Author: Chakhmakhchian Vatche

ARMENTEL ANNOUNCES DOUBLE REDUCTION OF TARIFFS FOR MOBILE
COMMUNICATION

YEREVAN, JULY 1. ARMINFO. ArmenTel has published summer tariffs for
mobile communication.

Press Secretary of the company Hasmik Chutilyan informs ARMINFO that
starting from July 1, a minute of calls for contract subscribers (SIM
cards) costs 43.2 AMD instead of the previous 54 AMD, for the
subscribers of prepayment system (Easy cards) a minute of calls will
cost 79.2 AMD instead of the 118 AMD effective from, July 1. The
prices are presented VAT inclusive. It should be noted that from July
1, the second operator of mobile communication K-Telecom has started
selling its mobile communication cards.

AZERBAIJANI MPS INTEND TO RAISE ISSUE OF REDEPLOYMENT OF
RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES FROM GEORGIA TO ARMENIA AT FORTHCOMING SESSION
OF OSCE PA

YEREVAN, JUNE 29. ARMINFO. Azerbaijani MPs intend to raise the issue
of redeployment of Russian military bases from the territory of
Georgia to Armenia at the forthcoming session of OSCE PA, Vice
Chairman of Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation Eldar Ibrahimov
tells Echo newspaper.

He says that “he intends to raise an issue that one OSCE member-state
– Russia – arms Armenia with its bases withdrawn from the territory
of Georgia.”

To note, Russia does not “arm Armenia,” but re-deploys its bases in
Georgia to its bases in Gyumri, Armenia.

Presidential medal for His Holiness Karekin II

Fresno State News, CA
June 29 2005

Dr. John D. Welty, right, president of California State University,
Fresno, presented the President’s Medal of Distinction to His
Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, during a campus
visit on June 14. Assisting Dr. Welty was Barlow Der Mugrdechian,
Fresno State lecturer in Armenian Studies. The President’s Medal is
the highest non-degree award presented by Fresno State.

His Holiness Karekin II, considered to be pope of the Armenian
faithful, visited Fresno and the Central Valley from June 11-15 to
lead a “Renaissance of Faith.” He presented Dr. Welty with an engraved
silver tray.

The meeting was the second in a year for the two men. Last summer,
Dr. Welty visited His Holiness Karekin II while traveling in Armenia.

“JOLLY TELECOM”

A1plus

| 15:25:56 | 29-06-2005 | Social |

The only competitor of “ArmenTel” “K Telecom” announced about the
tariffs of its service two days before entering the market. In case
of buying a Classic Card they are very close to the lowered tariffs
of “ArmenTel”, , but the competitor of the famous “Easy Card” –
“Alo Card” offers service at quite a low price.

First, “Alo Card” costs 7000 ARMD, and the head of the company Ralf
Yerikyan assured several times that it will not be sold in the black
market at a higher price.

While calling the subscribers of the same telecom a minute costs 48
drams by day and 44 drams by night. On Sundays a minute by day costs
44 drams too. The service is called “Jolly Sunday”.

While calling Karabakh 1 minute of Alo Card costs 110 drams, and of
Classic card 0 55 drams. As for inside Armenia, while calling the
subscriber of “ArmenTel” a minute costs 110/55 drams.

The reloading cards of Viva Cell are of different prices and dates. The
cheapest costs 2000 drams and is valid for 20 days, and the most
expensive costs 18 000 drams and is valid for 300 days.

As for the Classic Card, Viva Cell, in contrast to ArmenTel does
not demand a pre-payment of $100. The card costs 1500 drams, and the
monthly payment is 4000 drams. It should also be added that all the
costs include Value Added Tax.

Y. MERZLYAKOV: TURKEY’S POSITION IMPORTANT FOR KARABAKH SETTLEMENT

Pan Armenian News
29.06.2005 02:31

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “Elmar Mamedyarov was right to say that agreement on
two points of the negotiation process has been achieved. I suppose
it was achieved on the basis of mutual concessions”, OSCE Minsk
Group Russian Co-Chair Yuri Merzlyakovstated, APA Azeri news agency
reports. When asked whether these agreements can be confirmed by
the Presidents he said, “If a definition admissible for both states
is set, I think there is such a possibility.” At the same time he
refrained from commenting on the details. When asked how the visit
of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Baku can tell on
the Turkish-Armenian relations, the Russian Co-Chair noted, “I always
supposed that Turkey’s position is important for the Karabakh conflict
settlement. The normalization of the Turkish-Armenian relations will
have a great impact on the situation in the region.” It should be
noted that when commenting on Elmar Mamedyarov’s statement Armenian
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian stated that partial agreement was
achieved on one point only. “There are details we disagree on, but
I am convinced that they will be resolved and we will proceed to the
settlement of other issues”, the RA FM said.

