Author: Chaltikian Arsine

ECONOMIST EDUARD AGHAJANOV: 2007 RA DRAFT STATE BUDGET HAS NOT
UNDEERGONE EXPERT EXAMINATION

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 15, NOYAN TAPAN. The 2007 RA state budget-envisaged
index of tax revenues/GDP is one of the lowest in the world.
Economist Eduard Aghajanov, formerly the head of the RA Statistical
Department, stated this during a meeting at the National Press Club on
December 12. In his words, it means that in 2007 the Armenian
authorities’ fight against cooruption "will have an inertional
character". E. Aghajanov considered as nonsense the fact that in 2007
it is envisaged to set a 2.3% deficit of the RA state budget because
even the most developed countries set at least a 3% deficit. He
expressed his discontent with the fact that by the 2007 budget, the
ratio of exports to GDP will make 20.1%, whereas in 2004 this index
made 27.5%. In his opinion, it means that "no development is
envisaged" in the Armenian economy in 2007. He noted that this index
"should make 60-70% in a country like Armenia." E. Aghajanov
connected the future of Armenia’s economy with its innovation
development.

It was mentioned that one of the signs of its absence is that the 2007
draft-envisaged allocations for science make up 0.19% of GDP. He did
not rule out that such indices were included in the 2007 state budget
because the draft has not undergone an expert examination. He
expressed an opinion that economists like former prime ministers Hrant
Bagratian and Armen Darbinian and former finance minister Eduard
Sandoyan wouldn’t decline to perform their civil duty by examining the
draft state budget.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Speculation on Karabakh Issue During Election Campaign is Immoral
16.12.2006 13:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ There will be no activation in the
negotiation process of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
settlement before the parliamentary elections, said
President Robert Kocharian in the interview to the
central Armenian TV companies. In his words, there are
some people who wait impatiently for the moment when
it will be possible to speculate on the Karabakh
issue. `Even there are some people, who publicly
declare that on the Karabakh issue the President of
Armenia Kocharian will have to compromise and that the
election campaign will be used,’ the President
stressed, adding that he has to upset those people
since there will be no activation in the negotiation
process before the parliamentary elections in Armenia.
The President of Armenia thinks that it is immoral to
speculate on the Karabakh issue during the election
campaign. In his words, some people will want to
compromise even the best offer on Karabakh, if it is
made public during the election campaign. And he added
that it would be better to activate the negotiation
process after the elections.

ARGENTINA PASSES LAW DECLARING ARMENIAN DEATHS A "GENOCIDE"

All Headline News
58103
Dec 14 2006

Matthew Borghese – All Headline News Staff Writer Buenos Aires,
(AHN) – Argentina has passed a bill labeling the mass killings of
Armenians in Turkey a "genocide."

The Argentinean Senate has unanimously voted to mark April 24 as
an annual day commemorating the deaths which occurred around the
time of World War I, and remain a sensitive subject for the modern
Turkish government.

The issue has been receiving recent attention after the French National
Assembly approved a bill making it a crime to deny calling the deaths
a genocide. However, the bill, passed in October, still needs to pass
through the French Senate and President.

French President Chirac has opposed the bill, while Turkish Prime
Minister Tayyip Erdogan has also spoken out against both bills.

REFERENDUM IN NAGORNO KARABAKH HAS NO LEGAL VALIDITY

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Dec 12 2006

The referendum held in Nagorno Karabakh by the separatist authorities
of the self-proclaimed ‘republic" has been resolutely condemned by
the world states and international organizations.

"The referendum held in Nagorno Karabakh has no legal validity",
Russell Johnston, Chairman of the PACE Subcommittee on Nagorno
Karabakh, stated at the Baku meeting of the Assembly’s Political
Affairs Committee. As in the soviet times, along with the Armenians,
there have lived and Azerbaijanis in Nagorno Karabakh. Therefore,
in fact, the referendum should be conducted with participation of
these people.

