BAKU: Armenia Seeks Finances For Realization Of Yerevan-Batumi Highw

ARMENIA SEEKS FINANCES FOR REALIZATION OF YEREVAN-BATUMI HIGHWAY PROJECT

TREND
Dec 9 2008
Azerbaijan

Georgia, Tbilisi, 9 Dec / Trend News corr N. Kirtzkhalia / Armenia is
working hard to attract funds for the construction of Batumi-Yerevan
highway. Tigran Sarkisyan, prime minister of Armenia, said in Tbilisi
at the joint news conference with his Georgian counterpart Grigol
Mgaloblishvili on 9 Dec.Ã~B

Georgian and Armenian presidents reached an agreement on the
construction of the highway several months ago. This decision provoked
negative reaction of the Georgian experts which consider that this will
cause the armenization of the South regions of Georgia and will play
a role of the Rock tunnel through which the Russian forces entered
Tskhinvali in August.Ã~B Ã~B Ã~B Ã~B

Sarkisyan said the agreement has already been reached with Eurasia
fund. The fund is ready to allocate the certain amount of money for
the realization of the project. ââ~B¬Å~[Armenian fully supports
the construction of the current highway and we expect the soonest
realization of the project,ââ~B¬Å¥ Sarkisyan said. Georgian also
makes efforts on the realization of the project and now seeks for the
supplementary financial funds for the construction of the highway,
Mgaloblishvili said.Ã~B

–Boundary_(ID_+X3mCI64wcaAWmExR9oi Ww)–

BAKU: Georgian Prime Minister Hopes Armenia Will Not Exaggerate Issu

GEORGIAN PRIME MINISTER HOPES ARMENIA WILL NOT EXAGGERATE ISSUE OF NORASHEN CHURCH

TREND
Dec 9 2008
Azerbaijan

Georgia, Tbilisi, 9 Dec / Trend News corr N. Kirtzkhalia / The Georgian
Prime Minister hopes that the incident over the disputable church
"Norashen" in Tbilisi will be settled soon.

"A special commission was formed which will include representatives
of both churches, as well as common representatives of Georgian and
Armenian public, Georgian Prime Minister Grigol Mgaloblishvili said
in Tbilisi at the joint news conference with his Armenian counterpart
Tigran Sarkisyan.

"Our fraternal relations are based on centuries-old character
and I hope that this question will not be politically exaggerated"
Mgaloblishvili said. Sarkisyan preferred not to make any comments on
this issue.

Armenia again raised the question on re-owning the church Norashen
located in the center of Tbilisi. The students even held a protest
action in Yerevan demanding Georgia to return the sacred place to
Armenian nation.

Kiro Manoyan: Karabakh Should Be A Full Party To The Talks

KIRO MANOYAN: KARABAKH SHOULD BE A FULL PARTY TO THE TALKS

armradio.am
09.12.2008 17:30

If Turkey wishes to increase its influence and role in the region,
it should improve the relations with Armenia, Head of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau’s Hay Dat and Political Affairs
Office Kiro Manoyan told a press conference today. According to him,
the dialogue between the two countries that started after the visit of
the Turkish President to Armenia was suspended because Turkey continued
insisting on its preconditions for opening of the Armenian-Turkish
border. Besides, Turks continue questioning the fact of the Armenian
Genocide.

Turning to the activity of the Armenian lobbyist organizations, Kiro
Manoyan noted that thanks to them the Armenian Genocide is already
a fact accepted by the international community. According to him,
today the task of the Armenian diplomats is not to allow the term
"genocide" be replaced by another world in world media. Kiro Manoyan
added that the end to the lobbyist activity will be the recognition
of the fact of genocide by Turkey.

Clarifying the position of ARF Dashnaktsutyun on the Nagorno Karabakh
issue, Kiro Manoyan noted that "any concession should be reciprocal
and simultaneous" and the status of Karabakh should be determined
from the very beginning. Besides, the issues of return of Armenian
lands beyond NKR borders and the return of Armenian refuge es should
be raised. "At last, Karabakh should be a full party to the talks,"
Kiro Manoyan concluded.

