Author: Jagharian Tania

RUSSIA’S MEDVEDEV ARRIVES IN CHISINAU FOR CIS SUMMIT

RIA Novosti
12:0009/10/2009

CHISINAU, October 9 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
has arrived in Moldova’s capital, Chisinau, to take part in a
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit.

Discussions at the summit are set to focus on cooperation in
overcoming the consequences of the global financial crisis, as well
as humanitarian and security issues.

The former Soviet states of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
and Ukraine are members of the CIS. Georgia recently withdrew from
the organization.

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that the next CIS
summit will take place in Moscow in December 2010.

MONOPOLY -CAUSED DEARNESS RESULTS FROM LONG MEDIATORS’ CHAIN BETWEEN MANUFACTURERS AND CONSUMERS

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.10.2009 14:28 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Monopoly -caused dearness is formed as a result of
long mediators’ chain between manufacturers and consumers, Head of
RF Antimonopoly Service Igor Artemyev said at the news conference
in Yerevan held within the frameworks of CIS Intergovernmental
Antimonopoly Policy Council sitting. "The more mediators there are
between the manufacturer and the consumer, the higher is monopolistic
price," he said.

In his turn, the Chairman of State Commission for Economic Competition
Protection Ashot Shahnazaryan noted that shadow economy could be
decreased by establishing thorough control over invoices issued as
a result of manufacturer-consumer deals.

High monopolization rate in RA market should be regulated by
corresponding authorities, and private sector participation excluded,
Igor Artemyev believes.

Shahnazaryan added that RA Government has worked out a package
of legislative reforms in customs and tax administration sphere,
including implementation of online system for tax payments.

RUSSIAN NATURAL GAS TRANSIT TO ARMENIA

RIA Novosti
11:3707/10/2009

YEREVAN, October 7 (RIA Novosti) – Georgia has resumed transit of
Russian natural gas to Armenia after a break for pipeline repairs,
a spokesman for the Armenian gas pipeline operator ArmRosgazprom said
on Wednesday.

Natural gas transit was halted last Thursday and resumed on Tuesday
evening, the spokesman said.

Georgia earlier announced that gas transit to Russia would be
suspended on October 1-5 due to repairs and maintenance work on
the North Caucasus-South Caucasus trunk pipeline to prepare for the
winter season.

During the repairs, Armenia used natural gas from an underground
storage facility, the spokesman said.

Armenian-Russian joint gas venture ArmRosgazprom has a monopoly on
Russian gas supplies and distribution in Armenia.

Russian energy giant Gazprom controls 75.55% in the joint venture,
the Armenian government holds a 20% stake, and Russia’s Itera company
another 4.44%

"RADIO LIBERTY" TO BE ON AIR IN ABKHAZIA AND SOUTH OSSETIA

Panorama.am
10:45 07/10/2009

"Radio Liberty" (Free Europe) radio station is determined to have
broadcast in Abkhazia and South Ossetia soon. It is reported that
one-hour long Russian language programmes will be on air from 2
November, foreign media reports.

It has been decided in Prague office that the program should be made
in both Russian and Georgian departments. It is said that reporters
from Russia, Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia are welcome to work
in the radio station.

THE USE OF LISTENING TO USELESS HEARINGS
Hrayr Manukyan

Octob er 6, 2009

On October 1 the parliament organized hearings on the topic of the
Protocols and the Process of Developing Relations between Armenia
and Turkey, during which many politicians, representatives of parties
and experts expressed their opinions.

However the main opposition power, the Armenian National Congress,
did not take part in these hearings. "The Armenian National Congress
did not take part in the hearings, because as it was said these were
organized for the purpose of demonstrating only," says ANC spokesman
Arman Musinyan. He says the incumbent government has agreed to sign
"the shameful protocols and they will have to sign, and the parliament
will have to ratify it and will not oppose". To our question whether it
would not be better to go and say everything there in order to deliver
their message to the audience he said that they will say everything
they want to say during an upcoming rally. He says this is more
effective. In addition, he says that if the ANC participates in such
imitation games proposed by the government, they will become a tool
in the hands of the government too. In answer to the announcements
of other political powers saying that it would be good if the ANC
participated in the discussion as well he said, "They know the opinions
of the ANC activists from the media, thus I think it did not change
too much," says PA faction secretary Aram Safaryan, "however, from the
point of view of political culture it would be better if there were
more speeches during the discussion". A. Safaryan believes the ANC is
an integral part of our political sector and our society. "Also I would
like to inform that during the hearings the concerns and worries of the
society were spoken too. Even though I have some disagreements about
the format of the hearings because 5,5 hours during one day is a very
short term for 60 speeches and it is not enough for people who want to
understand every detail of the issue. Anyway I think it was a useful
discussion," said A. Safaryan. He also says that the hearings were
useful and important not only due to the fact of the discussion and
participation of political powers but the media coverage as well. "I
think that the media owes to the political sector because they did
not cover all the aspects of concerns !

of all po tical powers," he said. We wander what the ARF officials
think about these hearings because ultimately these hearings did
not change anything in the initial protocols and they will be signed
anyway. "Every person who participated in the hearing will say that
it was a real discussion because the organizer of the hearing, the
committee on foreign relations, had invited experts, politicians,
lawyers and other specialists to express their viewpoints. It was
a real professional discussion and there were conflicts of opinions
as well," said ARF faction secretary Artyusha Shahbazyan. "Certain
powers who have interests other than the national interests are
saying that it is very important that the issue was discussed in
the parliament. We know these people, and they say they did not
participate in the discussion because it was a show. But they are
jealous with us because the ARF is a very active opposition power now,"
said A. Shahbazyan. He believes the only goal of the ANC is to help
Levon Ter-Petrosyan become president. "For these people the issue
of helping Ter-Petrosyan become president is more important than the
dangers that we see in this process of Armenian-Turkish relations. In
a word, this goal to be elected president is more important for them
than the issues of the Armenian-Turkish relations and Karabakh. This
is their nature; they have always been like that," said A. Shahbazyan
by perfectly playing his role as an oppositionist.

LEBANON’S ARMENIANS PROTEST PRESIDENT VISIT

Associated Press
2009-10-07 12:40 AM

Thousands of Lebanese of Armenian descent held a peaceful protest
in Beirut Tuesday at the start of a visit by Armenia’s president who
has announced plans to establish relations with Turkey.

Nearly 2,000 angry protesters gathered around the hotel east of
Beirut where President Serge Sarkisian will be staying during his
two-day visit.

There are 150,000 Armenians in Lebanon, or nearly 4 percent of the
population.

Sarkisian’s tour of the Diaspora Armenian communities around the world
aims to raise support for his landmark bid for diplomatic ties with
Turkey after a century of enmity.

The killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians under the Ottoman Empire in
1915 has been the main barrier to reconciliation. Armenians have long
fought to persuade other governments to consider it a genocide. Turkey
rejects the label and says the death toll is inflated.

Hundreds of riot police and soldiers surrounded the Metropolitan
Palace Hotel as the demonstrators waved Armenian flags and banners
in Armenian reading "we will not forget" and "we will struggle."

Sarkisian’s tour dubbed a "pan-Armenian tour" has so far taken him
to Paris, New York and Los Angeles. After Lebanon, he will head to
Rostov-on-Don in Russia to discuss a planned meeting Oct. 10 when the
Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers are expected to sign the deal
to establish ties.

Last month, Turkey and Armenia said they would set aside hostilities
and establish diplomatic ties in favor of practical concerns such as
oil interests and Turkey’s EU membership bid.

Armenians in their poor, isolated homeland are more eager to improve
ties with Turkey than many in the vast Armenian Diaspora.

Armenians abroad _ estimated at 5.7 million _ outnumber the 3.2 million
living in Armenia itself, the smallest of the ex-Soviet republics. The
largest communities are in Russia (2 million), the United States
(1.4 million), according to government data.

PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN TO MEET IN CHISINAU OCTOBER 8

armradio.am
06.10.2009 15:09

OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs held a briefing in Baku today. Earlier
Russian mediator Yuri Merzlyakov presented the statement issued by
the Co-Chairs.

The statement reads that the co-chairs came to Baku after holding
meetings with Armenian authorities.

"We offered Azerbaijani President to meet with his Armenian counterpart
in Chisinau. Ilham Aliyev gave his consent to the meeting. The meeting
will take place prior to the summit of the Commonwealth of Independent
States on October 8."

According to the statement, the Chisinau meeting will be the
continuation of talks in Moscow on July 18.

Yuri Merzlyakov said President Ilham Aliyev regarded the outcomes of
the Moscow meeting as positive. "President said Chisinau meeting will
continue the positive dynamics of the Moscow talks," he said.

French co-chair Bernard Fassier expressed his satisfaction with the
meeting with Azerbaijani community of Nagorno Karabakh.

"All the members of the community told us that they are ready to live
together with Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh again," he said.

U.S. co-chair Robert Bradtke said it was his first visit to Azerbaijan
in the capacity of co-chair and noted that the U.S. government was
ready to continue the mediation in the peaceful settlement of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

"Some p rogress has been made in the negotiations up to now. We hope
that more progress will be achieved in Chisinau meeting," he said.

ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES IGNORE OPINION OF DIASPORA

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.10.2009 18:55 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Meeting of the Armenian President with the Armenian
community had to take place many months ago not now, head of the
Armenian Relief Union East Coast office Angela Manoogian said ,
commenting on the meeting of RA President with representatives of
the Armenian Diaspora in Los Angeles.

According to her, the Armenian authorities must take into account
the fact that most of the Diaspora survived the Armenian Genocide
and are very delicate to the subject. "I am very sorry that today,
being pressed by Turkey, Armenia makes concessions on some issues,"
Angela Manoogian said, noting that recognition of the Genocide is
the most important for the Diaspora.

"The Diaspora should participate in making any decisions related
to "Hay Dat", Angela Manoogian said, stressing that the Armenian
authorities have ignored the opinion of the Diaspora.

LATIN AMERICA CONGRATULATES BRAZIL ON WINNING 2016 OLYMPIC BID

Xinhua
2009-10-03 08:22:58

MEXICO CITY, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) — Leaders from across Latin America
celebrated on Friday after Brazilian city Rio de Janeiro won its
bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games, at the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) meeting in Danish capital Copenhagen, according to
news reaching here.

Speaking from Copenhagen where he traveled to witness the IOC’s choice,
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that Rio deserved to host the
Olympics, and described the news as "a victory for 190million souls",
referring to Brazil’s population. "If I died right now, it would have
been worth it," he added.

Rio had previously bid for the 2004 Games, which took place in Geek
capital Athens, and then again for the 2012 Games, where London won
the right to host.

In Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez told media at the sidelines of
an Argentina-Venezuela political coordination meeting that "we are
going to give Rio a big round of applause and I am going to launch
a forecast: Venezuela will be the winner of the football competition
in those Olympics," he said.

In Chile, President Michelle Bachelet cheered the decision, telling
media "great joy" during a public event in the Bio Bio Region of
southern Chile.

"It is great that Brazil won and that Latin America will host the
2016 Olympic Games," she said.

Peru’s President Alan Garcia told media that Peru feels the victory
as its own, that it represents a victory for all Latin America,
and that it represents an opportunity for Peru’s tourist industry.

"Even though I will not be in power, I will work hard so that all
the citizens of the world who go to Brazil will make a stop in Peru,
on the way there and the way back," he said.

In Colombia, President Alvaro Uribe said he was "very happy" to hear
the news, and said that he hoped that Brazil would back Colombia’s
bid to host the 2015 Pan American Games.

"Major congraturations for the Brazil government, to its president
and to its people," he said at a public event in central western
city Armenia.

Gerardo Werthein, president-elect of Argentina’s Olympic Committee,
told Argentine news channel C5N by telephone from Copenhagen that
"this is a great opportunity for the whole Latin American region".

Werthein, head of an equestrian sports organization, said that he
enjoyed "the success of friends" describing the news as "an impressive
moment that we can’t help but live and share."

In winning city Rio de Janeiro itself, citizens gathered at
world-famous beach Copacabana to celebrate at an event organized by the
city government, featuring musicians and Olympic athletes. Celebrants
watched the decision at a large screen set up to watch the announcement
of the host city live.

Rio authorities said that at least 15,000 gathered ahead of the event,
and many more appeared after victory was announced. Many were dressed
in national colours green and yellow.

Rio’s rivals for the Olympics were Spain’s capital, Madrid; Japan’s
capital, Tokyo; and U.S. city Chicago.

NEWS.am

Bernard Fassier: Nagorno-Karbakh’s recognized status to put end to
threat of war

20:10 / 10/02/2009

The involvement of Nagorno-Karabakh in the negotiations does not
depend on the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, stated Bernard Fassier,
French Co-Chairs of the OSCE Mnsk Group. Nagorno-Karabakh
representatives participated in the negotiations before, but thing
changed because of the Armenian side’s decision, he said. Fassier
pointed out that Nagorno-Karabakh’s involvement in the negotiations
depends not only on the Armenian side, but, to a certan extent, on the
Azerbijani side.

The French Co-Chair also said that the Nagorno-Karabakh problem will
be solved under agreements reached with Baku. Azerbaijan recognizing
Nagorno-Karabakh’s status will put an end to the threat of a new war,
Fassier said. With international guarantees, it becomes much more
serious, he said.

Fassier expressed hope that the Armenian-Azerbajani presidential
meeting that is to be held in Kihshinev, Moldova, will really take
place.

We would remind you that OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, Robert Bradtke
(USA), Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia) and Bernard Fassier (France) arrived
in Nagorno-Karabakh today as part of their regional visit. They held a
meeting with NKR President Bako Sahakyan.