Georgian President delays his visit to Moscow
ArmRadio.am
21.07.2006 16:00
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili postponed his visit to Moscow,
where he had to participate in the non-official summit of CIS leaders,
Georgian President’s Press Service informs. The reasons for delay
are not announced.
This was a complete surprise for the persons, who were to accompany the
President to Moscow. The journalists to accompany Mikhail Saakashvili
had already arrived at the airport. Georgian state diplomats do not
notify whether Saakashvili will leave for Moscow today or tomorrow
or not.

Kiro Manoyan: The situation in the Middle East has overshadowed the
settlement of the Karabakh conflict
ArmRadio.am
21.07.2006 17:03
“The situation in the Middle East has overshadowed the resolution
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” said Kiro Manoyan, Head of the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau’s Hay Dat and Political
Affairs Office.
In his opinion, the Karabakh conflict cannot be settled in 2006. The
Co-Chairs are still anticipating an agreement on the principles and
not the final resolution of the issue.
The situation in the Middle Eeast and Turkey’s will to invade Northern
Iran can cause a new balance of powers in our region.
Member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Kiro Manoyan predicts
that the Middle East conflict will come to an end in a few months.
“However, it is not the end, the civil war is more dangerous,”
Kiro Manoyan said, adding that the struggle between the two wings of
Islam – Shias and Sunis – may bring to a civil war. In his opinion,
in this case the Armenian community will have to get involved. Kiro
Manoyan considers that the relations between Iran and Armenia are
indispensable, and in case sanctions are executed against Iran,
Armenia will have to violate these.
How did Israel manage to attack Lebanon? According to Kiro Manoyan,
the reason for Israel’s courage was the weakness of the Lebanese state.

219 RA citizens and Armenians arrived in Yerevan from Aleppo this morning
ArmRadio.am
21.07.2006 17:35
This morning 219 RA citizens and Armenians arrived in Yerevan from
Beirut with the assistance of RA Embassy in Lebanon. Acting Spokesman
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Karapetyan told “ArmInfo”
that they arrived in two planes. According to the source, the number
of the names included in the Embassy lists has not increased.
“Our citizens apply our Embassy,” Vladimir Karapetyan noted, commenting
on the reports of the foreign media, according to which Armenians leave
Lebanon through Cyprus or with the assistance of foreign diplomatic
missions. Most probably the question here refers to Armenian citizens
of other states. Vladimir Karapetyan noted that there are no reports
on Amenians wounded or killed in the result of teh military actions.

NKR DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER DELIVERED REPORT OF OFFICE OF OSCE PRC-I-O
ON INFLAMMATIONS IN AREAS ADJOINING ARTSAKH
STEPANAKERT, JULY 21, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On July 20, Deputy
Foreign Minister of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Masis Mayilian
received Field Assistant of Personal Representative of the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office (PRC-i-O) Gunter Folk. During the meeting Mr. Folk
delivered NKR Deputy Foreign Minister a report of the Office of the
OSCE PRC-i-O on inflammations, which took place in the contact-line
zone of Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh armed forces.
As it was informed before on June 15, 2006, the NKR Ministry of Foreign
Affairs addressed to the Office of the OSCE Personal Representative
Chairman-in-Office with a request to conduct a monitoring in bordering
with Azerbaijan zone for giving real estimate to the situation and
making certain of the strained accusations of Baku on the alleged
burnings of the adjoining settlements on the territories controlled by
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. On July 3-5 the OSCE mission conducted
a series of monitorings in the bordering zone. By the results of the
monitorings a corresponding report was prepared.
According to NKR Foreign Ministry Press Service, at present the
document is being studied at the NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
one can already ascertain that the OSCE mission did not reveal any
facts of damage caused by fire to the settlements, situated in the
NKR security zone, as the Azerbaijani side tried to present.

MATHEW BRYZA TO VISIT STEPANAKERT
Lragir.am
21 July 06
Mathew Bryza, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair, who is visiting Armenia
July 29, will arrive in Stepanakert for a two-day working visit,
the press service of the NKR Foreign Ministry reported to the news
agency ARKA, referring to the office of the personal representative
of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office.
The NKR Foreign Ministry reported that the U.S. co-chair will meet
with NKR President Arkady Ghukasyan.
The information about Bryza’s visit to Stepanakert is interesting
because during their recent visits to the region separately or together
the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs avoided visiting Nagorno Karabakh,
and at best they met with the NKR leadership in Armenia.
It should be noted that during the recent visit of the NKR foreign
minister and speaker to the United States Bryza met with them at the
NKR Representation in Washington.

Experts of CIS Ministries of Foreign Affairs to meet in Bishkek
ArmRadio.am
21.07.2006 11:31
Experts of CIS Ministries of Foreign Affairs will meet in Bishkek
today. Issues related to attracting foreign investments in the
economies of CIS countries and exchange of experience in this sphere
will be discussed during the diplomatic consultations.

Sitting of the South Caucasian Parliamentary Assembly to be held in London
ArmRadio.am
21.07.2006 11:56
Sitting of the South Caucasian Parliamentary Assembly will be held in
London today. The presidency over the Assembly will be transferred
from Georgia to Armenia. Yesterday the Armenian delegation headed
by member of the Republican faction Ararat Malkhasyan left for the
capital of the United Kingdom.

EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO SOUTH CAUCASUS TO PAY WORKING VISIT TO ARMENIA
ON JULY 23-25
YEREVAN, JULY 21, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Ambassador Peter
Semneby, EU Special Representative to the South Caucasus, will be in
Armenia on a working visit on July 23-25.
According to RA FM Press Service, during the visit Peter Semneby will
have meetings with RA President Robert Kocharian, NA Speaker Tigran
Torosian, Defence Minister Serge Sargsian, Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian, Ombudsman Armen Haroutiunian, Central Electoral Commission
Chairman Garegin Azarian.
The meeting with Foreign Minister Oskanian is scheduled for July 24. A
joint press conference will be held immediately after the meeting.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko not to partake in the CIS non-official
summit
ArmRadio.am
21.07.2006 16:18
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko will not participate in the
non-official summit of CIS leaders in Moscow, Ukrainian Presentment’s
Spokesman Irina Geraschenko informed, ITAR-TASS reports.
“Considering the political situation in the country, the President
decided to stay in Kiev,” Geraschenko clarifies. She said Viktor
Yushchenko will send an official letter to the President of Russia,
in which he will explain the reasons of his non-participation in
the summit and will confirm that Russia is the strategic partner
of Ukraine.

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to hold recurrent consultations in Paris
ArmRadio.am
21.07.2006 16:35
OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs engaged in the settlement of the Karabakh
conflict intend to hold their recurrent consultation in Paris early
August, Russian Co-Chair of the Minsk Group Yuri Merzlyakov told
“Trend” Agency.
The major aim of the meeting is to consult about the results of the
US Co-Chair Matthew Bryza’s visit to the region. Merzlyakov noted
it is not known so far what kind of decisions might be taken at the
meeting. It’s not clear either whether the issue of arranging another
meeting between the parties will be discussed.
“We’ll decide it when we meet. I’m not familiar with the conclusions
the American Co-Chair will draw. Before the meeting of the Co-Chairs
he will have new contacts. He will speak to the Presidents and will
probably make some evaluations. After this we’ll decide what to do,”
the Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group underlined.