FORUM ON CONTEMPORATY CHALLENGES AND THREATS TO CIS TO BE HELD IN SAINT PETERSBURG
Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 15 2006
November 17 an international scientific forum on “Improvement of
cooperation between CIS countries to counter contemporary challenges
and threats” will be held in Saint Petersburg. The conference
will feature parliamentarians and heads of special services of CIS
countries.
Press Service of the CIS Executive committee in Minsk informs that
the participants of the forum will analyze the contemporary threats
and challenges to CIS countries. They will discuss the process of
accomplishment of interstate programs to fight criminal, terrorism,
illegal drug trafficking and illegal migration.

WHO ACCELERATES FIGHT AGAINST COUNTERFEIT MEDICINES
Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 15 2006
The World Health Organization (WHO) and more than 20 international
partners are today launching a comprehensive package of measures
to help national authorities safeguard their populations from the
dangers of counterfeit medicines.
At the opening of the first official meeting of IMPACT (the
International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce) in Bonn,
WHO and its partners are unveiling a programme covering legislation,
law enforcement, regulation, technology and communication. IMPACT is
also issuing a warning against buying medicines from rogue web sites
as well as cautioning governments that existing laws against medical
counterfeiters are inadequate and do not act as deterrents.
Counterfeit medicines range from products containing no active
ingredients to those containing highly toxic substances. They can
harm patients by failing to treat serious conditions, can provoke
drug resistance and in some cases kill.
The latest estimates jointly elaborated by WHO, the OECD, and the
Pharmaceutical Security Institute show that more than 30% of medicines
in some areas of Latin America, South East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa
are counterfeit. In emerging economies, the proportion is estimated
at 10% but in many of the former Soviet republics it can be as high
as 20%. In wealthy countries, with strong regulatory mechanisms,
counterfeits account for less than 1% of the market value, but 50%
of illegal Internet sales are counterfeit.
By the end of 2007 IMPACT aims to have all 193 WHO Member States
formally collaborating to stem global and national counterfeiting of
medical products.

RAMIL SAFAROV’S EXTRADITION EXCLUDED
Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 15 2006
Members of the Constitutional Court of Hungary do not have
the authority of speaking about Azeri Officer Ramil Safarov’s
extradition. Attorney Nazeli Vardanyan told “Armenpress” that the
Constitutional Court has never addressed the issue and extradition
is not its function.
Let us remind, that according to Azeri media, one of the Constitutional
Court members declared in Baku that Safarov might carry his punishment
in Azerbaijan.
“At this moment Ramil Safarov’s extradition is ruled out. The protest
of the Azerbaijani side has not been discussed yet. There are other
criminal cases launched against him for getting into conflict with
guards. Before the completion of the investigation of all the cases
and announcement of verdicts extradition is excluded,” said Nazeli
Vardanyan.
Besides, the chances of Azerbaijan are very small, since in case of
life imprisonment extradition has never been applied in Hungary.
Let us remind that Ramil Safarov, who brutaly killed Armenian
Officer Gurgen Margaryan on February 19, 2004, was sentenced to
life imprisonment.

ARMENIA’S IPAP WITH NATO IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF EFFECTIVE COOPERATION
Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 15 2006
Armenia’s Individual Partnership Action Plan with NATO is a good
example of “effective” cooperation, representative of the NATO Public
Diplomacy Division Dr. Knut Kirste said during the “Riga summit:
The challenges and opportunities for safe and peaceful future” youth
conference in Yerevan,” Mediamax agency reports.
Dr. Knut Kirste noted that for more than 10 years NATO has been
successfully cooperating with Armenia.
The NATO Public Diplomacy Division representative emphasized
particularly the opening of the NATO Information office in Yerevan.
According to him, the center will enable the Armenian population to
be informed about the policy of the Alliance.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESIDENT KOCHARYAN TO VISIT FRANCE AND CYPRUS
Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 15 2006
At the turn of 2007 President Robert Kocharyan will pay an official
visit to France. The terms of the visit are still being corrected.
The invitation to visit France was received still in September during
French President Jacques Chirac’s visit to Armenia.
Before that, November 23-25 Robert Kocharyan will visit Cyprus. RA
President’s Spokesman Viktor Soghomonyan informs that according to
preliminary agreement it will be a state visit, but the agenda has
not been fixed yet.

6TH SHIFT OF ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPERS LEAVING FOR KOSOVO
Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 15 2006
The 6th shift of Armenian peacekeepers is leaving for Kosovo today
to carry out peacekeeping mission. The division is comprised of 34
servicemen. Armenian peacekeepers carry out their mission within the
Multinational division for the period of six months.
Yesterday the festive seeing-off ceremony was held in the capital
regiment of Yerevan. RA Deputy Defense Minister Arthur Aghabekyan
wished good luck to the servicemen.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SERGE SARGSYAN MET WITH HIS IRAQI COUNTERPART
Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 15 2006
In the framework of the official visit to Iraq, RA Defense Minister
Serge Sargsyan met with the Defense Minister of Iraq, Major-General
Abdul Al Obeydi Mohamed Jasim. During the meeting reference was made
to the domestic situation in Iraq, security issues in Iraq and the
region as a whole. The parties discussed also questions related to
the security of the Armenian community in Iraq.
The same day Serge Sargsyan met with the Commander of the Multinational
Forces, General of the US Armed Forces George Casey.
The parties discussed a broad circle of questions connected with
the operative situation in Iraq and the future strategy of the
Multinational Forces.
After the official meetings RA Defense Minister visited the place
of location of the Armenian division. He talked with officers and
soldiers carrying out peacekeeping mission in Iraq and familiarized
with the conditions of their service.

PRESIDENT KOCHARYAN LEAVING FOR GERMANY
Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 15 2006
November 15 RA President Robert Kocharyan will leave for Berlin on a
two-day official visit. This is the President’s second visit to the
Federal Republic of Germany. The President will have meetings with
the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Angela Merkel,
Bundestag President Norbert Lamert and the Mayor of Berlin Klaus
Voverayt. Robert Kocharyan and the President of Bundestag will
attend the official ceremony of opening the new RA Embassy building
in Berlin. President Kocharyan will speak at the largest and most
influential political fund of German – the Bertelsmann.
The Armenian President’s visit falls in a very important period of
time. In the first half of 2007 Germany will undertake Presidency of
the European Union and the G8, and in fact it will be in the center
of attention of international politics.

LEVON ANANIAN: ORDER OF ARMENIANS’ MURDER IS CARRIED OUT IN RUSSIA
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Nov 15 2006
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “Cases of
violences and murders committed against Armenians in Russia became
more frequent, but we are not informed in Armenia about all murders,”
Levon Ananian, the Chairman of the Writers’ Union of Armenia expressed
such an opinion at November 15 press conference held at the “Hayeli”
club. In his words, the circumstance that “we, Armenians, started to
involuntary conciliate with those murders, is also sorrowful.”
In L.Ananian’s opinion, there are two motives for killing Armenians.
The first is, in his opinion, the one that the society of Russia
suffers from xenophobia, and the second is that an order for
Armenians’ murder is carried out in Russia. “Russia completely
rules over the army of skinheads. Those are completely ruled over
as when the issue relates to Tajiks, Azeris, they are able to find
the criminal during two hours. Those are simple Muslim forecities,
and an Azerbaijani-Turkish handwriting is noticed here,” L.Ananian
mentioned. In the speaker’s words, events taking place in Russia remain
unresponded both by Armenian authorities and by Armenian Embassy to
Russia, and intellectuals.
In words of artist Henrik Igitian, one must first of all know for
whom is the murder of Armenians advantageous, and at what extent is
that process headed by the Russian authorities?
Hranush Kharatian, the Chief of the RA National Minorities and
Religious Issues Department attached to Government, is sure that the
cases taking place in Russia are actions addressed against Armenians.
In H.Kharatian’s words, the Russian authorities are wonderfully
concious of what happens. “They understand weakness of Armenia and our
people as well as the country’s dependence on them, keeping silence,
passing around or delaying, explain phenomena of racialism as a
criminal, hooliganism crime,” H.Kharatian emphasized.

REGULAR FLIGHTS TO BE IMPLEMENTED FROM ARMENIA TO UNITED STATES
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Nov 15 2006
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, NOYAN TAPAN. An agreement “On Security in Civil
Aviation Sphere” will soon be signed between the governments of the
Republic of Armenia and the United States of America. As Gayane
Davtian, the Press Secretary of the RA Civil Aviation Department
General Chief informed the Noyan Tapan correspondent, the security
agreement will give possibility to aircompanies implementing
transportations to fulfill regular flights towards the United States.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress