Author: Nalchajian Markos

Abkhazia, CA
Abkhazia Institute for Social and Economic Research
Sept 1 2007

Major terrorist groups operating in Abkhazia

Saturday, 01 September 2007

Georgia lost over 30,000 lives to terrorism and extremism over the
last 14 years in Abkhazia. This is certainly cause for alarm, and
creates an image of widespread breakdown of law and order – and this
is an accurate picture of breakaway parts of the country- Abkhazia
and South Ossetia. Across most of its geographical expanse, however,
Georgia has remained by and large free of the modern-day scourge of
terrorism, as of insurgency and other patterns of extremist political
violence.

A review of data relating to civilian fatalities as a result of
social and political violence in the breakaway province of Georgia
over the period September 27, 1993 – August 31, 2007, indicated that
nearly 70 per cent of all such fatalities occurred in parts of
Sukhumi and Ochamchira alone as a result of the separatist war
against all ethnic majorities in that region. Over 20 per cent were
accounted for by a range of insurgencies and terrorist attack in
Gagra and Gudauta region. A little less than 10 per cent of civilian
fatalities resulted from ethnic cleansing committed by Abkhazian
separatists (referred as Massacre of Georgians in Abkhazia) and
retaliatory violence in some areas of eastern Abkhazia, mainly Gali
region. Separatism constitutes a primary demand of the movement
`Abkhazia for Abkhazians, and of many of the groups active in west
part of Sukhumi area, where predominantly is Armenian population (so,
Abkhazian separatists have clearly defined goal to wipe out Armenians
and Greeks from Abkhazia too). There has been a proliferation of
militant groups in recent times, with as many as 70% identified as
Russian consultants or undercover Russian peacekeepers. Most of these
are involved in drug smuggling and human trafficking.

The Apsua groups operating with Russian support in Abkhazia, however,
do have a clear `independency’ agenda, and are known to have created
a network of terrorist cells in a number of other regions of Georgia
as well as in Russia. While an occasional and dramatic strike has
been engineered in various cities, including notably, Gudauta,
Ochamchire, Gali and Tkvarcheli over the past decade.

Currently self-proclaimed government of Abkhazia has stationed
additional troops in the villages of Upper Zones of Gali district.

According to the statement of the local residents, members of the
Abkhazian armed groupings together with peacekeepers carry out
patrolling of the district. They intrude into the house of locals and
devoid them of goods, and seems to prepare attack on Upper Abkhazia.

ARMENIA IS NEITHER AMONG FRIENDS NOR FOES

Lragir, Armenia
Aug 30 2007

The Russian center of public opinion survey conducted a poll to find
out which countries the Russians consider as their friends and foes.

21 percent think China is a friendly country. The Vedomosti reported
that last year China and France shared the third place. Last year China
was the second on the list of adversary counties because 16 percent of
respondents in Russia considered this country as a potential foe. In
2007, only 3 percent consider China as a foe. In 2006, 19 percent
thought Belarus is the most friendly country, Germany was the second,
14 percent thought Germany is a friendly country. This year the poll
was held on August 25 and August 26, 1600 people from 46 regions of
Russia participated in it.

This year too the United States is considered as Russia’s first
enemy. 26 percent of respondents think so. It should be noted that
this year the number of respondents who consider the United States
as a potential enemy has halved against the previous year. Last year
45 percent mentioned the United States. In 2007 the United States
is followed by Georgia, 19 percent consider Georgia as a potential
enemy. The Baltic States, Great Britain and Ukraine are the third
among potential foes, each got 7 percent.

CARLO MASSA PASSED AWAY

AZG Armenian Daily
31/08/2007

Carlo Massa, the director of the documentary film on the Armenian
genocide, entitled "Destinazione: il Nulla. Il testimone", passed
away prematurely last Sunday, August 19, after a long illness endured
with "allegria, coraggio e serenita" (joy, courage, and calm) as
it was said in his necrology. Carlo Massa produced this documentary
film, in 1996, in which he reconstructs Armin Wegner’s experience,
as a German official, in the Anatolian land during the First World
War. The film was made in close collaboration with Piero Kuciukian
(who brought Armin Wegner’s ashes to Armenia), Anna Maria Samuelli,
and Armin Wegner’s son Misha Wegner, and was first broadcast by RAI
(on RAISAT) in 2000. Carlo Massa studied political sciences; his
"laurea" dissertation bore the title: "RAI TV: Consensus Maker". He
entered at RAI where he worked as photographer, script-writer
and producer. He directed TV programmes with such great actors
and play-writers as Macario, Franca Rame, Dario Fo. Among his most
important TV programmes the following can be mentioned: "We women",
"One day at a magistrate’s court", and many others on art, culture,
travel, social and anthropological subjects. Since 1998 he was a member
of the international "Committee for the Garden of the Righteous",
centred in Milan, which aims at studying mechanisms that are at
the origin of genocides and the ways how to prevent them. Apart his
artistic talent and his important "witness" to the Armenian "destiny",
Carlo Massa was a very good friend and an agreeable interlocutor.

