ARMENIA’S GDP GROWS 11.9% IN JAN. 2007
RIA Novosti, Russia
February 21, 2007
YEREVAN, February 21 (RIA Novosti) – Armenia’s gross domestic product
grew 11.9%, year-on-year, to $230.3 million, the national statistics
service said Wednesday.
Industrial production expanded 4% in the reporting period, to $124
million, and agricultural output was up 3.5%, to $38 million, the
service said.
Armenia’s 2007 budget projects GDP growth of 9%, compared with 13.4%
in 2006.
GRIGOR AMALYAN WILL REMAIN IN OFFICE UNTIL 2011
A1+
[05:13 pm] 21 February, 2007
"Armenia is the only country where the Public Television is forbidden
to give air to several politicians. The RA Public Television is the
only one which violates law and avoids punishment", announced expert
of the Yerevan Press Club Mesrop Haroutyunyan during the discussion
organized by the "Cooperation for Open Society".
He enumerated the names of politicians which are personae non grata
in the Public Television – Raffi Hovannisian, Aram Z. Sargsyan, Aram
Karapetyan, Arthur Baghdasaryan, etc. Stating that no criminal cases
have been initiated against journalists, Mr. Haroutyunyan noted that
there is no need to initiate criminal cases. "All the problems can
be solved by intimidating journalists".
"The fact that the TV Companies stated high prices for their air time
thus depriving the representatives of the opposition of the chance
to broadcast, already says a lot. There as a triangle – President –
NCTR – TV Channels, where everything is decided. If the heads of the
TV Channels say there is no pressure inflicted upon them, I will not
believe it. I am convinced there has been an agreement between them
in order to hinder the appearance of ‘small’ parties on TV", said Mr.
Haroutyunyan.
Mesrop Haroutyunyan is also sure that all the issues connected
with the information field will be solved or have been solved on
Baghramyan 26. "The National Committee on TV and Radio will be the
marionette of Baghramyan 26 unless the order of the formation of the
committee has changed", he said and added that until 2011 we cannot
expect anything else from the Committee. He is almost sure that Grigor
Amalyan will remain in office, "As the President’s administration is
pleased with his work, I think Robert Kocharyan will re-appoint him
in the position".
ARMENIAN EXPERT PRAISES TURKS FOR RESTORATION OF ARMENIAN CHURCH, BUT SAYS IT IS TO MAKE MONEY
Armenpress
Feb 21 2007
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS: A reputed Armenian expert on
historical and cultural monuments praised today a Turkish company
for a good job, which it did to restore the Armenian Akhtamar Church
on an island off the southern shore of lake Van in eastern Anatolia,
but blamed the Turkish authorities saying their goal is not to take
care of a brilliant pattern of medieval Armenian architecture, but
to make money from thousands of tourists, especially from Armenian
Diaspora, who will visit the site.
Samvel Karapetian, one of the best experts on Armenian architecture,
said that hundreds of other Armenian monuments which have survived
in Turkey are ignored. He said no traces have remained of an Armenian
monastery that was 5 km off the Akhtamar Church.
Turkish authorities have already announced that the Church of the
Holy Cross will be opened on April 15.
Earlier reports from Turkey suggested that Turkish authorities
planned originally to open it on April 24 when Armenians across the
globe will be marking the 92-nd anniversary of the 1915 genocide, but
they revised this decision after complaints from Armenian Diaspora
organizations and particularly from Patriarch Mesrop Mutafian, head
of the Turkish Patriarchate of the Armenian Church.
Akhtamar Church was constructed by Armenian architect Manuel between
915 and 921 A.D. under the supervision of King Gagik I. Turkey
has spent nearly $2 million to restore it. In a recent interview
with a Turkish daily Zaman Turkish culture minister Koc shrugged off
allegations that the renovation was an attempt to counter the Armenian
campaign for the international recognition of the 1915 genocide.
"We repair the houses of worship not only of monotheistic but also
of polytheistic religions, because we consider them our inherited
legacy, our wealth," he said. Koc said Turkish Tourism Ministry has
already extended official invitations to prominent individuals from
the Armenian Diaspora and leading Armenian religious leaders and
plans also to extend invitations to the culture minister of Armenia
and countries that host significant Armenian population at home,
such as Lebanon, Ukraine, Russia and the United States.
Koc said also the renovation is out of respect for Turkey’s cultural
inheritance as opening of the renewed Akhtamar Church may come as a
further incentive to ease acrimony between Turks and Armenians.
RUSSIA’S GAZPROM HOPES TO UP STAKE IN ARMROSGAZPROM TO 80%
Prime-Tass Business News Agency
Prime-Tass English-language Business Newswire
February 20, 2007 Tuesday 8:44 PM EET
Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom hopes to increase its stake in
Armenia’s ArmRosgazprom to 80% from the current 60.69% through an
additional share issue, Sergei Kupriyanov, a spokesman for Gazprom,
told reporters Tuesday.
Gazprom increased its stake in ArmRosgazprom to 60.69% from 45%
effective November 20, 2006 through the purchase of the Armenian
company’s additional shares.
ArmRosgazprom, created in 1997, has a monopoly on the import and
distribution of Russian natural gas in Armenia. It also specializes
in the transportation, storage, processing, distribution and sale of
gas, as well as in the reconstruction and expansion of underground
storage facilities and gas transportation systems in Armenia.
TURKEY HOPES CONGRESS WILL NOT APPROVE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.02.2007 15:25 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The Armenian Genocide bill will shadow the strategic
partnership of Turkey and America, if approved," stated Turkish Prime
Minister Rejep Tayyip Erdogan. In his words, Ankara does not expect
such a decision from the House of Representatives. "However, I have
worries that such a surprise would shadow our strategic partnership
with the U.S. We have never lived with a stain throughout our history
and we shall not live with such stain," stated Turkish premier at
the meeting with American businessmen. Erdogan did not clarify what
particularly Turkey is going to do. As Sabah newspaper reports, Rejep
Erdogan blamed the Armenian Diaspora for using the Genocide issue
to harm Turkey. The PM stressed, that "it is a historian’s job to
decide whether there was a genocide or not and no one has the right
to defame Turkey via political lobbies."
106th resolution on recognizing the Armenian Genocide was introduced
in the U.S. Congress at the end of January. During past years such
resolutions were rejected thanks to the efforts of U.S. administration.
But this year the possibility of its adoption is rather high. The
democratic majority of Congress, including Speaker of the House of
Representatives Nancy Pelosi, has pro-Armenian stance.
ARMENIA READY FOR TIES WITH TURKEY
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Source: Swissinfo 19 February 2007
Feb 19 2007
Armenia is ready to establish diplomatic ties with Turkey without
preconditions and create a joint government commission to discuss
Armenian deaths at the hands of Ottoman Turks in 1915, which Yerevan
says was genocide.
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan rejected Turkey’s offer to set up
a joint panel of historians to debate the issue, using an interview
in the daily Le Figaro on Monday to call on Ankara to accept his
suggestion of an intergovernmental commission.
Turkey denies accusations that some 1.5 million Armenians were
massacred during the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire in World
War One, arguing that Armenian deaths were part of general partisan
fighting in which both sides suffered.
"The normalisation of bilateral relations is the responsibility of
governments, not historians," said Kocharyan, who begins an official
visit to France on Monday.
"That is why we are ready to establish diplomatic relations with
Turkey without preconditions, create an intergovernmental commission
and to discuss all issues, including the most sensitive," he added.
In October, the lower house of the French parliament provoked Turkish
ire by passing a bill making it a crime to deny Armenians suffered
genocide in 1915, a vote Ankara said would damage ties between the
two NATO allies.
US Assistant Administrator visited NATO Information Center in Yerevan
16.02.2007 14:14
US Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia Douglas Menarchik
visited the NATO Information Center in Yerevan today.
Douglas Menarchik was primarily interested in the directions of the
Center’s activities, educational programs and initiatives, Mediamax
reports.
Employees of the NATO Information Center informed the US Assistant
Administrator that `NATO week’ will be held in Armenia in March.
PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Father Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
US AMBASSADOR JEFFREY FELTMAN
VISITS HIS HOLINESS ARAM I
The Ambassador of the United States to Lebanon, Mr. Jeffrey Feltman,
yesterday held a meeting with His Holiness Aram I. The US State Department’s
director on Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, Dr. Gina
Abercrombie-Winstanley also attended the meeting, which lasted about two
hours.
His Holiness and his visitors discussed the situation in Lebanon with all
its aspects and the possibilities of ending the continuing conflict. The
Catholicos expressed concern at the continuation of the conflict, saying
that Lebanon is on the path to self-destruction with the politicians
unfortunately not realizing the consequences of the dangerous situation.
Analyzing the current deadlock, the Pontiff said that in his view an
initiative by Saudi Arabia, in cooperation with some regional powers, is the
only serious alternative that can bring an effective and a permanent
resolution of the current conflict. This initiative should aim, according to
His Holiness, to bring together in the Kingdom the political and community
leaders of Lebanon and engage them in comprehensive and in-depth discussion
on all major problems facing Lebanon and reach agreement. Catholicos Aram I
proposed that the American government representatives pass his idea on to
Washington.
##
View the photo here: #3
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of the
Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.
PanARMENIAN.Net
RA government to assign 90 million AMD for Charles
Aznavour house-museum construction
15.02.2007 17:02 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian government will assign
90 million AMD for the construction of house-museum of
universally known singer Charles Aznavour The
incumbent authorities took the decision during today’s
sitting presided by RA leader Robert Kocharian.
MURDER IN YEREVAN
ArmRadio.am
15.02.2007 14:55
At about 4 a.m. on February 15 a call was received from an unknown
citizen that shots were heard from the Relax disco club and there
are wounded.
Arriving at the site of the crime, prosecutor of Kentron and
Nork-Marash communities of Yerevan A. Andrasyan, head of the
General Board of Criminal Intelligence Nazaryan, acting head of the
Investigation Department of Kentron Mkhitaryan, the expert and judicial
doctor found the corpses of Artash Hambartsumyan and Mher Poghosyan
with fire wounds, ""Radioulr" was told from the Press Service of RA
Prosecutor General’s Office.
A criminal case has been launched in the Prosecutor’s Office of Kentron
and Nork-Marash communities of Yerevan. Two persons participating in
the skirmish has been identified. Measures have been undertaken to
reveal all the circumstances of the case.