ARKA News Agency
Feb 14 2005

Possibility of military settlement of American-Iranian disputes can
play a role of detonator in the region – Serge Sargsian

The Chairman of CBA Tigran Sargsyan is elected as the Chairman of the
Council of Trustees of Deposits Insurance Fund

Representatives of Armenian Apostolic Church to meet with the heads
of Kopt and Assyrian Orthodox Churches

Development council of Armenian-Turkish business links ready to
dialogue with Dashnaktsutyun party

RA President holds a work meeting with the RA Minister of Trade and
Economic Development

RA Minister of Foreign Affairs participates in the 41st Munhen
conference devoted to national security issues

Population census to be conducted in NKR

Only Communist Party able to make revolution in Armenia, Communist
leader convinced

Armenian National Assembly speaker has a phone talk with his French
counterpart

USAID records regress in democratic reforms in Armenia in 2004

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POSSIBILITY OF MILITARY SETTLEMENT OF AMERICAN-IRANIAN DISPUTES CAN
PLAY A ROLE OF DETONATOR IN THE REGION – SERGE SARGSIAN

YEREVAN, February 14. /ARKA/. Possibility of military settlement of
American-Iranian disputes can play a role of detonator in the region,
RA Minister of Defense Serge Sargsian stated in hot line with
Armenian Newspaper Yerkir. He expressed hope that there are no
military actions. “We will hope that American-Iranian relations
improve and existing problems settle by peace”, Sargsian said. L.D.
–0–

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THE CHAIRMAN OF CBA TIGRAN SARGSYAN IS ELECTED AS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE
COUNCIL OF TRUSTEES OF DEPOSITS INSURANCE FUND

YEREVAN, February 14. /ARKA/. The Chairman of CBA Tigran Sargsyan is
elected as the Chairman of the Council of Trustees of Deposits
Insurance Fund. According to CBA Press Service, such decision was
taken by the trustees at the first session of the Council of Trustees
of the Fund, which has taken place in CBA today. Besides, the by-laws
of the Fund was approved at the session, and decision was taken to
begin the process of state registration of it and announce a job
vacancy for the position of the director of the Fund.
On November 24, 2004 RA NA adopted the law on guaranteed compensation
of bank deposits of individuals in the third and final reading.
Deposits Insurance Fund was established in the framework of the law
at the expense of the finances of commercial bank, that quarterly
will make payments into the Fund. The Fund insures foreign exchange
deposits equivalent to AMD 1 mln., and deposits in AMD up to 2 mln.
The law will relate to banks that will operate in the normative field
beginning from July 2005, and will not refer to branches of foreign
banks that according tot he Armenian legislation have no right to
attract deposits of individuals on the territory of Armenia. Daughter
banks of foreign banks are also included into that scheme, and their
deposits will be insured by the fund. A.H. –0—

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REPRESENTATIVES OF ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH TO MEET WITH THE HEADS
OF KOPT AND ASSYRIAN ORTHODOX CHURCHES

YEREVAN, February 14. /ARKA/. Representatives of Armenian Apostolic
Church will meet with the heads of Kopt and Assyrian Orthodox
Churches, St. Echmiadzin press office told ARKA. On Feb 13-15
Patriarchal Envoy of AAC to Central Europe, Archbishop Mesrop
Grigorian will meet with Charge D’Affairs of Interchurch Relations
Bishop Yeznik Petrosian with the head of Kopt Orthodox Church,
Patriarch Shenuda III. Besides, the parties will discuss issues
considering family of Ancient Eastern Churches. L.D. –0–

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DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH BUSINESS LINKS READY TO
DIALOGUE WITH DASHNAKTSUTYUN PARTY

YEREVAN, February 14. /ARKA/. Development council of Armenian-Turkish
business links is ready to dialogue with Dashnaktsutyun party,
Turkish Co-Chairman of Council for Development of Armenian-Turkish
Business Links Kaan Soyak stated today in Yerevan. According to
Soyak, bilateral dialogue between the Council and ARF (D) will make
serious contribution in the sphere of development of Armenian-Turkish
relations and will contribute to opening of Armenian-Turkish border.
He also said that till now he did not meet with representatives of
political parties of Armenia, however expressed readiness to assist
the visit of Dashnaktsutyun representatives in Turkey and to the
beginning of bilateral dialogue.
ARF Dasnaktsutyun was founded in 1890 and operates in the whole
world. The member of active members of the party in Armenia makes
more than 6 thousand people. The party is represented in the
parliament with 12 deputies. One of the priority goals of the party
is achievement of international recognition of Armenian Genocide in
Ottoman Empire. L.D. –0–

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RA PRESIDENT HOLDS A WORK MEETING WITH THE RA MINISTER OF TRADE AND
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

YEREVAN, February 14. /ARKA/. RA President Robert Kocharyan held a
work meeting with the RA Minister of Trade and Economic Development
Karen Chshmarityan. According to RA Government’s Press Service
Department, priority directions of economic development of Armenia in
2005, as well as the package of legislative changes offered by the
Minister were discussed during the meeting. Chshmarityan introduced
the process of development of programs on credit guarantees aimed at
developing SME. The programs will enable to ensure to grant credits
totaling AMD 500 mln. mainly to SME in regions close to borders and
in the regions far from Yerevan. According to the press release, also
issues relating to activity of Armenia in international economic
organizations, in particular in WTO, were discussed. ($1- AMD
473,77). A.H.—0—

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RA MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS PARTICIPATES IN THE 41ST MUNHEN
CONFERENCE DEVOTED TO NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES

YEREVAN, February 14. /ARKA/. RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan
Oskanian participated in the 41st Munhen conference devoted to
national security issues. According to RA MFA Press Service
Department, bilateral meetings of Oskanian with the UN Secretary
General Coffi Anan, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer,
Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antanas Valionis, the
Councilor of the Germany Republic Chancellor for Foreign Policy and
Defense Bert Mucelburg, and the political Director of the German MFA
Michael Shefer took place in the framework of the conference.
According tot he press-release, the emphasis during the forum was put
on the search of ways for peace process by means of a dialog. In this
regard, participants of the conference (over 250 top officials and
political figures from 40 countries of the world) attached special
importance to the Near East peace process and new accents that came
forth as a result of personnel changes in the American government.
The delegates of the forum also discussed the issues connected with
the future of NATO and the role of the alliance in the light of the
Pan-European foreign and defense policy being formed, and the
influence of the new political situation in Georgia and the Ukraine
on integration processes on the territory of the former Soviet Union.
A.H.–0—

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POPULATION CENSUS TO BE CONDUCTED IN NKR

STEPANAKERT, February 14. /ARKA/. A population census is to be
conducted in Nagorno Karabakh in October 2005. At its first meeting,
the NKR special state commission discussed the organization of and
preparations for the census. The ARKA special correspondent in
Stepanakert reports that Head of the Commission, NKR Vice-Premier
Ararat Danielyan pointed out the paramount importance of the first
census in the independent republic’s history for the formation and
consolidation of its nationhood, as well as for the international
recognition of the NKR.
The meeting also discussed the issues of forming regional
commissions, training necessary personnel, elaborating the methods
and organizational provisions of the census program. Preparations for
conducting a test census in a number of settlements late in March are
currently under way.
It will be the seventh census in the NKR. P.T. –0–

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ONLY COMMUNIST PARTY ABLE TO MAKE REVOLUTION IN ARMENIA, COMMUNIST
LEADER CONVINCED

Yerevan, Fabruary 14. /ARKA/. Only the Communist Party is able making
revolution in Armenia, as First Secretary of the Central Committee of
the Armenian Communist Party Ruben Tovmasyan said. He considers New
Times party leader Aram Karapetyan’s statement on the beginning of
the revolution in April 2005 as baseless. “The most revolutionary
party is the Communist Party”, he noted. In his opinion, revolution
is “a serious, complex and efforts consuming activity” which is not
announced publicly.
To remind that recenltly the leader of New Times party stated that
his party plans to lauch revolutionary processes that would finally
lead to change of the regime. T.M. –0–

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ARMENIAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SPEAKER HAS A PHONE TALK WITH HIS FRENCH
COUNTERPART

YEREVAN, February 14, /ARKA/. Arthur Baghdasaryan, the Head of
Armenian National Assembly, has a phone talk with his French
counterpart Jean Louis Debre today. Armenian Parliament Speaker
thanked Debre for paying attention to the issue related to the
Armenian Genocide, committed by Ottomans, during his visit to Turkey.
French Parliament Speaker, in turn, said he attached great importance
to the revealing of the historic truth while speaking with Turkish
President and PM.
An arrangement had been reached in the course of conversation about
Debre’s official visit in Armenia.M.V–0–

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USAID RECORDS REGRESS IN DEMOCRATIC REFORMS IN ARMENIA IN 2004

YEREVAN, February 14. /ARKA/. The United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) recorded regress in democratic
reforms in Armenia in 2004, as Ron Sprout, USAID Consultant stated
summarizing the results of Monitoring of Country’s Progress (MCP). “I
think that suppressing of peaceful demonstration in April 2004 was
decisive for the report”, he said. At that he noted that it was in
2004 when Georgia recorded better indicator than Armenia per
indicator of democratic reform.
To remind, on April 9, 12, 16 and 21 the opposition organized rallies
of many thousands demanding resignation of Armenian President. On
April 12, the meeting turned into unsanctioned rally to President’s
Residence and Parliament’ building. The participants were stopped by
police cordons and in the night of April 13 the Armenian law
enforcement bodies launched special operation for pushing away the
rally out of Baghramyan Avenue after the participants refused to
leave the roadway. The police used water jets and flare pots to
disperse the rally entailing a number of affected and detained,
including pressmen. T.M.—0–

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