Author: Boshkezenian Garik

YEREVAN HOSTED DISCUSSIONS ON PRIORITY TRENDS CONCERNING KAZAKHASTAN’S OSCE CHAIRMANSHIP

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.09.2009 13:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On September 23, RA Deputy Foreign Minister Karine
Kazinyan received a delegation headed by Talgat Kaziev, Chair of
Foreign Policy Forecasting and Analysis Department. During the
meeting parties discussed priority trends concerning Kazakhastan’s
chairmanship in OSCE. They also touched on a wide range of issues,
including possibilities of cooperation within the frameworks of OSCE
and other international organizations.

RA Deputy Foreign Minister wished Kazakhstan success in its further
initiatives as OSCE chairing state.

SITRONICS REGISTERED SUBSIDIARY COMPANY IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.09.2009 14:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russian Sitronics company which is engaged in
reprocessing products and providing solutions in IT, telecommunication
and microelectronics spheres has registered a subsidiary company in
Armenia ("Sitronics Armenia").

Earlier, Vache Kirakosyan Head of Economy Ministry’s High-Tech and IT
Department, told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter that Sitronics Armenia
planned to create free economic zone in Mars factory and Mergelyan
Automated Control Systems Scientific Research Institute.

He also said that Sitronics and RA Government planned to create a
joint venture fund in the amount of $ 40 million. In case of company’s
successful activity, the sum will increase to $80-90 million.

AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTER HOLDS BILATERAL MEETINGS IN NEW YORK

APA
24 Sep 2009 11:47

Baku – APA. Minister for Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Elmar
Mammadyarov held series bilateral meetings in New York, where he
attends the UN General Assembly session. Mammadyarov met with his
Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman and discussed current state and
development prospects of the relations between Azerbaijan and Israel,
press service of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs told APA. Mammadyarov
informed his colleague about the process of the settlement of Nagorno
Karabakh conflict and Baku’s position on the conflict solution. The
ministers mentioned current state and prospects of cooperation between
Azerbaijani and Jewish communities of the United States.

The existent programs of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the
European Union, particularly Eastern Partnership initiative, were
focused during the meeting with the European Commissioner for External
Relations and European Neighborhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner. The
European Commission decided to sign associative cooperation agreement
with Azerbaijan, said Mrs. Waldner and added that appropriate mandate
will be ready soon. Mammadyarov focused attention on the regional
security issues and emphasized the importance of solution to Nagorno
Karabakh conflict within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. He
informed the European Commisisoner about the current state of the
settlement process and position of the Azerbaijani government.

Elmar Mammadyarov discussed the issues of mutual cooperation with
Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger, State Secretary
of the Portugal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Joao Gomes Cravinho,
Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and Foreign Minister of Cuba
Bruno Rodriguez Parilla.

The bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey and settlement
of Nagorno Karabakh conflict were in the focus of attention during
the meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

Mammadyarov met with the Special Envoy of the etary of State for
Eurasian Energy Richard Morningstar. Azerbaijani-US energy cooperation,
as well as regional energy projects were discussed at the meeting.

"INFANTILISM"

ics/2009/09/23/arman-musinian
September 23, 2009

"Today’s events in Armenia’s political arena are the result of a
criminal policy carried out against this nation and this state ten
years ago," Armenian National Congress (HAK) representative Arman
Musinian told a press conference on September 23.

Though the authorities claimed that Armenian-Turkish relations and
Karabakh conflict are not interconnected, they have tied the two
issues into one and will have to solve them in one package.

The Congress signaled to the danger of the process last July after
Serzh Sargsyan gave his approval to the establishment of a historians’
commission.

Serzh Sargsyan sought to provide some support for his regime through
concessions in foreign policy.

"I can name Dashnaktsutiun’s accusations against FM Edward Nalbandian
with one word- "infantilism," says the HAK representative.

Serzh Sargsyan’s resignation is the only possible way to address
the issue. ""If Serzh Sargsyan remains in power, the process will be
brought to its logical end."

MONITORING IN DETENTIONS FACILITIES

ahos15263.html
11:00:00 – 22/09/2009

OSCE office organizes training course on monitoring right to health
in Armenian detention facilities

TSAKHKADZOR, Armenia, 21 September 2009 –An OSCE-supported training
course on the right to health and international standards in Armenia’s
detention facilities ended in Tsakhkadzor today.

Members of the Public Monitoring Groups for Penitentiary Institutions
and Police Detention Centres and observer trainees participated
in the two-day course, organized by non-governmental organization
Civil Society Institute and funded by the OSCE Office in Yerevan
in partnership with the OSI Armenia, OSI Budapest Human Rights and
Governance Grants Program and OSI New York Law and Health Initiative.

‘Monitoring of the detention facilities is the best instrument to
safeguard the right to health of detainees," said Ambassador Sergey
Kapinos, the Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan. "All components
of the right to health, including access to doctors, equivalence of
care, patients’ consent, confidentiality and professional competence
should be taken into consideration by the groups as well as by the
responsible bodies in penitentiary institutions. We believe that this
training will raise the professional capacity of the public observers
and foster better compliance to rules of treatment and international
human rights standards on the conditions of penitentiary institutions.’

The local and international trainers delivered courses on international
standards of the right to health, national mechanisms and international
best practices of harm reduction in detention facilities. As part
of the course the participants visited penitentiaries and pre-trial
detention centres to learn about and monitor conditions of the
detainees.

