Author: Tatoyan Vazgen

REPUBLICAN PARTY OF ARMENIA TO PUT FORWARD CANDIDATURE OF SERGE SARGSIAN

Noyan Tapan
Nov 10 2007

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The 11th conference of the
Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) made a decision on November 10 on
putting forward the candidature of RA Prime Minister Serge Sargsian,
the newly-elected Chairman of the party, in the February 19, 2008
presidential elections. After making this statement Tigran Torosian,
the Deputy Chairman of the party, mentioned that the decision was
made in the sitting of the RPA bloc taking into consideration the
way Serge Sargsian has passed, his political experience, as well as
his services done in favour of the homeland.

Thanking for the decision on putting forward his candidature ,
Serge Sargsian declared in his speech that after the parliamentary
elections the role of the Republican Party of Armenia has become of
essential significance in the inter-political field, since it made a
majority in the National Assembly, thus assuming responsibility before
the people. At present, according to Serge Sargsian, the provision
of stability in the country and "avoiding from senseless political
contradictions" are problems of importance.

"We live in a region full of dangers," the Chairman of the Republican
Party of Armenia mentioned, stressing that there are unsettled problems
in neighbour Georgia, relations between the United States of America
and Iran are strained, as for Armenia, it has problems with Turkey
and Azerbaijan. In the words of Serge Sargsian, Armenia will not be
subject to the Turkish-Azeri blackmail and will continue its policy on
establishing relations with Turkey without preconditions. Armenia,
in his conviction, will not change its principles with regard
to the Karabakh conflict, that is, international recognition of
self-determination of the people of Artsakh, a common and defended
border between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Nagorno
Karabakh.

"THE AUNTIE FROM PARIS" IS LEAVING FOR PARIS

KarabakhOpen
09-11-2007 13:05:58

The French director Narek Durian kept his promise. "The Auntie from
Paris" performed first at the Dramatic Theater of Stepanakert will be
performed in Paris from November 23 to December 4. Narek Durian says
now only the Karabakh origin of the artists will attract audience
but he says he believes that one day they will grow.

Now the play by Komitas Danielyan "We and Our Mountains" directed by
Narek Durian is on at the Dramatic Theater. He says he is amazed by
the play although the artists are not quite good.

LITHUANIAN FM: BALTIC COUNTRIES READY TO HELP SOUTH CAUCASUS TO ESTABLISH REGIONAL COOPERATION

ARKA
Nov 8, 2007

YEREVAN, November 8. /ARKA/. Baltic countries are ready to assist
South Caucasian countries to establish regional cooperation in 3+3
format, said Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Petras Vaytekunas during
the press-conference in Yerevan.

"Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are ready to help Armenia, Georgia and
Azerbaijan establish regional cooperation. Baltic countries on the
level of presidents, governments and parliaments have already achieved
significant results and are ready to share experience," he said.

Vaytekunas said that Baltic countries by their cooperation achieved
positive solution to some issues, though some still remain unsolved. He
pointed out that the countries are ready to share their positive
achievements with three countries of the South Caucasus (Armenia,
Georgia and Azerbaijan – ARKA).

Armenia’s Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian informed that the change
of experience among ministries in 3+3 format was useful.

"Despite the fact that the process has given no positive results yet,
the exchange itself was inestimable. I hope that the process will go
on," he said.

The first meeting of foreign ministers of Baltic and Caucasian
countries was held in Ljubljana (Slovenia) on December 6, 2005. The
sides discussed issues of bilateral cooperation of regions, as well
as cooperation within international organizations.

Lithuania’s delegation headed by Foreign Minister Petras Vaytekunas
arrived in Armenia on a two-day visit on November 8.

ARMENIAN SHOGHAKN DIAMOND COMPANY REDUCES ITS MONTHLY OUTPUT FROM 25THND CARATS TO 3 OR 4 THOUSAND

ARKA
Nov 8, 2007

YEREVAN, November 8. /ARKA/. Armenian Shoghakn diamond-cutting
enterprise has reduced its monthly output from 25thnd carats to 3 or
4 thousand, Sergey Gasparyan, the general director of the company,
said in an interview with ARKA News Agency.

