EXTREMELY IMPORTANT STAGE STARTS IN PROCESS OF RECOGNITION OF ARTSAKH’S INDEPENDENCE, CHAIRMAN OF FORUM OF ARMENIAN UNIONS OF EUROPE SAYS

Noyan Tapan

Au g 27, 2008

BRATISLAVA, AUGUST 27, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. "We will do our
best so that in a short time the Artsakh problem will cease being a
merely Armenian problem and become a problem of the whole Christian
world," the former prime minister of Slovakia Yan Carnogursky said
during his visit to Armenia and Artsakh in August, which was organized
on the initiative of the chairman of the Forum of Armenian Unions of
Europe Ashot Grigorian. In his words, this visit will remain in his
memory for ever. It is symbolic that the visit of a delegation of
Slovak political figures and investors to Nagorno Karabakh coincided
with the first day of bombing of South Ossetia.

NT was informed by A. Grigorian that the prime minister of Slovakia was
one of those few European leaders who condemned Georgia’s aggression
and sent a five million koruna aid to South Ossetia, which was an
important step for South Ossetia’s independence.

A. Grigorian said that a year ago he made a decision to start a
process of recognition of Artsakh’s independence, thnking that its
implmentation is like a fantasy. Six months later when A. Grigorian
organized a meeting of the delegations of Slovakia and Artsakh during
a visit of the Slovakian official delegation to Armenia, he, by his
own admission, started to think that this fantastic plan did not
seem so much unrealizable and its implementation became realistic
within three-four years. "In the light of our visit to Artsakh this
time and the fierce August 8 that made a turning-point in history,
I already think we will succeed in presenting the issue of recognition
of Artsakh’s independence at Slovakia’s National Council and achieving
its positive solution," Ashot Grigorian said with confidence.

In his opinion, an extremely important stage in the process of
Artsakh’s independence started on August 8 and nothing can prevent
foreign investors from assissting the Armenians of Artsakh with the
creation of an independent and democratic country. "They both in
Slovakia and many EU countries realize it today," A. Grigorian noted.

He said that the high rates of the program on Slovakian investments
in Armenia and Artsakh and the amount of expected investments are
quite inspiring. "The first millions of the 50+50 million dollar
program we have announced are already in Armenia: the matter concerns
construction of the Yerevan-Meghri radio-realy system with a credit
insured by Eximbank (Slovakia), and the construction work has been
started by our partner Slovakian company," A. Grigorian said. He
attached special importance to investments to be made in energy and
communication sectors of Artsakh by VUJE, Energy Consult, Telemont and
other companies – members of EU EnergoTrans Group holding headed by
him. He added that it is envisaged to implement an investment-credit
program of more than 10 million USD for developing these sectors
in Artsakh.