BUSINESS REFERENCE BOOK PUBLISHED IN TAVUSH
Noyan Tapan
Apr 12 2006
NOYEMBERIAN, APRIL 12, NOYAN TAPAN. Data (sphere of activity, address,
phone number, etc.) concerning all the offices and enterprises and
private enterprising people acting in the marz of Tavush are included
in the business reference book which was published by the “Assistance
to Noyemberian” public organization with the grant resources of the
“Eurasia” fund. The business reference book was published with 800
copies print run.

ARMENIA PARTICIPATES IN SITTING OF CIS RAILWAY ADMINISTRATIONS’ HEADS TO TAKE PLACE IN TALLINN
Noyan Tapan
Apr 12 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The regular sitting of the CIS railway
administrations’ heads is held on April 12-14, in the capital of
Estonia, Tallinn.
The delegation of Armenia also participates in the sitting. The
delegation is headed by Ararat Khrimian, the “Armenian Railways”
CJSC Director. The Noyan Tapan correspondent was informed about this
by the Press Service of the RA Ministry of Transport and Communication.

ARMENIA PARTICIPATES IN TOURISM FAIR IN BUCHAREST
Noyan Tapan
Apr 12 2006
BUCHAREST, APRIL 12, NOYAN TAPAN. A tourism fair was organized for
the first time in Bucharest on April 6-9 within the framework of the
Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC), and a meeting
of the working group on cooperation in the BSEC tourims sector took
place on April 7-8. The fair was held in the Romexpo complex hall,
where a National Torism Fair with the participation of nearly 400
companies took place in the same period. According to the RA MFA Press
and Information Department, Armenia was presented at the fair by the
Armenian embassy in Romania based on tourism posters, brochures, video
films and books provided by several Armenian tourism organizations.

GROUP FOR INTERPARLIAMENTARY FRIENDSHIP WITH AZERBAIJAN TO BE ESTABLISHED IN UAE’S PARLIAMENT
Caucaz, Georgia
April 12 2006
Baku, 12 April 2006 (Trend.az – website) – A group for
interparliamentary friendship with Azerbaijan is established in
National Federal Association (NFA) of United Arab Emirates. This issue
has been discussed at thee meeting between Eldar Salimov, Azerbaijan’s
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to UAE and Muhammad
Salem Al-Mezrui, Secretary General (head of executive department), NFA.
Mr Salimov told Trend that in the course of the conversation Secretary
General was informed of running the group for interparliamentary
friendship with UAE in Azerbaijan; moreover, the hope was expressed
for establishment of the similar association in UAE.
Mr Al-Mezrui has outlined the high level of bilateral relations both
in political and cultural spheres, which gives the ground for close
interparliamentary cooperation as well. Too, Secretary General greeted
the creation of friendship group in Milli Medjlis and promised to
create the similar interparliamentary group in NFA at the forthcoming
summer session. The hope was expressed at the meeting for bilateral
visits at the level of parliament speakers.
Mr Al-Mezrui again highlighted the UAE’s support to the right position
of Azerbaijan regarding Nagorno-Karabakh resolutions and expressed
intentions for the further support and help to brotherly Azerbaijan
and its refugees and forced migrants.

ARMENIA SELLS 5TH UNIT FOR ENERGY SECURITY
United Press International
April 12 2006
YEREVAN, Armenia, April 12 (UPI) — Armenia has sold a fifth unit from
the Razdan-5 thermal power plant in a bid to increase energy security,
Public Television of Armenia reported.
Speaking on Armenian television, following reports that new gas prices
would be in force as of Monday, Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan
denied that the sale of the energy-generating unit to Russia’s Gazprom
was connected to the gas price.
“This is a successful deal.,” he said. “We sold the unit for $250
million on the condition that $140 million will be invested into its
reconstruction and upgrading in two years’ time. This will strengthen
our energy security.
“From this point of view, I consider this is a right decision and
the Armenian government has got an opportunity to use this money to
finance domestic gas consumers.”
As of Monday, Armenian consumers pay 14 cents for 1 cubic meter of
gas, up from 13 cents. Commercial customers now pay $94.50 for 10,000
cubic meters. The price is still less than what European consumers pay.
The prime minister has said the government aims to keep gas and
electricity tariffs unchanged for the next three years.
Gazprom took control of Armenia’s pipelines and the power station in
exchange for lower gas prices to Yerevan until 2009.
The price of gas was nearly doubled from $56 per 1,000 cu.m to $110
dollars per 1,000 cu.m.
In return, it took control of part of a 25-mile-long pipeline that
brings gas from Iran to Armenia and the Razdan-5 gas-fired plant.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT REJECTS OPPOSITION PLEA FOR PROBE INTO GAS DEAL
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
10 Apr 06
The Armenian parliament has rejected the idea of setting up an ad hoc
committee to examine the sale of the fifth unit of the Razdan thermal
power plant, Armenian Public TV reported on 10 April. The idea was
proposed by Viktor Dallakyan, the secretary of the opposition Justice
bloc, the report said.
Only 19 MPs signed the request for setting up the committee, whereas
at least 44 signatures are required, the TV said.

