Author: Varosian Antranik

20 KILOMETERS OF NEW ROAD FROM KAPAN TO MEGHRI READY FOR MOTORISTS

Armenpress
Nov 23 2006

KAPAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS: Armenian transport and communication
minister Andranik Manukian and his entourage traveled yesterday the
first 20 km of a 92 km-long road that is being constructed to provide
a shorter and safer connection between the town of Meghri in Armenia’s
south and Kapan, the capital of the southern province of Syunik.

Some 2.3 billion Armenian drams were spent to built this section. Azat
Gasparian, head of the construction firm that won the tender to build
the road, said they had to narrow the bed of the border Arax river
to built 2.5 km section of the road.

Another 20 km of the road will be ready by the end of this year
and the rest of 32 km will be finished in 2007. The government has
released 26.5 billion drams for building of this alternative road
and will release $6 million more.

CYPRUS HAS NO PLANS FOR TURKEY VETO, WANTS SANCTIONS

Financial Mirror, Cyprus
Nov 23 2006

The government of Cyprus has no plans to impose a veto on Turkey’s
European Union accession course, but said Thursday that member states
are considering the type of sanctions to be imposed if Ankara continues
to defy all protocols.

Turkey’s refusal to recognize the Republic of Cyprus and its insistence
to prevent access to its ports and airports of Cypriot vessels, in
contravention of the Ankara Protocol, could result in the EU stopping
all accession talks with that country.

The Greek Cypriots also want the deserted town of Varosha to be
returned, initially under a United Nations mandate, in exchange for
allowing the Turkish-occupied port of Famagusta to gain international
recognition.

"The EU expects all applicants to implement the accession protocols,"
said President Tassos Papadopoulos after a meeting with the visiting
president of Armenia, Robert Kocharian.

"Nobody desires the interruption of talks with Turkey, but what is
being discussed (by other EU member states) is the type and height
of sanctions. The veto belongs to those who do not want to impose
sanctions on Turkey," Papadopoulos said.

"Turkey’s relations with its neighbours also applies to Armenia,"
said Kocharian. He added that "as Turkey has desires to join the EU,
the process of its accession path interests us. This will also affect
relations between Armenia and Turkey."

Responding to an invitation to visit Armenia, Papadopoulos accepted
but said Kocharian should not expect an answer too soon, as "we have
some very important matters to deal with next month."

The Cypriot president has already shortened a visit to China so that he
will be back on the island on December 9, a few days after Turkey’s
final deadline to comply with the Ankara protocol and a few days
before the EU leaders’ meeting to continue or stop all accession talks.

"There is no difference in our policies with Armenia," Papadopoulos
said. "The Cyprus government will continue to support Armenia at
international fora and in bilateral relations."

The two presidents, accompanied by their foreign ministers and other
cabinet members, discussed ways to improve education, tourism, banking
and cultural cooperation and implement a number of agreements in 2007.

"In Cyprus there is a dynamic and high standard Armenian community,
Papadopoulos said, adding that "we continue will to utilize this
resource to further our cooperation in many fields. For that we have
promised every kind of support."

"One more protocol remains to be signed on the protection of
investments and this will complete our obligations on the economic
chapter," Kocharian concluded.

METYU BRYZA NOT TO JOIN VISIT OF OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 21 2006

American co-chair of OSCE Minsk Metyu Bryza will not join the visit
of co-chairs to the region, US Embassy Public Relations Department
chief Jonathan Henick told the APA.

The reason for his absence is Bryza’s tense schedule and celebration
of Thanks Giving Day this week, the most important holiday in US.

"Answering the question if another diplomat or the ambassador himself
will substitute Metyu Bryza, the ambassador answered that anyone can
substitute the co-chair, so only the co-chairs from Russia and France
Yuri Merzlyakov and Bernard Fasie will visit the region.

It should be noted that, Merzlyakov and Fasie went to Yerevan yesterday
evening. They will hold talks on the regulation of Nagorno Garabagh
conflict with Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanian, and will discuss the issue concerning the preparations
to the meeting of Armenian president with Azerbaijan president on
November 28 in the frame of CIS Summit. The co-chairs are expected
to come to Baku tomorrow.

OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS TO VISIT BAKU ON NOVEMBER 22
Author: E.Huseynov

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Nov 20 2006

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry informed Trend that the OSCE Minsk
Group co-chairs on the resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict
over Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will visit Baku on November 22.

An agreement on the mediators’ tour of the region has been recently
achieved in a meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers
in Brussels, Vardan Oskanian and Elmar Mammadyarov, as well as the
Minsk Group co-chairs. The tour will start from Yerevan where the
mediators will land on November 21, 2006.

