Author: Badalian Vardan

RUSSIA CUTS GAS FLOW TO ARMENIA

FT
Dec 14, 2009

MOSCOW, December 14 – Russia halted gas supplies to Armenia after two
bombs were found close to a pipeline in southern Russia, officials
said on Monday, but Armenia’s gas importer said it had enough reserves
to supply consumers.

A trunk gas pipeline in Russia’s Ingushetia region was shut down
late on Sunday after several explosive devices were found nearby,
a police official in Ingushetia told Reuters.

The stoppage affected customers in Russia’s North Ossetia and
Ingushetia regions as well as Armenia, which gets about 2bn cubic
metres of gas annually from Russia, Russian news agencies reported.

A spokeswoman for the Armenian subsidiary of Russian gas monopoly
Gazprom, ArmRosGazprom, said gas had been cut but that domestic
consumers would not be affected.

"Our dispatcher received a telegram that deliveries of gas to Armenia
would stop," said Shushanik Sardaryan, ArmRosGazprom spokeswoman.

Gas flows across Europe FT interactive graphic: Countries at greatest
vulnerability to a cessation of gas supplies through the Ukraine
"We will use gas from our storage facilities until the restoration
of supplies," she said.

The mainly Muslim region of Ingushetia, which borders Chechnya,
has seen a surge in attacks by Islamist rebels in recent months.

Russian supplies to Armenia transit through Georgia, which has not
been affected by the cut, a spokeswoman for the Georgian Oil and Gas
Corporation told Interfax news agency.

A spokesman for Russia’s Gazprom said he was not immediately able to
comment on the cut in supplies.

IMF PROJECTS ARMENIAN INFLATION TO BE 3% ON THE AVERAGE IN 2010

ARKA
Dec 11, 2009

YEREVAN, December 11. /ARKA/. The International Monetary Fund (IMF)
projects Armenian inflation to be 3% on the average in 2010, the
outgoing IMF Resident Representative Nienke Oomes said Thursday.

She said the inflation in Armenia has been growing in last several
months rising to 4% in November and is expected to rise to 5.2%
in December.

‘We hope that until the end of the year the inflation will stay
within the frames set by the Central Bank, although the numbers are
approaching the ceiling of the target,’ she said.

In 2009 October the inflation grew by 1.2% from a year before.

According to the official figures of the National Statistical
Committee, prices of food, including beverage prices, rose by 1.8%
in November from October, while prices of non-food commodities rose
by 1.4% and those of services by 0.1%.

The 2009 budget projects an inflation of 4% (±1,5%).

According to Giro Manoyan, Armenia should leave "football diplomacy"
process just today

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan’s meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama was efficient for
the Turks and met their interests. Giro Manoyan, Head of ARFD Hay Dat
(Armenian Cause) Yerevan Office, made such an observation at a
December 10 press conference. In his words, the fact that B. Obama
praised Turkey’s policy and R. Erdogan again spoke about the necessity
of a progress in the Nagorno Karabakh issue is evidence that Turkey
this time also managed to make its view acceptable for the U.S.

According to G. Manoyan, in consideration that Turkey continues
conditioning its relations with Armenia by the Nagorno Karabakh
settlement the RA authorities should declare the failure of the
Armenian-Turkish negotiations just today. The ARFD figure added that
unless Armenia just today leaves the process called "football
diplomacy," it will be difficult to stop the process later.

G. Manoyan also mentioned that to prevent ratification of the
Armenian-Turkish protocols in the RA National Assembly the ARFD
faction members will work with the majority trying to influence their
position. "The issue of the protocols should be of no less
significance for them than the package of tax amendments to which they
opposed," G. Manoyan said. As to the Constitutional Court, according
to him, there is no necessity of mass actions to influence that
instance. "CC should make a decision on the basis of the law and not
on the circumstance that 100 thousand people hold an action of
protest," G. Manoyan concluded.

OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS’ UPCOMING VISIT TO BE RESTRICTED TO AZERBAIJAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.12.2009 20:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The upcoming regional visit of OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chairs will be restricted to Azerbaijan.

Mediators will arrive in Baku by the end of current week. Co-Chairs
Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia), Bernard Fassier (France) and Robert Bradtke
(U.S.) and personal representative of OSCE Chairman-in-Office Anjey
Kasprzyk will meet with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign
Minister Elmar Mamedyarov to conduct talks over Karabakh conflict
settlement, APA agency reports.

Mediators will not visit Armenia on account of top leaders’ absence
from the country. The visit to Yerevan is planned for a later period.

During their visit, diplomats will convey to Azeri and Armenian
Presidents a proposal on conducting a new meeting.

FOREIGN MINISTERS OF EASTERN PARTNERSHIP COUNTRIES MET IN BRUSSELS

armradio.am
09.12.2009 11:43

The Armenian delegation headed by Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian
participated in the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the countries
included in the EU Eastern Partnership Program in Brussels.

The sitting chaired by Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt featured
the Foreign Ministers of the Eastern Partnership countries, senior
representatives of the European Commission, the European Parliament
and the EU Council.

Speaking at the sitting, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian
noted that Armenia aspires to further deepen its relations with
the European Union. According to Minister Nalbandian, the Eastern
Partnership Initiative provides an additional opportunity for
cooperation with the European Union in the political, economic and
humanitarian fields.

Underlining that all the initiatives proposed by the partnership
program are important to Armenia and other partners, Minister
Nalbandian called special attention to the simplification of the
visa regime, saying that it would promote the contacts between the
societies and people.

Minister Nalbandian attached importance to the regional cooperation
within the framework of the Eastern Partnership Program, underlining
that Azerbaijan’s refusal from cooperation envisaged by the program
could jeopardize the success of the Partnership.

A MEMORANDUM ON 2010-2012 COOPERATION TO BE SIGNED BETWEEN ARMENIAN CULTURE MINISTRY AND ITALIAN MINISTRY OF HERITAGE AND CULTURAL ACTIVITY

ARMENPRESS
Dec 8, 2009

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS: A memorandum on 2010-2012 cooperation
will be signed between Armenian Culture Ministry and Italian Ministry
of Heritage and Cultural Activity.

Armenian Culture Ministry press service told Armenpress that according
to the initial agreement, for signing the memorandum the Italian
minister of heritage and cultural activity will arrive in Armenia.

An agreement has been reached with the Italian minister to establish
an Armenian cultural center in Rome. In Italy 2012 will be declared a
year of the Armenian book. Museums of Armenian contemporary painting,
as well as Armenian historical museums are intended to open in Italian
towns as well. Collaborative translational and publishing projects will
be worked out; an annual joint award of translation will be defined.

An agreement has also been reached on carrying out restoration works
by Italian professionals in Kobayr’s monastic complex built in 1171
in Lori province.

ERDOGAN SPRINTED IN EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION: ANCA

NEWS.am
12:44 / 12/09/2009

"Turkish Prime Minister Recp Tayyip Erdogan, having secured at least
temporarily, the silence of yet another Administration on the Armenian
Genocide, has used his U.S. visit to further press Turkey’s advantage
– dramatically escalating his genocide denial rhetoric, reinforcing
Turkey’s &’Protocols’ preconditions for lifting its blockade of
Armenia, and attempting to use Ankara’s new found leverage in the
Nagorno-Karabakh peace process to deliver a pro-Azerbaijani settlement
of this conflict," reads the press release available on the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA) website.

ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian underlined that "Today, more
than seven months into the silence of yet another U.S. Administration
on the Armenian Genocide, it’s painfully clear that Erdogan has not,
as President Obama had hoped, moved toward a full, frank and just
acknowledgement of the facts – but rather sprinted in exactly the
opposite direction, dramatically ramping up his denial rhetoric and
pressing more aggressively against U.S. recognition of this crime."

"As we’ve said from day one, for Erdogan and his government, the
Protocols are not about peace. They represent simply another tactic
by Turkey to extend U.S. complicity in Turkey’s denials from one
April 24th to the next," he added.

"In addition to escalating his Armenian Genocide denial demands,
Erdogan also made clear that his government would not respect either
of the two U.S. priorities for Turkey-Armenia normalization: no
preconditions and a reasonable timeframe," the source reads.

SASSOUNIAN: OBAMA SHOULD FORFEIT HIS NOBEL PRIZE UNTIL HE TELLS THE TRUTH ON GENOCIDE

Yerkir
09.12.2009 15:17

In his Nov. 20 letter to Armenian American organizations, President
Obama once again played shameful word games with the term genocide. At
this point, one has to be incredibly naive to believe that he is
going to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide during the rest of his
term in office.

During the presidential campaign, when then-Senator Obama was making
repeated promises to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, activists
were nervously following the Turkish government’s attempts to use the
false pretext of dialogue with Armenia to prevent him from fulfilling
his pledge after the election.

In early April, during a press conference in Ankara, when Obama was
asked about his views on the Armenian Genocide, he dodged the question
by stating: "My views are on the record and I have not changed views.

What I have been very encouraged by is news that under [Turkish]
President Gul’s leadership, you are seeing a series of negotiations,
a process in place between Armenia and Turkey to resolve a whole host
of longstanding issues, including this one."

Clearly, Presidents Obama and Gul, for their own reasons, were
scheming to undermine the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by
pushing forward the Armenia-Turkey negotiations. They were joined in
this unholy alliance by Russia and the European Union in pressuring
Armenia’s leaders, who were only too eager to comply.

This sinister deal was sealed when on the eve of April 24, Armenia
and Turkey issued a joint press release announcing a roadmap for
reconciliation!

Not surprisingly, in his first April 24 statement, Obama repeated
all the euphemisms and word games that he had strongly condemned when
they were used by his predecessor, President Bush.

Obama used the old and all too familiar denialist terminology of past
presidents, such as "atrocity," "massacre," "terrible events of 1915,"
and most incredibly, "Meds Yeghern"!

In that statement, Obama used the same evasive answer he gave in
Ankara: "I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in
1915, and my view of that history has not changed." Yet, he adamantly
persisted in refusing to state what his actual views were.

Furthermore, Obama urged Armenians and Turks "to address the facts of
the past as a part of their efforts to move forward." He expressed his
strong support for their "courageous and important dialogue…to work
through this painful history…" and applauded the Armenian and Turkish
governments for accepting "a framework and roadmap for normalization."

Consequently, Obama left no doubt that he was going to sacrifice
the truth of the "Armenian Genocide" on the altar of an illusory
Armenian-Turkish reconciliation, using it as a fig leaf to conceal
his erstwhile pledge.

Last month, in a letter to Armenian American organizations, Obama
reconfirmed that his view on "one of the great atrocities of the 20th
century" had not changed. Once again, he failed to detail his views.

The president was responding to a letter from the AGBU, Armenian
Assembly, and Diocese of the Armenian Church of America. The
three Armenian organizations had expressed their support for the
Armenia-Turkey protocols and appealed to the White House to acknowledge
the Armenian Genocide.

In his response, Obama cleverly exploited the expression of support
by the Armenian organizations for the reconciliation process,
and downplayed his campaign pledge to acknowledge the genocide. He
reiterated that "the best way to advance…the just acknowledgment of
the facts" is for Armenians and Turks to address the past "as part of
their efforts to move forward." He pledged "to continue to vigorously
support the normalization effort in the months ahead." The president
was thus using the protocols to undermine all efforts to acknowledge
the genocide.

Keeping his pledge on the genocide is in Obama’s own interests,
as it would help rehabilitate his moral and political credibility
by joining President Reagan and scores of national parliaments,
international organizations, and Holocaust and genocide scholars who
are already on record confirming the facts of the Armenian Genocide.

Obama should not be surprised if Armenian Americans no longer trust
him, and do not support him for re-election. Those who play games
with genocide should not be rewarded.

Anyone who lacks the courage to stand up for the truth does not
deserve a Nobel Peace Prize.

BAKU’S RENUNCIATION OF EASTERN PARTNERSHIP PRINCIPLES CAN HAMPER PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.12.2009 12:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azerbaijan’s renunciation of collaboration envisaged
by the Eastern Partnership can jeopardize implementation of the
project, Armenia’s top diplomat said.

"Such behavior exhibited by an EU partner state undermines the ideology
of cooperation while absence of reaction from the other participant
countries devalues the concept of partnership," Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian said in Brussels.

The meeting between EU Foreign Ministers and their counterparts from
CIS countries participating in the Eastern Partnership was chaired
by Sweden’s FM Carl Bildt. The next meeting will be held in 2010,
RA MFA press office reported.

WE ARE GOING TO WIN

Lragir.am
09/12/09

Interview By Arman Galoyan

Interview with the member of the Armenian National Congress, the
representative of the candidate at constituency No. 10 Nikol Pashinyan
David Matevosyan

Regardless the problems, after the decision of the administrative
court, they however registered Nikol Pashinyan as a candidate for
parliamentary elections. How would you comment on this decision? Why
did the government yield?

Just from the beginning, the government refused to give a certificate
to Nikol Pashinyan that he has lived the latest 5 years in Armenia.

The government had to dwell on this issue again when we applied to the
administrative court. The decision of the government was influenced
by the thoughtlessness of the formulations of the government as well
as the skillfulness of the presenter of the claim Vahe Hovsepyan and
Lusine Sahakyan, the meetings of the Armenian National Congress with
international representative, as well as the presence of the AGO
group in Armenia on the day of issuing the verdict.

Nikol Pashinyan was registered as a candidate, the lawyer Lusine
Sahakyan presented a petition to change his measure of punishment
but the court refused it and Pashinyan is still deprived of freedom.

They just released a political decision. While, in accordance with
the RA Constitution, the arrest implemented against Nikol Pashinyan
had to be removed when he was appointed as a candidate. Keeping Nikol
Pashinyan under arrest is a violation of the Constitution.

In your opinion, how long are they going to keep him under arrest
violating the Constitution?

Let us remember that there are 15 political prisoners in Armenia now,
one of which is Nikol Pashinyan. Previously, this number was several
times more and each of the prisoners was kept in the prison as long
as the government was able. Now the same is in case of Nikol Pashinyan.

They will keep them under arrest as long as they can.

What are you going to do to release Nikol Pashinyan?

There are ways. One of which is to appeal to the Court of Appeals.

There is another way too. We will apply to the Central Electoral
Commission for its position, and if it gives a document ignoring the
human rights, we will appeal to the Constitutional Court through the
human rights defender.

How are you going to carry out his electoral campaign when he is
in prison?

We have chosen the following strategy. We will carry out the campaign
from house to house, with each voter of the Constituency No. 10. We
will bring them propaganda packages allowing them to get acquainted
with Nikol without meeting him.

At the Constituency No. 10, there is an interesting situation. The
HAK supports Nikol Pashinyan and the government did not put forward
any candidacy and does not support anyone. What are the reasons?

It is early to dwell on this issue. Elections have never been
political processes for the government but only a means to prolong
their activities through money, crimes. I would not like to comment
on the candidates. One of them, Hmayak Hovhannisyan said he is going
to withdraw his candidacy in favor of Nikol Pashinyan. This is a
political stance. I think the government is able to decide which the
candidates to support using its machine of breaches.

Galust Sahakyan said since they are the majority at the National
Assembly, they do not consider expedient to run in these elections.

And the BHK member Aram Safaryan said all the BHK Kentron Candidates
became parliamentarians.

Galust Sahakyan said it just to say something. We have to take into
consideration the fact that just from the beginning the government
decided not to register Nikol. After, they changed their decision and
were obliged to register him. If they decided to register him from
the beginning, I do not know what positions the BHK and RP would have.

Now, a situation when they cannot fulfill what they want is shaped.

In your opinion, what are Nikol’s chances?

We are going to win.