Author: Takmazian

UN ARMENIEN DE NATIONALIE FRANCAISE, SARKIS HATSPANIAN, SOUS LE COUP D’UNE EXPULSION DU TERRITOIRE AENNIEN

Nouvelles d’Arméni
vendredi10 octobre 2008, par Stéphane/armenews
France

ARMENIE

Des policiers en civil sont devant la porte de son appartement dans
lequel il est retranché

Sarkis Hatspanian, ancien combattant du Karabagh originaire de Turquie
et de nationalité francaise vivant sur le sol arménien depuis de
nombreuses années est sous le coup d’une possible expulsion. Après
avoir participé aux manifestations de l’opposition en février
dernier et s’être exprimé plusieurs fois lors des meetings, Sarkis
avait réussi a s’enfuir le 1er mars au matin lors de l’intervention
des forces de l’ordre qui ont fait évacuer la place de l’opéra aux
membres de l’opposition qui l’occupaient depuis une semaine. Depuis,
Sarkis Hatspanian se cachait, et ses proches affirmaient qu’ils
n’avaient aucune nouvelle de lui. Il y a deux jours, il aurait
cependant regagné Erévan et dans la nuit du 8 au 9 octobre, il est
rentré dans son appartement du centre-ville où vivent sa femme Hasmig
et ses deux enfants. Plusieurs policier auraient alors immédiatement
été placés en faction devant sa porte et s’y trouvaient toujours
vers 11 heures ce matin. Motif : depuis le 10 mars, sur décret
présidentiel de Robert Kotcharyan, le passeport de dix ans de Sarkis
Hatspanian a été annulé et il se trouve donc de facto et de jure
au regard de la législation arménienne illégal sur le territoire
arménien. Hasmig, la femme de Sarkis Hatspanian, derrière la porte
fermée, explique pour sa part qu’elle n’a jamais entendu parlé avant
ce matin de cette suppression du passeport de dix ans de son mari, dont
elle n’avait donc par ailleurs aucune nouvelle depuis sa fuite. Selon
les policiers en civil stationnés devant la porte de l’appartement
familial la décision aurait été annoncée via les media.

Prévenue, la députée du parti Héritage Anahide Barghchian s’est
rendue sur les lieux pour tenter d’y voir plus clair sur ce cas. De
même, deux représentants du bureau de l’Ombusman sont arrivés
sur place vers 11h30 ce matin et ont pris connaissance comme ils
pouvaient, par la voix d’Hasmig depuis l’appartement et via les
policiers gardant la porte, de la situation. Les policiers, engageant
la conversation tant avec les voisins, les journalistes présents et
les représentants du bureau de l’Ombusman, ont expliqué qu’il ne
s’agissait d’emmener Sarkis Hatspanian pour déportation immédiate par
air – soit l’équivalent arménien de nos charters pour illégaux en
France – mais dans un premier temps, Â" de l’inviter a se rendre dans
les locaux de la police Â" pour l’informer de sa situation au regard de
la législation sur le droit de séjour en Arménie. Jointe plusieurs
fois sur son portable qu’elle ne décroche pas personnellement, la
vice ministre chargée de la diaspora Hranoushe Hagopian n’a toujours
pas fait de déclarations a ce sujet. Depuis son appartement, par
téléphone, Sarkis Hatspanian s’est cependant exprimé pour les
médias, affirmant notamment sa volonté de rester en Arménie. Il
a confirmé qu’il n’était pas au courant de cette suppression et
qu’a sa connaissance il était le seul Arménien de la diaspora a
se voir ainsi supprimer son passeport, qui était valable jusqu’en
2011. Il ajoute qu’aucune raison n’est notifiée quant a la raison
de la suppression et que par ailleurs sa femme étant arménienne de
nationalité, il n’est de toutes manières pas déportable.

–Boundary_(ID_RXbHBJVf3ph w3UT7O+fgoA)–

UKRAINE, AZERBAIJAN LEADERS NOT TO ATTEND CIS SUMMIT FRIDAY

RIA Novosti
13:59 | 09/ 10/ 2008

BISHKEK, October 9 (RIA Novosti) – The presidents of Ukraine and
Azerbaijan will not attend the Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS) summit in Kyrgyzstan on Friday, the Central Asian state’s envoy
to the post-Soviet alliance said Thursday.

