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PRO-OPPOSITION JOURNALIST ATTACKED IN ARMENIA – POLICE

NASDAQ
April 30 2009

YEREVAN, Armenia (AFP)–A journalist with a pro-opposition Armenian
news Web site was attacked and badly beaten by unidentified assailants
in the capital Yerevan Thursday, police said.

Argishti Kivirian, an editor at the Armenia Today site, "was
hospitalized with multiple injuries and could not immediately give
evidence because of a grave health condition," the police said in
a statement.

Kivirian’s sister, Armenika, told AFP assailants had used baseball
bats and had fired three gunshots, none of which hit her brother,
during the attack in the early hours of Thursday.

Armenia Today said in a statement the attack was "linked with Argishti
Kivirian’s professional activities.

"Intimidation and threats cannot affect our determination to fulfill
our professional and civic duty," the statement said.

Numerous Armenian journalists have been attacked in recent years,
including the head of the country’s association of investigative
reporters, who was severely beaten last November.

The country’s ombudsman, Armen Harutunian, has raised concerns over
the attacks, saying they are evidence of a culture of "intolerance"
towards the media in the former Soviet republic.

ALIYEV UNVEILS STANCE ON TURKEY-ARMENIA TIES

AzerNews Weekly
April 29 2009
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev discussed with the European
Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso energy, reforms in Azerbaijan
and Europe`s new regional cooperation program during a visit to
Brussels on Tuesday.

Although the parties told a news conference following the talks
that discussions had focused on these three topics, replies to
further questions revealed that the pressing issue of Turkey-Armenia
rapprochement was tabled as well.

According to Barroso, President Aliyev stressed that this was an
extremely sensitive issue for Azerbaijan. Barroso said the European
Commission fully supports efforts by Ankara and Yerevan to draw
closer. This, however, does not mean that the organization is taking
no action to advance resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper
(Nagorno) Garabagh dispute, saying it backs conflict settlement
endeavors as well.

Aliyev said Azerbaijan had no intention to meddle in the affairs of
sovereign states, including the relations between Turkey and Armenia.

"All I want to say is this. We also have the right to rebuild our
policy due to the new realities in the region, and we will exercise
that right."

The president noted that only a plain simple question has arisen:
"will the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict be carried
out simultaneously, and, if so, at what stage is this possible?"

Aliyev said this simple question required a very simple answer and
he was still expecting that answer.

Turkey and Armenia have recently agreed a "road map" in an effort to
mend ties that have been historically strained over Armenian policy
of occupation against Azerbaijan, Turkey`s ally, and Armenian claims
on the alleged World War I-era genocide.

While in Belgium, the Azerbaijani leader is due to meet with NATO
Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on Wednesday for talks on
bilateral cooperation.

On the same day, he is expected to hold discussions with the
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, according to the
EU website. The two will discuss Azerbaijan`s development as well
as EU-Azerbaijan relations, in particular, the summit on Eastern
Partnership, a program on Europe`s closer cooperation with its
ex-Soviet neighbors, which is due in Prague on May 7.

LE MOND: NKR STATUS IS A KNOT IMPOSSIBLE TO UNRAVEL

PanARMENIAN.Net
29.04.2009 20:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ South Caucasus, a permanent point of intrusion in
past, was turned into foreign policy laboratory for adjacent countries:
Russia, Turkey and Iran, Le Mond French daily reported. "Apr. 22
agreement, route map between Armenia and Turkey served as a proof
of situation change. Despite numerous insurmountable differences,
significant improvement between the countries has been registered,"
newspaper observer Mari Jhego noted.

The thaw in Russian – Turkish relations dissatisfies Azerbaijan, as
back in 1993 Ankara broke ties with Armenia as a sign of solidarity
with Azerbaijan.

"Enclave status is a knot impossible to unravel. Azeri are protecting
their territorial integrity, NKR Armenians are asserting their right
for self determination. Settlement of this latent conflict could
change situation in the region. Russia, that has no opportunity
to supply their military bases after August conflict in Georgia,
is also interested in conflict settlement," Le Mond stated.

IS THE BUDGET BEING IMPLEMENTED BY THE WHOLE SCALE?

LRAGIR.AM
19:34:00 – 29/04/2009

The financial minister Tigran Davtyan, on April 29, at the National
Assembly, stated that the salaries, pensions and social grants are not
being prolonged in Armenia. The minister rejected the information in
this relation appeared in the press. He said that all the payments
will be made in accordance with the scheduled period of times. He
stated that the budget is being implemented on the schedule and by
the whole scale.

Tigran Datvtyan’s statement is very interesting: if the budget is
being implemented by its whole scale, which is the reason why the
government makes a decision on transferring the great part of the
budget expenditure to the forth quarter.

TEGHUT LOAN PROJECT IS NOT STOPPED

LRAGIR.AM
17:38:01 – 29/04/2009

Today, the Chairman of "VTB Bank (Armenia)" Board of Directors Valeri
Ovsyannikov stated that the loan project of the Teghut mine is not
stopped. According to the loan agreement signed by the Armenian
government and the VTB Bank, the latter is going to allocate 249,
5 million dollars for the construction of mining industrial complex
and for the exploitation of the copper-molybdenum factory.

Ovsyannikov said that the decline in prices of the copper and
molybdenum in the world make them revise the project and the VTB
Armenia Bank is already finishing the recalculation of the project.

ALI BABACAN: SIX-SIDED TALKS ON KARABAKH TO START SOON

PanARMENIAN.Net
30.04.2009 11:19 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Babacan
said six-sided talks on Nagorno Karabakh conflict with participation
of U.S., Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia will
start soon.

Babacan said all actions taken by Turkey in Caucasus satisfy
Azerbaijani interests. "Turkey is interested in Karabakh
conflict resolution and the world’s attention to this process is
rising. Negotiations will start in several weeks, but dates of
joint discussions on regional issues will be identified once all
six countries – U.S., Russian, Switzerland, Turkey, Azerbaijan and
Armenia – come to agreement on these through diplomatic channels. We
seek normalization of relations not only between Turkey and Armenia,
but between Baku and Yerevan as well," Turkish media cited Babacan
as saying.

Tigran Balayan, head of the Armenian MFA media relations division,
told PanARMENIAN.Net that Armenia got no offer to participate in
talks mentioned by the Turkish Foreign Minister.

THE ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT UNDERTAKES STEPS TO PREVENT THE PENETRATION OF THE SWINE FLU TO ARMENIA

ARMENPRESS
APRIL 30, 2009
YEREVAN

During today’s session of the Armenian government issues connected
with the prevention of the penetration of the swine flu into the
republic have been discussed. The Armenian Health Minister Harutyun
Kushkian noted that in this respect there is no epidemic situation
in the republic.

A consultation has been held in the republic on prevention of the
disease. At present quarantine is announced in the "Zvartnots" and
"Gyumri" airports, all those who arrive in Armenia are checked and
everything is done to prevent the penetration of the disease. According
to H. Kushkian the Armenian Health Ministry has all the necessary
medicaments stored against the disease. The Armenian Agriculture
Minister Aramayis Grigorian noted that yet there is no attempt of
prevention of the disease, but everything is done so that the announced
quarantine in the bordering checking stations has a great efficiency:
all the cargos imported to Armenia are disinfected. According to
the Minister form April 26 the import of pork into Armenia has been
restricted especially from countries where cases of disease have
already been registered. As from the swine meat the disease can
also transfer to the bird meat therefore it is also suggested to
restrict the import of bird meat. The Armenian Emergency Situations
Minister Mher Shahgeldian suggested conducting checking of disease in
airplanes as well. The Head of Government-affiliated State Revenue
Committee Gagik Khachatrian noted that the Committee must regularly
be informed from where and when it is necessary to suspend the import
of meat so that the importers are on time informed about it and not
conduct expenditures in vein. According to Armenian Prime minister
Tigran Sargsian if different states who have registered a disease
have suspended the import of meat, Armenia must also conduct serious
steps towards prevention of penetration of the disease to the republic.

ANC WILL DISCUSS RA POLITICAL PRISONERS ISSUE WITH PACE CO-RAPPORTEURS

PanARMENIAN.Net
29.04.2009 16:10 GMT+04:00

RA National Congress representative in Europe Arman Grigoryan met PACE
co-rapporteurs John Prescott and Jeorge Colombier. Parties discussed
Armenia’s compliance with PACE resolution terms, particularly political
prisoners’ liberation.

EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION FOR JUSTICE AND DEMOCRACY DISAPPOINTED WITH OBAMA’S ADDRESS

NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY
APRIL 29, 2009
BRUSSELS

The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy expressed
disappointment on behalf of itself and Armenians of Europe on the
occasion of President Barack Obama’s April 24 address, in which
instead of the expression "Armenian Genocide" he used the words "Meds
Yeghern." According to Hilda Tchoboian, the Chairperson of the European
Armenian Federation, millions of Armenians, who believed the promise
given by President Obama are disappointed today and all manipulations
connected with improval of Armenian-Turkish relations don’t affect
the core issue: the Turkish State remains politically and criminally
liable for the Genocide toward the Armenian People. The Federation
stands by the opinion that any "road-map" that bypasses the core
issue of the Right to Justice of the Armenian People "victims of the
Genocide" will be condemned by the whole European Armenians.

VLADIMIR MOVSISYAN: FISH RESERVES OF LAKE SEVAN EXTREMELY POOR

ArmInfo
2009-04-29 18:40:00

Fish reserves of Lake Sevan are extremely poor, Vladimir Muradyan,
Chairman of the Commission to Study Prior Problems of Lake Sevan,
told media after the regular session of the Commission in the town
of Gavar, Gegharkunik region, Armenia.

Movsisyan said the phrase fish poaching is hardly acceptable to the
current situation. ‘I prefer using the phrase "illegal fishing" which
reduces our fish reserves 50 times’, he said. He said the Commission
sets a task to normalize the industrial fishery and restoration
of fish reserves both by natural and artificial methods. ‘It is
necessary also to normalize the procedure of licensing fishers. By
our data 1036 people are engaged in fishing, Nevertheless, even
small fish is currently fished which is dishonour for the Armenian
people. It is necessary to restore the fish reserves at least for two
years. Afterwards we will fish 10 times more than now’, V. Movsisyan
said.