Author: Chaltikian Arsine

GOLD AND SILVER RESERVES OF TOUKHMANUK

news.am
Oct 28 2009
Armenia

Global Gold Corporation declares the first stage of reserves’ approval
for its Toukhmanuk expansion. October 27, RA State Natural Resources
Agency issued its certificate based on Agency’s State Geological
Expert Commission proposal submitted in the course of October 23,
2009 session, GGC website informs Oct. 27.

According to the Agency’s release, the total approved reserves in the
C1 and C2 categories are approximately 35.614 t. (1.145.000 ounces)
of gold and 107 t. (3.440.000 ounces) of silver. The approved reserves
are in strict conformity with the International Standards’ requirements
for Measured & Indicated reserves.

The Agency’s commission members say the total approved ore reserve is
roughly 21,900 t. with an average gold grade of 1.62 grams per t. at
a cut off grade of .08 grams per t. and an average silver grade of
4.88 grams per t.

"GG has tested only about 20% of the area, which will extend to more
than 1.5 km along strike. There are other similar target areas where
additional exploration will be necessary. The Company plans to expand
production to 15.000 ounces per year in 2010 and then to an industrial
production level of over 100.000 ounces per year," the paper reads.

Los Angeles Times (October 28, 2009)

Recipe: Candied quince

Candied quince

(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Total time: About 1 1/2 hours

Servings: Makes 1 pint

Note: From Barbara Ghazarian’s "Simply Quince." For those new to
cooking with quince, this recipe is an excellent starting
point. Candied quince is very easy to make and delicious any way you
serve it.

3 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

1 pound fresh quince, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch-thick wedges
(about
3 cups)

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and
water. Add the quince and stir to coat.

2. Heat the mixture over medium heat until the sugar melts completely
and begins to bubble, stirring often so the fruit does not
burn. Reduce the heat to maintain a very gentle simmer and continue to
cook, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is softened and turned to
a rich rosé or red color and the sugar has reduced to a thickened,
syrupy consistency, about 1 1/4 hours. Remove from heat.

3. Serve with a little heavy cream or yogurt spooned over top, or use
as a topping for vanilla ice cream.

Each of 8 servings: 312 calories; 0 protein; 81 grams carbohydrates; 1
gram fiber; 0 fat; 0 cholesterol; 76 grams sugar; 1 mg. sodium.

fo-quincerec28a-2009oct28,0,7298783.story

Copyrig ht © 2009, The Los Angeles Times <;

Recipe: Quince clafoutis

Quince clafoutis

(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Total time: 1 hour and 10 minutes, plus poaching and chilling times
for the quince

Servings: 10

Note: Adapted from Barbara Ghazarian’s "Simply Quince." Light, rich
and creamy, this pudding-like dessert is a French classic. Sublime
when served slightly warm or just at room temperature.
Poached quince

8 cups water

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 3-inch cinnamon stick

2 pounds fresh quince, peeled, cored, quartered and cut into 1/2
-inch-thick wedges (about 7 cups)

In a large, heavy-bottom pot, combine water, sugar, lemon juice,
cinnamon stick and quince. Quickly bring to a boil over high heat,
stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce to a simmer and continue to
cook, uncovered, until the quince is tender, about 1 1/4 hours,
stirring occasionally. The fruit will turn golden, then a blush
salmon-pink color. The fruit is done when a knife pierces it
easily. Discard the cinnamon stick and cool to room temperature. This
makes about 4 cups poached quince, slightly more than is required for
the remainder of the recipe. Poached quince may be jarred in its
poaching syrup, stored in an airtight container and chilled (in the
refrigerator) for a week, or frozen.

Quince clafoutis

1 tablespoon butter, room temperature

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided

3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

6 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons apricot brandy

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 to 3 cups poached quince, drained, patted dry with paper towels, and
chilled in an airtight container for at least 2 hours before using

Powdered sugar, for dusting

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch round deep-dish pie
pan. Sprinkle the bottom and sides of the pan with 1 tablespoon of
the sugar. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or in a
large bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the eggs and
remaining one-third cup sugar until the eggs are pale yellow, light
and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the flour, cream, lemon zest,
vanilla, brandy and salt and mix over low speed just until
combined. Set aside the mixture for 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, arrange the quince slices in a single-layer fan or wheel
pattern on the base of the prepared pan.

