Author: Vardanian Garo

IN WORDS OF AMERICAN ARMENIAN ACTOR, ARMENIAN YOUTH CANNOT BE SILENT
AND TOLERATE HRANT DINK’S MURDER

YEREVAN, JANUARY 22, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. "We cannot be
silent: we should show the world that the Armenian youth is angry and
will not tolerate recurrence of such incidence." American Armenian
actor Manuel Kanian declared this in his interview to Noyan Tapan
correspondent. He took part in the action of protest organized by
youth and student organizations on January 22 in Yerevan, in connection
with the murder of Istanbul’s Agos weekly’s editor Hrant Dink.

As M.Kanian affirmed, the cause of Hrant Dink’s murder was not so
much his being Armenian but the latter’s statements on the fact
of the Armenian Genocide made lately in Turkey, where mentioning
about the Genocide is convicted by the law. In his words, if even
the murderer is a fan acting on his own initiative, all the same,
"Turkish government is responsible for the crime, as maybe not openly,
but it seeds hatred towards Armenians among the country’s population."

The young American Armenian actor who currently resides in Canada is in
Armenia due to the invitation to be shot in the film "Don’t be Afraid"
shot lately by the Public Television. In Manuel Kanian’s words, at
present he in on leave, but he has creative plans for the future. The
actor will take part in the film "A Warm Story in a Cold Town" of film
director David Safarian, the shootings of which will start in February.

The Associated Press
January 21, 2007 Sunday 7:30 PM GMT

Prosecutor: Teenager confessed to killing of ethnic Armenian journalist

By BENJAMIN HARVEY, Associated Press Writer

A teenage boy has confessed to fatally shooting an ethnic Armenian
journalist outside his newspaper office in a brazen daytime attack, a
prosecutor said Sunday.

Ogun Samast, who is either 16 or 17 years old, was caught in the
Black Sea city of Samsun late Saturday, a day after the journalist
Hrant Dink was gunned down in Istanbul. Police said the youth was
captured following a tip from his father after his pictures were
broadcast on Turkish television.

Istanbul prosecutor Aykut Cengiz Engin said authorities were
investigating whether Samast acted alone. Police detained six other
suspects in the nearby city of Trabzon on Saturday, and three more on
Sunday, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised the swift work of police,
saying "this is a lesson to those who want to shoot at freedoms …
to those who don’t want calm to reign in Turkey."

He promised a thorough investigation and appeared to blame the
slaying on nationalist groups, which he said were intent on turning
Turkey into an insular country.

"I cannot think of anything worse for Turkey. Those people … can
never call themselves patriots. Our people will never forgive them,"
Erdogan said.

Chief prosecutor Ahmet Cokcinar told The Associated Press that Samast
had confessed to killing Dink during initial questioning in Samsun.
He refused to give any further details.

The private news agency Dogan, and its sister company, CNN-Turk
television, said the teenager told the prosecutor he shot Dink
because the journalist had allegedly insulted Turks in opinions
posted on the Internet. Neither news organization said how it got its
information.

Dink’s death highlighted the precarious state of freedom of
expression in a country that is seeking European Union membership.

Most Turks assume Dink, the 52-year-old editor of the
Turkish-Armenian newspaper Agos, was targeted for his columns saying
the killing of ethnic Armenians by Turks in the early 20th century
was genocide. Nationalists consider such statements an insult to
Turkey’s honor and a threat to its unity, and Dink had received
numerous threats to his life.

Much of its once-influential Armenian population was killed or driven
out beginning around 1915 in what an increasing number of nations are
calling the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey acknowledges
that large numbers of Armenians died but vehemently denies it was
genocide, saying the deaths occurred in civil unrest during the
collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

The Nobel prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk blamed Dink’s killing on
defenders of a law that makes it a crime to insult Turkey, its
government or national character.

"We are all responsible for his death in a way. But above all, I
think it is those who still defend (the law) who are responsible for
this death," he said.

Pamuk had faced charges under the law after discussing the deaths of
Armenians in Turkey with a Swiss newspaper. A court dropped the
charges last January.

The six suspects who were detained Saturday included Yasin Hayal, who
served 11 months in prison for the bombing of a McDonald’s restaurant
in Trabzon in 2004, Turkish media reported.

Samast’s uncle, Faik Samast, told private NTV television that he did
not think his nephew a high-school dropout was capable of shooting
Dink on his own.