Participants of the Baku meeting have univocally noted that this
political action is unlawful. At their opinion, such steps impede
peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

BELGIUM’S HIGHEST HONORARY AWARD CONFERRED ON ARA ABRAHAMIAN AS PROMINENT INVENTOR AND ACTIVE SPONSOR OF INVENTORS

Noyan Tapan
Dec 08 2006

MOSCOW, DECEMBER 8, NOYAN TAPAN. By the results of display of
inventions made at Soglasie CJSC under the management and with the
direct participation of Ara Abrahamina, President of Soglasie CJSC,
President of the World Armenian Congress (WAC), at the largest
exhibitions and shows in 2006, Ara Abrahamian as a "prominent
inventor and active sponsor of inventors" was bestowed with the
highest honorary award of Belgium – Commander’s Order established
by the King of Belgium in 1954. Ara Abrahamian and Soglasie CJSC
were also awarded with Honorary Diplomas of the Federal Institute of
Industrial Property (FIIP) – "For High-Level Developments Presented
for Exhibition" at international shows in Nurenberg and Brussels. NT
was informed by the FIIP press service that the company’s innovation
"Method of Recording and Restoration of Hologram of a Two-Dimension
or Three-Dimension Object" won the Gold Medal of the Nuremberg
exhibition "Ideas, Inventions and Innovations IENA – 2006". Another
development – "Method of Short-Term Forecast of High Seismic Danger
in Earthquke-Prone Region" displayed at the Geneva Invention Show in
April and the World Show of Innovations, Scientific Research and New
Technologies Brussels – Evrika 2006 in November also received two
Gold Medals, one of them – Excellence Medal.

The essense of this development is in creation of short-term
methods for forecasting earthquakes (1-2 days). It is enviasged to
introduce an experimental sample of this system in the US. According
to the same source, these innovation developments and some others –
"System of Strategical Forecast of Technical Condition of Objects,
Mainly Computer Systems" and "Energy Transformation Method and Device
for its Implementation" have been presented to the FIIP in order to
receive Russian and foreign patents.

CHANGE OF POWER IN 2008

Lragir, Armenia
Dec 8 2006

The former prime minister of Armenia Hrant Bagratyan stated December
8 at the Friday Club that the values of 20 or 10 years ago are
not found in the political sphere any more, and in the upcoming 30
years the political sphere in Armenia will not accept differences in
ideologies and principles, every time after the presidential election
the parliament will obey him, and the political forces will be solving
three focal problems, "Save Karabakh, prevent massacres and blockade
of routes".

Personally, Hrant Bagratyan is not interested in running in the
elections in 2007 and 2008, but he thinks that in 2007 the struggle
will be going on in the government-government sphere, the government
will be reproduced. And in 2008 there will be a change of power.

Hrant Bagratyan thinks that the government is conducting a wrong
policy on Azerbaijan and Turkey. In case of Azerbaijan, it was
necessary to settle the liberated territories as soon as possible
to reach a settlement soon, and "Ilham Aliyev would have to seek a
resolution." And now we are like someone who has bought an apartment
but he neither lives there nor lets it, and the other says I need
this apartment, "The Hungarian, the French hear and say that the
second is right." However, Bagratyan does not think that we will earn
lasting peace if we agree to a compromise on Karabakh. Hrant Bagratyan
reminded that when he was prime minister, a policy on resettlement of
the liberated territories was implemented. 10 thousand people moved to
Lachin within a year, a branch of a bank, small factories were opened
"but now the population is decreasing."

For Turkey, according to the former prime minister, instead of rising
against Turkey’s membership to the EU we should try to be helpful and
generally we should cooperate with our neighbors for the sake of our
development. "The relations with our neighbors are mainly economic.

This is a problem."

"Why do we want Turkey to go East towards us rather than to go West?

