Author: Toganian Liana

I DID NOT VOTE TWICE
By Lusine Musaelian (CRS No. 403 25-Jul-07)

Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
July 25 2007

A Karabakhi journalist and her look-alike sister cause a stir at
Stepanakert polling station.

When I woke up on July 19, I saw that it was already 8 am. Believing
I was late, I got dressed in a hurry. I’d arranged to meet our IWPR
colleagues from Yerevan and other parts of the Caucasus to visit
a number of polling stations in the town of Shushi to observe the
situation there and report on the presidential election in Karabakh.

But, before I could go to Shushi, I had to perform my civic duty –
to vote. Only people who are often late can know how quickly I rushed
out of the house. On reaching the polling station, I found out that
my watch was an hour fast and I was the first person to arrive. I was
warmly greeted as the first voter of the day and invited to cast my
ballot. They said they were glad to see "such a young and beautiful
girl" arriving ahead of everybody else.

The mood in the Karabakhi capital Stepanakert was different from an
ordinary day. I saw on my way that voting at several polling stations
was proceeding to the accompaniment of live music. Stepanakert
residents, especially women and girls, had dressed for a festive
occasion.

Several hours after I voted, my sister went to the same polling station
to cast her ballot. Her arrival caused a flurry at the station. My
sister and I look very alike, and this resemblance has frequently got
us into funny situations. When she attempted to take the ballot form,
polling station officials started clamouring, "This girl has come
for a second time! Don’t you dare fill in the ballot!"

My sister told me later that the tumult subsided only after they
checked her passport and the voter lists.

During the two previous presidential elections, I don’t remember
the town being particularly active or its mood being affected by
the event. This time around, however, the town simply pulsated with
election excitement.

For several months before the poll, Stepanakert residents tirelessly
had discussed the future event. In the immediate period before
the election, political discussions could be heard everywhere –
on streets, in cafes, parks and shops. People asked each other,
"Whom will you vote for – Bako [Sahakian] or Masis [Mailian]?"

Coming home by taxi late in the evening of election day, I asked
the driver:

"Did you vote?"

"Yes."

"If it’s not a secret, who for?"

"For my boss."

"Do you work for the state?"

"No, I don’t, but this taxi-service belongs to Bako Sahakian."

"And whom did you give your vote?

"Masis."

We arrived at my home. I paid the fare and was getting out of the car,
when the driver said, "I must tell you that all that was recorded. So
be careful."

Lusine Musaelian is a correspondent with the electronic newspaper
Karabakhopen, Stepanakert.

This report is one of three first-person accounts of journalists from
and visiting Nagorny Karabakh during the presidential elections as
part of IWPR’s Cross Caucasus Journalism Network project. Different
in style from our usual reports, they give an impression of the polls
and life in this remote but important territory in the South Caucasus.

ALL BUT ONE OF GEORGIA’S BANKS MAKE THE CUT
By M. Alkhazashvili (Translated by Diana Dundua)

The Messenger, Georgia
July 25 2007

Out of the 18 commercial banks in Georgia, 17 managed to meet the
National Bank of Georgia’s (NBG) criterion of GEL 12 million in base
capital for legal operation. The sole exception was Cascade Bank
Georgia, bought out by Bank of Georgia.

Cascade Bank is Bank of Georgia’s third bank purchase, following
its earlier acquisitions of Tbiluniveraslbank and Intellectbank,
according to the newspaper Kviris Palitra.

Cascade Bank was a subsidiary of Cascade Capital Holdings, in
turn owned by the Cafesjian Family Foundation, a US-based Armenian
concern. Cascade Bank took over the Tbilisi branch of the Greek-owned
Emporiko Georgia in 2006.

NBG says most commercial banks had no trouble showing base capital
of at least GEL 12 million; the country’s banks had months of advance
warning, and the major ones already met the requirement.

Aside from Cascade Bank, only three banks-Turkish Ziraat Bank, Bank
Tetri and Azerbaijani International Bank-logged some difficulty, though
all managed to fulfill the base capital requirement by the deadline.

NBG says it has no immediate plans for another increase to the minimum
base capital for commercial banks, and the EU is satisfied by their
latest regulatory tweak.

