Month: November 2006

DELEGATION OF UNION OF WRITERS OF ARMENIA TO PARTICIPATE IN CULTURAL CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN ISPAHAN
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Nov 20 2006
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 20, NOYAN TAPAN. On November 20, a group of Armenian
writers headed by Chairman of the Union of Writers of Armenia, Levon
Ananian will leave for Iran on a seven-day visit within the framework
of the Glance at the Future Armenian-Iranian literary-cultural
cooperation program. As L.Ananian said at the press conference
convened at the Union of Writers of Armenia the same day, in 2004,
the Iranian writers for the first time visited Armenia and some days
later they parted from their Armenian partners “with registration of
many creative plans.” Two years have passed and the Iranian government
invited Armenian writers and intellectuals to Ispahan on a reciprocal
visit, to take part in the conference under the title Literary Bridges.
L.Ananian said that the Armenian delegation is not leaving for Iran
empty-handed: 30 titles of books were translated from Persian into
Armenian in Armenia over the past 15 years. These books represent
almost all genres of 20th century’s and modern Iranian literature.
In the words of Reza Atoufi, Director of the Center for Iranian Culture
in Armenia, there are two reasons for holding the conference especially
in Ispahan: first, Yerevan and Ispahan are sister cities, and second,
Ispahan has been announced cultural capital of the Islamic world.

ARGENTINEAN BUSINESSMAN EDUARDO EURNEKYAN INVESTS $40 MILLION IN CONSTRUCTION OF GEOTHERMIC POWER PLANT IN ARMENIA
ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Nov 20 2006
Argentinean businessman Eduardo Eurnekyan, the concessioner of Yerevan
airport “Zvartnots,” is investing $40 million in the construction
of the first geothermic power plant in Armenia, Armen Movsisyan,
Energy Minister of Armenia, told journalists in the course of his
working visit to Syunik region, Armenia.
The minister said the plant with 25 megawatt capacity is to be built
in Kyarkar volcanic valley in Sisian district, Syunik region.
Minister Movsisyan said the plant may be put into exploitation within
1-2 years. Preliminary estimations showed that the area has a big
potential of geothermic power that can be used for energy purposes,
the minister said.
On December 17 2001, the CJSC Armenian International Airlines
belonging to Eduardo Eurnekyan received concession of Yerevan airport
“Zvartnots.” By present, the concessioner has invested about $100
million in the modernization of the airport. E. Eurnekyan is currently
negotiating for the control stock of Areximbank, which belongs to
Moscow Impexbank and other structures of Russian businessman Boris
Ivanishvili.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERI POLITICAL EXPERT: THE ACTIVITY OF OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS IS NOTHING BUT A SHOW
ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Nov 20 2006
“One should not expect new proposals from the visit of the Co-chairs,”
says Vafa Guluzade, political expert, ex-adviser of state of
Azerbaijan, Day.az reports.
He says all the proposals of OSCE MG Co-chairs and the positions
of the conflict parties are well-known to everyone. President of
Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has recently stated in Turkey that he will
never approve the settlement scheme providing for existence of Nagorny
Karabakh outside Azerbaijan. The political expert believes that the
illusions of the public every time before visits of the Co-chairs have
been groundless from the very beginning. The mediators representing
Russia, USA and France bear no relations to the leadership of their
states. They are engaged in independent actions.
They are well-aware that the settlement in the current conditions
has no prospects. “That is why, I think the last rather optimistic
statements by the U.S. Co-chair Matthew Bryza just a speculation. The
activity of the Co-chairs is nothing but a show. It is impossible to
speak of any progress when the leadership of Armenia has occupied
the Azdrbaijani territories and states that Nagorny Karabakh has
never belonged and will never belong to Azerbaijan. While, Baku will
never agree with separation of these lands,” V. Guluzade says. He
believes that the meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in
Minsk during the upcoming CIS Summit is absolutely senseless. “In the
present conditions of contradictions, the presidents will probably
have a cup of tea and break up as before,” V. Guluzade says.

ARMENIAN-IRANIAN COOPERATION IN CULTURE AND LITERATURE ACHIEVES NEW LEVEL
ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Nov 20 2006
A delegation of Armenian writers will attend a conference
“Armenian-Iranian Cooperation: Sight at Future” scheduled for November
21-27 in Iran, Levon Ananyan, Chairman of the Union of Writers of
Armenia said at a press conference, Monday.
He said that since 2004 when Iranian writers participated in a
conference “Literature Bridges,” the cooperation in the spheres of
culture and literature of the two countries has achieved a new level.
During the last 15 years, some 30 books widely representing the Iranian
literature have been translated from Farsi into Armenian. In addition,
a new edition of Koran in Armenian will be published soon.
Among Iranian translators, L. Ananyan mentioned Ahmad Nurizade,
who introduced Iranian readers to the Armenian poetry.
Adviser for Culture of Iranian Embassy in Armenia Reza Atufi called
the forthcoming visit of Armenian delegation the turning-point in the
cooperation in the spheres of culture and literature. The cooperation
of Armenia and Iran in the political, economic and cultural spheres
has a great strategic importance, he said. The Armenian delegation
will participate in a number of cultural events in the towns of
Esfahan and Tehran. R. Atufi said that the selection of Esfahan was
not accidental. Culture ministers of 57 Islamic countries and members
of ISESCO recognized that town as the cultural capital of the Islamic
world on January 1 2006.
On November 28, immediately after the Armenian delegation returns
from Iran, an exhibition devoted to the culture of Esfahan will open
in Yerevan.

TURKEY RISKS TO LOSE LAST FRIENDS IN EUROPE
PanARMENIAN.Net
20.11.2006 13:07 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Suddeutsche Zeitung published comments on the
statements by commander of Turkish land forces Ilker Bashbug on
freezing military relations with France. “The statement of the Turkish
General is scandalous since he, being a commander, conducts as if
representing the interests of his country at diplomatic level. The
Turkish government officially shows interest in integration into
the European structures. However orientation on Europe supposes that
Turkish politicians should control the army and keep their generals
from doing what they wish. General Bashbug has reputation of a ‘hawk’.
Adherents to a tough position among the Turkish generals disliked
Erdogan’s restraint in condemning the French bill. Official Ankara
doesn’t deny the crimes against the Armenian people but refuses to
resign itself to the term ‘genocide’,” the newspaper says.
“On one hand the Turkish authorities fear that the heirs of the
victims will claim compensations. On the other hand the matter
concerns the reputation of the Turkish army which is considered to
be one of the traditional pillars of the society. Turkish military
wish to maintain their privileges, fashionable villas on the Bosporus
shores, defense budget and the troops in Cyprus. By the way, they
possess valuable realty in Cyprus and in case of withdrawal of the
military bases they will have to leave the realty for the Cypriot
Greeks. The occupation of the Northern Cyprus, the Armenian issue,
the war in Turkish Kurdistan… A number of urgent issues emerge
and the Turkish generals have to work at them, however the generals
refuse. If Turkey prefers free-will isolation it will lose not only
serious economic partners but also the last friends in Europe,”
the newspaper says, reports Deutsche Welle.

LEVON ARONIAN OF ARMENIA COMES SECOND AT MOSCOW RAPID CHESS TOURNAMENT
Armenpress
Nov 20 2006
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS: Chess World Cup winner, Armenian
grandmaster Levon Aronian, came second after grandmaster Viswanathan
Anand of India who banked on his vast reservoir of experience in
rapid chess to win the Mikhail Tal Memorial Blitz tournament in Moscow.
Aronian scored 21 points, by two points less than Anand, out of
a possible 34. The third place was shared by Teimour Radjabov of
Azerbaijan and Peter Svidler of Russia, who scored 20.5 points each.
The event was played on a double round robin basis between 18 players
over two days. The event had 11 players above 2700 ELO rating and
none below the 2650 mark.

MODERNIZATION OF YEREVAN THERMAL POWER PLANT TO START NEXT YEAR
Armenpress
Nov 20 2006
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS: Armenian energy minister Armen
Movsisian said the results of a tender announced for modernization
of the Yerevan Thermal Power plant will be summed up in a couple
of months.
He said the modernization project is expected to be started in early
2007 and end in 2008.
The government of Armenia has received a $150 million credit from
the Japanese International Cooperation Bank to do the job. The bulk
of this money will be spent on construction of a new powerful 250
megawatt capacity turbine working on natural gas.
Experts say the modernization will result in reducing the prime
cost of 1 kilowatt/hour electricity from current 400 drams to 160-170
drams. The updated plant will produce one sixth of the overall domestic
power demand.
The minister said the thermal power plant was removed from the list
of state-owned enterprises subject to privatization, as demanded by
the credit agreement.

