Thursday, Armenia Set To Sign Landmark Deal With EU . Harry Tamrazian Armenia -- RFE/RL Armenian Service Director Harry Tamrazian reporting from Brussel, 23Nov, 2017 The European Union and Armenia are expected to sign an agreement aimed at significantly deepening their relations at a ceremony which is due to be held in Brussels on Friday on the sidelines of the Eastern Partnership summit. Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian is attending the summit that brings together the leaders of six Eastern Partnership countries. The signing of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Yerevan and Brussels is likely to become the main event of the summit. The accord, however, omits free trade and is less ambitious than the association agreements secured by Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The EU launched the Eastern Partnership in 2009 to promote economic integration and European values in six eastern European and South Caucasus countries. Like Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, Armenia previously negotiated an association agreement with the EU, but it walked away from the deal in 2013 and later joined the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). The text of the new agreement contains quite a few provisions seen as favorable for Armenia. In particular, the CEPA commits Armenia to reform its institutions, political system and to further strengthen human rights. And if Armenia fulfills all its commitments, it can receive substantial economic support from the European Union under the so-called "more-for-more" principle. In other words, if Armenia lives up to its commitments under the CEPA, the EU is committed to supporting and promoting investments in Armenia. The CEPA also contains some good news for small and medium-sized enterprises with its so-called "access to local currency lending". Observers say this can also become a stimulus for Armenia's economic development. Boris Navasardian, who formerly coordinated the Eastern Partnership Civil Forum's Armenian National Platform, believes that the agreement expected to be signed on November 24 is also important for Armenia in terms of economic development. "There are opinions that the economic field is not covered by the agreement, but we see that there are quite serious wordings specifically for economic cooperation," said Navasardian, stressing that it is also important how Armenia benefits from the opportunities offered under the CEPA. This year's summit in Brussels could also see clashes over its final declaration. One paragraph concerning conflicts in the region has been left open after both Armenia and Azerbaijan wanted specific, but conflicting, statements on Nagorno-Karabakh, according to a draft text seen by RFE/RL. The current text of the declaration reads: "The summit participants call for renewed efforts to promote the peaceful settlement of conflicts in the region on the basis of the principles and norms of international law." It adds that "the resolution of the conflicts, building trust and good neighborly relations are essential to economic and social development and cooperation." Negotiations over the matter appear to be still ongoing behind closed doors. If everything goes well, the EU will start a dialogue with Armenia on visa liberalization. The agreement envisages cooperation not only in economic and political issues, but also in security matters. In fact, Armenia has no security-related commitments within the framework of the EEU and in this sense Armenia can enter into such agreements with the European Union. The EU's commitments to help Armenia in the security issue are also seen as beneficial for Yerevan. While in Brussels Armenian President Sarkisian today met with King Philippe of Belgium and members of the Board of European Friends of Armenia international non-governmental organization. Later on Tuesday, the Armenian leader attended the summit of the European People's Party. EU Eyes Closer Ties With Armenia Amid Tensions Over Brussels Summit Declaration . Rikard Jozwiak The EU's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, greets Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian (EU leaders prepare to meet Eastern Neighbors (RFE/RL) BRUSSELS -- The leaders of the European Union and the six Eastern Partnership countries will meet in Brussels on November 24 in an effort to deepen ties between the EU and the former Soviet republics. The summit's main event will likely be the signing of an enhanced EU partnership deal with Armenia. That pact, however, omits free trade and is less ambitious than the association agreements secured by Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. Like those three countries, Armenia previously negotiated an EU Association Agreement. But Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian walked away from the deal in 2013 under pressure from Russia. Armenia later joined the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). The EU launched the Eastern Partnership in 2009 to promote economic integration and European values in six eastern European and South Caucasus countries. The run-up to this year's summit has otherwise been dominated by speculation about whether authoritarian Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka would show up. Minsk said on November 21 that Foreign Minister Uladzimer Makei would lead its delegation. In October, EU sources told RFE/RL that Lukashenka had received an invitation "without restrictions," just like the leaders of the other five Eastern Partnership states: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. This was a U-turn compared to the previous four summits, when he was blocked after being hit with EU sanctions following a violent crackdown on protesters after the Belarusian presidential elections in 2010. Most of the sanctions, including those on Lukashenka, were lifted in February 2016. Conflicting Statements This year's summit in Brussels could also see clashes over the gathering's final declaration, according to EU diplomats familiar with the talks. One paragraph concerning conflicts in the region has been left open after both Armenia and Azerbaijan wanted specific, but conflicting, statements on the breakaway Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh, according to a draft text seen by RFE/RL. The current text also fails to mention the war between Kyiv and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people since April 2014. "The summit participants call for renewed efforts to promote the peaceful settlement of conflicts in the region on the basis of the principles and norms of international law," it reads. It adds that "the resolution of the conflicts, building trust and good neighborly relations are essential to economic and social development and cooperation." EU diplomats told RFE/RL that they wanted neutral wording in the statement and to omit any mention