years service.

There are also frequent delays because of the shortage of
aircraft. Iranian engineers and aircrew do their best to keep their
fleets in service.

Mr Jafarzadeh said there were no irregularities reported before the
plane took off.

"The regulations of the State Aviation Organisation do not allow a
plane to take off before security of the plane is 100% approved,"
he told Iranian television.

"As to why this happened and what problem the plane ran into, we
will need to carry out a thorough investigation of all contributing
elements."

The plane was built in Russia in 1987.

A Caspian Airlines representative told Associated Press news agency
that most of the passengers were Armenians, with some Georgian citizens
also on board.

It was unclear if other nationalities were involved.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad offered his condolences to the
families of the victims.

Ten members of Iran’s national junior judo team were reported to be
on the plane, ahead of training with the Armenian team.

IRANIAN PLANE CRASHES

â~@¢6 December, 2005: A C-130 military transport plane crashes on
the outskirts of the Iranian capital Tehran, killing 110 people,
including some on the ground â~@¢19 February, 2003: An Iranian military
transport aircraft carrying 276 people crashes in the south of the
country, killing all on board â~@¢23 December, 2002: An Antonov 140
commuter plane carrying aerospace experts crashes in central Iran,
killing all 46 people on board

The BBC’s Jon Leyne said the country was reliant on air transport,
but it had been three years since the last crash.

The civil and military fleets are made up of elderly aircraft, in
poor condition due to their age and lack of maintenance.

Since Iran’s Islamic revolution of 1979, trade embargoes by Western
nations have forced Iran to buy mainly Russian-built planes to
supplement an existing fleet of Boeings and other American and
European models.

ARAM I RECEIVES CHARLES AZNAVOUR

NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY
JULY 15, 2009
ANTELIAS

ANTELIAS, JULY 15, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Famous singer
of Armenian origin Charles Aznavour visited Aram I Catholicos on
July 10. Armenian Primate of Lebanon Bishop Kegham Khatcherian,
Catholicosate host Norayr Ashekian and Communication Officer Father
Grigor Chiftjian were also present at the meeting.

According to the Antelias Patriarchate, Aram I emphasized in his
greeting speech the eminent artist’s successes, affirmed that the
singer has never forgotten about his ethnic belonging and used his fame
won through the art of singing for rise of his nation and Homeland.

The Armenian ambassador’s mission accepted by Aznavour that made
him the representative of Armenia and Armenians in all over the
world after the 1988 earthquake, was also touched upon during the
meeting. "You have been the ambassador of the Armenian peole’s trail
and values in all over the world for more than 60 years," Aram I said,
mentioning his services especially to ruined regions of Armenia and
to Karabakh. "We can present our spiritual and national values,
our people’s fair trial and all our spiritual and mental wealths
and especially demand justice for our nation’s violated rights also
through the art what you have done and continue doing," he ephasized.

Aram I Catholicos also expressed his displeasure on the occasion
of failure of Charles Aznavour’s meeting with the Armenians of Burc
Hamud. The Chief Executive of Charles Aznavour’s Office stated that
they were not aware of the organization of the meeting, more, the
singer was very tired during those hours.

At the end of the meeting Aram I presented Charles Aznavour with a
copy of the ancient Narek, rich in Armenian miniature and rewriting,
newly published under the sponsorship of the Great House Cilicia
Catholicosate.

To recap, during the previous visit on June 16, 1977, the chansonnier
was rewarded for his activity of supporting Armenians with the Order
of Knights of Cilicia by the Late Catholicos of the Great House of
Cilicia Khoren I.

