Author: Tatoyan Vazgen

ARMENIAN BUSINESSMEN TO TAKE PART IN "CONTACT STOCK: SOCHI 2008" CONFERENCE IN SOCHI

ARMENPRESS
Oct 3, 2008

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS: Armenian businessmen will take part
in the "Contact Stock: Sochi 2008" conference which will take place
in Sochi October 20.

Head of "Support to Business Women" center Lilia Gevorgian told
Armenpress that nearly 50 businessmen including 20 women will leave
for Sochi to participate in the conference.

Within the framework of the event exhibitions are expected to be
organized in Sochi in which companies exporting building materials
will present their services.

Besides the exhibition meetings will be organized for the
representatives of different companies during which issues of future
cooperation will be discussed.

"This forum creates big opportunities for each businessman. During
different meetings and discussions they establish new ties, get
acquainted with new programs, services. In connection with Winter
Olympic Games a big market has been formed in Sochi. Companies
representing Armenia will try to get an opportunity to present their
services and products during the pre-Olympic period, as well as
sell different products during the games, for instance souvenirs,"
L. Gevorgian said.

The forum will last for three days during which Yerevan "Support to
Business Women" center will meet with Moscow "Association of Business
Women" to discuss issues of future cooperation.

VIKTORIA’S HAS GEORGIAN, ARMENIAN AND ITALIANBY JOAN OBRA / THE FRESNO

Fresno Bee
10/03/08 00:00:00
CA

In the Valley’s multicultural landscape, ethnic restaurants are
everywhere. But one that serves Armenian, Italian and Georgian
dishes? That’s unusual.

That array of dishes is the norm at Viktoria’s Place, which started
an Armenian all-you-can-eat lunch a little more than two weeks
ago. For $9.95, the restaurant at Hern- don and Ingram avenues in
Pinedale serves up a variety of kebabs (lamb, chicken, beef, pork
and the ground meat known as lulu), pilafs (rice or bulgur), salads,
pan-fried vegetables and soup. Co-owner Zograb Tsolokian throws in
some Italian calzones for good measure.

Tsolokian started the buffet to let guests sample many dishes, serve
food quickly and give their wallets a break.

"They’ll come and fill up, and they’re happy," Tsolokian says.

The mix of food reflects Tsolokian’s background. As an Armenian
growing up in Georgia (the Eurasian country, not the U.S. state),
he learned Georgian dishes such as khinkali, a dumpling filled with
ground beef and seasonings, and khachapuri, a breakfast pastry filled
with cheese, egg and butter. Both are on Viktoria’s menu but are not
part of the lunch buffet.

And as for Viktoria’s pizza and calzones, these are inspired by Zoro’s
Pizza & Sandwiches, Tsolokian’s former restaurant. He even offers a
bit of fusion food: calzones stuffed with kebabs.

Viktoria’s is open 8:30 a.m.- 10 p.m. daily. Buffet lunch is served 11
a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. Call (559) 261-1505 for more information.

Also, Huckleberry’s, a restaurant with Bayou-themed food, opened
just over two weeks ago at the southwest corner of Champlain Drive
and Perrin Avenue, (in the shopping center anchored by the Save Mart).

The shop is part of a chain owned by Dynaco Inc., the parent company
behind Perko’s Cafe, Cool Hand Luke’s Steakhouse & Saloon, and Yukon
Jack’s Log Cabin Dining.

Huckleberry’s serves breakfasts and lunches such as flapjacks
with huckleberry syrup, bananas foster waffles, Cajun hot links,
Louisiana-style spareribs, catfish and chicken gumbo. Meals cost $5-$9,
says Natasha Williams, a Huckleberry’s service manager at Champlain
and Perrin.

Huckleberry’s is open 7 a.m.-3 p.m. daily. For more information, call
(559) 433-4825.

The columnist can be reached at jobra@fresnobee. com or (559) 441-6365.

IRANIAN CLIMBERS ASCEND MOUNT ARARAT

IranMania.com
Tuesday, September 30, 2008 – 2005

LONDON, September 30 (IranMania) – A four-member team of mountaineers
from Nahavand, Hamedan province, have ascended Mount Ararat in Turkey,
IRNA reported.