of specific conflicts in the Eastern Partnership countries, citing squabbles between Baku and Yerevan over the 2015 declaration that delayed the summit by several hours. Ukraine is also likely to make a final push to secure more positive wording concerning its prospects of eventually joining the EU. The current draft language on that topic is identical to that of the previous summit, stating that "the summit participants acknowledge the European aspirations and European choice of the partners concerned, as stated in the association agreements." The text references a December 2016 decision by EU heads of state that included a legally binding supplement to its association agreement underscoring that Brussels will not give Kyiv the right to automatic EU membership or guarantee any EU military aid for Ukraine. The addendum allowed the Netherlands to finally ratify the Ukraine Association Agreement earlier this year despite the fact that 61 percent of Dutch voters disapproved of the deal in a citizen-driven, nonbinding referendum held in April 2016. The draft declaration also outlines some future EU strategies in the Eastern Partnership countries. These include "facilitating access to local currency lending" for local small and medium-sized enterprises, supporting "increased access to high-speed broadband," and "progressing towards reduced roaming tariffs among the partner countries." Rikard Jozwiak covers the European Union and NATO for RFE/RL from his base in Brussels NATO Urges Armenia, Azerbaijan To Continue Talks On Karabakh . Heghine Buniatian BELGIUM -- Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (L) and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg give a press conference at the end of a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels, NATO has called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to continue negotiations on the long-standing Nagorno-Karabakh problem and "avoid any new escalation" of the conflict. After a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Brussels on Thursday, NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict a "matter of concern" for the Western military alliance. At the same time, he emphasized that this conflict cannot be resolved militarily. Stoltenberg said that NATO has no direct role in the matter, but supports the co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Minsk Group, an international format jointly headed by the United States, Russia and France that brokers a peaceful solution to the conflict. The NATO chief added that he was encouraged by "renewed dialogue" between Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian, who held talks in Geneva last month that the two sides called "constructive." Aliyev said the situation surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh was "not changing, unfortunately," and accused Armenia of seeking "to keep the status quo." "The unsettled conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is the greatest danger to regional security," the Azerbaijani leader said. Both Aliyev and Sarkisian are slated to meet EU leaders at the Eastern Partnership summit in the Belgian capital on November 24. Armenia To Issue New Banknotes In 2018 . Tatevik Lazarian Armenia -- A presentation of the new composite banknotes of the third generation The Central Bank of Armenia plans to introduce new, composite banknotes in 2018, gradually removing the current ones from circulation. New 1,000-, 5,000-, 10,000-, 20,000- and 50,000-dram bills said to be more durable and protected are due to be put into circulation next autumn when the 25th anniversary of the introduction of the Armenian national currency will be marked. A new 2,000-dram bill is expected to be introduced earlier as, according to a Central Bank official, there is a demand for the bill of this face value on the market. No new issue of the 100,000-dram bill (over $200) is planned. Like the current banknotes, Armenia's third-generation bills will also bear the images of noted Armenians: poet Paruyr Sevak, former world chess champion Tigran Petrosian, writer William Saroyan, composer Komitas, painter Hovhannes (Ivan) Aivazovsky and St. Gregory the Illuminator, the first official head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Both the choice of the figures and the design of the new banknote presented by the Central Bank on Wednesday have sparked a debate in Armenian social media. Secretary General of the Central Bank David Nahapetian dismissed criticism, saying that the design for the new banknotes was chosen after a contest to which as many as 17 applications had been submitted. He said he could not accept the criticism because "we are dealing with banknotes and not with pieces of art." He added that the final design of the banknotes will be conditioned by the requirements of protective features such as watermarks, etc. Economist Artak Manukian, meanwhile, claimed that with Armenia expected to have a tense economic year ahead, the issue of the new banknotes could be fraught with certain inflation risks. "It is clear that such emissions are usually accompanied with a certain devaluation of the currency. This's what experience shows," he said. The Central Bank's representative dismissed such concerns, saying that he did not see any inflation risks connected with the introduction of new banknotes. "We do not change the currency. We simply introduce a new series of banknotes. The nominal values do not change, and no changes occur in terms of money supply or money base. It cannot create any inflation pressure," Nahapetian explained. Acclaimed Armenian-American Jazz Producer George Avakian Dies At 98 Acclaimed record producer George Avakian in 2008. (RFE/RL) - George Avakian, an acclaimed Russia-born music producer who collaborated with U.S. jazz icons like Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis, has died at the age of 98. Avakian, who was born to Armenian parents in southern Russia and moved to the United States shortly after his birth, died at his home in New York City on November 23, his daughter confirmed. He served as an executive at major U.S. music labels, including Columbia Records and Warner Bros., and played a prominent role in popularizing industry innovations such as live and long-playing albums. A graduate of Yale University who served in the Philippines during World War II, Avakian became a full-time member of the production staff at Columbia Records in 1946. He brought Davis and Dave Brubeck to the label, helping to turn them into worldwide stars. Armstrong also joined Columbia in the mid-1950s, and it was Avakian who introduced him to the German theater song Mack The Knife, which became one of the trumpeter's most famous hits. Avakian was born on March 15, 1919, to wealthy Armenian parents in the southern Russian city of Armavir. His family left the country shortly thereafter amid the civil war that broke out