ARKA News Agency
March 30 2004
RA Parliament speaker meets Head of Yerevan Office of USAID
NKR Foreign Minister receives Head of International Program for Mine
Clearing and Neutralization of Unexploded Ammunition
RA government and UNDP sign joint Anti-Trafficking Program
AMD 10 to AMD 200 value all banknotes to be withdrawn from
circulation in Armenia since 1 April
Information on missing persons to be solved on mutual readiness of
Armenia and Azerbaijan
RA MFA continues making steps on release of Armenian pilots arrested
in Equatorial Guinea
RA President signs several laws
Children Music-Sports Festival `Spring Mood’ to take place on April
1-2 in Yerevan
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RA PARLIAMENT SPEAKER MEETS HEAD OF YEREVAN OFFICE OF USAID
YEREVAN/ March 30. /ARKA/ . Artur Baghdasaryan, the Speaker of RA
Parliament met today with the Head of Yerevan Office of USAID Keith
Simmons. As RA Parliament Public Relations and Press Department told
ARKA, Simmons presented to the Speaker Robin Phillips who is to
change him. Baghdasaryan thanked Simmons for his job in the frames of
project `Armenia. Strengthening of Legislative Environment’. As the
press release says continuation of this project will be discussed.
T.M. -0–
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NKR FOREIGN MINISTER RECEIVES HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM FOR MINE
CLEARING AND NEUTRALIZATION OF UNEXPLODED AMMUNITION
YEREVAN. March 30. /ARKA/. Ashot Ghulyan, NKR Foreign Minister
received Mathew Howell, the Head of International Program for Mine
Clearing and Neutralization of Unexploded Ammunition in NKR. As NKR
Foreign Ministry Press Service told ARKA today, Matthew Howell, whose
authorities in NKr expired presented to NKR Foreign Minister the new
head of the program Ed Row. As mentioned by the Minister, the problem
of mine clearing is still actual for NKR even after 10 years of the
ceasefire in the conflict zone. He stressed that NKR authorities are
interested in continuation of the Program activity on mime clearing
of NKr territory, that according to the Minister is very important
for security of the population and economic development of the NKR.As
reported by Howell the implementation of the program will be
continued for other several years, but the term of mine clearing will
be reduced within limits of possibility. T.M. -0-
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RA GOVERNMENT AND UNDP SIGN JOINT ANTI-TRAFFICKING PROGRAM
YEREVAN. March 30. /ARKA/. Today, Vardan Oskanian, RA Minister of
Foreign Affairs and Lise Grande, UN resident Coordinator/UNDP
Resident Representative signed Anti-Trafficking Program with the
objection to fight the human trafficking. As RA Ministry of Foreign
Affairs Press and Information Service told ARKA, the main objection
of this two-year project is to facilitate the development of a
national framework to tackle the problem of human trafficking. The
project includes such components as building the institutional
capacity of the key state agencies, strengthening of control of the
national border, reintegration of the victims of the trafficking into
the society, as well as raising public awareness.
The last survey on trafficking in Armenia was conducted in 2001 by
UNICEF, as result of which there were recorded several cases of
trafficking in human particularly to Turkey and UAE.
The RA Government approved national strategy action plan for
prevention of illegal transpiration and human trafficking from
Armenia for 2004-2006. T.M. -0–
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AMD 10 TO AMD 200 VALUE ALL BANKNOTES TO BE WITHDRAWN FROM
CIRCULATION IN ARMENIA SINCE 1 APRIL
YEREVAN. March 30. /ARKA/. All banknotes with the value AMD 10 to AMD
200 will be withdrawn from circulation since 1 April 2004, as the CBA
press release received by ARKA reads. At the same time, all
aforementioned banknotes will keep their value and are subject to
exchange and will be accepted in all banks, functioning in Armenia,
as well as their affiliates. Simultaneously, as reported by the CBA,
according to the arrangement with Armpost and Yerevan Metro, these
enterprises will accept the aforementioned banknotes withdrawn from
the circulation as a means of payment, including AMD 1000 value
banknote issued in 1994. At the same time, according to the CBA all
other paper banknotes, including AMD 500 issued in 1993 and AMD 5000
issued in 1995 will remain in circulation and are legal means of
payment. T.M. -0–
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INFORMATION ON MISSING PERSONS TO BE SOLVED ON MUTUAL READINESS OF
ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN
YEREVAN. March 30. /ARKA/. Searching information on missing persons
from both Armenian and Azerbaijani side should be solved of the basis
of mutual readiness of the parties, Rita Karapetyan, the Member of
Nagrono Karabakh Committee Helsinki Initiative-92 told ARKA. She
mentioned that this problems was discussed in the frames of the first
conference on `Violent or non-voluntary disappearance of people on
the South Caucasus’ held in Tbilisi on 23-27 March 2004. She said
that the forum was attended by the experts of the international
organizations, from the South Caucasus, that shared their experience
and presented a number of recommendations related to the beginning of
the work on searching and exchange of information on the missing from
both Armenian and Azerbaijani sides. As mentioned by Karapetyan, the
regional conference was quite fruitful and mutually useful.
On 23-27 March the first conference on `Violent or non-voluntary
disappearance of people on the South Caucasus’ was held in Tbilisi.
The conference was attended by employees of the Georgian Office of
the Helsinki Group, the UN experts, OSCE and International Committee
of Red Cross, representatives of NGOs from Armenia and Azerbaijan, as
well as representatives of Helsinki Intiative-92 from Nagorno
Karabakh as well as relatives of the missing in the zones of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
The conference developed a strategic plan of the regional movement
`Yellow Tulips’ for 2004 and adopted a number of documents addressed
to the leaders of the South Caucasus and competent people and
specialists. T.M. -0–
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RA MFA CONTINUES MAKING STEPS ON RELEASE OF ARMENIAN PILOTS ARRESTED
IN EQUATORIAL GUINEA
YEREVAN, March 29./ARKA/. RA MFA continues making steps on release of
Armenian pilots arrested in Equatorial Guinea, RA MFA told ARKA. RA
Regular Representative to UN turned to UN Emissary in Equatorial
Guinea on this issue.
According to press release, RA Regular Representatives to UN Human
Rights Commission met in Geneva with the members of Equatorial Guinea
delegation that takes part in the works of the Commission. During the
meeting Armenian party insisted that the authorities of the country
treated Armenian pilots in accordance to the demands of international
convention on human rights.
Besides, Armenian representative turned to International Amnesty
organization and to Supreme Office of International Red Cross in
Geneva. According to RA MFA, representatives of IRC left for Guinea
for study of the condition of the prisoners and provision of
necessary assistance. L.D. –0 –
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RA PRESIDENT SIGNS SEVERAL LAWS
YEREVAN, March 29./ARKA/. RA President Robert Kocharian signed
several laws, passed by RA NA earlier. President’s press service told
ARKA that Kocharian signed laws on implementations of changes to RA
Land Code and to the law on Land Tax, and novels to the law on
licensing. L.D. –0–
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CHILDREN MUSIC-SPORTS FESTIVAL `SPRING MOOD’ TO TAKE PLACE ON APRIL
1-2 IN YEREVAN
YEREVAN, March 29./ARKA/. Children Music-Sports Festival `Spring
Mood’ will take place on April 1-2 in Yerevan, Vice Mayor of Yerevan
Vano Vardanian stated today at the briefing. According to him, the
festival envisages sports games and concert programs. L.D. –0–