Author: Chilingarian Babken

AZERBAIJANI FM: AZERBAIJAN INTERESTED IN ACCEPTING UPDATED VERSION OF MADRID PRINCIPLES

Today
s/61619.html
Feb 15 2010
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is interested in accepting an updated version of the Madrid
principles, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told media
on Monday.

"I have recently spoken with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

He said that the Armenian side has not submitted its proposals on
uncoordinated points of the basic principles yet," Mammadyarov said.

"Our position is clear. We see the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh
within Azerbaijan, with the condition of joint living of Azerbaijani
and Armenian communities, " the Minister added.

According to Foreign Minister, the settlement process advances and
Azerbaijan is interested in accepting an updated version of the
Madrid principles.

"If the process comes to a standstill, the question will arise: what
action will be the next? The rest participants of the talks should
ask themselves this question," Mammadyarov said.

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries are the three countries from
the five permanent members of UN Security Council. It testifies the
importance of resolving the conflict, the minister said.

"We must solve the problem of the occupied lands and the return of
refugees to their homes," Mammadyarov said.

IT’S TIME DO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO STATEMENTS, SAYS TOROSIAN

Aysor
Feb 15 2010
Armenia

"The Karabakh war’s resumption is not beneficial to the international
community," said at the press conference former speaker of the Armenian
Parliament, Tigran Torosian. When asked about possibility of the
Karabakh war’s resumption, Torosian said that the side, who announces
war, doesn’t make statements, but implements the announced threats.

"Azerbaijan always declared would start the war, so it’s nothing new.

I am confident that the country doesn’t repeatedly declare its threats,
when it has a problem and wants to solve it through military meaning,"
he pointed.

"When talks about ‘close settlement of the Karabakh problem’ are being
activated, then various organisations, for example, International
Crisis Group, and its director for the South Caucasus region, Sabina
Fraser, begin stating that the region will possibly go in war."

These statements are a simple measure of pressure if one of the sides
doesn’t make concessions, according to politician. He added: "I think,
it’s time never pay an attention to these statements. I believe,
that war’s resumption is not beneficial to anyone, and firstly –
to the international community."

WESLEY SO DRAWS WITH ARMENIAN GM, KEEPS SHARE OF 4TH

Philippine Daily Inquirer
Feb 15 2010

MANILA, Philippines–Filipino Grandmaster Wesley So went for a win
with the white pieces but had to settle for a draw with Armenian GM
Arman Pashikian in the sixth round of the 2010 Aeroflot Open chess
tournament Sunday at the Hotel Gamma-Delta in Moscow.

The 16-year-old So saw his two-game win run broken, but stayed in the
title hunt with 4.0 points, just half a point behind pacesetters GM
Boris Grachev of Russia and Vietnamese GMs Le Quang Liem and Nguyen
Ngoc Truong Son with three rounds to go.

So, seeded 17th with an ELO rating of 2656, complicated matters when he
gave up a knight in his 30th move for two pawns. Pashikian, however,
forced an exchange of queens in the 36th move to steer the game into
a drawish ending with both players having bishops of the same color.

They halved the point in 52 moves.

Sharing fourth to 14th places with the high school senior of St.

Francis College-Bacoor were defending champion GM Etienne Bacrot of
France, German GM Arkadij Naiditsch, Bulgarian GM Ivan Cheparinov,
Brazilian GM Giovanni Vescovi, Indian GM Krishnan Sasikiran, Ukrainian
GM Anton Korobov and Russian GMs Artyom Timofeev, Boris Savchenko
and Ivan Nepomniachtchi and Pahsikian.

Lodged at 3.5 points were top seed GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, third
seed GM Alexandr Motlyev, former world championship candidate GM Gata
Kamsky and last year’s co-champion GM Alexandr Moiseenko.

In the pivotal seventh round, So will handle black against Timofeev.

But So’s compatriot GM Darwin Laylo continued to struggle. Laylo lost
to GM Yuriy Ajrapetjan of Ukraine, his fifth in six matches. Roy Luarca

NATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS FUND BOARD OF TRUSTEES MET IN SESSION

Satu rday, 13 February 2010

The 14th session of National Competitiveness Fund Board of Trustees
started with BOT chairman, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan’s opening
remarks. The Prime Minister informed the council members on the
results of his government’s anti-crisis program for 2009.

He noted in particular: "Signs of recovery could be noticed late
last year. We were able to curb the recorded 18.4% economic fall
and close the year with a 14.4% downturn, with the GDP rising to
AMD 3 trillion 165 billion. As a whole, industry dropped by 7.8%,
and what is impressing is that mining industry rose by 7.6%. 11.2% of
the overall 14.4% downturn was due to shrinking construction caused
by a 25% fall in the building sector which constituted about 30% of
the GDP. At the same time, certain growth was recorded in metallurgy
with a 20% rise in the production of Aluminum.

