Author: Jagharian Tania

POLISH AMBASSADOR HIGHLY ESTIMATES ARMENIA’S PARTICIPATION IN EU EASTERN PARTNERSHIP

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.03.2010 13:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received the
newly appointed Ambassador of Poland to Armenia ZdzisÅ~Baw Rachinsky ,
press office of the RA government reported.

Welcoming the guest, the prime minister congratulated him on his
appointment and wished fruitful work. Tigran Sargsyan attached
importance to the forthcoming visit of Polish Prime Minister
to Armenia, stressing that he will give a new dimension of the
Armenian-Polish relations and will encourage their further development.

The Polish ambassador highly estimated the participation of Armenia in
the EU Eastern Partnership. The officials touched upon the signing of
the agreement on economic cooperation and bilateral relations between
the governments of Armenia

CONSUMER PRICES BOOST IN ARMENIA

news.am
March 10 2010
Armenia

The RA Statistical Service reported the consumer price index reached
108.2% this January-February as compared with the corresponding period
last year. The prices for almost all goods and services showed an
upward tendency – a 5.1% rise for food, 10% rise for clothing and
footwear, a 10.4% rise for paid services. The price for meat products
showed an 8.8% rise and that for fish products a 60.3% rise.

On the other hand, the prices for eggs and soft drinks fell by 12.3%
and 0.1% respectively. The sugar price rose by 34.8%, with actually
only one importing sugar to Armenia. To the joy of smokers and drinker,
the prices for tobacco and hard drinks rose by only 1.6%.

This price rise is not a specific feature of the period under review.

Rather, it was a logical result of last year’s trends. This February,
a 2% price rise was registered as compared with last December.

The rise in the gas price scheduled for April 1 will inevitably cause a
further rise in the prices for other products. As a result, the social
conditions of the Armenian population, particularly of the 500,000
pensioners and other socially vulnerable groups, will get even worse.

LENNMARKER SPEAKS OF A WAY TO SETTLEMENT OF THE CONFLICT

Azg
March 10 2010
Armenia

"I regard the present situation concerning Nagorno Karabakh conflict
as a stage to pass a decision," OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s special
representative for Nagorno Karabakh and Georgia Goran Lennmarker said
yesterday in Tbilisi.

Lennmarker will pay visits to Yerevan and Baku after he completes
meetings in Georgia.

"We will hold very important meetings; also meet with presidents of
the two countries. I think it is high time to find a solution to the
Karabakh conflict. The activity of the Minsk Group means that there
is a basis to find solution to the problem. But the most important
is to find the solution that will satisfy both presidents", he said.

RUSSIAN ANALYST ALEXEI VLASOV TALKS ABOUT A POSSIBLE MILITARY ACTIONS BETWEEN AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA

Today
March 8 2010
Azerbaijan

Alexei Vlasov, head of expert group at information-analytical center
of the Lomonosov Moscow State University pointed out the key moments
in Armenian President’s visit to France, and also about the possible
military actions between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Vlasov believes that Serzh Sargsyan’s visit to France will have a few
key points, among which will be the discussion of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.

"In the current situation this is due to several trends for the
South Caucasus direction, and this visit can be measured in terms
of strengthening relations with the EU, in terms of problems of
Armenian-Turkish rapprochement, or ratification of the Ankara-Yerevan
protocols, and also from the point position of the European Union,
and France on the Nagorno-Karabakh problem ", – said A. Vlasov

"I think that will once again raised the issue of" genocide ", although
not yet entirely clear in what context. The moments I’ve pointed out,
will be the most important. For Armenia, it is important to assess the
position in Paris. I believe, that this is not only a working visit,
but is also a strategic one" noted the analyst.

Vlasov also does not did not exclude the resumption of hostilities
between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but believes that the conflict will
quickly be erupted.

"I still stick to my opinion that at present time,the possibility of
renewed military action is possible, yet the international mediators
will try to make every effort to stop it from growing. In the first
couple of days, the CSTO and the structures that serve as a European
peacekeeping organizations will make utmost efforts to extinguish
the conflict.

