Author: Kanayan Tamar

SHARJAH RULER MEETS SUPREME SPIRITUAL LEADER OF ARMENIAN CHURCH

UAE Daily News

Nov 24 2008

His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme
Council member and ruler of Sharjah received today the Supreme
Spiritual and Administrative leader of the Armenian Church His Holiness
Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. The
Supreme Patriarch is currently on a visit to UAE.

At a meeting held at the Ruler’s office, they stressed the need to
encourage the interfaith dialogue, creating among people the trait
of respecting other’s faiths and cultures. This, they said, will pave
the way for the humanity to live in peace and harmony.

Sheikh Sultan expressed his happiness over the presence of the Armenian
community in UAE, and said that the emirate of Sharjah is keen on
giving the followers of various faiths, cultures and ethnicities all
respect and concern. He specially praised the Armenian community for
their love for knowledge.

His Holiness Karekin II expressed profound gratitude to the support
extended by the Sharjah Ruler to the Armenian Church and the Armenian
community in the emirate. The Supreme Patriarch praised UAE’s policy
of tolerance as encouraged by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa
bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the Supreme Council Members and Rulers of
various emirates.

A number of Armenian Church pontiffs and other officials attended
the meeting.

Interfax, Russia
Nov 20 2008

Armenia posts 0.7% inflation in Oct, 4.9% in ten months

YEREVAN Nov 20

Armenia had inflation of 0.7% in October 2008 and 4.9% in the first
ten months of the year, the National Statistics Service said.

In October, prices on food (including alcohol and tobacco) grew 1.6%,
the cost of nonfood goods declined 0.2% and services fell 0.8% in
price.

Average monthly price growth in Armenia totaled 0.5% in January-
October compared with growth of 0.3% per month in the same period of
2007.

The government forecasts inflation for the full year at 4% plus or
minus 1.5 percentage points. The IMF forecasts Armenian inflation in
2008 at 7.5%.

Armenia had 6.6% inflation in 2007.

PRESIDENT OF LATVIA EXPRESSES WILLINGNESS TO VISIT ARMENIA NEXT YEAR

Noyan Tapan

Nov 21, 2008

RIGA, NOVEMBER 21, NOYAN TAPAN. On November 20, President of Latvia
Valdis Zatlers receiving RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian being
in Latvia on an official visit said that Latvia is interested in
further deepening and strengthening of relations with Armenia. He
said that he wishes to visit Armenia next year.

E. Nalbandian, in his turn, said that the high-level political dialogue
and the large legal-contractual field between the two countries are
a good basis for further expansion of cooperation. The RA Foreign
Minister presented the President of Latvia with the negotiations
process of Nagorno Karabakh settlement, the possibilities of
normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations.

The Armenia-European Union relations were touched upon during the
meeting.

Meaning the experience accumulated by Latvia in the sphere of European
integration, V. Zatlers expressed readiness to provide all-round
assistance to Armenia in that direction.

As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA Foreign Ministry Press and
Information Department, the same day E. Nalbandian visited Saint
Gregory the Illuminator Church in Riga where he met with the members
of the Church Council.

Completing his official visit to Latvia in the second half of the
day on November 20, E. Nalbandian left for Estonia.

MONUMENT TO ARMENIAN DRAM

Panorama.am
18:12 20/11/2008

In the frames of jubilee events devoted to 15th anniversary of Armenian
currency, the President of Central Bank of Armenia Arthur Djavadyan
invited the Managing Director of International Monetary Fund Murilo
Portugal, the Executive Director of IMF Age Bakker, the Presidents
of Central Banks of Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Serbia, and Georgia,
the vice presidents of Central Banks of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russian
Federation and Tajikistan, the representatives of Central Banks of
Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, Netherlands on 21-22 November.

On 21 November a round table discussion will be conducted on "financial
stability in changing world". Murilo Portugal and Age Bakker are going
to be the speakers of the discussion. On 22 November a monument to
Armenian dram will be officially opened.

