ARMENIA APPOINTS ENVOY TO FRANCE AS NEW FOREIGN MINISTER

Agence France Presse — English
April 14, 2008 Monday

Armenia has appointed its ambassador to France Eduard Nalbandian as
the ex-Soviet republic’s new foreign minister, the president’s press
office said Monday.

Nalbandian, a career diplomat who also served as the country’s
ambassador to Israel, Andorra and the Vatican, will replace Vardan
Oskanian, who resigned following Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian’s
inauguration on Wednesday, the office said in a statement.

Sarkisian has also appointed the chief of Armenia’s armed forces,
Seiran Oganian, as the country’s new defence minister, the statement
said.

Oganian is a veteran of Armenia’s war with neighbouring Azerbaijan
over the disputed region of Nagorny Karabakh and served as defence
minister in Karabakh’s Armenian-controlled administration.

He replaces Mikayel Harutunian, who served less than a year as defence
minister after taking over from Sarkisian when he became prime minister
in mid-2007.

Sarkisian is forming a new government following his election on
February 19 in a disputed vote that sparked violent clashes between
opposition supporters and security forces.

Armenia’s health ministry announced Monday that the death toll from the
clashes had reached 10 following the death on Friday of an opposition
protester seriously injured during the unrest.