Cyprus House President visits Armenia
Public Radio of Armenia, 19 November 2014, https://www.armradio.am/en/2014/11/19/cyprus-house-president-visits-armenia/
The delegation headed by Chairman of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus Yiannakis Omirou arrived in Armenia today for a three-day visit.
Within the framework of the visit Yiannakis Omirou will have meetings with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly Galust Sahakyan, Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan, Vice-Speaker of the National Assembly, Co-Chair of the Armenia-Cyprus Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Commission Edward Sharmazanov and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.
The delegation will visit the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial, the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute and the Sergei Parajanov Museum.
General News on Armenia
Politics: Troika rejects government offer of dialogue on 12 demands
ArmeniaNow, 19 November 2014, https://armenianow.com/news/politics/58595/armenia_opposition_government_dialogue_demands
The three parliamentary minority parties making up an informal coalition known as “troika” dismissed on Tuesday a government proposal to start negotiations on a set of demands mostly concerning social and economic issues that they issued before launching an anti-government movement in October.
The offer came from Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan and followed a statement by President Serzh Sargsyan who suggested that the government should “take a fresh look at the demands”.
In 2013 poverty rate in was 32%, down from 32.4% in 2012 –NSS report
Arka, 18 November 2014, https://arka.am/en/news/society/in_2013_poverty_rate_in_was_32_down_from_32_4_in_2012_nss_report/
In 2013 the poverty rate in Armenia dropped to 32% from 32.4% in 2012, said Tuesday Diana Martirosova, the head of a National Statistical Service (NSS) department studying Armenian households, when presenting a report called "The Social Picture of Armenia and Poverty." (…)
Martirosova said some 967,000 people, almost one third of permanent population, were regarded as poor in 2013. Of them, 13.3% were considered very poor (402,000) and 2.7 percent as extremely poor (82,000).
389 Syrian-Armenians receive Armenian passports
Armenpress, 19 November 2014, https://armenpress.am/eng/news/784468/389-syrian-armenians-receive-armenian-passports.html
During the third quarter of this year, Armenia’s embassies in Syria and Lebanon have provided 388 valid passports to foreign countries, but no state fees have been levied. Moreover, Syria has provided 269 passports, and Lebanon has provided 119 passports to Syrian citizens of Armenian descent who have acquired citizenship of the Republic of Armenia and have applied to receive a passport.
Armenia approves draft loan agreement with Russia on NPP
News.am, 19 November 2014, https://news.am/eng/news/239932.html
Armenian government has approved the draft loan agreement with Russia to extend the term of the Armenian NPP, Finance Minister Gagik Khachatryan said. He noted that the loan will be used for the works to extend the deadline for operation of the nuclear power plant from 2016 till 2026.
EEU membership to expand Armenia’s opportunities for cooperation with China – ambassador
Arka, 19 November 2014, https://arka.am/en/news/politics/eeu_membership_to_expand_armenia_s_opportunities_for_cooperation_with_china_ambassador/
Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union will open up new opportunities for expanding cooperation with other countries, including China, newly appointed Chinese ambassador to Armenia Tien Erlong told Armenia’s president Serzh Sargsyan while presenting his credentials.
Erlong said he will do his best to successfully carry out his mission in a country with long centuries’ history and culture and hardworking people.
Analysis: Russo-Georgian relations seen as key to Armenia’s future in emerging Eurasian Union
ArmeniaNow, 19 November 2014, https://armenianow.com/commentary/analysis/58598/armenia_russia_relations_abkhazia_railway
Relations between Russia and Armenia and the future of the South Caucasus part of the Eurasian Union will depend primarily on the relations between Russia and Georgia, and whether these two countries manage to remove from the agenda the issues of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. On this depends the probability of re-operation of the railway and new road links between Armenia and Russia.
In late October, Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili, speaking about Russia, stated that Georgia “is being forced” into a sort of empire or union. This was taken as a hint at the proposal from Russia that Georgia should also join the Eurasian Union.
Armenia and Ethiopia deepening cultural ties
Armenpress, 18 November 2014, https://armenpress.am/eng/news/784480/
The Governments of Armenia and Ethiopia will sign an agreement on cooperation in the cultural sector. According to “ArmenPress”, the issue on approving the agreement is included in the agenda of the November 19 session of the Government of the Republic of Armenia.
“There has been no cooperation with the Republic of Ethiopia at the state level since Armenia’s independence. The signing of this agreement will move the cultural cooperation between Armenia and Ethiopia to a new level and will create legal ground for further development of that cooperation.
General News on Karabakh
Galust Sahakyan: Crew of downed helicopter will be returned
Aysor, 19 November 2014, https://www.aysor.am/en/news/2014/11/19/galust-sahakyan/
It is one thing when killers commit a crime in your territory and quite another when innocent people are killed during training exercises, the speaker of the Armenian parliament Galust Sahakyan told Aysor.am.
The head of Azerbaijani working group on POWs, hostages and missing persons Firudin Sadygov said earlier that Azerbaijan will permit to collect the bodies of the crew members of Karabakh Air Force’s downed helicopter if Azerbaijan considers it necessary.
The Armenian parliamentary speaker stressed that the helicopter did not take any unlawful actions – unlike the Azerbaijani saboteurs who infiltrated into the territory of Nagorno Karabakh.
“I don’t think that the killers’ ideas should make us come to an agreement. If our guys died, their bodies will be handed over, if they are wounded, they will also return. In any event, Azerbaijan will receive a response in one form or another,” G. Sahakyan said.
U.S. Envoy Discusses Armenian Helicopter Downing
Azatutyun, 18 November 2014, https://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/26698307.html
John Heffern, the U.S. ambassador in Yerevan, on Tuesday discussed with Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian the aftermath of last week’s downing by Azerbaijani forces of an Armenian combat helicopter, which reignited tensions in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Turkey Bans Armenian Students from Visiting Artsakh
Asbarez, 18 November 2014, https://asbarez.com/128993/
Armenian students from all over the world will participate in the 6th Pan-Armenian Games to be held in Yerevan next year. Students from Armenian educational establishments of Istanbul are also expected to participate in the event.
Ermenihaber.am reports, quoting Daily Sabah, that the Turkish Ministry of Education has sent a “secret” order to all regional structures not to allow the Armenian students of Istanbul to participate in any events to be organized in Nagorno Karabakh.
The opening of the Armenian-Turkish border is out of the question, a board member of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Mazhar Bagli, said.
Azeri Saboteurs Blame Each Other for Teenager’s Murder
Asbarez, 18 November 2014, https://asbarez.com/128989/
The trial of Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilham Askerov, two members of an Azerbaijani commando group that made an incursion into Artsakh in July 2014, continues to take place in the First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
During a Nov. 18 trial, Judge Anatoli Tadevosyan presented findings from the examination of the place of murder of teenager Smbat Tsakanyan, who is believed to have been murdered by the Azeri saboteurs. The judge presented records on forensic examination of the body along with photographs.
News from International Sources
Azerbaijan: Where Does Russia Stand on Helicopter Shoot-Down?
Eurasianet, 18 November 2014, https://www.eurasianet.org/node/70981
In Ukraine, Russia is widely seen as a troublemaker intent on destabilizing the government in Kyiv. But when it comes to Nagorno-Karabakh, the longest current conflict in the Caucasus, the Kremlin is expected to act as a force for restraint. (…)
A widely held belief among Azerbaijani policymakers and political analysts is that Russia will be an important, perhaps even decisive, factor in what happens next. They note that Moscow is Armenia’s chief strategic ally and economic patron.
Elkhan Shahinoglu, head of Baku’s Atlas Research Center, is among those who think the Kremlin will exert a moderating influence on the Armenian government. “Perhaps Armenia will want to respond to this incident. However, the final decision will be up to Moscow, as always,” Shahinoglu predicted.
Leveraging Social Innovation for Impact: Making Education a Priority in Armenia
Huffington Post, 18 November 2014, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/carrie-rich/leveraging-social-innovat_b_6174874.html
Education is an ever increasing global priority demanding that both students and educators challenge the status quo. Around the globe, there is an increasing array of both formal and informal educational opportunities. I sometimes get overwhelmed learning about learning.
