Author: Ekmekjian Janet

SPEAKER TIGRAN TOROSYAN INVITED TO VISIT BELARUS

armradio.am
19.12.2007 16:54

December 19 RA National Assembly Speaker Tigran Torosyan received
the Ambassador of Belarus to Armenia Marina Dolgopolova.

Mrs. Dolgopolova conveyed to Tigran Torosyan the joint invitation of
the Chairmen of the two chambers of the Belarusian Parliament to pay
an official visit to Minsk in 2008. The Ambassador highly assessed the
reforms implemented in Armenia and the great legal work the National
Assembly did especially after the constitutional amendments in 2005.

NA Speaker Tigran Torosyan expressed gratitude for the invitation and
expressed willingness to visit Belarus after the presidential elections
in Armenia. The Speaker underlined the high level of interparliamentary
ties and expressed confidence that the visit will be productive and
will promote the development of those relations. Mr. Torosyan asked
to convey his New Year congratulations and wishes to the Chairmen of
the Belarusian Parliament and the people.

MEASURES TAKEN AT GENERAL STAFF OF RA ARMED FORCES TO EXLUDE PREVENTION OF RA OMBUDSMAN’S ACTIVITIES

Noyan Tapan
Dec 17 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, NOYAN TAPAN. The fact of forbidding the visit
of a group of the RA ombudsman’s representatives to the republican
assemby point of the RA defence ministry was examined in detail
at the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces and measures have been
taken to exlude the possibility of such cases in future. According to
information of the RA Ombudsman Office, the head of the General Staff
of the RA Armed Forces Colonel General Seyran Ohanian sent a letter
about it to the RA ombudsman. He also informed the ombudsman that
instructions were given to the heads of the respective departments,
to the military commissar of the RA and the commanders of military
units to fulfil the requirements of Article 8 of the Law on Ombudsman
of the Republic of Armenia.

The RA ombudsman had applied to the RA minister of defence
Mikael Harutyunian, informing him that on December 3 a group of
representatives of the RA ombudsman went to the republican assemly
point of the defence ministry to familiarize themselves with
daily activities of the republican assembly point and the process
of recruitment. However, the deputy head of the General Staff’s
organizational and mobilization department Colonel A. Manukian did
allow the members of the group to enter the assembly point. He said
that a letter had been sent on behalf of the head of this department
to the RA ombudsman informing him that visits of this kind have to
be agreed on beforehand with the General Staff’s organizational and
mobilization department.

The ombudsman had asked to call to account the guilty officials and
take steps in order to ensure fulfilment of the requirements of the
Law on Ombudsman of the RA and to exclude violations preventing the
activities of the RA ombudsman in the future.

POLICE REPORT SLIGHT DECREASE IN NUMBER OF REGISTERED MURDERS

ARMENPRESS
Dec 18 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS: The Armenian police reported today
a slight decrease in the number of registered murders in the first
nine months of this year.

According to the press office of the police, 51 murders were reported
in that time span, down from 54 from a year before.

Some 20 murder cases were promoted by hooliganism.

Thus, out of 4 murders reported in Yerevan’s Kentron district, 3 were
prompted by hooliganism.

The press office said many of the victims were stabbed to death. It
said 11 murders were prompted by routine reasons, the cause of 15
others were not clear yet.

Eight of the killed were women. Killed were also three newborn babies.

ACCORDING TO AHARON ADIBEKYAN THERE WON’T BE SECOND PART

Panorama.am
21:11 18/12/2007

"Sociometer" social centre directed by Aharon Adibekyan started
to conduct presidential survey in the beginning of the year. "We
started to carry out the examination stage of the candidates, as we
were interested in how they would behave during the parliamentary
elections and after them," said the leader of the centre in a press
conference held today.

According to him when they started the names of the candidates were
unknown. A question "Who do you want to see as a president" was asked
and 41 names were mentioned. The centre conducted the last poll and
2220 people took part but only 1650 of them answered to the question.

