Author: Tambiyan Samvel

SARKISIAN PRAISES MOSCOW’S ROLE IN TURKEY, KARABAKH TALKS

-praises-moscows-role-in-turkey-karabakh-talks/
Oc t 12th, 2009

MOSCOW (RFE/RL)-Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian praised his
Russian counterpart on Monday for his country’s involvement in the
Nagorno-Karabakh peace process and the development of Armenia-Turkey
relations during talks held just days after Armenia signed conciliatory
agreement with Turkey over the establishment of diplomatic relations.

"I want to thank you for your personal involvement in resolving the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," Sarkisian said, for his part. "I want
to thank Russia’s leadership and you personally for supporting the
development of our relations with the Turkish Republic."

A statement issued by the Kremlin after the meeting said Serzh
Sarkisian and Dmitry Medvedev discussed ways of stepping up
Russian-Armenian economic and military cooperation as well as
"prospects for the realization of large-scale joint projects in the
energy sphere." The statement did not specify whether two men also
touched upon the Karabakh conflict or Armenia’s ongoing rapprochement
with Turkey welcomed by Moscow.

Welcoming his Armenian counterpart in his Gorki retreat outside
Moscow, Medvedev recalled his trilateral meeting with Sarkisian and
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev held Friday on the sidelines of a
CIS summit in Moldova’s capital Chisinau. "I think that the Russian
mediation in this process is also a very important measure of our
relations," he said.

The statement said Sarkisian pointed to Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov’s presence at the signing of Turkish-Armenian
agreements to normalize bilateral relations in Zurich on Saturday
alongside U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and top European
diplomats. The Gorki talks continued behind closed doors, and it
was not clear whether the two presidents discussed the issue in
detail. None of them made statements afterwards.

Speaking to journalists in Zurich, Lavrov called for a speedy
ratification of the agreements by the Turkish and Armenian
parliaments. "The signatories have to ratify the protocols the
sooner the better and get down to their realization in practice," he
said. Lavrov also said that Moscow is ready to assist in restoring
rail communication between the two nations, alluding to the fact
that Armenia’s rail network is managed by Russia’s state-run national
railway company.

In his opening remarks, Medvedev also regretted a nearly 20 percent
drop in the volume of Russian-Armenian trade this year resulting
from the global economic downturn. "That is certainly unpleasant
and we should think about how to make up for that," he said. "But
considering other areas, things are on the whole not bad," added the
Russian president.

"In my view, our arrangements of the past two-three years have allowed
us to get close to qualitatively new steps in the spheres of economics,
military-political and military-technical cooperation as well as the
humanitarian sphere," agreed Sarkisian.

NEW AMBASSADOR TO INDIA

15501.html
11:45:02 – 12/10/2009

On October 10, Serge Sargsyan signed a decree on appointing Ara
Hakobyan ambassador of Armenia to India (seat in New Delhi).

SARGSYAN TO ATTEND MATCH IF NOTHING EXTRAORDINARY HAPPENS

News.am
13:36 / 10/12/2009

"If nothing extraordinary happens in the near future, I will attend the
Armenia-Turkey football match in Bursa," RA President Serzh Sargsyan
told journalists before leaving for Moscow.

Early October 12, the Armenian national team headed by Ruben
Hayrapetyan, President of the Armenian Football Federation (AFF),
left for Bursa, where the Turkey-Armenia match is due on October
14. The qualifying match to be held at the Ataturk stadium is the
final match of the World Cup 2010. Armenian journalists accompanied
the Armenian national team.

The first Armenia-Turkey match was held September 6, 2008 in Yerevan,
where the Armenian team was defeated 0:2. Although, the Turkish team
failed to participate in the World Cup in UAE, it will be a serious
test for the Armenian national team. The Turkish team playing at home
will try to do its best to make up for the lost rounds on a positive
note. The historic implication is always present at sporting face-offs
between the two countries.

