Author: Takmazian

State commission on protection of economic competition: in the
Armenian market of medicaments variation of prices was not registered
in the last two m

YEREVAN, January 22. /ARKA/. "Variations of prices were not registered
in Armenian medicament market during the last two months", said Davit
Harutyunyan, Head of State Commission on Protection of Economic
Competition (SCPEC).

On December 21, 2009 SCPEC adopted decision on application of penalty
for a number of pharmaceutical companies for anti-competitive
agreement and groundless increase of prices. Administrative case was
brought on the basis of many publications of mass media and complaints
of the citizens about abrupt increase of prices in September-November
2009.

Five of seven penalized companies applied to the court with
administrative complaint for review of the case and two companies
applied to the court. In two days after the decision of the Commission
reduction of prices of some medicaments were registered.

"Monitoring of medicaments showed that increase of prices was not
registered in the market", said Harutyunyan. In the market of
cardio-vascular, anti-diabetes and anti-virus medicaments violations
of law were registered in seven companies – "Natali Pharm", "Esculap",
"Alfa-Pharm", "Vaga Pharm", "Argo Pharm", "Amicus" and "Arpharmacia".

The companies were penalized in the amount of 2% from their income of
the last year not more than in 300 million drams and are obliged to
reduce prices in 10 days. ($1 – 377.48 drams). –0–

OLEG YESAYAN APPOINTED ARMENIA’S AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA

armradio.am
22.01.2010 11:23

Last year Armenian Ambassador to Russia Armen Smbatyan was elected
Executive Director of the Humanitarian Cooperation Council of the
CIS countries.

On this occasion President Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree on releasing
Armen Smbatyan from the duties of Armenia’s Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary to the Russian Federation.

According to another presidential decree, Oleg Yesayan was appointed
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of
Armenia to the Russian Federation (seat in Moscow).

POSITIVE DYNAMICS REGISTERED IN KARABAKH PEACE PROCESS: RA FM

news.am
Jan 22 2010
Armenia

No breakthrough in Karabakh conflict settlement is expected in 2010, RA
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian stated in Jan. 22 press conference
in Yerevan.

According to him, the main objective in 2010 is to maintain last
year’s positive momentum on the matter. Armenian and Azerbaijani
Presidents met 6 times in 2009, at that three meetings were organized
through the mediation of Russian Federation. Nalbandian thanked
Dmitry Medvedev for his regular initiative to host the Presidents on
January 25, 2010 in Sochi. He reckoned groundless the statement that
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict came to a deadlock and should be frozen
for 30 years, referring to "Just Cause" party leader Leonid Gozman’s
interview with Azerbaijani media.

According to Nalbandian, the talks should continue and if Azerbaijan
changes its position to more constructive, progress will be achieved.

"However, it is still early to speak of conflict breakthrough",
he outlined.

MERCAN: WITHDRAWING ARMENIA PROTOCOLS NOT NEEDED

Today’s Zaman
Jan 22 2010
Turkey

Reiterating that an Armenian court’s reference to the killings of
Anatolian Armenians during World War I is against the spirit of the
two protocols signed between Armenia and Turkey for repairing ties
and reopening shared borders, a senior member of the ruling Justice
and Development Party (AK Party) argued, however, that there was no
need to withdraw the protocols from Parliament.

In a ruling on whether the proposed protocols were constitutional,
Armenia’s Constitutional Court approved the protocols signed in
October. Yet in its ruling dated Jan. 12 the court referred to the
country’s declaration of independence, which calls for recognition of
the 1915 killings of Armenians under Ottoman rule as genocide. Turkey
says the number is inflated and that many people died on both sides
during the chaotic period.

The Turkish government has already sent the protocols to Parliament
for ratification, a procedural requirement.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday called the court’s
ruling "unacceptable" and warned that the process of reconciliation
"would be harmed if it is not corrected."

Devlet Bahceli, chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP),
meanwhile, said the government should "immediately withdraw"
the protocols from Parliament. No date has been set for their
ratification. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Murat Mercan, a
senior member of the AK Party and the head of Parliament’s foreign
affairs commission, said Parliament was in no rush to hold a debate
on these protocols, thus there was no pressure on the foreign affairs
commission to immediately deal with the protocols.

When asked whether the protocols would be withdrawn and in an apparent
response to Bahceli, Mercan said: "Practically, there is no difference
between holding the protocols at the parliament’s commission and the
government’s withdrawal of these protocols. We are extremely aware
of our responsibilities."

Earlier, another senior lawmaker with the AK Party, Bekir Bozdag said:
"No one should expect deliberations on the protocols to take place
even at the commission level, let alone the floor, unless Armenia
withdraws from Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia must honor its promise and
fulfill its responsibility if it wants the normalization of ties
between the two countries."

In an apparent response to the Armenian court’s finding that Armenian
agreements with Turkey shouldn’t concern any third party as per the
conditions outlined in the two protocols, Erdogan said on Wednesday,
"Moreover, we don’t have the luxury of keeping Armenia-Azerbaijani
relations out of this."

Turkey, Russia to Build Logistics Center in Black Sea Basin
Asbarez
Jan 12th, 2010

MOSCOW (Hurriyet)-Turkey and Russia are planning to build a logistics
center in Krasnodar, located 1,500 kilometers south of Moscow. Along
with bilateral trade, the center will provide transportation, customs
and storage services to third countries.

A logistics center in southern Russia will contribute to growing
bilateral trade between Turkey and Russia and become a base for
Turkish transporters willing to be important actors in the region.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart
Vladimir Putin will discuss the joint projects in the scope of their
`strategic partnership’ Wednesday. Turkish exporters are looking
forward to hearing more positive news from Moscow after a customs
crisis was solved with Putin’s visit to Ankara in August.

The two leaders are expected to take concrete steps toward the
construction of a long-awaited joint logistics center in Krasnodar
province on account of the inclusion of Transportation Minister Binali
Yildirim and Foreign Trade Minister Zafer Caglayan in the visiting
delegation.

Krasnodar is located 1,500 kilometers south of Moscow and is close to
the Black Sea ports of Novorossiysk, Temruk, Taman, Kavkaz, Gelendzhik
and Tuapse.

Turkey, which seeks to export to Russia and other countries in the
Black Sea and Caucasus region more efficiently, began feasibility
studies in 2008. However, the Russia-Georgia War in August 2008 halted
their efforts as Turkish trucks faced difficulties crossing the
border.

`Having tackled all the customs problems, we’re now considering
building a logistics center in southern Russia with contributions from
both the public and private sector,’ an official from the Turkish
Foreign Trade Ministry was quoted as saying by Hurriyet.

The center is expected to be a key base reaching all countries around
the Black Sea in addition to Russia. `We will provide transportation,
storage, collection, export and customs services to third countries.
All Black Sea countries will able to reach these services,’ said the
same official, requesting anonymity.

Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin agreed to the project in
August when he visited Ankara in preparation for a subsequent trip by
Putin.

`In order to simplify legal procedures and boost trade, we’ve agreed
to establish a joint committee to do research on a logistics center
that would ease transportation, customs and logistics,’ Caglayan told
reporters in a joint press conference with Sechin.

Turkish and Russian officials have continued discussing the outcomes
of the feasibility reports at routine meetings since August. A road
map will be determined at a high-level meeting in either January or
February, official sources said.

TURKEY’S FM: ARMENIA MUST CONSIDER PROTOCOLS THOROUGHLY AS TURKEY

Trend
Jan 20 2010
Azerbaijan

During his phone conversation with Armenia’s counterpart, Turkey’s
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu expressed discontent with interference
of Armenia’s Constitutional Court in Armenia-Turkey protocols, CNN
Turk reported.

Davutoglu said that Armenia’s Constitutional Court voiced
pre-conditions due to the protocols. It can cause problems in the
relations with the countries in future. Turkey is anxious.

Minister said Armenia must consider the protocols thoroughly as Turkey.

On November 12, Armenia’s Constitutional Court admitted commitments
indicated in the Turkish-Armenian protocols – "Protocol on establishing
diplomatic relations" and "Protocol on the development of bilateral
relations" corresponding with the Basic Law. The protocols were
signed by foreign ministers of Armenia and Turkey Edward Nalbandian
and Ahmet Davutoglu on October 10, 2009 at the University of Zurich,
News-Armenia reported.

KIRO MANOYAN: TURKEY ATTEMPTING TO LAY THE BLAME ON ARMENIA
Nvard Davtyan

"Radiolur"
20.01.2010 14:22

The statement of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the
decision of the Armenian Constitutional Court is an attempt to avoid
their commitments, Head of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(ARF) Bureau’s Hay Dat and Political Affairs Office Kiro Manoyan told
a press conference today.

"Turkey blames Armenia, but in reality the process has not started in
Turkey. Turkey is attempting to put the blame for its own preconditions
on Armenia," Kiro Manoyan said.

"Armenia fully implements its commitments. The Constitutional Court
even didn’t have to issue a decision that soon. Currently, our task
is to demonstrate to the world the real sentiments in Turkey. Armenia
should not be blamed for the failure of ratification of the protocols.

It’s Turkey that has taken that stance before, during and after the
signing of the documents," Kiro Manoyan stated.

PRESIDENTS OF ARMENIA, RUSSIA, AZERBAIJAN TO MEET IN SOCHI ON JANUARY 25

armradio.am
21.01.2010 13:25

Presidents of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, President of
the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev and President of the Republic
of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev will meet in Sochi on January 25.

The meeting is dedicated to the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict, President’s Press Office reported.

ERDOGAN: RECONCILIATION PROCESS WITH ARMENIA AT RISK OVER COURT RULING

Tert.am
17:25 ~U 20.01.10

The Turkish prime minister says Armenian Constitutional Court’s
reference to the Armenian Genocide in 1915 could harm efforts to end
a century of enmity.

As reported by The Associated Press, Recep Tayyip Erdogan was reacting
Wednesday to the January 12 approval by Armenia’s Constitutional
Court of an October agreement to heal ties and reopen shared borders.

The court referred to Armenia’s declaration of independence, which
calls for recognition of the 1915 massacre of up to 1.5 million
Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide.

Turkey rejects the allegation, and Erdogan said "the process would
be harmed if it [the court decision] is not corrected."

ALAIN STEPANYAN BEST SPORTSMAN OF ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF ESTONIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.01.2010 12:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Alain Stepanyan, a player for Estonia’s junior soccer
team, was recognized the best sportsman of the year by the Armenian
community of Estonia, reported the Armenian Bulletin of Estonia.

According to the newspaper poll, 75 percent of respondents voted for
Stepanian, the champion of Estonia among juniors.

The best goal-scorer of Tallinn Ararat, the winner of Estonian Futsal
championships, Avetis Harutyunyan is the second in the list. The 3rd
and 4th places were taken by chess player Ruben Hayrapetyan and futsal
player Vahagn Harutyunyan respectively. Estonian national judo team
coach Vladimir Stepanyan was recognized the best coach of the year.