Author: Khoyetsian Rose

Interfax, Russia
Nov 12 2009

Belarusian leader urges Armenia, Azerbaijan to settle conflict without
mediators

Minsk, 11 November: Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka
believes that Armenia and Azerbaijan can resolve the problem of the
Nagornyy Karabakh conflict by themselves, without pinning their hopes
on intermediaries.

"We realize how painful and important this problem is both for the
Armenian and Azeri peoples. This problem should be cut, and what is
the most important, this problem should be cut by the two presidents.
You should not hope for some intermediaries, though there is the Minsk
OSCE [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] group,"
Lukashenka has said in an interview with the Trend news agency
(Azerbaijan) [on 9 November].

"If we, Minsk, as the creation centre of this group, can do something
in this respect, if Belarusians can bring something positive to the
settlement of this dispute, we will do it with pleasure," the
Belarusian president said.

He stressed, however, that "the problem can be solved only by the two
presidents". "Maybe it is fine to involve others here. But then some
commitments will appear, an opinion of a third, fourth, fifth side
will have to be taken into account. Everyone will be trying to build
up politics on this and see themselves," Lukashenka noted.

"If I reason right, you should agree that the presidents of Armenia
and Azerbaijan can resolve the problem in the interests of people who
stayed there (in Nagornyy Karabakh). We support the process in the
sense of that the problem should be resolved by the two presidents,
two peoples," the Belarusian leader said.

Lukashenka said that he "discussed the issue as a friend with both the
former and incumbent presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia". "I have
not interfered in the subtleties which are abundant in the issue. We
have never used this problem in politics, we have never been friends
against anyone," Lukashenka said.

NEW CASES OF SWINE FLU REVEALED IN ARMENIA

ArmInfo
2009-11-13 18:00:00

ArmInfo. New cases of swine flu have been revealed in Armenia.

Chief infectiologist of Armenia Ara Asoyan told ArmInfo correspondent
that at the moment the number of swine flu patients is 11. Unlike
the first 6 cases, this time all the 5 new patients are citizens of
Armenia. They are being treated of the H1N1 flu in "Nork" infection
hospital.

To recall, the first case of H1N1 was revealed in Armenia on November
10, and the first carrier of the virus was a citizen of Iran.

Afterwards swine flu patients came to Armenia from Russia and Turkey,
in all the cases the symptoms of the new flu were revealed in the
airport. The symptoms of the new flu are high temperature, cough, sore
throat, cold or stuffiness in nose, pain all over the body, headache,
algor, weakness, as well as diarrhea and vomit. Cases of swine flu
have been fixed in a total of 199 countries of the world. According
to WHO data, over 6 thsd cases had a lethal outcome.

DAMAGE TO THE IRAN-ARMENIA GAS PIPELINE

The Messenger
Nov 13 2009
Georgia

Because of damage to the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline on the Armenian
side the pumping of Iranian natural gas into Armenia stopped on the
morning November 11. According to estimates the pipeline will be
repaired by the evening of November 13.

The pumping of Iranian gas to Armenia started on May 15, 2009 and 2
million cubic metres of natural gas are pumped daily, around 1.1
billion annually. In return Armenia sends electricity to Iran,
3 kilowatt hours for every thousand cubic metres of gas.

AZERBAIJAN MAY ANNUL VISA REGIME WITH TURKEY, REPORTS SAY

Today’s Zaman
Nov 13 2009
Turkey

Azerbaijan is considering lifting its visa requirements for Turkish
citizens, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elkhan Polukhov was
reported as saying yesterday.

Azerbaijan has already annulled the visa regime for Turkish citizens
with diplomatic and service passports and "now we are talking about
abolishing visas for other Turkish nationals wishing to come to
Azerbaijan," Polukhov was quoted as saying by Azerbaijani news portal
Trend News.

