ARKA News Agency
Feb 21 2005

Round-table on `multicolored revolutions’ to be held in Yerevan

Speaker of RA NA to pay visit to Austria

Total capital of new BNF-Bank CJSC to make $5 mln

Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s National Assembly reiterates Karabakh
people determination to build independent democratic state basing on
the self-determination right

NKR Ministry of Defense: Murder of Armenian lieutenant Gourgen
Margaryan is considered as a result of anti-Armenian and militarist
propaganda of Azerbaijan

A youth movement was organized in Stepanakert on the occasion of
Artsakh Revival Day

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ROUND-TABLE ON `MULTICOLORED REVOLUTIONS’ TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, February 21. /ARKA/. A round-table to discuss the phenomenon
of `multicolored revolutions’ is to be held at the Caucasian
Institute of Mass Media (CIMM) in Yerevan on February 25. Acording to
the information reported by the Institute, the following subjects are
to be discussed: `External influence or internal processes?’, `Who is
next?’, `What is Armenia`s place in this list?’, `Does this await
Armenia or has it already been?’. CIMM Director, political scientist
Alexander Iskandaryan is to make a brief reports. P.T. -0–

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SPEAKER OF RA NA TO PAY VISIT TO AUSTRIA

YEREVAN, February 21. /ARKA/. An Armenian delegation headed by
Speaker of the RA National Assembly Artur Baghdasaryan is to be on an
official visit to Austria on February 22-25. The public Relations
Department, Ra National Assembly, reports that the Armenian
delegation is to hold meetings with Austrian President Heinz Fischer,
Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, Chairman of Bundestag Andreas Holl and
other representatives of the country’s Legislature and Executive. The
Armenia delegation is also to hold a meeting with the President of
the Austrian Academy of Sciences. On February 24, the Armenian
delegation is to take part in the ceremonial opening of the winter
session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. The Speaker of the
Armenian Parliament is to hold special meeting with the Office for
Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Christian Schtrohal,
Slovenian Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairman-in-Office Dmitry Rupel
and OSCE Secretary General Jan Kubish. A meeting owith the Armenian
community in Austria is also planned. On February 25 the Armenian
delegation is to return to Yerevan. P.T. -0–

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TOTAL CAPITAL OF NEW BNF-BANK CJSC TO MAKE $5 MLN

YEREVAN, February 21. /ARKA/. Total capital of BNF-Bank, a new CJSC
in Armenia, will make $5 mln, as stated the Chairman of Armenian
Central Bank Tigran Sargsyan. In his words, one of the bank’s key
shareholders is Canadian entrepreneur making his business also on CIS
territory, the Middle Asia and the East. According to Sargsyan, the
businessman, who is familiar with Armenian law, thinks it is
acceptable to him as well as to Armenia’s banking system.
It should be reminded that the CBA Board made a decision on February
1, 2005, to approve preliminarily the idea of giving license to the
BNF-Bank CJSC to authorize its bank activity.
By January 1, 2005, total capital of the bank system of Armenia
increased by 30% up to AMD 65 bln. The authorized stock capital made
AMD 40.1 bln rising by AMD 3,4 bln. Along with that, weight share of
non-residents in the authorized stock capital made 52,6%. Today 20
banks and 230 branches are functioning in Armenia. ($1 = AMD 472,68).
M.V. -0–

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NAGORNO-KARABAKH REPUBLIC’S NATIONAL ASSEMBLY REITERATES KARABAKH
PEOPLE DETERMINATION TO BUILD INDEPENDENT DEMOCRATIC STATE BASING ON
THE SELF-DETERMINATION RIGHT

YEREVAN, February 21. /ARKA/. Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s National
Assembly reiterated Karabakh people determination to build
independent democratic state basing on the self-determination right,
Karabakh Parliament stated in its address on the occasion of the 17th
anniversary of the historic parliamentary session of the Council of
national deputies of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region held on
February 20,1988, when the decision on independence declaration was
made.
In its address, the Parliament says Karabakh authorities keep seeking
peaceful settlement of the conflict under the auspices of the OSCE
Minsk Group and urge Azerbaijani leadership to abandon
having-no-prospects policy of confrontation and concentrate efforts
on reaching peace and stability in the region and forming the
atmosphere of trust and tolerance.
`NKR National Assembly addresses all countries’ parliaments calling
on them to promote international recognition of NKR as independent
state and hope that international community will give due
appreciation to Karabakh people efforts focused on creating lawful
state and civil society’, says the National Assembly’s address on the
Artshakh Revival Day. M.V. -0–

