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ARMENIA READY TO JOIN TRANSPORT CORRIDOR BETWEEN RUSSIA, IRAN AND INDIA

FEBRUARY 8.The transport corridor between Russia, Iran and India will serve the interests of international cooperation, Iran's Ambassador to Russia Gholamreza Shafei has told journalists in Moscow. He said the countries' agreement to opening such a corridor will promote the deepening of economic cooperation between various countries of the region. Shafei said Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan and other countries have already declared their intention to join the corridor. Shafei mentioned the corridor while answering a journalist's question if Russia, China and India may form an alliance. He said to much is to be done to form such an alliance. He however stressed that such an alliance would promote the region's development.

PROGRAM "ARMENIA. TREE PLANTING" AWARDED BY NATIONAL ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION

FEBRUARY 8.The program "Armenia. Tree Planting" carried out by the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA) has been awarded one of the five prizes of the National Arbor Day Foundation for its contribution to environment protection, ARMINFO learned from the AAA press service. The presentation of the award is to take place in Lincoln, NB, U.S., Apr 27. The program was launched by President of the AAA's Board of Trustees Carolyn Mugar in 1994. 274,000 trees have been planted in Yerevan and its suburbs since then.

YBC COMPLAINS OF "GREAT ARARAT" COMPANY

FEBRUARY 8. The Yerevan Brandy Company (YBC) lodged one more complaint about the "Great Ararat" company with the Ministry of Justice on January 31. The point is that the "Great Ararat" company is continuing to export its products with the "Great Ararat" trade mark. We would remind you that in August 2000 this trade mark was invalidated in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus. According to the information reported by the YBC press service, the management is concerned over the unpunished illegal export of products of the "Great Ararat" company, with the latter's debt to Armenian vine-growers totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. In 2001, the YBC lodged a claim against the "Great Ararat" company, demanding that it be renamed for consumers not to be confused. The YBC management challenges the impartiality of Armenia's judicial bodies, which delay the hearing of the case. The YBC management states it will take all necessary measures to repair the financial damage which totals hundreds of thousands of dollars.

6,426 PEOPLE VISITED YEREVAN BRANDY COMPANY IN 2001

FEBRUARY 8. 6,426 people visited the Yerevan Brandy Company (YBC) in 2001, the company's press-service told ARMINFO. According to the YBC, the company has become the most favorite place in Yerevan. Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, Polish President Aleksander Kwasnewski, Russian Defense Minister Aleksander Ivanov, Vice-Speaker of the Russian State Duma Ilya Klebanov, Romanian President Ion Iliescu, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov were among the company's visitors. The YBC has a notebook, which includes the opinions of all the state, political and public workers visiting the company. The notes of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs consist of warm wishes and congratulations on the company's victory in the sphere of Armenian-French relations. It should be noted that a historical complex was established at the company especially for tourists since 2000.

GRANT TOBACCO COMPANY ANNOUNCED REDUCTION OF PRICES FOR ITS PRODUCTION

FEBRUARY 8. Grand Tobacco company announced a 30-40% reduction of prices for all the assortment of its production. Now the wholesale prices will make 37-280 drams, depending on cigarettes' sort and brand. The reduction of prices is explained by the company's intention to regain its positions on domestic market, the capacity of which being about 5.5bln cigarettes annually, Grand Tobacco company's press-service told ARMINFO. In 1999, the company produced over 3.0bln cigarettes, in 2000 - 2.098bln, in 2001 - 1.623bln. Over the last two years, sales volume in Armenia, including the import, increased from 3.2bln to 3.63bln cigarettes. The company's management considers the discrepancy between the sales figures and the market capacity as illegal import of cigarettes. The press-service reported that the company's foreign partners showed understanding to the company's problems and reduced the prices for the raw materials supplied. In particular, the Brazilian tobacco is delivered to Armenia at cost.

PAPAL NUNCIO TO SOUTH CAUCASUS APPOINTED

FEBRUARY 8. The Pope John Paul II has approved the candidacy of Msgr. Claudio Gugerotti for Papal Nuncio to Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia. Msgr. Gugerotti was ordained two weeks ago and will become the first Catholic Nuncio to represent the Pope in the South Caucasus since the medieval times. Msgr. Gugerotti received higher theological education in Rome and graduated from Oriental Studies Department of Venice State University. He fluently speaks Russian, Armenian and Georgian and, of course, Latin. Msgr. Gugerotti accompanied the Pontiff during his visits to India and Georgia and later to Kazakhstan and Armenia. He will reside in Tbilisi (Georgia).

EXHIBITION DISPLAYING HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHS CONFIRMING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915 TO BE HELD IN FRANKFURT

FEBRUARY 8. An exhibition displaying historical photographs confirming the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey in 1915 will open at St. Catharine Church in Frankfurt, Germany, today. Director of the Museum-Institute of the Armenian Genocide Lavrenty Barseghian left for Frankfurt to participate in the exhibition, which will last until March 1. The exhibition is expected to be opened by the member of the organization of Turkish intelligence "Union against Genocide" Dens Gunduz thereby paying homage to the memory of the Genocide victims. The organizers of the exhibition, the Armenian Evangelical Church and the "Union against Genocide", point out that the main goal of the exhibition is drawing the German government's attention to the fact of the Armenian Genocide, as well as presenting to the young generation the most horrible crime against humanity.

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION OF RUSSIAN LANGUAGE TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN

FEBRUARY 8. An international competition of the Russian language "Russia and the Russian Language in My Life" is to be held in Yerevan Apr 24-28, organized by the Union of Armenians of Russia (UAR), the chief executive of the Armenian Center for Development of the Russian language, Gurgen Barikyan, told ARMINFO today. The Center is placed under the aegis of the UAR. Barikyan said 100 schoolchildren from the CIS and Baltic countries will take part in the competition, each country, including Armenia, having seven participants with equal chances for success. Schoolchildren from all over Armenia will have to write a composition "Russia and the Russian Language in My Life" in Mar to qualify for the Apr contest. The grand prix is a chance to receive free education at a Russian university.