Author: Chilingarian Babken

NKR IN FIGURES: REPUBLIC NATIONAL STATISTIC SERVICE REPORTS

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
June 6 2006

According to the information DE FACTO Information-Analytics Agency
correspondent got at the Nagorno Karabakh Republic /NKR/ National
Statistic Service, for January -May, 2006 793 children were born in
the Nagorno Karabakh, which is 4,5% less as compared with the same
period 2005. Death-rate was cut by 6, 7% for the same period.

The natural increment of population for January – May 2006 made 246
people – 0, 8 % higher than the level of the same period last year.

The mechanical increment of the population made 97 people for the
same period.

For January – April 2006 industrial production for 5 milliard 937
million drams was made in the Republic, which surpasses last year’s
level by 1, 1 %.

For the same period 695, 3 tons of meat of cattle and bird was realized
in the Republic, which is 25, 9% more as compared with the same period
of 2005, as well as 9542, 6 tons of milk /101,1%/ and 4 million 23,2
thousand eggs /72,7%/ .

In April – May 2006 capital construction for 3 milliard 84, 2 million
drams was implemented in the NKR, which is 36, 7% more as compared with
the same period 2005. 57, 8% of the capital construction’s amount was
ensured at the expense of the NKR state budget. In May 2006 consumer
price index made 106 % compared with last December.

In January – May 2006 consumer price index was 102, 7 % compared with
the same period last year.

RTE SPORT
Nalbandian through to semi-finals
Tuesday, 06 June 2006 6:58

David Nalbandian is through to the semi-finals of the French Open

David Nalbandian, the third seed from Argentina, ousted sixth seed Nikolay
Davydenko in four sets to progress to the French Open semi-finals for the
second time in three years.

Nalbandian, 24, who reached the last four at Roland Garros in 2004 only to
be beaten by Gaston Gaudio, overcame his Russian rival 6-3 6-3 2-6 6-4.

After winning the first two sets, Nalbandian suffered a lapse in form in the
third, with Davydenko raising his game to narrow the deficit.

In the fourth set, however, Nalbandian broke his opponent in the fifth game
to take a 3-2 lead and held serve thereafter to seal victory.

Nalbandian won the Masters Series event in Shanghai in 2005 after defeating
world number one Roger Federer, who he will now face in the last four at
Roland Garos.

BLACK SEA FORUM IN ROMANIA ADOPTS FINAL STATEMENT

Rompres news agency
5 Jun 06

Bucharest, 5 June: The final declaration of the summit meeting of the
Black Sea Forum for Dialogue and Partnership held on Monday 5 June
in Bucharest provides for the creation of this forum as a “platform
for finalizing a common vision on the development of democracy and
a market economy”.

The declaration states that the need for this regional cooperation
initiative is the result of interdependence between the Black Sea
countries, highlighting that all these countries will have to strive
to secure peace, stability, prosperity and good neighbourly relations
by efficient use of the other forms already existing in the area,
particularly the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC).

The final document of the Bucharest summit meeting indicates that
the challenges to regional stability – terrorism, pollution, natural
calamities, trafficking and organized crime as well as unsettled
disputes – require a new, action-oriented strategy on the part of
the countries in this region.

The Black Sea Forum, the document says, will aim to promote
regional cooperation, good governance, democracy, human rights, the
consolidation of tolerance, the development of the civil society,
while offering better opportunities to young people through education
and scientific research. At the same time, it will seek new ways of
winning the active involvement of the business communities in all
these priorities and of accommodating the regional priorities with
those of the Euro-Atlantic community.

“There will be no standing bodies of the Forum and the Forum will
not overlap the cooperation mechanisms already in place in the region.

Tits operational framework will be minimal and flexible based on
partnerships,” reads the document.

Likewise, it mentions that further consultations will be held and
the Forum will be open to all the countries of the region and all
partners concerned, be them countries or international organizations.

The declaration also hails the interest on the rise of the European
Union in the Black Sea area and encourages the national authorities
of the countries in these region to make good use of the financial
instruments to be made available by the European Union beginning with
2007 – the European Neighbourhood Policy, the European Neighbourhood
Policy Instrument (ENPI) and the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA).

The document is signed by state officials from Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine.

The Russian Federation is not a party to the Forum, but she was
represented in the summit meeting as an observer by Ambassador to
Bucharest Aleksandr Tolkaci.

Tolkaci did not deliver any message to the participants, but he said
at the end of the meeting that the position of the Russian Federation
remains the same as the one voiced by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“Such regional initiatives are good, but there are too many of them,”
Tolkaci told journalists.

