Author: Karagyozian Lena

20 TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARTSAKH DIOCESE’ REOPENING WILL BE CELEBRATED WITH GREAT MAGNIFICENCE

NKR Government Information and Public Relations Department
August 19, 2009

Yesterday, a sitting of the state commission on organization of
celebration of Armenian Apostolic Church’s Artsakh Diocese’ Reopening
20 th anniversary took place. At the sitting the list, the schedule
and the place of festive arrangements’ conduction were justified.

The main arrangements, which coincide with the Holiday of Varaga
Saint Cross, will take place on September 27 and 28. 20 years ago,
on that festive day the reopening of Artsakh Dioces was heralded by
consecration of Gandzasar.

The Leader of Artsakh Dioces informed that invitations for
participation in the celebrations were received by His Holiness
Catholicos of All Armenians, the RA state officials, and prominent
benefactors.

On September 27, at 11 o’clock in Gandzasar holy mass will be served.

The next day in the morning, His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians
Garegin II will meet with the teaching staff and students of Artsakh
University. Presentation of books like "Artsakhi Diocese" and
"Gandzasar" will take place in the university hall. The same day,
in the evening, a solemn meeting with speeches and presentation of
the activity during 20 years by Spiritual Leader of Artsakh Diocese
will take place in Stepanakert Culture and Youth Palace , a film
telling about foundation of the diocese will be demonstrated. It
will be followed by spiritual concert. On those days exhibitions of
pictures and books published by the diocese will be organized in the
halls of the Culture and Youth Place.

The commission adopted the Culture and Youth Affairs Minister’s
proposal within the framework of the arrangements to organize meetings
of priesthood with pupils.

The state commission considered it worthwhile on September 27 to
broadcast the holy mass on Artsakh Public TV. Corresponding proposal
will be made to Armenian television channels too. Representatives of
foreign mass media means will be invited to elucidate the celebration.

NO ARMENIAN BANK WENT BANKRUPT DESPITE THE CRISIS

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.08.2009 14:40 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ To increase trust in national currency, Armenian
society is required to trust the Government as well as central and
commercial banks, Union of Armenian Banks Chairman Emil Soghomonyan
told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. "If our population has no trust in
Armenian Dram, natural persons will very likely make their investments
in foreign currency," he noted.

As we know, the national currency devaluation recorded in March
greatly affected investment policy. Thus, following March 3, CBA
resumed floating currency rate policy, which caused investors to lose
trust in Armenian Dram.

Touching upon international experience in crisis management,
Soghomonyan noted that many banks had collapsed as a result of global
recession, while "No Armenian bank went bankrupt, despite suffering
significant losses".

The expert does not predict real changes in investment policy and sees
no prospect for national currency devaluation. So he recommends that
"population keep its savings in Drams as rates for national currency
are higher."

On March 3, 2009, RA Central Bank resumed floating currency rate
policy. Specialists anticipate dollar exchange rate to remain within
the boundaries of AMD 360-380. On March 3, 2009 price per 1 US dollar
soared from AMD 305-308 to AMD 380-400.

AZERBAIJAN WILL APPLY BALTIC EXPERIENCE AND DEMAND ARMENIA’S COMPENSATION: EXPERT

Today.Az
/54919.html
Aug 24 2009
Azerbaijan

"Handing over the regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh under
Azerbaijan’s jurisdiction will make implementation of the Baltic model,
which is now used with regard to Russia, this time with regard to
Armenia, inevitable," expert on regional development of Baltic Sergey
Artyomenko said commenting on political prospects of resolution of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by making use of European experience
realized in the post Soviet area.

Azerbaijan’s already shaped political positions unambiguously
stipulates that Karabakh and surrounding regions have been occupied
by Armenia, he said.

Therefore, with a very high degree of assurance I can say that once
occupied areas around Karabakh would be in the hands of Azerbaijan and
new authorities will begin develop them, financing of this development
will be the first. While these areas are under Armenian control,
Azerbaijan intends to involve money of the European Union, but as
soon as they fall into the hands of Baku, there will be immediately
raised the question of "compensation of damage" caused in those areas
according to Baku, he said.

It is no accidental that Baltic authorities, authorities of Lithuania,
Latvia and Estonia are so active in contacts with Azerbaijan. They
have something to share with colleagues: for example, experience of
requiring "indemnity for occupation" from Russia, with which they
were made it almost as soon as they received their independence from
Moscow itself. Therefore, nothing prevents Azerbaijan’s use of Baltic
experience in regard to Armenia, to begin to calculate the damage and
require "indemnity for the occupation" of these areas and Karabakh
itself, where it will have a free hand, the expert said.

FIDE GRAND PRIX: ARONIAN AND AKOPIAN MAKE PEACE

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.08.2009 20:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian grandmasters Levon Aronian and
Vladimir Akopian in the 11 round of Grand Prix FIDE scored equal
points. Grandmasters made peace at the 40th move. Plays of Leko,
Ivanchuk and Kasymjanov also ended in draws.

In the 11th round the Russian Ernesto Inarkiev and Ukrainian Paul
Elyanov carried the victory over DmitryYakovenko and Ivan Cheparinov
respectively.

