Author: Hambardsumian Paul

U.S. TO FACILITATE DEMOCRACY AND MARKET ECONOMY DEVELOPMENT IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
22.09.2008 19:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, Ms Marie
Yovanovitch handed her credentials to RA President Serzh Sargsyan,
the RA leader’s press office told PanARMENIAN.Net.

The President said Armenia attaches importance to development of
multilateral relations with the United States and thanked the
U.S. government for the assistance it rendered to independence
Armenia. He also appreciated highly the U.S. mediation for the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict settlement.

For her part, Ms. Yovanovitch said she will do everything in her
power to promote the U.S.-Armenia relations and, on behalf of the
U.S. government, welcomed President Sargsyan’s initiative to invite
Turkey’s Gul to Yerevan.

AMIN ASIKAINEN VS KHOREN GEVOR: MORE THAN A EUROPEAN TITLE FIGHT

EastsideBoxing.com
Sep 22, 2008

22.09.08 РMiika Forsstr̦m: Stakes are high when world-class
contenders "Idi" Amin Asikainen (25-1, 17 KOs) and Khoren Gevor
(29-3, 15 KOs) will clash for the vacant European middleweight
title November 28th in Helsinki Finland. The promoters P3 Boxing and
Live Nation expect over 10,000 spectators to the beautiful Hartwall
Arena. Asikainen´s trainer-manager Pekka Mäki told Eastside Boxing;
"This is more than a European titlefight. We have two high ranked
world class middleweights and the winner of this fight will be very
close to shot at world title".

Asikainen is rated #4 by the IBF, #7 by the WBA, #8 by the WBO and #19
by the WBC. Khoren Gevor is rated #5 by the IBF, #15 by the WBC, #6 by
the WBA and WBO. Respected The Ring rank´s Asikainen as middleweight
champ Kelly Palvik´s #4 challenger..

In July Sebastian Sylvester relinquished the European middleweight
title in order to fight the WBA world champion Felix Sturm. Asikainen
was the #1 challenger to the title and European Boxing Union (EBU)
named Gevor as the co-challenger. Asikainen vs. Gevor was announced
last week in a press-conference in Helsinki.

"I am glad that we got this fight to Finland. The support of my
fans will help me. I will train extremely hard for this fight and do
everything I can to beat Gevor. When two world class athletes compete,
everything is possible. The other one wins and the other loses. But
I am confident that I will defeat Khoren Gevor" Asikainen stated.

Asikainen won the European middleweight title in 2006, when he stopped
Sebastian Sylvester in the round 8 in Germany. Asikainen defended his
title successfully against Alexander Sipos and tough Italian Lorenzo
di Giacomo. Sylvester beat Asikainen by a TKO in round 11 in June
2007 in a controversial fashion in the rematch. Asikainen´s manager
Pekka Mäki made a protest about the referee´s actions in the fight,
but EBU did not accept it. After two easy comeback fights Asikainen
stopped former super welterweight champion Yori Boy Campas in round
7 in February. In August 30 Asikainen brutally knocked out Brazilian
Roberto Oliveira de Jesus in two rounds.

"My goal is to become a world champion. To get another shot at world
title I will have to beat Amin Asikainen. This fight is extremely
important to me. If he beats me fairly I will retire from boxing. But
that won´t happened, I will win and after that I will win world
title. November 28th I will end Asikainen´s boxing career" Gevor
told in the press-conference.

"Actually Gevor´s career ended already a year ago, when he was
knocked out by Abraham" Asikainen responded to Gevor´s statement.

Armenian-born southpaw Khoren Gevor, who lives in Hamburg, Germany, won
IBF and WBO Inter-Continental middleweight titles in 2005 by stopping
28-0 Gustavo Magallanes from Mexico in eight rounds. The next year
Gevor defended his titles successfully by beating previously unbeaten
(16-0-1) Sergey Khomitsky on points. In 2007 Gevor beat 23-1 Rafael
Sosa Pintos on points.

In August last year Gevor challenged the IBF world champion
"King" Arthur Abraham in Berlin. The brutal early rounds were very
close. Gevor seem to outwork and outbox the harder hitting champion. In
round eight Abraham rocked Gevor with very hard punches. Gevor proved
that he can really take a punch and bravely kept on fighting. In
round 11 Abraham landed a devastating left hook that knocked Gevor
out cold. Although he lost the fight, Gevor gained the respect of
the fans with his good effort against tough champion.

Asikainen will prepare to the fight in a training camp in Tenerife,
where he will run in the mountains. After it Asikainen will have
a three weeks sparring camp in Finland. "We will get him good left
handed sparring partners from East" Asikainen´s trainer Pekka Mäki
told. Gevor will train hard as usual in his hometown Hamburg. Gevor
will be trained to this fight by Fritz Sdunek, who is right now
working with Vitali Klitschko.

"Gevor´s style should suit me real well. I have always been at my
best against shorter and aggressive fighters, just like Gevor. The
biggest problem is the fact that he is a southpaw, but I can deal
with it. I have fight very well to beat him." Asikainen told about
the styles of the boxers.

