Author: Vatche Chakhmakhchian

Armenia Set to Boost Gas Imports from Iran

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
FARS News Agency, Iran
Tuesday
Armenia Set to Boost Gas Imports from Iran
 
 
TEHRAN (FNA)- Armenian Ambassador to Tehran Artashes Tumanyan said that his country is after importing more gas from Iran, voicing Yerevan's readiness to increase electricity export to Iran.
 
Armenian Ambassador to Iran Artashes Tumanyan said on Monday that his country is interested to import more gas from Iran.
 
Addressing a meeting themed "Iran-Armenia Ties, Opportunities and Challenges", he added that recent political development in Yerevan have had no impact on the country's foreign policy.
 
He also voiced his country's readiness for increasing exports of electricity to Iran, hoping that the two countries' exchanges would rise in near future.
 
As to Washington's pressure on Yerevan to reduce relations with Iran, he said, "The US has talked with Armenia about Tehran-Yerevan ties, as they have understood that Tehran relations are of high significance for us."
 
Meanwhile, Chairman of Iran-Armenia Friendship Society Mohammad Reza Damavandi complained that despite high historic and political relations in the cultural and media fields, the two countries have failed to widen their relations to desirable levels.
 
While Tehran and Yerevan have set a target of one billion dollars, they have had only 200 to 250 million dollars in trade exchanges, he said.
 
Earlier in min-August, Iranian Deputy Energy Minister Homayoun Haeri announced that Tehran and Yerevan are currently working hard to finalize implementation of the third power transmission line from Iran to Armenia.
 
"Taking timely measures for implementation of the third power transmission line from Iran to Armenia is one of the most important parts of Iran-Armenia bilateral and multilateral cooperation," Haeri said after his meeting with Armenian Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources Artur Grigoryan in Yerevan on Friday.
 
The Iranian deputy energy minister said that during his meeting with Grigoryan, the Armenian minister underlined that the importance of finalizing the project of construction of the third high-voltage Iran-Armenia power transmission line.
 
Grigoryan, who serves also as a co-chairman of the Armenian-Iranian intergovernmental commission, noted that in the context of intensification of economic cooperation between Tehran and Yerevan, construction of a high-voltage power transmission line between Armenia and Georgia can play a serious role.
 
The sides also exchanged views on the agreements reached at the 15th meeting of the Armenian-Iranian intergovernmental commission held in Yerevan in 2018. It was stressed that the intergovernmental commission has a special mission in deepening and expanding trade and economic relations between the countries.
 
Both sides stressed the importance of the need to intensify mutual visits, which help find effective solutions to problems arising in the implementation of joint projects.
 
Iran and Armenia signed four agreements in the fields of economy, customs and sports agreements in February.
 
The four cooperation agreements in the fields of economy, customs and sports were inked at the closing ceremony of 15th Summit of Joint Commission of Iran and Armenia Cooperation.
 
Earlier this year, Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian had placed special emphasis on the necessity of steering public and private sectors to increase transaction volume and joint investment.
 
"Fortunately, the 15th meeting of Joint Technical, Economic and Cultural Commission between Iran and Armenia was held in an amicable and peaceful environment," he said, adding, "I hope that mutual cooperation would be boosted between the two countries in the best possible form in future."

Armenia’s newly formed “Citizen’s Decision” party seeks to carry out long-term activities

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
News.am, Armenia
Nov 26 2018
Armenia’s newly formed “Citizen’s Decision” party seeks to carry out long-term activities Armenia’s newly formed “Citizen’s Decision” party seeks to carry out long-term activities

16:12, 26.11.2018
                  

YEREVAN. – The “Citizen’s Decision” Social Democratic Party on Monday kicked off their snap parliamentary election campaign at Mashtots Park in downtown of Armenia’s capital city of Yerevan, and the party members had brought tangerines with them.  

Areg Tadevosyan, a member of the executive body of this newly-formed political force, noted that tangerines symbolize freshness.

“Freshness is needed in the political arena [of Armenia]. I have a great hope—moreover, I’m convinced—that we [the ‘Citizen’s Decision’] will bring that freshness,” he said. “The pomegranate was used in the Republic of Armenia as a symbol of unity. But we are convinced that the tangerine much better describes [unity], since it is a symbol of equally distributing, being united.”

Also, Tadevosyan expressed confidence that they will win seats in the new parliament, but added that even if they do not, it will not matter to them because they seek to carry out long-term activities.

Subsequently, the “Citizen’s Decision” party members held a march in downtown Yerevan, and handed out tangerines and party pamphlets to passers-by.

As reported earlier, the members of this political force are primarily former civil activists.

Campaign season for the upcoming snap National Assembly (NA) election has gotten underway Monday in Armenia.

