Author: Chatinian Lara

S. SARGSYAN. "…PROBLEM TO SPEND EFFECTIVELY"

Panorama.am
20:49 29/11/2007

Today Serjh Sargsyan made some orders on the next year state budget
before starting the government session.

According to the department of information and public relations of
the government the Prime Minister particularly mentioned that the
works must be carried out in the way that in January the retirees
get their pensions in new way.

The Prime Minister ordered to conduct all construction competitions
before the end of the year. Then they could define the working
vacancies, and discuss how to divide the expenses into months. "There
is not a problem of means, there is a problem of dividing them to
have effective expense results," said S. Sargsyan.

OVER 288,000 PEOPLE VOTED BETWEEN ARF PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS

YERKIR
30.11.2007 13:12

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Some 288,682 people have voted between November 24
and 28 in tents and mobile ballot boxes in Yerevan and other regions
of Armenia regions in a vote organized by the ARF under the slogan
"Participate in our vote, let’s elect ARF candidate."

Out of them, 126,495 voted in Yerevan and 162,187 in the regions. The
number of the ballots deemed invalid was 6,211; many had voted for
both candidates.

The results show that 149,717 votes were given to Vahan Hovhannisian
(53 percent) and 132,769 to Armen Rustamian (47 percent).

AZERBAIJANI CITIZEN TAKEN PRISONER RELEASED FROM ARMENIAN PRISON

TREND Information
Nov 30 2007
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr. I.Alizadeh / Masim Bunnatov, Azerbaijani
citizen taken a prisoner by the Armenian National Armed Forces, was
released from the prison and returned to his motherland, the Baku
representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
reported on 30 November.

Bunnatov was returned to his country through mediation of ICRC in the
international border between the Armenian Ijevan city and Azerbaijani
Gazakh region.

Before releasing of the prisoner ICRC representatives met with Bunnatov
for several times.

Presently, the Azerbaijani citizen Anar Aliyev and soldier of the
Azerbaijani National Armed Forces Samir Mammadov are kept in Armenian
prison.

BAKO SAHAKIAN HELD MEETINGS IN BOSTON

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
Nov 15 2007

Nagorno-Karabakh President Bako Sahakian is holding meetings in the
U. S. within the frames of the preparation for Hayastan All-Armenian
Fund’s annual TV marathon.

According to Central Department of Information under NKR President,
November 13 Bako Sahakian met with Armenian students at Boston’s
National Heritage Fund. The same day the state’s head met with the
representatives of Vardan Knights NGO.

In the course of the meeting the interlocutors discussed a number of
issues referring to social-economic situation in NKR, the perspectives
of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement and deepening relations
between Artsakh and Diaspora, NKR MFA Press Office reports.

YUSHCHENKO SMOOTHS OVER AWARD GAFF IN ISRAEL

Kommersant, Russia
Nov 15 2007

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko completes his visit to Israel
today. The culmination of his three-day visit was his address to the
Knesset. Speaker of the Knesset Dahlia Itzik gave Yushchenko a warm
welcome, calling him the leader of a "young democracy" and recalling
that Ukraine was the home of a vibrant Jewish culture and birthplace of
second Israeli president Itzhak Ben-Zvi and prime minister Golda Meir.

Itzik went on to say that she was concerned with the growing number
of displays of anti-Semitism, nationalism and neo-Nazism in Ukraine
and Yushchenko’s awarding of the title Hero of Ukraine to nationalist
leader Roman Shukhevich, who collaborated with the Nazis during World
War Two. Itzik called "the most shocking fact" the anti-Semitism of the
well-known state Interregional Academy of Personnel Management, where
the management’s support for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s
call to "wipe Israel from the face of the earth" attracted wide
attention a few years ago.

Yushchenko responded by comparing the Ukrainian and Jewish peoples,
both of whom came out of slavery. He mentioned that the first holocaust
museum in Eastern Europe was being built in Ukraine and reminded
his audience of the Torah scrolls he brought with him to Israel,
which had been confiscated in Soviet times and kept in the Ukrainian
national archive.

Yushchenko wanted to visit Israel in the spring of this year for
the holocaust memorial day. Ukraine has long sought international
recognition of the artificially-induced famine in Ukraine in 1932-1933
as genocide. Israel refused Yushchenko’s request at that time,
citing the busy schedule of Israeli leaders. No acknowledgement of
the Ukrainian genocide was made during this trip. Israel has also
ignored Armenia’s request to recognize the Armenian genocide of 1915.

