Economic Cooperation Between Armenia And Belarus Has A Great Potenti

ECONOMIC COOPERATION BETWEEN ARMENIA AND BELARUS HAS A GREAT POTENTIAL OF DEVELOPMENT

armradio.am
27.08.2008 14:40

RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received the Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to Armenia Marina
Dolgopolova, who is completing her mission in our country.

Thanking the Ambassador for the productive activity in Armenia for over
five years, the Prime Minister noted that serious positive progress
has been registered in the relations between the two countries in this
period both in political and other spheres. He attached particular
importance to the considerable progress in the bilateral relations
especially under the conditions of the difficulties existing in the
field of transport.

Marina Dolgopolova underlined that being the first Ambassador of
the Republic of Belarus to Armenia, she proceeded to the deepening
of relations with all responsibility. She noted with appreciation
that good bases exist today for developing the mutually beneficial
cooperation between the two countries. Presenting the obvious
achievements in the political, economic, scientific, educational,
cultural and other spheres, the Ambassador especially emphasized the
cooperation in the fields of innovation, information technologies,
development of regions and small settlements.

During the conversation the parties stated that despite the recent
considerable increase of the volume of commodity turnover, the economic
collaboration20between the two countries still has a great potential of
development. In this context importance was attached to the activity
of the Armenian-Belarusian Intergovernmental Cooperation Commission,
where the problems and issues of cooperation will be discussed and
effectively solved.

At the end of the meeting Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan wished success
to Marina Dolgopolova in her further diplomatic mission, expressing
confidence that the relations between Armenia and Belarus will continue
successfully developing during the new Ambassador’s tenure in office.

PM Tigran Sargsyan Extends Condolences To His Kyrgyz Counterpart

PM TIGRAN SARGSYAN EXTENDS CONDOLENCES TO HIS KYRGYZ COUNTERPART

armradio.am
27.08.2008 14:56

RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan sent a message of condolences to the
Prime Minister of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan Igor Chudinov connected
with the crash of the passenger plane in Kyrgyzstan on August 24.

"On behalf of the Armenian Government and myself I extend condolences
on the crash of the Boeing 737 plane near the airport of "Manas,"
which took tens o human lives.

We condole with you at this hard moment of sorrow."

World Champion Suzy Kentikyan Has Been Granted German Citizenship

WORLD CHAMPION SUZY KENTIKYAN HAS BEEN GRANTED GERMAN CITIZENSHIP

Panorama.am
15:04 27/08/2008

WIBF and WIBA version light weight rank world champion Suzy Kentikyan
has been granted German citizenship today. "Queen of murder"- this
is the nickname of famous boxer who was born and raised in Armenia,
but later moved with her familiy to Germany and now lives in Hambourg.

"I am plesed to acquire german citizenship and become legal resident
of Hambourg," Suzy said.

Note that on 29 August Kentikyan will take part in a new contest with
Israeli Hagar Feniri to defend her world champion WIBF version status.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Third Cell Phone Operator: Three Companies Passed Into Qualification

THIRD CELL PHONE OPERATOR: THREE COMPANIES PASSED INTO QUALIFICATION STAGE

Panorama.am
16:29 27/08/2008

Six phone-companies took part in the competition on acquiring the
rights of Armenia’s third cell phone operator. Only three companies
passed into qualification round among them Orange (France Telecom,
France), CEO Blackrock Communications (England and Ireland), M$A Tele2
AB (Sweden), the secretary of minister of Transport and Communications
Sussanna Tonoyan told panorama.am.

According to Tonoyan, at the beginning of the competition 17 companies
presented their applications on paticipation but only 6 of them had
the required documents for the qualification round: Orange (France
Telecom, France), CEO Blackrock Communications (Ireland), V-Tel
(Jordan), M$A Tele2 AB (Sweden), Auroratel (Russian Federation),
PJ Engineering (Finland).

The three companies of the qualification round will present their
proposal-applications to the competition committee in 40-day period
of time. The winner will be known after the committee analyzes all
the proposals.

