Georgian Gas Pipeline Not To Belong To Gasprom

GEORGIAN GAS PIPELINE NOT TO BELONG TO GASPROM
By Aghavni Harutyunian

AZG Armenian Daily
10/11/2006

Georgia thinks that the military attack from Russia is quite
possible. In the course of official visit to Paris, Gela Bezhoushvili,
Georgian foreign minister, told about this. It’s worth mentioning
that at the same time, Zurab Noghaideli, prime minister of Georgia,
stated that the suggestion to give energy objects in order to pay
for Russian gas to Gazprom is not acceptable for Georgia. Moreover,
he said that this resembles political blackmail. Anyway, according
to Zurab Noghaideli, Georgia is ready to negotiate for the price of
the Russian gas but it won’t be able to hand the magisterial gas
pipe line to the Russians. To remind, few months ago the Georgia
authorities used to speak of the sell of the same gas pipeline from
quite more democratic positions. They used to state that the company
that will pay the highest price for the gas pipeline in the course
of the tender, will become its owner.

It’s worth mentioning that on the background of these gas stories,
several Georgian officials of the gas transfer company, including
its executive director Revaz Uroushadze, were arrested accused of
corruption.

Vladimir Spivakov Awarded UNESCO World Artist

VLADIMIR SPIVAKOV AWARDED UNESCO WORLD ARTIST
By Marietta Makarian

AZG Armenian Daily
09/11/2006

Vladimir Spivakov, outstanding Russian musician, was recently
awarded the title of The World Artist title by UNESCO. The UNESCO
administration highly appreciated the professionalism of the musician
and his great contribution to the implementations of the programs of
UNESCO. The official ceremony of awarding the artist with the title
took place in Paris.

OSCE Chair-In-Chief Hopes For Positive Course Of Coming Meeting Of F

OSCE CHAIR-IN-CHIEF HOPES FOR POSITIVE COURSE OF COMING MEETING OF FOREIGN MINISTERS OF ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Nov 7 2006

"Unfortunately, the negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan this
year had nearly no progress, therefore, they gave no results, the
OSCE Chair-in-Chief, FM of Belgium, Carel de Gucht, told the Baku
"Zerkalo" newspaper.

As the source reports, C. de Gucht has also reminded about the coming
visit of Azerbaijan President, Ilham Aliyev, to Belgium, during which
the Karabakh conflict solution ways will be discussed as well. "This
meeting will be preceded by the negotiations of Foreign Ministers,
Mamediarov and Oskanyan, scheduled for the midst, November. As for
me personally, I have some definite assumptions regarding the coming
meeting results but I will not yet make them public, since my personal
opinion may affect the development of events. However, I hope for a
positive course of negotiations and believe they will more effective
than the previous ones", Carel de Gucht said.

Transperancy International Reports Close To 3 Points For Armenia

TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL REPORTS CLOSE TO 3 POINT FOR ARMENIA

Panorama.am
15:35 06/11/06

Armenia is among the group of countries which have lower than
point 3 level of corruption which means that corruption is quite
widespread. Amalia Kostanyan, head of Armenia office of Transparency
International, said, "Armenia has received 2.9 points which has not
changed since last year despite of anticorruption strategy launched
for three years."

One hundred sixty three countries were included in the rating
against 159 last year. The rating is done on 1-10 points. Countries
which receive close to 1 are considered more corrupt. No country has
received 10 points with Finland, Island and New Zealand having close
to 10 – 9.6 points. Countries like Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uruguay,
India and Japan reported progress whereas Brazil, Cuba, Jordanian,
Israel and USA reported regression to more corruption.

Armenia is at the 93rd place together with Argentina, Syria, Eritrea,
Tanzania and Bosnia Herzegovina. Our neighbor – Georgia, Iran and
Azerbaijan are at 99, 105 and 130 places respectively.

BAKU: Karabakh Liberation Organization Accuses Law-Defenders Of Bein

KARABAKH LIBERATION ORGANIZATION ACCUSES LAW-DEFENDERS OF BEING INDIFFERENCE TOWARDS DESTINY OF KARABAKH PARTISANS
Author: S.Ilhamgizi

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Nov 4 2006

Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO) expressed its protest against
several law-defenders in relation with the absence of the names of
the Karabakh partisans in the list of political prisoners submitted
to the Council of Europe, Trend reports with reference to the KLO.

It should be mentioned that a number of young people had formed
an armed team to protest against the occupation of the Azerbaijani
territories by Armenian Armed Forces. One of them has been sentenced
to the prison for term of life and other from 5 to 14 years.

