Author: Nanijanian Alex

RUSSIA & ARMENIA TO ESTABLISH URANIUM JOINT-VENTURE

Russia Today, Russia
Feb 7 2008

Russia and Armenia will establish a joint-venture for the prospecting
for, production and recycling of uranium in Armenia. Armenia will also
join the International Uranium Enrichment Centre project in Angarsk.

An agreement was signed after talks between Russia’s Prime Minister,
Victor Zubkov, and his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sarkisyan.

Head of Rosatom state corporation Sergey Kirienko said the new
joint-venture will operate on a parity basis and Rosatom will gain
access to archives of uranium stockpiles in Armenia.

"50 per cent of the venture will belong to the Armenian government
and 50 per cent to Rosatom. Russia plans to invest $US 3 million to
start exploration work this year as soon as the snow is gone. We will
form four geological exploration teams and they will start exploration
and drilling, so that we can start production as soon as possible,"
he added.

TIGRAN TOROSYAN: WAR WILL MEAN VIOLATION OF COMMITMENTS BEFORE THE UN AND THE COE

armradio.am
07.02.2008 17:05

"Irrespective of what the Azerbaijani authorities will declare, they
understand pretty well that if they start war, the situation of 1994
will repeat," Speaker of the national Assembly Tigran Torosyan told
reporters before the international conference on "The countries of
the Caucasus and the Middle East: Possible partners in the process
of forming a regional; security system."

The Parliament Speaker noted that Azeri authorities know that
launching war will mean staying apart from all international events,
all international organizations. It will mean violating the simple
norms and commitments, which they assumed joining the UN and the
Council of Europe.

"I think that in any case, these "patriotic" statements will be
probably made before the presidential elections in Azerbaijan, but
I see no serious sense in those," Tigran Torosyan added.

49 CONGRESSMEN COSPONSOR RESOLUTION CONDEMNING HRANT DINK MURDER

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.02.2008 13:15 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A congressional resolution condemning the murder
of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink (H. Res. 102) continues
to gain strength, as five House Members added their support to the
measure in recent days, reported the Armenian Assembly of America.

Within the course of a week, Congressmen Jerry F. Costello (D-IL),
Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Edward Markey (D-MA), Ed Royce (R-CA), and Paul
Ryan (R-WI) joined the growing list of cosponsors, bringing the total
number of supporters to 49.

"Hrant Dink was a man who called for tolerance, peaceful dialogue,
and greater civil rights for all Turkish citizens. He was a fierce
defender of freedom and believed all people have equal rights under
the law," said Crowley, who introduced H. Res. 102 shortly after
Dink’s murder. "I hope my colleagues will join me in honoring the
memory of Hrant Dink and continue to urge the repeal of article 301."

"In order to uphold our democratic values, it is imperative that
America demonstrates its commitment to human rights and fundamental
freedoms to the rest of the world," said Assembly Executive Director
Bryan Ardouny. "Article 301 is part and parcel with Turkey’s ongoing
campaign to deny the historical truth of the Armenian Genocide. We
will continue to push for passage of H. Res. 102."

PRIMARY GOAL OF CBA IN 2008 IS TO ENSURE PRICE STABILITY

Noyan Tapan
Feb 5, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 5, NOYAN TAPAN. At the February 5 sitting, the RA
National Assembly took notice of the 2008 program of monetary and
credit policy of the Central Bank (CBA). The CBA chairman Tigran
Sargsian in particular said that this year the CBA will continue the
strategy of shifting to inflation targeting. In implementing this
strategy, the CBA will mainly be guided by the major and primary
goal of ensuring price stability. The target index of inflation was
establshed at annual 4% +- 1.5% for 2008-2010. Overall inflation:
growth of the index of consumer prices, which represents the growth
of the index of prices of 470 consumer goods and tariffs of services,
was established as the index of inflation. At the beginning of each
quarter, the CBA board will make a decision on directions of the
monetary and credit policy for each quarter, based on forecasts about
inflation, scenarios of development of the world economy, as well as
inflation risks.

