PanARMENIAN.Net

Expensive Russian Gas to Be Compensated by Cheap Arms for Armenia?

25.03.2006 21:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ «The situation with Russian gas supplies to Armenia
seems to be solved. Gazprom, as in case of Ukraine, will get its
price, while Armenia will not increase gas prices for the
population. What is the secret?», Neftegaz.ru writes. `Already March
22 Armenian PM Andranik Margaryan said the gas tariffs will not
change. `The price of $110 fixed in the bilateral agreement is a final
one and no changes should be expected,’ he said, adding the parties
are specifying opportunities and mechanisms of compensation. Armenia
tried to dissuade Gazprom from increasing the gas prices, stating it
can undermine Russia’s authority in the region, however the company
did not give up. At that Mr. Medvedev specially noted that political
alliances do not play any role in change of tariffs for gas being
supplied to Transcaucasia. Moscow, however, agreed to consider option
of compensation for increase of the gas prices, which would mitigate
the blow for the Armenian consumer. Earlier, Russia had suggested a
number of schemes that were to assist Armenia is overcoming the rise
of price. Moscow, specifically displayed interest in acquiring a large
share holding of ArmRosgazprom. In the Russian party’s opinion, the
money from the deal will be enough for Yerevan to support low price
for domestic consumers. The other option provided for passing
ownership of the fifth energy block of Hrazdan Thermal Plant, as well
as the entire gas and transport system of Armenia to Moscow.

However, judging from reports from Armenia, the matter did not come to
it and the parties accepted a compromise. «Commissioned by the
Armenian President I sent a letter to Gazprom’s head, making several
proposals. Friday we got the response from Miller. Before end of
March Gazprom is ready to sign corresponding documents, which will
allow the population and producers paying lower prices that expected
before,» Serge Sargsyan said.

The rescue mechanism was worked out in Moscow. Supplies of Russian
Arms to Armenia on preferential terms is the point. Moreover, part of
the contracts have even gratuitous basis. As the military budget of
Armenia is rather large, these benefits can overlap the increase of
the gas price,» reports Neftegaz.ru.

Panorama.am

15:32 25/03/06

`SUMMER TIME’ IN ARMENIA

According to RA law about transition to summer and winter times, on
Saturday, March 26 at 02:00 the clock hands should be transferred to
an hour forward. It will mean the beginning of `summer time’.
/Panorama.am/

Panorama.am

14:44 25/03/06

`ARMENTEL’ ACTION NOT CEASED

`ArmenTel’ continues its bonus action for his 1-year
contractual subscribers in the scopes of which it
provides them with connection for 2 drams per minute.
Nevertheless, the head of the company’s press
department Hasmik Chutilyan rejected the information
spread one of these days about the cease of the
action.

To remind, according to the estimation of the State
Committee to Defend Economic Competition this action
of `ArmenTel’ has been qualified as an
anti-competitive step towards `Gh- Telecom’ and it was
decided to fine the company with 1% of its annual
income. And `ArmenTel’ has appealed the decision of
the SCDEC to the Committee itself. /Panorama.am/

Panorama.am

14:38 25/03/06

ARMENIA TO TAKE PART IN NATO EXERCISES `JOINT BOW – 06′ AND `JOINT
ASPIRATION”

NATO exercises `Best joint aspiration’ and `Joint companion’ were
united in `Joint bow’ in 2006. The preliminary (16-20.01.2001) and
main (6-13.03.2006) planning conference of the exercise were carried
out in Moldova with the participation of 2 staff officers from RA
Armed Forces.

As it has been informed in Defence Ministry Press Department the RA AF
representatives are going to take part in the final planning
conference (May, 2006) and the exercise congress (September,
2006). Yet, the places of the conferences to take place are not
determined yet. The main exercise will be held from September 11-29 in
Moldova. Two staff officers, a doctor, a signalman, a detachment of 8
from RA DM peacekeeping battalion will take part in the exercise.

