Author: Tatoyan Vazgen

MEETING OF EU FOREIGN MINISTERS "27+6" TO BE HELD IN DECEMBER

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
06.07.2009 21:44 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The foreign ministers of EU Member States will
meet with counterparts from Eastern Partnership member countries in
December. "In December, in connection with the ministerial sitting
a meeting "27+6" is scheduled, which will bring together foreign
ministers from another six countries," Tomas Bertelman, the Swedish
Ambassador to Russia, Interfax reports.

Sweden chairs in EU during the second half of this year.

The program Eastern Partnership involves Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova,
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.

Kasparov Pins Hopes on Obama

The Moscow Times
Issue 4181 / News
06 July 2009

Reuters — U.S. President Barack Obama’s decision to meet Kremlin
critics while visiting Russia shows that Washington is no longer
willing to ignore democracy and human rights to cut deals with Moscow,
opposition leader Garry Kasparov said.

Obama will meet representatives of nongovernmental organizations
during his trip to Moscow, and he will also see opposition figures
including Kasparov, a former chess champion who has become one of the
Kremlin’s harshest critics.

`I think the fact of the meeting is more important than anything
else,’ Kasparov said in an interview Friday.

`It sends a signal the [U.S.] administration is probably ready to end
this application of double standards which has been used for Putin’s
Russia by foreign leaders for many years,’ Kasparov said.

Kremlin critics say Western leaders have at times toned down criticism
of Russia’s human rights violations, its poor record on democracy and
its government-dominated media landscape to pursue lucrative business
deals and win Moscow’s cooperation.

`What we always wanted is for America and other Western countries not
to support Putin’s regime by pretending that Putin’s regime was
democratic,’ Kasparov said.

Kasparov heads The Other Russia movement, which relies mainly on
street protests ‘ often broken up by police ‘ and online campaigning
to get its message across. State-controlled media ignore him.

Kasparov will meet Obama along with Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov
and two other leaders of small pro-Western opposition parties ‘ Boris
Nemtsov of Solidarity and Sergei Mitrokhin from Yabloko. Obama has no
meeting scheduled with Boris Gryzlov, the parliamentary leader of the
main pro-Kremlin party, United Russia.

Kasparov predicted that the worsening economic crisis in Russia would
lead to a change in power and that the opposition would gather more
support.
Russians were willing to live without democracy when the country was
said. But they are becoming increasingly angry now that the country is
mired in a deep recession.

`Probably within the next 12 months, the political landscape will look
very different. ¦ I think that eventually the regime will crunch
under the pressure of civil protest,’ he said, declining to describe
specific political changes.

42/379299.htm

Financial Mirror

Cyprus President Christofias on return visit to Armenia
Russia, Turkey, Georgia, EU on agenda
July 05, 2009

The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Demetris Christofias, will
pay an official visit to Armenia on July 6 and 7, accompanied by his
wife, Elsie Christofia.
During his visit to Armenia, President Christofias will have a private
meeting with President Serzh Sargsyan, followed by talks between their
countries’ delegations.
This will be the Cypriot president’s second official visit to Armenia,
but his first as the chief executive of the Cyprus government. Mr
Christofias also visited Armenia three years ago as President of the
Cypriot parliament.
Azg daily editor Hagop Avedikian met Christofias in May 2007 and in an
interview in Nicosia, the Cypriot official had expressed the warm
relations between Cyprus and Armenia, as well as between Greek
Cypriots and Armenians in Cyprus, and the importance of the Armenian
Diaspora and Armenian heritage. He had also pledged to do everything
within his powers to reopen the Melkonian school in Nicosia,
recognised by the Greek Cypriots as a `jewel’ in the history,
educational and cultural life of Cyprus for 80 years.
The Cyprus President will also have a meeting with Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan, Catholicos Karekin II, as well as with the Mayor of
Yerevan, Gagik Beglaryan.
During his stay in Armenia, President Christofias and his wife will
visit the Memorial to the Victims of the Armenian Genocide. He will
also attend a working lunch with the Armenian Foreign Minister, Edward
Nalbandian, as well as a dinner hosted by the Armenian President.
The President of Cyprus will be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign
Affairs Markos Kyprianou, the Ambassador of Cyprus to Armenia
(stationed in Moscow), Petros Kestoras, the Honorary Consul of Cyprus
in Armenia, Armen Khachatryan, as well as the Representative of the
Armenian Religious Group in the House of Representatives of Cyprus,
Vartkes Mahdessian.