Lidiya Imanaliyeva said Ukraine would be represented by National
Security and Defense Council officials, and Azerbaijan by its prime
minister.

Ukraine plunged deeper into a political crisis as President Viktor
Yushchenko dissolved parliament late Wednesday and set an early
poll for December 7, the third since the 2004 "Orange Revolution"
that brought him to power.

Imanaliyeva said Azerbaijan’s leader, Ilkham Aliyev, was sending
his prime minister as he was campaigning to win a second term in the
October 15 presidential elections.

Kyrgyzstan holds the organization’s rotating presidency this year.

The CIS comprises Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan,
Armenia, Moldova, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Ukraine is a founding and
participating country but technically not a member state. Turkmenistan
holds associate status.

Georgia notified the CIS executive committee of its desire to quit the
Russian-dominated organization on August 18, 2008 after a five-day war
with Russia over the Georgian breakaway republic of South Ossetia. Its
withdrawal will come into effect next August.

The CIS leaders are expected to discuss an economic development
strategy until 2020.

THE NECESSITY OF CONDUCTING AN ACTIVE FOREIGN POLICY
Gevorg Haroutyunyan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
09 Oct 2008
Armenia

Interview with KIRO MANOYAN, person-in-charge for the "Hay Dat"
and Political Affairs Office of the ARFD Bureau

"Mr. Manoyan, how do you estimate the current state of the
Armenian-Turkish relations?"

"There are certain questionable points with regard to the
Armenian-Turkish relations. The thing is that Turkey either creates an
opportunity for information leakage or disseminates misinformation. And
unfortunately, the Armenian diplomacy doesn’t make an equivalent
response to that. Whereas, this fact gives way to new concerns both in
the political circles of Armenia and the foreign policy spheres which
have a consistent approach towards the recognition of the Genocide.

I think it is possible to demonstrate a more active and consistent
approach with regard to this issue and oppose and respond to
any misinformation or prevent it from penetrating into our public
perception. Moreover, society should receive additional information
about the current activities and developments."

"Anyway, is there an opportunity or necessity for normalizing the
relations with Turkey?"

"That the recent geopolitical developments have created favorable
conditions for establishing relations with Turkey is a fact. At the
same time, it is also a fact that Turkey is, for certain20goals and
reasons, interested in establishing relations with Armenia and somehow
revising the policy it conducted in relation to our country over the
past 18 years.

This first of all means that our country must be able to make maximum
use of this opportunity and unflinchingly implement the policy it has
adopted. And that means to open the border with Turkey and establish
diplomatic ties without any precondition.

In my opinion, there is such opportunity at present. It is left
to us to assume such a consistent posture that will enable us to
make an effective use of all the existing opportunities. The thing
is that Turkey wants to profit by the occasion and derive certain
benefits for itself. And it again reiterates the preconditions that
have always been and will always be unacceptable for Armenia. It is
at least as important for Turkey to have diplomatic ties and open
borders with Armenia as it is important for Armenia to have normal
relations with Turkey.

A lot depends on Armenia’s activities and posture. At the same time,
there are a lot of things depending on Turkey’s future activities. Even
now it is not clear what Turkey wants and what goals it pursues. Yes,
our neighbor attaches value to its interests and potentials. However,
it is difficult to insist that the ruling and influential forces in
Turkey evaluate their interests from this particular standpoint."

"Is it p ossible to insist that Turkey has been reviewing its foreign
policy orientations after August 7? Does complementary foreign policy
remain as expedient for Armenia as it was during the past 10 years?"

"It is really necessary to state that the short war in our region
changed a lot both in the South Caucasus and all over the world. Many
programs and initiatives that were improbable and impossible before
this war seem quite probable and feasible now. And just on the
contrary: a lot of things that were possible before the war have now
become impossible.

Clearly, there is some rivalry among certain geopolitical forces
in our region. However, it is necessary to state that the conflict
of interests among these forces does not derive from the interests
of Armenia. The thing is that our country will have less or no
opportunities in such circumstances and will have to continue
conducting the complementary policy it has adopted. Our country’s
complementary policy is that Armenia never seeks its interests in
the conflict among the other forces; it rather tries to combine and
coordinate the interests of those forces with its own ones.

