Author: Kafian Jirair

IRANIAN OFFICIAL: TURKMENISTAN SHOULD CONSIDER IRANIAN PIPELINE OPERATORS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
16.06.2009 01:10 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkmenistan should consider Iranian pipeline
operators for exporting natural gas to Iraq, Iranian officials say.

Reza Almasi, the managing director at the Iran Natural Gas Transmission
Co., said alternative options to deliver gas to Gulf nations are too
expensive, upi.com reports. "The required investment for pipeline
construction under the sea is three times more than the land," he
said. "Not to transit its natural gas through Iran, Turkmenistan has
to sign a contract with Azerbaijan, Turkey and Armenia."

Almasi noted pipeline transits were among the safest and most reliable
ways to transfer natural gas, adding Iran would work to develop its
gas pipeline grid to entice future developments.

The Iranian company currently exports natural gas to Turkey and
Armenia and imports gas from Turkmenistan. Iran has lobbied for a
role in regional energy security, pushing for participation in the
planned European Nabucco gas pipeline. Iran and Syria, meanwhile, had
signed a memorandum of understanding in April for the construction
of the Persian Pipeline. Iranian, Syrian and Turkish officials also
signed a trilateral package of deals that included the development
of upstream activities, drilling and exploration.

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
[email protected]
Internet

PRESS RELEASE

June 15, 2009
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

AZERBAIJANI EMBASSY DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN
TARGETS ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF AMERICA

WASHINGTON, DC – The Azerbaijani government responded today to the
Armenian National Committee of America’s (ANCA) reports of an
emerging United States foreign aid policy double standard toward
the countries of the Caucasus countries by circulating a press
release bitterly attacking the ANCA and spreading misinformation
about aid levels to the region.

According to a news release placed on the PRNewswire earlier today,
the Azerbaijani Embassy set its sights on the ANCA’s recent
criticism of the Obama Administration’s proposed reduction in U.S.
assistance to Armenia in the face of proposed increases for
Azerbaijan and Georgia, accusing the Armenian American grassroots
group of misrepresenting aid figures to the states of the Caucasus.

"Either Azerbaijani Ambassador Yashar Aliyev is out spreading
falsehoods around Capitol Hill or he really needs to brush up on
his fourth grade math skills," said ANCA Executive Director Aram
Hamparian. "These publicly available figures are really rather
simple and should be easy enough for even a schoolchild to easily
grasp: a proposed 38% reduction in U.S. assistance to Armenia in
the face of a 20% increase to Azerbaijan, despite that country’s
ongoing blockades of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh and President
Aliyev’s continued threats of renewed war."

The Azerbaijani Ambassador’s response was to an ANCA Memo to
Capitol Hill, titled "Double Standards: U.S. Aid Policy in the
Caucasus," released on June 11th, the day after the Millennium
Challenge Corporation effectively suspended a full third of its
$235 million grant to Armenia due to concerns over democratic
governance. The ANCA memo compared the harsh U.S. response to
Yerevan’s actions, both rhetorically and in terms of aid levels, to
the increased financial support that both Azerbaijan and Georgia
are set to receive despite their serious shortcomings in the areas
of democracy, corruption, and governance.

To read the complete ANCA memo that prompted the Azerbaijani
Embassy’s attack, visit:
61109.pdf

The Obama Administration proposed assistance figures to the
Caucasus were released by the U.S. Department of State in a
document titled: Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Request: Summary and
Highlights, International Affairs Function 150. A table, drawn
from this report, highlighting the FY09 aid figures and the Obama
Administration proposal for FY10 is provided below.

========================================== ======================
Country FY 2009 Total FY 2010 Request % Difference
======================================= =========================
Armenia $48 million $30 million – 38%
Azerbaijan $18.5 million $22.12 million + 20%
Georgia $52 million* $62.050 million + 19%

* Georgia’s FY2009 figure does not include the $242.5 million
pending Supplemental allocation.

To read the complete "Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Request: Summary and
Highlights, International Affairs Function 150" visit:
/122513.pdf

The text of the Azerbaijani Embassy’s press release (with
disinformation warning)
is located at: EmbassyPR.pdf

CSTO MEMBER STATES HIGHLY ASSESSED RESULTS REACHED DURING ARMENIA’S CHAIRMANSHIP

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
15.06.2009 12:44 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On June 14, RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian
participated in CSTO Foreign Ministers’ sitting in Moscow. Parties
focused on different spheres of organization’s activities, a number
of decisions for further CSTO development were taken.

Within the sitting framework, RA Foreign Minister delivered a
statement, detailing activities on CSTO Member States’ foreign policy
coordination during Armenia’s chairmanship. CSTO Member States highly
assessed results reached during Armenia’s chairmanship, emphasizing
the effectiveness of foreign policy coordination mechanisms’
implementation.