"MECCA" TV CHANNEL TO LAUNCH SATELLITE BROADCASTING IN ARMENIA

armradio.am
23.07.2007 17:05

"Mecca" TV Channel (Saudi Arabia) intends to launch satellite
broadcasting in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Georgia, Armenia and the Baltic states, President of the TV Company’s
Board Al Auid Assam Salekh declared, "Novosti" agency reports. He
noted that the mission of the Channel is to present the spiritual-moral
and humanitarian values of Islam.

The Channel, which will be aired in Russian and will be targeted at
diminishing the artificially made myths about Islam, to separate
radicalism and terrorism from religion, to keep the Muslims away
from the influence of the extremists and use of Islam for political
purposes. It is envisaged to establish branched of "Mecca" Company
in the above-mentioned countries.

STATEMENT OF MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF ARMENIA ON PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN NAGORNO KARABAKH

Noyan Tapan
Jul 23, 2007

YEREVAN, JULY 23, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA Foreign Ministry, on July
23, made a statement on the presidential elections held in Nagorno
Karabakh. Below is the text of the statement provided to Noyan Tapan
by the RA Foreign Ministry Press and Information Department:

"We welcome the presidential elections held in Nagorno Karabakh on
July 19.

Nearly 80% of the people of Nagorno Karabakh participated in
these elections. These elections are the most recent in some dozen
presidential, parliamentary, and local election polls, as well as a
constitutional referendum, held since 1991.

This is just one expression of the commitment the people of Nagorno
Karabakh have made to democracy and rule of law. Legitimately elected
authorities have succeeded in securing the safety and stability of
that region even in the absence of a permanent settlement.

Various OSCE and other international documents clearly indicate that
not only should Nagorno Karabakh be a party to settlement negotiations,
but that their elected authorities should represent them.

To dismiss these or any elections is disingenuous and simply contrary
to modern political values. Further, rejection cannot be understood
given the fact that in other areas of the world, in places where final
political status and settlement are also absent, such elections are
indeed supported, promoted, observed and encouraged.

The people of Nagorno Karabakh remain committed to resolving the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict through negotiations to reach a peaceful,
lasting settlement.

Unlike in other conflicts, in Karabakh, the population has always
had to ensure its own security without the help of the international
community. In the same way, they have also succeeded in securing
their own democratic processes and domestic stability."

FORTUNE – A WHIMSICAL LADY
Vardan Barseghyan

Hayots Ashkharh Daily
21 July 07

The fact that there is already a large army of potential presidents
in our reality is, of course, beyond any argument. However, no truth
beyond any argument is true to an extent not to be argued once again.

Generally, announcing about one’s intention to run for Presidency about
a year prior to the elections is not only an unaccepted phenomenon;
it is simply rather dangerous. Such kind of candidate may not even
"survive" till the registration time as he will burn down in the
thick layers of the political atmosphere. This is the reason the
authority in power is not hasty in publicizing the name of its legal
successor. It needs no false start.

The situation is quite different in case of the Opposition. It has
nothing to lose. Actually, none of the candidates of this camp even
dream about victory; with regard to the struggle of internal views
(as to which of them will obtain more votes), its result does not
even exceed those of the social polls. To declare of one’s intentions
a month later or sooner does not make any difference in principle.

At present, our society does not consider the opposition a powerful
tool.

And, by and large, it doesn’t need it either. Although, the
opposition itself has not so far given any occasion for being treated
otherwise. All its plans fell flat during the recent years.

And they are no longer viewed as a serious alternative by anyone. The
fate of the relatively more significant pro-opposition parties bearing
the mark of failure may arouse nothing more than sympathy among
their proponents, but never a desire to trust them once more. Whereas
pro-Opposition candidates’ participation in the Presidential campaign
is a must for our country. But no plural form is allowed. What we
need is a unanimous candidate. And such candidate is, of course,
capable of competing with the pro-Government candidate in the
"competition program". But the public has the right to anticipate
at least a "demonstrative speech". It is required to demonstrate an
alternative. To demonstrate that there are people inside the country
who are capable of expressing public demands, e.g. Vazgen Manoukyan,
Arthur Baghdasaryan, Aram Karapetyan, Stepan Demirchyan, Artashes
Geghamyan. It may be any symbolic image, no matter his rating.

