Month: April 2007

PUTIN OFFERED TO DECLARE MORATORIUM ON CONVENTIONAL FORCES IN EUROPE TREATY

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.04.2007 15:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russian President Vladimir Putin thinks it is
expedient to declare moratorium on Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty
(CFE). In his annual address to the parliament the Russian President
stressed Russia’s partners on the agreement – NATO member-states –
have not ratified the treaty and a number of states even did not join
it. Furthermore Putin said Russia may fully refuse from commitments
of CFE.

Putin said, the moratorium will continue until all NATO countries have
ratified and started to strictly implement it "as in fact Russia does
today unilaterally". The Russian President offered to discuss this
problem at the Russia-NATO meeting, and if there was no progress at
upcoming talks Russia would "look at the possibility of ceasing our
commitments under the CFE treaty".

Putin noted that in fact currently Russia is the only country,
which keeps the so-called "flanking limits". At the same time NATO
member-countries not only do not keep these limits, but also are going
to station American interceptor missiles and air defense systems in
their territories. In Russian President’s opinion in these conditions
limits for quantitative structure of troops and heavy equipment in
Europe that Russia keeps is not just, Lenta.ru reports.

10th ANNIVERSARY OF GRANT THORNTON AMIO COMPANY CELEBRATED ON APRIL 25

Noyan Tapan
Apr 25 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 25, NOYAN TAPAN. The 10th anniverasy of the consulting
company Grant Thornton Amio is celebrated in Yerevan on April
25. NT was informed from the company that Grant Thornton, one of the
world’s biggest companies uniting international audit and independent
consulting companies established its office in Armenia in 1991 and
three years later founded its subsidiary. In 1997, the subsidiary
was re-organized into Grant Thornton Amio consulting company.

The company employs experts of various spheres such as accountants,
auditors, financial and management advisors, as well as lawyers and
tax advisors.

ARG MOVES TO FOREFRONT AS BIGGEST CORPORATE TAXPAYER IN QUARTER ONE

ARMENPRESS
Apr 26 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS: According to the latest rating of
Armenia’s biggest corporate taxpayers, issued by the State Taxation
Service (STS), the joint Russian-Armenian natural gas operator
ArmRosGazprom (ARG) was the biggest taxpayer in the first quarter of
the year outrunning the two ‘traditional’ biggest corporate taxpayers,
owned by foreign investors: the Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Combine
and the ArmenTel national telecommunications operator.

ARG paid in the first three months a total of 6. 8 billion Armenian
Drams in taxes and customs dues, of which only 91 million Drams as
customs dues.

The amount of direct taxes-income and profit taxes- was 305.5 million
Drams, indirect taxes-VAT- were 6.3 billion Drams.

Last year the government’s tax revenues grew considerably, but
they still made up less than 16 percent of Gross Domestic Product,
a proportion which is very low even by ex-Soviet standards.

BRITISH EMBASSY RETALIATES TO ARMENIAN NEWSPAPER REPORT

ARMENPRESS
Apr 26 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS: The British Embassy in Yerevan has
retaliated today to a report in the local Russian-language ‘Golos
Armenii’ newspaper, which claimed it disclosed the purported details
of a ‘confidential’ meeting of a former parliament chairman Arthur
Baghdasarian, head of the opposition Orinats Yerkir party, with a
British diplomat (it emerged today that it was deputy ambassador
Richard Hyde) that focused on Armenia’s upcoming parliamentary
elections.

The newspaper published what it said were excerpts from a secretly
recorded conversation of Baghdasarian with Richard Hyde in Yerevan
during a dinner in a Yerevan restaurant last February. ‘Golos Armenii’
said the conversation was recorded on a compact disk sent to it by
unknown individuals In one of these excerpts ex-parliament speaker
was quoted as urging the European Union to criticize the Armenian
authorities’ handling of the May 12 vote.

Baghdasarian retaliated in a written statement saying the report was
part of a "well-engineered smear campaign" launched against his party
by the Armenian authorities.

A statement released today by the British Embassy in Yerevan said the
British Embassy ‘is dismayed that a clandestine recording has been
made, and recently released in part to the press, of a conversation
between an official of this Embassy and the leader of an opposition
party."

"We do not propose to comment in detail on the gross misrepresentation
of a conversation, details of which appear to have been obtained
through dishonest and deplorable means."

The Embassy statement said that ‘along with the OSCE, European Union,
Council of Europe, the diplomatic community and others, the Embassy is
interested in seeing elections on 12 May that conform to international
standards. In this context the Embassy maintains a wide range of
contacts and dialogues with institutions and individuals across the
political spectrum in Armenia, in order to be informed of all shades of
political opinion. This enables us to form as complete and objective
a view as possible of the political process, and is in line with the
normal and accepted practice of any embassy anywhere in the world."