TALKS CONTINUE TO RELEASE AZERBAIJANI CAPTIVES

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Aug 30 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku / corr. Trend S.Ilhamgizi / The Defence Minister of
Azerbaijan, Safar Abiyev, briefed the media on 30 August that talks
are continuing to release the Azerbaijani soldiers taken prisoners
by Armenia.

"Prolonging the process of returning Azerbaijanis soldiers will also
be observed in returning Armenian soldiers," the Minister said.

Speaking of the often violation of the ceasefire, the Minister
said that it is a war and the ceasefire can be broken intensively
or occasionally. "We inform the international organizations of the
ceasefire violations," the Minister added.

GRIZLOV WILL HOLD HIS TONGUE AND THEY WILL UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER WITHOUT WORDS
James Hakobyan

Lragir, Armenia
Aug 28 2007

The Russian-Armenian friendship is the hit of the recent days.

Although, for Armenia it is the hit of the few recent days. However,
it is also clear why recently it has been discussed so often. After
all it is not funny: Armenia and Russia have been friends for already
ten years, which was set down in the Grand Armenian and Russian
agreement. Interestingly, however, the top-level Russia-Armenia meeting
on the tenth anniversary of this agreement was held neither in Moscow
nor in Yerevan, i.e. in the capital of one of the countries, but in
Sochi, the capital of the winter Olympic Games in 2014. Perhaps the
strategic partnership of the sides is based on the Olympic principle
"agreement is not important, partnership is important." However,
it also became clear that this partnership occurs only a decade
later. At least the president of Russia Vladimir Putin stated that
"our relation has become that of genuine partnership." If Putin
was not joking, or did not take Armenia for Azerbaijan, like he had
done once during one of his previous meetings with Robert Kocharyan,
pronouncing Azerbaijan instead of Armenia, we may suppose that Armenia
and Russia has just shifted to the level of partnership.

In this case, it is interesting to know whom we have given our
enterprises, our energy sector, our gas sector, our property. In fact,
we have given 90 percent of our energy sector to a country which was
not our partner. Or we thought we were partners but the country thought
to be the partner did not think so otherwise Putin would not have
stated in 2007 that "our relation" is that of genuine partnership. It
appears that Armenia has considered Russia a partner all through these
years but we do not know what Russia has considered us to be. Grizlov
perhaps answered this question when he pronounced the word "fort" three
years ago. Three years later Serge Sargsyan said Grizlov wanted to say
something good but he had a slip of the tongue. What good partners we
are if one wants to say something about the partner but your tongue
utters the contrary. However, there is reason to doubt that Grizlov’s
tongue had a slip meant by the master of the tongue. Certainly it is
not important who the master of Grizlov’s tongue is, Grizlov himself
or Putin, for instance. It is important that Russia has proved through
its policy that it treats our country as a fort.

The problem is not that Russia is enhancing its military presence in
Armenia, for it is also useful to our security. The problem is that
in its relations with other countries Russia ignores the interests of
its partner Armenia. The examples are many: the Russian and Georgian
relations, the policy on Javakheti, regional infrastructures, when
Russia discusses the issue of the North-South transport corridor with
Azerbaijan. On the one hand, it is normal when Russia’s relation with
a country is based on its interest only. But it is not normal when in
this context Russia’s interest is primary in Armenia’s relations with
other countries. No doubt the reason is not our government’s devotion
to Russia but the fact that Russia will never forgive Armenia if our
country thinks first in its way then only in Russia’s way. There is
a lot of evidence, including regular killings of Armenians in Russia.

However, it has become clear from Putin’s words that we now relate
as partners. In other words, Grizlov will hold his tongue. Although
the tongue will not be needed much because the Armenian and Russian
relations have reached the level when the sides understand each other
without words.

