TIGRAN KEOSAYAN HOSPITALIZED WITH HEART ATTACK
armradio.am
16.01.2008 17:03
Renowned film director, actor and presenter Tigran Keosayan was
taken to one of Moscow hospitals with heart attack. According to
"Komsomolskaya Pravda," the doctors revealed signs of cardiac
infarction and decided to perform an operation without delay.
Doctors say there is no threat to the life of the 42-year-old film
director.
He is under the constant control of doctors in a separate ward.
AZG Armenian Daily #006, 15/01/2008
Armenian Genocide
FOXMAN AGAINST GENOCIDE
Turkish President Abdullah Gul while being in USA met
with the President of a Jewish organization
"Anti-Defamation League" Abraham Foxman. The latter
assured Abdullah Gul that they would continue to act
against Armenian Genocide Resolution 106.
ADL leader also offered his assistance in Turkish
proposal of making a joint commission of historians.
He also mentioned that "Armenian demands" should be
studied in the framework of that commission and added
that people should not look through their history from
political aspect.
Translated by L.H.
RIA Novosti, Russia
Jan 15 2008
EU likely to put off Kosovo mission until February
17:23 | 15/ 01/ 2008
BRUSSELS, January 15 (RIA Novosti) – The European Union is likely to
wait until February to launch a police and justice mission in Kosovo,
so as not to influence elections in Serbia, media in Brussels
reported on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the government of Slovenia, which holds the EU’s
rotating presidency, was quoted as saying there is a high probability
that the decision will not be made until February, since an earlier
move could interfere with the situation in the region.
The United Nations Security Council is to meet Wednesday to review
the work of the UN’s interim mission in Kosovo, which has been
engaged in training the local police force, along with other
administrative tasks.
According to Kosovo’s newly elected prime minister, Hasim Taci, the
breakaway province of Serbia will unilaterally declare its
independence in a few weeks.
"I assure you that we will declare our independence in a few weeks.
It’s already an accomplished fact – we only need to declare it," said
Taci, who was sworn in by parliament last Wednesday.
Taci’s Democratic Party of Kosovo (DPK) has formed a governing
coalition with President Fatmir Seidiu’s Democratic Alliance of
Kosovo.
Russia has warned that it will block any resolution on Kosovo’s
status at the UN Security Council until both parties have found a
mutually acceptable settlement.
Throughout long-running talks aimed at finding a solution to the
status of Serbia’s breakaway province, Russia has backed Belgrade in
opposing Kosovo’s sovereignty, warning it would have a knock on
effect for other secessionist areas, such as Transdnestr in Moldova,
South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia and Nagorny Karabakh in
Azerbaijan, so-called frozen conflicts since the 1990s.
The Albanian-dominated Serbian province has been a UN protectorate
since the NATO bombing of the former Yugoslavia ended a conflict
between Albanian and Serb forces in 1999.
Most Western states have backed the volatile area’s drive for
independence, and said recently that Kosovo’s status would now be
determined by the European Union and NATO. Russia is insisting that
Belgrade and Pristina continue to try to reach a compromise.
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Jan 12 2008
Minsk Group co-chairs to join OSCE monitoring in the frontline
[ 12 Jan 2008 14:41 ]
Under the mandate of the Personal Representative of the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office, the frontline in Aghdam will be monitored on
January 16.
A diplomatic source told APA that OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are
expected to accompany the Personal Representative of the Chairman in
Office of the OSCE, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk during monitoring.
The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassadors Bernard Fassier of
France, Yury Merzlyakov of Russia, and Matthew Bryza of the United
States will start their tour of the region from Baku on January
13-15. The co-chairs will be in Yerevan on January 15-18 and will
visit Khankendi on January 18-21 and Tbilisi on January 21-22. /APA/
GEGHAM GRIGORIAN RESIGNS FROM POST OF ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL ACADEMIC THEATRE OF OPERA AND BALLET
Noyan Tapan
Jan 10, 2008
YEREVAN, JANUARY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The artistic director of
A. Spendiarian National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet Gegham
Grigorian resigned from his post according to his application on
January 1, 2008. The director of the theatre Kamo Hovhannisian told
NT correspondent that the resignation of Gegham Grigorian is mainly
motivated by his intention to found his own opera theatre in Yerevan.
At the same time K. Hovhannisian denied the rumors that the RA deputy
minister of culture Karine Khodikian has an ambition to assume the
post of artistic director. The director of the theatre said that
this post will be abolished and instead an artistic council will be
created to be headed by him.
To recap, during her final press conference in late 2007, the RA
minister of culture Hasmik Poghosian severely criticized the opera
"Davit Bek" staged by Gegham Grigorian.
ARKADY MANOUCHAROV DIED
Azat Artsakh Tert
Jan 9 2008
Nagorno Karabakh Republic
In connection with the death of Arkady Manoucharov, Bako Sahakian
presentes his condolences to the members of his family. It said:
" Nagorno-Karabakh suffered a great loss. One of the leaders of
Artsakh national-liberating movement – Arkady Manoucharov died.