By the way, pro-Government authority is specifically interested in
this kind of "demonstrative speech". It has absolutely no grounds to
be afraid of competition with anyone. As to the fact that the mass of
protestant-voters will participate in the election, it is important
for the authority. The advent of the proponents of a united opposition
will raise the legitimacy of the elections both in the polling stations
and in the estimation of the world.

The only difference is that unlike different pro-Opposition activists
who have no hope for getting a prize, pro-Government authority at
this point is interested in the result. And such result will also
become demonstrative, and, most probably, in a negative sense for
the stormy-petrels. At that time, the country and the world will be
shown the true value of the national liberators and the extent to
which the people support them.

Therefore, there is a complete coincidence between the desires of the
public and the authority in terms providing the voters, including the
protestant mass, with a whole collection of alternatives. There only
remains one trivial issue: to elaborate the pre-election program of
the pro-Opposition factions and propose a united candidate. Nothing
of the kind has happened in our reality since 1996. May such attempts
be a success this time!

The important thing is not to lose hope, since fortune is a whimsical
lady, and it can shift the course of the events in a quite unexpected
direction.

Having written the "The Last Valve", an extremely pessimistic article
in 1907, Lenin left Russia for Switzerland. Later he went to Paris,
and there he started analyzing the reasons of the failure of the
revolution.

As shown by this analysis, anticipating a repeated revolution was
impossible in the visible future. Neither did the outbreak of the
1914 war inspire the leader with optimism.

Revolutionary symptoms were visible even in 1917, when Russia, together
with its allies, had just one step towards victory. However, it wasn’t
visible to such a talented political technologist as Lenin. Of course,
he would unceasingly encourage his proponents to follow slogan saying
"the worse for the country, the better". But he rather did this under
his momentum, orienting himself towards a certain perspective. But,
as a matter of fact, he was concerned about getting means of survival.

"We are starving, I pledge my word of honor," he would write
to his companions-in-arms in February 1917 and ask them to help
Mrs. Kruspskaya to publish the Teachers’ Encyclopedia, so that they
could earn a little money.

And all of a sudden, the public came to know about the dethronement
of Tsar Nikolay II.

ALL-ARMENIAN MOVEMENT OFFERS PROGRAM IN THE PERSON OF LEVON TER-PETROSYAN

Lragir, Armenia
July 23 2007

On July 23 Aram Manukyan, All-Armenian Movement, first stated at the
Hayeli Club that the presidential election of NKR on July 19 proved
that NKR is a more democratic country than Armenia and then added that
he wished Karabakh had as many inhabitants or as many people had really
voted. Aram Manukyan said the conduct of the NKR election allows hoping
for favorable conditions for the settlement of the Karabakh issue.

Aram Manukyan says there were irregularities in the pre-election
period. There was too much advertisement of the government’s
candidate. "Armenia interfered with the Karabakh election too much,
especially regarding the endorsement through the Armenian media."

Besides, the administrative resource was used at full. Most mayors of
villages had been instructed to vote for the government’s candidate,
Aram Manukyan stated.

The Republican Member of Parliament Gagik Minasyan who had observed
the NKR presidential election disagreed with the last statement of
Aram Manukyan. Minasyan said he observed the voting at 10 polling
stations and is sure that the election was free and fair, and the
turnout of 80 percent was not fake.

With regard to the possible nomination of Levon Ter-Petrosyan in the
forthcoming presidential election, Aram Manukyan said: "We do not want
to nominate Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s personality, we want to nominate the
program, the points of view, the approaches that are so close to us,
and we think are best for the development of Armenia.

This nomination, according to him, will not be only by the All-Armenian
Movement but by other political forces which think likewise. Question
number 1 is who wan defeat this government."

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 562543
Email: [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

18-07-07

Minister of Foreign Affairs Meets with International Red Cross Committee
Representative

On July 18, Minister Oskanian received Yves Arnoldy who is completing his
mission as representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross
in Armenia. Mr. Arnoldy was accompanied by Mr. James Reinhold to the
Minister as the newly-appointed head of ICRC to Armenia.
During the meeting, Mr. Arnoldy thanked the Armenian Government and
particularly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the years of cooperation.
He went over ICRC’s ongoing projects in Armenia, including a continuing
search for missing persons and collecting ante-mortem data about soldiers
who died in custody, about prisoner exchanges and correspondence with
prisoners’ families, fighting against tuberculosis in prisons, promoting and
teaching international humanitarian law.
The Minister and his guests expressed hope that the current agenda of
cooperation will be deepened.