SALE OF POWER PLANT’S UNIT TO STRENGTHEN ENERGY SECURITY – ARMENIAN PREMIER
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
10 Apr 06
[Presenter] New gas prices are coming into force from 10 April. The
population will pay 65 drams instead of 59 drams for 1 cu. m. of
gas, whereas commercial enterprises will pay 94.5 dollars for 10,000
cu.m. [as heard].
Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan again confirmed that the government
would do everything possible to keep gas and electricity tariffs
unchanged in the next three years. He also said that there had been
no agreement between Russia’s Gazprom company and Armenia on the
Iran-Armenia gas pipeline. Speaking about the sale of the fifth unit
of the Razdan thermal power plant, he said that it was not connected
with the gas price.
The prime minister described the deal as a successful transaction
which would strengthen Armenia’s energy security.
[Andranik Markaryan, captioned] This is a successful deal. We sold
the unit for 250m dollars on the condition that 140m dollars will be
invested into its reconstruction and upgrading in two years’ time.
This will strengthen our energy security. From this point of view,
I consider this is a right decision and the Armenian government has
got an opportunity to use this money to finance domestic gas consumers.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERI DIPLOMAT SAYS BOTH IRANIAN AND ARMENIAN NUKE DEVELOPMENTS POSE THREAT
Interfax-AVN military news agency website, Moscow
11 Apr 06
Baku, 11 April: NATO has no plans to stage a military invasion of
Iran, said NATO Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central
Asia Robert Simmons.
Speaking at a news briefing in Baku on Tuesday [11 April] following
negotiations with the Azerbaijani leadership, Simmons said, however,
that NATO is concerned about the situation in Iran and hopes that
the negotiating process involving three of its members, Germany,
the UK and France, will be completed successfully.
Azeri Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov said Baku is also concerned
about how the Iran crisis will be resolved, due to the geographical
proximity of the two states.
Azerbaijan is following the negotiating process with Iran closely,
he said.
“The problem is currently being discussed at the UN Security Council,
and we hope that it will be resolved at a political, diplomatic level,”
Azimov said.
Azimov also pointed out that, while the Iranian nuclear problem poses
a strategic threat to Azerbaijan, the Metsamor nuclear power plant
functioning in neighbouring Armenia is a real threat to Azerbaijan’s
and the entire region’s security, which, he said, has been confirmed
by international experts.

ARMENIAN MPS APPROVE AMENDMENTS TO ENERGY LAW
Mediamax news agency, Yerevan
11 Apr 06
Yerevan, 11 April: Armenia’s National Assembly today approved a draft
law on amendments to the energy law in its first hearing.
Eighty-six legislators voted for the draft law, Mediamax’s
parliamentary correspondent reports.
The amendments to the energy law aim to create mechanisms for
attracting foreign and private investments to the construction of a
new nuclear power plant in Armenia.
Under the draft, Armenia’s Metsamor nuclear power plant cannot be
privatized, Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan said. He added
that new provisions of the law refer only to the construction of a
new nuclear plant.

TURKISH COURT DROPS CHARGES AGAINST 4 JOURNALISTS; PROCEEDS WITH TRIAL OF FIFTH
AP Worldstream
Apr 11, 2006
A court on Tuesday dropped charges against four Turkish journalists
accused of insulting the country’s courts, but decided to press ahead
with the trial of a fifth journalist, a report said.
All five journalists were standing trial for criticizing in print a
court’s decision last year to shut down a conference in Istanbul about
the mass killings of Armenians by Turks during the Ottoman Empire.
Prosecutors said their writings were illegal attempts to influence
the outcome of a trial and insulted the court system.
On Tuesday, the court dropped charges against journalists Hasan
Cemal, Ismet Berkan, Haluk Sahin and Erol Katircioglu, on grounds that
prosecutors had not filed charges within the required two-month period
following the publication of the articles, the state-run Anatolia
news agency reported.
The court, however, decided to proceeded with the trial of Murat Belge,
a columnist for the liberal Radikal newspaper, the agency said.
The trial is seen as a test of Turkey’s readiness for membership in the
European Union. Turkey, which embarked on membership talks in October,
is under heavy pressure from the EU and human rights organizations
to address its infringements on freedom of expression.
The five had faced between six months to 10 years in prison. Charges
on the grounds of insulting the republic, state institutions or
“Turkishness” are frequently leveled against journalists, scholars
and dissidents.
The discussion of what happened to Armenians in Turkey between around
1915 and 1923 is extremely sensitive in Turkey, which vehemently
denies that mass killings and deportations of the then-sizeable
Armenian minority constituted an organized genocide.
The conference in September went on despite the court order to close
it down after organizers changed the venue at the last minute. It
was the first time the issue was publicly discussed in Turkey.
A case against Orhan Pamuk, the country’s best-known novelist, for
“insulting Turkishness,” was dropped earlier this year after Turkey
came under harsh criticism from the EU.