Author: Jagharian Tania

EU ENVOY TO SOUTH CAUCASUS ARRIVING IN ARMENIA APRIL 5

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.04.2006 23:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ April 5-7 EU newly appointed Special Representative
for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby will pay a familiarization visit
to Armenia, reports the Armenian MFA Press Service. During his visit
Peter Semneby will meet with Armenian President Robert Kocharian, PM
Andranik Margaryan, Speaker Artur Baghdassaryan, FM Vartan Oskanian
and MOD Head Serge Sargsyan, Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II,
as well as NKR FM Georgy Petrosyan. Semenby is also scheduled to meet
with heads of a number of diplomatic missions accredited in Armenia.

CBA PUBLISHES ITS FINANCIAL MARKET INSTRUMENTS

Noyan Tapan
Apr 03 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 3, NOYAN TAPAN. The Central Bank of Armenia (CBA)
published the new set of its instruments and the logic of its
activities on the financial market. According to the CBA press service,
these are: The main instrument of refinancing – a 7-day repo to be used
each Wednesday. The structural instument – the isssuing of CBA bonds,
mainly 3-month bonds, although 6 and 12-month issues are not ruled
out either. The rectifying instruments to be applied for correcting
the short-term deviations from the target indices of liquidity
and interest rates (mainly by repo and reverse repo instruments and
foreign currency). The constant possibility instruments – deposit and
lombard credit to be used for a 1-day period. The interest rates are
set based on the interest rate of refinancing. It is noted that the
interest rate of lombard credit has been lowered to 8%. At a board
sitting to be held each month, the CBA will determine and publish
within next month the refinancing (repo) interest rate, the constant
possibility interest rate, as well as the volume, maturity and issue
date of bonds to be issued by the CBA. Market participants will be
provided explanations about rectifying instruments, implemented in
addition to the previously announced operations.

ARMENIA CONSIDERS PROVIDING AID TO EARTHQUAKE-STRICKEN IRAN

Armenpress
April 3 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 3, ARMENPRESS: The government of Armenia is considering
provision of humanitarian assistance to Iran to help it overcome
heavy consequences of March 31 earthquake.

The government said territorial minister Hovik Abrahamian was
instructed by prime minister Margarian to meet with Iran’s ambassador
in Armenia, Alireza Haghighyan, to convey his condolences and specify
what kind of assistance Iran needs. More than 70 people have been
killed and some 15,000 families have been made homeless by a series
of strong earthquakes and aftershocks that rocked western Iran early
Friday morning.

“THE CHILDREN OF GYUMRI”
Victoria Dalkey, Bee art correspondent

Sacramento Bee (California)
March 31, 2006 Friday
Metro Final Edition

Coffee Works

“The Children of Gyumri,” a remarkable show of artwork by students at
the Gyumri Aesthetic Center in Armenia, presents vibrant and joyful
images of brides, princesses, circuses, zoos and other delights. The
center, a school and orphanage, offers classes in drawing, painting
and carpet weaving to students ages 4 to 20 in an area of Armenia that
was devastated by an earthquake in 1988. All proceeds from sales of
the works will benefit the center and the children and teachers who
work, live and learn there. The show will be up through April 30 at
Coffee Works, 3418 Folsom Blvd. (916) 452-1086.

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

01-04-2006

Oskanian concludes his visits at the UN

Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian concluded two days of visits with the
UN leadership in New York. On Thursday March 30 and Friday March 31,
Minister Oskanian met with Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the UN,
Jan Eliasson, President of the 60th Session of the General Assembly of
the UN and Kemal Dervis, Administrator of the UN Development Program.

With Secretary General Annan and with GA President Eliasson, Minister
Oskanian spoke about the Nagorno Karabakh resolution process as
well as recent ceasefire violations. He expressed Armenia’s serious
concern that the military rhetoric of Azerbaijan’s leaders is finding
its expression in an increasingly large number of violations by the
Azerbaijani military along the line of contact.

Armenia’s Foreign Minister also discussed UN reforms, and welcomed
the formation of the new Human Rights Council, expressing Armenia’s
interest in remaining engaged in human rights issues.

In these meetings, and during his talks with Mr. Dervis of the
UNDP, Minister Oskanian also stressed Armenia’s commitment to rural
development. He stressed that the Millennium Challenge Compact,
recently signed with the US Government, will create a momentum
and that the Armenian government is committed to building on this
momentum with a comprehensive plan for rural development that is based
on a public-private partnership which includes Armenia’s Diaspora,
Armenia’s business community, the Armenian government and international
organizations.

WORLD VISION ORGANIZATION IMPLEMENTS FREE MEDICAL SERVICE IN KAPAN
REGION

KAPAN, MARCH 31, NOYAN TAPAN. Inhabitants of 18 distant and
impassable rural communities of the Kapan region have got free
medical service already for a month. The World Vision organization
initiated this program being implemented within the framework of the
primary health care project. As Sergey Arzumanian, the head of the
Territorial Development Program (TDP) of Kapan informed the Noyan
Tapan correspondent, doctors’ and specialists’ free medical service
of the inhabitation will be of continuous character. According to
S.Arzumanian, at present the organization implements in the Kapan
region other programs as well: so, surveys were held to find out the
inhabitants’ needs. In parallel to this, food was allocated to needy
strata, summer camps are organized in which children registered in
the TDP of Kapan are involved. Works of recontruction of water pipes
were implemented at the same time in 17 rural communities, as well as
works of building the drainage system of the Aram Manukian street of
Kapan and works of reconstruction of the drainage system of the Garegin
Nzhdeh street started. Works of reconstruction of roofs of 5 apartment
buildings are also in process. S.Arzumanian also informed that the
territorial development program of the World Vision organization has
promoted activity at the regional communities of Kapan since 2003.

