Month: November 2006

ARMENIA: VIOLATION OF FISHING BAN THREATENS LAKE SEVAN
Marianna Grigoryan
EurasiaNet, NY
Nov 1 2006
Armenian scientists are charging that violation of a ban on fishing for
whitefish poses a severe challenge to the eco-system of Armenia’s Lake
Sevan, the largest alpine lake in the Caucasus and one of Armenia’s
best-known natural landmarks. In response, the government has pledged
to tighten the ban as of mid-November, but local villagers remain
skeptical, saying that their livelihoods depend on the fish.
Lake Sevan’s famous whitefish, or sig, helped Armenians overcome
food shortages during the energy crisis of the early 1990s, but have
since become threatened with extinction from over-fishing. Unclear
environmental policies on the fish and a lack of economic alternatives
for local fishermen have further complicated matters.
In 2005, the National Academy of Sciences’s Institute of Hydroecology
and Ichthyology and a group of Russian scientists determined that the
number of Lake Sevan whitefish had decreased by 17 times compared
with 1983 levels. While in the mid-1980s the lake contained more
than 11,000 tons of whitefish, supply now stands at only 625 tons,
according to the findings.
To correct the problem, the Ministry of Environmental Protection
introduced a year-long ban on commercial fishing of whitefish in
February 2006, but little attention has been paid to it, fishermen
and scientists say. Blame is placed on the hard-scrabble economic
conditions in the villages surrounding the 1,360-square-kilomter lake.
“Let them give people jobs and we will not fish,” said Garik Avetisyan,
a middle-aged fisherman. “What shall we do? Die or what?
If there’re no fish, [our] families will die.”
Scientists, many of who favor a long-term ban on fishing for whitefish,
say that the difficult living conditions will only grow worse if the
whitefish population does not increase. In that case, large-scale
commercial fishing may soon become impossible, too. The period from
November through December, when the whitefish spawn, is particularly
critical, they say.
“Only one generation of whitefish remains in the lake today, instead
of several generations in the past,” said Boris Gabrielyan, deputy
director of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia’s Institute
of Hydroecology and Ichthyology. “The whitefish is not given time to
spawn and propagate. It is not allowed to do that.”
“Our ongoing research this year shows that the situation has become
worse as compared to last year,” Gabrielyan continued. “If poaching
continues at the same pace, whitefish will vanish as a commercial
fish type. Whitefish resources have been exploited to an inadmissible
degree.”
Meanwhile, as the whitefish population declines, the lake’s eco-system
is beginning to change. Gabrieylan charges that the increased presence
of organic materials on which the fish feed is turning the lake into
a swamp.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection has dismissed the claim,
however.
“There can be no discussion about swamps. There is no such thing,”
Artashes Ziroyan, head of the ministry’s Bio-Resources Management
Agency, said. “True, the amount of whitefish in the lake is not
considered sufficient, but together with colleagues from the interior
ministry and other departments, we will manage to preserve the
whitefish [population] during the period of the fishing ban.”
Despite the ban, whitefish and its caviar can still be found in
markets and shops.
In Yerevan, which is the largest market for whitefish, prices for
the fish have risen by at least several hundred percent in the last
few years. Whitefish now sell for between 300-500 drams, or roughly
$0.68 – $1.14, per fish in the capital’s markets, and rank among
shoppers as one of the most popular fish.
“The fish is a very useful product,” Amalia, a seller at one of
Yerevan’s markets, explained to her customers. Although formerly
whitefish was affordable for nearly everyone, she continued, that
situation has changed within the past few years. “It is in short
supply. That’s why prices for it have gone up.”
Commenting on the situation this summer, Minister of Environmental
Protection Vardan Ayvazyan argued that the declining whitefish
population is not “an environmental problem,” and suggested that
the ministry can do little in the face of persistent fishing by
economically deprived residents.
“In many cases, our orders are not obeyed, and no minister can say
that during his time in office the control of fishing at Lake Sevan
was good,” Ayvazyan told reporters at a press conference. “In reality,
there is a great problem of poverty [there]. Don’t you pity these
people [who live there]?”
Ministry officials say that they will work with the interior ministry
to monitor the lake regularly and watch for whitefish fishermen.
Illegal catches are usually seized, with a report then issued to
the media.
But along the lake itself, some fishermen show little concern about
the ministry’s promises. “There is no ban,” they say, smiling. “There
is a way around everything.”
Nonetheless, young fishermen pushing a metal boat out onto the sky-blue
lake say that they know the whitefish is under threat.
“When we fished whitefish three or five years ago, we pulled 300-400
kilograms of it with just two sweep-nets,” said 24-year-old Garik
Stepanyan, who has been fishing Lake Sevan for six years. “Now I have
11 sweep nets and if I catch 100 whitefish a day, I will consider
that a good day.”
Even with stricter enforcement of the ban, local fishermen say that
they will continue to fish. Other options for economic survival
are few.
“We know that it is not allowed to fish whitefish,” commented
43-year-old Tigran Khugoyan, a fisherman from the village of Noratus
on the lake’s western shore. “But if your child is hungry and there
is no job, the lake and fishing remain your only hope.”
Editor’s Note: Marianna Grigoryan is a reporter for the Armenianow.com
weekly in Yerevan.

