Author: Chakhmakhchian Vatche

ARMENIA RELEASES NUMBER OF HIT GUNS BOUGHT FROM RUSSIA

Today.Az
/54100.html
July 24 2009
Azerbaijan

Armenia has released number of hit guns bought from Russia last year.

The report Armenia presented to the UN conventional weapons register
said the country purchased only hit guns.

The report said last year Armenia bought 52 SV-98 guns, 32 KC-23
carbines, 60 GP-30 and 19 6G-30 grenade cup discharges.

Armenia did not include defense technology bought from Russia and
other countries in 2008 to the report.

RA PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN ATTENDED THE PRESENTATION OF "TAXPAYER-3" SYSTEM HELD AT EREBUNI PLAZA HOTEL IN YEREVAN

Wedn esday, 22 July 2009

RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan attended the presentation of
"Taxpayer-3" system held at Erebuni Plaza Hotel in Yerevan. The
software was made possible through the joint efforts of the Government
Staff of the Republic of Armenia, the Ministry of Economy and the
State Revenue Committee by the Government with close support of the
European Union.

The Taxpayer-3 system provides an online automated tax return receipt
management tool. SRC Head Gagik Khachatryan briefed the participants
– top-ranking public officials and entrepreneurs – on the assets of
this system, which will enable the SRC management to follow from the
headquartered computers the operations of local inspectorates. It
can get all types of returns online. Domestic taxpayers will be
provided electronic passports reflecting their past records. A
risk assessment criteria-based automated system will be available
to allow identification of such entities as may prove subject to
checkups. As a result, taxpayer-tax collector relationship will be
given a qualitatively new format.

Either the State will benefit from this system thanks to the facility
of direct and synchronized data entry into the SRC data base from all
regions of Armenia, the shaping of a conf idence-building environment
for fast contact with taxpayers and reduced number of tax returns
submitted in hard copies.

Chief of Government Staff David Sargsyan advised that for a while
now documents are circulated online between the Government Staff,
the ministries of economy, finance, territorial administration,
Diaspora and foreign affairs and Kotayk marz administration. With
the help of the World Bank, the Office of Government has developed
and introduced a system of electronic signatures. The Taxpayer-3
system, too, allows for the circulation of digitally signed notices
and official letters to those entities with arrears. All the other
government agencies and regional administrations will have joined
the system within the next five years.

Representative of EU Mission in Armenia Uffe Ulse and program
coordinator Anthony Jaggus said the launching of the new system
provides a landmark on the way to creating a unified online network
for electronic management in Armenia.

The first-ever online tax return was presented in public during the
presentation ceremony.

"LET THEM EAT WITHIN REASONABLE LIMITS"

A1+
04:57 pm | July 22, 2009

Politics

"Electoral system is the most corrupted in Armenia," says Armenia’s
Human Rights Defender Armen Harutiunian.

During today’s anti-corruption conference entitled "Corruption and
Human Rights" Mr. Armen Harutiunian underlined that corruption is a
latent phenomenon which still needs to be uncovered.

The Armenian Ombudsman noted that corruption is common in developed
countries as well.

"Corruption is not curbed in Armenia as some top-level officials are
not interested in the struggle. They arrest a few doctors, judges and
professors but this is not a way to combat against the phenomenon. The
struggle should be systemized and targeted at the monopoly. The most
dangerous is that an ordinary citizen says he is helpless and a state
official takes no efforts."

Anyway, Mr. Harutiunian is glad that Armenia ranks the second after
Georgia among post-Soviet countries.

Helsinki Association Chairman Avetik Ishkhanian thinks the state
system is the most corrupted in Armenia.

"It is too easy to control a corrupted official therefore the
authorities do not struggle against corruption," says Mr. Ishkhanian.

"The struggle is senseless unless our citizens’ attitude towards
corruption is changed. Our mentality is corrupted. Frequently you
can hear people saying "Let the authorities eat within reasonable
limits." In Armenia, people long for power to obtain corruption levers
and not to implement ideas."

TWO OF OSCE CO-CHAIRS TO BE SUBSTITUTED

Panorama.am
18:44 22/07/2009

During the current year two of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs will
be substituted by other diplomats, public radio reports referring to
Russian co-chair Yuri Merzliakov. According to the Russian co-chair
the Russian and American co-chairs are going to be substituted by
the end of the year.

Note that American and Azerbaijani media outlets report that Matthew
Bryza will be appointed Ambassador of the U.S. to Azerbaijan. Matthew
Bryza has not approved the information but said that he would be
happy to be appointed Ambassador in one of Southern Caucasus states.

Regarding the Russian co-chair he has not announced anything about
his future career.

KARABAKH GOES TO MOSCOW
by Anton Ivanitsky

WPS Agency
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
July 20, 2009 Monday
Russia

In accordance with the Madrid principles

ARMENIAN, AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT ARE OFFERED A COMPROMISE TO SETTLE
THE KARABAKH ISSUE; Most will agree it is impossible to solve the
Karabakh problem unless both sides are willing to compromise; Armenia,
Azerbaijan exchange harsh words in the meantime

A meeting by presidents Serge Sargsyan of Armenia and Ilkham Aliev of
Azerbaijan is expected to address the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement. They
are to discuss the updated Madrid document of November 29, 2007 (the
so-called "Madrid principles") handed to them by the representatives
from the OSCE Minsk group including the U.S., Russia and France. During
the Aquila summit of July 10, Dmitry Medvedev, Barack Obama and Nicolas
Sarcozy issued a joint statement on Nagorno-Karabakh, which called
on the two countries to "settle the few remaining contradictions"
and "have full coordination of the main guiding principles".

According to the Madrid principles, Armenia and Azerbaijan
are to provide guarantees of security for international
peacekeeping organizations, and to open all transport and trade
routes. Armenian and Karabakh troops are to withdraw from all areas
near Nagorno-Karabakh. Stage one is five districts. Two of them,
the Kelbajar and the Lachi, are to be given a special status.

Prior to the Moscow meeting the parties exchanged some stern
statements. Ilkham Aliev said in an interview aired July 5, "The
status of Nagorno-Karabakh is a future matter, and the proposals
we are currently discussing do not include the matter of its
status. Naturally, we are not looking into Nagorno-Karabakh as a
sovereign country scenario".

This last phrase by Aliev is contrary to the Madrid principles, as it
is said in the long-term perspective the population of Karabakh are
to decide its status. The Armenian president said in September 2008
that to effectively solve the protracted conflict they would have to
convince Baku that self-determination for Karabakh was in order.

Press secretary Eduard Sharmanazov of the Republican party of Armenia
chaired by Serge Sargsyan said the Azerbaijani president was attempting
to do two things at a time. According to Sharmanazov, Aliev was both
saying he would uphold the Madrid principles, and publicly stating
they would insist on Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, which is far
from true. Former Nagordno-Karabakh president who is now Armenia’s
special envoy, Arkady Gukasyan, said "the pronouncements by Azerbaijani
leaders confirmed they were not prepared to compromise".

The two leaders reaffirmed their adherence to the Madrid principles
on November 2, 2008, during the talks held at Mayendorf near Moscow
at the invitation of President Medvedev.

According to Aleksandr Tsipko of the International foundation for
social, economic and political studies – Gorbachev foundation, and
the Russian academy of sciences Institute of economics international
economic and political studies department, while the international
mediation in the Karabakh problem is essential, the responsibility in
ending the conflict lies on the two countries. "They need historical
courage, as it is impossible to solve the problem unless both sides
are ready to make concessions. The Armenians in Karabakh will never
agree to become de jure Azerbaijani citizens. Azerbaijani areas now
temporarily occupied have to be returned to Azerbaijan".

PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN RECEIVED SHEIKH OF KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA MOHAMMAD MUSALAMI

Gov.am
11/
July 20 2009
Armenia

The Prime Minister noted during the meeting that Armenia is interested
in developing trade and economic relationship with the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia and realizing investment programs of mutual interest.

