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Armenian Genocide Resource Center
6 months ago
Showing posts with label 10th December 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 10th December 2008. Show all posts
Wednesday, 10 December 2008
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Karabagh News
JOINT DECLARATION OF THE FOREIGN MINISTERS AND DEPUTY MINISTER OF FRANCE, RUSSIA, AND THE UNITED STATES ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH
ArmInfo
2008-12-04 16:14:00
ArmInfo. The foreign ministers and deputy minister of OSCE Minsk
Group Co-chair countries - France, Russia, and the United States -
have come out with a joint statement on Nagorno- Karabakh.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry press-service quotes them as stating:
"We, the Foreign Ministers and Deputy Minister of the OSCE Minsk
Group's Co- Chair countries - France, Russia, and the United States -
call on the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to build on the
positive momentum established during the meeting of the Presidents
of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Moscow on November 2, 2008. The Moscow
Declaration signed that same day opened a new and promising phase in
our shared endeavor to expand peace in the South Caucasus. In that
declaration, the Presidents reaffirm their commitment to advancing a
peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the framework
of the Basic Principles developed by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs in
collaboration with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan on the basis
of their proposals advanced last year in Madrid. We call on the parties
to work with the Co-Chairs to finalize the Basic Principles in coming
months, and then begin drafting a comprehensive peace settlement
as outlined by those agreed principles. In keeping with the Moscow
Declaration, we call on the parties to work with the Co-Chairs to
develop confidence-building measures, beginning with pulling back
snipers from the Line of Contact to save lives of innocent civilians
and soldiers as our mediators already proposed to the sides at the
highest level during the last visit mid November. It is urgent for
the parties to work with each other, the Co-Chairs, and the Personal
Representative of the Chairman in Office to stabilize the ceasefire
through this and other measures. We reiterate our firm view that there
is no military solution to the conflict and call on the parties to
recommit to a peaceful resolution". Karabakh Peace Proposals `Altered'
By Emil Danielyan
The United States, Russia and France have made changes in their proposed
basic principles of a Nagorno-Karabakh settlement in hopes of
facilitating their acceptance by Armenia and Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said on Friday.
The so-called Madrid principles were formally put forward by the
mediators in November 2007 and are still being discussed by the
conflicting parties.
`In order to achieve a new phase of the settlement, the foreign
ministers of the countries co-chairing the OSCE's Minsk Group have
presented the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with certain
changes in the Madrid proposals,' Mammadyarov said, according to the
Day.az news service. He did not specify those changes.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry could not be immediately reached for
comment on this.
Mammadyarov spoke to journalists in Helsinki where he was attending an
annual high-level meeting of the OSCE along with his Armenian
counterpart, Eduard Nalbandian. The two men held talks there on
Wednesday and had a brief conversation with Foreign Ministers Sergei
Lavrov of Russia and Bernard Kouchner of France as well as U.S.
Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried the next day.
In an ensuing joint declaration, Lavrov, Kouchner and Fried urged the
parties to `finalize the Basic Principles in coming months.' The
mediating powers hope that the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan will
meet again soon to iron out their remaining differences on the framework
peace accord. Matthew Bryza, Fried's deputy and the Minsk Group's U.S.
co-chair, expressed hope on Thursday that the meeting will take place
`in a couple of weeks.'
Mammadyarov said, however, that Presidents Ilham Aliev and Serzh
Sarkisian will hold the next round of their face-to-face talks only
`next year.' Aliev and Sarkisian pledged to intensify the search for a
mutually acceptable compromise in a declaration which they signed with
Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev after talks outside Moscow on
November 2.
In a speech at the OSCE meeting on Friday, Nalbandian accused Azerbaijan
of `misinterpreting' key provisions of the declaration. He pointed to
Aliev's recent remark that the declaration's reference to a `political
settlement' of the Karabakh conflict does not commit Azerbaijan to
non-use of force.
AZG Armenian Daily #227, 06/12/2008
Armenia-Turkey-Azerbaijan
ECONOMIC COOPERATION POSSIBLE AFTER SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT
Turkish State Minister for Foreign Trade K?Ã?¼r?Å?ad T?Ã?¼zmen announced
in Baku that trade-economic cooperation with Armenia and opening of
Armenian-Turkish border is possible only after rehabilitation of
Azerbaijani territorial integrity and Karabakh conflict settlement.
"In principle, we are not against starting a trade-economic
cooperation with Armenia, as the step will only contribute to the
positive development of the whole region. However, the step will be
taken exclusively on our conditions", the Turkish minister said at
Azerbaijani-Turkish business forum.
Translated by L.H.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Armenian Genocide News
Writers risk backlash with apology for Armenian genocide
Robert Tait in Istanbul
The Guardian, Monday December 8 2008
The Guardian, Monday December 8 2008
Academics and writers in Turkey have risked a fierce official backlash by
issuing a public apology for the alleged genocide suffered by Armenians
at the hands of Ottoman forces during the first world war.
Breaking one of Turkish society's biggest taboos, the apology comes in
an open letter that invites Turks to sign an online petition supporting its
sentiments.
It reads: "My conscience does not accept the insensitivity showed to and
the denial of the Great Catastrophe that the Ottoman Armenians were
subjected to in 1915. I reject this injustice and for my share, I empathise
with the feelings and pain of my Armenian brothers. I apologise to them."
The contents expose its authors - three scholars, Ahmet Insel, Baskin Oran
and Cengiz Aktar, and a journalist, Ali Bayramoglu - to the wrath of the
Turkish state, which has prosecuted writers, including the Nobel
prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk, for supporting Armenian genocide
claims.
Turkey rejects the assertion of many historians and Armenia's government
that up to 1.5 million Armenians died in a wave of expulsions that amounted
to state-sanctioned genocide. Officials claim the death toll was much lower
and that most of the victims died from disease. They also say many Turks
were killed by Armenians, who have long been accused of allying themselves
with enemy Russian forces against the Ottoman empire.
The letter has triggered a furious response from ultranationalists, who have
labelled it a "betrayal" and an "insult to the Turkish nation".
However, Aktar, a professor of EU studies at Istanbul's University of Bahcesehir,
said Turks needed to apologise for being unable to discuss the issue because
of official policy, which has long repressed open debate on the Armenians' fate.
"Today many people in Turkey, with all good intentions, think that nothing happened
"Today many people in Turkey, with all good intentions, think that nothing happened
to the Armenians," he told the newspaper Vatan. "The official history says that this
incident happened through secondary, not very important, and even mutual
massacres. They push the idea that it was an ordinary incident explainable by the
conditions of the first world war. Unfortunately, the facts are very different."
He added: "This is a voice coming from the individual's conscience. Those who
He added: "This is a voice coming from the individual's conscience. Those who
want to apologise can apologise, and those who do not should not."
The letter coincides with a tentative rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia.
In September, the Turkish president, Abdullah Gul, attended a football match
The letter coincides with a tentative rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia.
In September, the Turkish president, Abdullah Gul, attended a football match
between the two countries, at the invitation of his Armenian counterpart, Serge
Sarkisian.
But further talks aimed at restoring ties have become bogged down partly because
of Armenian reluctance to accept a Turkish demand for a joint commission to
investigate the genocide claims.
Turkish Intellectuals Apologize For Armenian `Great Disaster'
By Emil Danielyan
In an unprecedented gesture, a group of Turkish intellectuals have
publicly apologized for what they called a `great disaster' that befell
the Ottoman Empire's Armenian minority and urged their compatriots to
follow suit.
`I cannot conscientiously accept the indifference to the great disaster
that Ottoman Armenians suffered in 1915, and its denial. I reject this
injustice and acting of my own will, I share the feelings and pains of
my Armenian brothers and sisters, and I apologize to them,' reads a
petition signed by them and published by the `Zaman' daily on Friday.
The newspaper said the signatories will ask other intellectuals and
ordinary Turks alike to sign the petition. `We are searching for human
beings,' one of them, scholar Baskin Oran, was quoted as saying. `We
thought about urging the state to apologize but we decided to let
individuals act according to their conscience. This call is for
everybody.'