LOCKETT FACES ‘ARMENIAN WARRIOR’
BBC News
Nov 1 2006
Gary Lockett will make the second defence of his WBU middleweight
crown against Roman Aramian at Newport Sports Centre on Saturday,
18 November.
Aramian, 23, who was born in Armenia but has German nationality,
has 19 wins from a 26-fight career with 13 KOs.
The “Armenian Warrior” has won his last six fights, five by stoppages,
but has rarely fought outside of Germany.
“I’ve seen this guy’s record and he looks like a right tough nut to
crack,” said Cwmbran-man Lockett, 29.
“I’m preparing for a long night, but once I lock on to him with my
heavy right hand and left hook then I know I can take him out.”
Bradley Pryce will make the second defence of his Commonwealth light
middleweight title on the undercard.
Also in action will be Welsh fighters Gavin Rees, Barrie Jones, Kerry
Hope and Nathan Cleverley, although none of the opponents have yet
been confirmed.

GEORGIAN GOVERNOR SEES LESS ANTI-GOVERNMENT FEELING IN ETHNIC ARMENIAN AREA
Radio Imedi, Georgia
Oct 30 2006
The governor of Samtskhe-Javakheti in southern Georgia, Giorgi
Khachidze, has said that popular discontent in the town of Akhalkalaki
and the province’s other predominantly ethnic Armenian areas is on
the wane.
In a live interview on Imedi Radio on 30 October, he said that the
central government’s steps to rebuild Samtskhe-Javakheti’s run-down
infrastructure and deal with other local problems had led to radical
groups losing support in the province.
“Two years ago, soon after I was appointed to this post in
Samtskhe-Javakheti, a 5,000-6,000-strong rally was staged. There
were some genuine problems, such as the problem of passports. They
also raised some personnel issues. These problems have been resolved
and now you can see that they [protest organizers] can muster just
200 people at best. I think that this is a clear sign that people
in Javakheti and the region in general can see quite well what the
situation is like, how we are developing, in which direction we are
heading and what the current government wants,” Khachidze said.
It is now “practically impossible” to destabilize the province,
he said, adding, however, that there were still attempts to stage
“provocative demonstrations aimed at creating instability”.
Discussing recent disturbances in Akhalkalaki over alleged
irregularities in the 5 October local elections, he said: “This was a
clear provocation. I do not want to speak about a specific country. I
am not ruling out the possibility that this comes from more than one
country. There could be some other interested parties involved.”

YEREVAN ARRANGEMENTS WITH GAZPROM IMPLEMENTED
by Mikhail Petrov
ITAR-TASS, Russia
Oct 30 2006
All of Yerevan’s arrangements with Gazprom are being implemented,
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan told Russian President Vladimir
Putin on Monday.
“All serious talks on energy projects with Gazprom enter the stage of
implementation,” Kocharyan said. In this connection he remarked that
the situation with capital investment, when Russia rates third for the
volume of investment in Armenia, should change. “This situation will
surely change over next year; I have no doubt of that,” Kocharyan said.
He also said the implementation of the “Armenal” project, to be one
of the biggest enterprises in the region, had begun a few days ago.
(“Armenal” will account by 2008 for up to 2.5 percent of world output
of thin foil – Itar-Tass).

VIEW POINT: RUSSIAN ATTITUDES TOWARD IMMIGRANTS
Vladislav Inozemtsev
Central Chronicle, India
Nov 2 2006
Today, most Russians are beginning to think in a way that has almost
nothing to do with reality. They tend to view the world as full of
confrontation, hostility, rivalry and potential conflicts. This
ideology of conflict is a major characteristic of the Russian
political culture.
In their statements and policies, the majority of contemporary Russian
politicians mention certain external and internal forces that they
view as threats to the country and as obstacles to its progress.
These forces, however, have no names and no addresses. Though oblique
references to the US can sometimes be discerned in some speeches and
media reports, no one specifies exactly who these enemies or opponents
are, confining themselves instead to making general statements. They
hint that Russia’s failure to succeed is due to its foreign enemies,
or some unnamed, internal destructive forces.
The government has recently been debating a proposal to ban references
to a criminal’s nationality in media reports about his crimes,
which actually means the fewer details, the better. We do not want
to understand the roots of a problem. All we want is to emphasize
that certain problems do exist in Russian politics and that they have
been implanted in the Russian community by hostile forces to prevent
Russian politicians from doing their job. This is sad, I think,
because confrontational thinking at the grassroots level leads to
conflicts between ethnic groups. Meanwhile, a lot of the nation’s
problems, including xenophobia, could be solved if the government
were more transparent and receptive to criticism.
The events in Kondopoga (North-West Russia) were not just the
result of an escalation of hostility toward local Chechens and
other immigrants from the Caucasus and Central Asia; they were more
likely caused by the fact that some local Russians were aware of the
impotence of the local government and the police to protect them from
criminal groups. Although the law enforcement system is evolving in
Russia, its fundamental way of thinking is not. At the same time,
it is becoming increasingly corrupt and detached from society. This
provokes desperate measures on the part of ordinary people, some of
which transform into inter-ethnic clashes.
The idea that migrants from the Caucasus, Central Asia, Moldova
and Ukraine account for a significant part of the nation’s economy
and that today they work for less money in sectors where Russians
themselves do not want to work is rarely made clear to the community.
More often broadcast are stories about criminal activity among guest
workers, while the press prefers to write about how much money they
send to their families back home. This disinformation, or at least
selective reporting, distorts Russians’ perceptions of these issues.
Little information can be obtained about developments in the majority
of Caucasian republics, especially Azerbaijan and Armenia. This
is perhaps mostly due to the fact that these countries have been
developing dynamically and that no bad news is coming out of Karabakh,
so there are few sensational items to report. Georgia, though, remains
in the media spotlight, which is wrong. An emphasis on disputes
makes one believe that the entire region is mired in conflict. The
escalation of tension makes the majority of Russians believe that the
Caucasus is a zone of perpetual wars that have forced Caucasians to
flee to Russia. The notion that these migrants are all refugees does
not cast them in a very favourable light and provokes hostility and
tension on both sides. Today, Russia fails to see the consequences
its policy may have. Russians constitute the bulk of the population
of Abkhazia, though how they obtained Russian passports remains
unknown. I think if a war breaks out between Georgia and Abkhazia,
residents of central Russia will not be happy to receive a million
Russians from the self-proclaimed republic carrying Russian passports,
nor would the latter be treated like compatriots. There is a dangerous
gap between political moves and the views of ordinary people.

AZERBAIJANI FM: NEW IDEAS OF OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS TO BE DISCUSSED IN BRUSSELS
Regnum, Russia
Nov 2 2006
Regular meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers Vardan
Oskanyan and Elmar Mamedyarov on Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement
will be held on November 14 in Brussels shortly before Action plan in
frames of New Neighborhood Policy will be signed by Armenia, Georgia,
and Azerbaijan with the European Union.
As Azerbaijani FM Elmar Mamedyarov stressed to the press in Baku,
new proposals and ideas submitted by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs
in Moscow are planned to be discussed during the meeting, emphasizing,
however, that it is too early to disclose these proposals’ essence.
“We have mentioned one-two moments among existing 8-9 elements; we have
really found difficulty in determining question whether there is any
movement forward,” the minister stressed. The co-chairs shared some
new thoughts in Moscow “and we, and Armenian side, in its turn, have
thought that good opportunity may appear for work in the direction,”
Mamedyarov said. “At present, we consider them, weight them from
different aspects; we have come to conclusion that it is possible to
work at them in principle,” he added.
“Both Azerbaijani side’s position and opinion of the opposite camp are
taken into consideration; as a result, direction should be determined,
in which work should be continued,” the minister stressed. Responding
to question about outcomes of meeting in Paris, Elmar Mamedyrov
stressed: “Paris meeting is already history,” Day.Az reports.