VAFA GULUZADE, “RUSSIA WILL BECOME A MOSLEM COUNTRY”
A1+
[01:41 pm] 20 November, 2006
Azerbaijan expects nothing from the procedure of peaceful settlement
of the Karabakh conflict. They are sure that the visit of the OSCE
Minsk group co-chairs to the region and the meeting of the Presidents
of Armenia and Azerbaijan will be fruitless.
Azerbaijan relies on the NATO in the settlement of the conflict,
as well as hopes that in a few years Russia will become a Moslem
country. This is the expectation of politician Vafa Guluzade, former
state advisor foreign affairs of Azerbaijan.
“I think that the co-chairs representing Russia, France and the USA
have nothing to do with the authorities of those countries. They are
engaged in individual activity. They realize the inefficiency of their
offers wee enough but do it in order for the heads of the countries
to engage in the settlement of the issue later. The activity of the
co-chairs is a show”, said Vafa Guluzade in an interview to day.az.
The politician predicts that during the meeting of the CIS country
heads in Minsk the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan will simply
have a cup of tea.
Vafa Guluzade has his conception about the process of peaceful
settlement of the Karabakh conflict.
According to it, Azerbaijani must rely on the NATO enlargement in
South Caucasus and the collapse of the “Russian Empire”. “These days
are not yet far away.
The raise of the costs of oil which preconditions the existence of
the empire is not eternal. After the end of the Iraqi crisis the USA
will turn to Russia”, said Vafa Guluzade.
But the most sensational statement of the Azeri politician referred the
fate of Russia. “During the coming 20 years the Slavonic population of
Russia will be reduced by 50 million. Now Russia has Moslem population
of about 40 million. As time passes by, Russia will become a Moslem
country”.

HISTORICAL POINT
A1+
[01:52 pm] 20 November, 2006
The Armenian women’s national football team won the first point in
its history tying with Bosnia 1:1.
Before this the Armenian national team had lost all the matches
without scoring even once.
Our girls are in the group A2 of the qualifying round of the European
championship. At present they are in the second place. In the other
match of the group Israel beat Latvia 3:0 and tops the list.

RUSSIA’S BASIC ELEMENT BUYS SOCHI AIRPORT FOR $206.6 MLN
RIA Novosti
20/11/2006 14:56 MOSCOW
Private Russian investment fund Basic Element (BasEL) has bought 100%
in the state-owned Sochi International Airport on the Black Sea for
5.504 billion rubles ($206.6 million) through an auction Monday.
The starting price for the airport in the resort city, which is
short-listed as a host city for the 2014 winter Olympics, was 3.5
billion rubles ($131.14 million) at the auction held by the Federal
Property Fund.
Sochi has been bidding to host the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, along
with Austria’s Salzburg and South Korea’s PyeongChang. The city bid
for the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics, but was rejected largely due
to its poor-quality Soviet-era infrastructure.
Russian television reported earlier in the day that the new owner
will have to rebuild the airport, while the state has pledged to
reconstruct the runways using money from the deal.
BasEl, owned by Oleg Dripaska, one of Russia’s richest men who also
controls Russian Aluminum (RusAl), holds combined assets of over $13
billion in energy, machinery, natural resources, financial services
and construction.
A total of five companies took part in the auction, among them
Renova, the asset management group controlled by Russian billionaire
Viktor Vekselberg. Renova majority owns Sual [RTS: SUAL], Russia’s
second-largest aluminum producer, which recently merged with
Deripaska’s RusAl and Switzerland’s Glencore to form the world’s
largest aluminum company.
Sochi International Airport received unwelcome publicity in May as
the destination of an Armenian airliner that crashed into the Black
Sea in stormy weather, killing all 113 passengers and crew on board.
Following a government order passed on July 3, 2006, the airport
was included on a list of companies to be privatized in 2006. The
airport has since been converted into a joint stock company with 100%
state ownership.