According to `Zaman,' some Turkish civil society representatives were
quick to object to the campaign. `For me, all these events [of 1915]
were the fault of Turkish nationalism flourishing at that time, and
personally I don't identify with it,' historian Ayse Hur told the paper.
`So I do not feel the need to apologize personally.'
Another intellectual, Aytekin Yildiz, pointed to the signatories'
failure to describe as `genocide' the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million
Armenians during the final years of the Ottoman Empire. `What do they
mean by `great disaster'?' he said. `Let's face it, it was genocide.'
The Turkish state vehemently denies that the Armenian massacres, a taboo
subject until recently, constituted a genocide. It insists that Ottoman
Armenians died in much smaller numbers as a result of civil strife,
rather than a premeditated government policy.
The official version of events is increasingly questioned by independent
Turkish scholars and other intellectuals, even if few of them publicly
use the word genocide in reference to the mass killings and deporations.
Dozens of them gathered at a private Istanbul university in 2005 for a
landmark conference that sparked angry protests from Turkish nationalist
groups.
By Emil Danielyan
In an unprecedented gesture, a group of Turkish intellectuals have
publicly apologized for what they called a `great disaster' that befell
the Ottoman Empire's Armenian minority and urged their compatriots to
follow suit.
`I cannot conscientiously accept the indifference to the great disaster
that Ottoman Armenians suffered in 1915, and its denial. I reject this
injustice and acting of my own will, I share the feelings and pains of
my Armenian brothers and sisters, and I apologize to them,' reads a
petition signed by them and published by the `Zaman' daily on Friday.
The newspaper said the signatories will ask other intellectuals and
ordinary Turks alike to sign the petition. `We are searching for human
beings,' one of them, scholar Baskin Oran, was quoted as saying. `We
thought about urging the state to apologize but we decided to let
individuals act according to their conscience. This call is for
everybody.'
According to `Zaman,' some Turkish civil society representatives were
quick to object to the campaign. `For me, all these events [of 1915]
were the fault of Turkish nationalism flourishing at that time, and
personally I don't identify with it,' historian Ayse Hur told the paper.
`So I do not feel the need to apologize personally.'
Another intellectual, Aytekin Yildiz, pointed to the signatories'
failure to describe as `genocide' the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million
Armenians during the final years of the Ottoman Empire. `What do they
mean by `great disaster'?' he said. `Let's face it, it was genocide.'
The Turkish state vehemently denies that the Armenian massacres, a taboo
subject until recently, constituted a genocide. It insists that Ottoman
Armenians died in much smaller numbers as a result of civil strife,
rather than a premeditated government policy.
The official version of events is increasingly questioned by independent
Turkish scholars and other intellectuals, even if few of them publicly
use the word genocide in reference to the mass killings and deporations.
Dozens of them gathered at a private Istanbul university in 2005 for a
landmark conference that sparked angry protests from Turkish nationalist
groups.
GENOCIDE FEATURE WORRISOME
Hurriyet
Dec 4 2008
Turkey
ANKARA - Turkey has expressed uneasiness over a two-hour documentary,
"Scream Bloody Murder," that will be screened Thursday on CNN,
depicting systematic terror and violence throughout the years as well
as the 1915 incidents.
As the 60th anniversary of the United Nations' Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide approaches,
CNN's chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, will
report on genocide and the heroes who witnessed it and called for the
international community to stop it, press reports revealed yesterday.
The documentary will feature ethnic slaughters such as the Holocaust,
appalling violence in Cambodia, and the 1915 incidents. Turkey defended
its own position and its proposal to set up a joint commission of
historians to study the Armenian allegations regarding the 1915
incidents, learned the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
In response to the screening of the documentary, Ankara recalled
the current atmosphere of dialogue with Armenia that started with
the Turkish president's landmark visit to Yerevan in September and
asked that the documentary avoid bias and reflect the steps taken by
Turkey to normalize ties with Armenia.
Hurriyet
Dec 4 2008
Turkey
ANKARA - Turkey has expressed uneasiness over a two-hour documentary,
"Scream Bloody Murder," that will be screened Thursday on CNN,
depicting systematic terror and violence throughout the years as well
as the 1915 incidents.
