Author: Tamamian Anna

MILL AND BREAD FACTORY WERE SOLD FOR 750 MILLION

KarabakhOpen
25-12-2007 16:12:39

Today the government decided to sell the state-owned Mill and Bread
Factory of Stepanakert for 750 million drams.

During the meeting Prime Minister Ara Harutiunyan said the companies
privatized by a group of foreign citizens six years ago were not
lucrative and have accrued debts of one billion drams. In addition,
the companies owe 350 million drams to wheat producers.

Both companies were pledged at Artsakh Bank. Since the companies failed
to repay the loans to the bank, the bank put them up to sale. The
government bought both companies for 450 million drams. "We sell the
companies for 750 millions, of which 300 million will be spend to
cover the debts to wheat producers," Ara Harutiunyan said.

The new owner of the Mill and the Bread Factory of Stepanakert is
Ermy. We have informed earlier that the Russia-based businessman
Karen Baghdasarov had visited Stepanakert and said likely to buy
the companies.

TODAY’S RATES OF CHINA AND INDIA DEVELOPMENT ARE EVIDENCE OF THE FACT THAT THEY WILL OCCUPY THE LEADING POSITIONS IN THE WORLD ECONOMY IN THE NEAR FUTURE
Mariam Levina

ArmInfo
10.12.2007

Interview of deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Armen Bayburdyan with
ArmInfo Agency

By international experts’ calculations, China and India will become
the dominating countries in the world in 20-25 years. In this context,
what spheres of economy, from your viewpoint, are the most perspective
in the development of trade-economic cooperation with these states?

First of all, I would like to expressed gratitude to ArmInfo
Agency for the initiative of. Today’s rates of China and India
development are an evidence of the fact that they will occupy the
leading positions in the world economy in the near future and the
countries which do not accept this factor in an orderly fashion, are
doomed to lose their positions. From this point of view, Armenia has
an advantage of not only the traditionally formed durable relations
with India and China are significant but also today’s relations with
both states. Incidentally, striving to wider and deeper cooperation
is of a mutual nature. China and India observe Armenia as an equal
partner in the whole specter of mutual relations for today as well
as for the future.

In this context the priority directions in the trade and economic
aspect are the information, communication and high technologies in
general. Industrial technologies and know-how, the joint scientific
research and cooperation in the sphere of education, directed
to economy and having a long-term strategic prospect, are also
important. One should specially mention the prospective spheres of
cooperation in agriculture, healthcare, chemical, food and processing
industry, energy, transport and communication projects and tourism,
etc.

What are these relations hindered by – transport, remoteness? What
is the state of the normative-legal base in relations with these
countries? Are there any problems in this field?

The normative-legal base with these countries has been properly formed,
however, it requires a permanent flexible response for adaptation to
the fast-growing scales of cooperation.

"The problem of transport and remoteness really exists, however, its
value should not be exaggerated. In the present age of global need in
improvement of the transport-communication lines, the transportation
will be continuously improved based on the economic factors of more
global nature.

At the same time, the analysis of dynamics of the goods turnover
of Armenia with China and India indicates that event now, the goods
turnover of Armenia with these geographically comparatively remote
countries is at the same level or even exceeds the volume of Armenia’s
goods turnover with some partner-countries, say nothing of the economic
potential of these countries in prospect. One should not forget that
the past active participation of the Armenian people in the trade
globalization process passed in parallel with the development of
India and China in 17-18 centuries, when the Armenian trade-financial
capital created a trade- commercial network, extending from Guangzhou,
Calcutta, Madras and Bombay to Marseilles and Amsterdam. Together
with our key policy of European integration, Armenia has to pay a
permanent long-term attention to stable deepening of interaction with
these two world super-states. I would like to draw the attention to
the key problem, occurred prior to the process of Armenia’s entry the
markets of the Asian and Pacific Rim (APR). The activity in the markets
of APR countries requires deep specialized knowledge, in particular,
knowledge of languages and traditions of the partner-countries. Other
skills are required for the efficient work with the enterprises and
companies from China and India , which differ from those required for
cooperation with partners from Russia, Europe and USA. "Experienced
specialists, acquainted with the state of affairs in these countries’
markets, are necessary. For example, the Armenian companies’ level of
attraction of specialists, with work experience in the Chinese market,
to the work is relatively low. Starting from 1994, about 20 qualified
specialists in the area of international relations, trade, economy,
law and medicine with knowledge of the English language studied and
worked in China by the programme of exchange in education. In addition,
about 15 of them keep on studying in China. However, Armenia needs
these staff in our country, first of all.