BAKO SAHAKYAN CALLED ON OSCE TO ENSURE STEPANAKERT’S PARTICIPATION IN KARABAKH PEACE TALKS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
02.07.2009 21:29 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ NKR President Bako Sahakyan and OSCE
Chairperson-in-Office Dora Bakoyannis have met in Yerevan. After
negotiations which lasted about half an hour, NKR President said
that the meeting had focused on Karabakh settlement process. "We
introduced our approaches to OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and stressed
the importance of involving Karabakh in negotiation process. We
also asked her to take all possible steps within her competency to
ensure Stepanakert’s participation in the talks," Mr. Sahakyan told
journalists. During negotiations, he said, parties also stressed the
importance of Azerbaijan’s ceasing fire operations and withdrawing
snipers from contact line.

NKR President stressed Dora Bakoyannis’ optimistic attitude towards
negotiation process. "After Armenian and Azeri Presidents’ meeting
we expect Azerbaijan to renounce its current policy and demonstrate
a constructive approach to the talks," he said.

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE ERA BEGINS
John Atkin from London

UEFA.com
Thursday 2 July 2009

Just 43 days after FC Shakhtar Donetsk claimed the 38th and final
edition of the UEFA Cup, this evening heralds the dawn of a new era
as the inaugural UEFA Europa League gets under way.

Anorthosis challenge The team that hoists the trophy aloft at the Arena
Hamburg on 12 May will be the last side standing of 196, in all, who
will contest this season’s competition. The road begins this evening
for 46 of them, with Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta FC among the
most high-profile teams in action as they take on Luxembourg’s UN
Kaerjeng 97.

Pedigree Anorthosis are looking to build on last season’s impressive
UEFA Champions League group-stage campaign but they are far
from the only side with pedigree in European football’s elite
competition. Rosenborg BK will call on the experience of eleven
seasons in the competition as they travel across the Norwegian Sea
to the Faroe Islands for their meeting with NSÍ Runavík while Swedish
side Helsingborgs IF are preparing to take on FC MIKA of Armenia.

Crvena Zvezda await That game will see Helsingborg’s stadium, the
Olympia, return to normal service following UEFA European Under-21
Championship, but for most clubs the attraction will be delving into
the unknown. With the likes of FK Crvena Zvezda awaiting in the second
qualifying round there is plenty of incentive for some of European
club football’s minnows. The winners of the tie between JK Trans
Narva and NK Rudar Velenje will face the 1991 European champions,
with the draw already having been made (to view it in full click here).

Competition format Should any of the teams in action tonight go all
the way they must negotiate 23 games, including the final. There are
three qualifying rounds and the August play-offs to get through to
even book a place in the group stage which, having been expanded to
include 12 groups of four teams, sees each team play the other three
sides on a home-and-away basis. The top two progress to the Round of
32 where, with the addition of the eight teams who finish in third
position in their UEFA Champions League group, the competition reverts
to home-and-away knockout rounds.

ONE MINEFIELD TO ANOTHER

Al-Ahram Weekly

2 – 8 July 2009

The Turkish government’s attempt to clear mines along its southern
and eastern borders triggers nationalist sentiment amid accusations
that reclaimed land will be leased to Israelis, writes Gareth Jenkins
in Ankara

On Thursday, opposition parties in the Turkish parliament formally
applied to the Turkish Constitutional Court for the annulment of
a law that would enable foreign companies to lease land along the
country’s southern and eastern borders free of charge in return for
clearing it of landmines. The move follows speculation in the Turkish
media that the ruling Justice and Development Party (JDP) planned to
award the contract to companies from Israel.

