Author: Nahapetian Samvel

PRESIDENT: 3 MAJOR ECONOMIC PROJECTS TO BE LAUNCHED IN ARMENIA IN NEAR FUTURE

ARKA
Oct 3, 2008

YEREVAN, October 3. /ARKA/. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan voiced
three major economic projects to be implemented in the country in
the near future.

The first is building a new nuclear power plant, second – construction
of Iran-Armenia railroad and third, creation of All-Armenian Bank
and Investment Fund to finance large-scale programs, Sargsyan said
in his address to the nation at a special parliament session.

Armenian authorities will focus on these three projects in the next
year, the President said. "You are asking – can we? My answer is –
we can. We can do it easily if we act in concert," he said.

According to the President, it is now time for large and bold economic
projects in Armenia. "Such programs not only solve important strategic
tasks, but also have major impact on economy and the society. They
create thousands of new jobs, lead to creation of various enterprises,
open up new markets and become an impetus to development of integral
fields, including science," the President said.

According to him, construction of Iran-Armenia gas pipeline proves that
even boldest goals can be achieved through consistency, self-confidence
and hard work.

ONE PERSON DETAINED AND TWO – ARRESTED

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
02 Oct 2008
Armenia

Two more individuals have been arrested in connection with the
incident that occurred in "Odnoklasnik" café, resulting in the death
of Andranik Babayan. The arrested individuals are Sahak Azibekyan
(aged 40) and Samvel Alikhanyan, (aged 44).

At the present moment, there is one individual detained and two
others – arrested in connection with the above-mentioned incident
which occurred on September the 20th. The detainee is Armen Sargsyan
who confessed to his guilt at the police station of "Kentron" district.

–Boundary_(ID_1YGX54uWV9m9ZKL+9fFgbg)- –

CONFERENCE UNDER TITLE ARMENIA AND BULGARIA: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE OPENS AT YSU

Noyan Tapan

Se p 29, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 29, NOYAN TAPAN. A two-day conference under the
title Armenia and Bulgaria: the Past, the Present, the Future opened
on September 29 at Yerevan State University within the framework
of the Cooperation Agreement signed between State Universities of
Yerevan and Sofia last year.

Yerevan State University Rector Aram Simonian gave assurance
that this conference is one more important step in development
of Armenian-Bulgarian relations, He said that over the past two
years YSU has signed agreements with two Bulgarian Universities,
and Bulgarian has been studied for the third year at the Russian
Philology Department of YSU.

Thodor Staikov, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
of Bulgaria to Armenia, said that the conference will contribute to
strengthening of centuries-old friendly contacts between the Armenian
and Bulgarian peoples.

"The Armenian and Bulgarian peoples have made friends from time
immemorial, and that friendship develops year by year. Now our goal is
to improve Armenian-Bulgarian literary, cultural, as well as political
relations. This conference is a step outlining the very relations,
determining their future direction," the Bulgarian diplomat said.

According to Eduard Militonian, the Head of the Publishing Work
Agency of the RA Ministry of Culture, today it has become necessary
to strengthen especially literary contacts, and mutual translation
activity is an important precondition for it. "Intensive meetings
need to be organized between Armenian and Bulgarian publishers for
that purpose," he is convinced.

Reports regarding the important episodes of history of the Armenian
and Bulgarian peoples, their cultural relations, as well as Armenians
who settled in Bulgaria were given during the conference.

PRESIDENT SARGSYAN LEAVING FOR TBILISI

armradio.am
30.09.2008 11:48

President Serzh Sargsyan will leave for Georgia today to for an
official visit.

In Tbilisi the President of Armenia will have meetings with his
Georgian counterpart Mikhail Saakashvili, the Chairman of the Georgian
Parliament and the Foreign Minister.

At the Tbilisi Sate University President Sargsyan will meet with the
faculty and staff, following which the President will be awarded the
title of a Honorary Doctor. Later the President will participate in the
ceremony of unveiling the monument to Sayat-Nova at the Heroes Square.