TURKISH PM COMPARES VIOLENCE IN CHINA TO GENOCIDE

armradio.am
11.07.2009 14:19

Turkey’s prime minister on Friday compared ethnic violence in China’s
Xinjiang province to genocide, escalating criticism of Beijing
following this week’s killing of at least 156 people — including
Turkic-speaking, Muslim Uighurs, the Associated Press reports.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s strong words came amid daily
demonstrations in Turkey protesting the clashes in Xinjiang’s capital
of Urumqi between Han Chinese and minority Uighurs, who share ethnic
and cultural bonds to Turks. Hundreds of Turks prayed for the victims
and set Chinese flags on fire on Friday in protests in Ankara and
Istanbul.

"These incidents in China are as if they are genocide," said
Erdogan. "We ask the Chinese government not to remain a spectator to
these incidents.

There is clearly a savagery here."

The Chinese government has already imposed curfews and flooded the
streets of Urumqi with security forces to avoid a repeat of the
running street battles earlier in the week.

The AP reminds that "Turkey itself is extremely sensitive to the use
of the term "genocide." Armenia says 1.5 million Armenians were slain
by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I in what Armenians and
several other nations recognize as the first genocide of the 20th
century. Turkey vehemently rejects the allegation, saying that the
death toll was inflated and that Armenians died in civil unrest as
the Ottoman Empire collapsed."

ANALYSIS: IRANIAN LOBBYING FAILED (GUEST VOICE)
Jonathan Spyer

The Moderate Voice
Jul 9th, 2009

President Shimon Peres’s landmark visit to Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan
this week represents a significant advance for Israeli ambitions in
Central Asia. In the wake of the recent decision to permit Israel to
open an embassy in the Turkmen capital of Ashghabad, the visit reflects
the importance Jerusalem attaches to this strategically significant
part of what is sometimes known as the "greater Middle East." Israel’s
stance reflects a series of hopes, interests and concerns. The most
important of these are: the desire to contain Iranian influence, and
joint opposition to radical Islam. Israeli technological expertise is
of particular interest to energy-rich, rapidly developing Central Asian
economies, forming the basis for growing economic relations. In turn,
Azerbaijan has emerged as a major energy supplier. The country supplies
just under 20 percent of Israel’s oil. Israel’s desire to build strong
connections with non-Arab Muslim countries in the region is of long
standing and reflects an obvious strategic interest. Yet in the past,
Central Asian states have preferred to keep their friendship with the
Jewish state far from the spotlight. Israel has maintained diplomatic
relations with both Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan since 1992. With regard
to containing Teheran, relations with Shi’ite Azerbaijan, which shares
a border with Iran, are of particular significance. Azerbaijan has
close ethnic links with Iran. Far more Azeris live in Iran than in
Azerbaijan itself. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is an ethnic
Azeri. Yet relations between Iran and Azerbaijan have grown tense
over the last decade for a number of reasons. The Islamic republic,
for strategic reasons of its own, tacitly supported Armenia in the
Azeri-Armenian war over the province of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Teheran dislikes the secular nature of Azerbaijani politics, and
has offered support and training to Azeri mullahs and organizations
preaching a pro-Iranian Islamist message. Iran and Azerbaijan also
have competing interests related to energy issues in the Caspian Sea.

As a result, Baku has drawn close to Jerusalem on the basis of a
shared threat. Israeli defense industries have made very significant
inroads. Israel played the central role in rebuilding and modernizing
the Azeri military after its losses in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan
has also become one of the key arenas in the ongoing silent war between
Israel and Iran. Both countries are thought to possess major espionage
networks on Azeri soil. Israel is reported to maintain listening
and surveillance posts on the Azerbaijan-Iran border. The recent
foiling of a joint Hizbullah/Iranian plot to bomb the Israeli Embassy
by the authorities in Baku shows the depth of activity. Kazakhstan,
which has no border with Iran, has sought to develop strong trade and
strategic relations with the Islamic republic. Part of Peres’s mission
was to seek a firm Kazakh commitment that it would cease the sale
of uranium ore to Iran. Astana’s stance appears to reflect a desire
to play a part in diplomatic mediation in the region and beyond it,
on the basis of its image as a moderate Muslim state.