"He didn’t even know his way around Istanbul," the uncle said. "This
kid was used."

Associated Press Writer Suzan Fraser contributed to this report from
Ankara, Turkey.

Sabah, Turkey
Jan 21 2007

‘Let’s cover his coffin with Turkish flag’

CHP also supported the suggestion of the AKP member Çelik to cover
the coffin with Turkish flag.

Is it possible to cover Hrant Dink’s coffin with flag? Sevigen from
CHP said: "it is possible if his family want to." Another opinion:
"it is against law. But it can be a message to the ones who aim to
stir Turkey."

Çelik: "his coffin should be covered with Turkish flag"

The political consultant of the prime minister, Çelik, said that Dink
is the victim of the pop-fascism of Hitler style and added: "he was
the host of this country. His coffin should be covered with Turkish
flag".

The political consultant of the prime minister, Ömer Çelik, the
deputy of AKP from Adana, stated that the murder of Hrant Dink is the
result of the ‘pop fascism’ wave created by the marginal mentality
sworn to terminate the other. He said: "Turkey can fight with any
kind of terror. However, the major point here is a pop-fascism in
Hitler style. Contrary to some, he was not entrusted to us as an
Armenian; rather he was the real host of this country. So his funeral
should be suitable for this with a Turkish flag."

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
Jan 19 2007

Turkish general says journalist’s killing a trap

Istanbul, 19 January: Retired General Edip Baser, Turkey’s special
representative for countering terrorism, said murder of Hrant Dink,
editor-in-chief of bilingual Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, is a trap
in order to put Turkey on the spot in terms of its international
relations and added that Turkey should not walk into this trap.

The retired general told Anatolia that this is a very sad event. "The
murder of one of our citizens in such a mean terrorist attack is very
sad in the first place. On the other hand, one has to see the trap
set for Turkey and one must be sensible in order not to walk into
this trap. In my opinion, all our citizens, no matter from which
ethnicity, should act with reason regarding these issues," said
Baser.

"I think this was a trap to put Turkey on the spot in terms of
international relations. Especially in a period when Armenian claims
of genocide are brought to spotlight, that such an attack should
occur these days when all Turkey’s attention is on the troubled
region in the south (north of Iraq), raises questions about different
intentions," continued retired Gen Baser.

Baser said one of the aims can be to reach faster solutions in
countries where the claims of the so-called Armenian genocide will be
discussed.

Turkey’s special representative for countering terrorism said another
reason could be to direct Turkey’s attention from Iraq and the
national interests there, and keep Turkey busy with internal
conflicts.

Baser, who drew attention to journalist identity of Dink, said his
assassination will attract reactions from more than one aspect.
"Those who planned this attack calculate the reactions, its zone of
influence, therefore they select people such as Dink in order to have
a wider zone of influence."

Retired Gen Baser offered his condolences to everyone, Armenian
citizens in particular.

Nouvelles d’Arménie, France
Jan 20 2007

"The Pigeon-like Unease of My Inner Spirit" by Hrant Dink AGOS
Newspaper 10 January 2007 (translated by F.M. Gocek)

samedi 20 janvier 2007, Stéphane/armenews

I did not at first feel troubled about the investigation that was
filed against me by the Sisli public prosecutor’s office with the
accusation of `insulting Turkishness.’

This was not the first time. I had been familiar to the accusation
because of a similar lawsuit I had filed against me in Urfa . I was
being tried in Urfa with the accusation of `denigrating Turkishness’
over the past three years for having stated in a talk I gave at a
conference there in 2002 that `I was not a Turk…but from Turkey and
an Armenian.’

And I was even unaware about how the lawsuit was proceeding. I was
not at all interested. My lawyer friends in Urfa were attending the
hearings in my absence.

I was even quite nonchalant when I went and gave my deposition to the
ªiºli public prosecutor. I ultimately had complete trust in what my
intentions had been and what I had written. Once the prosecutor [had
the chance] to evaluated not that single sentence from my editorial
alone which made no sense by itself but the text as a whole, he would
understand with great ease that I had no intention to `denigrate
Turkishness’ and this comedy would come to an end.

I was certain that a lawsuit would not be filed at the end of the
investigation. I was sure of myself. But surprise ! A lawsuit was
filed.

But I still did not lose my optimism.

