Author: Jabejian Elizabeth

INAUGURAL ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA

A1+
09 April, 2008

Distinguished President Kocharyan,

Your Holiness,

Fellow Citizens of the Republic of Armenia,

Dear Friends,

Today is an extremely responsible day for me. A few minutes ago, I
swore an oath to our people to unconditionally follow the provisions
of our Constitution. On this historic day, we all swear an oath:
I do it aloud, and ask you to do it silently. I am confident that
each of you has an oath of your own to serve our fatherland and people.

We all swear this oath for a brighter future of our country, for
development, for democracy, for the rule of law, for a stronger and
more prosperous Armenia.

May the Lord give me strength to not disappoint anyone of my
supporters! May the Lord give us all strength to overcome difficulties,
to find the cure for all the problems that worry the disappointed or
disillusioned ones, the ones who today need hope, faith, and optimism.

Dear compatriots, dear guests;

I recognize the enormous responsibility I have assumed. I know that I
will be the one whom you will consider responsible for everything. I
pledge not to avoid the responsibility, the magnitude of which I
realized when joining the Republican Party and declaring that I would
agree to be nominated for the presidential elections only in case the
Republican Party won the largest number of votes in the parliamentary
elections. I realize the magnitude of the responsibility now, and I
shall recognize it every day for the next five years. I shall bear
with honor the responsibility of being the President of all citizens
of the Republic of Armenia.

On this day, I wish to thank my supporters, all the individuals
that have voted for my program. I am grateful for the confidence. I
assure you that together we can improve life in our country. Today,
I call for a change. Once again, we are proclaiming a new beginning
for change. Everyone must be ready to start change from one’s own self.

A part of our people supported other candidates, and I now appeal
to them: it was your right to vote for someone other than me, but I
do not have the right not to be your president. We should not part,
should not create division between various parts of our people, should
not disregard each other’s concerns and pain, and should not go beyond
each other’s reach. Even if a wall of misunderstanding stands between
us, I urge you to join us in eliminating that wall.

I express my gratitude to President Robert Kocharyan, a man who will
have a solid place in the Armenian history, as the decade of his
presidency were years of significant achievements for our country,
achievements based on which we have set ambitious targets for the
future. President Kocharyan has performed an invaluable role in
the establishment, advancement, and protection of the Republic of
Mountainous Karabagh. I am confident that generations will duly
appreciate his service and contribution to the development and
strengthening of our statehood.

Dear Friends:

Although the election campaign was intense and did not do without
insults, I wish to thank my opponents for the struggle, with a special
thank you to those who admitted their defeat with dignity, those who
reciprocated the extended hand of cooperation and accepted the offer
to come together to develop the Republic of Armenia.

I shall remain committed to all of my pre-election promises, and we
shall join our efforts in fulfilling them.

We shall build the Armenia that brings together all Armenians, one
that will be the fatherland of any Armenian.

We shall build the Armenia where mutual respect, love, and tolerance
will prevail.

We shall build the Armenia where our citizens and families will live
and realize their potential in security and dignity.

We shall carry out a proactive foreign policy, and do everything to
find a just, peaceful, and favorable solution to the Artsakh issue.

We shall build a strong, proud, and democratic state of Armenia,
where everyone shall be equal before the law.

I am confident that you, our fellow Armenians and friends, also hold
the key to the success of all of our initiatives. To accomplish this
historic mission, I once again urge us to unite. Unity will be the
platform for fundamental value creation and progress along the path
of democracy and freedoms.

I shall do all of this, because I wish to be a president who will fully
implement his program, bring peace and stable development to Armenia,
enhance the reputation and image of our country, overcome all of the
major problems we currently face, and be capable of foreseeing and
responding to all of the potential challenges. This is the type of
President I can and shall be.

I am ready to contribute all my strength for an atmosphere of
confidence to prevail in our society, for us to overcome any
polarization, rough confrontation, and discredit. Alone, no one
can turn Armenia into a country of dreams. All structures, various
political and non-governmental forces, and civil society need to
unite. This is where the President should act as the key actor in
uniting the nation, a man who must use all the tools and mechanisms
of power available to him in order to promote the best ideas and to
preserve, develop, and put to the best use our country’s most precious
capital, our human resources.

I shall seek ways of cooperating with all the political forces. My
efforts will focus on achieving the nation-wide objectives,
strengthening the link between generations, combining the interests
of different social groups, ensuring respect for ethnic minorities,
and preserving the Armenian identity.

I shall encourage a change of attitude towards the intelligentsia
in our country. It is long time for the state to treat seriously our
culture, scientific and educational potential, and every individual
engaged in intellectual and creative work.

I shall make my humble contribution to the strengthening of the
Armenian Apostolic Church, which will continue to remain a pillar of
the Armenian soul and national identity.

Dear Friends:

This ceremony takes place about a month after painful events, which
inflicted wounds that are still fresh.

These wounds caused pain and bitterness to all of us.

Today, I urge to look forward, together to seek and find the path of
reconciliation, that of development for the Armenia of future. I am
confident that we cannot have real and tangible success, unless we
learn lessons from the past. What happened should teach all of us a
lesson of vigilance and sobriety, compelling us to work with greater
vigor and devotion.

Unchecked freedom can result in conflict with the public interests
and the rights of others. To prevent such conflicts and to reconcile
various rights and interests, the state may interfere with the exercise
of certain fundamental rights.

Limitations of fundamental rights, however, cannot be absolute, as they
would simply render the fundamental right meaningless. Limitations
should not undermine the essence of fundamental rights enshrined in
the Constitution.

For any limitation of rights and freedoms, including the right to
peaceful assembly, we must strike a fair balance between the public
order and respect for the rights and freedoms of others, on the one
hand, and the right to peaceful assembly, on the other.

Over a short period of time, along with dozens of other laws, we should
revisit the legislation regulating the right to peaceful assembly
with a view to safeguarding everyone’s right to peaceful assembly in
accordance with European standards and precluding any public event
that is either not peaceful or does not pursue a legitimate aim.

Dear friends:

Our people have given me their vote of confidence, and I must implement
my program during the next five years. Our people have confided in me
to overcome the challenges faced by our country and to meet everyone’s
expectations. Five years is a rather short period to do all of this,
hence it will be a period of everyday hard work. During this time,
we shall manage to do what is possible and beyond, to address the
development challenges faced by our country. That is why I consider
this ceremonial day a working day for me and my political team.

So thank you, and let us get down to work!

Let us get down to work, and forward, Armenia!

PRESS RELEASE
Glendale Public Library
Chuck Wike, Community Relations Manager
222 East Harvard Street
Glendale, CA 91205
(818) 548-2042

Authors Nina Hachigian and Gregory Rodriguez will speak at the Glendale
Public Library, 222 East Harvard Street, in Glendale, in celebration of
National Library Week.

Nina Hachigian will speak on Tuesday, April 15, 7 pm, about her book:
The Next American Century: How the U.S. Can Thrive as Other Powers Rise.

Nina Hachigian shows that while the "pivotal powers" (China, Europe, India,
Japan, and Russia) seek greater influence, each has an enormous stake in a
functioning world economy and a keen desire to thwart common threats. While
America must be prepared for the possibility that a hostile superpower may
one day emerge, it has to be careful not to turn a distant, uncertain threat
into an immediate one. Ms. Hachigian was a Senior Political Scientist at
RAND Corp. and the director of the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy and
has been on the staff of the National Security Council. She is a Sr. VP and
Director for California at the Center for American Progress, a progressive
think-tank dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through ideas and
action.

Gregory Rodriguez will speak on Thursday, April 17, 7 pm, about his book:
Mongrels, Bastards, Orphans, and Vagabonds: Mexican Immigration and the
Future of Race in America.

Iconoclastic Los Angeles Times columnist Gregory Rodriguez’ book is a
provocative account of the long-term cultural and political influences that
Mexican Americans will have on the collective character of our nation. In
considering the largest immigrant group in American history, he examines the
complexities of its heritage and of the racial and cultural synthesis that
has defined the Mexican people since the sixteenth century. Former MSNBC
political analyst Rodriguez has written for The New York Times, The
Economist, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Newsweek. He is
the Director of the California Fellows Program and a Senior Fellow at the
New America Foundation, a non-partisan public policy institute.

For more information about these free events call (818) 548-2042 or see the
Library website:
ors_artists_friends.asp

2.5 MILLION BIRDS TO BE VACCINATED IN ARMENIA BY LATE APRIL

Noyan Tapan
April 7, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 7, NOYAN TAPAN. The program on diagnosing birds’
diseases and antipeidemic measures is continuing in Armenia. 7.3 mln
drams (about 23.7 thousand USD) has been allocated from the RA state
budget for this purpose.

