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12/27/2004
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1) Armenia to Deploy 46 Troops to Iraq
2) Mountainous Karabagh Republic President Appoints New Foreign Minister
3) Armenian Parliament Approves 2005 Budget
4) Government Sticks to Christmas Tree Ban

1) Armenia to Deploy 46 Troops to Iraq

YEREVAN (AP)–Armenia’s parliament voted Friday to send 46 non-combat
troops to
Iraq, a move that was backed by President Robert Kocharian but drew sharp
criticism from many Armenians and opposition groups.
After more than seven hours of debate behind closed doors, lawmakers in the
National Assembly voted 91-23, with one abstention, to send the contingent,
which will include bomb-disposal experts, doctors, and transport specialists.
Only two parliamentary factions, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(ARF), a
member of the government coalition, and the opposition Artarutyun (Justice)
alliance voted against it.
The troops could be deployed to Iraq as early as next month and could
serve in
Iraq for up to a year, said Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian, adding that the
contingent would only conduct humanitarian operations.
“There is not, and will not be an Armenian military presence in Iraq,”
Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian said. “In the humanitarian aspect, it is preferable
for Armenia to contribute to the postwar reconstruction of Iraq, in
establishing democracy in this country which has important significance for
the
region and which could have an impact on the Caucasus.”
The troops would serve as part of the Polish-led multinational force,
officials said. That force operates in a belt of territory south of Baghdad,
though Armenia has not specified where its troops will deploy.
The Constitutional Court ruled earlier this month that Kocharian’s plan to
send non-combat troops to Iraq did not violate the country’s constitution.
But the proposal had been widely criticized by opposition parties, many
Armenians and even the 30,000-strong Armenian community in Iraq, which feared
being targeted for attacks if the troops were sent.
In August, an Armenian Apostolic church in Baghdad was hit in a wave of
attacks on Iraq’s minority Christians that that killed 11 people and injured
more than 50.
Other former Soviet republics that have also sent troops to Iraq are
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, and the three Baltic countries.

2) Mountainous Karabagh Republic President Appoints New Foreign Minister

STEPANAKERT (Combined Sources)–Mountainous Karabagh Republic’s Permanent
Representative in Armenia Arman Melikian, was appointed the republic’s foreign
minister on Friday in order to accelerate foreign policy activities, according
to MKR president Arkady Ghukasian.
Melikian, who has served as Armenia’s ambassador to Kazakhstan in the past,
will retain his previous job for the time being.
Ghukasian also explained that, in response to recent international
developments, certain foreign ministry operations must be transferred to
Armenia in order to gain access to embassies and international organizations.
Melikian’s predecessor Ashot Gulian was appointed the minister of education
and culture minister.
Ghukasian also filled the vacant position of deputy prime minister by
appointing Ararat Danielian.

3) Armenian Parliament Approves 2005 Budget

YEREVAN (Combined Sources)–The Armenian parliament overwhelmingly passed the
government’s budget for next year that calls for an almost 25 increase in
public spending.
Deputy Finance and Economy Minister Pavel Safarian said that certain changes
were made in the 2005 budget, adding that an overwhelming majority of the 315
proposals and amendments put forward by officials are reflected in the final
draft.
The government expects to collect a record-high 345.3 billion drams ($712
million) in revenues and spend 394.6 billion drams. This is roughly 5 percent
more than was envisaged in the initial version of the bill unveiled by
ministers in late October.
The government also plans sizable rises in health care and social
expenditures. Officials are keen to stress that the 2005 budget has a “social
orientation.”
The budgetary parameters, endorsed by the International Monetary Fund
and
the World Bank, are based on government expectations of continued economic
growth and improved tax collection.

4) Government Sticks to Christmas Tree Ban

YEREVAN (RFE-RL)–Environment Minister Vartan Ayvazian said on Friday that the
Armenian government is successfully enforcing a three-year ban on the use of
natural Christmas trees which is aimed at shoring up the country’s endangered
forests.
Ayvazian cited anecdotal evidence to claim that hardly any tree has been
felled and sold in Armenia for the upcoming New Year and Christmas
celebrations. “Only last night a small batch of trees was imported from
Russia,” he told reporters. “But otherwise, as you can see, there are no trees
cut and sold in the Republic of Armenia.”
Armenian spruces and other pine trees were widely available for sale in
Yerevan and other parts of the country until the introduction of the ban in
2002. They have since given way to imported artificial trees.
The Christmas tree ban has done little to stop the continuing shrinkage
of the country’s already scarce wooded areas. Environment protection groups
warn that if the current trends continue, Armenia could be left without any
forests by 2024.

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