So much so that at a television show that I joined live, I even told
the lawyer [Kemal] Kerincsiz who was accusing me `that he should not
get his hopes too high, that I was not going to be smacked with any
sentence from this lawsuit, and that I would leave this country if I
received a sentence.’ I was sure of myself because I truly had not
had in my article any premeditation or intention – not even a single
iota – to denigrate Turkishness. Those who read the entirety of my
collection of articles would understand this very clearly.

As a matter of fact, the report prepared by the three faculty members
from Istanbul University who had been appointed by the court as
experts stated exactly that. There was no reason for me to get
troubled, there would certainly be a return from the wrongful path
[of the lawsuit] at one stage of the proceedings or the other.

So I kept asking for patience…

But there was no such return.

The prosecutor asked for a sentence in spite of the expert report.
The judge then sentenced me to six months in prison.

When I first heard about my sentence, I found myself under the bitter
pressure of the hopes I had nurtured all along the process of the
lawsuit. I was bewildered… My disappointment and rebellion were at
their pinnacle.

I had resisted for days and months saying `just you wait for this
decision to come out and once I am acquitted, then you will all be so
repentant about all that you have said and written.’

In covering every hearing of the lawsuit, the newspapers items,
editorials and television programs all referred to how I had said
that `the blood of the Turk is poisonous.’ Each and every time, they
were adding to my fame as `the enemy of the Turk.’ At the halls of
the court, the fascists physically attacked me with racist curses.

They bombarded me with insults on their placards. The threats
reaching hundreds that kept hailing for months through phones, e-mail
and letters kept increasing each time.

And I persevered through all this with patience awaiting the decision
for acquittal. Once the legal decision was announced, the truth was
going to prevail and all these people would be ashamed of what they
had done.

My only weapon was my sincerity. But here the decision was out and
all my hopes were crushed. From then on, I was in the most distressed
situation that a person could possibly be in.

The judge had made a decision in the name of the `Turkish nation’ and
had it legally registered that I had `denigrated Turkishness.’ I
could have persevered through anything except this.

According to my understanding, racism was the denigration by anyone
of a person they lived alongside with on the basis of any difference,
ethnic or religious and there was not any way in which this could
ever be forgiven.

Well it was in this psychological state that I made the following
declaration to the members of the media and friends who were at my
doorstep trying to confirm `as to whether I would leave this country
as I had indicated earlier :’

`I shall consult with my lawyers. I will appeal at the supreme court
of appeal and will even go to the European Court of Human Rights if
necessary. If I am not cleared through any one of these processes,
then I shall leave my country. Because according to my opinion,
someone who has been sentenced with such a crime does not have the
right to live alongside the citizens whom he has denigrated.’

As I voiced this opinion, I was emotional as always. My only weapon
was my sincerity.

Dark Humor

But it so happens that the deep force that was trying to single me
out and make me an open target in the eyes of the people of Turkey
found something wrong with this press release of mine as well and
this time filed a lawsuit against me for attempting to influence the
court. The entire Turkish media had given my declaration but what got
their attention was what was writ in AGOS alone. And it so transpired
that the legally responsible parties in the AGOS newspaper and I
started to be tried this time around for attempting to influence the
court. This must be what people call `dark humor.’

As I am the accused, who has the right more than the accused to try
to influence the judiciary ? But look at this humorous situation that
the accused is this time tried for trying to influence the judiciary.

`In the Name of the Turkish State ‘

I have to confess that I had more than lost my trust in the concept
of `Law’ and the `System of Justice’ in Turkey .

How could I have not ? Had these prosecutors, these judges not been
educated in the university, graduated from faculties of law ? Weren’t
they supposed to have the capacity to comprehend [and interpret] what
they read ?

But it so transpires that the judiciary in this country, as also
expressed without compunction by many a statesman and politician, is
not independent.

The judiciary does not protect the rights of the citizen, but instead
the State.

The judiciary is not there for the citizen, but under the control of
the State.

As a matter of fact I was absolutely sure that even though it was
stated that the decision in my case was reached `in the name of the
Turkish nation,’ it was a decision clearly not made `on behalf of the
Turkish nation’ but rather `on behalf of the Turkish state.’ As a
consequence, my lawyers were going to appeal the Supreme Court of
Appeals, but what could guarantee that the deep forces that had
decided to put me in my place would not be influential there either ?