NT correspondent was informed by Gevorg Tovmasian, the deputy head
of the Food Safety and Veterinary Inspection of the RA ministry
of agriculture that vaccines of 3.5 mln drams were imported from
Russia under this program. The program’s first stage, which envisages
vaccinating more than 2.5 mln birds kept at farms, will be completed
by late April.

According to G. Tovmasian, the program aimes to create a stable
antiepidemic situation in the country, raise vitality of birds, as
well as to prevent the spread of common human and animal infectious
diseases.

It was mentioned that the second stage of the program will start in
the second half of 2008, with vaccines of 3.5 mln drams to be imported
by late 2008 for its implementation.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT VISITS MEMBERS OF GOVERNMENT

ARMENPRESS
April 4, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 4, ARMENPRESS: Armenian President Robert Kocharian
visited today members of the government after the session and thanked
them for the joint long-lasting work.

Governmental press service told Armenpress that the president
particularly said, "I had a special wish to come here to express
gratitude to all of you for the joint long-lasting work. I am thankful
to the fate that I had luck to bear responsibility for Armenia during
10 years. There were very interesting, difficult and full years. The
country has passed a large way of development. A large-scale of reforms
have been conducted in the country in all the spheres and of course
the main aim of the reforms was the modernization of the country.

The results are obvious: the life quality of our citizens has notably
improved but we all must realize that we have still a lot to do. The
new president and the government face many challenges and issues
the solution of which is not less difficult and less responsible
and fatal for the country. They are first of all the reforms of the
second generation in the economic sphere which need more professional
approaches and greater efforts and we must take into consideration
that all this will be in more difficult period of time as by all
predictions the global economy is expecting to fall.

The Republic of Armenia continues facing the security issue. During the
last years the world has not become more secure, our region continues
to be full of controversies and it is necessary to undertake successful
steps for more consolidation of the country’s security. Of course
all this must be combined with flexible and relevant diplomatic steps.

I am sure that steps must be undertaken for consolidation of basis
of the statehood. There are forces outside as well which do not want
to see stable and prosperous Armenia. Also, unfortunately, they are
figures outside who are ready to serve the purpose.

Weak, easily affected country cannot ensure its security and the
security of its citizens and cannot ensure serious democratic
achievements which we had during these years, and, of course, I
encourage and wish that the future president, government succeed in
confronting all those challenges. Thank you all. I wish all of you
high mood and all the best."

FIRED MFA EMPLOYEES BROUGHT ACTION AGAINST OSKANIAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.04.2008 15:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On April 2, the Administrative Court of Armenia
processed a suit of 4 former Foreign Ministry employees, who appeal
legitimacy of the edict on their dismissal issued by Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian.

Former head of NATO division of arms control and international
security department Marta Ayvazian, European department advisor
Arakel Semerjian, head of department of information division Vladimir
Karapetian and head of U.S. and Canada division of American department
Karine Afrikian are going to appeal the decree.

"The orders on dismissal were illegal. My clients demand reinstatement
in employment and compensation," said Levon Baghdasaryan, a defense
lawyer for the discharged, IA Regnum reports.

"I know that some of the discharged employees intend to appeal my
decree. Let’s wait and see what the court will decide," Minister
Oskanian said when commenting on the motion.

The above-mentioned MFA employees were fired after they announced
support to former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, a move is incompatible
with the status of a diplomat.

PROFESSOR DONALD BLOXHAM LECTURES ON THE "ORGANIZATION OF GENOCIDE" IN UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

Noyan Tapan
April 2, 2008

Professor Donald Bloxham of Edinburgh University, UK, discussed the
topic "Organization of Genocide" during a public lecture held at the
University of Michigan, on March 19.

Professor Bloxham focused on issues such as the methods used to
implement a genocide and the categories of people, who do the actual
killings, using examples from the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust,
and others cases. Most importantly, Professor Bloxham dissected the
relationship between the state and genocide.

GROSS FOREIGN ASSETS OF ARMENIA MAKE 1 BILLION 659 MILLION 154.5 THOUSAND USD IN LATE 2007 AGAINST 1 BILLION 72 MILLION 37.3 THOUSAND USD IN EARLY 2007

Noyan Tapan
April 2, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 2, NOYAN TAPAN. The gross foreign assets of Armenia
made 1 bln 659 mln 154.5 thousand USD in late 2007 – against 1 bln
72 mln 37.3 thousand USD in early 2007.

