Author: Chakhmakhchian Vatche

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT AND GAZPROM CHAIRMAN AGREE TO CHANGE GAS TARIFF UNTIL 2011 IN COORDINATED WAY

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 19, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 19, NOYAN TAPAN. "Gazprom is a stable and long-term
partner of Armenia," the RA president Serge Sargsian stated during
the May 19 meeting with the chairman of Gazprom company Alexei Miller.

According to a press release submitted by the RA president’s press
service, the sides noted with satisfaction that in recent years
ArmRusgazprom has operated quite efficiently, and the gas consumption
has grown in Armenia, which bears evidence of stable development
of both this company and the Armenian economy. The increase in
gas consumption by the population in recent years was pointed out
as an important achievement. According to the president, thanks to
large-scale work on gas network installation, Armenia has become one
of the countries with the highest indices of gas network installation.

During a discussion on the gas tariff and the price formation,
A. Miller said that Gazprom envisages ensuring equal profitability
for gas supplied both to Russia and abroad. The sides agreed to
coordinate any change in the gas tariff step by step until 2011,
taking into account Gazprom’s 72% stake in ArmRusgazprom company,
as well as to ensure predictability and accessibility for entities
of the Republic of Armenia.

The sides also spoke about negotiations on construction of an oil
refinery and discussed the implementation of other investment program
of Gazprom in Armenia’s energy sector.

ARMENIA’S TOURIST INDUSTRY TO BE REPRESENTED IN SOCHI

ARKA
May 16, 2008

YEREVAN, May 16. /ARKA/. Armenia’s tourist industry will be
represented during an Armenian-Russian info-tour in Sochi, Russia,
this September-October.

Speaking at the first Armenian-Russian business forum on tourism
and hotel business, Director of the Sochi-based Vesna hotel Asya
Khachaturyan pointed out the need for combined efforts to develop
hotel business in both countries.

She said that bilateral projects of tourist industry development will
be elaborated. "This info-tour is the best opportunity for attracting
Russian tourists to Armenia," Khachatryan said.

A group of businesswomen from the South of Russia, Tatarstan,
Abkhazia arrived in Armenia at the invitation of the Business Center
for Supporting Women. The participants in the forum, which is to last
until May 21, are to visit Armenia’s major tourist centers, namely,
Tsakhkadzor, Jermuk and Dilijan.

The Business Center for Supporting Women was founded in 2005 and
unites about 80 businesswomen.

61 CONGRESSMEN CONDEMN DINK’S MURDER

Panorama.am
15:51 15/05/2008

According to the Armenian National Committee of America Congressman
Brad Sherman (Democrat, California) supports article 102 condemning
Hrant Dink’s murder presented by the House of Representatives. The
article supported by the Armenian National Committee of America
presented to Congressman Josef Crowl in 2007 condemns Turkish Armenian
Dink’s murder, glorifies his heritage and calls Turkey to take measures
to protect the freedom of speech by abolishing article 301 from the
Criminal Code of Turkey.

"I am proud of protecting such an important article concerning to
human rights. It is important to make the guilty to stand beyond the
court. We should prove the world that Dink’s death was not in vain,"
said Sherman to the Assembly. After Sherman has joined to the article
the number of its protectors is 61.

Citizen of Turkey, defender of speech and democratic reforms Hrant
Dink was murdered in a daytime near the office of "Akos" newspaper
in Istanbul, Turkey. "Akos" has been established since 1996, it is
the only bilingual newspaper (Armenian and Turkish) published in
Turkey today.

PICKETERS DEMAND TO SANCTION THE RALLY

A1+
[08:02 pm] 14 May, 2008

Today scores of Armenian citizens staged a picket in front of the
City Hall of Yerevan in protest against the City Hall’s disregard
for their notifications of rallies. They demanded a meeting with
Mayor Erwand Zakharian. But the policemen banned their access to the
building chaining the entrance.

The picketers began chanting, "We call for justice," "Freedom,"
"Free and Independent Armenia."

"The City Hall didn’t accept our notification of holding a rally
at Liberty Square on May 23-24. It is already the 28th time the
City Hall has refused our notifications on groundless motivations,"
says HHSh member Norik Norikian. "Here are our demands: firstly, to
secure our representative’s presence in the sitting where the issue
of rallies is put under consideration.

Secondly, we demand the authorities to carry out the PACE
recommendations. And thirdly, the Armenian leadership should accept
our notification of the May 23-24 rally.

The Mayor didn’t receive the protesters today though they waited for
him for two hours. picketers were told that the authorized employee
was out and couldn’t receive them.

It is a great tragedy that a Mayor cannot receive a citizen. We shall
be consistent. We shall hold a rally at Liberty Square if they don’t
change their attitude towards us," said the picketers.

RF FA ACCUSES BRYZA OF INCOMPETENCE AND INCONSISTENCY

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.05.2008 15:51 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Russian Foreign Ministry has sharply criticized
statements by U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza
in Tbilisi and Sukhumi, describing them as erroneous.

The Foreign Ministry has slammed Bryza, for his statements concerning
Moscow’s "provocative moves" and accused him of bias in favor of
Tbilisi.

"There is an impression that Mr Bryza is not aware of the fact that
on April 29 and on May 3 the commander of the CIS peacekeeping forces
informed in details the Georgian Defense Minister [Davit Kezerashvili]
about the reasons of increasing the strength of peacekeeping troops,
including about the scheme of their dislocation. We have numerously
stated that there is no military motive in the lifting CIS sanctions
on Abkhazia," said Boris Malakhov, a spokesman for FR Foreign Ministry
spokesman.

"This is not the first time when Mr. Bryza demonstrates lack of
knowledge of a real situation and real events taking place in the
conflict region, as a result of which his judgments, saying the least
of it, are less in line of the reality," he said.

"In the light of "unilateral concentration of the Georgian troops at
the Abkhaz border and regular overflights of the Georgian unmanned
reconnaissance drones in the Abkhaz airspace, the U.S. diplomat all
of a sudden questions expediency of certain increase of the level of
CIS peacekeeping forces in the conflict zone."

"At the same time, besides the reconnaissance activities and fire
correction, the unmanned aerial vehicle can carry an air-to-air
missile," Malakhov said.

"The statements of the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
made in Tbilisi and Sokhumi [on May 9-12] are in the line of the
U.S. Administration’s efforts to cover up and to shield from criticism
those, whom they are actively dragging into NATO," the Russian Foreign
Ministry official said.

OFFICE OF SEVAN RADIO BURNT IN BEIRUT

armradio.am
12.05.2008 16:54

The headquarters of the Armenian "Sevan" radio station was burnt
during the recent clashes in Lebanon. According to MP Eghik Jerejyan,
representing the Hnchakian Party at the Parliament of Lebanon,
the station operates under the auspices of the government forces,
that is why it became the main target of the opposition movement.

According to him, "Sevan Radio" is politically independent, but
enjoys the support Saad Hariri’s movement. On Saturday, at about 5
a.m. Hezbollah militants entered the building and the newly established
Armenian radio station "Sevan" in the Mar Elias area in Beirut.

Interfax News Agency, Russia
May 9 2008

Armenia denies violating ceasefire agreement with Azerbaijan

YEREVAN May 9

Yerevan has denied reports that Armenian armed forces had violated a
ceasefire agreement with Azerbaijan at the contact line with the Azeri
armed forces.

"Azerbaijan’s reports alleging the violation of the ceasefire
agreements at the contact line between the Armenian and Azeri armed
forces is another act of provocation and another lie on Azerbaijan’s
part," Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman Col. Seiran Shakhsuvarian
told Interfax on Friday.

Azeri media reported earlier citing the Azeri Defense Ministry that
"Armenian armed forces fired upon Azeri military positions at the
frontline simultaneously in several directions on May 8 and 9."

"The enemy was suppressed by return fire, and the Azeri side did not
suffer any losses," the reports said.

Shakhsuvarian recalled that Armenian Defense Minister Seiran Oganian
had officially declared on May 4 that the Armenian armed forces had
been instructed not to respond to sporadic fire from Azerbaijan.