The campaign season will conclude on December 7, whereas December 8 is election silence day, and December 9—election day

Eleven political forces—two alliances and nine parties—are running for parliament.

As a result of this election, the NA seats will be distributed proportionally among the political forces that have passed the respective minimum thresholds: 5% for parties, and 7% for alliances.

Armenian cadastre to become fully automated

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
ARKA, Armenia
Nov 27 2018

   

YEREVAN, November 27. /ARKA/. In five years, Armenia will have a fully automated cadastre for official registration of ownership, boundaries and the value of real property, the head of the State Committee of Real Property Cadastre Sarkhat Petrosyan said at a press conference on Tuesday, adding that citizens will be able to fill in applications online and will not be required to visit its offices.

He said the Committee has two major tasks. The first is to improve the real estate registration system and the second is to create an integrated national cadastre. In his words, this will make the management of the system centralized and more efficient. -0-

Pashinyan attacked Karabakh officials with criticism, demanding "not to stick their nose" in politics

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
Arminfo, Armenia
Nov 27 2018
Pashinyan attacked Karabakh officials with criticism, demanding "not to stick their nose" in politics

Yerevan November 27

Marianna Mkrtchyan. Acting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attacked Karabakh officials, who sharply responded to the statement by member of Pashinyan's "My Step" election bloc Sasun Mikayelyan, that the victory of the people in the revolution is more important than the Artsakh liberation war.

The statements voiced from Stepanakert angered Pashinyan, who expressed surprise at such a reaction to Mikayelyan's statement. "Undoubtedly, Mikayelyan himself understood that he made a not very correct comparison, and he himself corrected his statement, saying that he means the fact that the April revolution plays an important role in terms of fixing the victory in the Artsakh liberation war, and not vice versa. And I do not understand the inspiration of some, especially after this adjustment. Reflecting on the current situation, I suddenly remembered a couple of my meetings, where I said that I would not allow making money illegally on boots, clothes and food of the soldiers, to ensure my own well-being. I am even more surprised by the fact that those who have been witnessing how to rob the army over the years are reacting to this formulation," Pashinyan complained.

He continued, adding that he was surprised that those who had "sewn up their mouths for many years, watched the army being plundered, and some even took part in the process, responded to Mikayelyan's statements. "And now they suddenly decided to earn political points on this unfortunate formulation, I will not allow that!!! Those who stole bread from the soldiers will be brought to justice in turn, they have no forgiveness. These few people who ask and beg to stop criminal cases against them, and we tell them that they need to return what was stolen from the servicemen; it seems to them that this is a reason for encouragement. Do not dare to be inspired, sit in your seats and wait for what we are doing to become a reality and do not force us talk about these topics more openly. Do not hope for forgiveness, you are responsible for your every robbery. Do not think that you can take dividends on one sentence and think that people are naive or subjecting your compatriots to self-justice, become a defender of the inspectors. At the same time, he urged not to perceive the policy pursued by them as a weakness. Pashinyan promised to "get everyone", and assured that he would not allow manipulating the Armenian people. "Take care of your service and do not dare to stick your nose in politics. I will apologize for this erroneous wording a thousand times, but I will not allow anyone to earn political dividends. These underground Republican mafia-style games will not work, calm down!", He concluded.

To note this statement caused a negative reaction in Stepanakert. The Secretary of the NKR National Security Council, the hero of Artsakh, Vitaly Balasanyan called to come to his senses. "The national liberation struggle, founded in 1988, is a victory for our people living in Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora. NKR is the achievement and pride of all Armenians. It is surprising and even arouses anger that these days, during the election campaign to the RA National Assembly this fact is speculated and understated in some party interests. I would like to remind Sasun Mikayelyan, who went through the horrors of the Artsakh war, that the revolution that occurred in Armenia in the last period cannot be considered a more serious victory than the Artsakh liberation war and even more the foundation of the second Armenian Republic. Such statements at least cast doubt on the participation of such persons in state- building. It is regrettable that such statements are made in the presence of the Supreme Commander-in- Chief of Armenia. ! ".

A statement was made by the NKR Ministry of Defense Spokesman Senor Asratyan, who noted that the statement of a person is ambiguously perceived when he has nothing to speak, but the desire to speak is great. "The proof is a statement made by Sasun Mikaelyan, or rather an attempt to compare or belittle national phenomena. P.S. Try to abandon this habit, especially when it comes to the Artsakh war of liberation, built on the blood of thousands of heroes" Asratyan wrote. And Artsakh President's Advisor Arshavir Gharamyan called for deleting the name of Sasun Mikayelyan from the heroes of the Artsakh war. To note, Sasun Mikayelyan, a member of the Armenian parliament, a member of the My Step bloc led by Nikol Pashinyan, believes that the victory of the people in the revolution is more important than the Artsakh war of liberation. "We won the Artsakh war. I'm not afraid to say that this victory that you, the people, won in our country is more important than the Artsakh liberation war," Mikayelyan said during the election campaign with the participation of premiere of Armenia in the city of Talin.

