Author: Jabejian Elizabeth

Prime-Tass English-language Business Newswire
March 30, 2005

Gazprom submits proposals for Armenia-Iran pipe construction

YEREVAN, Mar 30 (Prime-Tass) — Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom
has submitted its proposals for participating in the construction of
the second stretch of the Armenia-Iran gas pipeline, Armenia’s Energy
Minister Armen Movsisyan told reporters Wednesday.

The proposals on the construction of the Kadzharan-Ararat stretch
were submitted by Gazprom’s Deputy Chairman Alexander Ryazanov during
his visit to Armenia last week, Movsisyan said.

Construction of the Armenia-Iran pipeline is expected to be completed
by January 2007. A 41-kilometer stretch of the pipeline runs across
Armenian territory.

ArmRosgazprom is building the pipeline. Gazprom and the Armenian
government each hold 45% stakes in ArmRosgazprom, while Russian
independent gas producer Itera holds a 10% stake.

ARMENIANS IN SWEDEN UNITE IN STRUGGLE

Azg/arm
30 March 05

The Coordination Center of the Armenians of Sweden is closely
cooperating with the Congress of the European Armenians. During the
March 12 annual meeting of the organization, its members discussed
further plans and activities, as well as the efforts directed to the
enlargement of the structure’s democracy and the issues concerning the
organization’s regulation. In particular,they discussed the
arrangements envisaged for the 90th anniversary of the Armenian
genocide that include exhibitions, conferences and lectures in many
cities of the country. They decided to hold a united sitting and rally
on April 23-24 in Stockholm. While in September, a number of
arrangements are envisaged throughout Europe directed against Turkey’s
membership to EU.

The annual congress reconfirmed its assistance to the activities of
the European Armenians’ Congress that are to contribute to the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide, to the strengthening of the
Armenian state and the just settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh issue.

By Hakob Tsulikian

Investment Opportunities in the Republic of Armenia

BISNIS Trades & Tenders
03/08/05 – 03/28/05

BISNIS Trades & Tenders program designed to help U.S. companies secure
export transactions and take advantage of tender opportunities in the
region.
Trades & Tenders summary reports are distributed via email. To search
previously distributed Trades & Tenders leads online, visit

This issue of BISNIS Trades & Tenders includes opportunities in:

– Automotive
– Environmental
– Food Processing and Packaging
– Oil and Gas

** Companies replying to these leads should consider using the BISNIS
FinanceLink program, which distributes information about planned
transactions seeking financing to organizations open to financing
business activities in the region. Please see:
**

******************************
AUTOMOTIVE LEADS

Company: Tsovakal

Description: New or used, fully automated, rotary pleating machine and
gluing machine for filter

Location: Yerevan, Armenia

Trade Lead:

For more information on the Automotive Sector in the NIS, please contact
Charles Raether at BISNIS at [email protected]

******************************
ENVIRONMENTAL LEADS

JSDF Grant to Republic of Armenia

DESCRIPTION: COMMUNITY-BASED URBAN WATER SUPPLY MANAGEMENT PROJECT

TENDER FOR PROCUREMENT OF STEEL PIPES, BRASS GATE AND CAST IRON VALVES

Tender Lead:

For more information on the Environmental Sector in the NIS, please
contact Chris Christov at BISNIS at [email protected]

******************************
FOOD PROCESSING AND PACKAGING LEADS

Contact: Telman Nersisyan

Description: Equipment for winery (used)

Location: Yerevan, Armenia 375078

Trade Lead:

For more information on the Food Processing and Packaging Sector in the
NIS, please contact Charles Raether at BISNIS at [email protected]

******************************
OIL AND GAS LEADS

JSDF Grant to Republic of Armenia

Description: Municipal Development PMU SI

Procurement of steel pipes, brass gate and cast iron valves

Tender Lead:

For more information on the Oil and Gas Sector in the NIS, please
contact Chang Suh at BISNIS at [email protected]

*********************Note***************************
These opportunities are provided solely as an informational service and
do not represent an endoresment by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Verification of these leads is the responsibility of the reader.

This report is provided courtesy of the Business Information Service for
the Newly Independent States (BISNIS). BISNIS is the U.S. Government’s
primary resource center for U.S. companies exploring business
opportunities in Russia and other Newly Independent States of the former
Soviet Union. BISNIS website:

ArmenPress
March 28 2005

ARMENIAN PM DOWNPLAYS REVOLUTION FORECASTS

YEREVAN, MARCH 28, ARMENPRESS: Armenian prime minister Andranik
Margarian swept off today forecasts that Armenia is next in the row
of former Soviet republics that would see a popular revolt against
the incumbent regime. He said Armenia is free of conditions, which
ignited popular movements against regimes in Georgia, Ukraine and now
in Kyrgyzstan.
Speaking to journalists, Margarian said both parliamentary and
presidential elections in Armenia would be held in due time through
legal processes.
Margarian said: “Democracy continues to develop in Armenia, there
are no economic problems and ways for settling the Karabagh conflict
are being searched.. There are no basic reasons here to ignite revolt
against the current authorities.”
Margarian said there is always external pressure (on Armenia), but
added: “authorities are strong and the opposition will never do
anything that may jeopardize the country’s national security.”
“Last year I said that the Armenian opposition showed its wisdom
and prudence and refrained from moves that could result in bloodshed.
I think it will retain this wisdom and prudence,” he concluded.

ARMENIA TO FULFIL ACTIVE PROPAGANDA TO FORM “POSITIVE
ARMENIAN IMAGE” WITH INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

YEREVAN, MARCH 25. ARMINFO. A conflict of Cossacks and Armenians
in Novorossiysk proves once again that Armenia should fulfil an
active propaganda and to form the “positive Armenian image” with
international community, stated Leader of ARFD party Levon Lazarian
at today’s briefing in Armenian National Assembly.

He expressed anxiety that the common conflicts develop into the
serious problems between local residents and Armenian peoples.
Lazarian stressed that Armenian government should maintain constant
contacts with representatives of countries having Armenian communities
and to solve emergent problems with them. -r-

Protests sweep aside brittle CIS power structures

Turkish Daily News
Today is Sunday, March 27 2005 2:16 pm GMT+2 updated at 12:00 P.M.

Sunday, March 27, 2005

The Central Asian state of Kyrgyzstan has become the third ex-Soviet
republic in two years — after Ukraine and Georgia — to see the established
order tumble in the face of opposition protests.

MOSCOW – Reuters

Popular revolts are changing the political landscape of the post-Soviet
world.
The Central Asian state of Kyrgyzstan on Thursday became the third
ex-Soviet republic in two years — after Ukraine and Georgia — to see the
established order tumble in the face of opposition protests.

The three have one common thread: the protests were triggered by elections
that the opposition said were rigged to ensure the continuity of the old
establishment.

These are brief profiles of the power structures in the other nine members
of the Russia-led Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which groups
most of the republics that once comprised the Soviet Union.

Almost all today’s leaders in these countries came to power in elections
criticized by international observers as flawed and in some cases
fraudulent.

Many leaders, particularly in Central Asia, have been in power for more
than a decade.

Russia:

President Vladimir Putin won a second term in March 2004 elections after a
campaign marked by tight Kremlin control of television channels. Putin is
popular and any discontent tends to be funnelled against the government
rather than him personally. Despite a separatist war in Chechnya, Russia is
by far the most stable member of the CIS, with the highest living standards
in the bloc. A largely compliant population makes mass street protests
against Putin’s rule unlikely.

Belarus: Many analysts see Belarus, which borders three new EU members, as
the next possible candidate for mass protests. President Alexander
Lukashenko, in power since 1994, is shunned by Western leaders. His
re-election in 2001 was denounced in the West as fraudulent and referendums
staged to extend his stay in power were also criticized. But he keeps tight
control at home and street protests are snuffed out quickly. The small,
disorganized opposition says he has put pressure on the courts and keeps a
stranglehold on the media.

