Author: Khoyetsian Rose

DOES REVALUATION OF DRAM STRIKE TOURISM OR NOT?

Lragir, Armenia
Aug 2 2007

The revaluation of the Armenian dram strikes the development of
tourism, said Marina Kpryan, director of the Armenia Travel Plus M
Company. According to Kpryan, the revaluation of the dram by all
means has a negative impact on tourism, ARKA reported. "The fall
in tourism is due to the depreciation of the dollar in Armenia when
outside Armenia the dollar is stable," Marina Kpryan says. She said
since the prices are in dollars, due to the depreciation the travel
agencies had to raise the prices. "For instance, if the price of the
hotel room in dollars was 60 dollars, now the same room costs 100
dollars. Due to similar changes many tourists may prefer to travel
to other places," says Marina Kpryan.

Meanwhile, Mekhak Apresyan, head of the department of tourist of the
ministry of trade and economic development, told reporters on August 2
about rising interest in Armenia among tourists, and according to the
index of the first half of 2007, the number of visitors to Armenia
has gone up by 36 compared with the first half of 2006.

ATM SCAM CONNECTED TO WILMINGTON PHARMACY, POLICE SAY

NBC 10.com, PA
Aug 1 2007

The FBI has jumped into the investigation of a major ATM scam in the
local area.

The NBC 10 investigators first told you about dozens of victims and
the arrest of two men in July.

Sources are calling this an Armenian organized crime ring.

Last week two men were charged with stealing from dozens of ATM
accounts in Tredyfferin Township and now the FBI said it has connected
the scam to a Wilmington pharmacy.

The FBI said Artur Grigoryan and his partner, Artur Harutyunyan,
had a slick operation at the Rite Aid Pharmacy in North Wilmington.

Agents claim the two men replaced a real card swipe keypad with
a skimming device that looked just like it, for a month. The FBI
believes the skimmer collected ATM card and pin numbers.

Then police believe the men put that stolen information on gift cards
and then withdrew money from dozens of bank accounts without victims
ever knowing.

The FBI said the suspects usually went to automated teller machines
at Wawas to make the withdrawals.

We’re told police have been looking for the men for months, believing
they have been moving from state to state.

An Upper Merion police officer recognized one of them at a King Of
Prussia Wawa a couple of weeks ago and made the first arrest.

Rite Aid said it has updated all of it’s debit card scanners to help
prevent this from happening again.

The two men have a preliminary hearing Thursday morning.

ARMENIAN ASSOCIATION OF WATER CONSUMERS COLLECTS AMD 3.2BLN IN 2006 FOR IRRIGATION SYSTEMS EXPLOITATION

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Aug 1 2007

YEREVAN, August 1. /ARKA/. Armenian Water Users Association has
collected AMD 3.2bln for irrigation systems exploitation, Arus
Alaverdyan, responsible officer on World Bank’s Irrigation Development
Project for Armenia, said on Wednesday.

She said the amount collected by the association last year was greater
by 900mln, compared with that collected in 2003.

"Not all problems are solved, but international experience shows that
10 to 15 year are needed for institutional reforms implementation. It
is important to change farmers’ mentality, which must understand that
they have to pay for consuming water", Alaverdyan said.

She said that a pilot water users association creation program launched
in mid-90s was successful.

"Twelve associations were established at the beginning of the
program implementation while now we have 52 organizations all over
the country who exploit 128.6thnd hectares", she said and added that
the association made it possible to save 51mln kilowatt/hour electric
power a year.

Aharon Ghazaryan, director of WB irrigation development programs, in
his turn, said that the budget of irrigation facilities exploitation
totals AMD 9mln, of which AMD 5mln is given by Armenian government.

"Four-billion collection is normal, but we should turn to
self-financing without support from the government. It may become
possible later, when farms become stronger", he said. ($1 = AMD 337.18)

Shakhtar in strong position
Tuesday 31 July 2007
by Khachik Chakhoyan

Goals either side of half-time from Oleksandr Gladkiy
and Brandão enabled FC Shakhtar Donetsk to take a
major step towards the UEFA Champions League third
qualifying round.

