Author: Mamian George

UK’S MILIBAND HAILS ‘MOMENT OF TRUTH’

Hurriyet Daily News
Nov 5 2009
Turkey

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband says Turkey must take ‘brave’
steps toward the EU, regardless of what’s happening to its East-West
orientation, which has been a subject of heated international debate in
recent days. ‘This is a moment of truth, it is a moment for leadership,
it is a moment for commitment,’ Miliband says

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband. AFP photo

Read a full transcript of the interview between British Foreign
Secretary David Miliband and journalist Sedat Ergin.

Despite the international debate about whether Turkey is turning
its back on the West to face the East, the Turkish government should
take brave steps toward the European community, according to British
Foreign Secretary David Miliband.

"[The deadlock] gets broken by brave decisions on both sides, but also
by both sides fulfilling their commitments. Europe has pledged to a
fair accession process for Turkey and it must deliver. I think there is
more commitment to that today than there was six months ago in Europe,"
Miliband said in an interview with the daily Hurriyet at the Swissotel
the day before his crucial meeting with Turkish officials in Ankara.

Miliband held talks with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, to discuss issues ranging
from Turkey’s negotiations with the European Union and the ongoing
Cyprus talks to the contentious Iranian nuclear row.

"I am here for discussions because there are big issues that are
going to be decided in the next few months on Cyprus, on the Middle
East, on Iraq, where Turkey has a great role to play," said Miliband,
explaining the motives for his visit.

The British Foreign Secretary’s visit comes just a month before the EU
is set to decide on the fate of the full membership negotiations with
Turkey and at a moment when Turkish and Greek Cypriots are continuing
intense talks to reach a comprehensive settlement.

Admitting that the membership negotiations were slower than either
Turkey or the United Kingdom would like, the visiting foreign secretary
said Britain "is committed to an open process with Turkey and the
process has been kept open."

The EU recently criticized Turkey for slowing down the reform process.

Turkey has only been able to open 11 negotiation chapters so far and
only one has been provisionally closed. In 2006, the EU suspended the
opening of eight chapters due to Turkey’s refusal to implement the
Ankara Protocol that would open Turkish ports to Greek Cypriot traffic.

"The Ankara Protocol is important, it is part of the [Cyprus] story
and there is an important decision to be taken in December… but
we should not make a crisis out of a drama," Miliband said, without
elaborating further on the issue.

Instead, he elected to deliver clear messages to the Turkish and
Greek Cypriot parties for the solution of the decades-old conflict.

"This is a moment of truth, it is a moment for leadership, it
is a moment for commitment, because it is a once-in-a-generation
opportunity to resolve the Cyprus issue on a bi-zonal, bi-communal
basis," Miliband said.

Describing both the Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders, Mehmet Ali
Talat and Dimitris Christofias, as serious people with real commitment,
Miliband reaffirmed that Europe would support them when they have to
make difficult decisions in the months ahead.

"I think it is essential; it will take great decisions on both sides,"
he said.

No change in vocation

When asked whether he was following the ongoing global debate over
whether Turkey has shifted its destiny toward the Middle East,
Miliband said he was aware of the discussions.

"There is quite a lot of blame being attached to the European Union
and there is blame being placed upon Turkey as well. I think it is
very, very important that Turkey is true to its own identity, which
is to recognize its own roots but also recognize that its commitments
to Europe are part of its vocation and that these don’t involve a
rejection of other parts of the world – it involves a fulfillment of
its identity," he said.

The foreign secretary rejected the idea that Turkey has changed its
calling, saying "the majority of Turks want to join the EU."

"I think that Turkey is clearly serious about its vocation to join
Europe."

Erdogan, Miliband discuss Iranian issue

Iran’s controversial nuclear program and its refusal to fully cooperate
with the United Nations were among the top issues Miliband and Erdogan
discussed Thursday. In an interview with British daily The Guardian,
Erdogan described Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a "friend"
and Western countries’ concerns over Tehran’s ambition to produce
nuclear weapons as "gossip."

"My own view is that the Iranian leadership has lost the confidence
of the international community for very clear reasons. It had secret
nuclear programs that were not declared as they should," Miliband
said. Underlining that he had no objection to a civilian nuclear
program as long as Iran fulfills its responsibility to ensure there
is no nuclear-weapons proliferation, Miliband said: "Turkey would know
better than many of the dangers of an Iranian nuclear-weapons program.

You are neighbors with Iran. You would not want Iran to be a
nuclear-armed state."

At Thursday’s meeting between Erdogan and Miliband, the discussion
focused on ways in which Turkey and Britain could work together in
the pursuit of a shared goal to ensure that there are no nuclear
weapons in Iran.