The main exercise will be systemized by the signal office centre
located in Germany the participants must establish connection with
from their countries. The representatives of TA AF are going to take
part in the above mentioned exercise from Armenia by means of
satellite connection. The preliminary planning conference of `Joint
Aspiration – 07′ will be held in Yerevan from September 11-15.
/Panorama.am/

EX INTERIOR MINISTER OF ARMENIA WANTED BY INTERPOL MAY RETURN ONLY
WHEN THE SITUATION IN THE COUNTRY CHANGES

YEREVAN, MARCH 25. ARMINFO. Ex minister of the interior of Armenia,
Vano Siradeghyan, pins hopes for return to Armenia with a change of
the situation in Armenia. To recap, the ex minister is wanted by
International Police.

In an interview to the newspaper “Hakakan Zhamanak” (March 25 issue),
V. Siradeghyan says he would return to the country if the trial
against him is in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure of
Armenia, but “the authorities will not allow it.” The ex minister says
it is his second “forced exile,” the first time he returned and
underwent a trial for 6 months. However, “those who initiated all this
were not interested in the logic competition of the trial as they
wanted to hold me from participation in presidential and parliamentary
elections. It was not accidentally that I was chosen as a
target. Thus, the most vulnerable political figure in all the
countries of the post-Soviet area is the interior minister. And in all
the three countries of the South Caucasus, the first ministers of the
interior were subjected to persecutions,” Vano Siradeghyan believes.

TURKISH LOBBYIST ACCUSES ARMENIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY OF SEEKING TO
IMPOSE “TYRANNY OF THE MINORITY”

YEREVAN, MARCH 25. ARMINFO. Turkey’s top Washington, DC lobbyist,
former Louisiana Congressman Bob Livingston, in perhaps his most
strident attack to date, has accused Armenian Americans of seeking to
impose a “tyranny of the minority” by urging the Congress to adopt
human rights legislation concerning the Armenian Genocide, according
to documents obtained this week by the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA).

“It’s truly the height of hypocrisy for a paid foreign agent for
Turkey – a government that violates the rights of its citizens on a
wholesale basis – to try to diminish the role that American citizens
play in the formulation of our nation’s foreign policy,” said ANCA
Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “But, apparently, in the ‘Alice in
Wonderland’ world of Bob Livingston, other nations dictate
U.S. policy, genocides remain unpunished, and foreign lobbyists get to
silence American voters. He would do well to spend more time
encouraging his Turkish clients to learn about democracy, and less
time seeking to abridge the democratic rights of Americans here at
home.”

In letters sent to Congressional offices last September, prior to the
House International Relations Committee’s consideration of Armenian
Genocide legislation, Livingston, escalated his rhetoric to
unprecedented levels, arguing, in his capacity as a paid agent of a
foreign government, that he believed the measure “cater[s] to a small
minority of citizens promoting the narrow goals of the minority at the
expense of America’s broader interest.” He went on, in an example of
overstatement rare even by Washington, DC standards, to contend that
Armenian Genocide legislation “is the truest expression of the tyranny
of the minority.” The panel rejected Livingston’s attack, voting 40 to
7 to approve the legislation.

In July of last year, CongressWatch, an arm of Public Citizen,
released a 49-page report highlighting ethical concerns about the
Livingston Group’s lobbying efforts for the Turkish Government. The
report details the efforts by Livingston, to secure a “$1 billion
supplemental appropriation for Turkey. . . despite that country’s
refusal to allow U.S. troops to use its soil as a staging area for the
Iraq invasion. He also helped kill an amendment that would have
formally recognized the Armenian Genocide that occurred between 1915
and 1923.” The Livingston Group has received over $10 million in
payments from Turkey.

ARMENIAN SOLDIER WOUNDED AS A RESULT OF CEASE FIRE REGIME VIOLATION ON
ARMENIAN-AZERI BORDER

YEREVAN, MARCH 25. ARMINFO. The cease fire regime on the
Armenian-Azeri border was violated Mar 23.

Fire was opened at the Armenian positions near the village of Baganis,
Tavush region of Armenia from a military base in Gazax region of
Azerbaijan. Armenian soldier Voskan Hovhannisyan, 24, was wounded as a
result. He is now in hospital.

Armenian contract soldiers to replace Russian border guards – commander

Shant TV, Yerevan
22 Mar 06

Since the introduction of contract service, the number of Armenian
servicemen has increased within the Russian frontier troops deployed
in Armenia.

At present the Russian contract servicemen account for 40 per cent of
the total number of the staff.

The commander of the Russian Border Troops, Gen [Sergey] Bondarev
said: “In accordance with the Collective Security Treaty, in parallel
with training Armenian frontier troops, some sectors of the border
will be gradually handed over to Armenian frontier guards. But the
handover has not yet been put on the agenda because of the current
situation on the Armenian border. For this reason it has been
suggested that Armenian contract servicemen should be trained to guard
the border although the institution of contract service is being
developed now. Armenia has numerous problems regarding the security of
its borders. For instance, the Armenian-Azerbaijani sector of the
border requires huge human and material resources; it is more than 900
km long. The military units on this border should be reinforced. We
are responsible for guarding the Turkish-Iranian sector, which is of
great help to Armenia.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Minister says Armenia-Iran road to be finished by November

Shant TV, Yerevan
22 Mar 06

Armenian Transport and Communications Minister Andranik Manukyan has
said that road linking Armenia and Iran will be finished on time
despite financial problems, Yerevan-based Shant TV has reported.

Speaking at a briefing in parliament on 22 March, the minister said
that the construction of the road would be finished by November this
year although some international financial organizations had failed to
allocate funds for the construction of the Megri-Kapan sector of the
road.

In 2005, the Armenian government allocated 6,320m drams, or 14m
dollars, for the road’s construction. The road was earlier planned to
run via the Shikagog national park. But because of protests of the
public and international organizations it was later decided to
construct the road bypassing the park, the minister said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Panorama.am

15:46 25/03/06

`UNITED’ DISCLOSURE OF CORRUPTION

Today at the press conference member of `National; Unanimity’ party
Alexan Karapetyan started the disclosure of a number of corrupt deals
touching upon the bargains conducted by president of `Mika Limited’
company Michael Baghdasarov. Alexan Karapetyan stated that the former
didn’t return for about 3 million USD belonging to the State. And the
country doesn’t demand the money.

In the interview conducted by `Arminfo’ M. Baghdasarov rejected the
Deputy’s announcement about their debt to the country treating it as
aspersion and gossip. And he qualified the announcement of the deputy
as a false political performance.

However, what is that the oppositional deputy has disclosed? The
latter informed that according to the statement of the Ministry of
Finances and Economy on February 25, 2002, the Ministry carried out a
check-up of financial responsibilities of `Zvartnots’ airport. As a
result it was found out that `Zvartnots’ state airport had signed an
agreement with `Mika Limited’ company on fuel delivery on September 1,
1999 according to which the company was under the obligation to
deliver 10 000 tones of fuel to the airport with the price 208
USD/tone. Yet, `Mika Limited’ did not carry out its responsibilities
defined by the agreement, and `Zvartnots’ had to import fuel to the
country with the tariff 320USD/tone.

`According to our calculations on January 1, 2002 the losses of the
country caused by `Mika Limited’ are 2.957.760 USD,’ the Deputy
noticed.

Thus, can it be said that `National Unanimity’ has begun its
pre-election campaign by these disclosures? In reply to this question
the Deputy answered: `Yes, it can. Why not?’

He also promised to disclose a great number of corrupt deals. We
wondered which is going to be his next disclosure. In reply to this
the Deputy said: `Follow our announcement carefully and you will
know.’ And in reply to the question whether or not the `National
Unanimity’ is going to introduce the above mentioned facts to the
Chief Procurators’ Office A. Karapetyan said: `We have made
announcements, let them take and investigate the cases.’
/Panoarama.am/