Month: October 2008

ARMENIANS SKEPTICAL ABOUT FORGING TIES WITH TURKEY, POLL

AssA-Irada
October 2, 2008 Thursday
Azerbaijan

Armenians lack confidence in normalizing their countrys relations
with Turkey, with which it maintains no diplomatic relations and
faces long-standing differences, a recent public opinion poll has
found. 33 per cent of Armenian citizens polled by the National
Strategic Research Center, an influential local group, said making
amends with the neighboring country is impossible, while 43 per cent
of respondents said they doubted this scenario would materialize. Only
24 per cent of those polled believe it is possible to forge ties with
Turkey. Suzanna Barsegian, head of the center, said that, nonetheless,
64 per cent of the experts polled said establishing Armenian-Turkish
relations is possible. But the experts also said Armenia should proceed
with caution. We shouldnt forget that Turkey is our countrys enemy,
she said. The two countries have been at odds and the border between
the two countries has been closed since 1993 on Ankaras insistence
due to Armenias policy of occupation and the Armenian genocide claims.

ARMENIA SHOULD TAKE PRAGMATIC APPROACH TO S.OSSETIA EVENTS

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Presidential Bulletin
October 3, 2008
Russia

Armenia should take a pragmatic approach toward assessing the recent
events in South Ossetia, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said in
an address to the nation.

It is more than clear today that not only do we need to clearly and
pragmatically assess the latest events but also take consistent and
far-reaching steps, Sargsyan said.

The war in South Ossetia and the events that followed it had a sobering
effect on many, he said.

The war in Nagorno-Karabakh has still not finished, Sargsyan said.

It will not be finished until the arms race is finished and until
we congratulate the presidents of Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh on
their combat capabilities and the peaceful resolution of the conflict,
he said.

Touching on economic and social issues, Sargsyan said Armenia would
start the construction of a new nuclear power plant and a railroad
connecting the country with Iran.

Sargsyan also called on all government bodies, especially the National
Security Council, to work properly and called for the public to
be involved in the decision-making process. He suggested that the
Public Council, which is to be fully put together soon, should play
an important role in this.

Nobody can resolve these issues but us. We need to be able to
eradicate corruption and to build a society in which there is no
room for corruption. There is no alternative to the restoration of
social justice. We face a lot of work in this respect to be done in
the public and private sectors. There can be no official seat for a
corruptionist, and we will apply the toughest possible measures in
fighting corruption, he said.

He also urged the opposition and the ruling party to stop accusing
each other. All this is going beyond the acceptable limits. Let’s stop.

This way leads nowhere, he said.

RUSSIAN ECONOMIST: IF WORLD FINANCIAL CRISIS ESCALATES INTO ECONOMIC, IT MAY AFFECT ARMENIA

ARKA
Oct 14, 2008

YEREVAN, October 14. /ARKA/. If the world financial crisis escalates
into economic, it may affect Armenia more or less, Dmitry Sorokin,
the first deputy director of Institute of Economy of Russian Academy
of Sciences, said on Tuesday in an interview with ARKA News Agency.

"Today crisis is seen in financial, not economic sector", he said in
his interview.

He thinks the world financial crisis will have no major impact on
Armenia, since the country’s involvement in the world financial system
is not so great – Russia’s involvement is greater.

Sorokin said that a new phase of economic cycle is expected to start
by late 2009 or early 2010. He thinks the world economy will grow
and things will change.

However, now global decline is seen.

Central Bank of Armenia says in its report on forecasts and monetary
policy for 4th Q that the new stage of the world financial crisis
brought volatility and new risks to financial and commodity markets.

Armenian market has not reacted to the fall in world prices, especially
food prices, despite the world prices started falling yet in the
second quarter.

The recent conflict in the region and problems with cargo
transportation added problems to some Armenian that were imperfect
and slow yet before that.

NATO EASTWARD EXPANSION NOT CORRESPONDING WITH REAL THREATS IS DANGEROUS – LAVROV

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Military Newswire
October 3, 2008 Friday 1:53 PM MSK
Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov thinks that the artificial
NATO eastward expansion, which can be explained by the mindset of
exploring new territories, is dangerous to Russia, Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

"The threat is in artificial NATO eastward expansion, which takes place
as a part of the mindset of exploring new territories and which is
not justified and does not correspond with any real threat," Lavrov
told a news conference in Yerevan in the wake of talks with Armenian
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.

Russia, however, sees no threat if NATO evolves in an alliance that
counters real challenges and threats, the minister said.

Russia and Armenia see eye to eye on what NATO they would like to
cooperate with, he said.

Russia does have interaction with NATO, he said. In particular, both
Russia and Armenia are members of the Euroatlantic Partnership Council,
Lavrov said.

WASHINGTON URGES TO SPEED UP KARABAKH TALKS

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Military Newswire
October 3, 2008 Friday 3:06 PM MSK
Russia

Baku and Yerevan should step up the negotiating process to resolve the
Karabakh conflict, said U.S. deputy secretary of State John Negroponte.

Talks should be intensified to speed up the reaching of a consensus
between Azerbaijan and Armenia , Negroponte said at a meeting with
Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in Baku on Friday.

Mammadyarov said, for his part, that the only possible solution to the
Karabakh conflict is the one that reflects Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity. "This is why Armenia should withdraw its troops from
occupied Azeri territories and refugees and displaced persons should
return there," the foreign minister said.

Negroponte arrived in Azerbaijan on October 2 on a formal visit.