According to data of the Central Bank of Armenia, international
reserves (gross foreign assets in hard currency) of the indicated
assets amounted to 1 bln 659 mln 153.8 thousand USD in late 2007 –
against 1 bln 72 mln 36.5 thousand USD in early 2007.

Out of the indicated sum, the amount in the IMF made SDR 6 mln 116.1
thousand (about 9 mln 66.94 thousand USD) in late 2007 – against SDR
9 mln 359.6 thousand (about 14 mln 80.6 thousand USD) in early 2007.

ARMENIA’S DAM SAFETY PROJECT WINS WORLD BANK COMPETITION

armradio.am
02.04.2008 12:40

Armenia’s Dam Safety Project won one of the World Bank’s first
annual "Improving the Lives of People in Europe & Central Asia"
award yesterday for its contribution to the development of the country.

"The World Bank’s involvement in this sector was an immediate
response to the Government’s concern that the country’s dam
system was in physical neglect and facing the risk of failure,"
said Donna Dowsett-Coirolo, the World Bank Country Director for
Armenia. "Technical investigations revealed that, by international
standards, most dams in Armenia did not meet acceptable safety
norms. The most important angle of this project therefore is that it
has ensured the safety of people living downstream of dams – almost
half a million residents across Armenia."

Under this Project 26 dams facing the highest risk of failure were
rehabilitated, and 375,000 people living downstream of these dams are
now protected. The ongoing rehabilitation of Marmarik dam will provide
safety to an additional 162,000 people living downstream. Emergency
Preparedness Plans have been developed for all sites, and Emergency
Warning Systems have been installed for 156 villages. The Emergency
Management Agency continues to conduct awareness-raising campaigns
in the downstream located communities.

The World Bank event was held Tuesday in Washington. A World Bank
panel of judges selected a total of 22 activities across the Europe
and Central Asia Region. The winning entries showcase results and
real impact, as well as the project’s dedication to solid work in
monitoring and evaluating those results. They illustrate the value
of innovation, solid implementation, and sustainability.

"These winning activities from across Europe and Central Asia show the
results that client countries and the World Bank can achieve together
as partners in supporting countries’ development efforts," said Shigeo
Katsu, Europe and Central Asia Region Vice President, World Bank.

"Increasingly, governments and other stakeholders alike demand evidence
to guide policy decisions. They want us to demonstrate that our support
to programs and projects improves the outcomes for their citizens, and
they want to see that capacity building and knowledge work help them
deliver development. The World Bank teams have worked hard to improve
results and the ability to measure them and these winning entries
show that the effort is paying off for the people in the Region."

The projects reflect the World Bank’s strategic themes laid out by
World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick, including:

Helping overcome poverty and spur sustainable growth in the poorest
countries â~@¢ Fragile and post-conflict affected countries â~@¢
Development solutions for middle income countries â~@¢ An active role
in regional and global public goods â~@¢ Fostering a knowledge and
learning agenda

The ECA Results competition will be held annually to celebrate the
impact of projects and programs in the Region.

Armenia’s Programmatic Poverty Monitoring also won one of the World
Bank’s first annual "Improving the Lives of People in Europe & Central
Asia" award yesterday for its contribution to the development of
the country.

"The series of Armenia’s Programmatic Poverty Assessments throughout
the years, since mid 90s, has built the required capacity of the
National Statistical Service to collect information on the status
of the well-being of the population," said Donna Dowsett-Coirolo,
the World Bank Country Director for Armenia. "Objective, factual
information is so critical for monitoring well-being and for knowledge
based policy making, in particular in health, education and social
protection. The information provided by Statistical Service impacts
the Government policies and, ultimately, people’s life on the ground."

Comprehensive household surveys are conducted annually by the National
Statistical Service, as an input to decision-making in social
policy. For example, information provided by the surveys has been
crucial for the design and budgeting of targeted social assistance
and free access to health care.

Living standards indicators and Social Snapshot and Poverty Report
are published annually in both Armenian and English, and are widely
disseminated. The data is also available for analysis by others. The
Statistical Service has become independent, and now it reports its
findings to all clients at the same time.

