Hrant Melik-Shakhnazaryan: official Tbilisi should have come up with new roleJanuary 22, 2011 - 18:16 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Georgian authorities are attempting to persuade western political society their country in still an important player in South Caucasus region, the head of Strategic Research Center Hrant Melik-Shakhnazaryan said. As he noted in a conversation with PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, August 2008 events revealed the inadequacy of both Georgian and western policies. “The war with Russia turned Georgia into a liability, rather than an ally to the west, also decreasing its regional importance. Clearly, in current situation, official Tbilisi should have come up with a new role. Next thing we see is Foreign Minister Vashadze expressing readiness for Georgia to mediate Karabakh issue. I believe, Saakashvili’s visit to Armenia should be viewed as the intention of Georgia authorities to emphasize their importance in the region.” “Last week, while speaking at American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, Saakashvili attempted to persuade local experts of Georgia’s growing importance in the region. Now, he’s trying to prove it though populist statements,” Melik-Shakhnazaryan stressed. Top stories President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Achieving stable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains a priority of the OSCE, said Ian Borg. The Cabinet of Ministers decided on Thursday, November 9 to allocated AMD 120 million to arrange the gathering. Michael Roth believes sanctions must be put on the table after Baku‘s ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. Partner news | Putin congratulates Pashinyan’s birthday Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his birthday on June 1. Opposition motorcade en route to Gyumri for large rally A motorcade of protesters headed by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan is heading to the city of Gyumri. Russia: Armenia’s frozen membership weakens CSTO position in Caucasus A Russian envoy said any step that could alienate the CSTO member states from each other is “deeply wrong”. Prosecutors to appeal Armenia ex-President’s acquittal Sargsyan was acquitted on Friday, May 31 more than four years after going on trial on corruption charges. |