XI HIGH FEST International Performing Arts Festival will take place in Yerevan Oct 1-12 2013.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has expressed his condolences to the family of the well-known Armenian philanthropist Gerard Cafesjian.

The political processes should not have an impact on cooperation in education between Armenia and EU, Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, said during today's meeting with Armenia's Education Minister Armen Ashotyan.

Armenia's decision to join the Customs Union was made from the USA's sanction, a member of the "Karabakh" committee, former adviser of the first president of Armenia, Ashot Manucharyan, said at today's press-conference.

Customs Union is a "backward periphery", and it is not hard for Ukraine to choose between it and the European Union, says Ukrainian political expert Alexander Paliy. He is sure that the Customs Union will bring no benefit to Ukraine, Gazeta.ru said.

Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova Natalya German discussed expansion of the two countries' contractual framework, the Armenian Foreign Ministry told ArmInfo.

Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan and EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule, who arrived in Armenia to represent the European Union at the third Informal Eastern Partnership Dialogue in Yerevan, Armenia, on 13 September, discussed a broad spectrum of issues of Armenia-EU partnership.

Tbilisi. Intermediate Mountain Training Summer Course (IMTSC), underway  at Sachkhere (Western Georgia) Mountain Training School as part of the NATO Partnership for Peace Program (PfP), has entered its active phase - Georgian Ministry of Defence reported on Thursday, September 12.

Tbilisi. It is immoral to use such costly helicopters like Super Puma, especially as the major part of the population in Georgia lives in poverty - Georgian Premier, Bidzina Ivanishvili, stated on Thursday, September 12.

Tbilisi. On Wednesday, September 11, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi, Metropolitan of Pitsunda and Tskhum-Abkhazia Ilia expressed assurance that shortcomings of the past elections would be taken into consideration during the forthcoming presidential elections.  

Tbilisi. Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi, Metropolitan of Pitsunda and Tskhum-Abkhazia Ilia is concerned with the situation in Syria, which may grow into a large scale war.

Astana. The first barrels of oil have been extracted in the Kashagan field in Kazakhstan's sector of the Caspian Sea, reports the press service of the consortium of the North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC.)

Vienna. One of the OSCE's key tasks - conflict resolution - is the focus of the OSCE Security Day to be held at the Hofburg Congress Centre in Vienna on Monday, 16 September, says the OSCE Website.

On September 12 Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Karen Mirzoyan met with Jurgen Klimke, member of the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs of the German Parliament - Bundestag who was in Stepanakert on a familiarization visit, NKR Foreign Ministtry reported.

Welcoming the visit of Jurgen Klimke to the NKR, Karen Mirzoyan noted  that it was a good opportunity for the German MP to get acquainted  with the positive developments in the NKR and get answers to 
questions he was interested in. Noting the importance of visits by  the representatives of various countries to Artsakh that have  recently become more frequent, Karen Mirzoyan come out for 
dissemination of comprehensive information about Artsakh in the world  and its integration in international processes.

During the meeting, Karen Mirzoyan presented the current stage of the  settlement of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh.  The sides also touched upon a range of issues of mutual interest.

Foreign Minister of  Armenia Edward Nalbandian received EU Commissioner for Enlargement  and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule, who is in Armenia to  represent the European Union at the third Informal Eastern 
Partnership Dialogue in Yerevan, Armenia, on 13 September.

The sides continued the discussions launched in Brussels on 5  September and stressed the importance of the third Informal Eastern  Partnership Dialogue in Yerevan, the Foreign Ministry of Armenia 
reported. Minister Nalbandian reaffirmed Armenia's willingness to  continue cooperation with the EU in all possible fields. 

The third Eastern Partnership Summit will takes place in Vilnius  28-29 November. Some Eastern Partnership countries are expected to  initial Association Agreements, including DCFTA, at the Summit.  
However, on September 3, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan confirmed  Armenia's intention to join the Customs Union and contribute to the  process of formation of the Eurasian Union. Vladimir Putin supported 
Sargsyan's decision and promised to contribute to Yerevan's accession  to the Customs Union in every possible way. Since 2010 Yerevan has  been negotiating on Association Agreement (AA) and Deep and 
Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) with the EU. Armenia was  expected to initial the AA/DCFTA during the Eastern Partnership 
summit in Vilnius.

The Customs Union has been created within the Eurasian economic space  for trade and economic integration of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia  on the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin.  

 Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev has arrived in Yerevan to attend the third Informal Eastern Partnership Dialogue in Yerevan, Armenia, on 13 September, ahead of the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius in November.

Azerbaijan's Ambassador to the EU Fuad Iskenderov will also attend the meeting.

On September 3, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan confirmed Armenia's intention to join the Customs Union and contribute to the process of formation of the Eurasian Union. Vladimir Putin supported Sargsyan's 
decision and promised to contribute to Yerevan's accession to the Customs Union in every possible way. Since 2010 Yerevan has been negotiating on Association Agreement (AA) and Deep and Comprehensive 
Free Trade Area (DCFTA) with the EU. Armenia was expected to initial the AA/DCFTA during the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius.

 Armenia's decision to join the Customs Union has brought fourth numerous questions about the prospects of Armenia's development and sovereignty, Dr.  Canan Atilgan, Director of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (Foundation) (KAS) in the South Caucasus, said at a roundtable in Yerevan.

 Armenia would be a sixth rate country in the harsh empire called the European Union, Hmayak Hovhannisyan, Chairman of the Association of Armenian Political Experts, told journalists in Yerevan on Thursday.    

"My friends and I were imprisoned in 2008 without any proof, and the murderer has recently been released", Gourgen Yeghiazaryan, member of the opposition Armenian National Congress, told journalists on Thursday. 

 Human Rights Watch urges Armenia Police Chief, Vladimir Gasparyan, and Head of Special Investigative Service, Vahram Shahinyan, to take all appropriate measures to promptly, thoroughly, and effectively investigate the attacks, identify and bring the perpetrators to justice, and make clear that such violence against peaceful demonstrators will be neither tolerated nor condoned.  In his letter, Hugh Williamson, Director Europe and Central Asia division Human Rights Watch, worries about the growth of the violence cases against the participants in the peaceful demonstrations and actions in Yerevan.