Author: Tashjian Arbi

Trend, Azerbaijan
Nov 21 2009

Prospects for resolving Nagorno-Karabakh better than ever: British expert

Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov. 20 / Trend News E.Ostapenko /

The situation with Nagorno-Karabakh is more positive now than at any
time since the start of the conflict, International Institute for
Strategic Studies Senior Fellow Oksana Antonenko said today at the
"South Caucasus Security: Realities and Perspectives of Regional
Cooperation" international conference in Baku. Intensified meetings
between the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents testifies to this
fact, she added.

The expert said if the chances of resolving the conflict in Georgia
are thin, there is clear progress in resolving Nagorno-Karabakh.

The OSCE Minsk Group has become more active lately and is paving the
way to strengthening trust between the two nations, Antonenko said.

The expert added that Azerbaijan’s concerns over the protocols signed
between Armenia and Turkey are well grounded.

Antonenko added that the country is also worried that today’s progress
may collapse and bring the talks back to earlier levels.

"The EU should lay out a concrete plan to advance the negotiations
process," she said. "The plan should include proposals on how to reach
a dialogue between the Azerbaijani and Armenian societies and how to
achieve the return of refugees."

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. – are
currently holding the peace negotiations.

World Markets Research Centre
Global Insight
November 20, 2009

Armentel Announces Launch of ADSL 2+ Technology

BYLINE: Michael Lacquiere

Armenia’s dominant fixed-line operator Armentel has announced that it
has launched ADSL 2+ technology, reports ARKA, citing company General
Director Igor Klimko. The upgraded network will now offer download
speeds of up to 24 Mbps, double the previous speed. The precise cost
of the upgrade has not been disclosed.

Significance:Armentel has previously indicated that it within five
years it plans to switch to fibre-optic communication throughout the
country, a move which ought to offer faster download speeds than
copper-based DSL services, bolstering its Internet offering. However,
DSL-based services evidently remain on the agenda, with the operator
looking to upgrade its legacy infrastructure. In common with many of
the surrounding CIS countries, the Internet market in Armenia is not
particularly well developed, and former monopolist Armentel remains
the market-leader, although there is some competition in the sector.
It is indicative of the state of the market that dial-up remains the
primary internet technology.

Yerevan hosting Armenian youth clubs and centers’ conference
21.11.2009 15:08 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On November 20-22, Yerevan will host Armenian youth
clubs and centers’ conference, organized by FYCA (Federation of Youth
Clubs of Armenia) NGO with the assistance of Sports and youth Affairs
Ministry.

`We aim to activate youth club movement by creating collaboration
field and raising social awareness. To achieve our goals, we resolved
to conduct the conference on an annual basis,’ FYCA NGO Chairman Atom
Mkhitaryan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. Within conference
frameworks, creation of reference book on RA youth clubs and centers
is scheduled.

`Over 50 youth clubs and centers representatives participate in
today’s conference, to be followed by formation of work groups for
development and implementation of new programs,’ Atom Mkitaryan
stated.

Federation of Youth Clubs of Armenia was established November 10,
1999, uniting several youth clubs with 7-8 years’ history.

Today FYCA unites more than 70 youth professional and local clubs,
centers and organizations operating in all regions of Armenia and
Artsakh.

Model OSCE conference held in Lori province, Armenia

armradio.am
21.11.2009 11:35

Forty three young representatives from Lori province in northern
Armenia gathered today at an OSCE-supported role-playing event in the
provincial capital Vanadzor to discuss the growing tensions between
the hypothetical neighbouring countries of Pandella and the Democratic
Republic of Domia.

During the two-day Model OSCE conference youth ambassadors will
introduce their positions on nationalism, the rights of ethnic
minorities, problems of refugees and the military conflict evolving
according to the scenario. The participants, university students and
graduates aged between 16 and 25, will simulate the Permanent Council,
one of the OSCE decision-making bodies, and elaborate a concrete plan
of actions to prevent the war.

The event is organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan in co-operation
with the Lori Centre for Organizing Youth Events.

Ambassador Sergey Kapinos, the Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan,
noted: `Not only will the participants get an insight into the OSCE’s
work, but they will also gain experience of international diplomacy
and negotiations which can be useful in their lives.’

‘Such initiatives make young people more interested in their own
country’s foreign policy and make them aware of the role they can
potentially play in the political life in future,’ noted Artiom
Nahapetyan, leading specialist of the Lori Centre for Organizing Youth
Events.

Prior to the conference, the participants were trained on negotiation
and public speaking skills and attended workshops on the OSCE’s
activities and international relations in general. Special attention
was paid to the politico-military dimension of the Organization, which
was the topic of the Model OSCE conference’s scenario.

‘The event gives us new knowledge and an opportunity to experience
negotiations at the highest level. Switzerland, which I represent in
the Model OSCE, is ready to go forward!’ said Samvel Jaribekyan,
adding that his group also prepared a small cultural and educational
surprise performance for the organizers and participants.

All participants will receive certificates of attendance, and the
three most active negotiators will receive encouragement prizes.

It is the second Model OSCE conference organized by the OSCE Office in
Armenia; the first one was held in May 2009 in Shirak province. A
nationwide conference is planned for next year.

FIRST PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA RECEIVES REPRESENTATIVES OF AGO MONITORING GROUP

ArmInfo
2009-11-20 15:10:00

ArmInfo. First President of Armenia, Leader of the Armenian National
Congress Levon Ter-Petrosyan received the delegation of the Ago
Monitoring Group of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers led
by Romanian Ambassador to the COE Stelian Stoian.

ANC press-service reported the parties as discussing the current stage
of the Armenian-Turkish relations as well as the latest developments
around the Karabakh peace process.

Levon Ter-Petrosyan directed the attention of the COE representatives
to the state of democracy in Armenia and the commitments undertaken
to the Council of Europe regarding release of political prisoners,
freedom of speech and fulfillment of the resolutions of the last PACE
Resolution on Armenia. The parties also discussed corruption problems
and the impact of the economic crisis on Armenia.

ANC representatives Levon Zurabyan and Avetis Avagyan were present
at the meeting.

FFA PRESIDENT: ARMENIA NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM NEEDS A GOOD COACH

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
20.11.2009 16:13 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ President of the Armenian Football Federation Ruben
Hayrapetyan summed up the year of 2009 at the press conference held
on November 20. According to Ruben Hayrapetyan, Armenian Football
Major League was in an interesting fight.

According Hayrapetyan, the Armenian national team needs a good coach.

So far, the team is coached by Vardan Minasyan. Federation is
negotiating with several coaches. One of them, Sergio Markarian lives
in Uruguay. "Until December 10 Markarian must respond to our proposal.

Of course, it would be nice if he agreed to coach our national team,"
Ruben Hayrapetyan said.

Ruben Hayrapetyan said, he believes in the good future of the Armenian
football.

IRELAND U21S BEATEN IN ARMENIA

BreakingNews.ie
November 17, 2009 Tuesday 02:59 PM GMT
Ireland

Armenia Under-21 4 Republic of Ireland 1<strong>.

The Republic of Ireland Under-21scontinued their winless run in
Group 2 of the Under-21 European Championship as Henrik Mkhitaryan
plundered a hat-trick to fire Armenia to a comfortable win in front
of their own fans.

Led for the first time by MK Dons midfielder Stephen Gleeson, the
Republic fell behind to Mkhitaryan’s opener after half-an-hour’s play.

Mkhitaryan made it 2-0 to the hosts in the 61st minute before
Plymouth’s Cillian Sheridan gave his side a lifeline four minutes
later, turning in James O’Shea’s cross.

Armenia continued to enjoy the best of the game, though, and
re-established a two-goal gap through Hovhaness Goharyan’s 20-yard
strike with 15 minutes to play.

Mkhitaryan slotted in a fourth, and his third, with an 82nd-minute
penalty.

The Republic now sit bottom of Group 2, swapping places with their
opponents, with just four points from six games.

ILON WIKLAND: CARLSON WAS BORN IN PARIS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
19.11.2009 18:58 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "In 1955, Astrid Lindgren, finishing her work on
the book of stories about Carlson, sent me the manuscript, so I was
able to create an image of Carlson.

After some time I presented her the first image of my Carlson,
looking at which she said: "No, it’s not my Carlson. After that, I was
looking for an image of Carlson for 6 months in Paris, where once on
the street I saw a man in overalls, with disheveled hair, and I said
myself: "This is Carlson! So he comes from Paris, " Ilona Wikland ,
the world-famous illustrator of books teller Astrid Lindgren said at
the opening of the exhibition "Carlson, who knows how to fly".

Exhibition of works by Ilon Wikland in the Yerevan-based National
aesthetic center will run until December 3. The exhibition is
organized by the Swedish office, consulate of Estonia in Armenia,
"Youth achievements of Armenia" organization in the framework of events
dedicated to the International Convention on the Rights of the Child.

"The event will give us the opportunity to reiterate the importance of
public attention to the fundamental rights of children, " Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Sweden to Armenia,
Hans Gunnar Aden said.

Students’ miniatures on children’s rights have been presented in
Armenia.

"Within 2 months, students of 20 schools from all regions of Armenia
participated in the contest . The teams discussed the rights of
children, and then wrote scripts and prepared small plays," "Youth
achievements of Armenia" director Armine Hovhannisyan said.

HOVIK ABRAHAMYAN: RA CONTROL CHAMBER ENJOYS LEGISLATIVE AND PRACTICAL INDEPENDENCE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
19.11.2009 18:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ National Assembly Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan has today
received EUROSAI Chairman Yatsek Yazersky, Head of the Supreme Chamber
of Poland. Welcoming the guest, Aabrahamyan attached high importance
to Armenian-Polish cooperation, as well as Armenia’s participation
in the activities of European organizations.

During the meeting, Armenian Speaker expressed satisfaction with RA
Control Chamber and drew the guest’s attention to the legislative and
practical guarantees ensuring Chamber’s independence. Hovik Abrhamyan
detailed cooperation between RA National Assembly and Control Chamber,
highlighting its importance as a mechanism of effective control
over the country’s Parliament. Present at the meeting was Head of RA
Control Chamber Ishkhan Zakaryan, RA NA press service reports.

TURKISH-ARMENIAN BORDER WILL BE OPENED AFTER OCCUPIED AZERI LAND FREED – TURKEY

Interfax
Nov 17 2009
Russia

The issue of opening the Turkish- Armenian border will remain closed
until Armenia withdraws from occupied Azeri territory, Turkish
Ambassador to Azerbaijan Hulusi Kilic said.

"Turkey has openly informed the world on what condition the border
could be opened. This condition is the liberation of Azerbaijan’s
occupied territory," the Turkish ambassador told the press on Tuesday.

"Turkey has made the necessary steps, reaching the middle of the way.

Now it’s Armenia’s turn to take its steps," Kilic said in comments
on ratification by the Turkish parliament of the protocols on the
establishment of diplomatic relations between Ankara and Yerevan,
signed in Zurich on October 10.