Solo run
A constant thorn in FC Pyunik’s side, new signing
Gladkiy was worthy of his opening goal in Armenia and
could have even broken the deadlock before his
45th-minute strike. The 19-year-old forward eluded his
markers by embarking on a mesmerising solo run before
racing into the penalty area to force a reaction save
out of goalkeeper Gevorg Kasparov. Although the
rebound fell kindly for Jadson Rodriguez, the
midfielder was unable to convert the chance.

Opening goal
Pyunik lost the excellent Kasparov when he was injured
in an aerial challenge with Brandão three minutes
before half-time and before the break his replacement
Ignacio Javier Bordad Lopez was already picking the
ball out of the net after Gladkiy pounced on a
defensive error to score from close range. It was to
prove a debut to forget for the Uruguayan, who was
beaten again soon after the interval.

Follow-up
Perhaps sensing the nervousness of the substitute,
Jadson caught Bordad Lopez off guard with a powerful
shot from long distance which the goalkeeper could
only parry into the path of Brandão, who made no
mistake with the follow-up. Shakhtar, bidding to reach
the group stage for the second year running and the
third time in four years, welcome the Armenian
champions to Ukraine next Wednesday for the return leg
of this second qualifying round tie.

Press TV, Iran
July 28 2007

US facility in Armenia to spy on Iran
Sat, 28 Jul 2007 19:07:14
Source: APA

The United States is using old tricks to spy on Iran from Armenia
Armenian sources have revealed that an American company working for
the Pentagon is fulfilling errands on Iran from their territory.

The US Global Gold Corporation (GGC) which is operating in Arevis
village of Sisyan region in Armenia is to complete its gold
exploration mission by the end of 2007, APA reports quoting Armenian
press.

The gold deposit is said to be situated on the border with Nakhchivan
province of Azerbaijan.

However, local residents say that besides geologists, they have also
seen some English-speaking military-like people, who are installing
unknown big equipments in the territory.

Armenia and Iran enjoy cordial relations and both countries are
strategic partners in the region.

Cultural and historical ties between the two nations which were one
until some 150 years ago, go back thousands of years and the
Christian Armenian minority has always been officially recognized and
respected in Iran.

An important factor in the bilateral relations is the cooperation in
the field of energy security which reduces Armenia’s dependence on
Russia.

Armenia is also considered to be a nominee to transfer Iranian gas to
Europe through Georgia and the Black Sea.

NICOSIA HAS HOPES FOR ERDOGAN

Kathimerini, Greece
July 26 2007

The foreign ministers of Greece and Cyprus yesterday agreed that the
re-election of Turkey’s Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party
(AKP) could trigger fresh peace talks on the island.

But Nicosia expressed fears about the strong return of Turkey’s
nationalists to parliament.

"The fact that Turkey has a stable government with strong public
support is positive," said Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis after
talks with her visiting Cypriot counterpart Erato Kozakou-Markoullis.

Bakoyannis welcomed pledges by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan to boost EU-oriented reforms, adding "but we are waiting for
tangible proof and action."

Markoullis, visiting Athens after her appointment last week, said
Erdogan’s re-election was "a significant step toward securing the
progress of reforms." "What will count is how successful (Erdogan)
will be in reducing the military’s role in politics," she added.

Markoullis said she hoped Erdogan will be "more constructive" in
efforts to solve the Cyprus problem.

But Markoullis said strong gains by Turkey’s far-right Nationalist
Movement Party (MHP) were worrying. "It is a party with a negative
tradition on national issues and the Cyprus issue specifically."

In a related development, the Turkish newspaper Aksam yesterday
reported that a group of far-right ex army officers had been arrested
for allegedly planning the murder of Istanbul-based Ecumenical
Patriarch Vartholomaios. The group was broken up last month after
police discovered guns and explosives in a shed in Istanbul and then,
in the suspects’ homes, documents ostensibly detailing the plans to
assassinate Vartholomaios and Armenian Patriarch Mesrob, among others.

SERGE SARGSYAN HAS A PROBLEM OF ALTERNATIVE

Lragir, Armenia
July 26 2007

The leader of the Republican Party, Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan
needs to persuade the society that his presidency will mark the onset
of changes in Armenia, stated the president of the Association of
Political Scientists Hmayak Hovanisyan on July 26 at the National Press
Club. Hmayak Hovanisyan says the government should be interested in
putting up an alternative candidate for the presidential election more.