And was it the case that the Supreme Court of Appeals always reached
right decisions ? Wasn’t it the same Supreme Court of Appeal that had
signed onto the unjust decision that stripped minority foundations of
their properties ? [And had done so] in spite of the attempts of the
Chief Public Prosecutor. And we did appeal and what did it get us ?
Just like the report of the experts, the Chief Public Prosecutor of
the Supreme Court of Appeals stated that there was no evidence of
crime and asked for my acquittal but the Supreme Court of Appeals
still found me guilty. The Chief Public Prosecutor of the Supreme
Court of Appeals was just as certain about what he had read and
understood as I had been about what I had written, so he objected to
the decision and took the lawsuit to the General Council.

But what can I say, that great force which had decided once and for
all to put me in my place and had made itself felt at every stage of
my lawsuit through processes I would not even know about was there
present once again behind the scenes. And as a consequence, it was
declared by majority vote at General Council as well that I had
denigrated Turkishness.

Like a Pigeon

This much is crystal clear that those who tried to single me out,
render me weak and defenseless succeeded by their own measures. With
the wrongful and polluted knowledge they oozed into society, they
managed to form a significant segment of the population whose numbers
cannot be easily dismissed who view Hrant Dink as someone
`denigrating Turkishness.’

The diary and memory of my computer are filled with angry,
threatening lines sent by citizens from this particular sector. (Let
me note here at this juncture that even though one of these letters
was sent from [the neighboring city of] Bursa and that I had found it
rather disturbing because of the proximity of the danger it
represented and [therefore] turned the threatening letter over to the
ªiºli prosecutor’s office, I have not been able to get a result until
this day.)

How real or unreal are these threats ? To be honest, it is of course
impossible for me to know for sure. What it truly threatening and
unbearable for me is the psychological torture I personally place
myself in. `Now what are these people thinking about me ?’ is the
question that really bugs me. It is unfortunate that I am now better
known than I once was and I feel much more the people throwing me
that glance of `Oh, look, isn’t he that Armenian guy ?’

And I reflexively start torturing myself. One aspect of this torture
is curiosity, the other unease. One aspect is attention, the other
apprehension.

I am just like a pigeon…..

Obsessed just as much what goes on my left, right, front, back.

My head is just as mobile… and just as fast enough to turn right
away.

And Here is the Cost for You

What did the Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül state ? The Justice
Minister Cemil Çiçek ? `Come on, there is nothing to exaggerate about
[legal code 301]. Is there anyone who has actually been tried and
imprisoned from it ?’ As if the only cost one paid was
imprisonment… Here is a cost for you… Here is a cost… Do you
know, oh ministers, what kind of a cost it is to imprison a human
being into the apprehensiveness of a pigeon ?… Do you know ?….
You, don’t you ever watch a pigeon ?

What They Call `Life-or-Death’ What I have lived through has not been
an easy process… And what we have lived through as a family…
There were moments when I seriously thought about leaving the country
and moving far away. And especially when the threats started to
involve those close to me… At that point I always remained
helpless. That must be what they call `Life-or-Death.’ I could have
resisted out of my own will, but I did not have the right to put into
danger the life of anyone who was close to me. I could have been my
own hero, but I did not have the right to be brave by placing, let
along someone close to me, any other person in danger. During such
helpless times, I gathered my family, my children together and sought
refuge in them and received the greatest support from them. They
trusted in me.

Wherever I would be, they would be there as well. If I said `let’s
go’ they would go, if I said `let’s stay’ they would come.

To Stay and Resist Okay, but if we went, where would we go ? To the
Armenian Republic ? How long someone like me who could not stand
injustices put up with the injustices there ? Would not I get into
even deeper trouble there ?

To go and live in the European countries was not at all the thing for
me. After all, I am such a person that if I travel to the West for
three days, I miss my country on the fourth and start writhing in
boredom saying `let this be over so I can go back,’ so what would I
end up doing there ? The comfort there would have gotten to me !
Leaving `boiling hells’ for `ready-made heavens’ was not at all right
for my personality make up. We were people who volunteered to
transform the hells they lived into heavens. To stay and live in
Turkey was necessary because we truly desired it and [had to do so]
out of respect to the thousands of friends in Turkey who gave a
struggle for democracy and who supported us. We were going to stay
and we were going to resist. If we were forced to leave one day
however… We were going to set out just as in 1915…Like our
ancestors… Without knowing where we were going… Walking the roads
they walked through… Feeling the ordeal, experiencing the pain….
With such a reproach we were going to leave our homeland. And we
would go where our feet took us, but not our hearts.

