SARGSYAN PLEDGES TO STAND BY LEBANON
The Daily Star
Nov 28 2012
Lebanon
BEIRUT: Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said his country would stand
by Lebanon amid the ongoing unrest in the Middle East and expressed
concern for the Syrian Armenians caught in that country~Rs conflict.
Denouncing last month~Rs assassination of senior security chief Brig.
Gen. Wissam al-Hasan, Sargsyan said that Lebanese leaders should
unify their ranks and stand together to prevent a new wave of attacks
against Lebanon.
~SWe regret and denounce the terrorist attack of Oct. 19 and we express
our condolences to the families of the victims. Armenia hopes that
the attack will fail to shake Lebanon~Rs stability,~T Sargsyan said.
Speaking during a lunch banquet in his honor at Speaker Nabih Berri~Rs
Ain al-Tineh residence, Sargsyan said Armenia was confident that
Lebanese leaders can take the necessary steps to build confidence
among the Lebanese and protect the country from violence.
~SArmenian authorities are ready for their role to stand by Lebanon
and the Lebanese to solve the present conflicts,~T he added.
In a rare showing amid the ongoing political deadlock in the country,
MPs from across the political divide met for lunch at Ain al-Tineh. A
number of diplomats and senior state officials also attended the
gathering at Berri~Rs residence.
Sargsyan also said his country was worried by the ongoing violence in
Syria and expressed concern over the fate of at least 80,000 Syrian
Armenians in the war-torn country.
~SThe continuing violence and the terrorist activities in Syria are
completely unacceptable ... Thousands of Syrian Armenians are also
living under these difficult circumstances. Armenia~Rs stance toward
this crisis is clear: We ask our brothers and sisters in Syria to
rally behind restoring peace as quickly as possible in Syria,~T said
Sargsyan, who arrived in Beirut Monday for a three-day official visit.
~SThe main challenge is to spread peace and stability in the world.~T
He added that Lebanon was the first country in the region to endorse
democratic values but it paid a high price for those principles
because ~Sthe region surrounding it was not ready for them.~T
Earlier Tuesday, Sargsyan visited Armenian Patriarch Aram I at the
Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia in Antelias and praised the role
the church played for the community.
Before heading to the lunch in Ain al-Tineh, Sargsyan visited
Haigazian University in Beirut, during which he was welcomed by a
crowd of students and administration officials.
Students from the American University of Beirut, Lebanese American
University and the Saint Joseph University gathered at Haigazian
along with the university~Rs president, the Rev. Paul Haidostian,
to welcome the Armenian official.
~SYou are tasked to build stronger relations between Armenia and
Lebanon,~T Sargsyan told the students in a speech.
Also Tuesday, Sargsyan visited the Armenian Catholic monastery in
Bzommar and met with Armenian Catholic Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX.
The Armenian president will hold a farewell meeting with President
Michel Sleiman Wednesday morning before ending his three-day visit
to Lebanon.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2012/Nov-28/196356-sargsyan-pledges-to-stand-by-lebanon.ashx#axzz2DUgXr6Sc
The Daily Star
Nov 28 2012
Lebanon
BEIRUT: Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said his country would stand
by Lebanon amid the ongoing unrest in the Middle East and expressed
concern for the Syrian Armenians caught in that country~Rs conflict.
Denouncing last month~Rs assassination of senior security chief Brig.
Gen. Wissam al-Hasan, Sargsyan said that Lebanese leaders should
unify their ranks and stand together to prevent a new wave of attacks
against Lebanon.
~SWe regret and denounce the terrorist attack of Oct. 19 and we express
our condolences to the families of the victims. Armenia hopes that
the attack will fail to shake Lebanon~Rs stability,~T Sargsyan said.
Speaking during a lunch banquet in his honor at Speaker Nabih Berri~Rs
Ain al-Tineh residence, Sargsyan said Armenia was confident that
Lebanese leaders can take the necessary steps to build confidence
among the Lebanese and protect the country from violence.
~SArmenian authorities are ready for their role to stand by Lebanon
and the Lebanese to solve the present conflicts,~T he added.
In a rare showing amid the ongoing political deadlock in the country,
MPs from across the political divide met for lunch at Ain al-Tineh. A
number of diplomats and senior state officials also attended the
gathering at Berri~Rs residence.
Sargsyan also said his country was worried by the ongoing violence in
Syria and expressed concern over the fate of at least 80,000 Syrian
Armenians in the war-torn country.
~SThe continuing violence and the terrorist activities in Syria are
completely unacceptable ... Thousands of Syrian Armenians are also
living under these difficult circumstances. Armenia~Rs stance toward
this crisis is clear: We ask our brothers and sisters in Syria to
rally behind restoring peace as quickly as possible in Syria,~T said
Sargsyan, who arrived in Beirut Monday for a three-day official visit.
~SThe main challenge is to spread peace and stability in the world.~T
He added that Lebanon was the first country in the region to endorse
democratic values but it paid a high price for those principles
because ~Sthe region surrounding it was not ready for them.~T
Earlier Tuesday, Sargsyan visited Armenian Patriarch Aram I at the
Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia in Antelias and praised the role
the church played for the community.
Before heading to the lunch in Ain al-Tineh, Sargsyan visited
Haigazian University in Beirut, during which he was welcomed by a
crowd of students and administration officials.
Students from the American University of Beirut, Lebanese American
University and the Saint Joseph University gathered at Haigazian
along with the university~Rs president, the Rev. Paul Haidostian,
to welcome the Armenian official.
~SYou are tasked to build stronger relations between Armenia and
Lebanon,~T Sargsyan told the students in a speech.
Also Tuesday, Sargsyan visited the Armenian Catholic monastery in
Bzommar and met with Armenian Catholic Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX.
The Armenian president will hold a farewell meeting with President
Michel Sleiman Wednesday morning before ending his three-day visit
to Lebanon.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2012/Nov-28/196356-sargsyan-pledges-to-stand-by-lebanon.ashx#axzz2DUgXr6Sc