Author: Babajanian Karo

IEWY News
June 22 2011

Statement of President Barroso following his meeting with Ilham
Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan Press Point Brussels

Brussels

Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen,

It was a pleasure to receive President Aliyev today in Brussels. I
remember my visit to Baku in January and the great hospitality I
enjoyed there. I am grateful that President Aliyev could come to
Brussels. We had a very open and fruitful discussion and followed up
on various topics that we had discussed during my visit to Baku, and
other visits of Commissioners. This reflects the very good spirit in
the relations between Azerbaijan and the European Union.

Today, we took stock of the progress made on several fronts of our
relationship, including the launch of negotiations on an Association
Agreement a year ago. However, I believe we can speed up these talks
and move forward towards a substantive deal. We had a very sincere and
open discussion about the issues we should concentrate on so we can
really achieve progress regarding this Association Agreement.

I am also confident that we can start negotiations on Visa
Facilitation and Readmission Agreements this year. Enhancing mobility
with our partner countries remains an important goal of the Eastern
Partnership.

Preparations for the Eastern Partnership Summit at the end of
September in Warsaw are ongoing. Today, we have exchanged views on the
implementation of this Partnership over the last two years and the way
we want to strengthen it in the future.

Events in our neighbourhood have yet again shown how deeply Europe’s
own security and prosperity are linked to those of our neighbours. It
is therefore a strategic imperative to promote democracy and
development to our East and South.

Chorrord Inknishkhanutyun: Prime minister works against Kocharyan’s son

11:10 – 22.06.11

The paper says it has “reliable information” that two insurance
companies – Ingo and Nairi Insurance – are trying to squeeze each
other out of the market.

“It turns out that Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan is one of the Ingo’s
co-owners,” the paper says. “But interestingly, [former President]
Robert Kocharyan is one of the co-owners of the Nairi Insurance.

Tert.am

ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN TALKS PRODUCE LITTLE PROGRESS
LYNN BERRY

Associated Press
MANSUR MIROVALEV
Friday, June 24, 2011

MOSCOW (AP) – The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan failed on
Friday to approve a set of basic principles for a peaceful settlement
to their long-standing dispute over the breakaway territory of
Nagorno-Karabakh, despite U.S. and Russian efforts to mediate the
conflict in the strategic Caucasus region.

The war over the predominantly ethnic Armenian enclave inside
Azerbaijan ended in 1994 leaving 30,000 dead and more than 1 million
displaced. Since then, talks to resolve one of the most worrisome
“frozen conflicts” in the former Soviet Union have dragged on with
the enclave controlled by Armenian and separatist forces.

Hopes were high for Friday’s Kremlin-hosted talks in the Volga River
city of Kazan on approving the set of basic principles, but after
three hours of talks the parties reported little progress.

Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev and Armenia’s President Serge Sarkisian said
they “reached an understanding on a number of issues” but provided
no details.

Both leaders face fierce domestic pressure not to compromise, but their
countries also have been eager to overcome the consequences of the war.

President Barack Obama spoke to the leaders by telephone on Thursday
and urged them to endorse the basic principles and take a “decisive
step toward a peaceful settlement.”

Ambassador Robert Bradtke, the U.S. diplomat involved in international
efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, described the
talks as “probably the most important point in the process since 2001,
when there were efforts made to get a peace agreement at Key West.”

Both separatist and Azeri governments report sporadic skirmishes and
shootings of each other’s servicemen on the border.

Azerbaijan, an energy-rich, predominantly Muslim country on the Caspian
Sea, has struggled to cope with the hundreds of thousands of people
driven out of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas that also fell
under Armenian control.

Impoverished, landlocked and mostly Christian Armenia has been hurt
economically by Turkey’s closing of the border in 1993 in support
of Azerbaijan. Turkey shares close ethnic and linguistic ties with
Azeris. An agreement between Turkey and Armenia in 2009 intended
to open the way to diplomatic ties and the reopening of the border
foundered over Turkey’s demand that Armenian troops withdraw from
Nagorno-Karabakh.

In the Communist era, Nagorno-Karabakh was an autonomous region within
Soviet Azerbaijan. Nagorno-Karabakh is a Russian-Turkish term that
means “mountainous black garden.” Ethnic Armenians that now account
for virtually the entire population, call the region Artsakh.

Before becoming part of czarist Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan had
long been dominated by Iran and Ottoman Turkey.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT’S SPEECH AT PACE POSITIVE – OPPOSITION MP

news.am
June 24 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s speech at the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) was positive
with some reservations from conceptual point of view, leader of
ARF Dashnaktsutyun Supreme Body Armen Rustamyan stated prior to the
party’s general meeting in Yerevan on Friday.

Rustmayan believes, the principle of territorial integrity was
overemphasized.

“Armenia should have explained non-recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh
not by the principle of territorial integrity, but by a concession to
maintain the normal course of peace talks and refrain from unilateral
steps in the negotiation process. However, Armenia has every reason
for recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh,” he noted.

According to Rustamyan, the president also wrongfully emphasized
allegations that Azerbaijan is more prepared for the war than Armenia
in case military hostilities resume. The MP believed, Sargsyan’s words
were perceived as such although he didn’t intentionally said that.

OBAMA RECOGNIZES NAGORNO-KARABAKH AS A PARTY TO CAUCASUS CONFLICT
Armen Hareyan

HULIQ.com

June 24 2011
SC

On the eve of a meeting between the presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan aimed at settling a long-running territorial conflict,
President Barack Obama stated that the “people of Nagorno-Karabakh”
had an independent interest in the dispute and a right to
self-determination.

Obama made a phone call on June 23 to both Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Speaking with the
two leaders ahead of a crucial meeting in the Russian city of Kazan,
hosted by Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, Obama called on the two
leaders to resolve the conflict and provide a better future for the
people of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh.

“President Obama told both leaders that now is the time to resolve
this conflict and to offer the people of Armenia, Azerbaijan,
and Nagorno-Karabakh a better future for themselves and for their
children. The United States will continue to support both leaders
and the Minsk Group Co-Chairs in their important efforts to advance
security and prosperity in the region,” the White House said in a
readout of President Obama’s call with Sargsian and Aliyev.

Similar calls have been made by the mediator countries before, but
this was the first time that any world leader publicly recognized
Nagorno-Karabakh as an equal party to the conflict.

Although it signed a ceasefire with Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh
in 1994, Azerbaijan has refused to negotiate with Nagorno Karabakh,
calling its government an illegitimate separatist movement.

Nagorno-Karabakh asserts that it is struggling for its people’s right
to self-determination to preserve their identity.

Earlier that day, Aliyev spoiled the positive mood ahead of the
meeting in Kazan by offering limited autonomy to Nagorno-Karabakh,
rejecting its right to full self-determination and threatening Armenia
and Karabakh indirectly by speaking about his country’s growing
military might. Sargsyan responded by saying his country will not
make unilateral concessions, especially not under threat. Instead,
Sargsyan said the Basic Principles, mentioned in Obama’s message,
“are the foundations on which we continue the negotiations and find
a solution to the problem.”

President Obama strongly encouraged the two presidents “to finalize
and endorse the Basic Principles” during their meeting on June 24. He
also sent a strong message ahead of the meeting by recognizing
Nagorno-Karabakh’s right to self-determination and calling on the
leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to offer “the people of Armenia,
Azerbaijan, and Nagorno-Karabakh a better future for themselves.”

Two things here stand out clearly. First, Nagorno-Karabakh has been
recognized as a separate, third party in the conflict, in contrast
to the situation for the past several years. Second is the phrase
“better future for themselves.” The message here is that it is
the people themselves who must choose their own future, not the
authorities in Baku, who have refused to recognize Karabakh’s right
to full self-determination.

A breakthrough is expected this evening in Kazan. If all goes well,
a major source of distress and instability may be on its way to final
settlement, providing a better future for the people of Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh.

RUSSIA HOSTS KARABAKH PEACE TALKS

Hurriyet
June 24 2011
Turkey

The start of peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the
Nagorno-Karabakh region has left some hopeful that a resolution to
the decades-long conflict is near, but a former Armenian official
said on Saturday that the problem would not be solved as long as
“the Karabakh administration is not included in the talks.”

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, one of the mediators of the conflict
between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, will
host Armenian President Serge Sarkisian and Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev in the Volga city of Kazan to discuss a settlement to
the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, an Azerbaijani territory occupied
by Armenia since 1994.

Expectations are high going into the meeting, which convenes on June
24. Sarkisian recently issued a statement saying: “We have had a
quite long negotiation process. There is a concrete closeness of the
parties. I guess time has come for the final views of the parties
on the main principles to be expressed. I will go to Kazan with an
expectation of participating in constructive talks.”

In an e-mail to the Hurriyet Daily News, former foreign minister to
the Armenian administration at Nagorno-Karabakh Masis Mayilyan said
problems would not be solved unless the Karabakh administration is
included in the talks. “Armenia and Azerbaijan may sign an agreement
under international pressure,” Mayilyan said, but added that “if you
look at the statements of both parties, it is seen that reconciliation
is extremely difficult.” He also said the international mediators
should deter Azerbaijan from continuously repeating its war threats.

‘Independence should be recognized’

Armenian Center for National and International Studies Director Manvel
Sargsyan, the first representative from Nagorno-Karabakh in Yerevan,
said he was not very optimistic about the outcome of the talks. For
an agreement to be reached, he said, Azerbaijan must recognize
the Karabakh people’s right to self-determination. “I don’t think
Azerbaijan will take such a step,” he said.

In order for a real breakthrough to occur in the Nagorno-Karabakh
issue, Sargsyan said, its independence must first be recognized in
the international arena, and after this step, talks including the
Karabakh administration can begin.

Mayilyan expressed similar sentiments, saying: “The international
recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh independence is able to close the
military perspective. The realization of this scenario will provide
the region a long-term stability.”

Armenia cannot unilaterally reconcile with Azerbaijan without
Karabakh’s participation, Sargsyan said, adding that no deal would
be accepted without the participation of Nagorno-Karabakh.