TBILISI BRACES FOR FALLOUT FROM RUSSIAN SANCTIONS
By Zaal Anjaparidze
Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
Nov 1 2006
On October 23 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that
Russia “is not planning” to restore air, land, sea, postal, and banking
communications with Georgia, which were cut October 3 in connection
with a spy scandal (RIA-Novosti, October 23; EDM October 2, 4). Russia
also plans to demand that Tbilisi repay debts owed to Russia, estimated
by Russian sources at $147 million (Newsinfo, October 10).
Deportations of ethnic Georgians from Russia are increasing. Over
1,000 Georgians have been deported in the past four weeks, and about
5,000 since the beginning of the year, according to the Russian Federal
Migration Service. Knowledgeable sources say that all Georgians without
Russian citizenship and legal residence risk expulsion (Radio Liberty,
October 23; Kavkaz Press, October 24). The Georgian government is
trying to cobble together an aid program for the deportees in order to
prevent anti-government protests, which the Russian sanctions evidently
aim to trigger. Job placement and housing will be the most difficult
issues, given the rampant unemployment and social hardships in Georgia.
Commenting on statements by some Georgian officials that downplayed
the consequences of the Russian sanctions, Giorgi Isakadze, director
of Georgian Businessmen’s Federation, said, “It is naive to argue that
cutting economic relations with Russia would not affect the Georgian
economy” (Kviris Palitra, October 23).
The Georgian Ministry for Economic Development released a preliminary
report about the possible effects of suspending economic relations
with Russia, noting that Russia still has been Georgia’s main trade
partner in 2006 despite restrictions on imports of Georgian wine,
mineral water, and other agricultural products (see EDM, April 20).
According to the Ministry, Georgian exports to Russia totaled $10
million in the second quarter of 2006, which is 71% less than in 2005
(Kavkaz Press, October 24).
The report says that energy supplies would suffer most if economic
contacts with Russia cease. In 2005-2006, imports from Russia
constituted 95% of the natural gas consumed in Georgia, and 53% of
imported electric power came from Russia. Georgia gets enormous amounts
of foodstuffs from Russia, including more than 86.7% of its imported
grain, more than 46.3% of imported flour and cereals, 44% of sugar,
and 40.5% of macaroni. About 80% of all mail from Georgia, including
postal orders, travels through Russia. Analysts say that Georgia
can eventually replace Russian imports with goods from Azerbaijan,
Kazakhstan, Turkey, Iran, Ukraine, Romania, Germany and Bulgaria,
while Ukraine, Turkey, Germany, and Israel offer alternative —
but more expensive — routes for postal services.
Georgian aviation has been particularly hard-hit. Airzena and
National Airlines reported losses of $1.2 million and $600,000,
respectively. According to Alexander Chikvaidze, head of the United
Transport Regulating Commission, losses from surface and sea transport
have yet to be determined. Georgian authorities denounced the recent
Russian naval exercises on the Black Sea as a de facto blockade,
because they hinder the operation of Georgia’s ports at Batumi, Poti,
and Supsa (TV-Rustavi-2, October 13; Kavkaz Press, October 16; Civil
Georgia, October 18).
The Georgian National Bank (GNB) predicted that Russian economic
sanctions will increase consumer prices in Georgia by 2-4% (Regnum,
October 17), while Georgian Finance Minister Alex Alexishvili notes
that the exact impact of Russian sanctions will not be known until
final price of natural gas from Russia and natural gas from alternative
suppliers is calculated. He conceded that there have been considerable
economic losses from the Russian economic sanctions imposed since
March, but said that the maximum damage the sanctions could inflict is
a 0.5-3% slowdown of in economic growth. He said that consumer prices
should increase in the short-term, and indeed the basic consumer
price index increased almost 50% in the past week (Kviris Palitra,
October 23; Kavkaz Press, October 24). It is difficult to say when,
if ever, prices will go down, because that depends on a lengthy
process of arranging similar imports from other countries.
On October 5, the Gazprom announced it would raise the price of natural
gas for Georgia from the current $110 to either $221 or $250 per 1,000
cubic meters beginning in 2007. Russian economic pundits argue that
energy costs will be far more painful for Georgia than price hikes
on easily replaceable Russian goods. Beginning September 1, 2006,
Georgia has exempted about 90% of all imported goods from customs
duties. Russian analysts say that Georgia cannot buy energy supplies
from other countries at a cheaper price (RIA-Novosti, Obshchaya gazeta,
October 5).
To prevent an energy crisis, Tbilisi is again turning to Tehran
(see EDM, January 25). On October 23, Georgian Energy Minister Nika
Gilauri and his Iranian counterpart, Parviz Fatah, signed an agreement
for Iran to transfer some 50 megawatts of electricity via Armenia
to Georgia starting in late November. Negotiations about possible
exports of Iranian gas to Georgia are also underway (IRNA, October 23).
Tbilisi has brushed aside some alarming statements about the problems
awaiting Georgians due to restrictions on bank transfers from Russia.
Georgia has received about $1 million per day from Russia through
legal transfers (24 Saati, October 16). However, Georgian National
Bank President Roman Gotsiridze said that despite restrictions on money
transfers from Russia to Georgia, the amount of money transferred from
Russia in October is almost the same as in September 2006. “Money will
still find its way through alternative bank systems and even illegal
transfers,” he said (Reuters, October 4; Kavkaz Press, October 24).
The Ministry for Economic Development argues that even if all economic
relations are suspended, the effects will be no more than those
currently felt. Georgian pundits, however, forecast that negative
consequences of Russian sanctions for Georgia, including defaults,
will only be displayed fully next year. Revenue for 2007 is budgeted
at 3.4 billion laris, which is 94.4 million laris less than revenue
in 2006 (Messenger, October 26). But unlike independent analysts,
Georgian officials do not link the predicted shortfall directly to
the Russian economic sanctions.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