–Boundary_(ID_pSpVCatEkceQhRgel4v9dA)–

AZERBAIJANI PARLIAMENTARIANS EXPRESS RESENTMENT OVER POSITION OF OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS

Today
/43970.html
April 1 2008
Azerbaijan

Parliamentarians expressed resentment in connection with the position
of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries as to the resolution
of the UN General Assembly, initiated by Azerbaijan.

According to Day.Az, Mubariz Gurbanly, deputy executive secretary
of Yeni Azerbaijan ruling elite, noted that the adoption of the
resolution is a victory of Azerbaijani diplomacy which proved the
occupational policy of Armenia to the whole world.

"Unfortunately, some countries chose a neutral position in this
issue while the Minsk Group co-chairs spoke against the document. I
think that parliamentary groups of friendship should sent letters of
protests to these countries. Along with it, the letters of protests
should be sent in the name of the parliamentary commission", said he.

MP Ikram Israfilov, member of the Musavat parliamentary group,
supported colleague’s proposal about sending a protest letter to the
co-chairing countries and announced that by voting against the UN
resolution thesr three countries showed that they do not intend to
settle Nagorno Karabakh conflict in the framework of the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan.

MP Ganira Pashayev noted in turn that representatives of the
co-chairing countries not only voted against the resolution but also
put pressure on representatives of other countries so that they also
voted against the document. She considers that this is because the
document was prepared against their will.

"It should be mentioned in the letter of protest that Azerbaijan
does not believe in the objectiveness of the Minsk group and its
co-chairs. Moreover, the co-chairs of the Minsk Group have monopolized
this process and their activity challenge the whole Minsk Group",
she said.

At the same time, Pashayeva noted that position of such countries
as Iran, which did not vote on the resolution and sent a letter to
the General Assembly on the next day, is unclear. Moreover, she said
the position of such countries as Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Poland,
Great Britain and Kazakhstan, whom Azerbaijan supported as a candidate
for OSCE chairmanship in 2009,is also unclear.

Deputy Fazil Gazanfaroghlu considers that the fact that most countries
were neutral while voting, demonstrates shortages in the activity of
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry.

"Most countries, who remained neutral, could have been inclined to
voting for the Azerbaijan-initiated resolution. For this purpose
our embassies should give up functioning as a trade attache and pass
to their direct duties. The voting in the United Nations has been a
test for the Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry and its activity should
be debated", Gazanfaroghlu said.

Siyavush Novruzov, deputy executive secretary of the Yeni Azerbaijan
Party, proposed to send a letter of gratitude to Pakistan and
Uzbekistan.

"Pakistan was active during the discussions in the United Nations.

Moreover, Uzbekistan should be thanked that it was the only country
in the Middle Asia who undertook the fighting. Uzbekistan not only
supported the resolution but also does not opens its embassy in Armenia
and does not allow opening the Armenian embassy to Uzbekistan until
Nagorno Karabakh conflict is settled", Novruzov said.

He said it is necessary to hold meetings with the representatives of
the countries, which use Azerbaijani oil and if they do not support
Azerbaijan in such a vital question, how to they plan to take our side?

Deputy Panah Huseynalso considers that the adoption of the resolution
is a success of the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan.

"The success in external policy is a continuation of internal policy.

If civil concord is not attained inside Azerbaijan, such success will
be the only success", he said.

First vice speaker Ziyafet Askerov noted drawing conclysions of the
discussions that the countries, supporting the power of law have
turned into the countries supporting the power of force.

"It is inadmissible when some countries want to strengthen the
principle "the stronger is right". However it does not mean that
Azerbaijan wants to reject the OSCE Minsk Group, despite the well-known
attitude to the co-chairs", he said.

LINEUP WORK ON KAJARAN-ARARAT SECTION OF IRAN-ARMENIA GAS PIPELINE WILL FINISH IN AUTUMN

Noyan Tapan
March 31, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 31, NOYAN TAPAN. It is envisaged to finish the lineup
work on Kajaran-Jermuk-Ararat section of Iran-Armenia gas pipeline
in the autumn of 2008. NT correspondent was informed from the press
service of ArmRusgazprom that construction of Kajaran-Ararat section
of the pipeline was disrupted in January because of the weather
and resumed about a month ago. Construction work is being done in
Kajaran-Sisian and Sisian-Jermuk-Ararat sections. The necessary number
of pipes has already been brought to Armenia.

The operation of 204.51-km Kajaran-Ararat gas pipeline will allow
the increase the resource base of natural gas imported into Armenia
via an alternative source.