Tigran Sargsyan emphasized the 17% growth in the field of information
technologies, caused the appearance of the third operator and a 12%
increase in the number of sector entities. The Prime Minister said FY
2009 was particular in that retail trade and services rose by 1 and
1.3 percentage points respectively amid 14.4% economic downturn. A
series of factors have brought about the mentioned 1% increase in
retail trade. First of all, black economy has been reduced thanks
to a massive use of cash registers. As a result, greater turnover
was recorded in this area. A second reason is that the State has
considerably increased public spending. In particular, pensions went
up 16%, welfare benefits – 12%, inclusive of child allowances which
rose to AMD 18,000 from 3000. Lump sum benefits for those families
with three and more children were brought up to AMD 430,000 from
300,000. All this made it possible for us to close the year with 3000
more child births than in 2008. This higher birth rate was also due
the reform of maternity assistance. Service quality was upgraded
about threefold last year. A USAID-conducted survey revealed that
corruption in this area has decreased to 20% from 80%.

The head of government predicted a 1.2% increase in the cost of
budget-funded programs of 2010. Tigran Sargsyan advised that this
January 5bn more revenue was collected as compared to the same period
of 2008 exceeding the monthly target by AMD 2bn. This trend will be
maintained during the month of February.

The Prime Minister noted that the government’s anti-crisis program
will have greater impact during the second and third quarters of 2010.

He further advised that the budget deficit-GDP ratio is supposed go
down gradually under a medium-term program designed in cooperation
with the IMF.

The meeting next discussed the results of the feasibility study
carried out for the Center of Education and Research Project, the
proposed merger of the Armenian Agency of Tourism Development and
the National Competitiveness Fund, as well as the program of tourism
development. Reference was made of the ongoing cooperation between
the National Competitiveness Fund and the USAID.

The Board of Trustees further looked at the findings of
a NCF-implemented study concerning the prospects of oncology
development in Armenia, as well as the government’s decision to
purchase a cyclotron.

The discussion was attended by McKeanzy Ltd Germany office consultant
Reinhard Wihels and representative of Russian Mediacrat Arman Jilavyan.

In conclusion, the meeting discussed NCF’s 3-year activity planning,
current year budget and expected outcome.

Later on the meeting was honored by RA President Serzh Sargsyan’s
presence.

Aysor, Armenia
Feb 13 2010

Artsakh’s President meets with Armenian Community of Abkhazia

President of the Republic of Artsakh, Bako Sahakian, who was on a
visit to Abkhazia at the invitation of Sergey Bagapsh, met February 12
with representatives of the Armenian Community of Abkhazia, a
spokesperson for NKR Presidential Administration said.

The meeting was held at the Secondary School ?- 9 of Sukhumi, named
after Tumanian. President Bako Sahakian talked to his compatriot about
social and economical situation and development programs of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, and the process of settlement to the
conflict with Azerbaijan. Among other highlights were items of
cooperation and connections between Armenian Communities in Diaspora
and the homeland.

The meeting was attended by Advisor to Artsakh’s President, Armen
Isagulov, Deputy Foreign Minister, Vasily Atajanian, and Chief of the
Central Information Presidential Office, David Babayan.

news.az, Azerbaijan
Feb 13 2010

Armenian residents get up with thoughts about food
Sat 13 February 2010 | 05:48 GMT Text size:

Zardusht Alizade UN does not have a single political will and military
strength to interfere with the events at the occupied Azerbaijani
land, political scientist.

The 20-year history of the attempts to settle the Karabakh conflict
peacefully showed that the hopes for the four UN resolutions on
Nagorno Karabakh have not been justified.

First of all, while adopting these resolutions UN avoided direct
accusation of Armenia of aggression against Azerbaijan, while second
UN does not have a single political will and military strength to
interfere with the events at the occupied Azerbaijani land, said
political scientist Zardusht Alizade.

"We are used to think that all Armenians think only of genocide and
Karabakh’s freedom, though ordinary citizens of neighbor Armenia get
up with thoughts about bread and the settlement of domestic family
problems. Meanwhile, there are no other nations that are morally and
mentally closer than Armenians and Azerbaijanis", Alizade said.

"There are no hopes for international law, as this law is as a rubber
that can be stretched as long as one wishes. It took Americans six
months to enter Kuwait and drive Iraqi Arabs in 2001, but the United
States do not want to help Azerbaijan and even allocate assistance in
the amount of $8 mln to separatists in Karabakh", Alizade said.

