Author: nina hovnanian

Trend, Azerbaijan
June 9 2012

EU High Representative very concerned over armed incidents on
Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Azerbaijan, Baku, June 9 / Trend S. Dadashova/

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and
Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, Spokesperson
Catherine Ashton issued a statement on serious armed incidents along
the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
In her statement, Ashton expressed concern at the reported serious
armed incidents on 4, 5 and 6 June along the border between Armenia
and Azerbaijan and the Line of Contact in the context of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and deep regret over the loss of human life,
the statement on the European Union’s website says.

“The High Representative calls on both sides strictly to respect the
ceasefire and exercise restraint on the ground and in public
statements in order to prevent a further escalation of the situation,
which has been deteriorating during the last several months,” the
statement says.

According to the statement, threat or use of force as well as the
status quo do not contribute to a resolution of the persisting
conflict.

These incidents highlight the importance of a functioning incident
investigation mechanism as proposed by the OSCE. Moreover, they
reinforce the need for progress in the negotiation process.

“The High Representative urges Armenia and Azerbaijan, as partner
countries, to step up their efforts to reach agreement on the Madrid
principles, as a basis for peace, and to fully implement the
commitments made by their Presidents in the framework of the OSCE
Minsk Group. The EU reiterates its full support of the OSCE Minsk
Group and the efforts of its co-chairs aimed at a peaceful conflict
resolution,” the statement says.

Recently, the ceasefire has intensively been violated on the front
line. At 06:30 on June 5 Armenian sabotage group’s efforts to enter
Azerbaijani Armed Forces’ positions in Ashagi Eskipara village in the
Gazakh region failed and it retreated by suffering losses. As a result
of the fight, 5 soldiers of Azerbaijani Armed Forces were killed.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France and the U.S. – are
currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

APA, Azerbaijan
June 9 2012

EU expresses concern at incident along line of contact between
Azerbaijani and Armenian troops

[ 09 Jun 2012 12:52 ]
Catherine Ashton called on both sides to respect the ceasefire and
exercise restraint on the ground and in public statements

Baku. Dunal Gurbanov – APA. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs
and Security Policy Catherine Ashton expressed concern at the reported
serious armed incidents during the last three days along the border
between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the Line of Contact between the
Azerbaijani and Armenian troops.

Her press secretary Michael Mann reports that Catherine Ashton is very
concerned on information about serious armed incidents on 4, 5 and 6
June along the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the Line of
Contact and deeply regrets the loss of human life.

“The High Representative calls on both sides strictly to respect the
ceasefire and exercise restraint on the ground and in public
statements in order to prevent a further escalation of the situation,
which has been deteriorating during the last several months. Uses of
force or threat for that as well as the status quo do not contribute
to a resolution of the persisting conflict.

These incidents highlight the importance of a functioning incident
investigation mechanism as proposed by the OSCE. Moreover, they
reinforce the need for progress in the negotiation process”,- the
report says.

The High Representative urged Armenia and Azerbaijan, as partner
countries, to step up their efforts to reach agreement on the Madrid
principles, as a basis for peace, and to fully implement the
commitments made by their Presidents in the framework of the OSCE
Minsk Group.

“The EU reiterates its full support of the OSCE Minsk Group and the
efforts of its co-chairs aimed at a peaceful conflict resolution”, –
the statement says.

Interfax, Russia
June 8 2012

Armenian-Azeri talks will continue despite tensions at border – Yerevan official

ST. PETERSBURG. June 8

The situation on the Armenian-Azeri border has stabilized following a
recent upsurge in activity at the contact line between the two
countries’ Armed Forces, Armenian National Security Council Chairman
Artur Bagdasarian said.

“Everything is quiet there today,” he told journalists in St.
Petersburg on Friday.

Despite an escalation of tensions at the border a few days ago, the
sides will continue discussing security in the region, including at a
meeting of the Armenian and Azeri foreign ministers, he said.

“Negotiations will continue,” Bagdasarian said.

Security in the Caucasus was addressed at an international meeting of
high-ranking representatives overseeing security issues, he said.

“Issues surrounding security in the region were discussed. The
participants have similar positions. It is clear that we need to make
joint efforts to stabilize the situation and maintain security,” he
said.

An upsurge in activity has been observed at the contact line between
the Armenian and Azeri Armed Forces in the past few days.
On Wednesday evening, the Armenian Armed Forces thwarted another
attempt by Azeri soldiers to break through the sides’ contact line in
the northeast.