Moldova: President Vladimir Voronin is the sole communist leader still in
power in the CIS but he is popular and should be re-elected for a second
term by parliament next month. Threats by the opposition to stage protests
over parliamentary elections won by the communists were blunted by
international observers saying the poll met most international standards.
Voronin has now allied himself with the revolutionary leaders of Ukraine and
Georgia and embraced pro-Europe policies.

Armenia: President Robert Kocharyan won a second five-year term with a 67.5
percent of the vote in a March 2003 election run-off against opposition
leader Stepan Demirchyan, son of a Soviet-era Armenian leader. Opposition
protesters at the time demanded a recount, alleging fraud. European monitors
and the United States said they were disappointed with the way the poll was
conducted, but stopped short of saying it was illegitimate.

Azerbaijan: President Ilham Aliyev was elected in October 2003, succeeding
his father Haydar in the first dynastic handover of power in the ex-Soviet
world. His election triggered bloody opposition-led riots and clashes
between protesters and police. Aliyev has since clamped down on dissent.
Azerbaijan is emerging as a hub of Caspian Sea oil production and both the
West and Russia wish to see stability there.Kazakhstan:

Former steel worker Nursultan Nazarbayev has run Kazakhstan since Soviet
times, keeping his grip on power through stage-managed elections, sidelining
some opponents and skilfully co-opting others. A former prime minister is in
exile, jailed in absentia after attempting to challenge Nazarbayev in a 1999
presidential poll. There have been many cases of intimidation of independent
media. The giant country has prospered by comparison with Kyrgyzstan thanks
to an oil boom — one reason why Nazarbayev feels secure from popular
protest. Nazarbayev said the Kyrgyz authorities had shown weakness by
“allowing rebels to do as they pleased”.

Uzbekistan:Uzbekistan’s Islam Karimov tolerates no public dissent in the big
Central Asian state he has ruled with an iron fist since Soviet times. He
has openly derided the revolutions that swept Ukraine and Georgia and has
said his country will follow its own path to democracy. Thousands of
dissidents are in jail and human rights groups say abuses are rife. But
Karimov has deflected potential criticism from the West by carving out a
role as ally in Washington’s war on terror and hosting a key U.S.
airbase.Tajikistan: Imomali Rakhmonov has led Tajikistan since 1992,
fighting a civil war with the Islamist opposition which ended with a
power-sharing deal in 1997. His Popular Democratic Party swept parliamentary
polls last month which were criticized by the OSCE as unfair. He himself
says he might run for another term in 2006. Tajikistan, where people survive
on less than one dollar a day, has so far avoided unrest, although a mystery
car bomb exploded outside the headquarters of the security service weeks
before the poll.Turkmenistan: Saparmurat Niyazov, known as Turkmenbashi
(Chief of the Turkmen), is the quirkiest of the region’s leaders. Now
officially president for life, 65-year-old Niyazov has already ruled the
gas-rich desert state for 20 years. He has fostered a huge personality cult
and is revered at home. He has barred the opposition from parliamentary
elections. There is no one on the horizon to replace him and leading human
rights groups have warned that his death could bring a violent succession
struggle. Niyazov survived an assassination attempt in 2002.

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
March 26 2005

AZERBAIJANI REPRESENTATIVES REPORT AT UNIVERSITY OF DENVER
[March 26, 2005, 12:35:55]

A conference entitled “Geopolitical and potential conflicts in the
Caucasus and Central Asia” was held at the University of Denver,
AzerTAj correspondent was told at the Khazar University. The event
was attended by famous specialists from the above-mentioned region
as well as USA, Europe and People’s Republic of China.

