Serzh Sargsyan will leave for Kazakhstan December 19 to take part in the unofficial summit of the leaders of CIS countries, according to the press service of the RA President.

The "MIatsum" national initiative was once again near the MInistry of Foreign Affairs building today with signs reading "Unity” and “Whoever hands over lands is a traitor”.

“We have to wait for the final opinion during the PACE January session,” said Republican faction deputy Armen Ashotyan in regard to the resolution of the PACE Monitoring Committee in Paris.

Declaring it “unacceptable” that persons could be charged and deprived of their liberty for political motivation in Armenia in relation to the events of 1 and 2 March 2008, the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) yesterday recommended suspending the voting rights of Armenia’s eight-member delegation to the Assembly until the authorities “have clearly demonstrated their political will to resolve...

The Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is still discussing the report and draft resolution on the process of accomplishment of Resolutions 1609 and 1620 on the functioning of democratic institutions in Armenia presented by co-rapporteurs on Armenia Georges Colombier and John Prescott.

“If the Council of Europe continues to second the Armenian leadership and close an eye to the existence of political prisoners in the country and numerous restrictions on human freedoms, I think it is no longer our concern but the CoE’s.

The head of the special investigation group looking into the March 1-2 events, Vahagn Harutiunyan, stated December 17 that the criminal proceedings against the Leader of the Republic Party, Aram Sargsyan, Leader of the All-Armenian Movement Ararat Zurabyan, ex deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Karapet Rubinyan and ex deputy head of the National Security Service Gurgen Yeghiazaryan has been suspended.

The advocates of former servicemen Razmik Sargsyan, Arayik Zalyan and Musa Serobyan do not attend court sittings on the case of Mataghis.

Who must apologize on behalf of the Republic of Armenia for disrespecting all Diaspora Armenians by denying Jirair Sefilyan and when?” asked the administration today historian, Diaspora Armenian Gevorg Yazrchyan taking into account the fact that the President, the Catholicos of All Armenians, the Prime Minister, the Diaspora Minister and others have already apologized for the deprivations and issues...

We have refrained from giving political evaluations to this day with the hope that the administration is leading a pro-Armenian foreign policy.

RA First President Levon Ter-Petrosyan met with the delegation headed by OSCE Secretary General Mark Perrin de Brichambaut.

On December 16, in accordance with the earlier achieved agreement with the NKR authorities, the OSCE mission conducted а regular monitoring of the contact-line of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijani armed forces in the south-eastern direction from the Kuropatkino settlement of Martouni region.

Prices go down during the holidays in almost all countries, except Armenia. Prices in the market are going up day after day.

Serzh Sargsyan received today OSCE Secretary General Mark Perrin de Brichambaut and the delegation accompanying him. The sides discussed possibilities for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement and the role of the OSCE in the final round of the process.

“The “Case of the Seven” trial will come crashing on administration,” said today representative of the Armenian National Congress Levon Zurabyan and called on everybody to participate and follow-up on the trial.

“This was the first wave of the crisis and worse is yet to come,” said today at the “Hayeli” club former head of the Central Bank of Armenia Bagrat Asatryan in a press conference with member of the Prosperous Armenia parliamentary faction Vardan Bostanjyan.

The Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) ended in Athens a few days ago. The forum featured 480 participants from 18 countries. The forum aims at assessing media landscape and freedom of expression in developing countries

I was amazed to hear the comments of Ombudsman Armen Harutiunyan on the case of 7 which has gone for trial.

The Director General of Bjni factory L. Harutiunyan issued a statement today which runs, “The Compulsory Executive Services of the Republic of Armenia are trying their utmost to put out the factory’s property to an electronic auction.

Colleen Graffy, Deputy Assistant for Public Diplomacy Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, is much impressed by the brilliant history of Armenia, its cuisine, culture and warm reception.

“The principles of Madrid regarding the Karabakh conflict resolution have undergone no changes,” Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan told a press conference today refuting his Azeri counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov’s recent statement that the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs had proposed changes to the Madrid principles after the Helsinki meeting.

The committee for the protection of Armenian political prisoners urged political prisoner Sargis Hatspanyan to stop hunger-strike staged since December 1.

A protest action was staged in front of the U.N. Yerevan Office in support of the Palestinian people on December 12. The protesters handed a letter to the U.N. Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon.

Today it became known whose order executed sharpshooters during the March 1 unrest in Yerevan. Today the NA ad hoc Committee looking into the tragic events of March 1-2 heard former Commander of the RA Police Troops Grigor Grigoryan who had ordered a sniper to shoot at the man killing serviceman Tigran Abgaryan.