Two attempts of Azeri servicemen to enter Armenian territory were
foiled on Monday and Tuesday, according to Armenia’s Defense Ministry.

Another attack by Azeri soldiers was rebuffed on the border with the
self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh early on Wednesday
morning. One Nagorno-Karabakh soldier was killed and another two were
injured.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on
Thursday that Moscow hoped for a “de-escalation of tensions” in the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone after a meeting of the Armenian and
Azeri foreign ministers in Paris on June 18.
tm jv

Agence France Presse
June 9, 2012 Saturday 1:07 PM GMT

Turkish alleged coup plotters linked to Christian murders

ISTANBUL, June 9 2012

A Turkish prosecutor has linked a shadowy group the government
suspects of being coup plotters to the 2007 murders of three Christian
missionaries, media reports said Saturday.

The three members of a Bible publishing firm, including a German
national, were tortured and killed in April 2007 in the eastern town
of Malatya. Nine people are already on trial for the murder, of whom
six are in jail.

The prosecutor in Malatya has filed a bill of indictment against 19
other people, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Heading the list is former general Hursit Tolon, a key figure in
investigations into the so-called Ergenekon network — a shadowy group
the government has blamed for a variety of violent acts.

Turkish authorities accuse the ultra-nationalist network of being
behind several plots to overthrow the government of Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The 761-page indictment accuses Tolon of “heading a terrorist
organisation” and also names retired colonel Mehmet Ulger, Anatolia
said.

It says other cells linked to the organisation were involved in the
2006 murder of Italian Catholic priest Andrea Santoro in the
northeastern city of Trabzon and the killing of a journalist of
Armenian descent, Hrant Dink, the following year in Istanbul.
In both cases, the killers were given lengthy sentences and judges
ruled out organised crime being behind the murders.

International folk quartet with Armenian participant starts tour (VIDEO)

June 10, 2012 | 08:37

SANS international folk quartet will start a tour through Europe this
summer, World Music Central reports. The group features four
musicians, including Andrew Cronshaw (Britain), Sanna Kurki-Suonio
(Finland), Tigran Aleksanyan (Armenia) and Ian Blake
(Britain/Australia). The group has performed in Andrew Cronshaw’s The
Unbroken Surface of Snow album as well as in Kaustinen Festival last
July. The quartet performs in various parts in Britain, Croatia and
Norway.

ARMENIAN PUBLIC TV RETRACTS FALSE STATEMENT ABOUT CHRISTIAN GROUP
By Kevin Jess

DigitalJournal.com

June 7 2012

Sevan – Viewers of the “Haylur” news programs observed this week
something rarely presented to the Armenian public: a retraction of
false statements made about Jehovah’s Witnesses.

In November 2010, 23-year-old Arman Torosyan, a resident of Sevan,
Armenia, allegedly murdered his parents, 64-year-old Khachik Torosyan
and 57-year-old Marietta Torosyan, in their apartment.

When Armenian Public Television reported on the double murder on
November 8, 2010, they linked the victim’s son to Jehovah’s Witnesses,
reported ArmeniaNow.

Many media outlets across the country began reporting the
misinformation which soon fueled a public debate and discontent aimed
at the religious group.

In an interview with ArmeniaNow, Tigran Harutyunyan, a press secretary
of Jehovah’s Witnesses said, “Besides releasing misinformation, the
Public Television in its reports voiced humiliating and insulting
expressions against our organization’s members. One of the TV programs
encouraged its audience to commit violence against Jehovah’s Witnesses
when meeting them, as a result of which our members suffered attacks,
brawls and heard bad language in different towns and villages of
Armenia.”

The defendant was never one of Jehovah’s Witnesses nor were his
parents. Also, they were never associated with Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses asked the network to cease
reporting the false information to no avail and on November 12 the
Armenian ombudsman asked the media to stop identifying the defendant
as a member of the organization. This request was also ignored.

Jehovah’s Witnesses were left with no other choice but to take legal
action. On May 15, 2012 they signed a settlement agreement with
Armenian Public Television.

A press release from the World Headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses in
New York City says, “According to the terms of the signed settlement
agreement, the Armenian Public Television station, H1, broadcasted the
retraction once during the first 20 minutes of each of their primetime
news programs at 5:00 p.m. and at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 5, 2012.

The retraction is also being posted on the media outlet’s official
website ([url=]), listing it among the
top five news stories during the period of June 5, 2012, through June
14, 2012.”