4. Pour the custard evenly over the prepared fruit, leaving one-half
inch gap between the top of the custard and the top of the pan. Bake
the clafoutis in the middle of the oven until the top is golden brown
and the custard is firm, about 30 to 40 minutes, rotating halfway
through for even coloring. Remove to a rack; the clafoutis will settle
and deflate slightly as it cools.

5. Dust the top of the clafoutis with powdered sugar, slice and serve
slightly warm or at room temperature. Best served the day of
preparation; the custard tends to firm and crack when held over.

Each serving: 295 calories; 4 grams protein; 34 grams carbohydrates; 1
gram fiber; 16 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 123 mg. cholesterol;
19 grams sugar; 99 mg. sodium.

o-quincerec28b-2009oct28,0,19687.story?track=3Drss

Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times <;

Where to find quince

-quincebox28-2009oct28,0,5306250.story

Here are some places to buy quince fruit, trees and products.

Gonzaga Farm (Ronnie and Tess Gonzaga). Pineapple quince grown in
Lindsay, Calif., at the Alhambra, Cerritos, Buena Park, Long Beach
Southeast, Long Beach Uptown and Long Beach Downtown farmers markets.

June Taylor Co. (June Taylor). Artisanal organic preserves, available
by mail order: quince butter, quince paste, quince cheese. 2207 4th
St., Berkeley; (510) 548-2236;

Mud Creek Ranch (Steve and Robin Smith). Organic Pineapple and Golden
quince grown in Santa Paula, at the Hollywood and Santa Monica
Wednesday farmers markets.

One Green World (Jim Gilbert). Aromatnaya, Crimea, Kaunching,
Kuganskaya, Mellow, Orange, Smyrna and Van Deman quince trees. 28696
S. Cramer Road, Molalla, Ore.; (503) 651-3005;

Oregon Quinces (Tremaine and Gail Arkley). Fresh Pineapple and Russian
varieties of quince. 9775 Hultman Road, Independence, Ore.; (503)
838-4886.

Raintree Nursery (Sam Benowitz). Aromatnaya, Ekmek, Karp’s Sweet,
Orange, Pineapple, Portugal, Smyrna and Van Deman quince trees. 391
Butts Road, Morton, Wash.; (360) 496-6400;

Trees of Antiquity (Neil Collins). Aromatnaya, Pineapple and Smyrna
quince trees. 20 Wellsona Road, Paso Robles, Calif.; (805) 467-9909;

Terry Ranch (Rebecca and Mark Terry). Pineapple quince grown in Dinuba,
Calif., at the Santa Monica Saturday (Organic) farmers market.

Willowrose Bay (Edith Walden). Mediterranean quince marmalade (like
membrillo); regular quince marmalade; Ambrosia (quince and
applesauce); quince butter; quince syrup; and fresh quince:
Aromatnaya, Cooke’s Jumbo, Havran, Karp’s Sweet, Kaunching,
Kuganskaya, Meech’s Prolific, Lisle, Smyrna, Tashkent, Van
Deman. P.O. Box 1652, Anacordes, Wash.; (360) 299-9999.

ERDOGAN TO HAND OVER SECRET MESSAGE TO OBAMA

news.am
Oct 27 2009
Armenia

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit U.S. on December
7, Turkish Nethaber website informs.

Earlier Premier’s visit was postponed due to the celebration of
Turkey’s day. In the course of his visit Erdogan intends to discuss
Armenia-Turkey relations, as well as issues on Karabakh, Afghanistan,
Cyprus and Iran with his U.S. counterpart.

Turkish Prime Minister will hand over U.S. President Barack Obama
messages he got during his visit to Iran.

Azadliq, Azerbaijan
Oct 22 2009

Azerbaijan to review military doctrine due to row with Turkey

Azerbaijan’s military doctrine, which is yet to be approved in
parliament, will be reviewed in view of a recent row with Turkey.
Opposition daily Azadliq quoted an unnamed source involved in drafting
the doctrine as saying that Turkish-Armenian rapprochement was the
main cause for the review.

"The current doctrine describes Turkey as Azerbaijan’s strategic ally
and Armenia as an enemy. Azerbaijan is obliged to make some amendments
following the ‘alliance’ between the Turkish leadership and Armenia.
The latest moves by the Turkish authorities have necessitated changes
to Azerbaijan’s military doctrine," Azadliq quoted the source as
saying on 22 October.

