Author: Navasardian Karapet

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY APPROVES 2008 STATE BUDGET

Noyan Tapan
Nov 26 2007

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 28, NOYAN TAPAN. At the November 28 special session,
the RA National Assembly adopted the 2008 draft state budget with
87 votes in favor, 2 votes against and 8 abstentions. In accordance
with their decisions made public the day before, the deputies of the
"Heritage" faction, who were present at the sitting, voted against,
while those of the "Orinats Yerkir" faction abstained from voting.

The revenues of the 2008 state budget make 746 billion drams, the
expenditures – 822 billion drams, the deficit – 76 billion drams. The
nominal gross domestic product (GDP) makes 3,520 billion drams or
10.825 billion USD, the per capita GDP makes 3,350.2 USD. The real
growth of GDP is envisaged to make 10%, the GDP deflator – 4%, the
inflation – 4 +- 1.5%. The settlement exchange rate of a US dollar
is 325.16 drams.

INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION GROWS BY 1.8% IN ARMENIA IN JANUARY-OCTOBER 2007 ON SAME PERIOD OF LAST YEAR

Noyan Tapan
Nov 30, 2007

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 30, NOYAN TAPAN. Industrial production of 574 bln
462.8 mln drams (about 1 bln 648.9 mln USD) in current prices was
made in Armenia in January-October 2007. Production of 577 bln 610.1
mln drams was sold, including sales of 61 bln 773.7 mln drams in CIS
countries and sales of 146 bln 823.2 mln drams in other countries.

According to the RA National Statistical Service, the industrial
production index made 101.8% as compared with January-October 2006,
the same index without production and distribution of electricity,
gas and water made 101.1%.

GREECE: ARMENIAN RELATIONS WITH NEIGHBORS

Panorama.am
21:07 30/11/2007

Vahram Kajhoyan, the Armenian ambassador in Greece made a lecture
in Indianapolis, Athens on "Armenian relations with neighbors: NK
problem’s peaceful regulation, and admission of Armenian Genocide"
subject.

According to the press and information department of the Foreign
Affairs Ministry during the lecture the ambassador presented Armenian
inner political and economic situation in independence years, the
foreign policy, and the collaboration with international organizations.

MAN SENTENCED FOR MARKET PIN PAD SCAM

Forbes, NY
Associated Press
Nov 30 2007

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A California man has been sentenced to 5 1/2
years in prison for his role in a criminal ring that stole financial
information from Stop & Shop customers and used it to illegally siphon
$132,000 from shoppers.

Arutyun Shatarevyan, 20, of Los Angeles previously pleaded guilty
to conspiracy and identity fraud. As an Armenian immigrant, he will
probably face deportation, his defense attorney, Alex Kessel, said.

Shatarevyan and three other California men were arrested in Coventry
on Feb. 26 as they attempted to perform the scheme at a supermarket
check-out lane.

Investigators say the men would enter supermarkets late at night,
distract the cashier and swap a PIN pad with an alternate machine
that recorded each customer’s financial data. They could swap the
equipment in as little as 12 seconds, prosecutors said.

After a while, the men would return, retrieve the machines and harvest
the credit and debit card information. At least six supermarkets
in Rhode Island and Massachusetts were targeted, and 238 people
lost money.

One co-defendant, Mikael Stepanian, 28, had a laptop inside his hotel
room that allowed him to create ATM cards using information downloaded
from the PIN pad machines. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 6.

Two other defendants already have received prison terms for their
role in the plot. Arman Ter-Esayan was sentenced to six years in
federal prison, while Gevork Baltadjian was ordered to serve just
over five years.

Stop & Shop is a unit of Royal Ahold.

Panorama.am

13:58 01/12/2007

ARMENIA AND RUSSIA SIGN COOPERATION MEMORANDUM IN CULTURE

Armenian culture minister, Hasmik Poghosyan, and Russia’s culture and
cinematography federative agency head, Michael Shvidko, signed
yesterday Memorandum 2008 on Cultural Cooperation. The memorandum
envisages events that will be held in Russia and Armenia.

The sides discussed the organization of an exhibition of Armenian
artists in Russia, among them Minas Avetisyan, Rudolph Khachatryan and
Nikolay Nikoghosyan. Starting June, 2008 Armenia will witness the
Russian Culture Season.

Michael Shvidko underscored the importance of the document and
mentioned that it will contribute to further cooperation. The parties
also spoke about the cooperation in humanitarian aspects and more
active links among people of culture.

Source: Panorama.am

OSKANIAN IS OFF TO ESTONIA

A1+
[01:02 pm] 03 December, 2007

Today RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian left for the Republic of
Estonia for a working visit, MFA Press and Information Department
informs.

Minister Oskanian is expected to have meetings with the First
Vice-Speaker of the Estonian Parliament Kristiina Ojuland and Foreign
Minister Urmas Paet.

Meetings with representatives of the Armenian community and members
of the Armenian-Estonian Parliamentary Friendship Group are envisaged.

December 5-6 Minister Oskanian will leave for Moscow for a working
visit. Mr. Oskanian is expected to meet with Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov, Secretary General of the Collective Security treaty
Organization Nikolay Bordyuzha and Heads of Diplomatic missions
accredited in Armenia. Vartan Oskanian will visit the Diplomatic
Academy of the Russian Federation, where he will deliver a speech
on "The reality of traditional and new directions of Armenia’s
complementary foreign policy."

December 7 Minister Oskanian will leave for Strasbourg for a working
visit. Mr. Oskanian will have meetings with Secretary General of the
Council of Europe Terry Davis, members of Ago Monitoring Group of
the CoE Foreign Ministers, as well as the President of the European
Court of Human Rights Jean Paul Costa.

December 8 Minister Oskanian will leave for Italy, where he will
meet with local authorities of the city of Conegliano, will visit the
Trade Chamber, the Association of producers and the wine-making school.

December 9 Minister Oskanian will be awarded a Civilitas Prize at
the Academic Theatre of Conegliano.

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

THE CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA BRINGS AN ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN THE ASSEMBLY
OF THE
MIDDLE EAST COUNCIL OF CHURCHES

The 9th General Assembly of the Middle East Council of Churches, convened in
Cyprus on November 27-30, concluded its sessions on Friday with the election
of Presidents, the General Secretary and the members of the council’s
Executive Committee.

Catholicos Aram I was elected as President on behalf of the Oriental
Orthodox Churches. The other presidents of MECC are: Patriarch of Jerusalem
His Holiness Teopilos III (Orthodox), Archbishop Boulos Matar (Roman
Catholic) and Rev. Safouad Bayadi (Protestant).

Bishop Kegham Khatcherian (Primate of the Diocese of Lebanon) was elected as
a member of the Executive Committee. General Secretary Dr. Gerges Saleh
(Coptic Orthodox Church) was reelected to his position.

During the Wednesday and Thursday sessions, the participants listened to and
discussed the reports of the MECC faith and unity, education, life and
service units, as well as report by the communication, Christian-Muslim
dialogue, justice, peace and human rights, ecumenical and international
affairs, Palestinian refugees, social services and administrative-economic
departments.

The issue of infrastructure reform within the MECC received great attention
and was subjected to a detailed discussion by the participants. In lights of
the several proposals made, the Assembly decided this issue would become one
of the priorities of the new Executive Committee.

The Assembly participants also had the opportunity to listen to the
welcoming remarks and concerns of ecumenical councils and organizations
cooperating with the MECC.

The Ambassador of Lebanon to Cyprus, Michel Khoury, organized a dinner
reception in the Embassy on Thursday in honour of the all the participants
in the Assembly.

The Assembly concluded with collective prayers followed by a meeting of the
newly elected Executive Committee.

The Standing Committee of the Oriental Orthodox Churches in the Middle East
convened on November 28-29 in the same location. The items on the meeting’s
agenda included official theological dialogues, ecumenical issues and the
imperative of strengthening cooperation within the family of Oriental
Orthodox Churches.

Bishop Nareg held a series of meetings with ecumenical guests, including
representatives from the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran Churches.
During these meetings, the two sides exchanged view on important issues in
the ecumenical field. Bishop Nareg emphasized the commitment of His Holiness
Aram I and the Catholicosate of Cilicia to this movement.