VIVACELL, THE SECOND MOBILE COMMUNICATION OPERATOR IN ARMENIA,
ANNOUNCES CONSUMER PRICES OF MOBILE COMMUNICATION

YEREVAN, June 29. /ARKA/. VivaCell, the second mobile communication
operator in Armenia, has already set up consumer prices of mobile
communication. Difference in prices is due to hours when a call is
made. Rush-hour calls are those made over a period between 7:00 and
23:00, and common hours are between 23:00 and 7:00. Alo preliminary
payment card costs AMD 7thnd. AMD 3.7thnd of free conversation of
a 60-day validity (all the prices are presented with taking into
account 20-percent VAT).

A number of services such as conveying brief SMS messages, voice
mail, international porting, multi-customer communication, coming
calls identification, calls readdressing are to be rendered to those
possessing Alo cards without preliminary payment and with monthly
payment.

For Alo card users, rush-our calls within VivaCell customer network
will cost AMD 90 per a minute, while per-minute price at the rest time
of day is set at AMD 80. Price for calls to ArmenTel, Karabakh-Telecom
(NKR) and Nagorno-Karabakh cable phone communication customers at
rush hours is AMD 110, and over the rest time – AMD 90.

Prices for Alo cards of reloading are AMD 2thnd (20 days), AMD 4.5thnd
(55 days), AMD 7thnd (100 days), AMD 9.5thnd (150 days) and AMD 18thnd
(300 days). Alo cards will be on sale in Armpost, Ardshininvestbank,
Converse Bank and other centers.

Payment for attaching Classic customer card to the network is set at
AMD 4.5thnd and monthly customer payment is AMD 4thnd. Prices for calls
to VivaCell other customers and Armenian cable phone communication
customers are AMD 48 at rush hours and AMD 44 at the rest time. Calls
to ArmenTel and Karabakh-Telecom (NKR) cellular customers are AMD 55
and AMD 48 accordingly. Free services are also envisaged for Classic
card users. Calls identification, regime of waiting, call readdressing,
SMS messages sending, voice mail, multi-customer communication and
international porting are among them. New paid services such as data
conveying, bill detailing, phone number concealing in case of sending
SMS massages, calls blocking, double SIM-card and international roaming
are also included in the list of the services to be rendered by the
company. Alassic cards will be on sale in the company’s offices in
Yerevan. Their addresses: Kievyan Str.11/1, Argishti Str. 4/1 and
Erebuni Str. 18.

VivaCell also offers corporative Business, Business+ and Optima cards
intended for 5 to 20, 21 to 100 and 100 and more lines accordingly.

Prices for calls within the corporative network will make AMD 40, 38
and 36 accordingly. Calls to other VivaCell’s customers and to cable
phones in Armenia will cost accordingly AMD 46, 44 and 42 at rush
hours and AMD 42, 42 and 40 at the rest time. Prices for rush-hour
calls to ArmenTel and Karabakh-Telecom (NKR) mobile customers as well
as Nagorno-Karabakh cable phones make AMD 52, 50 and 50 accordingly
and at the remaining time AMD 48.

International calls for Alo, Classic cards and corporative packages
users to Russia and Georgia will cost AMD 235 and 165 (rush-hour and
not), to other CIS countries AMD 285 and 200, to the U.S.A., Canada,
Europe, Australia – AMD 430 and 300 and to the Middle East countries
AMD 350 and 245. VivaCell’s all customers will be able to send local
SMS messages at AMD 20 and international ones at AMD 55. The company
also announced that Sunday calls within VIvaCell and cable networks
will make AMD 44. The company’s free hot line number is 111. ($1 =
AMD 442.85). M.V. –0-

GYUMRI AMERICAN CORNER OPENING

A1plus

| 17:30:32 | 28-06-2005 | Culture |

On Tuesday, June 28 the official opening of the second American Corner
in Armenia was held at the Gyumri branch of the Armenian Center for
Scientific and Technological Information. U.S. Embassy Public Affairs
Officer Kimberly Hargan opened the ceremony.

