Author: Khoyetsian Rose

NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT BETTER TO SETTLE WITHIN FRAMEWORK OF CIS -RUSSIAN MP

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Nov 2 2007

Russia, Moscow / Trend corr. R.Agayev / The Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh is better to solve within the framework
of the CIS, the Russian MP Oleg Kulikov said.

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.

"The only way out of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is
to reinforce the inter- integration processes which is more close
ties in the post-Soviet area. The issue can be settled within the
framework of the restored post-Soviet area," Kulikov said.

According to Kulikov, as the issue is beneficial to foreign forces
the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict cannot be settled in the near
future. Russia is interested in settlement of the issue. However,
there are more relevant problems for Russia, including its relation
with Ukraine, coolness of ties with Belarus, problems in Islamic world,
and many others," the MP said.

"Armenia faces economic difficulties. When the country faces
difficulties it attempts to find easier decision like appeal to foreign
forces. More close economic relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan
to make Russia the leader in settlement of the conflict," Kulikov said.

"It is difficult to me to describe ways in resolving the conflict,
as no international conflict has been finished positively. In the
many cases conflict ends in legitimization of separatist attitudes,"
the MP said.

KARABAKH CONSUMERS ARE LESS PROTECTED

KarabakhOpen
01-11-2007 13:36:04

The prices of consumer goods continue to soar. Experts say the price
of flour will continue to grow until the next harvest.

In Armenia different explanations of the cause of the soaring prices
were given. Some people believe that it relates to the pre-election
period, others even say the Armenian businessmen are going to come
down with money for the election, therefore they have raised the
prices of their products.

The leader of the Democratic faction Vahram Atanesyan thinks it is
difficult to tell the growth of prices in Armenia is directly related
to the pre-election period. "We had better discuss how the soaring
prices affect the Karabakh society. As you know, the Commission for
the Protection of Economic Cooperation of Armenia has recently made
a decision on checking, sanctions, and so on. Consumers in Karabakh
are less protected than in Armenia. Our government also held a
consultation but it did not have a tangible effect, and the price of
bread continues to rise," Vahram Atanesyan says. He mentioned with
regret that the corresponding agencies of NKR have fewer levers
of influence on pricing, at least due to the lack of customs and
dependence on import from Armenia.

"I think the government and the other branches of power should think
about protection of the people of Karabakh. As to the statements that
the businessmen are raising money for the election, I don’t think
it is serious to give an evaluation from Stepanakert. Our problem
is the protection of the rights of our consumers in such extreme
situations. In Karabakh the income per capita is twice as low as
in Armenia. Besides, in Armenia criticism has definite targets, the
suppliers of oil and other products are known, while in our country
there is no control because each supplier sets the price they want,"
he added.

The member of parliament is hopeful that the Public Services Regulatory
Commission of Karabakh which has been set up recently will at least
hold a monitoring. The National Statistics Service will carry out a
comparative analysis of income and prices.

Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)
T +995 32 75 19 03/04
F +995 32 75 19 05
[email protected]

German miner Chronimet and America’s Comsup Commodities reveal mystery of
Armenia’s molybdenum mines.

Author: John Helmer
Posted: Tuesday, 30 Oct 2007

Molybdenum is a metal that doesn’t lose its cool.

Used in a variety of alloys for steel, it remains rigid at 3,000 degrees
Fahrenheit, and doesn’t melt until 4,730 degrees F, a point at which
everything but four other natural elements have vaporized and disappeared.

The biggest source of demand for molybdenum alloys is in stainless steel
production, and as this also consumes nickel, the price of molybdenum
usually moves in parallel with nickel. If nickel and stainless steel prices
are rising, so is molybdenum. When they decline, moly follows them down.

At least, that’s the theory.

The reality since mid-May is that nickel has been falling in price from a
peak just short of US$25 per pound. At the same time, molybdenum jumped to
$32/lb in May, then $35/lb in June. It remained at that price until
mid-October, when it fell back a dollar.

Another theory is that–since molybdenum is a vital ingredient in the
manufacture of high-pressure oil and gas pipes, along with containment
vessels for new-generation nuclear reactors–its price will correlate with
rising demand for oil, gas, and uranium. They should drive moly pricing,
even if nickel and stainless steel fail. And there’s more – although the
global supply of molybdenum ore may be plentiful, the capacity to roast the
concentrate into metal is quite constricted. On the way to the moly roaster,
therefore, the market is sensitive to the possibility of shortages.

For the full text go to:
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BULGARIAN PRESIDENT TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA

Panorama.am
17:59 30/10/2007

Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan’s ended his two-day
official visit to Bulgaria yesterday. Armenian foreign ministry
press and information department informs that Oskanyan met with his
Bulgarian counterpart, Ivailo Kalfin, on October 29. The ministers
underscored the development of bilateral economic cooperation and
assured that Bulgarian prime minister, Sergei Stanishev’s upcoming
visit to Armenia, will largely contribute to that. The two mentioned
that the potential of trade and economic and scientific-technical
committee of Bulgaria and Armenia must be put into its full use and
said that meetings between the business communities will be organized
within the framework of the commission.

Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov also received minister Oskanyan
in the first half of the day. The interlocutors shared ideas on
regional development and partnership between the two countries within
international organizations.

Oskanyan also held meetings with the Bulgarian Armenian community in
the new building of the Armenian embassy in Sofia on October 28.

