Author: Tumanian Talar

G8 NATIONS COULD ADOPT STATEMENT ON KARABAKH CONFLICT

RIA Novosti
July 9, 2009
L’AQUILA

Russia could adopt a joint statement with two other Group of Eight
members at the ongoing summit in Italy on a long-running territorial
dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia, a Kremlin aide said.

Nagorny Karabakh, a region in Azerbaijan with a largely Armenian
population, has been a source of conflict between the countries since
it declared its independence in 1991. The province has its own de
facto government.

Arkady Dvorkovich, an aide to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, told
reporters after the first day of the summit in the Italian mountain
town of L’Aquila: "Consultations are being held on Nagorny Karabakh
on the form of a declaration, and essentially, we agree on the issue."

"We expect that such a declaration could be produced. But it is
more likely to be a statement from three countries – Russia, France,
and the United States – than from the G8," he said.

A war between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the mountainous enclave
15 years ago left over 25,000 people dead. Sporadic violence on the
border has continued ever since.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan met in Prague last month to discuss the conflict, on the
sidelines of the EU’s Eastern Partnership summit, and said some
progress had been reached.

RA PRESIDENT RECEIVES ARMENIAN AND AZERI AMBASSADORS TO RUSSIA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
03.07.2009 15:52 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today in Yerevan, President Serzh Sargsyan
received Armen Smbatyan and Polad Bulbuloglu, Armenian and Azerbaijani
Ambassadors to Russia, as well as Mikhail Shvydkoy, Russian President’s
Envoy for International Cultural Cooperation.

Earlier this morning, the diplomats had a meeting with NKR President
Bako Sahakyan.

After the meeting, Ambassador Bulbuloglu told journalists that
their visit to Stepanakert was aimed at creating atmosphere of trust
between two peoples rather solving state and political problems. The
delegation, he said, this time arrived in NKR with new projects which
are still being considered.

Armenian and Azeri intellectuals carried out their first visit to
Stepanakert on June 28, 2007 upon the initiative of Armenian and
Azerbaijani Ambassadors to Russia.

UKRAINE ORDERS PROBE ON 1944 DEPORTATION OF CRIMEAN TATARS

WorldBulletin
Friday, 03 July 2009 11:32

Ukraine’s President ordered Ukrainian Intelligence Service and
Prosecutor to probe mass deportation of Crimean Tatar Muslims in 1944.

Ukraine’s President Viktor Yushchenko ordered Ukrainian Intelligence
Service (SBU) and Prosecutor Aleksandr Medvedko to open an
investigation on mass deportation of Crimean Tatar Muslims in 1944
Soviet era, Crimean News agency (QHA) said on Thursday.

The announcement came just one day before Yushchenko’s two-days visit
to Crimea between 3-5 July.

The State Security Service of Ukraine established on May a special
unit to investigate Stalin-era crimes against Crimean Tatars, who
are commemorating the 65th anniversary of their mass deportation
from Crimea.

The investigation is expected to look into the forced deportation of
other ethnic groups from the peninsula during World War II.

The head of the Ukrainian State Security Service, Valentyn
Nalyvaichenko, announced the creation of the special investigative
unit in the Crimean capital, Aqmescit (Simferopol). Nalyvaichenko said
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko ordered the creation of the
unit to investigate crimes involving the repression and destruction
of Crimean Tatars under the Soviet Union.

"The president thinks that the illegal and forcible mass deportation
of Crimean Tatars in 1944 was an irrefutable fact. Also, it is another
fact that other nationals living Crimea such as Bulgarians, Armenians
and Greek were exiled too," QHA quoted A spokeswoman for president
Irina Vannikova as saying.

The Crimean Tatars are Turkic people who inhabited the Crimean
peninsula, now a part of Ukraine, for over seven centuries.

During World War II, the entire Tatar population in Crimea fell
victims to Stalin’s policies. In 1944 they were unjustly accused of
being "Nazi collaborators" and deported en masse to Central Asia and
other lands of the Soviet Union. Many died of disease and malnutrition.

