home

news

economy

business

cultural

banks

energy

political

subscribe

ARMENIA AND RUSSIA TO START NEGOTIATIONS IN MOSCOW TODAY

JANUARY 21. Armenia and Russia will start negotiations in Moscow today to solve the issue of development of telecoms between the two countries, Armenia's Transport and Communication Minister Andranik Manoukyan told ARMINFO. The Armenian delegation will be lead by Manoukyan and the Russian one by that country's Communication Minister Leonid Reyman. Manoukyan stressed the importance of the negotiations which may seriously stimulate the development of Armenian-Russian relations in the telecoms sector.

UKRAINE OFFERS ITS SERVICES TO MEDIATORS TO MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT

JANUARY 21. During his Jan tour of the Middle East countries, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Anatoly Zlenko said his country could mediate in the negotiations to settle the Middle East conflict. As ARMINFO learned from the press service of Ukraine's Embassy in Armenia, Zlenko said Kyiv is ready to hold that meeting to scale down tensions in the region and to try to find a solution to the crisis. He said the special envoy of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, Viktor Nagaychuk, is meeting with concerned parties to organize a direct Israeli-Palestinian meeting and to determine its agenda. Zlenko made the offer during his meeting with Israel's Foreign Minister Shimon Perez at the UN headquarters Nov 2001. Perez asked him to do his best to help the parties to the conflict settle it and said he might accept the offer. During a meeting with Palestine's Minister for Planning and International Cooperation Nabil Shahat last year's Oct, Zlenko said Ukraine is ready to provide venue for and mediate in peace negotiations between Palestine and Israel. Shahat said Palestine would discuss this proposal with Israel and if both parties accepted it Ukraine might well host the next round of the negotiations.

U.S.-ARMENIA TASK FORCE MEETING TO BE HELD IN JAN 23-24

JANUARY 21. The next semi-annual meeting of the U.S.-Armenia Task Force is scheduled to be held in Yerevan Jan 23-24, The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) told ARMINFO. Amb. Bill Taylor, coordinator of U.S. assistance to Europe and Eurasia, will lead the U.S. delegation, which will include officials from the Department of Commerce, Treasury, Justice and Agriculture, as well as from the office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Leading the Armenian delegation will be Finance and Economy Minister Vartan Khachatryan. Among the topics of discussion during the two day meeting will be the adoption of a treaty on "double" taxation of companies and individuals living an working in both countries. The adoption of such a treaty would clarify the taxation of transactions, investments, rents, royalties and salaries. Other topics on the agenda include promoting economic and financial sector reforms; fighting corruption; Armenia's accession to the World Trade organization; expanding tourism in Armenia; increasing Armenian import to the United States; cooperation in fighting international terrorist financing; maximizing the effectiveness of the U.S. assistance program, and; domestic and regional energy generation and distribution. The U.S.-Armenia Task Force was formed in Jan 2000 to help coordinate the efforts of the Departments of State, Commerce and Treasury, the Trade Development Agency, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the National Security Council to promote economic cooperation between the U.S. and Armenia and to assist Armenia in its transition to a market-oriented economy. The Task Force is scheduled to meet twice a year and alternates venues between Yerevan and Washington, DC. The last meeting was scheduled to be held in Oct 2001 but was postponed because of the Sept 11 events in the U.S.

US AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA THANKED ARMENIAN PEOPLE AND GOVERNMENT FOR SUPPORT IN ANTI-TERRORIST OPERATION

JANUARY 21. US Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia John Ordway thanked the Armenian people and the government for their support in the anti-terrorist operations after the Sept 11 events. According to a press-release spread today by the US Embassy in Armenia, John Ordway said: "Support rendered to the USA by the Armenian people and the government deserves special gratitude."

