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ARMENIAN PRESIDENT HAILS SULEIMAN, SAYS SECURITY IN LEBANON LINKED TO MIDDLE EAST
NaharNet
Nov 26 2012
Lebanon
by Naharnet Newsdesk 26 November 2012, 07:11
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan praised on Saturday the efforts
exerted by his counterpart Michel Suleiman locally and in the Middle
East to boost peace and stability, stressing that Lebanon's security
is linked to the situation in the region.
"Lebanon will advance," Sargsyan told reporters in a joint press
conference with Suleiman at the Baabda Palace.
The Armenian president said that talks with Suleiman were "fruitful,"
pointing out that the two officials discuss improving the ties between
the two countries.
"I discussed with Suleiman the importance of cooperation on
international levels," he told reporters.
Suleiman and the first lady, Wafaa, welcomed Sargsyan accompanied by
his wife, Rita, at the Baabda Palace.
Concerning the situation in Damascus, Sargsyan expressed concern
regarding the Syrian people, noting that that his country rejects
"bloodshed and violence."
"The crisis can be only solved through dialogue," he added, hailing the
mission of U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi to promote stability in Syria.
For his part, Suleiman said that talks focused on the developments in
the Arab world, stressing the importance of seeking a swift solution
to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Asked about the March 14 alliance's decision to boycott the national
dialogue session, which is set to be held on Thursday at the Baabda
Palace, Suleiman said that "any decision to boycott the session is
a democratic right."
However, he said that "democracy indicates that we should all sit at
one table and listen to what others' have to say."
Suleiman and Sargsyan inked a number of agreements at the end of
their meeting.
Sargsyan arrived in Beirut on Monday on a three-day official visit
to meet senior Lebanese officials, including Speaker Nabih Berri and
Prime Minister Najib Miqati.
He then headed to the Grand Serail where he met with the premier,
who called for removing "all obstacles that are obstructing the
development of Lebanese-Armenian bilateral ties."
He stressed the importance of joint cooperation between the two
countries, adding that Sargsyan's visit is a "sign of his keenness
on these ties."
For his part, Sargsyan noted that visits between officials from
Armenia and Lebanon are important in developing bilateral relations.
He also hoped that Lebanon would be able to overcome the difficult
regional situation.
Sargsyan will attend on Tuesday a lunch banquet in Ain el-Tineh,
held in his honor by Berri, in the presence of lawmakers from both
the March 14 and March 8 coalitions.
Berri had canceled a parliamentary session that was scheduled to be
held on Tuesday during which Sargsyan was planned to address MPs.
The speaker instead invited lawmakers to attend the lunch banquet in
honor of Sargysyan.
Berri explained that the invitation is "personal."
Sharp differences surfaced recently between the March 14 coalition and
Berri after the opposition accused the speaker of luring it to attend
parliamentary sessions despite vows by the coalition to boycott all
legislative activity.
The alliance rejected attending the session and another one planned
to show solidarity with the Palestinian people against the Israeli
aggression on the Gaza Strip.
The opposition decided to boycott parliamentary activities after the
assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau chief
Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan in October.
The alliance accuses the Syrian regime of being behind the murder
and blames Miqati's cabinet for covering the crime.
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/62238-armenian-president-arrives-in-lebanon-monday-to-meet-senior-officials
NaharNet
Nov 26 2012
Lebanon
by Naharnet Newsdesk 26 November 2012, 07:11
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan praised on Saturday the efforts
exerted by his counterpart Michel Suleiman locally and in the Middle
East to boost peace and stability, stressing that Lebanon's security
is linked to the situation in the region.
"Lebanon will advance," Sargsyan told reporters in a joint press
conference with Suleiman at the Baabda Palace.
The Armenian president said that talks with Suleiman were "fruitful,"
pointing out that the two officials discuss improving the ties between
the two countries.
"I discussed with Suleiman the importance of cooperation on
international levels," he told reporters.
Suleiman and the first lady, Wafaa, welcomed Sargsyan accompanied by
his wife, Rita, at the Baabda Palace.
Concerning the situation in Damascus, Sargsyan expressed concern
regarding the Syrian people, noting that that his country rejects
"bloodshed and violence."
"The crisis can be only solved through dialogue," he added, hailing the
mission of U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi to promote stability in Syria.
For his part, Suleiman said that talks focused on the developments in
the Arab world, stressing the importance of seeking a swift solution
to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Asked about the March 14 alliance's decision to boycott the national
dialogue session, which is set to be held on Thursday at the Baabda
Palace, Suleiman said that "any decision to boycott the session is
a democratic right."
However, he said that "democracy indicates that we should all sit at
one table and listen to what others' have to say."
Suleiman and Sargsyan inked a number of agreements at the end of
their meeting.
Sargsyan arrived in Beirut on Monday on a three-day official visit
to meet senior Lebanese officials, including Speaker Nabih Berri and
Prime Minister Najib Miqati.
He then headed to the Grand Serail where he met with the premier,
who called for removing "all obstacles that are obstructing the
development of Lebanese-Armenian bilateral ties."
He stressed the importance of joint cooperation between the two
countries, adding that Sargsyan's visit is a "sign of his keenness
on these ties."
For his part, Sargsyan noted that visits between officials from
Armenia and Lebanon are important in developing bilateral relations.
He also hoped that Lebanon would be able to overcome the difficult
regional situation.
Sargsyan will attend on Tuesday a lunch banquet in Ain el-Tineh,
held in his honor by Berri, in the presence of lawmakers from both
the March 14 and March 8 coalitions.
Berri had canceled a parliamentary session that was scheduled to be
held on Tuesday during which Sargsyan was planned to address MPs.
The speaker instead invited lawmakers to attend the lunch banquet in
honor of Sargysyan.
Berri explained that the invitation is "personal."
Sharp differences surfaced recently between the March 14 coalition and
Berri after the opposition accused the speaker of luring it to attend
parliamentary sessions despite vows by the coalition to boycott all
legislative activity.
The alliance rejected attending the session and another one planned
to show solidarity with the Palestinian people against the Israeli
aggression on the Gaza Strip.
The opposition decided to boycott parliamentary activities after the
assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau chief
Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan in October.
The alliance accuses the Syrian regime of being behind the murder
and blames Miqati's cabinet for covering the crime.
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/62238-armenian-president-arrives-in-lebanon-monday-to-meet-senior-officials