"Asikainen is right handed and taller than me. That is no problem,
because almost all of my opponents have been right-hander´s and taller
than me. I can handle his style, but can he handle my?" Gevor asked.

–Boundary_(ID_DBdB0ka8p4bghLAJQELFQA)–

USA APPROVES TURKEY’S INITIATIVES ON ESTABLISHING PEACE IN CAUCASUS

AZG Armenian Daily
20/09/2008

Regional

US Vice-Secretary of State for Political Issues William Burns stated
in the Senate that America approves Turkey’s efforts to reduce the
tension in South Caucasus. Reminding about the Gul-Sarkisian meeting
in Yerevan, the American diplomat said that establishment of normal
relations between Armenia and Turkey can unlock all the transportation
and trade routes in the region.

Matthew Bryza, OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairman and assistant to
Vice-Secretary of state for Eurasia, in his turn highly appreciated
Turkey’s initiative on the Caucasian peace and stability platform. He
said that the Turkish side is very well informed about the conflict
in Karabakh and noted that Ankara’s participation in the peace process
may have strongly positive result.

RA FM DOES NOT OBJECT MEETING IN TRILATERAL FORMAT WITH AZERBAIJANI AND TURKISH FMS

DeFacto Agency
2008-09-19 14:49:00
Armenia

YEREVAN, 19.09.08. DE FACTO. The contacts between Armenian and Turkish
diplomats always took place, and there is nothing unusual about the
meetings, RA FM Edvard Nalbandian stated answering ArmInfo question
if information concerning Armenian and Turkish diplomats’ meeting in
Switzerland corresponded to reality.

Answering a question on information concerning a trilateral meeting
between Armenian, Azerbaijani and Turkish FMs to be held in New
York, Edvard Nalbandian noted as early as on September 7 Armenian
and Turkish FMs agreed to meet within the U. N. GA frames in New
York. "Mr. Babacan also suggested that a meeting in a trilateral
format be held. I do not object such a meeting’s initiation", he said,
RA MFA Press Office reports.

IMF FORECASTS 7.5% INFLATION IN ARMENIA

Interfax
Sept 17 2008
Russia

The IMF is forecasting that inflation in Armenia will be 7.5% in
2008, well above the target of 4% plus or minus 1.5%, the head of the
International Monetary Fund’s mission in the country, Marta Castelo
Branco said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The situation with inflation is more unpredictable this year than
in the past due to external factors, she said. The forecast of 7.5%
is realistic if there are no new external shocks, she added.

Commodities prices, particularly for oil products and grain, have
begun to fall throughout the world and this trend has also been seen
in Armenia, which imports these products, she said.

If the economic situation in Armenia does not deteriorate under
the impact of external factors, GDP growth will be 10% this year,
as forecast earlier, she said.

Armenian National Committee – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

September 18, 2008
Contact: Ani Garabedian

ANC-WR Welcomes New Class of Interns and Externs

Los Angeles, CA – The Armenian National Committee – Western Region
recently welcomed its participants for the autumn session of its
Internship-Externship Program (ANC-WR IEP). Following the footsteps
of the seven graduates of the summer session, four university students
join the program which began in 2006.

The ANC-WR IEP autumn session participants include Patil Aslanian,
Elsa Menounou, Anna Maria Nishanian, and Thora Giallouri, who are all
students in Southern California, two of whom have come from Athens,
Greece. The four students began work on assigned projects ranging from
organizing community events and meetings with public officials to
media outreach and educational activities. In addition to their
projects, the participants will partake in a series of lectures,
workshops, and media review seminars featuring a range of community
professionals, leaders and organizations.

"We are happy to have four motivated and accomplished students, both
undergraduate and graduate, joining us for the 2008 Autumn Session,"
said Haig Hovsepian, ANC-WR Community Relations Director and IEP
Coordinator. "Working with our staff and with our partners in the
community, they will not only learn a great deal more about the issues
that are important to our community, but make a significant and
positive difference as well," he added.

Patil Aslanian is a Political Science major at the University of
California, Irvine and an intern focusing on Organizational
Administration and Development. Joining Aslanian is fellow intern
Anna Maria Nishanian, a Broadcast Journalism major at California State
University, Northridge, who is specializing in Public and Media
Relations this session.

Thora Giallouri and Elsa Menounou, both international students from
Greece, are pursuing their Masters Degrees in Political Science at
California State University, Los Angeles. Giallouri has been assigned
as an extern with Asbarez Daily Newspaper and Menounou is working on
Community and Government Affairs as an intern with the ANC-WR.
Asbarez is now an established IEP extern partner organization with the
ANC-WR.

The application for the 2009 Spring Session will be released in early
October and the deadline to submit is December 1st. For more
information about the IEP and a downloadable version of the
application please visit
.php.

The Armenian National Committee – Western Region is the largest and
most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in
the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of
offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States
and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANC-WR advances
the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of
issues.