Russian base to be withdrawn from South Georgia by October 2007
13:08 | 31/ 03/ 2006

RIA Novosti, Russia
March 31 2006

SOCHI, March 31 (RIA Novosti) – A Russian military base near the
southern Georgian city of Akhalkalaki will be withdrawn by October 1,
2007, a senior military officer said Friday.

Commander of Land Forces, Colonel General Alexei Maslov said another
Russian base at Batumi, the capital of the northwestern autonomy of
Adjaria, and the headquarters of Russian forces in South Caucasus
would be withdrawn in 2008.

His comments came after the two countries signed a framework agreement
on the withdrawal, which also details the visa regime for military
personal involved in the pullout.

Maslov said the second agreement on the transfer of heavy military
equipment and personnel from Georgia to the 102nd military base in
Armenia was also very important because it would allow Russia to
eliminate the shortfall of materiel at the base.

The decision on the withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgia
was made at a summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe (OSCE), the world’s biggest regional security grouping,
in Istanbul in 1999.

However, the timeframe for the withdrawal has increasingly marred
Russian-Georgian relations, as Tbilisi wanted to see Russian troops
leave as soon as possible, while Moscow insisted that it should be
given more time to avoid repeating the mistakes of the pullout from
eastern Europe in the 1990s. Thousands of soldiers then returned to
their homeland from bases in former Soviet satellites only to find
that there was nowhere for them to live.

Maslov, though, was upbeat after the conclusion of today’s talks. “We
have fulfilled all obligations under the Istanbul Agreements,” he said.

HAROLD SAUNDERS: OFFICIAL NEGOTIATIONS NOT ENOUGH FOR REACHING PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT

Noyan Tapan
Mar 30 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 30, NOYAN TAPAN. The American-Russian working group of
the Dartmouth Conference on Regional Conflicts presented the draft
of the framework agreement on settlement of Karabakh conflict at
the March 29 round table taken place in Yerevan. As Harold Saunders,
the American Co-Chair of the group mentioned, official negotiations
within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group framework are necessary
but not enough condition for reaching peace in such a difficult
conflict. According to him, the goal of the dialogue, that has been
led among the representatives of the public of Armenia, Azerbaijan
and Nagorno Karabakh, are not proposals of the final settlement, but
study of possible approaches towards starting a peaceful process. The
dialogue participants find that the peaceful process may start by
signing intermediate agreements.

For example, the sides may agree relating to not large territories
from where the armies will be moved out and where the peace-keeping
forces will be placed and where refugees will return. According to
Saunders, recognition of the so called temporary status of Nagorno
Karabakh by participants of the conflict will create a possibility for
representatives of not recognized republics are able to participate
in the negotiations with competence of a full participant. As Vitali
Naumkin, the Russian Co-Chair of the working group mentioned, the
proposed framework agreement is called to have a role of a bridge
between the incompatible package and phase variants of settlement of
the Karabakh problem. He emphasized the importance of participation of
the publics of all the sides in the peaceful settlement process. In
the opinion of sociologist Lyudmila Haroutiunian, the time for the
political solution of the conflict hasn’t come yet. According to her,
the conflict isn’t functional only for Armenians, and Azeris speak
about war and prepare for it. “Armenians’ desire for living peacefully
must not be speculated by the international community, and it must not
meet Azerbaijan’s desire to solve all the problems in its favour,”
Haroutiunian stated. In her opinion, it’s still far to reach peace,
and Armenians must not be disarmed.

GEORGIA, RUSSIA TO SIGN MILITARY TRANSIT, BASE PULLOUT TREATIES

Civil Georgia
March 30 2006

On March 31 the Georgian and Russian officials will sign in Russia’s
Black Sea resort of Sochi two agreements – one on timeframe and
modalities of functioning, rules and withdrawal of Russian military
bases from Georgia and another on transit of Russian military personnel
and cargo via Georgia.

Georgian First Deputy Defense Minister Mamuka Kudava will sign these
agreements.

The agreement on withdrawal of the Russian military bases is based
on a joint declaration signed between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov and Georgian ex-Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili in May,
2005. Russia has pledged to pull out its military bases from Georgia
by the end of 2008.

The agreement on transit of military personnel and cargo will enable
Russia to gain access to its military base in Gyumri, Armenia via
Georgia.

According to the Russian sources transit agreement obliges Russia to
not transfer any armament transited through the Georgian territory to a
third country. The amount of military cargo that will be transited via
Georgia will be agreed between Russia and Georgia one year in advance.

Russia also undertakes the commitment not to transit biological,
nuclear or chemical substances, as well as weapon of mass destruction
or their components.

According to the draft agreement, Georgia can refuse the transit
of items if the movement of the military cargo poses a threat to
its national security or if the final destination of the transited
military cargo is a location within a conflict zone or a warring state.

VANO SIRADEGHYAN SHOULD GET BACK TO ARMENIA

Lragir.am
28 March 06

If a certain political figure wants to become engaged in the internal
political developments in Armenia, he is supposed to live in Armenia
first, said Prime Minister Andranik Manukyan to news reporters on March
28 with regard to the interview with Vano Siradeghyan, published in
the Haykakan Zhamanak Daily.

“Every political figure has the right to express an opinion, especially
Vano Siradeghyan, who has been out of Armenia for six years and follows
the political processes from afar; I do not agree to everything that
he said, but everyone has the right to express an opinion. I think
that people who want to be engaged in politics in Armenia must live
in Armenia, participate in these processes, and only then analyze
and offer remedies,” stated the prime minister.