Support for Kurdish, Armenian moves

Miliband did not shy away from praising the government’s recent
efforts to address the Kurdish issue and reconcile with Armenia.

"We are strongly supportive of [the Kurdish move]. One of the big
issues that I have discussed for the last two years here is Kurdish
rights, equal rights for all citizens of Turkey and I think it is very
much to the credit of the government that they made this opening,"
he said.

Rejecting suggestions that the process has come to a standstill,
Miliband said: "Well, these things go, stop and stand but I don’t
think they are going to reverse."

Partner of the 21st century

When asked about Turkey’s role in the 21st century, Miliband summarized
it with just a sentence: "Like many countries, [Turkey’s role] is to
be a good partner."

"I call [this role] responsible sovereignty. Which means being
responsible to your own citizens but also responsible for the decisions
and implications beyond your borders. It is what I want Britain to be,
a good global citizen… and that is not a bad test for any country,
economically, socially, environmentally. We all have to be good
global citizens."

ARMENIAN FOREIGN OFFICE’S BUDGET TO REMAIN UNCHANGED

news.am
Nov 5 2009
Armenia

The funding of Armenia’s Foreign Office next year will remain
unchanged, RA Deputy Minister of Finance Pavel Safaryan stated in
Parliament, without citing particular figures.

NEWS.am’s attempts to receive more detailed information proved futile.

Safaryan said that the approximate sum is 6bn AMD. Not only the
financial experts of the RA Foreign Office, but also RA Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian found it difficult to report exact
figures as well. The RA Foreign Minister referred journalists to
Pavel Safaryan again.

So it turns out that both Minister Edward Nalbandian and other
Government members are not at all interested in the budget of the RA
Foreign Office. Safaryan pointed out that the Protocol Department
of the RA Foreign Office will receive smaller funds next year than
this year. 14bn AMD less will be directed to business trips, and
3bn AMD less to liaison. A total of 1.071bn AMD will be allocated as
Armenia’s membership at international organizations, with 832m AMD
for next year and 239m for the previous years.

A total of 4.006bn AMD will be allocated to Armenia’s diplomatic
missions abroad – as much as this year. Safaryan pointed out that
the revaluation of U.S dollar and Euro created some problems with
diplomats’ salaries, which, in terms of USD and Euro, have decreased.

A total of 92m AMD are intended for cultural and religious events
organized by the RA Foreign Office. Safaryan said that 20m AMD of
them will be allocated to the Armenian Drama after Petros Adamyan
in Tbilisi, 4m AMD for the pantheon of Armenian poets in Tbilisi,
10m AMD to the Armenian-language newspaper Georgia, 20m AMD for the
preservation of Armenian cultural monuments abroad. Other expenses
will reach 32m AMD.

Speaking in Parliament, Shirak Torosyan of the Republican Party of
Armenia (RPA) pointed out the inadvisability of funding the Georgia
newspaper — the advisor to the Georgian President, who encourages
Georgia’s anti-Armenian policy in Javakhk (a Georgian region densely
populated by Armenians) and hailed the court verdict on Vahagn
Chakhalyan, has been appointed editor-in-chief of the newspaper.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE GENERAL PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE

armradio.am
04.11.2009 17:40

On 25 September, 2009 the President of Armenia signed a decree on
conducting the autumn conscription for mandatory and alternative
military service and demobilization during October-December 2009. The
male citizens who are 18 before the conscription day, as well as the
citizens under 27, whose right of military deferment has expired,
will be called up to military service, Press Service of the Prosecutor
General’s Office reports.

On the criminal cases investigated by the investigators of the
Armenian Police, initiated on the cases of evasion from conscription
for mandatory and alternative military service according to the
Article 327, part 1 of the RA Criminal Code, the accused were under
persecution and detention was chosen as a pretrial measure.

The Prosecutor General instructed the prosecutors of regions and
districts to change immediately the previously chosen means of
restraint that is detention and stop the search and criminal pursuit
against those accused persons who would voluntarily come to the
police station, prosecutor’s office or military registration and
enlistment office during the conscription with an intention to do
the military service.

According to the Article 13 of the RA law "On Citizenship of RA", the
RA double citizenship means a citizenship of another state (states)
besides the RA citizenship.

In the Republic of Armenia a citizen with double citizenship is
considered only an RA citizen. This norm is related also to the
citizens, who after January 1, 1995 without forfeiting the RA
citizenship according to the prescribed order, became a citizen or
got citizenship of another state, as well as to those who unilaterally
abandoned Armenian citizenship.

An RA citizen with double citizenship has all rights and carries all
responsibilities and obligations prescribed to the citizens of the RA.

The Prosecutor General’s Office calls on all conscripts under search
to get use of the given opportunity, to do their constitutional duty
for motherland, to give up the status of an accused under search,
to be proudly called a free citizen and soldier of our motherland.

We also appeal to the parents of conscripts with a call to support
their sons in foreign lands, to support them to give up the humiliating
status of an accused person, to contribute to their further healthy
physical and psychological upbringing for their sons to have a chance
to come back and live on their homeland after doing military service.

The persecution will not be implemented to those citizens who will
show an intention to leave for alternative service places in order
to do their duties for the homeland under the order prescribed by
the RA law "On Alternative Service".

The RA law "On citizens who did not do the mandatory military service
with the violation of the prescribed order" also stipulates an order
of termination of search and persecution of accused. The action
sphere of the law involves the time period from autumn conscription
of 1992 till May 1, 2009 and is spread over all those citizens who
violated the RA law "On compulsory military service" and were not
called up to military service (evaded the military service) and who
are 27 (to officers transferred to the reserve are 35) or under 27
(35) got a deferment or release of military service according to the
order prescribed by the RA law "On compulsory military service". The
mentioned persons, after paying the sum of money stipulated by the
law, will get a decision of the persecution implementing agency the
on the cease of the persecution within one month, also get a military
card and registration in the reserve of the military forces.

PURCHASE AND SALE TRANSACTIONS OF 4.39 MILLION DOLLARS CARRIED OUT AT NASDAQ OEMEX ARMENIA OJSC ON NOVEMBER 4

Noyan Tapan
Nov 4, 2009

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. Purchase and sale transactions of
4 million 390 thousand dollars at the weighted average exchange rate
of 388.21 drams per dollar were carried out at Nasdaq Oemex Armenia
OJSC on November 4. According to the press service of the Central
Bank of Armenia. the closing price was 387.75 drams.

SERZH SARGSYAN HIGHLIGHTED THE IMPORTANCE OF OIC’S TAKING BALANCED DECISIONS ON KARABAKH

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.11.2009 20:19 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Within the frameworks of his official visit to
Kuwait, President Serzh Sargsyan met with sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad
al-Jaber al-Sabah. During the meeting, Kuwaiti emir expressed belief
that Mr. Sargsyan’s visit would promote development and cooperation in
various spheres. "There are no problems and obstacles for developing
our relations. Such high-level meetings contribute to broadening ties,"
sheikh al-Sabah said. In his turn, Serzh Sargsyan expressed Armenia’s
interest in developing political dialogue and cultural and economic
ties with Kuwait, stressing in that context Armenian community’s
role. Yerevan is ready to discuss and ensure favorable atmosphere
for realization of investment programs in Armenia, President said.

Parties exchanged views over current conflict settlement processes
and discussed regional security issues. Serzh Sargyan briefed Kuwaiti
leader on current stage of RA-Turkish rapprochement and Karabakh
process. Armenian President expressed belief that opening of diplomatic
representations in both countries would contribute to more active
consultations between Armenian and Kuwaiti Foreign Ministries, leading
to more balanced approaches during discussions within international
organizations. In that connection, President stressed that lack
of information on Karabakh conflict and unacceptable and improper
speculations by Azerbaijan often led Organization of Islamic Conference
(OIC) to make inappropriate decisions over the issue.

After negotiations, RA President and Kuwaiti leader attended ceremony
of signing inter-governmental agreements on agricultural, economic,
educational and tourism spehres, as well as agreement on avoiding
double taxation on income and immovable property, RA President’s
press service reports.

2010 DRAFT STATE BUDGET ENVISAGES EXPENDITURES OF 95.5 BILLION DRAMS ON SPHERE OF EDUCATION

Noyan Tapan
Nov 3, 2009

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, NOYAN TAPAN. By the 2010 draft state budget of
Armenia, expenditures on the sphere of education, including expenses
on maintenance of the sphere’s state machinery, will make 95.5 billion
drams – as compared to the actual expenditures of 108 billion drams in
2009. The current principle was used for programming the expenditures:
education expenses must make up 3% of GDP. Of the envisaged sum,
90 billion drams are current expenditures, 472 million drams are
expenses on the maintenance of the state machinery of the sphere, and
about 4 billion drams are capital expenditures. 2 billion out of 95
billion drams are allocations for the continuous credit programs. First
Deputy Minister of Finance Pavel Safarian stated this at the November
2 joint sitting of the National Assembly Standing Committees.

Accoridng to him, 1.6 billion drams allocated for reforms in secondary
education make up an important component of capital expenditures. 439
million drams is envisaged for repairs of educational facilities.

