Author: Tatoyan Vazgen

Georgia, Azerbaijan Agree on 30-kilometer Border Portion

Tbilisi, (Civil Georgia) – The Georgian and Azerbaijani officials
have agreed on demarcation of a 30-kilometer border line as a result
of talks in Tbilisi on August 3-4.

As a result, a total of 300-kilometer section of the Georgian-Azeri
border is now agreed, but about 35% of border line still remains
disputed, Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Giorgi Manjgaladze, who
led the Georgian delegation at the talks, said on August 4.

Disputed areas involve Tsiteli Khidi (the Red Bridge) and Davit Gareji
sections of the border.

Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalap Khalapov told reporters
after talks on August 4 that disputed issues will be discussed at
the next round of talks, which are scheduled for September in Baku.

Georgia also has to demarcate its borders with Russia and Armenia.

Disputed border line with Russia involves Larsi, Pichvebi and
Chero-Intsokhi sections of the border.

A 110-kilometer section has already been agreed with Armenia, while
the rest 110-milometer remains disputed.

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
August 4, 2006 Friday

KARABAKH: IN THE IMPASSABLE JUNGLE OF RESOLUTION

by Ambassador Vladimir Kazimirov, the head of the Russian Mission for
Truce in Karabakh

RUSSIAN, AMERICAN, AND FRENCH CHAIRMEN OF THE OSCE MINSK GROUP WILL
DISCUSS THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT RESOLUTION; The OSCE Minsk
Group is meeting to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution.

Russian, American, and French chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group will
meet in Paris on August 2-3, to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
resolution. This is going to be the first conference of international
mediators after the June demarche, caused by fruitlessness of the
meetings between Presidents Robert Kocharjan of Armenia and Ilham
Aliyev of Azerbaijan this year.

Chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group called a break this June, and urged
the heads of the involved states (Armenia and Azerbaijan) to display
political will for peace. Their demarche and some leaks to the media
on what suggestions had been made generated public debates. The
cul-de-sac situation is being grappled with at this point, but few
stimuli for mutual concessions appear. Official reaction in the
respective capitals proved quite traditional. President of the
unrecognized Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh Arkady Gukasjan was the
first the other day to promote in public the necessity of long
overdue reconciliation between the Armenians and Azerbaijanis.

Yerevan began play-acting, pretending that the suggestions made by
foreign intermediaries were acceptable as a basis for talks
continuation. The Armenians never hesitate to show their own
"constructive stand" whenever they are confident of Azerbaijan’s
reaction – meaning that whatever is suggested will be turned down by
Baku. It gives the Armenians a slight advantage. In the meantime,
many Armenians complain that the other side is not dependable enough
when it comes down to honoring accords and grumble over what they
call exaggerated readiness of their own leaders (virtual readiness,
if the truth were to be told) to withdraw from the occupied districts
around Nagorno-Karabakh.

It is more difficult for the Azerbaijani leadership, which is
compelled to reassure its general public that nothing has been agreed
on actually and that the key idea of a referendum on the status of
Nagorno-Karabakh is to be reduced to the level of an ordinary opinion
poll. In the meantime, it was only recently that official Baku was
bragging that only two issues of eight or ten had to be settled yet.
This permanent lack of exactness (whether or not accords have been
made and if they are being honored) is typical of the adolescent
Azerbaijani diplomacy.

Official Baku is racking its brains to try to come up with new
demands now. Demilitarization of the conflict area, i.e. disarmament
of Nagorno-Karabakh, is insisted on. It becomes more and more clear
that Aliyev does not really want an agreement, that he is stalling
for time in the hope to build up military muscle despite his regular
threats to Yerevan to the effect that Azerbaijan’s patience is
running out. Ducking the suggestions made by the international
community, official Baku itself procrastinates the sufferings of
Azerbaijani fugitives from Nagorno-Karabakh (it claims that they
number over a million!) and makes them hostages of the unsolved
problem of Nagorno-Karabakh. Every now and then Aliyev even hints at
the possibility of a military operation of vengeance – even though
the international community has made its stand on this particular
option clear. No new war will be tolerated.

This time-out taken by the intermediaries prompted some other players
to try their hand with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution. The
notorious International Crisis Group or ICG went to great lengths to
show the panic it was in and all but proclaimed the need for a new
international intermediary. France alone would not do, as far as ICG
representatives are concerned. They want all of Europe dragged into
the matter. Peter Semneby of the EU visited the region in unseemly
haste. Pierre Leluche of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly grew
active…

This eagerness to play the arbiter for Nagorno-Karabakh proves
existence of certain geopolitical appetites and even certain
shallowness of the thinking processes. A great deal of states and
prominent state officials racked their brains, collective and
individual, afterwards trying to save face. Lack of knowledge on what
the conflict had been about in the first place and how it had evolved
let down the overly eager more than once. It happened so to the ICG
or Lord Atkinson, author of the report to the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe who chose to rely on "a single still shot"
of the situation in the region in 2005, when even a whole "movie"
(figuratively of course) wouldn’t have sufficed as a basis for
serious debates.

