Author: Zargarian Hambik

MORE PROFOUND COOPERATION WITH ARF DASHNAKTSUTYUN

Lragir, Armenia
Feb 7 2008

We have much in common with the ARF Dashnaktsutyun but not to the
point of allying, stated the leader of the National Democratic Party
Shavarsh Kocharyan February 7 at the Pastark press club who endorsed
Vazgen Manukyan. The reporters asked him where the negotiations for
allying with the ARF Dashnaktsutyun before the election have reached.

Shavarsh Kocharyan noted that their ideologies differ despite
similarities. But if they, according to Shavarsh Kocharyan, are a
national democratic movement, the ARF Dashnaktsutyun is a socialist
force. Shavarsh Kocharyan did not reveal details of the talks but
said independent from the result of the talks in this stage of the
presidential election they will have more profound cooperation with
the ARF Dashnaktsutyun in future.

RUSSIAN PM VISITS ARMENIA
By Anna Saghabalian

Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
Feb 6 2008

Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov held talks with Armenia’s leaders
on Wednesday during an official visit to Yerevan which officials said
focused on ways of boosting economic ties between their nations.

Some commentators had suggested that Zubkov will use the trip,
the second in less than six months, to explicitly or implicitly
express the Kremlin’s support for his Armenian counterpart Serzh
Sarkisian’s victory in the upcoming presidential election. However,
the two prime ministers made no mention of the vote as they held a
joint news conference after the talks, speaking instead about the
need to boost Russian-Armenian trade.

Sarkisian skirted a Russian journalist’s question about the possible
impact of the Armenian election as well as Russia’s own presidential
ballot due in March on bilateral relations. "Armenia is connected to
Russia by a thousand threads," he said. "It is beneficial for Armenia
to be friends with Russia. And Russian capital feels comfortable in
Armenia," he said. "Our relations must get even better and stronger
in the future," he added.

President Robert Kocharian also noted "brilliant prospects" for the
development of the Russian-Armenian relationship at a separate meeting
with Zubkov. Kocharian was also quoted by his office as praising
Russia’s growing economic presence in his country.

Both Sarkisian and Zubkov stressed the fact that the volume of
Russian-Armenian trade soared by 65 percent to about $700 million
last year and may well pass the $1 billion mark this year. "We agreed
that the most important problem [in bilateral trade] is transport,"
said the Armenian premier.

Zubkov pointed in that regard to the launch in April 2007 of a
rail-ferry service between Georgian and Russian Black Sea of ports
which mainly caters for cargos shipped to and from Armenia. He said
the service will be expanded and "will literally enrich our commercial
links" in 2008. In particular, Armenia will be able to significantly
increase exports of cement and other construction materials to Russia,
he added.

Zubkov’s visit also resulted in the signing of several bilateral
agreements. One of them envisages a joint exploration and development
of Armenia’s uranium reserves. In a separate statement, the two
governments also pledged to make joint efforts to improve the safety
of the nuclear power plant at Metsamor.

V. ZUBKOV: RUSSIA INTENDS TO ACTIVELY COOPERATE WITH ARMENIA IN PREPARATIONS OF SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES IN SOCHI

arminfo
2008-02-06 13:13:00

ArmInfo-RBC. Russian intends to actively cooperate with Armenia in
preparations for Summer Olympic Games to be held in Sochi, Russian
Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov said during negotiations with his
Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan in Yerevan, Wednesday. V. Zubkov
said ‘there is a good perspective’ of import of Armenian building
materials for construction of facilities in Sochi.

‘There is a great possibility that we will buy building materials
from Armenia’, he said.

PROSECUTORS ASK ARTHUR BAGHDASARIAN TO PROVE HIS ALLEGATIONS BY EVIDENCE

ARMENPRESS
Feb 5, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 5, ARMENPRESS: The Office of the Prosecutor-General
has asked a presidential candidate, Arthur Baghdasarian, to provide
material and other evidence grounding his allegations that some people
are engaged in vote buying for the government candidate.

A spokeswoman for the Office of the Prosecutor-General, Sona Truzian
, told Armenpress that a special task unit of the Office set up to
respond to election-related crimes, asked Baghdasarian to prove his
allegations as under Armenian legislation vote buying is a serious
crime entailing a lengthy prison punishment.

