Author: Antonian Lara

GOVERNMENT OF ARMENIA FACILITATES PROCEDURE OF ISSUING PASSPORTS TO MINORS

arminfo
2008-07-31 15:20:00

ArmInfo. Government of Armenia has facilitated procedure of issuing
passports to minors.

Head of the Armenian Police Alik Sargsyan said at a press conference
that the minors whose passport validity was expiring within a year
have faced problems with getting exit visas. Consular services of
embassies demanded new passports to provide exit visas, which was
rather problematic in conditions of the effective legislation. The
governmental decision dated 1998 did not provide prolongation of
passports for minors under 16. Thursday on July 31 the Government
amended the given decision and liquidated all the red tape restrictions
and now minors can easily change their passports on the basis of an
application by one of their parents or a responsible person.

Thus, the government has recovered the constitutional right of minors
to free movement, the head of the Police said.

FOREIGN MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA MR. EDWARD NALBANDIAN’S ANSWER TO THE QUESTION OF "ARMINFO" NEWS AGENCY

Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
July 29 2008

Question- Mr. Minister, today there will be discussions in Washington
D.C. on the appointment of the new US Ambassador to Armenia. What
expectations do you have?

Answer – The President of the Republic has already made public remarks
in this respect. I would like to reiterate once again that we hope
that as a result of today’s discussions in the Senate, the candidacy
of the new US Ambassador will be confirmed, and she will soon arrive
in Yerevan to bring her contribution to the further development of
the Armenian-US relations.

ARMENIA: ON PER CAPITA STRONG ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

Express.am
July 31, 2008 Thursday

According to the Union of Armenian Winemakers, per capita brandy
consumption in Armenia amounts to 3 litres per annum, wine consumption
to 1 litre per annum, and vodka consumption to 8 litres per annum.

ARMENIA WILL NEVER STOP PRESSING FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

PanARMENIAN.Net
30.07.2008 17:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia never stopped and will never stop pressing
for international recognition of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated
by the Ottoman Empire, RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian told a
news conference in Yerevan today.

"We just want normal relations with our neighbors and stand for
normalization of relations with Turkey without preconditions. President
Sargsyan’s invitation is a good will gesture which never means that
we question the fact of Genocide. We will not make concessions in
recognition of Turkey’s borders or in the Nagorno Karabakh issue
either. Now, we are waiting for Turkey’s response," the Minister said.

Turkey severed its ties and closed its border with Armenia in 1993
as a token of solidarity with Azerbaijan in the Nagorno Karabakh issue.

Ankara also says the normalization of ties depends on Armenia’s formal
recognition of the current borders with Turkey and changing its policy
of calling for worldwide recognition of the Armenian Genocide at the
hands of the Ottoman Empire.

In a sign of readiness to normalize ties, Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan proposed "a fresh start" in relations with Turkey in an
article published in The Wall Street Journal earlier this month.

Sargsyan also invited Gul to a World Cup qualifying match between
Armenian and Turkish teams on September 6.

TASK GROUP FOR OIL REFINERY CONSTRUCTION IN ARMENIA TO MEET IN SEPT

ARKA
July 30, 2008

YEREVAN, July 30. /ARKA/. The task group for the construction of an
oil refinery in Armenia is to hold its regular meeting this September.

Ra minister of Energy and Natural Resources Armen Movsisyan reported
that task groups continue working at the project.

He pointed out that the task group is to sum up the results of the
previous work and specify the further programs, particularly the
project implementation terms, Movsisyan said.

The construction project is estimated at $2.5-$3bln and is to last
for several years. Under an advance arrangement, the project is to
be confounded by Armenia, Iran and Russia.

Technical evaluation of the project is currently under way. An
Armenian-Russian-Iranian task group has been formed to deal with
project management issues.

UNSERIOUS ADVICE

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on July 29, 2008
Armenia

There are certain activists who have been recently advising
Dashnaktsutyun to waive its membership in the coalition and form a
"third force".

Touching upon this issue, MP ARTSVIK SARGSYAN noted yesterday,
"I consider such advice unserious. There’s no need to strive for
the status of a political Nostradamus in such a consistent manner,
considering that the response to this question has been voiced many
a time. Dashnaktsutyun has enough will to make decisions independently.

Everybody knows that Dashnaktsutyun has joined the coalition with the
purpose of implementing the 22 priorities enshrined in the Memorandum
for Coalition. Dashnaktsutyun will remain in the coalition as long
as possible."

ARMENTEL TO INVEST $17 MILLION IN DIGITIZATION OF THE COUNTRY’S AUTOMATIC EXCHANGES AND $1 MILLION IN DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNET COMMUNICATION TILL THE END OF 2008

ArmInfo
2008-07-29 16:18:00

ArmenTel CJSC will invest $17 million in digitization of the country’s
automatic exchanges and $1 million in development of Internet
communication till the end of 2008, ArmenTel Director General Neicho
Velichko said during a two-day training organized by the company
in the resort town of Tsakhkadzor. He said that equipment of the
automatic exchanges with new digital devices is among the company’s
prerogatives. ‘We have already launched digitization on CDMA standard
in the regions. We are waiting for a license for it in Yerevan’,
N. Velichko said. He explained the relatively less investments in
Internet development with the less work required since the basic
infrastructure has already been created.

The digitization of networks in Yerevan is continued in Yerevan. In
particular, digitization of the automatic exchange No77 is underway,
the automatic exchanges No 61 and 62 will be digitized till the end
of the year.

Another automatic exchange No48 has already been digitized. The number
of automatic exchanges subject to digitization in the country is 7.

‘Digitization of the network is a mutually advantageous cooperation
for the clients get better communication and we install system of
per-minute payment for calls, first of all, to invest the proceeds
in the infrastructure’, he said.

CAUCASIAN CHALLENGE – YET ANOTHER WACKY RACE TO START FROM BUDAPEST

Hungarian News Agency
July 28, 2008 Monday

Drivers from at least nine nations are scheduled to participate in the
first Caucasus amateur rally to start out from Budapest on August 30,
chief organiser Attila Berenyi told MTI on Monday.

The participants will have to cover a 6,000-kilometre course in 17
days through Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo,
Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey and Georgia to reach their
destination in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, he said.

Parts of the course will cross formerly or presently war-torn regions
and romantic landscapes, including riverbeds, snow-clad mountain
passes, barren plains and dusty dirt roads, providing a memorable
experience for lovers of extreme adventures.

Racers are allowed to participate with any type of a car — even
Soviet-made Moskvichs. All the more so because the rules will reward
perseverance, creativity and problem solving rather than speed.

New entrants may register themselves at the website
http:/// up until August 15.

The Caucasus rally will be combined with a charity action to benefit
the inhabitants of underdeveloped regions.

NEITHER NATO NOR ANY OTHER STRUCTURE WILL SOLVE GEORGIA’S PROBLEMS

PanARMENIAN.Net
28.07.2008 17:42 GMT+04:00

If all countries in the region had formed of a habit of fulfilling
NATO and EU recommendations, a war would have burst out long ago,
Caucasus Institute Director Alexander Iskandaryan said during today’s
Yerevan-Tbilisi TV space bridge.

"Neither NATO nor any other structure will solve Georgia’s
problems. It’s surprising that NATO is perceived as a parent punishing
a naughty child. It’s high time to understand that geopolitical
realities should not depend of Georgia’s joining NATO," he said.

PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN AND CATHOLICOS KAREKIN II TO LEAVE FOR CRIMEA

ARMENPRESS
JULY 28

President Serzh Sargsyan and Catholics of All Armenians, Karekin II,
will leave today for the Crimea in Ukraine to take part in a ceremony
marking the 650-th anniversary of foundation of Armenian Surb Khach
(Saint Cross) monastery.

The presidential press office told Armenpress that Ukrainian President
Viktor Yuschenko will also take part in the ceremony. The presidents
of Armenia and Ukraine will be present at the blessing ceremony of
the monastic complex that will be conducted by Karekin II.

Surb Khach complex is a remarkable pattern of medieval Armenian
architecture. It was the spiritual center of Crimean Armenians and
served for centuries as the residence of the local Bishops.

During the visit to the Crimea the Armenian president will have
conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart. Also Armenian and
Ukrainian culture ministries will sign a cooperation agreement up
to 2012.