Apprehensive and Free

I wish that we would never ever have to experience such a departure.
We have way too many reasons and hope not to experience it anyhow.

Now I am applying to the European Court of Human Rights. How long
this lawsuit will last, I do not know. The fact that I do know and
that somewhat puts me at ease is that I will be living in Turkey at
least until the lawsuit is finalized. If the court decides in my
favor, I will undoubtedly become very happy and it would mean that I
would never have to leave my country. From my own vantage point, 2007
will probably be even a more difficult year. The trials will
continue, new ones will commence. Who knows what kinds of additional
injustices I would have to confront ? While all these occur, I will
consider this one truth my only security. Yes, I may perceive myself
in the spiritual unease of a pigeon, but I do know that in this
country people do not touch pigeons. Pigeons live their lives all the
way deep into the city, even amidst the human throngs. Yes, somewhat
apprehensive but just as much free.

icle=28540

Manchester.com, UK
Jan 20 2007

Armenian anger at editor’s assassination in Turkey

20/01/2007

Armenian authorities have lashed out against Turkey following the
assassination of a newspaper editor in Istanbul.

Hrant Dink, 53, was the editor of Turkey’s only Armenian newspaper
Agos.

He was gunned down as he was leaving his office in Istanbul yesterday
afternoon. The editor had been a target of threats over his comments
on the genocide of Armenians before the first world war.

Turkey has denied that the genocide took place, saying that the
deaths were part of the war. Last year, the editor was convicted for
insulting Turkey for his writings over the alleged genocide.

Mr Dink had asked for police protection over the numerous threats
that he had received. In his last editorial, he wrote that he had not
received protection despite his requests.

The assassination has prompted protests by thousands of people in
front of the newspaper’s offices. The Armenian government has
condemned the attack, with the speaker of the house telling Turkey to
"not even dream" about joining the European Union.

Armenian president Robert Kocharian said: "The killing of this
well-known Armenian journalist in Turkey raises numerous questions
and deserves the strongest condemnation.

"We hope that the Turkish authorities will do everything possible to
find and punish the culprit strictly in accordance with the law."

Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan has condemned the killing
saying that "a bullet has been fired at democracy and freedom of
expression". Three men have already been arrested over the editor’s
death, according to Turkish media.

A statement from Agos this morning said: "There are no words to
explain our pain. Our deepest condolences for those who can still
feel themselves as human beings."

Atýlým, Turkey
Jan 20 2007

We condemn the murder of Hrant Dink

We are strongly condemning the fascist assassination attack on Hrant
Dink, chief editor of the newspaper Agos. Our condolences to all our
people. We declare our solidarity with the newspaper Agos and
emphasize that we will offer all possible support.

The forces behind this attack are the same as those who charged Hrant
Dink relying on article 301 and those provoking lynch attempts in
front of the court. It is the state, the regime itself. But once
again, the murderer will try to hide himself behind the term ‘faili
meçhul’. Or the intention was to acquit the state from the
assassination and father the guilt on a simple pawn. The attack on
the intellectuals to keep them silent has been started in the
courtrooms and continued with armed attacks.

The time of the assassination that was realized shortly after the
conference of intellectuals demanding democratic solutions in the
Kurdish question in Ankara, among them Hrant Dink, can in no case be
considered as a coincidence. The assassination of Dink is an answer
of fascism to his intellectual stance in Ankara. Our intellectuals,
who are raising their voice for democratic peace with the Kurdish
people, have been tried to keep silent by aiming at their lives. This
is nothing else than cowardice and helplessness.

Those, who blew the bookshop Umut in Þemdinli, put bombs at Koþuyolu
Children’s Park in Diyarbakir and killed a peasant who had gone to
the forest in Yüksekova to cut down trees, this time hold their guns
towards an intellectual and defender of democracy and brotherhood.

The revelation and account by the counterguerilla gangs and their
commanders responsible for pulling the trigger at this despicable
killing, the ‘good boys’ and their ‘daddies’, totally depends on the
bravery and determination of the forces demanding freedom.

All democratic forces must unite in order to demand an account for
the barbaric attacks on the Armenian society’s right of existence in
this country, on the freedom of press and the democratic steps
undertaken by them concerning Kurdish and Armenian questions.

