Author: Kharatian Ani

COLLECTIVE OF CHAMBER MUSIC THEATER DEMANDS RESTORING DISMISSED DIRECTOR LEVON ABRAHAMIAN

Noyan Tapan
Dec 07 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 7, NOYAN TAPAN. Former Director of Chamber Music
Theater, Levon Abrahamian is going to apply to the court one of these
days to litigate the decision of RA Minister of Culture and Youth
Affairs Hasmik Poghosian, according to which he was dismissed from
work on November 29. As L.Abrahamian said at the December 6 press
conference, it is a week he has been demanding that the Ministry
present him the motivation for dimissing him, but in vain.

In his words, during tete-a-tete talks with him Hasmik Poghosian
said that he was dismissed on the basis of complaint by theater’s
Art Director Armen Meliksetian whom L.Abrahamian had dismissed
from work. "I have dismissed Armen Meliksetian for violating labor
regulations for many times. And before this Armen Meliksetian had
received four written observations: he did not present the repertoire
of the new theater season, took on some people to work illegally and
hampered execution of the director’s decisions," Levon Abrahamian
declared.

At the same time, he expressed bewilderment that "director is dismissed
because one person’s complaint and the same Minister does not wish
to listen to the collective’s voice and does not wish to read the
application-complaint signed by 43 employees, with which they demand to
restore the director of their theater." Seven directors were changed
in the theater during eight years.

"Were all of them so bad that they were not able to work with Armen
Meliksetian?" L.Abrahamian asked and added: "the theater has no
repertoire, has no exact schedule. Meliksetian gave theater’s rehearsal
rooms for rent and did not transfer the money to the cash-box. The
has committed many financial violations." To recap, conflicts between
directors and the art director of the Chamber Music Theater go on
for several years. As many of employees estimate, the theater has
suffered from Armen Meliksetian’s ambitions and presumption.

Currently they support former Director Levon Abrahamian and closed the
door before the new acting director sent by the Minsitry representative
on December 6.

TWO AND A HALF CONS ARE NOTHING FOR SERGE SARGSYAN

A1+
[06:12 pm] 05 December, 2006

"Have you ever come across cases when the Armenians of the Diaspora
suffered losses. Surely, not. Just on the contrary", RA NA Speaker
Tigran Torosyan comforted all those who feared the Armenian troops’
stay in Iraq.

NA Speaker assumes that we cannot live isolated from the outer world;
we must participate in the international process and have our share.

Galoust Sahakyan, leader of Republican Party, finds the assistance
of the Armenian troops "a kind step".

But he is against open discussion of the issue as in his words;
certain things mustn’t be transparent taking into account the security
of the state.

To note, "Justice" and ARF Dashnaktsutyun are against prolonging the
term of the Armenian peacekeepers’ mission in Iraq for another year.

Summing up the results of the discussion, Defense Minister Serge
Sargsyan said that there were only two and a half cons.

By saying two and a half cons Mr. Sargsyan meant Viktor Dallakyan
who didn’t say definitely in his speech whether he was for or against
the decision. In Mr. Sargsyan’s opinion, Viktor Dallakyan made such
a speech so that no one would say anything against him 100 years later.

In answer to Serge Sargsyan’s remark, Mr. Dallakyan only said,
"10 minutes are not enough to understand what I mean".

KARABAKH AHEAD OF MANY NEIGHBORING STATES ON DEMOCRATIC VALUES

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.12.2006 17:02 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The referendum on NKR draft Constitution will be held
positively and successfully, stated Armenian President’s Advisor on
National Security Garnik Isagulyan. In his words, after independence
Nagorno Karabakh has a policy of a fully established state. "It was
obviously confirmed at the parliamentary and presidential election
in Karabakh," he underscored. By that Nagorno Karabakh again proved
to the civilized world that it possesses all attributes of statehood,
Isagulyan noted. "Besides, Karabakh is ahead of many neighboring states
from the point of view of democratic and other values," he stressed.

December 10, 2006 the referendum on NKR draft Constitution will
be held. The draft specifically notes that the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic is a sovereign, democratic, jural, social state, reports
Novosti-Armenia.

