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| 16:38:16 | 08-07-2005 | Social |

FIGURES WERE WRONG

Representative of the Jewish community in Armenia Rima Varzhapetyan-Feler is
displeased with the results of the population census carried out in 2001.
According to him, the number of the Jews living in Armenia has been
distorted recording low figures which do not correspond to reality.

According to Mrs. Varzhapetyan-Feler, the distortion of the figures during
the population census is dangerous as the international structures allot aid
to the Jewish community according to the official figures. `If there are 140
people in the community 40 of whom are registered, the aid is allotted for
40 people only’.

Today Mrs. Varzhapetyan-Feler expressed all her concerns during the press
conference rendered jointly with expert of the `Vostan’ ethno-cultural
Investigation center Yuri Mkrtumyan.

Yuri Mkrtumyan agreed that there were mistakes in the 2001 population census
but according to him no official distorted the figures on purpose. `The
mistakes have occurred due to technical problems’.

By the way, during the press conference Mr. Mkrtumyan presented his newly
published book devoted to the national minorities living in Armenia.
According to him, the book is the result of 7 years of hard toil. The lives
and customs of Ukrainians, Georgians, Germans, Belarusians, Jews and Poles
have been represented in the book.

According to Mr. Mkrtumyan, visiting 300 residences in Armenia one can be
sure that the representatives of national minorities have only
social-economic problems. `What is most important is that the
representatives of national minorities are not discriminated in Armenia’.