Armenpress: Armenia, Cyprus to cooperate in mutual protection of confidential information

Vatche Chakhmakhchian

Armenia, Cyprus to cooperate in mutual protection of confidential information

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12:09, 29 November, 2018

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 29, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government approved the draft decree of the President on approving the agreement on the Mutual Protection of Confidential Information between Armenia and Cyprus, reports Armenpress.

The issue has been presented by Director of the National Security Service of Armenia Artur Vanetsyan during today’s Cabinet meeting.

According to the explanation, Armenia attaches great importance to the strengthening, constant development of inter-state relations with Cyprus at bilateral and multilateral formats.

“The ratification of the agreement will contribute to ensuring mutual protection of confidential information between Armenia and Cyprus transformed and received during the bilateral cooperation”, stated in the explanation.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




Asbarez: ARF Western U.S. Central Committee Meets With Armenia’s Consul General to L.A.

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
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From left: ARF Central Committee members Garo Ispendjian, Carmen Ohanian, Avedik Izmirlian, Consul General Armen Baibourtian, Second Secretary of Consul General Kana Hovhannisyan, Central Committee member Toros Kejejian and Melkon Melkonian

GLENDALE—Armenia’s new Consul General to Los Angeles, Armen Baibourtian met on Tuesday with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Western United States Central Committee at its headquarters.

The ARF Central Committee welcomed Baibourtian, who assumed the post in September, and pledged the organization’s support to the Consulate’s activities, expressing hope that in the coming years cooperation between the party and the Consulate will be strengthened.

Bairbourtian, who was accompanied to the meeting by Kana Hovhannisyan, Second Secretary of the Consul General, said he was grateful to return to Los Angeles, where he served as Consul General from 1995 to 1997. He said he was looking forward to reinvigorating the Consulate’s presence and activities in the community and extended his and the Consulate’s willingness to cooperate with all organizations in the community, especially the ARF Central Committee, which he said has a long and important role in the advancement of the community.

The meeting also focused on issues relating to the current situation in Armenia and Artsakh. The ARF Central Committee expressed its readiness and reiterated its commitment to provide any assistance necessary to efforts to strengthen Armenia’s and Artsakh’s statehood, as well as to become the torchbearer for Artsakh’s right to self-determination and its efforts to be recognized as an independent state.

Impossible to change format of talks on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict without consent of Baku, Yerevan – Lavrov

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
TASS, Russia
Nov 2 2018
Impossible to change format of talks on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict without consent of Baku, Yerevan – Lavrov

MOSCOW November 2

 It is only possible to change the format of talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with the consent of both opposing sides – Armenia and Azerbaijan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said following talks with Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Secretary General Thomas Greminger on Friday.

MOSCOW, November 2. /TASS/. It is only possible to change the format of talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with the consent of both opposing sides – Armenia and Azerbaijan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said following talks with Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Secretary General Thomas Greminger on Friday.

Armenia’s Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said earlier that resolving the conflict required the participation of the unrecognized Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh in the negotiation process.

"It is up to the parties to the conflict to make a decision on that," Lavrov stressed. "We believe that Yerevan takes Karabakh’s approaches into consideration while determining its negotiating positions. However, both parties should give their consent to changes in the current bilateral format. As far as we know, no agreements have been reached on that so far," the Russian top diplomat said.

"Frankly speaking, I would refrain from putting forward preconditions for substantive talks on ways to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh issue," Lavrov added.

He pointed out that Moscow welcomed the agreement reached by Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at their meeting on the sidelines of the September CIS summit in Tajikistan’s capital of Dushanbe. "The agreement they made emphasizes the need to maintain contacts and says that foreign ministers will continue to hold meetings, while Armenia and Azerbaijan will also cooperate with the OSCE Minsk Group’s co-chairs [Russia, the United States and France – TASS]. We welcome this agreement though we realize that serious talks on ways out of the crisis are unlikely to take place until the rather turbulent political processes come to an end in Armenia," Lavrov said.

The Russian foreign minister added that the Minsk Group’s co-chairs continued to make visits to the region and hold meetings with the Armenian and Azerbaijani authorities. "It is important to maintain such contacts so that we are ready to seriously tackle the issue as soon as the situation allows," he noted.

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

The highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh (or Mountainous Karabakh) is a mostly Armenian-populated enclave inside Azerbaijan’s territory. It is a self-proclaimed independent republic, not recognized by any of the United Nations member states.

In 1988, hostilities broke out there between the forces reporting to the Baku government and Armenian residents. In 1994, a ceasefire was reached but relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia has remained strained ever since.