According to Aharon Adibekyan the parliamentary elections had very
serious results, as after the rating of some political leaders
decreased and the opposite. "After the parliamentary elections the
ratings of Serzh Sargsyan and Raffi Hovhannisyan increased, Artur
Baghdasaryan’s ratings remained the same, and those of Artashes
Geghamyan and Vazgen Manukyan decreased," he said. According to him
Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s rating doubled: from 1.3% to 2.7%.

In January 7.7% of the participants said that they would vote for
Serzh Sargsyan, whereas in the results of October month 27.2% would
vote for him. In January 33% of the participants said that Serzh
Sargsyan would be elected, and in October-48%. Correspondingly the
results for Raffi Hovhannisyan are 10.5% in January, 5.4 in October;
Artur Baghdasaryan – 9.4% and 4.8%; Levon Ter-Petrosyan – 1.3%
and 2.7%; Artashes Geghamyan’s ratings decreased from 8.2% to 2%;
Vahan Hovhannisyan’s rating was zero in January, and 1.4% in October;
Vazgen Manukyan’s rating decreased from 3.5% to 1.1%.

According to Adibekyan former officials will vote for Levon
Ter-Petrosyan, and as well as the businessmen.

"After Serzh Sargsyan became a Prime Minister, the customs sphere
was straitened. That’s why they prefer Levon Ter-Petrosyan," he said.

Acording to Adibekyan there are little chances for the second part
of the elections.

U.S. DIPLOMAT URGES ARMENIA AND TURKEY TO MEND THEIR RELATIONS

ARMENPRESS
Dec 17 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS: U.S. charge d’affaires in Armenia,
Joseph Pennington, said today his government would like Armenia and
Turkey to step up the dialogue that would lead to normalization of
ties between the two nations, establishment of diplomatic relations
and opening of their sealed borders.

Speaking at a news conference the U.S. diplomat said that would
benefit not only Turkey and Armenia but the entire region.

"We have called on Turkey’s and Armenian governments to move in this
direction,’ he said.

He also said the U.S. government has clearly asked the government in
Ankara to abolish a notorious article 301 of the criminal code which
is used by the authorities to persecute and prosecute prominent voices
for alleged denigration of ‘Turkishness’.

Before moving to Armenia Joseph Pennington had served for U.S. embassy
in Ankara for 4 years. He said he hopes that the experience he has
gained in the region will help him to be as useful as possible for
promoting Armenian-American partnership.

Joseph Pennington said also the USA and its cochairman in the OSCE
Minsk Group (Mathew Bryza) do not think there is a military option
for ending the Armenian-Azerbaijani dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The American diplomat said negotiations to seek a mutually acceptable
peace formula go on within the frameworks of Minsk Group. He said
the U.S. is committed to continue the process.

"Serious progress has been registered and we are hopeful that this
progress will lead to a (peace) agreement," he said.

The Minsk Group co-chairs will pay another visit to the region in
mid-January to learn the reaction of Armenian and Azeri leaderships
to a package of their proposals on basic principles for peaceful
settlement of the conflict.

The package was handed to Armenian and Azeri foreign ministers in
Madrid in late November.

JOSEPH PENNIGTON: DESPITE BELLIGERENT STATEMENTS OF AZERBAIJAN, U.S.
EXCLUDES POSSIILITY OF KARABAKH PROBLEM’S MILITARY SOLUTION

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 15, NOYAN TAPAN. The U.S. will continue providing
full assistance through the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group for
the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, the U.S. Charge
d’Affaires in Armenia Joseph Pennington stated during a meeting with
the RA defence minister Mikael Harutyunian in Yerevan. He said that
despite the belligerent statements frequently made by Azerbaijan in
recent period, the position of the U.S. remains the same: to exclude
the military solution of the problem.

According to the spokesman for the RA defence minister Colonel Seyran
Shahsuvarian, the sides also discussed the current state and prospects
of the Armenian-U.S. military cooperation.