The mediators intend to hold talks with the leadership of these
countries to discuss the last initiative on the resolution of the
conflict. It is planned to mull the organization of the next meeting
between the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia scheduled for November
28, 2006 in Minsk.

CAN YOU LIVE ON 20000 AMD?

A1+
[06:48 pm] 16 November, 2006

Today the RA NA devoted a quarter of an hour to the discussion of
the draft law on the "increase of minimum monthly salary", which is
one of the vital public concerns.

Aghvan Vardanyan, Minister of Labour and Social Issues, supported
the hasty discussion of the issue.

To note, Mr. Vardanyan introduced the bill to the first hearing.

According to the bill, the minimum salary in Armenia will be 20
thousand AMD from 2007. By the way, a project has been worked
out under which the minimum salary will be raised to 30 thousand a
month. This means that the minimum salary will be annually increased
by 5 thousand AMD in Armenia. The bill refers to 7500 people who are
mainly representatives of technical and scientific spheres.

Reminder: last year the minimum salary was fixed 28 thousand AMD
taking into account the physiological needs of human organism.

Provided the bill is endorsed, the state budget will allot 506 million
AMD to the minimum salary.

By the way, the RA Government assumes that the increase of high-rank
officials’ salaries is more important than that of the minimum salary.

ENVIRONMENT ACTIVISTS CONCERNED WITH SEVAN ECOLOGY

Panorama.am
15:02 15/11/06

The Union of Armenian Writers, greens unions and other environment
related organizations are concerned with the intention of the
government to stop efforts which aim to raise the level of water
in Sevan.

Hakob Manaseryan, chairman of Greens Union, said the government has
prepared a draft planning to lower the level of wave up to 1.5 meters
instead of 5. The activists are going to come up with a suggestion
to reconsider the decision.

NKR PARLIAMENT DONATES 350 000 DRAMS TO "REBIRTH OF ARTSAKH" PROGRAM

Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 16 2006

NKR Parliament will transfer 350 thousand drams to assist the Telethon
in Los Angeles for the accomplishment of "Rebirth of Artsakh" program,
NKR Parliament Speaker Ashot Gulyan declared during the plenary
session of the National Assembly, ArmInfo correspondent reports from
Stepanakert. The sum was donated by deputies and staff of the National
Assembly. The Speaker called on all the citizens and organizations
of the Republic to have active participation in this nationwide event.

FORUM ON CONTEMPORATY CHALLENGES AND THREATS TO CIS TO BE HELD IN SAINT PETERSBURG

Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 15 2006

November 17 an international scientific forum on "Improvement of
cooperation between CIS countries to counter contemporary challenges
and threats" will be held in Saint Petersburg. The conference
will feature parliamentarians and heads of special services of CIS
countries.

Press Service of the CIS Executive committee in Minsk informs that
the participants of the forum will analyze the contemporary threats
and challenges to CIS countries. They will discuss the process of
accomplishment of interstate programs to fight criminal, terrorism,
illegal drug trafficking and illegal migration.

VIMPELCOM IS READY TO REJECT MONOPOLY

Lragir, Armenia
Nov 14 2006

Today the Public Services Regulatory Commission approved the sale of
90 percent of stocks of Armentel to the Russian company Vimpelcom.

The commission concluded in today’s meeting that this deal does not
attack the public interests of Armenia, at the same time, all the
exclusive rights remain with Armentel.

For his part, the authorized representative of Vimpelcom, the candidate
of CEO of Armentel Oleg Bliznyuk commended the deal and said it would
allow using new technologies in Armenia and supply a quality service.

Oleg Bliznyuk also said that there will be serious investments after
the deal is made. In particular, it is foreseen to invest 100 million
dollars in 2007 in both fixed-line and mobile telephone. According to
him, Vimpelcom is ready to reject monopoly, including that of Internet.

SERGE SARGSIAN IN IRAQ
By Aghavni Harutyunian

AZG Armenian Daily
15/11/2006

On November 13, Serge Sargsian, secretary of the National Security
Council affiliated to the RA president, RA defense minister, left
for Iraq to get acquainted with living conditions of the Armenian
soldiers and to meet his Iraqi counterpart and the leadership of the
multinational forces. The minister said he had applied to the National
Assembly with a request to prolong the service term of the Armenian
detachment in Iraq as Armenia cannot be only be a "safety consumer"
but also has to have its modest but stable contribution in world
security process.

P.S. The 6th shift of Armenian peacekeepers left for Kosovo yesterday.