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 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. The Yerevan City Council has elected Tigran Avniyan from the ruling Civil Contract as the mayor of the Armenian capital. Partner news | Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. Byblos Bank Armenia celebrates Students' Day with scholarship recipients YSU students who received scholarships from Byblos Bank Armenia gathered in a casual setting to meet with the Bank's CEO, Hayk Stepanyan. Azerbaijan extends Rune Vardanyan’s arrest by 5 months A court in Azerbaijan has extended the arrest of former Nagorno-Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan by five months. Armenia border residents dissatisfied with delimitation Residents Kirants are dissatisfied with the results of the delimitation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. |