Author: Tadevosian Garnik

THE BROADCASTING IS BIASED

168 Zham, Armenia
Dec 11 2007

The Yerevan Press Club published yesterday [10 December] the results
of monitoring of Armenian TV channels and Public Radio of Armenia.

According to those [results], Armenia’s Public Television and Public
Radio are not impartial in their coverage of the presidential hopefuls.

"The circumstance that ‘polar’ coverage of the two candidates [Armenian
Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan and former Armenian President Levon
Ter-Petrosyan], which attracted the most attention of mass media
is characteristic of the first channel (H1) of Public Television of
Armenia and Public Radio of Armenia (PR), causes special concern".

The latter, in particular, which in the previous elections (in 2003
and 2007) was mentioned as the most balanced mass media as a result
of monitoring of the broadcasts, this time is not noticed for its
impartiality. "In the November broadcasting of the Public [Radio],
82 out of 105 references about Levon Ter-Petrosyan were negative and
none were positive," the report says.

Its authors substantiate: "Such transformation has coincided in time
with rejection of its leadership to broadcast the Armenian programmes
of the Radio Liberty". "The Yerkir Media TV channel is an exception
from the described `general rule’ , where the ratio of positive and
negative references about former Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosyan
and Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan is the most balanced one (5-13 and
4-6 correspondingly) and the neutral references make the majority in
the case of both."

"Another political figure (Serzh Sargsyan) monitored on the four TV
channels received high percentages: 76.9 per cent on the Armenia TV
(out of the total broadcasting time provided for the 19 political
figures), 48.9 per cent on the Shant TV, 47.2 per cent – on the
Public Television of Armenia and 40.8 per cent on the Armenian Second
TV channel. The number of the prime minister’s positive references
significantly prevailed over the number of negative ones on all the
TV channels except for the Yerkir Media – on Public Television of
Armenia correspondingly 26 and 2; on the ALM channel – 17 and 2;
on the Armenia TV – 11 and 0; on the Armenian Second TV channel –
26 and 1; on the Centre TV – 41 and 1; on the Shant TV – 16 and 2;
on the Public Radio of Armenia – 21 and 0.

These indicators witness that the mentioned TVs which broadcast
extremely rarely presented criticizing opinions of the president
of the ruling coalition [Armenian President Robert Kocharyan] and
comments of the political opposition and other public figures,"
the authors of the report concluded.

ALVARD PETROSSIAN FEARS FRATRICIDE

A1+
[07:53 pm] 12 December, 2007

If you want to come to power you should ignore all humane temptations,
ARF Dashnaktsutiun member Alvard Petrossian said during an interview
with A1+.

She welcomed ARFD’s decision to accept former President Levon
Ter-Petrossian’s invitation. "The meeting was really held in a
friendly atmosphere.

Political figures must be wise and discreet. I think tolerance and
good breeding must become the motto of the upcoming election.

I fully realise that it is a bit difficult for a country like
Armenia. "We live in a mountainous and maximalist country which is
all in black and white.

Though we like colours in fine arts we are extremists in politics.

I do not accept this approach. Maximalism is a dangerous phenomenon. It
is a weakness.

My female instinct makes me fear this weakness. I fear the polarization
of the political field. The ARFD has never committed bloodshed or
fratricide. Nor have we waged a civil war. This is really a great
achievement.

If we recall the events of Georgia and Azerbaijan in the 90s we can
say that we have survived numerous hardships and outlawed civil war,
Alvard Petrossian says.

We must be tolerant and restrain our emotions and hatred. I think we
all love our motherland and we must find a common language to unite
for the sake of the country’s future well-being.

Only people exercising power are capable of reconciling rival
forces. "But they should first subdue themselves and then call for
tolerance and prudence. Power is a trying ordeal. Unfortunately,
I must confess that the authorities fail to undergo it with triumph."

The ARF Dashnaktsutiun stands out in the political domain with its
unique ideology and broad experience.

"We are not idolaters. We can enumerate virtues of Serzh Sarkissian
and Levon Ter-Petrossian. But we are not their interiors. We want to
win a victory with our ideology. "

Alvard Petrossian calls on the presidential contenders to admit their
defeat with dignity and to congratulate the winner without envy.