The Bursa match is part of a significant political processes termed as
"football diplomacy". President of Turkey Abdullah Gul attended the
match in Yerevan at the invitation of RA President Serzh Sargsyan. The
Turkish leader made a return curtsy by officially inviting Sargsyan
to attend the match in Bursa. However, it is not clear yet, whether
RA President will attend the match or not, as his decision has
been dependent on the recent developments in the Armenia-Turkey
normalization process and the signing of Protocols.

NEWS.am special corresponded left for Bursa with the Armenian
delegation.

News.am

World TV-channels to broadcast signing ceremony
16:54 / 10/10/2009

The signing ceremony of the Armenian-Turkish Protocols will be
broadcasted by 70 TV-channels throughout the world. The event will be
held in Zurich, October 9, at 8:00 p.m. Yerevan time. High-ranking
officials already arrived in Zurich. Unprecedented security measures
were taken in the city, NEWS.am reports.

Presently, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan is holding a
meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Later Clinton
will meet with Turkish FM Ahmet Davutoglu. The signing ceremony will
take place in the University of Zurich, at Aula hall.

`It will be a step forward in the Armenia-Turkey reconciliation, a
very crucial one but not the end of the way,’ the Swiss analyst
Vincent Landen stated commenting on the event.

RA DEFENSE MINISTRY LAUNCHES ONE-WEEK SEMINARS FOR RA OFFICIALS

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.10.2009 15:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ One-week seminars for state agency and regional
centre officials started on October 10 in the administrative building
of Defense Ministry.

Trainings aim to enhance theoretical and practical knowledge and
skills in issues related to army conscription.

Meeting started with Defense Minister Seyran Oanyan’s welcoming
speech. In a subsequent lecture, Minister introduced the fundamentals
of defense theory, principles and objectives of conscription and
factors affecting preparatory process, RA Defense Ministry’s press
service reports.

RUBEN SAHAKIAN RE-ELECTED CHAIRMAN OF THE RA CHAMBER OF ADVOCATES

Noyan Tapan
Oct 9, 2009

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 9, NOYAN TAPAN. Ruben Sahakian was re-elected Chairman of
the RA Chamber of Advocates at the special general assembly of the Chamber.

326 out of the 351 advocates voted for R. Sahakian, 14 voted against, and 11
voting-papers were recogized invalid. By the way, Ruben Sahakian was the
only candidate for that post.

Ruben Sahakian attaches importance to cooperation of the RA Chamber of
Advocates with international organizations, as well as with the Paris Bar
Association and the Union of French Lawyers with Armenian Origin (AFAJA).

NKR PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE TO THE USA VISITED THE MONUMENT OF THE KARABAKH WAR HEROES

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2009-10-09 09:15
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic

On October 7, NKR Permanent Representative to the USA Robert
Avetisyan was invited by the Embassy of Armenia in Argentina to visit
a recently-opened Monument dedicated to fallen freedom-fighters of
the Karabakh war.

In the evening, an event dedicated to the Independence Day of the
Republic of Armenia took place in a festive atmosphere. Foreign
Ambassadors, Argentinean diplomats, representatives of intelligentsia
and the Armenian Diaspora, as well as artists were present.

The guests took a keen interest in Nagorno Karabakh and the
socio-political situation in the state. Robert Avetisyan told those
present about the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, the Azerbaijan-Karabakh
conflict settlement peace process, as well as the achievements in
the social and economic development of the NKR.

ARMENIA’S KARATE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP DEDICATED TO 2791 ANNIVERSARY OF THE CAPITAL

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.10.2009 10:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Open championship of Armenia in contact karate
dedicated to 2791 anniversary of Yerevan will start on October 11
in the capital. The championship will be attended by 180 athletes
under 16 years from Armenia’s 13 federations of contact karate. As
the president of the Aikikendo Federation of Armenia David Atanesyan
told a PanARMENIAN.Net, the championship will identify the best
future participants in the European Championship (under 16 years)
to be held October 24-31 in Cyprus.