EU TROIKA VISITS THE SOUTH CAUCASUS

armradio.am
04.02.2008 12:59

European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood
Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, will participate in the Ministerial EU
Troika visit to Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia on 4-6 February 2008.

Together with Dimitrij Rupel, Minister for Foreign Affairs of
Slovenia and EU Special Representative for the Southern Caucasus,
Ambassador Peter Semneby, the Commissioner will be holding meetings
at the highest level. On the agenda are the implementation of the
ENP Action Plans, regional and international issues. In Armenia and
Azerbaijan the Commissioner will also open full fledged European
Commission Delegations.

On the eve of her visit, Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner said: "Over
a year after we embarked into our joint Action Plans, the relations
between the EU and the countries of the Southern Caucasus are growing
ever closer. This is my third visit to the region, and I am looking
forward to discussing the implementation of our ENP Action plans,
energy security, regional issues including the frozen conflicts,
as well as international issues. "

She added: "This time I am particularly happy to open fully-fledged
EC Commission Delegations in Armenia and Azerbaijan. This opens a new
chapter in our relations with these countries. It is a confirmation
of the Commission’s commitment to cooperate closely with the South
Caucasus countries, supporting reforms with a view to bringing the
whole region closer to Europe".

The EU Troika visit will provide the opportunity to discuss a wide
range of topics with Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian authorities,
such as the implementation of the three ENP Action Plans, the situation
of human rights, fundamental freedoms and democratisation, frozen
conflicts, regional cooperation in the Southern Caucasus and energy.

The European Commission contributes to the peaceful settlement
of frozen conflicts. The EU is already active in preventing and
resolving conflicts.

The Commission can make an important contribution by working around
the conflict issues, promoting similar reforms on both sides of
the boundary lines, to foster convergence between political,
economic and legal systems, enabling greater social inclusion
and contributing to confidence building and the financing of
rehabilitation programmes. The EU is also institutionally involved
in conflict settlement mechanisms. The Commission is also an observer
to the Joint Control Commission, a conflict settlement mechanism for
South Ossetia. However, only individual Member States participate
in the Minsk Group (Nagorno-Karabakh) and the UN Friends of Georgia
(Abkhazia) peace mechanisms.

The ENP Action Plans in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia were adopted
in late 2006. Implementation is supported by the European Community
bilateral ENPI assistance to the tune of EUR 92 million in Azerbaijan,
EUR 98, 4 million in Armenia and EUR 120 million in Georgia over
the period 2007-2010, plus assistance initiatives implemented in the
context of ENPI Regional and Inter-Regional and EC Thematic Programmes
such as the European Instrument for Democratisation and Human Rights
– EIDHR.

The main focus of cooperation with Azerbaijan is good governance,
socio-economic reforms and energy.

For Armenia the three focal areas of bilateral assistance are support
for strengthening of democratic structures, and good governance,
support for regulatory reform and administrative capacity building,
and support for poverty reduction efforts.

For Georgia the focus is support for democratic development, rule of
law and governance, economic development and implementation of the ENP
Action Plan, poverty reduction and social reforms, conflict resolution.

>From 1991-2004, the EC has allocated over â~B¬1.2 billion worth
of assistance, with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia receiving
approximately an equal share of about â~B¬400 million each.

–Boundary_(ID_jUpJ6w3DrLOKYuk0J4werw)–

Montreal Gazette, Canada
Feb 2 2008

Armenian pizza isn’t flat in flavour

SARAH MUSGRAVE, Freelance
Published: 9 hours ago
The snack: Lahmajoun

The price: $1.50 per pie, a fair $6 for six, and an unbelievable
$10.95 for a dozen.

The smell: Fresh and tangy with herbs and tomatoes.

The look: The sauced-up round of pita bread is briefly heated in the
oven to crisp it up, then it’s folded and wrapped in waxed paper.

The taste: The extra-fine pita crackles delicately with each bite.
The surface is thinly smeared with a lively paste of ground beef,
tomatoes, green herbs like parsley, and spices including, I think, a
pinch of cayenne.

The story: This is some of the flattest flatbread pizza around. Also
called Armenian pizza or Turkish pizza, its variations are all
characterized by a top layer of ground beef or lamb, tomatoes and
heavy seasonings.