The team includes Masoud Qiasi, Yazdan Behzadi, Mohsen and Ehsan Seif.

The 5,165-meter Mount Ararat is the highest peak in modern Turkey.

This snow-capped, dormant volcanic cone is located in Igdir province,
near the northeast part of Turkey, 16 km west of Iranian and 32 km
south of Armenian borders.

A NUMBER OF APPLICATION-COMPLAINTS WITH DEMAND OF RECOUNTING VOTING RESULTS OF SEPTEMBER 28 LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS RECEIVED IN KENTRON AND NOR NORK COMMUNITIES

Noyan Tapan

Se p 29, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 29, NOYAN TAPAN. District electoral commission N
10 received 12 applications on local self-government elections held
on September 28 in Kentron Yerevan community from proxies of candidate
for prefect, current Kentron prefect, RPA member Gagik Beglarian with
the demand to recount votes at 12 out of 54 polling stations. NT
correspondent was informed about it by commission chairwoman Silva
Markosian. According to her, one candidate, member of the Union of
National Democrats Karen Vardanian has applied in connection with
elections of councillor members with the demand to recount voting
results of councillor members elections at all 54 polling stations.

According to Gurgen Khachatrian, the chairman of district electoral
commission N 2, one of the candidates for councillor members has
applied with the demand of recounting voting results at two polling
stations, and the proxy of unemployed Melik Gasparian, a candidate for
prefect’s post, a RPA member has applied with the demand of recounting
voting resutls at one polling station in the Nor Nork community.

GAS SUPPLY OF ARMENIA TEMPORARILY CUT OFF

Noyan Tapan

Se p 29, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 29, NOYAN TAPAN. With the aim of increasing the
carrying capacity of the North Caucasus – Transcaucasia gas pipeline,
a necessity arose to replace the 500-mm pipes ensuring gas supply
over the Khram River in Georgia by 1000-mm pipes. The work is being
done with funds of ArmRusgazprom CJSC by Georgian construction
organizations.

During the work, the natural gas supply of Armenia has been temporarily
cut off. Armenia’s gas supply is currently ensured from the reserves
of the Abovian underground gas storage.

NT was informed by ArmRusgazprom CJSC that there are no restrictions in
the gas consumption market. The construction work will be completed
late September 29, after which the gas supply will resume in its
full volume.

"EXCEPTIONS" BECOME A REGULARITY
Vardan Grigoryan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
27 Sep 2008
Armenia

In his speech delivered during the 63rd session of the UN General
Assembly, President Serge Sargsyan introduced Armenia’s foreign policy
priorities in the complex and tense political and economic situation
both on the global level and in the South Caucasian region.

The fact that the Armenian President used the chance of delivering a
speech from the tribune of the United Nations mainly with the purpose
of substantiating our country’s attitudes towards the Karabakh issue
has its serious motives. The UN General Assembly is the international
tribunal in which Azerbaijan has managed, for several years, to
transform the Karabakh settlement issue into an unfounded demand for
the return of the "occupied territories".

Emphasizing the fact that four-fifths of the UN member states had
not acted in support of the successive pro-Azerbaijani document
adopted on March 14, 2008, and French, Russia and the United States
(the OSCE Co-Chairing countries) had voted against the resolution,
the Armenian president estimated this as a disservice to Azerbaijan,
which, in his opinion, eventually led the country to mounting "a new
wave of bellicose oratory". "Do not trouble us if you can’t help",
was our country’s clear-cut and firm message to the UN leadership
and the internation al associations that do not take any measures to
prevent the UN Committees from preparing anti-Armenian resolutions.

By introducing the anti-thesis between the consistent efforts of the
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries and the propaganda resolutions
adopted in the sessions of the UN General Assembly, Armenia clearly
sketched the political platforms with the help of which our diplomacy
is obliged to make more consistent efforts towards counteracting
the adoption of the resolutions submitted to the United Nations by
Azerbaijan and the other GUAM member states.

Rejecting the option of settling the Karabakh conflict "through
resolutions" and stressing the importance of intensifying the
international community’s intermediary efforts towards finding
solutions "through negotiations", the Armenian President also
introduced two of the new challenges faced by the parties and mediators
in conditions of the complex and contradictory global and regional
processes following the Russian-Georgian armed conflict.

The first challenge is Azerbaijan’s armament race which radically
contradicts the letter and spirit of the UN Charter. And the second
is the necessity of overcoming certain stereotypes formed in the
international community with regard to the issue of the nations’
right to self-determination.

Underlining the fact that the attempts of deportation, ethnic
cleansings and genocide against peoples applying that fundamental norm
of international law and protecting their right to self-determination
do not very often receive an equivalent counteraction, Serge Sargsyan
considered the necessity rooting out such unacceptable practices as
an urgent issue.

And as an evidence of such contradictory and dangerous situation, the
President stated the following reality: when one of the peoples manages
to overcome the artificial obstacles laying on the path of exercising
its right to self-determination and achieves the cherished goal,
"all unanimously begin to consider the given case as an ‘exception’
". And this is already becoming a kind of regularity in our reality."

It turns out that the increase in the number of the "exceptions"
on the international arena has brought the international community
face-to-face with a simple question: "Perhaps the regularity of our
times consists in the ‘parade’ of such exceptions rather than in
the ethnic cleansings and genocides deriving from the aspirations of
maintaining the regularities?"

And really, if there have already been three such exceptions in the
course of the current year, including the precedents of Kosovo,
South Ossetia and Abkhazia, then, the prevalent tendency in the
international practice is really the change of the exceptions into
regularities. But even in conditions of such realities, Armenia
finds that "any secession required for exercising t he right to
self-determination in an effective and stable manner should be based
upon the agreement of all the parties involved."

In his speech delivered from the tribune of the UN General Assembly,
the leader of our country also reminded the participants that the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic which has enjoyed the status of a de facto
independent state for around two decades was formed as a result
of resisting the extermination policy unleashed by Azerbaijan and
holding a victory in the war. This means that recognizing the NKR
people’s right to self-determination is the antithesis of repeating
the steps aimed at their extermination.

Viewing the necessity of resolving the NKR conflict through
negotiations in that particular context, the President of the
Republic of Armenia explains to the whole international community
from the tribune of the UN General Assembly’s 63rd session that he
is not only entitled to act as the guarantor of the security of the
NKR people but also is ready to make the successive "exception",
i.e. recognize the independence of Nagorno Karabakh, in case there
is a new aggression unleashed against the country.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT MEETS WITH OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS

ARMENPRESS
Sep 24, 2008

NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS: Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
met today in New York with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen.

Press secretary of the president Samvel Farmanian told Armenpress that
during the meeting the sides discussed Karabakh conflict regulation
process as well as opportunities of the next meeting of the Armenian
and Azerbaijani presidents.

ACCORDING TO KHOSROV HAROUTIUNIAN, PUBLIC COUNCIL SHOULD GAIN CONFIDENCE OF BOTH SOCIETY AND COUNTRY’S PRESIDENT

Noyan Tapan

Se p 24, 2008

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 24, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenian society has much
expectations from the work of the Public Council under the RA
President, Khosrov Haroutiunian, the leader of the Christian-Democratic
Union of Armenia, a member of the Public Council, stated at the
September 24 press conference.

He assured that Public Council members periodically discuss the
issue of gaining public confidence and have come to the conclusion
that they should try to gain both public confidence and confidence
of the President.

K. Haroutiunian reminded that people being Public Council members at
present have appeared in the Council as public, political, and cultural
figures having a merit before the people and the country. According to
the newly formed Regulations of the Public Council, another 24 citizens
should be included in the Council, who will present the demands of
wide circles of society. "Public Council’s goal is to become a kind
of a channel, through which society’s proposals and complaints should
be presented to upper instances," K. Haroutiunian said.

Arshak Sadoyan, a member of the Public Council, said that people from
both Yerevan and the regions will be involved in Public Council’s
work. They will present their troubles and problems. All that,
according to him, will result in mass creative work.

AZERBAIJAN DIVERTS EU OIL TO RUSSIA AND IRAN
Valentina Pop

24 sept 08

Azerbaijan is sticking to plans to reduce oil exports to the EU and
increase shipments to Russia and Iran, as the South Caucasus country –
home to another Russia-influenced frozen conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh –
seeks to spread risk.