DIFFERENT ROLE FOR ARMENIAN COMMUNITY AND ARMENIA

Lragir, Armenia
Aug 28 2007

The command of the Turkish army and the emerging political elite
who are conventionally referred to as Islamists reached agreement
on the presidency of Abdullah Gyul, stated Ruben Safrastyan, expert
on Turkey, on August 28, the day of the third round of voting to
the Turkish parliament, at the Pastark press club. The new Turkish
parliament has already tried twice to elect a president, and the main
candidate is Abdullah Gyul who was named by the majority Justice and
Development Party led by the Turkish Prime Minister Erdoghan.

However, in the first two attempts Gyul did not get two thirds of
votes to become president because his party holds 241 of 550 seats.

However, the order of holding the third round is different, and the
simple majority of votes elects president which Gyul’s and Erdoghan’s
party is able to provide.

As to the stance of the Turkish military command on Gyul’s candidacy,
Ruben Safrastyan thinks it became clear in Turkey that it is
impossible to prevent Gyul’s presidency through tough methods, and
the impressive victory of the Justice and Development party in the
parliamentary election led by Prime Minister Erdoghan is evidence to
this. No military coup threatens Turkey any more because the military
command, which has done at least 5 military coups in Turkey to prevent
Islamists from government and to maintain secular order, realizes
that Turkey has moved towards progress and is not what it was in the
1970s, 1980s. Ruben Safrastyan says NGOs in Turkey are strong now,
and a military coup would cause innumerable victims. The military
command acknowledged this and did not resort to this move though it
could have done during the political crisis in April.

On the other hand, however, the victory of the Islamist party does not
mean Turkey deviates from the secular state. Moreover, Ruben Safrastyan
says the Justice and Development Party is committed to European
integration. "That party, the leader of the party Prime Minister
Erdoghan and the future president Abdullah Gyul are committed to the
policy of the EU membership and have made considerable efforts towards
this goal over the past years, certain reforms were carried out, and
the ethnic and religious minorities of Turkey hope that this process
will last," Ruben Safrastyan says. He says therefore the Armenian
patriarch of Constantinople Mesrop Mutafyan called on the Armenian
community to vote for the Justice and Development Party. "The ethnic
and religious minorities of Turkey expect improvement of the legal
grounds of their existence in that country," Ruben Safrastyan says.

As to the change in Ankara’s stance on the relation with Armenia after
the Turkish parliamentary and presidential elections, Ruben Safrastyan
is not optimistic and thinks there is not a political force in Turkey
which is ready to make significant moves towards the improvement of
relations with Armenia. Although the expert expects certain change
regarding the border. Meanwhile, Ruben Safrastyan has no expectations
regarding the recognition of the Genocide.

Lexington Minuteman: Lexingtonians help Armenian school

GateHouse News Service Sat Aug 25, 2007, 10:49 AM EDT

Lexington –

Lexington residents Nicole and Jean-Jacques Hajjar, on behalf of the
Khatchig Babikian Fund, recently donated $50,000 to St. Stephen’s
Armenian Elementary School of Watertown.

The donation was made in recognition of the mission of the school to
promot= e excellence in education in an Armenian environment. The fund
earmarked this sum to be used during the 2007-08 academic year, for
two specific programs. One half will fund scholarships for needy
students, while the remaining hal= f will fund teaching staff
incentives and enrichment programs.

"I am thrilled with this donation, especially as it takes into
consideratio= n what our school needs: helping families financially so
that sending their children to a private Armenian school will not pose
a burden, and also helping the teacher learn valuable skills," said
principal Houry Boyamian.

The Khatchig Babikian Fund was created in January 2007 by the five
daughter= s of the late Khatchig Babikian (1925-1999). The fund honors
the memory of Mr= . Babikian, a philanthropist, attorney, former
member of the Lebanese Parliament (1957-1999), cabinet minister
successively of Administrative Reform, Health, Tourism, Information,
and Justice in the Lebanon government= , and former chairman of the
executive council of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia –
Antelias, Lebanon.

The fund’s purpose is to contribute to the welfare of Lebanese
Armenians in particular, and Armenians in general. It was the will of
Mr. Babikian to establish such a charitable fund to benefit Armenians
in humanitarian, educational and cultural projects.

"I feel very strongly about keeping one’s Armenian identity and pride,
and that’s what I love about St. Stephen’s," said Nicole Babikian
Hajjar, one o= f Mr. Babikian’s daughters. "We in the Boston area are
so lucky to have a quality private education mixed with the Armenian
culture."

In addition to the donation to St. Stephen’s, the Babikian Fund has
made large donations to Beirut’s St. Joseph University and the
American University of Beirut, providing scholarships for needy
students.

Hajjar and her husband, Jean-Jacques, send all three of their
children, Serena, Joseph and Anelga, to St. Stephen’s Armenian
Elementary School.

"We are extremely grateful to the Khatchig Babikian Fund, especially
our ow= n Nicole Babikian Hajjar," added Boyamian.

Source: 147400

RUSSIAN-ARMENIAN TRADE EXPECTED TO GO BEYOND $500 MILLION

ARMENPRESS
Aug 23, 2007

SOCHI, AUGUST 23, ARMENPRESS: "Our meetings here have become
traditional but this one has a specific significance as in a few days
Armenia and Russia will be marking the 10-th anniversary of signing
the Friendship and Cooperation Agreement," Russia’s president Vladimir
Putin said after talks with his Armenian counterpart Robert Kocharian
in Sochi, a resort town on the Black Sea coast.

Kocharian for his part praised the growing trade and political ties
between the two countries and thanked his Russian counterpart for
warm welcome. He described bilateral relations with Russia as a
dynamic process.

The two presidents discussed a wide scope of issues pertaining to
interaction in different sectors, especially from the perspective
of boosting commercial ties, joint implementation of big investment
projects in Armenia. They also discussed a set of international and
regional questions.

Armenian-Russian trade in the first six months of this year grew
70 percent from a year before to $337 million and is expected to go
beyond $500 million.

Russia is the biggest investor in Armenia having invested over $800
million over the last 15 years. The biggest investors are Gazprom, VTB
bank, Vimpelcom mobile phone operator and Rusal aluminum foil producer.

IMPACT OF GAZPROM PRICING ON UKRAINIAN ELECTION CAMPAIGN EXAMINED

Nezavisimaya Gazeta
23 Aug 07
Moscow

[Report by Mikhail Sergeyev: "Gazprom Becomes Involved in Ukrainian
Elections" — taken from HTML version of source provided by ISP]

Russian gas is at the center of political battles in Ukraine again.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Klyuyev stated yesterday
[ 22 August] that the price for imported Russian gas would remain
unchanged in 2008 and that the hypothetical price increase would not
exceed the inflation rate.

Experts regard these promises as excessively optimistic.

A day earlier, the Naftohaz Ukrayiny head even announced the
exact price — $143 instead of the current level of $130 per 1,000
cubic meters. A very comfortable price for Russian gas became an
"unbeatable trump card" in the propaganda campaign being waged by
Viktor Yanukovych’s party on the eve of the Supreme Council early
election scheduled for 30 September. Yanukovych’s political opponents
have no arguments against these promises, because neither Viktor
Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine nor former premier Yuliya Tymoshenko’s
supporters enjoy Moscow’s favors. Nevertheless, some of them admit
that Gazprom is not making profits on deliveries to Ukraine, since it
purchases Turkmenistani gas at $100 and resells it with a minimum
markup to its Ukrainian joint venture RosUkrEnergo for further
distribution in Ukraine. At the same time opposition politicians
in Kiev insist that even a slight price increase should invariably
be accompanied by a revision of the fee paid by Russia for its gas
transit to Europe. Besides, they regularly raise the issue of giving
up RosUkrEnergo’s middleman services. They point out that Naftohaz
Ukrayiny and Gazprom are fully capable of reaching direct agreement
and thus save more than $900 million, which was RosUkrEnergo’s profit
earned on middleman services last year. Admittedly, Gazprom managed
a year ago to break the linkage between European transit charges
and the price of gas supplied to Ukraine, and it is unlikely that
Moscow will want to retreat to its former position again. Nor does
the concern see any reason to give up RosUkrEnergo’s services.

"We are conducting negotiations and it is too early to speak about
lowering or raising prices. I think we will know by mid-September
at what price we will be receiving gas next year," Andrey Klyuyev
stated on Wednesday [ 22 August]. At the same time he said: Ukraine
expects that it will be paying "the current price plus the inflation
rate." While answering a question on the possibility of increasing the
transit fee, Klyuyev stated that Ukraine and Russia "are conducting
negotiations at the expert level, but there have been no results
so far." Meanwhile, the question of revision of transit fees for
Russian gas has become all but the focal point of political clashes in
Ukraine. In response to Yuliya Tymoshenko’s accusations of national
treason, the Naftohaz Ukrayiny state company management issued a
statement that "in accordance with existing agreements the transit
fee is fixed at $1.6 per 1,000 cubic meters per 100 kilometers and
cannot be changed before 2009."

Nezavisimaya Gazeta was explained at Gazprom that "the transit fee
was set in January 2006 for five years" and declined to comment on
the progress of the talks on the gas price for Ukraine in 2008.

