Author: Ekmekjian Janet

KAZAKHSTAN’S PRESIDENT CONGRATULATES SERGE SARGSYAN

armradio.am
28.02.2008 11:06

The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev issued
a congratulatory message to RA Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan on his
election to the post of the President of the Republic of Armenia. The
message says, in part:

"Dear Mr. Sargsyan, Accept my sincere congratulations on the occasion
of being elected the President of Armenia.

I’m sure that our countries and peoples will continue reinforcing
the friendly and partnership ties, expanding the mutually beneficial
cooperation.

Let me wish you success in your responsible position for the benefit
of the Armenian people."

EXPERTS SAY ARMENIA MAY FACE ‘ORANGE REVOLUTION’

Trend News Agency
Feb 28 2008
Azerbaijan

Russia, Moscow, 27 February /Trend News corr R. Agayev/ Legitimacy
of the newly elected Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan is questionable.

"Though such figures as 53%- which he received in the elections seem
to be imposing, evidently, there was a plenty of violations as well.

Anyway, when the Prosecutor of the country says that, and then,
he is immediately murdered, that means a lot," the Russian expert
Aleksey Malashenko said.

The main opposition candidate, ex-President Levon Ter Petrosyan accused
the Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan, who received 53% of the votes at
the presidential elections on 19 February, of gerrymandering. Protest
demonstration, hunger-strikes are held in Yerevan as a protest.

According to the Panorama Am, speaking on 22 February at the
opposition demonstration, the Deputy Prosecutor General of Armenia
Gagik Dzhangiryan called on the people to stand up for their votes
and said that he had never seen such great elections falsification.

Very Next day he was fired.

The Russian political scientist is confident that the matter is not
clannish struggle or intrigues, but the public just realizes that the
elections held are far from ideal, and therefore the opposition has a
chance to exert great influence upon the current authorities, even if
not turn the situation by 180 decrees. "It is difficult to say what
will be the results, because Armenia, taking into consideration that
it has a civil society and some elements of democracy, is a rather
emotional country. It is well-known that a skirmish took place at the
Armenian Parliament. So, we are to expect the most unexpected things.

Moreover, we cannot see Sargsyan’s helping hand extended to the
opposition," Aleksey Malashenko, a member of the Moscow Carnegie
Centre’s Scientific Council, told Trend News on 27 February.

The expert does not rule out that the situation in Armenia may
face an ‘orange revolution’ like in Georgia or Armenia. He says the
chances are 50 – 50, through he considers it tactless to use the word
‘revolution’. "That will also depend on the behaviour of Sargsyan,
who does not show an adequate reaction for the things happening
around. The Armenian opposition has a good chance to get consolidated
and lead a great number of well organized people outwards".

According to the Central Election Commission, Serzh Sargsyan, the
head of the Republican Party, won the elections with 52.82% of votes.

The ex-President Levon Ter-Petrosyan took the second place (21.5%).

Since 20 February, Yerevan has been facing demonstrations,
rally-marches, as well as sitting student protests organized by
the opposition. The organizers and participants protest against the
results of the elections.

RECONSTRUCTION WORK OF H. PARONIAN THEATER BUILDING TO BEGIN SOON

Noyan Tapan
Feb 27, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 27, NOYAN TAPAN. The reconstruction work of the
building of Hakob Paronian State Comedy Theater will begin soon with
50 million drams allocated by RA government. As Karo Shahbazian,
the director of the theater, informed Noyan Tapan correspondent,
the building has not been repaired since its operation (from
the 70-s). Though the building of the theater needs complete
reconstruction, according to the director, with that sum they, first
of all, will repair the heating and ventilator systems, and in the
future when they have extra-financing, they will repair the hall and
other halls as well.

K. Shahbazian also said that parallel with the reconstruction work,
the theater will continue operating and on March 7, according to
the tradition, the company of actors of Paronian will restart the
theatrical season with the "Eastern Dentist" performance.

AN ADEQUATE ANSWER IS ANTICIPATED

Azat Artsakh Daily
26-02-2008
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh

Recently at the session of the government a lsit, making whole the
sizes and values of the programs and arrangements foreseen by the NKR
state budget in the sphere of agriculture, has been established. Our
talk with the vice-premier, minister of of agriculture Armo Tsatrian
was about it and a number of developments anticipating in 2008.