Volgograd-Yerevan Flight Conducted Via Azerbaijan

VOLGOGRAD-YEREVAN FLIGHT CONDUCTED VIA AZERBAIJAN

Panorama.am
14:16 27/08/2008

Georgian airnavigation service has refused to ensure Volgograd-Yerevan
flight conducted by one of Russian air companies, the head of
"Rosairnavigation" Alexandr Neryadko announced.

On 25 August a plane which took off from Volgograd was on its way to
Yerevan when it became known that Georgian side had forbidden using
its airspace. That is why the crew of the plane decided to make the
flight via Azerbaijan.

Immediately after the incident Air Traffic Organization Corporation of
Russia made an official inquiry to Georgian side on the reasons of the
airspace use denial.Russian side never got the answer, Neryadko says.

Note that Georgian airnavigation service didn’t give any official
information to Georgian authorities concerning the restrictions of
airspace use.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OSCE Office Organizes Summer Camp For Armenian Children

OSCE OFFICE ORGANIZES SUMMER CAMP FOR ARMENIAN CHILDREN

armradio.am
27.08.2008 17:12

Some 80 disabled and socially disadvantaged children from Armenia’s
Syunik province are taking part in a summer camp on "Learning to Live
Together" in Kapan, the provincial capital.

The 10-day camp, which ends this week, was organized by the OSCE
Programme Implementation Presence in Syunik, which is part of the
OSCE Office in Yerevan. The Canadian-owned Deno Gold Mining Company
co-sponsored the camp.

"This camp follows a similar event last year, organized together with
UNESCO," said Garik Chilingaryan, Project Co-ordinator of the OSCE
Programme Implementation Presence. "By having a corporate sponsor
this year, we promote the building of bridges between business and
society. Such connections form a basis for public-private partnerships
that can promote economic and social development".

At the camp, the children learned about the outdoors and the
environment.

The camp aimed to foster independence, self-esteem and social and
life skills, as well as create equal opportunities for vulnerable
groups and support their integration.

An interactive training programme introduced this year helped the
participants, ranging in age from 8 to 13, develop basic leadership
skills and learn how to identify, analyze and solve problems. At the
end of the camp, the children will develop small project proposals
for their communities.=2 0Some proposals will be selected for
implementation, with support from Deno Gold.

Hasmik Kostandyan, 10 a camp participant, said: "I was happy to discuss
the problems of our community and felt important that I can make a
difference by introducing my solution and offering my assistance. I
would like to make something good for the community".

Abkhazia And South Ossetia May Become Full Members Of CSTO

ABKHAZIA AND SOUTH OSSETIA MAY BECOME FULL MEMBERS OF CSTO

arminfo
2008-08-27 14:17:00

ArmInfo. ‘Recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as allies of
Russia in CSTO will be discussed at the forthcoming meeting CSTO
member-states, of course’, a reliable source from the Organization
says, Russia Media report.

‘If all the CSTO signatories recognize these states, their membership
will become just a matter of time’, he said. CSTO documents stipulate
for admission of new members. ‘They in Sukhumi and Tskhinvali are
well aware that they will be able to secure their independence only
under collective security system>, he said.

MTS To Activate 3g Network In Armenia In 2009

MTS TO ACTIVATE 3G NETWORK IN ARMENIA IN 2009

ARKA
Aug 27, 2008

YEREVAN, August 27. /ARKA/. Armenia’s leading mobile operator
K-Telecom (under the VivaCell brand), subsidiary of the Russian
Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), plans to activate 3G (third generation)
network in Armenia in early 2009, the company has told RIA Novosti.

Yerevan, Gyumri and Vanadzor cities will be the first users of 3G
technologies in Armenia.

Last October K-Telecom was licensed to offer 3G and UMTS (Universal
Mobile Telecommunications System) services, including wide-brand
transmission.

MTS offers 3D services in Russia and Uzbekistan.

Last September MTS purchased 80% of the shares of the International
Cell Holding Ltd, the absolute shareholder of K-Telecom, and signed an
option agreement on the purchase of the rest of the company’s shares.