American Corners are small, American-style libraries that are funded
by the U.S. Department of State. These libraries help increase mutual
understanding between Armenia and the United States by providing
information about America in various electronic and print sources. Each
American Corner features a diverse collection of English language
books, reference materials about the United States, computers with
Internet and access to online databases, CDs, and videos.

Through this program, the U.S. embassy provided the American Corner
in Gyumri with three computers, approximately 300 books, and a wide
variety of electronic and print resources. The American Corner in
Gyumri is open to the general public, free of charge, Monday through
Friday from 09:00 to 17:00. In addition to a being full multi-media
reference resource, the American Corner will host regular programming,
including lectures, workshops, and video series.

The U.S. Embassy opened its first American Corner in April of this
year at the Yerevan City Isahakian Central Library. The U.S. Embassy
plans to create a network of American Corners throughout Armenia in
the coming years.

PROTEST ACTION AGAINST “SPIRITUAL GENOCIDE”

A1plus

| 15:59:52 | 27-06-2005 | Social |

“Numbering is spiritual genocide”, this is the opinion of a group of
believers who organized an act of complaint opposite the Government
building today. Together with Khachik Stamboltsyan and a group of old
people they prayed and demanded the Government members not to make
them get the social cards. They also demanded their old-age pensions
and the wages they failed to get.

“I do not want to get the devil number”, said Laura Barsegyan, member
of the “Against People’s Numbering” council and noted, “I’m 70 years
old, and I have not received my pension for 6 months. My husband is
dead and I have no children, what shall I do? “.

The participants of the action have written 168 letters to different
parties but they have received no written answers for the past
4 months.

The participants of the action were received by the Government Religion
and National Minorities Administration head Hranoush Kharatyan and
agreed to informed the higher officials about their demands.

By the way, Hranoush Kharatyan informed, that she will tell them about
the demand of the people, but she is not responsible for the results.

The sit-down strike has started and it will continue until “the hungry
people are fed”, informed Khachik Stamboltsyan.

Christian saint’s anniversary celebrations in Iran:-
Tehran | June 27, 2005 1:44:01 PM IST

Webindia123, India
June 27 2005

Christians from all over the world will gather at Iran’s Saint Thaddeus
Church July 1 for the annual commemoration of the martyrdom anniversary
of St Thaddeus.

The St Thaddeus Church, also known as the Black Church (Ghara Kelisa),
is Iran’s most notable Christian monument, located near the Chalderan
region in Maku, West Azerbaijan, reports Mehr News Agency.

One of Jesus Christ’s 12 disciples, St Thaddeus, also known as St
Jude (not to be confused with Judas Iscariot), was martyred while
spreading the Gospel. He is revered as an apostle of the Armenian
Church. As legend has it, a church dedicated to him was first built
on the present site in 68 AD.

Nothing appears to remain of the original church, which was extensively
rebuilt in the 13th century, but some sections around the altar may
date back to the 10th century. Most of the present structure dates
to the 17th century and is of carved sandstone.

The apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew travelled through Armenia in 45
AD to preach the word of god. Many people were converted and numerous
secret Christian communities were established.

When the Armenian kingdom split into two parts, King Ananun gave the
order to kill St Thaddeus in Edessa. The king’s daughter Sandokht,
who had converted to Christianity, was martyred with Thaddeus. Her
tomb is located near the St Thaddeus Church.

Only Christians will be allowed to visit the church during the
ceremony.

AZG Armenian Daily #116, 24/06/2005

Diaspora

AKHALKALAKI ARMENIANS RENDER HELP TO AZERIS IN TROUBLE

Armenians living in Samtskhe-Javakhk Ninotsminda region of Georgia rendered
first aid to the Azeri shepherd and their families, to about 200 people, who
suffered of stormy wind. The policemen took the victims to the regional
hospital, where Chirstine Arzumanian, doctor, gave first aid to them. The
Azeris who came to the summer pasture from Sagarejo region of Georgia had
bodily injures and concussion of the brain. The employees of the Tbilisi
Emergency Department arrived in Ninotsminda to settle the issues of their
further treatment.

By Ruzan Poghosian