Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan sweep, May 19th Armenia: • 1. According to an Armenian paper, Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan may have briefed Baku Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on new Karabakh plan. • 2. Former Armenian Foreign Minister Aleksandr Arzumanyan has denied reports that the leader of the Armenian National Congress, former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, will meet top US officials during his visit to the USA. (TV) Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan accused Azerbaijan of “distorting the contents of the negotiation process.” (TV) Georgia: • 3. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast, heading a media delegation, is scheduled to arrive in Tbilisi for an official visit. Mehman-Parast is scheduled to meet with his Georgian counterpart, Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze and other officials of the country. • 4. An opinion poll suggests that Georgia's ruling National Movement, including its Tbilisi mayoral candidate, incumbent Gigi Ugulava, enjoy a commanding lead ahead of the upcoming local elections on 30 May. • 5. Eight Georgian citizens have been detained in South Ossetia for violating the state border, Merab Chigoyev, South Ossetian president's deputy representative for issues of post-conflict settlement, reported today. • 6. Senator John McCain criticized the Obama administration saying that support for liberty and human rights is "mostly missing" from the U.S. foreign policy and as one of the examples, among others, the Senator brought situation in Georgia vis-à-vis Russia. • 7. Campaigners for former Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli's pro-Russian For a Just Georgia Party have held a protest demanding wage arrears. (TV) French and Georgian officials are discussing an initiative that would simplify the rules for Georgian citizens to work in France. A quota of 500 Georgians per year will likely be stipulated. (TV) • 8. On May 26, Georgia will celebrate Independence Day. Azerbaijan: • 9. "The so-called "parliament elections" to be held (on May 23) by the separatist regime of the Nagorno-Karabakh are illegal and all international observers wishing to observe the course of these "elections" will be declared persona non grata », Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elkhan Polukhov said today. • 10. Russia is ready to assist Azerbaijan in eliminating consequences of the natural disaster if Baku asks for help, Russian ambassador to Azerbaijan Vladimir Dorokhin said. • 11. State Oil Company of Azerbaijan and the Aurora Progress, the Swiss based commodity trading house announced about an agreement on cooperation in the development of oil storage tanks, including the terminal for oil storage. • 12. Ali Hasanov, head of the public and political department of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration said about the parliamentary election planned in Nagornyy Karabakh region : "We have condemned this election and we have underlined that the election will have a negative effect on the negotiations process " • 13. Azeri TV “Xabarci” reported on May 18 that “Armenian armed forces have fired on Azerbaijani positions in Tartar, Xocavand and Fuzuli districts”, but that no casualties were reported. Armenia: 1. Armenian paper says Turkish PM may have briefed Baku on new Karabakh plan Text of unattributed report by moderate opposition Armenian newspaper 168 Zham on 18 May headlined "A new plan?" Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan left for Baku on 17 May, where he according to Turkish press reports, he presented a new plan of the Karabakh settlement to the Azerbaijani authorities. In particular, according to the Turkish Hurriyet paper, Erdogan introduced to [Azerbaijani President] Ilham Aliyev a plan, whereby Armenia will vacate two out of the seven liberated districts, Kalbacar and Fuzuli, and in exchange Azerbaijan will open its border with Armenias. According to Turkish sources, this plan was developed at Erdogans's meetings with the Armenian and the US presidents in Washington and with the Russian president in Ankara. Whether Erdogan did introduce this plan to Aliyev or not - no official statement was made on this as of 17 May. After the meeting with Aliyev it was only said that "satisfaction was voiced in connection with successful development of friendly and brotherly ties between Azerbaijan and Turkey". It is obvious that the word is about "3+2+2" or "2+3+2" options of return of librated territories. That is - it turns out that Armenia consented to return of at least two districts, and Erdogan went to Baku to convince Aliyev of that. It is interesting that Armenia did not anyhow officially deny this report and the fact of existence of such a plan. Meanwhile, its existence is demonstrated also by the fact that as early as last week [10-17 May] Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev announced that Russia will continue to "push forward" the process of settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict and will be consulting with Turkey on the matter from now on. That is, it is possible that the plan which Erdogan took to Baku is a result of such a consultation. Source: Armenian newspaper 168 Zham, Yerevan, in Armenian 18 May 10 p 1 BBC Mon TCU EU1 EuroPol 190510 ra/ah © Copyright British Broadcasting Corporation 2010 2. Programme summary of Armenian Public TV "Haylur" news 1600 gmt 18 May 10 Presenter Kristine Melkonyan 1.0035 Headlines. 