He considers that the United States have secret plans of splitting all
world countries, putting the principle of self-determination of
nations on the first plan. The aim of the plan is to remain the only
world superpower.

Novosti-Azerbaijan

Aysor, Armenia
Feb 13 2010

`Aliev won’t arrive; if he does it will be a mourning day for him"

Turkey will not ratify the protocols, if he does he will do it with
stipulations’, – said Tigran Karapetyan the head of the People’s Party
touching upon the Armenian ` Turkish protocols.

As for the pressures of the USA and the international community over
the ratification process of the Armenian ` Turkish protocols T.
Karapetyan mentioned that `in 1915 the USA too has given guarantees,
and not only the United States, and those guarantees have been
nullified’.

`We should rely on the chances that we have’, – underlined Tigran Karapetyan.

The speaker, turning to the speech given by the Armenian President in
the Chatham House in London, said that `inviting the Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliev to be present on the opening of the
Armenian-Turkish borders, was a nice diplomatic trick, but the fact is
that Aliev will not come, if he does it will be a mourning day for
him.’

Yerevan Report, Armenia
Feb 10 2010

President Sarkisian Reaffirms Pledge to Ratify Protocols

Feb 10th, 2010 |

YEREVAN (Yerevan Report Staff), February 10`Today President Serge
Sarkisian, in a landmark speech made before the Chattem House British
Royal Institute of International Affairs in London, pledged that he
would immediately initiate the process of debate on the
Turkish-Armenian protocols in the Armenian National Assembly.

`Immediately after today’s meeting here at the Chattem House, I am
going to instruct my staff to submit the Armenia-Turkey protocols to
the Armenian National Assembly for the ratification process to be
initiated,’ he said.

This decision contradicts an earlier statement from Yerevan that the
protocols would only be considered by the National Assembly after
having been ratified by the Turkish parliament.

President Sarkisian had indicated in several public statements that
Armenia would walk away from the protocols if Turkey failed to ratify
them `within a reasonable time frame.’ Ankara was expected to ratify
the protocols by April.

Ankara has recently expressed dissatisfaction several times with
Armenia’s Constitutional Court decision regarding the protocols last
month, as voiced by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. The Court ruled that the protocols should
not interfere with Armenia’s desire to seek continued international
recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Both Erdogan and Davutoglu have also insisted in the months after the
signing of the protocols last October that the opening of the
Turkish-Armenian border would be conditional upon a final peace
agreement on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Azerbaijan’s favor.

Yesterday President Sarkisian sent a message to President Abdullah Gul
of Turkey alluding to the necessity for moving forward with the
normalization of relations between the two countries.

0/president-sarkisian-reaffirms-pledge-ratify-prot ocols/

STATE COMMISSION FOR PROTECTION OF ECONOMIC COMPETITION REJECTS ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLAINT OF ARGO PHARM COMPANY

Noyan Tapan
Feb 12, 2010

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 12, NOYAN TAPAN. At the February 12 sitting, RA
State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition examined
the administrative complaint of Argo Pharm company.

Argo Pharm was one of the seven companies fined for an anti-competitive
agreement in drug market. In September-October 2009, these companies
raised groundlessly the prices of antiviral drugs as well as drugs
for treatment of cardiovascular diseases and pancreatic diabetes. By
the December 21 decision of the commission, each of these companies
was fined in the amount of 2% of its proceeds in the previous year
(the total amount of fines made over 450 million drams).

According to the commission’s spokeswoman Armine Udumian, the facts
indicated in Argo Pharm’s complaint requesting partial cancellation of
the commission decision were considered as unfounded and the complaint
was rejected. The decision remained in force.

DAVUTOGLU REAFFIRMS ANKARA’S WILL TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS

Armradio.am
11.02.2010 11:26

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has firmly rejected arguments
suggesting that there has been deterioration in Turkey’s political
will to normalize relations with its estranged neighbor Armenia.

Davutoglu’s remarks came on Wednesday at a press conference ahead of
his departure to Kazakhstan for a three-day official visit when he
was reminded of certain claims made in the wake of Ankara’s uneasiness
over an Armenian court ruling which the Turkish capital says threatens
protocols signed to normalize relations with Yerevan.

"Our strong political will regarding all types of efforts in the
direction of the constitution of permanent peace and stability in
the Caucasus exists," Davutoglu said, adding that Turkey’s efforts
are based on its strong resolve to contribute to the maintenance of
peace and stability, which will continue in the coming period with
the country making bold moves.

Calling on every related party to play its part to achieve peace and
stability, Davutoglu noted that the international community’s support
on this issue has been continuing.