He also said that the stuff had been cut as well – only 300 employees
remained instead of former 1800.

Gasparyan said that these measures were taken because of grown cost
price of final product and volatile situation in currency exchange
market.

He said that the company’s output is completely exported, because
Armenia has no raw materials resources and consumer market.

That’s why the dollar’s precipitously fluctuating exchange rate drives
final product’s cost price up and makes it not competitive at markets.

Gasparyan said that the output reduction was also due to considerable
reduction of the world diamond consumption market.

"Earlier, the U.S.A. was the biggest diamond consumer – about 70%,
while now the country consumes only 30% of the world diamond output. It
depends on further developments at the marker whether the enterprise
will be able to work to its full capacity", he said.

Gasparyan said that as a rule, sales reach their peak at the period
between September and December. It means that future plans will be
outlined only after summarizing results later this year.

"The enterprise has necessary industrial capacity, however a part of
them are temporarily frozen until situation stabilization", he said.

He said raw materials were stably supplied to Shoghakn, and for seven
years of its record the enterprise had never staid idle because the
lack of raw materials.

Gasparyan said that the enterprise produces 50thnd carats every month
from one hundred square meters of raw materials.

Shoghakn is the leading diamond-cutting enterprise in Armenia. Its
quota in Armenian diamond industry makes 35%.

One of the key diamond suppliers is Israel. Once Shoghakn’s monthly
output was 35,000 carats.

The enterprise belongs to entrepreneur Lev Levaev (LLD Diamonds)
from 2000.

NEW PRESIDENT SHOULD BE ABLE TO WORK WITH CURRENT PARLIAMENT, LEVON TER-PETROSIAN CONSIDERS

Noyan Tapan
Nov 7, 2007

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, NOYAN TAPAN. According to first RA President Levon
Ter-Petrosian, there is no clan economy in Armenia, and not the clan,
but a robber chief system rules in the political sphere. He said at
the November 3 meeting with the youth of Armenian higher educational
institutions that clan economy, compared with robber chief economy,
is a more sound economy, as in any case, clans compete with one
another. And the robber chief system, pyramid-shaped centralized power,
according to L. Ter-Petrosian, does not permit any competition.

Touching upon the question of a young man, of how he imagines work
with the current National Assembly if he is elected a President, under
conditions of the Constitution considerably limiting the President’s
authorities, L. Ter-Petrosian said: "Today the most important
problem we are facing is the issue of division of power, creation of
counter-balances. However, we have the parliament we have, and the
new President should work with that parliament, as, in essence, there
is no mechanism of its dissolution." The new President, according to
him, should be able to contribute with his convictions, his speech,
his programs to that parliament’s not hampering adoption of laws
introduced by the executive power."

ARMENIA’S PARLIAMENT ADOPTS LAW ENVISAGING INCREASE OF MINIMAL SALARY SINCE JAN 1, 2008

ARKA
Nov 6, 2007

YEREVAN, November 6. /ARKA/. Armenia’s parliament at the second
reading adopted the law envisaging increase of minimal salary since
January 1, 2008.

Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Aghvan Vardanyan said that the
minimal salary in the republic is intended to increase from AMD 20ths
to AMD 25ths.

Minister also adopted the bill of amendments to the law on income tax,
according to which from January 1, the size of non-taxable monthly
incomes will make AMD 25ths instead of present AMD 20ths. ($1 –
AMD 325.36).

THEY DISLIKE ENGLISHMEN

A1+
[06:02 pm] 06 November, 2007

Another foreigner has become the victim of attacks in Baku. Some
Azerbaijani citizens in Garachukhur suburbs in Baku attacked on
British citizen James Bornor and injured him on various parts of body
with knives.

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed that Mushvan
Ossmanov and Elena Bujnatova who were accused of committing the crime
had always felt an aversion for foreigners.

