Author: Nalchajian Markos

MATTHEW BRYZA: "AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN PRESIDENTS ARE REACHING AN AGREEMENT ON THE IDEAS OF THE BASIC PRINCIPLES ON THE SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT"

APA
May 7 2009
Azerbaijan

Prague. Lachin Sultanova – APA. Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia
Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan ended their meeting in Prague, APA’s
special correspondent reports from Prague.

The meeting was held in the U.S. embassy and lasted for two hours
and a half. Following the meeting, OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs briefed
media representatives.

American co-chair Matthew Bryza said the meeting was constructive.

"Negotiations were held in accordance with the basic principles of the
settlement. The presidents reached agreement to hold the next meeting
within the framework of the economic forum in St. Petersburg in June,"
he said.

Matthew Bryza regarded presidents’ agreement to meet as the improvement
of the process. American co-chair also said that the presidents were
reaching an agreement on the ideas of the basic principles on the
settlement of the conflict.

French co-chair Bernard Fassier said they expected progress in the
negotiations in the upcoming months.

Russian co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov said before St. Petersburg meeting
of the presidents, the mediators will meet with Azerbaijani and
Armenian Foreign Ministers, visit the region to arrange the meeting
of the presidents.

"The date of the visit is being specified," he said.

To the question "How can Azerbaijanis and Armenians confide in Russia
that recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia?" Yuri
Merzlyakov said: "The situation is quite different. The situation in
the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh problem differs from the conflicts
you mentioned."

Asked about St. Petersburg summit, Yuri Merzlyakov said: "We have
been working on this idea for a long time. But it is very difficult
to bring together three presidents. But if there is an opportunity to
bring together the presidents of three co-chairing countries within the
framework of a meeting, we will surely try to use this opportunity,"
he said.

Asked about the compromises of the parties, the co-chairs said no
one wants to compromise unless all items of the settlement are agreed.

Along with the co-chairs, Foreign Ministers and personal representative
of OSCE chairman-in-office Andrzej Kasprzyk also attended the meeting.

Press and Information Department
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of the Republic of Armenia
Tel. + 37410 544041. ext. 202
Fax. + 37410 565601
e-mail: [email protected]
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Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Shavarsh Qocharya on a question by
"Pararmenian.net" News Agency

Question: Mr. Qocharyan, the Azerbaijani side raises statements
according to which the issue of refugees is a key question in the
negotiations on the settlement of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh)
issue. What can you say about the accuracy of that information?

Answer: Such statements distort and contradict both the essence of the
issue and the content of the negotiation process. The settlement of
Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) issue is based on the realization of
Nagorno Karabakh peoples’ right to self-determination.

EASTERN PARTNERSHIP WILL ENABLE ARMENIA TO ESTABLISH CLOSER TIES WITH EUROPE

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.05.2009 15:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ With this initiative, EU Eastern Partnership
seeks stable and reliable neighborhood with six countries – Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, RA Deputy Foreign
Minister Karine Kazinyan told a news conference today. "By proposing
such initiative EU seeks to establish partnership with neighbor
states. It’s one more step towards EU membership," she stressed,
noting at the same time that Eastern Partnership member states should
realize that partnership does not imply membership to EU. "Associate
membership agreement will be signed only with countries showing maximum
progress towards initiative implementation," Karine Kazinyan said.

According to her, Eastern Partnership envisages cooperation not only
in bilateral, but also in multilateral format. "The initiative aims
to establish cooperation among member states, despite the existing
conflicts. The countries are offered cooperation and partnership,"
Mrs. Kazinyan said, adding that Armenia views the initiative as
cooperation aimed at establishing closer ties with Europe. She
didn’t rule out the possibility of non-member states’ integration
to the project. "Before 2013, EU will allocate about 600 million
Euros. Eastern Partnership summits will be held once or twice a
year and member states’ Foreign Ministers will meet once per year,"
she reported.

Eastern Partnership is due for May 7 in Prague. Armenia will be
represented in person of President Serzh Sargsyan

LAVROV PULLS OUT OF RUSSIA-NATO MEETING

Associated Press Writer
Tuesday May 5 2009 DAVID NOWAK

MOSCOW – Russia’s foreign minister has pulled out of a NATO-Russia
Council meeting planned for Brussels this month to protest the
alliance’s upcoming military exercises in Georgia and the expulsion
of two Russian diplomats from its headquarters, a senior diplomat
said Tuesday.