After 11 rounds Levon Aronian and Yevgeny Alexeyev earned 6.5 points
each and they are still lag behind the leaders by the half-points.

On August 22 in 12th round Levon Aronian with Black will play with
the Hungarian leader of the tournament Peter Leko. Akopyan will also
play with Black with Ernesto Inarkiev.

The results of the 11th round: Kasymjanov (Uzbekistan) – Leko (Hungary)
– 0,5:0,5 Gelfand (Israel) – Kamsky (USA) – 0,5:0,5 Elyanov (Ukraine)
– Cheparinov (Bulgaria) – 1:0 Karyakin (Ukraine) – Alekseev (Russia)
– 0,5:0,5 Bacrot (France) – Ivanchuk (Ukraine) – 0,5:0,5 Yakovenko
(Russia) – Inarkiev (Russia) – 0:1 Akopian (Armenia) – Aronian
(Armenia) – 0,5:0,5.

Tournament position after 11 rounds: Ivanchuk, Leko, Kasymjanov – 7;
Aronian, Alekseev – 6.5; Karyakin, Gelfand, Elyanov – 6; Bacrot – 5;
Akopyan, Kamsky – 4.5; Inarkiev, Yakovenko – 4; Cheparinov – 3.

TER-PETROSYAN VISITED TAVUSH

try&pid=14951
17:01:36 – 18/08/2009

Today the leader of the Armenian National Congress Levon Ter-Petrosyan
visited the region of Tavush. In the town of Ijevan, Ter-Petrosyan
visited Nicol Pashinyan’s parents’ house. There he met with the ANC
activists, there was a march in which several hundreds of people
participated.

THREE NEW KINDERGARTENS SLATED FOR KARABAKH
Anahit Danielyan

20 09/08/19 | 14:20

Nagorno Karabakh society

The NKR government has given a tentative go-ahead to opening three
new kindergartens in the country. The school proposal was made by
Vladik Khachatryan, NKR Education and Science Minister.

If implemented, the decision will call for the construction of one new
kindergarten in Stepanakert, Martuni and Martakert. With the addition
of the three kindergartens, the number of such schools operating in
the country will rise to twenty-four. There were only five public
kindergartens operating in the country in 2007.

There are also private kindergartens in the NKR, run by the Armenian
Evangelical Society and the Armenian Relief Union.

ARMENIAN DEPUTY MINISTER OF FINANCE FORECASTS 12-15 ECONOMIC DECLINE

News.am
14:20 / 08/19/2009

"This year’s 16.3% economic decline is much more serious than
we expected," RA Deputy Minister of Finance Vardan Aramyan told
reporters. He stressed that the Armenian construction sector registered
the most serious decline in the first half of this year, with an 11.5%
decline registered in the country’s industry.

According to him, the world economy registered a 6% decline. "Neither
Russia nor the world market expected such a situation. The
International Monetary Fund (IMF) has adjusted its forecasts not in
favor of the countries," Aramyan said. According to him, the IMF has
several times adjusted its forecasts for the European Union (EU). Last
December the IMF forecast 0.5% economic growth in the EU. Later it
forecast a 0.5% economic decline in the EU. The forecast was then
adjusted as follows: a 1.5%, 3.2% and 4.2% decline. At present, the
IMF forecasts a 4.8% economic decline in the European Union for this
year. "So our economic developments are in line with those in Europe,"
Aramyan said.

As regards the future of the Armenian economy, Aramyan said certain
economic growth is expected to be followed by recovery. As a result,
an economic decline of 12-15 per cent can be expected in the country
toward the end of this year. The reason for this range is that the
Government is "making huge liquid investments in the economy now." If
the economy utilizes the investments, Armenia will register a low
economic decline. However, if the process is slow, the decline may
reach 15 per cent. Aramyan also pointed out that the Government is
implementing an expansionary policy. Expanding on this, he said that,
amid the crisis, the private sector tends to reduce expenditures and
launches a more conservative policy. Under the circumstances, the
Government effects the expenditures, that is, invests funds in the
economy. According to Aramyan, the investments are to total 50bln AMD.

TABRIZ OIL OF SHAHARYAR TO BE SUPPLIED TO ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.08.2009 22:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A senior rank manager of the Iranian national company
for production and distribution of petroleum products Seyed Hassan
Kassem-zadeh , responsible for construction of the Tabriz refinery
Shaharyar, told a "Mehr" reporter that the production of the new
plant will be supplied to Armenia and a number of other countries in
Central Asia and Caucasus.

According to Seyed Hassan Kassem-zadeh, petroleum products received
at the "Shaharyar" will meet the Euro 5 environmental standards.

Seyed Hassan Kassem-zadeh touched upon the issue of the research work
in the framework of construction of the Yeraskh-Tabriz pipeline. After
completing the construction of the new refinery in Tabriz the export
of refined products, gasoline and diesel fuel, will become possible
to countries of Central Asia and Caucasus, including Armenia,
Iran.ru reports.

GEORGIA QUITS EX-SOVIET GROUP AS MOSCOW ALLIES REBEL
By Matt Robinson and Oleg Shchedrov

Georgiandaily
August 18, 2009

TBILISI/MOSCOW (Reuters) – Georgia on Tuesday became the first
country to withdraw from the CIS grouping of former Soviet republics
in the latest and most blatant sign of rebellion against Moscow in
its own backyard.

In the wake of its devastating five-day war with Russia last August,
Georgia vowed to quit the Moscow-dominated Commonwealth of Independent
States formed with the fall of the Soviet Union.

Its departure underscores the drift from Moscow by former Soviet
republics, where traditional allegiances to the old Soviet master are
being challenged by the economic and political influence of the West.

"Russia has very few mates, and the mates it does have are becoming
very fickle," said James Nixey, research fellow at London-based
Chatham House.

The CIS was designed to ease the trauma of separation and promote
cooperation on issues such as trade, travel and security between the
former republics.

With the exit of Georgia, the CIS now groups Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

Loyalties were already strained when Russia sent forces into Georgia
to quash a Georgian assault on the breakaway South Ossetia region,
the first time the Kremlin had deployed troops in anger beyond its
borders since the fall of the Soviet Union.

The Georgian parliament voted to quit two days after the war ended,
starting a year-long process that ended on Tuesday.

The conflict shocked its fellow former Soviet republics, and the 12
months since have brought a series of bilateral spats signaling a
clear shift in allegiances.

None of the former republics has followed Russia in recognizing
Georgia’s rebel South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states
despite intense pressure from Moscow.

There has also been movement toward the European Union.

Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus have joined Georgia, Armenia and
Azerbaijan in the EU’s Eastern Partnership, designed to expand their
political and economic ties with Europe.

"FINDING THEIR FEET" On the military front, Uzbekistan and Belarus
refused to join a Russian-proposed rapid reaction force. Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Tajikistan signed a pact on it in June.

Kyrgyzstan this year shut down a U.S. base supplying forces in
Afghanistan having secured pledges of $2 billion in aid and credit
from Russia, only to reverse the decision in June.

There have also been tensions over energy.

Long Russia’s closest ally, Belarus has clashed with Moscow over gas
prices, ownership of gas transport networks and dairy exports. Instead,
President Alexander Lukashenko has sought — with success — to end
the country’s ostracism from the West.

Turkmenistan has stepped up efforts to diversify gas supplies to
China and Iran.

Russian relations with Ukraine in particular have hit new lows,
notably over Kiev’s push to join NATO and a series of disputes over
gas transit. In an open letter last week, Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev accused Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko of pursuing
a deliberately anti-Russian course.

"What we are seeing now is a run from Moscow," said Alexei Malashenko,
an analyst with Carnegie Moscow Center. "Russia’s allies are looking
for alliances elsewhere to ease the heavy hand of Moscow," he said.

"The CIS was an attempt to turn a divorce deal into a new marriage
contract. It failed."

Nixey said the trend was "inexorable." "At the end of the day, these
countries are immature independent states and they are finding their
feet," he said.

Georgia’s departure from the CIS will have little practical
impact. Deputy Foreign Minister David Jalagania said it would remain
party to 75 multilateral agreements formed under the CIS covering
among other things visa-free travel and free trade.

Russian officials were unperturbed.

"Georgia entered the CIS as a Trojan horse, cooperating with (Ukrainian
President Viktor) Yushchenko," said Konstantin Zatulin, a member
of the Russian Duma and director of the Institute of CIS Countries,
quoted by Interfax news agency.

"Both countries prevented the CIS from developing effectively."

AFTER RUSSIAN-GEORGIAN WAR GEORGIA’S CIS MEMBERSHIP MAKES NO SENSE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
18.08.2009 13:55 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Georgia’s joining CIS pursued political goals,"
Western Armenians’ Studies Center Director Haykazun Alvrtsyan told
today a news conference in Yerevan.

"CIS came into existence in 1991. Georgia did not then sign an
agreement on becoming commonwealth member; it signed it 3 years
later," expert said. Such step, according to him, was conditioned by
Georgian-Abkhazian war when South Ossetia and Abkhazia had seceded
from Georgia. "Former Georgian President Edward Shevardnadze persuaded
Georgian society that joining CIS was the only way for returning
those territories and raising a question about Georgia’s territorial
integrity."

"Following August 2008 war, Georgia irrevocably lost South Ossetia and
Abkhazia, so the country’s CIS membership made no sense," Alvrtsyan
said, noting in the meantime that Georgia always adhered to pro-Western
position, so quitting commonwealth will pave the country’s way to
NATO membership.

"It’s a long time Georgia has not been a CIS member state. It hasn’t
taken part in sessions held recently and has done everything to
contradict organization’s policy," the speaker stressed, adding
that Georgia’s quitting CIS will greatly harm Russia’s interests in
the region.

"Georgian society does not seem to be against such decision, as no
protest statements were made in that regard," he noted.

On August 12, 2008, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili made
a decision on quitting CIS, as a sign of protest against Russia’s
military operation aimed at forcing peace in South Ossetia. President’s
decision was followed by relevant legal procedures which took certain
time. On August 18, Georgia officially and ultimately withdrew
from CIS.