Author: Frangulian Shushan

Vimpelcom to operate in Armenia with beeline brand

YEREVAN, March 7. /ARKA/. The principal task of the VimpelCom public
corporation in Armenia is rebranding and ArmenTel Company’s operation
in conformity with the universal standards of the group of companies.

`We are sure that we have the full right to operate with our brand in
Armenia and we are happy that we have legal grounds to connect the
country to the BeeLine area,’ stated Executive Vice-President for
Business Development in the CIS Dmitry Pleskonos.

The company had this opportunity after February 25, when the RA
Intellectual Property Agency decided to register a license agreement
between VimpelCom and ArmenTel (the latter being the VimpelCom’s
daughter company in Armenia) on the transfer of right to the use of the
Beeline brand.

The Agency also registered the slogan `Live on the bright side!’ to be
used in Armenia. It means that from this date ArmenTel can use the
brand on a legal ground.

This January the RA Court of Cassation confirmed the application of
international registration of the Beeline brand to communication
services in Armenia. Immediately after the verdict was returned,
VimpelCom initiated a procedure of registration of the transfer of
right to the use of its brand to the ArmenTel Company in Armenia.

Under the license agreement, ArmenTel is to pay to the parent company
100,000 RUR as one-time consideration for a license for the use of
brands in Armenia during the entire period the registration of the
brands is in effect.

VimpelCom’s promotion plans for the Beeline brand in Armenia were
hindered by a conflict with an Armenian company specializing in
software development, assembly and sale of computer. The company’s
brand Bi Line sounds similar to Beeline (in Armenia and Russian).

The management of the Russian company considers the situation
artificially complicated ` ArmenTel has no intention to sell computers,
and Bi Line does not plan to enter the telecommunications market.
The RA Administrative Court is currently considering a claim lodged by
the Armenian Bi Line IT-company against the Intellectual Property
Agency. The claimant demands the invalidation of the Agency’s decision
on the abeyance of the Bi Line brand.

ArmenTel holds a monopoly of stationary telephone communication in
Armenia. The company is also one of the mobile communication operators
in Armenia. In April 2007, VimpelCom (Russia) became full owner of
ArmenTel.

The Vimpel Com Group comprises communication operators from Russia,
Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Georgia and Armenia.
VimpelCom’s licenses for GSM and 3G communication services are in
effect in a territory with an approximate population of 250mln people.

VimpelCom was the first Russian company listed on the New York Stock
Exchange, its shares being symbolized as VIP. `0–

Euronews.net, France
March 7 2008

Russia lifts trade ban on Abkhazia

Only weeks after warning that Kosovo’s independence could cause a
"terrible precedent", Moscow has lifted a trade ban on a rebel region
of Georgia. Russia says the removal of restrictions with the
breakaway Abkhazia region is not related to Kosovo, but some
commentators say the timing is not a coincidence.

Georgia is a former Soviet nation that aspires to EU and NATO
membership. Though Abkhazia has been forging ties with Russia, Moscow
has been enforcing sanctions on the region for more than ten years.

The lifting of the trade ban comes as Washington makes a mission to
Armenia to discuss the disputed Caucasus region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

After clashes that killed up to 16 people in the region earlier this
week, a US envoy has told local officials that Kosovo is not a
precedent for the mountain enclave.

Nagorno-Karabakh was seized by pro-Armenian forces from Azerbaijan in
the 1990s, in a war that killed tens of thousands of people. The
region runs its own affairs but has no international recognition.

Middle East Times, Egypt
March 7 2008

Nagorno-Karabakh shooting prompts concern
Published: March 06, 2008

HELSINKI, Finland, March 6 (UPI) — The head of the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe has called for restraint after
violations of the Nagorno-Karabakh cease-fire.
A dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the disputed
Nagorno-Karabakh area led to an exchange of fire and the death of as
many as 16 soldiers. The OSCE chairman-in-office, Finnish Foreign
Minister Ilkka Kanerva, is calling for restraint from both sides of
the conflict, the OSCE reported.

