Author: Vasilian Manouk

US CONGRESS TO HOLD HEARINGS FOR DETERMINING VOLUMES OF AID TO BE PROVIDED TO ARMENIA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
09.06.2009 18:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In fiscal year 2010, Obama Administration plans
to allocate to Armenia financial assistance in the amount of $ 30
million. The sum exceeds last years’ allocations by $ 6 million or 20%
percent, Philip Gordon, US Assistant Secretary for Europe and Eurasia
Affairs, told journalists today. "US Congress will hold hearing devoted
to the issue, so it’s better to wait till they are over. I think,
amounts for financial assistance will increase after the hearing,"
American diplomat noted.

US Ambassador to Armenia Mary Jovanovich noted in her turn that budget
for fiscal year 2010 has not yet been approved, hence no predictions
can be made in advance. "All I can say is that Administration has
decided to provide large-scale financial assistance to Azerbaijan,
considering its interests in Caspian Basin. Besides, US and Azerbaijan
are implementing a number of joint projects in many spheres,"
Jovanovich stressed.

US Administration reduced amounts of financial assistance to Armenia
for fiscal year 2010. Draft budget also breaches parity principle in
providing military assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan. In particular,
US Administration proposes $ 30 million to Armenia for fiscal year
2010. Furthermore, budget does not contain clause on providing military
assistance to Nagorno Karabakh, whereas last year’s allocations to
the country comprised USD 8 million.

In the meantime, US Administrations proposes military assistance
in the amount of USD 3 million to Armenia and USD 4 million – to
Azerbaijan. Within the frames of Military training program (IMET)
Armenia and Azerbaijan will receive $450 thousand and $900 thousand
respectively.

KANGAROO 2009 CONTEST RESULTS SUMMARIZED IN ARMENIA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
09.06.2009 17:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ AYB Educational Fund summarized Kangaroo 2009
contest results. An 8th grader Erna Petrosyan (Martuni School N1)
became the winner of main contest. Additional contest winners are: 10th
graders Hayk Tepanyan (Quant Yerevan College) and Armine Hovhannesyan
(Shahinyan School of Physics and Mathematics, Yerevan).

The winners will be awarded with a trip to Europe and get a chance
to stay at European school camp.

According to Kangaroo 2009 contest results, 111 students gained the
best results, 355 were awarded with special prizes. 570 Armenian
schools participated in the contest.

AZERI MFA UNAWARE OF SARGSYAN-ALIYEV NEXT MEETING DATE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
10.06.2009 13:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Karabakh talks are proceeding too slowly, Azerbaijani
Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov said.

"Discussion of each detail is a hard process. Nevertheless, Azerbaijan
continues negotiations and hopes that Armenia will assume a more
constructive stand," he said, adding that he is unaware of date and
venue of the next Sargsyan-Aliyev meeting.

Asked about changes in the OSCE MG format, Mr. Azimov said Azerbaijan
doesn’t consider the issue but calls on the Co-chairs for greater
responsibility, 1news.az reported.

US ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE: USA WILL ASSIST TO NORMALIZING ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS

Today.Az
ics/53002.html
June 9 2009
Azerbaijan

"The US administration supports all steps, targeting the normalization
of the Armenian-Turkish relations", said US assistant secretary of
state on European and Asian affairs Philip Gordon during the meeting
with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan.

Gordon noted that the United States, as the OSCE MG co-chair, will
continue active support to efforts on the Karabakh conflict.

In turn, the Armenian Minister said that Armenia will develop and
deepen friendly partnership with the United States.

"Stressing importance of consolidating ties with the United States,
Armenia will be consistent in developing and strengthening friendly
partnership with the United States", noted Nalbandyan.

The sides also touched upon the issues, related to implementation of
the program of the US corporation "Millennium challenges" in Armenia,
the process of reforms. Nalbandyan presented the steps of the Armenian
powers for conduction of democratic reforms in the country.

CEC INVALIDATES ELECTION IN ANOTHER THREE PRECINCT

A1+
05:39 pm | June 08, 2009 | Politics

Electoral authorities in Armenia have invalidated the official
results of Sunday’s municipal elections in another three Yerevan
precincts and asked prosecutors to investigate what they said was
serious fraud committed there. In particular, the CIC invalidated
the election results at polling stations 8/01, 8/03 and 8/05.

Remind that all of those polling stations appeared in the focus of
Prosecutor-General’s Office, mass media and independent observers
who reported vast number of irregularities on election day.+

The Special Investigative Service (SIS), a law-enforcement agency
subordinated to the prosecutors, launched criminal proceedings
into fraud reported by Armenian media in the above-said polling
stations. The ballot sacks were recorded open after being sealed.

Remind that, on June 4 the CEC invalidated the election results
at polling stations 7/7, 7/9, 8/15 on the basis of corresponding
documents and vote protocols.

CIS ESTABLISHES OPEN NETWORK UNIVERSITY

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
08.06.2009 18:56 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Commonwealth of Independent States will establish
Open Network University on the initiative of Peoples’ Friendship
University of Russia and with assistance of Intergovernmental
Humanitarian Foundation of CIS member states. The purpose of the
initiative is development of academic mobility, cooperation between
higher education institutions and improvement of education quality. The
project envisages development and implementation of joint mater’s
programs, consolidation of international cooperation, exchange of
specialists and conduction of joint researches.

The students will be offered a possibility to get two diplomas. The
key subjects will be jurisprudence, management and philology.

