Author: Khondkarian Raffi

NEW PROBLEMS AND NEW THREATS
By David Petrosyan

The military rhetoric of the higher political circles of Azerbaijan
has strengthened. Perhaps, we may consider as its peak the speech of
President Ilham Aliyev made on June 22 of the current year, during
the solemn ceremony dedicated to the regular graduation at Heydar
Aliyev higher military school of Azerbaijan. During his speech Ilham
Aliyev especially emphasized that:

– the expenditures in the defence sphere have increased
for eight times during the four years of his presidency,

– the military expenditures take the first place in
Azerbaijan’s state budget today,

– Azerbaijan buys up a great number of arms, ammunition,
military equipment and military planes,

– Azerbaijan does not want to solve the problem by war,
but should be ready for this.

And further some key phrases of President Ilham Aliyev characterizing
the moods of the official Baku:

– Nagorno Karabakh will be never given independence. If the
international community did not recognize the independence
of Nagorno Karabakh in mid-1990-s, when Azerbaijan was
insufficiently strong economically and politically, it
will never recognize its independence, when Azerbaijan
has become a strong state. Nagorno Karabakh will be never
joined with Armenia. The sooner they understand this in
Armenia and in Nagorno Karabakh, the better for them,

– No matter how hard they try in Armenia to misrepresent
the course of the negotiations, it is no use, as everybody,
including the Armenian party and the country-co-chairs
of the Minsk Group immediately engaged in that issue,
knows about the principles, on the basis of which the
negotiations are carried on. These principles will help
us return all occupied lands of Azerbaijan, will enable
Azeris to return to their native hearths, including in
Nagorno Karabakh. Only after this the future status of
Nagorno Karabakh can be discussed,

– the Armenian party, in the interests of its
domestic policy, often misrepresents the content of
the negotiations. Azerbaijan will never, neither today
nor after 10 or 100 years give consent to the agreement,
which may result in Nagorno Karabakh’s separation from
Azerbaijan. This will never happen. I am sure that the
sooner they understand this in Armenia the better for them.

There were many other interesting things further, but, in our opinion,
in the context of the above mentioned it would be useful to return to
the armed forces of Azerbaijan. Thus, according to the information
of Russian military sources (for instance, A. Tsiganok, "The Levers
of Force of States of Big Caucasus") for 2005:

– the armed forces of Azerbaijan include personnel of
95 thousand men, including: 85000 people in the Land
Forces, 8000 people in the Air Forces and anti-aircraft
defence, 2000 people in the naval forces. The National
Guards includes 2500 people, the troops of the Ministry
of Internal Affairs 12000 people, the frontier guards
5000 people,

– the land forces consist of five army corpses. The first,
second, third army corpses are located in Nagorno Karabakh,
the second army corps partly covers the Azeri-Iranian
border. The fourth (Baku) corps covers the capital and
the sea coast, the fifth is dislocated in Nakhichevan,

The Land Forces include 292 tanks, 706 units of armoured cars
(part of these cars belong to the Ministry of Internal Affairs,
the National Guards and the frontier guards), 405 guns and mortars,
reactive systems of volley fire BM-21-75, PTUR-370,

– the Air Forces include 61 military planes and
helicopters, 46 planes and helicopters of the auxiliary
aviation,

– the naval forces include 14 battleship ships and
launches, 22 auxiliary vessels, but due to the disrepair
of the ships and lack of specialists of the Navy, today
they are unable to fulfil the tasks set.

Simultaneously with Ilham Aliyev’s statements, rather many publications
appeared, which frankly intimidated Armenia and its society with
the threat of a coming war with Azerbaijan, which currently has
a military budget considerably exceeding the Armenian one (912m
USD against 270m USD). In particular, extracts from the American
Internet site Stratfor were published in a number of Armenian
editions of pseudo-liberal orientation. These extracts, in our
opinion, intentionally accentuate attention on the difference in
the militray budgets of the two countries, but also draw off public
opinion, including the American one, from the fact that Azerbaijan
violates the provisions on quotas for offensive armament established
by the Agreement on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. It should
be mentioned that according to the Agreement, a peculiar quantitative
limit (quota) on conventional offensive armament has been established
for Azerbaijan, as well as for Armenia and Georgia. None of the three
South Caucasian countries has the right to have in its armed forces
more than: 220 tanks, 100 military planes, 50 military helicopters,
220 armoured cars, and 285 artillery systems.

After all, one can criticize Baku for its high military budget as much
as he wants (we, in particular, mean harsh criticism of Baku in August
last year by Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the EU Commissar for Foreign
Relations), but, in principle, this is, in essence, intervention
into the internal affairs of that country. Everybody knows that
Azerbaijan sells oil, and how to spend the gained petrodollars, this
is, after all, its own business. But the violation of the Agreement
on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe is not Azerbaijan’s internal
affair at all. The international community’s reaction to this is
rather weak yet. On the whole, unless we take into consideration
the two statements of Robert Simmons, the Secretary General of NATO
to the South Caucasus, who spoke about NATO leadership’s anxiety
about Azerbaijan’s exceeding the Agreement’s quotas, we can say that
the position of the international structures, for the present, is
mainly contemplative. We very much would like to hear the opinion
on violation of Agreement’s quotas, for instance, of:

– the NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer,

– the Chairman of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly,
Pierre Lelouch,

– the Secretary General of CSTO, Nikolay Bordyuzha,

– the Special Representative of the EU in the region,
Peter Semneby,

– the new leadership of OSCE in the person of its
Chairman-in-Office, Mr Miguel Angel Moratinos.

And lastly, we very much would like to learn the reaction on violation
of the Agreement of the Russian and French Foreign Ministries, as
well as the U.S. State Department. Everybody knows that the very
countries are Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group on Nagorno Karabakh
and have been mediators at the negotiations between two out of three
conflict parties (Armenia and Azerbaijan) for a long time. How are
they going to persuade the leadership of Armenia and Azerbaijan to
sign some document/ agreement on the principles of conflict settlement
if they fail to ensure Azerbaijan’s fulfilling the Agreement? Why,
not fulfilling the commitments on the already operating Agreement
on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, should Azerbaijan fulfil
its commitments on the other one (we mean a possible agreement on
the principles of Nagorno Karabakh settlement)? Why should they in
Yerevan and Stepanakert believe the supposed guarantors of agreement
from Washington, Moscow and Paris, if they fail to achieve Baku’s
fulfilment of its commitments within the framework of the Agreement on
Conventional Armed Forces in Europe? Can Yerevan and Tbilisi, making
use of Baku’s violating the Agreement, also violate the established
quotas on offensive armament, and what results will this have in
the end?

We suppose that at present the Agreement on Conventional Armed Forces
in Europe is just one of the corner stones of regional security, the
observance of which helps keep military balance, fragile stability
and a very bad peace, but still peace, in the South Caucasus. If in
Brussels, Washington, Moscow, and Paris they have decided to give up
the Agreement in favor of militarization, threat of war and threat
to the peace in the region, let them declare this openly.

"The Noyan Tapan Highlights" N28, July, 2007

SPOTLIGHT: TOUCHING THE NERVE OF TURKISHNESS
By Vincent Boland

FT
July 20 2007 17:20

In Istanbul on Sunday, in the splendid surroundings of the Ottoman-era
Dolmabahce Palace on the European shore of the Bosphorus, three
people who have done their bit for freedom of expression in Turkey
will receive a small but important acknowledgement. They will receive
the Turkish Journalists’ Association’s annual press freedom prize. It
is a ceremony that coincides with a critical moment in the country’s
continuing battle for and with free speech.

At first glance, the Turkish media seems to be as free, colourful,
irreverent, partisan, corporate-dominated, and occasionally
irresponsible as its British counterpart. Newsstands groan under
the weight of available titles. All-news TV channels proliferate,
offering a nationwide forum for an informative debate during the
general election campaign of the past few weeks. Facts can sometimes be
hard to find in this free-for-all, but there is no shortage of opinion.

Then there is Article 301 of Turkey’s penal code, which changes
the terms of the debate about freedom of expression. This article,
slipped into a revision of the fascist-era code three years ago while
the European Union was looking the other way, aspires to protect
the concept of "Turkishness" – the essence of the republic, its
institutions and its accepted historical narratives – from criticism
or denigration. In practice, this means that any critical questioning
of sensitive historical issues, from Armenia to Cyprus to the Kurds,
can lead to the writer’s prosecution.

The article has been used most assiduously by a group of nationalist
lawyers to prosecute writers, journalists and commentators whose
books, views or articles touched some reactionary nerve or other. This
group makes no apologies for rushing to court at the merest hint of
a slighting of the nation, as if Turkey were a delicate girl whose
honour needed protecting at all costs. Although Turkey has many of the
outward trappings of a liberal democracy, its governing institutions
are steeped in authoritarianism. They have little truck with those
whose patriotism they would question.

