By Vestnik Kavkaza
Armenia joining the Customs Union is still being discussed in the republic's mass media. The authors of the articles refer to analysts who present various views on the question.
As the newspaper New Time reports, foreign minister Edward Nalbandyan commented for journalists on the results of the meeting between the presidents of Russia and Armenia. He stated that the country would continue developing its relations within all possible formats and directions with the EU, which won’t contradict membership in the CU.
Golos Armenia Newspaper publishes an opinion of the chairman of the National Assembly, Ovik Abramyan, who promises that the agreement with the CU won’t be signed if it doesn't match Armenia’s interests. Abramyan is sure that joining the CU will be beneficial to Armenia both in the economic and political spheres, but what exactly Armenia will get, the talks will show. The head of the Dashnaktsutyun faction, Armen Rustamyan, stated that after September 3rd, Armenia had made its foreign policy clear: “Whether it is good or not is another question, but nobody can say that Armenia has any alternative to Russia in the sphere of providing military and energy security.”
According to the same newspaper, the CU topic was discussed on the first day of the autumn session of the parliament in the republic; and several MPs expressed their dissatisfaction that the decision on joining was made without seeking their opinions or discussion of it in parliament. Nikol Pashinyan, a member of the Armenian National Congress party, Free Democrat Alexander Arzumanyan, and the head of the Heritage faction Ruben Akopyan proposed inviting foreign minister Edvard Nalbandyan and President Serge Sargsyan to the parliament for explanations. Pashinyan stated that Armenia was facing a geopolitical crisis and that the statement by the president could lead to loss of Armenian independence.
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Azerbaijani newspaper The Caspian reports that Yerevan hosted a meeting on the Eastern Partnership in the format of an unofficial dialogue, which was the last preparative session ahead of the Vilnius summit in November. Stefan Fule, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, the foreign ministers of Moldova, Armenia and Belarus, the Minister of State of Georgia and the deputy foreign ministers of Ukraine and Azerbaijan took part in the session.
The deputy foreign minister of Azerbaijan, Mahmud Mamedguliyev, answering a question of NEWS.am, stated that the EU should express its independent position on the Karabakh conflict. According to him, the EU position shouldn’t be limited by passive adoption of decisions by the OSCE Minsk Group. Mamedguliyev added that the unsettled conflict is the main obstacle in the path of the region’s development and integration. “The European Union should take part in this issue. It doesn’t mean that it should be involved in it, but it should express its own position because the current situation is unacceptable. The leaders of the G8 agree with it – the status quo is unacceptable. It has been going on for twenty years. For a settlement of the conflict the EU should use all opportunities, because the conflict continues, soldiers are dying,” the deputy foreign minister of Azerbaijan stated.
According to him, the EU’s attitude should not be formal. “A special envoy on conflicts was appointed by the EU; he comes and leaves. Of course, we don’t mean direct involvement, because the EU is not a co-chair of the Minsk Group. However, it includes France, a leading country of the EU. They say: “The conflict should be solved within the Minsk Group, and we will accept the decision.” I don’t think it is an independent position,” Mamedguliyev summed up.
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The Georgian mass media reports that a bigger grape harvest is expected this year in comparison with last year – it is estimated at 150 thousand tons. Today about 80 wineries are ready to process the harvest. According to information by the minister of agriculture of Georgia, Shalva Pipiya, published by The Georgian Times, there is a working plan on harvesting, and the process will radically differ from previous years. Previously-gathered grapes from farms were taken by state structures, which defined “the game rules”, while farmers were sponsored by giving them various vouchers, so they had to waste time in lines to convert vouchers into cash; this year the private sector will be involved in the work completely and grape prices and relations between vineyards and wine-makers will be determined by the market.
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Kabardino-Balkaria Pravda Newspaper reports that representatives of the Resorts of the North Caucasus and French companies France-Caucase and Compagnie des Alpes visited the year-round tourist and recreation complexes of Arkhyz (Karachay-Cherkessia), Elbrus-Bezengi (Kabardino-Balkaria), and Mamison (North Ossetia-Alania). Russian and French experts reviewed territories of the special economic area, visited establishing resorts, and conducted meetings with leaderships of the regions. They estimated advantages of tourist platforms and developed practical recommendations on their development.
The newspaper reported that a member of the Board Council of the RNC, Jean-Pierre Sonois, noted the reasonableness of developing northern slopes of Arkhyz, where snow would stay for a month longer than on the southern slopes. The project manager of Compagnie des Alpes, Jean Luc Vallieres, expressed the view that the natural configuration of Arkhyz perfectly matched international standards and teaching mountain-skiing. As a result of visiting Elbrus-Bezengi, the sides discussed prospects of its development from the point of view of effective use of the tourist potential of Elbrus.
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The Republic of Abkhazia Newspaper tells about the Week of the Russian Language, Russian Education, and Culture. A workshop held within the Week gathered more than 80 teachers of the Russian language from Abkhazia. One of the main goals of the program was establishing conditions for the personal and professional development of Russian language teachers, their readiness and skills on reconsideration of their pedagogical activity in the context of preservation and spreading the Russian language. At the workshop, experts from the Russian Center of Modern Educational Technologies told about new methods of teaching Russian. Using an interactive method, experts constantly supported a dialogue with their listeners, every material was presented on a screen with corresponding comments.