OVER 50 CHILDREN ATTEND CENTER

JANUARY 21. Over 50 children, age 5-16 years, are in the charge of the "Orran" charitable organization founded by Armine Hovhannissyan, the wife of the first foreign minister of independent Armenia Raffy Hovhannissyan. Most attendants are orphans, children from unsecured families, and children, whose parents are deprived of their parent's rights, Director of the Center Rouzanna Alexanyan told ARMINFO. However among the children are also vagrants and beggars. All the Center's attendants are school-children. They come to the Center after their lessons, dine and do their homework. The children are divided into two groups to make the training more efficient. The first group includes children of 1-6 forms. Rouzanna Alexanyan said, these are so called "difficult children" having mental problems. Thus, besides teachers, they need help of pediatricians and psychologists. The second group includes less problematic children. Previously, the Center was to include children from Yerevan, however, at present among the attendants there are also children from different regions of the country. Unfortunately, Rouzanna Alexanyan said, the Center is not able to take care of all the unsecured children in the country, because of limited personnel and space. In this connection, the Center will start the construction of a new building this year. Besides, the Center is implementing a Program of Aid to poor pensioners, under which 28 old people receive hearty meal daily.

NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT AND ARMENTEL COMPANY PROLONGED

JANUARY 21. Negotiations between the Armenian government and the "ArmenTel" company on introduction of a per-minute payment system for local calls in Armenia will be prolonged for about 5 days, Press-secretary of the Armenian Justice Ministry Ara Saghatelyan told ARMINFO. He said at present the sides are working on a joint resulting document. The press-secretary also said the negotiations continue successfully. According to Saghatelyan, there exist some concrete agreements, which he refused to specify. It should be noted that a 60-day negotiations between ArmenTel and the government ended Jan 19. The Greek OTE company, the owner of ArmenTel, intended to introduce the per-minute payment system still Sept 1, 2001. However, After Armenian Justice Minister David Haroutiunyan's proposal to hold negotiations on the issue of validity of the above system's introduction, the system has been frozen.

LORIS CHGNAVORYAN'S SYMPHONIC ORCHESTRA TO HOLD CONCERT IN IRAN

JANUARY 21. Loris Chgnavoryan's symphonic orchestra will hold a concert at Rudaki Hall in Iran Jan 21-28. According to IRNA, the orchestra will perform works of Aram Khachaturyan, Chaikovsky, as well as those of Chgnavoryan. Loris Chgnavoryan expressed gratitude to Iranians for the invitation, pointing out that he is greatly interested in the music of the Iranian composers. Chgnavoryan formed his new orchestra this year. The orchestra consists of 16 players on the strings and one pianist.

"ARMENIAN-ARAB" RELATIONS" AND "KARABAKH CONFLICT" MONOGRAPHS TO BE PUBLISHED IN UAE IN ARABIC

JANUARY 21. The UAE-based "Jaed" Coordination and Research Center intends to publish two monographs, "The Armenian-Arab relations" and "The Karabakh Conflict", in Arabic, the press service of the Armenian Foreign Office told ARMINFO. During the meeting Armenian Ambassador to the UAE Arshak Poladian held with Vice-Chairman of the UAE government, Chairman of the "Jaed" center, Sheik Sultan ben Jaed Naghayan, the sides discussed prospects of developing cooperation between Armenian research, political and cultural centers and the "Jaed" center. Sultan Naghayan also said that the "Jaed" center is preparing for publication a number of works on Armenian studies.