Azerbaijan insists that its territorial integrity be restored and refugees return to Nagorno-Karabakh, which will create conditions for talks on the region’s status. Baku is ready to grant autonomy to the region but is unwilling to hold direct talks with Nagorno-Karabakh. At the same time, Armenia strongly opposes the region’s reunification with Azerbaijan and says that its right to self-determination should be considered.

Russia, France and the United States co-chair the OSCE Minsk Group, which seeks to broker an end to the conflict. The Group also includes Azerbaijan, Armenia, as well as Belarus, Germany, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and Turkey.

Jordan, Armenia sign air services agreement

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
Jordan News Agency (Petra), Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
November 1, 2018 Thursday
Jordan, Armenia sign air services agreement
 
Amman, Nov. 1 (Petra)–Jordan and Armenia on Thursday signed the final air services agreement, which was first initiated in 2014 and was amended to keep pace with requirements of the air transport services.
  
The agreement, which was signed by the Chief Commissioner of the Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission (CARC) Captain Haitham Misto and Chairwoman of the Civil Aviation Committee Tatevik Revazyan, aims to boost cooperation between the two countries in the civil aviation field.
 
It also aims to regulate air services between the two countries and allow air carriers in both countries to operate flights for passengers, air freight and mail.
 
The agreement also gives airlines in Jordan and Armenia the right to exercise air transport through airports of other countries.
 

Sports: Armenian weightlifters set out to World Championship

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
News.am, Armenia
Nov 2 2018

The Armenian men's weightlifting team headed to Ashgabat to take part in the 2018 World Championship which will be held from November 3 to November 10.

Andranik Karapetyan (81 kg), Hakob Mkrtchyan (89 kg), Simon Martirosyan (109 kg) and Gor Minasyan (+109 kg) will represent the Armenian team.

The championship will be rated for the Olympic Games 2020 to be held in Tokyo.

The women's team included Isabella Yaylyan (64 kg), Tatev Hakobyan (90 kg), Liana Gyurjyan (75 kg) and Arpine Dalalyan (+90 kg).

Meeting of Armenian, Belarussian Presidents held in Minsk (photos)

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
| 16:08 | October 30 2018
Category
World

The meeting of Armenian President Armen Sarkissian and his Belarussian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko was held in Minsk on October 30.

The President of Belarus welcomed Armen Sarkissian’s visit to Minsk, stating that he is happy to host his Armenian counterpart on the sidelines of the meeting of the Core Group of the Munich Security Conference.

“Your visit to Belarus is very welcomed. Tomorrow we have an important even on security matters which will take place within the frames of the Munich Group. Your visit to Minsk and participation to the meeting on this topic shows that Armenia is not just concerned over this issue, but it is also very important for the Armenian people.

You should know that regardless of all kinds of views, you had and will always have good and reliable friends in a democratic Armenia in the person of Belarus. We both work in the common economic space – the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the CSTO, and consistently fulfill our agreements and everything that is envisaged by these organizations.

As for the foundations of our relations, the trade turnover, it should be noted that it is growing. Last year we recorded high growth, which comprises nearly 45-50 million USD. This is a good result, but if we talk about the potential in terms of the goods which are in high demand in Armenia and the goods which are in high demand in Belarus, then it’s not a great figure. Today we could have 150 million USD trade turnover which would raise our relations to a high level.

You know our opportunities, and we know yours. Therefore, we will observe any proposal by Armenia in a short period of time and will make a respective decision. I know that currently you are facing complicated democratic changes, you can’t avoid it, and of course, it’s very important for me to receive first-hand information from my friend, counterpart”, the Belarussian President said.

He added that it was very important for Belarus to follow the developments in Armenia. “We see a person in the person of you who is objective, realistic and ready to support the relations with Belarus, and we give mutual response to this”.

In his turn the Armenian President thanked for the reception and stated: “I also would like to start from the dramatic days of April-May and use the chance here, in perfect Minsk, to personally thank you for the support and friendship you showed during that days. I, both as a President and as an individual will not forget the attention I have received from you. Your telephone calls were not just diplomatic or political calls: they were calls from a friend, who was not only interested, but also was sad and happy, a man who wants to know and help. That was a great support for me during that days when major changes were taking place in our country.

It seemed, everything was good, without any dramas, human losses, but in any case it wasn’t easy. And I highly value your support and want to inform you about that, therefore I want to personally thank you.

Yes, I arrived here to participate in the Munich Security Conference. It’s very nice to be in Minsk which is a unique city. I think today Belarus is an example of stability and predictability. One can find such qualities very randomly in this new world where we live. The world is not just the regions, the world has become unpredictable, unstable, and the states, which in reality have these two qualities, are highly appreciated by me, my Belarussian friends and the world community in general.

It’s not a coincidence that the Munich conference, one of the leading conferences in the world, is taking place here in Minsk”.