AzerTac, Azerbaijan
May 7 2008

AZERI AND ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET IN STRASBOURG

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met on May 6 with his
Armenian counterpart Eduard Nalbandian in Strasbourg, France.
Co-Chairmen of the Minsk Group, Ambassadors Bernard Fassier of France,
Yury Merzlyakov of Russia and Matthew Bryza of the United States, as
well as Personal Envoy of the OSCE Chairman-in-office Andzei Kaspshik
were also present at the meeting.
The ministers put forward their countries’ stance in the meeting.
Mr. Mammadyarov said there exist opportunities to find a solution to
the problem.
The sides also discussed the possible meeting between the Azerbaijani
and Armenian presidents.
According to him, the ministers will report to the presidents on some
options to organize the meeting, and they will take decision
concerning the issue.

The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, Virginia)
May 6, 2008 Tuesday

Teenager creates lifelike baby dolls with loving care: Colonial Forge
High junior Rita Artinian designs, makes and paints realistic baby
dolls

by Rebecca J. Barnabi, The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg, Va.

May 6–Each blush of the cheek, each toenail and each lip are lovingly
painted.

Every strand of hair is placed just so and every baby is sent out into
the world.

So realistic are the dolls Colonial Forge High School junior Rita
Artinian creates that from a distance they could be mistaken for live,
breathing babies.

The babies in Rita’s "Reborn Nursery" reflect the love, care and
attention to detail Rita puts into making each one.

"I try to make them as realistic as possible," said Rita, 17, who was
born in Springfield, but has lived in Stafford County most of her
life.

Having always been interested in artistic endeavors, she began making
dolls a year and a half ago. According to her father, Harry Artinian,
a computer programmer, Rita began painting dolls’ faces as a way to
practice for a possible career someday as a film makeup artist.

"Rita [has been] an artist since she was a child," her father said. "A
studio artist and also a performing artist."

She began researching the Internet for materials: baby limbs, clothes,
hair, and paint products. She said each doll costs about $50 to make,
but hours and hours of labor. She can make one doll in about two
weeks.

She sews mohair into each baby’s head from the inside out so that it
can be brushed and handled. This task alone requires seven hours.

After meticulously painting each toenail, fingernail, lip, face, and
also sometimes veins on the hands and wrinkles on the legs, Rita
places each doll in the oven. This unmotherly action sets the makeup
so that it will never rub or chip off.

Some dolls come with a magnetic pacifier that attaches to a magnet
inside the doll’s mouth. Blankets are hand-sewn by Rita’s grandmother.

Selling on eBay for $100 to $200 each, Rita’s dolls are not meant as
toys for children, but items for a collector. Her last doll sold for
$300.

Her father said that at a festival in Alexandria last summer, a doctor
told Rita he would hire her if she was 18 to make prosthetic limbs for
people.

"That is also a career she can get into," said Harry Artinian.

So far Rita makes mostly Caucasian dolls, but she hopes to start
making ethnic dolls.

Rita’s father was born in Armenia and her mother, Maral, was born in
Lebanon.

After putting so much time into creating each doll, Rita finds it
difficult to sell them. The only doll she keeps for herself is the
very first one she made: a preemie girl.

Rita is considering attending the University of Mary Washington, where
her brother is a student. She would like to major in drama or art.

But she plans to continue making her dolls.

"I enjoy making them and it gives me something productive to do," said
Rita. "We’ll see what will happen in the future."

For more information, visit RitaArt.com.

REPRESENTATIVE OF RA CEC STAFF TO OBSERVE PROCESS OF PARLIAMENTARY
ELECTIONS OF GEORGIA

YEREVAN, MAY 7, NOYAN TAPAN. The Central Electoral Commission of the
Republic of Armenia has received only one invitiation from the
OSCE/ODIHR for observing the parliamentary elections to be held in
Georgia on May 21. According to the information provided to a Noyan
Tapan correspondent by Tatev Ohanian, the Spokesperson of the
Commission, Atom Mkhitarian, a leading specialist of the Foreign
Relations Department of the Central Electoral Commission, will observe
the process of the elections in the staff of the monitoring mission of
that international organization.