22 YEARS The #19 Noah’s Ark (1107) 23 May 2016 Published Since 1993 Weekly Newspaper HIGHLIGHTS ÜáÛÛ³Ý î³å³Ý ß³µ³Ã³Ã»ñà (³Ý·É. / ýñ³Ýë.) Sargsyan, Medvedev discuss Karabakh, bilateral relations see page 3 In This Issue President says "generally satisfied" Noyan Tapan Press-Center with Vienna discussions p.2 Noyan Tapan Press Center holds different discussions, press conferences, round tables, teleconferences, seminars each week which are broadcast Anniversary of genocide of Pontian live on the Internet. We invite you to take advantage of the Center, as Greeks commemorated in Armenia p.4 well as to place your banner in our Press Room. Tel: 060 35 11 22. Bundestag Member: Armenian Genocide Address: Isahakyan 28, 3rd floor, Yerevan, 0009 Resolution important for WWI Ottoman ally Germany p.5 Noyan Tapan Printing House "New Perspectives for the Syrian Armenians" is offering coloured and black and white offset and digital exhibition opens in Yerevan p.6 printing of books, brochures, booklets, journals, etc with Music News: 12th Khachatourian high quality and low prices Tel: 060 35 11 22 Competition Starts on 6 May p.14 Address: Isahakyan 28, 3rd floor, Yerevan 0009 The Noyan Tapan Highlights www.nt.am 23 May #19 (1107) 2016 2 POLITICS The results of Vienna meetings satisfying, Armenia's President says President Serzh Sargsyan questioned Azerbaijan's commitment Azerbaijan made totally different statements. Time will tell how to the ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone on May 17 events develop this time around." after he and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev agreed on con- "The important thing for us is the following: the [U.S., Russian fidence-building measures designed to prevent fresh fighting there. and French] co-chairs should once again see that our aim is not to Serzh Sargsyan said at the same time that he is largely "satis- maintain the status quo and wage a perpetual war," he added. fied" with his talks with Aliyev that were co-hosted in Vienna late Even so, the Armenian leader was hopeful that ceasefire viola- on Monday by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign tions will now decrease. "I don't think that they will end starting Minister Sergey Lavrov and France's Secretary of State for Europe from tomorrow," he said. "But I hope that things will be much Affairs Harlem Desir. calmer than they have been until now." "The president of Azerbaijan assured that his country and he per- Skirmishes along "the line of contact" around Karabakh actual- sonally does not aim to solve any issue through hostilities," he told ly intensified overnight, immediately after the Aliyev-Sargsyan Armenia's leading TV channels while flying back to Yerevan. "That encounter in Vienna, leaving one Armenian and one Azerbaijani sol- is good but it gives us little faith because there have been many con- dier dead. Each warring side blamed the other for the fighting. versations before but the fact is that agreements have not been hon- The Karabakh Armenian army said Azerbaijani forces fired ored [by Azerbaijan] for several years." nearly 80 mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and light cannon shells "But we cannot be guided only by our presumptions and pre- towards its positions southeast of Karabakh. dictions because war is not the best solution," said Sargsyan. "So we Kerry and Lavrov also announced that the Armenian and will see how events develop." Azerbaijani president agreed to again meet next month and resume In a joint statement issued right after the Vienna talks, Kerry, discussions on a framework peace accord drafted by the three medi- Lavrov and Desir said Aliyev and Sargsyan "reiterated their com- ating powers. Serzh Sargsyan said he proposed that the meeting take mitment to the ceasefire" and agreed to let the OSCE investigate place after the OSCE puts in place the agreed safeguards against truce violations and deploy more monitors on the Karabakh "line of truce violations. Aliyev did not object to the proposal, he said. contact." The main purpose of the high-level talks in the Austrian capital "We should not pay too much attention to those agreements con- was to de-escalate the conflict following last month's heavy fighting sidering our past experience," cautioned Serzh Sargsyan. "We have in and around Karabakh, which left at least 180 soldiers from both had 20 meetings [with Aliyev.] We agreed on many things during sides dead. The four-day hostilities threatened to escalate into an all- those meetings. But on his return to Baku the president of out war. Package solution with stepwise implementation: Armenian FM on Karabakh settlement The settlement of the Karabakh conflict should be a "package further violence, they agreed to finalize in the shortest possible solution with stepwise implementation," Armenian Foreign time an OSCE investigative mechanism. The Presidents also Minister Edward Nalbandian said in an interview with Interfax. agreed to the expansion of the existing Office of the Personal "Over the past years we have been working on compromise Representative of the OSCE Chairperson in Office. Finally, they formulations and have been very close to a settlement on several agreed to continue the exchange of data on missing persons under occasions, but every time Azerbaijan has made a step backward," the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross Minister Nalbandian said. (ICRC) to which the Presidents committed during the Paris sum- "The implementation of the agreements reached between the mit of October 2014. Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Vienna will create neces- Minister Nalbandian noted that "the first-ever participation of sary conditions for the settlement of conflict and the search for the Foreign Ministers of the co-chairing countries in the meeting compromise solutions," the Foreign Minister said. of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan is a testament to the During the meeting the parties reiterated that there can be no extreme importance the mediating countries attach to the imple- military solution to the conflict. The Co-Chairs insisted on the mentation of the agreements." importance of respecting the 1994 and 1995 ceasefire agreements. Minister Nalabandian voiced hope that Azerbaijan would not The Presidents reiterated their commitment to the ceasefire disappoint the hopes of the co-chairing countries and would come and the peaceful settlement of the conflict. To reduce the risk of up to the expectations of the international community. FOR SALE Sunny, cozy 3 room apartment for sale in Downtown Yerevan (89.3m2), on the 7th floor of an 8 storied monolit building on 28, Moskovyan street (in front of V.Bryusov institute). Renovated, with large open balcony, oak parquet, metal entrance door, euro windows and doors, fully fitted, tiled kitchen, toilet/bathroom tiled, individual heating system (Eurotherm), Elevator in the building, equipped with intercom, Ucom. Sales including furniture is also possible. Negotiable price. Tel: 093974997, 093499565. 23 May #19 (1107) 2016 www.nt.am The Noyan Tapan Highlights POLITICS 3 Sargsyan, Medvedev discuss Karabakh, EEU's Yerevan meeting Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan OSCE Minsk Group in which Russia is a conflict. on May 20 received Russian Prime co-chair along with the United States and "Do not doubt that Russia has always Minister Dmitry Medvedev who arrived France. assisted and will continue to assist in the in Armenia the previous night to attend a During the Vienna meeting, Serzh settlement of this difficult conflict," the meeting of the Eurasian Economic Sargsyan said, they agreed on the moni- Russian prime minister said. Union's (EEU) Intergovernmental toring of the ceasefire regime and the Sargsyan and Medvedev last met on Council in Yerevan to be also attended by introduction of mechanisms of investigat- April 7, two days after a verbal agreement the heads of government of Belarus, ing incidents. was reached between Armenia and Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. "We, of course, will do everything on Azerbaijan to halt deadly fighting in The meeting that was originally our part to prevent such violations, and I Karabakh. planned in Yerevan on April 8 was contro- hope that the foreign ministers of the Scores of soldiers, as well as civilians, versially moved to Moscow at OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries were killed during four days of hostilities Kazakhstan's request amid escalation in will be consistent in the implementation that broke out in the disputed region after the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in of the decisions that we arrived at jointly," Azerbaijan's offensive on April 2. Nagorno Karabakh. said Sargsyan, as quoted by his press serv- Both Sargsyan and Medvedev said It was later agreed that Yerevan would ice. today that their meeting last month host the next gathering on May 20. Medvedev reportedly welcomed the focused mostly on the more urgent During their discussion today Armenian-Azerbaijani summit meeting in Karabakh issue. The Russian premier said President Sargsyan briefed the Russian Vienna and said that it is important that that during the Yerevan meeting of the premier on his May 16 meeting in Vienna, the ceasefire, which incidentally was bro- EEU Intergovernmental Council they will Austria, with Azerbaijani President Ilham kered by Russia back in 1994, be discuss "different and first of all econom- Aliyev held through the mediation of the observed by the parties to the Karabakh ic issues that are useful for all countries." Statement by OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict ment that both Presidents have expressed to the ceasefire and to the peaceful settlement of the conflict, as well as their readiness to have a new round of talks in June. Germany's 2016 OSCE Chairmanship remains fully committed to supporting the work of the Co-Chairs. We will actively support efforts to estab- lish an investigative mechanism.