Author: Kanayan Tamar

AGREEMENT ON THE ARMENIAN-IRANAIN FREE TRADE TO BE SIGNED SOON

YEREVAN, JULY 20, NOYAN TAPAN: On July 20 the cermenony of signing a
number of documents on bilateral cooperation followed the end of the
seventh sitting of the Armenian-Iranian inter-governmental commission
held in Yerevan. In particular, a document on the 2007-2009 cooperation
practical program in the sphere of tourism was signed between the
Ministry of Trade and Economic Development of the Republic of Armenia
and the Organization of Cultural heritage, manuscripts and tourism
of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, co-chairman of the
commission from the Iranian side Manouchehr Mottaki said, that as a
result of negotiations with the authorities of Armenia an agreement was
reached to bring to a final shape the agreement on free trade between
two countries in the coming two months. He noted that it is envisioned
to raise the annual goods turnover between the two countries to 500
mln USD from the current 200 mln USD and speed up the finalization
of the Armenian section of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline. Besides,
the Iranian side can provide engineering-technical services worth
500 mln USD. According to M. Mottaki, it is also envisaged to set up
joint ivestment and trade companies.

M. Mottaki did not rule out the possibility of participation of the
Iranian side in the construction of the new nuclear power plant in
Armenia, noting at the same time that "maybe the Armenian side does
not have financial problems."

Minister of Energy of the Republic of Armenia Armen Movsisian said
that in two months the construction of the 3rd high voltage line to
Iran will start, and, by the end of the year, the problems connected
with the construction of the Armenian hydro station of Meghri will be
solved, and the next year, most likely, construction works will start.

A. Movsisian also told the journalists that the construction
Iran-Armenia railway requires serious studies for which one year
is needed.

BAKO SAAKIAN WINS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH

The Associated Press
International Herald Tribune, France
July 20 2007

YEREVAN, Armenia: The former security chief of Nagorno-Karabakh has
won elections for the presidency of the Armenian-controlled breakaway
region, the election committee said Friday.

Bako Saakian took 85 percent of Thursday’s vote, election committee
head Sergei Nasibian said.

Saakian, 47, had headed Nagorno-Karabakh’s security service since 2001
but resigned in June to stand in the election. He ran as an independent
and will replace Arkady Gukasian, who served two five-year terms.

Saakian pledged to push for full independence of the mountainous
territory inside Azerbaijan, whose claim to autonomy is not recognized
by any country. His main rival, Masis Mailian, got some 12 percent
of the vote, and the remainder was split among three other candidates.

Three-quarters of the territory’s 92,000 registered voters cast
ballots.

It was the fourth presidential election in the impoverished territory
that has been controlled by Armenian and ethnic Armenian forces since
a shaky 1994 cease-fire ended one of the bloodiest conflicts that
followed the Soviet collapse.

The six-year war killed 30,000 people and drove more than 1 million
from their homes, including many of the region’s ethnic Azeris.

Today, it remains one of the region’s "frozen" conflicts in the former
Soviet states.

Azerbaijan has rejected the vote as illegitimate and maintained that
Armenian separatists came to power in the former autonomous region
as a result of ethnic cleansing.

Azerbaijan and Armenia remain locked in a dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh
despite more than a decade of coaxing from international mediators led
by the United States, Russia and France to resolve the region’s status.

Armenian Presdent Robert Kocharian congratulated Saakian in a message
that said the election "bears witness to an irreversible historical
reality – the existence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic."

The mostly agricultural region of 146,000 people tied to Armenia by
swaths of Azerbaijani territory also under ethnic Armenian control
has faced a steady brain drain and dire economic problems despite
financial aid from Armenia and the Armenian diaspora.

Saakian has said that international recognition of Kosovo
as an independent state would pave the way for acceptance of
Nagorno-Karabakh’s sovereignty.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a Russian-Turkish term that means "mountainous
black garden." Ethnic Armenians, who now account for virtually the
entire population of the territory, prefer to call it Artsakh.