RUSSIAN ANALYST: RESULTS OF MINSK MEETING OF KOCHARIAN-ALIYEV MEETING RATHER HUMBLE

PanARMENIAN.Net
02.12.2006 14:00 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Outcomes of this meeting (which is most likely
the last one in the passing year) of the Presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliyev were rather humble. This
is how Head the Department of Issues in International Relations of
the Institute of Political and Military Analysis Sergey Markedonov
commented on the outcomes of the meeting of Armenian and Azeri
Presidents in Minsk to a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. In his words,
the outcomes of the Minsk talks reminded those of meetings in London,
Rambouillet and Bucharest.

"After the Minsk meeting Azeri President Ilham Aliyev stated that at
the meeting it was managed to agree over matters not agreed upon before
and "we are approaching the final stage of talks over settlement of
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict." At the same time the Azeri leader
recognized there are "principal issues, over which opinions of the
parties differ." In the analyst’s words, most likely Aliyev Jr. meant
the refugee issue, as well as that of territories. "And naturally
the issue on the status of Karabakh itself.

As different from his colleague the Armenian President preferred to
take a pause to think over the situation available," Markedonov noted.

FORMAT OF KARABAKH TALKS MUST NOT BE CHANGED

PanARMENIAN.Net
30.11.2006 17:52 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "We assess activities of the OSCE MG over settlement
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict as positive, however with some
reservations," Chair of Parliament Standing Commission on Foreign
Relations, ARF Dashnaktsutyun member Armen Rustamyan stated at a news
conference in Yerevan. In his words, the mediators should prevent
any statements on military solution to the conflict. "On the whole
they manage their duties. As for the conversations on changing the
format of the talks, this must not be done, moreover that the CE,
EU, OSCE agree to the OSCE MG format. If the format is changed,
everything should start from the beginning. It means solution of the
conflict may be a very far prospect," Rustamyan underscored.

PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF BILL "ON NKR CITIZENSHIP" HELD IN YEREVAN

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Nov 30 2006

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 30, NOYAN TAPAN. On the initiative of Refugees and
International Law Network of Civil Society a bill "On NKR Citizenship"
was worked out, which will be submitted to NA for consideration
taking into account all observations. To recap, the Refugees and
International Law Network of Civil Society includes a number of NGOs
uniting hundreds of Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan.

As Eleonora Asatrian, Chairwoman of Assistance to General Quality
Management organization making part of the Network, the bill, in
particular, envisages that Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan will
receive a compensation in return for their lost property. She said
that the Network has applied to Azerbaijani President with a proposal
to solve the problem of compensation, but no answer was received.

Currently the refugees try to solve their problems through NKR as
the only legal successor of Azerbaijani SSR having a resource in the
form of territories under control, which is rather natural from legal
point of view.

It was mentioned at the press conference that the bill also envisages
immediate right of receiving NKR citizenship automatically, by their
birth, as well as by Armenians who are former citizens of Azerbaijani
SSR, i.e. refugees.

It was mentioned that granting citizenship will give an opportunity
to Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan to immediately apply to NKR
leadership with a request to assist them in compensation of losses
sustained by them as a result of persecutions in Azerbaijan starting
1988.

ARMENIAN REGULATORS ORDER GAS PRICE CUT
By Shakeh Avoyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Nov 29 2006

State regulators ordered on Wednesday an almost 10 percent decrease
in the retail price of natural gas supplied to individual consumers
in Armenia, pointing to the strengthening of the national currency,
the dram.

The Public Services Regulatory Commission obligated the ArmRosGazprom
(ARG) national gas distributor to charge households 59 drams (16 U.S.
cents) per one cubic meter, down from the existing fee of 65 drams,
starting from January 1.

"We were obliged to make such a decision. No other regional country
has seen such exchange rate fluctuations," Robert Nazarian, the
commission chairman, said. He argued that the price of Russian gas
supplied to Armenia is fixed in U.S. dollars.

The Armenian dram has gained more than 40 percent in value against
the dollar since the start of its dramatic appreciation three years
ago. The process has left the authorities in Yerevan under growing
opposition pressure to cut key utility tariffs.

The gas price cut is a welcome development for a growing number of
Armenians that use gas for heating their homes during winter months.

Centralized gas supplies to the local households were disrupted with
the outbreak of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh in 1992 and began to be
slowly restored in 1997. According to ARG, 84 percent of the country’s
population now has access to the relatively cheap fuel, saving at least
$160 million in combined expenditures on winter heating each year.