RosUkrEnergo official representative Andrey Knutov told Nezavisimaya
Gazeta yesterday that "the volume of the gas price increase for Ukraine
in 2008 will become known only during the course of negotiations which
should take place this fall." According to him, disputes over the price
may continue in September, as well as October or November. The basic
terms of delivery were approved by the parties long ago, whereas the
new price for 2008 can be set in an addendum to the earlier agreements
between RosUkrEnergo and UkrHazEnerho (Naftohaz Ukrayiny’s subsidiary),
which resells Russian gas on Ukraine’s territory.

Meanwhile, Yuliya Tymoshenko bloc member Oleksandr Klyus told
Nezavisimaya Gazeta yesterday: "Even the slightest price increase
should be accompanied with an increase in the transit fee, which is
much lower than the average European level of $2.2 per 1,000 cubic
meters per 100 kilometers." At the same time, Klyus emphasized:
This demand fully reflects the fundamental position of Yanukovych’s
opponents.

At the same time Viktor Yanukovych himself publicly promised at a
Cabinet meeting in September 2006 that the gas price for Ukraine
"will remain better than the price paid by its neighbors until
2010." Naftohaz state company representatives also emphasize
the preferential character of the current Russian gas price for
Ukraine. They underscore that the price of $130 is "the most acceptable
commercial proposal in the region." "Armenia purchases gas at $180,
the Baltic states at $200-210, Poland at $240, and Slovakia and Hungary
at $250. Even Moldova, which is situated farther away from natural gas
suppliers than Ukraine, purchases fuel at $160," Naftohaz Ukrayiny
specialists wrote. Having said that, the cited data does not fully
reflect reality, for it does not mention gas deliveries to Belarus
at $100 per 1,000 cubic meters and obviously overstates the price for
Russian gas supplied to Armenia. Yerevan proposed Gazprom co-ownership
of a number of energy facilities and will receive Russian gas at $110
per 1,000 cubic meters through 2009 in exchange for this. Therefore,
Viktor Yanukovych has not fully managed to keep his promise.

Having said that, supporters of Viktor Yanukovych’s Party of the
Regions could cite prices paid for Russian gas by Georgia and Moldova,
the countries that are at loggerheads with Moscow. Gazprom set the
tariff at $235 per 1,000 cubic meters for Georgia. At the same time,
Gazprom spokesman Sergey Kupriyanov stated in July that "Georgia is
currently paying this price normally" and "the price will probably
remain at the same level in 2008." As for Moldova, it was stated in
Gazprom’s press release that the country is purchasing Russian gas
at $170; "the price will gradually go up in 2008-2010 and will reach
the level of average European prices by 2011."

Experts are not convinced that Viktor Yanukovych will manage again
to fulfill his promise that the price for Russian gas in 2008 will
increase solely to offset inflation. "If Russian-Ukrainian relations
do not sharply deteriorate after the September election, we can fully
expect a price increase of 15-20 percent in 2008," Aleksey Belogoryev,
Institute of Natural Monopoly Problems analyst, opined.

Having said that, the Supreme Council election will be over by the
time of setting the gas price for 2008, whereas the Party of the
Regions will have reaped dividends from its optimistic promises.

THE ISSUE ON CREATION OF THE CIS TRANSIT BASES ON HUMANITARIAN AID IS DISCUSSED IN ARMENIA

arminfo
2007-08-23 12:37:00

Within the frames of the two-day third session of the Consulting
Council of the leaders of executive power, that manage the state
material reserves in the CIS states, the issue on creation of the
CIS transit bases on humanitarian aid at the territory of Armenia is
discussed in Yerevan.

Representative of Territorial Administration Ministry Rudik Gukasyan,
who initiated such an offer, said that to implement this programme
they suppose to use the bases that Armenia has, where material
values of the CIS countries will be accumulated. They may be used
in case if one of the CIS states wants to show humanitarian aid to
the neighbouring states of the region. He also added that Armenia
comes forward with such an offer taking into consideration unstable
political situation in some countries of the region. Deputy director
of the Russian Federal Agency on State Reserves Vladislav Gasumyanov
said in connection with this, that in general the Russian delegation
positively treats creation of the transit bases in Armenia. ‘At the
same time we think that there are many obstacles in the national
legislation for this project fulfillment. We need much time to study
the issue in details and take a decision taking national legislation
into consideration’, – Gasumyanov said.

To note, delegations from Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus,
Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Uzbekistan and Armenia are taking part in the
session. The first session of the Consulting Council, created in 2004,
took place in 2004 in Ukraine, the second in 2006 in Kazakhstan. The
next session will be held in Bishkek in 2008.