Month: March 2007

EASTBUSINESS.ORG
March 23, 2007 Friday 2:09 PM (Central European Time)

VimpelCom to Take over Armenian Armentel

Russia’s second largest mobile operator VimpelCom is set to purchase
10 per cent of the shares of Armenia’s Armentel to become
100-per-cent owner of the company, the Armenian government said.

The state valued its 10-per-cent stake in the company at EUR 38
million.

At present, VimpelCom controls 90 per cent of the company’s shares
which it bought from Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation SA
(OTE) for EUR 341.9 million last year.

The clauses of the deal include the incorporation of Armentel’s debt,
which stands at some EUR 40 million.

Armentel is the sole fixed-line operator in Armenia and also offers
mobile services to some 400,000 customers.

Apart from being the second placed mobile operator in Russia,
VimpelCom is also active on the markets of Kazakhstan, Georgia,
Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

1 PASSENGER DIES IN CONSEQUENCE OF ROAD ACCIDENT IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, MARCH 23, NOYAN TAPAN. In the consequence of a crash of
GAZ-3110 and GAZ-32213 cars on the Tbilisian highway of Yerevan at
about 07:45, March 22, the driver of the GAZ-3110 car, 11 passengers
of the GAZ 32213 car were taken to the hospital with bodily
injuries. Aida Grigorian born in 1964, who was among the passengers,
died.

As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA Police Information and Public
Relations Department, the details are found out, preliminary
examination is held.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

GABRIEL SARGSIAN GETS 5.5 POINTS FROM 6 POSSIBLE ONES AND INDIVIDUALLY
HEADS SAFRA TOURNAMENT TABLE

SAFRA, MARCH 23, NOYAN TAPAN. The 6th stage meetings of the chess
international tournament were held on March 22, in the resort city of
Safra, Spain. After that stage Gabriel Sargsian individually heads
the tournament table getting 5.5 points from 6 possible ones.

From: [email protected]
Subject: Int Min Inspectors Demanded Condemnation for Istanbul Police Chief

Interior Ministry inspectors demanded condemnation for Istanbul Police chief

ArmRadio.am
23.03.2007 18:00

Investigating the possibility of negligence in Hrant Dink’s murder by
public officials, Interior Ministry inspectors demanded condemnation
for Istanbul’s police chief, Celalettin Cerrah, and a trial for the
intelligence chief of the Istanbul police, Ahmet İlhan Güler, Tteh
Turkish Daily News reports referring to the daily Hürriyet.

Cerrah was found at fault for not fulfilling his responsibility to
control, the inspectors’ report said, as there were not any serious
measures taken to protect Dink despite warnings from Trabzon police
about a possible assassination of Dink on Feb. 17, 2006. Cerrah also
had declined to protect Dink although he was in danger and a possible
target because of his articles published in weekly Agos. Dink was the
editor in chief of multilingual Agos.

Accusing Ä°lhan for not seriously following Yasin Hayal, who is a
leading suspect for inciting the murder, the inspectors called for a
halt for Ä°lhan’s seniority and demanded him to be tried for
negligence. The inspectors’ report also noted that Güler did not make
a serious effort to protect Dink.

Three inspectors presented their reports to Interior minister
Abdulkadir Aksu after they completed the report on Istanbul police and
Ankara. The reports will be sent to the High Disciplinary Council of
the police department.

DISCUSSIONS ON APPOINTING BY NA MEMBER IN STAFF OF TELEVISION AND
RADIO NATIONAL COMMITTEE ARE NOT IN PROCESS YET

YEREVAN, MARCH 23, NOYAN TAPAN. No preliminary discussions are in
process at the RA National Assembly on completing vacant places
existing in the staff of the Television and Radio National
Committee. NA Speaker Tigran Torosian informed the Noyan Tapan
correspondent about it. In his words, the parliament must decide by
vote the issue of appointing a committee member by itself. "I am sure
that nominations, irrespective of the fact, they will be presented now
or in future, must be result of political discussions with different
factions," T. Torosian mentioned.

To recap, the RA President signed on March 21 the laws "On Television
and Radio" and "On Making Amendments and Additions to the Law On
Regulatitions of Television and Radio National Committee." According
to the constitutional amendments and the above-mentioned legislative
package, the NA got the right to appoint a half of members of the
Television and Radio National Committee.
From: Baghdasarian

Serge Sargsyan to pay an official visit to China

ArmRadio.am
23.03.2007 17:47

On March 26 the delegation headed by Secretary of the Presidential
Council on National Security, RA Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan will
leave for the Peoples’ Republic of China on an official visit.

In the framework of the visit meetings will senior state and military
officials are expected. A visit to the military-educational
establishments and military units of China are also envisaged.

On March 29 the delegation will return to Yerevan.

ARFD TO PARTICIPATE IN ELECTIONS WITH SLOGAN "OUR OLD FRIEND IS
DASHNAKTSUTIUN"

YEREVAN, MARCH 23, NOYAN TAPAN. On the eve of the May 12 parliamentary
elections ARFD has chosen the slogan "Our Old Friend is
Dashnaktsutiun." Hrayr Karapetian, RA National Assembly ARFD faction
head, stated this at the March 23 press briefing. In his words, during
its preelection agitation ARFD will remain loyal to its traditional
strategy: it will state party’s programs, will present political
principles. ARFD will not use swearing, methods of discrediting its
rivals, but, of course, if they spread slanders about ARFD, the party
"will answer them." H. Karapetian also assured that media publications
on collecting electors’ passports by Dashnaktsutiun in Aragatsotn are
not true. In his words, they are also aware of such actions done by
some political forces, they collect facts and if they have sifficient
number of reliable facts, they will apply to the respective, including
law enforcement, bodies. H. Karapetian reaffirmed that ARFD is ready
to fight possible electoral falsifications jointly with another
political forces.

ARSHAK SADOYAN WITHDRAWS HIS CANDIDATURE FROM ELECTORAL DISTRICT N 12

YEREVAN, MARCH 23, NOYAN TAPAN. Arshak Sadoyan, Chairman of Union of
National Democrats Party, withdrew his candidature from electoral
district N 12 in favor of RA MP, PPA member Vardan Khachatrian. As
Chairman of Union of National Democrats stated at the March 23 press
conference, "with this step he supported the opposition." Besides, in
A. Sadoyan’s words, in consideration of the circumstance that he has
been also nominated by the proportional list of Democratic Way Party,
he will concentrate his forces in the issue of organizing Democratic
Way’s agitation campaign in the country.

Bank employee shot dead

ArmRadio.am
24.03.2007 11:59

The person on duty at Gyumri branch of `Ardshininvestbank’ Arkady
Muradyan died of wounds in his breast from Makarov gun. The accident
took place at about 3 at night. A criminal case was launched at the
Public Prosecutor’s Office of Gyumri

ICG preparing a new report on the Karabakh conflict

ArmRadio.am
24.03.2007 14:45

The International Crisis Group is preparing a report on the situation
in Karabakh, new Directro for the South Caucasus Magdalena Fricheva
told Day.Az.

According to the source, the documents will be presented in the
summer. `As it is known, our organization periodically prepared
reports on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. In the current stage we are
collecting all the information possible and are working out the
recurrent report. It is quite possible that the document will be
presented already in summer. At the given point we are preparing a
report on the Georgian-Ossetian conflict,’ Fricheva mentioned.

The International Crisis Group issued its previous report on the
Karabakh conflict in 2005. It’s worth mentioning that the previous
reports stood out for pro-Azerbaijani position.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress