Author: Chmshkian Vicken

ARF sets up two groups

Yerkir/arm
11 Feb 05

The Armenia organization of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(ARF) has set up two groups to work on amendments to the Armenian
Constitution and Electoral Code, Levon Mkrtchian, National Assembly’s
ARF faction leader told a briefing at the NA.

He said: â~@~We have already discussed in our party our
recommendations on the issue of the Constitutional changes, which
are to be discussed tomorrow.

In fact, the attention should be made to the work on local
self-governance aspect, balance between the judiciary, executive and
legislative bodies. We have created two work groups in our party,
who are dealing with the issues of the Constitutional amendments
and the Electoral Code, since we already have the conclusions of the
international experts.â~@~]

–Boundary_(ID_G8vjNgcgzrReRAfegINvSg)–

ATTEMPTS TO BRING KARABAKH ISSUE INTO NATO LIMELIGHT

Azg/arm
15 Feb 05

“We think that Armenia-NATO cooperation should further develop as
it may be an important guarantee of peace in the region. Meanwhile
Armeniaâ~@~Ys stance at the Parliamentary Assembly differs from those
of Azerbaijan and Georgia who declare of integrating into NATOâ~@~Ys
military structures”, Mher Shahgeldian, Armenian representative at
the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, said.

It is obvious that Azerbaijan attempts to unfold its propaganda at
the PA, contrary to Armeniaâ~@~Ys inactivity.

It is known that Ziyafet Askerov, Azeri representative to NATO PA,
stated that PA also should put the PACE resolution on Nagorno Karabakh
on the discussion table.

Although NATO always kept to neutrality in the issue of regional
conflicts, the Armenian representative to PA thinks that the PA,
being independent from NATO, can perhaps turn to Karabakh issue. “We
do not have any information about discussions over Karabakh issue at
the PA but Askerovâ~@~Ys words evidence that Azeris are going to take
certain steps. We have to be more intensive and organized in our work”,
Shahgeldian said.

Turkeyâ~@~Ys presence in NATO as Azerbaijanâ~@~Ys trusted and
experienced ally should also be considered.

By Karine Danielian

–Boundary_(ID_oeIMLFkzdZeleYlznfCz6w)–

ARKA News Agency
Feb 14 2005

Possibility of military settlement of American-Iranian disputes can
play a role of detonator in the region – Serge Sargsian

The Chairman of CBA Tigran Sargsyan is elected as the Chairman of the
Council of Trustees of Deposits Insurance Fund

Representatives of Armenian Apostolic Church to meet with the heads
of Kopt and Assyrian Orthodox Churches

Development council of Armenian-Turkish business links ready to
dialogue with Dashnaktsutyun party

RA President holds a work meeting with the RA Minister of Trade and
Economic Development

RA Minister of Foreign Affairs participates in the 41st Munhen
conference devoted to national security issues

Population census to be conducted in NKR

Only Communist Party able to make revolution in Armenia, Communist
leader convinced

Armenian National Assembly speaker has a phone talk with his French
counterpart

USAID records regress in democratic reforms in Armenia in 2004

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POSSIBILITY OF MILITARY SETTLEMENT OF AMERICAN-IRANIAN DISPUTES CAN
PLAY A ROLE OF DETONATOR IN THE REGION – SERGE SARGSIAN

YEREVAN, February 14. /ARKA/. Possibility of military settlement of
American-Iranian disputes can play a role of detonator in the region,
RA Minister of Defense Serge Sargsian stated in hot line with
Armenian Newspaper Yerkir. He expressed hope that there are no
military actions. “We will hope that American-Iranian relations
improve and existing problems settle by peace”, Sargsian said. L.D.
–0–

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THE CHAIRMAN OF CBA TIGRAN SARGSYAN IS ELECTED AS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE
COUNCIL OF TRUSTEES OF DEPOSITS INSURANCE FUND

YEREVAN, February 14. /ARKA/. The Chairman of CBA Tigran Sargsyan is
elected as the Chairman of the Council of Trustees of Deposits
Insurance Fund. According to CBA Press Service, such decision was
taken by the trustees at the first session of the Council of Trustees
of the Fund, which has taken place in CBA today. Besides, the by-laws
of the Fund was approved at the session, and decision was taken to
begin the process of state registration of it and announce a job
vacancy for the position of the director of the Fund.
On November 24, 2004 RA NA adopted the law on guaranteed compensation
of bank deposits of individuals in the third and final reading.
Deposits Insurance Fund was established in the framework of the law
at the expense of the finances of commercial bank, that quarterly
will make payments into the Fund. The Fund insures foreign exchange
deposits equivalent to AMD 1 mln., and deposits in AMD up to 2 mln.
The law will relate to banks that will operate in the normative field
beginning from July 2005, and will not refer to branches of foreign
banks that according tot he Armenian legislation have no right to
attract deposits of individuals on the territory of Armenia. Daughter
banks of foreign banks are also included into that scheme, and their
deposits will be insured by the fund. A.H. –0—

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REPRESENTATIVES OF ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH TO MEET WITH THE HEADS
OF KOPT AND ASSYRIAN ORTHODOX CHURCHES

YEREVAN, February 14. /ARKA/. Representatives of Armenian Apostolic
Church will meet with the heads of Kopt and Assyrian Orthodox
Churches, St. Echmiadzin press office told ARKA. On Feb 13-15
Patriarchal Envoy of AAC to Central Europe, Archbishop Mesrop
Grigorian will meet with Charge D’Affairs of Interchurch Relations
Bishop Yeznik Petrosian with the head of Kopt Orthodox Church,
Patriarch Shenuda III. Besides, the parties will discuss issues
considering family of Ancient Eastern Churches. L.D. –0–

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DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH BUSINESS LINKS READY TO
DIALOGUE WITH DASHNAKTSUTYUN PARTY

YEREVAN, February 14. /ARKA/. Development council of Armenian-Turkish
business links is ready to dialogue with Dashnaktsutyun party,
Turkish Co-Chairman of Council for Development of Armenian-Turkish
Business Links Kaan Soyak stated today in Yerevan. According to
Soyak, bilateral dialogue between the Council and ARF (D) will make
serious contribution in the sphere of development of Armenian-Turkish
relations and will contribute to opening of Armenian-Turkish border.
He also said that till now he did not meet with representatives of
political parties of Armenia, however expressed readiness to assist
the visit of Dashnaktsutyun representatives in Turkey and to the
beginning of bilateral dialogue.
ARF Dasnaktsutyun was founded in 1890 and operates in the whole
world. The member of active members of the party in Armenia makes
more than 6 thousand people. The party is represented in the
parliament with 12 deputies. One of the priority goals of the party
is achievement of international recognition of Armenian Genocide in
Ottoman Empire. L.D. –0–

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RA PRESIDENT HOLDS A WORK MEETING WITH THE RA MINISTER OF TRADE AND
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

YEREVAN, February 14. /ARKA/. RA President Robert Kocharyan held a
work meeting with the RA Minister of Trade and Economic Development
Karen Chshmarityan. According to RA Government’s Press Service
Department, priority directions of economic development of Armenia in
2005, as well as the package of legislative changes offered by the
Minister were discussed during the meeting. Chshmarityan introduced
the process of development of programs on credit guarantees aimed at
developing SME. The programs will enable to ensure to grant credits
totaling AMD 500 mln. mainly to SME in regions close to borders and
in the regions far from Yerevan. According to the press release, also
issues relating to activity of Armenia in international economic
organizations, in particular in WTO, were discussed. ($1- AMD
473,77). A.H.—0—

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RA MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS PARTICIPATES IN THE 41ST MUNHEN
CONFERENCE DEVOTED TO NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES

YEREVAN, February 14. /ARKA/. RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan
Oskanian participated in the 41st Munhen conference devoted to
national security issues. According to RA MFA Press Service
Department, bilateral meetings of Oskanian with the UN Secretary
General Coffi Anan, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer,
Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antanas Valionis, the
Councilor of the Germany Republic Chancellor for Foreign Policy and
Defense Bert Mucelburg, and the political Director of the German MFA
Michael Shefer took place in the framework of the conference.
According tot he press-release, the emphasis during the forum was put
on the search of ways for peace process by means of a dialog. In this
regard, participants of the conference (over 250 top officials and
political figures from 40 countries of the world) attached special
importance to the Near East peace process and new accents that came
forth as a result of personnel changes in the American government.
The delegates of the forum also discussed the issues connected with
the future of NATO and the role of the alliance in the light of the
Pan-European foreign and defense policy being formed, and the
influence of the new political situation in Georgia and the Ukraine
on integration processes on the territory of the former Soviet Union.
A.H.–0—

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POPULATION CENSUS TO BE CONDUCTED IN NKR

STEPANAKERT, February 14. /ARKA/. A population census is to be
conducted in Nagorno Karabakh in October 2005. At its first meeting,
the NKR special state commission discussed the organization of and
preparations for the census. The ARKA special correspondent in
Stepanakert reports that Head of the Commission, NKR Vice-Premier
Ararat Danielyan pointed out the paramount importance of the first
census in the independent republic’s history for the formation and
consolidation of its nationhood, as well as for the international
recognition of the NKR.
The meeting also discussed the issues of forming regional
commissions, training necessary personnel, elaborating the methods
and organizational provisions of the census program. Preparations for
conducting a test census in a number of settlements late in March are
currently under way.
It will be the seventh census in the NKR. P.T. –0–

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ONLY COMMUNIST PARTY ABLE TO MAKE REVOLUTION IN ARMENIA, COMMUNIST
LEADER CONVINCED

Yerevan, Fabruary 14. /ARKA/. Only the Communist Party is able making
revolution in Armenia, as First Secretary of the Central Committee of
the Armenian Communist Party Ruben Tovmasyan said. He considers New
Times party leader Aram Karapetyan’s statement on the beginning of
the revolution in April 2005 as baseless. “The most revolutionary
party is the Communist Party”, he noted. In his opinion, revolution
is “a serious, complex and efforts consuming activity” which is not
announced publicly.
To remind that recenltly the leader of New Times party stated that
his party plans to lauch revolutionary processes that would finally
lead to change of the regime. T.M. –0–

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ARMENIAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SPEAKER HAS A PHONE TALK WITH HIS FRENCH
COUNTERPART

YEREVAN, February 14, /ARKA/. Arthur Baghdasaryan, the Head of
Armenian National Assembly, has a phone talk with his French
counterpart Jean Louis Debre today. Armenian Parliament Speaker
thanked Debre for paying attention to the issue related to the
Armenian Genocide, committed by Ottomans, during his visit to Turkey.
French Parliament Speaker, in turn, said he attached great importance
to the revealing of the historic truth while speaking with Turkish
President and PM.
An arrangement had been reached in the course of conversation about
Debre’s official visit in Armenia.M.V–0–

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USAID RECORDS REGRESS IN DEMOCRATIC REFORMS IN ARMENIA IN 2004

YEREVAN, February 14. /ARKA/. The United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) recorded regress in democratic
reforms in Armenia in 2004, as Ron Sprout, USAID Consultant stated
summarizing the results of Monitoring of Country’s Progress (MCP). “I
think that suppressing of peaceful demonstration in April 2004 was
decisive for the report”, he said. At that he noted that it was in
2004 when Georgia recorded better indicator than Armenia per
indicator of democratic reform.
To remind, on April 9, 12, 16 and 21 the opposition organized rallies
of many thousands demanding resignation of Armenian President. On
April 12, the meeting turned into unsanctioned rally to President’s
Residence and Parliament’ building. The participants were stopped by
police cordons and in the night of April 13 the Armenian law
enforcement bodies launched special operation for pushing away the
rally out of Baghramyan Avenue after the participants refused to
leave the roadway. The police used water jets and flare pots to
disperse the rally entailing a number of affected and detained,
including pressmen. T.M.—0–

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–Boundary_(ID_meGVhdwRtN0Q85IiFwhU5A)–

ArmenPress
Feb 14 2005

ARMENIAN CHURCH MARKS TRNDEZ FEBRUARY 14

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS: The Armenian Church marked today
a feast called Trndez. According to religious custom this holiday is
connected with the idea of coming forward to the Lord with fire,
after 40 days of his birth. The Armenian Church celebrates it on
February 14th – 40 days after January 6th, when Armenians mark their
Christmas, from which it derives the religious name: “Tearn end
aradj” or “Trndez”- Coming Forward to the Lord. The main ceremony of
the holiday is a bonfire, symbolizing the coming of spring.
Songs and dances around the fire continue until the fire dies
down. Domestic animals and seeds are brought to the area of the
festivities. Newly married couples are the first to leap over the
fire. This leaves the bad events of the past behind. The couple
lands, purified and cleansed, amid the blessings of the next year.
Recent mothers also jump over the fire to leave behind the
traditional isolation period of forty days and to be freed from any
evil.
The direction the smoke blows is used to forecast the crop for the
year. If it goes South or East, it is a good omen for the wheat crop.
If it blows to the North or West, however, the forecast is not
favorable. The direction of the winds in February is an indication of
the abundance of the autumn crop.

UNSETTLED KARABAKH CONFLICT IMPEDES OPENING OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER, TURKEY’S FM STATED

PanArmenian News
Feb 11 2005

11.02.2005 13:46

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azerbaijani and Turkish Foreign Ministers Elmar
Mamedyarov and Abdullah Gul hold the opinion that the settlement of
the Karabakh conflict is one of the conditions for the establishment
of peace in the Caucasus. According to Gul, the unsettled conflict
impedes the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border urged for the EU
membership. He expressed hope that the negotiations will be successful
and will lead to the normalization of relationships with Armenia.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hamazkayin Armenian Cultural and Educational Society
47 Nichols Avenue
Watertown, MA 02472
Tel: 617.924.8849
Contact: Ara Nazarian
Email: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
Web:

Vaspurakan and Zangezur: Two Historic Provinces Through the Eyes of
Two Diaspora Armenians

WATERTOWN, MA — February 9, 2005 — The Boston Chapter of Hamazkayin
Armenian Educational and Cultural Society presents “Vaspurakan and
Zangezur: Two Historic Provinces through the Eyes of Two Diaspora
Armenians”. The event will be held on Friday, February 11, 2005 at 7:00
PM at the Lachinian Board Room of the Armenian Cultural and Educational
Center in Watertown, MA (47 Nichols Avenue, Watertown, MA 02472).

This program is an audio/visual presentation of recent trips
of two Boston area Armenians to the regions of Vaspurakan and
Zangezur. Mr. Harmik Abedians will discuss his findings and reflections
on his most recent trip to a number of western Armenian provinces,
with specific emphasis on the Vaspurakan region. This segment will be
followed by a presentation given by Mr. Ara Sarkissian. Mr. Sarkissian
will share his thoughts and experiences on his recent trip to the
Zangezur region of the Republic of Armenia. Admission to the event
is free, and the program will be followed by a small reception.

# # #

Armenia detains spy on charges of serving Azeri secret service

Assa-Irada
Feb 10 2005

Baku, February 9, AssA-Irada
Armenia has detained an agent of the Azerbaijani secret service,
Armenia’s PanArmenian news agency reported.
“As a result of the operations carried out by the Armenian national
security service, an Azerbaijani agent was arrested”, the source
said.
The detained individual is an Armenian citizen, whose name is not
disclosed due to the ongoing investigation.
A criminal case has been started according to the “High treason
through espionage” article, the same source said.*

–Boundary_(ID_+OFfbAygXBDRFk4KNkOewg)–

Labour protests raise doubts over France’s EU vote

Financial Times
February 7, 2005

By John Thornhill in Paris

The French government said yesterday it would not retreat from its
determination to loosen the 35-hour working week, in spite of mass
opposition in 118 protest marches across the country on Saturday.

But some officials expressed concern that the fierce fight to extend
the length of the working week could galvanise many members of the
left into rejecting Europe’s constitutional treaty when it is put to a
national referendum, before the summer.

The government’s concerns were heightened last week when the
“parliament” of the CGT trade union, one of France’s biggest, voted
against the European constitution, claiming it was too “liberal”.

Saturday’s marches, which attracted 321,000-600,000 protesters
according to different counts, were led by some of France’s biggest
trade unions as part of their fight to preserve the statutory
35-working week. This reduction in hours has been hailed by the left
as the greatest achievement of the previous Socialist government.

Jean-François Copé, government spokesman, said the government had no
intention of withdrawing a law that gave workers greater
liberties. The draft law, allowing employees to work longer hours so
long as they reached a collective accord with their employers, would
be further debated in the lower house of parliament today.

The government commands a clear majority in parliament and is expected
to carry its draft law, which it argues is essential to render the
eurozone’s second biggest economy more competitive. A recent report by
Michel Camdessus, former IMF head, concluded that the chief reason for
the economy’s performance was its “work deficit”.

Many CGT members on Saturday’s march in Paris carried placards
rejecting the government’s vision of Europe and calling for stronger
workers’ rights. “It is impossible for a member country to revise this
constitution, so I am going to vote against it,” said Raphael Darmon,
sporting CGT and anti-constitution stickers as he demonstrated in
Place de la Nation. “France has never adopted a constitution in the
past that it cannot revise.”

Patrick Devedjian, industry minister, said a “coagulation of
discontents” among the left was a “worry” when considering the
referendum. And he appealed to François Hollande, leader of the
Socialist party, which has already held an internal vote in favour of
the constitution, not to play with fire in supporting the mass
protests.

Mr Devedjian’s fears appeared to be reinforced by an opinion poll
yesterday in the Journal du Dimanche newspaper showing that 46 per
cent of voters remained undecided on the constitution. The main
reasons for rejecting the treaty, among respondents intending to vote
No, were listed as concern about Europe becoming “too liberal”, the
general social and economic situation in France, and opposition to
opening accession talks with Turkey.

Aide to dead Georgian PM commits suicide: official

Agence France Presse
02/04/2005

TBILISI, Feb 4 (AFP) – An aide to Georgian prime minister Zurab Zhvania,
who died apparently after breathing toxic fumes leaked by a faulty
heater, committed suicide late Friday, an interior ministry spokesman said.

The aide, 32-year-old Georgi Khelashvili, shot himself with a gun in his
Tbilisi apartment, the spokesman said.

Khelashvili was a member of Zhavania’s staff, working with the pardons
commission, the Mze television channel reported.

It was not yet clear whether Khelashvili’s suicide was linked to
Zhvania`s death.

Zhvania, Georgia’s widely respected prime minister seen as the driving
force behind market-oriented economic reform in the restive Caucasus
republic, died early Thursday.

The 41-year-old prime minister was found by his bodyguards slumped over
a table in an apartment on the outskirts of Tbilisi, and appeared to
have succumbed to inadequately ventilated carbon monoxide fumes from a
heater.

The body of another local Georgian official, Raul Yusupov, was found
dead on the floor in another room in the apartment. There were no signs
of foul play, and officials quickly quashed suspicions that the deaths
could have been anything but accidental.

News of Zhvania`s death sent shock waves through Georgia and President
Mikhail Saakashvili, acting in line with the constitution, dismissed the
entire Zhvania government, though its members were to remain in place on
what is technically an interim basis pending confirmation of a new
government.

Saakashvili announced that he would take over Zhvania`s duties until a
new government was installed. He was expected to name a new prime
minister before February 10

Zhvania was a father of three, who entered political life as an ally of
veteran Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze but later switched his
allegiance to Saakashvili, becoming himself a leading figure in the 2003
“rose revolution” that ousted Shevardnadze and swept the US-educated
Saakashvili to power.

His appointment last year as prime minister was a power-sharing
arrangement that placed chief responsibility for introducing sweeping
economic reforms in Georgia with the prime minister. Analysts said the
reform process would be slowed as a result of Zhvania`s death.

Prime-Tass English-language Business Newswire
February 4, 2005

Official sees Armenia’s diamond reexport ban lifted by April

YEREVAN, Feb 4 (Prime-Tass) — Restrictions on the reexport of
Russian uncut diamonds from Armenia are expected to be lifted by
April 2005, Gagik Lazarian, director of the precious stones
department of Armenia’s Trade and Economic Development Ministry, told
reporters Friday.

According to Article 5 of the Russian-Armenian intergovernmental
agreement, it is forbidden to reexport Russian uncut diamonds from
Armenia, he said, but negotiations on canceling the prohibition are
currently under way.

According to the agreement, Russia may supply Armenia with up to
400,000 carats of uncut diamonds annually for the country’s own use
in 2002-2004, and up to 450,000 carats in 2005-2006. Russia’s uncut
diamond monopoly Alrosa and Almazyuvelirexport supply the diamonds.

However, in 2003-2004 Armenia did not purchase its full quota of
diamonds from Russia because of the liberalization of the Russian
diamond market, which made Alrosa increase its prices.

Alrosa accounts for 99% of the uncut diamond production in Russia and
produces 20% of the world’s diamonds in terms of mass and 26% in
terms of value. End