BAKO SAHAKIAN NOUVEAU "PRESIDENT" DU NAGORNY KARABAKH

Agence France Presse
20 juillet 2007 vendredi

Bako Sahakian, ancien chef de la securite, a ete elu "president"
de l’enclave separatiste a majorite armenienne du Nagorny Karabakh
en Azerbaïdjan, a annonce vendredi la commission electorale centrale.

M. Sahakian a remporte l’election presidentielle organisee jeudi avec
85% des suffrages, selon des resultats provisoires. Son principal
rival, le vice-ministre des Affaires etrangères Massis Maïlian,
arrive loin derrière avec 12% des suffrages.

Le nouveau president succède a Arkady Ghoukassian, qui ne pouvait
plus se representer après deux mandats consecutifs.

Un peu plus de 77% des quelque 92.000 electeurs inscrits se sont
rendus aux urnes, a precise la commission electorale.

Aucun Etat ne reconnaît le Nagorny Karabakh, un territoire montagneux
de quelque 150.000 habitants, qui s’est autoproclame independant en
1991 a l’issue d’un conflit sanglant entre Bakou et Erevan.

–Boundary_(ID_Zsv6TBN4OpNxAdhqomYbmg)–

GEORGIAN LEADER CALLS FOR "CAUTIOUS BUT BOLD" APPROACH TO SOUTH OSSETIA CONFLICT

Rustavi-2 TV, Tbilisi,
18 Jul 07

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has told government members that
the country’s leadership needs to take a "cautious but bold" approach
to the settlement of the South Ossetia conflict. At a meeting of
the Cabinet of Ministers on 18 July, Saakashvili said Georgia must be
proactive and work hard towards the resolution of the conflict and hold
"serious negotiations" with Georgian-backed leader Dmitriy Sanakoyev.

He instructed the media and government officials to avoid using the
terms "Ossetian side" and "Georgian side" when speaking about the
conflict, as the separatist government consists of personnel "brought
in" from outside. He also stressed the importance of expanding
higher education opportunities for the country’s ethnic Armenian
and Azeri populations and said that the Georgian government’s lack
of organization was to blame for the fact that few of them know the
state language. The following is an excerpt from Saakashvili’s remarks
at the meeting broadcast live by Rustavi-2 TV:

[Presenter] We go live to the State Chancellery, where President
Mikheil Saakashvili is chairing a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers.

[Passage omitted]

"Serious" negotiations ahead

[Saakashvili] Yesterday Mr Petre [Tsiskarishvili, agriculture minister]
made a statement on South Ossetia’s status together with the head
of the [Georgian-backed] temporary administrative unit [Dmitriy
Sanakoyev]. I want to say that there will be serious negotiations.

This is not a formality. Our partners on the other side of the
negotiating table are not people with whom we should take a frivolous
approach.

They are serious people, serious leaders, serious representatives of
a part of Georgia’s population – a big part of ethnic Ossetians – and
we must hold serious talks and discuss serious issues with them. We
must approach this issue cautiously, but at the same time boldly. I
believe that we have the opportunity to truly restore contacts among
all villages, all communities and all people, as well as between the
Georgian state and a very important and dear part of its population.

Yesterday tractors were taken there on my order. We distributed them
to villages which are under Georgian control. I want to emphasize
that there are not Georgian villages and Ossetian villages. There
is no such thing as the Ossetian side or the Georgian side and
everyone should purge these terms from their vocabulary. If only
television stations were making this mistake, that would not be a
problem. But some government members also get it wrong and speak of
Georgian and Ossetian villages. I want to tell you that a large part
of the population of the villages which fall under our jurisdiction
is ethnically mixed. This means nothing. For us they are all equal.