"ARMECONOMBANK" PRESENTED A GIFT-BOOK FOR VIP-CUSTOMERS

Mediamax Agency
Dec 14 2007
Armenia

Yerevan, December 15 /Mediamax/. "Armeconombank" presented a gift-book,
which provides for discount and special offers for VIP-customers of
the bank.

As Mediamax was told in the Marketing Department of "Armeconombank",
the gift-book is published jointly with "Corporate Image Center"
Company, and it includes 71 companies, which present special offers
to 2500 selected customers of "Armeconombank".

As the Chairman of the Board of "Armeconombank" David Sukiasian stated,
one can find a number of well-known companies in the book, "which
appreciated the customers of the bank and offered them preferential
terms and surprises".

THREE THEATERS OF SHUSHI WILL BE JOINED IN ONE

KarabakhOpen
13-12-2007 13:03:23

Next year the three theaters of Shushi will be joined in one, and will
be called Atsghik. The minister of culture and youth Norek Gasparyan
says it is not reasonable to have three state theaters in a town with
a population of 2500, especially that none of the theaters has a full
staff. Norek Gasparyan says the new theater will have a full staff.

The minister of culture also said in 2008 a theatrical studio,
a record studio, a folk band and a jazz band will be set up in Shushi.

A NUMBER OF AGREEMENTS SIGNED BETWEEN UAE AND ARMENIA

armradio.am
13.12.2007 10:52

RA President Robert Kocharyan had a number of meetings in the framework
of his working visit to the United Arab Emirates.

Mediamax correspondent reports from Abu Dhabi that agreements of
cooperation were signed particularly in the spheres of agriculture,
tourism and air communication.

An agreement on financing the reconstruction of the Arpa-Sevan
tunnel was signed between the Armenian Government and the Abu Dhabi
Development Fund.

Robert Kocharyan met with the President of the United Arab Emirates
Sheikh Khalifa ibn Zaid Al Nahayan and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed
bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Robert Kocharyan also participated in the opening of the new Armenian
Embassy building in the United Arab Emirates.

GAZPROM LOOKING TO INCREASE NATURAL GAS SUPPLIES TO BRITAIN

RIA Novosti
20:06 | 12/ 12/ 2007

MOSCOW, December 12 (RIA Novosti) – Gazprom is seeking to increase
natural gas supplies to Britain, the Russian company said on Wednesday
after a meeting between CEO Alexei Miller and British Minister of
State for Energy Malcolm Wicks.

The Russian natural gas monopoly has been selling natural gas to
Britain under short-term contracts since 1999, with its gas exports
to the country increasing rapidly. Last year, the company supplied
8.7 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Britain.

"Prospects for expanding Russian natural gas supplies to the British
market and Gazprom’s joint activity with British energy companies
in the oil and gas sphere were considered at the meeting," the
statement reads.

The parties also discussed the implementation of cooperation agreements
between Gazprom and Britain’s energy giant BP, including natural gas
and liquefied natural gas deliveries.

Britain has been a natural gas net importer since 2004. A number of
Western experts have forecast that the country’s demand for natural
gas imports will reach 40 billion cubic meters by 2010. The Nord
Stream gas pipeline currently being built under the Baltic Sea to
pump Russian natural gas to Europe should become a new channel of
natural gas supplies to Britain.

In April 2006, Gazprom Marketing & Trading Ltd, a Gazprom subsidiary,
delivered the first 140,000 cubic meters of liquefied natural gas
(around 85 million cubic meters of natural gas) to the Isle of Grain
terminal in Britain.

In June 2007, Gazprom, Ã~BÃ~P and the Russian-British joint oil venture
TNK-Ã~BÃ~P signed an agreement to establish a strategic alliance for
long-term investment in joint energy projects and asset swaps both
in Russia and in third countries.

Latest reports say that the Gazprom board will consider the company’s
participation in gas and energy projects in Armenia at a meeting next
Tuesday, when the company’s performance in 2007 is due to be reviewed

–Boundary_(ID_jwTZpa/62X016JcCVPj++w)–