Minister Of Foreign Affairs Of Argentina In Parliament

MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF ARGENTINA IN PARLIAMENT

National Assembly of RA (press release), Armenia
Aug 31 2005

On August 30 the NA Vice President Vahan Hovhanissyan received the
delegation, being in Armenia with an official visit, headed by Rafael
Antonio Bielsa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and
Cults of the Republic of Argentina.The members of Armenia – Argentina
Parliamentary Friendship Group participated in the meeting.

Welcoming the guests, the NA Vice President highlighted the
strengthening of relations between the two countries, considered
necessary the development of inter-parliamentary communications,
allocating in this plan activity of parliamentary friendship groups.
Vahan Hovhanissyan highly estimated the positive position of Argentina
in the international structures during the discussion of the issues
related to Armenia, thanked for voting in the United Nations for
the benefit of Armenia in the context of the Karabakh conflict, and
also for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Argentinean
legislative body and institutions of local self-government bodies
and for the special reference towards the issue. Armenia also is
ready to promote Argentina in various international structures. It
was noted that Argentina is the greatest country – investor in the
economy of Armenia, in this context the activity of Eduardo Eurnekian
was highlighted.

Rafael Antonio Bielsa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International
Trade and Cults of Argentinean Republic also emphasized the
activation of mutual cooperation of the two countries, development
of inter-parliamentary ties, the cooperation in the international
structures. The importance of parliamentary diplomacy, the necessity
of activation of cooperation of parliamentary friendship groups was
noted. Minister noted that by the end of this year the embassy of the
Republic of Argentina will be opened in Armenia. Addressing to the
problem of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, the minister
noted that one of the leading conservative newspapers of Argentina
in its editorial touched upon the problem of the recognition of the
Armenian Genocide, writing that historically the Armenian Genocide is
one of the most insufficiently discussed genocides, which, according
to the minister, is important in the process of the discussion of
the issue and recognition of the Genocide.

By the request of the guests Mr. Hovhanissyan touched upon the
constitutional amendments being underway in Armenia, presented in
detail the amendments being made in the Constitution.

Aug 31 2005

RUSSIA READY TO CONSIDER EU PROPOSALS ON “FROZEN” CIS CONFLICTS

MOSCOW, August 31 (RIA Novosti) – Russia is ready to consider any
proposals the European Union may have on “frozen conflicts” in the
Commonwealth of Independent States, a senior diplomat said Wednesday.

Vladimir Chizhov, Russia’s permanent representative to Europe,
told a news conference that the EU was ready to discuss and help
resolve two regional conflicts in Georgia, the stand-off between
the self-proclaimed republic of Transdnestr and Moldova, and the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“We are ready to consider any proposals be they in the political
or material sense,” Chizhov said, stressing that this idea did not
affect the format of talks on resolving the conflicts.

“All conflicts have their own formats for talks,” the Russian
representative said. “Maybe they are not ideal, but they are the best
achieved through the sufferings of the parties to these conflicts.
These are the only formats that are acceptable to all countries today.”

Chizhov said the EU should assist conflict resolution within the
framework of these formats and not through “shattering” them. He added
this position had been officially registered in a joint Russia-EU
statement adopted in 2003 in Rome.