K-Telecom covers 66% of Armenia’s mobile communications market.

JSFC Sistema is 52.8% shareholder of MTS, the rest of 46.7% being
free float.

Realization Of Petrol – Restricted

REALIZATION OF PETROL – RESTRICTED
Vasak Tarposhyan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
27 Aug 2008
Armenia

But this will not last long

Although after the breakdown of the Georgian railway the state
undertook an initiative to import a certain quantity of fuel to Armenia
by automobile transport, there are a great number of filling stations
that have stopped the sale of petrol. However, it is not in all the
cases that this is conditioned by the lack of fuel. Taking advantage
of the existing stock-jobbing, some filling stations are engaged in
a so-called "shadow sale", increasing the prices on petroleum twice
or thrice.

"Flash" company, which operates in the fuel-importing market, has not
stopped the sale of petrol, however, it has restricted the realization
of the fuel. Petrol is provided only by special coupons and what’s
more, with restricted amounts – 20 liters; the restriction of the
diesel fuel is 40 liters.

"We release petroleum for our permanent clients only with special
coupons. I mean those people who acquired petroleum from us in the
past and continue doing the same now. As regards the rest of the
clients, they are, for the time being, deprived of that opportunity,"
MOUSHEGH ELCHYAN, Deputy Director of "Flash" company, reported to
"Hayots Ashkharh" yesterday.

Such restriction, he says, is conditioned by the difficulties in imp
orting fuel, and this has resulted in a certain scarcity of reserves.

"We have released a large number of coupons; therefore we are trying
to ensure that the people who made payments previously are provided
with petrol. That’s why we have imposed certain restrictions for the
amount of petrol not to exceed 20 liters. There have been stoppages
only for technical reasons. All the filling stations of ‘Flash’
company which are situated in Yerevan continue operating. Of course,
some filling stations of the marzes still lack petrol. There are
special coupons for diesel fuel as well," our interlocutor informed.

M. Elchyan believes that these restrictions will not last long. If no
new incidents occur, the situation will be normalized in a couple of
days. The 10 wagons of fuel (500 tons) belonging to "Flash" company
are already on the way; last night they reached Khashouri and are
expected to enter Armenia today.

The company has an additional amount of 800 tons of fuel stored
in Batumi, and in case of the successful operation of the railway,
it will be transported in a couple of days. Three thousand tons of
fuel have already been embarked on the ship and are expected to reach
Poti within the upcoming three days. In case everything is all right,
an additional period of 2-3 days will be required for transporting
them to Armenia.

In the meantime, M. Elchyan says, certain measures have been undertaken
towards importing fuel from Turkmenistan. The company has managed to
transport diesel fuel to Armenia.

"We have already imported 50 tons of Turkmenian fuel via the territory
of Iran. It was done more speedily because there was a certain transit
quantity in the territory of Iran, and we managed to ‘borrow’ it,
so to say, till ours reaches here. There was no petrol to be acquired
by such mechanism; otherwise we would have brought it too."

Anyway, the company is expected to import Turkmenian petrol to
Armenia in quite large quantities, and there is a relevant agreement
in that connection.

"We have already placed an order, and have an agreement for importing
7 thousand tons of petrol from Turkmenistan. It is just required by
the existing mechanism for the product to reach its destination only
20-25 days after signing the agreement. 10 days of the above-mentioned
time-limit have already passed. That’s to say, even if the worst
comes to the worst, the 7 thousand tons of fuel will reach here from
Turkmenistan in 15 days’ time. Furthermore, let me note that after
the first portion of the fuel is imported, the import of the next
portions will be facilitated. Hereafter, we can import fuel from
Turkmenistan more frequently should the Georgian railroad be closed
or fail to operate normally.

Look At The Deeds Not Words

LOOK AT THE DEEDS NOT WORDS
Lilit Poghosyan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
27 Aug 2008
Armenia

Chairman of Constitutional Right Union Hayk Babukhanyan answers the
questions of "Hayots Ashkharh" daily.

