Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

ARKA News Agency - 01/04/2005

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • ARKA News Agency - 01/04/2005

    ARKA News Agency, Armenia
    Jan 4 2005


    NKR and RA Ministers of Foreign Affairs discuss the issues of
    deepening bilateral relations

    Robert Kocharyan: The year of 2004 was peaceful, stable and fruitful
    for Armenia

    Arkadi Ghukasian: the year of 2004 was successful for NKR

    Ambassador of Iraq to Azerbaijan: Sending Armenian peacekeeping
    forces to Iraq not to change the position of official Baghdad
    regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

    ************************************************** *******************

    NKR AND RA MINISTERS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS DISCUSS THE ISSUES OF
    DEEPENING BILATERAL RELATIONS

    YEREVAN, January 4. /ARKA/. NKR and RA Ministers of Foreign Affairs
    Armen Melikyan and Vartan Oskanian discussed the issues of deepening
    relations between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs. According to
    RA MFA Press Service Department, the parties exchanges opinions about
    the issues of bilateral interest. Taking the protocol on cooperation
    between the MFAs of NKR and RA as the basis, the Ministers discussed
    the issues of even more profound development of relations. Melikyan
    who has taken the positions recently, introduced the main directions
    and tasks of NKR MFA emphasizing that their activity will mainly
    target at achieving international recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh. In
    particular, the necessity of activation of mutual contacts was
    emphasized. The Ministers drew the attention to the current situation
    around the conflict settlement and the negotiations process in the
    framework of OSCE group. It was noted that the attention of the
    international community to the issue enables to more profoundly
    introduce tasks targeting at realization of rights to
    self-determination of NKR people. A.H. -0--

    ************************************************** *******************

    ROBERT KOCHARYAN: THE YEAR OF 2004 WAS PEACEFUL, STABLE AND FRUITFUL
    FOR ARMENIA

    YEREVAN, January 4. /ARKA/. The year of 2004 was peaceful, stable and
    fruitful for Armenia, as stated in the RA President Robert
    Kocharyan's New Year greeting, according to RA President's Press
    Service Department. Accomplished works provided for significant
    economic growth, which translates into new jobs, according to the
    president. This is a difficult but the shortest road toward
    prosperity for our country and our people. Kocharyan noted that to
    have a qualitatively new country we must work hard. `Social
    polarization in our country is still deep. The number of our citizens
    living in poverty is still large. It means that the process of
    reforms must continue, and the cornerstone of this process is the
    rise of living standards and fight against poverty. To achieve these
    goals we have developed a mid-term plan of action, which is being
    implemented persistently', he said. According to Kocharyan, results
    of the accomplished works in this passing year will be noticeable
    already in 2005. In a number of areas we plan a significant increase
    of salaries. The state budget has a qualitatively new structure,
    where shares allocated to health care and education are substantially
    augmented. In the sphere of foreign affairs important has been
    involvement of Armenia in the European `New Neighborhood' initiative,
    as the President stated. This fact underlined the readiness of the
    European Union to build special relations with our country.
    Cooperation with our partner-foreign states has been enhanced, and
    Armenia has continued active participation in international
    processes.
    According to Kocharyan, Armenia-Spjurk relations have been further
    advanced and he distinguished `One Nation-One Culture' first Armenian
    festival, which was performed enthusiastically. `Allying with the
    `Hayastan' All-Armenian Fund the Armenians of Diaspora managed to
    collect a considerable amount of money to conclude construction of
    the Karabagh's North-South highway. This is an important step in
    strengthening the factual independence of Karabagh - independence,
    which is nonnegotiable', he said. The President also emphasized that
    our Armed Forces in the passing year have become even stronger and
    assured that the year of 2005 will be more productive for Armenia
    `and there are all the preconditions for it'. A.H. --0--

    ************************************************** *******************

    ARKADI GHUKASIAN: THE YEAR OF 2004 WAS SUCCESSFUL FOR NKR

    STEPANAKERT, January 4. /ARKA/. The year of 2004 was successful for
    NKR, as stated NKR President Arkadi Ghukasian in his New Year
    greeting. `We were not affected by political and social upheavals.
    Due to the reforms conducted, a stable economic growth is recorded in
    the country, and the volume of production has grown', he noted.
    Ghukasian drew the attention to the fact that the economic growth
    brought to gradual increase of the welfare of NKR people and to
    improvement of their social conditions. Ghukasian reminded that in
    2004 the government of NKR managed to increase the salary of
    personnel working in budgetary funded organizations and to increase
    the volume of aid to most needing strata of the society: families of
    missing soldiers and those perished in the Karabakh war, invalids,
    war veterans, and large families.
    As it was particularly stated in the greeting of the President,
    beginning from the next year the government will begin building
    apartment blocks for socially unsecured families. `The size of
    pensions will increase as well as that of other social payments.
    Also, salary of the personnel working in the sphere of healthcare,
    education, culture and sport will increase', he noted.
    The state budget of NKR for 2005 envisages 30% growth of expenditures
    for social purposes. Ghhukasian noted that in 2004 the basis was put
    for rapid completion of the construction of the North -South highway,
    which is of high strategic importance for Artsakh for strengthening
    its military, economic and national security. `The unprecedented
    success of the TV marathon is considered by me as a disposition of
    trust by Diaspora in the reforms introduced in social-political and
    social-economic spheres, and in the measures taken to build civil
    society in Artsakh', he said.
    Ghukasian noted that `for the last year our army became even stronger
    and its military efficiency increased'. `The problems of the NKR Army
    of Defense, including those of social character, have been and will
    remain in the center of attention of the government. The power of our
    army enables us to pursue successful foreign policy to advocate our
    interests in the international arena. I assure you that any attempts
    of Azerbaijan to break the rhythm of our people will be repulsed by
    the NKR Army of Defense', as stated in the greeting of the President.
    A.H. -0 -

    ************************************************** *******************

    AMBASSADOR OF IRAQ TO AZERBAIJAN: SENDING ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPING
    FORCES TO IRAQ NOT TO CHANGE THE POSITION OF OFFICIAL BAGHDAD
    REGARDING THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT

    YEREVAN, January 4. /ARKA/. Sending Armenian peacekeeping forces to
    Iraq will not change the position of official Baghdad regarding the
    Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as stated by the new Ambassador of Iraq to
    Azerbaijan Arshad Omar Ishmael when commenting the decision of the RA
    NA to send military contingent to Iraq, according to TREND. "Many
    peacekeeping forces may arrive in our country, but it will not
    influence of our general policy', he said. According to him, the
    decision of RA NA to send 50 peacekeepers to Iraq was taken after the
    military operations. `Armenia is willing to participate only current
    processes to restore peace. There is a Surah in the Koran stating
    that `those who declare Jihad for the sake of conquesting Mecca are
    above those who did it later'. I do not believe that those who got
    involved in the struggle to save Iraq and those who did it later
    would be treated simultaneously. In any case, those who came first
    are important for us', he said. The diplomat drew the attention to
    Iraq's always supporting the position of Baku in the issue of
    Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement. Official Baghdad is for the
    solution of the problem only `in the framework of the territorial
    integrity of Azerbaijan'. `During the last discussions in UNO we
    voted for the project of resolution developed by the Azerbaijani
    side', he reminded. The Ambassador noted that that policy would be
    pursued in future as well.
    To note, so far there is no Embassy of Iraq in Yerevan. `This is a
    very important fact and Azerbaijan should take it into account.
    Interests of our friends have an important place in our foreign
    policy', he said. A.H. -0 -
Working...
X