THERE ARE NO PRECONDITIONS OF A REVOLUTION IN ARMENIA

KarabakhOpen
31-10-2007 11:16:23

Gagik Petrosyan, member of the board of the Azat Hayrenik Party, thinks
the West is outlining "in the wish to change the government through
a so-called "velvet" revolution". The member of parliament said in
an interview with Karabakh-Open.com all the "velvet" revolutions had
a similar scenario and identical preconditions. "In case of Armenia,
I cannot see such preconditions. I think the ideal setting would be
nomination of a leftist, rightist and centrist candidates. I think
the return of Levon Ter-Petrosyan is positive. Firstly, it means
democracy in Armenia is developing. Secondly, the Liberals have had
no charismatic activist with a clear stance over the past few years,
which itself was negative," Gagik Petrosyan says.

YBC AWARDED GOLD MEDAL OF RA AGRICULTURE MINISTRY

Noyan Tapan
Oct 30, 2007

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 30, NOYAN TAPAN. This year the Yerevan Brandy Company
(YBC) has purchased 29 thousand tons of grapes, which is more by a
thousand tons as compared with 2006. The YBC has stored 18 million
liters of high-quality spirits, which is equal to the amount of spirits
in 1998 when the brandy plant was purchased by Pernod Ricard company,
the managing director of YBC Cedric Retailleau stated at the October
30 press conference.

According to him, the average purchase price of grapes made 140
drams for 1 kg at YBC branches, while the purchase budget amounted
to 12.3 million drams. 13 types of grapes have been purchased from
5,500 vine-growers who signed contracts with the YBC.

The YBC director said that the company’s sales have grown by 23%
in the past three months as compared with the same period of last
year. C. Retailleau informed those present that the YBC resumed
production of Old Yerevan wine jointly with Vedi Alco company. 17
thousand bottles of OLd Yerevan have already been filled with wine
and will be sold for 3.5 thousand drams a bottle.

In the words of Garnik Petrosian, the head of the plant and seed
growing department of the RA ministry of agriculture, despite
unfavorable weather, 220 tons of technical grapes has been harvested
in Armenia this year, with 144 tons being purchased by processing
enterprises against 106 tons in 2006.

G. Petrosian stated that the YBC has been awared a gold medal of
the RA ministry of agriculture for its great contribution to the
development of viticulture in Armenia.

Mediamax News Agency, Armenia
Oct 27 2007

Armenian leader, OSCE envoys discuss Karabakh conflict settlement

Yerevan, 27 October: Armenian President Robert Kocharyan met the
co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group, Matthew Bryza [USA], Bernard
Fassier [France] and Yuriy Merzlyakov [Russia] in Yerevan today.

At the meeting, the current stage of the negotiations on the
settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict was discussed, the
Armenian president’s press secretary, Viktor Soghomonyan, has told
Mediamax news agency.

The meeting was attended by Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan
and the personal representative of the OSCE chairman-in-office on the
Nagornyy Karabakh conflict, Andrzej Kasprzyk.

It must be remembered that the first meeting between the co-chairmen
and the Armenian president this week was held on 24 October, after
which the co-chairmen travelled to Baku.

DAILY BRIEFING

October 26, 2007

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Backers to delay genocide resolution

The leading supporters of a resolution declaring the World War I-era
killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks an act of genocide said they
are delaying their push for a vote in the House of Representatives.
Four House Democrats, led by Representative Adam Schiff of California,
sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking her to put off a
vote, possibly until next year. (Bloomberg)

Source: /26/ag_nomination_hits_roadblock/

GEORGIA: ARMENIANS DETAINED TRYING TO CROSS INTO TURKEY WITH RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCE

International Herald Tribune, France
The Associated Press
Oct 26 2007

TBILISI, Georgia: Georgian border guards detained four Armenians
attempting to cross into Turkey this week with just over 2 grams
(less than an ounce) of a radioactive substance, the former Soviet
republic’s border police service said Friday.

The Armenians were detained at a border crossing into eastern Turkey
on Wednesday with the substance in a special container, the border
police said in a statement.

It identified the substance as an isotope called Lovresium, or LAV-103,
but no reference to such an isotope could immediately be found.

Georgian authorities were attempting to determine where the detainees
got the substance and what they were planning to do with it, border
police spokeswoman Lela Mchedladze said.

GENOCIDE RESOLUTION WOULD SOLVE NOTHING

International Herald Tribune
The Associated Press
Oct 26 2007
France

US mediator: Azerbaijan, Armenia could sign framework agreement on
Nagorno-Karabakh

BAKU, Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan and Armenia could sign a framework
agreement next year resolving the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory,
a co-chairman of the group mediating the conflict said Friday. "There
is a possibility that prior to presidential elections in Armenia, which
will take place in the spring of next year, some kind of framework
agreement on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict could be signed by the
heads of Azerbaijan and Armenia," said Matthew J. Bryza, deputy
assistant U.S. secretary of state and co-chairman of the so-called
Minsk Group set up to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. Bryza
said Armenian President Robert Kocharian had told the Minsk Group
chairmen during their meeting Thursday in Yerevan that signing such a
"gentlemanly agreement" prior to the country’s presidential ballot was
possible. "I asked the president myself this question, and in reply he
said that such a possibility exists," Bryza told journalists. "But,
of course, this will not be the end of the negotiation process,"
the diplomat stressed, adding that he hoped a new Armenian president
would uphold any such agreement. The Minsk Group diplomats, including
representatives from Russia and France, are in the two Caucuses
countries as part the negotiation process.

After meeting with officials in Baku they planned to return to
Armenia and then back again to Azerbaijan, French mediator Bernard
Fassier said. The mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh territory is part of
Azerbaijan, but has been controlled – along with some surrounding
areas – by local and Armenian forces since 1994, when a cease-fire
ended a six-year separatist war. Some 30,000 people were killed,
and about 1 million driven from their homes in the conflict. Ethnic
Armenians now account for virtually the entire population of the
territory. Nagorno-Karabakh held presidential elections in July,
which Azerbaijan has rejected as illegitimate.