Representatives from Azerbaijan took an active part in the seminar.
Thus, Zarifa Musayeva delivered a report “Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
and Russia’s interests in the South Caucasus”, Ilham Poluxov – ”
Grave consequences of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: historical and
architectural monuments”, Ilham Huseynov – “Oil and Gas potential and
perspectives of Azerbaijan”, Baba Bayramov “Regional Security Issues
in the South Caucasus”.

The issues discussed in the conference aroused a great interest
of the conferees. The discussions turned out to be fruitful for
Azerbaijan from the point of view of delivering Azerbaijan’s truth
to the participants.

ArmenPress
March 25 2005

RUSSIAN AND ARMENIAN FIRST LADIES OPEN RUSSIAN BOOK CENTER, VISIT
NATIONAL CHILDREN ART CENTER

YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS: Russian and Armenian First Ladies,
Lyudmila Putina and Bella Kocharian, inaugurated today the Armenian
Center of Russian Book at the Association of Cultural Ties with
Foreign Countries and later visited the National Children Art Center.
Lyudmila Putina is in Armenia together with her husband, Vladimir
Putin, who arrived yesterday evening to officially open the Year of
Russia in Armenia.
The Center contains a library, a video library and a reading hall.
The new establishment is expected to promote traditional friendly
Russian-Armenian relations in the humanitarian and spiritual spheres.

The Center will host presentations of new Russian editions,
meetings of writers, scholars and Russian language and literature
experts, anniversary celebrations of prominent Russian and Armenian
culture figures. It will also sell Russian books and periodicals.
According to the Association’s chairman, Armenian ambassador to
Russia Armen Smbatyan, the Center’s library has 3,000 Russian books,
encyclopedias, reference editions, dictionaries, fiction and
children’s books. They were purchased and sent to Yerevan by Hovhanes
Ohanian, the chairman of the Russian Federation Council committee for
economic policy, entrepreneurship and property.
The director of the National Children Art Center, Henrik Igitian,
told the First Ladies that apart from the works of Armenian children
the Center hosts also works of some 150,000 children from around 110
countries.
“I liked the works displayed here very much, they are very
impressive and touching,” Lyudmila Putina said, adding that she saw
great optimism in the works of Armenian children.
Henrik Igitian presented Mrs. Putina an illustrative edition of
Armenian national epos, David Of Sassoun and a book of his called
Armenian Art in the 20-th Century.

The Messenger, Georgia
March 25 2005

News in Brief
Georgia asks ArmRosgazprom to continue delivery of electricity

The United Power Distribution Company of Georgia appealed to Armenia’s
ArmRosgazprom with a proposal to continue delivery of Armenian
electricity to Georgia.

Yerevan News Agency Noyan Tapan was informed at an ArmRosgazprom
press service that the Armenian side would most likely prolong the
period of the corresponding contract, which expires on March 31.

FACTBOX-Protests sweep aside brittle CIS power structures

MOSCOW, March 25 (Reuters) – Popular revolts are changing the political
landscape of the post-Soviet world.

The Central Asian state of Kyrgyzstan on Thursday became the third
ex-Soviet republic in two years — after Ukraine and Georgia —
to see the established order tumble in the face of opposition protests.

The three have one common thread: the protests were triggered by
elections that the opposition said were rigged to ensure the continuity
of the old establishment.

These are brief profiles of the power structures in the other nine
members of the Russia-led Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS),
which groups most of the republics that once comprised the Soviet
Union.

Almost all today’s leaders in these countries came to power in
elections criticised by international observers as flawed and in some
cases fraudulent.

Many leaders, particularly in Central Asia, have been in power for
more than a decade.

————————

RUSSIA: President Vladimir Putin won a second term in March 2004
elections after a campaign marked by tight Kremlin control of
television channels. Putin is popular and any discontent tends to be
funnelled against the government rather than him personally. Despite
a separatist war in Chechnya, Russia is by far the most stable member
of the CIS, with the highest living standards in the bloc. A largely
compliant population makes mass street protests against Putin’s
rule unlikely.

