Month: June 2009

TURKEY CHANGES OFFICIAL FOCUS: TURKISH FM SAYS ANKARA TO IMPROVE RELATIONS WITH YEREVAN

Panorama.am
18:32 04/06/2009

Ankara is long to improve relations with Yerevan, Turkish Foreign
Minister Ahmed Davutoglu said in a press conference in Washington
yesterday, Turkish media reports.

"The process of improving our relations since 22 April joint statement
is not stopped, and we have direct and mediated communication. There
is no break up in the negotiations. We do everything to solve the
problems," the Foreign Minister said.

The Armenian-Turkish relations do have important status in the context
of the American-Turkish relations regarding the Congress discussions,
the Turkish official said. "Turkish policy is open. The U.S. executive
bodies assess that policy. Turkey wants to set stability, peace and
prosperity in South Caucasus," Mr. Davutoglu said.

Regarding Armenia, the Turkish FM said that Turkey is ready to
improve relations with neighbors, including Armenia in the frames of
bilateral cooperation. But the FM has also emphasized that for strong
and comprehensive resolution the Armenian-Azeri relations need to be
improved and resolved also.

To conclude, the Turkish official has given quite a new definition
to the bilateral relations trying to match with the demand of the
international society and Armenia, as well, recommending not to
accept the Armenian-Turkish and Nagorno-Karabakh conflict parallel
to each other.

LICENSE OF ARMENIAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT EXTENDED UNTIL SUMMER OF 2014

/ARKA/
June 4, 2009
YEREVAN

At its sitting on Wednesday the Public Services Regulatory Commission
(PSRC) of Armenia extended the license for energy production issued to
"Armenian Nuclear Power Plant" CJSC until June 14 2014.

According to PSRC reporter, head of legal issues and licensing Hamayak
Amiraghyan, the decision was made based PSRC decision from January
30 2002 "on order of issuing license for activities in energy sector
of Armenia".

ANPP is situated in the town of Metsamor (20-30km south from Yerevan)
and was brought to operation in 1976. Currently, only the second unit
is operating with a designed capacity of 407.5 MW. The power plant
produces about 40-50% of Armenia’s energy.

The plant has been operated by Inter RAO UES CJSC, owned by Rosatom
Russian state corporation since 2003 to 2013. According to the
assessment of some experts the ANPP can be operated until 2016.

S.O.S. SEVAN INITIATIVE GROUP TO PLAN AUTUMN MOVE

Panorama.am
18:12 04/06/2009

S.O.S. Sevan initiative group plans to hold autumn action, Inga
Zarafyan, the president of "Ecolur" environmental NGO told in a
press conference. The action is going to have different directions,
Zarafyan said.

First, a monitoring of "GeoProMining" company activities will be
conducted regarding the implementation of environmental duties. "We
are intended to make investigation of international experience of
such companies, to inform public about the activities conducted in
Sotq mining," she said.

In 2008 S.O.S. Sevan initiative found support from international
ecological and public groups like IPEN, WECF, Forum NGO on ADB are,
the expert says.

In this respect the initiative group sent letters to Armenian high
ranking officials with requests to stop the processes on constructing
gold reprocessing factory in Sotq mining.

CONSTRUCTION OF IRAN-ARMENIA PRODUCTS PIPE LINE MAY START THIS YEAR

/ARKA/
June 4, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, June 4. /ARKA/. RA Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
Armen Movsisyan hopes that the construction of an Iran-Armenia products
pipe line will be started this year.

The pipe line will allow Armenia to import gasoline and diesel fuel
from Iran.

"Active work to start the construction this year is under way,"
Movsisyan told reporters.

He said that an Iranian work group is soon to visit Armenia to agree
on technical issues, which will allow the sides to launch the project.

The Minister also reported that Armenia and Iran signed a joint-stock
agreement on equal shares in the products pipe line.

"Considering Armenia’s limited resources, the Iranian side agreed
to make the necessary investments in the pipeline provided that the
Armenian side returned the funds," Movsisyan said. The construction of
the pipeline and a terminal in Armenia is estimated at US $240-250mln.

An oil refinery may be a component of the complex. The terminal is
expected to be constructed in Yeraskh, Armenia. Gasoline and diesel
fuel from the oil refinery in Tabriz, Iran, will be piped to the
Yeraskh terminal for further distribution in Armenia.

ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY SAYS AZERI SPECIAL SERVICE MAKES ARMENIAN RECRUITS GIVE TESTIMONY

Panorama.am
17:56 04/06/2009

"Using the unstable psychological conditions of 12-day army recruits,
who have not even made their oath, by special tools of pressure,
the mission of Azeri special service is to improve the demoralized
reputation of their armed forces within their own society by spreading
invented and fanciful information about the Armenian Armed Forces and
Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army," Defense Ministry press service says.

