Author: Emil Lazarian

Armenia, Russia to boost relations in all spheres

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
2 Jun 04

[Presenter] The fate of five Armenian enterprises handed over to
Russia under the property-for-debt agreement was the key issue
which was discussed on Wednesday [2 June] during a sitting of
the Armenian-Russian interparliamentary commission in Yerevan. The
members of the commission stressed the importance of developing these
enterprises. The main obstacle to the development of Armenian-Russian
economic relations – transport communications – was also the key issue
of the Yerevan meeting. The Armenian and Russian parliamentarians
suggested that the Armenian, Russian and Georgian leaders sign a
trilateral agreement and create a transport corridor.

[Correspondent over video of the meeting] The seventh session of
the Armenian-Russian interparliamentary commission discussed mainly
economic issues. We have trade relations, the commodity turnover
increased by 30 per cent last year. According to the assessments of
the commission’s co-chairmen, there are various issues of cooperation
in the regional small and medium-sized business sphere.

[Russian co-chairman of the commission Nikolay Ryzhkov, speaking in
Russian with Armenian voice-over] Yes, there are problems, first of
all there are discrepancies in legislation. The enterprises have been
handed over to the Russian side, but Armenian laws are valid there,
which is creating problems. There are also technical problems.

[National Assembly deputy chairman Vaan Ovanesyan] Transport
communications in our relations are not at a good level. Russia
has made serious investments in Armenia, especially in the aviation
sphere. At the same time, they do not ensure a qualitative improvement,
and I think that there is a lot to do for cooperation.

[Correspondent] Transport issues were also discussed separately
during the session. According to the sides’ assessments, the main
obstacle in this field is the closure of the Abkhaz railway section
which connects the two countries.

[Vaan Ovanesyan] It is known that Azerbaijan is pursuing a policy of
hindering Armenia’s participation in all the transport and economic
programmes of regional importance. But our partners have no such
problems. Armenia will finally join the programme on establishing
the Russian-Azerbaijani-Iran transit communications line, which was
first designed as a Russia-Armenia-Iran one.

[Correspondent] The agreement adopted at the end of the Yerevan
session of the interparliamentary commission envisages setting up
five working groups which will be engaged in economic, political,
educational-cultural international parliamentary organizations and
deal with interregional cooperation issues. They also suggested that
the Armenian, Russian and Georgian governments sign a trilateral
agreement on establishing a transport corridor. In order to develop
Armenian-Russian cooperation, the session also approved the decision
to set up an Armenian-Russian Business Cooperation Association. The
member of the Armenian National Assembly, Volodya Badalyan, was
elected chairman of the Armenian-Russian cooperation association.

The Armenian-Russian cooperation association will hold a session in
Moscow on 29 June.

Nune Aleksanyan and Susan Badalyan for “Aylur”.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS OFFICE
Armenian Holy Apostolic Church Canadian Diocese
Contact; Deacon Hagop Arslanian, Assistant to the Primate
615 Stuart Avenue, Outremont Quebec H2V 3H2
Tel; 514-276-9479, Fax; 514-276-9960
Email; [email protected] Website;

A CLOSE FRIEND OF ARMENIANS AND THE ARMENIAN CHURCH CANADIAN DIOCESE
HAS BEEN ELECTED PRIMATE OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA

During the 37th General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada, the
chief governing and legislative body Archbishop Hutchison of Montreal
was elected Primate or Presiding Bishop of the National Church. On
behalf of His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, Primate Deacon Hagop
Arslanian congratulated the Most Reverend Andrew S. Hutchison , on June
1st, 2004 he then said “Your Eminence, on this blessed occassion we
wish you good health and success in all your apostolic endeavors. Our
prayers are with you as you prepare to undertake a new challenge”.

Archbishop Hutchison has served as Bishop of the Diocese of Montreal
for the past 14 years, as Bishop Ordinary to the Canadian Forces since
1997, and as Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada
since 2002. He has been in Montreal since 1984, when he became Rector
of Christ Church Cathedral and Dean of Montreal. Prior to his arrival,
he had been active in parish ministry in the Diocese of Toronto.

In the past years, Archbishop Hutchison has been a close friend
of the Armenian Church Canadian Diocese. He has supported the many
Diocesan spiritual and cultural projects on various occasions as well
as the Armenian Cause. He was the guest speaker on April 23rd 2004,
when a Martyrs’ Prayer and Ecumenical Service were held in St Gregory
Armenian Cathedral. During his speech, dedicated to the victims of the
Armenian Genocide His Eminence lauded the Armenian Church as the most
ancient one in Christendom, and presented an overview of the historical
events of the Armenian Genocide. He then concluded by saying, “It
is important to remember, because there can be no real hope without
memory; and it is clear that we have not sufficiently remembered,
nor learnt from those dreadful events, nor from the failure of the
community of nations to respond to them appropriately. There can be no
healing, reconciliation and justice for Armenians, if the genocide is
not fully acknowledged, and responsibility for it accepted. Without
it there is no basis for the rebuilding of trust and a more secure
future in the community of nations.”