The more diffuse threat of radical Islam offers a further natural
basis for friendship. In the Shi’ite but secular-governed Azerbaijan,
this threat takes the form of Iran-supported local Shi’ite Islamist
parties, and the presence of Hizbullah. In largely-Sunni Kazakhstan,
meanwhile, Saudi-supported Islamic extremists and the pan-Islamic Hizb
al-Tahrir party constitute a significant irritant to the authorities,
making them more inclined to greater friendliness toward Israel. The
response to domestic Islamic extremism has been determined and
uncompromising. Kazakhstan’s commitment to purchase satellite and
surveillance technology from Israel reflects the growing role of
Israeli defense industries in the country – a role which was shaken
in April by claims that Israel had sold faulty military hardware to
Kazakhstan. Despite the extensive cooperation and common interest,
Jerusalem has been frustrated by the unwillingness of both Kazakhs
and Azeris to move toward a more open and overt relationship. There
has long been a sense that both countries preferred to benefit from
close links with Israel in a variety of areas, while keeping the
public profile of the relationship as low as possible. Such a stance
reflected the desire of both countries to maintain good relations
with the Arab and wider Muslim world. Israeli officials hoped that
Peres’s visit would be of importance in laying the basis for changing
this stance. The Iranian response to the visit suggests that Teheran
shared the sense of this possibility. The Iranians lobbied hard to
have the visit to Azerbaijan called off. Iran’s chief of staff visited
Baku two weeks ago in an attempt to persuade the Azeris to cancel the
trip. He was unsuccessful. In response to the Peres visit, Iran has
recalled its ambassador for consultations. In Kazakhstan, the Iranian
decision to walk out of an interfaith conference while Peres was
speaking represents an additional indication of Iranian displeasure,
and hence a further diplomatic point for Israel. The bottom line:
Iranian lobbying failed. Inducing Muslim countries with which Israel
has shared interests and firm connections to overcome the desire to
"camouflage" or downplay their relations with Israel represents a
perennial challenge for Israeli diplomacy. The latest developments in
Central Asia suggest that, in this region at least, real progress has
begun to be made. Jonathan Spyer is a senior research fellow at the
Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center, Herzliya,
Israel. This is cross-posted on that site.

MARIE YOVANOVITCH TAKES PART IN LITURGY OF ARMENIAN CHURCH IN HOLLYWOOD

NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY
JULY 9, 2009
LOS ANGELES

Ambassador of U.S. Marie Yovanovitch took part in the liturgy of
Saint Karapet Armenian Church in Holywood on June 28. A Patriarchal
consecration took place in all Armenian churches of the city the same
day under the head of the leader of the diocese.

According to the Asparez newspaper, the leader of the U.S. Eastern
Diocese (which belongs to the Catholicosate of Great House of Cilicia)
Archbishop Mushegh Martirosian headed the liturgy of Saint Karapet
church and the Patriarchal consecration. At his speech His Holiness
said that the Patriarchal consecration is taking place on the occasion
of the 14th anniversary of Catholicos Aram I’s election and anointment.

After the ceremony an entertainment was organized, after which the
Trusteeship presented a souvenir to the guest of honor.

KYRGYZSTAN RANKS AMONG 20 MOST ACCESSIBLE MARKETS OF THE WORLD
Yulia LIPOVICH

Bishkek – News Agency
08/07-2009 12:20

Global Enabling Trade Report 2009, by the Economic Forum lists
Kyrgyzstan among 20 most accessible markets of the world.

The report analyses 121 countries on market access, border
administration, transport and communications infrastructure, business
environment as well as provides the overall Enabling Trade Index,
where Kyrgyzstan ranks 101st.

Market access subindex puts Kyrgyzstan on 18th position, leaving
Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Russia far behind with 45th, 104th and 113th
places respectively. Border administration in Kyrgyzstan remains rather
low, keeping it down to the 116th position. Meantime, transport and
communications infrastructure subindex shows relevant improvement,
awarding Kyrgyzstan the 86th position of the rating, giving way to
Kazakhstan – 63rd, Armenia – 61st, Ukraine – 60th and Russia – 56th.

