Author: Torosian Aram

VIASPHERE TECHNOPARK READY TO IMPLEMENT PILOT PROGRAM ON PRODUCTION OF SOLAR POWER STATIONS

Noyan Tapan
Aug 14 2007

YEREVAN, AUGUST 14, NOYAN TAPAN. Viasphere Technopark is ready to
start implementing the annual pilot program on production of 5 solar
power stations with the capacity of 100 kilowatts each. The director
general of the technopark Aram Vardanian told this during a talk with
NT correspondent.

In his words, the final goal is production of solar power stations with
the total capacity of 100 megawatts a year, for which about 150 million
dollars is needed in order to replenish the missing capacities of
the production chain, as well as to modernize the existing production
capacities. According to A. Vardanian, sales of solar power stations
with the capacity of 100 kilowatts in international market are
currently assessed at 400-500 million dollars, with these sales growing
by 24-25% annually. There is now great unmet demand in this market.

A. Vardanian also said that within a year the RA Public Services
Regulatory Commission will approve the tariff of a kilowatt of
electricity generated by power stations operating by solar power
transformation. In his words, the cost of a kilowatt of electricity
generated by solar power plants in the US and Europe is 52 eurocents
(about 200 drams) which is a high cost for Armenia. (In Armenia, the
state purchases a kilowatt of electricity generated by wind energy
for 32 drams from wind power plants, it purchases electricity of
hydropower plants – for 7 drams).

Thus, according to A. Vardanian, in case of operation of solar power
plants with the small total capacity, generation of solar energy
will be in fact subsidized. In case of increasing the capacities of
solar power generation, the cost price of this power will decline,
and enhancing the efficiency of solar power generation will also be
conducive to it.

ITALIAN MILITARY FINDS BODIES OF MIGRANTS IN MEDITERRANEAN

EUX.TV, Netherlands
Aug 14 2007

Rome (dpa) – Italian military pilots have found the bodies of an
unconfirmed number of suspected would-be migrants in the Mediterranean
Sea amid a wave of attempted illegal migration prompted by favourable
weather conditions.

The bodies were located around 50 nautical miles south of the island
of Lampedusa, military officials said in Palermo.

Italian state television reported that there were around 10 dead.

Military and coastguard vessels by Tuesday evening had however
recovered just three bodies, it was reported.

The exact circumstances of the latest Mediterranean drowning tragedy
where not known.

Coastguard officials also on Tuesday evening intercepted a rubber
dinghy with around 45 migrants aboard off Lampedusa.

The latest events bring to 300 the number of would-be immigrants that
are believed to have attempted the crossing from North Africa to Italy
in one day alone: some 230 migrants landed on the islands of Sardinia,
Sicily and Lampedusa within a matter of hours.

Meanwhile a trafficking gang is believed to have been responsible
for smuggling some 17 Iraqi Kurds found aboard a car ferry in the
Adriatic port of Brindisi, which had set out from Greece.

One Turkish national and an Armenian were arrested on suspicion of
people-smuggling, while the Kurds were to be deported.

Officials say good weather and calms seas are responsible for the
spike in attempted illegal migration.

Italian news agency Ansa further reported the interception by
coastguard officials of a boat with 150 migrants aboard off the
coast of Sardinia. The Algerian nationals were escorted to the port
of Cagliari.

Some 43 would-be immigrants, many of them women, meanwhile landed on
Lampedusa, just hours after an earlier group of 24. A further 18 men
reached the south coast of Sicily in their boat.

Some 260 Africans had landed on Lampedusa over the weekend.

STRONG WIND AND HAIL CAUSE DAMAGE IN SHIRAK AND ARAGATSOTN REGIONS

Panorama.am
13:46 15/08/2007

Yesterday strong wind completely destroyed the roof of a house on
150 square meter space in Lanjik village of Shirak region belonging
to J. Vardanyan. Rescue Services received this emergency call late
evening.

The same day Arevshat and Spandaryan village administration heads
informed that heavy hail destroyed agricultural crop, damaged roofs
and window glasses of houses at 9 p.m in the village of Arevshat.

In the village of Spandaryan, thirty five hectares of wheat field
was damaged and roofs of two houses and one stock room were broken.

Heavy hail damaged wheat and potato fields at Norashen, Hnaberd,
Geghadir, Berkarat, Gegharot, Tsilkar, Derek and Ortachia
villages. Shirak and Aragatostn regional administrations set up a
committee to estimate the size of the damage.

ARMENIA PLEDGES TO CONTROL PROBE INTO RUSSIAN OFFICER’S MURDER

Arminfo, Yerevan
9 Aug 07

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Gegham Gharibjanyan has informed
his Russian counterpart Grigoriy Karasin about the progress of the
investigation of the Russian military serviceman Dmitriy Yermolov’s
murder, Arminfo news agency has reported.

In the telephone conversation on 7 August, Gharibjanyan told Karasin
that the investigation is "under the Armenian government’s control"
and a special group has been formed in order to clarify all the
circumstances of the crime.

Lt Dmitriy Yermolov, who served at the Russian military base
in Armenia, was killed near Yerevan on 6 August. Russian citizen
Anatoliy Krylov, who was travelling in the car with Yermolov and two
other colleagues, informed the Armenian police that two unidentified
persons stopped their car near Arinj village, beat them, let them go
but then opened fire on their car. As a result, Yermolov was injured
and died on the way to the hospital.

The Armenian Prosecutor’s Office established the identity of attackers
and arrested them. Two Saiga carbines were confiscated, Arminfo said.