As the 60th anniversary of the United Nations' Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide approaches,
CNN's chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, will
report on genocide and the heroes who witnessed it and called for the
international community to stop it, press reports revealed yesterday.
The documentary will feature ethnic slaughters such as the Holocaust,
appalling violence in Cambodia, and the 1915 incidents. Turkey defended
its own position and its proposal to set up a joint commission of
historians to study the Armenian allegations regarding the 1915
incidents, learned the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
In response to the screening of the documentary, Ankara recalled
the current atmosphere of dialogue with Armenia that started with
the Turkish president's landmark visit to Yerevan in September and
asked that the documentary avoid bias and reflect the steps taken by
Turkey to normalize ties with Armenia.
Hürriyet, Turkey
Dec 4 2008
Turkey not to open Armenia border until Azerbaijan's integrity restored
The Turkish-Armenian border could be opened only after Armenia gives
up distorting history and restores Azerbaijan's territorial integrity,
Turkish Trade Minister Kursad Tuzmen said. (UPDATED)
"We are open to developing relations with Armenia, to open borders,
and to develop trade," Tuzmen was quoted by Interfax as telling an
Azeri-Turkish business forum in Baku on Thursday.
Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic ties and their border has been
closed for more than a decade over Armenia's aggression over
Azerbaijan.
"We do not oppose developing trade relations, which will have a
positive influence on the development of the whole region; however,
prior to this historians should solve some issues and Azerbaijan's
territorial integrity should be restored," Tuzmen added.
The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia began in 1988 on Armenian
territorial claims over Azerbaijan. Since 1992 Armenian Armed Forces
have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan including the Nagorno-Karabakh
region and its seven surrounding districts.
Some 10 percent of the Azeri population was displaced due to a series
of bloody clashes both between and within the two neighboring
countries.
In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which
time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group are currently holding peaceful negotiations.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dec 4 2008
Turkey not to open Armenia border until Azerbaijan's integrity restored
The Turkish-Armenian border could be opened only after Armenia gives
up distorting history and restores Azerbaijan's territorial integrity,
Turkish Trade Minister Kursad Tuzmen said. (UPDATED)
"We are open to developing relations with Armenia, to open borders,
and to develop trade," Tuzmen was quoted by Interfax as telling an
Azeri-Turkish business forum in Baku on Thursday.
Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic ties and their border has been
closed for more than a decade over Armenia's aggression over
Azerbaijan.
"We do not oppose developing trade relations, which will have a
positive influence on the development of the whole region; however,
prior to this historians should solve some issues and Azerbaijan's
territorial integrity should be restored," Tuzmen added.
The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia began in 1988 on Armenian
territorial claims over Azerbaijan. Since 1992 Armenian Armed Forces
have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan including the Nagorno-Karabakh
region and its seven surrounding districts.
Some 10 percent of the Azeri population was displaced due to a series
of bloody clashes both between and within the two neighboring
countries.
In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which
time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group are currently holding peaceful negotiations.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Armenian News
Armenia Remembers Devastating 1988 Earthquake
By Satenik Vantsian in Gyumri and Karine Simonian in Vanadzor
Armenia marked on Sunday the 20th anniversary of a catastrophic
earthquake that killed about 25,000 people and devastated much of its
two northern regions that have still not been completely rebuilt.
President Serzh Sarkisian reiterated his administration's pledge to
finish the protracted reconstruction by 2013 as he led official
commercial ceremonies in Gyumri, the country's second largest city
hit hard by the disaster. This and other ceremonies were attended by
former government officials and construction and rescue workers from
the across the former Soviet Union who had helped the small South
Caucasus republic cope with its devastating consequences.
Armenians also received messages of sympathy from the presidents of
Russia and the United States on the occasion. `On this solemn
anniversary we are reminded of the strong bonds between America and
Armenia and the resilience of the Armenian people,' President George
W. Bush said in his written address. `They rose from this tragedy and
have reclaimed a bright future of hope and opportunity.'
Sarkisian opened a new memorial to the earthquake's victims in
Gyumri's central square after attending a special church service
presided over by Catholicos Garegin II, head of the Armenian
Apostolic Church. The mass, broadcast live by national television,
involved a minute of silence observed at 11:41 a.m -- the exact time
the quake struck on December 7, 1988.
