Author: Nalchajian Markos

ARTSAKH PRESIDENT ATTENDS ABKHAZIAN PRESIDENT’S INAUGURATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.02.2010 18:08 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ President of the Artsakh Republic Bako Sahakyan
arrived in Sukhumi on Friday to attend the inauguration ceremony of
reelected President of Abkhazia, Sergey Baghapsh.

In his congratulatory address, President Sahakyan wished every
success to Sergey Baghapsh and prosperity and peace to Abkhazia and
its people, reported the Central Information Department of the Office
of the NKR President.

RA DEFENSE MINISTER HOLDS MEETING IN PARIS

news.am
Feb 12 2010
Armenia

RA Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan, who is on an official visit
to France, held a meeting on February 11 with Edouard Guillaud,
Chief of the personal staff of the French President.

The Information and Public Relations Department, RA Ministry of
Defense, told NEWS.am that the sides discussed bilateral military
cooperation programs, agreements signed in Paris, as well as regional
security problems and possible developments.

The same day Minister Ohanyan attended a wreath laying and flame
ignition ceremony near the eternal flame of the Triumphal Arch,
visited a UNESCO-arranged exhibition of Arto Tchakmakchian’s works.

NATIONAL GATHERING IN FRONT OF NA

14:18:21 – 12/02/2010

The Heritage issued a statement expressing its dissatisfaction with
the fact that Serge Sargsyan is going to present the protocols to the
National Assembly. The party supposes that the current authorities
are going to ratify them as soon as possible.

According to the party, the Armenian and Turkish protocols are
unacceptable from the point of the vital interests of the republics
of Armenia and Artsakh, hence they are to be refused by the National
Assembly. The concern of the Armenian people in connection with
the process of the normalization of relations have repeatedly been
confirmed by the Turkish prime minister, the foreign minister
and other high ranking officials through their denying policy,
anti-Armenian statements.

The Heritage party stated that on the day when the protocols will enter
into the National Assembly to be discussed, the party will gather in
front of the NA voicing its "NO". The party appeals to the Armenian
citizens to join it.

HIGHER GAS PRICES TO RESULT IN SLOWER ECONOMIC GROWTH IN ARMENIA IN 2010

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
11.02.2010 16:05 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Higher gas prices will lead to slower economic growth
in Armenia in 2010 Manuk Hergnyan , chairman of "Economy and Values’~R
research center told a press conference on February 11 in Yerevan.

According to him, earlier, when Armenia’s gas prices tripled, the
consumer price index increased by 4 percentage points. According
to him, there are case studies of Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian
economies, on the average the changes in gas prices may bring 5 per
cent change in GDP.

In addition, according to Hergnyan, higher gas prices could lead to
an increased inflationary pressure.

ArmRosgazprom applied to PSRC with the proposal to revise the existing
rates for natural gas.

PRIME MINISTER AWARDED WITH TEKEYAN’S DIAMOND ARARAT PRIZE

Aysor
Feb 10 2010
Armenia

Yesterday, the Vahan Tekeyan Cultural Center awarded Armenia’s Prime
Minister Tigran Sarkisian with the highest Diamond Ararat Prize for
assistance and contribution to Armenian culture and science.

Receiving the prize, Prime Minister said that it was significant to
accept the award on the 125th anniversary of the great Armenian poet
Vahan Terian.

"This is a very honorable and binding award. I’d wish to send my
congratulations to those who is going to be awarded today. I believe
that the prize will make a great sense for you giving new incentives
to contribute to the country and nation," he said.

Tigran Sarkisian also pointed that Armenia’s history is a history of
a struggle for national identity. He said that the important role
in this belongs to public figures. "The true public figure must
be national in his thinking and mind. He must be a carrier of the
national culture and faith, believing in God and own mission."

ACCORDING TO VAHAN HOVHANNISIAN, RA PRESIDENT TRIED TO REMIND HIS TURKISH COUNTERPART THAT "TODAY IT’S TURKEY’S TURN IN SEQUENCE OF ACTIONS"

NOYAN TAPAN
FEBRUARY 10, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. According to ARFD Bureau member,
Head of the RA National Assembly ARFD faction Vahan Hovhannisian,
the discussion of the resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide in
the U.S. Congress House of Representatives is first of all result of
joint efforts of ANCA and other Armenian organizations. "In fact, it is
the continuation of the demand of keeping the promise President Obama
gave in the preelection stage," the ARFD deputy said on February 10 in
the Hayatsk club advising not to underestimate the "Armenian factor"
and not to ascribe it to possible pressures upon Turkey by the U.S.

In connection with the address of the RA President to the Turkish
President from the plane the day before V. Hovhannisian said: "Some
can consider it as an issue of mere politeness but indeed it is not
only limited to politeness as Presidents during their trips fly through
many countries but do not apply to the leaderships of those countries
with special addresses." According to V. Hovhannisian, in this case
S. Sargsyan tried to remind his Turkish counterpart that "today it’s
Turkey’s turn in the sequence of actions" warning about a possible
failure in the process of establishment of Armenian-Turkish relations.

