Author: Virabian Jhanna

Trend, Azerbaijan
Jan 31 2009

Two Armenian goldwear smugglers detained on Turkey-Georgia border
31.01.09 16:56

Georgia, Tbilisi, Jan. 31 /Trend News, N.Kirtskhalia/ Georgian customs
officers detained two Armenian women attempting to smuggle 6.5
kilogram of goldwear from Turkey to Georgia.

A woman with parcels full of smuggled goldwear attracted the attention
of the Vale check-point customs officers, Georgian Customs Department
said.

Detained Susanna Petrosyan and Elvira Smekeryan were attempting to
smuggle goldwear worth $100,000 to Georgia. They offered a part of the
goldwear as a bribe to the customs officers.

A criminal case has been filed. Investigation is underway.

Fars News Agency
Jan 31 2009

Armenians in Iranian province to mark Islamic Revolution anniversary

Tabriz, 31 January: The archbishop of Armenians of Azarbayjan has said
that Armenians will make every effort to hold Fajr celebrations [to
mark the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution], Fars has reported.

The archbishop of Armenians of Azarbayjan has issued a statement,
congratulating people on the 30th anniversary of the Islamic
Revolution, Fars reported from Tabriz.

The statement said that 30 years after the victory of the Islamic
Revolution in Iran and the brave epic of the gallant people of Iran,
the heroic combatants of this country representing all religions and
faiths – both elders and young, both women and men – rose up under the
leadership of the great founder of the Islamic Revolution in order to
save their country and created an eternal legend with their unity
[sentence as published].

In the statement, Archbishop Nishan Topuzian said that with their
blood, honourable martyrs watered a plant which grew into the honour
and pride of the county. He urged the Armenians of the province to
make every effort in order to hold spectacular Fajr celebrations and
to participate in the 22 Bahman [10 February] rallies as actively as
in the past.

According to this report, the bells at provincial churches and
Armenian schools tolled today to commemorate the historic return of
Ayatollah Khomeyni return to the country.

[translated from Persian]

SEVERAL PROGRAMS TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN ENERGY SECTOR THIS YEAR

Noyan Tapan

Jan 30, 2009

YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA Ministry of Energy and Natural
Resources pays special attention to development of atomic energy,
integration with regional energy systems, ensuring the diversity
of communications and own renewabale energy resources, creation of
a legislative field on reproduction of natural resources and their
complex and efficient use.

By the report submitted to the RA prime minister on January 30, the
construction of Kajaran-Ararat section of Iran-Armenia gas pipeline and
the design of a 400 kvt Iran-Armenia transmission line were completed.

Speaking about the shortcomings, the minister Armen Movsisian said that
although the design of the 400-kvt Iran-Armenia line was completed,
the financing program was not signed as German KfW bank decided
to examine once agian the results of the feasibility study. These
results were reconfirmed, and the financing document will be signed
at an Armenian-German forum to be held in May.

It was mentioned that two big projects on construction of hydropower
plants in Lori and Meghri were initiated with the aim of developing
own renewable energy resources. According to the minister, there
was an attempt to implement alternative programs on Lori hydropower
plant, but the work stopped because of the financil crisis. Now the
ministry is working with the World Bank in this direction. The scheme
of financing the Meghri hydropower plant is ready and will be signed
with the representative of Iran’s respective ministry soon. By this
scheme, the Iranian side will make investments in the construction
of Meghri hydropower plant.

PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN CONDUCTED BILATERAL MEETINGS IN DAVOS

ARMENPRESS
Jan 29, 2009

YEREVAN, JANUARY 29, ARMENPRESS: President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan
participated January 28 in the official opening ceremony of Davos
World Economic Summit after which an official dinner was given by
the president and founder of the Forum Claus Swab.

Presidential press service told Armenpress that the President of
Armenia participated in the reception organized by the Prime Minister
of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.

Today in the morning Serzh Sargsyan started his bilateral meetings
in Davos.