There are estimated to be nearly 900,000 landlines along Turkey’s
southern and eastern borders: approximately 600,000 along the border
with Syria, 75,000 on the border with Iraq, 190,000 near Iran and
22,000 on the border with Armenia. The landmines no longer serve
any military purpose. Around 3,000 Turkish citizens are thought to
have been killed in landmine accidents over the last 50 years, with
over 7,000 seriously injured. In 2004, Turkey signed the 1997 Ottawa
Treaty and undertook to dispose of all of its landmines by 2014,
including 2.5 million believed stored by the Turkish military.

Initially, the mine-clearing task was to be given to the Turkish
military. However, after several years of studies, the Turkish
military concluded that the cost would be too high — both in terms
of the equipment needed and the likely death toll among its conscript
soldiers during mine-clearing operations. Earlier this year, the JDP
announced plans to put the task out to tender, in expectation that
the contract would eventually be awarded to a specialised foreign firm.

Government officials estimated that clearing the mines would take five
years at a cost of approximately $500 million. Rather than increase
the burden on the state’s already overstretched budget, lawmakers
decided to allow the successful bidder to lease the reclaimed land
free of charge for a period of 44 years following the clearing of the
mines. The expectation was that the land bordering Syria could be used
for agriculture, integrated into the massive hydropower and irrigation
scheme in southeast Turkey known as the Southeast Anatolian Project.

In trying to clear one minefield, the government walked straight
into another. Commentators in the Turkish media, including several
newspapers and television channels that are close to the JDP,
immediately accused Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of planning to
award the mine-clearing contract to Israeli companies. They noted that
not only are several leading mine-clearing companies owned by Jews but
that Israel was also at the forefront of irrigated agriculture. In a
country where anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic sentiment is widespread,
the result was a public outcry as Erdogan was charged with planning
to give away thousands of square kilometres of Turkey to the Israelis.

"Our borders are our honour," declared Canan Aritman, a member of
parliament for the nationalist Republican People’s Party (RPP). "We
can’t just give them away to foreigners."

There were also claims that Erdogan was trying to ingratiate himself
after infuriating the Israelis at the World Economic Forum in Davos,
Switzerland, in January this year, when he stormed out of a televised
debate with Israeli President Shimon Peres in protest at the brutality
of Israel’s military assault on Gaza.

Erdogan has reacted angrily, describing his critics as racist and
religiously prejudiced and having a fascist mentality. He claimed that
the government’s plans would provide jobs for local Muslims, rather
than foreign Jews. "Money has no religion or race. They will invest
here and Ahmet, Mehmet and Ayse will find work, not Yitzhak," he said.

But his critics were unconvinced. "It is very strange for him to
characterise opposition to the presence of Israel, which is the
main troublemaker in the Middle East, in a critical area like the
Turkish-Syrian border, as hostility to foreign capital," commented
Hakan Albayrak in the daily Yeni Safak, which is usually unreservedly
supportive of the JDP.

"If reacting to Israel is a fascistic act, then he became the leading
fascist when he reacted to Israel in Davos," Albayrak added.

There are numerous calls for the mine- clearing tender to be restricted
to Turkish- owned companies and for the reclaimed land to be donated
to local people, starting with those injured or who lost relatives
in landmine accidents.

Nevertheless, when the draft bill — which retains the possibility
of foreign tenders — was brought before parliament in early June,
Erdogan ensured that enough JDP parliamentarians were onboard to vote
it into law. What happens next remains unclear. At first sight, there
would appear to be nothing in the law that contravenes the Turkish
constitution. But the Turkish Constitutional Court often appears to
follow its own logic. It is possible that it finds a reason to annul
the law. What is undoubted is that until the court issues a ruling
the contract cannot be put out to tender.

Whatever the court eventually decides, and despite public outcry
over the possibility of leasing land to Israeli companies, merely
by forcing Erdogan to justify the law, the Turkish opposition has
probably inadvertently repaired some of the damage to Turkish-Israeli
relations that was caused by Erdogan’s outburst at Davos.

AGEBKO GIVES DARCHINYAN RUN FOR TRASH-TALKING MONEY
Michael Woods

The Sweet Science
Wednesday Jul 1, 2009

He has been creeping higher and higher on pundits’ pound for pound
rankings, but Vic Darchinyan’s place on the P4P trashtalking list is
secure. Evil Vic is number one, and proved it once again, for those who
might be inclined to hand the top spot to Mayweather, Hopkins, Mayorga,
Miranda or maybe Malignaggi,* on a Tuesday conference call to hype his
July 11 Showtime scrap with IBF bantwamweight champion Joseph Agbeko.

