Author: Jalatian Sonya

OPENING OF HRANT DINK FOREST CREATED ON INITIATIVE OF ARMENIA TREE
PROJECT IN TERRITORY OF FIOLETOVO VILLAGE OF LORI REGION TO TAKE PLACE
IN 2008

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN. In 2007 the Armenia Tree Project
non-profit organization has exceeded its commitment within the
frameworks of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) world
Billion Tree campaign by planting more than 550 thousand trees in 174
places of Armenia.

According to the information provided to Noyan Tapan by the Office of
the Armenia Tree Project, more than 1 million trees have been planted
in the forestless places of the southern regions of Armenia, in
particular, in the arable lands of Aygut, Dzoravank, Dprabak in the
Gegharkunik region, as well as in the arabla lands of Fioletovo,
Alaverdi, and Spitak in the Lori region within the frameworks of the
development program of villages and mountain communities.

In the territory of the Fioletovo village a Hrant Dink forest has been
created on the initiative of the fund, the solemn opening of which is
envisaged to take place in 2008.

Since 1994 more than 2 million trees, in general, have been planted in
the republic due to the efforts of the Armenia Tree Project
organization. Socially unprovided inhabitants have been involved in the
seedling reproduction and forest planting work.

STARTING FROM 2008, SALE OF MEAT WITHOUT SLAUGHTERHOUSE STAMP TO BE
BANNED IN ARMENIAN MARKETS AND SHOPS

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, NOYAN TAPAN. Since May, the Food Safety
Inspection (set up in 2007) has conducted checkings of 800 economic
entities, 760 of which were subjected to administrative responsibility
for various violations. The RA minister of agriculture Davit Lokian
stated at the December 28 press conference that fines of the total
amount of 50 million drams (about 164 thousand USD) were imposed.

The minister said that there are a lot of problems in the country’s
food production and consumption sphere. "The export of food to the
European Union is out of the question, if we cannot provide our
residents with safe foodstuffs within the country," he said. According
to him, a number of steps have been taken in order to deal with these
problems. In particular, the Law on Food Safety will take effect this
year.

It was announced that starting from April 2008, butchering outside a
slaughterhouse will be banned in the country, which is one of the most
important problems related to food safety. Four big slaughterhouses
will be built in Kotayk, Syunik, Aragatsotn and Shirak marzes with
foreign assistance, while the sale of meat without the stamp of a
slaughterhouse will be banned in all markets and shops.

ARMENIAN OIL REFINERY COULD GET GREEN LIGHT IN FEBRUARY
By M. Alkhazashvili

The Messenger
Dec 26 2007
Georgia

Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan announced that next February,
a team of Armenian, Russian and Iranian researches will present its
final viability report on the construction of an oil refinery in
southern Armenia to process Iranian oil.

The report should detail the profitability, or lack thereof, of an
Armenian oil refinery and a plan to send oil in a U-turn back to Iran.

The refinery, which would be built near the Iranian border, could
cost about USD 2 billion, according to the news agency Regnum.

Its capacity should be in the region of 6.5 million tons of crude
oil a year, producing 3.3 million tons of diesel and 2.8 million tons
of petrol.

The finished product could wind up in Armenia, Iran and possibly
other markets.

The Russian and Armenian presidents were said to have hammered out
a plan for the refinery in a Sochi meeting at the start of this year.

INTERNATIONAL CONSORTIUM MAY BUILD NEW NPP IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.12.2007 17:26 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A new nuclear power plant in Armenia may be built
by an international consortium, RA Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan
told reporters.

"During recent 5 years the international community became more
optimistic about construction of a new nuclear power plant in Armenia
and is ready to lend a helping hand," he said.

According to Mr Movsisyan, Russia could supply reliable nuclear
reactors while Europe could help with electrotechnical equipment. "The
project feasibility study of a new ANPP may be developed in September
2008. Armenia and Russia are discussing prolongation of revenue of
the CJSC Inter RAO UES," he said adding that the problems with fuel
supply and preventive works have been resolved, Rosatom.ru reports.

The second reactor will be stopped in 2016. The ANPP will apparently
be finally closed in 2043. The dismantling will cost 238,75 million
euros and will be carried out in successive steps.

SIX ARMENIANS DETAINED AT THE GEORGIAN BORDER

armradio.am
21.12.2007 16:02

December 20 Georgian frontier guards arrested six Armenian citizens
at Sarpi checkpoint, who were trying to leave Georgia with others’
passports.

Press Service of the Frontier Police of Georgia reported that the
detained were trying to cross the Georgian-Turkish border, when
the frontier guards were shifting the duty. But their attempt was
prevented.

The false passports have been confiscated. A criminal case has been
launched. Preliminary investigation is underway.

MOST RESPONDENTS VOTED FOR SERZH SARKISIAN

A1+
[08:00 pm] 21 December, 2007

Over 1000 people participated in the polls conducted by the "Armenian
Youth Union" NGO in Yerevan December 13-14.