The Russian Federation voiced reservations over the need to establish
the Black Sea Forum, arguing that this initiative is overlapping
the BSEC.

AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN PRESIDENTS FAIL TO SIGN JOINT DECLARATION IN THE END OF BUCHAREST MEETING

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
June 5 2006

The meeting of Azerbaijan’s and Armenia’s Presidents Ilham Aliyev
and Robert Kocharian today in Bucharest with participation of OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairs failed to have any results.

APA reports quoting American co-chair Steven Mann as saying to Radio
Liberty that the presidents had very intense discussions. The co-chairs
will discuss the results of the talks and plan further steps. They will
report about it in the upcoming meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council.

Mr.Mann said there was a good atmosphere in the talks, “I’ll not
inform about the content of the discussions. I can say it was a
detailed discussion.”

Responding to the question “What is the difference between today’s
talks and the previous talks in Rambouillet,” the co-chair said,
“We had a detailed discussion. Yesterday evening and today, the
Presidents had one-one meeting and with presence of the co-chairs. We
are on the stage of detailed discussion.”

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told the Radio Liberty
that the issues dividing them are related to general principles,
“Azerbaijan’s position remains unchanged.”

Mammadyarov also said the Ministers may meet if it is necessary.

Though the Presidents expected to sign a joint Declaration, they
failed to do it.

SENATOR MAY LOSE SEAT IN AIRLINE BRIBERY CASE

The Moscow Times, Russia
Itar-Tass
June 6 2006

Combined Reports

Senator Levon Chakhmakhchyan faced expulsion from the Federation
Council on Monday after security agents said they caught him with a
$300,000 bribe in a sting operation.

Chakhmakhchyan was the latest politician to be targeted in what
appears to largely be a jockeying for power in the run-up to the 2008
presidential election. Authorities are portraying the shakeups as a
drive against corruption.

State-run television prominently broadcast footage Monday of
Chakhmakhchyan, from the republic of Kalmykia, being questioned on
Friday after agents from the Federal Security Service detained two
associates and accused them of carrying a black briefcase containing
the cash.

Chakhmakhchyan, who was at the Moscow offices of an airline with his
associates, was released because of his parliamentary immunity, the
Prosecutor General’s Office said. Channel One television identified
the airline as Transaero on Sunday.

Prosecutors said the two associates of Chakhmakhchyan had sought to
blackmail a businessman to avoid a negative report on his company’s
activities by the Audit Chamber, the country’s main financial watchdog.

Prosecutors identified the two suspects as Igor Arushanov, the chief
accountant of the Association of Russian-Armenian Business Partnership,
and Armen Oganesyan, an Audit Chamber official.

Chakhmakhchyan is the president of the association, and Oganesyan is
his son-in-law.

Chakhmakhchyan has denied wrongdoing and denounced the incident as
a provocation.

Transaero spokesman Sergei Bykhal declined to comment Monday, citing
the ongoing investigation.

Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov ordered the Kalmykia
legislature to recall Chakh-makhchyan as its senator, council
spokesman Vladimir Yeremenko said. That would strip Chakh-makhchyan
of his immunity.

Kalmykia’s president, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, supported Mironov, saying
local legislators should honor his request, Interfax reported.

A half-dozen prominent regional politicians have been forced out of
office in recent weeks.

After being detained last week, Volgograd Mayor Yevgeny Ishchenko
was charged Monday with abuse of office and engaging in illegal
business activities.

