Month: August 2008

YOUNG CHESS PLAYERS OF ARMENIA WITH 13.5 POINTS LEAD POINTS TABLE AT WORLD YOUTH UNDER 16 OLYMPIAD

Noyan Tapan

Au g 20, 2008

MERSIN, AUGUST 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The World Youth Under 16 Chess
Olympiad began in Mersin (Turkey) on August 17. Out of 26 teams from
18 contries, 7 teams represent Turkey, two – South Africa and two –
Switzerland.

The Armenian team is composed of Samvel Ter-Sahakian, Vahe
Baghdasarian, Hayk Vardanian and Hayk Tamazian. 4 rounds have been
held. The Armenian chess players lead the points table with 13.5
points.

WRESTLER SUREN MARKOSIAN DROPS OUT OF STRUGGLE FOR OLYMPIC MEDALS

Noyan Tapan

Au g 20, 2008

BEIJING, AUGUST 20, NOYAN TAPAN. Free-style wrestler Suren Markosian
(66 kg) was beaten during his first match on August 20 and dropped
out of the struggle for medals at the 29th Summer Olympic Games.

Javelin thrower Melik Janoyan and free-style wrestler Harutyun Yenokian
(84 kg) will compete in Beijing on August 21.

NATIONAL YOUTH FOOTBALL TEAM OF ARMENIA BEATEN BY RUSSIAN TEAM AT START OF INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION IN PALANGA

Noyan Tapan

Au g 20, 2008

PALANGA, AUGUST 20, NOYAN TAPAN. An international youth competition
with the participation of 8 teams began in Palanga (Lithuania) on
August 19. The rivals of Armenian under-17 footballers included in
1st group are those from Russia, Moldova and Lithuania. In the first
round, Armenia’s team lost to Russian footballers with a 0-3 score.

TURKEY’S UNDER-21 TEAM PLAYS IN YEREVAN

Today’s Zaman
Aug 20 2008
Turkey

The Turkish National Under-21 Football Team departed yesterday for the
Armenian capital to play today with the Armenian National Under-21
Football Team, as both are members of the Second Selection Group in
the 17th Under-21 European Championship.

The match between the two teams will kick off at 7 p.m. Turkey time
at Yerevan’s Hrazdan Stadium.

Armenia decided on Thursday to unilaterally suspend its visa regime
with Turkey to facilitate the arrival of Turkish fans for the upcoming
first-ever match between the two countries’ national football teams,
in a fresh overture to Ankara. The Armenian government stated that
Turkish citizens traveling to Armenia from Sept. 1-6 would not be
required to obtain entry visas. Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan
invited President Abdullah Gul to a World Cup qualifying match between
the national soccer teams of the two countries in Yerevan on Sept. 6,
calling for dialogue to help normalize ties and saying this would
be mutually beneficial. Over the weekend, Gul said that he was still
assessing whether to respond positively to the invitation.

Both diplomats at the Foreign Ministry and officials close to the
Cankaya Presidential Palace are tight-lipped on whether Gul will
accept Sarksyan’s invitation, which has prompted international media
to refer to the current state of affairs as "soccer diplomacy."

ON OCTOBER 4-5 YEREVAN WILL HOST THE SECOND ARMTECH CONGRESS-2008

ARMENPRESS
Aug 20, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 20, ARMENPRESS: On October 4-5 Yerevan will host the
second conference-exhibition ArmTech Congress-2008, dedicated to high
technologies. It will be held under the high aegis of prime minister
Tigran Sargsyan and its topic will be ‘To Learn from the Past, to
Reveal the Future."

The press division of the economy ministry told Armenpress that the
conference’s goal is to bring together high technology specialists
and enhance this sector’s development in Armenia.

Speakers will present the most latest global achievements and
challenges in this area, as well as Armenian government’s and local IT
companies’ activities. The conference is expected also to provide its
participants with a broad avenue to boost the existing and establish
new business ties. The first ArmTech Congress-2007 was held in 2007
July 4-7 in San Francisco, USA.

ARMENIAN GDP ROSE 10.6 PERCENT IN THE FIRST 7 MONTHS

ARMENPRESS
Aug 20, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 20, ARMENPRESS: Armenia’s GDP in the first 7 months
of 2008 rose 10.6 percent from a year before to 1.740 trillion
Drams. According to the National Statistical Service, the growth in
July against June was 21,4 percent.

It said also the industrial output, including power production, rose
1.8 percent to 428.2 billion Drams. The growth in July against June
was 6.5 percent.

POLICE ARREST NSS OFFICER

ARMENPRESS
Aug 20, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 20, ARMENPRESS: Armenian police said its operatives
revealed during an August 19 ‘comparative’ study at Zvartnots airport
that Vahe M., 31, a senior inspector of the National Security Service
(NSS) at the border troops check point at the airport, failed to report
after revealing false data in a passenger’s passport flying to Vienna.

The police said in return Vahe M. received 400 British pounds. The
police said also an investigation was launched into this case.

PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN MERGES TWO AGENCIES INTO ONE STATE REVENUES COMMITTEE

ARMENPRESS
Aug 20, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 20, ARMENPRESS: President Serzh Sargsyan signed
today a decree to merge the State Taxation Service (STS) and the
State Customs Committee (SCC) into a single government affiliated
State Revenues Committee (SRC).

The president also instructed the government to adopt legal standards
stemming from the decree before January 1, 2009.

By another decree Serzh Sargsyan dismissed Vahram Barseghian from the
office of head of the State Taxation Service. The president signed
another decree to dismiss Gagik Khachatrian as head of the State
Customs Committee and appoint him as head of the State Revenues
Committee.

UNHCR AND ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT POPULATION MOVEMENT TO BE PREPARED FOR EMERGENCY SITUATIONS

ARMENPRESS
Aug 20, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 20, ARMENPRESS: The Georgian-Russian war prompted a
big flow of population movement from Georgia to Armenia. After the
end of active military actions, specialists of the Armenian Migration
Agency of the Territorial Ministry and UNHCR Armenia Agency visited
three crossing points on the Armenian-Georgian border to study the
situation on the ground.

According to UNHCR Armenia Agency, some 11,000 people crossed into
Armenia through Bagratashen border check point on August 8-18. For
comparison, three days before the standoff, on August 5-7 only 400
foreigners crossed into Armenia through Bagratashen.

Part of foreigners who fled to Armenia used it as a transit country to
fly home. The majority of foreigners were ethnic Armenians, citizens
of Georgia-women and children who sought safe refuge in Armenia at
their relatives and friends.

There were also ethnic Georgians and ethnic Ossetians, as well as
Russian citizens of Armenian origin, fleeing Georgia, and also foreign
diplomats, members of their families and personnel of international
organizations in Georgia.

The UNHCR Armenia Agency has set up a task force with other UN agencies
in Armenia to examine the movement of population together with Armenian
government to be prepared for emergency situations.

EDWARD NALBANDIAN RECEIVES SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY ORGANIZATION

ARMENPRESS
Aug 20, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 20, ARMENPRESS : Armenian foreign minister Edward
Nalbandian received today secretary general of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO) Nikolay Bordyuzha.

The press division of the foreign ministry told Armenpress that Edward
Nalbandian and Nikolay Bordyuzha discussed Armenia’s upcoming rotating
chairmanship of the CSTO and the plan of actions to be implemented
during that time, as well as some issues relating to the CSTO foreign
ministers meeting in Kislovodsk and other issues related to CSTO.

They also exchanged ideas on the organization’s agenda issues and
ways to solve them.