By the president's decree, the ex-minister of national security Carlos Petrosian is appointed the director of the national security service, and Haik Harutyunian - the police chief.

The Russian combined team has the highest rating among the former Soviet Union republics - the 23-rd place.

Director of the International Center for Black Sea Studies Yannis Papanikolau will visit Armenia December 18-20.

Today the representatives of foreign ministry heads of European Council member countries started the discussion of refugees and coercively displaced persons record in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Yugoslavia.

Leader of the National-Democratic Union, candidate for Armenian president Vazgen Manukian considered the "525" Baku newspaper report about the alleged statement made by him on the alleged connection between Armenian president Robert Kocharian and "Al Qaeda" terrorist group, as well as his agreement to create terrorist bases in Nagorno Karabakh as the next misinformation.

In the words of staff of the Russian troops in Transcaucasia representative Vladimir Kuparadze, the Russian battalion subordination is transferred to the Russian 102-nd military base in Gumri and "its subordination to the Armenian defense ministry is out of question."

It would have been unfair to accuse any of the parties of dragging out the negotiations, OSCE Minsk group Rudolf Perina noted.

At present the Nagorno Karabakh Republic department of migration and refugees has over 1200 written requests from those wishing to come to NK for permanent residence.

To all appearance, these will be representatives of a coalition, but hardly of NATO, - the US ambassador in the Minsk group Rudolf Perina said.

A big espionage scandal is between Moscow and Baku is about to happen. During the meeting with heads of the leading TV channels and information agencies held last Sunday the Director of the Russian Federal Security Service Nikolay Patrushev said that an Azerbaijani spy was revealed by the employees of the counter investigation services. He was Mayor-General Vagif Rasulov, the official representative of Azerbaijan in the commission for coordination of military cooperation of the CIS member-countries.