PEACEFUL TRAINING IN UNFRIENDLY LAND: Armenian military personnel will take part in NATO's Cooperative Best Effort-2004 exercises "Partnership for Peace" which will take place in Azerbaijan, ARKA news agency reported.

According to head of the external and international connections Mayor General Mikael Melkonyan, the first reaction of Azerbaijan to the possible participation of Armenian subdivisions in the exercises was negative. "I think that Azerbaijan should change its position, otherwise the exercises will take not in that country," Melkonyan said.

VIP ONLY: President Robert Kocharyan signed a decree on August 29 stipulating which government representatives may use airport VIP-halls in Armenia as part of their diplomatic privilege, the presidential press service reports.

According to the decree, VIP-halls can be used by government officials having diplomatic passports, as well as heads of foreign diplomatic missions in Armenia. The VIP-halls can be used by the Catholicos of All Armenians and his entourage, by spiritual leaders invited by the Catholicos, by statesmen and government delegations invited by Armenia's President, Prime Minister, Constitutional Court, as well as by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defense.


LATE OPERA: The opening of Yerevan's Opera house, the repair of which was planned to wrap up by September 1, will be delayed, ARMENPRESS reported.

The management of the Opera house requested to redo the parquet floor of the big mirror hall and place a new carpet shipped from Belgium. The installation of a, 300-million-dram, ($521,000) sound and light system will be wrapped up mid September. The internal dressing of the building is finished.

GOOD NEWS FROM BAD MEDICINE: According to the Union of Pharmacists some 30 percent of medication on the market come into Armenia without being inspected, Azg daily reported August 30. The Union is among other interested groups involved in the development of related legislation and fighting against the shadow sector. The Union plans to establish tougher control on the sale of expired medications, the biggest portion of which arrives in Armenia as humanitarian aid. According to the Union around $13 million worth medications are used in Armenia annually.

NEW UNEMPLOYED: Around 4,000 teachers will be discharged as a result of the educational systems "optimization policy", said Minister of Science and Education Sergo Yeritsyan a press conference August 30.

As ARMENPRESS reports the minister said that educational improvements should be a continuous process demanding proper handling in terms of content and organization, simultaneously developing a teacher re-training system to make the change less traumatic.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Armenian President Robert Kocharyan marked his 49-birthday August 31.

Armenian "Novoye Vremya" (New Time) newspaper wrote that, contrary to the presidents of other CIS countries, the Armenian president does not like festivity on his birthday, nor does he like to get expensive gifts from ministries and other high ranking officials. The birthday man prefers, instead, to celebrate with family.

EXPO 2003: The first Pan-Armenian Expo-2003 exhibition will be launched in Yerevan as part of the Armenia-Diaspora Economic Forum slated for September 22-24, ARMENPRESS reported September 1.

The overall goal of the exhibition is to bridge Armenia-Diaspora economic relations and present the success of the local and Diaspora businessmen in light and heavy industry, IT and other areas, provide them with an opportunity to create contacts and promote signing of partnership contracts between them. So far some 100 Armenian manufacturing and servicing companies, including Diaspora and Karabagh, have applied for participation.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY On September 2 the people of Nagorno-Karabagh marked the 12th anniversary of their independence.

In his congratulation address to the Nagorno-Karabagh people Armenian President Kocharyan said: "Twelve years ago, the people of Nagorno Karabagh chose the way of freedom, independence and democracy. Peaceful, full and fair settlement of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict is a priority of the Armenian authorities' policy".

STRONG DEFENSE IS BEST DEFENSE Armenia will raise the expenditure for national defense next year, Minister of Defense Serge announced September 3.

As ITAR-TASS News Agency reported, the minister noted that the Armenian authorities plan to raise the volume of goods of domestic manufacture for the needs of the national army. The expenditure for defense in the state budget for this year amounted to $75.6 million, representing just over 13 percent of the total national budget.

DEEP IN DEBT: Georgia is going to raise the question about restructuring its $20 million debt to Armenia at the sitting of the CIS States Economic Council that opened September 4 in Moscow.
As PanARMENIAN.Net reports Armenian officials pointed out not only economic but political implications. Georgia is also in debt to Russia ($159 million) and Azerbaijan ($17 million). Experts note that if the creditors do not agree to restructure the debt Georgia will be driven to the verge of bankruptcy.


CUTTING THE COMMUNICATION GRIP The Armenian Government is demanding the breaking of ArmenTel's monopoly of the telecommunication market in Armenia, ARMINFO reported September 4.

Georgious Vasilaskis, the Director of ArmenTel expressed his indignation at the text of the Government's statement, stating that at the European conference on telecommunication, where he is going tomorrow, he will "inform the whole of Europe of the specific methods of work in the telecommunication sphere practiced in Armenia, and that the foreign companies working in Armenia 'have no rights, but only duties'."