An official visit is scheduled to take place on the 15th of June, 2004.
Bishop Bagrat Galstanian will personally meet with Archbishop Andrew
Hucthison to congratulate him on his election to the highest Anglican
ecclesiastical position in Canada.

Divan of the Diocese

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CIS leaders to negotiate trade issues in Armenia

RosBusinessConsulting, Russia
June 2 2004

RBC, 02.06.2004, Yerevan 13:41:27.The second meeting between the
leaders of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the CIS members
took place today in the city of Yerevan (Armenia). The Head of
the Armenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Martin Sarkisian,
announced at the opening ceremony that the results of the meeting
“might contribute to enhancing cooperation between the Chambers
of Commerce and Industry of the CIS members’. He stressed the
importance of a prudent investment policy, establishing a positive
business-environment and increasing foreign trade.

According to the Armenian news agency Arka, representatives of the
Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the CIS are to discuss the
results of implementing agreements and to determine future spheres
of cooperation in forming a positive environment for small and
medium-sized enterprises.

Russia to remain Armenia’s “major” arms supplier, officer says

Interfax news agency, Moscow
1 Jun 04

Yerevan, 1 June: Armenia plans to increase defence spending in 2005,
the country’s Defence Minister and Security Council secretary, Serzh
Sarkisyan, has said.

Serzh Sarkisyan spoke after the parliamentary session on the execution
of the 2003 budget.

Armenia will spend about 85m dollars on defence in 2004, a 7-8 per cent
rise from the year before. The Armenian army uses mostly Russian-made
weapons and military hardware.

A source in the country’s Defence Ministry told Interfax that Russia
will remain Armenia’s major arms supplier.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian speaker stresses parliamentary cooperation with Iran

IRNA news agency, Tehran
1 Jun 04

Moscow, 1 June: Armenian National Assembly Speaker Artur Bagdasaryan
on Monday [31 May] called for expansion of Iran-Armenia parliamentary
cooperation.

He made the remarks in a meeting with Iran’s outgoing Ambassador to
Yerevan Mohammad Farhad Koleyni.

At the meeting, Bagdasaryan appreciated Koleyni’s efforts to promote
mutual cooperation during his mission in Armenia, expressing hope
that the mutual cooperation will further broaden in the future.

Koleyni, for his part, termed recent years as a period for deepening
of ties between Tehran and Yerevan.

He expressed hope that cooperation in commercial, economic, cultural
and educational areas will further develop between Iran and Armenia.

The two sides, in the meeting, exchanged views on various issues
related to mutual cooperation and regional developments.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
June 1 2004

Local Red Cross chapter honors Armenian group

Chapter to give award to United Armenian Fund and to celebrate its
87th year in community.

By Darleene Barrientos, News-Press

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — When the local Armenian-American community
rallied to collect medical and school supplies for Armenia, it gave
the local Red Cross chapter a valuable learning experience.

Now, the Glendale-Crescenta Valley Chapter of the Red Cross wants to
pay back the favor by giving the United Armenian Fund its annual Good
Neighbor award.

The award will be presented at the chapter’s annual meeting Wednesday
at the Hilton Glendale, 100 W. Glenoaks Blvd.

The organization helped pay for the two shipments the Red Cross
gathered last year, helped the Red Cross figure out what would
benefit Armenia and assisted the chapter’s fundraising efforts, said
Ron Farina, the chapter’s executive director. Their assistance was
invaluable because it was the first time the chapter had undertaken
such a project, he added.

“They gave us guidance on what we should look for and how we should
conduct fundraising in the Armenian community,” Farina said.

The chapter collected nearly $5,000 from local Armenian Americans in
Glendale. The United Armenian Fund helped pay to ship 20 pallets of
surgical prep trays and 35 chests of school supplies.

“They provided great insight and expertise in what we haven’t been in
before,” assistant chapter manager Irena Efremian said. “They guided
us from A through Z — they were very diligent in explaining what we
could do and not do.”

The meeting will be a celebration of the chapter’s 87th year in the
community. Donald A. Huffsmith Jr. will also be installed as the
chapter’s incoming chairman.

The chapter will also announce which member of the Red Cross board
will receive the Albert G. Cornwell Award for outstanding service.
The meeting is open to the public, and tickets are still available.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CIS: heads of commerce chambers meet in Yerevan

ITAR-TASS, Russia
June 1 2004

YEREVAN, June 1 (Itar-Tass) – A meeting of the CIS Council of Heads
of Chambers of Commerce and Industry will be held in Yerevan on
Tuesday. Its participants will discuss prospects of cooperation in
various spheres of CIS economy.

The Yerevan meeting is expected to demonstrate achievements in the
sphere of small and medium business on the post-Soviet territory,
to reveal the potential of the implementation of investment projects
and to promote the expansion of contacts between economic entities of
the CIS member countries, Martin Sarkisyan, president of the Armenian
Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Itar-Tass.

A business forum on the development of small and medium business will
be held within the framework of the meeting. Aside from it, the CIS-
Expo-2004 exhibition is being held in the sports and concert complex
of Yerevan. Bulgarian and Iranian firms were also invited to take
part in it.

The Council of the Heads of Chambers of Commerce and Industry was
created last summer. It is headed by Martin Sarkisyan.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AzerTag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
June 1 2004

AT THE CABINET OF MINISTERS
[June 01, 2004, 18:38:15]

Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Republic Artur Rasizadeh received on
June 1 delegation of the Ministry of Defense of Kyrghyzstan, headed
by the minister, colonel-general Esen Topoev.

Welcoming the visitors, the head of the government of Azerbaijan
Republic has emphasized, that the relations between Azerbaijan and
Kyrghyzstan develop intensively. In 1997, the President of
Kyrghyzstan Askar Akayev has made official visit to Azerbaijan. The
head of two countries – Heydar Aliyev and Askar Akayev frequently met
at various forums, negotiated, that promoted development of mutual
relations.

Speaking about economic development of Azerbaijan after gaining state
independence, Artur Rasi-zade has noted that in 1993 the Azerbaijan
statehood has undergone a real threat. Only with arrival to
management of the country of the national leader, President Heydar
Aliyev and his efforts situation in the country was stabilized. The
economy began to develop in good rates. Azerbaijan has solved many
economic, social problems.

However, as the Prime Minister has noted the main unresolved problem
is the Armenian-Azerbaijan Nagorny Karabakh conflict. Our country
wants to solve this problem in the peace way in view of territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, Artur Rasizadeh ascertained,
in the world there are double standards, and many states do not state
openly, that Armenia is the country – aggressor, that also prevents
the fair solution of the said question.

Having thanked for reception, Minister of Defiance of Kyrghyzstan
colonel-general Esen Topoev informed that on June 1 in Baku between
defense departments of two countries was signed an intergovernmental
agreement on military cooperation.

He has noted, that each time, coming to Baku, he sees the big
positive changes in shape of city that testifies to economic growth
of Azerbaijan.

At the reception, also were exchanged opinions on some questions,
representing mutual interest.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian, Georgian Musicians to Perform Concert in Tehran

Mehr News Agency, Iran
June 1 2004

TEHRAN June 1 (MNA) — A number of Armenian and Georgian artists
accompanied by a classical music ensemble will perform in concert on
May 19 at Rudaki Hall in Tehran.

Conducted by Avansyan, the music pieces of Fredric Francois Chopin,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Arno Babajanian, Claude Debussy, and Revaz
Lagidze will be performed at a two-day concert.

Pianists Arpineh Israelian and Tamara Dolizeh will be the featured
soloists accompanying conductor Avansyan.

Israelian, with a doctoral degree in music from Yerevan State
Conservatory and over 25-years of piano concert experience, has
received numerous awards.

Born in Tbilisi, Georgia (the former Soviet Union) in 1963 Tamara
Dolidze graduated with a bachelor’s degree in piano from the Georgian
State Conservatory. Also with over 25-year of piano concert experience,
she is the master of the Tbilisi Music School.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Minister says Azerbaijan, Armenia exchanging views on Karabakh

MPA news agency
1 Jun 04

Baku, 1 June: The third meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian
foreign ministers will take place in Prague on 21 June.

According to MPA, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov thinks
it is early to speak about a rapprochement between the positions of
the sides. Commenting on the course of talks between the Azerbaijani
and Armenian foreign ministers, the Azerbaijani foreign minister said
that the sides were exchanging views. According to him, Azerbaijan
is putting forward its ideas and is listening to those suggested
by Armenia. The [OSCE Minsk Group] co-chairmen also have certain
ideas. Mammadyarov believes that if they manage to properly arrange
these ideas, then they can move on.

Stressing the role of the European Union in the conflict settlement,
Minister Mammadyarov said that Azerbaijan supported the idea of keeping
the Karabakh issue on the agenda of the EU and the European community.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress