Author: Chmshkian Vicken

EDVARD NALBANDIAN AND MATTHEW BRYZA DISCUSSED ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS

DE FACTO
15.09.08

YEREVAN, 15.09.08. DE FACTO. The issues referring to Karabakh
conflict’s peaceful settlement, situation in the region and
Armenian-Turkish relations were discussed on September 13, at the RA
FM Edvard Nalbandian’s meeting with the OSCE Minsk group Co-Chair,
Assistant to the U. S. State Secretary Matthew Bryza.

According to the RA MFA Press Office, touching on the latest
developments around Armenian-Turkish relations Edvard Nalbandian said
Armenian party positively estimated Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s
visit to Yerevan, which had become a serious stimulus to initiate
a dialogue.

Commenting on Turkey’s initiative on building Stability and Cooperation
Platform in Caucasus, the RA FM noted that Armenia welcomed steps
targeted at strengthening confidence and development of cooperation
in the region.

On the guest’s request RA FM presented the results of his visit
to Georgia.

Edvard Nalbandian and Matthew Bryza also discussed a number of regional
and international issues.

United Press International
Sept 12 2008

Work on Iran-Armenia pipeline concludes

YEREVAN, Armenia, Sept. 12

Construction on a natural gas pipeline from Iran to Armenia to
transport 81 billion cubic feet of gas has been concluded, Armenian
energy officials said Friday.

Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan said the pipeline is
important to secure energy supplies for his country, noting testing
would commence in the coming days, Trend Capital News said.

"The opening of the Iranian-Armenian pipeline will guarantee the
energy safety of Armenia," he said. "Armenia will receive from 2.3
billion to 2.5 billion cubic meters of gas from Tehran through this
pipeline a year."

Movsisyan added the Armenian government was entering into trilateral
talks with Iran and Russia on the construction of an oil refinery and
examinations of a new oil pipeline.

The planned $2.5 billion Armenian refinery would have the capacity to
produce around 50 million barrels of oil per year.

ARMENIA’S DEPUTY PREMIER TO PARTICIPATE IN CIS ECONOMIC COUNCIL’S MEETING IN MOSCOW

ARKA
Sep 12, 2008

YEREVAN, September 12. /ARKA/. Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Armen
Gevorgyan will participate today in the 39th Moscow meeting of the
CIS Economic Council.

About 20 topical issues, including the project of the common budget of
the CIS agencies, the food safety joint program and the anti-aircraft
defense program, are on the agenda.

The CIS plans to allocate next year some 655mln rubles for the
anti-aircraft program.

The CIS deputy premiers will also discuss air traffic competition. The
draft memorandum of national telediagnostics and joint systems of
medical consultations is also on the agenda of the meeting. The deputy
prime ministers will also amend the action program IT development.

RA PM: TAX REFORMS IN THE COUNTRY NOT TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED RESULT UNLESS CITIZENS DEMAND CASHIER’S RECEIPTS IN STORES

ArmInfo
2008-09-11 14:17:00

ArmInfo. Tax reforms in the country will not achieve the desired result
unless the citizens demand cashier’s receipts in the stores, RA Prime
Minister Tigran Sarkisyan said today opening the government’s session.

‘One of the primary goals to be solved is enhancement of efficiency
of the tax and customs administration. We should achieve transparency
of trade, and retail trade plays an important role here. A purchaser
should be given a cashier’s receipt during every shopping in the
store. Therefore, I call on the citizens to demand these receipts in
the stores.

ARMENIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS: ‘ELEMENTARY DISPLAYS OF HUMAN RIGHTS, EVERY POSTER OR PROTEST ACTION CAUSE AUTHORITIES’ SCHIZOPHRENIA’

Trend News Agency
Sept 10 2008
Azerbaijan

The oppositional Armenian National Congress spread a statement today
strongly criticizing the actions of the country’s authorities.

According to the statement received by ArmInfo, 6 oppositional
representatives embarked on hunger-strike the day before on the
Northern Avenue demanding to set free the persons arrested on the case
of March 1 events. In the evening, at about 10:00 PM, the policemen
broke up by force the gathered participants in the protest action
in the Northern Avenue, and those on hunger-strike were delivered to
the Police department. Foreign Relations Coordinator of ANC Vladimir
Karapetyan was also brought to the Police.

‘The authorities passed all the bounds not only of legality and
moral but also that of logic forcing the policemen to execute illegal
actions. Any protest action, any poster, any display of human rights
cause the authorities’ schizophrenia.

Their inconsistency with the civil society is proved every day. All
this testifies about the panic inside the pro-power camp which realizes
its own illegitimacy and which deserved its own people’s hatred’,
the statement of ANC says.

PENSIONS TO INCREASE IN ARMENIA FROM JANUARY 2009

Noyan Tapan

Se p 10, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 10, NOYAN TAPAN. It is envisaged increasing the
pensions in Armenia from January 1, 2009: the base pension will make
5,800 drams instead of the current 5,000 drams (about 16 USD), the
main pension will make 7,950 drams instead of current 6,800 drams,
while the cost of 1 year of the insurance length of service will make
455 drams instead of current 395 drams, the RA minister of labor
and social issues Arsen Hambartsumian announced at the Septemer 10
press conference.

As a result of the indicated increases, the average amount of
insurance pensions will make 25,700 drams instead of current 21,900
drams, the average amount of social pensions – 10,200 drams instead
of current 8,800 drams, while the average amount of pensions paid to
servicemen and their family members will be increased to 20,400 drams
from current 17,700 drams. The minister said that an extra sum of 24
billion drams will be allocated from the state budget for this purpose.