And if there is such a thing as an Ossetian side, that side is the
temporary administration, which consists of representatives of the
local population. Ethnic Ossetians are far less represented in that
which some people ignorantly refer to as the Ossetian side. You know
very well where these people have been brought in from and what
connections they have with the local population. Some of them may
have Ossetian surnames, but those people have nothing whatsoever to
do with Ossetians or the Ossetian people, let alone South Ossetia.

Therefore, we must continue with our programmes. We are building
several cultural facilities there. According to what I’ve been told,
all schools there are being repaired well. We must further facilitate
the development of education, including through such programmes
that seek to restore trust between peoples, settle the conflicts and
overcome crises.

Support for ethnic minorities

I also welcome the fact that we will soon begin bringing 100
representatives of various ethnic groups each from Akhalkalaki
[town in the predominately ethnic Armenian Javakheti region] and
[the predominately ethnic Azeri-populated] Kvemo Kartli [Province]
and place them in [university] preparatory courses. It is very
important that our citizens not go to other countries to study,
but instead come to Georgia’s capital and its other cities.

It is very important that their relatively poor knowledge of the
Georgian language at this stage, which is not their fault-[changes
tack] I want to emphasize that that has nothing to do with them,
they are begging us to teach them the language. It is instead because
of the fact that up to now we have not been well organized. Under
no circumstances should a relatively poor knowledge of Georgian be
an insurmountable obstacle for those people to study in tertirary
education institutes. There are preparatory courses, technologies, and
countless other means to integrate those people and bring them here.

Returning to South Ossetia, we have created a special group at the
Chancellery that is working on the negotiating process and on joint
actions with Sanakoyev’s administration. I ask that all of you work
with this group and I also ask that we take into account the fact
that there is a certain timeframe here – we all must work day and
night and we all must work in such a way that each and every person
sees the difference.

There is now a battle on to win over people’s hearts and minds. This
battle is between much richer, but not very flexible mechanisms which
truly do not understand local problems [as heard], and the Georgian
state – Georgia, which is a state consisting of Georgians, Ossetians,
Armenians, Azeris and people of all other ethnic origins, who for us
are all part of the Georgian state and who are our most dear citizens.

In general, I believe that the process of resolving the conflicts must
become much more intensive and much more active and that the world
community should become much more involved in it than it is today.

The Georgian government needs to be much more proactive. We have
achieved success locally, throughout the Tskhinvali region[South
Ossetia], but I think this should extend to the whole of Georgia’s
territory and to all conflicts and all situations. There is still a
lot of work to do here and there are a lot of problems despite the
fact that many professionals are involved in this endeavour.

We must not be in a position where we are reacting, we must be very
proactive and alert. Once again I ask you to cooperate actively with
this group working on Tskhinvali issues. We need daily coordination
and we need to resolve issues on a daily basis. We have a budget and
we have taken the decision to finance many programmes. Practically
everything that is necessary will be funded by Georgia at an
appropriate level. Relevant decisions have been taken.

[Passage omitted]

"ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK" OPENED A BRANCH IN YEGHVARD; "BANKVTB (ARMENIA)" CLOSED ANOTHER BRANCH

Mediamax Agency, Armenia
July 18 2007

Yerevan, July 18 /Mediamax/. By the decision of the Chairman of the
Central Bank of Armenia, "Yeghvard" branch of "ACBA-Credit Agricole"
bank is registered.

As Mediamax was told in the CB press service today, the branch is
located 48 Charents str, Yeghvard town.

By another decision of the CB Chairman, cessation of the activities
of N25 branch of "Bank VTB (Armenia)" is registered.

