Author: Tatoyan Vazgen

CONFLICTS IN THE BLACK SEA REGION AND THE SOUTH CAUCASUS TO BE DISCUSSED IN BERLIN

armradio.am
29.10.2007 16:45

October 5-6 an international conference dedicated to the resolution
of conflicts in Black Sea region and the South Caucasus will be held
in Berlin.

The conference is organized by the Monitoring Committee of the
Parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) together with
the German Institute of International Security Issues.

Issues concerning the settlement of the Transdniestrian,
Georgian-Abkhazian, South Ossetian and Armenian-Azerbaijani conflicts
will be discussed.

SERGE SARGSYAN: EXTERNAL CHALLENGES CANNOT BRING US TO OUR KNEES
Tatul Hakobyan

Radiolur
29.10.2007 13:25

During the one-week stay in the United States RA Prime Minister
Serge Sargsyan gave interviews to the Los Angeles Times newspaper,
the Reuters and Associated press agencies. In an interview with
the New Jersey based Armenian Reporter Serge Sargsyan turned to
Armenian-Turkish relations, the Karabakh issue, the relations with
Iran and the domestic developments in Armenia.

Excerpts from the interview entitled "External challenges cannot
bring us to our knees" are presented below.

In the interview with the Armenian Reporter, the Prime Minister said
the unresolved nature of the Karabakh conflict is indeed the biggest
challenge to Armenia’s security. Azerbaijan increases its military
budget annually, and promises that the military expenses will soon
equal the whole budget of Armenia. Actually, an arms race has started
in the Caucasus, which is provoked by official Baku.

PM Serge Sargsyan said the only way is to further develop Armenia’s
economy and continue to care for the battle-readiness of the
Armenian armed forces. There is no secret that should Azerbaijan
launch provocations over Nagorno Karabakh, Armenia would not remain
indifferent. It is in fact the case that today Azerbaijan has more
funds than we do. But money alone cannot produce a battle-ready army,
especially in a relatively short period of time. And we too are now
forced and are able to spend considerable sums on defense. I do not
believe that a difference of half a billion dollars can result in
Azerbaijan’s superiority over Armenia. The experience of the early
1990s shows that Azerbaijan’s considerable superiority over us, in
terms of funds, manpower and weapons, could not be translated into
superiority on the battlefield.

Turning to the Armenian Genocide, Serge Sargsyan said the fact of the
genocide is already a danger. The only way to achieve reconciliation
is through admission of mistakes. We are not blaming today’s Turkey,
modern-day Turkish government for the genocide. He reminded that
for many years Armenia’s policy has been establishment of diplomatic
relations without any pre-conditions.

Referring to Yerevan-Tehran relations, PM Serge Sargsyan said Iran is
a very important country. "For us, this is just one of two countries
that serve as conduits to the rest of the world. Iran is an energy-rich
country and that helps us address our economic security challenges. For
these reasons, we are not ready for any other approaches. And I
believe we will continue our relations with Iran," Mr. Sargsyan noted.

Billionaire investor is aiming to get more of Tesoro’s stock

Web Posted: 10/27/2007 12:16 AM CDT

Vicki Vaughan
Express-News

A billionaire best known for his golden touch with investments in Las
Vegas hotels, casinos and Hollywood movie studios announced Friday that
he plans to become the biggest shareholder in Tesoro Corp., the San
Antonio-based refiner.
In a surprise move, investor Kirk Kerkorian said he plans to spend $1.4
billion to purchase 16 percent more of Tesoro’s common stock, adding to
the 4 percent stake he holds now.

The buy translates to 21.9 million shares of the company that’s grown
to be the biggest independent refiner on the West Coast and one of the
largest publicly traded companies in San Antonio.

Kerkorian, the seventh-richest American, is offering $64 a share, or
about 12 percent more than Tesoro’s $57.20 closing price on Thursday.
The company’s shares climbed $7.28, or 13 percent, to close at $64.48
Friday in New York Stock Exchange trading.

Tesoro management did not respond to requests for comment.

But a Wall Street analyst said Kerkorian’s move could mean Tesoro is a
ripe acquisition target.

"Kerkorian is interested in putting the company in play; he wants to
make a quick buck," said Fadel Gheit managing director of oil and gas
research at Oppenheimer & Co. in New York. A company is said to be "in
play" when it’s an acquisition target.

Kerkorian "is not going to buy Tesoro to make it a better company,"
Gheit added. "He probably wouldn’t know the difference between a
refinery and a shopping mall."

Yet Gheit said Kerkorian "is an investor and this is what private
equity funds do. He may have some advisers who suggested he do this."

Kerkorian spokesman Tom Johnson said Friday that Kerkorian "has no
intention at this time of increasing his holdings beyond the 20 percent
share."

Kerkorian is making the cash tender offer for Tesoro shares through
Tracinda Corp., a private company of which he’s the sole owner. Before
Friday’s announcement, Tracinda had purchased 5.5 million Tesoro
shares, or about 4 percent of the shares outstanding, the company
disclosed.