On a recent trip to Armenia, I witnessed what it takes to launch a new educational initiative. I was fortunate to connect with Larisa Ryan, Founder of Teach For Armenia, who was gracious about sharing her remarkable city and organization with me. While in Yerevan, I had the pleasure of learning about Larisa's motivations behind Teach For Armenia and her ambition to create meaningful impact in the schools nationwide.
Young scientists of Belarus, Armenia sign cooperation agreement
Belarusian News, 18 November 2014, https://eng.belta.by/all_news/society/Young-scientists-of-Belarus-Armenia-sign-cooperation-agreement_i_77382.html
Young scientists of Belarus and Armenia have signed a cooperation agreement, Gevorg Vardanyan, Chairman of the Council of Young Scientists of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, said at the opening of the international research conference Youth in Science 2014, BelTA has learned. (…)
According to the Armenian scientist, the sides will implement the first joint projects in 2015. Belarusian and Armenian scientists will develop innovative and applied areas of science.
News from Turkey
Different views on Turkey-Armenia border issue
Hürriyet Daily News, 19 November 2014, https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/different-views-on-turkey-armenia-border-issue.aspx?pageID=238&nID=74506&NewsCatID=396
By Cavid Veliyev, Senior Research Fellow, SAM, Baku.
The suspending of Turkey-Armenia protocols in 2009 had two main reasons: the reactions of the Azerbaijani and Turkish societies. In fact, the main reason for suspending the protocols was the attitude of the Turkish society to this agreement. The main reason for Turkish society’s negative reaction toward the Turkey-Armenia protocols was not only Nagorno-Karabakh, which has been under the occupation of Armenia, but also attacks carried out by Armenian gangs in Anatolia in the beginning of the 20th century and ongoing demands and propaganda against Turkey and the Turkish people in the international scene.
Despite the reaction of the Turkish government and Turkish society, there are different approaches inside and outside of Turkey that try to affect society and decision-makers’ views.
News from Azerbaijani Sources
Are mediators interested in resolving Karabakh conflict?
Trend, 18 November 2014, https://en.trend.az/azerbaijan/karabakh/2334374.html
The unresolved Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict creates problems for the development of the whole region. The countries which have strategic interests in the region are located far beyond it, and are engaged in the settlement of these problems.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Nov.17 that the ongoing ‘cold war’ between the US and Russia hinders the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Today, Turkey - one of the largest and influential countries in the region - is not directly involved in the settlement of this conflict.
Azerbaijan reveals flight path of downed Armenia helicopter (Infographics)
Trend, 18 November 2014, https://en.trend.az/azerbaijan/karabakh/2334412.html
The flights of two Mi-24 combat helicopters of Armenia’s armed forces on Nov. 12 and an analysis of completed tasks once again confirm the initial findings, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Nov. 18.
An animated event model, prepared with reference to the opinions of experts in military aircraft and operational intelligence data, clearly shows that the helicopters’ crews, following combat instructions, were executing a task to strike the Azerbaijani army positions on the front line.
Congressman Steve Stockman: Armenia bears responsibility for violating the airspace of Azerbaijan
AzerTag, 19 November 2014, https://azertag.az/en/xeber/811549
U.S. Congressman Steve Stockman has said Armenia bears responsibility for violating the airspace of Azerbaijan. “All Members of Congress should be concerned with reports of the escalation along the line contact between the forces of Azerbaijan and Armenia. It is unfortunate that the latest increase in tensions resulted in the downing of the helicopter of the armed forces at Armenia, which was violating the airspace of Azerbaijan. The loss of life in this incident was regrettable but the Armenian command bears much responsibility for ordering the helicopter into Azerbaijani territory,” he said in a statement.
Armenia violates ceasefire with Azerbaijan 65 times within 24 hours
Trend, 19 November 2014, https://en.trend.az/azerbaijan/karabakh/2334575.html
Armenian armed forces have broken ceasefire with Azerbaijan 65 times in different positions in the last 24 hours, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on Nov.19