Author: Andres-Papazian

ARMENIA’S CHAMPION: NAZIK AVDALYAN

Tert.am
25.02.11

Armenian Women’s Weightlifting Championship kicked off on Friday with
a small number of weightlifters taking part in it.

According to the Armenian sports news website Armsport.am, the results
were quite unexpected.

Elen Grigoryan, who had won a champion’s title among the 58kg category,
showed a far better performance than the weightlifters at the 63kg
and 69kg categories who had won gold medals.

Nazik Avdalyan became the champion at the 69kg category. Avdalyan,
who had won the world title in 2009, has not returned back to trainings
after a long pause.

Earlier reports said that she will not be able to take part in this
competition because of an injury.

Armenia’s Championship:

48kg Margarita Ghazaryan 94kg 53kg Izabella Yalyan 163kg 58kg Elen
Grigoryan 202kg 63kg Christine Petrosyan 180kg 69kg Nazik Avdalyan
190kg 75kg Meline Daluzyan 240kg 75kg+ Naira Harutyunyan 210kg

From: A. Papazian

NO HIKE IN GAS PRICES IN 2011, SARGSYAN, MEDVEDEV AGREED

Tert.am
25.02.11

There will be no rise in natural gas prices for Armenian consumers in
2011, the Armenian and Russian presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Dmitry
Medvedev agreed at a meeting in Saint Petersburg late on Friday.

Armen Arzumanyan, the Spokesperson for the presidential office,
told Tert.am that the Armenian side is content with the results of
this meeting.

“We are satisfied with the results of this meeting,” said Arzumanyan.

“An agreement was reached during President Sargsyan’s visit in Saint
Petersburg over the tariff of the [natural] gas supplied to Armenia.

In 2011 the gas tariff for the Armenian consumers will not rise.”

Arzumanyan also said that the socially insecure class will buy the
natural gas even at a lower price. “The President has instructed to
design relevant mechanisms,” Arzumanyan said.

Currently Armenia buys natural gas from Russia at $180/1000 cubic
meters.

Prior to their closed-door meeting the two presidents had posed for
photographers but refrained from comments as to what they will discuss
during their meeting.

“What matters is what we will do, rather than what we will say,”
Dmitry Medvedev had said.

The two leaders also discussed various issues related to bilateral
relations, as well as issues high on the international agenda.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENTS PRAISE TWO COUNTRIES’ STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 25, 2011 – 20:18 AMT 16:18 GMT

During a meeting in Saint Petersburg, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev said they praise the two
countries’ cooperation based on strategic partnership.

The Presidents discussed collaboration of the two countries in various
fields, referring also to regional and international problems, the
RA presidential press service reported.

From: A. Papazian

USAID/CAPS PROGRAM COMPLETES ITS ACTIVITY IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 25, 2011 – 17:28 AMT 13:28 GMT

The USAID Competitive Armenian Private Sector Project summarized the
results of its activity in Armenia.

Director of CAPS Artak Ghazaryan said that the program operated in
Armenia from 2006 to 2011, while the total financing of the program
amounted to USD 14mln.

~SThe results are rather significant. 500 companies used the program,
and we assisted them in introducing international management standards,
what will allow increasing their opportunities and obtaining additional
financing,~T Ghazaryan told journalists.

According to him, the program aimed to increase competitiveness in
various fields, such as IT and tourism.

Ghazaryan said that concepts for IT field development were approved and
other programs were implemented through the efforts of CAPS; besides,
a concept for tourism development, specifically in Jermuk, was adopted.

Ghazaryan added that there are positive results in GMP standards
introduction in the pharmaceutical field, while local producers of
medicines have attracted additional investments to increase production
capacities and export

From: A. Papazian

168 HOURS. Beglaryan to Cadastre

yerkir.am
10:30 – 24.02.2011

According to some sources, former mayor of Yerevan Gagik Beglaryan
will be appointed as head of the Real Estate Cadastre State Committee
in near future.

According to same sources, present director of the Cadastre who is,
by the way, former mayor of Yerevan himself, Yervand Zakharyan, will
be appointed as the minister of RA Territorial administration. And
where will the present minister go is yet unknown.

From: A. Papazian

FORTH POWER. It has started

yerkir.am
10:29 – 25.02.2011

Yesterday from the area of “Marco Polo” cafe at around 19:40, police
officers have apprehended some of the members of youth activists of
Armenian National Congress party, who were spreading around booklets
of March 1st mass meeting.

7 boys and 3 girls have been taken to Center’s police department
and were kept there for 3 hours. Sargis Gevorgyan, Areg Gevorgyan,
Hovhannes Qiramijyan, Sergey Gasparyan, Sahak Muradyan, Sargis
Ghazaryan, Gurgen Asatryan, Hermine Matevosyan, Tatev Poghpatyan and
Mariam Muradyan were set free from the police department yesterday
late at night.

Yesterday after the youngsters were arrested a huge number of young
people gathered in front of the police department. By the way,
there were news in the net according to which the police officers
have turned the lights off and violently abused them, afterwards the
emergency car came, doctors went in and after coming out announced
that the condition of young people is normal.

By the way, at the very point when we wanted to get in, girls were
in a high mood and we didn’t notice any marks of violation.

