Month: November 2009

HACKER ATTACKS ON GOVERNMENT WEB SITES OF ARMENIA MAY OCCUR THIS DECEMBER

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.11.2009 15:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "After several Armenian governmental web sites
had been attacked by Turkish and Azeri hackers in August 2009, the
Information and Public Relations Center of the Armenia’s President
administration and experts of Helix Consulting conducted 99 state
sites to identify their weaknesses," Aram Mkhitaryan , Director of
Helix Consulting told a press conference in Yerevan today.

According Aram Mkhitaryan, the results of the survey have been passed
to relevant authorities and for the moment all identified deficiencies
are corrected.

According to Mr. Mkhitaryan, it is impossible to inflict the final
defeat to the enemy in the information war, since it is a long process.

Speaking about the possibility of further hacker attacks on government
websites of Armenia, Director of Helix Consulting noted that they
might happen in December this year – "since during holidays there is
no one to monitor the sites. " He also added that the bulk of these
hacker attacks on government sites of Armenia have not an organized
character. "But this does not mean we should exclude the possibility
of the latter," Aram Mkhitaryan said.

NEW YORK TIMES LEAD ART CRITIC TO ATTEND OPENING OF KAFESJIAN ART CENTRE

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.11.2009 20:40 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Lead art critic of New York Times Michael Kimmelman
will visit Armenian capital to participate in the opening of Kafesjyan
art centre on November 8.

Kimmelman will deliver a lecture on his Pulitzer Prize nominated book
The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa

"Good art is generous," Kimmelman said, encouraging people "to look
more closely at what’s around them".

The book includes discussions on artists as wide-ranging as Bonnard,
Vermeer, de Kooning, and Duchamp, but it also includes a chapter
about Dr. Hugh Hicks, who runs a private museum from his basement
showcasing his collection of over 75,000 light bulbs.

Born and raised in Greenwich Village, New York, Kimmelman attended
Yale College and did his graduate work in Art History at Harvard
University. He is currently based in Berlin, writing the Abroad column
for the Times on culture and society across Europe.

NO MEETING BETWEEN ARMENIAN AND AZERI COMMUNIST PARTIES’ REPRESENTATIVES WAS HELD IN MOSCOW

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.11.2009 15:42 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Communist Party Leader Ruben Tovmasyan said
Azeri Communist Party Leader Rauf Gurbanov’s statement on separate
meeting between Armenian and Azeri Communist parties’ representatives
is untrue.

"Gurbanov said Karabakh conflict was discussed at the meeting,
stressing that Karabakh belongs to Azerbaijan territory. I must note
that these statements are nothing but a figment of morbid imagination,"
Ruben Tovmasyan told a news conference in Yerevan.

As RA Communist Party leader reported, recently Moscow hosted XXXIV
Communist Parties Union convention, attended by CIS communist parties’
representatives. Karabakh conflict issue was not on convention agenda
and no meetings with Azeri communists took place.

Earlier, Azeri Communist Party Leader Rauf Gurbanov’s stated that
within 34th Communist Parties Union convention framework a meeting
took place between Armenian and Azeri communists, covering Karabakh
conflict settlement issues.

"We have no differences with Armenian communists as to the fact of
Karabakh is a part of Azeri territory. Armenian communists openly
state that," Azeri Communist Party Leader stressed.

CONTRACT OFFICERS WILL JOIN RA ARMED FORCES RANKS

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.11.2009 20:57 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On November 4, former reservists were awarded
lieutenant ranks at solemn ceremony in RA Defense Ministry
administration building.

Presenting officer certifications, RA Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan
expressed a hope that newly -appointed officers will contribute
to Armenian Army’s fighting efficiency, RA Defense Ministry press
service reported.

OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS TO ARRIVE IN YEREVAN ON NOVEMBER 6

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.11.2009 21:13 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Co-Chairs of OSCE Minsk Group Yuri Merzlyakov
(Russia), Bernard Fassier (France), Robert Bradtke (US) and Personal
Representative of OSCE Chairman-in-Office Anjey Kasprzik are arriving
in Yerevan on November 6.

Mediators are expected to meet with RA President Serzh Sargsyan and
FM Edward Nalbandyan.

They will discuss issues concerning upcoming meeting between Armenian
and Azeri leaders.