"As a member state of the EU, we wholeheartedly support the commitment
shared by the EU and Armenia in the European Neighborhood Policy
Action Plan to work together to strengthen democratic institutions,
and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and we welcome
Armenia’s democratic achievements so far.

In that context, our objective will remain to do what we can to
support and promote effectiveness in the performance of democratic
institutions and processes in the country. It is not, never has been
and cannot be, our business to support the political platform of any
specific political party."

US STATE DEPARTMENT TOO FLEXIBLE

A1+
[03:00 pm] 26 April, 2007

The US State Department has changed its viewpoint upon Nagorno Karabakh
and adjacent regions.

Due to Day.az, the statement claiming ‘ The Armenian forces have
occupied Nagorno Karabakh adjacent areas’ has transferred into ‘Armenia
keeps on occupying Nagorno Karabakh and its adjacent 7 regions that
belong to Azerbaijan’ as a result of Azerbaijan tough stance.

As to Azeris, this victory is a brilliant diplomacy result.

NIS OBSERVERS SUBMIT FIRST INTERIM REPORT

Panorama.am
15:17 26/04/2007

NIS observers managed to visit all election communities throughout
Armenia in the course of their long-term election mission. They held
meetings with the leaders of Alliance, Armenian Democrats’ Party,
Armenian Republican Party, Heritage and Impeachment alliance. The
group also held meetings with the Central Election Committee, general
prosecutor’s office, police, justice ministry. Some 29 NIS observers
are engaged in the mission followed by another 10 at a later date. All
in all, 39 observers work in Armenia at the moment.

COMMUNIST SAYS HHK MAKES OBSTACLES FOR HIS ELECTION CAMPAIGN

Panorama.am
15:18 26/04/2007

Khoren Sargsyan, a member of communist party who is nominated at
election community 24 by National Unity, has met obstacles in the
course of his election campaign. "The village administration head
of Zolakar has turned his office into a election headquarters of the
Armenian Republican Party (HHK), which is a rude violation of law,"
Sargsyan said.

In his words, during his meeting at the same village, electricity
was cut.

The communist said the people of the village administration head
called his trustees and beat him. The incident took place on April 23.

The candidate has applied to law enforcement bodies but has no hope
that case will be instituted because "the investigator is the cousin
of the village administration head." Sargsyan has also applied to
the prime minister of Armenia, who said "the transgressors will
be punished."

ELMAR MAMMADYAROV: SECURITY-RELATED COOPERATION BETWEEN AZERBAIJAN AND US WILL FIRST OF ALL DEPEND ON NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 26 2007

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov regarded the changes to
initial 2006 State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
"completely inadmissible fact". He said making any changes to already
published reports is a bad precedent.

"If the US government takes this step today, what can it do tomorrow?

I mean the possible precedent," the minister said.

Noting that bilateral security talks between Azerbaijan and the US
will be restored, Elmar Mammadyarov said such talks should not be
carried out due to the changes to the first variant of the State
Department country report.

"Security-related cooperation between Azerbaijan and the United States
will first of all depend on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. We must be sure of the position of the US before starting
bilateral security talks," he said.

JUK LEADER SAYS ARTHUR BAGHDASARYAN BETRAYS HIS NATION

Panorama.am
15:19 26/04/2007

"I assess the behavior of Arthur Baghdasaryan as betrayal to his
nation because one should not look for a dad outside and bow in
front of foreign country representatives. I would not like to have
authorities which "bring a guy" against Armenia. Although, the present
authorities are not better in this sense," Manuk Gasparyan, leader
of Democratic Way Party (JUK), said commenting on an article in the
press which said that Arthur Baghdasaryan, leader of Orinats Yerkir
Party, met with deputy ambassador of Great Britain, Richard Haidy,
and arranged to release negative assessments on the upcoming elections.

CRIMINAL CASE INSTITUTED AGAINST AHARON ADIBEKYAN

Panorama.am
15:20 26/04/2007

Manuk Gasparyan, chairman of People’s Way Party, released interesting
information connected with Aharon Adibekyan, leader of Sociometer, a
sociological organization in Armenia. Gasparyan said all sociological
surveys conducted by his organization are a "lie " because Adibekyan
is now under criminal investigation. The court discusses Adibekyan’s
involvement in a case of taking money from people in the amount
of $12,000 with a promise to find jobs in USA. Gasparyan said
the authorities will keep Adibekyan in a "dependant" position in
order he "makes pictures" of everything the authorities will order
him. "Adibekyan is dependant on courts and he cannot be impartial,"
Gasparyan said.