Until recently, the relations of Armenia with China were
of humanitarian nature mainly, when the People’s Republic of
China provided Armenia with mini-tractors and other agricultural
equipment. What are the prospects of cooperation at the level of
subjects and separate enterprises? Can the "Grand Sun" enterprise
become the first robin? Are there any data about the fortune of the
"Nairi-2" JV in China? How do the Armenian apricots grow in the
People’s Republic of China?

The relations of Armenia with Chin are developed at the interstate
level.

Since the first days of Armenia’s independence China is contributing
to strengthening of Armenian statehood. China has always assisted
Armenia and the Government of People’s Republic of China has been
implementing various technical assistance programs in Armenia since
1997. At the moment, the Chinese Government implements programs
aimed at development of the Armenian agricultural sector and
training of some 60 Armenian specialists of different state and
public institutions. The trade and economic representation of the
Chinese Embassy in Armenia in coordination with the Foreign Ministry
and other structures of Armenia is implementing the programs. At the
same time, the relations of Armenia and China cannot be called ‘just
humanitarian’. The friendly cooperation of our countries, bilateral
and international, develops on the basis of equality of rights, mutual
respect and support in the direct sense of these words. Political
dialogue contains bilateral topics, information exchange on regional
problems and world development. There is a mechanism of permanent
foreign political consultations between Armenia and China, an
intergovernmental commission for trade, economy, culture, education
and agriculture that meets twice a year in Yerevan and Beijing by
rotation. The last joint meeting of the commission took place in April
2007. ‘We have a unique experience on establishment of Shansi-Nairit JV
of synthetic rubbers in the town of Datong, Shansi province. It is the
only project wherein Armenia invests its technologies and know-how in
abroad. At the moment, there is an intensive construction of a plant
that must be ready in 2008. The scientific and technical exchange of
agricultural technologies is one of the most successful directions of
cooperation. Starting from 1997, Armenian apricot, grapes and cherry
testing gardens have been planted in 4 various climate regions in
China. At the National Research Institute of Farming of Armenia the
sorts of drought-resistant grains from China are tested. ‘As I know
the Chinese party is satisfied with the testing of Armenian apricot
in China. A monument of Armenian-Chinese Friendship was opened
at the Institute of Pomology of Shansi Province devoted to this
project. Armenian specialists have been constantly visiting China to
conduct joint research and relevant consultations with their Chinese
colleagues. I have no information about the plans of the "Grand Sun"
Company for cooperation with the Chinese partners, however, I would
like to note that the bilateral legal basis, additionality of economies
and favorable atmosphere characteristic to the Armenian and Chinese
relations boosts the Armenian-Chinese trade-economic cooperation,
including mutual investments, joint ventures, trade and exchange
of experience. Our country is preparing for participation in 2008
Olympic Games in Peking, as well as the World exhibition Expo 2010
in Shanghai. These two events are a unique opportunity to present
the social, economic and cultural development of our country at the
world level.

Naturally, the whole world and the Chinese society, first of all,
will attentively watch the participation and success of the countries
за in these important events.

Project of construction of Armenia-Iran railway, by which Armenia
can directly enter the Chinese market through the Iranian territory,
exists. Was it proposed to the Chinese party to take part in this
project? On the other hand, the railway will allow to enter the Persian
Gulf and India. Is India’s participation in this project possible?

