ARKA News Agency
March 1 2005

RA Deputy Foreign Minister takes part in discussion of reforms of CIS
bodies

RA President demands prompt solution to allowance payment problem

Presentation of Armenian-language Website on International Education
held in Armenia

Road to Desert exhibition opens today in Yerevan

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RA DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER TAKES PART IN DISCUSSION OF REFORMS OF CIS
BODIES

YEREVAN, March 1. /ARKA/. Ra Deputy Foreign Minister Gegham
Garibjanyan participated in a discussion of issues related to reforms
of the CIS bodies. The Press and Public Information Department, Ra
Foreign Office, reports that the discussion was held during a meeting
of the CIS Deputy Foreign Ministers in Moscow, on February 28-March
1, 2005. The document agreed on at the meeting is expected to be
submitted to the CIS Foreign Ministers’ Council on March 18, 2005.
P.T. ~V0–

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RA PRESIDENT DEMANDS PROMPT SOLUTION TO ALLOWANCE PAYMENT PROBLEM

YEREVAN, March 1. /ARKA/. RA President Robert Kocharian demanded the
problem of payment of allowance to be resolved within the shortest
period. The Ra presidential press service reports that the President
stated this demand during his meeting with Ra Minister of Territorial
Administration and production Infrastructures Hovik Abrahamyan. The
President drew the Minister’s attention to the delay in payment of
allowances, stressing that the faulty work of relevant bodies does
not allow people to receive the sums assigned to them at the
beginning of the year. In his turn, the Minister informed the
President that funds for allowance are budgeted and the reason for
the delay in payments in January-February is the necessity of
technical work to specify the beneficiaries’ lists.
At the meeting, Kocharian also issued a number of instructions to
resolve socio-economic problems in Armenia’s regions, particularly in
the organization of spring seasonal work.
The sides also discussed other issues related to the specification of
regional borders, and enlargement of communities as part of the
planned reduction of the number of communities from 930 to 300.
According to the press release, the bill on Intercommunal Units has
been sent to the RA National Assembly. The sides also discussed the
preparations for the upcoming local elections. The Ra President
demanded that necessary measures be taken to ensure transparent and
free elections to prevent any interference in the election process.
P.T. ~V0–

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PRESENTATION OF ARMENIAN-LANGUAGE WEBSITE ON INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
HELD IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, March 1. /ARKA/. A presentation of the Armenian-language
Website on International Education
has been held in Yerevan today. Eric Nankervis, Regional Director,
Project Harmony, pointed out that the resource was designed by
secondary school students who participated in the International
Education Week essay competition on “Why I need to be Internationally
Educated”. The website presents various opportunities available for
Armenians to study abroad. Nankervis expressed a hope that the
resource will become a handbook for students in seeking opportunities
for receiving international education.
The Project Harmony opened its office in Armenia in 2000, when it
launched the Armenia School Connectivity Program in the country.
Armenia School Connectivity program is a program of the US Department
of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs funded through
the FREEDOM Support Act and implemented by the Yerevan office of the
Project Harmony. The project budget is $12.5mln and envisages the
opening of Internet computer centers in 330 Armenian schools, 303 of
such centers actually working now. P.T. ~V0–

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ROAD TO DESERT EXHIBITION OPENS TODAY IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, March 1. /ARKA/. “Road to Desert” 3rd exhibition, organized
by Woods of Armenia NGO and the Forestry Chair of Agricultural
Academy opened today in Yerevan. The exhibition is dedicated to green
zones of Armenia. According to Jeffrey Tufenkian, Head of woods of
Armenia NGO, the objective of this exhibition is to draw the
attention of students and future forestry specialists to issues of
forestry, its preservation and rehabilitation and prevention of
illegal fellings and wood export. “Unfortunately, the woods of
Armenia are being exterminated. This results in erosion of the soil
and extermination of species of fauna”, he noted..
The photos of the exhibition picture both the nature of Armenia and
scenes of extermination of forests. The pictures were taken in the
forests of Lori, Tavush, Syunik marzes. The exhibition will last till
March 4. Then, it will be also taken to marzes of Armenia. –0–

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