The 33-year-old Darchinyan (32-1-1, with 26 KOs; only loss vs. Nonito
Donaire in July 2007-TKO by 5) is currently the acknowledged super
flyweight king, but is keen on pulling a Pacman, and steadily climbing
the poundage ladder, picking off champs on the way. Where will he stop,
only the Armenian-born Aussie knows for sure, but when he talks about
piling on 60 plus pounds onto his 5-5 ½ frame to take on a Klitschko,
you get the sense that the hitter doesn’t regard that challenge as
pure fantasy.

His last five fights, the former flyweight champion has been
campaigning at 115 pounds. Against Agbeko, the IBF titlist who beat
Luis Perez for the crown in Sept. 2007, EV will step in the ring at
118 pounds, but he promises one and all that there will be no loss
of power as he goes north. No, as we’ve all become accustomed to,
Darchinyan promises that Agbeko will feel the force of his foes’ power
and will end up on his tush, being counted out at the BankAtlantic
Center in Sunrise, Fla.

"This is going to be the biggest mismatch," said Darchinyan, who said
he’s been sparring junior welterweights to get ready. "Where would
you like me to hurt you most? In the body or in the face?"

Ah, a rare moment of thoughtfulness from the pint-sized
prognosticator! Giving Agbeko the option of where he can receive
punishment, never let it be said that EV lacks the capacity to care!

"I’ve seen Agbeko’s fights and they don’t impress me," he
continued. "You will see, nothing compares to my power. I will knock
him out with my power. I can open my jaw and let him punch it and he
still won’t hurt me."

Agbeko, for his part, seemed at home on the call, in this smack-talk
milieu, and he gave as well as he got.

"I just want Vic to know that this is the fight of my life," said
the Accra, Ghana-born fighter, who now resides in the Bronx, NY. "I
know Vic Darchinyan picked to fight me because he thinks he can have
his way with me but I just want him to know that this is the biggest
mistake he has ever made in his career because he’s going to get the
worst beating of his career."

Agbeko skillfully attempted to insert doubt into EV’s head, by
referring to a blemish on his resume that lingers in the mind
of Filipino fight fans, if not in Darchinyan’s, or his promoter,
Gary Shaw’s.

"Why didn’t he talk like this when Nonito Donaire beat him? I wanted
him to talk more and I want him to realize that I’m going to beat
him more than Donaire beat him," said the 29-year-old Agbeko, who
will enter with a 26-1 (22 KOs) record on July 11.

Agbeko is a wild card for most US fight fans; he turned pro in 1998,
and has fought in the US three times, in his last three bouts. He is
not a vague threat to EV, though, who said that he has watched plenty
of tape on Agbeko, including his 2007 loss to German resident Wladimir
Sidorenko, in Germany. EV said he saw that fight, and disagreed with
the call. "Congratulations, you were robbed in Germany," he said. Thus,
EV considers Agbeko undefeated, and will savor a win that much more,
he said.

On the subject of losses, our Filipino readers are wondering if and
when Darchinyan might want to avenge his TKO loss to Nonito Donaire,
the Filipino/Californian.

Promoter Shaw repped Donaire, you might recall, but the boxer grew
frustrated as he was inactive, and blamed Shaw. They split last summer,
and not sweetly. Shaw said on the air after EV beat Jorge Arce in
February that there was "not a chance" of seeing Donaire/Darchinyan
II, citing Donaire’s lack of loyalty.

TSS asked Shaw about a rematch.

"Vic is not afraid of Nonito," he said. "He wants to fight the
very best out there. That’s why he fought Mijares, Arce and he’s
fighting "King Kong" Agbeko. He’s been on TV, knocking out people on
TV. Donaire’s hasn’t been heard of or seen." Shaw cited as reasoning
why a Donaire rematch doesn’t make sense now that his current promoter,
Bob Arum, doesn’t list Nonito when he is listing his top young guns
in the Top Rank stable. More likely, Shaw said, we’ll be seeing EV
moving up in weight class, and trying to secure a fight with perhaps
Israel Vazquez or Rafael Marquez. "That’s the plan," he said.