According to the source, Turkey will lose its status of strategic ally
if the row with Azerbaijan goes on. "Unfortunately, the row continues
and there is no intention to prevent it," the source added.

[translated from Azeri]

ARMENIAN, AZERI PMS TO NOT QUARREL ANY MORE

news.am
Oct 23 2009
Armenia

The Moscow talks between Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians
were aimed at establishing dialogue and closer contacts between the to
countries, Hermine Nahdalyan, the MP of the Republican Party of Armenia
(RPA), told NEWS.am. She participated in the Russia-initiated talks.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was not on the agenda. "The main aim
of the meeting was to establish intergovernmental ties. However,
whatever we discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh problem was touched upon
at the meeting. In fact, numerous issues are immediately connected
with the Nagorno-Karabakh problem," Nahdalyan said. She mentioned the
anti-Armenian campaign being conducted by official Baku. Nahdalyan
said that the Azeri parliamentarians pronounced against such activities
and advanced relevant proposals.

Among the subjects discussed at the meeting was border trade. The
sides tried to finds topics of mutual interest.

As regards the prospects for further meetings between the two
countries’ parliamentarians, Nahdalyan pointed out that no specific
agreements were reached. "At our Russian partners’ suggestion we
agreed to sum up the proposals. We agreed to not trample one another
in the mud," Nahdalyan said.

October 22, Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians held a meeting
at the RF State Duma. Participating in the meeting were Armenian
and Azerbaijani Ambassadors to Russia, Armen Smbatyan and Polad Bul
Bul Oghly, as well as RF Special Presidential Representative Mikhail
Shvydkoi.

ARMENIANS AND GEORGIANS ARE NOT FRIENDS: GOGI KHAINDRAVA

news.am
Oct 23 2009
Armenia

In an interview with Asaval-dasaval daily, Georgian oppositionist Gogi
Khaindrava commented on September statement by the RA President Serzh
Sargsyan on granting Armenian language the regional status. He made
of it as direct interference in Georgian domestic affairs meanwhile
not reckoning it among Sargsyan’s friendly steps.

"Moreover, a friendly step would be having Armenians thinking of
solution to Georgian language problem in Javakhk, as there is no such
problem of Armenian language there. On the contrary, Armenian is the
only language they use out there," Khaindrava said.

According to him, Armenia-Turkey Protocols enable Yerevan to raise
new claims against Georgia. The expert assured there are Armenian
ethnic and political lobbyists among high ranking officials of
Georgia. Under these circumstances, the statements by Armenians should
not set wondering.

"Saakashvili, Gilauri, Bendukidze are the main lobbyists for Armenian
interests. Thus, we are lumbered by Armenian journalists, historians,
as well as Serzh Sargsyan, as they muscle support for ideas with
those like Saakashvili and Gilauri."

Khaindrava deems that the world is Armenia’s oyster in many respects,
as Saakashvili presently lobbies Armenian-Russian interests "selling
everything out to Russians."

"Armenians and Georgians are not friends at all, and have never been
such. We are merely Armenia’s neighbors, just as Turkey, Azerbaijan
and Russia. It is their lie, living to date," the expert stated,
adding that it is necessary to constantly speak of Armenians as the
mentioned statements are significant messages, addressed to Georgians.

"And in that regard, Javakhk is a rather dangerous region," he
concluded.

DAVID NALBANDIAN TO HAVE THE FIRST OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT AFTER REHABILITATION IN JANUARY IN AUCKLAND

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.10.2009 18:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Argentinean Armenian tennis player David Nalbandian
will take part in the tournament ATP Auckland Open-2009 starting
January 11 in Auckland (New Zealand).

Ranking 20th this week David Nalbandian plans at the the tournament
in Auckland to complete preparation to the first tournament of the
season of the Grand Slam – Australian Open Championship-2010.

In addition to Mr. Nalbandian the winner of last year’s competition,
David Nalbandian’s compatriot – Juan Martin del Potro has already
announced about his participation in the tournament.

"Nalbandian is the tennis player, who has his own style of play. We are
very happy that such a tennis player, who played in the tournament
semifinals and finals of the Grand Slam visits our tournament,
" gotennis.ru quoted the tournament director Richard Palmer.

