Author: Vanyan Gary

NO PROPOSAL FOR NEXT MEETING OF AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN PRESIDENTS RECEIVED : AZERI FOREIGN MINISTER

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
July 24 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku / corr Trend K.Ramazanova / Elmar Mammadyarov, the
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, reported in talks with journalists
in Baku on 23 July that no proposals had been forwarded regarding
the possibility of a next meeting of the Presidents of Azerbaijan
and Armenia within the framework of the UN General Assembly due in
September 2007

After the meeting in Vienna, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs stated
the necessity to hold meetings between the two parties in order to
achieve a peaceful solution in the conflict; to date Baku has not
received any concrete proposals in this respect, he stressed.

In turn Novruz Mammadov, the head of the Foreign Relations Departments
at the Azerbaijani President’s Executive Power, said in talks with
journalists that the agenda of the UN General Assembly includes
issues on the occupation of the Azerbaijani land as well as
Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.

At present experts of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry are carrying
out relevant consultations and later the President will determine
the members of delegation which will represent Baku at the UN General
Assembly.

KARABAKH TERRITORY UNDERGOES POLITICAL TRANSITION
Elizabeth Owen 7/23/07

EurasiaNet, NY
July 24 2007

The self-declared Nagorno-Karabakh Republic has a new leader, Bako
Saakian, who currently serves as the territory’s security chief.

Saakian has tried to cast himself as a proponent of democratization,
but his policy agenda at present contains few specifics.

Saakian captured more than 85 percent of the vote in Karabakh’s
July 19 presidential vote, with de facto Deputy Foreign Minister
Masis Mailian garnering just over 12 percent, according to final
figures released by the territory’s Central Election Commission. The
remaining ballots were split among three other candidates. Given
the lack of outside recognition of the territory’s independence,
the international community did not pass judgment on the legitimacy
of the vote. [For details, see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Despite the landslide win, Saakian has not yet issued any statements
about his election. At a July 20 press conference, Mailian, his
chief rival, depicted as the "pro-reform" candidate, stated that he
accepted the results, and described his contest with Saakian as a
sign of democratic progress for the breakaway state. [For background
see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Saakian’s security background – a fact often cited to indicate
his alleged "pro-Russian" orientation – may be the first trait that
comes to mind when outsiders analyze what lies ahead for his de facto
presidency. Supporters and opponents alike, however, stressed that
characterizing Saakian as a creature of the old Soviet KGB would be
a mistake.

Saakian, a Stepanakert native, began his career as a mechanic, and
went on to work on the restoration of historical monuments before
joining the pro-independence Artsakh Movement in 1988. During the
1988-1994 war with Azerbaijan, he served as a deputy and then chief
commander of rear defenses. After a short stint as an advisor to
Karabakh’s defense minister, he was named interior minister in 1999
and appointed head of the National Security Service in 2001.

"He’s not a Chekist. He’s not a career representative of the special
services," commented outgoing de facto President Arkady Ghukassian in
an interview with EurasiaNet. "[Karabakh’s] security service … and
the security service of the Soviet Union are completely different
things."

Mailian supporter Gegam Baghdassarian, deputy chairman of the
opposition Movement 88 party, asserted that the support of security
structures was less influential in securing Saakian’s victory than
was the strong backing of the incumbent executive, Ghukassian. "The
key role was played not by the security structures, but by the
president-in-office," Baghdassarian said. Ghukassian has rejected
the allegation, saying that his office maintained a neutral stance
during the campaign.

Both sides dismissed allegations that Russia played an influential
part in Saakian’s selection, while differing on Armenia’s role.

Outgoing President Ghukassian insisted that outside forces had, at
most, a minimal influence. "The last word is left to Nagorno-Karabakh,"
he said. Meanwhile, Baghdassarian described alleged pro-Saakian
Armenian television news programs broadcast in Karabakh as "done
deliberately."

In apparent contradiction to his official responsibilities, Saakian
portrayed himself as "not a pro-government candidate." To burnish
his outsider image, he stressed that his candidacy was supported by a
"civil initiative" that included non-governmental organizations. As if
to reinforce that point, Saakian’s official platform emphasized his
commitment to "broadening" the role of civil society in Karabakh’s
affairs – a process for which there is "no alternative," he stated
at a July 17 briefing.