Why are we aggravating the relations which are already complicated? I
do not want to kindle the fire. What are we pursuing in Javakheti? We
did not rise the question of Javakheti, but we cooperated with the
Georgian government. We had one problem – Karabakh. We do not have
a problem of West Armenia with Turkey. This is adventurism which
will eventually lead to the destruction of Karabakh. We must use
every opportunity for the sake of our country," warns the former
prime minister.

RUSSIAN-ARMENIAN TYCOON LINKED WITH POLITICIAN’S BEATING
By Ruzanna Stepanian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Dec 8 2006

The leader of a small pro-establishment party, which used to be
sponsored by Ara Abrahamian but is now at loggerheads with him,
claimed on Friday that the influential Russian-Armenian tycoon may
have been behind his alleged beating.

Harutiun Arakelian of the Ramkavar Azatakan Party of Armenia (HRAK)
said he was ambushed and beaten up by two unknown men outside his
office in central Yerevan on Thursday. The attackers fled the scene
after prompting an outcry from passers-by, according to him.

Police said they are investigating the allegations and could open a
criminal case.

The reported incident followed a bitter war of words between the HRAK
and Abrahamian, an Armenian-born Russian businessman who sponsored
the party’s unsuccessful participation in the last parliamentary
election. The row was in turn sparked by the HRAK’s decision last
month to pull out of Abrahamian’s Moscow-based World Congress of
Armenians. The Kremlin-connected tycoon publicly shrugged off the move,
claiming that he does not know who leads the party loyal to President
Robert Kocharian.

Asked by RFE/RL whether he believes Abrahamian ordered the alleged
assault, Arakelian said, "I don’t want to rule out anything. But I
don’t want to accuse anyone either." He argued that he lacks evidence
to directly implicate anyone.

ARMENIA’S GROSS AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT GROWS BY 0.1% IN JANUARY-OCTOBER 2006 ON SAME PERIOD OF LAST YEAR

Noyan Tapan
Dec 06 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 6, NOYAN TAPAN. In January-October 2006, the gross
agricultural output of Armenia made 465.5 bln drams (about 1,23
bln USD), exceeding by 0.1% the index of the same period of last
year. According to the RA National Statistical Service, the gross
agricultural output grew by 6.1% in October on September 2006. In the
first ten months of 2006, the livestock farming production amounted to
156,495.8 mln drams, exceeding by 8.6% the respective index of last
year, while the plant growing production made 309,024.2 mln drams,
declining by 3.7%. Production of main foodstuffs of livestock farming,
except for eggs, increased. Production of meat and poultry exceeded
by 16.3% or 12.3 thousand tons the index of the same months of 2005,
milk production – by 5.3% or 29.7 thousand tons. In the indicated
period, fish production made 2,008.4 mln drams, which exceeds by 58.3%
the respective index of last year.

RA STATE BUDGETARY EXPENDITURES INCREASE BY 18% IN JANUARY-OCTOBER 2006 ON SAME PERIOD OF LAST YEAR

Noyan Tapan
Dec 05 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 5, NOYAN TAPAN. In January-October 2006, expenditures
of over 354.4 bln drams (about 833.5 mln USD), which was 76.9% of the
annual program of expenditures, were made at the expense of the RA
state budget resources. 77.4% of the allocated funds was directed for
financing of current expenditures, 18.9% – of capital expenditures,
and 3.7% – for net crediting.

According to the RA Ministry of Finance and Economy, budgetary
expenditures grew by 18% or 54.1 bln drams on the same period of
last year. This growth in expenditures was mainly conditioned by an
increase in capital expenditures, transfers and expenses on salaries
and purchase of services.

Another voice for truth

Pope mentions, during his visit to Turkey, the Armenian genocide.
Fresno Bee Editorial
12/04/06

Pope Benedict XVI raised the issue of the Armenian genocide committed by the
former Turkish regime in the latter years of World War I ~W albeit
indirectly ~W on Nov. 30, in the middle of his controversial visit to
Turkey.