NAGORNYY KARABAKH OFFICIAL BRUSHES ASIDE WORLD BODIES’ REMARKS ON KARABAKH POLLS

Arminfo, Yerevan
19 Jul 07

Stepanakert, 19 July: The people of Nagornyy Karabakh will be
active today, and we will have good results at the end of the day,
the parliament speaker of the Nagornyy Karabakh republic [NKR],
Ashot Ghulyan, said after he cast his vote in Stepanakert’s polling
station No 7/3 today.

He reiterated that the election in Nagornyy Karabakh is not conducted
on a non-alternative basis and it cannot be considered as being
a unipolar election. He also dismissed the statements about using
administrative resources during the election campaign. "Such complaints
are natural, especially during the election period," he said.

Commenting on the statements by international bodies that they do
not recognize the NKR presidential election, Ghulyan said, "We do not
have to always react to such statements. The people’s choice and the
citizens’ attitude to the president are what matters."

[Passage omitted: reported background]

ARMENIA CONCERNED AT CAUCASUS ARMS RACE
By David Petrosian in Yerevan

Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
July 19 2007

Could dissolution of CFE treaty herald outbreak of conflict in the
Caucasus?

The sharp rise in defence budgets and accompanying militarization of
the countries of the South Caucasus is alarming the international
community. Growth in military spending in Armenia, Azerbaijan and
Georgia now exceeds GDP growth by 20 to 40 times.

For every million inhabitants of the South Caucasus, there are 75
tanks and 85 artillery pieces. This is a much larger proportion than
in the three big neighbours of the region, Iran, Russia and Turkey.

If you factor in the number of weapons in the three unrecognised
separatist territories in the region, Abkhazia, South Ossetia and
Nagorny Karabakh, the figures rise by around a third.

However, the militarisation of the region needs to be put in a wider
perspective. The Stockholm peace institute, SIPRI, calculated that
last year world military spending reached 1.2 trillion US dollars,
a rise of 3.5 per cent on the year before.

That suggests that, despite the end of the Cold War and efforts to
put in place a new international security framework, most countries
still believe that the best means of preserving their security is
maintaining an effective army.

Armenia’s military budget for 2007 was just over 271 million dollars,
or 3.5 per cent of GDP. The spending is based on a perceived actual
military threat from Azerbaijan and a potential one from Turkey.

The Armenian government rejects accusations that it is exceeding the
military quotas set by the 1990 Conventional Forces in Europe treaty,
or CFE, and says that it is keeping to the limits and preventing a
new arms race in the Caucasus. (Azerbaijan for its part accuses the
Armenians of maintaining weaponry outside CFE in Nagorny Karabakh. See
accompanying article).

Armenia has been accused of militarising the region by receiving
Russian weaponry transferred from the former base of the 62nd army
in Akhalkalaki in Georgia – now closed – to the Russian military base
in Gyumri in northern Armenia.

Armenian officials responded to this by saying that most of the
equipment transferred was vehicles and ammunition and that all
equipment in the Gyumri base remains the property of the Russian
armed forces, not of Armenia. They say that the whole process was
transparent and agreed with the Georgian government and that it
complies with CFE quotas.

Armenia is watching as Azerbaijan sharply increases its military
budget year on year and says that their neighbour is breaking its
CFE commitments. For example, in 2006 Azerbaijan declared that it
possessed 217 tanks and bought 41 tanks from Ukraine and Belarus,
thereby exceeding its CFE quota by 38 tanks.

Former Armenian defence minister Vagarshak Harutiunian said, "It’s far
from clear to what extent the OSCE and NATO can force Baku to keep
to the quotas set out in the CFE. In this situation, it is obvious
that Azerbaijan should either leave the CFE or observe it properly."

The Armenians say that Azerbaijan is trying to use its enhanced defence
budget, based on increased oil revenues, to try to force them to make
unilateral concessions in negotiations over the Nagorny Karabakh peace
process. However, they say increased military spending by Azerbaijan
is a necessary but not sufficient condition for achieving success
should fighting resume.

It is worth noting that a large part of Azerbaijan’s military
expenditure is being directed towards naval forces in the Caspian Sea –
and therefore not against Nagorny Karabakh or Armenia. Disputes over
this large and energy-rich basin are a potential source of conflict
in the future. Baku is also compelled to keep some of its forces in
other parts of the country, such as the southern border, to repel
other potential threats.

"The Armenian side in response to Azerbaijan’s purchase of expensive
offensive weaponry is giving its preference to cheaper defensive
weapons systems," said Sergei Minasian, a military expert who is
deputy director of the Caucasus Media Institute in Yerevan.

"[Armenia] is also using sensibly its membership of the CIS Collective
Security Pact and its alliance with Russia. For example at the end
of 2006, Baku bought expensive modern MiG-29 fighter aircraft from
Ukraine. And just around the same time there was an announcement that
the Russian-Armenian anti-aircraft system on the territory of Armenia
had been replaced by a more up-to-date system and put on a state of
battle alert."

Both NATO and Russia are contributing to the increased militarisation
of the South Caucasus. The argument can be made that both NATO and
the CIS Collective Security Pact have their place in the region
and the two are in a state of competition for allegiance rather than
outright hostility. NATO’s activities in the region have been met with
understanding in Armenia, which has hosted NATO training exercises.

However, up till now, relative stability has been guaranteed in large
part due to a military balance, whose cornerstone has been the CFE
treaty. If the CFE treaty begins to unravel that could lead to a
destabilisation and rise in tension in the South Caucasus, with the
threat of unresolved conflicts flaring up again.

David Petrosian is a political observer for the Noyan Tapan news
agency in Yerevan.

POWERFUL PYUNIK TO TEST DERRY’S RESOLVE

Irish Independent
Published: Jul 18, 2007

THEY made a DVD about Derry City’s memorable exploits in Europe
last year.

If they’re to make another this time around then it will probably be
as much interest to travel buffs as sports fans.

Next week’s trip to Yerevan for the second leg of their Champions
League qualifier with FC Pyunik promises to be a long and eventful
one for players, managers and supporters alike. It will be made
considerably easier for all involved if a good result can be taken
to Armenia from this evening’s first-leg clash at the Brandywell.

Adventure

Much has changed in Derry since the UEFA Cup adventure of 2006, where
Gothenburg and Gretna were eliminated before Paris St Germain proved
a bridge too far.

That run – allied with improved Irish performances in Europe in recent
years – ensured seeding, but it didn’t provide an easy draw as they
now prepare to face a well-regarded underdog in what is only John
Robertson’s second match in charge since taking over from Pat Fenlon.

FC Pyunik are well on course for a seventh consecutive Armenian title,
although, in common with Derry, they have already changed coach during
this campaign with Samyel Petrosyan replaced by reserve coach Armen
Gjulbidagyants.

The reason for Petrosyan’s departure was defeat in the semi-finals
of the Armenian Cup. It illustrates the high standards which exist at
Pyunik, although managerial instability is not uncommon in the former
Russian republic with five of the eight clubs in the top division
dispensing with their coaches since this summer season began.

Pyunik have strengthened in preparation of this tie, bringing three
former players back to the club from stints in neighbouring Iran.

The football community in Armenia is currently in high spirits after
their recent surprise win over Poland in a Euro 2008 qualifier and
the scorer of that goal, Hamlet Mkhitaryan, has also joined Pyunik,
although he is an injury doubt. Given their dominance at home, Pyunik
are regular participants in Champions League qualifiers, although they
have endured disappointment in 2005 and 2006 by narrowly exiting at
this round to opposition from Finland and Moldova respectively.

In 2002, 2003 and 2004, however, they were successful against seeded
opposition with the latter of those years having relevance to this
tie as they were eventually knocked out by Shahktar Donetsk on that
occasion and the Ukrainians await the winners of this battle.

"Pyunik are a good European side, we’re aware of their strengths. They
have a strong connection with the international team as their back
four is also the international team’s back four," said Derry boss
Robertson yesterday.

"I’ll be looking for something similar to what I got against Sligo
(when Derry won 4-1), once we don’t concede a goal. If we play to
our strengths, we can hurt teams and we need to do that here."

Robertson has extensive European experience, particularly as a player
but also briefly as a manager with Hearts.

He has a strong squad at his disposal, although Killian Brennan
(groin) is a doubt, while it is hoped that playmaker Paddy McCourt
is fully fit.

Derry City v FC Pyunik,

RTE2, kick-off 7.45