AHMADINEJAD INVITES RA PRESIDENT TO IRAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
17.09.2008 14:18 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Currently in Tehran, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian met Tuesday with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to
discuss the recent regional developments.

Minister Nalbandian thanked President Ahmadinejad for assistance in
transportation of Armenian cargo through Iran during the Georgian
crisis.

Expressing satisfaction with the effective economic ties and
implementation of joint programs, the sides agreed to encourage
close cooperation.

The Iranian President said he will be glad to welcome Armenian leader
Serzh Sargsyan in Tehran.

NATO IN SKULL-CAPS
by Ivan Gordeyev

WPS Agency
What the Papers Say Weekly Review (Russia)
September 15, 2008 Monday
Russia

RUSSIA IS OUT TO STRENGTHEN ITS MILITARY PRESENCE IN CENTRAL ASIA;
Reanimating the idea of an international army group in Central Asia,
Russia is out to strengthen military presence in the region.

The war in the Caucasus seems to have reanimated the idea of an
international army group in the Central Asian region. "We will
form an army group comprising units of five regular armies as an
instrument of political deterrent," CIS Collective Security Treaty
Organization Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha said in Moscow. "The
matter concerns four Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan, Uzbekistan) and Russia."

Fast response collective forces will become an element of the future
army group. According to Bordyuzha, armies of the CIS Collective
Security Treaty Organization require a political decision of their
national leaders to start discussing composition of the future group.

The CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization comprises
Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and
Uzbekistan. Belarus and Armenia are unlikely to want involvement in
Central Asia. First, it will be expensive. Second, neither has any
particular interests in this region.

As for Kyrgyzstan, it has Russian and US military bases on its
territory nowadays. Its own regular army meanwhile is in a sorry
state, that it Kyrgyzstan is unlikely to be of any help to the
future international army group. From the military standpoint, that
is. Uzbekistan had an US AF base on its territory too (in Khabanad,
not far from the border with Afghanistan) but this cooperation ended
after May 2005 when all of the West including the United States was
horrified at how brutally the Uzbek regime had crushed protests in
Andijan. In any event, Islam Karimov is unlikely to advance military
cooperation with Russia beyond the degree that leaves his own hands
pretty much untied in Uzbekistan. In Tajikistan, the Russian 201st
Motorized Infantry Division is a guarantor of relative stability. It
was this division that helped the locals to put an end to the civil
war in the 1990s. As for the Tajik state itself, its own military
resources are practically non-existent.

The situation with Kazakhstan is the least understandable. The best
advanced in all of Central Asia, this country does not have a border
with Afghanistan. Unlike Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan,
it has never has any problems with domestic Islamic extremism. Also
importantly, Kazakhstan is the least economically dependant of all
Central Asian on Russia. (On the other hand, population of its northern
regions is predominantly Russian.) All of that leads to the conclusion
that President Nursultan Nazarbayev is not going to be exactly happy
with an international army group on the territory of his country.

In a word, reanimation of the idea of the international army group
of the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization in Central Asia
exposes Moscow’s eagerness to increase its military presence in the
countries of the region. Minus Turkmenistan, a country that remains
neutral and refuses to join all and any international structures.

SERZH SARGSYAN: A PEOPLE’S ASPIRATION FOR SELF-DETERMINATION SHOULD NOT
BECOME CAUSE OF ETHNIC CLEANSING

06

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 13, NOYAN TAPAN. Receiving on September 12 the
delegation headed by the President of the Czech Senate Premysl Sobotka,
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan stressed the importance of developing
the relations in both bilateral and multilateral formats and of
cooperating in international structures. He expressed confidence that
the visit of the high-ranking Czech official will become a significant
step for establishment of closer relations between the two countries.

Pointing out the high level of Armenian-Czech political realtions, the
sides at the same time noted that economic links do not yet correspond
to the existing potential, even though the commodity turnover is
growing year by year. In this connection they attached importance to
promotion of business links.

Discussing the recent developments in the region, the Armenian
president and the president of the Czech Senate were unanimous in the
opinion that all disputable issues should be solved through peaceful
political negotiations and military solutions should be ruled out. In
the words of S. Sargsyan, all the fundamental principles of
international law should be equally respected and a people’s aspiration
for self-determination should not become a cause of ethnic cleansing.

According to the RA presidential press service, the sides expressed a
hope that the bilateral relations will develop successfully also within
the framework of the European Union, taking into account the fact that
in January 2008 the Czech Republic assumes the presidency of the EU.

WPS Agency, Russia
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
September 12, 2008 Friday

ISHKHAN MATEVOSYAN WAS APPOINTED AS DIRECTOR OF THE COMBAT READINESS
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMED FORCES OF ARMENIA;

President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, signed a decree on the
appointment of Colonel Ishkhan Matevosyan as director of the combat
readiness department of the armed forces of Armenia. The press service
of the President of Armenia reported that the contract was signed for
five years.