The RA Central Electoral Commission (CEC) convened a session today. The Commission ratified a document on using the means of pre-election resources by the parties and blocks participated in 12 May Parliamentary elections on proportional system. The CEC also discussed the appeals of candidates nominated on majority system.

p> “There is no problem between Armenia and America on maintaining relations between Yerevan and Tehran”, announced the RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Vardan Oskanyan commenting on the statement of Anthony Godfrey, the US Charge d'Affaires in Armenia on Armenia-Iran relations.

On 20 June Ambassador Robert Simons, NATO Secretary General Special Representative to the Southern Caucasus will visit Yerevan.

“The political powers are inactive today. May be it has its objective sides but they are too passive”, said Karen Bekaryan “European Integration NGO”. Bekaryan was invited to the seminar on the “Productivity of public monitoring of European Union New Neighborhood Policy”.

“If presidential elections in Nagorno-Karabakh are conducted in constructive atmosphere and the standards of democracy are preserved, the international community will believe that democratic processes are taking place in Karabakh”,

“The Social Democratic Hnchakyan Party” has disseminated an announcement on the eve of 19 July presidential elections in Nagorno-Karabakh. The party is very much concerned about the processes around the presidential elections in Karabakh.

Aram Karapetyan, the leader of the New Times Party (NWP) will run for presidency in 2008. The decision is determined by the party’s rating and success at the parliamentary elections.

“Nothing has changed in Armenia after the parliamentary election. We shouldn’t sit with our hands crossed. We must continue the political struggle and stir up people,” Nikol Pashinyan, the representative of the Impeachment Bloc told A1+.

“The political scene will better provided the next president of Armenia is an ARF Dashnaktsutyun member,” NA Deputy Speaker Vahan Hovhannisyan announced June 18.

Suren Surenyants, a member of the Republic Party (Hanrapetutiun), reflected on the Impeachment Bloc representative Nikol Pashinyan’s initiative to hold rallies even for one citizen.

Raffi Hovannisian, the leader of the Heritage Party and the newly-elected NA deputy, has put forward his candidature at Precinct 15.

It is a great honour for the Swedish Parliament to host the 3rd Council of Europe Forum for Democracy. And it is a true pleasure for me to welcome you all to the Swedish Parliament. Sweden has taken over the important task to chair this Forum after last years Forum in Russia. Next years Forum will be held in Spain.

President Vladimir Putin stunned US counterpart George W. Bush with his offer, made at the G8 summit in Germany last week, which was intended to defuse a row over US plans to site missiles in Eastern Europe.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have no official ties but goods from the two neighbours manage to slip round the closed borders and into each others’ shops despite official efforts to keep them out.

Today the Central Electoral Commission convened a plenary session. Under a CEC decision by-election will be held at Precinct 15 on August 26.

Vardan Khachatryan, the Minister of Finance and Economy told reporters on June 11 the new government will submit the programme to the National Assembly within 20 days.

Yerevan--Excerpted below are Heritage Party chairman Raffi K. Hovannisian's replies to questions received recently from various Armenian news agencies.

The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan made no announcements on their meeting in Saint-Petersburg. Instead, the foreign ministers of the two countries under question made assessments on the meeting.

RoA Robert Kocharian signed a decree on June 8 under which the Ministry of Culture and Youth Affairs was renamed the Ministry of Culture.

Strasbourg, 08.06.2007 - "I don't know which is more shocking: that European governments have been complicit in these activities, violating their legal obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights;

NA Speaker Tigran Torosyan considered the absence of the Orinats Yerkir and the Heritage from the NA first session illogical. “Offence is a non-political category.

Today the plaintiffs (Orinats Yerkir, New Times and Republic) followed the model of the Impeachment Bloc and left the Constitutional Court after the final speeches. According to OYP representative Artashes Avoyan, the CC had ignored the material submitted by the oppositionalists which obviously disclosed election frauds.

Armenian Football Championship resumes after a 15-day interval. The highlight of the eight tour is the Banants-Shirak meeting scheduled for June 9 at “Republic” stadium.

The “Impeachment” block refused to take part in the further judicial process of the Constitutional Court. “Today the Court proved that the decision was already made and it was not to be decided in the consulting room”, said Nikol Pashinyan. He