New American Chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza joined
the club in the cowboy-ish manner typical of the Bush Administration.
Bryza visited Yerevan, Stepanakert, and Baku – and left the
impression of having been overly long-winded.

It stands to reason to expect three chairmen to base their future
actions on Bryza’s trip to the region. Even another meeting between
Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers may be arranged.

The OSCE set out to have the conflict resolved peacefully. It ought
therefore to be more consequent and persistent. First and foremost,
it should demand a peaceful solution to the problem more firmly,
denouncing everything that collides with its efforts – including all
and any threats particularly when they are made by the heads of
states.

Undeniably nit-picking in the matter of human rights and electoral
procedures, OSCE structures are surprisingly tolerant when
confronting militarist and revenge-monger-ish statements from
officials and outright blase when it comes down to the continuing
arms race, actual skirmishes, and neglect of the existing accords by
the involved countries. The Middle East in the meantime is an example
of how even a restricted war results in mass and huge violations of
human rights.

A categorical denouncement of a new war alone will pave way to actual
resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Source: Vremya Novostei, August 2, 2006, p. 5

Translated by A. Ignatkin

FOUR-LEVEL PENSION SYSTEM TO FUNCTION IN ARMENIA STARTING 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, NOYAN TAPAN. Starting 2008, a four-level pension
system will function in Armenia. Ara Sargsian, Advisor to the Chairman
of the RA State Social Insurance Fund, stated at the August 1 seminar
for reporters that the system will consist of the minimum old-age
benefit, basic, compulsory cumulative and voluntary cumulative
pensions. According to him, the working citizens under the age of 30
will be part of the compulsory cumulative system, those aged 30-45
will have a choice of joining this system, while persons above 45
will receive pensions under the current system. It is envisaged
that the minimal pension will make 40% of the salary instead of the
current 15-20%.

A.Sargsian said that people will use the voluntary pension system
based on the voluntary principle: by making social payments. Social
payments made by those making use of the compulsory cumulative system
will accumulate on their personal accounts. Ashot Abrahamian, Head of
the fund’s Department of Social Insurance and Programs, informed those
present that in case a person does several jobs but has one personal
account, all his payments will accumulate on this account. It was noted
that more than 530 thousand pensioners currently receive pensions in
Armenia. Over 118 thousand persons receive disability pensions.

Social payments are made by about 150 thousand employers and 450
thousand employees.

Armenia Cautious on Crash

Moscow Times, Russia
July 31 2006

YEREVAN, Armenia — A top Armenian air safety official said Friday
that a Russian-led investigation into the crash of a passenger jet
that killed 113 people in May could be premature in saying that the
cause was pilot error.

Artyom Movsisian, head of Armenia’s civil aviation authority, said
the exact cause of the crash of the A320 operated by Armenia’s Armavia
airline on the approach to Sochi remained unclear.

"Was it problems with the pilot’s health or nervousness of the air
traffic controller or the pilot’s loss of direction? This remains to
be seen," he said, adding that the conclusions announced in Moscow
were only preliminary.

The airline’s security chief, Arshan Nalbandian, said the Russian
findings "do not correspond to reality because the investigation is
not over yet." (AP)

PanARMENIAN.Net

NATO Activation in South Caucasus Aimed at Attaining Peace
29.07.2006 14:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Activation of the NATO in the region is aimed at
attaining peace, stability and political dialogue between states,
which can speed up solution of protracted conflicts, Advisor of the
Section for Arms Control and International Security of the Armenian
MFA Armen Yedigaryan stated in Yerevan. In his words, one of the major
goal’s of Armenia’s cooperation with the NATO within the Individual
Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) is to create a defense system meeting
international standards.

«Our cooperation with the Alliance has several directions: constant
consultations and meetings with NATO political leaders, active
participation in the Partnership for Peace Program, participation in
peacekeeping operations in Kosovo as part of KFOR international
forces,’ Yedigaryan remarked.

ARMENIAN OMBUDSMAN ASKS HIS GEORGIAN COUNTERPART TO HELP A GROUP OF
ARMENIAN CITIZENS TO CROSS SOUTHERN OSSETIA BORDER

Yerevan, July 28. ArmInfo. Armenian Ombudsman Armen Haroutyunyan has
asked his Georgian counterpart Sozar Subari to help a group of
Armenian citizens to cross the South OSsetian border and to come back
to Armenia.

A few days ago 80 Armenian citizens, of whom 30 are children, asked
Harotuyunyan to help them as they have been on the South Ossetian
border for already 10 days and are not allowed to cross it to go
further to Armenia.

This situation has been caused by the closure of the Upper Lars check
point.-0-

"Five Days In Yerevan"- One Day At The National Assembly

National Assembly of RA, Armenia
June 26 2006

The US Agency of International Development carries out the "Five days
in Yerevan" program which aims to give the possibility to the young
people of regions to get familiar with the state governance system
in the capital. On June 25 the young people visited the National
Assembly. The first meeting was with the President of the Parliament.

Greeting the young people the NA President Tigran Torosyan told about
the activity, purposes and problems of the Parliament and particularly
about the process of creating laws. The NA President highlighted
the importance of correctly confronting the laws with the mentality,
customs and traditions of the people, the respect and responsibility
towards the implementation of laws. Mr. Torosyan noted that one and
a half decade is a long period in the life of a person, but it is a
short period in the life of a state, so there are a lot of things to
do for the full realization of the state governance system, resolution
of social-economic and cultural problems. The President highlighted
the importance of the Constitution as a document which regulates
the public and state life, defines laws, obligations and right and
from which deriv the rest of laws. Touching upon the USSR decades
Mr. Torosyan highlighted the soviet achievements in educational,
social and economic spheres, noting that the knowledge given by the
USSR educational system in the sphere of social life were different
from that of the rest of the world being separated with an iron
curtain. In consequence, becoming independent states the post-soviet
countries appeared in a situation when they had to learn and act
simultaneously. The NA President highlighted the difficulties that
have been overcome after the establishment of independence, touched
upon the mistakes and defects, the successes and tasks.

The President of the Parliament highlighted the importance of obtaining
full knowledge and the responsibility towards the country and the state
in the sense of achieving lasting successes and highlighted that the
successors of today’s young people will live in much easier times,
but it will require a good work form all of us and the creation of
life conditions that our successors deserve.

The President of the National Assembly answered the questions of
the young people which concerned the external and internal policy of
the country. Particularly in answer to the questions concerning the
solvability of the Nagorno Karabakh issue andthe announcements made
by the Azerbaijani side about increasing the military budget and the
probability of war Mr. Torosyan highlighted that the 90s of the 20th
century and the beginning of the 21st century are different from each
other and there are international life rules and principles which have
to be considered. The Azerbaijani have had occasions to get convinced
that the money or the quantity of weapons do not decide the result of
the war. At the beginning of 90s Azerbaijan had an armoury exceeding
in quantity and quality, but when the person fights for the defense
of his home and freedom, he is much stronger and spiritually more
powerful. The Azerbaijani talk about the war very often, because
they don’t have the courage to recognize the Republic of Nagorno
Karabakh. However, they understand that restarting the war with the
RNK does not have any base and perspective. Mr. Torosyan highlighted
the circumstance, that during the last one and a half and two years
the international public has started to recognize the right of
self-determination of the RNK for which 17 years were needed. The
developments show that there are slow but positive movements. The
NA President highlighted that the people of Nagorno Karabakh have
declared its freedom and independence totally in compliance with the
USSR laws and are unbending to continue the struggle for its freedom
and independence having all the historical, legal and moral bases.

At the end of the meeting the NA President Tigran Torosyan wished
successes and happiness to the young people highlighting that
knowledge, diligence and dedication are at the base of real success.

CBA CHAIRMAN: MOODY’S "BA2" RATING IMPORTANT FOR ARMENIA

Arka News Agency, Armenia
July 25, 2006

YEREVAN, July 25. /ARKA/. While announcing the decision of the Moody’s
agency, Chairman of the Central bank of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan told
journalists that the Sovereign rating of "Ba2" in foreign and national
currencies, assigned to Armenia by the Moody’s, is of great importance
for the country for holding its position on the world financial map.

"It is necessary, since it is a signal for the investors of the
international market, showing the solvency of our country and its
financial state", Sargsyan emphasized, adding that the Moody’s rating
will enable international investors to efficiently estimate the level
of risks and work out accurate strategy for investing money into the
country. Sargsyan emphasized that it will also enable economies of
Armenia to appear on world financial market and find trustworthy
partners. "Getting the Moody’s rating of Ba2, Armenia surpassed
Georgia by two indexes, Turkey – by one index and appeared on equal
level with Azerbaijan", he said. In his turn Vardan Khachatryan, the RA
Minister of Finance and Economy, said that the Ba2 rating assigned to
Armenia by the Moody’s agency is one point higher, against the rating
assigned by the Fitch agency. "As compared to the Fitch’s rating
scale, the rating assigned by Moody’s corresponds to the ÂÂ level",
he clarified. On July 24, Moody’s Investors Service international
rating agency assigned to the RA Government "Ba2" sovereign ratings in
international and national currencies. On June 5, 2006, Fitch Ratings
assigned to the Republic of Armenia issuer default rating (IDR) of
"BB-" (BB minus) in foreign and national currencies, with Stabile
Outlook. Fitch also assigned to the republic a Short-term rating of
"B" and a Country Ceiling of "BB-"(BB minus). S.P.

–Boundary_(ID_HGeKgp2976Yva3TLTu7/Vg)–

ARMENIA POSTS SLIGHT DECLINE IN UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

Armenpress

YEREVAN, JULY 24, ARMENPRESS: The unemployment rate in Armenia fell
slightly in the second quarter of the year to 7.5 percent from 7.7
percent at the start of the year. The highest rate-17.2 percent-
was in the northeastern province of Lori, followed by Syunik in the
south with 16.6 percent and Shirak in the northwest with 15.8 percent.

According to official figures, released by the National Statistical
Committee (Armstat), some 113,000 people were looking for jobs in
the first half of the year. Some 90,000, or almost 80 percent,. were
granted the unemployed status, which means that they were receiving
unemployment benefits and money allowances. Women continue to make
the bulk of all unemployed-71.4 percent- or nearly 65,000. Manual
workers constitute 64 percent of all unemployed. They are followed by
engineers, accountants, hospital nurses and teachers. The highest
demand in the labor market is for skilled programmers, doctors
for regions, translators, insurance agents, brokers, jewelers and
shop-assistants.

Journalist Presents Readable Summary Of Great War

By David Walton
Sunday, July 23, 2006

FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW

"A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918," by G.J.
Meyer. Delacorte Press, $28.

G.J. Meyer, whose byline covers a long list of subjects and
publications, is more journalist than historian, and his "A World
Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918" is a comprehensive
history aimed at the general reader. Its virtues are readability,
objectivity and command of narrative. It is one of probably an unending
series of books attempting to tell the whole story of World War I in
one book.

But Meyer doesn’t try to have the last word. I read his book recovering
from shoulder cuff surgery, and while I wouldn’t recommend the synergy
of the experience for every reader, it more than held my interest
throughout. You finish this book feeling you’ve learned everything
anyone reasonably needs to know about The Great War.

Every decade, we learn anew the profound effects of that war’s
unfinished conflicts and problematic settlements — today in Iraq
and the Middle East. An understanding of the war, and especially of
the nationalistic and ethnic rivalries that fueled it, is essential
to understanding the modern world.

Meyer organizes his book chronologically, and accompanies each chapter
with a short background essay — on Europe’s ruling families and
military commanders, on the war’s principal weaponry, on corollary
topics such as the Turks’ murder of their Armenian minority, on
Lawrence of Arabia, on the war and poetry. The battle of Verdun
is accompanied by a capsule history of the military importance of
the site.

In theory, you could skip these background sections, but you won’t.
This is one of those books where you read every page.

Meyer’s book has the very best qualities for this kind of comprehensive
approach: a gift for compression and an eye for the telling detail. His
theme is what this most terrible of wars, stripped to its essentials,
offers as its lessons — blunders and endless bad luck and misjudgment
on all sides, "blindness and loss of perspective," and what Meyer calls
"the strange dark poetry of The Great War." (154)

Only a comprehensive account of "the killing machine" that claimed
so many million lives can convey the scale of tragedy the war became
for a whole society, in nation after nation.

Describing one fruitless action by the British Gen. Douglas Haig in
1914, one of the war’s few breakthroughs and one of its many missed
opportunities, Meyer writes:

"His gains included little beyond the ghost town of Neuve Chapelle.
He had lost 11,600 men, the Germans 8,600 — the numbers being mere
abstractions that, as always, veil thousands of stories of lives lost
and ruined." (240-41)

Why did the war go on for so many months and years of stalemate,
with no gains and millions dead and mutilated in its endless failed
offensives? The answer is succinct, and requires only two sentences:

"None of the warring governments thought they could possibly
accept a settlement in which they did not win something that would
justify all the deaths. The war had become self-perpetuating and
self-justifying." (192)

David Walton, who teaches at the University of Pittsburgh in Oakland,
is the author of "Ride" and winner of the Flannery O’Connor Award
for his short-story collection "Evening Out."