Although a 1967 Soviet decree removed the charges against Crimean
Tatars, the Soviet government did nothing to facilitate their
resettlement in Crimea and to make reparations for lost lives and
confiscated property.

More than 250,000 Crimean Tatars are back in their homeland, struggling
to reestablish their lives and reclaim their national and cultural
rights against many social and economic obstacles.

ANC ACTIVISTS BEATEN IN YEREVAN

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
01.07.2009 21:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today, about 20:00, unknown individuals assaulted
ANC activists in Abovyan street, Yerevan. Some of Congress members
declaring about opposition’s July 2 meeting were armed.

Attackers started beating activists, in an attempt to seize their
leaflets and loudspeakers. As a result, Sahak Mouradyan, Herbert
Gevorgyan and Tigran Arakelyan were moved to hospital with different
degrees of bodily damages, ANC says in a press release.

RA EX-PRESIDENT ROBERT KOCHARYAN APPOINTED AS AN INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR OF SYSTEMA AFC

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
29.06.2009 15:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Systema AFC OJSC, the largest public diversified
financial corporation in Russia and CIS, held an annual Shareholders’
Meeting on June 27.

Directors’ Boards was expanded from 10 people to 13. 3 new Directors
were appointed into the Board: Systema AFC President Leonid Melamed,
Sistema Shyam Teleservices’ Directors’ Board representative Radjiv
Mehrotra. RA Ex-President Robert Kocharyan was appointed as an
independent director of Systema AFC.

4 out of 13 positions in the Board of Directors are occupied by
Independent Directors. Board Meeting also approved the annual report
and accounting documents for 2008. A resolution not to pay off 2008
dividends was passed.

Systema AFC owns the following assets in Armenia: WiMax- Cornet Am
operator, Mars Factory, as well as 3 Scientific Research Institutes.

UNAL CHEVIKOZ: "TURKISH COMMUNITY WILL NOT ALLOW DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA UNTIL THE SOLUTION OF NAGORNO KARABAKH PROBLEM"

APA
June 25 2009
Azerbaijan

Astana. Laman Aghayeva – APA. Prospects of the unresolved conflicts
in the Caucasus were discussed within the security forum of the
Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in Astana, Kazakhstan, APA
correspondent reports.

Deputy Chief of the Turkish Foreign Ministry Office for Eastern Europe,
the Caucasus, Asia and Africa and international security Unal Chevikoz
focused attention on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. He said Turkish
community wouldn’t allow the establishing of diplomatic relations
with Armenia until the solution of Nagorno Karabakh problem. He
emphasized the importance of the Stability and Cooperation Platform in
the Caucasus and said Turkey, Azerbaijan, Russia, Georgia and Armenia
had to come together within this platform and to quicken the solution
to the conflict. "We have already lost 20 years in the solution of
Karabakh problem".

Azerbaijani Ambassador to NATO kamil Khasiyev univocally stated
that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict should be solved only within
the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Member of the Azerbaijani
Parliament Jale Aliyeva spoke about the role of Azerbaijan in the
world energy security.

EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby said
despite the ceasefire regime, more than 30 soldiers were killed in
the contact line and border areas last year.

ARMEN ASHOTYAN: NO REFORMS IN EDUCATION SPHERE WERE SUSPENDED

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
25.06.2009 13:10 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ RA Education and Science Minister Armen Ashotyan
met UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative in Armenia,
Ms. Consuelo Vidal. The meeting focused on results of Yerevan UNO
Office work in education sphere as well and the influence of world
financial crisis on educational programs’ implementation.

"It’s hard to speak about educational programs’ development today. What
matters now is the issue of maintaining the programs. I assure you
that no educational programs were suspended, though state funding was
decreased. The important thing is that we did not have to cut jobs,"
Armen Ashotyan noted.

Regardless of crisis, reforms in high school programs will
continue. Despite decreased funding, number of high schools involved
in the program will be maintained.