RA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ENVISAGES FINISHING DISCUSSION OF PRELIMINARY VERSION OF 2008 DRAFT STATE BUDGET ON NOVEMBER 15

Noyan Tapan
Nov 14, 2007

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 14, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA National Assembly on
November 14 continued the discussion of the preliminary version of
the 2008 draft state budget. It is envisaged to finish its discussion
in November 15.

Presenting the main macroeconomic indices and registering a
considerable progress as compared with last year, the co-rapporteur
Gagik Minasian – chairman of the NA standing committee on financial,
credit and budgetary issues, member of the Republican Party of Armenia
– assured those present that "in case of several years of such dynamic
development, our country’s indices will reach European ones".

Other speakers also pointed out the notable growth in financing
of several sectors, including the chairwoman of the NA standing
committee on science, education, culture, youth and sport issues
Hranush Hakobian, who, as she put it, has participated in the apporoval
of 22 budgets. The chairman of the NA standing committee on social,
health care and environmental protection issues, former minister
of health Ara Babloyan reminded that 10 years ago the budget of the
health care sector was about 30 million dollars, which was less than
the budget of an average European hospital. In 2008, it is envisaged
to allocate 54.6 billion drams (about 162.7 million USD) for health
care, which is more by 24.2% than the 2007 index.

To recap, the settlement exchange rate of a dollar is fixed at 336.5
drams in the draft state budget.

BABACAN: TURKEY WILL STOP NORTHERN IRAQ FROM BEING A TERRORIST BASE

PanARMENIAN.Net
15.11.2007 14:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Turkish government is determined to stop northern
Iraq from being used by the PKK as a base from which to launch attacks
against Turkey, Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said Wednesday.

Speaking before a parliamentary commission in Ankara, Babacan said
it must be accepted Turkey still had serious security problems along
its southern borders, as evidenced by the recent increase in attacks
by the PKK.

"We are determined to focus on this problem which has been bothering
Turkey for many years," he said. "We will prevent the north of Iraq
from becoming a shelter of terrorism. Our people’s safety and country’s
domestic peace are much more important than all other issues." Turkey
has the strength and the will to protect itself against the threat
posed by terrorism, the minister said, adding the government was
assessing all measures and taking steps to solve this problem.

Babacan said Turkey’s policy on Iraq was clear, sincere and consistent,
being based on the protection of Iraq’s independence, sovereignty as
well as national unity and territorial integrity.

The recent developments regarding Iraq and especially problem posed
by the PKK’s ongoing presence in northern Iraq had become the focal
point in Turkey’s relations with the United States, with Turkey having
a strategic co-operation with Washington on bilateral, regional and
international issues, said Babacan.

"Our cooperation contributes to both global and regional peace,
security and stability," he said. "It is also important to get concrete
results in fight against terrorism, which is the most urgent item of
our common agenda, as soon as possible," he said, the Turkish Daily
News reports.

Turkey has deployed 100 000 troops at the border to neutralize some
3 500 Kurdish rebels basing in northern Iraq.

PRESIDENT KOCHARYAN VISITS THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE

armradio.am
15.11.2007 18:08

RA Presidnet Robert Kocharyan visited the Ministry of Defense,
President’s Press Office informs.

During the meeting with the senior staff of the Ministry of Defense
the President was informed about the work done in 2007 and the plans
for next year.

Issues concerning the reforms in the Armed Forces of the Republic of
Armenia were discussed.

KOCHARIAN APPRECIATED HIGHLY ARMENIAN-BULGARIAN COOPERATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.11.2007 15:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today, Armenian President Robert Kocharian met
with Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, the RA leader’s press
office reported.

Armenian Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan also attended the meeting.

President Kocharian appreciated highly the level of the
Armenian-Bulgarian cooperation, enriched with traditional ties and
cultural community.

The parties discussed the whole scope of the Armenian-Bulgarian
relations and cooperation within the European Neighborhood Policy.

They also agreed on conduction of Days of Bulgarian Culture in Armenia
in 2008.

Mr Stanishev praised Bulgarian Armenians, who have fully integrated
into the society

ARMENIAN LEADER, IRAN’S MINISTER DISCUSS DEFENSE ISSUES

Russia & CIS Presidential Bulletin
November 8, 2007

Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Iranian Defense Minister
Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar noted at a Thursday meeting the high level of
Armenian-Iranian relations, as well as the importance of implementing
the agreements on cooperation reached between the leaders of the
two countries.

Mohammad-Najjar relayed the cordial greetings of Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to his Armenian counterpart at the meeting and
expressed Iran’s readiness to pursue cooperation on defense issues.