According to A. Hambartsumian, thanks to a year-by-year increase
of pensions, it will become possible to ensure an average pension
making up 100% of the minimum budget of life support in 2012. It is
also envisaged registering the pension files soon which may allow to
raise pensions of 20 thousand pensioners.

The minister said that starting from 2010, a shift to the system of
cashless payment of pensions and benefits is envisaged in Armenia. With
this aim an interdepartmental working group was set up to implement
preparatory work.

CONCENTRATION OF NATO SHIPS IN BLACK SEA NOTHING BUT USUAL MANIFESTATION OF FORCE

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.09.2008 15:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Concentration of NATO ships in the Black Sea is
nothing but usual manifestation of force, a Russian expert said.

"Maybe, some measures for replenishment of the Georgian army are
being taken under the disguise. Anyway, I do not think this armada
represents a menace for Russia. Of course, the U.S. grows more and
more unpredictable but you will hardly find any people there who will
dare to incite an armed collision with Russia in the Black Sea,"
Andrey Areshev, expert at Strategic Culture Foundation said in an
interview with PanARMENIAN.Net.

"The danger will increase if Georgia undertakes a new aggression
that is quite possible judging by the fact that Georgia broke all
previous agreements on ceasefire (expect for the "six principles"
which Georgia interprets its own way)," he said.

As to various economic sanctions against Russia, Areshev said that
the European Union will hardly refuse from Russian gas. Furthermore,
they will not recall their managers who work for big and profitable
enterprises.

"Given the tendencies of Europe’s economic development, it would be
unwise. Hysteric opinions expressed somewhere in press or in a café
should be selected from statements by serious politicians. They wanted
to put Russia to the test. Well, they received answers to all their
questions," he said.

–Boundary_(ID_7izHRnokRS/v73MgoPTzdA)–

ARMENIAN, TURKISH U21 FOOTBALL TEAMS TO MEET IN ISTANBUL TONIGHT

armradio.am
09.09.2008 15:46

On September 8 the Armenian national football team headed by chief
coach Jan Poulsen left for Spain. The Spain-Armenia qualifier within
the framework of the FIFA 2010 World Cup will take place on September
10 in the city of Albacete. The Armenian Public TV will broadcast
the match live at 1 a.m.

Yerevan time.

Before that on September 9 the Armenian and Turkish U21 teams will
meet in Istanbul in the framework of the qualification round of the
U21 European Championship. The match will be broadcast live at 10 p.m.

The Turkish team leads in the group with 16 points. The Armenian
youth team is the 4th with 10 points.

ARMENIAN PURCHASE PLAN FOR RUSSIAN ROUGH DIAMONDS STILL ROCKY

Israel Diamond Portal
Sept 9 2008
Israel

Despite optimism in Armenia that Russian rough diamonds will soon be
supplied in greater volumes to the Armenian diamond cutting industry,
the supply position remains uncertain, and volumes restricted.

An announcement from Yerevan, the Armenian capital, recently indicated
that Smolensk Kristall, Russia’s largest polisher, would supply
between 6,000 and 7,000 carats of diamonds by the end of this year.

But additional sources of supply from Russia are doubtful, and Kristall
cannot increase its volume.

Gagik Kocharian, head of Trade Policy and Domestic Market Regulation
at the Armenian Economics Ministry, revealed the Kristall commitment
has been agreed with the Diamond Company of Armenia (DCA). He also
noted that the first consignment of 650 carats of diamonds has been
dispatched.

An inter-government agreement between Moscow and Yerevan used to
provide supply of up to 6,000 carats of diamonds per annum on deferred
payment or tolling-fee terms. Direct sales at prevailing market
prices are very small, because of the limited financial capacity of
the Armenian diamond cutters.

Ararat Evoyan, executive director of the Russian Association of Diamond
Manufacturers, said that, under the regulations in place since 2001,

Russian manufacturers have the right, subject to government licensing
approval, to sell or process by tolling contract up to 15% of their
total rough diamond purchases.

Out-sourcing for stones that are not profitable to cut in the Russian
plants is what the Armenians cutters want. Tolling terms limit their
financial exposure, as the diamonds must be returned to the supplier,
leaving the Armenian cutters with a tolling fee for processing,
and throughput for their production lines.

The Kristall agreement, Evoyan believes, is a tolling arrangement
under the 15% proviso in the regulations.

Alrosa cannot supply Armenia with rough diamonds on tolling contract,
because it is a diamond mining company, not a processing enterprise.

Various alternatives for Alrosa to supply the Armenian diamond cutters
have been in discussion for months, but without concrete outcome.

Evoyan said that the Russian manufacturers would like the government
in Moscow to permit a larger volume of diamonds to be supplied to
Armenia on tolling contracts. "There have been no results, yet,"
he told PolishedPrices.

ORINATS YERKIR AND PROSPEROUS ARMENIA PARTIES SUPPORT RPA’S DECISION TO REPLACE SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT TIGRAN TORROSYAN

ArmInfo
2008-09-08 19:07:00

ArmInfo. Even though Prosperous Armenia party has not yet discussed
RPA’s decision to replace Speaker of the Armenian Tigran Torossyan
it will support RPA as a coalition partner, says the member of the
parliamentary group of Prosperous Armenia Naira Zohrabyan.

The member of the parliamentary group of Orinats Yerkir
Hovhannes Margaryan says that RPA’s decision is acceptable to his
party. Parliament Speaker cannot stay in his office for ever, he says.