/20/We_are_strongly_condemning.html

Pittsburgh Post Gazette, PA
Jan 18 2007

Bus-station smoker tussles with police, jailed
Thursday, January 18, 2007

By Torsten Ove, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

An Armenian national who apparently didn’t think much of anti-smoking
laws blew cigarette smoke at a Pittsburgh police officer and ended up
on the receiving end of a stun gun, arrested and jailed after a
scuffle at the Greyhound bus terminal over the weekend.

Officer Walter Carlson said Suren Chukhadzhyan, 50, who stands about
6 feet 5 inches and weighs about 250 pounds, ignored his commands to
stop smoking, leading to a fight that knocked over seats and sent
other travelers scrambling.

An employee complained that a man was standing and smoking on a
wooden ramp at the Second Avenue terminal, which is designated as a
no-smoking area and marked with signs that say so.

Officer Carlson responded and told Mr. Chukhadzhyan to move to a
designated smoking area, according to a report.

"The actor ignored me and made a cocky smirk to me and was very
arrogant," the officer said. "[He] turned away from me and continued
to smoke."

When the officer ordered the man to turn around, he did, but blew
smoke in the direction of the officer.

Officer Carlson then grabbed the man’s arm and said he would be
cited, but he said Mr. Chukhadzhyan flicked his cigarette to the
ground and walked away.

Inside the terminal, the officer said, Mr. Chukhadzhyan sat down but
"became agitated and clenched his fists and began to speak to himself
in what appeared to be Russian."

Officer Carlson again attempted to issue the citation, but said Mr.
Chukhadzhyan stood up suddenly and approached him aggressively. The
officer said he pulled out his Taser and warned, "This doesn’t have
to go this way."

But he said Mr. Chukhadzhyan said "arrest me" and shoved him. The
officer tried to stun him with the Taser, but the prongs didn’t
penetrate the man’s thick coat.

Mr. Chukhadzhyan charged.

A nearby off-duty police officer for the Duquesne School District,
Chad Stevens, saw what was happening, pulled his badge, identified
himself as a police officer and joined the fray. The two officers
fought with Mr. Chukhadzhyan, eventually pinning his arms and
managing to cuff him after forcing him against a vending machine.

"He was real big," said Officer Stevens, who had been on his way with
his wife to Flint, Mich., to visit a sick relative. "When I tried to
put the cuffs on him the first time, I couldn’t get them around his
wrist. Both of us had an arm and we tired him out a little, but when
he wanted to move us, he did."

Even after the cuffs were in place, Officer Carlson said, he refused
to get on the floor, so they tripped him to get him down.

Mr. Chukhadzhyan, who lives in Glendale, Calif., was charged with
disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and aggravated assault on
Officer Carlson.

He was taken to the Allegheny County Jail. Police also contacted the
Armenian Consulate in Washington, D.C., and notified the Joint
Terrorism Task Force.

DUTCHMEN ARE BEING INTRODUCED TO ARMENIAN HISTORY

PanARMENIAN.Net
18.01.2007 13:06 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In ‘Abovyan’ cultural center in Hague will be
held a thematic day on ancient Armenian capital Ani January 21, the
PanARMENIAN.Net reporter was told in FAON (Federation of Armenian
Organizations in Netherlands) press office. Historian Eduard Sedrakyan
will deliver a lecture and presentation on the subject.

CONSTRUCTION OF NEW PTL TO CONNECT POWER SYSTEMS OF GEORGIA AND ARMENIA TO START IN APRIL, 2007

Yerevan, January 10. ArmInfo. Construction of a new PTL, connecting
the power systems of Georgia and Armenia, will start in April, 2007,
the deputy Energy Minister of Georgia, Archil Nikoleishvili, said,
IPN reports.

According to him, a tender will be announced within the next
fortnight for selection of a building company. It is envisaged that PTL
construction ill take about 2 years, as a result of which Georgia will
be able to receive 600 MW of electric energy from Armenia and to export
as much", Nikoleishvili said. The PTL extension in the territory of
Georgia will make up 90 km and 130 km in the territory of Armenia. The
new PTL construction project will cost $40 mln. The preliminary works
per the project are already financed to the sum of $1,57 mln.

To remind, the Energy Ministers of Armenia, Georgia and Iran had
earlier agreed in Yerevan about the construction of a new 400 kV PTL,
due to which the power systems of the three states will be able to
work in the regime of mutual overflows of electric energy. This will
allow to considerably enhance the safety and reliability of the two
countries’ power systems.