Unveiling the monument, Sarkisian thanked the international community
for its large-scale assistance that began pouring into then Soviet
Armenia just hours after the calamity. "Twenty years ago, all peoples
rallied to our side, despite the Cold War, ideological differences
and different political views," Sarkisian said. "From the first days,
our people felt like the whole world was with us."
Nikolay Ryzhkov, a former Soviet prime minister who personally
coordinated the rescue and reconstruction efforts, also delivered a
speech, reading out a message from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
"We bow our heads before the memory of the thousands of victims of
this natural disaster,' Medvedev said. `We remember with deep respect
and gratitude today the courage of the rescuers who answered the call
for help."
That help was badly needed by as many as 500,000 people whose homes,
built in apparent violation of seismic safety standards, were
destroyed by two powerful tremors that rocked much of Armenia's
territory 20 years ago. The Ryzhkov-led Soviet government pledged to
rebuild them in two years. Dozens of construction companies from
across the Soviet Union were assigned to the earthquake zone in the
following months.
However, the massive reconstruction effort fizzled out with the
subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union. Independent Armenia's
successive governments were too cash-strapped to complete it. The
reconstruction gained fresh momentum in the early 2000s when
thousands of new houses and apartments were built in the economically
depressed area with the financial assistance of U.S.-Armenian
billionaire Kirk Kerkorian. Nonetheless, as many as 7,000 families in
the quake-hit Shirak and Lori regions still lack permanent housing,
huddling in metal and wooden shacks devoid of basic amenities.
`We still live in a shack, and there are no jobs here,' one elderly
woman told RFE/RL as she stood outside the Gyumri cathedral along
with several dozen other local residents hoping to hand letters to
Sarkisian. `They [government officials] visit nice streets here and
think that Gyumri is 100 percent rebuilt,' she complained. `Let them
go into the nearby neighborhoods, talk to people.'
`We feel neglected, humiliated,' said another woman. `My son works in
Russia and doesn't want to return home. Why? Because he hates our
shack.'
`Within a few years we will manage to overcome all consequences of
the disaster,' Sarkisian said in his speech. `When I say completely I
mean that there will be no families left homeless as a result of the
earthquake and the improving life will return to normal.' `We have
promised this and we will deliver,' he added.
Parliament speaker Hovik Abrahamian reaffirmed this pledge as he led
commemoration ceremonies in Lori's capital Vanadzor attended by
Georgia's last Communist-era leader, Jumber Patiashvili, and builders
and rescuers from Russia and Ukraine who had worked in the earthquake
zone in 1988-1990. `The government's three-year program envisages 71
billion drams ($230 million) worth of construction [in the earthquake
zone,]' Abrahamian said.
According to Urban Development Minister Vartan Vartanian, large-scale
construction in the area will start next year and end by 2013. `All
the preparatory work has already been done,' he told RFE/RL in
Vanadzor. `Most of the [construction] tenders have already been held,
and construction work will get underway in 2009.'
Former President Robert Kocharian similarly pledged to rebuild the
disaster zone during his ten-year tenure. Incidentally, Kocharian
also attended the Gyumri ceremonies with Sarkisian and Garegin.
Unlike the current president, he stopped to talk to local residents
and hear their grievances. Some of them complained that they are
still homeless 20 years after the tragedy.
`I am not in office anymore but will do all can, as second president,
to help [Gyumri,]' Kocharian told journalists afterward. `There is a
new president, a new government that are also determined to continue
the job.'
Sarkozy appoints new minister for economic recovery
Agence France Presse
Friday, December 5, 2008
PARIS (AFP) - President Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday appointed a new
minister for economic recovery charged with overseeing a massive
stimulus plan to help France fight the global slowdown.
Patrick Devedjian, a close Sarkozy ally and the current head of the
governing right-wing UMP party, will implement the 26-billion-euro
(33-billion-dollar) plan unveiled on Thursday.
Sarkozy said the new minister would ensure all funds unlocked under the
plan, which includes massive state investment and aid for the car
industry, are used for that purpose, and not simply folded into existing
ministry budgets.