In the immediate aftermath of the Georgian crisis Azerbaijan decided
as a temporary move to reduce shipments through Europe’s only direct
import route from the energy-rich Caspian Sea – the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
(BTC) pipeline – and to increase exports to Russia.

But Elhar Nasirov, vice-president of Socar, the Azeri state oil
company, told the Financial Times on Thursday (25 September) that
Azerbaijan would continue exporting oil to Russia and Iran even though
shipments through Georgia had resumed, because of the increased risks
in the Caucasus.

"We don’t want to insult anyone … but it’s not good to have all
your eggs in one basket, especially when the basket is very fragile,"
he said.

Separately, Elmar Mammedyarov, the foreign minister, told the FT:
"We are trying to be friends with everybody, at the same time as
acting in accordance with our national interests."

Unlike Russia-critical Ukraine, Azerbaijan has remained silent over
Russia’s invasion of Georgia despite disruptions caused to its oil
business.

With presidential elections coming up on 15 October, Azerbaijan’s
he ad of state, Ilham Aliev, is trying to strike a balance between a
re-assertive Russia and the West, especially since his country also
has a frozen conflict on its own territory.

The majority-Armenian populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh split
from Azerbaijan in a civil war in 1991 and remains under Armenian
occupation, with Russia and Armenia enjoying close ties.

More than 20 Azerbaijani and Armenian soldiers have been killed in
Nagorno-Karabakh since July, an Azerbaijan government official said
Thursday in claims denied by the Armenian side.

An alleged Armenian-Russian link during the Georgian conflict was
highlighted by the chairperson of the European Parliament’s foreign
affairs committee, Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, who asked EU’s foreign
policy chief Javier Solana in a public hearing on 10 September if
Russian bases in Armenia were used to launch missiles at Georgia
during the conflict.

Mr Solana said he could not confirm the information.

After talks held with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev in Moscow
last week, Azerbaijani President Mr Aliev said his country sought
"predictability" in the Caucasus, while his foreign minister
said Azerbaijan’s main task was to preserve its independence and
sovereignty.

During a visit in Baku last week, the United States’ chief mediator
in the region, Matthew Bryza, said it was more important than ever
to resolve the dispute after the Russia-Georgia war.

"The recent events in Georgia underscore the importance of a timely
resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," he said, adding that
the US strongly support the sovereignty and territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan.

Armenia-Turkey initiative

Meanwhile, in New York, a trilateral meeting between the foreign
ministers of Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan was due to take place on
Thursday (25 September), with Turkey recently opening a new chapter
in Armenian diplomacy.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul made a historic visit to Armenia
on 6 September to watch a football match between the two nations
which have had a closed border and no diplomatic ties since 1993,
when Turkey backed Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Armenian media hope that Turkey’s increasing distance from the US
and closer ties to Russia could work in its favour over the frozen
conflict, and could end-up rerouting future Caspian-EU energy links
through its territory instead of Georgia.

"Turkey’s pressure on Azerbaijan is also an option. The reason lies
in the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, which became insecure after
the Georgian war. Actually the BTC proved that no long-term political
project can be profitable if it is realised on the pretensions of
politicians and their unquenchable ambition to isolate the neighbouring
country, which in this particular case is Armenia," analyst Karine
Ter-Sahakian wrote for Pan-Armenian Network.

IRAN TO ASSURE GAS SUPPLIES TO ARMENIA IN WINTER, 2008

ArmInfo
2008-09-24 10:34:00

ArmInfo. The new director of the Iranian National Gas Export Company
said in a interview with ISNA Agency that gas will be supplied to
Armenia this winter in case of readiness of the Armenian party. The
available opportunities will allow to supply about 3 mln cub m of
gas per day.

Earlier, RA Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan said that the flow
efficiency of Iran- Armenia gas pipeline will be brought to 2,5
bln cub m per year by November, 2008, that will become possible as
a result of increase of the flow efficiency of the gas pipeline at
Kajaran-Yerevan section. A. Movsisyan also said that the major part
of the work at this section has been already done. He added that the
Iranian gas supplies to Armenia may start earlier than the target date,
i.e. till early, 2009.