ROLAND GARROS 2006
PARIS, FRANCE
June 4, 2006

Nalbandian is Paris Dangerman

Top seed Roger Federer is now three victories away from becoming just the
third man in history to win four consecutive Grand Slam titles after
brushing aside Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in 1 hr. 47 mins. to reach the
Roland Garros quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.
Today’s victory marked Federer’s 25th consecutive Grand Slam match win,
tying him for second place (w/Sampras, Connors) on the Open Era list behind
Laver with 29 in 1969-70.
Berdych, who defeated Federer at the 2004 Olympics, led 3-1 in the third set
before Federer rallied to win the last five games of the match.
Federer, 24, is attempting to reach his eighth consecutive Grand Slam
semifinal and win his sixth major title from his past eight Grand Slam
appearances. Federer reached the Roland Garros semifinals for the first time
last year, losing to Rafael Nadal. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds remain on track
to meet in this year’s final.
Only Don Budge and Rod Laver (twice) have held all four Grand Slam titles at
the same time. Both men completed the Grand Slam – tennis’s holy grail of
winning all four majors in the same calendar year – Budge in 1938 and Laver
in 1962 and ’69. Three other men have won all four Grand Slam titles during
their careers – Andre Agassi, Roy Emerson and Fred Perry – but they did not
win four consecutive Grand Slam titles as Federer now has the chance to do.
Federer next meets in-form Croatian 12th seed Mario Ancic, who upset seventh
seed Tommy Robredo 7-5 in the fifth set.
Federer holds a 2-1 career edge over Ancic, winning their two most recent
meetings in 2005 in Miami and Rotterdam on hard court. Ancic claimed his
only win over Federer in the first round of Wimbledon in 2002. That result
was a surprise because it followed Federer’s quarterfinal appearance in 2001
(when he defeated four-time reigning champion Pete Sampras) and preceded the
Swiss’s first Wimbledon title run in 2003.
Third seed David Nalbandian defeated fellow Argentine Martin Vassallo
Arguello 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals for the second time in
three years. Nalbandian, who reached the semifinals in 2004, clipped 47
winners to 28 and broke his countryman six times.
Russian Nikolay Davydenko is now one win away from a second consecutive
Roland Garros semifinal appearance after defeating 2004 champion Gaston
Gaudio 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID
Federer: “I already felt much more comfortable going into this match today.
I felt very calm when I was warming up. When I started serve, right away I
hit an ace. I already had a good feeling about today. I think that’s just by
being here for so long now, playing some good matches early on. I feel like
I’m really into the tournament.

“So I believe from here on, my form is only going to get better. Yeah, I’m
obviously looking forward. As usual now, it really gets interesting.”

Weekend Australian
June 3, 2006 Saturday
NSW Country Edition

Moldovan enclave wants independence

by Jeremy Page, Richard Beeston

MOST people would struggle to point out Pridnestrovskaya Moldavskaya
Respublika on a map, let alone pronounce it.

Those who can, know it as a hotbed of smuggling, the site of a vast
Soviet-era weapons dump, or perhaps the home of Sheriff Tiraspol
football club.

However, this tiny sliver of land, known in English as Transdniestr,
is the latest European enclave to make a bid for independence
following Montenegro’s decision to declare statehood last month.

Igor Smirnov, Transdniestr’s ”President”, has announced that its
550,000 people will vote in a referendum in September on whether to
seek formal independence from Moldova.

”The recent example of Montenegro proves that a referendum is
becoming a norm for solving conflicts,” said Mr Smirnov, 64, a
former metalworker.

In the unlikely event that Transdniestr wins independence, it would
become Europe’s 19th new country since the collapse of communism in
1989.

Montenegro’s example has kindled hopes that even tiny enclaves in
Europe’s forgotten corners can still become viable states. The fear
is that declarations of independence by mini-states could spark fresh
instability in unstable regions.

In the Balkans, Montenegro’s independence drive is likely to be
followed by Kosovo, a predominantly ethnic Albanian province of
Serbia. That could spark moves by the ethnic Serb Republika Srpska to
break away from Bosnia, and Herceg-Bosna’s Croats to join Croatia.

In the Caucasus, Russia is still struggling to contain the separatist
rebellion in Chechnya. Georgia is split by breakaway regions in
Abkhazia and South Ossetia. There is still no resolution to
Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed enclave in Azerbaijan that is controlled
by Armenia.

Transdniestr broke away from Moldova in 1990 and the two sides fought
a war in 1992 that left more than 1500 people dead. Although never
recognised internationally, it has close ties to Russia, which helped
the ethnic Russians in the war and has maintained 1500 troops there.

Officially, they are there to keep the peace and guard a stockpile of
40,000 tonnes of weapons stored there in case of a NATO invasion. In
reality, this remains Moscow’s westernmost strategic outpost — a
bulwark against the expanding European Union and NATO.

It is also a haven for money-laundering, smuggling and illegal
weapons sales.

Mr Smirnov runs it as a personal fiefdom, financed by local oligarchs
and propped up by nostalgia for the Soviet Union. It has its own
currency based on the old Soviet rouble, uses the old Soviet Moldovan
flag and stages annual Soviet-style military parades. Shop windows
display tawdry goods from the 1970s and 1980s. The only redeeming
feature is Moldova’s only FIFA-approved football stadium, home to the
country’s top football club, Sheriff Tiraspol.

Peace talks, mediated by the Organisation for Security and
Co-operation in Europe, have stalled over Transdniestr’s refusal to
accept autonomy within a Moldovan state. Russia has backed the
referendum.

Karel De Gucht, the Belgian Foreign Minister and OSCE chairman, has
said there is no legal basis for a referendum and urged both sides to
negotiate.