Nazarian’s commission ordered the price cut in response to ARG’s
request for an increase in its separate gas tariff for power plants and
chemical enterprises. The commission allowed the Russian-controlled
utility to only slightly raise it to $153 per thousand cubic meters
of gas. The weaker dollar means that the corporate consumers will
actually pay less in dram terms.

The gas prices would have been much higher had the Armenian government
not controversially agreed last April to hand over more energy assets
to Russia’s state-run gas monopoly, Gazprom. Those included a major
thermal power plant and a controlling stake in ARG.

Gazprom is also expected to gain control of an under-construction
gas pipeline from neighboring Iran.

The deal followed Russia’s decision late last year to double the
price of its gas for Georgia and Armenia to $110 per thousand cubic
meters. It essentially allowed the latter to continue pay about $60
until the end of 2008. It remains unclear what the price will be
after that.

The Russians announced plans last month to charge Georgia $230 per
thousand cubic meters next year and may well set the same tariff for
Armenia in 2009.

BRAZEN CHARM OF A "FAILURE STATE"
James Hakobyan

Lragir, Armenia
Nov 28 2006

In the civilized world, as they usually put it, the government
takes care of the needs of the citizens. Generally, the idea of
government was born out of need, as an effective means of meeting
the needs of the society. I do not know whether the reason is the
imperfection that everything is the contrary in the Armenian state,
and the citizens satisfy the needs of the government rather than
the government satisfies the needs of the citizens. And if this was
unconstitutional up to November 27, now this already has legal force.

Now the public need will be the term to give to the act of depriving
someone of their home, land, property. At first sight, this does not
contradict to the duties of the government before the citizens. After
all, in order to meet the needs of a major group of its citizens the
government often has to give trouble to another group of citizens.

This is quite normal, and sometimes even inevitable. In Armenia,
however, it is upside down. There is a vivid example – North Avenue,
which is considered the largest urban project of the Third Republic.

The government of Yerevan and Armenia usually boast that even the
wealthy Soviet Union could not implement Alexander Tamanyan’s project,
whereas the Third Republic is implementing it. We can leave aside
the fact that North Avenue of the government in its present form has
nothing to do with Tamanyan’s project except for its location and
direction. We can leave aside that it is highly disputable whether
this large business and residential compound is needed in the Center
of Yerevan. After all, Tamanyan’s vision of Yerevan was a city with a
population of 300-500 thousand, whereas the population of Yerevan is a
little more than 1 million, and the Center of Yerevan is facing a vital
need for reducing traffic rather than a necessity for crowding. We
can leave all these things aside, although this single fact shows
that North Avenue does not have a public importance.

There are other factors, however, which show that a great number of
inhabitants of the Center of Yerevan were deprived of their property
because it was necessary for a group of official and oligarch owners.

North Avenue is going to have a function, the absence of which would
make no difference for the public life. For instance, if a Diaspora
Armenian or a successful businessmen lived on the outskirts rather than
the Center, the public and the government would gain more, because
on his outskirt he would have to create certain infrastructures for
himself, which would favor the even development of the city. Meanwhile,
now it appears that the government needs to provide a class with
elite apartments and offices. People have invented the government for
these situation to enforce the law of the state in the society, not
the law of the jungle. And now, having the example of North Avenue,
by voting consciously or unconsciously for legalizing expropriation
of people’s property for the needs of the government, the National
Assembly of Armenia establishes jungle relations in the Armenian state.

Certainly, it is important to have a modern-looking town, and replace
the old huts with new ones. The citizens who lost their apartments
in the Center of Yerevan would gladly agree to move to other parts
of the city if instead of building a bourgeois neighborhood in the
place of their houses a road junction were built which would take
away heavy traffic off the Center. However, first it is necessary to
build a state which would take care of the needs of its citizens.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS ADOPT BILL ON THE ORDER OF ALIENATION OF LANDS FOR PUBLIC AND STATE NEEDS

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Nov 27 2006

Despite the active protest of the opposition, Armenian parliamentarians
adopted bill on the order of alienation of lands for public and
state needs.