Polukhov’s remarks came after Turkish media reported on Thursday
that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had told his Justice and
Development Party (AK Party) deputies about Baku’s preparations to
lift the visa requirements at a party meeting this week.

Relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan were strained over prospects
of Turkey reopening its border with neighboring Armenia without a
solution in Nagorno-Karabakh. Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols
on restoring their relations in October. Azerbaijan, which lost a
war with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 1990s, fears it
would lose major leverage in the territorial conflict with Yerevan
if ally Turkey opens its border with Armenia.

ARAX POULTRY FACTORY IS PLANNING TO INVEST ALMOST 1MLN EUR IN MODERNIZATION

ArmInfo
2009-11-12 18:30:00

ArmInfo. Arax Poultry Factory is planning to invest almost 1mln EUR
in modernization, Minister of Economy Nerses Yeritsyan said during
a government meeting today.

The Government has decided to put off the company’s VAT payments
for imported equipment from Oct 2009 till Oct 2012. This privilege
is provided to companies whose investments exceed 300mln AMD. Arax
Poultry Factory has so far invested 360,000 EUR in modernization. The
money has been spent mostly on the purchase of German equipment. These
investments will allow the company to create 230 additional jobs with
average salary of 70,000 AMD.

This is already the fourth company to have got such a privilege
this year.

LEGAL FRAMEWORK NOT YET DEVELOPED TO PASS TO TOLL ROADS IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.11.2009 18:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A legal framework has not yet developed to pass
to toll roads in Armenia and there is no relevant experience in this
sphere, RA Transport and Communications Minister Gurgen Sargsyan told
a press conference in Yerevan today.

According to transport minister, this issue has been repeatedly
discussed in the government and parliament of Armenia. He recalled
that the Armenian prime minister instructed the Ministry of Economy
to develop a draft law, and only after a thorough discussion of the
issue the issue of passage to toll roads can be decided. There is no
experience with toll roads in the entire region, except the single
tunnel in Georgia charging a symbolic fee, he added.

AZERBAIJAN, IRAN STRIKE GAS DEAL

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.11.2009 10:32 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR)
and Iranian national gas company signed the memorandum on mutual
understanding on Azerbaijani gas supplies to Iran beginning from 2010,
SOCAR head Rovnag Abdullayev said, Trend News reported.

The memorandum envisages supply of no less than 500 million cubic
meters of gas annually with an opportunity to increase the amount. The
volumes of supplied gas will depend on the state of gas infrastructure
connecting countries at the initial stage.

The contract on purchase-sale of gas is expected to be signed by late
2009, Abdullayev said.

Azerbaijan and Iran are connected with the Kazi-Magomed-Astara
pipelinegas pipeline. Its length is 1474.5 kilometers, including
the territory of Azerbaijan – 296.5 kilometers. Its capacity is 10
billion cubic meters per year. This route is a branch of the pipeline
Gazakh-Astara-Iran, put into operation in 1971. Three compressor
stations in Kazi-Magomed, Agdash and Gazakh have been built. The gas
transportation system is 55 atmospheres. Pipe diameter is 1,200 mm.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT AND FIVE MINISTERS TO PAY STATE VISIT TO HUNGARY

Noyan Tapan
Nov 9, 2009

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 9, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan will go on a state visit to Hungary on November 8. The
delegation headed by the president is composed of five ministers of
the RA: Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, Minister of Diaspora Ms.

Hranush Hakobian, Minister of Justice Gevorg Danelian, Minister
of Culture Ms. Hasmik Poghosian, Minister of Agriculture Gerasim
Alaverdian, as well as Head of the Armenian-Hungarian Friendship Group
of the RA National Assembly Gagik Melikian, and other high-ranking
officials.

According to a report of the RA presidential press service, the
Armenian delegation is expected to arrive in Budapest late November 8.

On November 9, an official welcoming ceremony of the Armenian
president will take place in the Hungarian president’s residence to
be followed by a tete-a-tete talk of Serzh Sargsyan and Laslo Solyom,
after which an enlarged meeting of the delegations will be held with
the participation of the two presidents. A number of agreements are
expected to be signed between the governments of the two countries.