"The society worries that if Serge Sargsyan becomes president, nothing
will change in the country, everything will be the same. You have to
admit that this is the main problem of the government. But since the
government makes no efforts to prove that they nevertheless have a
program of fundamental reforms and they think changes are necessary
in this situation, an alternative candidate should push them in this
direction," Hmayak Hovanisyan says.

Therefore, he says he will endorse the candidate who will offer an
alternative. "A strong alternative candidate who can consolidate
the opposition is desirable for the society, as well as for the
government, because eventually the government is unable to offer its
own programs of fundamental changes, and is unable to acknowledge the
necessity for changes, they need to be pushed to take that track,"
Hmayak Hovanisyan says.

ITALIANS HINDER DEVELOPMENT OF ARMENIAN BASKETBALL

Lragir, Armenia
July 26 2007

The Armenian Federation of Basketball reported that the embassy
of Italy did not permit the girls’ team leave for Italy where the
games of Division B of the European championship set out July 27. The
team coached by Edik Vardanyan was included in Group D with Germany,
Israel and Romania.

On July 27 Armenia would be playing with Germany. The Federation of
Basketball of Armenia is disappointed with this decision because
it was very important for us to participate in this important
tournament. After a long pause the Armenian basketball players had a
chance to participate in international tournaments but were unable to
arrive in the country of the tournament due to this decision of the
embassy of Italy. The International Federation of Basketball was aware
of these developments and made efforts but was unable to change the
decision. The Basketball Federation of Italy and the organizational
committee had sent an invitation to Armenia, so there was no reason
for refusal.

SECRET TURKISH ORGANISATION PLANNED ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH’S ASSASSINATION

Athens News Agency, Greece
July 25, 2007 Wednesday

ISTANBUL (ANA-MPA/A.Kourkoulas) – A network of retired Turkish officers
was planning the assassination of Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos,
an inquiry by Turkish judicial authorities in the activities of a
network dismantled last month, revealed

The network was discovered following the finding of arms and explosives
in Istanbul’s Umraniye district

According to information provided by investigation authorities and
published in the Aksam newpaper, in the personal computer data of
the President of the "Association of National Forces" Bekir Ozturk,
were found data from preparations of the Patriarch’s assassination

The assassinations of Armenian Patriarch Mesrop Mutafian and
businessman Isaak Alaton were also planned by the same organisation.

Alaton’s partner was murdered some time ago in the Istanbul district
of Eyioup

The Ecumenical Patriarchate has been the target of many attacks
by grenades in the past. An organisation named IBDA has assumed
responsibility for the attacks

$1 MILLION DONATION TO THE LAVAL HOLY CROSS ARMENIAN CHURCH CONSTRUCTION FUND

armradio.am
26.07.2007 16:40

The Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada, His
Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, announced a significant pledge
towards the building of the planned construction of the Holy Cross
Armenian Church in Laval. It is with gratitude that the Diocese
acknowledges the promise of this most generous pledge for the Laval
Holy Cross Church, from an honorable benefactor, who wishes to remain
anonymous.

This well respected benefactor has made a pledge for a sum of $1
million.

The total project is expected to be completed at a current estimated
cost of $6 to 6.5 million. On behalf of the Primate, Diocesan Council
and Clergy we thank the benefactor for this generosity.

In October 2005, after several months of extensive discussions and
negotiations under the auspices and the directive of the Primate of
our Diocese, His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, the Pastor, Parish
Council and faithful of Holy Cross Armenian Church in Laval came closer
to realizing a long awaited construction of Holy Cross Armenian Church
and building of Armenian Community Center on Boulevard De Souvenir
in Laval. Members of the Steering and Construction Committee of Holy
Cross Armenian Church are.- Reverend Fr. Komitas Mirzakhanian-Pastor,
Vartan Karasseferian- Chairman, Vahakn Arapyan-Treasurer, Chahan
Pacradouni, Arto Basmadjian, Jack Seraidarian, Raffi Simci, Vicken
Darakjian. The architect is: Mardiros Baygin.