Speaking about the statement the RA President made lately that if
the ratification of the Armenian-Turkish protocols fails all the
same Armenia will gain the ARFD figure expressed an opinion that the
President meant that for the whole world it will become obvious that
the process failed because of the Turkish side. "It is not so obvious
and I think if the process results in a stronger tension between the
sides no side will gain but they should have thought of it as they
were launching the process," V. Hovhannisian said. According to him,
it was not done, therefore Dashnaktsutiun considers the process
"wrong from the very start and rather dangerous."

In connection with the recent frequent nervous statements of
representatives of Armenian and Turkish political upper links V.

Hovhannisian said: "Armenian side’s nervousness is justified as they
try to deceive us and get nervous as they fail to do it."

I DO NOT SEE AUTHORITIES’ POLITICAL WILL: RA OMBUDSMAN

news.am
Feb 10 2010
Armenia

"March 1-2 events are our pain and we should not allow it be a
leverage to seize political concessions from Armenia," RA Ombudsman
Armen Harutyunyan told the journalists on February 10.

As NEWS.am reported previously, a motion for resolution "The
involvement of the army in March 2008 events in Armenia" presented
by Goran Lindblad was signed by 20 PACE delegates.

"It also our fault that we have not answered many questions to date
and gave a handle to such statements. We should pursue answers to
March 1-2 events to prevent such responses. If we do not get them,
we will face such problems in various bodies," Ombudsman stated. "We
should have a grouch on no-one except for ourselves for not having
all answers so far," he added.

Asked whether RA authorities have political will to reply to all
questions, Harutyunyan said, "If I am keen to see that political will,
I’ll see it, but then I will be a pro-governmental politician, not an
ombudsman. Impartially, I do not see significant changes in political
and economic fields. If eager, I will see some, but they are few,
so I am reluctant to notice them. The phenomena should be so overt
to me, that I notice them anyhow," Ombudsman concluded.

VIGEN SARGSYAN AT DEBATE WITH ERTUGRUL APAKAN

Panorama.am
17:29 08/02/2010

Armenia’s Presidential Administration’s Deputy Chief of Staff Vigen
Sargsyan attends discussions on Armenian-Turkish ties in New York and
Washington. New York discussions are organized by The New Century
Foundation and Fletcher Club. Vigen Sargsyan’s rival in the debate
is Turkish diplomat Ambassador Ertogrul Apakan. Vigen Sargsyan will
release a speech in CSIS in Washington. Armenian Deputy Chief of
Staff will have several meetings with American officials. Panorama.am
is informed that Apakan is an indirect participant of the process on
normalizing Armenian-Turkish ties. He’s currently Turkish Ambassador to
UN and assumed his office in August of 2009. Earlier Apakan was Turkish
Deputy FM and according to our sources he attended the negotiations
with Armenia with Ali Babacan.

AZG DAILY #20, 06-02-2010

Culture

Update: 2010-02-06 01:33:20 (GMT +04:00)

SILVINA DER-MEGUERDITCHIAN EXHIBITION IN ISTANBUL

H.A., Prague

Silvina Der-Meguerditchian’s personal exhibition will be held from
February 5 to March 5 at BMSUMA center of modern art in Istanbul.

The exhibition titled "Very good, my little child" is the artist’s
collection of moments and meetings of 20 years with Turkish people
that depicts her attempt to deal with memory, forgiveness and
reconciliation.

By means of different installations, the author touches upon the
available issues between the Armenian and Turkish people, the Armenian
Genocide and denialism.

Silvina Der-Meguerditchian is the granddaughter of Armenian immigrants
to Argentina. She was born in Buenos Aires in 1967. She grew up in
Argentina and since 1988 lives in Berlin. She is an active artist in
the sphere of modern art and has participated in different
international art-programs

TURKEY’S POLICY LIKELY TO DISPLEASE BARACK OBAMA

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.02.2010 17:40 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent
statement regarding OSCE Minsk Group’s passivity in Karabakh conflict
settlement issue has become an insurmountable obstacle to Turkey’s
claims for mediation, director of Armenian Center for National and
International Studies (ACNIS), Richard Giragosian stated.

As he told a news conference in Yerevan, Turkey can’t be allowed to
interfere with Karabakh conflict settlement. "Karabakh issue mustn’t
be linked to Armenia-Turkey rapprochement," he emphasized.

Commenting on the oncoming visit of US Deputy Secretary of State
James B. Steinberg to Caucasus, Mr. Giragosian noted that the visit
should be construed as a signal for Turkey to meet expectations by
expediting ratification of Protocols.

"Displeasing a strong leader like Barack Obama would be a glaring
blunder for Turkey," he said.