Armenia Notes Slide in Production, Sales, Exports
By Jeff Miller Posted: 7/19/2006 3:24 PM
Diamonds.net, NY
July 19 2006
(Rapaport…July 19, 2006) Cut and polished diamond production fell
20.4 percent to $112.5 million mid-year 2006 in Armenia compared with
January through June 2005.
The Armenian Trade and Economic Development ministry’s office reported
that sales of cut and polished fell 18 percent to $105 million and
exports fell 20 percent to $102 million.
Armenia attributed the drop in production, sales, and exports to the
world diamond market downturn. Israel and Belgium were Armenia’s top
polished diamond destinations.

FMs of Armenia and Bosnia & Herzegovina Discussed Cooperation with EU and NATO
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.07.2006 14:15 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Bosnia and
Herzegovina Vartan Oskanian and Mladen Ivanic discussed cooperation
with the European Union and NATO. They noted the importance of
collaboration within international structures and exchange of
delegations of cultural workers for conduction of joint events. The
interlocutors also referred to recent developments in the region. In
part, Vartan Oskanian briefed to his counterpart on the current stage
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement and invited him to Armenia,
reported the RA MFA press office.

Analysts: BTC will hardly influence traditional Russian energy resources markets
Regnum, Russia
July 19 2006
Opinion of some experts that the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline
has become Moscow’s geopolitical failure was right for the time
several years ago. Today it can hardly be said about great political
importance and exclusive character of the new pipeline with the
previous unambiguity, Politmonitor reports, noting that countries
that oppose themselves to Russia were mostly happy about BTC opening.
Analysts note that the BTC project was designed for the “big oil”
from Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli bloc at Azeri section of the Caspian Sea,
where the estimated level of extraction was 50 million ton per year
and it was supposed to be achieved as early as in the middle of the
current decade. However, the “big oil” failed to arrive. Moreover,
it can turn out to be unachievable to provide for such filling of the
pipeline to make the BTC becomes profitable, analysts say, pointing
out that maximum oil extracting level in foreseeable future can
reach only 25 million ton. An intermediate solution for the problem
was an agreement with Astana about pumping Kazakh oil, which will be
7.5 million ton at the first stage. The oil will be shipped by the
Caspian Sea in tankers. Some hopes are tied to exploration of Tengiz,
the biggest oil field in Kazakhstan.
Although, today not enough oil is extracted there to allow to speak
about charging the pipeline fully, the analysts say. Besides, Kazakh
oil is exported trough Tengiz-Novorossiysk oil pipeline belonging to
the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, estimated capacity of which is 67
million ton per year. Moreover, Kazakhstan is openly saying about
its intentions to start exporting oil to China. However, these are
not all the problems of the BTC. As the analysts believe, firstly,
the pipeline goes through seismically unstable territories (overall,
there are ten such zones), secondly, through unstable in military
point of view zone of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and insurgent
Georgian autonomies, there is some threat from Kurdish rebels in
Turkey, and closeness to Iran, Iraq and Syria adds no optimism either.
As for infringing upon Russia’s interests, there will be no shift
in the structure of world consuming of energy resources caused by
the pipeline. Even in case it reaches its estimated capacity, it
will satisfy only 1% of the world demand. Russia is, as it is known,
the second country after Saudi Arabia in extracting oil. Thus, the
BTC pipeline will hardly have any serious influence upon traditional
Russian energy resources markets.