"The main purpose of this championship is to select the most deserving,
those sportsmen who can not simply represent Armenia in international
tournaments, but also bring medals. We have an opportunity to gather
athletes from different regions of Armenia, and we are happy the
tournament is timed to the birthday of our capital: all the victories
will be devoted to Yerevan, " David Atanesyan said.

Open championship this year will be different from usually held:
the traditional ceremony will be followed by a show of karate.

The tournament will be held October 11 in the "Armenia" hall and
start at 11.00 a.m. Yerevan time. The tournament is organized by the
Aikikendo Federation of Armenia.

PARLIAMENT’S PARK HOSTS EXHIBITION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.10.2009 20:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Exhibition of crafts created by people with
disabilities opened October 8 in the park of the National Assembly
of Armenia. Exhibition is a step to establish a regularly operating
entertainment center for people with disabilities. The exhibition
featured collages, batiks, paintings and tapestries.

The exhibition is organized by the "Let’s beautify our village"
and "Developed future" NGOs, which to date implemented programs
for people with disabilities in tourism, art and sports in Yerevan,
Sevan and the Nagorno-Karabakh.

ARTHUR ABRAHAM: I WILL DO EVERYTHING TO ACCOMPLISH MY GOAL

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.10.2009 23:43 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On October 17, the first stage of the Showtime Super
Six Tournament will begin with two fights. The first is between Andre
Dirrell and Carl Froch and the second features former middleweight
champions Jermain Taylor and Arthur Abraham from the 02 Arena in
Berlin,

On Tuesday October 6, the fighters, promoters and trainers involved
in the Taylor vs. Abraham fight held a conference call to discuss
the upcoming bout and how their preparations have been going.

Jermain Taylor, 28 (17) – 3 – 1, is at a unique point in his
career. Despite being the former undisputed middleweight champion and
despite having fought a better cast of fighters than nearly anybody
else in the sport over the last three to four years, Taylor is being
overlooked in the tournament by many.

Taylor’s promoter Lou DiBella also has noticed a difference, saying
that, "Jermain is more focused on this fight than I’m ever seen him
focused on a fight. He’s lean and mean,

While the setbacks have hurt his reputation and Taylor feels honored
to be a part of the tournament after losing three of his last four
bouts, it is that same big fight experience that may give him an
edge. Taylor says that he has seen everything in the ring, and he’s
not worried about anything else that he could see.

Taylor said, "I’ve done everything there is to do in boxing, I’ve
won every belt there is in boxing, I’ve fought the best of the best,"
and now he just wants to win. With his newfound conditioning and his
wealth of experience, Taylor is more than confident in his chances.

Of course, the fighter known as "King" Arthur has his fair share
of confidence as well. The undefeated fighter, who gave up his
middleweight crown to participate in this tournament, sports a 30-0
record with 24 wins by knockout. His aura of confidence was on display
in moments such as when he laughed out loud for nearly ten seconds
on end at a question posed to him about how Froch and Dirrell thought
he didn’t run out of gas.

If Abraham seemed to be in an unusually good mood, it’s because he
says that he is. He’s been a happy man without having to make weight
himself. "Being a super middleweight is a great thing for me. I’m so
happy, everyday I’m in a great mood in practice because I don’t have
to make weight anymore. My biggest fight was always to make the weight,
so I’m really relieved I don’t have to do it any longer," Abraham said.

Now he plans on parlaying this tournament into more big fights on
American soil in the future. Abraham has grand plans at being a huge
name on par with the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard, Floyd Mayweather
and Oscar De La Hoya.

"I love America, it’s a great country, and it’s my goal to make
those kinds of big fights… I will do everything to accomplish this
goal. Of course, this tournament will help me big time to achieve
this," Abraham said, associatedcontent.com reported.