Then the presidents of Armenia and Hungary will make a statement for
the press. On the same day President Sargsyan will also meet with
Speaker of the Hungarian parliament Bela Katona.

S. Sargsyan will visit Heroes’ Square in Budapest to lay a wreath at
the memorial complex. He will also lay a wreath at the khachkar in
memory of the Armenian Genocide victims in Petefi Square.

Later on the same day an official dinner in honor of Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan will be given on behalf of Hungarian President Laslo
Solyom. On November 10, Serzh Sargsyan is scheduled to meet with Peter
Cardinal Erdo and Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai, then with
the participants of the Armenia-Hungary business forum. S. Sargsyan
will go and see the sights of Budapest. He together with L. Solyom will
also visit the Military History Museum in Budapest. In the second part
of the day, President Sarsgyan will leave Budapest and pay a short
working visit to Kaliningrad, Russia, at the invitation of Governor
of Kaliningrad Region Georgy Boos. In Kaliningrad, S. Sargsyan will
meet with the governor, then with members of the local Armenian
community. He will also attend the opening ceremony of an Armenian
cultural center and lay flowers at the Armenian khachkar.

The Armenian president will return to Yerevan on November 11.

RIZHKOV: ARMENIAN RAILWAYS HAVE GREAT ROOM FOR DEVELOPMENT

ARKA
Nov 10, 2009

YEREVAN, November 10. /ARKA/. Nikolay Rizhkov, a member of Russian
Federation Council (upper chamber) and co-chair of Armenian-Russian
inter-parliamentary commission, thinks Armenian railways have great
room for development.

"Plenty has been done for railway development in Armenia since my
last year’s visit to this country. I am glad that railway transport
got a new impetus in Armenia. I hope for its further development,"
he said Monday at his meeting with South-Caucasian Railways’ workers.

Rizhkov pointed out the personal contribution of South-Caucasian
Director General Shevket Shaydullin to development of railways
in Armenia.

In his opinion, railway transport is vigorously developing in
Armenia now.

He said dilapidated and dysfunctional railways in Armenia have been
revived and have already started operating.

South-Caucasian Railway, fully owned by the Russian Railways Company,

is the concession manager of the Armenian Railway Company.

Armenian Railway has been handed over to the South-Caucasian Railways
CJSC for 30 years with a right for one-decade prolongation.

SEMNEBY SAYS IT IS UBNORMAL TO HAVE CLOSED BORDERS

Yerkir
10.11.2009 12:26

Yerevan (Yerkir) – EU Special Representative for South Caucasus Peter
Semneby, in an inteview with the Russian newspaper Kommersant, has
said that it is a good development that Armenian-Turkish negotiations
are in progress.

"Armenia-Turkish border’s opening can become a first step to overcome
the abnormal situation when three longest borders of the region are
closed. These borders are those between Turkey and Armenia, Azerbaijan
and Armenia, and between Georgia and Russia. These developments hinder
growth," Semneby said. "Current Armenian-Turkish relations may now
bring breakthrough although ratification, surely, will be complicated.

But these developments are in Armenia’s and Turkey’s interests. And
I believe the same for Azerbaijan as it is interested in open borders
in region."

The war in Georgia showed that South Caucasus states are vulnerable.

This can be overcome if we solve these matters, he went on saying.

"Sure, it is a problem and an unacceptable stuff that Russia has
recognized South Osetia and Abkhazia. We will have talks on this issue
involving Russia in discussions. Anyway we have common priorities
in other areas, so our disagreement with Russia cannot hinder our
cooperation aimed at overcoming other conflicts," he said.

He added: "I am confident, Armenian leadership holds with me and the
present status-quo of Nagorno-Karabakh is not in Armenia’s interests,
that cannot last forever."