When you appear on a battlefield you must be ready for everything:
death, retreat, surrender and victory. No matter which side wins you
must be capable of display your erudition.

HARASSMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS IS WIDESPREAD IN CIS — REPORT
Jean-Christophe Peuch

EurasiaNet, NY
Dec 13 2007

The OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)
has been at the center of a struggle between western countries and
some CIS states that blame it for its critical assessment of most
elections held in the former Soviet Union since 1991. In particular,
Russia and a number of its neighbors accuse the ODIHR of meddling
in turbulent elections that brought new, Western-oriented political
leaders to power in Georgia and Ukraine.

But ODIHR’s activities are not limited to election monitoring. As
its name indicates, it also deals — more broadly — with human
rights and democratization. The Warsaw-based office on December 10
issued a report, the first of its kind, which identifies patterns of
harassment against human rights defenders in the OSCE area between
April 2006 and April 2007. The presentation, which coincided with
the 59th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
took place at the OSCE headquarters in Vienna.

Called "Human Rights Defenders In The OSCE Region: Our Collective
Conscience," the report is unlikely to mollify ODIHR’s critics, as it
clearly identifies Russia and several other former Soviet republics
as countries where restrictions imposed on rights activists are
the most frequent. The report also contains recommendations to OSCE
participating states on how to improve working conditions for human
rights defenders. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Among those experts who helped draft the 70-page document is
Belarusian human rights advocate Ales Byalyatski, whose Vyasna
(Spring) organization has been repeatedly denied registration by
President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s administration.

"This report is no light literature. It is a dramatic document,"
said Byalyatski, who is also vice president of the International
Federation of Human Rights. "The situation of human rights defenders
and organizations and the way individual states react to their
activities are a very precise indicator of how authorities in those
countries consider human rights," he told the panel of OSCE ambassadors
— mostly Western — who attended the December 10 presentation.

ODIHR Director Christian Strohal identified the patterns of violations
affecting human rights defenders — which he said often occur with
the explicit or tacit approval of local governments — as follows:
physical attacks; curtailment of freedom of association; failure
to respect the freedom of assembly; and restrictions imposed on the
freedom of movement.

Among individual cases that were mentioned at the launching of
the report were the October 2006 slaying of Russian journalist and
human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya, and the tragic death of
Ogulsapar Muradova in Turkmenistan. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive].

A RFE/RL correspondent affiliated with the Bulgaria-based Turkmen
Helsinki Foundation rights group, Muradova died in custody in September
of 2006. Relatives say she died as a result of ill-treatment, but
Turkmen authorities attribute her death to natural causes. They also
deny that Muradova was a journalist, or a human rights activist. At
a closed trial held a few days before her death, Muradova and two
other people had been sentenced to heavy jail terms on dubious arms
possession charges.

Another high-profile case mentioned by Byalyatski is that of
Umida Niyazova, an Uzbek investigative journalist who worked as a
translator for the New York-headquartered Human Rights Watch (HRW)
organization. Niyazova was arrested in December 2006 and charged with
illegal border crossing, smuggling, and fostering civil unrest with
the help of foreign funding.

On May 1, a Tashkent court sentenced Niyazova to seven years in jail.

Following harsh western reactions, a higher Uzbek court later reduced
that sentence to a three-year suspended jail term, but only after
Niyazova agreed to plea guilty and state that she had been deceived
by HRW.

At the time of Niyazova’s release, another 14 Uzbek rights defenders
remained in custody.

Among them was Gulbahor Turayeva. The name of Turayeva, a physician
by training, became well-known after she gave foreign media her own
account of the May 2005 bloody government crackdown in Andijan. Uzbek
authorities arrested her in January 2007 and charged her with
threatening the constitution. Turayeva was sentenced to six years
in jail and released in June after publicly expressing regret for
her activities.

Among other Central Asian rights campaigners who were physically
assaulted during the period covered by the ODIHR report are
Uzbekistan’s Yelena Urlayeva, Bahtiyor Hamrayev, and Rahmatullo
Alibayev. Attacks were also reported on Kyrgyzstan’s Edil Baisalov
and Ramazan Dyryldayev.

Georgia appears in the ODIHR report among those countries where human
rights defenders suffer milder forms of harassment. In February,
Interior Ministry officers visited the premises of the Human Rights
Information and Documentation Center, claiming they wanted to learn
about the organization’s activities, and threatened several employees.