Based on this principle, Armenia should deepen and extend the
relationship with Russia, its strategic ally, but at the same time,
it should also establish the same kind of deep and comprehensive
relations with the European Union. It should do this not only
as a country i ncluded in the EU ‘New Neighborhood’ program but
also as a state moving towards the European Union and the European
integration. Armenia should have such consistent and firm relations
with the United States and other influential states.

To achieve all this, Armenia should inevitably conduct a much more
active foreign policy."

To be continued

RA PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN WILL BE OFF TO THE UNITED SATES FOR A WORKING VISIT TO ATTEND THE WORLD BANK/IMF ANNUAL MEETING IN CAPITAL WASHINGTON

n_centre_8/official_news_en.php?&date=12233196 00
Tuesday, 7th of October, 2008

On October 9-15, 2008, RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan will be off
to the United Sates for a working visit to attend the World Bank/IMF
Annual Meeting in capital Washington.

The Prime Minister-led delegation will comprise Minister of Economy
Nerces Yeritzyan, Minister of Finance Tigran Davtyan, Senior Economic
Adviser to RA President Vahram Nercissyantz, Chief of Government Staff
David Sargsyan, Central Bank of Armenia Chairman Arthur Javadyan,
Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Arman Kirakosyan, Armenian
Ambassador to the United States Tatul Margaryan, other dignitaries.

FRENCH ORANGE OFFERS HIGHEST PRICE FOR ARMENIA’S THIRD MOBILE OPERATOR LICENSE

ARKA
Oct 6, 2008

YEREVAN, October 6. /ARKA/. The winner of the tender for the third
mobile operator in Armenia will be officially announced in three days,
Gurgen Sargsyan, the RA Minister of Transport and Communications,
stated at the briefing after unsealing tender packages of the three
pretender companies.

The Orange company (France Telecom main brand) offered the highest
price for the GSM-license, â~B¬51.5mln, followed by M$A Tele2 AB
(Sweden), â~B¬45.6mln, and CEO Blackrock Communication (England and
Ireland), â~B¬31.66mln.

Minister Sargsyan stated the company with the highest price offer
will be the winner.

The winner company will be licensed for ten days and will have
to registered in Armenia until December 15 and then develop its
infrastructure. The company will able to offer its services in Armenia
in six months.

"Our previous experience showed us that a new operator’s accession
into market contributes to cut in prices, increase of quality and
expenditure of offered services," said the Minister.

He noted the company with the second highest price offer for getting
the license will become the tender winner if the first one does not
pay the lump sum of the permanent license before the deadline.

Jean-Michel Serre, the Orange Director of International Business
Development in Europe and Asia, stated the company i s waiting for
the final tender results to start its active works in Armenia.

Armenia announced a tender for the third mobile operator this July. 17
companies applied for the tender, but three companies preliminarily
qualified – Orange (France Telecom, France), CEO Blackrock
Communication (England and Ireland) and M$A Tele2 AB (Sweden).

Two mobile operators are currently working in Armenia – ArmenTell
(VympelCom, the Beeline brand) and VivaCell-MTS (MTS). G. S. -0–

–Boundary_(ID_OGF+C159ecsJmkTshWfFZg)–

NA SPEAKER RECEIVES CONGRATULATIONS

armradio.am
06.10.2008 17:38

President of the Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the
Russian Federation Sergey Mironov congratulated the Speaker of the
National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan. The
congratulatory message states, in part: "I’m sure that it’s necessary
to continue the close and productive cooperation, exchange experience
within the framework of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly and
international parliamentary bodies. I wish success to you and all
the Deputies of the National Assembly in your legislative activity
for the sake of the brotherly Armenian nation and the reinforcement
of Armenian-Russian relations."

Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Frank Pallone
and Joe Knollenberg congratulated Hovik Abrahamyan. "Armenia continues
the reforms and the work in the direction of establishing stability
in the region, and your new position inspires hope. We support the
diplomacy Armenia undertook in the Caucasus recently. The positive
nature of these actions will contribute to the deepening of US-Armenia
relations and will reinforce the international image of the country
as a reliable partner. As Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on
Armenian Issues, we expect to work with you to help raise the issues
Armenians and American Armenians face.

We render our best wishes to you on the occasion of assuming office.E2

Secretary of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization Peter Ryabukhin congratulated Hovik Abrahamyan,
wishing him success in his high position and expressing confidence
in further cooperation.

Congratulations have been received also from the Armenian community
of Kharkov, marzes of Armenia, scientific institutions and other
organizations.

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING TO BE SIGNED BETWEEN OSCE OFFICE AND THE MINISTRY OF SPORT

armradio.am
03.10.2008 16:35

A memorandum of understanding between the OSCE Office in Yerevan and
the Armenian Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs will be signed on
Tuesday, 7 October in the OSCE Office in Yerevan.

The memorandum outlines the main areas of co-operation meant to empower
youth in the regions and to strengthen the democratic governance of
the managerial boards of the regional youth centers. It envisages
exchange of international experience and development of publicity
and productivity of the centres’ operation.

The Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan Ambassador Sergey Kapinos
and Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Armen Grigoryan will sign
the memorandum.

Representatives of regional youth centres will participate in the
event and will receive the package of OSCE publications as a first
step in establishing "OSCE corners" within their respective centres
in the regions.

OPPOSITIONIST ADMITS POSSIBLE APPLICATION OF SANCTIONS AGAINST ARMENIA BY PACE

ArmInfo
2008-10-03 15:56:00

ArmInfo. "The recent statement of the PACE Monitoring Committee
distinctly fixes serious problems with implementation of Resolutions
N1609 and N1620, and I estimate this positively", Souren Sourenyants,
a member of the Political Council of the oppositional "Republic"
party, a representative of the Armenian National Congress, said to
journalists at Tesaket club, Friday.

According to him, oppositionists and politicians in general are freer
in the choice of formulations when publishing relevant assessments
while international organizations speak a diplomatic language. "After
the recent sitting of the PACE Monitoring Committee, the Armenian
authorities should realize that nobody ids going to play games with
them, and very little time remains to implement the assumed obligations
and requirements", Sourenyants said.

He also stressed that the Armenian oppposition is forming its political
agenda without looking at international organizations. "PACE itself
should be interested in maintenance of its image. It is not for
us to worry about it. The Armenian opposition doesn’t ignore the
international factors’ certain influence on the situation in the
country, but our actions focus on their relevant reception by the
republic’s public", Sourenyants said in conclusion.

RUSSIAN FM SERGEY LAVROV TO VISIT ARMENIA

armradio.am
02.10.2008 12:25

At the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenian
Edward Nalbandian, the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation
Sergey Lavrov will visit Armenia October 2-3.

In the framework of the visit the Foreign Ministers of the two
countries will have a meeting, following which they will give a joint
press conference.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will be received by the
President of Armenian Serzh Sargsyan.

During the negotiations it is expected to discuss the dynamically
developing relations between Armenia and Russia and the strategic
partnership, including a broad framework of issues related to the
coordination of the foreign policy.

Within the framework of the high level political dialogue, the
Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Russia will refer to the process of
accomplishment of the agreements reached during the meeting of the
Presidents of the two countries Serzh Sargsyan and Dmitry Medvedev
in Sochi.

During the meetings in Yerevan special attention will be paid to the
process of settlement of the Karabakh issue, as well as the recent
events in the region and the efforts targeted at ensuring regional
stability and security.

ARMENIAN BANKING SYSTEM’S LOAN INVESTMENTS TOTAL AMD 586.6 BILLION BY AUGUST 1, 2008

ARKA
Oct 1, 2008

YEREVAN, October 1. /ARKA/. Armenian banking system’s loan investments
totaled AMD 586.6 billion by August 1, 2008 after growing 5.12 percent
over the month, National Statistical Service of Armenia reports.

According to the report, loans provided in foreign currency reached
AMD 221.6 billion by late August after growing 7.51 percent or by AMD
15.5 billion over the month. Loans given in Armenian drams reached
365 billion after growing 3.72% or by AMD 13.1 billon.

The statistical report says that total amount of prolonged loans
reduced by AMD 1.97 billion to AMD 3.7 billion.

Overdue loans totaled 5.2 billion after growing by AMD 961 million.

Total amount of the loans provided by Armenian banking system reached
AMD 595.5 billion by late August after growing 27.5 million over the
month. ($1 = AMD 302.12).