Author: Takmazian

Protocols Submitted to Armenia’s Constitutional Court
By Asbarez Staff
Nov 20th, 2009

YEREVAN (Yerkir Media) – The Armenia-Turkey protocols were submitted by
President Serzh Sarkisian’s office to Armenia’s Constitutional Court
three days ago, reported Court Chief of Staff Aroushan Hakopyan.

A full-court session must be convened within 20 days to determine a
hearing date for the protocols, Hakopian explained. If within the
20-day time frame a consensus is not reached, the decision to convene
a hearing is extended by 10 additional days. If a month passes from
the time of submission and a decision is not reached, the protocols
must be returned to the President’s office or the court must decide on
further discussions.

The same full-court is also tasked with ruling on the
constitutionality of the protocols, added Hakopian.

The court administrator was unable to say whether the hearings would
be closed or open to the public.

Evidently, the ruling Republican Party parliamentary bloc chairman
Galust Sahakian was unaware about the protocols having been submitted
to the court. Responding to press inquiries on the possibility of the
protocols never being submitted, Sahakian told reporters that Armenia
will be advancing the ratification process through an
already-announced approach, which Sahakian explained was for the
Turkish parliament to first ratify the documents.

He explained that the border cannot open by only the Armenian side’s
ratification.

REHABILITATION CENTERS FOR PROBLEMATIC ADOLESCENTS OPERATE IN ARMENIA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
20.11.2009 16:32 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Over 9 months of 2009 there 155 cases of violence
against minors have been recorded in Armenia, Colonel Hovhannes
Tamamyan , Head of the Criminal Investigation department of Armenia’s
Police told a press conference in Yerevan. According to him, 33 per
cent of them are of intentional infliction of bodily harm.

"The priority issue for us to protect minors and to prevent the crimes
committed against them", Colonel Tamamyan said, adding that police
are trying to help those young people who have chosen the right path.

Since 2005 a national program on child’s rights protection has formed
a working group and has already achieved positive results.

"RA Police, in cooperation with Project Harmony opened rehabilitation
centers for young people in Yerevan, Gyumri, Vanadzor, Alaverdi and
Ijevan" colonel Tamamyan said, adding that during 2009 120 minors
were sent to rehabilitation centers.

He emphasized that, a tangible progress ahs been observed in crime
detection. "Within 10 months of 2009 the number of solved crimes
reached 74.5 per cent, while last year that figure was only 61.7 per
cent", Mr. Tamamyan stressed.

HERITAGE DISAPPROVES OF 2010 DRAFT BUDGET

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
20.11.2009 19:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Parliamentary discussions over 2010 State Budget
proved the document was unrealistic, since there are a lot of problems
in terms of both incomes and expenses," Heritage faction MP Armen
Martirosyan told a November 20 National Assembly briefing.

While drafting the State Budget, Government did not take into
consideration the significant price growth registered in the country,
hence the document does not envisage salary increase. "Neither will
there be any progress in poverty eradication sphere, so Heritage
finds the document unacceptable," MP stressed

GERMAN POLICE MAKE ARRESTS IN SOCCER CORRUPTION PROBE .

Wall Street Journal
Nov 19 2009

FRANKFURT — German authorities and police elsewhere have arrested
an undisclosed number of people suspected of fixing matches in major
European soccer leagues.

The arrests, in Germany and abroad, came as part of an investigation
into match-fixing supported by UEFA, according to a statement by the
prosecutor’s office in Bochum.

The probe has been under way since the beginning of the year and has
targeted an international gang suspected of wide-ranging match-fixing.

The gang is suspected of bribing players, coaches, referees and
officials in "high-ranking European leagues" to manipulate games in
order to make money on betting, the statement said Thursday.

It said raids were conducted in Germany and Europe on Thursday and
that a large number of arrests were made. No other details were given.

A news conference is scheduled for Friday in Bochum.

UEFA said it was aware of Thursday’s action, adding that it had been
"working closely with German authorities through its betting fraud
detection system for monitoring irregular betting patterns. "While the
investigation is ongoing UEFA does not wish to comment on a particular
case," it said.

The Berlin newspaper Morgenpost reported that games in the Turkish
top division were suspected of being manipulated and that the probe
by Bochum investigators targeted 100 people. The newspaper said five
people were arrested Thursday.

Quoting Berlin security sources, the newspaper said the gang apparently
operated from Germany and that its boss apparently lived in Berlin.

Spiegel TV reported that some of the suspected members of the gang
apparently also were convicted in the German match-fixing scandal
in 2005.

German referee Robert Hoyzer was convicted of fraud and sentenced to
29 months in prison after admitting he had manipulated games mostly
in German lower divisions on behalf of three Croatian brothers,
who made millions by betting on the games.

Ante Sapina was convicted of fraud and sentenced to 35 months in
prison for fixing or attempting to fix 23 games by paying Mr. Hoyzer
to rig matches Mr. Sapina and his brothers bet on. Mr. Ante Sapina’s
brothers Milan and Filip were given suspended sentences.