Business environment in Kyrgyzstan is obviously the worst among
CIS states. It ranks 108th, while Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and
Tajikistan take 96th, 85th, 77th and 70th positions respectively.

Two Asian economies, Singapore and Hong Kong, take up the top two
positions in the ETI ranking. The results mirror the openness of
these countries to international trade and investment as part of
their successful economic development strategy.

ARMENIA, BELARUS EXPANDING ECONOMIC TIES

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
08.07.2009 10:40 GMT+04:00

Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan met Tuesday with a delegation
of Belarusian entrepreneurs, who arrived in the republic with a purpose
to strengthen economic ties, the RA government’s information center
said. The parties discussed agricultural issues, dairy processing
industry and experience exchange programs. "The volume of bilateral
trade is not satisfactory yet but I am hopeful that the meeting will
convey an impulse to our cooperation," Mr. Sargsyan said.

ARMENIAN TOUR OPERATORS PLAN PACKAGE TOURS OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH

/ARKA/
July 8, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, July 8. /ARKA/. Representatives of Armenian travel
agencies will leave for Nagorno-Karabakh next Monday to examine the
possibilities of arranging package tours for Armenian citizens. The
decision was made at RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan’s suggestion
at his meeting with representatives of Armenia’s tourist industry.

"We have to know own our potential to intensify flows of tourists,
determine the measures to be taken for Armenian citizens to prefer
spending their holidays in Karabakh," the Premier said.

He said that Armenia has received an offer from the Nagorno-Karabakh
authorities to make package tours for Armenian citizens possible.

The RA Premier reminded those present that the issue was discussed
with the NKR Premier.

Sargsyan believes Armenian tour operators should accept the NKR
authorities’ proposal and work out an action plan.

"We have to go to Nagorno-Karabakh ourselves and see the
conditions. You will be the first tourists," he said.

Premier Sargsyan added that during their trip to Nagorno-Karabakh the
representatives of Armenian travel agencies will see the conditions
at hotels and be informed of the prices.

Ruben Grigoryan, Director of the Rumea travel agency, said that
the prices offered by the NKR authorities are quite reasonable and
attractive to travel agencies.

"Surely, it is an20effective package. But we cannot say any more until
we get acquainted with the situation on the spot," Grigoryan said.

A ten-day package tour during the period from July 30 to September
20 will cost 70,000 AMD, 85,000 AMD and 100,000 AMD, with respective
hotel rooms reserved.

Some tour operators express their concern that the service will not be
in demand. However, the Armenian Premier said that a good advertising
campaign will impel many Armenian citizens to spend their holidays
in Nagorno-Karabakh.

This January-March, 86,600 tourists visited Armenia against 84,200
in the corresponding period last year.

According to the official statistical data, 31,900 inland tourists were
registered in Armenia this January-March – an annual increase of 1.2%.

E. NALBANDIAN SAYS THE COOPERATION BETWEEN ARMENIAN AND FRENCH HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION INSTITUTIONS MAKES THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO STATES HOLISTIC

ARMENPRESS
JULY 6, 2009
YEREVAN

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received July 5 the
French Human Rights Defender Jan-Paul Delevua who pays a working
visit to Armenia.

Media relations department of Armenian Foreign Ministry told
Armenpress that greeting the guest Edward Nalbandian highly assessed
the Armenian-French friendly and high level relations in different
spheres and stressed that the cooperation between the human rights
protection institutions of the two states makes the partnership
between Armenia and France more holistic.

Jan-Paul Delevua in his turn noted that he visits Armenia with great
pleasure and aims to input the French experience in favor of the
further improvement of the Ombudsman’s institute in Armenia.

During the meeting the interlocutors exchanged thoughts on the
democratic reforms Armenia undergoes.