LEO PLATVOET: PARTICIPATION OF ALL CONFLICTING PARTIES IS NECESSARY TO SETTLE KARABAKH PROBLEM

PanARMENIAN.Net
17.07.2007 17:40 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ PACE (Parliamentarian Assembly of the Council of
Europe) rapporteur on South Caucasus Leo Platvoet says participation
of all conflicting parties is necessary in the peaceful resolution of
the Nagorno Karabakh problem. Commenting on presidential elections of
NKR, Platvoet said Nagorno Karabakh is not recognized by any country in
the world, including even Armenia. Thus, according to the rapporteur,
"the President of Karabakh will be an unrecognized figure on the
international level". From the other hand, all conflicting parties must
be involved in the peaceful solution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict,
Platvoet underlined. He said, the elected President of Nagorno Karabakh
can play a role in the peaceful solution of the conflict as the leader
of the Armenian community of Nagorno Karabakh, "Trend" reports.

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES VOTED TO WITHDRAW MOST U.S. TROOPS FROM IRAQ

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.07.2007 14:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The U.S. House of Representatives last night voted
to withdraw most U.S. troops from Iraq by April 1, acting hours after
President Bush urged Congress not to interfere in war strategy and
to maintain funding for the military.

The 223-to-201 vote, which is not enough to override Bush’s threatened
veto, came after the president delivered a report to Congress that said
Iraq is making satisfactory progress on only eight of 18 benchmarks
the United States has set for it.

Earlier yesterday, Bush defended his handling of the war and sought
to minimize the role of an increasingly restless Congress in the
conflict. He said the House and Senate should provide money for the
troops but leave the war strategy to him and U.S. military commanders.

"Congress has all the right in the world to fund.

That’s their main involvement in this war, which is to provide funds
for our troops," Bush said at a White House press conference.

Mindful that Democrats, and some Republicans, on Capitol Hill may try
to force a change in strategy, the president said lawmakers should not
be "determining how troops are positioned, or troop strength. . . . I
don’t think that would be good for the country."

While the House Democrats could not attract enough Republican support
to override a veto, last night’s vote signaled continued discontent
with Bush’s war strategy, and could be followed by a similar effort
in the Senate.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the president’s progress report
"makes clear that not even the White House can conclude there has been
significant progress." But House Republican leader John A. Boehner
said the House vote was meaningless, adding, "There is only one way
to end the war on radical jihadists, and that is to win."

The House bill calls for the withdrawal of combat troops to begin
within 120 days, and to be completed by April 1. It allows for a
small force to train Iraqis, protect U.S. assets, and fight terrorists.

The vote was mostly along party lines, with 219 Democrats and four
Republicans in favor, and 191 Republicans and 10 Democrats opposed.

Bush had urged Congress to wait for a more complete Iraq progress
report in September, but the Democratic-led Congress pushed forward
yesterday with their effort to mandate a pullback or pullout of
troops within months. Lawmakers pointed to a provision included in a
war-budget bill earlier this year that required significant progress
in Iraq to justify continued funding, The Boston Globe reports.

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
Chair of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers: Declaration on
the "presidential elections" to be held in Nagorno Karabakh on 19 July
2007

Strasbourg, 12 July 2007 – "As regards the "presidential elections" to
be organised in Nagorno Karabakh on 19 July 2007, and having in mind
that neither the "elections" nor their results are recognised by the
international community, the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers
of the Council of Europe reiterates its full support to the OSCE Minsk
Group and its Co-Chairmen in their efforts towards a settlement of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict. It notes with concern that conducting such
"elections", thus pre-empting the outcome of the ongoing negotiations,
cannot contribute to the resolution of the conflict. It calls on all
parties concerned to intensify their efforts to find a peaceful solution
to the conflict, in accordance with the commitment undertaken by Armenia
and Azerbaijan upon accession to the Council of Europe".

Présidence du Comité des Ministres du Conseil de l’Europe :
Déclaration sur les " élections présidentielles " qui se tiendront
au Haut-Karabakh le 19 juillet 2007

Strasbourg, 12 juillet 2007 – " En ce qui concerne les " élections
présidentielles " qui seront organisées au Haut-Karabakh le 19
juillet 2007, et tenant compte que ni les " élections ", ni leurs
résultats, ne sont reconnus par la communauté internationale, la
Présidence du Comité des Ministres du Conseil de l’Europe
réitère son plein soutien au Groupe de Minsk de l’OSCE et à ses
co-présidents dans leurs efforts pour parvenir à un règlement du
conflit du Haut-Karabakh. Elle note avec préoccupation que la conduite
de ces " élections ", qui préjugent du résultat des négociations
en cours, ne peut contribuer à résoudre le conflit. Elle appelle
toutes les parties concernées à intensifier leurs efforts en vue de
trouver une solution pacifique au conflit, conformément à
l’engagement pris par l’Arménie et l’Azerbaïdjan lors de leur
adhésion au Conseil de l’Europe ".

Press Release
Council of Europe Press Division
Ref: 511b07
Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 25 60
Fax:+33 (0)3 88 41 39 11
[email protected]
internet:

To receive our press releases by e-mail, contact :
[email protected]

A political organisation set up in 1949, the Council of Europe works to
promote democracy and human rights continent-wide. It also develops
common responses to social, cultural and legal challenges in its 47
member states.

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF "GOLDEN APRICOT"

A1+
[08:48 pm] 10 July, 2007

Many world famous actors and film producers participate in the 4-th
annual international film festival "Golden Apricot" in Yerevan,
Armenia.

Representatives of Armenian actors and producers are also taking part
in the festival, either representing their works or being among the
judges. Many artists are also present at the festival. A number of
actors and film directors are standing out of the territory where
the festival is held "to watch the festival from the other side
of banisters".

They were mainly those artists who had their individual opinions on
the festival. "That was the reason that we are not in the invitation
list. I say this since a couple of days before the festival I met with
the organizers of the festival and talked about it. I understand that
they do not need progress this year, just like during the previous
years. May be they are pleased with it and get benefit from it", said
a move maker, who preferred not to publish his name, motivating that
"I want to avoid from persecutions and unwanted problems".

Sergej Magalyan, actor of the Russian Dramatic Theater after
K. Stanislavsky, said that he was not invited: "May be they are
greater producers, than I am and I bend down before them". He made his
opinion on the festival on the first day judging from the technical
organization of the ceremony. "The launching ceremony is without
lights and it is very dark. Who has organized this performance? The
stage is not seen well. I have not seen such darkness in the Square
of Liberty for a long time", said Sergej Magalyan.

Karen Kocharyan, a TV broadcaster, noted that the move was awakening
unlike the TV. "Golden Apricot" gives unprecedented opportunity to
meet world famous directors. "I hope that these names will become
more famous and real stars will visit Armenia in the future". "I
cannot say that we have starts in the Armenian movie art, but we have
talented directors. We had stars in the 20-th century, and to me that
was a golden period in the art. It is not easy to become a star",
pointed Karen Kocharyan and added: "Will our film producers give an
opportunity to real stars?"

RA MINISTER OF FINANCE RECEIVED US CHARGE D’AFFAIRES ANTHONY GODFREY

armradio.am
10.07.2007 16:03

On July 10 RA Minister of Finance and Economy Vardan Khachatryan
received US Charge d’Affaires Anthony Godfrey and Permanent Adviser
on Internal Audit of the US Treasury Ara Oghuryan.

Congratulating Mr. Khachatryan on reappointment as RA Minister of
Finance and Economy, MR. Godfrey informed that that his term in office
is coming to an end: the newly appointed Charge d’Arraires is already
in Armenia and will get down to his duties.

Mr. Godfrey noted that the meeting was mainly targeted at discussing a
number of issues related to the program directed at the development of
the sphere of internal audit. Permanent Adviser on Internal Audit of
the US Treasury, Mr. Ara Oghuryan presented the works implemented in
the framework of the program, turning to the main directions of those.

During the meeting the parties turned to the preparation works of
the recurrent sitting of the Armenian-American taskforce for economic
cooperation due in October. Other issues of Armenian-American economic
cooperation were also discussed.