Armenia-Iran railway construction project is at the initial stage.

Discussion of the project fulfillment is open for all the interested
parties, and China and India will be offered to observe the possibility
of their participation. To note, India is a member-founder of the
North-South transport project, in which Armenia is also taking part.

Holding of the Days of Armenia in China has been scheduled for the
near future. What events will be carried out within the frames of the
Days and in which towns? Is it scheduled to hold the similar Days of
China in Armenia?

At what stage is the process of opening of the Confucius Institute
in Yerevan?

Within the frames of the Days, a gala-concert is scheduled in Beijing
as well as concerts in Shenyang and an art exhibition. The NKR Embassy
in Armenia supported preparing the event. I would like to express
special gratitude to the NKR ambassador to Armenia for this as the
cultural diplomacy is of great significance in modern international
relations.

Culture exchange between our countries is taking place according to
the programme on cultural cooperation which is renovated once in two
years. This year the tour of Chinese Puppet Theatre was held in Yerevan
and other towns of Armenia. ‘The theatre performances were held within
the frames of International Festival of Puppet Theatres in Armenia. Not
only young Armenian spectators were admired by the virtuous performing
of Chinese actors but also the adults. As for the Days of the Culture
of China in Armenia, RA Ministry of Culture has already sent such an
invitation to China. The project of opening a Confucius Institute
in Yerevan is one of the priorities of cooperation at the moment
since, as I have already said, training of the Chinese language and
culture specialists is becoming significant in Armenia. The project
is implemented by the Yerevan State Linguistic University after
V.Brusov and the International Chinese Language Agency. Preparations
for signing of a relevant agreement are under way.

Many students from India study in the Armenian Higher Educational
Establishments. Are there people among the Armenian youth who wish to
study in the Indian HEEs? In particular, last year, the Indian party
expressed readiness to provide places for the Armenian servicemen
in its military educational establishments. What the continuation of
this initiative?

Cooperation with India in the sphere of education and science is one of
the priority directions in the interrelations of our countries in the
humanitarian sphere. The relevant regulatory and legal framework of
the sphere of the two-way exchange is constantly being improved. The
exchange also implies exchange of educational staff and information
as well as joint scientific elaborations. Within the frames of the
program, since 1993 40-60 places have been annually provided by the
Indian Government for the preparation and advanced training of the
Armenian specialists in the sphere of economy, agriculture, various
spheres of science and engineering, management, small and medium
entrepreneurship, information technologies and diplomacy. I must
state that these courses are high quality. As for Armenian students’
studying in Indian higher educational institutions, A. Bayburdyan
said that given the progressive educational institutions in India,
which correspond to high international standards, it is necessary to
properly present the educational programs and conditions in these HEIs
in our country. As for study of the Armenian servicemen in India’s
military educational establishments, the parties are refining the
relevant provisions of a bilateral agreement in this sphere, which
is envisaged by the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in
this direction. The defense ministries of the two countries will send
their servicemen for study according to this document, if necessary.

In general, how do you evaluate the current level of cooperation with
both countries in the economic and humanitarian directions?

The level of cooperation is rather high, however, it should enhance
continuously with such dynamically developing countries as China and
India, and not only in the economic and humanitarian area but the
social-political one as well. The Mass Media should play an active
role in promotion and broadcasting of Armenia’s cooperation with
both China and India, as well as with other countries of the Asian
and Pacific Rim.

Thank you for your questions.

–Boundary_(ID_BEvDEm7IVbhaG8A5S/GxuQ) —

CB STUDIED THE WEB SITES OF ARMENIAN BANKS AND FOUND OUT THAT 7 OF THE BANKS DO NOT COMPLETELY FULFILL REQUIREMENTS

The FINANCIAL
Dec 21 2007
Georgia

The FINANCIAL — According to BANKS.AM, as a result of the study of
web-sites of Armenian commercial banks, held by the Central Bank, it
became obvious that 7 banks do not completely fulfill the requirements
of information publicity.