David Semonian, a spokesman at the world headquarters of Jehovah’s
Witnesses in New York said, “No one wants false statements broadcast
about them, and we are no exception. It is important that the Armenian
public hear the truth about Jehovah’s Witnesses, and we are pleased
that Armenian Public Television has taken steps to set the matter
straight for the viewing public in Armenia.”

PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN WRAPS UP HIS OFFICIAL VISIT TO VIETNAM

ARMENPRESS
8 June, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS: In the framework of his official visit to
Vietnam, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan met with Nguyen Tan Zung,
Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, General Secretary
of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu
Trong and Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Sinh Hung.

During the meetings the results of the talks of Serzh Sargsyan
and Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang were highly assessed. The
interlocutors expressed confidence that the official visit of Armenia’s
President to Vietnam will promote strengthening of bilateral ties,
elevating the Armenian-Vietnamese relations to a new qualitative level.

The parties stressed that though diplomatic relations between the
countries established 20 years ago, the friendship between these
friend peoples is much older.

At a meeting with the Vietnamese Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan
discussed a range of issues on boosting of economic relations. The
interlocutors highlighted establishment of the intergovernmental
committees by Armenia and Vietnam. Importance was attached to
conduction of business forums and exhibitions for full use of the
economic potential existing between Armenia and Vietnam.

Taking into account that both Armenia and Vietnam are members of
the World Trade Organization and in economic policy are led by many
common rules, Serzh Sargsyan and Vietnamese PM referred to prospects
of development of cooperation in the scope of mutual interests.

PM Nguyen Tan Zung assured that Vietnam’s government will do everything
possible to implement the agreements reached as a result of the talks
between the presidents of Armenia and Vietnam.

At a meeting with Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Sinh
Hung Serzh Sargsyan discussed the prospects of establishment and
strengthening of Armenian-Vietnamese inter-parliamentary ties.

Nguyen Sinh Hung congratulated Serzh Sargsyan on successful conduction
of the May 6 parliamentary elections in Armenia and on the victory
of the party the president leads, and wished successes.

In the evening official dinner was given on behalf of Vietnamese
President Truong Tan Sang.

Serzh Sargsyan’s official visit to the Socialist Republic of
Vietnam wrapped up. Today late in the evening the delegation led by
Serzh-Sargsyan will arrive back in Yerevan.

1746 TONS OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES EXPORTED FROM ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 8, 2012 – 19:38 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Acting Agriculture Minister of Armenia Sergo
Karapetyan met with legal and physical persons, with issues related
to export of apricots being discussed.

Minister Karapetyan noted that the government fosters export of local
production to international markets, with all necessary conditions
created.

According to RA Agriculture Ministry’s press service, organization of
procurement and payment of fruits and vegetables was discussed during
the meeting, with the export volume of these agricultural products
exceeding last year’s index.

It is noteworthy that 1746 tons of fruits and vegetables has currently
been exported from Armenia.

DOLLAR WILL CONTINUE GAINING VALUE IN ARMENIA – EXPERT

news.am
June 08, 2012 | 13:55

YEREVAN. – The US dollar’s exchange rate against the Armenian dram
(AMD) will continue to rise and reach AMD 430/$1, Republic Union of
Employers Chairman Gagik Makaryan said, during a press conference on
Friday, and predicted that next year the dollar’s exchange rate will
reach AMD 480-500/$1.

In his turn, opposition Armenian National Congress member, economist
Vahagn Khachatryan stated that Armenia needs dollars to pay off debts,
and, also, the Central Bank’s reserves have reduced by approximately
US$ 250 million.

As per Gagik Makaryan, there are positive and negative sides to the
change in the dram-dollar ratio. Specifically, the dram’s devaluation
reflects positively on exporters and remittance receivers, but the
negative side is that the prices of imported goods increase.

CORRUPTION COUNCIL HAS DONE NOTHING SERIOUS

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 16:39:16 – 08/06/2012

Chairman of the Armenian Union of Employers Gagik Makaryan said in
today’s press conference that 30 councils adjunct to the government are
headed by the prime minister. It is impossible to ensure effectiveness.

According to him, there is no need to create so much work for the
prime minister. Since most of those councils are aimed at reforms,
they had to involve mostly the civil society and the private sector.

He noted that the Corruption Fight Council has done nothing so far.

The council established to support businessmen has not held a single
meeting since December.

Gagik Makaryan has found out that most members of the boards are
government officers therefore the government never helps the private
sector. The private sector is not represented to these councils.

“If you don’t hear what the society says, then the state plays a
coercing role,” he said.