Author: Arsine Chaltikian

Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
December 2, 2017 Saturday


The National Defense Research University's Geostrategic Project on the
eve of the Agreement with the European Union



YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS.Statement by Lieutenant General Hayk
Kotanjian, Head, National Defense Research University, MOD, RA, Doctor
of Political Science, Professor, at the parliamentary hearings on
“Armenia-EU: Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership between the
European Union and Armenia”, 1 December, 2017.

In July 2017 facing the conclusion of Armenia’s agreement with the
European Union, the National Defense Research University, MOD, RA,
embarked on the elaboration of the geostrategic initiative of the RA’s
integration into China’s “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR) project. It is
targeted at the assessment of the possibility of launching a new
alternative China-Europe route in the context of the OBOR initiative,
by integrating the China-Iran sea transit into the “Persian Gulf-Black
Sea” multimodal transport corridor.

The given elaboration was previously discussed in July 2017, during
the visit of the delegation headed by MG Chan Inli, former Head of the
School of Defense Studies of China’s National Defense University, to
our University. The project was reviewed with the Chinese side by Azat
Davtyan, NDRU Research-Fellow, on 20-28, July, at the international
strategic conferences in Xian and Shanghai.

In order to review the outcomes of the meetings with the Chinese
strategic analysts with the Iranian side, with the support of the RA
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the RA Embassy in Iran, Benyamin
Poghosyan, my Deputy Head on Research—Head, Institute for National
Strategic Studies, and Azat Davtyan, Research-Fellow, took a mission
trip to Tehran. On 24 October of this year they attended the
international conference “Central Asia and Caucasus”, hosted by the
Institute of Political andInternationalStudiesof Iran’s Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.

During the expert discussions of our joint elaboration in
July-November, 2017, Chinese and Iranian specialists have underscored
this project designed by the prime RA state think-tank. This very
strategic integration project was delivered to the Central Military
Commission of the People’s Republic of China. Iranian specialists in
particular have highlighted Iran’s interest in providing for the
transit route to Europe across Armenia’s territory. The NDRU-developed
project is to endow Armenia’s geopolitical role in the region with a
new strategic caliber, and raise to a qualitatively new level the
European Union’s bilateral and multilateral cooperation with Iran and
China with participation of Armenia.

Meanwhile, I believe, it is necessary to mention that the further
delay of the launch of the interstate discussions on this matter with
Iran and China may essentially reduce the possibility of implementing
the given program targeted at surmounting Armenia’s strategic
isolation.

Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City)
 Saturday


Muslim refugees to U.S. outnumbered by Christians

by Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service For the Deseret News


WASHINGTON - Muslim refugees to the United States, whose numbers have
recently increased, have still been far outpaced by Christians
refugees over the last decade and a half.

As the Trump administration continues to enforce a travel ban
affecting six Muslim-majority and other countries, a Pew Research
Center report tracking the influx of displaced people finds that 47
percent of refugee arrivals in fiscal 2017 were Christian and 43
percent were Muslim.

In the previous fiscal year, a record number of Muslim refugees were
admitted. Pew said 46 percent of refugees entering this country were
Muslim, compared with 44 percent who were Christians.

"Even with the recent rise in the number of Muslim refugees, far more
Christian than Muslim refugees have been admitted into the U.S. since
fiscal 2002," writes Phillip Connor, a senior researcher with Pew, in
the new report.

In that 15-year period, almost 425,000 Christian refugees crossed U.S.
borders, making up 46 percent of refugee arrivals. In comparison, 33
percent, or slightly more than 302,000, of admitted refugees were
Muslim.

Almost 170,000 refugees of other religions entered at the same time,
including about 55,000 Hindus (mostly from Bhutan) and about 50,000
Buddhists (mostly from Burma and Bhutan). In addition, more than
20,000 with no religious affiliation, mostly from Vietnam or Cuba,
entered the U.S. between the fiscal years of 2002 and 2017.

In those 15 years, Christian arrivals represented nearly two dozen
branches of Christianity, such as Armenian Christian and Ukrainian
Orthodox. Those of non- Christian and non-Muslim faiths included Hare
Krishnas and Zoroastrians.

Researchers found that, overall, the U.S. is resettling fewer refugees
even as the global number of displaced people is on the increase. If
projections remain on track, the percentage of refugees admitted will
be "lower even than the share admitted in 2001 and 2002, in the wake
of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks," Connor says.

The Pew findings were based on analyses of reports from the U.N. High
Commissioner for Refugees and the State Department.

Other findings about refugees entering the U.S. from 2002 to 2017 show
that they:

* Increasingly come from the Middle East and Africa.

* Speak Arabic more than any other language.

* Are accepted most by California, Texas and New York.

ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
 Friday


Mexica-Armenia lawmakers friendship group: Recognition of the
independence of Artsakh by the Parliament of Mexico in case of correct
and purposeful work is not far

Yerevan October 27

Tatevik Shahunyan. Recognition of the independence of Artsakh by the
Mexican parliament in case of correct and purposeful work is not far
off. This was stated in the conversation with the ArmInfo
correspondent by the head of the friendship group of Mexico-Armenia
Blanca Margarita Cuata Dominguez, who on these days visited the
Armenian and Artsakh delegations as part of the delegation of the
Mexican parliament.

According to her, in this direction it is necessary to conduct an
active information policy in order to correctly acquaint the Mexican
political circles with the real essence and genesis of the Karabakh
conflict. "We believe that the Karabakh issue should be settled
peacefully, taking into account the opinion of the people of Artsakh
and the principle of the right of nations to self-determination." The
eight US states are already recognizing Artsakh, and they are subjects
of international law, an indicator and example for all of us, "the
Lawmaker said.

Answering the question about the reason for the relative passivity of
the Armenian-Mexican relations and that, on this background, served as
an incentive for the visit of the delegation of the Mexican parliament
to Armenia and Artsakh, the parliamentarian noted: "The recent
intensification of the Armenian-Mexican relations is due to the
opening of the Armenian Embassy in Mexico City and the appointment of
the Ambassador (Ara Ayvazyan), who conducts very effective work.It was
his initiative and suggestion that the members of the Mexico-Armenia
de-group arrived in Armenia, and he also invited us to visit Artsakh,
divas us while on the "black list" of Azerbaijan, which includes all
foreigners visiting Artsakh. But this fact is not confused and did not
stop us, and we decided to visit Artsakh. "

The parliamentarian admitted that the visit to Artsakh made a great
impression on the members of the delegation: "I can say that this is
an independent state with its democratic institutions and attributes
of power, and in this context the fate of the people of Artsakh can
not but excite us." The will of the Karabakh people in the settlement
conflict must be taken into account without fail. "

Speaking about the possibility of recognition of the Armenian Genocide
by Mexico, the deputy noted that this is only a matter of time. "We
need to do some research work in this direction, and the Mexican
parliament will recognize the Armenian Genocide as well, as many Latin
American countries have already done."

She also noted that the opening of the Armenian embassy in Mexico, the
appointment of the ambassador, as well as their visit will necessarily
stimulate the activation of bilateral relations and mutual visits at a
high level. "I think that our visit is intended to be a preparatory
step towards the organization of the visit of the Armenian President
to Mexico," the parliamentarian said. She also reported that a report
will be prepared for the Chamber of Deputies of Mexico on the results
of the visits to Armenia and Artsakh, stressing that the first visit
at the level of parliamentarians took place, but this trend should be
continued at a higher level, since a great deal has already been done
in this direction Job. "We have to do a lot of work in the direction
of rapprochement between the two countries," the parliamentarian said.

Within the framework of the visit to Armenia and Artsakh, the Mexican
parliamentarians held meetings with the presidents of the two Armenian
republics, the leadership of the RA and NKR parliaments, as well as
with the heads of foreign affairs agencies.