It is important to remind that on 31 May, at 14:10pm by local time army
recruits of Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army Ohan Harutyunyan and Gevorg
Tovmasyan voluntary deserted their military unit in the direction of
Azerbaijan. Using the current fact, the Azeri mass media reports that
the Armenian recruits have been telling about the rough situation in
the Armenian armed forces and about various unlawfulness.

"Current techniques of Azeri campaign are the evidence to the
fact that Azerbaijan makes attempts to be compared with the
Nagorno-Karabakh armed forces which excels them both in military and
psychological preparedness. It’s a shame that the Azeri armed forces
authorities direct their society and armed forces to self-deception
and venture. The mass publication of recruits’ testimonies violates
Geneva 13th convention and 27th article of fourth convention," the
official source says.

COMPANY TO BE FOUNDED TO WORK ON IRAN-ARMENIA RAILROAD CONSTRUCTION

Panorama.am
15:50 04/06/2009

An enterprises working on the construction of Iran-Armenia
railroad is to be founded, Shevqet Shaidulin, the general manager of
"South-Caucasus Railroads" Company said in a press conference. After
the company is founded the participation and interest of both parties
will get obvious, the general manager said.

"It is a precise, comprehensive and important project," Mr. Shaidulin
said. According to him correspondent recommendations have been made
and the company joint with the Armenian Ministry of Transport and
Communication works on technical-economic side of the project.

"We are interested, and we are ready to become a participant of the
improvement of this project," he said.

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT TO ALLOCATE $2.5MLN WORTH BUDGET GUARANTEE TO ELITE GROUP CONSTRUCTION COMPANY

/ARKA/
June 4, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, June 4. /ARKA/. Armenian Government decided to allocate
a $2.5mln worth budget guarantee to Elite Group company today for
completing one of the construction projects in Yerevan.

Earlier the country’s Minister of Finance Tigran Davtyan said that
the government was ready to provide state guarantees for 20bln Drams
to construction companies for promotion of construction projects.

Davtyan pointed out that today’s government decision is the first
step on this way – in providing government guarantees provided by
Ameriabank.

Elite Group has been properly working on the construction market
since long ago and meets the government-set eligibility criteria for
the guarantees, Davtyan said.

Armenian Premier Tigran Sargsyan, in his turn, said that it was the
first application received by the government after the instrument of
construction sector promotion was launched.

The Premier expressed hope that other companies eligible for the
guarantees will follow the example.

KREMLIN WANTS TO SET DIRECT DIALOGUE BETWEEN INTERESTED PARTIES

Panorama.am
15:05 04/06/2009

Kremlin does not have expectations that considerable advancement
will be made in Saint Petersburg three-sided meeting regarding
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. But Moscow is intended to use that
opportunity and to strengthen direct dialogue between the parties,
Sergey Prikhodko, the consultant of Russian President said.

"First the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan will have a meeting,
which is the fifth meeting of the direct negotiations. Then President
Medvedev will have meetings with Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliev
separately, in the evening he will invite his counterparts to have
three-sided meeting," official says.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CRAFTS CHAMBER TO OPEN IN ARMENIA’S SPITAK CITY

/ARKA/
June 4, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, June 4. /ARKA/. A chamber of crafts is to open in Spitak
city soon, Hovhannes Ekimyan, Armenian-French businessman, author of
the project, told this week RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan.

The project is an attempt to unite craftsmen around the world,
enhance vocational education and ensure social welfare.

In her turn, Hakobyan hailed the initiative and vowed staunch support
to the project implementation.

They also agreed on opening the branch of the Madrid-based St. Lazar
Center that supplies Armenia with medical equipment.

Hakobyan said the ministry stands ready to support the project.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION REPORTS SWINE FLU ALARMING IN THE WORLD

Panorama.am
14:37 04/06/2009

World Health Organization reports that the situation over H1N1 virus
in the world is still alarming. New countries every day are recording
influenza A cases.

According to WHO June 3 report 66 countries have officially reported
19,273 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, including 117 deaths.

The United States Government reported that by June 3 10053
laboratory-confirmed virus cases have been revealed.

Laboratory-confirmed cases are found in Canada – 1530, deaths – 2;
Costa Rica – 50, deaths – 1; Argentina – 131; Australia – 501; Belgium
– 13; Brazil – 20; China – 69; Colombia – 20; Cuba – 4; Finland –
4; France – 26; Germany – 28, India – 1; Ireland – 4; Japan- 385;
Great Britain – 339, etc.

Influenza A (H1N1) cases in Armenia is believed to be safe. Certain
measures are being taken to prevent the diffusion of the virus in
the country including the monitoring of passengers’ health conditions.