"Chairman of Armenian Liberal Progressive Party Edward Antinyan doesn’t
intend to participate in the format of the inter-party consultation,
because he disagrees with the "harsh stance" of the other participants
and Liberal Progressive Party in the issue of Armenia’s membership
to NATO."

"I don’t see any tragedy here. The statement runs that the party is
ready to continue its participation in the inter-party discussions
in the status of the "invited". Our decision is that consultation is
consultation and no matter by what status you participate in it.

It is another issue if as a result of the consultations it will turn
into a union. It is natural that we can’t be in the same union with
an organization for which Armenia’s membership to NATO is a priority.

Georgian-Osatian military confrontation had impact on not only
Russian-Georgian relations, regional and geopolitical situation, but
also the internal political developments in Armenia. Soon we will
eyewitness lots of changes both outside and inside Armenia. In my
view this is the reason why Mr. Antinyan made up his mind to change
his status in the format of inter-party consult ation."

"What do you mean?"

"The world is far not uni-polar. The world system was quite different
after the collapse of the USSR and at the moment another world
system is in the process of creation, the second geopolitical pole
is being restored and it is natural that many countries can’t come
to a decision on which side to take. The state-leaders, political
figures and parties face this issue.

By making part of one military political alliance, Collective Security
Treaty Organization, Armenia has got its own foreign political stance,
which is different from that of the others. This process is on in
Armenia. As we know the union of "the orange" has been established,
the core of which is Armenian Pan National Movement. From the beginning
the champions of orange revolution that are orientated towards the
West, towards the United States have gathered around this force."

"In this context how should we understand the pro-Russian stance of
"the orange", with which recently he came out, publicly demarcating
himself from the Georgian President?"

"We should look at the deeds and not words. Ter-Petrosyan’s political
activity has unequivocally been directed to serving the interests of
the United States in our region.

Ter-Petrosyan announces with deep conviction that the United States
has nothing to do with that conflict, as if he was in20the White
House when Sahakashvily got the order to start military actions
against South Osatia.

Which means he still continues to serve the interests of the United
States.

But this time he is simply trying to hide his pro-Turkish,
pro-Azerbaijani, pro-American stance, meanwhile gaining the trust of
Kremlin before autumn maneuvers, well aware that Russia’s position
is becoming more and more stable in the region."

"What is your attitude towards the revelation of "Armenian National
Congress" and their monopoly anticipations?"

"I see western patronage here, political figures or those who
consider themselves political figures who support western interests,
those who have decided to appear with "national" label. In general
anti-national forces usually ascribe "national" labels to themselves,
such as "Armenian Pan National Movement", Pan-National Movement,
National Congress, etc.

Though the word "congress" is right in this case, because it shows the
parallel with other congresses. But the use of the word "national"
by someone who announces that national ideology is a false category
is really cynical.

Levon Ter-Petrosyan is the President who has never hidden his
programs. In that program he is rather sincere he simply underestimates
Armenian people.

After his resignation in the autumn of 1997 he publicly spoke about
his political goals: to h and Artsakh over to Azerbaijanis together
with all the liberated lands. In that case Artsakh issue would have
definitely found a swift solution, in 1-2 years Armenians would have
fled their homes and the issue would have been regulated by the old
Turkish principle "no Armenians, no Armenian issue". Fortunately it
didn’t take place Artsakh is there and Artsakh is being improved."

"Can the new demonstration wave promised in September be a success
for the "congressmen" and serve as a reason for new disorders?"

"Those parties, which in 1998 didn’t give political assessment to
the activity of Armenian Pan National Movement refused the project
that we proposed and they made an announcement, at the moment they
are in coalition and they are facing the consequences, still they
don’t take any steps.

This soft approach in politics, when there is no political assessment,
derives to bad results. And I demand from the authorities to stop
this unprincipled course of action.

Everything must be brought to the legal field; each official must be
in the legal field and must be punished for idleness. And I must say
that I condemn the principle of being in good relations with everyone."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress