Author: Kharatian Ani

TIGRAN TOROSYAN DISAGREES WITH ARF CLAIMS

Lragir, Armenia
10-09-2007 16:15:51

Today Speaker Tigran Torosyan held a news conference and said the
only realistic resolution on the NKR status can be that based on the
right for self-determination. With regard to a recent statement by
Hrair Karapetyan, chair of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun’s faction, that
if the Minsk Group eventually fails, the ARF Dashnaktsutyun will
claim unification of NKR with Armenia, Tigran Torosyan said the
international community may evaluate this move as aggression of a
member of the Council of Europe against another member of the CoE.

In answer to the question if Armenia is likely to deal with the
recently frequent arrests of Armenian citizens in Georgia, Tigran
Torosyan said official Yerevan and Georgia have a number of issues
to settle. Regnum reported that among these issues Tigran Torosyan
mentioned the Armenians of Javakheti, the Armenian churches in Georgia
and the Armenian and Georgian relations.

BIG BROTHER 8: AN INTERVIEW WITH ZACH’S LONG TIME FRIEND, RAGE

TVGrapevine.com, SC
September 09, 2007, 09:17:04 PM

An Interview with Zach’s Long Time Friend, Rage by honeySC

I was able to get in touch with Rage, a good friend of Zach
Swerdzewski, who is one of the final three houseguests vying for the
half million dollars on Big Brother 8 this summer. Rage graciously
shared his view of Zach.

How long have you known Zach Swerdzewski?

I have known Zach for six years, which is a long time in LA.

Can you tell us how you view your friendship?

He is the best friend in the world and incredibly loyal. He can be
a very straightforward person at times, but it is never done in an
angry, hurtful way.

Zach has been acused of being racist. What is your response to that?

As for him being prejudiced, I can’t help but laugh my a** off
considering that before he went on the show, his last roommate was
openly gay. Zach has a multitude of friends spanning the spectrum from
Armenians to African Americans. These are people we call friends and
not just people on the street that we say hello to. So no, he is not
in any way racist.

How would you characterize Zach?

Remember that kid in school who would stand beside you when you were
about to get in a fight, and even though you both knew that you were
gonna get your a** kicked, he said, "You are my friend and I ain’t
going nowhere?" Well, meet Zach. He is that kind of friend, the kind
that will stand beside you, the friend you can really count on when
you need one.

Zach may be facing America’s vote through America’s Player in just
a few days. Is there anything you can tell us to help us decide how
to cast that vote?

Well, ED’s firends have all been on camera proclaiming that for all the
profanity, spewing, controlling patterns, and all the other wonderful
stuff, that he is actually the best friend in the world and incredibly
loyal. With Zach, you can take out all the negative and there you
have Zach. And that spoiled little kid in school who always acted
out and got what he wanted by doing so, that kid who hated himself
and felt he had to demean everybody? That is ED. Now remember the
kid who stood up for you and stood by you even in a losing battle,
who made you stronger just by standing with you? That is Zach. So,
America, you decide who you would rather win, and look at what kind
of behavior you are rewarding.

Tvgrapevine would like to thank you, Rage, for your time and for
sharing with us.

Panorama.am

13:27 08/09/2007

TIME FOR SELLING EXPIRED MEDICINE PASSED, DEPUTY HEALTH MINISTER SAYS

There are many cases of drug poisoning in recent reports of the
Armenian Rescue Services. Why is that so? Is it possible that the
pharmacies sell expired medicine? Tatul Hakobyan, deputy health
minister, excluded that possibility saying, `times for selling expired
medicine have passed.’ Hakobyan warned the media against disseminating
such information.

In the words of Hakobyan, they are making regular inspection at the
pharmacies to check their compliances with the standards. In case of
violations of sanitary norms, the pharmacies are fined.

The deputy minister said they have found no cases of `non-registered’
drugs in the pharmacies, however, he did not exclude such
possibilities.

Source: Panorama.am

SWINE DISEASE OUTBREAK ‘UNDER CONTROL’
By Shakeh Avoyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Sept 5 2007

A senior government official assured the public on Wednesday that the
outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) registered in northern Armenia
last month is "under control" despite having reached Yerevan.