The ODIHR reports also contained information about intimidation
attempts against a non-governmental organization that promotes the
rights of Georgia’s ethnic minorities. Unknown individuals in June
broke into the Tbilisi office of Multinational Georgia and stole
several documents, including the draft of an alternative report on
the implementation of the Convention for the Protection of National
Minorities to be addressed to the United Nations and the Council of
Europe. The incident followed unsuccessful government attempts to
obtain this document from Multinational Georgia employees.

In its latest report on human rights violations worldwide, HRW
took note of repeated instances of government harassment against
the Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA), a non-governmental
organization that promotes national legislation that is more protective
of human rights. In addition, the group has been critical of President
Mikheil Saakashivli’s policies. For example, then-defense minister
Irakli Okruashvili in 2006 accused the GYLA of misusing foreign funds
and demanded the resignation of its then-chairwoman, Ana Dolidze.

Lawyers engaged in human rights work can also face administrative
harassment, as in Armenia, where three defense attorneys were
prosecuted for appealing the sentencing of three soldiers accused
of murder.

The ODIHR report contains numerous occurrences of harassment targeting
Russian and Belarusian human rights defenders. Violations were also
reported in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and a number of non-CIS countries.

The report additionally includes a summary of written responses sent
by OSCE participating states on individual cases. A simple look at
the list shows that most of those post-Soviet countries which figure
prominently in that document declined to comment.

Also, none of them attended the presentation ceremony.

Summarizing the report, ODIHR Director Strohal said: "The situation
is not improving, to put it diplomatically."

"The situation of human rights advocates and the pressure they have
been exposed to [tells us] very clearly that [we are facing] a major
challenge," he added.

Editor’s Note: Jean-Christophe Peuch is a Vienna-based freelance
correspondent, who specializes in Caucasus- and Central Asia-related
developments.

NAGORNO-KARABAKH AUTHORITIES DELIVERED A DWELLER OF MIR-BASHIR REGION TO AZERI PARTY

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
Dec 12 2007

December 12 Nagorno-Karabakh Republic delivered a native and dweller
of Azerbaijan’s Mir-Bashir region Aliyev Anar Maarif ogly, born in
1978, to Azeri party as a goodwill gesture.

According to the information DE FACTO received at the Press Office of
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s State Commission for POWs and Missing,
the procedure had take place at 2:35 p.m. local time on Aghdam
direction of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azeri armed forces’ contact line,
at the village of Bash-Karvend under the aegis of the representatives
of International Committee of the Red Cross /ICRC/.

Anar Aliyev was arrested on August 2, 2007, by the servicemen of NKR
Defense Army on the contact line’s Martakert direction while passing
to Karabakh party.

Azeri party simultaneously passed the dweller of Martuni town, NKR,
Valery Suleymanian, who had been kept in Azerbaijan since April
of 2007.

TURKEY’S ‘OTHER WAR’
Bulent Kenes

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Dec 10 2007

We have been talking only about Turkey’s counterterrorism fight in the
recent months. Neither the attacks of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party
(PKK) nor the struggle against the terrorist organization ceases to
be in the spotlight. Also never out of the spotlight are the slain
PKK members and our security officers we lose to our fight against
the PKK. For months we have been living with cross-border operation
scenarios triggered by the PKK terror. We have people saying, "If
it is the homeland in question, all the rest is but detail." What I
want to talk about is this "detail" part. After reading my article,
you decide whether it is really an unnecessary detail or a real war
Turkey has to wage on terrorism.

Above all, reducing the struggle of a country like Turkey merely to
a counterterrorism struggle would be the greatest of mistakes. We
should also scrutinize the socioeconomic conditions that facilitate
the terrorists’ jobs and look for remedies. Ultimately, fighting
terrorism is not possible only with an armed struggle, and we should
know that what threatens Turkey is not only terrorism, because the
"other war" Turkey has to fight is maybe more important than its war
against terrorism. It should also be known that Turkey will have more
successful results in its security-oriented wars in the event it wins
its other war against poverty, destitution and employment.