ARMENIA TO OPERATE 3 JOINT ARMENIAN-FRENCH LABS BEGINNING 2010

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.11.2009 17:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "We cooperate with different countries. Beginning
January 2010, we’ll operate 3 joint labs in cooperation with French
Academy of Sciences, which will enable us to conduct research in
the sphere of physics, geology and archaeology. Within the frames of
bilateral cooperation, 10 Armenian scientific projects will receive
grants in the amount of ~@ 70 thousand," RA NAS President Radik
Martirosyan told a press conference in Yerevan.

"Expenses on each scholar in Armenia make up ~@ 30 thousand, including
salary, expenses for research etc., whereas in European countries
that sum comprises ~@ 130 thousand," Radik Martirosyan said.

At that he noted that science development strategy, as well as other
similar documents bore declarative character. "Under the strategy,
our scientific-research system should be brought in compliance
with European standards by 2020. That implies increasing Academy’s
budget by 2% by making GDP allocations (10 times increase). We just
have to hope that political-economic situation and relations with
neighbors will establish grounds for the development of science,"
NAS President stressed.

673 POLICE OFFICERS ADMINISTRATIVELY BROUGHT TO THE ACCOUNT IN RA

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.11.2009 17:19 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ RA Police attaches special importance to the rule
of law inside the police, Sayad Shirinian , Head of Public Relations
department of the RA Police told a press conference in Yerevan today.

"Over the last 9 months of this year 55 police officers have been
administratively brought to the account for misconduct. Administrative
penalty has been subjected to 673 policemen in all, 33 out of them have
been relieved out of the system, five were demoted, and 8 policemen
were demoted in the ranks, " he said.

Sayad Shirinian also addressed issues relating to the traffic police,
saying that within 9 months of 2009 in Armenia, there were 1,409
accidents, which killed 232 and injured 1,965 people. According to
him, thanks to the diligent work of the traffic police, the number
of accidents fell by 10.2 per cent compared to last year.

THE CASE OF EXPLOSION OF "NAIRIT" FACTORY IS STILL IN THE PHASE OF PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION

ARMENPRESS
Nov 4, 2009

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS: The case of explosion of "Nairit"
factory is still in the phase of preliminary investigation. Head of
Armenian Police’s media and information department, Police Colonel
Sayat Shirinyan said that several investigations have been carried
out and some investigations are still in process. Other details he
did not present.

Referring to the statement of a journalist, according to which the
police had earlier stated the cause of the explosion at "Nairit"
is the human factor, S. Shirinyan noted that the police never denies
such statements. "The police usually advances several hypothesis in
regard to the case and after verifying each of them, concludes to an
objective truth", he said.

S. Shirinyan also underscored that the articles on criminal cases
published in mass media, are always in the center of attention of the
police, but S. Shirinyan found it difficult to say how many criminal
cases have been provoked.

ARMENIAN GYMNASTS TO PARTICIPATE IN HRANT SHAHINYAN’S COMMEMORATIVE TOURNAMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.11.2009 17:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On November 10-14, Yerevan will host artistic
gymnastics international tournament. Over 50 Armenian gymnasts under
18 will participate, Armenian Gymnastic Federation Secretary General
Elfik Hovhannesyan told PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

Hrant Shahinyan (born July 30, 1923) is a former Soviet gymnast,
Olympic and world champion. Shahinyan competed for the Soviet Union
at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki where he received gold medals
in rings and team combined exercises, and silver medals in pommel
horse and individual all-around.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TOTAL DEBT OF ARMENIA TO INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AMOUNTS TO 8,5 MILLION USD

ARMENPRESS
Nov 4, 2009

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS: Armenia is member of a great number
international and regional organizations, and the annual payments
of membership fees of 86 of them is being carried out through the
Foreign Ministry from the means provided from the state budget for
Armenia’s membership to international organizations.

Armenia has a status of associated member in Francophone International
Organization, status of an observer in "EurAsEc", Not-Uniting Movement
Organization.

Spokesman for the Armenian Foreign Affairs Ministry Tigran Balayan
told Armenpress that this year the total sum of financial commitments
amounts to 1 million 942,870 USD. Taking into consideration the
process of paying back the gathered debts of the previous years
the 2009 state budget released 2 million 725,464 USD for Armenia’s
membership to international organizations. This sum according to the
timeframe of payment is equally distributed among four quarters.

Currently the total debt of Armenia to international organizations
amounts to 8,5 million USD.