And we are not even talking about the CSTO support, but rather a
change of its role as an organization, that will, above all, try
to minimize the military and political costs of the conflict. There
is some truth to these judgments, but I would give them a somewhat
different interpretation" Vlasov concluded.

KUSTURICA PLANTS TREE OF PEACE IN YEREVAN

Blic
March 8 2010

Emir Kusturica and No Smoking Orchestra have held a magnificent concert
in Armenia, at the National Theatre in Yerevan. The Serbian film
director had arrived at the invitation of Khachatur Almazian, famous
Armenian violinist, best known for his Almazian’s Obsession orchestra.

Kusturica and Almazian were given an official reception by Armenia
president Serzh Sargsyan, chatting for 45 minutes in a warm and
friendly atmosphere in the president’s residence. Kusturica was then
seen by Karekin II, the current head of the Holy Armenian Apostolic
Church, who presented the filmmaker with a 1,700-year-old Holy Mother
Church plaquette.

Upon his arrival in Yerevan, Kusturica was welcomed by Armenia’s
Prime Minister, Tigran Sargsyan, after which they visited Yerevan’s
Armenian Genocide Museum, where Kusturica planted a tree of peace.

Following the visit to the museum-institute, Emir Kusturica, together
with the members of the No Smoking Orchestra, laid a wreath at the
location where seven Serbian pilots died in 1988, after delivering
humanitarian aid to the Armenian people, hit by that year’s devastating
earthquake.

No Smoking Orchestra continue their tour tomorrow night in Saint
Petersburg, which will be the band’s eighth concert in this Russian
city in the past year.

SteelGuru, India
March 7 2010

Iran to construct gas pipeline from Tabriz refinery to Armenia

Sunday, 07 Mar 2010It is reported that Iran is planning to construct a
pipeline from its Tabriz refinery to Armenia to increase gasoline and
gas exports to the country.

Mr Noureddin Shahnazi Zadeh deputy oil minister of Iran said that the
2 sides have agreed on a contract for the construction of 350
kilometers pipeline and terminal on the border shared by the 2
countries.

Mr Shahnazi Zadeh said that the construction of the joint pipeline
needs an investment of USD 350 million.

In 2007, Iran and Armenia reached a primary agreement on construction
of the pipeline from the Iranian northwestern city of Tabriz to the
border city of Mughri, Armenia.

(Sourced from Pipelines International)

M1NjQ3/Iran_to_construct_gas_pipeline_from_Tabriz_ refinery_to_Armenia.html

Today, Azerbaijan
March 6 2010

Azerbaijan’s ruling party sends protest letter to Russia’s
"Nezavisimaya Qazeta" on publication of pro-Armenian article

06 March 2010 [12:15] – Today.Az

The New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) sent a letter of protest to the
Russian `Nezavisimaya Gazeta’ newspaper on the article by a certain
Sergey Zvyagin dedicated to the Khojaly genocide (`Khojaly: the Truth
and Falsification’), and published in the March 5 issue of the
newspaper.

The author, without any serious investigation and analysis, tries to
blame Azerbaijan in the Khojaly events and openly backs the position
of Armenians, the letter says. Zvyagin attempts to characterize the
Sumgait events (1988) and the intrusion of the imperial troops to Baku
(1990) as the massacre against the Armenians. The `journalist’ goes
beyond, accusing Azerbaijan in misrepresentation of these events and
noisy propaganda campaign it allegedly carries out together with
Turkey.

The New Azerbaijan Party urges on `Nezavisimaya Gazeta’ to be unbiased
in writing such complicated materials on ethnic conflicts and not
distort the facts. Such position misleads the readers, harms
reputation of the newspaper and contradicts the fundamental principles
of journalism, the letter underlines.

/AzerTac/
URL:

YNet, Israel
March 5 2010

Turkey to press on with Armenia peace despite vote

Published: 03.05.10, 11:14 / Israel News

Turkey said on Friday it was determined to press ahead with efforts to
normalize ties with Armenia despite a US congressional panel vote
terming as genocide the 1915 mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks.

