Author: Chakrian Hovsep

Panorama.am

17:28 27/05/2008

FOREIGN MINISTER IN MOSCOW

On 29 May Minister Edvard Nalbandyan leaves for Moscow
for three-days labor meeting. Minister Nalbandyan will
have a meeting with Sergey Lavrov, Foreign Minister of
Russia, Aleksey Ostrovski, the chairman of State Duma
CIS countries affairs committee and Nikolay Borduzhay,
secretary in chief of Collective Security Contract
organization. On 1 June Minister Nalbandyan will
return back to Armenia.

In the frameworks of the meeting the minister will
visit state institute of Moscow International
Relations. He will have a meeting with the students
and professors of the institute. On 1 June Nalbandyan
will return wo Yerevan.

Source: Panorama.am

Bank VTB to Extend $249.5mln Loan for Development of Teghut Field in
Armenia

YEREVAN, May 27. /ARKA/. Russian Bank VTB is to extend a $249.5mln
worth loan for 12 years for development of Teghut copper and molybdenum
field in Armenia. The respective agreement is to be signed by the bank
and the Armenian Cooper Program (ACP) in Yerevan today, the President
of Bank VTB open joint stock company Andrey Kostin told journalists.

In November 2007 the sides had signed a memorandum on the loan project
for development of Teghut field and elaborated terms of the agreement,
he said.

Kostin considered the loan project an important step to develop the
bank’s activities in Armenia saying this is one of the biggest loans
ever extended by the Russian bank for an investment project in the post
Soviet area.

Kostin pointed out that the banks is to provide a bridging loan for
$30mln through its daughter enterprise in France – BTB France – to
ensure uninterrupted work over the project while the legal documents
are being prepared.

The bank studied the Armenian investor quite thoroughly and made sure
that the project is realistic and important to Armenia and has a
commercial value in terms of world exports despite its high risk level,
Kostin said.

Teghut is the second largest copper molybdenum field in Armenia after
Kajaran.

The study conducted in 1972 showed that Teghut field contains 450mln
tons, of which 1.6 million is copper concentrate and 99,000 tons
molybdenum concentrate.

Experts say the field can be exploited within 45 years with annual
output of 7 million tons.
In February 2001, `ACP’ (Armenian Copper Program) Closed Joint Stock
Company received a license for development of the deposit for 25 years.

`ACP’ Closed Joint Stock Company, a member of Vallex Group, was founded
in August 1997 on the basis of Alaverdy mining factory. The
shareholders of the enterprise are Vallex F.M. Establishment
(Lichtenstein) (80.74%) and the General Director of Armenian Copper
Program Valery Mejlumian (19.26%). -0–

esctoday.com, Netherlands
May 27 2008

The 2008 Bezençon Awards winners

During the Eurovision 2008 afterparty at this year’s Euroclub, the
traditional Marcel Bezençon Awards for Best Composition, the Artistic
Award as well as the Press and the Fan Awards were presented to four
of this year’s participating countries.

The Marcel Bezençon Awards, named after the EBU director who in 1955
conceived the idea of the Eurovision Song Contest, have been given out
since 2002 in three categories with one more being added this
year. The Composer’s Award winner this year was Andrei Tudor for his
composition Pe o margine de lume, performed by Nico and Vlad Mirita
for Romania. The winner of this award is voted for by all the
composers participating in the final of contest.

Former Eurovision Song Contest winners vote for the Artistic Award
which this year went to Ani Lorak from Ukraine. The Press Award, which
is given to the most popular song among the accredited members of the
press each year was awarded to the Portuguese entry Senhora do
mar. Paolo Coehlo’s song, performed by Vania Fernandes, was one of the
favourites of the fans and press members throughout both Eurovision
weeks.

And last but not least a newly introduced award was presented this
year, the Fan Award by Swedish website gylleneskor.se. Readers of the
site had the opportunity to vote online for their favourite 2008
artist under the age of 25 which was non other but Armenia’s Qele,
qele performed by Sirusho.

ARE THREE MONTHS ENOUGH?

A1+
[04:22 pm] 26 May, 2008

The Democratic Party of Armenia (HDK) at the head of Aram G. Sarkissian
has released a statement which says in part,

"We are confident that the political crisis in the country is caused
not by ideological debates over socio-economic, political, legal
issues but by some people’s overweening ambition to come to power.

As a result, most people have become aliens. The society is divided
into protesters and people doing their utmost to protect their fortune
amassed through illegal means. The logical outcome of the events
were profound hatred and intolerance instilled among people. People
standing in the background made use of the situation with their
"devilish skills." The pre- and post-election periods accompanied with
innocent victims and tragic outcome imply taking the following steps,

uncover and give legal assessment to real wrongdoers on legal
grounds. The initiators, provocateurs, key participants as well as
high-rank officials engaged in the occurrences must stand trial. They
were to avert the tragic events of March 1, exclude injustice,
falsifications and partiality.

Public demands to launch an impartial and convincing investigation
over the March 1 events and disclose the armed people who opened fire
at the participants and law-enforcement bodies.

The delay of the investigation gives rise to rumours and intensifies
the heated atmosphere. On the other hand, there are political figures
among the detainees whose crime hasn’t been proved over the past
three months.

We believe that the authorities will be able to take drastic steps
to overcome the crisis in case they are filled with willingness and
determination to rectify former mistakes.

The HDK is ready to help direct the country onto the right and safe
path if the gap between the past and the present still deepens,"
holds the HDK statement.

Panorama.am

20:30 24/05/2008

ABUSED POSITION AND EXPENSIVE CAR

According to the proves revealed in the result of
investigation the head of Akhtala region Suren
Tamazyan has abused his position according to the RA
criminal code article 308.1, reported the press
service of the chief prosecutor’s office.

According to the investigation materials Tamazyan
abused his position and used the financial means
disposed to the welfare of the region and the local
people, bought a car (Mersedes-C 180) more expensive
than the market prices are (by 1.290.000 higher) from
Vilen Gevorgyans, an inhabitant of Alaverdi city.

The investigation is going on in Tumanyan
investigative center.

Source: Panorama.am

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN OF CASSATION COURT DISCUSS MEASURES FOR STRENGTHENING INDEPENDENCE OF COURTS

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 21, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. The complex program of measures aimed
at strengthening the independence of courts was discussed by the
RA president Serge Sargsian and the chairman of the Cassation Court
Hovhannes Manukian.

According to a press release of the RA president’s press service, it
was pointed out that the main purpose of the program is to raise the
public trust in courts, which can be achieved by consistent reduction
of corruption instances in courts and improving the efficiency of
justice. The control of civil society structures over courts will play
a great role in the creation of impartial and unbribable courts. The
state also has much to do in order to ensure real independence of
the judicial system.

Among envisaged measures, priority was given to reviewing the salaries
of judges and the formation of a system of other guarantees of their
activity.

Material dependence of judges causes considerable part of the existing
problems. It is the price that the state should not be reluctant to
pay in order to have fair courts.

In parallel with these steps, the interlocutors considered it necessary
to establish efficient mechanisms of legal control of the activity of
judges, which will allow to reveal and punish judges to have exceeded
the limits of legal and ethical norms. They underlined the importance
of establishing efficient control over the use of conduct rules for
judges and determining definite criteria of disciplinary liability.

They attached importance to envisaging greater responsibility for
interfering in court activity, including responsibility with respect
to state officials of various levels.

An agreement was reached to develop proposals on a number of
legislative and organizational measures based on the program and to
submit these proposals for discussion.

Noting that the struggle against vicious phenomena will be a
continuous one, there will difficulties, complaints, sometimes –
also a clash of interests, Serge Sargsian at the same time stressed
that the authorities will display inflexible political will in the
implementation of the indicated program. He attached special importance
to informing the public about the steps taken, adding that the public’s
support is a great guarantee of achieving success in any issue.

GAZPROM WILL RAISE TARIFFS ON THE SUPPLY OF GAS TO ARMENIA STAGE BY STAGE

ITAR-TASS
May 20 2008
Russia

YEREVAN, May 20 (Itar-Tass) – Gazprom will raise tariffs on the
supply of gas to Armenia stage by stage, coordinating its steps with
the government of the republic. Such an arrangement was made here on
Monday during a meeting between President Serge Sarkisyan and Alexei
Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Board.

In the process, it was taken into consideration that Gazprom owns
72 percent of the shares of the monopoly supplier of Russian gas to
Armenia — the joint Russo-Armenian company ArmRosgazprom. Besides,
such an approach is intended to ensure predictability and accessibility
of deliveries to the economic entities and all gas users of the
republic, a government press service official has told Itar-Tass.

Gazprom is planning to achieve equal profitability of the supply of
gas both inside and outside Russia by 2011, Miller said.

During Monday’s meeting, the sides also touched upon negotiations
concerning the construction of an oil processing plant in Armenia,
and other investment projects that Gazprom implements in the republic’s
energy sector.

Sarkisyan said, "To Armenia, Gazprorm is a stable and promising
partner". He is confident that interaction will be fleshed out with
new substance. The interlocutors cited a substantial increase in
the scope of the use of gas by the population of Armenia in recent
years as an important achievement. The President said Armenia is one
of the world’s most widely gas-supplied countries, which is due to
large-scale installation of gas service.

The interlocutors stated that in recent years the ArmRosgazprom had
been working quite effectively, manifesting impressive results and
the fact that gas consumption has substantially gained in scope in
Armenia is indicative of steady development not only of the Company
but that of the entire economy of the republic, they emphasized.

At present Armenia gets Russian gas at a price of $110 per 1,000
cubic metres of gas. Effective from May 1, the republican government
discontinued subsidising the tariffs on natural gas for users. The
abrogation of those subsidies will entail an increase in tariffs on
gas by 42 percent for the population and still more for industrial
enterprises.

LEVON ARONYAN SHARES THE 5TH AND 6TH PLACES IN THE M-TEL MASTERS

armradio.am
19.05.2008 15:05

Armenian Grand Master Levon Aronyan played a draw with Vasili Ivanchuk
of Ukraine in the 9th round of the M-Tel Masters international chess
tournament underway in Sofia. Aronyan shares the 5tha nd 6th places
with Bu Xiangzhi of China with 2.5 points.

In the 9th round Azerbaijani Teymur Rajabov played a draw with Ivan
Cheparinov of Bulgaria.

Ukrainian Vasili Ivanchuk is in the lead with 7 points. Veselin
Topalov comes second with 6 points. Teymur Rajabov is the 3rd with
5 points. Ivan Cheparinov has 4 points and occupies the 4th position.

RF MFA: GEORGIA-SPONSORED RESOLUTION ON ABKHAZIA TO HAMPER CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
16.05.2008 14:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russia’s Foreign Ministry criticized as
counterproductive on Friday a move by the UN General Assembly to
adopt a Tbilisi-sponsored resolution on the return of refugees to
Georgia’s breakaway republic of Abkhazia.

The resolution recognizing the right of refugees and internally
displaced persons to return to Abkhazia and "underlines the urgent
need for a timetable to ensure" their prompt return was adopted 14-11,
with 105 abstentions, on Thursday.

"The vote results clearly demonstrate that the international
community has actually failed to support Georgia’s maneuvers on
the problem. Russia voted against the project and gave a statement
explaining its position," the Ministry said, describing the resolution
as a counterproductive move that could complicate further the conflict
between Georgia and Abkhazia, RIA Novosti reports.

THE MUSEUM NIGHT TO START TONIGHT

armradio.am
17.05.2008 13:56

The traditional annual "Museum night" will start in the republic
tonight. Armenpress was informed from the Public Relations Department
of RA Ministry of Culture that within the framework of the event all
participant museums will host the art-loving public free of charge
until 1 a.m.

In 2005 about 1 200 museums of Europe united and organized the first
"Museum night" event, wishing to present their exclusive collections
in a new manner.

Armenian museums have also been participating in the initiative ever
since 2005 together with more than 2 000 art, folk, history museums
of 40 countries.