Kemal Kerincsiz, chairman of the jurists’ union that has brought most
of the prosecutions, says: "Some countries can survive without this
type of law, but Turkey cannot. It is vital to protect the Turkish
nation if it is to remain standing." Turkey’s original penal code in
effect prohibited everything that was not specifically authorised. The
revised version has remnants of this thinking, which is why Article
301 seems to fit so snugly into it.

Most of the cases brought under Article 301 have failed, but not before
the defendants have gone to the expense and trouble of putting up a
defence against such a slippery charge. The recipients of tomorrow’s
award, a citation that has been given since 1989, are not the only
people to have had to endure this painful and degrading process,
but they are among the most prominent and admired. They are being
given the award "in the name of all journalists and writers who have
suffered under Article 301".

One of the recipients is Ragip Zarakolu, one of Turkey’s leading
publishers and the frequent target of prosecutions and attacks by
the far right. His firm, Belge, has published historical books that
enrage die-hard nationalists – especially on the painful subject of
Armenia and the mass murder of Ottoman Armenians in the last days of
the empire. Another is Gulcin Cayligil, a prominent lawyer who has
defended many journalists facing prosecution under the article.

The third recipient will be present only in spirit. Hrant Dink,
the Turkish-Armenian publisher of Agos, a weekly newspaper in the
Turkish and Armenian languages, was murdered in January on an Istanbul
street. He had been a pioneer in urging Turkey to come to terms with
the mass murder of Armenians during the last days of the Ottoman
Empire. A 17-year-old boy is on trial for his murder and has cited
Dink’s opinions and comments, as reported on nationalist websites,
as a motive.

The measure remains on the statute book in spite of condemnation from
bodies such as the EU, which Turkey is hoping to join, and Amnesty
International, and in spite of an occasional half-hearted promise
from the outgoing government that it might amend it. So Turkey’s
commitment to freedom of expression will always be less than it seems,
critics and victims of the article say. As Orhan Erinc, chairman of
the committee that chose this year’s winners, says: "The fact we keep
having to give this prize is proof that, despite what the politicians
say, freedom of expression is still not guaranteed in Turkey."

SEPARATIST SAAKYAN WINS KARABAKH POLL

Reuters
Peninsula On-line, Qatar
July 21 2007

STEPANAKERT ~U Bako Saakyan, a former security chief, has won 85 per
cent of the votes in a leadership election in the Azeri breakaway
region of Nagorno-Karabakh, the central election commission said
yesterday.

The data is preliminary and final results was to be announced later.

Karabakh declared independence from Azerbaijan in the 1990s but no
country has recognised it. The 46-year-old Saakyan says he wants full
independence for the enclave from Azerbaijan, and has vowed to make the
sliver of land and its 140,000 people "an example of democratic rule".

"I like Saakyan’s programme because he promised to raise pensions and
give financial assistance to people," said 66-year-old Shura Sachinyan,
an ethnic Armenian refugee.

Muslim Azerbaijan, which lost control of Nagorno-Karabakh after a
war against Armenia in the early 1990s, has denounced the election
as illegal under international law.

Analysts said the vote could be used by the ethnic Armenian enclave
to affirm independence from Azerbaijan.

Karabakh leader Arkady Gukasyan, who is stepping down after holding
the post for two five-year terms, has tried to make a parallel with
the Serbian province of Kosovo, saying that if Kosovo gets independence
then Karabakh should have it too.

The election was largely personality driven. Saakyan’s main rival,
the 39-year-old Masis Mailyan, who also wants full independence,
has won just over 12 per cent of the vote, the preliminary data showed.

The commission said turnout had been around 77 per cent.

Many of the Azeri minority fled during fighting which killed more
than 35,000 people before a ceasefire was brokered in 1994.

AZERBAIJAN FLEXES MILITARY MUSCLES
By Jasur Mamedov in Baku

Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
July 19 2007

Calls for Baku to quit CFE treaty as it boosts defence spending.

Calls are increasing in Azerbaijan for a review of the country’s
quotas under the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty. Otherwise,
the voices say, Azerbaijan should withdraw from the agreement.

The demands have become louder after Russia’s recent announcement
that it was suspending its participation in the CFE treaty, which
sets limits on the amount of weaponry European countries can hold on
their territories.

They coincide with a massive increase in Azerbaijan’s military
budget which is worrying some observers, who say that it increases
the likelihood of the resumption of war over Nagorny Karabakh, the
territory left under Armenian control after the conflict of 1991-4.