Foreign Ministers discussed documents’ package for the oncoming CSTO
meeting, including documents on "Creation of CSTO Rapid Reaction
Forces" resolution implementation as well as collaboration expanding
within international organizations’ framework.

Upon sitting completion, CSTO Foreign and Defense Ministers had a joint
meeting to discuss a number of documents on oncoming CSTO cession,
RA MFA Press Service reported.

PRESIDENT OBAMA DOES NOT SAY NAME OF US FUTURE AMBASSADOR TO BAKU

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
15.06.2009 10:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ US president Barack Obama has not yet say the name of
the diplomat nominated to the post of the US ambassador to Azerbaijan,
Matthew J. Bryza, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European
and Eurasian Affairs and US co-chair of Minsk Group of OSCE said a
PanaRMENIAN.Net reporter.

The US ambassador to Baku Ann Dercy has already completed her
diplomatic mission. Yesterday the Foreign Policy magazine quoting
diplomatic sources reported, that Bryza probably will become the
ambassador of the US in Azerbaijan

ARMENIAN FM TO TAKE PART IN CSTO SECURITY COUNCIL SESSION

ARMENPRESS
June 12, 2009

YEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandyan will leave June 13 for Moscow to participate in the CSTO
Security Council session scheduled for June 14, Foreign Ministry
media relations department told Armenpress.

IFEX – News from the international freedom of expression community
________________________________________ _________________________

ALERT – ARMENIA

12 June 2009

Journalists attacked at various polling stations

SOURCE: Glasnost Defence Foundation (GDF), Moscow

(GDF/IFEX) – At a news conference on 2 June 2009, the Committee to Protect
Freedom of Expression (CPJ) listed the instances of interference with
journalists’ professional activities as recorded during the latest election
of the Yerevan Elders’ Council (a local self-government body).

At polling station 9/01, the bodyguards of National Assembly deputy Levon
Sargsyan, swearing and resorting to force, ousted the journalists Goar
Veziryan (from "Chorrord Ishkhanutyun" newspaper), Tatev Mesropyan (from
"Hayk" neswpaper) and Marine Kharatyan (from "Zhamanak" newspaper). In the
process, they gave Veziryan several kicks and confiscated Kharatyan’s voice
recorder.

At polling station 8/01, Arthur Ovakimyan, a freelance reporter for the
newspaper "Haykakan Zhamanak", had just started taking pictures of young
men intending, according to him, to slip additional ballot papers into the
ballot box. The young men ran up to him, tearing away his camera and
confiscating his reporter’s badge.

Told by Ovakimyan that he was doing his professional job, one of the
attackers snapped: "My job is to break your head." The journalist was
compelled to leave. His camera was returned later without the memory card.

At 4:20 p.m. (local time) two dozen young skinheads were seen entering
polling station 8/05. According to reporter Armine Avetyan of the newspaper
"168 Zham", six of them grabbed her and Sonya Ayvazyan, an observer from
Transparency International, by their clothes and began to push them aside
towards the windows, while others encircled the ballot box and shoved
several stacks of unauthorized ballots into it.

They threatened Avetyan and took away her photo camera. They also used
force against Lilit Tadevosyan, a correspondent for the web portal Tert.am,
pushing her back and preventing her from using her camera.

Similar incidents occurred at polling stations 8/20 and 13/09. At polling
station 7/25, Nelly Grigoryan of the newspaper "Aravot" was attacked while
attempting to take a picture of a young man nicknamed "Boko of Noragyukh"
speaking with a representative of the Armenian National Congress.

According to Grigoryan, the young man grabbed her by the hands, tore away
her camera and left. The camera was later returned without the memory card.

Representatives of CPJ stressed that they had other facts at their disposal
signalling attempts to interfere with journalists’ professional work.

The office of Armenia’s Prosecutor General has published a press release
saying that it has been ordered to "monitor compliance with the established
procedure of analyzing information, including media publications, about
violations of the voting rules". It also announced the institution of legal
proceedings in connection with reported attacks on journalists and
observers, as well as throws-in of unauthorized ballots into ballot boxes
at polling stations.

The Special Investigations Service of the Republic of Armenia had been
appointed to investigate those incidents. Criminal proceedings had been
launched in connection with the attack on journalists at polling station
9/01, the press release said.

nalists_attacked/

For further information, contact the GDF at 4 Zubovsky Bul., room 432,
119021 Moscow, Russia, tel: +7 095 201 4420 /201 3242, fax: +7 095 201
4947, e-mail: [email protected], Internet:

The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of GDF.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit GDF.
_____________________________________________ ____________________
DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
EXCHANGE (IFEX) CLEARING HOUSE
555 Richmond St. West, # 1101, PO Box 407
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 3B1
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general e-mail: [email protected], Internet site:

A. MIRZOYAN TO TAKE PART IN THE WORLD YOUTH WEIGHTLIFTING CUP

ARMENPRESS
June 12, 2009

YEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS: 56 kg European weightlifting youth
champion Arakel Mirzoyan, his father and coach Olympic Champion Ogsen
Mirzoyan and the Head of the Armenian Weightlifting Federation Samvel
Khachatryan left today from Yerevan to Bucharest, capital of Romania.

A. Mirzoyan will take part in the world youth cup which will be held
in Bucharest. At least 4-5 Armenian weightlifters were intended to
take part in this tournament but the Armenian Federation decided to
send only one athlete. This means that the Armenian young weightlifters
who prior to that successfully fought in the European Cup mechanically
stay off the team fight.

The world youth weightlifting cup will kick off June 17, before that
A. Mirzoyan will hold a training gathering in Bucharest.

KARVATCHAR MAYOR SENTENCED TO 5 YEARS ON EMBEZZLEMENT RAP
Anahit Danielyan

2 009/06/10 | 13:19

Nagorno Karabakh court

Zhora Grigoryan, the former mayor of Karvatchar,was sentenced to
five years imprisonment by an NKR court for the illegal sale of state
construction funds and the embezzlement of revenues in the amount of
6 million drams.

The NKR government had placed construction equipment at the disposal
of Mr. Grigoryan’s firm "Trans-kar" Ltd. Mr. Grigoryan along with
the firm’s accountant Karineh Petrosyan had been indicted by the NKR
court on February 9, 2009.

According to the indictment, Mr. Grigoryan had embezzled funds from
a water system construction project in the villages of Nor Manashid
and Nor Kharkhapout in the Nor Shamoumyan region of the country and
that he sold construction material in the care of his firm that had
been allocated for the project.

Karineh Petrosyan had been indicted for falsifying the books and
payment records of several employees to the tune of 2.112 million
drams and for embezzling the funds. She was slapped with a 700,000
dram fine and prohibited from similar employment in a state agency
or organization for the next 18 months.

The sentence handed down by Judge Marat Avanesyan also stipulates
that Zhora Grigoryan recompense "Trans-kar" in the amount of 5,715,500
drams in damages and that Karineh Petrosyan do the same in the amount
of 2,122,268 drams.

In a conversation with Hetq, Garik Mikayelyan, Mr. Grigoryan’s defense
attorney stated that he didn’t agree with the court’s sentence, arguing
that it was illegal and without basis. He claimed that Mr. Grigoryan
handed over the bulk of the funds in question to a Khachik Sahakyan,
a construction engineer.

The lawyer says that the matter should have been handles by a civil
court rather than a criminal one and that he will take the case to
an appeals court one month from now.

BAKU AND ANKARA AGREED UPON A SCENARIO ON ESTABLISHING TIES WITH ARMENIA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
10.06.2009 18:22 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Each single step undertaken over the past 20 years
was properly considered by Baku and Azerbaijan, Alexander Manasyan,
Head of YSU Theoretical Philosophy Chair told a news conference today.

According to him, Baku is currently resentful at the world, and Turkey
treats such policy with certain alertness. "Baku and Ankara have cast
their roles as ‘good’ and ‘bad’. Turkey has been trying to accede
to EU for several years. Refusal to acknowledge Genocide impedes the
process, that’s why the country now demonstrates a friendly attitude
and willingness to compromise," Manasyan said.

There are certain geopolitical causes preventing Baku from resorting
to war policy, he finds. "Baku does not want to take chances. But it
doesn’t want to renounce the policy of making bellicose statements
either. Its statements are ‘uncompromising’, but it always agrees to
bilateral meetings," Manasyan stressed.

THE EFFICIENCY OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT DEPENDS ON ARMENIA’S POSITION

Azerbaijan Business Center
June 10 2009

Baku, Fineko/abc.az. After the meeting of Azerbaijan’s and Armenia’s
Presidents in Saint Petersburg, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the
Republic of Azerbaijan puts the efficiency of further negotiations
on Nagorno-Karabakh in dependence on Armenia’s position.

Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov said after the meeting
in Saint Petersburg efficiency of the next steps would depend on the
way Armenia’s position develops.

"There are certain well-grounded difficulties, but from Armenia we
mostly see the subjectivism and tight policy as the main reasons,"
Azimov said.

A week ago Saint Petersburg hosted meeting for the presidents of
Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia with participation of OSCE Minsk Group.

"The issues discussed by the sides are very significant, complicated,
and serious. Azerbaijan’s position is very understandable and
specific. It has a large potential to protect own interests, which
comprises not only of politic and other resources, but also support
of the world community. On the other hand, the problem can be easily
settled by Armenia if it goes through a general turning point that
may happen following assessment of the strategic positions. We expect
Armenia to be ready to make steps to develop itself and the region
as a whole. These steps include settlement of some complex items
within conflict settlement principles. At the same time, Armenia is
not ready to accept the compromise we offer yet." Azimov emphasized.