Details of Saakian’s policy goals, however, remain vague. At the
briefing, Saakian stated that consideration will be given to examining
the "shortcomings" of outgoing President Ghukassian’s 10-year term
in office, but he declined to elaborate. "I don’t think there’s a
need to focus our attention right now on the concrete problems,"
he said. Ghukassian told EurasiaNet in an interview that he plans to
stay in Karabakh but does not "count on holding some sort of post."

Conflict resolution with Azerbaijan, which recently hit the $1 billion
mark for military spending, also looms large. Saakian has indicated
that he supports "a large format" solution to the problem of Karabakh’s
status, with the self-declared state directly participating in the
negotiations. At the same time, he declined to elaborate on concerns
about Baku’s military buildup, stating that this was "a question to
be discussed at the negotiating table. Not with journalists." [For
additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Few doubt that Saakian will act resolutely to defend Karabakh’s
political interests during the continuing peace talks. Opinion is far
from unanimous on whether Karabakh’s new leader will follow through
on democratization.

Saakian’s rival, Masis Mailian, built his campaign around commitments
to strengthen the rule of law and crack down on corruption. The
resulting image was one of a candidate struggling for something –
an image "very much respected" in Karabakh, commented presidential
administration analyst David Babayan.

Babayan, a supporter of Saakian, maintains that the territory’s newly
elected leader is also "a reformist," who will take into account the
varying points of view of the two pro-government and two opposition
parliamentary parties that supported his candidacy.

Some might question how Saakian’s lack of political experience will
play into his ability to maintain political unity in the territory.

But Saakian sees it differently. "I was a member of the Security
Council, I held a certain position in our state," he told a reporter.

"If I didn’t deal with politics officially, this doesn’t mean that
I didn’t deal with politics."

Commented Babayan: "This is the balanced way. We want deep changes,
but we want stability."

After over a decade of struggling to rebuild from the region’s war
with Azerbaijan, that message appeared to resound with many voters
– at least for now. "Orderly," "honest" and "predictable" were the
words most frequently used by voters to describe the former security
service chief, whose win at the polls came as no surprise to most
residents interviewed.

His background in intelligence is often cited as proof of an intimate
knowledge of Karabakh’s internal situation. "What he says he’ll
do, he does," said a Stepanakert gas inspector who gave his name
as Vladimir and claimed personal acquaintance with Saakian. "If he
says he’ll solve a problem, he’ll solve a problem, and, as you know,
Karabakh has a lot of problems."

Added one refugee from Azerbaijan living in the southern Hradout
district: "He used to be a simple person like us. Maybe that will
make a difference."

HE WENT TO THE WOODS, TO SELL ICE CREAM
By Leslie Talmadge, Globe Correspondent

Boston Globe, United States
/22/he_went_to_the_woods_to_sell_ice_cream/
July 22 2007

Where Thoreau soloed, a Soviet refugee practices self-reliance, too

CONCORD — Henry David Thoreau went to Walden Pond to write and live
a self-reliant, independent life. Aram Arakelian goes to Walden Pond
for a different reason: to sell ice cream.

Not that Arakelian doesn’t appreciate the tranquil beauty of the Walden
Woods. On this particular early July afternoon, the temperature hovers
in the 70s. Only a few visitors stop at Arakelian’s ice cream truck,
which he parks a half-mile from where the writer and philosopher
lived for two years more than 150 years ago.

"It’s beautiful, but it’s not ice cream beautiful," said Arakelian,
adding that the perfect ice cream weather is about 85 degrees. "You
have to get thirsty and hot."

His first customer of the day, Amy Kierce, 40, of Acton, is undeterred
by the less-than-sultry weather. Ordering a Vanilla Big Dipper Cone
and Cookies ‘n Cream Ice Cream Sandwich for her children, Madelyn,
7, and Aidan, 5, Kierce said, "It’s a tradition to come get the ice
cream after we go for a jaunt to Walden Pond. I do it so when the
kids get older they’ll say, ‘Remember when we used to go to Walden
Pond and get ice cream?’ "

Perhaps they might even remember buying the summertime treat from
Arakelian, a former Soviet citizen who displays his patriotism for
his adopted homeland with the Stars and Stripes affixed to his truck.