TURKEY’S EU MEMBERSHIP ISSUE BECAME A REASON FOR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN OBAMA AND SARKOZY

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
08.06.2009 13:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ I’ve said publicly that I think Turkish membership
of the EU would be important," Obama told reporters at a joint press
conference with Sarkozy in France before they attended commemorations
for the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings in northern France
on Saturday, stating that Sarkozy "has a different view." "What the
US wants to do is just to encourage talks and discussions where
Turkey can feel confident that it has a friendship with France,
with the United States, with all of Europe and to the extent that
it defines itself that it has an opportunity to be a part of that,"
Obama went on, urging France and other European countries to help
efforts to reach out to the Muslim world. "In all of this, I think
that Europe and France have a role to play just as the United States
does, to send a signal to Muslims around the world that we welcome
and want their participation in a world community that is peaceful,
that is prosperous, that is developing in favor of all people."

Sarkozy said France would continue to oppose Turkey’s membership in
the EU, although he said he agreed with Obama that close ties with
Turkey should be maintained. "It’s very important for Europe to have
borders. For me Europe is a force of stability in the world and I
cannot allow that force for stabilization to be destroyed," he said.

08.06.2009 13:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ I’ve said publicly that I think Turkish membership
of the EU would be important," Obama told reporters at a joint press
conference with Sarkozy in France before they attended commemorations
for the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings in northern France
on Saturday, stating that Sarkozy "has a different view." "What the
US wants to do is just to encourage talks and discussions where
Turkey can feel confident that it has a friendship with France,
with the United States, with all of Europe and to the extent that
it defines itself that it has an opportunity to be a part of that,"
Obama went on, urging France and other European countries to help
efforts to reach out to the Muslim world. "In all of this, I think
that Europe and France have a role to play just as the United States
does, to send a signal to Muslims around the world that we welcome
and want their participation in a world community that is peaceful,
that is prosperous, that is developing in favor of all people."

Sarkozy said France would continue to oppose Turkey’s membership in
the EU, although he said he agreed with Obama that close ties with
Turkey should be maintained. "It’s very important for Europe to have
borders. For me Europe is a force of stability in the world and I
cannot allow that force for stabilization to be destroyed," he said.

ARMAVIR-YEREVAN RAILWAY COMMUNICATION IMPROVED

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
05.06.2009 22:01 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ South Caucasus Railways CJSC Shevket Shaydullin met
Friday with Armavir region governor Ashot Haghramanyan to discuss ways
to develop railway communication and formation of working groups for
the purpose.

Shaydullin has presented the project of Armavir-Yerevan railway
communication. "A journey from Yerevan to Armavir will take 50
minutes. Trains will start from Yerevan every 3 hours. 17% of our
passengers are students and we intend to make this figure increase,"
he said.

ARMENIA UPBEAT ABOUT SUMMIT WITH AZERBAIJAN

Interfax
June 4 2009
Russia

The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, at a meeting in
St. Petersburg on Thursday, came to an agreement to hold more talks
in seeking a solution to the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict, the Armenian
president’s office said, describing the atmosphere of the meeting
as constructive.

Armenia’s Serzh Sargsyan and Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev ordered their
foreign ministries to start making preparations for a new meeting
between the two presidents and to enlist the help of the Minsk Group,
an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe mediating body,
in doing so, the office said in a press release.

The meeting between Sargsyan and Aliyev lasted for about two and a
half hours, and after that other officials joined the presidents for
more talks.

More events were planned for Thursday evening – Sargsyan was due to
meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and the Russian, Azeri
and Armenian presidents were to meet at dinner.

Sargsyan is returning to Yerevan on Friday.

ENVIRONMENTALISTS CONTINUE FIGHT TO PROTECT LAKE SEVAN
Astghik Khachatryan

20 09/06/04 | 18:52

Ecology

At a press conference held today, Inga Zarafyan, President of Ecolur,
an environmental NGO, stated that as a result of the warnings raised
by the group and other concerned social activists, a number of RoA
ministers have come out against plans by GeoProMining to build a gold
reprocessing plant on the shores of Lake Sevan.

She stated that among those voicing opposition to the Sotk plan
were Energy and Natural Resources Minister Armen Movsisyan, Economic
Minister Nerses Yeritsyan and Vladimir Movsisyan, President of the
Lake Sevan Committee.

President Serzh Sargsyan, in a statement made to residents of
Gegharkunik Marz, said that if the plant will be of benefit the
government will back it but if the plant will do more harm than good,
the government will back off.

Mrs. Zarafyan concluded that the president is thus waiting for more
concrete evidence that the Sotk plant will be of economic benefit. She
said that GeoProMining is now conducting feasibility studies to obtain
such proof. The studies should be completed by this October. In her
opinion, the lobby in support of the project will then take off and
that the company will attempt to change the law regarding Lake Sevan
in its favor.

She also said that GeoProMining Executive Dirtector Dima Kalandadze
and Vardan Vardanyan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of GPM Gold,
a sister company, have stated that if they aren’t granted the right
to relocate the Sotk plant to Sevan that they would refuse to operate
the Sotk mine. Presently, the mineral ore extracted from Sotk is
reprocessed in Ararat.

SOS Sevan, an alliance of concerned environmemntal groups, is afraid
that if GeoProMining is allowed to set up shop on the shores of Lake
Sevan it will open the doors for other companies to follow. Thus,
SOS Sevan states that it is preparing to expand its activities in the
public sphere to raise awareness about the dangers of the Sotk project.