Argentinian tennis player is undergoing rehabilitation after a hip
surgery, made in May this year. Now, once the strongest tennis players
of Argentina, has already started training and he projects to play
at two demonstration tournaments by the end of this year.

David will also play at the tournament, which will be held in San Juan,
December 12-13, where his compatriots Gaston Gaudio, Guillermo Canas
and Chilean Nicolas Massu will also play.

In December David intends to play at another showcase tournament –
in Buenos Aires, which will be held December 17-20 at the clay courts
of the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club. There, the Russian Marat Safin,
the Spaniard Carlos Moya, the Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, the Cypriot
Marcos Bagdatis, as well as last year’s champion of Argentine Juan
Monaco will compete with David Nalbandian.

WEEK DEDICATED TO 140TH ANNIVERSARY OF KOMITAS PASSED IN FRANCE

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.10.2009 17:28 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The week in memory of the great Armenian composer
Komitas in France, finished October 18 with a big concert of Armenian
and French musicians in the Concert Hall "Gaveau" in Paris, press
office of the foreign ministry of Armenia reports.

The concert was attended by the Ministers of Culture of France
and Armenia Frederic Mitterrand and Hasmik Poghosyan, as well as
representatives of political and social circles in France, science
and culture workers.

Participants enjoyed the works of Komitas performed by the pianist
Svetlana Navasardyan, singers Barsegh Tumanyan (bass), Juliet Galstyan
(mezzo-soprano), Hasmik Torosyan (soprano), Nairi orchestra led by
Hayk Davtyan (France), the quartet "Arpeggione" (France).

The week, dedicated to 140th anniversary of Komitas, opened on October
13 with a lecture-concert in the Paris-based House of World Cultures.

The concert of the Armenian State Chamber Choir on October 15 in the
hall of the Paris Church of Saint-Louis was a great success.

Week dedicated to Komitas was held under the patronage of culture
ministries of France and Armenia. Komitas (Soghomon Gevorg
Soghomonyan), Armenian composer, folklorist, singer and choral
conductor, was born September 26, 1869 in the Ottoman Empire. In 1890
Soghomon was ordained a monk. In 1893 he graduated from the Echmiadzin
Theological Academy. In 1895, Komitas was ordained Archimandrite. In
1896-99 he studied history and music theory in Berlin. From 1899 he
lived in Echmiadzin, led music classes and chorus of the Theological
Academy. He moved in 1910 in Constantinople. From 1919 he lived in
Paris. He died in 1935 in Paris, in 1936 the remains Komitas was
transported and buried in Yerevan.

ARMENIA WARNED TO END ‘OLIGOPOLY’
Emil Danielyan

/1855547.html
19.10.2009

Armenia will not reach a higher level of development unless its
leadership changes the "oligopolistic" structure of the national
economy, bolsters the rule of law and shows "zero tolerance" of
corruption, the World Bank’s managing director warned over the weekend.

"I think you can only go so far with this economic model," Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala told a news conference in Yerevan. "Armenia is a lower
middle-income country. If it wants to become a high-income or upper
middle-income country, it can not do so with this kind of economic
structure. That is clear."

The unusually blunt message came on the second day of Okonjo-Iweala’s
visit to Armenia during which she met with Prime Minister Tigran
Sarkisian and local business and civil society representatives and
toured several rural communities to inspect the implementation of
infrastructure projects financed by the World Bank. She also had a
lunch meeting with President Serzh Sarkisian on Sunday.

The Armenian authorities’ efforts to mitigate the effects of the
global financial crisis on the country was the main focus of the
talks. Okonjo-Iweala reaffirmed the World Bank’s strong support for
their anti-crisis measures which has translated into the disbursement
of over $200 million in various low-interest loans so far this year.

But she also stressed that the recession has exposed "some
vulnerabilities" of the Armenian economy that need to be urgently
addressed.

"Looking to the future, it is very clear that if Armenia is to come
out of the crisis well and grow in the future, it has to confront
some central challenges," said Okonjo-Iweala. "It has to confront
a challenge of competition. The economy needs to open up to more
competition."

"You strongly have to work to make sure that the economy is not
captured by oligopolistic structures," she added, apparently alluding
to a widely held belief that many forms of large-scale and lucrative
economic activity in Armenia have been effectively monopolized by a
small number of wealthy individuals and their government patrons.