Justice Minister David Haroutunyan said that earlier the
Constitutional Court recognized a number of provisions in the above
codes contradictory to the Constitution of Armenia. This necessitated
the elaboration of the bill. The key goal of the bill is introduction
of the alienation institutions, regulation of the issues concerning
the owner’s rights, the mechanisms of relevant decisions by courts.

In this connection, the Government as a responsible body is to assess
the necessity of alienation. The owner has a right to appeal against
the Government’s decision to the court, implying European Human
Rights Court. The public interests are prior when making decisions
on alienation of property. It concerns the construction of airport,
energy and other facilities. After the owner appeals against the
decision of the Government to the court, the parties get a right
to at least 3 months of negotiations. During this period of time
the alienation is banned. If the owner disagrees with the proposal,
a third stage starts to estimate the reasonable price of the property.

This implies application of market prices plus 15 percent from the
owner’s sum. At the same time, the owner does not pay any taxes from
these funds. When the sum is transferred to the depository account
of the owner and the court makes decision, the property is considered
alienated. If the court resolves to re-estimate the property, this may
not be in favor of the owner as a higher market price may be applied at
the given moment. The courts have 7 days to execute this decision. – M-

RA PARLIAMENT RECOGNIZED, IN SECOND READING, MANY LAWS, ADOPTED
EARLIER BY ARMENIAN SUPREME COUNCIL, STALE

Today, RA Parliament has recognized, in a second reading, a number of
laws, adopted earlier by the RA Parliament and the Armenian Supreme
Council, stale.

As the RA deputy Justice Minister, Gevork Malkhasyan, told the
deputies, a situation has been formed at present, when many laws,
adopted earlier, either do not function or conflict with the provisions
of the country’s Basic Law. Actually, they have effect but are inactive
in fact. In view of this, the Government has determined a list of 80
laws which now stale.

R PARLIAMENTARIANS PASSED BILL, IN THIRD READING, ON ESSENCES WHICH
DESTROY OZONE LAYER

Today, the Ra Parliamentarians have passed a bill, in the third and
final reading, on essences, which destroy the ozone layer.

As the Minister for Nature Preservation, Vardan Aivazyan, noted
in his speech, the bill was developed by RA Government based on the
liabilities, taken by Armenia in line with the clauses of the Viennese
International Convention on the Ozone Layer Protection, as well as
with the Montreal and London Protocol to the Copenhagen Agreement
about essences which destroy the ozone layer. According to Aivazyan,
production of essences, which affect the ozone layer destruction,
is forbidden in Armenia. Though, it has never produced such essences,
however, a tendency of their import is observed. Based on this bill,
Ra Government is obliged to annually set the volumes of import and
use of these essences. Their import from the countries , which did
not joint the International Conventions and Agreements, is banned. The
deputies have also made corresponding changes to the Law on State Due.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS ADOPT BILL ON TERRITORIES UNDER SPECIAL
PROTECTION

Armenian parliamentarians have adopted the third and the final reading
of a bill on the territories under special protection.

Nature Protection Minister Vardan Ayvazyan says the bill consists
of 17 chapters and 33 articles. It classifies the territories under
special protection, establishes the order of their protection and
development. For the first time, the document provides for the
mechanism of elaboration and application of a plan of preservation
and sustainable development of reserves. The development of eco-
tourism can become one of the sources of sustainable development,
the minister says. The bill establishes the rights and the duties of
the bodies responsible for creation, preservation and development of
the given territories. In particular, these are local self-government
bodies. The document defines the territories of international, state
and private importance. The bill underwent examination of foreign
specialists twice, the minister says.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS ADOPT PACKAGE OF LAWS REGULATING TRADE AND
CONTROL OVER SAFE FOODSTUFFS

Armenian parliamentarians have adopted the third and the final reading
of a package of laws regulating the trade and control over safety
of foodstuffs.

Minister of Agriculture of Armenia David Lokyan said these are 5
laws the adoption of which will bring the country’s legislation
in harmony with European standards. The Government has prepared a
relevant law applied in Europe. The new law on safety of food products
regulates the whole turnover of foodstuffs, including the procession
and consumption. The bill establishes such notions as harmful food
products, mechanisms of control and withdrawal from circulation. The
order is established by the Government. However, the Health Care
Ministry has a prior right to withdraw products from circulation. A
single supervisory body can be formed in future. A producer is
responsible for the quality of foodstuffs. A relevant supervisory body
will control over the activity of producers. Additional requirements
are made to advertising of foodstuffs. Advertising must be coordinated
with the Health Care Ministry. Information exchange is of special
importance as well. The document regulates also the rights and the
powers of inspectors.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT AMENDS LAW ON ARMENIAN CIVIL DEFENSE SUBDIVISIONS

Armenian parliamentarians has amended the Law on the Armenian Civil
Defense Subdivisions in the second and final reading, Monday.