"We are determined to press ahead with normalization of relations with
Armenia," Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told a news
conference. However, he said parliamentary ratification of peace
accords with Armenia were at risk. The US House of Representatives
Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday narrowly voted to approve the
nonbinding resolution, which calls on the president to ensure US
policy formally refers to the killings as genocide. (Reuters)

,7340 ,L-3858304,00.html

ANSAmed, Italy
March5 2010

TURKEY:ARMENIAN MASSACRES;USA,ANKARA NOT MINCING WORDS

(ANSAmed) – ANKARA – The vote of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the
US House of Representatives on a non-binding resolution in which the
1915 and 1917 Armenian massacres that took place during the Ottoman
empire are defined as ”genocide” was expected in Ankara. So much so
that, with unusual speed in Turkey, as soon as it was discovered from
the website of the Turkish Cabinet Office that out of the 46 members
of the Committee, 23 against 22 voted in favour of the document, a
message of condemnation immediately appeared. Premier Tayyip Erdogan
expressed concern over the consequences of the vote and underlined
that the taking of a stance by the parliamentary body ”risks damaging
Turkish-American relations, as well as the process of normalisation
between Turkey and Armenia.” Shortly after, it was announced that the
Turkish Ambassador to the US, Namik Tan, has been immediately recalled
to Ankara ”for consultation”. Tan arrived in Washington just a few
weeks but is already an expert on America. That things were not
looking good for Ankara was already clear a few days ago, but events
have taken a turn for the worse in the last 48 hours. Turkey was
opposed to the approval of the document insomuch as it has always
denied that the number of Armenians killed during the massacres total
one and a half million (for Ankara there were ”only” 300,000) and
that they died as a result of a civil war and not due to genocide.
Thus yesterday morning Turkey had already raised not only the
possibility of withdrawing their Ambassador if the resolution were
approved, but also the potential of cancelling contracts worth 45
billion dollars with five large US defence companies. Furthermore,
Ankara has circulated – via the Turkish press – a so-called ‘Plan B’
to be implemented if the document is approved. This plan sets out,
amongst other things, that Turkey could potentially not ratify the
protocols of normalisation of relations signed in October in Zurich
with Armenia, considered to be important for the stability of the
Caucasus.

.XAM09443.html

COMMENTARY: LET THEM BURN COW DUNG!
Edik Baghdasaryan

yun/
2010/03/04 | 11:43

Humanity has existed from time immemorial and during the past
20,000-30,000 years gas was never burnt. Now look at what’s happening.

People in Armenia are all emotional; they want to burn gas. Go to
your homes and burn cow dung."

The above statement was made by RoA MP Vardan Postanjyan during a
press conference after it was declared that the price of gas would
be going up.

After years of serving in the Armenian National Assembly, it would
appear that MP Postanjyan, an economist by profession has hit upon
the winning formula – burn dung. He is one of the MP’s representing
those who are ready to burn dung.

If you voted for the man, then get ready to burn dung.

Tomorrow you just might hear him say – why do you need to eat meat?

Eat bread instead.

Or – it’s spring. There’s grass growing in the meadows. Eat grass.

The day after another MP might announce – Why do you need to wear
clothes. Cover your privates with a fig leaf and walk the streets.

The list of possible thing to do without is endless – the internet,
the telephone…

This is the advice given by our parliamentarians, today, tomorrow
and the day after.

For you see, they don’t have to work to earn a living and put food
on the table. They really don’t have a clue about how you and I and
average citizens in Armenia really live. They live on a different
plane entirely, removed from us mortals.

They have already started to embellish the gates of hell with gold
inlay, to tile the floors and to build jacuzzis there. Why? Because
they’ve already commanded all the lofty and valuable heights here,
in this world.

The minister of economy claimed last week that Armenia had weathered
the financial crisis with honor. I say that the crisis will strike the
heaviest blow against Armenia in three months. If the minister wants
to know why I’m convinced of this, I can give him my calculations.

But the minister believes we’ve survived the crisis and are pulling
free of its clutches. Why? Because he came across an article somewhere
on the internet, read it, and then made the assumption that we made
it through and with dignity. How convenient.

However, perhaps the time has come to pull our heads out of the
internet and plant our feet back in the real world.

We can only hope that the road ahead doesn’t lead us to another
dung heap.