– The new government has adopted a new policy towards agriculture:
a turn to a village and agriculture. Many people anticipate positive
changes from this turn. And at last, what is foreseen in 2008 in
the sphere of agriculture, what principles will be in the axis of a
new policy?

– Really, the policy, foreseen in this sphere, can be defined as "a
turn to a village and agriculture". The lines of the NKR President’s
pre-election program fall in that axis: a satisfaction of a state
productive and purposeful assistance is foreseen in all the spheres
and all the levels of agriculture. So we can distinguish the fact of a
decrease of grain’s crop yield. Naturally, it isn’t strange, that the
first programs of state assisitance are directed to that sphere. So the
program of so called black ploughed land is in the process. The aim
of it is an improvement of arable lands, which have become exhausted
for years. Besides the above-mentioned programs, in the sphere of
cultivation in 2008 a number of arrangements are also foreseen. So,
in arrangements’ scopes, directed to the protection of plants, an
organized struggle will be carried against rodents and locusts.

– Your listed programs touch basically upon cultivation. But what is
foreseen in the sphere of cattle-breeding?

– Like previous years, this year is also foreseen to realize
antiepidemic measures by state means. In 2008 innovations will be
also in that sphere. Serious attention will be paid to ancestral
cattle-breeding.

Concrete steps are foreseen in that direction: 360 million drams have
been allocated for acquiring 99 head of cows of "Shwits" sort, for
satisfaction of their feed and care and the material and technical
basis.

This program will be continuous.

– So far forth is satisfied the agriculture with specialists?

– On the whole, we have specialists, but the problem is, that the
majority belongs to elder generation and if today a corresponding
policy is not carried, in future difficulties can rise in that
question.

– One of the most important questions is the problem of reprocessing
of agricultural production.

– Of course, by now some steps have been taken in that direction. So
the representative of "Er-my" CJSC assures, that a problem of grain
purchase won’t be. At the same time, steps are taken for satisfaction
of reprocessing of fruit-vegetable.

– Development of agriculture is difficult to imagine without existance
of technics. what is done in that direction?

– This problem is sharp in the republic.It is foreseen to invest a
leasing system in 2008 for acquring a technics.The process is already
in force, corresponding works are carried.

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION PROTESTS ENTER 8TH DAY

Voice of America
Feb 27 2008

Opposition supporter gestures during rally in Yervan, 26 Feb 2008
Tens of thousands of Armenian opposition supporters have rallied
in the capital for the eighth straight day protesting the contested
results of last week’s presidential election.

Protesters Wednesday flooded central Yerevan to hear opposition
leaders call for the annulment of the February 19 election results.

That poll gave Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisyan a victory over former
President Levon Ter-Petrosian.

Wednesday’s rally follows a massive demonstration Tuesday, with
protesters setting up an encampment overnight near central Yerevan’s
Freedom Square.

Outgoing President Robert Kocharian, who backed candidate Sarkisyan,
used a television broadcast Tuesday to warn protesters that government
patience with the unsanctioned protests is wearing thin.

Sunday, Armenian police said they detained a former deputy
prosecutor-general and several opposition activists, as the protests
grew. Prosecutor Gagik Jhangirian was arrested a day after he was
fired for joining the opposition.

Authorities said two ambassadors and a deputy foreign minister had
also been fired for joining the protests.

The opposition is demanding a new election. Official results gave
Mr. Sarkisyan nearly 53 percent of the vote, to just over 21 percent
for Mr. Ter-Petrosian.

A1+, Armenia
February 25, 2008

MORE OFFICIALS JOIN OPPOSITION MOVEMENT TO CONTEST ARMENIAN ELECTION
RESULTS

A number of high-ranking officials from the Armenian Ministry of
Trade and Economic Development have joined themovement of [former
president and presidential candidate] Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

Vahan Kazaryan, head of the department for coordination with the
European Union and World Trade Organization; ZorakHovhannesyan, head
of the department for coordination of international and interstate
relations; and Arman Sarukhanyan, chief specialist of the department
for jewellery, joined the movement.

A statement was read out on Freedom Square. It said that they [the
officials in question] had expected that thepresidential election
would be held in line with international and European standards and
that a legitimate presidentialelection would be organized. However,
the election was marred by endless violations and such an election
cannot beconsidered free and fair. For this reason they decided to
join the national movement.

THE NEW AMBASSADOR OF MEXICO HANDED THE COPIES OF HIS CREDENTIALS TO MINISTER OSKANIAN

armradio.am
25.02.2008 17:52

On February 25 the newly appointed Ambassador of Mexico Alfredo Peres
Bravo (seat in Moscow) handed the copies of his credentials to RA
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian.

Greeting the Ambassador, the Foreign Minister wished him success
in carrying out his high mission and expressed hope that the
Armenian-Mexican relations will gain new quality in different spheres
during his tenure in office.

Turning to the current state of Armenian-Mexican relations and the
perspectives of their development, the cooperation within international
organizations, the parties attached importance to the necessity of
intensifying the political dialogue on issues of bilateral interest
and expansion of the contractual-legal field.

DEPUTY PROSECUTOR-GENERAL OF ARMENIA GAGIK JHANGIRYAN OPENLY SUPPORTS LEVON TER-PETROSYAN

arminfo
2008-02-22 16:05:00

ArmInfo. At the Feb 22 multi-thousand rally of the opposition,
Deputy Prosecutor- General of Armenia Gagik Jhangiryan stated his
open support of Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

He referred to Ter-Petrosyan with the words "dear president" and
appealed to people not to call him the first president of Armenia
any more, as he has already become the third president. Jhangiryan
stressed that there has never been such shameful election in Armenia,
as on Feb 19, 2008. He said that it is the obligation of all citizens,
including him, to protect their choice up to the end and to help
winner Ter-Petrosyan establish legitimacy in the country in every
possible way.

TELEGRAMS OF CONGRATULATION RECEIVED ON OCCASION OF SERGE SARGSIAN’S BEING ELECTED RA PRESIDENT

Noyan Tapan
Feb 21, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21. NOYAN TAPAN. Charles Aznavour, NKR President Bako
Sahakian, President of Russia Vladimir Putin, and President of Georgia
Mikhail Saakashvili congratulated and addressed their good wishes to RA
Prime Minister Serge Sargsian on the occasion of the victory gained in
the 2008 presidential elections. Noyan Tapan was informed about this by
the Information and Public Relations Department of the RA government.

MONEY TRANSFERS TO ARMENIA THROUGH COUNTRY’S BANKS GROW 1.2FOLD TO ABOUT 1 BILLION 127.9 MILLION DOLLARS IN 2007 ON 2006

Noyan Tapan
Feb 21, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. Remittances of natural
persons without opening a bank account are made in Armenia by the
Armenian commercial banks and the organizations with a licence
for implementation of remittances (granted by the Central Bank of
Armenia (CBA). With the aim of implementing rapidly money transfers of
customers, the Armenian commercial banks have joined 18 international
systems (Western Union, Money Gram, Anelik, Unistream, Contact and
others).

According to the CBA press service, remittances to Armenia through
the banks – participants in these systems amounted to 385 bln 819 mln
drams about 1 bln 127.9 mln USD in 2007 (their numer made 1,527,585),
exceeding 9.8fold the amount of remittances abroad. The net inflow of
money through commercial banks made 346 bln 451 mln drams, growing by
69 bln 495 mln drams as compared with 2006. The amount of remittances
to Armenia grew 1.2fold (by 70 bln 351 mln drams) on 2006. The average
amount of a remittance to Armenia made 253 thousand drams in 2007,
not changing as compared with 2006.

The organizations, which are members of the international money
transfer systems and implement money transfers in the territory of
Armenia, made payments of 3 bln 504 mln drams to their customsers in
Armenia and implemeted transfers of 718 mln drams abroad in 2007. The
average amount of a payment to customers (in remittances to Armenia
made by payment and settlement organizations through a money transfer
system) made 101 thousand drams in 2007, remaining at the level of
the previous year. Money transfer implementing organizations made
money transfers through Armenian commercial banks as well.

Transfers to Armenia through the Swift system amounted to 1 trillion
823 bln drams (declining by 34 bln drams on the previous year), while
their number made 287,786. The average amount of a transfer made 6.3
mln drams, declining by 0.5 mln drams as compared with 2006. Payments
to natural persons (in transfers through the Swift system) grew by
13.7 bln drams to about 203 bln drams, while the average amount of
a payment increased by 62 thousand drams to 2.16 mln drams. At the
same time, the amount of natural persons’ transfers abroad through
the Swift system grew by 22 bln drams to 303 bln drams.

On the whole, the amount of transfers to natural persons through
commercial banks and money transfer implementing organization grew
by 17% as compared with 2006 and made 599 bln drams, while the amount
of transfers abroad grew by 7% to 343 bln drams.