The source: Quick-serve counter Arouch in Park Extension (917 de
Liège St. W., , call 514-270-1091) gets its goods from
the Arouch mothership in Laval. You can sit down in the atmosphere of
an old Dilallo Burger franchise or get your pizza to go. Either way,
people clearly come through the door with one thing on their minds.

The twist: Arouch doesn’t offer just the Armenian perspective on
pizza. Made on thicker pita, Aleppo (named for the Syrian city)
features salty-tangy unripened milk cheeses, including
caraway-studded nabulsi, and red pepper paste; Greek style contains
spinach and extra-creamy feta; and zataar is a popular herb mix
featuring thyme and sesame. You can customize the pies with black
olives, pickled turnips, tabouleh, hot peppers or fresh tomato, but
it’s recommended to try them plain and simple before loading on more
flavours.

ARMENIA TO ISSUE BONDS WITH 20 YEAR MATURITY FOR FIRST TIME

Noyan Tapan
Feb 1, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, NOYAN TAPAN. On February 7, 2008, the RA ministry
of finance and economy will issue for the first time milestone coupon
bonds with maturity of 20 years of the total amount of 80 billion
drams (about 260.1 million USD). The head of the ministry’s state debt
servicing department Arshaluys Margarian told NT correspondent that
bonds of the indicated amount will be placed within 3 years. Bonds
of 25 billion drams will be placed in 2008.

He explained that bonds whose interest rates are also a milestone for
formation of market interest rates of other bonds are considered as
milestone bonds. According to A. Margarian, it is envisaged replacing
gradually the bonds of other maturity with long-term bonds through
several big issues.

Accoridng to the press service of the Central Bank of Armenia, the
20-year maturity bonds to be issued on February 7 will be sold at
a discount on the nominal value and will be redeemed by the nominal
value. The yield of a bond coupon will be fixed at 11% annually and
be calculated with respect to bonds in circulation. The redemption
day of bonds is February 7, 2028. Agents chosen by the RA ministry of
finance and economy may participate in bond auctions. They act either
on their behalf and at their own expense or on their behalf and at the
expense of investors. There are no restrictions on potential buyers.

ANKARA MARQUE DES POINTS CONTRE UN RESEAU ULTRANATIONALISTE

Le Temps
30 janvier 2008
Suisse

TURQUIE. Une trentaine de membres d’un gang ayant pour objectif de
destabiliser le pays et de tenter un coup d’Etat ont ete arretes.

L’Etat turc reprendrait-il le contrôle sur l’"Etat profond", cet Etat
dans l’Etat alliant les forces de l’ordre, la politique et la mafia?

C’est ce que semble reveler l’operation "Ergenekon" dans laquelle 29
personnes sont poursuivies.

Cette operation a debute il y a huit mois dans un quartier
d’Istanbul avec la decouverte d’armes ayant servi lors de l’attaque
du Conseil d’Etat en mai 2006. Mardi 22 janvier, un deuxième palier
est franchi avec l’arrestation de 33 personnes, dont la notoriete
de certaines n’est plus a faire. C’est le cas de Veli Kucuk, general
a la retraite et tete supposee de ce gang. Suspecte d’avoir cree le
service de renseignement de la gendarmerie (Jitem) charge dans les
annees 1990 d’actes de contre-guerilla dans la lutte contre le Parti
des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK), l’homme a ete implique dans le
scandale de Susurluk qui, en 1997, avait revele l’existence de ce
fameux "Etat profond". Par ailleurs, peu avant son assassinat il y
a un an, le journaliste armenien Hrant Dink avait dit avoir recu des
menaces de sa part. Veli Kucuk est aujourd’hui incarcere et poursuivi
pour incitation a la rebellion armee.

Parmi les autres personnes arretees se trouvent Kemal Kerincsiz,
avocat ultranationaliste connu pour avoir intente un procès a Orhan
Pamuk, Prix Nobel de litterature, mais aussi Fuat Turgut. Ce dernier,
lui aussi avocat, defend l’un des suspects impliques dans l’assassinat
de Hrant Dink. "Il y a beaucoup trop d’Armeniens ici", avait-il lance
a la famille de la victime a l’ouverture du procès, en juillet.

