Author: Karakhanian Suren

AZERBAIJAN ACCUSES ARMENIA OF PROPAGANDA TO MISLEAD BOTH DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Dec 19 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku /corr. Trend I.Alizade / Azerbaijan accuses the
Government of Armenia of pursuing propaganda to misrepresent the peace
talks on Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict attempting to
mislead both domestic and international public on the substance of
the talks.

"After the OSCE Madrid Ministerial, the Armenian Government officials
started aggressively pursuing propaganda to misrepresent the peace
talks on Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno Karabakh conflict attempting to
mislead both domestic and international public on the substance of the
talks. We believe that the propaganda of the Armenian officials will
be the next alarm about the veritable intentions of the Government,"
Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry’s Press Secretary, Khazar Ibrahim,
briefed the media on 19 December.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began
in 1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since
1992, Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan including
the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts. In
1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which
time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group ( Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful
negotiations.

According to Ibrahim, it is a clear indication of a pre-election
hysteria to delude the Armenian people, nevertheless, requiring clear
response and clarifications to avoid any misinterpretations.

"The talks are built on the clear stance of the full restoration
of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over the all
occupied Azerbaijani territories and return of the ethnically cleansed
by the Armenian state displaced people to their lands of origin,
including Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan does not
negotiate its territorial integrity and never will," Ibrahim said.

"At the same time, Azerbaijan has always demonstrated its very good
will through the search of every opportunity to find a peaceful
solution for the conflict and we do not believe that diplomatic
options are exhausted," he said.

According to Ibrahim, Armenia, on the contrary, through continued
military aggression demonstrates its unchanged policy of the use
of force, which is intolerable. "The UN Charter article 51 gives
a full right of self-defense if an armed attack occurs, while we
see a paradox when aggressor state Armenia surpasses a victim of
aggression Azerbaijan in military expenditures as percentage of GDP:
4.3 vs. 3.8. Besides, Armenia has heavily militarized separatists in
Nagorno-Karabakh," he said.

Azerbaijan values the position of international community, which has
unequivocally supported territorial integrity of Azerbaijan through
adoption of resolutions, statements, decisions both on the State
and international organization levels, and we strongly believe that
propaganda by Armenian officials will ring another alarm bell on the
real intentions of the Government of Armenia.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: AZERBAIJAN HINDERED OSCE MONITORING

2007-12-19 11:04:00

ArmInfo. The interval between the OSCE monitorings on the contact
line of Armenian and Nagorno-Karabakh, and Azeri armed forces is
conditioned by the fact that Azerbaijan started hindering the work
of Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej
Kasprzyk, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said at a
press-conference, Tuesday.

At the same time, the minister stressed that such behavior complies
with no party’s interests. "We presented this issue to Moratinos (the
OSCE Chairman-in-Office), pointing out the phenomenon’s danger. The
issue seems to be settled", V.Oskanian said.

To recall, during one of the previous monitorings Azerbaijan brought
down fire on the monitoring participants. There were no victims,
however, monitorings were suspended for some period. The OSCE is
planning to hold the next monitoring on the Armenian and Azeri armed
forces’ contact line on December 19.

U.S. STANDS FOR SOONEST NORMALIZATION OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
17.12.2007 17:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The U.S. would like soonest normalization of the
Armenian-Turkish relations and opening of the border, U.S. Charge
d’Affaires in Armenia Joseph Pennington told a news conference
in Yerevan.

"We call on governments of both states to open dialogue and the sooner
it happens the better. We also insist on cancellation of article
301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which restricts freedom of speech and
expression," he said.

Ankara closed the Armenian-Turkish border in 1993 to support Azerbaijan
in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

There are no diplomatic relations between the two states. Turkey
urges Armenia to stop pressing for international recognition of the
Armenian Genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1915, when
1.5 million of Armenians were slaughtered.

ARMENIAN GAS IMPORTS TO AMOUNT TO 2 BILLION CUBIC METERS BY YEAREND

ARMENPRESS
Dec 17 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS: Some 1.782,700 bln cubic meters
of natural has were shipped to Armenia from Russia across Georgia in
January-November this year, up from 1.715.700 bln cubic meters from
a year before.

Over 434 million cubic meters of gas were consumed this year by
Armenian households, 360 million by industrial enterprises and 447
million by power generating plants.