You must have read the news article about the minimum wage in Turkey,
covered on the front page of Sunday’s Zaman. If you haven’t, you must
definitely read it to understand where Turkey’s essential problems
stem from. The article explains with striking examples how the minimum
wage of 3 million people in Turkey is far from providing for even
the lowest standard of living, revealing the minimum wage reality
that concerns our 13 million citizens with all its ramifications. It
clearly emphasizes that Turkey’s "other war" is definitely not an
unnecessary detail.

Today an employee being paid minimum wage makes YTL 419 (or $358) a
month. Millions of people who earn this amount live in large families
of four, six or more and have to set aside most of this amount for
the rent of their slum houses that are devoid even of the most basic
human requirements. According to Confederation of Turkish Labor Unions
(TURK-ÝÞ) reports, a family of four needs YTL 697 monthly just to
buy food and YTL 2,200 monthly to cover mandatory expenses like food,
rent, transportation, health and education. That is, a person paid the
minimum monthly wage has no means of providing for his family’s food,
clothing, education or health needs.

Despite the 134 percent rise in their wages in the last five years
and although this pay rise is much higher than the 59 percent rate of
inflation increase, it doesn’t make much difference in their struggle
to survive in the utmost of poverty. The minimum wage’s having risen
above the rate of inflation doesn’t give much consolation, either, as
it is so low that it seriously hurts human dignity. In fact experts
state that the people in Turkey who benefited the least from 43
percent in growth in the Turkish economy in the last five years are
minimum wage earners.

If the inflation rate and the rate of the economic growth were to
be applied to the minimum wage increase, the amount in question
would have to be YTL 640 ($548). But the government is planning for
the minimum wage raise to be between 6 and 8 percent. This small
raise draws criticism even from employers hard put to keep up with
international competition. The strange thing is that when you look at
it from the perspective of employers, it doesn’t seem quite possible
to say that they are not right. The biggest responsibility here falls
on the government because the government can at least forego insurance
premiums and taxes on minimum wage earners.

Maybe it will strike you as paradoxical, but the minimum wager earners
— who live below the hunger level, to say nothing of the poverty
level – perhaps make up the relatively fortunate segment of Turkey
because the ratio of unemployed to the general population is nearly 10
percent. A total of 376,000 university graduates are looking for a job
today. The number in question is estimated to rise by 86,000 this year.

Although it is the 17th largest economy in the world, Turkey’s
ranking of 84th among 177 countries in the 2007-2008 United Nations
Development Program (UNDP) Human Development Report (HDR) explains
everything. Having risen to 84th place from 92nd in the "index"
in the last five to six years through its economic performance,
in the area of "human development" Turkey lags behind even Armenia,
which attracts attention with its poverty level. Also, Turkey ranks
last in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD) region with regard to the human development index.

In brief, Turkey’s "other war" forms the mother of all wars, let
alone being an unnecessary detail. Turkey still has a long distance
to cover on this issue.

–Boundary_(ID_lzDixOqKCz3RiBG+Xf66TA)–

RA FM HONORED WITH CIVILITAS 2007 AWARD

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.12.2007 19:08 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In Conegliano Italy on December 9, 2007, Armenia’s
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian received the Civilitas 2007 award
from the Dama Castellana organization, the RA FM press office reported.

The award, established in 1992 by the Dama Castellana organization,
the town of Conegliano, the Province of Treviso, the Region of Veneto,
and the European Community, is intended for those individuals who
personify human values, tolerance, solidarity and whose work adds
quality to the life of the community and humanity.

Previous winners include Pope John Paul II (2004) and Rita Levi
Montalcini (2003), a Nobel Prize laureate and daughter of Primo Levi.

The official ceremony bestowing the award on Minister Oskanian took
place on Sunday, December 9. In the town hall, in the presence of
local and regional leaders, businessmen and dignitaries, as well
as members of Italy’s Armenian community, the announcement of the
award was made. This was followed by a procession towards the Academy
Theater, with participants dressed in traditional garb carrying the
medieval traditional banners of the region. At the Theater, Minister
Oskanian was awarded the prize for his work in promoting dialogue to
achieve peace and stability in the region and in the world.

MASIS MAYILYAN: EXPERTS ARE INCLINED FOR RECOGNITION OF INDEPENDENCE OF NKR RATHER
Naira Hayrumyan

KarabakhOpen
10-12-2007 11:50:30

The NKR ex-presidential candidate Masis Mayilyan held an interview
with Karabakh-Open.com.

Mr. Mayilyan, after the meeting of the foreign ministers of the OSCE
in Madrid it was announced that of the ten issues on the table of
the talks for the settlement of the Karabakh issue only one was not
agreed on. The foreign ministry of Armenia states it is the status
of Karabakh. The minister of foreign affairs of Azerbaijan said the
issue was not discussed at all. Which issue could it be, and does
it mean that the Armenian government has agreed on everything except
the status?

Masis Mayilyan: Those who track the Karabakh settlement are no more
surprised to hear mutually exclusive statements from diplomats after
similar meetings. With regard to this particular case, ostensibly a
referendum or a plebiscite on the status of Karabakh is concerned. In
this case, I think the parties are telling the truth but not the
whole truth. In other words, they give information that favors them.

As to whether the Armenian government agreed on all the other issues,
as far as I know, the principle of the consultations is "we agree on
nothing unless we agree on everything". Even if we assume that there
is agreement on several issues, all that has been agreed on earlier
will be conventional until complete agreement is reached.

The Armenian president Robert Kocharyan said in an interview with
the Golos Armenia that as a president Levon Ter-Petrosyan was ready
to sign a defensive agreement by which Karabakh would become part
of Azerbaijan. While Robert Kocharyan was president, the issue of
self-determination of Karabakh was laid at the basis of the talks.

You were the deputy foreign minister of NKR for many years. What was
the dynamics of changes of the principles of settlement?

Masis Mayilyan: Unfortunately, Karabakh is becoming a dominant topic
in the home political sphere in Armenia. It is desirable to avoid such
developments because Karabakh became a national idea which brought
together the Armenians worldwide, therefore it should be above home
political fights and should not be turned an object, more exactly a
subject in the race for power. In this connection, we the citizens of
NKR should be highly accurate toward our role in the nation liberation
movement and not get involved in the election process in Armenia. Some
Armenian politicians call on Artsakh for help. The best support would
be not to interfere with the internal affairs of Armenia.

We certainly are interested in stable, democratic and developed
Armenia, which has influence in the region. Our interest does not stem
from only the fact that Armenia is the Motherland of the Armenians
worldwide but the fact that the Republic of Armenia is the main
guarantor of the security and development of Artsakh. We should be
mindful, however, that only the citizens of Armenia have the right
to vote to the Armenian president.

Since the presidential campaign is gathering momentum in Armenia, I
would not like to comment on statements made in this context. I can
only say that a few years ago the texts of all the three proposals
(the so-called stage-by-stage and the package proposals, as well as the
principles of the common state) of the international mediators were
released almost simultaneously in Stepanakert, Yerevan and Baku. At
that time, the NKR ministry of foreign affairs released the response
of the NKR government to the mediators regarding those proposals. I
suppose that the innovated proposals of the mediators in Madrid will
become known to the publics of the conflict sides some time later. At
that time, we will be able to compare those proposals.

Independent from the talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group, judging
by my contacts with the international experts, I can say that over
the past years the experts were inclined for the recognition of
the independence of NKR rather than the unification of NKR and
Armenia. Most experts on our region rule out return of the status
quo of 1988.

Mr. Mayilyan, some people say the expected resolution of Kosovo may
become a precedent for the settlement of the Karabakh issue, others
think every conflict is unique. What are your thoughts?

Masis Mayilyan: Every idea has the right to be. I think if the
independence of Kosovo is nevertheless recognized, its value to us
is the independence this country gains not thanks to but despite the
will of the former metropolis. Soon we are going to celebrate the 20th
anniversary of the new stage of the Karabakh Movement. Over these years
more than twenty new states have appeared on the political map of the
world. Unlike Kosovo, however, these countries gained independence
thanks to the agreement of the central government (Ethiopia – Eritrea,
Indonesia – East Timor, and others).

Since Azerbaijan is not ready to recognize the independence of NKR,
not even for a dialogue, the precedent of Kosovo may be useful to
the diplomacy of both Armenian states.

Hayots Ashkharh , Armenia
Dec 8 2007

YEREVAN – ONE OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE TOWNS

In comparison with many other countries, the official rate of
price growth in Armenia is much lower; it is even twice lower than
the rate recorded in a number of CIS countries. On the other hand,
however, there are a great number of products in Armenia which are
much more expensive compared to countries with higher rates of price
growth. It is not accidental that Yerevan in this regard is
considered one of the most expensive towns on the CIS territory, and
the prices on some food products are even higher than, for instance,
in Moscow.
The price topping pressures on the commodity markets made the
Central Bank increase the interest rate by 0.5 per cent in December.
Increasing the money exchange rate, the CBA had a goal to influence
the price growth in some way. Especially considering that the price
growth already exceeds the target index as a result of the increase
of the prices on the commodity market.
As of November 2007, the 12-month price growth made up 6.8 per
cent, instead of the envisaged rate of 5.5 per cent. The price growth
rate is expected to further increase in December, in connection with
increasing the expenses on the eve of the holidays and preserving the
influence of the international tendencies. So, this year is supposed
to come to an end with a price growth of 7.8-8 per cent, which
exceeds the target index by 2-.2.5 per cent.
Even though, a slowdown of price growth was observed on the
Armenian food market in November, the wave of the increased prices
was mainly preserved. According to the observations of the National
Statistic Service, the prices on flour and bread, as well as butter
and vegetable oil continued to increase.
Despite the fact that the price on flour did not rise in November,
there was a certain increase on the prices on bread. While the price
of first quality bread grew by 2 Drams, top quality bread recorded a
price growth of 4 Drams. Their prices fluctuate within the limits of
318 and 371 Drams respectively.
In comparison with the same period of last year, prices on bread
recorded an increase of 85 Drams. In terms of such paces of price
increase, Armenia falls behind only Astana and Dushanbe on the CIS
territory, as the prices on bread in these towns have increased by
150 and 140 Drams respectively.
The price on bread has increased by 22 Drams in Moscow, while in
Minsk and Bishkek it has increased by 3-4 Drams. It is noteworthy
that in comparison with last year the price on flour increased by 136
Drams in Bishkek. This means that the state has applied certain
mechanisms of subsidy, with the purpose of preventing any increase on
the price of bread in that connection.
In terms of the high prices on this particular food product,
Astana is the only town on the CIS territory from which Armenia falls
behind. In all the rest of the CIS countries, bread is sold at
cheaper prices in comparison with Yerevan.
In November, the prices on vegetable oil increased a little in
Yerevan, while the prices on butter decreased. Despite that, the
price growth of products is extremely high.
The price on butter in Yerevan increased by 828 Drams; none of the
CIS countries has ever recorded such a high price growth. In Moscow,
where butter is sold at the highest price, there was a increase of
519 Drams for this product. Whereas in Dushanbe, for instance, the
prices have decreased. Within the past year, butter in Baku has
become expensive by 192 Drams. In terms of such high price records
for this particular food product, Yerevan falls behind from only
Moscow, the average price of butter being 2442 Drams per kilogram.

VASAK TARPOSHYAN

19TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE IN SPITAK

armradio.am
07.12.2007 11:57

Today is December 7th, the day of commemoration of the victims of the
destructive earthquake of 1988 in Spitak. Several Armenian cities,
about 300 villages were destroyed as a result of the strong earthquake
that took place on December 7, 1988 at 11:45 a.m.

According to different estimations, the number of victims reached
25 thousand, 140 thousand became handicapped, about 1 million people
were left without shelter. Within 30 seconds the underground shakes
practically destroyed Spitak, which was at the epicenter of the
disaster. Leninakan (Gyumri), Stepanavan and Kirovakan (Vanadzor)
were also ruined. Quakes were registered in Yerevan and Tbilisi,
as well. Armenia was offered aid from different sites of the world.

Today the earthquake zone has turned into a development site
traditionally visited by Armenian state officials and politicians,
culture workers. RA President Robert Kocharyan also left for Shirak
marz today.

PM SERGE SARGSYAN MET WITH EU AMBASSADORS

armradio.am
05.12.2007 16:16

At the Embassy of France in Armenia RA Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan
met with the Ambassadors of EU member states accredited in Armenia,
Government’s Information and public Relations Department informs.

During a working dinner the interlocutors discussed issues related
to the forthcoming presidential elections in Armenia the domestic
situation and regional question.