By the 2010 draft state budget, 65.6 billion drams will be spent
on comprehensive education considered a priority in the sphere of
education. These expenditures have been reduced by one billion drams
or 1.5% compared to 2009. Allocations for salaries in comprehensive
education sector amount to 50.13 billion drams, which will enable to
increase the average monthly salary (including additional payments)
of teachers to 116.6 thousand drams. The 2010 expenditures were
calculated based on 380,188 pupils – against 399,673 in 2009. Like
in 2009, the teacher/pupil ratio makes 14.56.

7.52 billion drams is envisaged for higher education, which represents
a decline of 48.1 million drams or 0.6% on 2009. The decline in
expenditures is due to a drop in the number of pupils.

9 billion drams envisaged for auxiliary services to the educational
sphere will be spent on free textbooks for the pupils of elementary
classes and on payments for textbooks for the children from vulnerable
social groups. 698 million drams of the indicated sum will be allocated
for computers and Internet services, thanks to which 944 out of
approximately 1,400 Armenian schools will have Internet connection.

P. Safarian said the government intends to provide all schools with
Internet connection in 2011.

The draft budget envisages providing 70 million drams and 30 million
drams, respectively, for educational literature and accessory
materials of Diaspora Armenian institutions and for property of
Javakheti schools.

The draft state budget was calculated based on the settlement exchange
rate of 376 drams per dollar.

ARMENTEL MAKES CALLS TO OTHER MOBILE OPERATORS’ NETWORKS MORE COMFORTABLE

ArmInfo
2009-11-03 15:32:00

ArmInfo. ArmenTel (Beeline brand) has reduced the cost of the calls
to the numbers of Armenia’s other mobile operators, having launched a
new prepaid tariff plan ‘For You – Exclusive’. Henceforth, the calls
to the networks of Armenia’s mobile operators will cost 29,99 AMD per
minute for Beeline subscribers. To recall, the minimum price of such a
call earlier made up 39 AMD per minute. ‘The new tariff plan ‘For You –
Exclusive’ makes communication more comfortable and available not only
inside of our country but also for the calls to other mobile networks
of Armenia and NKR’, ArmenTel Director General Igor Klimko said. The
clients of all the tariff plans of Beeline can easily transfer to
the tariff plan ‘For You – Exclusive’ with retention of their number.

The cost of transfer from Beeline’s other tariff plans to ‘For You –
Exclusive’ makes up 299 drams. During transfer from the tariff plans
‘For You’, ‘Republic’, ‘Talk’ and ‘Free Communication’, no subscriber
fee is charged for the number retention, while a subscriber fee at
the rate of 29.99 drams per day is charged from subscribers of other
tariff plans during transfer to ‘For You – Exclusive’ TP.

A minute of an outgoing call for subscribers of ‘For You – Exclusive’
TP inside the Beeline network costs 19 drams, and to the numbers of
other mobile operators or to the numbers of fixed communication –
29.99 drams. SMS-messages inside the Beeline network may be sent at
9 drams and MMS-messages – at 19 drams. SMS- messages to the numbers
of other operators, including the international ones, cost 20 drams,
and MMS – 50 drams. The cost of 1 MB of the data sent/received by
mobile Internet makes up 29 drams. More information about ‘For You –
Exclusive’ TP is available at

HIS HOLINESS GAREGIN II AWARDED ST. MESROP MASHTOTS MEDAL

armradio.am
02.11.2009 10:59

On October 30 the President of the republic of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan,
signed a decree on bestowing a St. Mestrop Mashtots Medal upon His
Holiness Garegin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians,
for his contribution to the preservation and development of national
and spiritual values, President’s Press Office reported.

CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS AWARDED SAINT MESROP MASHTOTS ORDER

NOYAN TAPAN
NOVEMBER 2, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, NOYAN TAPAN. By RA President Serzh Sargsyan’s
October 30 decree Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II was awarded
Mesrop Mashtots order for his exclusive contribution in preservation
and development of national and spiritual values. Noyan Tapan was
informed about it by RA President’s Press Office.

SONA DANIELYAN: WE HARDLY PERSUADED GEORGE BENSON TO PERFORM IN ARMENIA HE NEVER HEARD ABOUT

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
02.11.2009 12:19 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Legendary George Benson will give a concert in
Yerevan on November 12 in the framework of Perspectives of the 21st
century music festival held with the assistance of RA Ministry of
Culture and under the patronage of the Armenian President.

It’s a present Ameriabank gives jazz-lovers on occasion of opening
of its head office.

"It took us a lot of trouble to persuade Mr. Benson to perform in
Armenia he has never heard about," festival manager Sona Danielyan
told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

She said the organizers did not experience financial hardships since
many companies expressed willingness to sponsor the event.

The tickets cost from AMD 5 to 100 thousand and are sold in Sharm
Holding office.