————————

BELARUS: Many analysts see Belarus, which borders three new EU members,
as the next possible candidate for mass protests. President Alexander
Lukashenko, in power since 1994, is shunned by Western leaders. His
re-election in 2001 was denounced in the West as fraudulent
and referendums staged to extend his stay in power were also
criticised. But he keeps tight control at home and street protests
are snuffed out quickly. The small, disorganised opposition says he
has put pressure on the courts and keeps a stranglehold on the media.

————————-

MOLDOVA: President Vladimir Voronin is the sole communist leader still
in power in the CIS but he is popular and should be re-elected for a
second term by parliament next month. Threats by the opposition to
stage protests over parliamentary elections won by the communists
were blunted by international observers saying the poll met most
international standards. Voronin has now allied himself with the
revolutionary leaders of Ukraine and Georgia and embraced pro-Europe
policies.

————————-

ARMENIA: President Robert Kocharyan won a second five-year term with
a 67.5 percent of the vote in a March 2003 election run-off against
opposition leader Stepan Demirchyan, son of a Soviet-era Armenian
leader. Opposition protesters at the time demanded a recount,
alleging fraud. European monitors and the United States said they
were disappointed with the way the poll was conducted, but stopped
short of saying it was illegitimate.

————————-

AZERBAIJAN: President Ilham Aliyev was elected in October 2003,
succeeding his father Haydar in the first dynastic handover of power in
the ex-Soviet world. His election triggered bloody opposition-led riots
and clashes between protesters and police. Aliyev has since clamped
down on dissent. Azerbaijan is emerging as a hub of Caspian Sea oil
production and both the West and Russia wish to see stability there.

————————–

KAZAKHSTAN: Former steel worker Nursultan Nazarbayev has run Kazakhstan
since Soviet times, keeping his grip on power through stage-managed
elections, sidelining some opponents and skilfully co-opting others. A
former prime minister is in exile, jailed in absentia after attempting
to challenge Nazarbayev in a 1999 presidential poll. There have been
many cases of intimidation of independent media. The giant country has
prospered by comparison with Kyrgyzstan thanks to an oil boom — one
reason why Nazarbayev feels secure from popular protest. Nazarbayev
said the Kyrgyz authorities had shown weakness by “allowing rebels
to do as they pleased.”

—————————

UZBEKISTAN: Uzbekistan’s Islam Karimov tolerates no public dissent
in the big Central Asian state he has ruled with an iron fist since
Soviet times. He has openly derided the revolutions that swept Ukraine
and Georgia and has said his country will follow its own path to
democracy. Thousands of dissidents are in jail and human rights groups
say abuses are rife. But Karimov has deflected potential criticism
from the West by carving out a role as ally in Washington’s war on
terror and hosting a key U.S. airbase.

—————————

TAJIKISTAN: Imomali Rakhmonov has led Tajikistan since 1992, fighting a
civil war with the Islamist opposition which ended with a power-sharing
deal in 1997. His Popular Democratic Party swept parliamentary polls
last month which were criticised by the OSCE as unfair. He himself
says he might run for another term in 2006. Tajikistan, where people
survive on less than one dollar a day, has so far avoided unrest,
although a mystery car bomb exploded outside the headquarters of the
security service weeks before the poll.

—————————

TURKMENISTAN: Saparmurat Niyazov, known as Turkmenbashi (Chief of
the Turkmen), is the quirkiest of the region’s leaders. Now officially
president for life, 65-year-old Niyazov has already ruled the gas-rich
desert state for 20 years. He has fostered a huge personality cult and
is revered at home. He has barred the opposition from parliamentary
elections. There is no one on the horizon to replace him and leading
human rights groups have warned that his death could bring a violent
succession struggle. Niyazov survived an assassination attempt in 2002.

(Additional reporting by Ron Popeski in Kiev, Margarita Antidze in
Tbilisi and Douglas Busvine in Moscow)

03/25/05 08:55 ET