Located in Iran, the Monastic Ensembles are represented by three churches: St. Stepanos, the Chapel of Dzordzor, and St. Thaddeus, the latter being one of the oldest churches in the world, whose construction began 1700 years ago.A terrific step towards preserving a bit of our culture from destruction, but still a long way to go!
"We are working with the rest of the international community to push Iran to comply with its international obligations [on nuclear non-proliferation]..." We have expressed our concerns to the government of Armenia on all levels."Iran has always been our neighbor and if the U.S. wants greater support for its actions, perhaps it can only be warranted by further aid to Armenia to help offset the natural losses that would occur by turning against our friend. Then again, should a conflict arise in the future, Russia and Iran are Armenia's two true allies and the United States could not be counted upon, in my opinion, to help matters in our favor.
...the diplomat went on to urge the Kocharian administration to be a "more active partner" in US-led international efforts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
The Armenian government has avoided any criticism of Tehran’s nuclear program, contenting itself with general calls for a peaceful resolution of the dispute.
At present, there exists a railroad between Iran and the former Soviet republic but since it passes through the Nakhichevan, a controversial area between Armenia and Azerbaijan Republic, it is not currently in use...I'd support this project over the other failed one between the surrounding evil countries. Now let's find that investor!
Economic experts believe that given the possible resolution of the dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan Republic over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the building of the new railway would be uneconomical.
"A company called "Fiber-Net" has recently been established in Armenia and commissioned to take advantage of the Iranian fiber-optic network, of which Iran’s entire neighbors, save for Pakistan are now benefited.Now frustrated Armenian teens - and older folks, as well - can have access to quality, erm, artistic material online.
"Those benefits particularly included getting connected to the fiber-optic networks of Iran’s southern neighbors on the southern shores of the Persian Gulf, that are connected to the international fiber-optic network."
...these networks are able of transforming voice and data inputs...
U.S. attack on Iran will have a negative influence on Armenia, which will occur between two flames, specialist in Persian philology Tadevos Charchyan.This will also affect Armenians living in the United States and I hope that no such conflict takes place.
And Armenia cannot remain neutral, since a lot of things connect us with the international community. I think, we must believe and hope, proceeding from the situation, that there will not be any conflicts.
Gazprom Neft Russian company announced the intention to build an oil processing plant in Armenia. The capacity of the plant is supposed to make 7 million tons per year.Can't join in the railroad project with the Kars-Gyumri line? Team up with Russia and Iran and build a whole new line and make barrels of money! Smart thinking.
The plant will be located at the border of Armenia and Iran, the supplier of the stock. A new pipeline from Tebriz will be laid for the purpose. The processed stock will be delivered to Tehran via a railway that doesn’t exist yet, reports Kommersant daily.
The US naval command announced yesterday that a fleet of American warships, including the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, have been deployed to the Persian Gulf. Washington is making no secret of the fact that the amount of American military might that is being concentrated in the region is intended to bring pressure to bear on Iran, which the Bush administration blames for the failure of its mission in Iraq. The prevailing opinion in the region is that the United States is planning to strike Iran within the next few months.It doesn't seem to me that Iran is willing to back down, so the premise of a mere threat is unfounded. Will we see war in the coming months? How will it affect Armenia? All of this remains to be seen.
The carrier, which is crewed by more than 3,000 sailors, will stop off at the naval base in San Diego to pick up an 80-plane air wing before charting a course for the Persian Gulf.
Russia undertook to supply 29 Tor-M1 missiles to Iran under a $700 million contract signed at the end of 2005. The United States protested the deal, which it feared could bolster the military capabilities of the Islamic Republic, classified by Washington as a "rogue state" and part of "the axis of evil."Iran is Armenia's ally, but it is the enemy of the western superpower. Should a war ever break out between the two, it is clear that Russia will support Iran militarily. Since Armenia has important connections to all three countries, it is in a bit of a strange position.
The Tor-M1, developed by the Russian company Almaz-Antei, is a high-precision missile system designed to destroy aircraft, manned or unmanned, and cruise missiles flying at an altitude of up to 10 kilometers (6 miles). It was introduced at the Russian aerospace show MAKS in 2005.
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met last Saturday evening with a group of families of the martyrs from Iran's Armenian community who fell victims to Iran-Iraqi war in 1980-1988. An Armenian-language Alik newspaper published in Tehran said the president wanted to learn what kind of problems these families face promising to help settle them.After all, it seems he makes direct threats to certain neighboring countries with no shame. Is Armenia right in being friends with Iran? Does it have a choice?
"We are all like members of a single family heading for common goals" the president was quoted as saying in a reference to integration of the Christians in the entire nation. He said mothers of all Iranian martyrs, who have, so far, met him, speak in similar way regardless of being Muslim, Christian, Jewish or Zoroastrian.
Iran has completed setting up the facilities required for the exportation of natural gas to Armenia, reported the Iran Daily. Although Iran is prepared to export the gas at any time, Armenia is not yet ready to receive it and a meeting is scheduled between both sides in late March. As part of the deal, Armenia will also export power to Iran.Well, there you have it. I am very interested in finding out the pricing structure for the imported gas. Will it put us at odds with Russia?
Iran's electricity network company manager, Masoud Hojjat informed that connection with Europe's electricity network was possible via Russia and Turkey. "Actually this could be done via Azerbaijan Republic and Georgia through Armenia as the mediator side," he stated.Maybe this will potentially help to solve the problem with Armenia's electricity needs, especially as it concerns the nuclear plant in Metsamor.
Armenian energy minister Armen Movsisian said last week the feasibility plan for construction of a hydro power plant on the border River of Araks separating Armenia form Iran was ready. He said the construction was set to start early next year.Alternative sources of energy are always great, but we should consider the possible ecological damage of building such a large plant. The same source states that there are 50 small plants already on Araks and 50 more being constructed. This to me is the equivalent of rape of a river's resources, as there are many types of fish that live there including sezan, loko (a kind of cat fish), tolstolobik, karas, tarap, and karmrakhait. There are several other issues with hydroelectric plants, as well, and you can read about them here.
He said the hydro power plant, which will be located near the southern Armenian town of Meghri, will have a 130-140 megawatt capacity to generate annually about 850 million kilowatt/hours electricity.
Movsisian said it will be a unique hydro power plant in this region to benefit both Iran and Armenia.
Iran will start shipping gas through a pipeline to Armenia in January, the Tehran Times reported Sunday, citing an Iranian official.
About 1 million cubic meters of natural gas will be shipped daily through the 160-kilometer pipeline, said Mohammad-Reza Akbari, the managing director of Payandan, the company operating the pipeline. That will increase to 3 million cubic meters per day “later on,” he said.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stressed that Tehran and Yerevan should utilize their abundant potentials to increase mutual cooperation in all areas.
During the meeting, Ahmadinejad noted the two countries' ties that are developing and deepening, and called for the utilization of all the potentials existing on both sides to further increase Tehran-Yerevan cooperation.