Armenian Delegation To PACE Will Not Be Deprived Of Its Right Of Vot

ARMENIAN DELEGATION TO PACE WILL NOT BE DEPRIVED OF ITS RIGHT OF VOTE DURING JAN SESSION: LEADER OF DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF ARMENIA

ArmInfo
2008-12-09 18:03:00

ArmInfo. CE Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg was tough
in his assessments because during his visit to Yerevan he detected
some unresolved problems but the reports that he was pressurized by
the Armenian opposition are not true, says the leader of the Democratic
party of Armenia Aram Sargsyan.

Sargsyan doubts that the Armenian delegation to PACE will be deprived
of its right of vote during the Jan session. The objective of the
Council of Europe is not to punish but to correct mistakes, says
Sargsyan.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian Premier: Armenian Government To Support Project On Construc

ARMENIAN PREMIER: ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT PROJECT ON CONSTRUCTION OF YEREVAN-BATUMI HIGHWAY

ArmInfo
2008-12-09 16:40:00

ArmInfo. The Armenian government will support the construction of
Yerevan- Akhalkalaki-Batumi highway, Armenian Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan said in Tbilisi, Tuesday, upon completion of the 7th sitting
of the Georgian-Armenian intergovernmental commission for economic
cooperation.

As ArmInfo special correspondent reported, Tigran Sargsyan stressed the
issue of financing this project is currently being discussed with the
Asian Development Bank (ADB) which is interested in implementation of
infrastructure projects in Armenia, including the one on construction
of the given highway. He also added that in general, ADB is interested
in implementation of regional projects.

Sargsyan expressed confidence that the project on construction of
Yerevan-Akhalkalaki-Batumi highway will be put across.

To recall, Armenian and Georgian presidents initiated launching of
this project during Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s recent visit
to Tbilisi.

The highway will make it possible to reduce the traveling time from
Yerevan to Batumi by 4-5 hours. To note, ADB is ready to provide
Armenia with loans worth a total of $140 mln in 2009-2010.

Prime Minister Of Georgia: Georgian-Armenian Relations Characterized

PRIME MINISTER OF GEORGIA: GEORGIAN-ARMENIAN RELATIONS CHARACTERIZED AS SUSTAINABLE AND DYNAMICALLY DEVELOPING

ArmInfo
2008-12-09 13:54:00

ArmInfo. Georgian-Armenian relations are characterized as sustainable
and dynamically developing, Grigol Mgaloblishvili, Prime Minister
of Georgia said at the 7th session of the Armenian-Georgian
Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation in Tbilisi,
Tuesday, ArmInfo correspondent reported. The Georgian premier hopes
the session will give an impetus to development of Georgian- Armenian
relations.

For his part, Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan thanked his
counterpart for warm reception and said that the bilateral relations
will attain a new quality thanks to implementation of the agreements
reached in the course of the session. Armenian premier mentioned the
recent visit Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to Georgia and the
specific agreements reached to promote the Georgian-Armenian relations.

Protocol of Intent will be signed in the course of the session. In
addition, the parties will amend the Agreement of Mutual Trade signed
on 14 August 1995. Another agreement on cooperation in the sphere of
culture for 2009-2010 will be signed. After the session, the Armenian
delegation will visit the local Armenian Church Norashen. The same
evening, Georgian President Mihkeil Saakashvili will receive the
Armenian delegates.

Russia’s VTB Closes Deal To Buy 51% Stake In Azerbaijan’s AF Bank

RUSSIA’S VTB CLOSES DEAL TO BUY 51% STAKE IN AZERBAIJAN’S AF BANK

RIA Novosti
17:19 | 09/ 12/ 2008

MOSCOW, December 9 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s state-controlled VTB Bank,
the country’s second-largest banking institution, said on Tuesday it
had sealed a deal to buy a 51% stake in Azerbaijan-based AF Bank.