He grew up never having heard of Thoreau, the quintessential early
American free spirit.

Kierce said she found a copy of Thoreau’s "Walden; Or, Life in the
Woods" by the Walden shore last year with a note inviting anyone who
was interested to read it, which she did. "I loved it," she said. "It
reminds me of all that’s good in the world, and it just made sense."

Tim Fallon, 45, of Denver, who orders a Strawberry Shortcake Ice
Cream Bar, admits he hasn’t read much of Thoreau’s classic. "Just the
excerpts they made me read in sophomore English," he said. But now
that he has been to Walden Pond and can picture the setting, he said,
"I’ll have to read it."

Growing up in Azerbaijan, part of the former Soviet Union, Arakelian
says it wasn’t just Thoreau he was unfamiliar with before coming to
America. There weren’t any ice cream trucks in his hometown, either.

Only wooden pushcarts with noisy metal bearings and dry ice to keep
the ice cream cold. To this day, he says, the smell of dry ice reminds
him of ice cream.

During slow spells between customers, Arakelian, 40, describes how
he emigrated from Baku, near the Caspian Sea, and found his way to
Walden Pond. Facing persecution, he says, in what is now the capital
of Azerbaijan, he and his brothers and father fled to Armenia in 1989
with little more than the clothes they were wearing and about 50,000
rubles, or $2,000.

"We [left] with nothing," he said. "It was unbelievable."

After staying with relatives in Armenia for three years, the Arakelians
were granted refugee status by the United States. They flew to New
York, where they were met by an American contact who helped them
relocate to Lowell, where they have lived ever since.

In 2004, Arakelian bought three ice cream trucks for $25,000 apiece.

(In 1845, Thoreau built his house at Walden, which wasn’t considerably
larger than Arakelian’s truck, for $28 — the price of about 10
ice cream bars today.) With the help of his brothers, Arakelian
operates ice cream trucks at the state parks at Walden, Cochituate,
and Hopkinton, as well as a lunch cart in downtown Lowell.

But Walden is special.

"It’s very peaceful. The park is spotless," he said. "It’s a privilege
to work here. . . . It’s a nice, educated crowd, with manners."

And what would Thoreau say about the presence of an ice cream truck
at Walden?

Richard Smith, 47, a Concord historian, said he didn’t think it would
have bothered the writer. One of Thoreau’s earliest recollections of
Walden Pond was picnicking at the age of 4 or 5 with his family and
catching fish and making fish chowder, said Smith.

"Picnicking, swimming, communing with nature. That’s what it was in
his day," he said.

He said that not long after Thoreau died, in in 1862, an amusement
park was built at Walden Pond, called Lake Walden. Featuring seesaws,
swings, slides, a boathouse, a bathing house, and dance hall, the
park drew thousands of inner-city youngsters, who took the train from
Boston on weekends.

"It was pretty insane and pretty crowded," Smith said, adding that
the park is more pristine now than the last half of the 19th and
first half of the 20th centuries.

The amusement park burned down in the early 1900s. In the 1960s,
the state turned the area into a reservation, limiting the number
of visitors on a daily basis. Now, no more than 1,000 visitors are
permitted into Walden at any given time.

Asked what flavor ice cream the famous transcendentalist might have
liked, Smith said, "I think Henry would have been a vanilla ice
cream kind of guy. Nothing fancy. He didn’t like rich or fatty foods,
and he kept a simple diet."

Mike Frederick, 38, director of the Thoreau Society in Concord,
reasoned that since Thoreau often wrote about leading folks on
berrying parties, "perhaps if there were huckleberry ice cream,
that might suit his fancy."

But Mat Leupold, 82, of Wayland, thinks Thoreau would have gone
for chocolate.

"It appeals to the soul," he said.

Whatever the flavor Thoreau might have preferred, he undoubtedly would
have had a hard time imagining some of Arakelian’s best sellers:
popsicles fashioned after animated television characters such as
SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer.

And he might have had a hard time fathoming Arakelian.

Wearing a tangerine-colored polo shirt and Madras shorts, the father
of three looks as if he has been coming to Walden Pond since he was
a youngster. In fact, as a younger man he served in the Soviet Army
in Moscow. He long ago hoped to become an engineer, but that idea
faded when he and his family fled Azerbaijan.

"We never imagined we’d become refugees," he said.

But he doesn’t lament the past, choosing instead to embrace his new
life in New England. On his ice cream truck, which he describes as
"patriotic," Arakelian carries an American flag, which he flies on
holidays around the Fourth of July and Labor and Memorial days. The
vehicle’s music box plays three songs: "Battle Hymn of the Republic,"
"Stars and Stripes Forever," and "America the Beautiful."

Arakelian and his family were granted American citizenship in 1998,
and for that he says he is incredibly grateful.

Describing himself as a "proud American," he said that, while it may
sound like a cliche, "we’re living out a little American dream. We
got the opportunity for a new life."

WHO SHOULD WE BELIEVE?

Mehr News Agency, Iran
July 21 2007

TEHRAN, July 20 (MNA) — When the U.S. committee of general diplomacy
announced in 2001 that culture, information, and communication
would be used as new strategic tools to ensure the security of the
United States, it became evident that the new U.S. national security
strategy research project — prepared by Republicans like Dick Cheney
and Condoleezza Rice before George W. Bush took office — would place
a special focus on "soft confrontation" with target states.

In this long strategic document, great emphasis is placed on the
establishment and support of cultural organizations and media
foundations to replace the local values of the target nations with
American values.

These foundations and organizations camouflage their activities by
operating under the cover of philanthropic NGOs and organizations
promoting human rights.

The Open Society of the Soros Foundation is one such organization
which was established in 1993 by George Soros, a Jewish billionaire
affiliated with the U.S. Zionist lobby, immediately after the new
U.S. national security strategy was formulated. The Open Society
makes economic investments and is active in human rights studies.

Whereas Rupert Murdoch, the Jewish emperor of the world media, openly
expands his media empire, it seems that Soros pursues a covert model
of cultural and media influence.

The U.S. media have portrayed Soros as a philanthropist interested
in promoting democracy, human rights, and the economic development
of various countries throughout world. The BBC says that the Open
Society pursues the goals of promoting democracy, observation of human
rights, and economic, legal, and political reforms and supporting
non-governmental media in various countries.

Despite these descriptions, the Open Society pursues its philanthropic
activities in over 30 countries which are considered "target nations"
in the U.S. security strategy for one reason or another, many of
which experienced major political upheavals before the establishment
of the Open Society.

According to many regional analysts, the Open Society’s activities in
a belt of Central Asian countries are meant to decrease the influence
of Russia and to promote political currents inclined to the U.S. or
subservient to its policies.

This organization started its activities with economic and research
work — in a seemingly unrelated way — but also began surreptitiously
identifying the opponents of each country’s central government and
supporting the opposition media in order to pave the way for a soft
revolution and regime change.

In Georgia, the Open Society paid $20 million to opponents of
Edward Shevardnadze, who had pursued a strategy of maintaining good
relations with Moscow. After unrest, which was called a "velvet
revolution", forced his resignation, four members of the new cabinet,
the education, justice, treasury, and sports and youth ministers, were
former employees of Soros’s office in Tbilisi. After the Shevardnadze
government was ousted, Soros said his foundation would support efforts
to democratize Middle Eastern countries.

After bloody street riots in Kiev which led to the so-called Orange
Revolution, Ukrainian MP Vladimir Timoshenko said that Soros and U.S.

intelligence officials were behind the upheavals. Aghel Abbasov,
the editor of the Azerbaijan publication Justice, stated that since
the events in Georgia of November 2003, the Soros Foundation has been
trying to gain influence over the Azerbaijan government and has been
training some of President Heydar Aliev’s opponents in Ukraine.

Azarbaijan’s national security ministry also warned about the Open
Society’s plans to promote the use of drugs among Azeri youth under
the cover of a program to combat drug abuse.

In addition, the Armenian intelligence services have frequently
reported that the Soros Foundation has tried to use the media to
upset the country’s political atmosphere and foment disputes between
Armenia and Russia. By the way, Armenia hosts the biggest Russian
military base in the southern Caucasus.

Also, it is said that the Soros Foundation is behind the local media’s
increased opposition to the government of Tajikistan. The country’s
president even named four newspapers and a few private radio stations
and divulged some information about the Soros Foundation’s financial
support of his opponents.