As Mediamax was told in the CB press service, those 7 banks are
"Areximbank", "Artsakh Bank", "BTA-Invest Bank", "HSBC-Armenia Bank",
"Inecobank", "Unibank", "VTB Bank (Armenia)".

The CB press service noted that the research aimed at finding out
the correspondence of the information, publicized by the banks,
to the interest of the consumers.

The CB also informed that it will continue studying the web sites of
the banks and will regularly inform the public about the results.

ARMENIAN CENTRAL BANK POSTS 2008 INFLATION FORECAST

RosBusinessConsulting Database
December 18, 2007 Tuesday 11:34 AM EST

Armenia’s inflation is expected to reach 5.4 percent by the end of
2008, while a rate of 6.6 percent is projected in the first half of
2008, the Central Bank of Armenia reported. However, the figure could
exceed the target if international oil and food prices turn out to be
higher than expected. Higher interest rates could affect inflation in
the same way. Armenia’s inflation rate could also correct downwards
if exports in a foreign currency increase, or if the national currency
strengthens, the ARKA news agency reported.

RAUF RAJABOV "BAKU AND KHANKENDI SHOULD ALSO HOLD A DIALOGUE"

Today.Az
18 December 2007 [13:08]

The negotiation process must continue between Baku and Yerevan,
but Baku and Khankendi should also hold a dialogue.

The statement was made by the Azerbaijani military expert visiting
Yerevan Rauf Rajabov.

"The Garabagh Armenians are already within the Armenian delegation
on the conflict settlement, though. The two nations must maintain a
non-stop dialogue, as it is them, who will live in Garabagh beyond
political contexts. The earlier they initiate the dialogue, the
better. Unfortunately, such a dialogue do not exist at the moment.

The two nations do not hold a dialogue on the level of Garabagh. There
is a dialogue between official Baku and Yerevan, not between the
peoples-the Azerbaijanis and Armenians of Garabagh", he announced.

He considers that the unification of the Armenian elite of Garabagh
is a problem.On the contrary, Azerbaijanis from Garabagh are living
separately.

Answering the question of an Armenian reporter about the admissibility
of the policy of Azerbaijani government regarding those, whom they
call their citizens and disrespect of official Baku, who is stubborn
in calling Stepanakert Khankendi, Rauf Rajabov said one should not
go into place-name study, archeology and historical science:

"It would be better for us to search without focusing on any name". He
stressed the necessity to concentrate on the interests of citizens:
"Would it matter if I call someone Mister, fellow or aga?. We should
think of a separate person. The value of the person should prevail
over other vallues.

Political values will never lead to a decision", R.Rajabov noted.

TURKEY BECOMING A DANGEROUS PLACE FOR NON-MUSLIM CLERGY

MEMRI, DC
Milliyet
personal/en/4219.htm
Dec 20 2007

Can Dundar of the mainstream daily Milliyet wrote in his column
today that attacks on non-Muslim religious personalities have been
increasing in Turkey for the past two years. Dundar says that the
violent campaign began in February of 2006 with the killing of Roman
Catholic Priest Andrea Santoro in Trabzon, and continued with the
murder of the Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink [as well as the
brutal murders of three Christians that were publishing bibles in
Malatya, and most recently the stabbing of Priest Adriano Francini
in Izmir]. Dundar also mentioned the recent beating in an Istanbul
parking lot of Turkish-Greek correspondent of MEGA TV and wrote that
he had spoken to the Greek Orthodox Partiarch Bartholomeos and learned
of the anxiety felt within the Greek community.

Dundar wrote that the exaggerated statements [in Islamist media]
constantly warning about "missionary activities" in Turkey, are turning
all non-Muslim religious personalities into targets of violence.

Dundar as well as other columnists in Turkey’s secular, mainstream
media have been condemning these crimes and fearing a cover-up they
are demanding that they are solved.

