Friday 22 August 2008

Armenian News


MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
----------------------------------------------
PRESS RELEASE
20-08-2008

Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian comments on the question by "Zaman"
newspaper

QUESTION: How will you comment to the Turkish Prime Minister's statement on the
intention to start talks with Armenia?

ANSWER: Armenia was always in favor of dialogue and talks, particularly on
the issues concerning cooperation and security in our region.
Turkish Prime-Minister's statement on the intention to start talks with
Armenia on this agenda could be welcomed.-0-

Armenian Rail Traffic Via Georgia `Set To Resume'
By Emil Danielyan

Armenia's rail communication with the outside world, disrupted by the
weekend sabotage attack in Georgia, could resume in the coming days
through an old bridge bypassing the damaged section of the Georgian
railway, officials in Yerevan said on Wednesday.

They also said that the Black Sea ports of Batumi and Poti processing
the bulk of Armenia's foreign trade have continued to function even
after one of them was again targeted by Russian troops occupying much of
Georgian territory.

Armenian officials have been scrambling to maintain supplies of basic
commodities to their country since Saturday's explosion on a rail bridge
close to the Russian-occupied central town of Gori. The Georgian
government has accused the Russians of blowing it up, a charge strongly
denied by Moscow.

Georgian officials said initially that the bridge will be restored
within 10 days. But according to the Armenian Ministry of Transport and
Communications, they now believe the ongoing repairs will take about a
month.

A ministry spokeswoman, Susanna Tonoyan, told RFE/RL that Georgian
repairmen, helped by a team of 12 construction specialists from Armenia,
have finished preparing a smaller, disused rail bridge for use in the
meantime. She said the bridge, built in the early 20th century, needs to
undergo testing before trains moving to and from western Georgian can
cross it. When asked when rail traffic through that section could start,
Tonoyan said, `That depends on the Georgian side.'

A spokesman for Armenia's rail network, which is managed by the Russian
state railway, confirmed the information. Vahe Davtian told the Regnum
news agency that the 12 Armenian repairmen have already returned to
Yerevan. He said several Armenian government and railway officials who
accompanied them will remain in Georgia until `that section of the
railway begins to be exploited.'

The Georgian railway is the main transport link between Armenia and the
Batumi and Poti ports processing more than 90 percent of freight shipped
to and from the landlocked country. Cargo traffic through the ports was
seriously complicated by Russian air strikes on civilian and military
targets in Georgia. Russian forces were reported to have again entered
Poti on Tuesday to arrest 20 Georgian police officers and to destroy
more Georgian warships stationed there.

According to Tonoyan, both Georgian ports continued to operate on
Wednesday. The Transport Ministry official said a rail-ferry link
between Poti and Russia's Port-Kavkaz, which mainly caters for Armenian
cargos, also remains operational despite the military conflict between
the two nations. She said Georgian dockers unloaded on Wednesday two
ferries that arrived from the Russian port with 32 rail carriages bound
for Armenia on board.

They are also preparing to unload another, Ukrainian rail-ferry carrying
62 carriages laden with Armenian imports, said Tonoyan. Three other
commercial ships carrying a total of about 10,000 metric tons of wheat
purchased by Armenian importers are on their way to Batumi and Poti, she
added.

The official also said the Armenian government and cargo companies have
yet to decide how to bring in these freight consignments as well as
about 180 rail cars stranded on Georgian railway sections west of Gori.

In an effort to forestall fuel shortages, the government sent on Sunday
a convoy of 39 heavy trucks to a petrol terminal in Batumi. In Tonoyan's
words, it has rushed no further transport columns to the port since then
in hopes that the much less expensive rail communication will resume
this week.


THE ARMENIAN OLYMPICS RETURNED FROM BEIJING
armradio.am
20.08.2008 16:59

In August 19 thousands of fans of sport welcomed the Armenian
sportsmen in the "Zvartnots" airport of Yerevan. Among them were
wrestlers of Geeco-Roman style Roman Amoyan (55 kg), Yuri Patrikeev,
weightlifters Tigran G. Martirosyan (69 kg), Gevorg Davtyan (77 kg)
and Tigra V. Martirosyan (85 kg). All of them won bronze medals in
the 29th summer Olympic Games.