"NATO is worried about the mass arming in the zone of the conflict over
Nagorny Karabakh," Robert Simmons, NATO secretary general’s special
representative for the South Caucasus and Central Asia, said after a
visit to Azerbaijan in March. "Azerbaijan and Armenia have exceeded
the arms limits set in the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty."

In Azerbaijan itself, the possibility of the collapse of CFE is
being broadly welcomed. "This move is positive for Azerbaijan: since
we intend to build up our military capacities, Russia’s withdrawal
unties our hands," said political expert Ilgar Mamedov. "Now it’s
important for our authorities not to make any concessions to those
forces that will try to make us adhere to CFE limits."

Many in Azerbaijan are displeased with the quotas set for Baku by the
treaty, saying that they discriminate against the country in relation
to its smaller neighbour and foe, Armenia.

The soaring growth of Azerbaijan’s military budget has been made
possible by the country’s huge new oil revenues. The overall 2007
defence budget is 907 million manats (just over one billion US
dollars). Military expenditure has increased by 27.9 per cent,
in comparison to last year and now accounts for 16 per cent of the
entire state budget.

Of the sum, 796 million manats will go to the defence ministry and
110 million manats to the recently formed defence industry ministry.

The Doctrine military research centre in Baku says that Azerbaijan’s
military spending per capita, now 105 dollars a year, easily exceeds
that of Armenia and Georgia, 70 and 65 dollars respectively.

Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliev said on television that his
country’s defence budget was now eight times larger than it was
four years ago and that military expenditure was the number one
spending priority. "This is because we live in a state of war and our
territories are occupied," he said. "The war is not over yet. There
is only a ceasefire being observed."

He said Azerbaijan’s military budget was now equal to the entire
state budget of Armenia and would be further increased.

In recent weeks – following the latest failure of the presidents of
Armenia and Azerbaijan to make a diplomatic breakthrough in talks on
the Karabakh dispute last month – Azerbaijan leaders have been more
aggressive in their rhetoric and more openly talking about going back
to war with Armenia.

"In the military sense Azerbaijan is the strongest state in the
region," President Aliev told Azerbaijan’s Police Academy on July 2.

"Armenia should understand that and voluntarily withdraw its forces
from lands that do not belong to it. Then there will be no war.

"No one wants losses but we are gathering strength and at any moment
we are ready to carry out any operation. Azerbaijan will never consent
to the preservation of the status quo."

According to 2004 statistics, there are 78,000 military personnel
and 4,000 civilians serving in Azerbaijan’s armed forces.

Azerbaijan has been buying new weapons and equipment, including 12
long-range multiple rocket-launch systems, new artillery, anti-tank
weapons, T-72 tanks and MiG-29 fighter aircraft.

With regard to the breaching of the CFE treaty, Azerbaijani foreign
ministry spokesman Khazar Ibrahim told IWPR that Armenia was at fault
for keeping armed forces in Nagorny Karabakh.

"On Azerbaijan’s occupied territories there are armed forces that
have transgressed both territorial and national limits, and these
belong to Armenia," he said. "They have exceeded the national limits
of both Azerbaijan and Armenia. As a matter of fact, Armenia has been
able to conceal its military forces’ armaments that are not allowed
under the CFE. These include tanks, armoured machinery, artilleries
and helicopters. This is where most attention should be directed."

Asked about Azerbaijan’s alleged violation of CFE limits, Ibrahim said
the treaty contained provisions that allow for the liquidation of old
weapons and the purchase of new ones. "Naturally, Azerbaijan has been
buying new weapons to bring its military forces in line with modern
standards," he said. "Not only Azerbaijan, but many other countries
may exceed their limits while replacing their old weapons with new
ones. One should not dramatize this issue."

Concerns have also been raised both in NATO – which has given
Azerbaijan an Individual Partner Action Plan to fulfil that insists
on a more transparent defence ministry – and inside the country that
the military budget is opaque and it is not clear what the vast influx
of new money is being spent on.

Military expert and colonel in the army reserve Ildyr Mamedov said
that Azerbaijan’s military forces were bloated and that too much was
being spent on weaponry rather than the social needs of soldiers. He
said the budget was creating conditions for corruption.

Yashar Jafarli, who heads the public organisation Officers in Reserve,
noted that in most countries there was a 50-50 split between spending
on weaponry and on salaries and social needs, but that in Azerbaijan
the proportion was 60-40 in favour of weapons.

Uzeir Jafarov, a lieutenant-colonel in the army reserve, also voiced
concerns that living conditions of soldiers were not improving.