KLO considers that the court has passed an unfair resolution. In
addition, during the investigation, the court procedures have been
repeatedly violated.

It was mentioned in the KLO resolution that each of these arguments
is enough to include them into the list of the political prisoners.

"But the position of several law-defenders coincides with the unfair
decision of the court. We demand these law-defenders to change their
position," was stated in the resolution.

Violin Competition Medalist Joins Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra At

VIOLIN COMPETITION MEDALIST JOINS INDIANAPOLIS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA AT NOVEMBER 10 DEPAUW CONCERT

DePauw University, Indiana
Nov 4 2006

November 4, 2006, Greencastle, Ind. – "Violin Virtuosity" is the theme
of the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra’s (ICO) performance at DePauw
University on November 10, 2006, at 7:30 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium. The
first of two ICO concerts at DePauw this academic year, this concert
will feature violinist Ida Kavafian, the 1982 Silver Medalist at the
International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. Ms. Kavafian and
the ICO will be under the direction of guest conductor Raymond Harvey
of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra.

Featured on the program is Christoph Willibald Gluck’s opera Iphigenie
in Aulis, Romance for Violin and Orchestra by Antonín Dvoøak, famous
for his "New World Symphony," and the rarely heard Violin Concerto
No. 8 in A minor by 19th century composer Louis Spohr. Spohr, a
violinist himself, is said to have invented the violin chin rest. The
concert will conclude with Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 2, the
first Schumann symphony performed by the ICO in its 22-year history.

Known for her remarkable versatility and breathtaking virtuosity, Ida
Kavafian has appeared on stages and in performance venues throughout
North America, the Far East and Europe. Born in Istanbul, Turkey,
of Armenian descent, Ms. Kavafian immigrated with her family to the
United States when she was three years old. Her studies began at
the age of six with Ara Zerounian, continued with Mischa Mischakoff,
and culminated when she earned her Master of Music degree with honors
from the Juilliard School, where she was a student of Oscar Shumsky.

In 1982, Ms. Kavafian won the silver medal at the prestigious
International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. She has premiered
new works around the world, founded or participated in many celebrated
chamber music ensembles, received countless prestigious awards and
been active in guiding major music festivals. She is on the faculty
of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and the Bard College
Conservatory of Music in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.

Ms. Kavafian has also appeared on CBS’ Sunday Morning and NBC’s Today
Show and is an artist of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Guest conductor Raymond Harvey comes to DePauw from Kalamazoo where he
is the music director of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. In February
2001, Mr. Harvey served as a guest conductor for the Indianapolis
Symphony Orchestra in a concert entitled "Celebration of Black
History." He also serves as the music director of the El Paso Opera
in Texas and has been recognized as an outstanding pianist, choral
conductor and teacher. Harvey holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees
from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts
degree from the Yale School of Music. He has been featured in Ebony
and Symphony magazines and is profiled in the book, Black Conductors,
by Antoinette Handy.

–Boundary_(ID_s3rRrGbJljX8WklQK7OxQA)–

BAKU: Serbian FM: Granting independence to Kosovo may be an example

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 3 2006

Serbian Foreign Minister: Granting independence to Kosovo may be an
example for Nagorno Garabagh and other unrecognized institutions

[ 03 Nov. 2006 14:19 ]

Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovich said that Kosovo may be an
example for Nagorno Garabagh, APA Eastern bureau reports.

The Minister said that in case that Kosovo achieves its independence
it will be a precedent for Nagorno Garabagh and other unrecognized
institutions in Post Soviet space. He said that while discussing
Moldova’s sovereignty and integrity Serbia voted for such kind of
resolution. The Minister said it is impossible to agree to Kosovo’s
independence even theoretically.

"We will not allow Kosovo’s accession to the UN and organizations
stressing the sovereignty of states openly. We will keep to this
principle even in the most severe diplomatic struggle," the minister
said.

Vuk Draskovich said if the UN grants independence to Kosovo, it will
be an example for Transdniestria, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Nagorno
Garabagh, Northern Cyprus, Basque in Spain and even Ireland.

"I counted. Nearly 40 states of the world may achieve independence,"
the Minister said. /APA/

By 2007 Draft State Budget, Expenditures On Maintenance Of State Gov

BY 2007 DRAFT STATE BUDGET, EXPENDITURES ON MAINTENANCE OF STATE
GOVERNANCE MACHINERY TO INCREASE BY 5.2 BILLION DRAMS

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, NOYAN TAPAN. By the 2007 draft state budget,
the expenditures on maintenance of the state governance machinery
will make 40.5 bln drams, which exceeds the 2006 financing by
5.2 bln drams (about 13.7 mln USD). Presenting the issue of the
draft state budget-envisaged financing of the state governance
machinery at the November 3 joint sitting of the RA National Assembly
standing committees, RA Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy Pavel
Safarian said that 67% of the increase of financing is conditioned
by the planned growth in salaries of civil servants and the related
increase in allocations for social secirity payments. Particularly,
from January 1, 2007 it is envisaged to set the basic official
salary of civil servants at 35,500 drams instead of 30,000 drams in
2006. The total cost of this change is 1.2 bln drams. As a result,
in 2007 the average salary of civil servants will make 104,000 drams
instead of the current 87,000 drams. From July 1, 2007 it is planned
to increase the salaries of high-ranking officials by about 40%, for
which the draft state budget envisages additional financing of 676
mln drams. One of the peculiarities of the law on official salaries
of high-ranking officials to be adopted soon is that their salaries
will be set not in absolute figures but in comparison with the minimal
salary in Armenia. Salaries of other categories of employees of the
state governance machinery will increase by 20%, which requires
additional financing of 508 mln drams. According to P. Safarian,
the growth in the salary fund of the state governance machinery is
also conditioned by some structural changes, including the creation
of the Judicial Department and a growth in the number of employees
due to the increased functions of some state governance bodies. As a
result, in 2007 the number of jobs in the state governance machinery
will increase by 174 and make 15,329.5. The deputy minister said that
along with these financing changes, the share of expenditures on the
state governance machinery in the overall budgetary expenditures will
remain the same compared with 2006 – 7.3%, while their ratio to GDP
will decline – from 1.47% in 2006 to 1.37%.

Russians Are Guilty Of The Events In Javakhq

RUSSIANS ARE GUILTY OF THE EVENTS IN JAVAKHQ

A1+
[04:11 pm] 02 November, 2006

Today, Vahagn Chakhalyan, member of "United Javakhq" democratic
alliance, rendered a press conference where he spoke of the activity
of the alliance, his arrest and their immediate connection.

Reminder: Vahagn Chakhalyan was arrested on October 11 and was
accused of "illegal breech" of the Armenian-Georgian borderline. He
was released from the isolation of the National Security Service on
October 30.

Today, Mr. Chakhalyan qualified the motives of his arrest "mere
aspiration" as, in his words, the reasons are deeper and have political
grounds. "The general situation in Javahkq must be connected with
the worsening of Russian-Georgian relations".

Hmayak Hovhannisyan, NA deputy, claims that the pursuit and arrest
of Chakhalyan and his partner Gourgen Shirinyan was determined by
the construction of Kars-Akhalqalaq railway.

Let us remind you that Hmayak Hovhannisyan initiated signature
collection in the National Assembly in protection of Vahagn Chakhalyan
with the request to release him. 16 NA deputies participated in the
signature collection.

The point is that "United Javakhq" alliance announced during its
first session that "the construction of Kars-Akhalqalaq railway
has political motives and represents the interests of Turkey and
Azerbaijan, i.e. to penetrate into Javakhq and to isolate Armenia".

This is a serious concern taking into account the fact that the
Armenians of Javakhq are abandoning the territory, and the adjacent
territories of the new-built railway "will be inhabited with Turks"
in Chakhalyan’s words.

"This is really a serious threat for Javakhq as only 30 thousand
Armenians live in Javakhq today in comparison with their number in
the Soviet period – 70-80 thousand people. We had 14 deaths and only
one birth in August of the current year," claims Mr. Chakhalyan.

Varuzhan Voskanian Resigns Post Of Representative Of Romania To Euro

VARUZHAN VOSKANIAN RESIGNS POST OF REPRESENTATIVE OF ROMANIA TO EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Nov 01 2006

BUCHAREST, NOVEMBER 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Romanian
authorities accepted the resignation of Romanian parliament’s Armenian
Senator Varuzhan Voskanian from assuming office of representative
of Romania to the European Commission. According to the Marmara’s
report, European Parliament’s socialists spoke against V.Voskanian’s
candidature. Rumors were also spread that in the years of the communist
regime Voskanian cooperated with secret police organizations. The
very rumors became the reason for V.Voskanian’s resignation.

According to the same source, the socialists’ faction in the European
Parliament had an apprehension that Voskanian cannot be unbiassed when
discharging his obligations in consideration of the fact that he is
the head of Armenian Unions in Romania and played an important role
in making the decision on proclaiming April 24 Day of Commemoration of
the Armenian Genocide in Romania. He has headed the Budget Commission
at the Romanian Senate for many years. To recap, Romania is to become
EU member since 2007 January.