From: A. Papazian

NICOLAS SARKOZY: TURKEY BELONGS WITH MIDDLE EAST RATHER THAN EU

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 25, 2011 – 17:59 AMT 13:59 GMT

On February 25, French President Nicolas Sarkozy is arriving in Ankara
for a short visit. Meetings with Turkish President Abdullah Gul and
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan are on visit agenda.

As Sarkozy noted in an interview with well-know Turkish journalist
Mehmet Ali Birand, a wish to keep Turkey outside the European Union
is explained by Turkey~Rs place in the region and the international
community.

~STurkey is a big country. It~Rs a bridge between the East and the
West; a country that has an irreplaceable role since it connects two
different worlds. This role, which today~Rs world needs more than ever,
cannot be played by any other country. That means Turkey is still an
unparalleled country.

For this reason, I believe it is necessary to have close ties between
Turkey and the European Union as much as possible without going
any further for full membership, which in fact could be beneficial
for neither Turkey nor the EU. I am not trying to insult anyone by
expressing this idea,~T the French President said, noting that Turkey
belongs with the Middle East rather than the EU.

As the President stressed in an interview published in Hurriyet Daily
News, ongoing EU-Turkey negotiations are an instrument to maintain
the depth in relations.

From: A. Papazian

AZERBAIJAN WANTS TO ENGAGE GEORGIA IN ANTI-ARMENIAN PROPAGANDA

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 25, 2011 – 18:29 AMT 14:29 GMT

Azerbaijani Ambassador to Georgia Namik Aliyev made another
sensational statement: “For Armenians, access to the Black Sea means
the realization of the idea of ‘Great Armenia from sea to sea. It
means creation of ‘Great Armenia’.”

According to the Azerbaijani diplomat, Armenia’s policy is aimed at
“accessing the Black Sea” and it is implemented “through oppression
of other nations.” Aliyev decided to go beyond “the Armenian claims”
to Azerbaijan and brought the example of Georgia, which, according
to the Ambassador, faces the threat of “occupation by Armenia.”

It is known that Azerbaijanis have problems with history, especially,
judging from Aliyev’s statement, according to which Abkhazia is a
mono-ethnic zone established by Armenians. Meanwhile, the reality
shows that Azerbaijan was the country, which aspired towards creation
of a mono-ethnic state for decades through expelling native population
or forcibly Azerbaijanizing the nations residing on the territory of
“international” Azerbaijan.

“I can understand it when a state has no access to sea and wants to
establish friendship, economic, commercial, transport relations with
other states, in order to have access to sea,” said Aliyev. But in
the case of Armenia, according to him, these are territorial claims;
it is an aspiration to transfer its population to this territory and
create a mono-ethnic zone there. “Both Azerbaijan and Georgia should
openly tell Armenians that there is no room for ‘Great Armenia’ here,”
the Azerbaijani Ambassador said.

The story with speculations around ‘Great Armenia from sea to sea’
is not new and emerges each time, when the arguments of the other
side are already exhausted. It is also clear that Baku spares no
effort to engage Tbilisi in its anti-Armenian propaganda. It is a
secondary matter whether Azerbaijan will succeed in it, or not. The
most important thing for Baku is to sow the seeds of strife and then
wait and see.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN AND RUSSIAN PRESIDENTS AGREE THAT PRICE OF NATURAL GAS FOR ARMENIAN CONSUMERS WILL NOT RISE THIS YEAR

/ARKA/
February 25, 2011
YEREVAN

Armenian and Russian presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Dmitry Medvedev have
agreed that the price of natural gas for Armenian consumers will not
rise this year, Armen Arzumanian, a spokesman for Armenian president,
told journalists today.

‘We are satisfied with the results of the talks between the presidents
in St. Petersburg during which an agreement was reached on the price
of Russian natural gas deliveries to Armenia. The price of gas for
Armenian consumers will not be raised in 2011,’ he said.

He added that gas s price for insecure Armenian households will be
lowered, saying also that president Sargsyan instructed relevant
bodies to develop special mechanisms to implement the accord.

Russian Gazprom that holds more than 80% in Armenia’s national gas
operator ArmRosGazprom, raised the cost of gas for Armenia by 14
percent in 2009 and by another 17 percent in 2010 April to $180 per
thousand cubic meters.

Following it the Armenian Pubic Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC)
approved a 37.5 percent surge in the gas price for households requested
by ArmRosGazprom. Last September Gazprom said it would gradually bring
its gas tariffs for Armenia, Moldova and Belarus up to “market-based”
international levels in the coming years.

Gazprom currently sells gas to western and central European countries
for over $300 per thousand cubic meters.

From: A. Papazian

NEW PROGRAM OF USAID TO KICK OFF IN ARMENIA SOON

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 25, 2011 – 17:43 AMT 13:43 GMT

Director of USAID/CAPS program Artak Ghazaryan said that in May-June
2011 USAID will announce the winner of a new program in Armenia,
which will be aimed at increasing competitiveness of small and medium
enterprises in Armenia.

The new program will work in Enterprise Development and Market
Competitiveness, Ghazaryan told journalists at the USAID/CAPS program
closing ceremony.

From: A. Papazian