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NKR MINISTERY OF DEFENSE: MURDER OF ARMENIAN LIEUTENANT GOURGEN
MARGARYAN IS CONSIDERED AS A RESULT OF ANTI-ARMENIAN AND MILITARIST
PROPAGANDA OF AZERBAIJAN

STEPANAKERT , February 21. /ARKA/. Murder of Armenian Lieutenant
Gourgen Margaryan is considered as a result of anti-Armenian and
militarist propaganda of Azerbaijan, which is of consistent
character, as stated in the message of NKR Ministery of Defense on
the occasion of killing Margaryan when asleep with an axe by
Azerbaijani Officer Ramil Safarov in Hungary.
According trot he message, such policy creates an atmosphere of
intolerance between the peoples of the parties in conflict, thus
affecting adversely to Nagorno-Karabakh peace process and threats
peace and security in the region. `This outrageous crime not only
failed to be condemned in Azerbaijan, but on the contrary, the
criminal was declared a national hero, notwithstanding the fact that
Azerbaijani authorities proclaim from the house-tops about democracy
and human values’, he said.
According to the message, such an image of Azerbaijan, the attempts
to make the criminal a hero once more testifies to the fact that the
independence of Nagorno-Karabakh is not only the matter of
self-determination of the nation, but also its existence, which in
itself should be a precondition for any version of the conflict
settlement.
`NKR Defense Army is an important guarantor for regional stability,
and under the conditions of the absence of international peacekeeping
forces, in the zone of tension caused by Azerbaijan it assumes the
role of a deterring factor. For successful carrying out of the
mission, NKR Defense Army will continue increasing its alertness, in
order to defend both independence and territorial integrity of the
republic in case of necessity’, as stated NKR Minister of Defense.
A.H. -0–

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A YOUTH MOVEMENT WAS ORGANIZED IN STEPANAKERT ON THE OCCASION OF
ARTSAKH REVIVAL DAY

STEPANAKERT, February 21. /ARKA/. A youth movement was organized in
Stepanakert at the initiative of Karabakh Youth Organization `Hayki
Serund’ (Haik’s generation) under the motto `Following the Path of
Elders to Final Victory’ on the occasion of Artsakh Revival Day.
Representatives of youth organizations of NKR, students of schools of
the republic and teachers collectives, as well as delegates of
military-sport college after General Christopher Ivanyan participated
in the youth movement.
According to ARKA’s reporter in Stepanakert, the participants of the
movement gathered on the Victory square of the republic. The rector
of Artsakh State University, an activist of Karabakh movement hamlet
Grigoryan spoke on the square and stated that exactly 17 years before
the square had been full of thousands of Karabakh people, and they
had been proud of being able to speak freely, not being afraid of
decisive steps, and now it’s the time to show the world that Artsakh
was Armenian and remains to be Armenian territory. Also he told the
people present that some details of the events tracing to February
20, 1988 and appealed to people for continuing the deeds of older
people not only on the battle field but also in all areas of life.
Afterwards, the youth movement directed to the Memorial Complex of
Stepanakert, where they paid tribute to the memory of the soldiers
perished in Karabakh war.
To remind, on February 20, 1988 a special session of the Council of
Deputies of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region (NKAR)took place. The
crucial decision on ` submitting a petition to the Supreme Councils
of Azerbaijani and Armenian SSRs regarding withdrawal of NKAR from
Azerbaijan and becoming a part of Armenia’ was taken at the session.
This decision was preceded by analogous ones made by regional
Councils of national deputies. However, the political bureau of CC of
CPSS adopted a decree on February 21 which contradicted to
international principles for self-determination of peoples: the
political solution of the problem was attempted to be replaced by the
political bureau with social-economic ones, which caused categorical
protests of the population. The Azerbaijani side replied with
aggression to the decision of NKAR to join Armenia. A.H. -0–