A reception in honor of President Serzh Sargsyan will be organized
at RA Embassy in Georgia.

TURKEY CAN NOT HAVE NEUTRAL POSITION IN NKR CONFLICT

Panorama.am
19:22 29/09/2008

"If our authorities think that Turkey will have a neutral position in
the regulation of NKR conflict, they are mistaken as Turkey has always
been acting under the interests of Azerbaijan," said Artak Ayunts.

According to analyst Richard Kirakosyan, Turkey wishes to change
its strategy as before Turkey wanted to join European Union. The
analyst is sure that Turkey has changed its policy in the aftermath
of Russian-Georgian conflict. "It is a new value for Turkey to have
open boarders with Armenia, as after that conflict they need new
economic roots," he said.

SERZH SARGSYAN DOES NOT NEED ROBERT KOCHARIAN’S RETURN TO POWER, HOVHANNES HOVHANNISIAN CONSIDERS

Noyan Tapan

Se p 26, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The Russian-Georgian conflict has
made a serious impact on Armenia’s home political situation, and the
questions were changed by 180 degrees in the region as a result of
the war," Hovhannes Hovhannisian, the Chairman of the Liberal Party
of Armenia, stated at the September 26 press conference.

Touching upon RA President Serzh Sargsyan’s foreign policy,
H. Hovhannisian said that he mainly tries to solve two problems and in
difference to former RA President Robert Kocharian, he tries to come
out to the international arena through the Armenian-Turkish relations
and the Nagorno Karabakh settlement. "It is a very large and difficult
game. Today Armenia led by S. Sargsyan with very weak playing cards
has sat at a large card-table and plays with the greatest powers of
the world," H. Hovhannisian said adding that it is impossible to
achieve something with this tactics, with a corrupted power, with
non-established institutions. And the result of the game, according
to him, will become clear in a month or two.

According to him, at present the opposition reconsiders its
strategy. "We should not forget that the public has not received
yet answers on the March 1 events from the RA authorities. Therefore
the opposition has no right to be passive, and the rallies should be
continued," H. Hovhannisian emphasized.

In response to the question of whether Robert Kocharian’s return to
power is possible, H. Hovhannisian said that the former President with
his character will not agree to take another post. Besides, the current
power, especially S. Sargsyan do not need R. Kocharian’s return.

EBRD SAYS ARMENIA SUPPORTS TURKEY BID

Turkish Daily News
Friday, September 26, 2008
Turkey

LONDON – Agence France-Presse

Armenia has voiced its support for plans within the European Bank
for Reconstruction and Development, or EBRD, to invest in Turkey,
a bank spokesman told AFP on Wednesday.

The EBRD’s board of directors voted overwhelmingly to support Ankara’s
request that its status within the bank be changed to a country of
operations from a shareholder state.

A source close to the bank, who declined to be identified, told AFP
that the sole dissenting vote was that of Armenia. But according to
an EBRD spokesman, Armenia "made clear" on Wednesday that it backed
Turkey’s bid.

Turkey has been a shareholder of the EBRD since its inception in 1991,
when it was created to encourage former Soviet countries to adopt
market economies. Ankara asked in April that its status within the
bank be changed.

Its application for the change said the EBRD could contribute to
market-promoting initiatives that would be "immensely beneficial for
the Bank as well as for Turkey."

The EBRD board, which represents the bank’s 63 governors, reached its
decision after a "strategic review of the implications of investment
in Turkey" and the issue will now go before the bank’s governors at
the end of next month.

The London-based bank has shareholders comprising 61 national
governments, including the United States and Turkey, as well as the
European Community and European Investment Bank.

The bank currently invests in 28 countries in central and Eastern
Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Turkey has refused to establish diplomatic ties with Armenia because of
the Yerevan’s claims of genocide and the international campaign for the
recognition of these claims. President Abdullah Gul became the first
Turkish head of state to visit Armenia when he traveled to Yerevan
this month to watch a World Cup qualifying football match between the
two countries on an invitation by Armenian President Serge Sarkisian.

UNLESS AUTHORITIES FALSIFY ELECTIONS, ARARAT ZURABIAN WILL WIN PREFECT ELECTIONS, SUREN SURENIANTS CONSIDERS

Noyan Tapan

Se p 25, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 25, NOYAN TAPAN. The radical opposition is sure
that unless the authorities falsify the elections, its candidate, Board
Chairman of the Armenian National Movement party Ararat Zurabian will
gain a convincing victory in the September 28 elections of Yerevan’s
Kentron community. Suren Sureniants, a member of the Political Board
of the Hanrapetutiun (Republic) party, stated at the September 25
dispute. In response to the question of why the Council of Europe has
decided to carry out a monitoring mission only in the Kentron Yerevan
community, he said that Kentron is Yerevan’s heart, besides, that
community’s local self-government elections can play a considerable
role on the threshold of the forthcoming Mayor’s elections.

Karen Avagian, a representative of the Republican Party of Armenia
(RPA), in his turn, stated that the Council of Europe has chosen the
Kentron community for a monitoring mission as the struggle will be hot
in that territory due to emphasized pro-governmental and opposition
candidates’ running for the elections.

Touching upon RA Police Chief Alik Sargsian’s statement made the day
before that law enforcers’ patience to unauthorized rallies may be
exhausted, S. Sureniants stated: "We will do what we want irrespective
of the extent of A. Sargsian’s anger." In response to the question
of why after the last rally the leadership of the Armenian National
Congress decided to yield to the persuasions of policemen and gave up
the march, S. Sureniants said that people’s security is too important
for the opposition.

Responding to these words, K. Avagian asked ironically whether people’s
security is important for the Armenian National Congress. "It has
always been important: in any case, the opposition has never organized
murders in the Aragast cafe, in the National Assembly, and in the
streets," Hanrapetutiun’s representative stated.

CONSTRUCTION OF ARMENIA’S NEW POWER UNIT MAY COST $7.2 BLN

ARKA
Sep 24, 2008

YEREVAN, September 24. /ARKA/. Construction of the Armenian nuclear
power plant’s (NPP) new unit may cost $7.2bln, said Armen Arzumanyan,
representative of the PA Consulting Group.

"Making a feasibility study of the project, the company considered
government, private and mixed financing, concluding that government
financing is the cheapest one," Arzumanyan added.

Electricity prices set by the new NPP will reach 12.7 cents per kWh,
depending on investments.

"The new NPP will operate in 2017," Arzumanyan said. Specialists say,
the Armenian NPP in Metsamor can operate till 2016.

NPP started to operate in 1976. Only the second power unit of the
plant with a Russian nuclear reactor works. The unit covers about 50%
of Armenia’s energy demand.

By 2008, the Armenia NPP will be under the trust management of the
INTER RAO UES CJSC, subsidiary of RAO UES Russia owned by Russia’s
atomic agency Rosatom.

WEST TRIES TO PENETRATE INTO ASIA THROUGH SOUTH CAUCASUS BYPASSING RUSSIA AND IRAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.09.2008 18:16 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey and Iran’s intention to join the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict settlement process is quite understandable in
the light of recent developments in the Caucasus, an NKR political
scientist said.

"The Karabakh problem is not a problem between NKR and Azerbaijan
but a regional and even a global problem," David Babayan told a
PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

"Fundamental and geopolitical transformations push regional powers
to mediation. The fact is that the West is trying to penetrate into
Asia through South Caucasus bypassing Russia and Iran. It’s clear
that Georgia will spare no effort to join NATO. But the West needs
Azerbaijan as well. The future of the South Caucasus depends on the
way the Karabakh conflict will be resolved," he said.