A small landlocked country in the Caucasus, the former Soviet republic imports 60 to 70 percent of its wheat. Things went from bad to worse during the severe 2007-2008 winter, followed by hail and floods in some districts, which reduced the national winter wheat harvest from an average of about three tonnes per hectare to one tonne per hectare, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

The war in neighbouring Georgia also

GYUMRI, Armenia, Dec 7, 2008 (AFP) - Armenians on Sunday marked the 20th anniversary of a devastating earthquake that left 25,000 people dead, as many survivors still waited for new homes after years of promises.

President Serzh Sarkisian and other officials joined the head of Armenia's Apostolic Church, Catholicos Karekin II, for commemorations of the Spitak earthquake held in one of the worst-hit cities, Gyumri.

At 11:41 am (0741 GMT) Armenians across the country observed a moment of silence on the exact time the quake struck 20 years earlier.

1. POTENTIAL SUBJECTS FOR THE WORK OF EASTERN PARTNERSHIP (EAP) THEMATIC PLATFORMS AND PANELS

For the thematic platform on Democracy, good governance and stability, the Commission proposes:

Democracy and Human Rights

- Exchanges of best practices and dedicated workshops on such issues as electoral standards, regulation of the media, the fight against corruption, transparent management of public goods and civil service reform.

- In cooperation with the Council of

"The ceasefire violations have become regular during the past few days and necessitates holding an urgent crisis monitoring," Matthew Bryza, the US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group (MG) said.

Bryza told a Monday news conference in Yerevan, which reviewed the group's visit to the region, that continuing

The two countries' presidents issued a joint declaration following Russia-mediated talks in Moscow, the first document to be signed by the two countries on the issue in almost 15 years.

In the resolution, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sarkisian, pledged to intensify negotiations to end the dispute.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a predominantly ethnic

This comes after Turkish President Abdullah Gul said last week Ankara's mediation in Garabagh settlement had been sought by the Armenian leader.

Sarkisian told Armenia's Public TV that the OSCE Minsk Group, co-chaired by Russia, the United States and France, remains the sole mediator in the peace process. "There are no other mediators in negotiations."

With regard to Gul's statement, Sarkisian

By Gayane Mkrtchian in Yerevan (CRS No. 465 23-Oct-08)

Twenty-four-year-old Teona Kurtanidze is still living with her three-year-old son Nikolai in a room on the edge of the Armenian capital Yerevan, given them as temporary refuge from the fighting in neighbouring Georgia this summer.

"A few days ago I took Nikolai to Victory Park," she said. "There was a plane there and he climbed on it and said, 'Mama, let's go and bomb Gori!' I said 'Why should you

In DR Congo, a January peace deal between the government and rebel groups in the east lay in tatters after serious clashes throughout the month between General Laurent Nkunda's CNDP rebels and the Congolese army. Following a late August resumption in hostilities, the CNDP advanced from ceasefire positions towards Goma; the UN said 100,000

By Karine Ohanian in Stepanakert (CRS No. 459, 11-Sep-08)

The conflict in Georgia and Russia's recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states have fundamentally shaken up the unresolved Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorny Karabakh.

Two of the three mediators in the OSCE body charged with resolving the Nagorny Karabakh conflict, the so-called Minsk Group - consisting of the United States, Russia and France - have