When asked about the possibility of war, Sargsyan claimed it would
not be a decision made by Azerbaijan, but “the possibility of a new
war can only emerge with the wish of big powers. Azerbaijan alone
cannot take such a step.”

Speaking at the Council of Europe on Wednesday, President Sarkisian
said he was “full of optimism and strongly hope[d] it will be possible
to find a common denominator” at the upcoming meeting.

“It would be more logical for the Council of Europe to engage with
Karabakh before discussing the status of Karabakh,” Sarkisian said.

“Indigenous Armenian people have lived in Karabakh for centuries,
no one may question the right of the people of Karabakh to live in
their land freely and decide their destiny.”

Sarkisian also said Armenia was under the blockade of Turkey and
Azerbaijan, leaving no choice but nuclear energy for Armenia.

IAF SECRETARY GIVES TRAINING FOR ARMENIAN AIKIDO SPECIALISTS

ARMENPRESS
JUNE 24, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JUNE 24, ARMENPRESS: Shigeru Sugawara, secretary general
of the International Aikido Federation, started today a training in
Yerevan for Armenian aikido specialists.

Shigeru Sugawara mentioned that he emphasizes the IAF’s cooperation
with national federations and that the training in Yerevan will give
Armenian specialists an opportunity to get acquainted with aikido’s
delicate issues deeply.

The training will last till June 26.

TIGRAN SARGSYAN: “DIGITEC IS THE PLATFORM THAT PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO GET IN TOUCH WITH ALL REPRESENTATIVES OF THE FIELD, DISCUSS AND UNDERSTAND THE PRIORITIES AND THE PROBLEMS”

Noyan Tapan

24.06.2011

(Noyan Tapan – 24.06.2011) On June 24, The Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan attended the opening ceremony of DigiTec Business and
Microsoft Innovation forums.

Greeting the attendees, the Prime Minister gave importance to
the big interest in the forum as DigiTec is the platform that
provides an opportunity for the government to get in touch with all
representatives of the field, discuss and understand the priorities
and the problems. “The significance of this platform is that we see
the achievements of the companies and the products and services they
offer to clients.”

According to the Prime Minister, IT technologies have a key role to
play in the 21st century. “The IT sector has had a leading position in
Armenia’s economy over the past 3 years. I wish to note some figures
which witnesses my statement. We had 1.000.000 mobile Internet users
in 2009. This index rose to 1.343.000 and 1.700.000 in 2010 and in the
first quarter of 2011 respectively. The following figures describe
the overall state of affairs in the sphere of broadband Internet:
we boasted some 70.000 subscriptions in 2009, 170.000 subscriptions
in 2010 and 240.000 in the first quarter of 2011. The most important
thing is that prices go down as clients expand. Prices for up to
1Mb/sec broadband services averaged 234.000 drams in 2009, 71.000
drams in 2010 and 55.000 drams in the first quarter of 2011. This
year we will state further slide in prices,” noted Tigran Sargsyan.

Then The Prime Minister visited DigiTech Business forum exhibition
and got acquainted with the offers of IT companies.

This 4th DigiTec forum includes a Microsoft Innovation forum, as well
as DigiTec Business forum exhibition and a series of technological
conferences and seminars, during which the latest solutions and
services of the companies will be presented, which are envisaged for
businessmen and officials. The department of information and public
relations of the RA Government informed “Noyan Tapan” about this.

ABOUT 10 ARMENIAN YOUTH PROTEST SARGSYAN-ALIYEV KAZAN MEETING (PHOTOS)

epress.am
06.24.2011

Unity of Hayazn Youth members marched to the presidential residence
today to submit a letter after which they organized a 24-hour sit-in
outside the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Yerevan. The
youth are protesting today’s meeting of the presidents of Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Russia in Kazan, where there is a possibility
that a framework document on the Basic Principles to settle the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be signed.

“We felt yielding, despairing moods in statements by Armenian officials
before the Kazan meeting. We are Armenian youth, we are demanding,
we are not indifferent and we don’t bargain the blood of our heros,
we are the owner of the liberated lands and we don’t want to concede
even a single inch,” Unity of Hayazn Youth representative Lilit
Petrosyan told Epress.am.

The sit-in, which had about 10 participants, was accompanied by
patriotic songs, as well as various calls: “We have no land to hand
over,” “The one who hands over land is a traitor,” and “Not a single
inch of land to the enemy.”

RUSSIA’S STRATEGIC GOAL IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH PEACE PROCESS IS TO INCREASE ITS POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC INFLUENCE IN THE CAUCASUS

arminfo
Friday, June 24, 18:32

Russia’s strategic goal in theNagorno-Karabakh peace process is to
increase its political and economic influence in the Caucasus, says
The Economist.

Russia has leverage over its ally, Armenia. Dominating negotiations
may be more important for it than a solution that increases Turkey’s
influence.

Turkey would indeed benefit from a peace deal, but its sway over
Azerbaijan is limited despite its big Azeri population.

President Medvedev has invested time and effort in what will be his
fifth trilateral meeting. Yet many experts who have watched these
peace talks fail repeatedly remain sceptical. The two countries’
semi-authoritarian leaders seem to prefer process to results and have
done nothing to prepare people for peace.