Multiplicite des "ennemis"

Selon son manifeste, ce gang ultranationaliste s’est donne comme
objectif de defendre la Republique menacee de divisions par des
forces externes et interne et de retourner a l’âge d’or du kemalisme,
a l’epoque où ni la question kurde, ni le tabou armenien, ni la place
de l’islam n’ebranlaient le pays. Le groupe aurait prevu un plan en
six etapes visant a destabiliser le pays pour tenter un coup d’Etat
en 2009. La multiplicite des "ennemis" expliquerait la diversite des
personnalites prises pour cible. Selon le journal Hurriyet, Orhan
Pamuk ainsi que des leaders politiques kurdes se trouvaient ainsi sur
une liste d’hommes a abattre. Certains commentateurs se demandent
depuis si ce gang n’est pas implique dans d’autres assassinats,
comme ceux d’un pretre italien et de trois protestants a Malatya,
et dans certains attentats attribues aux activistes du PKK.

Ce coup de filet a suscite de nombreux espoirs, notamment du côte
des avocats de la famille de Hrant Dink, mais il soulève aussi de
nouvelles attentes. "Jusqu’où s’enfoncent les racines [de ce gang]
au sein de l’Etat? Qui en est la tete principale?" s’interroge Hasan
Cemal. Journaliste a Milliyet, il appelle la justice a "suivre cette
piste jusqu’a l’interieur de l’Etat".

–Boundary_(ID_C4AnCZ/MV9efwNM7r3Iq dQ)–

OBSERVERS OF 18 LOCAL NGOs AND 4 INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS ACCREDITED AT RA CEC

Noyan Tapan
Jan 29, 2008

YEREVAN, JANUARY 29, NOYAN TAPAN. As of January 28, a total of 7,169
representatives of 18 local NGOs, and 4 international organizations:
the OSCE/ODIHR, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the CIS Executive
Committee and the CIS Interparliamenatry Assembly were accredited at
the RA Central Electoral Commission (CEC) with the aim of implementing
observer mission at the February 19 presidential elections in Armenia,
NT correspondent was informed by spokeswoman for the RA CEC Tatev
Ohanian.

As of the indicated date, "Choice is Yours" NGO accredited the largest
number of observers – 4,010, while the center for development of
"Erebuni" communities accredited the smallest number – 3 observers. The
deadline for accrediting observers is February 9.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version: nian.htm

ECUMENICAL SERVICE AT ANTELIAS CONCLUDES THE ANNUAL WEEK OF PRAYER FOR
CHRISTIAN UNITY ORGANIZED BY THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARIES

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity organized by the theological
seminaries in Lebanon was concluded during an ecumenical service at the
Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Antelias on January 26.

The Primate of the Diocese of Lebanon, Bishop Kegham Khatcherian, the
President of the Union of Protestant Church of the Near East Rev. Selim
Sahyouni, Ecumenical Officer of the Catholicosate of Cilicia Bishop Nareg
Alemezian, Seminary deans, reverend fathers and faithful attended the
concluding event held under the patronage of Catholicos Aram I.

Seminary student Deacon Tavit Kamaian delivered in Arabic the opening
remarks, welcoming the attendants on behalf of the Seminary’s administration
and students.

The concluding service presented a beautiful compilation of the hymns and
spiritual music of each church. Led by Rev. Magar Ashkarian, the Seminary
choir presented a selection of Armenian hymns, leaving a lasting impression
on the attendants. The final hymn of the day, composed for this special
occasion, was performed jointly by the choirs of all the seminaries,
creating great excitement.

The chairman of the inter-Seminary committee took to the stage for the
concluding remarks, expressing his gratitude for the organization of the
event. He also thanked the Armenian Church and His Holiness for their warm
reception.

The event created great opportunities for fostering bonds of unity between
young faithful with a calling to serve the noble mission of the Church.

##
View the photos here:
tos/Photos190.htm
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.