The respondents were asked four questions referring to the presidential
elections.

1. Will you participate at the upcoming elections?

2. Which candidate would you ballot for if elections were held
this Sunday?

3. Which candidate would you ballot for if the candidate you preferred
didn’t run in the elections?

Which candidate would you vote against?

Most respondents (239) voiced support for Prime Minister Serzh
Sarkissian. Vahan Hovhannissian is the second with 133 votes, followed
by Levon Ter-Petrossian with 127 votes.

84 respondents voted for Orinats Yerkir Party Leader Arthur
Baghdasarian, 58 for National Democratic Union Leader Vazgen Manukian,
39 for National Unity Party Leader Artashes Geghamian, 32 for People’s
Party Leader Tigran Karapetian, 3 for National Concord Party Leader
Aram Harutiunian and 3 for Arman Melikian.

155 people voted against all candidates.

116 people will vote for Arthur Baghdasarian, 92 for Vazgen Manukian,
80 for Vahan Hovhannissian, 56 for Serzh Sarkissian, 57 for Artashes
Geghamian, 28 for Tigran Karapetian, 9 for Levon Ter-Petrossian and
7 for Aram Harutiunian in case the candidate they prefer doesn’t run
in the elections.

The NGO will hold polls till the presidential elections.

MEDICAL SERVICE OF PREGNANT WOMEN IN ARMENIA TO BECOME FREE OF CHARGE

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Dec 20 2007

YEREVAN, December 20. /ARKA/. The medical service of pregnant women
in Armenia will become free of charge, said Minister of Healthcare
Haroutiun Kushkyan during the government briefing.

"The Government made a decision to make free of charge the medical
service of women during the pregnancy, delivery and post-birth period
on all diseases not connected with pregnancy," he said.

He said that this decision is made taking into account the priority
of health protection of a mother and child, women of reproductive
age. However, he specified that the analyses for pregnant women will
still remain chargeable.

"As earlier, the analyses for future mothers will be free of charge
only on the 12th and 36th weeks of pregnancy," he said.

Kushkyan informed that according to the Government’s decision, dental
service for children up to 12 will become free of charge instead of
previous 8 years old.

"By the governmental decision, the order of paying compensation
to doctors sent to the country’s regions for the intensification
of medical services of population in mountainous, distant and
hard-to-reach areas is approved," he said.

ARTASHES GEGHAMIAN MAY BE IDEOLOGICAL AND POLITICAL RIVAL AT UPCOMING ELECTIONS, SERGE SARGSIAN SAYS

Noyan Tapan
Dec 20, 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, NOYAN TAPAN. "Although I do not agree with many
ideas of the chairman of the National Unity" Artashes Geghamian,
I think that he may be an ideological and political rival at the
presidential elections," the RA prime minister Serge Sargsian stated
during a talk with reporters on December 20. Not denying the fact of
having a meeting with A. Geghamian, he said that he is ready to meet
with all political figures who have a constructive position.

According to S. Sargsian, he has participated in many pre-election
processes, but having mixed with people this time, he has noticed some
posistive changes in the public’s attitude to the authorities. "I am
afraid of violating ever the people’s trust," he said.

Speaking about his interview to "The Financial Times", during which
he said that Turkey’s joining the European Union will contribute to
improvement of the Armenian-Turkish relations, the prime minister
stated that he did not say anything new but he just took the
opportunity to express once more Armenia’s position which has been
voiced repeatedly.

LEVON TER-PETROSIAN MEETS WITH EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE

Noyan Tapan
Dec 19 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The first Armenian president Levon
Ter-Petrosian on December 19 met with the EU Special Representtaive
for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby. During one-hour meeting,
they discussed the home political situation in Armenia, the upcoming
presidential elections and numerous issues related to setllement of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

NT was informed by the office of political initiatives on nomination
of L. Ter-Petrsosian that the executive official of Peter Semneby’s
Yerevan office Andrey Didenko also participated in the meeting.

HAYK DEMOYAN: TODAY’S TURKEY IS NOT ABLE TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Noyan Tapan
Dec 19, 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 19, NOYAN TAPAN. Turkey can become a European Union
member and express loyalty to European values only if it founds a
Museum of Armenian Genocide in Ankara and thus, gives the Turkish
youth a possibility to get acquainted with one of the darkest pages of
their history by visiting the museum. Hayk Demoyan, the Director of
the Museum-Institute of Armenian Genocide, expressed such an opinion
at the hearings on the subject "Armenian-Turkish relations: problems
and prospects" organized on December 19 at the RA National Assembly.

According to him, today’s Turkey is not able to recognize the Armenian
Genocide, as a history and artificial ideas have been created for
it, which are the basis of the whole Turkish nationalism. In case of
their reconsideration, according to H. Demoyan, the whole system of
Turkish state identity will be destroyed.