##
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.

SEVERAL ARMENIAN COMPANIES TO START BROADCASTING VIA CABLE INTERNET IN YEREVAN IN NEAR FUTURE

Noyan Tapan
Nov 15, 2007

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, NOYAN TAPAN. Several Armenian television
companies are testing the parameters of the digital signal for
broadcasting cable Internet programs, Harald Grytten, the director
general of the Armenian-Norwegian company ADC (Armenian Datacon
Company – ) told NT correspondent.

ADC provides data transmission and broad-band Internet services to
corporate customers through the fiber optic cable network it has
built in Yerevan.

In the words of H. Grytten, the Armenian television companies are
expected to start broadcasting via the Internet in the near future. In
addition to IP television services, ADC intends to ensure the provision
of IP phone services as well.

The company is now working out a model, based on which cable broad-band
Internet services will be provided to customers – natural persons:
on conditions profitable both for subscribers and ADC. H. Grytten
expressed a hope that in the visible future, there will be an
opportunity to provide data transmission, phone and television
broadcasting services through the same cable.

According to him, ADC has done preparatory work for creation of optic
fiber connection networks in other Armenian settlements.

ANASTASIYA GREBENKINA – VAZGEN AZROYAN PAIR PARTICIPATES IN THE WORLD CUP COMPETITION

armradio.am
15.11.2007 12:59

The first round of the World Cup of Figure Skating kicked off in
Paris today.

More than 20 ice dancing pairs are participating in the competition,
including Armenian couple Anastasiya Grebenkina – Vazgen Azroyan.

The trainer of the Armenian sportsmen is Alexander Zhulin.

ICG RELEASES THE RECURRENT REPORT ON NAGORNO KARABAKH

armradio.am
14.11.2007 15:55

The International Crisis Group issued the recurrent report on Nagorno
Karabakh.

The report calls on Azerbaijan and Armenia should halt their dangerous
arms race and restrain their belligerent rhetoric and instead renew
efforts to find a negotiated settlement for the Nagorno-Karabakh
region.

Nagorno-Karabakh: Risking War, the latest report from the International
Crisis Group, examines the dangers of ignoring the conflict both for
the region and for the wider international community. Oil money has
given Azerbaijan new self-confidence and the means to upgrade its
armed forces.

Armenia has done surprisingly well economically and is increasing its
own military expenditures. With both countries now building military
capacity, neither believes it is time to compromise.

"The international community needs to take the threat of war
seriously," says Magdalena Frichova, Crisis Group Caucasus Project
Director. "The risk of armed conflict is growing, and the dangers of
complacency enormous."

"Armenians and Azerbaijanis went to war over the mountainous province
in the early 1990s, causing some 22,000 to 25,000 deaths and more than
one million refugees and displaced persons in both countries. Today,
most of Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as considerable adjacent Azerbaijani
territory, is occupied by ethnic Armenian forces.

Hope for diplomatic progress has been consistently undermined by
the parties’ lack of political will and insufficient international
resolve. Over the past few years, the leaderships of both countries
have turned their publics increasingly against compromise, while
boosting military expenditures. Both trends must be reversed.

The current negotiations – the Prague process, facilitated since
April 2004 by the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and led by France, Russia and the US –
can provide the framework for a negotiated settlement. Elections in
both Azerbaijan and Armenia will complicate the political environment
in 2008, however, so the sides should agree on a document of basic
principles, even one that specifies where disagreements remain,
before the polls. Such a result would secure what has been agreed
upon so far and maintain the process during the year.

The Minsk Group co-chair and the wider international community
should coordinate efforts to impress on both countries the need
for progress. The EU and the U.S. should make the resolution of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict a key element of relations with the
parties. The role of the EU special representative for the South
Caucasus (EUSR) should be strengthened and European Neighborhood
Policy (ENP) reviews and funding should be used to promote confidence
building, in addition to institution building and human rights,"
the report reads.

"The international community needs to pressure hard for peace," says
Sabine Freizer, Crisis Group’s Europe Program Director. "Conditionality
should be used with financial aid instruments, and active diplomacy
should focus both sides on the costs of continued stalemate and
confrontation, which far outweigh those of an early compromise."