ARMENIAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT DELEGATION TO VISIT LITHUANIA
Baltic News Service
September 7, 2004
VILNIUS, Sep 07 — A delegation of the Armenian Constitutional Court
is to come to Lithuania on the first official visit on Wednesday.
The Constitutional Court has reported that President Valdas
Adamkus will receive the Armenian Constitutional Court delegation
on Wednesday. On Thursday, the guests will visit the Lithuanian
Constitutional Court, the Supreme Administrative Court, and are
scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas.
During the four-day visit, the Armenian Constitutional Court delegation
will also meet with Justice Minister Vytautas Markevicius and Vilnius
University rector Benediktas Juodka. The guests will also have an
opportunity to meet with members of Lithuania’s Armenian community.
The Lithuanian and Armenian constitutional courts have been
cooperating since 1998. For the past six years, judges of the
Lithuanian Constitutional Court have annually attended international
conferences in Yerevan, arranged by the Armenian Constitutional Court
and the European Commission For Democracy through Law.

IFAD HELPS RESTORE ARMENIA IRRIGATION SYSTEM AND COMMUNITY ROADS
ArmenPress
Sept 8 2004
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS: The International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD) has released $8.7 million for
restoration and construction of 43 irrigation systems across Armenia
between 2001 and 2004. Some $2.3 million of that money was utilized in
the first eight months of this year providing around 10,000 hectares
of lands and orchards with effective irrigation.
Reconstruction of some other irrigation systems continues at the
moment and when accomplished they will give water to another 11,500
hectares of land.
IFAD has also given money for a major repair of a 6.1 km long section
of a road connecting Voskevan and Barekamavan villages in Tavush
province, expected to be over by the end of September. IFAD will
also release funds for repair of the two other sections of the road
to companies that will be announced winners of a relevant tender to
be announced later this year.

Seoul hopes to boost economic relations with Russia soon
By Vladimir Kutakhov
ITAR-TASS News Agency
September 8, 2004 Wednesday 3:01 AM Eastern Time
SEOUL, September 7 — South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun supports the
proposal for further advancement of Russian-South Korean cooperation
within the framework of the bilateral Business Council, Head of
the Russia-South Korea Business Council Ara Abramyan, who is also
President of the World Armenian Congress and Deputy Chairman of the
Russian-Korean friendship society, said in an interview with Itar-Tass.
He said the South Korean Roh Moo-hyun would pay an official visit to
Russia from September 20-23 at the invitation from Russian President
Vladimir Putin.
The head of the Republic of Korea believes that it is necessary
to enhance the significance of the Business Council and intensify
cooperation between the business communities of the two countries.
With this in view, the South Korean president plans to meet the
business leaders of the two countries during his visit to Moscow.
The Korean want Roh Moo-hyun’s forthcoming meetings in Moscow to impart
“a serious impulse to the development of economic relations between
Russia and South Korea, Ara Abramyan said.
“I can say that there are no differences on principle between the two
countries. President Roh Moo-hyun has promised to support Russia in
its efforts to join the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The president of the Republic of Korea liked the Russian idea of
bringing together one hundred North and South Koreans for a visit to
Russia, Ara Abramyan noted. This would provide them with an opportunity
to spend two weeks together and communicate at their convenience.
“This idea has been supported in Seoul and it is now up to North Korea
to define its stance. The Russian foreign affairs ministry has also
promised assistance,” Mr. Abramyan said.
“I assess positively the outcome of our meeting with President Roh
Moo-hyun,” he said.
The head of the Republic of Korea had received on Tuesday, September
7, the Russian delegation to the meeting of the co-chairmen of the
Russian-Korean commission for economic, scientific and technological
cooperation. Russian Transport Minister led the delegation and Ara
Abramyan took part in the meeting with the South Korean president.
During the meeting, the project of linking the Trans Siberian railway
line to the Trans Korean railway road was discussed and the head
of the South Korean administration supported the Russian proposal
for running a freight train with containers for the first time from
the South Korean port of Pusan via North Korea and along the Trans
Siberian railway line to Western Europe.
This proposal will be discussed in greater detail at the forthcoming
tripartite meeting in Pyongyang in October at which the North Korean
party is expected to state its position.