An Azerbaijani lieutenant earns 250-300 dollars a month, while a
major takes home over twice that amount. But ordinary soldiers and
sergeants earn only between five and fifteen dollars a month.

Jafarov said that the defence minister still owed retired military
personnel around 100 million dollars, or between 300 and 700 dollars
a person.

"Just imagine, the defence ministry is not honouring more than 200
court decisions from the Sabail district [of Baku] alone," said
Jafarov. "The supposed explanation for this is that the finance
minister is not giving the defence ministry the money to make these
compensation payments.

"Moreover, in January last year the president signed a decree on
increasing food allowances for the military but it still has not been
implemented. Every office gets just 30 dollars a day to feed himself.

So what is the point of increasing the military budget?"

Jasur Mamedov is editor of the Armeiskoe Zerkalo newspaper in Baku.

IRAN TALKS UP TRADE WITH ARMENIA
By M. Alkhazashvili
(Translated by Diana Dundua)

The Messenger, Georgia
July 19 2007

Speaking in Yerevan on Tuesday, the head of the economic cooperation
department of the Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry, Sayed Mehdi
Mirabutalebi, stated that political dialogue between Iran and
Armenia is at a higher level than simply economic cooperation. And,
he says, it’s significant that concrete steps are being made to deepen
economic ties.

The news agency Regnum reports that Mehdi Mirabutalebi emphasized
the importance of a free trade regime between the two countries in
increasing trade turnover. He predicted that trade in 2007 should
hit USD 1 billion in value.

In 2006, trade turnover between Iran and Armenia was just USD 150
million, according to Regnum.

Iranian and Armenian officials are expected to sign a free trade
agreement on July 20 at an intergovernmental conference.

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email [email protected]
Internet

PRESS RELEASE
July 19, 2007
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

Press Release

For Immediate Release
Date: July 13, 2007
Contact: Elizabeth Chouldjian
Tel: 202-775-1918

ORANGE COUNTY ACTIVIST DISCUSSES COMMUNITY CONCERNS WITH REP. ED
ROYCE

Washington, DC- ANCA Leo Sarkisian intern and Orange County native
Alex Der Alexanian met with Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA-40) in his
Washington, DC office thanking him for his ongoing support of
Armenian Genocide legislation and exploring avenues to increase
support for this key human rights legislation, the Armenian
Genocide Resolution.

"The Genocide Resolution is currently at a crucial stage with the
majority of the House of Representatives as cosponsors" said Der
Alexanian. "I appreciated the opportunity to Visitwith Rep. Royce
to have a greater understanding of the political dynamics
surrounding the consideration of this measure and explore ways we
can increase Congressional support."

Der Alexanian and ANCA Legislative Affairs Director Raffi
Karakashian discussed an array of Armenian American concerns with
Rep. Royce. Following the discussion, Der Alexanian proceeded to
thank the Congressman for cosponsoring for H. Res 106 and urged him
to encourage his colleagues to do the same. Der Alexanian, is a
student at California State University, Fullerton, which is also
Rep. Royce’s Alma Matter.

Rep. Ed Royce represents the 40th district of California covering
cities in western and northern Orange County. As a long time
advocate for human rights, and a member of the Armenian Caucus,
Rep. Royce has been leading cosponsor of Armenian Genocide
legislation throughout his years in Congress. In addition to
cosponsoring the Genocide bill, Congressman Royce regularly
participates in Armenian community events within his district. In
2005, the Orange County ANC awarded Rep. Royce the prestigious
"Freedom Award."

Der Alexanian met with Royce as part of the 2007 ANCA Leo Sarkisian
Internship Program, an eight-week intensive public affairs training
program, which annually brings young Armenian Americans together in
the nation’s capital. The program emphasizes building
relationships within the United States Congress and, as such,
requires each intern to arrange a meeting with their respective
elected officials. Der Alexanian’s meeting was one of many
successful dialogues ANCA interns have held with Congressional
leaders throughout the summer.

The ANCA Leo Sarkisian Internship is an integral part of the ANCA
Capital Gateway program, a year-round internship / job placement
service which provides Armenian Americans greater opportunities to
explore careers on Capitol Hill, in the U.S. Foreign Service and
key Washington, DC foreign policy think tanks. To learn more about
the ANCA Capital Gateway Program, visit:
w.php

#####

Photo Caption: Orange County AYF Member and ANC activist Alex Der
Alexanian with Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA)

Reporters without borders (press release), France
July 18 2007

Six months after editor’s murder, authorities warned that incomplete
trial will not be accepted

Reporters Without Borders today voiced its support for the demands
of the family, friends and colleagues of Hrant Dink, a newspaper
editor of Armenian descent who was gunned down in Istanbul exactly
six months ago on 19 January 2007.