UEFA said two months ago that it was investigating 40 cases of
suspected match-fixing in the Champions League and UEFA Cup, mostly
involving eastern European clubs. The matches under investigation
were early qualifying games that took place over the last four seasons.

UEFA has beefed up its early warning system to protect against illegal
betting and match-fixing and president Michel Platini has described
those issues as the greatest problem facing European football.

The detection system monitors all top two divisions across Europe and
domestic cup games. A Macedonian club, FK Pobeda, has been banned from
European competitions for eight years and club president Aleksandar
Zabrcanec and then-team captain Nikolce Zdraveski have received
lifetime bans.

The two allegedly ensured the team lost a Champions League qualifying
round match against Armenian club Pyunik in July 2004. They deny
the charges.

UEFA also reportedly has informed Russian officials that it suspects
several domestic league games to have been manipulated this season.

Russian daily newspaper Vremya Novostei last month cited a letter it
said UEFA sent to the Russian Football Union in September alleging
suspicious betting patterns on six matches.

The clubs involved allegedly include Krylya Sovietov, Terek Grozny,
Spartak Nalchik, Tom Tomsk and Amkar Perm from the Premier League,
and four clubs from the first division.

ARMENIA APPRECIATES ROLE OF FRANCE IN FURTHERING RA-EU RELATIONS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
19.11.2009 16:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On November 19, Naira Zohrabyan, the chairman of
RA NA standing committee on European integration met Christian Bec,
First Councilor at France Embassy in RA. Giving high assessment to
Armenia-France political relations, Naira Zohrabyan expressed hope
they will also be taken into the sphere of economy. She emphasized
the role of France in furthering RA-EU relations.

Naira Zohrabyan stressed the importance of the role of France, as MG
OSCE Co-Chair, in the peaceful settlement of NKR conflict.

Touching upon regional collaboration issue, she noted that Armenia
stays committed to its policy of regional issues settlement, despite
Azerbaijan’s non -constructive approach.

In his turn, Christian Bec confirmed the readiness of France to
contribute to further development of Armenia -France collaboration,
RA NA press service reported.

PREMIER: ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT ABLE TO FULFILL 2010 STATE BUDGET

ARKA
November 18, 2009
Yerevan

On Wednesday, Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, speaking in
National Assembly at the discussion of the 2010 state budget, said
that Armenian government is able to fulfill the 2010 state budget.

He is convinced that the ruling party in cooperation with all concerned
parties "will manage to solve all the problems accumulated in the
country and fulfill all the objectives set by the Armenian president".

The premier said that the key aim of the 2010 state budget is to
maintain the 2009 social expenses.

Sargsyan said that health and education reforms have already reached
the crucial stage. This will make it possible to improve financing
mechanisms for these areas.

Social expenses constitute 45.7% of AMD 859.7 billion expenditure in
the 2010 budget.

Expenses for education are planned at AMD 95 billion, for healthcare
AMD 54.1 billion and social security AMD 239.8 billion.

The prime minister said that the government will put in practice the
concept implying the second stage of reformation.

The concept also implies separation of ministries and state agencies’
functions and specification of relations among them.

Besides, the government is going to implement insurance and pension
reforms.

The government is also planning to ease the country’s debt burden
and negotiating with IMF now on restructuring the loans taken from
international organizations.

The government is going to start negotiating with the World Bank and
Asian Development Bank over the matter.

Armenia is attracting foreign funds for bailout measures.

Russia has lent $500 million to Armenia, the International Monetary
Fund has pledged $822.7 million and the World Bank will transfer $545
million to Armenia in 2009 and 2010.

AZERBAIJANI FM MEETS EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR S. CAUCASUS

Tehran Times
Nov 18 2009

Azerbaijan Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmar Mammadyarov met with
visiting EU Special Representative, for the South Caucasus, Peter
Semneby on Nov. 16.

They exchanged views on the current situation of and prospects for
Azerbaijan-EU relations.

Semneby stressed the European Union is keen on closer relations with
Azerbaijan and soonest establishment of peace in the region.

Mammadyarov, in his turn, underlined Azerbaijan’s interest in expansion
of cooperation with the EU.

On the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, the Minister
described the status quo emerged in the wake of Armenia’s occupying
Azerbaijani territories as an unacceptable situation, said "the
dispute can be settled only on the basis Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity and international legal norms".

The meeting also discussed issues of mutual interest.

PREPARING FOR TELETHON

NKR Government Information and
Public Relations Department
November 14, 2009

On November 13, the NKR President Bako Sahakyan convoked a working
consultation on the "Hayastan" All-Armenian Fund’s annual telethon,
which will take place in the USA.

Noting that this year the telethon is dedicated to the restoration
and development of Shoushi, which is of a special importance to us,
the Head of the State encouraged all those present to conduct the
preparatory work at proper level and regularly report on the undertaken
measures. At the same time, Bako Sahakyan underlined the importance
of more active participation of the republic’s population.

The President emphasized, that this year all preparatory works were
conducted in some different format: the NKR President was present
at the meeting with our compatriots in Moscow, the National Assembly
Chairman visited France, the Prime Minister will leave for the USA.

