Author: Torgomian Varazdat

ARMENIAN PROSECUTORS SAY WANT TO SEE EVIDENCE OF VOTERS’ BRIBING

Interfax
Russia & CIS General Newswire
February 5, 2008 Tuesday 10:14 PM MSK
Yerevan

The Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office has asked presidential
candidate Artur Bagdasarian to come up with any information in his
possession indicating violations of election laws in the country,
the office told Interfax on Tuesday.

Bagdasarian said at a press conference on Monday that "administrative
resources are being grossly employed, bribes are being handed out,
passports are being collected, and some lists are being compiled."

He also claimed to possess "information on people giving out bribes
and a video recording of a crime being committed by a high-ranking
official."

The Armenian Central Elections Commission has registered nine
presidential candidates, i.e. Prime Minister and Republican Party
leader Serzh Sargsyan, former Prime Minister and leader of the
opposition National Democratic Union Vazgen Manukian, National
Assembly Deputy Speaker and member of the Dashnaktsutiun party bureau
Vaan Ovannisian, Orinats Yerkir party leader Artur Bagdasarian,
former Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosian, National Unity party
leader Artashes Gegamian, People’s Party leader Tigran Karapetian,
National Accord party leader Aram Arutyunian, and former advisor to
the president of Nagorno-Karabakh Armen Melikian.

The presidential election is scheduled for February 19.

RUSSIA PLANS BID TO BUILD NUCLEAR PLANT IN ARMENIA

Reuters UK
Feb 6 2008

YEREVAN, Feb 6 (Reuters) – Russia said on Wednesday it will bid in
a tender to build a nuclear power station in Armenia to replace an
ageing Chernobyl-style plant that has provoked safety concerns.

Armenia, which imports most of its energy, has said it will close
down its Soviet-built Metzamor nuclear reactor, which supplies up 40
percent of the country’s power, only when it can add new generating
capacity. The government said last year it would hold a tender to
build a new 1,000 megawatt reactor at the site near Yerevan, which
could be ready by 2016.

"The Armenian government will hold a tender for a new atomic station,"
Sergei Kiriyenko, the general director of Russia’s Rosatom state
nuclear holding company, said on a visit to Yerevan.

"We will take part and we have good chances of winning," Kiriyenko
said, according to a statement from his press office.

The Metzamor plant, about 25 km (16 miles) outside Yerevan, was closed
in 1989 after a massive earthquake killed over 25,000 people in the
landlocked former Soviet republic.

Reactor Number Two was recommissioned in 1995, to relieve acute
energy shortages, while unit one remains out of action and there are
no plans to restart it.

Nuclear experts have expressed concern about the vulnerability of
the plant to future earthquakes.

The reactor at the plant is similar to those at Chernobyl in Ukraine,
where an explosion in 1986 spread radioactive contamination across
much of Europe.

(Reporting by Hasmik Lazarian, writing and reporting by Guy
Faulconbridge, editing by Anthony Barker)

ARMENIA’S PRISON POPULATION OVER 3,000

ARMENPRESS
Feb 4, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 4, ARMENPRESS: Armenia’s prison population makes
now 3,543 convicts and detainees incarcerated in 12 correctional
facilities and pre-trial prisons.

Arsen Babayan, a spokesman for the department of correctional
facilities of the justice ministry, told Armenpress that 123 are women
and 53 are juvenile convicts. They are kept at special Abovyan prison.

He said 45 are citizens of the former Soviet Union and 14 are citizens
of other countries. Seventy-seven are sentenced to life in prison.

He said only 570 detainees have the right to participate in the
February 19 presidential election, but their real number will be
clear only one day before the ballot as after court verdicts come
into force they become no longer eligible. Election precincts have
been opened in prisons.

"SPECIAL UNIT VETERANS" NGO DEMANDS WISDOM

Panorama.am
18:41 02/02/2008

Today Seyran Shahsuvaryan, the press secretary of the Ministry of
Defense, published an article written by the union of veterans. It
is said in the message:

"During transitional periods Armenian nation was realistic and
correctly led views. For centuries our nation struggled due to its
strong mental values. We are strong by having possibility to evaluate
our power and cultural values.

Whereas, in recent days, those values as if are collapsed. It is
natural when the candidates have different point of views in these
days of elections.

They are unaware of the fact that they bring discord to people. We
should not allow somebody to break the peacefulness in our country
and become an authority.

Some expressions and ideas announced in the electoral campaigns
made the group of veterans to become concerned with the created
situation. Vazgen Sargsyan’s name and the respect to his family is
also exploited in its negative mood. This message concerns Artashes
Geghamyan. We should always keep it in our minds, that today Armenia
works hard to become developed country. Now we do not think about
war and liberating territories. This is due to Vazgen Sargsyan.

Ideas and plans could be contradicted by not the nation and national
values."

DIMITRIJ RUPEL: WE HOPE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS WILL NOT HAVE NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE SETTLEMENT OF THE NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT

Azeri Press Agency
Feb 4 2008
Azerbaijan

"We hope presidential elections will not have negative impact on
the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the process of
negotiations will continue," President of the EU General Affairs and
External Relations Council, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel
told journalists in Azerbaijan, APA reports.

Dimitrij Rupel said that European Union is ready to assist in the
settlement of the conflict.

"We are pleased with any agreements reached by the parties. European
Union wants the conflict to be solved peacefully and is ready to
render any assistance," he said.

European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood
Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner also said the organization supports
the process of negotiations.

"Both Azerbaijan and Armenia understand that the settlement of the
conflict will have positive influence on the development of the
region. We do not want negative rhetorics to be spouted during the
election campaign," she said.

POLISH AMBASSADOR COMMENTS ON ARMENIAN-POLISH ECONOMIC RELATIONS

ARKA News Agency
Feb 4 2008
Armenia

YEREVAN, February 4. /ARKA/. More dynamic development of
Armenian-Polish economic relations has been recorded over the last
two or three years, Polish Ambassador to Armenia Tomas Knote told ARKA.

Armenia’s exports to Poland have steadily been increasing recently,
whereas the imports from Poland remain rather small, he said.

Ambassador Knote reported that the sides are considering the
possibility of establishing colder business contacts between Armenian
and Polish enterprises.

An in-depth study of Armenia’s market is under way, he said. "I think
that both Governments will contribute to the development of closer
economic relations, all the more so that some polish products have
won a foothold in Armenia’s market. Of course, we must aim at further
development," Knote said.

He also said that the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) has been
successfully cooperating with the Mint of Poland over many years.

"This is solid and long-lasting cooperation," the diplomat said.

The RA Statistical Service reports that Armenian-Polish trade turnover
reached $24.7mln in 2007 – a 38.9% increase. Armenia’s exports to
Poland reached $7.1mln, and imports from that country $17.7mln –
a 77.7%.

PanARMENIAN.Net

European Commission new representations to open in Armenia and Azerbaijan
02.02.2008 14:56 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The European Commission set to establish new
legations in Armenia and Azerbaijan, the AP said.

The missions will open February 4-6, during the regional visit of
Ms. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for External
Relations and European Neighborhood Policy, Mr Dimitrij Rupel, Foreign
Minister of Slovakia and Mr Peter Semneby, the EU Special
Representative for the South Caucasus.

`Relations grow stronger. This will be my third visit to the region
and I intend to discuss implementation of the Action Plans, energy
security and regional problems, including co-called frozen conflicts,’
Ms. Ferrero-Waldner said, RFE/RL reports.

SHADY BUSINESS PREVENTS FROM ACTING IN INTERNATIONAL MARKET

Panorama.am
19:16 29/01/2008

Today Ashot Shahnazaryan, the chairman of economic competition
security committee met with Michael Edwards, the project coordinator
of Financial and Private Business in Europe and Central Asia regions
of World Bank.

According to A. Shahnazaryan, the prices of goods are not decreased
besides monopolized markets. "As for me, those prices should not
even be decreases as the circulation of goods was not cut," he
said. According to the president of the committee the shady business
prevents from competition, but the problem will be solved in 2009,
when the agricultural products are also taxed.

The Government of the Republic of Armenia also drafted a policy to
cut the number of shady business.

Shahnazaryan said that the decrease of percentages in small and big
business became rather difficult.

RA GOVERNMENT SEEKS COLLABORATION

A1+
[01:03 pm] 25 January, 2008

Armenia’s Prime Minister Serzh Sarkissian received the delegation of
"Gasprombank" OJSC headed by President of the Company’s Governing
Council Andrey Akimov.

The Armenian Premier noted that the entry of "Gasprombank," a leader
in the banking system of the Russian Federation, into the Armenian
financial market will become an impetus for the development of
cooperation between the financial and banking spheres of the two
countries. Serge Sargsyan noted that the reciprocally beneficial
cooperation with large and renowned financial structures like
"Gasprombank" is one of the priority directions of RA Government’s
economic policy.

He assured the presentees that "our country is trying to make the
business atmosphere more attractive for large investments and is
taking steps to improve the field." The Prime Minister underlined
that this is furthered by the steady economic growth over the past
years and the growing volume of investments into Armenian economy.

Expressing gratitude to RA Government and the Prime Minister for
the support, Andrey Akimov said he considers the cooperation with
Armenia attractive and prospective. He assured that the entry of
"Gasprombank" into Armenia will be targeted at the development of
the country’s banking and financial system. According to him, there
are good opportunities for collaboration and investments in different
branches of economy, in particular in the field of energy.

At the end of the meeting the Prime Minister wished success to
"Gasprombank" and noted that the Armenian Government is ready to
discuss any suggestion and initiative directed towards the development
of mutually beneficial cooperation.

AS COMPARED TO THE ELECTIONS OF 2007, THE NUMBER OF POTENTIAL ELECTORS IN ARMENIA INCREASED FOR OVER 27 THOUSAND PEOPLE

Mediamax
January 25, 2008

Yerevan /Mediamax/. As of January 24, 2.312.945 electors are registered
in the electors’ lists, Head of Passport and Visa Department of the
Armenian Police Alvina Zakarian stated in Yerevan today.

Mediamax reports that thus, the number of potential electors as
compared to the parliamentary elections of 2007, increased for
27.075 people.

Alvina Zakarian explained the given growth by the increase of the
number of citizens, who have reached the age of 18, by the fact that
the law on double-citizenship came into force, as well as by the
demobilization of persons, who finished the fix-term military service.

She informed that the Passport and Visa Department continues constant
process of making the electors’ lists more accurate.

There is a hot line in the Armenian Police on revealing violations
in the polling stations.

The numbers of the hot line are: 82-20 and 82-21. The line is active
every day from 09:00 to 20:00.