INTELLECTUALS OF JAVAKHK FIND THAT GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES OBLIGED TO
RESPECT JAVAKHK ARMENIANS’ DEMAND FOR SELF-GOVERNMENT

AKHALKALAK, JUNE 2, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Security problems
of Armenians of Javakhk and ways of their solution were discussed at
the third conference of the Javakhk Intellectuals’ Union that took
place on May 31 in the hall of the Akhalkalak Mayor’s Office.

According to the “A-Info” agency, conference participants fixed in
details physical, political, economic, nature protection, language,
educational, cultural, spiritual, demographic dangers threatening
Armenians of Javakhk. Intellectuals again came to the conclusion that
in the sense of giving security guarantees to Armenians of Javakhk in
the above-mentioned spheres, the authorities of Georgia are obliged to
respect the demand of self-government of Armenians of Javakhk,
language, local self-government, educational-cultural and other rights
given to national minorities. In the sense of physical and economic
security of Armenians of Javakhk, the conference touched upon removal
of No62 Russian military basis of Akhalkalak as well, and
intellectuals of Javakhk expect for the authorities’ clear guarantees
in this sense as well.

SECOND ARMENIA-DIASPORA CONFERENCE SLATED FOR SEPTEMBER 20

Armenpress
Jun 1 2006

YEREVAN, JUNE 1, ARMENPRESS: More than $2 billion have been invested in
Armenia’s real sector of economy in the 15 years of its independence
from former Soviet Union. Speaking to a news conference today deputy
trade and economic development minister Tigran Davtian said this
figure did not include credits, grants and assistance.

He said there are 3, 500 companies in Armenia with foreign
capital. Davtian said the bulk of these investments, about $1.5
million, were made in the last 4-5 years. In 2005 alone, he said,
foreigners invested about $0.5 billion in Armenian economy. According
to some estimates, about 65 percent of investments between 1988-2004
were made by Diaspora Armenians.

Overall their share is about 25-30 percent.

Davtian said Diaspora Armenians invest largely in small and
medium-sized businesses and added that the government plans to lift
in 2007 a set of privileges set for foreign companies to make all
equal. He said the second Armenia-Diaspora Economic Conference is
slated for September 20. About 1000 Armenians from around the globe
are expected in Yerevan.

VEDANTA CONSIDERS COAL AND GOLD MOVES
By Rebecca Bream

Financial Times
Jun 02, 2006

Vedanta, the London-listed Indian metals group, is to move into new
markets, including coal and gold,following the successful expansion
of its zinc, copper and aluminium divisions.

Pre-tax profit at the group jumped from $386.3m to $934.7m (£500m)
for the year ending March 31, thanks to a rise in production and
soaring metals prices. Revenues rose from $1.88bn to $3.7bn.

Most of Vedanta’s mines and smelters are in India but it also produced
copper in Zambia and Australia.

Anil Agarwal, founder, majority shareholder and chairman of Vedanta,
said yesterday that the group was on track to meet its annual target
of producing 1m tonnes each of zinc, copper and aluminium by 2010.

Of the group’s $5bn investment programme, $3bn had already been
spent and the expansion projects were being completed on time and
under budget.

He said the next step would be into coal and possibly power stations
to capitalise on India’s need for electricity.

Vedanta had applied for coal field development projects being sold
by the governments in Orissa and Chhatisgargh, and hoped to obtain
coal reserves of between 200m and 400m tonnes.

“We are also going to try to get into the power business as it is
less cyclical than mining,” said Mr Agarwal. Vedanta owns coal-fired
power plants in India, which it uses to supply electricity to its
smelters. It is considering building more.

Mr Agarwal said Sterlite Gold, his Toronto-listed gold company with
gold mines in Armenia, could be sold to Vedanta to form the basis of
a gold division.

Vedanta shares fell 69p to £13.78 yesterday, in line with the rest
of the mining sector.

A final dividend of 14.3 cents (11.55 cents) gives a full-year dividend
of 20 cents (17.35 cents), payable from earnings per share of 130.2
cents (62.5 cents).

FT Comment

*Following a strong performance by Vedanta’s shares in 2006, the
company is valued at about £3.8bn and is very likely to enter the FTSE
100 index next week. The stock was hit by the correction in the metals
market in May and could be a buying opportunity for anyone wanting
exposure to the company, which in turn gives exposure to India’s
rising demand for commodities. Vedanta is keen to keep expanding and
possible moves into coal, power and gold should cement its status as
a significant mid-tier mining group.

–Boundary_(ID_+DDZdMVa2szlh/KihBkC6Q)–