What about you, Vic? Do you want a re-do with Donaire?

"Of course," he said. "I’m going to demolish him."

Shaw explained the resistance to a seemingly obvious and compelling
course of action for EV. "Vic fights for money, not revenge," he
said. "If Vic gets seven figures, he will go to the Phillipines (to
fight Donaire). We love the Phillipines and the Filipino people. But
we don’t fight for revenge, only money."

Ah, but when those two elements are combined, as they surely will
be within the next year, then everybody wins, no? Donaire is slated
to meet Rafael Concepcion on Aug. 15, for someone’s interim title,
so the pinoys will have to be patient…

Hand speed, in EV’s favor could play part in the July 11 tussle, we
think. But all the talk of moving up in weight, and a Donaire rematch,
is it possible that we-and maybe Team EV-isn’t focusing properly on
the Ghanian, who has power in both hands, knows how to handle lefties
and can be hard to hit? Agbeko didn’t speak up on this subject, or
even imply it, but if he is able weather EV’s power and leave Florida
with his belt still his, we will all be focused on the lack of focus.

"I know I’m better than Vic Darchinyan," Agebko said. "I know he can
punch. I’m really, really ready for his punches. I know he’s never
been on the receiving end of someone who punches like me. Vic is
always talking about his power and about how he’s this and that but
I’ve watched a couple of his fights and I never saw that power. He’s
always fought guys that are afraid of him and he did what he wanted
with them. But in this fight I’m going to do what I want to do and beat
him the way I want. I’m going to let him do whatever he wants to do in
this fight because I can do whatever he does better than him. After
this fight, it is going to stick in your mind. You go into the ring,
you will always be scared."

Spoken, I must say, like a true Darchinyan.

Yes, it was an impressive showing on the conference call. If Agbeko’s
in-ring effort approaches the same level on July 11, Evil Vic may
well be scooting back to 115, his expansion plan in tatters.

NKR IS INTERESTED IS EXTENSIVE COLLABORATION DEVELOPMENT WITH EU

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
02.07.2009 13:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On 1 July NKR President Bako Sahakyan held a meeting
with the EU Special Envoy in the South Caucasus Peter Semneby.

During the meeting, which took place at the Permanent Representation
of the NKR in the Republic of Armenia, the parties discussed a wide
range of issues related to the current stage and prospects of the
Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict settlement. Bako Sahakyan noted that
comprehensive conflict settlement cannot be achieved without direct
participation of NKR. The NKR President emphasized Artsakh’s interest
in extensive cooperation development with the European Union in
different spheres, especially taking into consideration that there are
appropriate preconditions for such cooperation. Among them Artsakh’s
adherence to democratic path is of special importance. NKR Foreign
Minister Georgy Petrosyan and other officials partook at the meeting,
Central Information Department of NKR President’s Office reported

AMBASSADOR AZNAVOUR PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO THE PRESIDENT OF SWITZERLAND

armradio.am
02.07.2009 15:51

The Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the Swiss Confederation,
Charles Aznavour, presented his credentials to the President of
Switzerland, Hans-Rudolf Merz.

During the meeting the President of the Swiss Confederation noted
that he highly appreciates this appointment of the President of the
Republic of Armenia, which will give new impetus and freshness to
the friendly relations between the two countries.

SAAKASHVILI’S VISIT CAUSED NO CHANGES IN ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN RELATIONS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
01.07.2009 17:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "We should bear in mind that Georgia is not only
our century-old neighbor, but also a country on which our export and
import depend," Head of Republican faction Galust Sahakyan told a
news conference today.

According to him, Russia was certainly expected to make its political
assessment, but it didn’t change its attitude to Armenia after Georgian
President’s visit.

Commenting upon Georgian authorities’ ban on RA MP Shirak Torosyan’s
entry to their country, Sahakyan stressed that Georgia had its own
system of ensuring security, "Personally I don’t think the situation
is so heated. The existing tension is weakening gradually," he stated.