Stressing that he seeks to get acquainted with the country during this
first visit to Armenia, Mohammad Musalami said to be interested in
building a hotel complex in Armenia. According to the sheikh, there are
serious prospects for cooperation in the sphere of agriculture, too.

The head of the Armenian government expressed readiness to back the
implementation of said projects.

AL-AKHBAR: TABOURIAN DENIES KNOWLEDGE OF REFORM PLAN FOR ELECTRICITY SECTOR

NowLebanon
July 17 2009
Lebanon

Al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Friday that the Higher Council
for Privatization took Energy Minister Alain Tabourian and other
electricity sector employees by surprise when it released a summarized
report called "the Reform Plan for the Electricity Sector."

The report included "new elements pertaining to the implementation
of the plan up until the end of June 2009."

Tabourian denied any prior knowledge of the report, saying that the
council or any other party had not notified him of the plan.

Also according to the report, outgoing Prime Minister Fouad Siniora
and his team will not listen to any ideas addressing the country’s
electricity problem, unless they involve the private sector in the
production, distribution and levying of fees as well as in increasing
the tariffs paid by consumers.

MATTHEW BRYZA: WE PAY ATTENTION TO THE CONCERN OF OUR KARABAKH FRIENDS

ArmInfo
2009-07-17 21:37:00

ArmInfo. We pay attention to the concern of our Karabakh friends. No
agreement is possible without their participation, the US co-chair
of the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza said after the Moscow meeting
of the Armenian and Azeri presidents.

ArmInfo’s correspondent in Moscow quotes Bryza as saying that today’s
meeting was more specific. Bryza is a bit disappointed that no new
decisions have been made. At the same time, today’s discussion was
as open and active as never before. Bryza cannot say that everything
is excellent.

Nevertheless, the negotiating process is continued and is at a serious
stage. At least, no setback has been registered as compared with the
previous meetings.

Asked by ArmInfo what new issues the presidents discussed, the Russian
co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov said that it is early yet to speak about
that. "You will know this in due time when the key principles are
approved." The French co-chair Bernard Fassier said that the parties
are getting closer to this approval.

To remind, the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan started their
meeting in the presence of the Armenian and Azeri FMs, the OSCE MG
co-chairs and the personal representative of the OSCE CIO Andrzej
Kasprzyk and then continued it tete-a-tete. The FMs refrained from
comments. The presidents have instructed them, jointly with the
co-chairs, to organize the next presidential meeting this autumn. This
is the sixth presidential meeting this year. On July 18 the Armenian,
Azeri and Russian presidents will hold a trilateral meeting.

ARMENIAN, AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENTS TO MEET IN MOSCOW

Trend News Agency
July 16 2009
Azerbaijan

Presidents of Armenian and Azerbaijan Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev
will hold talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement in Moscow
on July 17 in 2009, the official Web site of the Kremlin reported.

After the talks, the two presidents will hold a trilateral meeting
with their Russian counterpart Dmitriy Medvedev on July 18, the
Russian president’s press service reported.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I MEETS WITH REPRESENTATIVES
OF THE COPTIC ORTHODOX AND SYRIAN ORTHDOX PATRIARCHS

On Thursday 16 July 2009, Metropolitan Amba Bishoy of Damiette General
Secretary of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church, representative of
H.H. Pope Shenouda III, and Mor Theophilos George Saliba of Mount Lebanon
Secretary of the Holy Synod of the Syrian Orthodox Church, representative of
Patriarch Zakka I, met with His Holiness Aram I in his summer residence in
Bikfaya (Lebanon).

The meetings focused on ecumenical concerns arising from the difficulties in
the World Council of Churches and the Middle East Council of Churches, and
the way these difficulties impact the lives of the churches globally and
regionally. At the end the General Secretary of the Middle East Council of
Churches Dr. Gergis Saleh joined the meeting.

##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.