Author: Chilingarian Babken

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY APPROVES REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF 2001-2003 STATE PROPERTY PRIVATIZATION PROGRAM AND PROGRAM OF 2005-2007

Noyan Tapan
Apr 13 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 13, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA National Assembly on April 13
approved with 65 votes in favor, 9 votes against and 10 abstentions the
report on implementation of the 2001-2003 state property privatization
program. Representatives of the United Labor Party (ULP) and Orinats
Erkir factions voted against and abstained from voting. The 19 deputies
who did not participate in the voting were representatives of Justice,
National Unity factions and the People’s Deputy group. At the same
time, a deputy from each of the ULP, Orinats Erkir and the opposition
National Unity factions, which took a negative position the day
before, voted in favor of the report. The parliament also approved
the 2005-2007 state property privatization program with 80 votes
in favor and 5 abstentions. The National Assembly passed in second
reading the draft law on state assistance for innovation activity,
as well as drafts on making amendments and additions to a number of
laws in the sphere of education.

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
375010 Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 562543
Email: [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

12-04-2006

Minister Oskanian Receives a Congressional Delegation

On April 12, Minister Oskanian received a Congressional delegation led by
Congressman Jim Kolbe (Republican, Arizona), member of the House of
Representatives Committee of Appropriations and Chairman of its Subcommittee
on Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs, which funds
most US foreign aid programs. Congressman Scott Garrett (Republican, New
Jersey), member of the House Financial Services and Budget Committees, and
member of the Armenian Caucus was also in the delegation. Accompanying the
delegation was Ambassador John Danilovich, Chief Executive Officer for the
Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) who had met with Minister Oskanian in
Washington, DC, just a few weeks ago, during the signing ceremony of the
MCC-Armenia compact .

During the meeting, they exchanged views on the agenda of Armenian-American
relations, specifically implementation of the Compact the Millenium
Challenge Corporation signed with Armenia, creating an office in Yerevan to
this end, developing free economic system and democracy in Armenia, as well
as a number of international and regional issues of mutual interest.

The Minister stated once again Armenia’s appreciation of the depth and scope
of US assistance to Armenia, since Armenia’s independence. He affirmed that
Armenia is aware that this new assistance program, focused on both economic
and democratic processes, provides Armenia with a special opportunity to
benefit from both the substance of the assistance, as well as its intent.
Congressman Kolbe stated that the US believes that sustained and
transformational economic development can only take place in an open
society, free of corruption, where there is transparency, protection of
property rights and other things necessary to make society work. Both sides
stressed the importance for transparency of the implementation process
within the MCC framework.

The Minister and the congressmen also discussed regional issues, including
Armenia’s relations with Iran and with Turkey.

At the guests’ request, Minister Oskanian briefed them on the situation in
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process, following Rambouillet.

TURKISH NATIONAL TV SCREENS PRO-ARMENIAN ARARAT FILM
Kamil DUZAGAC JTW with news agencies 12 April 2006

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
April 12 2006

RFE/RL reported that Kanal Turk, a Turkish national channell, will
screen Atom Egoian’s “Ararat” film on April 13 evening. TV Company
representative said the film will be shown uncut.

In his words, the decision on film show was taken due to the desire
of 72% of the audience.

The government or any Turkish authority did not ban the screening.

The Ararat film is considered the most ideological films of the Egoyan
films. The experts name Ararat as Armenian propaganda film.

The film was financed by the Armenian lobbying groups and supported
by the Armenian Government.

Any pro Armenian film or book can be sold in Turkish bookmarkets.

However no pro-Turkish study is allowed in Armenian bookstores or
universities.

1ST INTERNATIONAL YOUTH CONFERENCE ON NATIONAL DEMOCRACIES TO BE HELD 3-7 JULY IN YEREVAN

ArmRadio.am
13.04.2006 16:15

YERITAC Armenian Youth NGO is organizing a scientific youth conference
entitled “National Democracies or Nations against Democracies?” which
will take place in Yerevan, Armenia, on July 3-7, 2006.

The purpose of the 1st International Youth Conference on National
Democracies is to bring together young scholars, students, activists,
etc. both from advanced democracies and transitional countries, who
are enrolled in democracy studies and national studies to provide an
opportunity to discuss the possible issues of transitional democracies
as well as to argue on the sharper aspects and find possible solutions.

ARMENIAN LAWYER CALLS IMPOSSIBLE THE DEMAND OF AZERBAIJANI MURDERER-OFFICER’S ADVOCATES FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE COURT COMPOSITION

Yerevan, April 11. ArmInfo. The “advocates” of the Azerbaijani
murderer-officer Ramil Safarov demand replacement of the composition
of the court on the eve of the verdict announcement fixed for April
13, Azerbaijani agency APA reports. The Committee for protection of
R.Safarov’s Rights NGO demand a cancellation of the forthcoming court
session. They also demand sending a group of parliamentarians and
journalists to Hungary to achieve Safarov’s extradition irrespective
of the verdict.

In a phone conversation with ArmInfo, the lawyer Nazeli Vardanyan,
who represents the legal successors of the killed Armenian officer G.

Margaryan at the court, called the demand on replacement of the court
composition impossible at present. The lawyer believes the NGO’s
assemblies will not affect the proceedings. She says the Azerbaijani
party keeps misinforming the public. It’s worth mentioning that the
Azerbaijani party made public that the Prosecution had demanded
30 years of imprisonment for R. Safavor, whereas in reality, the
prosecution demanded life imprisonment without the right of pardon
for 30 years. N. Vardanyan says “if the Azerbaijani party intended to
challenge the judge, it should have been done by the lawyer and not
at present. They had enough time for it as the trial last for already
two years,” N. Vardanyan says. She says that due to his lawyer, who
tried to prove Safarov’s insanity, the latter occurred in rather a
ridiculous state. Now, he has to either prove his insanity or the
“appropriateness” of his deed, which will even aggravate his state.

To note, on February 19 2004, R. Safarov viciously axed the asleep G.

Margaryan in Budapest. Both the officers were undergoing an English
language course under the NATO PfP program. Safarov is charged with
Article 166.2 of the Hungarian Criminal Code ( first degree murder )
implying 10-15 years or life imprisonment. Chairing the trial is
the judge Andrash Vaskuti. Armenian and Hungarian lawyers Nazeli
Vardanyan and Gabriela Kaspar defend the interests of Margaryan’s
family and Hayk Makuchyan, Armenian officer whose life was attempted
by Safarov. Representative of the Armenian Defense Ministry Hayk
Demoyan attends the trial.

4,297 CITIZENS STILL NOT PROVIDED WITH APARTMENTS IN GYUMRI

Noyan Tapan
Apr 11 2006

GYUMRI, APRIL 11, NOYAN TAPAN. In the last 6-7 years, 8.5 thousand
families have been provided with apartments in Gyumri. However,
4,297 citizens still do not have their own apartments, so housing
consruction programs are underway in the city. Mayor of Gyumri Vardan
Ghukasian told reporters about it. He said that the mayor’s office
supervises the construction organizations’ compliance with the rules
of seismic resistance of the houses under construction.

Particularly, it is forbidden to do house construction work in those
parts of the city, which, according to the seismic map of Gyumri,
are located on the breaking lines of lithosphere. According to
V. Ghukasian, the new districts of Gyumri have municipal and other
communication infrastuctures. Gymri mayor noted that proper control
was kept over the quality the houses built under international
programs. At the same time, it was mentioned that there have been
some quality-related complaints from residents of the buildings
constructed within the framework of the World Bank programs. Roofs
of 30-50 buildings in new districts of Gyumri are repaired each year
with financial resources of the mayor’s office.

VICTOR DALLAKIAN PROPOSES SETTING UP NA STANDING COMMITTEE

Noyan Tapan
Apr 10 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Secretary of the RA National Assembly
“Justice” faction Victor Dallakian on April 10 put forward a proposal
to set up a NA standing committee on gas tariff increases and the
alienation of 5th unit of Hrazadan Thermal Power Plant. Making
a decision on it requires that at least one third of the overall
number of the deputies sign under the respective document within 24
hours. V. Dallakian took the document on April 10 at 0:30 pm. By 2 pm,
19 deputies have already put their signatures to the document.

PURPOSE OF HRAZDAN TPP 5th UNIT’S DEAL IS TO MITIGATE SOCIAL SITUATION UNTIL UPCOMING ELECTIONS, AAM BOARD STATES

Noyan Tapan
Apr 10 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Under the name of measures aimed at
mitigating the gas price increase consequences, the ruling regime is
taking a next in turn step that seems to please the people, while
actually endangers the RA national security and has the purpose
of maintaining and reproducing its own power.” This is said in a
statement issued by the board of the Armenian All-National Movement
(AAM) in connection with alienation of the 5th power unit of the
Hrazdan Thermal Power Plant (TPP) to a Russian state company. It
is noted in the statement that conceding the whole energy sector of
the country to another state constitutes a loss of one of the most
importrant foundations of the country’s political independence and
pursues a “purely transient consumer” goal, as a result of which
the real loss incurred by the whole people will exceed multifold the
seeming economic benefit. The AAM board pointed out that no social
problem is solved by this deal, since the compensated sum will mainly
go to the well-off sections of the society – the owners of the gas
consuming production, the oligarchs making the entourage of the ruling
regime.”This shameful deal has one goal – to allay a possible social
indignation until the upcoming elections,” the statement reads. It
is notheworthy that the board of the Human Rights 96 Party also
expressed its concern over the 5th unit’s deal. According to it,
“since there is no information about the normative legal act, under
which this decision was made, it remains to hope that these are not
provisions of the RA Law on State Property Privatization as they were
completely violated by the coaltion ministers.”

Armenpress

KARAKERT CELEBRATES COMMUNITY DAY

KARAKERT, APRIL 7, ARMENPRESS: Today, the Children
of Armenian Fund (COAF) and the Armenia Tree Project
(ATP), together with the local residents, celebrated
Community Day in Karakert. The event marked the
conclusion of the site development and landscaping of
the school and kindergartens through the planting of
trees and bushes. The day also marked the symbolic
transfer of ownership of these fully renovated and
refurnished educational institutions to the community.
Within its overarching goal of greening Armenia,
ATP donated 200 trees and 150 shrubs for planting on
the School and Kindergartens #1 and 2 grounds.
Additionally, as part of its poverty reduction
program, ATP donated 400 apricot trees to 200
underprivileged families in the village. This
partnered project with ATP is a part of COAF’s larger
Model Village project in Karakert. In September 2005,
COAF had successfully completed the reconstruction of
the local School #2 and Kindergartens #1 and 2, fully
refurnishing them with high-quality school furniture
and equipment.
The Karakert Community Day also created the aura
characteristic of healthy communities. The villagers
were content and proud to volunteer for the
improvement of their village. Dressed in working
clothes and carrying their gardening tools and
buckets, young and old arrived on the designated sites
to participate ? to touch the soil, to turn the
ground, to plant a shrub, or to water a just-planted
tree. In the words of Marina Bareyan, a parent from
Karakert, “Such events make us more and more hopeful
as we witness the signs of our total revival. I am so
happy for our children, so happy that they will grow
in a safer environment and have a better quality of
life.”
COAF and ATP staff and guests were pleased to
witness the enthusiasm of the villagers in planting
the trees and shrubs on the grounds of the school and
kindergartens. Armenia Tree Project was founded in
1994 to advance Armenia’s development by planting
trees. Trees ? sustainably managed ? deliver a steady
bounty of tangible benefits like flowers, fruits.
Children of Armenia Fund was founded in 2000 with
the aim to reduce poverty through the revitalization
of rural Armenia and the realization of projects that
are instrumental for the revival of communities. With
the introduction of its novel approach to clustering
in February 2006, COAF is currently implementing the
Model Cluster working in six villages in the
Baghramyan region of the Armavir District.

PanARMENIAN.Net

CIA Latest Report Says 16% Azerbaijani Lands `Seized’

07.04.2006 23:45 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The report issued the other day by
the Central Intelligence Agency says that 16% of the
Azerbaijani lands is seized. This information is based
on cartographic data and is not a point at issue,’
PR-officer of the U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan Jonathan
Henick stated. In his words, the same figure was
mentioned in the CIA previous reports.

`We say that not 20 but 16 per cent of the Azeri
territory is seized but it doesn’t make much
difference. Washington always supported and recognized
the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,’ he remarked.
Mr. Henick said the terms of Azerbaijani President’s
visit to the United States will be determined during
the meeting of Azeri FM Elmar Mammadyarov with
Secretary Rice, reported Day.az