U.S. EMBASSY CELEBRATES AMERICAN JAZZ IN ARMENIA FOR 8TH YEAR FROM MARCH 9-14

US State News
June 23, 2009 Tuesday 5:50 PM EST

YEREVAN, Armenia, March 9 — The U.S. Embassy issued the following
press release:

The U.S. Embassy is pleased to announce that it will showcase Alvin
Atkinson and the Sound Merchants from March 9-14, 2009. This marks the
8th year that the U.S. Embassy in Armenia has featured accomplished
American jazz musicians and highlights the mutual appreciation of jazz
in both countries. Alvin Atkinson and the Sound Merchants integrate
American jazz and blues influences with inflections of rhythms and
melodies from around the world. The quartet is performing in Armenia
under the auspices of the U.S. State Department Bureau of Educational
and Cultural Affairs’ Musical Overtures Tour.

In addition to performances in Armenia, the group will travel to Iraq,
Lebanon, Afghanistan, Libya and Sudan. Alvin Atkinson is a drummer,
bandleader and jazz educator. He formed Alvin Atkinson and the
Sound Merchants in New York City in 2004. The group has received
numerous honors and has traveled internationally. The group also
features Jonathan Lefcoski, on piano, Vaughn Ambrose, saxophonist, and
Corcoron Holt, bassist. Throughout their careers, they have performed
with many jazz notables and other American musicians including Ellis
Marsalis, the Temptations, Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight. Alvin
Atkinson and the Sound Merchants will give seven performances in
Armenia. They will debut in Hrazdan at the Arts School Hall on March
10 and will perform at the Aznavour Concert Hall in Vanadzor the same
evening. Other regional concerts include a performance at the Music
School Hall in Alaverdi on March 11, a concert and master class at
the Arts Academy Hall in Gyumri on March 12, a concert at the Culture
Palace in Spitak on March 13, and a concert at the Culture House in
Ararat village on March 14. Alvin Atkinson and the Sound Merchants
will give a final performance at the Youth Theater Hall in Yerevan on
the evening of March 14. All concerts are open to the public and free
of charge. Additional information can be found on the U.S. Embassy
website at

WHOM HE DECEIVES?

168 Zham
June 11 2009
Armenia

Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan has expressed his satisfaction
with the [Armenian] currency policy at the meeting with Armenian
businessmen in Moscow recently. He claimed that the drastic devaluation
of the dram on 3 March was the correct decision. Moreover, he stated
that the financial segment did not lose from it, in particular there
was no outflow of deposits, no problems occurred with the banks’
capital and that currently commercial banks had high ratings.

The political situation in Armenia has finally stabilized, especially
after the Yerevan municipal election [on 31 May]. We received positive
evaluations of it from international observers as well. In addition,
the opposition received fewer votes than in the presidential election
[in February 2008] and this fact, of course, has strongly stabilized
the situation.

Thus today in Armenia, there is no critical potential, i.e. aggressive
opposition, which is ready to start actions leading to political
instability, Tigran Sargsyan said at the meeting with Armenian
businessmen in Moscow and added that the Armenian government was
enjoying trust of international financial structures, which is
testified by the increased amount of loans issued by the World Bank,
the International Monetary Fund, Asian and European banks.

Unlike our neighbours, our country’s rating stays stable whereas
theirs have been falling. It is first of all substantiated by the
fact that we attach great importance to macroeconomic indicators and
stability. We get quite positive assessments for the macro-management
and this is the reason that we have a stable rating, Tigran Sargsyan
said, which means that he has a wrong impression of the level of
Armenian businessmen’s awareness in the Russian Federation.

AZERIS CONTINUE COMMITTING ARSON ON CONTACT LINE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
18.06.2009 18:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Since early-June, fires have periodically occurred
on NKR-Azerbaijani contact line, their basic cause being tracer bullet
shots released by the Azerbaijani side and arsons on Azeri-controlled
territories. As a result, fire spreads over NKR territory.

As reported by NKR rescue service, 24-hour watch was established and
field fire rescue posts are operating (with fire-fighting vehicle
and fire brigade) in relevant zones. Rescue service workers receive
assistance from NKR Defense Army and civilians. Relevant measures are
undertaken towards localizing and extinguishing fires and preventing
further disasters.

NKR authorities call on Azerbaijani side to refrain from any action
causing irretrievable damage to environment and threatening human
health and security, NKR Foreign Ministry’s press service reports.