She reminded of a legislation clause that demands that individuals
and mass media possessing such information and disseminating it
shall share it with law-enforcement bodies and show evidence to prove
their allegations.

An Internet newspaper, Lragir, said during a February 2 news conference
Arthur Baghdasarian accused the government of using extensively the
so-called administrative resource, vote buying , collecting passports
and making some lists.

Baghdasarian also said he possesses information about bribe
distributing persons and a videotape showing a government official
committing a crime.

OVER 4 000 OBSERVERS FROM IT’S YOUR CHOICE NGO TO WATCH ARMENIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.02.2008 18:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Democratic Party of Armenia (DPA) will not
support any of the candidates at the February presidential elections,
party chairman Aram Sargsyan said. "We are familiarized with all of
nine candidates, their political biography and team. After studying
the election programs we concluded that neither reflects the base
principles our ideology," he said.

Meanwhile, the Union of Veterans called on all political forces "to
be reasonable and honest." "Our national values are flouted under
the cover of ostensible patriotism," read the Union’s statement.

The Constitutional Court rejected the action brought by presidential
hopeful Arman Melikyan, who urged to recognize legislative amendments
forbidding voting abroad as illegal. According to him, the amendments
infringe the rights of hundreds of people and can give ground for
falsifications.

Armenian media reports that 4010 observers of It’s Your Choice NGO
will watch the presidential election.

The observers produce remarks and conclusions every ten days since the
beginning of the election campaign, chairman Harutyun Hambartsumyan
said.

MOTHER HOMELAND PARTY TO SUPPORT SERGE SARGSIAN IN RA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

Noyan Tapan
Feb 5, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 5, NOYAN TAPAN. The Mother Homeland Party will
support Serge Sargsian in the RA presidential elections. According
to the information provided by Karine Tumanian, the Chairwoman of
the above-mentioned party, at the press conference held on February
5, that decision was made in the congress of the party, taking into
consideration the pre-electoral program presented by the candidate for
presidency, as well as his experience in the state government sphere.

In the words of Karine Tumanian, progress and economic growth have
been observed in the state strengthening process for the past ten
years and Serge Sargsian, according to her, has had an active part
in those processes.

Alexander Grigorian, the art director of the Stanislavski Russian
Dramatic Theater, an RA People’s artist and a member of the
party, mentioned that the country needs an active and energetic
president. "Serge Sargsian is a man of action and can realize all his
promises. In addition to this, he has always been beside art critics
and shown assistance to theaters," Al. Grigorian said.

Presidential candidate from ARF Dashnaktsutyun spending most of all on
his campaign

2008-02-01 14:05:00

ArmInfo. Presidential candidate, a member of ARFD Bureau Vahan
Hovhannissyan has spent most on all on its campaign so far.

Central Electoral Commission Press Secretary Tatev Ohanyan told ArmInfo
Vahan Hovhannissyan has spent 27,914,000 drams on his campaign within
10 days, the balance of his campaign fund is 2,086,000 drams. Leader of
Orinats Yerkir Party Artur Baghdaaryan has spent 14,297,800 drams and
his balance is 6,062,200 drams. Leader of the Republican Party of
Armenia, Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan has spent 7,670,000 drams and
his balance is 13,380,000 drams. The ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosyan
has spent 6,200,000 drams and his balance is 6,337,000 drams. Leader of
the National Unity Party Artashes Geghamyan has spent 5,930,000 drams
and his balance is 70,000 drams. Leader of the National- Democratic
Union Vazgen Manukyan has spent 308,533 drams and has 21,466 on his
balance. Within the ten days of the presidential campaign the remaining
candidates transferred no money to their Funds: ex- adviser to NKR
President Arman Melikyan, Leader of People’s Party, Head of ALM Holding
Tigran Karapetyan, Leader of National Accord party Aram Haroutunyan.

The campaign fund of the candidates must not exceed 70 million drams.

POWER OF LEVON TER-PETROSIAN RUINED BECAUSE OF WRONG PERSONNEL POLICY

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, NOYAN TAPAN. Many of the candidates for presidency
avoid speaking about composition of the government to be formed in case
of their election not because they lack the respective staff, but
taking into account the current atmosphere of intolerance and fear in
the country, the spokeswoman for People’s Party of Armenia Ruzan
Khachatrian stated at the February 1 discussion, adding that these
presidential candidates have concerns that by announcing the names of
members of the future cabinet, they may "endanger" these persons.

According to deputy of the former Supreme Council Aram Mailian, there
is no party today which has about 30 people to be appointed to most
important positions in case of its coming to power. In his words, the
parties cannot grow cadres. He said that power of the first president
Levon Ter-Petrosian ruined because of the wrong personnel policy. The
president Robert Kocharian, according to the former deputy, has
continued personnel policy-related mistakes.

The representative of the Liberal Progressive Party of Armenia, expert
Eduard Antinian expressed an opinion that the amended Constitution will
not allow any political force (besides, the Republican Party of Armenia
that forms the parliamentary majority) to become a real counterbalance
to the other power branches. In the words of E. Antinian, any president
not enjoying the sympathy of the National Assembly’s majority will be a
formal head.

Head of Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s campaign headquarters accuses Armenian TV
channels of bias

2008-02-01 18:53:00

ArmInfo. Head of the presidenital candidate Levon Ter-petrosyan’s
campaign headquarters, the former foreign minister of Armenia
Aleksander Arzumanyan accused local Mass Media of biased coverage. He
repeated this accusation at a press conference, Firday.

He mainly accused e-media, probably, meaning TV channels. Arzumanyan
said: ‘all the channels are controled by a single center’ which sets
the tone of campaign coverage. Asked why Levon Ter-Petrosyan has not
accepted any invitation to participate in a TV program so far,
Arzumanyan said the atmosphere of such political programs ‘is more like
an interrogation than interview’. It is inadmissible to speak in such
tone with the president, he said.

WISHES AND CAPACITIES
by Armen Tsaturyan

Hayots Ashkharh
Jan 24 2008
Armenia

In addition to the start of the election campaign, election manifestos
of the nine presidential candidates come toprominence for such an
abundance of promises that cause frustration among ordinary people.

Of course any candidate has the right to make promises to the
electorate, but how much feasible and realistic arethose ones?

Finally, whoever is elected president on 19 February will have to take
into account several irrefutablerealities in the sphere of internal
and foreign politics. These are:

A) The existing balance of power in the Armenian parliament after
the parliamentary election of 2007 [with the rulingRepublican Party
of Armenia in the majority].

B) The arms proliferation imposed on us due to the existence of the
Nagornyy Karabakh conflict – Armenia cannot lagbehind in this.

C) Armenia’s political, economic and financial obligations in the
international sphere.

Two typical examples can be distinguished among the election
manifestos, the authors of which are ready to promiseeverything
driven by a wish to be liked by voters – [former Armenian President]
Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s "calmreflections" [reference to the headline of
Ter-Petrosyan’s election manifesto] and the masterpiece of [theleader
of the Orinats Yerkir Party and ex-Speaker] Artur Baghdasaryan who
has set a unique record by the abundance ofhis promises.

And this is not occasional, as these two are the most prominent for
neglecting the realities "in Armenia andaround it" or for presenting
"revolutionary formulas" in order to overcome those.

For instance – Ter-Petrosyan has drafted his manifesto given two major
"political pillars". He, on onehand, promises to destroy the existing
system, and, on the other, – to make serious steps towards establishing
"an atmosphere of tolerance and national unity" in the country starting
from the first days of his activity [as electedpresident]. It is
unclear how he is going to combine these two extremely contradicting
political principles.

Baghdasaryan has selected another methodology of creating the same
"populist cocktail". His electionmanifesto is thoroughly based on the
principle of promising the maximum. As a result of this exclaiming
contradictions, promises of political and economic character or
between opportunities of simultaneous reforms in separate spheres
aregiven in this document.

So, did the economists, who have drafted Baghdasaryan’s economic
programme, ever sit and seriously calculate howmuch financial resources
Armenia needs in the coming five years for a simultaneous and parallel
implementation of thefollowing two promises of the candidates:

a) To occupy a place among 30 leading countries of the world by
indices of high-tech industries, while establishingsuch kind of
economy, as is known, is the most expensive in the contemporary world.

B) To return 300,000 of our migrants to Armenia by 2012, when billions
of dollars are needed only for solving theissue of their housing –
not to say about the jobs and other needs.