‘The training course aims to enhance the monitoring skills of the
observers by providing international experience on protecting the
right to health of detainees and prisoners, and hence contribute to
more effective monitoring,’ added Arman Danielyan, the head of the
Public Monitoring Group for Penitentiary Institutions.

A similar five-day training course on the principles of human right
monitoring in penitentiaries will be held in October, and trainees
will be selected to become new members of the Public Monitoring Group
for Penitentiary Institutions.

OSCE Office has promoted the public oversight of Armenian penitentiary
institutions and police detention centres as part of human rights
protection activities.

120,000 DRAMS FOR PUGACHEVA’S CONCERT

la-pugacheva
07:03 pm | September 22, 2009

Society

Russian primadonna Alla Pugacheva will perform at the Karen Demirchyan
sport-concert complex on September 25 as part of her farewell tour.

Tickets are still not sold out for the concer that has been advertised
for the past couple of months. The reason for this are the prices that
range from 5,000 to 120,000 drams. The average prices are 15,000-30,000
drams. The 20,000 dram tickets are sold out, leaving only the tickets
for up to 120,000 drams.

As box offices told "A1+", low-cost tickets were sold very quickly. As
far as the most expensive [120,000 drams] tickets are concerned,
they sold rather well. However, they weren’t able to say exactly how
many tickets were sold.

Based on the advertisements, this concert is going to be
unprecedented. The event organizers assure that Pugacheva’s
performances will be followed by mini performances as Russian theatre
and dance groups are working on stage props.

Many Russian journalists and creative groups will come to Armenia to
participate in the two-hour long concert, while Pugacheva will arrive
to Armenia in the Russian President’s personal airplane.

NEW DEPUTY FROM PROSPEROUS ARMENIA PARTY

06:43 pm | September 22, 2009

Politics

Member of the "Prosperous Armenia" party Ruben Gevorgyan turned
deputy again.

The Central Electoral Commission of Armenia registered him as deputy
of the National Assembly through a proportional electoral procedure
during the commission’s special session.

Ruben Gevorgyan, who the people also know as "Tsaghik Rubo", will
replace member of the "Prosperous Armenia" party Rubik Harutyunyan
who was appointed Deputy Minister of Emergency Situations by the
September 11 decision of Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan.

THEY WON’T DESTROY IT?

rt
11:38 am | September 22, 2009

Society

According to sources, a special consultation took place at the
"Zvartnots" international airport during which owner of the airport,
Argentinean Armenian businessman Eduardo Ernekian informed that the
second old terminal of the airport will be under construction.

This presupposes the demolition of the airport tower and the oval
section and the construction of a new hotel complex. For more
information, "A1+" asked the airport news department, which refuted
the news.

The Head of the Chief Department of the RA Civil Aviation Artyom
Movsesyan also denied the news. He said that there was no such news
and that he was hearing that for the first time.

However, head of the architectural studio of the "HyeNakhagits"
Institute, architect Mher Cherkezyan who has participated in drafting
the airport plan, said: "The objective is to make the airport
correspond to international norms and it is not excluded that the
oval section and the tower will be demolished." He mentioned that
the Argentineans are involved in drafting the new terminal.

The architect went on to say that they can’t do anything because the
structure has already been privatized.

Let us recall that the "Zvartnots" international airport was opened
in 1981. After two years, it was recognized as the best airport in
the USSR. It is one of the best sights in Armenia and has received
a state award.

The airport is currently privately owned because the Armenian
government handed the airport to the Argentinean "Corporacion America"
company for 30 years in 2002.

The new terminal was opened in summer 2007 and another one is scheduled
to open in 2011.

ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF KOLKATA CELEBRATED RA INDEPENDENCE DAY

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.09.2009 15:01 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The 150-member Armenian community of Kolkata got
together to celebrate the independence day of Armenia (September 21)
over the weekend. After centuries of struggle first with the Ottoman
Empire and then with erstwhile USSR the Republic of Armenia finally
won independence in 1991.

Armenians came to Kolkata as traders more than 400 years ago. The
community flourished so much that they even started lending money to
East India Company. It is even said that the Battle of Plassey was
fought by the British with Armenian money. There was a time when the
number of Armenians in the city exceeded 30,000 but only 35 families
remain today.

The community’s new spiritual head in the country, Father Khoren
Hovhannisyan, has been planning grand celebrations with key members
for the past five months. His efforts have resulted in the revival
of Armenian Club that had been lying defunct for long. Hovhannisyan
also heads Armenian College, the only institution of its kind in the
city that caters to the needs of Armenian children sent here from
their own country.

Armenian Club at Queen’s Mansions was established in 1921 by racing
magnate J C Galstaun. As the community started dwindling with many
migrating to the US, Australia and Europe, interest in the club
waned. Though there are about 150 Armenians in the city, the club
has only 14 members, Times of India reported.

Trend, Azerbaijan
Sept 18 2009

No one can cripple Turkish-Azerbaijani relations: Turkish FM

No one can damage the Turkish-Azerbaijani relations, Turkish Foreign
Minister, Ahmet Davudoglu, said in his interview with CNN Turk.

"The relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan are always in the first
place," said Davudoglu.

The minister added that the relations between Ankara and Yerevan
should first ensure the interests of Azerbaijan and Turkey.

"Development of the Turkish-Armenian relations will depend on the
events in the region," said the minister. One of the main goals of
Ankara is to establish peace in the Caucasus, said Davudoglu.