The president met with the executive director of International Agency
of Nuclear Energy Muhammed El Baradey. During the meeting the sides
highly underscored the current level of cooperation between the agency
and Armenia. During the meeting they also discussed a number of issues
referring to the construction of new nuclear energy block. Muhammed
El Baradey highly underscored the steps carried out by now by the
Armenian authorities towards the construction of new nuclear energy
block and expressed readiness to provide technical assistance in
different rounds of implementation of the program. The executive
director also highly assessed the steps carried out by the Armenian
authorities directed towards increasing the level of security of
Metsamor nuclear power plant.

The president of the country on his turn expressed gratitude to
Muhammed El Baradey for consultation support.

President Serzh Sargsyan also met in Davos with chairman of the Asian
Development Bank Haruhiko Kuroda. Serzh Sargsyan expressed gratitude
to the chairman of the bank for the implementation of joint programs
assessing them as effective.

Haruhiko Kuroda on his part highly assessed the steps undertaken by
the Armenian authorities in state governance sphere and noted that
the Asian Development Bank is interested in developing long-term
partnership agreements with the Republic of Armenia, underscoring the
effective combination of all the existing tools directed towards the
development in Armenia.

Today the president is also expected to meet with the prime minister
of Russia Vladimir Putin, President of Switzerland Hans Rudolph. Late
in the evening the Armenian president is expected to meet with the
Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN LEADERS HELD NEGOTIATIONS ON GARABAGH CONFLICT

Azerbaijan Business Center
Jan 29 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku, Fineko/abc.az. President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan conducted
yesterday in Zurich negotiations with his Armenian counterpart Serzh
Sargsyan within the framework of peaceful settlement of Nagorno
Garabagh conflict.

The Azerbaijani Presidential Administration’s press service informs
that after talks there were held tete-a-tete consultations with
involvement of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.

A day before Khazar Ibrahim, the head of the Azerbaijani Ministry of
Foreign Affairs press service, claimed that Azerbaijan has reiterated
its position which conforms fully to norms of international law that,
in its turn, was also covered in the Moscow Declaration and other
documents.

"The conflict can be settled only on the basis in compliance
with international norms on the basis of territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan. Armenia should understand that moves it takes for
conflict settlement out of this framework will hardly promote to its
settlement," Ibrahim said.

He pointed out that on 27 January foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov
of Azerbaijan met separately with the MG co-chairs in Zurich and
then a joint meeting with participation of mediators and his Armenian
counterparts took place. In the meeting thre parties discussed mainly
technical issues surrounding a meeting of two countries’ presidents.

TWO SUSPECTS IN DINK ASSASSINATION SCUFFLE DURING COURT HEARING

PanARMENIAN.Net
29.01.2009 16:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Two suspects in the assassination of Hrant Dink,
the editor of Agos Turkish-Armenian newspaper, came to blows during
yesterday’s hearing, Sabah reports.

Yasin Hayal accused Erhan Tuncel of "taking all money and leaving him
without a groat," and gave him a punch. "You are finished," he said.

The two defendants were separated by the police and taken out of the
court room.

Meanwhile, police witnesses testified that they informed their
superiors that Hayal "had planned something against Hrant Dink,"
who was gunned down by ultranationalist Ogun Samast on January 19,
2007 outside his newspaper premises.

TASHNAG SEEKING MURR-AOUN RECONCILIATION

Naharnet
Jan 28 2009
Lebanon

The Tashnag party is reportedly seeking to reconcile MP Michel Murr
with Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun.

The daily As Safir quoted well-informed sources as saying that they
expect Tashnag’s efforts to show positive results after mid February.

The paper said the Armenian party was waiting for the outcome of
Defense Minister Elias Murr’s visit to Syria on Wednesday in order
to resume its reconciliation efforts or change the work method.

Tashnag explained that if Murr’s Damascus visit was a success and
resulted in more than the formal task of military cooperation, the
party would arrange a meeting between Michel Murr and Aoun.

However, if the results of the defense minister’s trip remained
confined to the formal aspect, then Tashnag, according to As Safir,
would seek to avoid embarrassment by convincing Aoun to draw up an
"open" list such as keeping at least one Greek Orthodox seat vacant
to keep MP Murr "comfortable" with the election competition.

As Safir said Tashnag had been trying for the past two months to bridge
the gap between Murr and Aoun, adding that it had succeeded in holding
more than a meeting between Minister Murr and FPM’s Telecommunications
Minister Jebran Bassil after exchange of verbal attacks made a reunion
between the two Michels impossible.

On the election battle, As Safir said Tashnag decided to mobilize
Armenian immigrants in cities across the globe.

MITQ CALLS ON AAC TO PROTECT ARMENIANS AND ARMENIAN MONUMENTS IN GEORGIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.01.2009 17:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Preservation of Armenian spiritual and cultural
values from the Georgian expansion should become a national issue,
says a statement issued by Mitq analytical center.

"Historical and architectural monuments in Georgia are appropriated
and desecrated. We call on the Armenian spiritual elite to
address the issue and increase the number of Armenian clergymen in
Samtskhe-Javakheti-Tsalka," the statement says.

"We call on the Armenian Apostolic Church to protect Armenians of
Javakheti," it says.

ARMENIAN CITIZENS ARE DEPRIVED OF DRINKING WATER

Trend News Agency
Jan 26 2009
Azerbaijan

Citizens of Armavir’s Norapat district haven’t had drinking water
for a long time. Today they get water from a pit owned by Gazmash
factory but the water is said to be harmful to health, reported A1+.

"The water we drink is a mixture of sand, dirt and clay," said one
of the local citizens adding that a thick layer of sand appears
in buckets if kept for some time. "Drinking water is not available
especially during winter months. We have to walk for miles to get a
pail of water," complain the citizens.

The pit was aimed for the factory. But later the citizens bought the
required equipment with their own means so that they could have water
at least two hours a day. And if ever problems crop up with the water
pumps citizens don’t have water for days.

They have forgotten when they last had drinking water in their homes.

The sales manager of Nor Akunk Ltd, Artavazd Torosyan says in September
2006 they concluded an agreement with German KFW bank. The latter
was to finance the construction works. A tender was announced, and
a building company was chosen. But after visiting the building plot
the bank registered some drawbacks and broke the agreement. Now they
cannot find a new building company.

Hürriyet, Turkey
Jan 24 2009

Five Caucasus neighbors to meet and mull regional security

ANKARA – Officials from the foreign ministries of Turkey, Azerbaijan,
Armenia, Russia and Georgia will meet in Istanbul next week for the
second five-party discussion of its kind on the Turkey-led Caucasus
Stability and Cooperation Platform, the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic
Review learned from diplomatic sources.

The first was held in December on the sidelines of the "Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe" meeting in Helsinki.

This format for technical talks between neighbors will be raised to
the level of foreign ministers in the near future, sources close to
the government said.

Turkey will be represented by deputy undersecretary of the Foreign
Ministry Ambassador Ünal Çeviköz and Russia will be represented by
Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov.

No exact date has been scheduled as of yet but diplomats said the
meeting would most likely take place on Monday or Tuesday.

Turkey has moved fast in the wake of the latest Caucasus crisis to
devise a way to bring divided parties around a single table to discuss
the future. The proposal to create a stability pact to address
security concerns in the Caucasus is helping improve Turkish-Armenian
ties amid diplomatic contacts that have commenced between the two
neighbors. Turkish diplomatic sources, however, said the Istanbul
meeting would only focus on the technical parameters of the Caucasus
platform instead of bilateral disputes between the parties involved.

The recent optimistic remarks made by Turkish and Armenian foreign
ministers signal a normalization in ties is no longer a
dream. Armenia’s Edward Nalbandian said last week Yerevan was very
close to normalizing relations with Ankara and Turkey’s Ali Babacan
said in an interview: "I can easily say we have never come this close
to a plan regarding the final normalization of relations with
Armenia."

There has been a flurry of diplomacy in recent months between the two
neighbors, including a landmark trip by Turkish President Abdullah Gül
to Yerevan in September to attend a football match. A Turkish diplomat
told the Daily News that unlike in the past, a meeting between the two
countries’ officials would not come as a surprise as they were already
in touch.

The same diplomat, speaking anonymously, said Turkey had no plans at
the moment to take a major step to better bilateral ties and added
that progress in solving problems on the Armenian-Azerbaijani track
would have positive impacts on the Turkish-Armenian dialogue and vice
versa. "The progress in Turkish-Armenian or Armenian-Azerbaijani
relations will undoubtedly have spillover effects," he noted.