The oblique reference came during a meeting with the Armenian Apostolic
Patriarch of Istanbul, Mesrob I, spiritual head of the 50,000 Orthodox
Armenians who remain in Turkey ~W out of a population of millions who lived
there before the massacres and expulsions of 1915-1917 took place.

The pope had already angered many in Turkey and the rest of the Muslim world
in September, when he quoted from an obscure medieval text that recorded a
debate between a Byzantine emperor and a Persian visitor. Benedict recalled
that the emperor had told his adversary: "Show me just what Muhammad brought
that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as
his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

That caused a storm of outrage in the Muslim world, and threatened, for a
time, to derail the pope’s trip to Turkey.

In his conversation with the Orthodox prelate Mesrob, Benedict praised the
Armenian people for remaining faithful even under "truly tragic conditions,
like those experienced in the past century" ~W a clear reference to the
genocide.

Thus the pope adds his voice to the many seeking justice from Turkey ~W or
at least a recognition of an ancient injustice. The current Turkish
government, a successor to the Young Turks who replaced the corrupt and
decaying Ottoman Empire, does not bear responsibility for the massacres, but
it does have a duty to the truth.

The continued refusal of the Turkish government and most of the Turkish
people to even acknowledge that the genocide took place flies in the face of
incontrovertible historical fact.

Some 1.5 million Armenians ~W men, women and children ~W were savagely torn
from their homes, sent on long and deadly marches, or simply killed out of
hand.

Many of the survivors came to this country, and a few ~W along with many
thousands of their descendants ~W can still be found in Fresno and the
Valley. Here they have built good and prosperous lives, and are thoroughly
American. Yet they still remember the horrors of the genocide, and still
thirst for recognition and justice.

It’s a thirst we share, along with many others ~W including, it is clear,
the pope.

Another voice for truth

Pope mentions, during his visit to Turkey, the Armenian genocide.
12/04/06

Pope Benedict XVI raised the issue of the Armenian genocide committed by the
former Turkish regime in the latter years of World War I ~W albeit
indirectly ~W on Nov. 30, in the middle of his controversial visit to
Turkey.

The oblique reference came during a meeting with the Armenian Apostolic
Patriarch of Istanbul, Mesrob I, spiritual head of the 50,000 Orthodox
Armenians who remain in Turkey ~W out of a population of millions who lived
there before the massacres and expulsions of 1915-1917 took place.

The pope had already angered many in Turkey and the rest of the Muslim world
in September, when he quoted from an obscure medieval text that recorded a
debate between a Byzantine emperor and a Persian visitor. Benedict recalled
that the emperor had told his adversary: "Show me just what Muhammad brought
that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as
his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

That caused a storm of outrage in the Muslim world, and threatened, for a
time, to derail the pope’s trip to Turkey.

In his conversation with the Orthodox prelate Mesrob, Benedict praised the
Armenian people for remaining faithful even under "truly tragic conditions,
like those experienced in the past century" ~W a clear reference to the
genocide.

Thus the pope adds his voice to the many seeking justice from Turkey ~W or
at least a recognition of an ancient injustice. The current Turkish
government, a successor to the Young Turks who replaced the corrupt and
decaying Ottoman Empire, does not bear responsibility for the massacres, but
it does have a duty to the truth.

The continued refusal of the Turkish government and most of the Turkish
people to even acknowledge that the genocide took place flies in the face of
incontrovertible historical fact.

Some 1.5 million Armenians ~W men, women and children ~W were savagely torn
from their homes, sent on long and deadly marches, or simply killed out of
hand.

Many of the survivors came to this country, and a few ~W along with many
thousands of their descendants ~W can still be found in Fresno and the
Valley. Here they have built good and prosperous lives, and are thoroughly
American. Yet they still remember the horrors of the genocide, and still
thirst for recognition and justice.

It’s a thirst we share, along with many others ~W including, it is clear,
the pope.

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