Shushan Sardarian, a spokeswoman for ArmRosGazprom (ARG)
Russian-Armenian joint venture, the only supplier of gas to Armenia,
said the company invested about $82 million in 2002-2007 in bringing
gas to Armenian villages and towns and enterprises.

She said the country boasts the highest rate of natural gas
availability not only among all former Soviet nations, but in the
world- 87.3 percent, up from 21 percent in 2002.

She said 446 urban and rural settlements across the country are
connected to the natural gas network, 98 did not have it under the
Soviets. Gas is available now in Yerevan’s districts of Davidashen
and South-West.

The overall length of gas distribution networks handled by ARG is
11,573 km. According to some estimates, use of natural gas allows
Armenian households to save around $300 million a year. Owners of
vehicles converted to work on natural gas save annually up to $200
million.

Wine and cheese tasting held in the US Embassy

armradio.am
15.12.2007 11:45

On December 14, the Center for Agribusiness and Rural Development
(CARD) and the US Embassy held their annual Wine and Cheese Tasting.
Each year, this event allows retailers, restaurant owners, local
vendors, and members of the international community to sample wine and
cheese produced by Armenian producers supported by CARD.

This year, 10 cheese producers and 7 wine producers, presented 19
varieties of local cheese and 17 types of Armenian wines. New cheeses
were presented for tasting, among them: Ricotta, Gouda, Cheese
khinkali, Blue cheese, Tommy(goat cheese) and Feta type sheep cheese.
The event concluded with the serving of sweet wine and Armenian
chocolates.

The Center for Agribusiness and Rural Development /CARD/ assists
farmers and agribusiness in the production and marketing of food and
related products to increase incomes and create jobs leading to
sustainable livelihoods for rural population. Beginning on-farm, CARD
transforms low profit commodities into profitable, high value added
products.

FOUR-VOLUME BOOK OF "ARMENIAN HISTORY" TO BE PUBLISHED IN 2008

Noyan Tapan
Dec 13, 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 13, NOYAN TAPAN. The four-volume book of the
"Armenian History" will be published by the History Institute
of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia
in 2008. According to the information provided to a Noyan Tapan
correspondent by Gnel Grigorian, the Deputy Head of the Institute,
65 million drams (approximately 216 thousand U.S. dollars) has been
allocated by the state budget for the publication of the book in
four volumes.

According to Gnel Grigorian, the eight-volume book of the "Armenian
History" was published in the soviet years, in which, however, there is
a certain ideological direction characteristic of those years. Certain
issues, which mainly concern the history of the newest period of
Armenia, that is the 1917-60s, were not covered with the necessary
depth, or were distorted: in particular, issues concerning the first
Republic of Armenia (1918), the national liberation movements were
overlooked, as regards the role of the political parties, except the
communist party, it is not mentioned at all.

The history of the Armenian Apostolic Church as well is introduced
in an incomplete and misrepresented way.

In the words of Gnel Grigorian, after the Armenia became independent
a task has been set in front of historians to review the issues, which
were incompletely and not unbiassedly covered in that publication and
introduce them objectively in the book in four volumes to be published.

The first volume of the new publication of the "Armenian History"
includes the period starting from the ancient times up to the beginning
of the 4th century: the adoption of Christianity. The second volume
comprises the period strting from the fourth century up to the middle
of the 17th one, where the beginning of the Armenian liberation
movements, as well as the role of the political parties will be
presented. The third one will include the period starting from the
half of the 17th century up to 1918: the declaration of the first
Republic of Armenia, and, finally, the fourth volume will comprise the
period lying between 1918 and 2002-2003. According to Gnel Grigorian,
some volumes are likely to have additional sections.

Numerous photos and more than hundred maps will be placed in the
volumes.

It was mentioned that the book in four volumes will also be published
in the English and Russian languages.

ARMENIA SHOULD BRING CRUX OF KARABAKH ISSUE TO NOTION OF ARAB WORLD

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.12.2007 17:01 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia should bring the crux of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict to the notion of the Arab world, said RA Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian during a visit to the UAE.

"Baku has the possibility to unilaterally express its position on
the Karabakh issue in the Organization of Islamic Conference. In
this respect, visits of Armenian officials to Arab states are very
important.

The current visit offers a wonderful possibility to tell about the
true state of affairs and present Armenia’s position on the issue,"
the Minister said, the Public Television of Armenia reports.