ARMENIAN CENTRAL BANK REGISTERED NEW BRANCHES OF ARDSHININVESTBANK, ARARATBANK AND ‘BTA INVESTBANK’

arminfo
2007-08-08 17:58:00

As ArmInfo was told at the press service of RA CB, the Chairman of the
Central Bank made this decision on August 3 2007. In particular, the
Yerevan branches "Mashtots" of Ardshininvestbank (Mazmanyan str.),
"Khorenatsi" of Araratbank (Khorenatsi str.-24/7 and 24/9) and
"Kentron" of "BTA InvestBank" (Tumanyna str.-1) were registered. To
note, as of July 1 2007, Ardshininvestbank was the second among
Armenian commercial banks with the number of its branches. Thus on July
1 2007, Ardshininvestbank had 51 branches, 12 of which in Yerevan,
37- in the regions and 2-in the NKR, Araratbank had 4 branches, 3 of
which in Yerevan and 1 in the NKR, "BTA InvestBank" had 2 branches
1 of which in Yerevan.

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION DISUNITED IN RUN-UP TO PRESIDENTIAL POLLS – POLITICIAN

Arminfo
8 Aug 07

Yerevan, 8 August: Armenia’s opposition figures cannot close ranks
in the run-up to the presidential elections and nominate a single
presidential candidate because the opposition is multifarious, the
head of the National Democratic Alliance, Arshak Sadoyan, has said
at a news conference.

Moreover, the main reason for that are also reins of power, Sadoyan
believes.

Sadoyan said that he does not participate in the current negotiations
of opposition figures, i.e. the recent meeting of opposition members
held at the Metelitsa cafe on the initiative of [the leader of the
Self-Determination Union] Paruyr Ayrikyan. He regards such meetings
are having a particular aim.

"The opposition should be holding negotiations on nominating not a
single candidate but the main candidate," he said. Sadoyan believes
that the main candidate should be a person who can prove that he
is able to prove his readiness to solve significant problems of
the country.

Sadoyan pointed out that he intends to support the candidacy of
[the leader of the National Democratic Union] Vazgen Manukyan in the
forthcoming presidential election.

Radio Free Europe, Czech Rep.
Aug 4 2007

White House Withdraws Nominee For Armenia Envoy

August 4, 2007 — The Bush administration has withdrawn its nominee
to be the U.S. ambassador to Armenia.

Career diplomat Richard Hoagland’s nomination had previously been
blocked by Democratic Party members of the Senate over Hoagland’s
refusal to describe the World War I-era killings of Armenians as
"genocide."

Turkey, a NATO member and ally of the United States, rejects that up
to 1.5 million Armenians were massacred in a planned genocide during
the Ottoman Empire.

INTER-DEPARTMENTAL COMMISSION ON WORKING OUT ARMENIA’S MILITARY DOCTRINE HELD SESSION IN RA DM

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.08.2007 17:16 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The inter-departmental commission on working out
Armenia’s military doctrine held its third session in the RA Defense
Ministry. Defense Minister Mikael Haroutunyan was presiding at the
session.

Spokesman for the RA Defense Ministry Colonel Seyran Shahsuvaryan told
the PanARMENIAN.Net that participants of the session summarized the
results of discussions and coordinated remarks made by the members
of the commission.

In the result of the session a decision was made on further activities
of the inter-departmental commission, as well as the RA Defense
Minister gave corresponding instructions.

JAVIER SOLANA ONE MORE TIME SAID KOSOVO CANNOT BECOME PRECEDENT FOR KARABAKH CONFLICT

PanARMENIAN.Net
02.08.2007 18:40 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Granting independence to Kosovo cannot become a
precedent for other conflicts in various countries of the world,
including the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, EU’s Foreign and Security
Policy Chief Javier Solana stated. "The Kosovo problem is an issue,
which cannot be compared with situations in any other regions,"
Solana stated.

He expressed regret that no peaceful resolution was reached on Kosovo
problem in the framework of the UN Security Council. "I think the best
way out from this situation is to give one more opportunity for talks.

And in principle, this is what the EU ministers came to during their
meeting on July 23," the Commissioner said.

At the same time he underlined that these negotiations cannot last
forever and must be limited within 120 days.

"I turn to Belgrade and Prishtina urging them to join the final circle
of talks actively and constructively.

The European Union wants to move ahead this process and find lasting
solution to the status of Kosovo. We insist on commonality of opinions
in this issue for protecting European interests, as well as stability
and prosperity of European future in Balkans," Solana underscored,
"Trend" reports.

FOUNDING CHAIRMAN OF CRONIMET SATISFIED WITH WORKING CONDITIONS CREATED IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
Aug 2, 2007

YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, NOYAN TAPAN. During the August 2 meeting with the
Armenian foreign minister Vardan Oskanian, the founder and chairman
of Cronimet company (Cronimet Gruppe), the Honorary Consul of the RA
in Germany Gunther Pilarski, who is on a working visit to Armenia,
spoke about the activities of the company headed by him in Armenia. He
expressed his satisfaction with exports, as well as the working
conditions created in Armenia.

Expressing a high opinion about the investment and charitable programs
impemented by G. Pilarski, V. Oskanian presented in general outline
Armenia’s economic state and investment policy, addressing the European
direction of the Armenian foreign policy.

According to the RA MFA Press and Information Department, the
interlocutors exchanged ideas about the opportunities to extend the
legal and contractual field conducive to economic cooperation of the
two countries.