YEREVAN BACKS MOSCOW’S ROLE IN REGIONAL PEACE, COOPERATION EFFORTS

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Military Newswire
October 3, 2008 Friday 3:49 PM MSK
Russia

The Armenian authorities express their support for Russia’s proactive
role in promoting peace and cooperation in the region, Armenian
Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandian told a joint news conference with
his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

"We have discussed the latest events in our region and the importance
of efforts aimed at ensuring regional stability and security.

We expressed our support for Russia’s proactive role in promoting
peace and cooperation in the region," Nalbandian said.

The Armenian minister said his meeting with Lavrov also paid due
attention to negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process.

"We once again reaffirmed our commitment to the soonest possible
settlement of the conflict through exclusively peaceful means and
within the framework of negotiations taking place on the basis of
proposals put forth by the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group,"
Nalbandian said.

"I am convinced that this visit by the Russian foreign minister
to Armenia will make a sound contribution to the policy aimed at
comprehensively strengthening bilateral relations, including their
foreign policy component, that the governments of both Armenia and
Russia are pursuing," he said.

ARMENIA’S COMMERCIAL BANKS AND LENDING AGENCIES PREDICT 8.5-11.5 PER CENT ECONOMIC GROWTH IN JAN-SEPT 2009

ARKA
Oct 14, 2008

YEREVAN, October 14. /ARKA/. Armenia’s most commercial banks (13)
and lending agencies (11) forecast an 8.5-11.5% economic growth next
January-September.

As noted in the Compile of a quarterly survey of commercial banks and
lending agencies by the Statistical Service of the Central Bank of
Armenia (CBA), seven commercial banks and ten lending agencies expect
an economic growth below 8.5% next January-September while 2 commercial
banks and a lending agency forecast an economic growth of over 11.5%.

According to the document, 18 commercial banks and eight lending
agencies believe the economic environment did not get worse in the
third quarter.

Ten commercial banks and lending agencies believe the economic
environment will not change in the fourth quarter. Only one bank and
five lending agencies expect its worsening.

According to the CBA predictions that are fixed in the CBA Protocol
on forecasts and monetary management for Q4, the economic growth will
reach 8-11% in the basal scenario against 6-9% in the alternative
scenario during the first three quarters and 10-11% economic growth
is expected in the Q4.

According to the Statistical Service an annual 10.3% economic growth
was recorded in Armenia this January-August. According to the state
budget, a 10% rise is estimated in Armenia’s GDP for 2008.

Currently 22 commercial banks and 23 lending agencies operate in
Armenia.

ARMENIA: MINISTER ON FOOD PRODUCTS PROVISION

Regnum
October 3, 2008 Friday
Russia

Quoting Aramais Grigoryan, Armenia’s Agriculture Minister, it is
planned to satisfy the demand for grain at 75% by 2012 against
43% currently. Demand for beef is satisfied at 80%, for milk – at
90%. Armenia is fully provided with own vegetables, fruit, mutton,
and eggs. The Minister has noted that the poultry meat production
is unprofitable due to low import duties and suggested doubling the
duty to 15%. The current poultry meat output indicator in the country
totals 24%.

RUSSIA INTERESTED IN CHANGE OF POWER BUT NOT IN DESTRUCTION OF GEORGIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.10.2008 14:58 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Georgia’s weakness, which became evident during
the August events, engendered some neighbor states’ intention to make
good at its expense, Segodnya Russian newspaper reports.

In an article titled "Who will have Georgia’s remnants?" the newspaper
reminds of some Azeri media reports about Azerbaijan’s plans to
grant Azeri citizenship to residents of Georgia’s Kvemo-Kartli
region. Besides, it was reported that Ankara will urge Tbilisi to
grant de facto autonomy to Ajaria and repatriate Turks Meskhetians.

"Some Russian political scientists have already supported the
idea. Orientalist Alexander Sotnichenko thinks that such plans
prove that both Turley and Azerbaijan label Georgia as a failed
state. The fact that a maniac came to power in Georgia is not a reason
to partition this country. In other words, Russia is interested in
change of power but not in destruction of Georgia. Furthermore, the
shift of regime is in the interest of Georgia itself, since it will
save the country from human and territorial loss," the article says.

ARMENIA-EU BUSINESS FORUM IN LUXEMBOURG NEXT SPRING

ARKA
Oct 14, 2008

YEERVAN, October 14. /ARKA/. Armenia-European Union (EU) business
forum will take place in Luxembourg next spring, Garegin Melkonyan,
the RA trade representative in the EU, told ARKA News Agency.

According to Melkonyan the forum is aimed at boosting business ties
and contacts between Armenian and EU institutions.

Melkonyan stressed on-site works and visits of business delegations are
very important as Armenia is geographically far from the EU countries.

"Two or three business visits of different delegations are organized
annually, aimed at encouraging business ties, as well as contacts
between Chambers of Commerce and Industry," said Melkonyan.

He noted that Armenia’s main trade partners in the EU include Belgium,
Germany, Holland, Italy and France.

Armenian-EU trade turnover reached $1,219.3mln this January-August,
an annual increase of 20.5%, and made 36.8% of Armenia’s total foreign
trade turnover.

Armenia’s exports to the EU amounted to $392mln (9.6% increase),
with imports amounting to $827.3mln (26.4% increase).

"In general, the diversification with the EU is well developed, but
at the same time works aimed at widening contacts are being carried
out," said Melkonyan.