SOCIAL ASSIGNMENTS WILL RISE BY 56.9 PERCENT

KarabakhOpen
14-12-2007 12:10:23

In 2008 budget expenditure will increase by 35 percent. Social
assignments will grow by 56.9 percent compared with 2007, because
retirement benefits and social benefits will be raised, and social
programs will be developed.

According to the budget bill, the average retirement benefit in 2008
will total 23,800 drams compared with 14,153 in 2007. Assignments
for social benefit will increase by about one billion and total 2
billion 632.3 million drams.

The birth rate stimulation program will be revised. On the birth of the
third child the parents will get 500 thousand drams, and 500 thousand
drams will be deposited at a bank, on the birth of the fourth child
the assistance and the deposit will be 700 thousand drams each.

In 2008 assignments for the health sector will grow by 45 percent,
education by 27.6 percent. The average salary of teachers will total
85,700 drams compared with 70,900 in 2007.

The budget bill provides for a 20 percent raise of salaries of workers
of cultural establishments. New cultural establishments will be set up.

WAS TURKEY BEHIND THE KIDNAPPING OF AN ASSYRIAN MONK?

Assyrian International News Agency AINA
Dec 13 2007

Stockholm — Father Daniel Savci was kidnapped on November 28, 2007
at 14:00 on his way to his monastery in the village of Baristepe, in
Turabdin, south east Turkey. Two cars were involved. The kidnapping
took place when the Turkish military was on its highest alert in the
region, with check points on roads in the entire area because of a
subsequent military operation against the Kurdistan Workers Party
(PKK) guerillas in north Iraq.

It became evident early on that forces within the Turkish state were
behind the kidnapping. The monk was transported by the kidnappers to
a place in the town of Batman, 90 kilometers north of his village,
despite all the check points set up by the military.

The Turkish daily Hurriet quickly reported online that the monk had
been kidnapped by the PKK, only to retract the story 30 minutes later
and state that the kidnapping was by "unknown perpetrators."

The next day the Turkish command officers were unusually relaxed in
their contacts with Assyrian representatives and guaranteed that the
monk would be found unharmed. It became clear that the military could
influence how the kidnapping would develop and resolve. On the same
day, the governor in the county of Mardin told the newspaper Milliyet
"the state will arrest the perpetrators soon and this will be a happy
news without any injuries to Daniel Savci".

Shortly after the release of the monk, the same governor told Milliyet,
on November 30, that he had called Prime Minister Erdogan to tell him
about the release, but because of circumstances concerning "the safety
of the state" he could not reveal the identity of the kidnappers.

Since then it has been revealed that one of the kidnappers was a
village guard. The village guards are a militia, equipped and backed
by the state to fight against the PKK. The militias stand therefore
under the control of the Turkish state. Village guard Halil Esen
was detained on 4 December together with the other kidnappers; all
are awaiting indictment. It is highly unlikely that this village
guard committed this act without the knowledge and sanction of his
superiors. It has been suggested the plan was to kill the Assyrian
monk and blame the PKK, hence providing a pretext for military action.

Without a thorough investigation by the Turkish government, and so
long as the Swedish government and the EU do not pressure Turkey to
investigate, the incident will be swept under the rug and similar
things will happen again.

The murder of Armenian journalist Hrant Dink took place with the
approval and knowledge of influential police officers, military
personnel and politicians; so, too, for the murder of three
missionaries in the city of Malatya. The Turkish state has so far
done everything to cover up these murders.

This is an outright violation of the resolution of the EU parliament
from 2005. In point 14 the resolution states: "The European parliament
encourages the commission to halt the membership negotiations with
Turkey if principles of freedom, democracy, respect for the human
rights, rights of minorities and the principles a state governed by
law are violated against in a continuous and serious manner, as is
agreed upon in the EU charter."

It is time for the EU to show integrity and follow its own resolution
and halt all economic aid to Turkey.

ARMENIAN SPORTSMAN BRINGS A BRONZE MEDAL FROM KRASNODAR

Panorama.am
14:46 12/12/2007

Free style wrestling international tournament finished in Russian
Krasnodar. The Armenian national team was successful in the
tournament. Jirair Hovanisyan could win a bronze medal among 66 kg
weight category. David Safaryan, an Armenian national, won the silver
medal in the same weight category. Another Armenian national sportsman,
Ashot Terteryan, is in the third place among 55 kg weight category.