"I call on the parties to exercise maximum restraint, and observe the
terms of the cease-fire," Kanerva said in a statement. "At this
critical juncture in the negotiations to find a peaceful solution to
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, any action leading to a
destabilization of the line of contact can only have a negative
impact on the overall situation. I urge the parties to avoid actions
that could lead to further unnecessary loss of life."

The exchange violates the cease-fire agreement established by Armenia
and Azerbaijan in 1994 after a bloody conflict. Kanerva was in the
region to attend the OSCE Minsk Conference and says during talks with
Armenia and Azerbaijan officials he "underlined the importance of
maintaining stability in the region and of efforts towards a peaceful
resolution of the conflict," the release said.

© 2008 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in
any form.

PanARMENIAN.Net

OSCE MG: Azerbaijan’s resolution on Karabakh inadmissible
07.03.2008 16:50 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian and OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair Matthew Bryza
discussed the resolution on Nagorno Karabakh submitted
by Azerbaijan to the UN, RA MFA acting spokesman
Tigran Balayan told a briefing in Yerevan.

According to him, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary
of State spoke out against the voting.

`The OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs think the resolution
inadmissible,’ he said, adding that Armenia works for
prevention of voting on the resolution in the UN.

The draft resolution titled `Situation in occupied
territories of Azerbaijan’ calls for assertion of
Azerbaijan’s right to its territorial borders and
Nagorno Karabakh. The voting is scheduled for March 14

Day.Az, Azerbaijan
March 6, 2008, Thursday

AZERI DEFENCE MINISTER VISITS FRONT-LINE DISTRICT BORDERING BREAKAWAY
KARABAKH

6 March: Azerbaijani Defence Minister Safar Abiyev is visiting Tartar
District. The Defence Ministry press servicehas confirmed the report
to a Day.az correspondent.

The press service said that the executive authorities of Tartar
district are holding a meeting on the results of the year 2007.

"Safar Abiyev is taking part in the meeting. Apart from him, MP Aynur
Quliyeva, who was elected from thedistrict, is also visiting the
district," the press service said.

The source said that the minister’s trip is not linked with the 4
March tension on the front line in TartarDistrict [the shoot-out
between the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in which both sides
sustained casualties].

"It is pure coincidence that Safar Abiyev visits Tartar District when
the situation on the front line is likethis. The defence minister
every year takes part in a sitting on the results of a previous year.
These events simplycoincided this time," the ministry press service
said.

[APA news agency, Baku, in Azeri 1107 gmt 6 Mar 08 quoted Abiyev as
saying: "If Armenia attempts to stageprovocation again, it will face
more substantial response." He explained the tension in the front
line zone withdomestic situation Armenia. "The situation that has
lately developed on the front line is linked with the domestic
political and social situation in Armenia," APA quoted Abiyev as
saying.]

Public TV, Armenia
March 6 2008

ARMENIAN LEADER, VATICAN OFFICIAL DISCUSS COOPERATION

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan received a delegation led by
Vatican’s Secretary of State Cardinal TarcisionBertone today.

The Armenian president welcomed the Cardinal and assessed his visit
as another sign of high level cooperation betweenArmenia and the Holy
See. The president reminded about the visit of Pope John Paul II to
Armenia in 2001 and his visits to the Holy See twice as well as the
Rome-Armenia exhibition opened in Vatican several years ago.

Kocharyan said that Armenians recall and assess the efforts of the
Holy See in the direction of recognizing theArmenian genocide and
erecting a monument to [the first Catholicos of Armenia] Grigor
Lusavorich, as well as the openingof a square named after him in
Vatican. Kocharyan also noted productive cooperation between the Holy
See and theArmenian Apostolic Church.

Cardinal Tarcision Bertone stated that the Catholic Church considers
its main mission to encourage peace and unityamong different
churches, nations and states.

SERBIAN PRESIDENT CONGRATULATES SERGE SARGSYAN

armradio.am
06.03.2008 15:59

The President of the Republic of Serbia Boris Tadiæ congratulated
RA Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan on his victory in the presidential
elections. The message says, in part:

"I sincerely congratulate you on the occasion of being elected to
the post of the President of the Republic of Armenia and wish you
success in your responsible position.

I’m confident that the ties between our two countries based on mutual
understanding and friendship will continue developing during the
coming years."

–Boundary_(ID_L/AplFmPylk5frU63XZIE w)–

HEIKKI TALVITIE STATED THAT ANYONE GUILTY OF COMMITTING CRIMES NEED TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE, BUT CAUTIONED AGAINST MAKING ARRESTS ON POLITICAL GROUNDS

Mediamax
March 5, 2008

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Ambassador Heikki Talvitie, the Special Envoy of
the OSCE Chairman-in-Office stated that anyone guilty of committing
crimes in the process of unrest in Yerevan on March 1, need to be
held responsible, urging at that to refrain from arrests on political
grounds.

Mediamax reports that Heikki Talvitie, who arrived in Yerevan on
March 2, said this in written from before returning of Helsinki.

The Special Envoy of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, called today
on Armenia’s authorities to lift the state of emergency as soon
as possible.

"We need political dialogue to find a way forward, and such a dialogue
is not possible as long as the state of emergency remains in place.

Political dialogue can only be meaningful if it is an inclusive
process that involves all political forces", Heikki Talvitie stated.

"I note that demonstrations were held peacefully for 10 days following
the 19 February presidential election. However, the events on Saturday
1 March, which led to the declaration of a state of emergency, were
very serious and tragic," Special Envoy of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office
stated.

RA PRESIDENT: RECENT EVENTS BEAR NO RELATION TO POLITICS

DeFacto Agency
March 4 2008
Armenia

YEREVAN, 04.03.08. DE FACTO. Post-electoral processes taking place
in Armenia, in part, the situation created in Yerevan after disorders
provoked by the opposition and the possible ways of its settlement were
discussed March 3 in the course of RA President Robert Kocharian’s
meeting with the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus
Peter Semneby.

According to the state’s head, Armenia’s authorities strive for rapid
settlement of the situation, the RA President’s Press Office reports.

Armenian President noted that the recent events bore no relation to
politics, it was just a felony, which should be investigated in detail,
and all the culprits be brought to punishment according to the law.

Mentioning the importance of objective and all-sided consideration
of the events Peter Semneby expressed hope that everything would be
done to ease tension.

ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI TROOPS EXCHANGE FIRE

Russia Today
March 4 2008
Russia

Armenian and Azerbaijani troops have exchanged fire in the contested
region north-west of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenian Foreign Minister,
Vardan Oskanyan, has accused Azerbaijan of taking advantage of the
current political turmoil in Armenia.

Oskanyan has demanded an immediate restoration of the peace.

Azerbaijan denies accusations that it’s the aggressor.

A war between the countries broke out in the early 90s, claiming more
than 35,000 lives.

In a referendum in 1991 Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence but
it was not recognised by any country. Though de facto independent,
it remains part of Azerbaijan.

In May 1994 an unofficial ceasefire, mediated by Russia, was agreed
between the two countries.

According to the Armenian Defence Ministry Azeri forces are using
heavy artillery to shell the Armenian positions in the disputed
territory. One Armenian has been killed and several others are
injured. According to the Azerbaijan side two people are dead.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry accuses Azeri forces of violating the
ceasefire agreement, but shots are fired almost every other day and
casualties are not uncommon. However this incident has on a different
scale as heavy artillery has been used, as well as encroachment into
Armenian territory being registered.

The Azeris insist that the shooting is continueing. They also
accuse the Armenians of deflecting attention from recent riots in
the Armenian capital when eight people died during one night. They
accuse the Armenians of looking for an external enemy.