2. 0130 Hail has damaged crops in Armenia's Aragatsotn village. Video report. 3. 0517 Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has received a delegation of the Belorussian National Academy of Sciences. The sides discussed cooperation in the field of science. Presenter-read report over video of a meeting. 4. 0506 President Serzh Sargsyan and Dunja Mijatovic, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, have discussed the OSCE's role in the protection of human rights and electoral reforms in Armenia in Yerevan. Sargsyan said Armenia attaches importance to the OSCE's role in establishing stability and security in the region. Mijatovic welcomed moves by the Armenian authorities to remove the criminalization of libel and insult. Presenter-read report over video of a meeting. 5. 0613 Armenian parliament has discussed draft changes to the law "On TV and radio". After the changes linked to the digitalization of TV broadcasting are approved by parliament, the number of TV stations will be reduced from the current to 18. Three TV frequencies will be digitalized and it will be possible to broadcast six TV channels on each frequency. The government will finance the purchase of digital TV receivers for poor people. Correspondent-read report over video of a parliamentary session. The draft law envisages shift to digital broadcasting on 10 July. The transition will take three to five years. 6. 0937 Armenian parliament approved a law on mandatory insurance vehicles in its final reading today. The mandatory insurance system will be launched in Armenia starting on 1 January 2011. Presenter-read report over video of vehicles. 7. 1016 The Gafesjian museum in Yerevan has held an open-door day for orphan children and disabled people. Armenian Parliament Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan attended a concert held at the museum. Video shows Abrahamyan attending the museum. 8. 1153 The construction of an underground parking area near the opera house in Yerevan will be accomplished by the end of May. Correspondent reports over video of an underground parking. 9. 1651 Video report on the renovation of a bridge in Yerevan's Shengavit District and landscaping plans in Yerevan. Video shows Yerevan Mayor Gagik Beglaryan visiting a construction side and a greenhouse. 10. 1631 A representative of the opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC), Former Armenian Foreign Minister Aleksandr Arzumanyan, has denied reports that the leader of the ANC, former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, will meet top US officials during his visit to the USA. Arzumanyan said Ter-Petrosyan is on a private 12-day visit to the USA. Arzumanyan expressed concern over recent Russian-Turkish rapprochement. Presenter- read report over video of Arzumanyan speaking at a news conference. Arzumanyan said a military solution to the Karabakh conflict is not likely at the moment, although he does not rule it out on the whole. 11. 1754 Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan is interviewed in the TV studio on the current stage of the Karabakh settlement. Kocharyan comments on a recent statement by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the updated Madrid principles, saying that the negotiations are being held on the basis of the Madrid principles proposed in 2007, and that Azerbaijan has refused changes to the Madrid principles since then. According to the Madrid principles, the Karabakh issue should be settled based on three international norms: self-determination of peoples, territorial integrity and non-use of force, Kocharyan said. He accused Azerbaijan of distorting the contents of the negotiation process. 12. 2510 The Azerbaijani ambassador to France has attended a discussion on the Karabakh issue in Paris, although he was not invited to the discussion, presenter said. The discussion had been organized by the Armenian General Benevolent Union and the speaker was EU Special Representative for South Caucasus Peter Semneby. The Azerbaijani ambassador made a 10-minute "propaganda" speech on the Karabakh issue and unexpectedly left the discussion when the permanent representative of the unrecognized Nagornyy Karabakh republic in Paris started speaking. Correspondent-read report over video of a meeting. 13. 2656 Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer, who is on a visit to Armenia, laid flowers at the memorial to the victims of the 1915 Armenian genocide in Yerevan today. Presenter-read report over video of Fischer visiting the memorial. 14. 2741 Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan has visited the Biokat diary plant to familiarize himself with the results of the use of 120m-dram (about 316,000-dollar) state loan provided to the plant. The loan was provided to the plant as part of the anti-crisis measures. Correspondent reports over video of Sargsyan attending production facilities.