"We plan in the near future to rebrand the subsidiary bank, and rename
it Bank VTB (Azerbaijan)," the VTB press office said.

AF Bank holds 39th place among Azerbaijan’s 46 banks in terms of
assets. It has charter capital of around $9.65 million and assets of
$15.3 million.

VTB’s Azerbaijan subsidiary will support inter-state programs and
participate in the implementation of large-scale Russian-Azerbaijani
projects with the involvement of Russian capital, the press office
said.

"The decision to acquire a controlling stake in AF Bank was made in
accordance with the strategy to expand VTB’s presence on the markets
of CIS countries [former Soviet republics, except the Baltic states
of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia] ," the press office said.

VTB has subsidiary banks in Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia and Georgia,
and also in some European and Asian countries.

The credit portfolio of VTB Group, which includes VTB Bank, has
grown 65% so far this year to 2 trillion rubles ($71.4 billion),
VTB CEO Andrei Kostin said on Tuesday.

"The credit portfolio of VTB Group in Russia grew 65% in the first
eleven months and 24% in September-November," Kostin said during a
meeting with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

He also said VTB paid on Monday the first 3.5 billion rubles ($125
million) of a loan to Russian aircraft engine manufacturer NPO Saturn.

"We paid the first tranche of 3.5 billion rubles yesterday, which
will let the enterprise settle its liabilities on previously secured
loans," Kostin said.

"The second and the third tranches are to follow, and the loan will
total 11.5 billion rubles [$410 million]," he added.

A Reception Dedicated To The 20th Anniversary Of The Karabakh Moveme

A RECEPTION DEDICATED TO THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE KARABAKH MOVEMENT TOOK PLACE IN PARIS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2008-12-09 16:45
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic

On December 8, the NKR Permanent Representation in France organized a
reception in Paris, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Karabakh
movement.

Deputies of the National Assembly of France, mayors of the French
cities, politicians, representatives of the Armenian organizations
of France, as well as journalists were present at the reception.

In his speech, the NKR Permanent Representative in France Hovhannes
Gevorgyan marked the importance of the Karabakh movement in the
history of the Armenian people.

"20 years have passed since the historical 1988. During that
20 difficult years, we suffered a war, had innumerable victims,
experienced and still keeps on experiencing a severe blockade…But
we managed to withstand and reach a victory due to our unity and
solidarity", Hovhannes Gevorgyan noted.

Speaking about the Diaspora’s role in the victory of Artsakh, Hovhannes
Gevorgyan mentioned that the Artsakh-Armenia-Diaspora trinity keeps
on being an indispensable condition for the final resolution of the
Karabakh problem and the NKR’s international recognition.

The NKR Permanent Representative in France also touched upon the
tragic events of Sumgait, in 1988 and the earthquake in Spitak. Those
present paid homage to the innocent victim s by one-minute silence.

NKR: Concrete Factory Has Been Put Into Service

CONCRETE FACTORY HAS BEEN PUT INTO SERVICE
Svetlana Khachatryan

Azat Artsakh Daily
09 Dec 08
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh [NKR]

"Four Direction" company of businessman and benefactor
Seyran Karapetyan places an industrial concrete factory in
Stepanakert.Yesterday the NKR President B.Sahakyan accompanied by
the minister of Urban Planning A.Vardanyan and mayor of Stepanakert
V.Michaelyan visited construction landing. According to S.Karapetyan,
the factory will be ready and will give its first production on
December 16th. 60 cubic metre concrete of high quality will be produced
in an hour. By estimation of the minister A.Vardanyan, production
of concrete of such size is unprecedented in Karabakh. At present,
when sizes of construction realizing in 2009-2011 in Artsakh are
being discussed, exploitation of such factory is too necessary.

