Chairman of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Sport and Youth Affairs Armen Ashotian issued a congratulating message on the occasion of the Teacher’s Day. The message runs in part:

Head of the Albanian delegation to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), Aleksander Biberaj, has proposed that “the Monitoring Commission Co-Rapporteurs be regularly changed,” Armenian delegate to the PACE Raffi Hovannisian informed A1+.

Since the facts surrounding the outbreak of war between Georgia and Russia are disputed, there should be an independent international investigation into what happened, the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) said today after debating the consequences of the war.

“The Council of Europe made a late decision on the evident truth,” says PACE Armenian delegation member Raffi Hovhannisian referring to the Monitoring Commission’s decision

We joined the Movement and are going to stay as long as the people never lose faith in Levon Ter-Petrosyan. I joined the movement with a clear conscience.

After hearing the revelations during the last session of the parliamentary committee investigating the events of March 1, “Heritage” faction member Vardan Khachatrian got the impression that the murders of March 1 didn’t take place in Yerevan, but in Texas when a herd was on the move and some animals got killed on the way.

Armenian PM Tigran Sargsian has “guests” every Thursday and this Thursday was no exception. Today his guests were the citizens who had been thrown out of their houses for state needs, residents of the Dalma fields and the parents of the soldiers killed in the Armenian military units.

The PACE Monitoring Commission considered today the issue concerning the revelation of the reasons for the March 1 murders as essentially unsolved and stressed the importance of the urgent creation of an independent expert group, according to Armenian delegation member Armen Rustamyan.

“I don’t need Serzh Sargsyan’s amnesty,” said former RA Deputy Prosecutor General Gagik Jhangiryan in response to the rumors about Serzh Sargsyan’s speech on amnesty. “I have said that my friends and I don’t need amnesty. Let them declare amnesty, if they need it. The ones who need it are the criminals. This is all an act and it’s going to come to an end.”

The Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has received the report from the Human Rights Commissioner regarding his visit to Yerevan from 13 to 15 July 2008 and is extremely alarmed about its findings and conclusions that show that only limited progress has been achieved regarding key demands of the Assembly.

The PACE decided to confirm the ratification of the credentials of the Russian delegation, while reminding that it can be seized again of the matter "at any moment".

I welcome any step that will help reduce the tension in the Armenian-Turkish relations and raise the level of possible cooperation,” leader of the United Labour Party (MAK) Gurgen Arsenian told a press conference today while assessing Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s visit to Armenia.

“I do not think that the diplomatic relations will better after the borders are opened,” Armenia’s ex Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian told a press conference today.

“The Assembly considers that the recent war between Russia and Georgia, two member states of the Organisation, constitutes in itself a serious violation of the Statute of the Council of Europe and has led to further infringements by Russia, as well as Georgia, of their obligations and commitments as member states of the Council of Europe.

Leader of the United Labour Party (MAK) Gurgen Arsenian found Shota Vardanian’s thesis about the opposition’s footage on the March 1 ocurrences unconvincing. Reminder, last week Shota Vardanian stated that the organs seen in the footage belong to animals and the blood is imitated.

Both Russia and Georgia have ignored their commitments” CoE General Secretary Terry Devis told a press conference today.

"I never mention the phrase political prisoner as I refer to it as a label,” Secretary General of the Council of Europe Terry Devis said in reply to A1+’s question whether there are political prisoners in Armenia.

“Different techniques are applied to regulate the conflicts of South Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh,” Avet Adonts, member of the Bargavach Hayastan Party (BHK), Armenian delegate to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), said to A1+ in Strasbourg.

Russian Communist Party leader and member of the PACE Russian delegation Genadi Ziuganov believes that the Russian-Georgian war was planned beforehand by the unruly adventurer [Georgian President Mikhail Sahakashvili] and feels sorry that the Georgian people play by his rules. During the Strasburg press conference today Ziuganov recalled that World War I and II began as a result of the provocation...

President of the NA committee on the March 1 events Samvel Nikoyan and ARF deputy Artsvik Minasyan visited today the Nubarashen prison and met with Suren Sirunyan who was sentenced to jail as a result of the March 1 events. Sirunyan informed the deputies that he has not been questioned since May and that he considers his accusation based on article 300 of the Criminal Code as nonsensical.

Although we had condemned the violent measures taken to solve electoral debates and called on the candidates to secure the legality of elections and maintain tolerance, there were illegalities and some violence during the recent local government elections. This was the concluding remark made by the “Choice is Yours” NGO observatory mission in the aftermath of the September 28 local government elections in Kentron, Nor Nork, Nork Marash, Avan,...

As proposed during today’s PACE monitoring session, CE Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammerberg will make another visit to Armenia. During today’s morning session, PACE monitors heard the brief report of the co-reporters on the fulfillment of the last resolutions on Armenia, as well as the results of the visit of the CE Human Rights Commissioner to Armenia in July.

Today the parliament worked as it would when Tigran Torosyan was chairman and of course, you can’t expect the “rise in the role of parliament” today, but you could at least expect to see order, even formal. But no, the deputies still pressed buttons of the absentees, most of them left the hall after the voting and there were very few deputies left after the first session and many got the impression that the session was over.

Another OSCE mission conducted an observation of the Berkaber village of the Tavush Marz on the line of contact of the Armenian and Azeri armed forces. According to head of border representation of the special department of the main headquarters of the Armenian Armed Forces Andranik Mkrtumyan, the observation took place without any incidents y according to plan, despite the fog.