"This plan will be implemented in full and it will be implemented
quickly," the president said.
Devedjian will be attached to the office of Prime Minister Francois
Fillon, and not to the economy ministry.
He immediately announced his resignation as UMP chief. His successor
will be appointed in late January with Sarkozy's long-time ally Brice
Hortefeux, the current immigration minister, seen as a strong contender.
A deputy in the National Assembly, Devedjian took over from Sarkozy last
year as head of the district council for the Hauts de Seine, west of
Paris -- the president's political fief.
Agence France Presse
Friday, December 5, 2008
PARIS (AFP) - President Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday appointed a new
minister for economic recovery charged with overseeing a massive
stimulus plan to help France fight the global slowdown.
Patrick Devedjian, a close Sarkozy ally and the current head of the
governing right-wing UMP party, will implement the 26-billion-euro
(33-billion-dollar) plan unveiled on Thursday.
Sarkozy said the new minister would ensure all funds unlocked under the
plan, which includes massive state investment and aid for the car
industry, are used for that purpose, and not simply folded into existing
ministry budgets.
"This plan will be implemented in full and it will be implemented
quickly," the president said.
Devedjian will be attached to the office of Prime Minister Francois
Fillon, and not to the economy ministry.
He immediately announced his resignation as UMP chief. His successor
will be appointed in late January with Sarkozy's long-time ally Brice
Hortefeux, the current immigration minister, seen as a strong contender.
A deputy in the National Assembly, Devedjian took over from Sarkozy last
year as head of the district council for the Hauts de Seine, west of
Paris -- the president's political fief.
Tehran Times, Iran
Dec 3 2008
Iran-Armenia gas pipeline inaugurated
Armenia officially completed on Monday the construction of a natural
gas pipeline from neighboring Iran which could reduce its heavy
dependence on Russian energy resources and significantly boost its
electricity exports.
It remained unclear, however, when Iranian gas could start flowing
into the country.
The pipeline's second and final Armenian section was inaugurated in
the presence of President Serzh Sarkisian and Alexei Miller, chairman
of Russia's Gazprom giant. The two men, joined by other Armenian,
Russian and Iranian officials, watched as workers welded together its
last pipes.
Miller's presence at the high-profile ceremony underscored the fact
that the pipeline will be controlled by the ArmRosGazprom (ARG)
national gas distribution company in which Gazprom holds a controlling
stake. ARG has financed and carried out work on the 197-kilometer
stretch running through the country's mountainous Syunik region.
In a speech during the ceremony, Miller welcomed the completion of the
`very important project.' He said its implementation testifies to a
`high level of political cooperation between Russia and Armenia.'
Former President Robert Kocharian was also in attendance. Kocharian
had inaugurated the pipeline's first, 41-kilometer section together
with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in March 2007.
Speaking to the journalists, Energy Minister Armen Movsisian said the
pipeline will undergo technical testing and be ready to pump Iranian
gas within weeks. But he again avoided setting any dates for the start
of Iranian gas supplies.
The new pipeline's operational capacity of approximately 2.3 billion
cubic meters of gas per annum essentially matches the annual volume of
Armenian gas imports from Russia that are carried out via
Georgia. With Russian supplies meeting Armenia's needs, the bulk of
Iranian gas is expected to be converted into electricity that will
then be exported to the Islamic Republic.
As Movsisian pointed out, the pipeline would be vital for Armenia's
energy security in case of `force majeure situations.' The minister
clearly referred to a possible disruption or termination of Russian
gas deliveries to Georgia that would almost certainly affect Armenia
as well.
The prospect of a cut-off in Russian supplies has become even more
real since the August war between Georgia and Russia. A senior
Georgian official predicted last month that the Russians will at least
cut back on those supplies this winter.
Dec 3 2008
Iran-Armenia gas pipeline inaugurated
Armenia officially completed on Monday the construction of a natural
gas pipeline from neighboring Iran which could reduce its heavy
dependence on Russian energy resources and significantly boost its
electricity exports.
It remained unclear, however, when Iranian gas could start flowing
into the country.
The pipeline's second and final Armenian section was inaugurated in
the presence of President Serzh Sarkisian and Alexei Miller, chairman
of Russia's Gazprom giant. The two men, joined by other Armenian,
Russian and Iranian officials, watched as workers welded together its
last pipes.
Miller's presence at the high-profile ceremony underscored the fact
that the pipeline will be controlled by the ArmRosGazprom (ARG)
national gas distribution company in which Gazprom holds a controlling
stake. ARG has financed and carried out work on the 197-kilometer
stretch running through the country's mountainous Syunik region.
In a speech during the ceremony, Miller welcomed the completion of the
`very important project.' He said its implementation testifies to a
`high level of political cooperation between Russia and Armenia.'
Former President Robert Kocharian was also in attendance. Kocharian
had inaugurated the pipeline's first, 41-kilometer section together
with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in March 2007.
Speaking to the journalists, Energy Minister Armen Movsisian said the
pipeline will undergo technical testing and be ready to pump Iranian
gas within weeks. But he again avoided setting any dates for the start
of Iranian gas supplies.
The new pipeline's operational capacity of approximately 2.3 billion
cubic meters of gas per annum essentially matches the annual volume of
Armenian gas imports from Russia that are carried out via
Georgia. With Russian supplies meeting Armenia's needs, the bulk of
Iranian gas is expected to be converted into electricity that will
then be exported to the Islamic Republic.
As Movsisian pointed out, the pipeline would be vital for Armenia's
energy security in case of `force majeure situations.' The minister
clearly referred to a possible disruption or termination of Russian
gas deliveries to Georgia that would almost certainly affect Armenia
as well.
The prospect of a cut-off in Russian supplies has become even more
real since the August war between Georgia and Russia. A senior
Georgian official predicted last month that the Russians will at least
cut back on those supplies this winter.
CONSTRUCTION RATES DECLINE IN YEREVAN
Noyan Tapan
Dec 8, 2008
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 8, NOYAN TAPAN. The global financial crisis will
have its impact on Armenian economy without fail, but today our
country is in a relatively good state, the deputy mayor of Yerevan
Karen Davtian said at the December 8 press conference. At the same
time he announced that the construction rates have declined in the
capital city, while the implementation of new construction projects
will depend on the overall situation. The urban development work, which
has already begun, will be completed in accordance with the schedule.
According to the deputy mayor, 7 big urban development programs
were implemented in Yerevan this year. These programs include
the transport node (100,150 meter long and 14 meter wide) of the
intersection of Heratsi, Koryun, Nalbandian and Charents Streets,
and the 280-meter tunnel from Abovian Street to Myasnikian Avenue,
which were put into operation.
K. Davtian announced that Myasnikian Avenue - Armenakian Street
and Sari Tagh - Khorenatsi Street transport node will be put into
operation by late 2008. Besides, according to him, in late December
two newly-constructed 10-story apartment buildings in Kanaker-Zeytun
community will be provided to residents of 4th degree accident-prone
buildings.
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Noyan Tapan
Dec 8, 2008
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 8, NOYAN TAPAN. The global financial crisis will
have its impact on Armenian economy without fail, but today our
country is in a relatively good state, the deputy mayor of Yerevan
Karen Davtian said at the December 8 press conference. At the same
time he announced that the construction rates have declined in the
capital city, while the implementation of new construction projects
will depend on the overall situation. The urban development work, which
has already begun, will be completed in accordance with the schedule.
According to the deputy mayor, 7 big urban development programs
were implemented in Yerevan this year. These programs include
the transport node (100,150 meter long and 14 meter wide) of the
intersection of Heratsi, Koryun, Nalbandian and Charents Streets,
and the 280-meter tunnel from Abovian Street to Myasnikian Avenue,
which were put into operation.
K. Davtian announced that Myasnikian Avenue - Armenakian Street
and Sari Tagh - Khorenatsi Street transport node will be put into
operation by late 2008. Besides, according to him, in late December
two newly-constructed 10-story apartment buildings in Kanaker-Zeytun
community will be provided to residents of 4th degree accident-prone
buildings.
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Hantiboum Digin Hranoush Hagopian-i Hed- RAG Mamoul
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT IN
LOS ANGELES, U. S. A.
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