APPROXIMATELY 25 MILLION DRAMS ALLOCATED FOR ORGANIZATION OF NEW YEAR EVENTS IN YEREVAN

Noyan Tapan
Dec 17 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, NOYAN TAPAN. The municipality has allocated
approximately 25 million dollars (about 81.9 U.S. dollars) for
the organization of New Year events in Yerevan. According to the
information provided by Kamo Movsisian, the Head of the Department
of Sport, Culture and Youth Affairs of the Municipality of Yerevan,
at the press conference held on December 17, festive events will be
organized in all the communities of the capital. In his words , the
New Year celebration in the sqaure of the Republic and in district
communities will start from December 31 and will finish on January
13, 2008.

Kamo Movsisian mentioned that in difference to the previous years,
this year a great attention will be paid to the events organized,
in particular, in communities.

The assembling work of the metal construction of the 30-metre Cristmas
tree has already started and will finish on December 20.

27.2% OF THE POLLED READY TO VOTE FOR SERZH SARKISIAN DURING THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS, HEAD OF "SOCIOMETER" CENTER STATED

Mediamax
December 18, 2007

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Head of "Sociometer" Sociological Research Center
Aharon Adibekian presented today the preliminary results of the survey
on the rating of candidates for the position of the Armenian President
in 2008.

Aharon Adibekian informed that surveys on this topic were carried out
twice, the first time it took place in January of 2007, the second
time – in mid-October. According to the sociologist, such an interval
is conditioned by the processes and events, which took place in this
period of time.

Head of "Sociometer" noted that the parliamentary elections, which took
place in 2007, influenced considerably the rating of the politicians.

So, in January, 7.7% of the polled were ready to give their votes to
Serzh Sarkisian, and in October – already 27.2%. At that, in January
33% of the respondents forecasted the victory of Serzh Sarkisian
during the elections, and in October – already 48%.

According of Adibekian, the second position in the rating is occupied
by the Leader of oppositional "Heritage" party Raffi Hovhannissian. In
January, his rating made 10.5%, however after the participation in the
elections in the 15th electoral district, the given index decreased
to 5.4%.

The sociologist also informed that in October, 4.8% of the electors
were ready to vote for the Leader of "Orinats Yerkir" party Artur
Baghdasarian, and for Artashes Geghamian – 2%.

Aharon Adibekian stated that Levon Ter-Petrosian’s rating increased. If
in January, 1.3% of the respondents were ready to give their votes
for the Ex-President, in October the index made 2.3%.

12068

AntiWar.com
December 18, 2007
Turkey: Another Ally Lost
Philip Giraldi

Over the past six years the Bush administration, aided and abetted by
Congress, has trashed what used to be described as American foreign
policy. Foreign policy once was shaped around the U.S. national
interest, but no longer. Vulnerable key allies such as Pakistan, Saudi
Arabia, and Egypt are now struggling to deal with the consequences of
a U.S.-inspired rush to democracy that has advanced a flawed,
ideologically driven agenda. Russia was nearly a friend and is now
again an enemy. Afghanistan is a corrupt narco-state where the Taliban
is making a comeback and President Hamid Karzai is referred to as the
King of Kabul because his writ runs no farther. The less said about
Iraq the better. But amid all of the missteps and poor policy choices,
the loss of Turkey stands apart because Turkey was a close friend and
loyal ally of the United States when 9/11 took place. Nearly
everything has gone wrong between Washington and Ankara, with the
Turkish public’s favorable assessment of the U.S. plummeting from 52
percent to 8 percent. And it did not have to happen.

Turkey actively supported the first Gulf War against Saddam Hussein.
In February 2002 Ankara provided troops for the multinational
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) sent to occupy
Afghanistan, commanding ISAF twice for a total of 14 months, but the
relationship began to sour in 2002 when the United States was
confronted by political change in Turkey that it did not know how to
handle. Already actively planning to attack Iraq, the U.S. government
sent a team to Ankara on July 14, 2002, to negotiate terms for
Turkey’s participation in a possible military action. The team was
headed by Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz and
Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman, a former
ambassador to Turkey. Both Grossman and Wolfowitz were also strong
advocates of the Turkey-Israel military relationship, which gave Tel
Aviv a powerful ally in a Muslim country and guaranteed that the U.S.
Congress would look benignly on Ankara.

The Turkish government appeared to be willing to accept an agreement
in exchange for a large financial aid package, but on Nov. 3, 2002,
parliamentary elections in Turkey replaced incumbent Prime Minister
Bulent Ecevit with Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the moderately Islamic
Justice and Development Party (AK). Wolfowitz and Grossman returned to
Turkey to negotiate with the new government. Erdogan was definitely
interested, if only to convince his critics within the Turkish
establishment and army that he was supportive of the Western alliance,
but polls taken in Turkey indicated that fully 87 percent of the
public opposed war against Iraq. Many recalled the 1991 Gulf War, in
which Turkey had to absorb more than half a million refugees and
suffered severe economic dislocation, including a currency collapse.
The Turks also believed that the U.S. was seeking to guarantee the
security of Israel by stopping a Muslim country from having either
weapons of mass destruction or the means to deliver them. It was noted
with some concern in the Turkish media that the spokesmen for the war
policy were all neoconservatives closely tied to Tel Aviv, notably
Wolfowitz, Grossman, Douglas Feith, Richard Perle, and Harold Rhode,
and that the Israel lobby in Washington had promoted the plans to
attack Iraq.

The Turkish General Staff, a major player in all foreign policy
decisions, was also cool to the war, harboring suspicions that a U.S.
intervention in Iraq would lead to the creation of an independent
Kurdish state. Wolfowitz appealed to the generals directly on his
second visit, bypassing the government and apparently suggesting that
they might want to overrule the civilians, something dangerously close
to a coup d’etat. The army expressed concern that if Turkey wound up
having to carry out a long occupation of the Kurdish region due to
American failure to successfully stabilize Iraq, the financial and
human costs would be unacceptably high.

As has frequently been the case, Washington, blind to many of the real
issues that were fueling Turkish reluctance, tried to buy cooperation.
Negotiations continued up to the last minute. Eventually the Turkish
leadership and the U.S. agreed on a package consisting of $6 billion
in immediate aid plus $24 billion in credits, but the open horse
trading did not help sell the product, as many parliamentarians
objected to the idea that they could be bought. Fifty thousand peace
demonstrators marched in Ankara during the acrimonious parliamentary
debate in which one deputy fainted and another suffered a heart
attack. The actual vote finally took place on March 1, and the
resolution failed to carry by three votes.

The parliamentary rejection was soon followed by a particularly
unfortunate choice for U.S. ambassador to Turkey. In July 2003 Eric S.
Edelman was named to the post and quickly became confrontational about
Turkey’s failure to support the American agenda. The abrasive Edelman
was accused of acting "more like a colonial governor than an
ambassador. … [He] is probably the least-liked and trusted American
ambassador in Turkish history." A petition that received thousands of
signatures was circulated demanding that he be declared persona non
grata and expelled from the country.

Edelman was not helped by press coverage coming from the U.S., which
was followed closely and frequently replayed in Turkey. On Feb. 16,
2005, Robert Pollock’s "The Sick Man of Europe – Again" claimed that
"Islamism and leftism add up to anti-American madness in Turkey." A
March 23, 2005, conference on Turkey at the neoconservative American
Enterprise Institute featured Pollock, Richard Perle, and Michael
Rubin, all of whom had been harshly criticizing Ankara’s policies in
the U.S. media. The Turkish press reciprocated with accounts of
American atrocities in Iraq. A spectacularly best-selling novel, Metal
Storm, described a United States invasion of Turkey and was reportedly
much read by senior politicians and military officers, while the most
popular locally made movie in Turkish history, Valley of the Wolves,
showed a Jewish American Army doctor harvesting Iraqi prisoner of war
organs for shipment to Tel Aviv, London, and New York.