As she said, owing to the factory we should have construction
material corresponding to modern requirements, which would be
used for construction of dwelling and public building-construction
materials. A. Vardanyan considered the starting of a new enterprise
a huge and serious step in the sphere of construction. Seyran
Karapetyan’s "Four Direction" company operates successfully in Moscow,
China, Switzerland, Erevan and henceforth it will operate also in
Karabakh.

NKR: Constitution – The Guarantor Of The Rights And Freedom Of Citiz

CONSTITUTION – THE GUARANTOR OF THE RIGHTS AND FREEDOM OF CITIZENS

Azat Artsakh Daily
09 Dec 08
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh [NKR]

Two years ago, on December 10th, 2006, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic adopted by a referendum the Constitution, which first article
says, that NKR is the sovereign, democratic, legal, social state. This
day, as a matter of fact, a new stage has marked in the process of
building of independent statehood of Nagorno-Karabakh. And it is
deeply symbolical, that the constitutional referendum was carried out
on December 10th – in the day when just 15 years ago our people, again
by a referendum, passed other fatal resolution about state independence
of NKR. And which is the significance of the Constitution, as the Basic
law of the country? As before its adoption a legislative base has been
already created, including the block of the constitutional laws which
allowed to regulate relations practically in all the spheres of public-
political life? However, adoption of the Constitution is an original
deification of lawmaking process, as the Basic law is a legislation
base, and it provides constitutionality all the laws, regulates mutual
relations between citizens and citizen-state relations. And it is
the extremely important for NKR people, who from the first day of the
state independence has proclaimed adherence to the law and democratic
values. There is a certain logic that our Constitution has been adopted
only 15 years later after a referendum about the state independence.

The matter is that the Constitution urged to issue legally all those
changes that have occurred in development of the society and state,
in socio-economical structures of the country and a public- political
life in turning-points of its history. For last years in history of
NKR the important events took place – after falling of the USSR the
social order has changed, the republic has passed test by the war made
by Azerbaijan, has overcome difficulties of postmilitary restoration
and market economy formation, realised measures on democratisation of
a public life, has carried out some presidential, parliamentary and
local authorities’ elections. All these achievements should be fixed
legislatively and consequently they have found the reflexion in the
Constitution of our country. Besides the Constitution as the basic
law of the state fixes political structures’ bases, defines forms and
methods of activity of state governing bodies, it possesses also the
higher validity, in particular, guaranteeing and protecting the rights
and freedom of the person. In our Constitution it is directly declared,
that Nagorno-Karabakh Republic recognises basic laws and freedom of the
person as the integral and higher values as a basis of freedom, justice
and the world, that the power in NKR belongs to the people. Taking into
account these democra tic principles, one of the most important norms
of the Constitution – maintenance of direct participation of the people
in government by means of elections of different levels: presidential,
parliamentary, elections of local authorities. However it is necessary
to underline, that democracy is not only the rights and freedom,
but according to the Constitution’s requirements, also the duties for
both all state structures, and citizens for living and operating. It
is important to notice also, that our aspiration to creation of
real democratic state, our desire and ability to live under laws of
the civilised world have also great value from the point of view of
prospects of the international recognition of independent statehood
of NKR. Certainly, we have selected a democratic way of development
and consistently we democratise a political life of republic not to
like someone. Certainly, no. It is our realised choice based on our
historical traditions, our mentality, on understanding of laws of
development of a modern civil society. But nevertheless in a foreign
policy context also it is not less important, that the provisions
proclaimed by the Constitution do not remain simply on a paper, and
in practice enter into our life as necessary and demanded norms that
will really confirms adherence of NKR to democratic principles. The
Constitution by right is considered the main, basic law of the
state. In comparison with the acting legislati on it is stabler,
thanks to which it provides internal stability of the state. But it
is necessary to notice, that public-political life of the country is
consistently developing, and, hence, at certain stages there will be
necessity to introduce in the Constitution corresponding corrective
amendments. However in all cases the main thing remains unchanged –
value of the Constitution as the Basic law of the state, the law
guaranteeing maintenance and protection of the rights, freedom and
interests of its citizens.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress