Category: 2018

Baltic News Service / - BNS
 Thursday 12:54 PM EET


Estonian PM after meeting with Armenian colleague says he hopes
relations will strengthen



TALLINN, Jan 25, BNS - Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas after a
meeting with his Armenian counterpart Karen Karapetyan on Wednesday
said that he hopes that the relations between the two countries will
strengthen.

"The meeting with Prime Minister Karapetyan will hopefully create the
basis for new, strengthened relations, which will benefit the people
of both countries," Ratas, who is currently at the World Economic
Forum held in Davos, said on social media.

"Relations with Armenia, a country a third smaller by area compared to
Estonia but with a population nearly twice as high, has become
significantly more substantial thanks to the EU-Armenia partnership
agreement signed in the framework of the European Union Eastern
Partnership summit," the Estonian government leader said.

Karapetyan was quoted by Armenian media as saying that Ratas at the
meeting introduced Estonia's experience in the field of e-governance
and information technology and reaffirmed Estonia's readiness to share
its experience with Armenia. The Armenian government leader said that
his country is interested in Estonia's experience.

The government leaders also spoke about the cooperation between the
European Union and Armenia, and Karapetyan in this regard thanked
Estonia for supporting Armenia, the Armenpress news agency reported.

Karapetyan also introduced the economic reforms underway in the
country and reaffirmed interest toward the investments of Estonian
enterprises.

Transportation Monitor Worldwide
 Thursday


Yerevan to get rid of minibuses as part of new transportation network


A draft for a new transportation network has been developed for
Yerevan in an effort to reduce the number of vehicles operating in the
capital. The aim is to increase the number of buses and trams, to
promote active use of the metro as well as to do away with minibuses.
The number of routes and means of transport will be reduced almost
threefold:

There will be 42 routes instead of 115;

The number of vehicles will be reduced from 2039 to 939.

The initiators of the project are confident that the various transport
methods in the new system will be operating so as to complement one
another.

Transport will be equally available for all districts of the capital,
providing safe, reliable and decent passenger services. To the
consulting companys credit it should be noted that it has done
thorough work on developing the new project, said Vahe Nikoyan, the
First Deputy Mayor of Yerevan.

In his words, passenger transit will be carried out by articulated
buses that are 18 meters in length and are designed for up to 150
passengers, along with 12 meter long buses with a capacity of 90-100
travelers.

A uniform e-ticketing system will be introduced to ensure efficiency.
There will be mobile apps with special e-schedule software as well as
ticket machines and payment terminals. Some advanced technologies will
be implemented to monitor travel fares, said Nikoyan.

It is the first time that a professionally substantiated public
transport network strategy is being developed in Armenia. WYG
Consulting Co. initiated the project. 2017 Global Data Point.

Interfax - Russia & CIS Energy Newswire
 Thursday 6:56 PM MSK


Georgia paid enough by Gazprom to transit Russian gas to Armenia -
deputy minister

TBILISI. Jan 25

Georgian Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Giorgi
Chikovani has dismissed the opposition claims that the republic is not
importing Russian natural gas in 2018 because it has no money left to
buy it after signing a new agreement with Gazprom (MOEX: GAZP) to
transit gas to Armenia.

"This year Russian natural gas is not imported because at this stage
Georgia fully satisfies its demand for gas with its supplies from
Azerbaijan," Chikovani told journalists on Thursday, commenting on the
opposition claim that the money paid by Gazprom for the transit was
only enough to transport gas to Armenia.

Paying cash for transit is a worldwide practice, he said.

"To say that this money is not enough for us is incorrect. This is a
confidential agreement [with Gazprom Export] that we have no right to
disclose, although Georgia does get paid enough for the service
provided," Chikovani said.

Georgia is quite satisfied with gas supplies from Azerbaijan, which
come in two ways: as part of the Shah Deniz project and under
contracts with Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR, the deputy
minister said.

"Although the agreement with Gazprom Export stipulates that should
Georgia need more gas during peak consumption or emergencies, we can
import it, gas, from Russia," Chikovani said.

Earlier the parliamentary faction of the opposition National Movement
party (set up by ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili's supporters) had
insisted on considering a draft resolution on the issue of the
government's contract with Gazprom Export and whether a temporary
inquiry commission should be set up to examine the issue. The issues
were never considered.

Meanwhile, the parliamentary majority think that every time the
opposition faction made such a proposal, it was trying to reignite
scandal. Georgian Dream deputies called the opposition actions "pure
speculation and populism," sharing the executive authority's view that
at talks with the Russian company everything was done for Georgia to
secure the best possible terms.

For the first time in many years, in 2018 Georgia's natural gas trade
balance does not envisage Russian natural gas import, which in 2017
was set at 185 million cubic meters, down 28.1% on the previous year.

Under the agreement, which Georgia and Gazprom Export signed in early
2017, last year gas transit to Armenia was paid for under a mixed
scheme: part money, part raw material; and in 2018 money only. Gazprom
Export guaranteed payment for gas transit via Georgia to Armenia of
2-2.2 billion cubic meters per year in 2017-2018, and for supplying
gas to Georgia "on flexible terms, at $30 per 1,000 cubic meters less
than in 2016," i.e. for $185.

Previously Georgia would get 10% from the total Russian gas it
transited to Armenia.

 Interfax - Russia's Defense Technologies Newswire
 Thursday 12:54 PM GMT


Russian MiG-29 pilots practice destroying simulated enemy's air
defense systems in drills

 MOSCOW January 25

HIGHLIGHT: Pilots of Mikoyan MiG-29 (NATO reporting name: Fulcrum)
fighter jets from Russia's Erebuni base in Armenia have practiced
eliminating a simulated enemy's air defense systems during an
exercise, the Russian Southern Military District's press office said.



MOSCOW, January 25. /TASS-DEFENSE/. Pilots of Mikoyan MiG-29 (NATO
reporting name: Fulcrum) fighter jets from Russia's Erebuni base in
Armenia have practiced eliminating a simulated enemy's air defense
systems during an exercise, the Russian Southern Military District's
press office said.

"Besides, the crews performed elementary and advanced flying in
mountains in harsh weather conditions at medium altitudes and in the
stratosphere," the press office said.

"The flights involved more than 100 pilots, technicians and ground
support service specialists and about 20 planes," the press office
added.

This year, MiG-29 pilots will perform more than 1,000 training and
combat training sorties with the use of organic weapons during
tactical exercises and tours of duty as part of the CIS single air
defense system.

Azeri-Press news agency (APA)
 Thursday


Russia-Georgia deal may soon enter into force to benefit Armenia



Moscow pins high hopes about the agreement on customs administration
and trade monitoring signed between Russia and Georgia in 2011,
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said in an interview
to 'Kommersant, APA reports.

'We hope that this agreement will give a strong impetus to trade in
the region,' he said.

Commenting on the difficulties in the international trade between the
two countries after the war in 2008, the diplomat recalled that there
was uncertainty about where Georgia's customs borders had been crossed
as the country does not recognize the two new states (Abkhazia and
South Ossetia) created in its former territories.

'The agreement signed in 2011 shed light on this issue in particular.
We will soon try to finish domestic procedures so that we can sign
important documents in the coming months. That's when the agreement
will begin to work,' he added.

Asked if Armenia is going to be the main beneficiary of this agreement
and if Moscow is willing to do so at Armenia's request, Karasin gave
the following answer: "There is indeed a request from Armenia.
However, we're talking about a bilateral agreement signed between
Russia and Georgia through Swiss mediation. This agreement does not
impose obligations on third countries, including Abkhazia and South
Ossetia.'

The Georgian government earlier signed a contract with the Swiss
company SGS to transport cargoes to Russia through its territory, and,
if needed, through the uncontrolled Zhinvali region. Prime Minister
Giorgi Kvirikashvili said that in case of an emergency at the
Kazbegi-Yukhari Lars customs checkpoint, the cargo would be
transported via the specified route.

"No item of this contract has been directed against Georgia's
interests. The issue is, if a force majeure-such as heavy snow or
landslide-occurs at the Yukhari Lars customs checkpoint, the route in
the direction of Zhinvali can be used. This corridor can be used by
other countries, by Turkey and Armenia, as well as other countries
benefiting from our country's transit potential. However, this is
still a unilateral signing. We continue negotiating, because there are
some conditions put forward by Russia that are unacceptable to us,"
Kvirikashvili said in his speech at the Georgian parliament.

Azeri-Press news agency (APA) Azerbaijan
 Thursday


Azerbaijan sends protest note to Canada over MPs' illegal trip to
Nagorno-Karabakh



The Embassy of Azerbaijan in Canada has sent a note of protest to the
Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development of Canada over
the illegal visit of two Canadian MPs -Tony Clement and Rachel Harder
- to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan on September 2, 2017, the
spokesman for Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry, Hikmat Hajiyev, told APA.

The abovementioned Canadian MPs were included in the list of
undesirable persons of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, said the
spokesman.

According to Hajiyev, the response note received from the Department
of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development reaffirmed that Canada
recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, including
Azerbaijan's sovereignty over the occupied region of Nagorno-Karabakh
and the seven surrounding districts.

'It also states that Canada does not recognize the 'Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic' or its 'officials' and that the Government of Canada
continues to support the OSCE Minsk Group process as the best means
for the peaceful resolution of the conflict," he said.

In its response, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and
Development of Canda said the two Canadian MPs did not visit
Azerbaijan's occupied territories on behalf of the Canadian
government, and the government was not informed in advance of this
plan, added Hajiyev.

The response note also says that Canada is aware of Azerbaijan's
policy on entry to Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven surrounding
districts and for this reason calls on its citizens to refrain from
traveling to the occupied territories, said the spokesman.