Okonjo-Iweala also called for a sweeping reform of tax and customs
administration, the creation of a "strong and independent judicial
system" as well as a tough fight against government corruption. "You
have to fight corruption very strongly if this economy is to have a
chance to grow in the future," she stated.

The Armenian authorities claim to have stepped up their anti-corruption
efforts in recent years, adopting various anti-graft programs and
forming special bodies tasked with their implementation.

However, anti-draft watchdogs and other civic group see no significant
decrease in the scale of corrupt practices among various state
officials.

In particular, the Armenian affiliate of the Berlin-based Transparency
International believes that the country’s rulers are inherently
disinterested in combating graft because they themselves have extensive
business interests and are heavily reliant on the political backing of
"oligarchs" enjoying privileged government treatment.

Indeed, many government, law-enforcement and other officials in Armenia
own lucrative businesses, both directly and through their cronies,
and/or share in the profits of other firms sponsored by them.

When asked to comment on the perception that the Armenian leadership
has a vested interest in preserving the existing economic system,
Okonjo-Iweala said, "I think this is a question that the Armenian
people will also have to work on and decide for themselves. But
obviously … it will be in the self-interests of everyone in the
country, both policy-makers and citizens, if more competition is
introduced."

The number two figure in the World Bank leadership suggested that Prime
Minister Sarkisian is "strongly wishing to move on reforms." "I think
he fully realizes that these challenges are there and that if they
are not tackled it will be an impediment for the economy," she said.

Sarkisian’s commitment to reform is also acknowledged by local
commentators. However, few of them think that the former governor of
the Armenian Central Bank has the political clout and power to effect
the kind of changes that are sought by the World Bank.

A statement issued by the Armenian government after Sarkisian’s meeting
with Okonjo-Iweala on Saturday said the premier briefed her on "the
course of ongoing reforms that are primarily aimed at improving tax
and customs administration. He said she success of those reforms would
significantly improve country’s business environment and expressed
readiness to engage foreign experts in their implementation, the
statement said.

"You can deal with the technical issues but what you need is a
political will to say, ‘Look, we are going to have zero tolerance
of corruption in these areas,’" Okonjo-Iweala told journalists the
next day. "So we hope the prime minister will get support — and I
hope to meet with the president — and that there will be support
for this zero tolerance."

Tigran Sarkisian declared tax reform a top priority shortly after being
appointed prime minister in April 2008. He swiftly managed to reduce,
with President Sarkisian’s assistance, bribery and favoritism within
Armenia’s notoriously corrupt customs service.

However, some local entrepreneurs now say that corruption among customs
officials, which is greatly facilitated by their discretionary power
to determine the market value of imported goods, has been on the rise
this year. "The customs may now be even more corrupt than it was under
[former President Robert] Kocharian," one importer alleged recently.

The businessman, who did not want to be identified, told RFE/RL that
local firms importing goods can easily contact intermediary firms
that can help them pay less import duties in return for a cash payment.

Those firms have close ties with the leadership of the State Revenue
Committee (SRC), he claimed.

Only one Armenian businessman has made such allegations publicly to
date. Gagik Hakobian, one of the owners of the Royal Armenia coffee
packaging company, claimed in 2004 to have been offered to engage in a
fraud scam with senior customs officials, including Gagik Khachatrian,
the current SRC chief. Hakobian was subsequently arrested and sentenced
to six years in prison on controversial fraud charges.

TURKEY-ARMENIA NORMALIZATION JEOPARDIZES ENERGY LINKS BETWEEN TURKEY, AZERBAIJAN

armradio.am
19.10.2009 10:46

Turkey and Armenia’s normalization protocols signaled a major thaw
in relations between the neighbors, but Turkey’s ties to Azerbaijan –
especially its energy links – may now be at risk.

"No more cheap gas to Turkey," Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
said. The price dispute between Turkey and Azerbaijan is not new but
has never before been at the top of the agenda, the Hurriyet Daily
News reports.

Having received new offers from Iran and Russia, Aliyev hinted at
not joining the Nabucco pipeline project, adding, "There are other
alternatives."

"Azerbaijan has been selling its natural gas to Turkey at one-third of
the global prices. Which country can do this, especially in this age?
It is not acceptable any more," Aliyev said.

"Regretfully, we have not able to sell our gas to the EU due to the
lack of an accord with Turkey," Aliyev noted.