For years Arkady Manoucharov held different responsible and high posts
and he had his sensible investment in the work of socio-economical
development of Nagorno-Karabakh.
People and authorities of Artsakh estimated highly the contribution
of Arkady Manoucharov in the work of Artsakh’s state building and
rewarded him with "Mesrop Mashtots" medal.
On behalf of the people and authoroties of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic I
present my deep condolences to the relatives of Arkady Manoucharov. His
memory will be always in our hearts"
VARDAN OSKANYAN: ENERGY SPHERE STILL HAS SPECIAL PART IN ARMENIAN-IRANIAN RELATIONS
arminfo
2008-01-09 17:59:00
ArmInfo. Energy sphere still has a special part in the Armenian-Iranian
relations, Foreign Minister of Armenia Vardan Oskanyan said.
The minister called effective the relations with neighboring Iran
in 2007.
‘About 30 mutual visits were made at various levels, some programs
of strategic importance were elaborated’, the minister said.
He also added that the visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
to Armenia in October 2007 had an important part in the development of
bilateral relations. He mentioned that issues of bilateral importance
were discussed in the course of the Iranian president’s visit and
international agreements in various spheres were signed. As regards the
relations of Armenia and Iran in energy sphere, the minister stressed
the importance of the completion of the first section of Iran-Armenia
gas pipeline in March 2007. ‘The second stage of the construction is
underway. Moreover, the construction of the third high-voltage power
transmission line Iran-Armenia was on agenda. Trilateral negotiations
between Armenia, Iran and Russia for construction of an oil-processing
plant are continued. Moreover, the two countries’ energy ministries
signed an agreement on construction of a hydro-power plant on the
near-border River of Araks’, Vardan Oskanyan said.
RUSSIA AND ARMENIA SEE HIGHER TRADE
RosBusinessConsulting
Jan 9 2008
Russia
RBC, 09.01.2008, Yerevan 13:45:32.Trade between Russia and Armenia
surged 65 percent in 2007, the ARKA news agency reported today, citing
Armenian Foreign Ministry’s press and information department. According
to the statement, Russia is among the republic’s largest trade and
economic partners. Russia’s investment in Armenia grew more than
fivefold in the first nine months of 2007 compared to the same period
a year earlier.
Armenia’s trade with Russia stood at $632.1m in January-November 2007,
having climbed 68.2 percent from the same months in 2006, according
to the republic’s National Statistics Service. Russia’s imports from
Armenia amounted to $183.6m (74-percent increase), while the republic’s
exports from Russia reached $448.5m (up 65.9 percent).
IFC TO EXPAND COOPERATION WITH FINANCIAL ORGANIZATIONS, ENTERPRISES OF REAL ECONOMIC SECTOR IN ARMENIA
ARKA News Agency
Jan 7 2008
Armenia
YEREVAN, January 7. /ARKA/. The International Financial Corporation
(IFC) intends to expand its cooperation with both financial
organizations and enterprises of the real economic sector in Armenia,
the Head of IFC Yerevan Office Nerses Karamanukian told ARKA agency.
The current volume of financing by IFC in Armenia is $19mln, he said.
He pointed out that negotiations are held on a couple of programs
that will allow increasing the indicator.
Karamanukian also said that participation of the Corporation in
financing projects in Armenia will grow. "We intend to implement
projects in Armenia for $10-$15mln each," he said.
Armenia became a member of IFC in 1995. The Corporation started
implementing investments in Armenia in 2000. As of October 31 2007,
the total volume of investments by the Corporation was $21mln on
8 projects.
Along with investments, IFC is implementing technical assistance
projects to improve corporate management and investment climate and
to develop small and medium businesses.
On December 26 IFC became a 10% shareholder of Ardshininvestvank. The
Corporation had similar deal with Inecobank in July 2006.
IFC intends to provide long-term loans for $15mln to Ardshininvestbank
for crediting of small and medium businesses and financing of mortgage
transactions.
K-TELECOM GAINS NEW FREQUENCIES IN ARMENIA
by Michael Lacquiere
Global Insight
January 8, 2008
Armenia’s leading mobile operator K-Telecom, which operates under the
"VivaCell" brand, has been awarded a number of new frequencies by the
country’s Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC), reports Arka.
K-Telecom has been awarded the right to use the 1735.8-1738.4 MHz
and 1830.8-1833.4 MHz frequencies for 10 years.
Significance:Gevorg Gevorgian, head of the PSRC’s telecoms department,
has emphasised that the new frequencies will help K-Telecom to improve
its 10 base stations in the capital city, Yerevan. This in turn should
help to improve service quality, which is a positive development for
subscribers. K-Telecom is owned by Russia’s largest mobile operator,
Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), and leads the Armenian mobile market over
its only competitor, Armentel, owned by Russia’s VimpelCom. A third
operator is to enter the market later this year