16 More Cases Of HIV Registered In Armenia

16 MORE CASES OF HIV REGISTERED IN ARMENIA

Armenpress
May 15 2006

YEREVAN, MAY 15, ARMENPRESS; Armenian doctors have registered this year
16 more cases of HIV, 15 of new carriers are Armenian citizens. The
overall number of people living with HIV/AIDS in Armenia, a country
with a total population of a little bit more than 3 million, by April
30, 2006 was 398, of whom 378 were Armenian citizens.

The HIV/AIDS situation assessment, however, has shown that
the estimated number of people living with HIV/AIDS is about
2,800-3000. The majority- 293- are males and there are also six
children. According to the National Center for AIDS Prevention, 125
of these people were diagnosed with AIDS. Since 1988 when the first
case of HIV was registered in Armenia, 83 people died of HIV/IDS,
including 14 women and two children.

Unemployment, labor migration and the rapid growth of HIV rates
in the region contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS in Armenia. The
majority of HIV/AIDS carriers are in their 20s. Most infection comes
about through the intravenous injection of drugs – 53.6 percent –
and through heterosexual contacts – 38.2 percent.

Those who were infected by drug injection were all men, some of who
had worked or studied in Russia and Ukraine.

Artur Baghdassaryan to Offer Resignation May 22

PanARMENIAN.Net

Artur Baghdassaryan to Offer Resignation May 22

12.05.2006 15:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Chairman of the Armenian National
Assembly, head of Orinats Yerkir party Artur
Baghdassaryan said at a press conference May 12 he is
going to submit his resignation. `Under the
circumstances I think it’s inadmissible not no
resign,’ he remarked. In his words, according to the
regulations he will hand in his resignation on May 22
and will confirm it in 5 days. `We certainly could
hold a vote of confidence but I would not like to
leave such way,’ the Speaker said. Besides, he said,
all members of Orinats Yerkir party who hold offices
in the government and other state structures will
leave the posts. It should be noted that Orinats
Yerkir holds three ministerial portfolios, these being
the town-planning (the Minister has come off Orinats
Yerkir today), education and science as well as youth
affairs, reported IA Regnum.

Prodding Turkey

PRODDING TURKEY

Alberni Valley Times (British Columbia)
May 11, 2006 Thursday
Final Edition

When Prime Minister Stephen Harper in April acknowledged the Armenian
genocide, his statement was an affirmation of history and an advance
in Canada’s commitment to human rights. It also damaged relations
with Turkey, a longtime friend and NATO ally the Turkish government
was so angry that it has recalled its ambassador.

In the first years of the 20th century, more than one million Armenians
died in an ethnic cleansing conducted by Turkey. It was the first
genocide of the 20th century, and the Armenians passionately have
sought international acknowledgment of that fact ever since.

The Turks have been equally passionate in their denial, claiming that
the number of deaths has been greatly exaggerated and that whatever
deaths there were resulted from civil war and strife rather than any
policy of ethnic cleansing.

Until recently, this was an argument that Turks seemed to be winning,
not because they are right there was an Armenian genocide but simply
because in the international scheme of things Turkey matters a great
deal more politically, economically and militarily than Armenia does.

The wind appears to be shifting, however. Mr. Harper chose to risk a
row with Ankara by recognizing the truth of the situation last month,
and sure enough, a diplomatic fight broke out. In France, a bill now
before the National Assembly would make denial of the Armenian genocide
a crime, in the same way as Holocaust denial is in many places.

Turkish diplomats are in Paris this week furiously fighting to prevent
the bill from becoming law. Turkey is hardly unique in its denial
of its 20th century history. Russia is reluctant to confess to the
Ukrainian Famine; Japan refuses to admit a long series of pre-war and
war-time crimes, including the 1937 Rape of Nanking; China refuses
to admit that under Mao Tse-tung as many as 30 million people may
have been murdered.

Mr. Harper is unlikely to bring up the Chinese slaughter China is way
more important than Turkey but even so, he may have done the Turks
a favour. Ankara is looking for a new future within the European Union.

To have such a future, it will need to acknowledge its past. Mr.
Harper may have helped Turkey to see the inevitability of that.

‘Caucasus Axis Of Confrontations’ Congress

‘CAUCASUS AXIS OF CONFRONTATIONS’ CONGRESS
By Marietta Khachatrian

AZG Armenian Daily
12/05/2006

Armenian Democratic Party spearhead, Aram Sargsian, has opened
National Center for A Dialogue of Civilizations NGO that will hold a
congress at the Armenia-Marriott Hotel on May 17-18 in concert with
the World Armenian Congress. In Mr. Sargsian’s words, the congress,
comprising experts from Armenia, Nagorno Karabakh, Georgia, Turkey,
Russia and EU states, will discuss issues of regional cooperation
and economic issues. Azerbaijanis refused to arrive in Armenia.

“This is the first regional structure of its kind, and the upcoming
congress ‘Caucasus Axis of Confrontations’ is its first step. All
participating experts are well aware of the issues facing the Caucasus
and know what should be our approaches to overcome the problems
inherited from the past. The main purpose is to find a way out from
the current deadlock,” Aram Sargsian said.

Alleged Members Of Armenian Group Of Criminals Arrested In Germany

ALLEGED MEMBERS OF ARMENIAN GROUP OF CRIMINALS ARRESTED IN GERMANY

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 10 2006

BERLIN, MAY 10, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Police of Germany
arrested on May 9 three men who are suspected in being a member of
the Armenian group of criminals engaged in sale of narcotics and
implementation of murders.

