Author: Jalatian Sonya

REPUBLICANS GET READY FOR TEMPEST: LEVON ZURABYAN

news.am
Nov 26 2009
Armenia

Republicans are getting ready for tempest, caused by mass membership
of governmental officials to the party headed by RA Premier Tigran
Sargsyan," Armenian National Congress (ANC) coordinator Levon Zurabyan
told NEWS.am.

"By tempest, I mean the recent foreign, internal political and economic
processes in Armenia, particularly the situation with NKR conflict
resolution and Armenian-Turkish dialogue," Zurabyan outlined, adding
that is why RPA tries to unite all party members and even increase
their numver through consolidation of new officials.

According to him, the process aims at possible walkout evasion during
the "tempest", that he forecasts shortly.

RA MFA: ALIYEV’S STATEMENTS DAMAGE AZERBAIJAN’S IMAGE

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.11.2009 11:19 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbanidan met
Thursday with Japan’s Crown Prince Naruhito, RA MFA press office
reported.

Minister Nalbanidan briefed on results of the talks he held in
Tokyo and commented on Armenia’s approach to a number of regional
and international issues. He also reiterated Yerevan’s intention to
develop friendly relations with Japan.

Besides, the Armenian Minister gave a lecture in Japan Institute of
International Affairs to present Armenia’s foreign policy and its
efforts to strengthen peace and stability in the region.

Asked about Baku’s warlike statements, he emphasized that Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aiyev damages his country’s image by resorting to
bellicose rhetoric.

After the lecture, Minister Nalbandian met with the Institute’s
director to discuss a possibility to establish cooperation between
the institute and RA MFA diplomatic school.

INDIA PLANS TO OPEN IT EDUCATION CENTER IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.11.2009 20:43 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ National Assembly Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan Friday
received newly appointed Indian Ambassador to Armenia Achal Kumar
Malhotra.

Congratulating the diplomat on his appointment, Armenian Speaker
expressed hope that he would promote the development and strengthening
of Armenian-Indian ties.

With regard to inter-parliamentary relations, Mr. Abrahamyan stressed
the importance of legal cooperation between parliamentary friendship
groups, as well as collaboration within international organizations.

In turn, Indian Ambassador promised to invest his best efforts in
developing bilateral relations in various spheres.

He also informed RA Parliament Speaker of his country’s plans to open
an IT education center in Armenia.

At the end of the meeting, Mr. Abrahamyan asked Achal Kumar Malhotra
to convey to Indian Parliament speaker his invitation to visit Armenia,
RA NA official Web site reports.

MAN DIED PRESUMABLY OF SWINE FLU

news.am
Nov 24 2009
Armenia

The first swine flu death is possibly registered in Armenia. A man
of fifties died in Nork infectious diseases hospital.

It is hard to say unambiguously what was the cause of his death, RA
chief infectiologist Ara Asoyan told NEWS.am. "He was admitted to the
hospital, complaining of cardiovascular insufficiency," said Asoyan,
adding that as soon as the results of microbiological examination
are received, the cause of death will be determined.

To date, 25 swine flu cases are registered in Armenia.

GABRIEL SARKISYAN LEAVES THE WORLD CUP

Aysor
Nov 24 2009
Armenia

As we have already reported, the first losses among the favorites
of the World Cup happened after round one. Sergey Movsesyan from
Slovakia lost in the first round (classical games) to less known chess
player from China Yu Yangyi. Armenia’s Tigran Petrosyan also lost;
Gabriel Sarkisyan, unfortunately, lost 3:5 to China’s Chao Li in the
tie-break game.

So two Armenia’s chess players, Gabriel Sarkisyan and Tigran Petrosyan
leave the World Cup.

Representing the United States Varuzhan Hakobyan continues
participating in chess contest. He won 9:7 over Russian Pavel Tregubov
in the tie-break game.

VAHAN HOVHANNISYAN: LEVON TER-PETROSYAN OFFERED TRANSACTION TO RA AUTHORITIES

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.11.2009 21:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "ANC leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s recent statement
was not merely a proposal on cooperating with Armenian authorities;
it pursued commercial goals," ARFD faction leader Vahan Hovhannisyan
told a news conference in Yerevan.

At that he noted that by making such statement, opposition leader
offered three services to authorities: recognizing incumbent President
Serzh Sargsyan legitimacy, accusing ex-President Robert Kocharyan
and his team for all misfortunes and starting an irreconcilable fight
against ARFD Dashnaktsutyun.

Besides, Hovhannisyan said, ANC leader seeks to gain RA President’s
"favor" during next elections.

ICRC VISITS ARMENIAN SOLDIERS

Trend
Nov 23 2009
Azerbaijan

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) representatives
visited six Armenian soldiers held in Azerbaijan.

"The ICRC has monitored the detention conditions of the soldiers and
met with them in person," ICRC Azerbaijani Office Spokesman Gulnaz
Guliyeva told Trend News today.

The details of the meeting have not been released.

Three Armenian soldiers – Qrant Markosyan, Arthur Sarkisian and Alik
Tevosyan – voluntarily surrendered to the Azerbaijani army in the
Minakhorlu village of the Agjabadi region in late February.

Ohan Harutunyan Vadinagiyevich and Gevorq Tomosyan Serzhikovich
crossed the border on the contact line in the Goranboy region May 31
and Karen Norigovich Harutunyan in the Gadabay region July 15.

The soldiers complained of unbearable conditions and tortures in the
Armenian army and crossed over to Azerbaijan for this reason.

RA FOREIGN MINISTRY MAKES POSITIVE ASSESSMENTS ON MUNICH MEETING

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
23.11.2009 21:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian and Azeri Presidents’ meeting in Munich
helped preserve positive tendencies, FM Edward Nalbandyan told
journalists in Rome. "I can’t say everything went smooth, but there
was certain progress," Mr. Nalbandyan said.

With regard to Azerbaijani side’s recent statements, Armenian FM said
Armenia’s assessments made after Presidents’ meeting were in harmony
with OSCE MG Co-Chairs’ statements, that’s to say they ‘correspond
to reality’.

ARMENIAN COURT RULES BAN ON OPPOSITION PAPER UNTIL REPAYMENT OF ALLEGED DEBT

Aravot
Nov 17 2009
Armenia

A court of law in Armenia’s capital Yerevan has issued a verdict,
upholding interim court decisions on banning publication of
the pro-opposition Chorrord Ishkhanutyun (Fourth Estate) paper,
the Aravot pro-opposition daily reported on 17 November. Thus,
according to the verdict issued on 16 November, the founder of the
Chorrord Ishkhanutyun paper, Ogostos company, will have to pay Gind
printing house about 2.6m Armenian drams (about 7,000 dollars) as a
compensation for alleged debts, Aravot reported. The court banned
Chorrord Ishkhanutyun’s publishing until the alleged debt is not
repaid, Aravot added in the same report.

The Gind company, which had printed the newspaper, sued Ogostos
earlier this year over alleged unpaid bills totalling some 5m
drams (13,000 dollars). A Yerevan court ordered Ogostos to stop
publishing the paper until the court case ends. Officials from the
Service of Mandatory Execution of Judicial Acts (SMEJA) visited the
newspaper’s offices on 9 November and warned the paper to comply with
the ban.The next day the daily published some 5,200 copies under a
new name – Chorrord Inknishkhanutyun (Fourth Self-rule) at another
printing house. The paper is known for its staunch support for the
opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) and its harsh attacks
on the government. The Aravot daily reported earlier that Gind,
bypassing the agreement signed between Ogostos company and itself,
unilaterally and secretly from the paper decided to raise the tariff
for printing Chorrord Ishkhanutyun paper.

For its part the administration of the Armenian parliament has
cancelled credentials of Chorrord Ishkhanutyun’s parliamentary
journalists, Aravot added in its 17 November report. A journalist of
Chorrord Ishkhanutyun, Taguhi Tovmasyan, was permitted entrance to
the parliament on 16 November as an expression of goodwill, but she
was not permitted entrance to the parliament’s session hall, Aravot
reported. The editor of Chorrord Ishkhanutyun, Shogher Matevosyan,
said the court verdict was a political order and that the paper will
appeal the verdict at upper instances – up to the European Court
of Human Rights, Aravot reported. The editor said that the Chorrord
Inknishkhanutyun paper will continue printing, Aravot reported.

IN ARMENIA INVALIDS WILL GET ORTHOPEDIC AID IN 2009-2010: ASSISTANCE IN THE AMOUNT OF ABOUT 900 MILLION DRAMS IS ENVISAGED

/ARKA/
November 19, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, November 19. /ARKA/. "In 2009-2010, about 900 million
drams will be provided for invalids of Armenia by the programs of
prosthesis-orthopedic assistance ", said Jemma Baghdasaryan, Deputy
Minister of Social Welfare of Armenia.

"For this purpose financial means are allocated from rehabilitation
accessories", she said. There are no significant changes in the
allocations of financial means for invalids in the budget of 2010 but
if we compare them with 2009 and 2010 years, the difference will be
not more than 2-3 million drams. Small reductions took place in some
programs but no single invalid who needs provision of services and
assistance in rehabilitation suffered.

"If the number of invalids receiving hearing aids was 120, this year
it is 20", she said. The process of providing wheelchairs is not
delayed due to the lack of budget means but the donor organizations
which implement co-funding of this program could not provide them
due to crisis. "We conducted re-distribution of financial means of
different programs in the frames of state budget and in a month people
will get their wheelchairs", said Baghdasaryan.

Provision of medical aid and service are planned in the frames of the
programs of Ministry of Health of Armenia. "The Ministry of Health of
Armenia envisage to allocate about 31 million drams by the programs
of service of invalids", said Baghdasaryan. In 2010 state budget
allocations for social protection of population will make more than
242.4 billion drams. Weighted average of social expenses in GDP makes
7.5% which exceeds the indicator defined in pre-electoral program
of the President of Armenia and government program by 6.2%. ($1 –
387.41 drams).