PRESS RELEASE
United Nations Development Programme Armenia
Community Development Project
14 Petros Adamyan Str., Yerevan 0010, Armenia
Contact: Zara Amatuni
Tel: 374-10-56-60-73
Fax: 374-10-54-38-11
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

Visit to Lusadzor Community by the Representatives of UNDP, Embassy of
Italy and Hayastan All-Armenian Fund**

****On November 5, 2007 Consuelo Vidal, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP
Resident Representative, H.E. Massimo Lavezzo Cassinelli, Ambassador of
Italy and Ara Vardanyan, Deputy Director of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund
paid an official visit to Lusadzor community of Tavush marz. The purpose
of the visit was to inaugurate the jointly launched community-based
projects as well as to reiterate the commitment of all three parties to
enhance the development cooperation framework in this community. The
delegation was received by Mr. Armen Ghularyan, Governor of Tavush marz,
Mr. Suren Kocharyan, Mayor of Lusadzor and the Community Council.

In May 2007, UNDP, in line with its participatory planning and
development needs prioritization, entered the village to address and
help resolve the most urgent needs identified by the community people.
Projects identified are focused on recovery of the social and economic
infrastructure of the village, one of which involves the construction of
a 4.8-kilometer intra-community natural gas network. Works are currently
underway and the project will be accomplished by December of this year.
With the technical design already completed, UNDP will next focus on the
building of an internal potable water network and the reconstruction of
the internal irrigation network.

In an effort to boost agricultural development, two projects are
currently being implemented in the community. One of these initiatives
aims at returning the non-tilled arable lands into crop rotation. In
order to restore the proper cultivation of Lusadzor’s land plots, around
150 rural households have recently been provided with diesel, fertilizer
and 17 tons of high quality wheat seeds. Consequently, in the month of
November, UNDP will start distributing persimmon seedlings to the
households of Lusadzor. Under this project it is envisaged to replace
the old gardens of the beneficiaries with newly planted orchards. This
opportunity promises a more favorable condition for fruit marketing as
persimmon is notable for its steady high yield qualities and resistance
toward diseases.

Lusadzor is one of the six cluster villages of Ijevan sub-district
selected as part of the Rural Development Program launched by Hayastan
All-Armenian Fund on the initiative of the RoA Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, immediately following the Third Armenia-Diaspora Conference.
All of the abovementioned projects in Lusadzor are implemented under
UNDP’s Community Development Project, with the financial support of the
Government of Italy totaling 500,000 Euros and co-funding by UNDP making
34,000 Euros. *//*

For more information on UNDP activity in Armenia, please visit our
website at

INTELLIGENTSIA EXTENDS CONDOLENCES

A1+
[06:08 pm] 05 November, 2007

The Armenian people suffered a great loss November 3.

Academician of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences, member of the
Karabakh Committee, participant of the World War II, a great patriot
and a member of the Council of Alderman of the Forum of Intellectuals
Rafael Ghazarian deceased.

We mourn over Ghazarian’s irretrievable loss and condole with his
relatives and acquaintances. Rafael Ghazarian always preferred national
interests to personal ones.

Forum of Intellectuals

Ohan Durian

Lenser Aghalovian

Ervand Manarian

Hrachia Matevosian

David Sedrakian

Robert Karayan

Anna Boyajian

Arman Manarian

Dmitri Atbashian

Robert Shamirian

Azat Sargsian

Armen Sargsian

Lianna Bejanova

Samvel Hovhannissian

Vachagan Mirzoyan

Khachik Sargsian

Ashot Gevorgian

Rafik Avetisian

Ashot Hovsepian

Vahan Vardapetian

Levon Babamian

BEAR ATTACKED WOMAN

A1+
[12:31 pm] 05 November, 2007

A few days ago a bear went out of the cage and attacked a 70-year-old
employee of the RA Military Police. The woman was unable to escape. She
died a few hours later in hospital. The bear was killed.

According to A1+’s data, it is not the first time a bear has descended
on people in the territory of the police. Last year a bear killed a
serviceman. Another soldier committed suicide when suggested to feed
a bear.

To note: a few months ago the Military Police suggested the zoo
allotting a cage for the bear but the zoo administration turned down
their proposal.

Today we inquired from the zoo what factors their denial was accounted
for. "We had no vacant cage," the director said.