AZERI CIVILIAN INJURED IN MINE BLAST IN KARABAKH

Turan
Nov 17 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku, 17 November: An IDP from Agdam District, Abdulla Qurbanov,
born in 1987, was blown up on an anti-tank mine in the village of
Qapanli in Tartar District at 2232 [1832 gmt] on 16 November.

The incident happened 500-1,000 m. off the front-line [in Karabakh],
the Azerbaijani National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) has told
Turan. Qurbanov was on horseback at the time of the blast. He received
serious injuries to an arm and his body and lost an eye. After Qurbanov
received first aid at the Tartar hospital, he was taken to a hospital
in Baku.

ARMENIAN OMBUDSMAN HAILS OPPOSITION’S INVOLVEMENT IN PROBE INTO MARCH EVENTS

Mediamax
Nov 13 2008
Armenia

Yerevan, 13 November: Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
Thomas Hammarberg is ready to render assistance in attracting foreign
specialists in the work of the fact-finding group probing the 1-2
March events [the authorities used force to disperse opposition
protests following the February presidential election] in Yerevan,
Armenia’s ombudsman Armen Harutyunyan said in Yerevan today.

He welcomed the participation of opposition representatives in the
work of the group. The first meeting of this advisory body has already
been held, and the ombudsman’s representative, Vahe Stepanyan, has
been elected its head.

Noting the "necessity to consolidate the public and overcome the 1-2
March syndrome", Harutyunyan urged the opposition to also participate
in the work of the ad-hoc parliamentary committee investigating the
March events.

BODY OF A SOLDIER KILLED IN FUZULI DIRECTION LEFT IN THE AREAS NEAR THE ARMENIAN POSTS

Azeri Press Agency
Nov 17 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku-APA. Soldier of the Azerbaijani Army Orkhan Shamilov was killed
during the firing on the line of contact between the troops in Fuzuli
direction on November 16, Spokesman for the Defense Ministry Eldar
Sabiroglu told APA.

Sabiroglu said Orkhan Shamilov was on duty during the ceasefire
violation. He tried to silence the enemy with retaliation fire and
several minutes later he moved toward the enemy firing on them. "He
killed two Armenian soldiers and then he was killed".

The enemy took away the bodies of its soldiers from the scene of
battle, but left the Shamilov’s body near the posts of Armenian
forces. "The Defense Ministry is taking measures to take the soldier’s
body".

Shamilov was registered in the Military Commissariat of Tartar Region
in April, 2008.

GENDER GAP – ARMENIA ON 78TH HORIZONTAL

Panorama.am
20:32 12/11/2008

According to the survey made by World Economic Forum Norway occupies
the first horizontal in Global Gender Gap Report. Norway is followed
by Finland, Sweden and Island.

According to the official web site of the forum Armenia occupies the
78th horizontal only. Regarding economic participation and abilities
Armenia is the 36th, by educational achievements it is the 29th,
healthcare – 130, political legality – 118.

According to the forum women have official positions in financial
institutions more than before.

Note that our regional countries have the following positions in the
report – Azerbaijan is the 61st, Georgia 82nd and Turkey 123rd. USA
is the 27th and Russia 42nd.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TO DEPART FOR ISTANBUL NOV. 24

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.11.2008 12:18 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian will
pay a one-day visit to Istanbul for a BSEC Foreign Ministers summit
on November 24, the RA MFA press office told PanARMENIAN.Net.

Minister Nalbandian will present the agenda of Armenia’s presidency
in the Organization.

As to a meeting between the Presidents of Armenia and Turkey, the
Armenian side has not received any proposal yet.

RA PRESIDENT TO VISIT BULGARIA IN DECEMBER

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.11.2008 13:48 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Head of the Armenian presidential administration
Karen Karapetyan met Thursday with Bulgarian Ambassador Armenia
Todor Marinov Staykov to discuss details of the impending visit of
RA President Serzh Sargsyan to Bulgaria in December.

The officials appreciated highly the level of political dialog between
the two states and stressed the necessity to encourage bilateral
economic cooperation, the RA leader’s press office reported.