The disease, which mainly affects pigs, was first detected in a
village near the Georgian border on August 7 before spreading to
six other rural communities in the Lori and Tavush regions. Armenian
veterinary authorities say it was the cause of mass deaths of pigs
reported by local farmers.

The Agriculture Ministry quarantined those communities late last
month, ordering a mandatory cull of all pigs. Police and veterinary
services set up joint roadblocks outside the villages to enforce the
extraordinary measure.

According to Grigor Baghian, head of the ministry’s Food Safety
and Veterinary Inspectorate, some 1,700 animals have already been
slaughtered in the area. Armenia’s entire pig population is estimated
at between 180,00 and 220,000.

Baghian said the measures did not prevent ASF from reaching a pig
farm in Yerevan this week. But he seemed confident that the disease
outbreak will be contained, saying that his agency has already sent
out detailed instructions to farmers across the country on how to
detect and prevent the virus. "Rest assured that the situation is
under control," he told a news conference.

Baghian also emphasized the fact that ASF does not affect other
domestic animals and humans. "As far as human beings are concerned,
there is nothing to be worried about," he said. "People won’t be
infected by this disease."

Despite such assurances, sales of pork have visibly decreased in
Yerevan over the past week. Pork prices have also dropped as a result.

Baghian admitted that Armenian veterinary experts lack detailed
knowledge of the disease, which rarely occurs outside Africa and has
not been reported in the South Caucasus before. He said they need
the assistance of their Western colleagues and want to send virus
samples to a specialized laboratory in Britain for that purpose.

"Unfortunately, our airport is not prepared to handle such a shipment
right now," he added.

Baghian also reiterated his agency’s belief that the disease spilled
into Armenia from Georgia where an ASF outbreak occurred on a larger
scale earlier this summer. Tens of thousands of pigs died or were
culled there as a result.

MTS PRESIDENT DESCRIBED AS "QUITE PROBABLE" THE DEAL ON PURCHASING VIVACELL

Mediamax Agency, Armenia
Sept 5 2007

Yerevan, September 5 /Mediamax/. President of the Russian MTS mobile
operator Leonid Melamed confirmed that the company is holding talks
on the purchase of the Armenian VivaCell operator.

As the Russian newspapers report, Leonid Melamed said this on September
4 after the session of the Board of Directors of MTS, during which the
renewed strategy of development of the company was being considered.

Leonid Melamed stated that the talks with VivaCell are not yet
concluded, noting at that that the deal on purchasing the company is
"quite probable".

IRAN, ARMENIA TO CUT TRADE TARIFFS

IranMania News, Iran
Sept 5 2007

LONDON, September 5 (IranMania) – The head of Iran-Armenia Joint
Chamber of Commerce announced that the sides? trade tariffs will
decrease to help grow bilateral economic cooperation, MNA reported.

Levon Aharonian told MNA that the tariffs of some products will slump
to zero.

Despite the sides? high economic potentials, the trade volume, valued
at about $200 million, is not desirable and has to reach one billion
dollars per annum.

He referred to construction of Aras 170MW hydroelectric power plant,
establishment of railway linking the two states, and transmission of
power to Armenia and Georgia, predicting a rising trade volume for
the countries.

The sides made the decisions in the seventh session of the Iran-Armenia
Joint Economic Cooperation Commission in Yerevan.

The commission was chaired by Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr
Mottaki and Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan.

The commission discussed cooperation in the areas of trade, energy,
health, transportation, science, and culture.

ARMENIAN YOUTH PARTICIPATE IN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

Panorama.am
19:02 05/09/2007

A delegation of Armenian youth participated in the "Youth speaks,
we listen" international conference held in Sharm-al-Sheikh, Egypt,
from September 1-3, and which was organized by the International
Women’s Movement, led by Egypt’s first lady, Susanna Mubarak.

According to the Armenian foreign ministry’s information service,
delegations from 100 countries participated (around 1,000
participants).

During the September 2 gathering, Mubarak greeted the Armenian
delegation, expressing thanks for their participation and her
satisfaction that this was the result of agreements made during
President Kocharian’s visit to Egypt in April. The first lady placed
importance on the continuation and development of similar conferences
at international and regional levels.

Representative of the Armenian sport and youth minister, A. Poghosyan,
expressed his thanks for the invitation to the well-organized
conference, while passing on greetings from Armenia’s first lady.

At the September 3 closing ceremony the Armenian delegation was given
the honor of taking part, with one of its own delegation members,
the well known singer, Siranush Harutyunyan.

AZERI MP, OFFICIAL CONDEMN DAGESTANI SCHOLAR’S STATEMENT AT YEREVAN CONFERENCE

Azerbaijani news agency APA
3 Sep 07
Baku

An Azerbaijani MP and a Foreign Ministry official have condemned a
statement made by a historian from the Russian republic of Dagestan
in Armenia that the Avars, an ethnic group, living in northern
Azerbaijan are striving for autonomy. They described the statement
as "provocative" and said that the Avars support Azerbaijan’s
statehood. The following is the text of report by Azerbaijani news
agency APA:

"Occasionally, there are various provocations against Azerbaijan,
and this is one of them. The Avars living in Azerbaijan have never
had any plans on that score," a member of parliament from Balakan
[northern Azerbaijan], a master of sciences in philosophy and chief
lecturer, Rabiyyat Aslanova, has told APA.

Expressing her attitude to the statement made by the professor
of Dagestan State University, Timur Aytberov, at the symposium
"Caucasian Albania: Statehood and Ethno-Cultural Legacy" held in
Armenia that the Avars living in Azerbaijan intend to attain autonomy,
Aslanova described it as an attempt to disrupt peace and stability
in Azerbaijan.

"The national minorities living in Azerbaijan have accepted the
greatest idea of Azerbaijani statehood as their conviction. The Avars
living in Azerbaijan have never had such an intention. Representatives
of national minorities have always expressed their attitude to such
words and provocative steps. I don’t know who this person is, because
as a scientist, his name is not known to the scientific community. Nor
do we know him as a public figure. He has no right to speak on behalf
of the Avar people, especially the national minorities living in
Azerbaijan. As a member of parliament from that region, I state that
all talk about ‘national minorities or national majorities’ is totally
alien to Balakan. We are against raising this issue. Representatives
of every people, nation and ethnic group living in Azerbaijan are
guided by the great idea of Azerbaijani statehood and take special
pride in being citizens of this country," [she said].

The head of the press office of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry,
Xazar Ibrahim, who expressed his view on the issue, described the
statement made on behalf of the Avars as a provocation: "Armenia is
using various people who call themselves scientists and is trying
to stake more territorial claims to Azerbaijan. The international
community and regional countries must take this into account. I hope
that Armenia will study the history of Caucasian Albania [an ancient
kingdom that existed on the territory of present-day Azerbaijan]
and realize that all its claims are totally groundless," [he said].

TERMS OF OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS’ VISIT TO REGION PRELIMINARILY SET FOR SEPTEMBER 15-17

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.09.2007 17:19 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian in Brussels was held by initiative of the OSCE MG mediators
Bernard Fassier (France) and Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia), RA MFA Spokesman
Vladimir Karapetian told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporters.

"The Co-chairs briefed the Armenian Minister on the yesterday’s
meeting with Azeri FM Elmar Mammadyarov.

They touched upon the Karabakh negotiation process and outlined a
schedule for the near future as well as discussed possible steps
to smooth discrepancies of the presidential meeting held in Saint
Petersburg July 9," Mr Karapetian said.

"The terms of the Co-chairs’ visit to the region was preliminarily
set for September 15-17," he added.

AFRICAN PLAGUE: IN CAPITAL?

Panorama.am
16:13 04/09/2007

Armenian veterinary surgeons have developed a program on "Fight
against Plague" and submitted it to the government, veterinary science
inspection head, Grisha Baghyan, told Panorama.am. Baghyan hopes
that the executive will approve the program in its Thursday session
already. Before the program will become effective, the veterinary
surgeons have taken preventive measures in hot spots of the plague,
Lory and Tavush region – they are disinfecting the surroundings
and killing pigs. "In some villages we have killed dozens of them
eliminating them from the village totally," Baghyan said.

Yesterday information was disseminated that pigs infected with plague
have been detected in one of Yerevan pigsties. Asked if that may be
"African Plague," Baghyan said no final laboratory checks have been
made. "It is not excluded that it is the same "African Plague,"
Baghyan said.