"We call on the authorities to pursue their investigation and to shed
light on all aspects of this case," the press freedom organisation
said. "The trial of Dink’s alleged murderers that opened on 2 July
in Istanbul and is due to have its next hearing on 1 October, is a
crucial test for the Turkish judicial system. Its independence is at
stake here."

Reporters Without Borders added: "We will not be satisfied with a
trial in which only some of those responsible for Dink’s murder are
in the dock. All those who played a role must be identified including,
if necessary, those who work for the security services. It is essential
that the judicial system should expose the various connections between
military, police and other officials that may have been involved in
this case."

Reporters Without Borders went to Istanbul for the opening of the trial
and saw the size of the demonstration outside. "We are all witnesses
and we want justice," said one of the banners displayed by the many
demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse.

Born in 1954, Dink was the editor of the weekly Agos, Turkey’s leading
Armenian newspaper. For years he had been urging his fellow citizens
to face up to the issue of the Armenian genocide in 1915.

Although the target of threats and accusations, he always refused to
leave Turkey.

He said in his last interview: "It is here that I want to pursue the
fight, because it is not just my fight, it is the fight of all those
who want Turkey to be democratised. If I give up and leave the country,
it will be a shame for everyone. My ancestors lived in this country,
it is here that I have my roots, and I have the right to die in the
country where I was born."

The 18 defendants are all from Trabzon, a Black Sea city with a
reputation for ultra-nationalist violence. The youngest defendant,
Ogun Samast, 17, is the one who is alleged to have fired the shots
that killed Dink. The two defendants who allegedly got him to do it,
Erhan Tuncel and Yasin Hayal, face life imprisonment. The other 15
defendants are charged with complicity.

USAID AND EBRD SUPPORT SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZE ENTERPRISES IN ARMENIA

Lragir, Armenia
July 16 2007

July 16, 2007, Ambassador Rudolf Perina, Charge d’Affaires a.i. of
the U.S. Embassy, signed an agreement between the U.S. Agency
for International Development (USAID) and the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in support of the EBRD’s Business
Advisory Services (BAS) program. The U.S. Embassy reported that the
BAS Program has two main objectives: (1) to assist small and medium
enterprises (SMEs) in their business development and (2) to support the
professional development of local business consulting service-providing
companies. A minimum of 180 projects are expected to be undertaken
with the help of USAID’s financing. BAS has been operating in Armenia
since May 2003 and has carried out over 365 projects.

Ambassador Perina lauded this new level of cooperation between EBRD
and USAID, highlighting the main goals of the USAID/EBRD three-year
program, which include increasing the number of small and medium
enterprises (SMEs) in Armenia’s rural and poor areas and improving
business productivity and turnover. USAID’s grant will help the
program through 2010.

STATE ASSISTANCE NEEDED FOR PEARLITE PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
Jul 16 2007

YEREVAN, JULY 16, NOYAN TAPAN. Pearlite raw materials of 5-6m cubic
meters were produced annually in Armenia formerly, part of which
was exported.

Hamlet Hakobian, the Chairman of the Ecopearlite company, said this to
journalists on July 13. For instance, Aragats pearlite ore processing
factory, which has not been operating for already several years,
produced annual 100-130 thousand tons of ore formerly, which was
mainly sold in Italy, Belgium, Spain.

H. Hakobian said that new processing technologies and equipment
are needed for developing pearlite production. In his words, this
issue can be solved by cooperating with foreign companies. However,
in H. Hakobian’s words, the state provides no assistance to local
manufacturers in this issue, and the respective laws almost do not
operate.

6TH SHIFT OF ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPERS LEAVING FOR IRAQ JULY 18

PanARMENIAN.Net
16.07.2007 13:54 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The sixth rotation of Armenian peacekeepers
performing their humanitarian mission in Iraq will take place July 18,
2007, RA Defense Minister’s Spokesman, colonel Seyran Shahsuvaryan
told a PanARMENIAN.Net.

The Armenian military have been contributing to stability in Iraq
within the Polish division since January 25, 2005. The fifth shift of
the Armenian peacekeeping contingent has been in Iraq since February
2. It includes 46 members: two staff officers, three medical officers,
field engineers and 31 drivers.