US CONGRESS MAY RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE, AMERICAN SCHOLAR BELIEVES
PanARMENIAN.Net
01.11.2006 16:04 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ US Congressmen will to all appearance will adopt a
resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide, Georgetown University
professor Clyde Wilcox believes. In his words, during the coming
elections the Democrats have chances to have the majority at least
at one of the Congress chambers.
Professor Wilcox noted that in case Democrats win the elections House
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D – CA) will become Speaker and will
do her best for adoption of the Armenian Genocide resolution. As
a result, in the opinion of Clyde Wilcox, the House will pass a
statement recognizing the Armenian Genocide. However, he added, for the
resolution to have effect the Senate and President should also approve
it, which the professor considered “incredible,” reports RFE/RL.

GEORGIA READY TO EXCHANGE TERRITORIES WITH AZERBAIJAN
PanARMENIAN.Net
01.11.2006 17:03 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Within the framework of talks on delimitation
and demarcation of borders with Azerbaijan the Georgian side
is ready for exchange of nearborder territories, said Georgian
Deputy FM Georgy Mangajaladze. Tbilisi is interested in return of
David-Gareji, a Georgian architectural complex a part of which has
been on Azerbaijan’s territory since the soviet period. Some 20 cave
monasteries of David-Gareji situated 60 km southeast from the Georgian
capital city was founded in early 6th century. Frescoes with portraits
of historical figures have been preserved in them for 8-14 ages.
Georgian sources do no announce which territories can be given in
exchange for David-Gareji. According to Georgy Mangajaladze, the
state committees achieved agreement on 300 km out of 460 km of the
border. At the same time he remarked that it’s premature to speak of
the terms of signing an agreement of delimitation and demarcation of
borders yet, reported Lenta.ru.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RA DEFENSE MINISTRY REFUTED STATEMENTS BY AZERI MOD HEAD
PanARMENIAN.Net
01.11.2006 17:48 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Safar Abiyev and Serge Sargsyan did not discuss the
“withdrawal of Armenian troops from the seized Azeri territories”
during the October 20 meeting at the Armenian-Azeri border. Abiev’s
statement does not correspond to reality, RA Defense Minister’s
Spokesman, Col. Seyran Shahsuvaryan told PanARMENIAN.Net. As it was
reported earlier Serge Sargsyan and Safar Abiyev discussed the issues
referring to control of borders and ceasefire maintenance.