Taking it into consideration, the Head of the State gave instructions
to the Vice Premier, Minister of Finance Spartak Tevosyan to coordinate
this process in the NKR.

Then President touched upon the issues, concerning the works carried
out in the spheres of water supply and telecommunications, as well
as the results of this year’s harvesting, evaluating it as successful
despite of numerous natural disasters. Heads of the appropriate bodies
delivered reports on these issues.

The NKR National Assembly Chairman Ashot Ghoulyan, the Prime Minister
Ara Harotyunyan and other officials partook at the consultation.

TURKEY AND RUSSIA COULD FORM ‘AXIS OF THE EXCLUDED’ IN EURASIA: CHATHAM HOUSE

News.am
Nov 16 2009
Armenia

Problems in relations with the United States, and the lack of progress
in Turkey’s efforts to secure membership of the EU, led commentators
to speculate that Turkey and Russia could form an ‘axis of the
excluded’ in Eurasia," reads the report by British Royal Institute
of International Affairs Chatham House, titled "Turkey, Russia and
the Caucasus".

According to the report, Russian-Georgian conflict in 2008 made
Turkish authorities "to reassess" policy towards Russian and the
Caucasus. "Turkey had developed burgeoning economic and political ties
with Russia and maintained close links with neighbouring Georgia,"
the report says. NEWS.am posts the passages from the report concerning
Armenia.

"The conflict raised questions over whether Turkey would become a key
energy transit state given the deteriorating security situation in the
South Caucasus. Relations between Ankara and Moscow were challenged
as both had previously stressed their common interests in preserving
regional stability.

However, the conflict opened up possibilities for Turkey to normalize
relations with Armenia, although this could upset Ankara’s close ties
with Baku.

Concerning the North Caucasus, an initial sympathy in Turkey for the
plight of the Chechens caused friction between Ankara and Moscow.

Turkey was grouped with Azerbaijan and Georgia in a bloc supportive
of the emerging interests of NATO and the EU in the South Caucasus
and aligned against the policies of Armenia and Russia.

Turkey’s official position has been that the land frontier would
only be reopened and diplomatic relations established with Yerevan
after Armenia openly acknowledged Turkey’s borders, abandoned its
international campaign for recognition of the events of 1915 as
Genocide, and resolved the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh to the
satisfaction of Azerbaijan.

With little prospect for a peaceful solution over Nagorno-Karabakh
and feeling threatened by Baku, Yerevan has developed close economic,
political and military ties with Moscow.

After the events of August 2008 President Gul accepted an invitation
from his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sargsyan to attend a World Cup
qualifying football match between the Turkish and Armenian national
teams in Yerevan on 6 September. The Russo-Georgian conflict gave an
added impetus, and in the wake of Gul’s visit there were a number of
high-level contacts between Turkish and Armenian politicians. Ankara
was also being pressured by the new Obama administration, which
was seriously considering officially recognizing the events of 1915
as Genocide.

After further Swiss mediation, on 31 August 2009 a statement
was released noting that Ankara and Yerevan had initialled two
Protocols to establish diplomatic relations, open the land border
and develop bilateral relations. The intention was for both parties
to complete internal political consultations within six weeks,
sign the Protocols, and then submit them to their parliaments for
ratification. According to an agreed timetable, the land border
would be open within two months after the Protocols entered into
force. Various sub-commissions would also then be formed to develop
relations, including most controversially a sub-commission to work
on the ‘historical dimension’. The two Protocols were signed by the
Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers in Switzerland on 10 October
and a few days later Sargsyan visited Turkey to attend the second
match between the Turkish and Armenian national football teams.

Expectations have been raised that relations between Turkey and
Armenia will be fully normalized in the next months. Both the EU and
the United States have warmly welcomed this turn of events."

AssA-Irada, Azerbaijan
November 12, 2009 Thursday

ARMENIA OPPOSITION LEADER HAILS SARKISIANS POLICY ON TURKEY

An Armenian opposition leader who is a vocal critic of the government
has welcomed President Serzh Sarkisians efforts to mend ties with
Turkey marred by decades of hostility. Levon Ter-Petrosian, a former
president, at a Wednesday meeting at the Armenian National Congress he
chairs, voiced support of his bloc for all but one provision of the
reconciliation agreement signed by Yerevan and Ankara last month,
including those on recognizing present-day borders with the
neighboring country. The Congress disagrees with the plans to research
the alleged World War I-era genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire through a joint commission of historians. Turkey and Armenia
signed protocols to establish diplomatic relations and reopen their
borders on October 10. However, the documents require ratification in
both countries parliaments to take effect, and Ankara has made clear
it could fully normalize ties with Yerevan only after the
Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict has been settled.
Ter-Petrosian also said his bloc could recognize President Sarkisians
legitimacy. The opposition leader, who says the February 2008
presidential election was rigged, has, so far, been calling for
canceling the election results and holding a new vote. Ter-Petrosian
said in June that he would never hold dialog with the incumbent
president.