SERZH SARGSYAN TO ADDRESS 63-rd SESSION OF UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
ARMENPRESS
Aug 21, 2008
YEREVAN, AUGUST 21, ARMENPRESS: Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan
will travel to new York, USA, late in September to take part in the
63-rd session of the UN General Assembly.
The presidential press office told Armenpress that in New York
president Sargsyan is expected to address the General Assembly’s
session.
MEASURES ARE TAKEN TO IDENTIFY THE PERSON BEATING HRACH MELQUMYAN
Panorama.am
15:47 20/08/2008
On 19 August the deputy-director of radio station "Azatutyun"
("Freedom") Hrach Melqumyan made a complain statement in the Central
department of police.
According to the official site of Police, on August 18 in Mashtotz and
Moskovyan streets crossroad park an unknown person called Melqumyan by
name then approached and hit him on the face, swearing at "Azatutyun"
radio station.
Forensic medical examination has been started. Meanwhile, in the
Investigation section of Central Police department the relevant
documents are being prepared and serious measures are taken to identify
the criminal.
SPOUSE OF OSCE MG US CO-CHAIR HOPES USA WILL BE DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJANI CONFLICT
arminfo
2008-08-19 14:53:00
ArmInfo. The spouse of OSCE Minsk Group US Co-chair hopes the USA will
be directly involved in the Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict. Zeyno Baran,
Senior Fellow and Director of Hudson’s Center for Eurasian Policy,
said in an interview with 1news.az.
Asked about the influence of the South-Ossetic conflict on
neighbor-states – Azerbaijan and Armenia, she said that she is unaware
how the South-Ossetic situation will be resolved. Georgia lost the
war, she said. Leader of South Ossetia Kokoyti who was supported by
Russia admitted that ethnic purge of Georgians was carried out in
South Ossetia, Z. Baran said. Earlier Abhkazia was also ‘cleaned’
of Georgians. Now Russia demands establishment of the status of these
regions through a referendum using Kosovo precedent. If they succeed
in it, the Armenian stance to conduct a referendum to determine
the status of Nagorny Karabakh will get a great support. However,
Z. Baran doubts that the result will be such since the USA and EU
will be against the referendum in South Ossetia not to encourage the
aggressor, she said. In addition, if the referendum is held in Georgia,
Iran will strive for referendum to settle the future of Israel. Kurds
will want a referendum for the future of Kirkuk, which is inadmissible,
Z. Baran said. It is against Russian- Iranian adequation and it is
time for the West to admit that, Z. Baran said.
She believes the second point is the future of diplomatic
initiatives. She is sure that Russia will be no longer perceived as
a neutral peacemaker and Russia’s involvement in the determination
of the future of the two separatist regions will not be the same as
America’s involvement. Z. Baran could not say how it may influence
the OSCE Minsk process so far. However, she is sure that it will
influence the process since the US and Russian co-chairs will not
cooperate in settlement of a regional conflict when they have quite
different stances. That is why, she hopes the USA will be directly
involved in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict not as a member of a
group of states. Z. Baran said France and Russia have similar stances
in the case of Georgia. But the US stance on Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict will change only after the presidential election in the USA,
Zeyno Baran said.
Interfax, Russia
Aug 16 2008
Events in Georgia will have impact on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict – EU
diplomat
BAKU Ag 16
The European Union is concerned about the situation in Georgia and the
possibility that the events in that country could have an impact on
Azerbaijan and Armenia and on the settlement of the conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh, which could be quite strong, EU Special
Representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby said on the Azeri
TV channel ANS.
Considering that Azerbaijan and Armenia are states neighboring
Georgia, the latest events will also influence the situation in these
countries themselves and could cause certain concerns, which is a
problem for the EU, whose goal is to see the South Caucasus open and
prospering, Semneby said.
The Moscow Times, Russia
Aug 18 2008
Georgian Bridge Blast Hits Oil Transit
18 August 2008
TBILISI, Georgia — Azerbaijan suspended oil exports through ports in
western Georgia on Sunday after an explosion damaged a key rail bridge
there.
Georgia accused Russian troops of blowing up a railway bridge west of
the capital Tbilisi on Saturday, saying its main east-west train link
had been severed. Russia denied any involvement.
Georgian Railways said Sunday that the railway would reopen within 10
days.
"The construction or repair works are expected to be completed within
10 days maximum," said Irma Stepnadze, a spokeswoman for Georgian
Railways.
She said engineers and workers from Armenia and Azerbaijan were
expected to arrive in Georgia on Sunday to help with
reconstruction. They were also bringing specialist equipment.
In a statement earlier Sunday, Azerbaijan’s state railway company
cited the bridge explosion as the reason for the suspension.
A shipment of 72 oil tanks had been due to be sent to Armenia before
the link was cut off, the Azeri company said.
The railway line runs from Tbilisi, through the Russian-occupied town
of Gori, before splitting in three and running to the Black Sea ports
of Poti and Batumi and southwest to just short of the Turkish border.
Earlier this month Azerbaijan suspended crude shipments via the
BP-operated Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which carries 1 million
barrels per day, to Turkey after a fire damaged it.
BP last week closed the pipeline taking crude from Azerbaijan’s
Caspian port of Baku to the Georgian port of Supsa on the Black Sea,
citing fighting between Georgian and Russian troops.
A pipeline running from the Caspian Sea to Russia’s Black Sea port of
Novorossiisk is currently Azerbaijan’s only oil export outlet.
Swede Stripped of His Medal After His Angry Reaction
By JER?Ã? LONGMAN
Published: August 16, 2008
BEIJING – The International Olympic Committee stripped the bronze
medal Saturday from a Swedish wrestler who had complained about the
judging in his Greco-Roman competition and had discarded his medal
during the awards ceremony in protest.
The wrestler, Ara Abrahamian, was disqualified for violating the
spirit of fair play of the Games and had his athlete’s credential
revoked, according to the I.O.C.
A contentious penalty that cost him a chance to compete for a gold
medal in the middleweight division Thursday left Abrahamian
furious. News reports said that he had to be restrained from wrestling
officials after the incident. He later won a bronze medal in a
consolation match, but did not participate in the full medal ceremony.
The Associated Press said that Abrahamian dropped the bronze on the
mat as he walked away from the medal podium, while Bloomberg News said
that he put the medal on the floor. Abrahamian had finished second at
the 2004 Athens Olympics after a similarly disputed call.
In a disciplinary hearing Friday, Abrahamian said he had been a victim
of `blatant errors in judging.’ The I.O.C. accused him of violating
two rules of the Olympic Charter than ban demonstrations in official
Olympic areas and prohibit the showing of disrespect for other Olympic
athletes.
`The awards ceremony is a highly symbolic ritual,’ the I.O.C. said in
a statement. `Any disruption by any athlete, in particular a medalist,
is in itself an insult to the other athletes and to the Olympic
movement.’
Abrahamian had made `serious unsubstantiated allegations’ against
Greco-Roman wrestling’s international governing body, and had never
offered an apology for his actions during the ceremony, the
I.O.C. said.
If he chooses, Abrahamian could appeal the disqualification to the
Court of Arbitration for Sport.
This was not the first time that athletes had been punished for
protests during the Summer Games.
At the 1992 Barcelona Games, a weight lifter named Ibragim Samadov,
who was competing for the Unified Team of the former Soviet republics,
refused to have his bronze medal placed around his neck because he was
unhappy with his own performance. The medal was later revoked.
Tommie Smith and John Carlos were expelled from the 1968 Mexico City
Games after their glove-fisted salute during the awards ceremony for
the 200-meter race. The expulsions have since come under immense
criticism, and Smith and Carlos have drawn widespread praise for their
nonviolent protest of social and racial inequality.
Ardshininvestbank, Bank ACBA-Credit Agricole and HSBC Bank Armenia top
three leaders by net profit for 1st half of 2008 in Armenia
2008-08-15 14:16:00
ArmInfo. Ardshininvestbank, Bank ACBA-Credit Agricole and HSBC Bank
Armenia are top three leaders by net profit for the 1st half of 2008 in
the Armenian banking system – 2.5 bln drams ($8.2 mln), 2.1 bln drams
($6.9 mln) and 1.7 bln drams ($5.6 mln), respectively. Converse Bank
ranks the 4th by 1.3 bln drams net profit ($4.3 mln), and Unibank the
5th – 1.2 bln dram ($4 mln).
Ranking of Armenian Commerce Banks prepared by Agency of Rating
Marketing Information (ArmInfo) says Prometey Bank is the leader by ROA
– 2.8%. Bank ACBA-Credit Agricole goes the second by 2.5%, Mellat Bank
the third by 2.5%, Ardshininvestbank the fourth by 2.4% and Unibank the
fifth by 2.4%. Unibank is the leader by ROE – 15.2%, HSBC Bank Armenia
is in the 2nd position by 14.6% and Ardshininvestbank is in the 3rd
position by 13.9%, Converse Bank is in the 4th position by 11% and Bank
ACBA-Credit Agricole is in the 5th position by 9.6%.
Total retained profit of Armenia’s banking system for the 1st half of
2008 amounted to 12 bln drams ($39.7 mln). The growth as compared to
the same periods of 2007 and 2004 was 18.7% and almost trice. By the
balance sheets of 22 operative banks, 19 banks completed the first half
of 2008 with 13.3 bln drams summary profit. Three banks: BTA InvetBank,
ProCreditBank and Byblos Bank Armenia completed the first half of 2008
with 1.3 bln drams summary loss. ProCreditBank entered the banking
market of Armenia in early February 2008.
Total capital of the banking system of Armenia for the 1t half of 2008
was up 15%. The growth as against the same period of 2007 and 2004 was
42.2% and almost 4 times respectively. The indicator reached 198.9 bln
dram ($657.5 mln). The indicator grew mainly due to the growth of the
authorized capital by 43% to 131.7 bln drams ($435 mln), as well as due
to the increase of profits. Anelik Bank is the leader by the
replenishment of the authorized capital – over 7 times to 5.3 bln drams
($17.5 mln). The bank raised the indicator in the third quarter of 2007
without involving new shareholders and again in the second quarter of
2008 (10.42%) also without involving shareholders. Areximbank took the
second position by almost trice annual growth of authorized capital to
8.5 bln drams ($28.1 mln) and occurred in the top five of leaders.
Ameriabank (the former Armimpexbank) is in the third position with
21.7% annual growth of authorized capital to the 6th position with 6.4
bln drams ($21.2 mln). Ardshininvestbank is the leader by authorized
capital – 15.5 bln drams ($51.3 mln). The annual growth of the
indicator was 62.6%. In general, 9 banks replenished their authorized
capitals as compared to the first half of 2007, the remaining 12 banks
left it unchanged (exclusive of ProCreditBank). Only 6 banks ensured
the growth of authorized capital for the first half of 2008, Areximbank
and Ameriabank are leaders. The indicator of the remaining banks was
left unchanged.
There are 22 operating commerce banks in Armenia including ProCredit
bank that entered the banking market at the end of 2007 and launched
activity in early February 2008.
PATRIKEEV RECEIVED ARMENIAN FOURTH BRONZE MEDAL
Panorama.am
20:03 14/08/2008
Yuri Patrikeev who presents Armenia in the Olympics Games in Greco
Roman wrestling received fourth bronze medal. Competing in 120kg
rate silver medal has been won by Russian representative Hasan
Baroev. Mikhaina Lopes from Cuba has been awarded golden medal.
Remind that first three bronze medals are awarded to Gevorg Davtyan,
Tigran Martirosyan and Roman Amoyan.
TURKISH FOOTBALL FANS MAY ARRIVE IN ARMENIA WITHOUT ENTRY VISAS ON SEPTEMBER 1-6
Noyan Tapan
Au g 14, 2008
YEREVAN, AUGUST 14, NOYAN TAPAN. At the August 14 sitting, the Armenian
government approved the draft decision on allowing visits without an
entry visa for Turkish citizens on September 1-6. During the draft’s
presentation, the head of the RA police Alik Sargsian said that the
decision was made in connection with an Armenia-Turkey football match
scheduled for September 6.
In response to Prime Minister Tigran Sargsian’s question about whether
it is not too early to start that process on September 1st, the police
head replied that 20,000-25,000 citizens of Turkey are expected to
arrive in Armenia during the indicated period, and some of them are
likely to spend 1-2 days in our country.
KNIGHTS OF VARTAN VISIT WESTERN DIOCESE
Noyan Tapan
Au g 15, 2008
NEW YORK, AUGUST 15, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. On August 7,
2008, His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the
U.S. Western Diocese of Armenian Apostolic Church received the
Knights of Vartan. The meeting was marked by the enthusiastic and
warm atmosphere of discussions wherein possible venues of cooperation
between the Knights and the Diocese were considered and discussed.
Western Diocese also informs that Mr. and Mrs. Joseph and Alyce
Dorians donated ,000 to cover certain expenses.