The President of the National Olympic Committee Gagik Tsarukyan gave
them laurel wreaths and congratulated the coaches.

The RA vice Minister of Sport and Youth Xachik Asrya also greeted
the sportsmen.

Weightlifter Tigran V. Martirosyan thanked the Armenian Government, the
heads of all the sport organizations and the coaches in the name of the
sportsmen and assured that they will bring new wins to the Motherland.

Government Seeks To Shrink Key Armenian Lake
By Karine Kalantarian

The National Assembly began debating on Wednesday government plans to
lower the rising water level of Armenia's ecologically vital Lake Sevan
which have met with fierce resistance from environment protection
groups.

The government wants to do that by increasing by 46 percent the volume
of water flowing out of Sevan into the river Hrazdan that feeds a
cascade of hydro-electric power plants and the fruit-growing Ararat
Valley south of Yerevan. It says the measure is needed for better
irrigating lands cultivated by tens of thousands of local farmers.

Critics insist, however, that its main purpose is to save villas and
holiday hotels, many of them owned by government-connected individuals,
that have sprung up on the shores of the mountainous lake over the past
decade. Those properties are at growing risk of being submerged by a
substantial rise in Sevan's level that began in 2000 in line with a
government effort to reverse a dangerous shrinkage of the country's main
water reservoir.

Sevan's level has risen by 54 centimeters to almost 1,900 meters in the
past year alone. Under a special law on Sevan adopted in 2001, it was
supposed to rise further in the coming years.

A government-drafted amendment to the law debated by the parliament
would raise the maximum annual amount of water that can be pumped out of
the lake from 240 to 360 million cubic meters. The government already
had the National Assembly raise the legal ceiling from 170 million cubic
meters earlier this year.

As lawmakers discussed the bill dozens of environmentalists and members
of other civic groups gathered outside the parliament building to
protest against what they see as a massive blow to Sevan and Armenia's
entire ecosystem. `The irrigation season is coming to an end,' said Sona
Ayvazian of the Armenian affiliated of the ant-corruption watchdog
Transparency International. `There are only two more months left. What
are they going to do with those extra 120 million cubic meters during
that time?'

`The bill stems from the interests of persons doing business on the
shores of Sevan,' Ayvazian charged.

Knarik Hovannisian, an environment protection expert with the UN office
in Yerevan, also expressed concern as she watched the parliament
debates. `By lowering Sevan's level we would change Yerevan's climate,'
she said. `We are already having a negative climate change and should on
the contrary be concerned with further raising Sevan's level in order to
make our climate milder.'

The criticism was echoed by not only opposition parliamentarians but
some of their pro-government colleagues. Vahan Hovannisian, a leader of
the governing Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), said
the authorities have had enough time to clear Sevan's picturesque
shoreline of houses and other structures. `Why didn't we save money to
re-route roads, to rebuild bridges, and to prevent the construction of
buildings on the coast?' he asked during the parliament debates,
questioning the official rationale for increased use of the lake's
water.

The parliament is expected to vote on measure on Thursday.
TURKISH FANS OF SPORT ASK TO OPEN THE ARMENIAN - TURKISH BORDER IN ONE DAY
armradio.am
20.08.2008 17:01

A group of Turkish young men asked the President of Turkey Abdullah
Gul to open the Igdir-Yerevan railway for a day. Mediamax agency
informs that the fans asked it to be able left for Yerevan to watch
the football match between Armenia and Turkey in September 6.

The fans, who want to support their national collective, announced
that the most profitable way to leave for Armenia is the railway.

At the same time the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador
of Turkey to Azeri Hulusy Kilik announced in Baku that Turkey will
not open its border with Armenia until the regional completeness of
Azeri is restored.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No comments: