PRESS REVIEW, NOVEMBER 6, 2007

6 minute read

The semi-weekly 168 Zham says in an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro Armenian prime minister Serzh Sarkisian said Armenia never complained of France’s former presidnet Jacques Chirak’s policy, because during his term in office relationships between Paris and Yerevan were very warm, but he also adds that the policy of Nicolas Sarkozy regarding such issues as Turkey, the South Caucasus and the Mediterranean region, which are important for Armenia too, seems to be more dynamic. The semi-weekly 168 Zham says also several employees of a mineral water plant owned by Armenia’s prominent millionaire businessman and parliament deputy Khachatur Sukiasian were detained after a mass financial inspection and remained in custody by late at night yesterday. The newspaper quotes Sukiasian as saying that the inspection is retribution from the state for his pro-opposition political views and his open support to ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosian. The newspaper says also that director of Pizza di Roma Company, owned by Sukiasian, Gevorg Safarian was arrested for understating revenues by 760 million drams (about $2.3 million). The semi-weekly 168 Zham slams foreign minister Vartan Oskanian for not reacting, during a yesterday news conference with the visiting secretary general of the Council of Europe, Terry Davis, to latter’s description of the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities as ‘separatist regime.’ Meantime the daily Hayastani Hanrapetutyun says Terry Davis hailed Armenia’s efforts to make good on its commitments before this prestigious pan-European organization, but hinted that progress made in lawmaking needs to be followed by practical implementation. “The difficulty we have is that in some cases we are not completely sure that the implementation has been up to standard. Of course, it is not only having something on paper. You need to be sure that this translates into reality,” Terry Davis is quoted as saying during a meeting with students of Yerevan State University. The daily Haykakan Zhamanak says some 1,700 students and young people turned up for a Saturday meeting with ex-president Levon ter-Petrosian at Marriott Hotel in Yerevan. It says although the meeting was closed for media, an office set up to support Ter-Petrosian’s election campaign, said it will disseminate a press release to give more information about it. The daily Aravot has learned that Ter-Petrosian was asked to comment on a remark by Robert Kocharian that he will remind his predecessor of some past things. The daily quotes Ter-Petrosian as saying that there is nothing to remind of and that there is no need to bother. “If they (the current authorities) had anything to remind of they have had placed us in prison,” he is quoted as saying. The daily Haykakan Zhamanak says also before wrapping up his Armenian visit Council of Europe secretary general Terry Davis had a 30-minute meeting with ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosian. The daily Haykakan Zhamanak says three parliament members from the opposition Heritage party had to intervene yesterday to demand immediate release of an Iranian Armenian who was detained by police for sticking leaflets on the walls of the Opera House with one sentence which read “ All crimes in this country are being committed with tacit consent.” The daily quotes a senior police officer who ordered the Iranian’s detention as saying that ‘we wanted to tell him that he should not stick leaflets on the opera’s walls and litter the area.” The daily Aravot pays tribute to a prominent academician Rafael Ghazarian, who died at 83 saying he joined the Karabakh Committee in 1988 that was fighting for Karabakh’s reunification with Armenia and shared all hardships that befell his much younger friends. But after Armenia gained independence he turned swiftly into opposition and remained so until his death. The daily Azg says tens of files of a criminal case that was started against members of the Karabakh Committee still by Soviet Armenia’s prosecutors have disappeared from the prosecutor-general’s office. The daily Hayots Ashkhar reports that Armenian lawmakers on Monday elected Ishkhan Zakarian, a deputy parliament chairman from the Prosperous Armenia party as head of a new Oversight Chamber.-0-/39/

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