On March 20, 2005, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld poured
gasoline on the fire, blaming Turkey for the consequences of its
refusal to permit an attack on Iraq from the north, saying, "Given the
level of the insurgency today, two years later, clearly if we had been
able to get the 4th Infantry Division in from the north … more of the
… Ba’athist regime would have been captured or killed." Had Turkey
cooperated, Rumsfeld added, "The insurgency today would have been
less."

The U.S. also proved to be spectacularly insensitive regarding the
Kurdish issue. Turkey became the most anti-American nation on earth
when on July 4, 2003, American forces in Iraq briefly detained Turkish
special forces soldiers pursuing escaping PKK terrorists. The U.S.
troops put the Turks in the same restraints and hoods as Iraqi
prisoners, creating an image that still evokes anger among Turks and
which was recreated in Valley of the Wolves.

Turks believe that though the U.S. claims it is fighting terrorists
worldwide, it has ignored the PKK attacks that started in 1984 and
have cost of over 35,000 lives and $6 billion to $8 billion in
security costs per year. The problem is very real for Turkey and
something it can ill afford, but Washington is clearly not listening.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice promised Ankara on at least three
occasions that she would do something about the terrorism problem but
did nothing. Former Gen. Joseph Ralston was sent to the region as a
special emissary on the PKK problem in September 2006 with a White
House and State Department pledge of "total commitment" to find a
solution. Nothing was done and Ralston quickly found that he had no
support from Washington. He resigned in early October 2007.

The final blow to U.S.-Turkish relations came with the pointless
Armenian genocide resolution, which sailed through the House of
Representatives in early October 2007. The resolution was described by
both the White House and State Department as harmful to the national
interest but passed out of the Foreign Affairs Committee when seven
Democrats who had previously blocked such resolutions because of their
support for the Turkey-Israel relationship switched their votes to
provide the margin of victory. Committee Chairman Tom Lantos of
California led the switch, expressing the need for "solidarity with
the Armenian people" while acknowledging that a breach with Turkey
could "cause young men and women in the uniform of the United States
armed services to pay an even heavier price than they are currently
paying." Lantos reportedly was angry with the Turkish government for
its rapprochement with Syria and Iran, and his vote was intended "to
punish Ankara" even though he conceded that the killing of the
Armenians did not amount to genocide. Given the Israeli connection to
the genocide resolution, the Turks believed that insult had been added
to injury when the White House dispatched Dan Fried, assistant
secretary of state for European affairs, and the ever unpopular Eric
Edelman in his new role as undersecretary of defense for policy to
Ankara to attempt to ease Turkish anger over the congressional vote.
Both were regarded as primarily advocates for Israel. The meetings
also could not have been more poorly timed, as 15 Turkish soldiers had
been killed by the PKK in the previous week.

POSTAGE STAMPS DEPICTING SCULPTURES OF GODDESSES ANAHIT AND APHRODITE
PUT INTO CIRCULATION IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 15, NOYAN TAPAN. The cancellation-to-order ceremony
of the postage stamps depicting the scultures of goddesses Anahit and
Aphrodite took place at the Greek embassy in Armenia on December 14. By
the decision of the Armenian-Greek intergovernmental commission, these
stamps were issued by HayPost and Eltan company (Greece).

The Greek charge d’affaires in the RA Alekos Ikonomopulos expressed
satisfaction at the bilateral relations between Armenia and Greece. He
appreciated the contribution of the Greek post and HayPost to
strengthening the centuries-old historical links between the two
nations.

In the words of HayPost’s director general Hans Boon, the issue of
these postage stamps will promote Armenian-Greek cooperation at
political and business level.

To recap, in January 2007, the Armenian government gave Haypost (as the
national postal operator of the RA) the exclusive right to issue
postage stamps.