Armenians exposed dysfunctional systems
Kenya Times, Kenya
July 19 2006
THE Kiruki Commission of Inquiry into the Arturs saga has made
considerable unflattering revelations of shocking lapses and
inefficiency in a number of key government departments.
The jury may still be out, but the Kenya Airports Authority,
Immigration Department, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID)
and many others have all had their noses bloodied and image soiled.
Joining that catalogue is the office of the Registrar of Companies
under the office of the Attorney General’s Chambers. This is one of the
busiest public offices handling and processing not only documents with
a bearing on the economy and security of this nation, but generates
huge revenue for the government.
This office has, for as long as one cares to remember, been the
epitome of inefficiency and influence peddling. To date it remains
defiant to the spirit of new governance characterised by e-governance
mechanism. We are perturbed that here, companies can be registered
in breach of the rules governing the department.
A visit to the registry, makes a sad statement of a department which
has refused to be automated despite huge funds having been appropriated
for its computerisation for many years. The Kiruki Commission has
been told by employees of the office that among the reasons for its
poor performance is the incomplete computerisation.
But for those who have been doing business with the Registrar’s
office, the refusal to modernise seems to be more deliberate than
lack of resources. One gets the distinct impression that there are
officers—and this not just criticism for the sake of it—who want
to perpetuate inefficiency in the registry to create a conducive
environment for corruption.
Talk of the government’s determination and commitment to implement
Information Communication Technology policy and immediate introduction
of e-governance across the entire civil service. Nothing like
e-governance it seems obtains at the Registrar of Societies office
save for few underutilised computers which can’t track any data.
Inefficiency in government departments, especially those handling
justice, trade and investments, immigration, revenue, transport,
registration of persons, deaths and births contribute significantly
to activities that undermine growth, economic development, security
and the nation’s ability to act in concert with the rest of the
world. Due to predisposition to corruption, laxity and negligence
apparently obtaining at the department, we could be having hundreds of
“Artur brothers” with a purpose to sabotage the aspirations of this
great nation.
The government must not wait for a day longer before it launches a
major overhaul of this critical department.

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
Government House # 2, Republic Square
Yerevan 0010, Republic of Armenia
Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 562543
Email: [email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
20-07-2006
Acting Press Secretary Vladimir Karapetian Replies to Question by
Noyan Tapan News Agency
Question: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan received report
by Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, Personal Representative of the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office, on the fires around Nagorno Karabakh. Are you
acquainted with this report?
Mr. Karapetian: We have in fact received the report; and hope that it
will put an end to the irresponsible and absurd charges by Azerbaijan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Human Rights Association Expressed Support for Dink
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.07.2006 18:35 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Human Rights Association (IHD) expressed support
for editor of Istanbul-based Agos Armenian newspaper Hrant Dink, who
was recently convicted on charges of “insulting Turkishness.” Sanar
Yurdatapan, a representative of the Peace Initiative group, said that
they advocate the same ideas that were expressed in the article Dink
was charged on and demand that Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code
(TCK) be abolished.
Dink, as well as many other writers and journalists, have faced
charges based on Article 301. Speaking at a press conference marking
the 20th anniversary of the Human Rights Association as well as the
recent prison sentence imposed on writer Hrant Dink, IHD head Yusuf
Alatas said that the IHD always advocated peace, particularly for
the resolution of the Kurdish problem, reports the New Anatolian.

KARABAKH FM SAYS PARTICIPATION OF LEGALLY ELECTED AUTHORITIES NECESSARY TO REACH PEACE ACCORD
Armenpress
STEPANAKERT, JULY 18, ARMENPRESS: Authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh
have welcomed today a statement by leaders of the Great Eight (G-8)
which they issued in Russian Saint Petersburg calling on Armenia and
Azerbaijan ‘to demonstrate the political will, reach agreement and
prepare their publics for peace and not for war.’ “We confirmed that
the Group of Eight supports the mediation efforts of the co-chairs
of the OSCE Minsk Group and stressed the need for agreeing on the
basic principles of a peaceful settlement of the conflict as early
as in 2006,” the G-8 statement said.
“One may only welcome the statement of the Great Eight countries
on maintenance of the intermediary efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group
and on necessity of co-ordination of the core principles of the
conflict’s peaceful resolution,” Nagorno-Karabakh foreign minister
Giorgy Petrosian said today in the statement.
“Nagorno Karabakh has always come out in favor of peaceful resolution
of the problem and is ready to exert every effort to achieve the
agreement on establishing long-term peace in the region. Unfortunately,
it is not everything that depends on the mediators. Considering
Azerbaijan’s extremely destructive position and its unwillingness to
be in any contact with Nagorno Karabakh it is very difficult to find
an acceptable and correct solution to date.
The President of the Russian Federation has fairly noted that Russia
is not going to impose any solutions on the parties to the conflict
and that the compromise must be reached by people. Taking into
account the Russian Federation’s readiness to become a guarantor of
the agreements’ fulfillment we remind once more that the achievement
of solutions directly concerning the future of our country and our
people is possible only with participation of representatives of
legally elected authorities of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, the
main and the most suffered party to the conflict,” he said.

LAW ENFORCEMENT BODIES CATCH BANK ROBBER ON BORDER
Panorama.am
15:28 18/07/06
Arthur Khanoyan, 35, in search for robbery of Ardshinivestbank,
is caught by law enforcement bodies on July 14 on Armenian-Georgian
border at Baghratashen checkpoint. 1 kg of gold items, USD 13.260,
RR 15,000, AMD 100,000 and 5,000 Euro was found with Khanoyan while
he was trying to cross the border.
10 kg more gold was found in the course of operative actions. According
to the source, the gold was hidden under the tree in the yard of
Khanoyan’s mother-in-law. Still 5.4 kg more gold and AMD 4,000000
was found at the friend of Khanoyan.
At the moment Arthur Khanoyan is under arrest. Note: On July
3 Ardshininvestbank found AMD 41 mln, USD 56,503, Euro 2,690,
Russian Rubles 44,700 and gold item missing from the bank. Operative
investigation services discovered that the robbery was committed by
a group of people, with a policeman among them. Two of the group were
arrested earlier./Panorama.am/

NEW CHARGE BROUGHT AGAINST EDITOR OF JAMANAK YEREVAN
Panorama.am
17:12 18/07/06
The Armenian chief prosecutor’s office has brought new charges against
the editor-in-chief of Jamanak Yerevan Arman Babadjanyan. He is accused
of stealing docuements based on article 324, part II of the Armenian
Penal Code.
According to the official site of Chief Prosecutor’s Office, new
circumstances have come about in the course of investigation which
changed the scope of charge against Arman Babadjanyan. The source
says that Babadjanyan left for USA in 1997 without the right for
postponement of draft. Babadjanyan faked documents through computer
on prolongation of education in USA until 2004 and through her
mother submitted the documents to Shengavit department of military
commissariat in 2002. Learning that these documents are not enough to
get the right for postponement, he stole the marriage certificate of
his friend, Vahe Abovyan, living in USA, and the birth certificates
of his children and made a fake marriage certificate on his name
with a date of December 11, 1997. Babadjanyan also faked two birth
certificates, putting the dates of 16 February 1999 and March 9,
2002. The faked certificates were submitted to Shengavit military
commissariat and Babadjanyan received postponement of military draft.
Note: A. Babadjanyan was arrested on June 26 with a suspicion of
faking documents to evade military service. At the moment the editor
of Jamanak Yerevan is in Nubarashen prison./Panorama.am/

Armenia’s Tennis Champion wins fourth title in 2006
Press release for circulation – Monday 17 July, 2006
VICTORY IN SCOTLAND !
(Gibrahayer Monday July 17) Armenia’s hope in world tennis, Zaruhi
Harutyunyan of Armenia, bagged her fourth title of 2006 in Scotland,
demolishing in the Edinbrugh final, Anastasia Nebojanko 6-1, 6-2, who
in the semi finals had eliminated tournament number one Alexa Guarachi
of the United States. However, Hatutyunyan’s true determination and
champion characteristics in the Scottish Championships, emerged in the
semi finals – when she fought off all odds against her – and defeated
Caitlin Smith, 7-6(4), 6-7(6),7-5. A position in the top 200 is now
well in her grasp and if she continues this winning tempo her chase
for a Grand Slam participation may come much sooner than her global
entourge anticipate.
For Zaruhi Harutyunyan’s activity in 2006 – click here CONTRIBUTE TO
ZARUHI’S WORLD TOUR Laiki Bank Strovolos Industrial Area, Stavrou 96 I,
2034, Strovolos: Account Number 101-08-037631 for Zaruhi Harutyunyan
International transfers at: IBAN CY30 0030 0101 0000 0101 0803 7631
Swift Code address: LIKICY2N
Zaruhi Harutyunyan’s Promotion Team: Dickran Bedrossian – London
Simon Aynedjian – Nicosia