Sergey Lavrov’s decision to withdraw from the May 19 meeting was
based on concerns about the exercises that start Wednesday and over
the expulsions last week, which were in apparent retaliation for a
spy case dating back to February, Russia’s NATO envoy Dmitry Rogozin
said in televised comments.

Russia is frustrated by what it sees as Western meddling in its
traditional sphere of influence and opposes Georgia’s efforts to join
NATO. NATO maintains the war games in Georgia, which fought a short
war with Russia last August, are not directed at Russia.

NATO deputy spokeswoman Carmen Romero said the alliance regretted
Lavrov’s withdrawal "because there are many issues of common and
mutual interest that we could discuss between NATO and Russia."

NATO and Russia last week restored formal contacts that were suspended
as a result of the Georgian war, and Rogozin told the state-run
RIA-Novosti news agency that the disagreement over the diplomats
would not lead to a renewed freeze in cooperation.

The NATO exercises, which20continue through June 1, were initially
to include about 1,300 personnel from 19 NATO and partner nations.

But some former Soviet republics have decided not to take part.

Among the countries to back out was Armenia, which is dependent on
Russia for its economic survival. Four other former Soviet republics
Estonia, Latvia, Kazakhstan and Moldova and Serbia have also pulled
out, the Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported Tuesday.

Romero said that NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer hoped
that the two sides could meet for talks soon.

TAYYIP ERDOGAN LEAVES FOR AZERBAIJAN TO LIQUIDATE TENSION OBSERVED IN TURKISH-AZERI RELATIONS

NOYAN TAPAN
MAY 5, 2009
ANKARA

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan leaves for Azerbaijan on
May 12.

According to Turkish media, one of the main goals of Turkish Prime
Minister’s visit is to liquidate the tension that emerged in the
Turkish-Azeri relations due to the shifts observed in the relations
with Armenia.

According to some information, Tayyip Erdogan will meet with Azeri
President Ilham Aliyev on May 13, then will leave for Poland on an
official visit on May 14. And the Turkish Prime Minister will meet
with RF Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on May 16 in Sochi.

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PRESS RELEASE

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

AGBU Central Board Member Yervant Zorian Elected Foreign Member of
Armenia’s National Academy of Sciences

Yerevan – The annual meeting of the Republic of Armenia’s National
Academy of Sciences (NAS), which took place on April 21-23, 2009,
elected AGBU Central Board member Yervant Zorian a Foreign Member of the
prestigious Academy.

During last year’s meeting, the National Academy of Sciences decided to
strengthen ties with the scientific circles of the Armenian diaspora
and, following this decision, many internationally renowned scientists,
who have made their contribution to the development of science in
Armenia, were elected members of the Academy.

At this year’s meeting, which was attended by Armenian President Serge
Sargsian, Prime Minister Tigran Sargisian, and His Holiness Karekin II,
Catholicos of All Armenians, many foreign members of the Academy
presented a summary of their scientific activities and were presented
with certificates that noted their accomplishments.

Yervant Zorian was selected to receive the distinction of "Foreign
Member" as a result of his achievements in computer engineering and
microelectronics. Zorian is the vice-president and chief scientist of
Virage Logic, an IT company operating both in Armenia and the United
States. He was elected to the AGBU Central Board of Directors last year
during the organization’s 85th General Assembly. He is also a trustee of
the American University of Armenia and the chairman of AGBU Silicon
Valley. Zorian is the founder and chairman of the AGBU Armenian Virtual
College (AVC) (). This new educational project is an
Internet-based accredited distance learning program that aims to
facilitate Armenian studies through new technologies. AVC provides
Armenian courses in history, language and culture (architecture,
geography, fine arts and music) and allows participating students to
choose from six languages of instruction: Western and Eastern Armenian,
English, Russian, French and Spanish. AVC will tailor lessons to suit
each student’s needs, thus ensuring that Armenians from around the
world, regardless of their age, country of residence or knowledge level,
will benefit from the resource.

Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually touching the
lives of some 400,000 Armenians on six continents.

CLINTON TO MEET ARMENIAN, AZERI FOREIGN MINISTERS

42051_5/4/2009_1
Monday, May 4, 2009

WASHINGTON–U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was due to meet
the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan on Monday and Tuesday
for talks that will likely center on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The talks highlight the new U.S. administration’s hopes that
the long-running Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks will produce a
breakthrough soon. The presidents of the two nations will meet in
Prague on Thursday to try to bridge their remaining differences over
the basic principles of a Karabakh settlement proposed by the American,
French and Russian mediators co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group.

Speaking during congressional hearings in Washington late last month,
Clinton said Baku and Yerevan could hammer out a framework peace accord
"in the next months." She discussed the Karabakh conflict as well as
efforts to improve Turkish-Armenian relations in a phone call with
Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian last week.

Their follow-up talks in Washington were scheduled for late
Monday. Clinton will meet Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov on Tuesday.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza, Washington’s top
Karabakh negotiator, admitted over the weekend that the timing of
the two meetings is "not a coincidence." He said "President Obama and
Secretary of State Clinton have pointed out in their statements that
they want to achieve a breakthrough in the Karabakh peace process,"
he told the Azerbaijani APA news agency. "That is why the two foreign
ministers will meet the secretary of state separately."

Bryza also said that the success of the ongoing Turkish-Armenian
rapprochement would increase chances of Karabakh peace. "If the
Turkish-Armenian rapprochement moves forward we might see Armenia
act more constructively in the negotiations," he said.

PAINTER GAYANE KHACHATRYAN DIES IN TBILISI

PanARMENIAN.Net
02.05.2009 19:56 GMT+04:00

Armenian painter Gayane Khachatryan died in Tbilisi at the age of 60
after a lingering disease.

Renowned Martiros Saryan praised her works for charm, originality
and poetic style. She herself described her works as reflection of
fairly tales and stories her grandmother told her.

Gayane Khachatryan’s works were exhibited in Portugal and
France. Several documentaries were shot about her life.

SOUTH CAUCASUS RAILROAD NOT TO INCREASE PRICE FOR CARGO TRANSPORTATION IN 2009

/ARKA/
May 4, 2009
YEREVAN

The South Caucasus Railroad closed joint stock company is not to
increase price for cargo transportation in 2009 to support Armenian
business under the crisis conditions, General Director of the company
Shevket Shaydulin said at his meeting with Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan.

Shaydulin briefed the President on the mission of the company as a
national transport company and reported about the results of the recent
meeting of Board of Directors, the company’s press service reported.

During the meeting Shaydulin presented the company’s investment
program for 2009 and the measures to enhance financial effectiveness
of the company.

The sides discussed the potential for improvement of transport services
in Armenia.

In particular, the South Caucasus Railroad is an enterprise that offers
complex transport services and develops to specialize in the field
of intermodal transportation (use of various kinds of transport for
transportation of a cargo without participation of the freight owner)
following the "from door to door" principle, Shaydulin said.

During the meeting, the sides also considered issues on construction
of Armenia-Iran railroad.

The parties attached importance to improvement of staff management
both in the company and in the country on the whole.

Shaydulin spoke about social activities of the company and pointed out
that the staff is the main resource of the company. Staff trainings
are to ensure the success of the company, he said.

South Caucasus Railroad fully owned by the Russian Railways is the
operator of the Armenian Railways under a 30-year concession agreement
signed on February 13 2008.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Whether Aramayis Grigoryan will quit as ARFD member
02.05.2009 18:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In an interview with a PanARMENIAN.Net
correspondent, member of ARFD Supreme Body Artashes Shahbazyan denied
ex-Agriculture Minister Aramayis Grigoryan’s decision to quit the
party while keeping his ministerial portfolio.

`It is out of the question,’ Mr. Grigoryan said.

On April 27, ARFD Dashnaktsutyun officially declared of its intention
to quit coalition. The party also resigned offices in government and
parliament. ARFD representatives in Government were Arsen
Hambardzoumyan (Minister of Labor and Social Issues), Spartak
Seyranyan (Minister of Education), and Aramayis Grigoryan (Minister of
Agriculture).