Today we live in a society, which can not imagine life without expressing views on social media. Probably it does have certain advantages. Nevertheless, many participants of active discussions have already forgotten or do not even know about the developments, which unfolded in Armenia 5, 10 or 15 years ago.
To fill the gap Mediamax presents 5/10/15 project, which introduce developments in Armenia 5, 10 and 15 years ago.
• 15 YEARS AGO: MARCH 7-13, 2007
Armenia considers premature
On March 9 Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian stated that “the Armenian side considers it premature discussing the issue of return of the Azerbaijani people to Nagorno-Karabakh.”
“As long as the modalities and the terms of holding a referendum in Nagorno-Karabakh for the determination of the status of the region are not defined, we consider it premature discussing the issue of the return of the Azerbaijani people to Nagorno-Karabakh,” the Armenian Foreign Minister stated.
He reminded that up till now the Armenian and the Azerbaijani sides have agreed only upon the fact that the status of Nagorno-Karabakh will be determined by its residents, however the details of the given process are still at the stage of discussion.
Official opening of the Information Center on NATO
On March 12 the ceremony of the official opening of the Information Center on NATO in Yerevan took place. The Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and the NATO Assistant Secretary General on Public Diplomacy Issues Jean Fournet participated in the ceremony.
Jean Fournet stated that the process of informing the society on the North-Atlantic Alliance, the directions of its activities and the tasks is “absolutely essential, if we want to get the right idea on the NATO agenda.”
“Our special partnership with Armenia is steadily developing,” Jean Fournet stated, noting that one of the tasks of the Information Center on NATO is to inform the public on the various aspects of the cooperation of Armenia and the Alliance.
“This Center will also be a place for debates and dialogue on the issues of security and new challenges,” the NATO Assistant Secretary General stated.
Jean Fournet and Vartan Oskanian Photo: Photolure
“The Center has been functioning for some time already and has already proved its demand. The establishment of such a Center is one of the points of the IPAP, and I am very pleased that we realized it during the first year of implementation of the given document. It is a very significant step, as by means of the given Center, together with NATO, we will be providing true information on the Alliance, its activities and the cooperation with Armenia,” the Armenian Foreign Minister stated.
“NATO today is not the bloc, which existed during the “cold war”. Many things changed in the international activities, and NATO managed to get adapted to the new realities. However, in our society there are still some elements of a way of thinking, peculiar to the “cold war”, and thus there arises the need to present truthful information,” Vartan Oskanian stated.
• 10 YEARS AGO: MARCH 7-13, 2012
Armenia refuses to participate in Eurovision
On March 7 European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced that Armenia has officially refused to participate in “Eurovision 2012” contest in Baku.
“We are deeply disappointed with Armenia’s decision not to participate in the contest this year,” stated John Ola Sand, executive supervisor of the contest. He noted that “their efforts to change its mind didn’t bear any results.”
“Obstacle rest with Ankara and Baku”
On March 10 Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said that the only obstacle for the establishment of the relations between Armenia and Turkey rest with Ankara and Baku.
“Our initiative on the normalization of the relations between Armenia and Turkey which from the outset had two ways to progress. It is true that the initiative didn’t develop in the way desirable for Armenia and the international community; the Armenian-Turkish border still remains closed. However, the second way which the initiative went on was also important, because:
Serzh Sargsyan on March 10, 2012Photo: Armenian President’s press office
First, as recent developments have clearly shown, it has solidified the process of the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide;
Second, the entire world came to see that the only obstacle for the establishment of the relations between Armenia and Turkey rest with Ankara and another capital, which acts as a busy-body, but in no way or shape with Yerevan;
And third, that Turkey was compelled by that initiative to sign an international document, which rules out any precondition for the establishment of the relations,” Armenian leader said.
“Yerevan: XX century”
On March 13 Mediamax launched “Yerevan: XX century” special project.
The “main characters” of the project were not only buildings but people and events. We tried to present the atmosphere of the city, demonstrating the most detailed approach to each “character”.
Filming the TV-version of the projectPhoto: Mediamax
Later “Yerevan: XX century” book and a TV version of the project on Armenia TV were issued.
• 5 YEARS AGO: MARCH 7-13, 2017
Hollande reminds about Madrid Principles
On March 8 President of France Francois Hollande said that Madrid Principles imply conditions for the settlement of NK issue.
Speaking at the official dinner in honor of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, he said:
“We have to continue our efforts for the settlement of NK issue to build a peaceful and safe future. Nothing is worse than status quo. The sides have negotiated for more than 23 years without any certain result. The solution seemed near sometimes. I invited you and your Azerbaijani counterpart to Paris in October of 2014. We achieved some success, especially regarding the deplorable destiny of those disappeared during the clashes; nevertheless we were not able to move further. Thus, continuous negotiations have no alternative, since we all agree that there is no military solution to NK conflict.
Presidents of Armenia and France on March 8, 2017Photo: Armenian President’s press office
Together with the U.S. and Russia, France permanently puts its mediating efforts to solve the issue. The conditions for the solution of NK issue are evident: Madrid Principles, based on exclusion of force, respect towards the territorial integrity of the states and right for self-determination,” Francois Hollande said.
“Armenia acquires new significance”
On March 13, Fyodor Lukyanov, Russian political scientist, research director at Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club, said that many in Russia do not realize how close Armenia is to many of the events taking place in the world today.
Fyodor Lukyanov Photo: Photolure
“As a state at the forefront of processes that largely determine the dynamics of the whole world, Armenia acquires a completely different significance,” the political scientist said at a meeting with journalists in Yerevan. Fyodor Lukyanov noted that it is important to understand how small the distance from Armenia to Syria, Iraq and Iran is.
Ara Tadevosyan
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