Author: Chmshkian Vicken

RA GOVERNMENT FACILITATES CERTIFICATION PROCESS FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION EXPORT

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
30.07.2009 19:22 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ At Thursday’s meeting, RA Government introduced
changes in certification order for agricultural production export. The
changes stipulate for certification process facilitation for
agricultural production export, governmental report said.

In accordance with changes introduced, manufacturers exporting up to
2,5 ton of agriculture products will pay AMD 2000 for certificate of
origin, instead of AMD 15000 stipulated. Besides, the certificate will
be provided within 1 day, and products’ expertise process facilitated.

The resolution will affect small and medium-sized business and is
aimed at export promotion, RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said at
Thursday’s governmental meeting.

UN ALLOTS $72M AID TO ARMENIA – REPORT

AzerNews Weekly
July 28 2009
Azerbaijan

The United Nations has allocated assistance worth $72 million to
Armenia, the Novosti Armenii news agency reported.

According to an agreement signed by Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian
and the local representatives of the UN Development Program on Friday,
the aid will cover the period 2010 to 2015, the report said.

33 percent of the amount is designated to support Armenia`s
sustainable economic development. Other priorities include improving
social conditions of the population and implementing environmental
programs. The assistance also covers opening jobs, poverty reduction,
combat against corruption, and supporting democratization and the
protection of human rights.

TURKEY’S ANTI-ARMENIAN DEVILISH IDEOLOGY CHRONIC

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
29.07.2009 10:42 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The statement made by Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan is a serious and responsible diplomatic move, an expert said.

"The Armenian leader delivered a clear message that his visit to the
neighbor country will take place only if the border is open or on the
threshold of lifting the blockade. This proves Armenian-Turkish talks
have reached a deadlock," David Davtyan, expert at ANALITIKA.at.ua
information center, told PanARMENIAN.Net.

President Sargsyan’s statement cannot be viewed as a condition,
according to him. "It’s a test for the Turkish side, which avoids
fulfilling agreements reached earlier. Armenian President’s presence
at the return match will legalize the sham of reconciliation. Now, the
Turkish government has fallen into its own trap. It will either have to
open the border and lose Baku’s credit or to confess to unwillingness
to normalize relations with Armenia, thus proving Turkish authorities’
impotence to resolve problems in a civilized way," Davtyan said.

"Turkey’s anti-Armenian devilish ideology is chronic. The promise
to inaugurate a cross of the Armenian church on Akhtamar island is
nothing but populism," he said.

"Another problem is the incapacity if Armenian Patriarch Mesrob
Mutafyan. New election is inevitable and it appears as a real puzzle
for Ankara. The trouble is Turkey’s "democratic laws" which allow
Turkish citizens or natives only to be elected Patriarch. Under
the circumstances, the Armenian community tends to have a spiritual
leader who could be less dependent on the government. Blocking of
independent candidates will prove Turkey’s anti-Armenian policy,
making its leader a victim of their own crafty designs," Davtyan said.

"Moreover, Yerevan will show Ankara a red card if Armenian footballers
do not go to Turkey at all," he concluded.

RESULTS OF RA SPECIAL INVESTIGATION SERVICE’S ACTIVITY IN FIRST HALF OF 2009 SUMMARIZED

Noyan Tapan
July 28, 2009

YEREVAN, JULY 28, NOYAN TAPAN. In the first half of 2009, the RA
Special Investigation Service investigated 105 criminal cases: 31 cases
against 57 people with a bill of indictment were sent to court. Out of
the cases sent to court, 11 were on crimes against the state service,
5 cases were related to harm caused to health of citizens, 4 cases –
to harm caused to life and health of citizens, 4 cases were on crimes
against constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens, and one case
was related to a crime against public security. 12 out of the criminal
cases sent to court were opened based on the facts of corruption by
26 persons, including 12 officials.

12 officials were charged with crimes envisaged by the RA Criminal
Code’s Article 308 (abuse of official authority), Article 309
(exceeding official authority), article 311 (taking a bribe) and
Article 312 (giving a bribe).

Among them were 6 policemen, 4 employees of the RA Ministry of Justice,
one employee of the RA Ministry of Defence and one employee of the
RA Ministry of Emergency Situations.

By the completed criminal cases, the total damage as a result of
embezzlement, abuse of official authority, tax and duty evasion
amounted to 56 million 834 thousand drams. 11 million 860 thousand
drams or 20.8% of the indicated sum was indemnified during the
investigation.

ISRAEL: MILITARY ACTIONS AGAINST IRAN STILL POSSIBLE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
28.07.2009 12:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ At his visit to Israel, US Defense Secretary
Robert Gates urged Iran to reply Washington’s diplomatic offers
by September. Upon completion of negotiations with Gates, Israeli
Defense Minister Ehud Barak noted that military actions against Iran
are still possible.

After Israel, Gates will visit Jordan for talks with King Abdullah and
his defense chief that will focus on coordinating efforts to leave
a stable Iraq after U.S. forces complete their scheduled pullout,
BBC Russian reported.

Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran West Azarbayjan Provincial TV,
Orumiyeh, Iran
July 24 2009

Armenian, Iranian provincial officials discuss cooperation

Ashot Ghahramanyan, the governor of Armenia’s Armavir Region, visited
Iran’s West Azarbayjan Province on 23 July to discuss enhancing
bilateral economic, commercial and agricultural cooperation,
provincial TV reported on 24 July.

Ghahramanyan was invited by the governor-general of West Azarbayjan
Province, Qorbani, to discuss ways of promoting the exchange of
technical knowledge on agricultural issues, provincial TV said.

During the visit, Ghahramanyan familiarized himself with agricultural
facilities in West Azarbayjan’s Khoy township, provincial TV said.

COURT ASKS POLICE, GENDARMERIE IF DINK MURDER SUSPECT WAS INVESTIGATED

Today’s Zaman
July 25 2009
Turkey

The Trabzon 2nd Peace Court continued hearing evidence in the Dink
murder trial yesterday and decided that a letter should be written
to Trabzon Gendarmerie Command to ask whether or not there was an
investigation into Yasin Hayal, the prime suspect in the assassination,
prior to the Jan. 19, 2007 murder.

A witness who testified on July 6 at the Istanbul 14th Higher Criminal
Court in the murder trial of Hrant Dink, a Turkish-Armenian journalist
assassinated by an ultra-nationalist teenager, stated that he saw one
of the prime suspects in the case at the Trabzon Gendarmerie Command
before the murder.

Dink family lawyer Hakan Bakırcıoglu pointed out that the police
should investigate very carefully how the assassination plan was
devised, how Dink was targeted and how the murder was carried out. He
also said Ä°stanbul and Trabzon police department officials with
suspected links to the murder should be called to account.

An investigation following the Dink assassination revealed that a group
of ultranationalists was behind the murder. Strong evidence suggested
that some members of the group had ties with the police department in
Trabzon, the hometown of the plotters. Some gendarmes later confirmed
that they had been tipped off about the plot to kill Dink before the
murder was committed. Dink family lawyers have frequently alleged
that police have attempted to obscure evidence.

The Trabzon court also decided that the results of any investigation
carried out into Hayal, who might have incited the murder, should be
sent to the court. In addition, the court decided that the gendarmerie
should also inform the court if any relevant investigations had been
carried out prior to the murder. Bakırcıoglu also asked the court
that testimony given by Å~^ahin, in court as part of an investigation
into a clandestine organization, should be presented to them since
he is also a suspect in the Dink case.

YURI MERZLYAKOV: "TWO CO-CHAIRS OF OSCE MINSK GROUP WILL BE CHANGED"

APA
July 22 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku – APA. Two co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group will be changed
by the end of the year, said OSCE Minsk Group’s Russian Co-Chair
Yuri Merzlyakov.

APA reports quoting Armenian Public Radio. According to him,
Russian and American co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group will likely
be changed. Merzlyakov noted that Matthew Bryza would have his last
visit to the region as the American Co-Chair.

AZERBAIJANI COMMUNITY OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH READY TO MEET WITH ARMENIAN COMMUNITY

Today.Az
ics/54035.html
July 22 2009
Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh is ready to meet with
the region’s Armenian community.

"All wars end up with a peace agreement. If we want to resolve the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in a peaceful way, we should make use of
all our opportunities," the Head of the Azerbaijani Community of
Nagorno-Karabakh Bayram Safarov said.

Safarov said that if the Azerbaijani President agrees, the Azerbaijani
community will be ready to meet with the Armenian community of
Nagorno-Karabakh.

"All countries recognize the territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan. Nagorno-Karabakh is our native land. We must use each
chance to return to our native home. We should take the necessary
measures to solve the conflict," the head of the community said.

The regular reciprocal visits of leaders and the awaited meeting of
the communities can only have a positive impact on the negotiation
process to settle the conflict by a peaceful process, which is being
carried out by the presidents, he said.

NALBANDIAN’S COMMENTS RAISE MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS
Ara Khachatourian

asbarez
Jul 21st, 2009

In his haste to respond to detractors, Armenia’s Foreign Minister,
Eduard Nalbandian, Monday, speaking for the first time since the
two-day Moscow presidential meetings, attempted to clarify Armenia’s
position on matters of urgent importance. However, his statements
raised more questions than provided answers.

One of the points Nalbandian attempted to clarify was refuting
statements by his Azeri counterpart regarding the existence of a
timetable for the withdrawal from the liberated territories surrounding
the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. "I can tell you that this issue has
not been discussed at the Moscow meeting," insisted Nalbandian.

What the foreign minister did not clarify is whether Armenia is
engaged in any discussion related to withdrawal from any territory
surrounding Karabakh. Last week when Nalbandian was in Stepanakert for
talks with Karabakh leaders, he told a press conference that Armenia
has always insisted on ensuring there is land corridor connecting
Armenia and Karabakh.

Furthermore, the foreign minister added that without the consent of the
people and leadership of Karabakh no agreement will be signed. Will
the leadership and people Karabakh ever consent to conceding any
territory that was liberated during the war?

Then there is the other elephant in the room: the so-called "roadm ap"
agreement announced on April 22.

Nalbandian on Monday said that Armenia has not agreed to the formation
of a historical commission to study the Genocide, but almost in the
same breath detailed the formation of an inter-governmental commission,
whose sub-commissions will be tasked to "deal with various issues,
including the issue of the restoration of mutual trust between the
two peoples."

"The restoration of mutual trust" is a loaded statement given that
even in this climate of détente official Ankara continues to place
preconditions. As recently as Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu said that Turkey-Armenia borders will not open until the
resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

Furthermore, in pursuing this agenda, official Yerevan has shown its
willingness to compromise on critical principles. First, there was
the complete disregard for the fact that Turkey closed its border
and blockaded Armenia [the word blockade seems to have disappeared
from Armenia’s vernacular], so President Serzh Sarkisian’s initial
gesture for rapprochement was ill-conceived; second was the "roadmap"
announcement, which came two days before April 24; and, third is
the nebulous posturing of the Armenian authorities regarding the
historical commission.

Evidently, putting those who dare to disagree with Yerevan’s policies
in their place is more of a priority to Nalbandian than providin g
an honest and comprehensive assessment of realities that will impact
all Armenians.