In explaining the investment, Tracinda said in a statement that "the
fundamentals of the petroleum refining industry make it an attractive
area for investment." Kerkorian believes "that the company is
well-positioned within the industry and has a management team that is
effectively executing its strategic plan."

But other analysts said Kerkorian’s bid signals an endorsement of
management and of Tesoro’s strong performance this year.

Analyst Roger Read of Natixis Bleichroeder’s Houston office said
Kerkorian likely seeks Tesoro "as an attractively valued company and
one that clearly has a lot of free cash flow generation in front of
it," Read said. "And maybe he’s got some plans for what to do with
that."

Kerkorian "may push for higher dividends, a major share repurchase
programs or even an acquisition," Read said.

Tesoro’s shares have almost doubled in value this year, rising from
less than $33 a share in early January. The company has reported eight
consecutive quarters of rising profit. It’s scheduled to report
third-quarter earnings next Thursday.

Tesoro won praise from analysts after Chairman and CEO Bruce Smith
restructured management in early 2005, bringing in new talent and
promoting some executives already with the company. And Tesoro has been
on a buying spree, spending $3.4 billion in six years to buy refineries
and gasoline stations.

Its last purchase occurred in May when it acquired a Royal Dutch Shell
plant in a Los Angeles suburb. That brought the number of its
refineries to seven and boosted its total refining capacity to almost
670,000 barrels of crude oil a day.

The company, founded in 1964 by San Antonio oilman Robert V. West with
$1,000, plans to move into new corporate headquarters at U.S. 281 and
Redland Road in the summer of 2009.

Kerkorian, 90, the son of Armenian immigrants, has a net worth of more
than $18 billion, according to Forbes magazine.

A World War II veteran, Kerkorian made his first fortune selling an
airline in the 1960s, and he’s been a major Hollywood player, selling
the MGM movie studio for $5 billion to Sony and others, netting $1.8
billion, Forbes said.

At times, Kerkorian has invested in a company and then pushed
management to make changes. Last year, as his stake in General Motors
approached 10 percent, he pressured the automaker to explore an
alliance with Renault and Nissan Motor Co. ‘ a move that failed.

ARMENIAN FM ARRIVES ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO BULGARIA

Focus News
Oct 26 2007
Bulgaria

Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan will arrive on an official
visit to Bulgaria on October 28 through October 30, 2007 at the
invitation of his Bulgarian counterpart Ivailo Kalfin, the press
office of the Bulgarian foreign ministry informed. On October 29 the
two will have a tete-a-tete. Plenary talks will start at 11.45 am.

The ministers will sign a cooperation protocol to be followed by a
joint news conference.

IT EXHIBITION OPENED IN YEREVAN

arminfo
2007-10-26 13:25:00

ArmInfo. The third International exhibition "Digitec-2007" opened
today in Yerevan. It will last till October 28.

The red band of the exhibition was cut by RA Minister of Trade and
Economic Development Nerses Yertitsyan and Executive Director of
the Union of IT Enterprises (UITE) Karen Vardanyan. The latter said
that the exhibition is a kind of tool which allows the companies of
this sphere to contact with their consumers and promote creation of
partner relations. K. Vardanyan also said that the organizers of the
"Digitec" will try to turn it into the biggest regional exhibition of
information technologies within several days. For her part, Head of IT
Department of the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development Zhenya
Azizyan said that the concept of IT implementation and application,
based on the state-private sector cooperation, has been already
developed. She added that Armenia’s economy should be based on the
knowledge and information technologies.

Forty-three companies, including the Microsoft, IBM, ADC, IT
Park, Cornet – Am, Unicomp, the Yerevan State University, the
Armenian-Russian (Slavonic) University, the American University of
Armenia and others take part in the exhibition "Digitec-2007".

The exhibition covers the following spheres: computer facilities,
telecommunications, wireless networks, software, financial and
banking systems, electronic control, electron business, scientific and
research activity, education in the information and telecommunication
sphere. Holding of forums and , as well as a seminar is envisaged
within the frames of the exhibition.

The exhibition organizer is the Union of IT Enterprises. The
"Digitec-2007" is held under RA PM Serzh Sargsyan’s patronage and
with the support of USAID CAPS programme ("Competitive Private Sector
of Armenia").

MATTHEW BRYZA: ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN MAY SIGN FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT ON KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT BY SPRING OF 2008

arminfo
2007-10-26 13:09:00

ArmInfo. A framework agreement on Karabakh conflict may be signed
by Armenia and Azerbaijan by the spring of 2008, US Co-chair of OSCE
Minsk Group Matthew Bryza said, reports.

He said there is probability that Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents
sign a framework agreement on Karabakh conflict before the presidential
election in Armenia.

BELAVIA INCREASES FLIGHTS TO YEREVAN

arminfo
2007-10-24 13:08:00

ArmInfo. Byelorussian national airlines Belavia increases the number
of regular flights Minsk-Yerevan-Minsk by opening a new flight on
Wednesdays from November 14 2007.

Byelorussian Embassy in Armenia told ArmInfo that at present Belavia
offers Minsk-Yerevan-Minsk flight once in a week on Sundays using
a Boeing-737-500.

New comfortable jets CRJ-100 are expected to make the new flights to
Yerevan. Belavia has been offering flights to Yerevan for over 10
years increasing the passenger and cargo transportation of Armenia
and Belarus every year. The general agent of Belavia in Armenia is
Belaviaservice Ltd.

TURKISH FM LEFT FOR BAGHDAD IN EFFORT TO PRESSURE IRAQ TO CRACK DOWN ON KURDISH GUERRILLAS

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.10.2007 13:15 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan flew to Baghdad
on Tuesday for talks with Iraq’s government in an effort to pressure
Iraqi and U.S. authorities to crack down on Kurdish guerrillas.

Turkey’s government says it will exhaust all diplomatic channels before
launching any military strike into northern Iraq to root out Kurdish
separatist rebels, who killed at least a dozen Turkish soldiers in
fighting over the weekend.

Babacan was expected to hold talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri
al-Maliki, Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari and other Iraqi and
U.S. officials.

Turkey has built up its forces along the border with Iraq in
preparation for an incursion against rebel bases although Prime
Minister Tayyip Erdogan has pressed Iraq to curb the PKK first.

The Turkish General Staff said 12 soldiers died in Sunday’s fighting
and 34 rebels had been killed in an army offensive backed up by attack
helicopters and artillery over the past two days.

The pro-PKK Firat news agency said eight soldiers had been captured
in the fighting. Turkey has denied any of its troops were captured,
but confirmed eight soldiers were missing.

Turkey has deployed as many as 100,000 troops, backed by tanks,
F-16 fighter jets and helicopter gunships along its border with Iraq.

Turkey estimates 3,000 PKK rebels are based in Iraq, Reuters reports.

PRIME MINISTER SERZH SARKISIAN ATTENDS WB AND IMF ANNUAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

ARMENPRESS
Oct 23, 2007

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, ARMENPRESS: The government press office in
Yerevan said on October 22 prime minister Serzh Sarkisian participated
in the annual meeting of board of directors of the World Bank and
International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington.

The press office said later that day prime minister Serzh Sarkisian met
with Karo Armenian, a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s
Bureau for discussion of a set of questions of bilateral interest.

The same day Serzh Sarkisian met with Ken Wallack, chairman of the
American National Democratic Institute and presented the efforts of
the Armenian government aimed at improving electoral processes and
political landscape. The Armenian prime minister also spoke about
economic reforms.

On October 22 Sarkisian met with Harry Reed, chairman of the Congress
majority and Senator Richard Durbin. Their meeting focused on bilateral
cooperation.

Senator Reed referred to the process of approving a resolution by a
House committee that recognizes the killings of 1.5 million Armenians
by the Ottoman Turkey as a genocide.

The Armenian prime minister conveyed the gratitude of Armenian
authorities and the people to the US Congress for their continued
support to Armenia and its people since it became independent.

At the end of that day Sarkisian gave an interview to Associated Press,
in which he referred to bilateral relations, economic and security
issues and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Today he is expected to meet with secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice
and a deputy secretary of state Ruben Geoffrey. He will also attend
a meeting of the Armenian Congressional Caucus and will proceed to
Paris after a reception at the Armenian embassy in Washington.

RA PRIME MINISTER WAS GIVEN A HIGH LEVEL RECEPTION
Translated by L.H

AZG Armenian Daily #193
23/10/2007

Armenia-USA

RA Prime Minister Serge Sargsian being on an official visit to
Washington D.C. had several meetings with the authorities of USA.

Armenian PM met with US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. They
discussed issues on Armenian armed forces’ participation in anti-terror
coalition and in that framework possibility of sending Armenian
soldiers to Afghanistan.

Serge Sargsian mentioned that Armenia is supporter of the peaceful
and fast settlement of Karabakh conflict in the way of compromises.

Later the Prime Minister met with the Chief Executive Officer of
the headquarters of the Millennium Challenges Corporation (MCC) John
Danilovich. They discussed Armenia-USA economic cooperation issues.

John Danilovic mentioned that their office evaluated positively
Armenia 2007 executorship.

Later the Prime Minister met with US Vice-president Richard Cheney
in White House. Issues of political processes in the Middle East
were discussed. They also touched upon the issue of Armenia-Turkey
relations.

Serge Sargsian mentioned, though the issue of the recognition of
the Armenian Genocide is on the agenda of Armenian foreign policy,
its ready to take a step forward in the regulation of the relations
with Turkey without preconditions.

The delegation led by the Prime Minister Serge Sargsian left Washington
for Los Angeles to meet with "Los Angeles Times" editorial council,
the Lincy foundation leadership and also the leaders of the Armenian
community of USA.