Armenia praises Iran for balanced policy
By Tigran Liloyan
ITAR-TASS News Agency
September 8, 2004 Wednesday
YEREVAN, September 8 — Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan
praised Iran’s balanced policy and constructive role in the resolution
of regional conflicts.
“Today Iran is considered an important factor of stability and peace
in the region,” the prime minister said in a meeting with visiting
Iranian President Sayed Mohammad Khatami on Wednesday.
In his words, trade and economic ties between the two countries include
elements of regional cooperation and were open for the participation
of other countries in the region.
The two sides welcomed the agreement on the construction of a gas
pipeline from Iran to Armenia and discussed projects to build the
Kajaran-Meghri tunnel in southern Armenia and design a hydropower
plant on the border river Araks.

More intl humanitarian aid comes to Beslan
ITAR-TASS News Agency
September 8, 2004 Wednesday
MOSCOW, September 8 — Humanitarian supplies from all parts of the
world continue to arrive in the North Ossetian town of Beslan.
An An-12 plane brought from Azerbaijan five tonnes of medicines,
Russia’s Emergencies Ministry told Itar-Tass on Wednesday.
Two hundred kilograms of donor blood were delivered from Armenia.
Some 50 tonnes of relief supplies have been brought to Beslan over
the past three days. These include medicines, IT and burn-treatment
equipment and X-ray units, the Ministry said.
Planes with humanitarian supplies from Norway and Greece are expected
to land at the Beslan airport within the next few hours, spokesman
for North Caucasian regional border department Sergei Livantsov said.
Bishop Feofan of Stavropol and Vladikavkas called upon the clergy
and secular authorities to build a temple, on whose walls the names
of the Beslan victims should be inscribed.
The bishop arrived in Beslan on the first day of the hostage taking
drama and has remained there since, officiating at funerals.
Regional lawmakers donated their one-day wage to the victims’
relatives. They urged their colleagues from local self-rule bodies
to follow suit.

Armenia, Iran can jointly build road to North, Khatami says
By Tigran Liloyan
ITAR-TASS News Agency
September 8, 2004 Wednesday
YEREVAN, September 8 — Armenia and Iran can jointly build a road to
the North and step up bilateral and multilateral trade and economic
cooperation, Iranian President Sayed Mohammad Khatami said.
In a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan
on Wednesday, Khatami, who is in Yerevan on an official visit,
expressed the hope that experts of the two countries would find the
best decisions on how to connect the North and the South.
In his view, well-maintained roads in Armenia and, in the future, a
Kajaran-Meghri tunnel in the southeast of the country could be useful.
The president stressed that the development of individual countries
and the region as a whole was possible only if there is peace,
stability and security.
“We consider Armenia our neighbour and a friendly country, and we want
to make our friendship an example for others to follow,” Khatami said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenia, Iran agree on cooperation
By Tigran Liloyan
ITAR-TASS News Agency
September 8, 2004 Wednesday
YEREVAN, September 8 — The presidents of Armenia and Iran, Robert
Kocharyan and Sayed Mohammad Khatami, signed in Yerevan on Wednesday
the Treaty on the basic principles of cooperation between Armenia and
Iran. They have also adopted the joint statement which describes the
official visit of the Iranian president to Yerevan as “the beginning
of the new stage” in bilateral relations.
“Discussing the latest events in the region and exchanging opinions
on the settlement of the Karabakh crisis, the presidents stressed
the need to resolve the matter peacefully”, the statement says.
The document on the construction of a gas pipeline from Iran to
Armenia and the memorandum on cooperation between the ministries of
energy were also signed.
Addressing a joint news conference, Kocharyan said, “Energy remains a
most important area of bilateral relations. Armenia and Iran intend
to combine their infrastructures which will impart a new quality to
our cooperation in energy and will put it on a regional level”.
Iran and Armenia are linked by “a special relationship” that may
set the example of truly goodneighbourly ties, Khatami said. He
stressed that his country attaches special importance to stability
in the Caucasus. “The security of countries of the region is our
own security, too. The common goals and interests must be held above
differences existing in the Caucasus”, he said.
“Terrorism poses a grave danger to the world today, the Iranian
president said. “Present-day realities are such that terrorist acts
may happen in the West and in the East, in Iran and in America.
Terrorists commit a dual crime, killing innocent people and
discrediting religions that advocate peace and humanism”, he said.