According to Radio Liberty, two other people are also arrested on
this case: they are accused of having killed four Caucasians in
Eastern Germany, and the Police will attempt to find out if they
have any connection with six other murders committed in Europe. The
German DPA agency informs that the group of criminals functioned
in Germany, Belgium, Great Britain and Armenia. Persons’ names and
other data are not mentioned. It is informed that one of members of
the group of criminals is already taking his punishment in one of
prisons of Germany, another has been arrested in France and waits
for to be sent to Germany. According to the DPA, the investigation,
as a result of what arrests were implemented on Tuesday in the cities
of Gera and Halle of Germany, has started three years before when two
dead bodies and parts of clothes were found in the forest zone. One
of the victims was recognized as a 47-years old Armenian, identity
of another has not been found out yet.

More Than 4,000 Unemployed In NKR

MORE THAN 4,000 UNEMPLOYED IN NKR

Arminfo, Yerevan
10 May 06

Stepanakert, 10 May: The number of unemployed people in Nagornyy
Karabakh totaled 4,309 in the first quarter of 2006, and 3,943 of
them are women, the national statistics service of Nagornyy Karabakh
has told an Arminfo correspondent.

According to the source, 65 people found jobs in this period. More
than 50 per cent of the unemployed in Nagornyy Karabakh are aged
between 30 and 50.

The number of those who received unemployed status is 3,515. A total
of 406 unemployed people have higher, 1,004 – vocational and 2,046 –
secondary education.

Election 2007 Is Already Falsified

ELECTION 2007 IS ALREADY FALSIFIED

Lragir.am
10 May 06

On May 10 the leader of the Democratic Party Aram Gaspari Sargsyan
gave condolences to the businessmen members of parliament who seceded
from the Orinats Yerkir Party. The leader of Democrats announced
at the National Press Club that they should offer condolences to
the parliamentarians, who were ordered to leave this or that party,
and not the leadership of the Orinats Yerkir Party.

“If a businessman fears the government, it means they can call him at
any moment and tell him what to do or what not to do. Such a member
of parliament has no value at all. If they run to somewhere now,
they are not going to have any value there as well. Because they
lack a standpoint,” says Aram Gaspari Sargsyan. According to him,
what happened to the OYP, absolutely corresponds with the logic of
the system which Robert Kocharyan has established and encourages. Aram
Gaspari Sargsyan thinks that striking the Orinats Yerkir is something
that the system needed rather than Robert Kocharyan. Aram Sargsyan
says such developments in Armenia are probable and continuous,
because for the government all the methods are political except the
political methods.

“Of course, they are interested who are going to struggle for these
very expensive seats in the parliament, which will be the foreword
of the forthcoming presidential election. The Republican Party goes
without saying and, of course, the newly established Bargavach Hayastan
Party (prosperous Armenia), I do not know, there may be other new
parties. Here is the result of all this. Arthur Baghdasaryan also has
to account for everything, for his joining the coalition, having his
specific standpoints,” says Aram Gaspari Sargsyan.

According to him, the government does not forgive those who decide
to secede from the system after cooperative efforts. Aram Sargsyan
reminds the case of Artashes Tumanyan. Although, he thinks, possibly
Tumanyan was punished for an attempt to act against the system, as well
as in the context of the quest for a scapegoat for illegal activities.

“For me this is a dark story, for I do not know the real reasons. If
I had once met with Artashes Tumanyan, if he had explained anything,
it would be possible to draw some conclusions. Though, I think, he was
a scapegoat, because there must have been big breaches in the Lincy
Program, and now someone has to account for it,” says Aram Sargsyan.

According to him, the government will go on acting similarly, and
it has already started to falsify the election of 2007. This is Aram
Sargsyan’s opinion on the recent joining of teachers the Republican
Party. “Namely, 120 teachers in one day unanimously became members of
the party. It goes without saying that this renders speeches about
fair and free elections pointless. It is clear that these teachers
will be included in electoral commissions, and they will be forced,
and they are going to say that they said if you do not join the party,
you will be fired. Nowadays, this is a way people are disgraced. What
kind of people are they going to be. Good people? No. Venal,” says
the leader of the Democrats.

2nd Internation Congress of Homeopaths in Yerevan on May 8-11

2ND INTERNATION CONGRESS OF HOMEOPATHS HELD IN YEREVAN ON MAY 8-11

YEREVAN, MAY 8, NOYAN TAPAN. On the initiative of the Armenian
Association of Homeopaths, the 2nd international congress of
homeopaths will be held in Yerevan on May 8-11. As the Noyan Tapan
correspondent was informed by Association Chairwoman Marina
Gharabaghtsian, specialists invited from Russia, Romania, Germany,
Switzerland, India, Ukraine will participate in the congress.
According to her, issues of treatement of cancer, liver, kidney, skin
as well as children’s diseases by the method of homeopathy will be
discussed during the congress. It was mentioned that the first
international congress of homeopaths was held in 2003, again in
Yerevan.

Emir of Qatar sends cable to Armenia

Peninsula On-line, Qatar
May 6 2006

Emir sends cable to Armenia
Web posted at: 5/6/2006 2:31:30
Source ::: QNA

Doha: The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has sent a
cable of condolences to Armenian President Robert Kocharian on the
victims of the Armenian passenger plane which crashed yesterday. The
Heir Apparent H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has sent a similar
cable of condolences to the Armenian president on the victims of the
Armenian plane.