following the 1917 revolution, eventually settling in New York. Avakian was among the founders of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which presents the Grammy Awards, and received numerous achievement awards in the United States and abroad. The recording academy honored Avakian with a Trustees Award for lifetime achievement in 2009. He was also honored with France's Commandeur des Arts et Lettres and received the Soviet Union's highest state award, the Order of Lenin, in 1990. Based on reporting by the New York Times and AP Armenia Offers Repatriation Of Dead Azerbaijani Serviceman Armenia - Soldiers on an Armenian army post on the border with Azerbaijan Military authorities in Yerevan are ready to repatriate the body of an Azerbaijani serviceman that they say has been found by Armenian armed forces near the border with Azerbaijan's exclave of Nakhijevan. Armenia's Ministry of Defense said on Thursday that such repatriation can be organized through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross. In a report released by its press office the Ministry explained that the body was found in no man's land in front of Armenia's combat positions at the southwestern border with Azerbaijan. "According to operative-intelligence data, the mentioned serviceman was a captain of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, a company commander, who escaped after a crime at his military unit," the report said. No other details were reported immediately. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense confirmed later on Thursday that the dead serviceman was 19-year-old Bakhruz Jalilbeyli who left the military unit without permission after committing a crime. Armenia and Azerbaijan are locked in a simmering armed conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a mostly Armenian-populated region that declared its independence from Baku amid a 1988-94 war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Diplomat: Azerbaijan Will Have To End Blockade Of Armenia Before Joining EEU . Sargis Harutyunyan Armenia - Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharian, 10August, 2017 Official Yerevan will welcome Azerbaijan's membership or observer status in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) if Baku lifts the current blockade of Armenia and ceases hostile actions against its neighbor, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharian said at a news briefing in Yerevan on Thursday. During his latest trip to Baku, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was asked about Azerbaijan's possible membership in the Moscow-led trade bloc that besides Armenia also includes Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. In his answer to an auditorium at Baku's Diplomatic Academy on November 20 Lavrov, in particular, said: "The Eurasian Economic Union is an open integration union. We do not force anyone to become a member of this organization. At present, Tajikistan's membership in the organization is being considered. We receive applications also from non-CIS [non-post-Soviet] countries. We will be very happy to see Azerbaijan in that structure as well." "Azerbaijan's accession to the EEU would mean its commitment to the provision of the Treaty that not only a member country but even a country with an observer status must not take action to the detriment of another member state or the Eurasian Economic Union in general. This means that if Azerbaijan wishes to approach the Eurasian Economic Union in one way or another it must not take such steps," Armenia's deputy foreign minister said when asked about the prospect of Baku's membership in the Union. "If we are talking about the economy, it is enough to remember that Azerbaijan is blockading Armenia, and it is clear that these actions are aimed against the interests of the member state." According to Kocharian, Azerbaijan's joining the EEU could be welcomed if the country complied with the trade bloc's commitments. "And this means that it must end the blockade of Armenia and stop committing hostile actions against Armenia," the senior Armenian diplomat said. Armenia joined the EEU formed by Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan in 2015. Kyrgyzstan joined the trade bloc later that year. Observers in Armenia have speculated about Russia's desire to see Azerbaijan within the Union as well. For nearly three decades Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a bitter dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh. The two South Caucasus neighbors have no diplomatic, political or trade relations. Press Review "Zhamanak" reports on the recent reportedly non-combat deaths in the Armenian army, claiming that the armed forces gradually become related in Armenian public perception to losses. "On the one hand, there is the attrition warfare waged by Azerbaijan that claims the lives of young people, on the other hand problems existing in our army cause regrettable deaths," the paper contends, noting the Armenian government's "irresponsible and complacent behavior" against the background of these losses. The editor of "Hraparak" suggests that "the efforts of the authorities to man the armed forces would be commendable if officials' sons were also drafted to serve in the army." "Answers of officials that their sons also serve are not convincing, since if we had such cases, the state propaganda machine would be advertising such facts from morning till night." According to the paper, the policies of the government aimed at enlisting more and more young men to the military has resulted in the considerable drop in the number of students pursuing scientific careers. "Zhoghovurd" reports on another closure of the Upper Lars checkpoint at the Russian-Georgian border, which is a vital route for Armenia's trade. The shutdown of the border is due to bad weather conditions. "Armenia again will be deprived of the only land link with Russia and other Eurasian Economic Union member countries and will simply not be able to export goods to its trade bloc partners or import goods from them," writes the paper, suggesting that it is likely to deliver a blow to Armenia's economy. "168 Zham" reports that the final declaration at the EU Eastern Partnership Summit may contain some "unpleasant surprises" for Armenia in terms of its references to regional conflicts, in particular, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, "since Azerbaijan has actively worked in this direction." "In order to neutralize these surprises European diplomats advise that the Armenian side should also show activeness." In an interview with the daily Armen Ashotian, the head of the Armenian National Assembly's standing foreign relations committee, gives assurances that "Armenia has fully done its work." (Anush Mkrtchian) Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2017 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org