Through Internet sites, newspapers, TV channels, cultural and
educational programs, NGOs, and arts organizations, the Soros
Foundation is officially supporting "democratic change" in Kyrgyzstan
and Kazakhstan!

In recent years, following the formulation of the Greater Middle East
Initiative, the Soros Foundation’s activities expanded to the Middle
East and Mediterranean region. Turkey’s Al-Sabah newspaper reported
that the Soros Foundation supported elements that would look out for
U.S. and Israeli interests.

With such a background, the Soros Foundation could not have overlooked
Iran. But its members are smart enough to know that Iran is aware of
its activities in Central Asia.

Undoubtedly, the use of front organizations to promote civil
disobedience, the establishment of informal information networks,
and the recruitment of locals and dual citizens were clever decisions.

In addition to the confessions of Haleh Esfandiari and Kian Tajbakhsh
broadcast on Iranian TV, it is important to understand that no
seemingly philanthropic, cultural, humanitarian, and democratic move is
supported by such foundations unless it is part of the "new strategic
tool for U.S. security" scenario.

Let us forget what the Iranian TV network broadcast. But one can
not ignore the results of Azerbaijan’s national security ministry’s
investigation that indicates that the Open Society has no intention
besides promoting drug abuse in its anti-addiction programs.

Of course, Radio Farda, Voice of America radio, and the Washington
Post say that the foundation’s only goals are providing humanitarian
assistance and improving public health.

Who should we believe?

(July 21 Tehran Times Editorial Column, By Parviz Esmaeili)

KOSOVO STATUS WILL BE DETERMINED SOON. ARMENIA AND KARABAKH SHOULD BE READY TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.07.2007 19:01 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Presently the international community is engaged in
determination of Kosovo status. The OSCE, UN and other international
structures think that Kosovo should hold democratic elections,
like in Karabakh, in order to be granted independence," head of
the U.S. observation mission Vladimir Matic told a news conference
in Yerevan.

The presidential elections in Nagorno Karabakh fully met the
international standards, he said. According to Paul Williams, the
head of the Public International Law and Policy Group (PILPG), the
determination of Kosovo status will take little time, so Armenia and
Karabakh should be ready for a unique opportunity.

"Resolution of the Kosovo problem will become a precedent. In
this context fair and democratic elections in Karabakh are of great
importance. You should closely watch the Kosovo process during coming
two months and maybe even change the strategy at the international
level," Mr Williams underscored.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CONGRATULATES NEWLY ELECTED PRESIDENT OF KARABAKH

ARMENPRESS
Jul 20 2007

YEREVAN, JULY 20, ARMENPRESS: President of Armenia Robert Kocharian
congratulated today the newly elected president of Nagorno Karabakh
Bako Sahakian.

Presidential press service told Armenpress that the message of the
president particularly says, "Dear Mr. Sahakian, I congratulate You
on being elected the president of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh. I
am sure that under Your leadership, in cooperation with other wings of
power, and with the efforts of all people of Artsakh the economic and
political development of Nagorno Karabakh will continue. I believe
that You will undertake steps towards the regulation of the issues
of the country and the people with new spirit.

The elections witnessed that the Karabakh statehood is based on the
consolidation of democratic principles. I wish You effective activity
for the sake of Artsakh and its people."

KARABAKH FRONTRUNNER SWEEPS PRESIDENTIAL VOTE
By Karine Kalantarian in Stepanakert

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
July 20 2007

The candidate backed by the leadership and main political parties of
Nagorno-Karabakh scored a resounding victory in Thursday’s presidential
election, local election officials said on Friday.

According to the preliminary vote results released by the Central
Election Commission (NSS), Bako Sahakian, the former head of Karabakh’s
National Security Service, won 85 percent of the vote.

They showed his main challenger, Masis Mayilian, coming in a distant
second with only 12 percent.

The CEC put the voter turnout at just over 77 percent.

Mayilian quickly conceded defeat, saying that he will congratulate
Sahakian after the publication of the final vote results. "I consider
Bako Sahakian a legitimately elected president and respect the choice
of our people," he told a news conference in Stepanakert.

Mayilian, who was the unrecognized republic’s deputy foreign minister
until recently, described the election as a further boost to Karabakh’s
"democratic image." "Our team has done everything in its power to
give our citizens a real choice and to hold the elections within the
bounds of law," he said.

The Mayilian campaign lodged more than 20 written complaints to the CEC
alleging ballot box stuffing and other irregularities. Most of those
complaints were rejected by the CEC. The commission chairman, Sergey
Nasibian, told RFE/RL that election officials confirmed and prevented
some of the attempted violations reported by the opposition candidate.

Mayilian agreed that the alleged fraud was not serious enough to
affect the election outcome. "Even if there were falsifications,
most votes were properly counted," he said.

The nearly one hundred observers from Armenia, Russia, Europe
and the United States, most of them monitoring the vote in their
private capacity, also described it as largely democratic in separate
statements on Friday.

Leading international organizations and Western governments have
joined Azerbaijan in denouncing the election, saying that it can not
be deemed legitimate in the absence of the disputed region’s former
Azerbaijani minority.

"The European Union underlines that it does not recognize the
independence of Nagorno-Karabakh," the EU’s Portuguese presidency said
in a statement on Thursday. "Neither does it recognize the legitimacy
of these ‘presidential elections,’ which should not have any impact
on the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict."

The authorities in Stepanakert and Yerevan have dismissed the
criticism, arguing that the Karabakh Armenians should be represented
in the ongoing peace talks by their elected leaders.

"These elections testify to the success of a statehood anchored in
democratic values," President Robert Kocharian said in a congratulatory
message to Sahakian. "They once again demonstrated the irreversibility
of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s existence."

NATO SIDED WITH THOSE WHO DO NOT RECOGNIZE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN KARABAKH

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.07.2007 15:15 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ NATO does not recognize the results of presidential
elections in Nagorno Karabakh, NATO Spokesman James Appathurai
stated yesterday. He said, like other international organizations
and structures "NATO does not recognize the results of presidential
elections, as well as any other elections in Karabakh," AHN reported.

Today Nagorno Karabakh holds presidential elections.

According to the CEC of NKR, by 11 o’clock local time 24.5% of eligible
NKR citizens have participated in the voting thus overcoming the
minimum necessary barrier for elections to be valid.

Five candidates are running for the presidential post.

Ex-Director of the NKR National Security Service Bako Sahakyan, former
Deputy Foreign Minister Masis Mailyan, NKR NA member Armen Abgaryan,
lecturer at the Artsakh State University professor Vanya Avanesyan
and leader of Artsakhi Communist Party, head of the Control Service
of the NKR Government’s Administration are running for the post.

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS UNDERWAY IN NKR

armradio.am
19.07.2007 11:07

Presidential elections are underway in the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic. Five candidates are running for President – former Chief
of National Security Service Bako Sahakyan, ex-Foreign Minister Masis
Mailyan, leader of the NKR Communist Party Hrant Melkumyan, lecturer
of the Artsakh State Universitt Armen Abgaryan and Vanya Avanesyan.

More than 100 international observers from the US, Russia, Ukraine,
France, Serbia, Macedonia, Italy, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece,
Belgium, Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transniestria are following the
election process in NKR. The Armenian observation mission is headed
by Vice-Speaker of the National assembly Ishkhan Zakaryan.

Eight District and 276 Precinct Electoral Commissions opened in NKR
at 8 a.m. One precinct operates at the NKR Permanent Representation
in Armenia.

LEADERS OF "ROYAL ARMENIA" COMPANY ARE FOUND NOT GUILTY

Noyan Tapan
Jul 18 2007

YEREVAN, JULY 18, NOYAN TAPAN. Gagik Hakobian and Aram Ghazarian,
the leaders of the "Royal Armenia" company were set free from the
court hall after about two years of imprisonment. The Court of First
Instance of the Kentron and Nork-Marash community of Yerevan brought
in a verdict of not guilty with regard to the leaders of the "Royal
Armenia" company, who were charged with smuggling, tax evasion,
and forging documents.

By the decision of the above-mentioned court a criminal case will be
filed against Vache Petrosian, the head of the "Federal Investigation
Group" company, which supplied coffee for the "Royal Armenia" before,
who was included in this lawsuit as an aggrieved party, for giving
evidently false testimony.