DEFENDANT IN POGHOS POGHOSSIAN'S MURDER CASE TESTIFIES IN COURT

JANUARY 21. At the court hearing of the case of murder of the Georgian citizen Poghos Poghossian's murder, testifying was the defendant Aghamal Harutiunian, who is charged with involuntary homicide. Harutiunian presented to the court his version of the accident. According to him, at about 11:00 p.m. local time, he was escorting the president and his guests to the "Aragast" cafe. At about 12:30 a.m. the president and his guests were leaving the cafe. Harutiunian pointed out that he and the other bodyguard, Gurgen Arsenian, was following the president. While passing by a table, Harutiunian heard Poghos Poghossian make an indecent remark. Harutiunian reprimanded Poghossian and continued his way. Going upstairs, the Harutiunian noticed that Arsenian was absent, and, after the president left, he went down and saw some people fighting, Poghossian being among them. Harutiunian separated the fighters and asked Poghossian what had happened. In his turn, Poghossian offered Harutiunian to have it out and led him to the restroom. According to Harutiunian, in the corridor of the restroom Poghossian suddenly hit him and was going to deliver a second blow, but Harutiunian pushed Poghossian. Both slipped on the floor and fell. Then, Harutiunian said, his cellular telephone rang, and he half-rose to respond to the call. He saw Stepan Nalbandian, who was entering the restroom. Harutiunian pushed Nalbandian aside and left the restroom. It was not until the next day that Harutiunian knew about the accident from newspapers. It is noteworthy that Harutiunian's testimony is in serious discrepancy with that of a number of witnesses in the case. Considering this fact, the lawyer Ruben Sahakian made a petition for a confrontation between the defendant and the witness Stepan Nalbandian, which was done. During the confrontation Nalbandian stated again that when he entered the restroom he received a blow and saw several people beating Poghossian. On the other hand, Harutiunian claimed that there were only two of them in the corridor of the restroom and he was not hitting Poghossian. It remains unclear what is the cause of signs of traumas on Poghossian's body, and how blood and a tuft of Poghossian's hair got on the door-frame in the restroom. It is also to be noted that according to the witness Tsarukian's previous testimony Poghossian was being led to the restroom and many people were entering there. He also claimed that the people beating Poghossian were in suits, whereas the defendant said that they were not in suits.

PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION ON CASE OF FORMER HEAD OF DEPARTMENT OF EXECUTION OF CRIMINAL PUNISHMENTS COMPLETED

JANUARY 21. The Armenian Prosecutor General's Office completed a preliminary investigation on a case of the former head of the Department for Execution of Criminal Punishments Mushegh Saghatelyan, Saghatelyan's lawyer Robert Grigoryan told ARMINFO's correspondent. It should be noted that Saghatelyan was charged with at once 5 Clauses of the Armenian Criminal Code for preparing a false denunciation (allegedly Robert Kocharyan and Defense Minister Serzh Sargssyan organized the Oct 27 terrorist act at the Armenian parliament), for forging documents (in particular higher education certificate), for declaration of a state secret, as well as for hooliganism and excess of powers. However, last week the Prosecutor General's Office re-qualified the charge declaration of state secret into the abuse of powers. It is known that Mushegh Saghatelyan does not recognize himself guilty.

POGHOS POGHOSSIAN'S BROTHER SAYS HE IS THREATENED

JANUARY 21. At today's court sitting, Andranik Poghossian, brother of the Georgian citizen Poghos Poghossian murdered in the Yerevan "Aragast" cafe, stated that he is threatened. According to him, last Friday someone rang him up and began to threaten, mentioning the name of the architect Stepan Nalbandian, a close friend of Poghossian, who is a witness in the case. Andranik Poghossian pointed out that the stranger probably attends the court sittings. "During the telephone conversation that man was saying only what one present there could know," A. Poghossian said.

PRICE LEVEL FLUCTUATIONS EXPECTED WITHIN 3%: TIGRAN SARGSSIAN

JANUARY 21. The Central Bank's most important task in 2002 is securing price stability, and the price level is to fluctuate within 3%, CB President Tigran Sargssian said. According to him, this task will be accomplished, as Armenia's economy has been successfully operating at a low inflation during the last few years. Sargssian said that in 2002 potential investors in Armenia's economy will be provided with guarantees of long-lasting financial stability. Speaking of the peculiarities of 2002, Sargssian stressed the expected sharp increase of state financial transfers. In particular, a considerable increase in funds allocated under programs of the "Lincy" foundation is expected. The task is in smoothing financial flows, for sharp fluctuations on the market to be avoided. Sargssian said that this task will also be accomplished. Another peculiarity is, according to Sargssian, timely neutralization of negative price consequences of nonrecurrent emission of credits of the World Bank to the market. There are also risks related to the volume of implementation of international investment programs. At the same time, Sargssian said that real conditions for further economic growth are created in Armenia, which are based on the macroeconomic stablity achieved during the last four years, as well as on the plans to implement a number of large-scale investment programs that are under the Armenian authorities' control.