Armenia to send its troops to Iraq
by Maria Kozhushko
RusData Dialine – Russian Press Digest
September 8, 2004 Wednesday
SOURCE: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, No 192, p.5
Armenia has become the second, after Ukraine, CIS member country,
which agreed to send its soldiers to Iraq. Armenian servicemen will
join the part of the coalition force under the command of Poland.
The agreement on this was reached during the talks between the
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and his Polish counterpart
Alexander Kwasniewski, as Kocharyan visited Warsaw on Monday. The
sending of the 30 Armenian troops to Iraq is one of the provisions
of a broad agreement between Armenia and Poland on cooperation in
the fields of defense and security.
In the explanations given to press, the Armenian Defense Minister
Serge Sarkisyan said the decision to send troops was made because
“Armenia feels itself a part of Europe.” Another possible reason is
that Iraq has nearly 25,000-people-strong Armenian community.

Agency WPS
The Russian Business Monitor (Russia)
September 8, 2004, Wednesday
THE STATE WILL TRY TO SELL A 25.5% STAKE IN SIBERIAN AIRLINES AGAIN
The state will make another try to sell Siberian Airlines. The
blocking interest in the company is included into the additional
plan of privatization for 2004. Experts say that the stake may be
interesting primarily for managers of Siberian Airlines and large
greenmailers and estimate it at $20-30 million.
Siberian Airlines is Russia’s second largest air company after
Aeroflot. In 2003, it transported 3.4 million passengers. Siberian
Airlines operates 34 Tu-154 airplanes, 12 IL-86s, two Tu-204s and
two Airbus-310s. Siberian Airlines has controlling interest in the
Armenian air company Armavia that operates four A320 airliners. In
2003, revenue of Siberian Airlines according to international
standards amounted to about $370 million and net profit amounted
to $1 million. Russian Federal Property Fund has 25.5% of company’s
shares and 56.8% belong to Natalia Fileva, wife and senior deputy of
company’s General Director Vladislav Filev.
Experts say that management of Siberian Airlines is the main candidate
for the stake. Michael Boboshko, director of the analytical department
of Sovlink company, says that Western investors will hardly risk
investing in a rather closed company like Siberian Airlines. Russian
investors will not participate in the auction because they are
interested in establishment of control. Natalia Zagvozdina from
Renaissance Capital also says that given an owner of controlling
interest other air companies will hardly be interested in a blocking
stake. A source in Aeroflot states, “Business of Siberian Airlines
is stringently controlled by the management and I do not think that
acquisition of a blocking stake will be interesting for Aeroflot.” Last
week it was reported that Aeroflot proposed the Economic Development
and Trade Ministry to reassign state-owned shares in regional air
companies to Aeroflot in exchange for increase of the state interest
in Aeroflot. A spokesperson for Aeroflot refused to say if Siberian
Airlines was among the candidates for takeover.
Boboshko from Sovlink estimates 25.5% of Siberian Airlines shares
at $30 million. Roman Trotsenko, Chair of the Board of Directors of
Industrial Development investment group, says that debts of Siberian
Airlines amount to about $200 million and the state-owned stake may
cost $20 million.
Source: Vedomosti, September 07, 2004

RIA OREANDA
Economic Press Review
September 8, 2004 Wednesday
Armenia to Send Troops to Iraq
Yerevan. Appeared in Russian in Moscow’s NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA
[Independent gazette]. Armenia is the second CIS country after
Ukraine to deploy its troops in Iraq. Armenian peacekeepers will
serve as part of the coalition forced under the command of Poland.
President Robert Kocharian of Armenia and Aleksandr Kwasniewski of
Poland reached an agreement to this effect during Pres. Kocharian’s
visit to Poland. Fifty servicemen of the Armenia contingent will be
sent to Iraq as part of a cooperation agreement between Armenia and
Poland, which the presidents signed in Warsaw. Armenia’s Defense
Minister Serge Sarkisian, who accompanied Pres. Kocharian during his
visit to Poland, told journalists that the government decided to send
troops to Iraq, because “despite of its size and remoteness from
Europe, Armenia feels that it is a part of Europe.”