Deputy Defense Minister of Armenia Arthur Aghabekyan necessitated the
amendments with the fact that the subdivisions were transferred to the
structure of the Armenian Defense Ministry under the amendments dated
May 26 2005. However, the structure and the staff of the sub-divisions
were approved by the Armenian Government. In this connection, there
was a necessity of amending the law and granting this right to the
defense minister.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT AMENDS CODE ON ADMINISTRATIVE VIOLATIONS

Armenian parliamentarians amended the Code on administrative violations
in the second and final reading, Monday.

One of the authors of the amendments, representative of the United
Labor Party faction, Hripsime Avetisyan, stated that on July 7 2006,
the Armenian Parliament adopted a Law on declaration of the property
and incomes of citizens. Under the law, many citizens pledge to make
declarations on their property and incomes. In addition, a Law on
declaration of the property and incomes of high-ranking officials
came into effect in 2001. The amendments provide for giving citizens
additional 30 days to make a relevant declaration. Fines are to be
imposed when the citizens do not declare their property and incomes
also after the expiry of these 30 days.

R PARLIAMENTARIANS PASSED LAW ON NATIONAL WATER PROGRAM

Today, RA Parliamentarians have passed a Law, in the third and final
reading, on the National Water Program.

As the RA Minister for Nature Preservation , Vardan Aivazyan,
said, the main provisions of the bill proceed from the Water Code
requirements. The requirement of keeping and rational use of the
country’s water resources is assumed a s a basis of the National
Water Program. In particular, the classification of water resources,
the water quality standards are given in the document. Thus, the
water resources are divided by the degree of importance, danger and
use. Keeping and increase of wager resources is carried out on the
account of both the state budget means and the credits and grants of
international organizations. Taking into account the peculiarities of
water resources, all this, in the Minister’s opinion, will contribute
to their efficient control and reduction of losses. As the Minister
noted, the volumes of water reserves in the Republic at present make
up 9 bln cub.m, 2,4 bln cub. m of which is actually used. The task
number one, Aivazyan underlined, is to increase these volumes. 1,5
bln cub. m more are sent to the transboundary rivers. According to
the Minister, these volumes are fixed by international documents,
to which Armenia has also joined.

Azat Artsakh, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh
Nov 25 2006

MEETING OF NKR-ARMENIA PARLIAMENTARY COMMISSION

AA

On November 21 and 22 the meeting of the NKR-Armenia Parliamentary
Commission was held in Yerevan. In his address the speaker of the
National Assembly of Armenia Tigran Torosian said for the first time
two meetings are held in a year, and he hopes that this style of work
will not change after the parliamentary election in Armenia in 2007.
NKR Speaker Ashot Ghulian mentioned that the cooperation of the
parliaments enabled the NKR National Assembly to set up relations
with the parliaments of other countries. He also emphasized that the
Armenian parliament members helped to draft the NKR Constitution,
which will be put to popular voting on December 10. The first
question discussed during the meeting referred to the application of
the provisions of the constitution in the legislation. Rudolf
Martirossian, Chair of the Defense, Security and Legality Committee
presented the principles and provisions of the Constitution. Since
1992 the NKR parliament has adopted 600 laws, which necessitate the
adoption of the basic law. It became clear from Mr. Martirossian’s
speech that the constitutions of Armenia and Karabakh have much in
common. NKR is also going to adopt a semi-presidential government,
and the powers of the parliament multiply. The order of appointment
of the prime minister and the attorney general are similar. The audit
chamber of the parliament will become an independent body. There are
also differences. For instance, NKR will not have a Constitutional
Court. But the Supreme Court will have a Constitutional Chamber, and
anyone can appeal to it. The head of state can take legislative
action. In NKR a person aged 23, not 25 can become member of
parliament. Ashot Ghulian said this provision was proposed by the
Democratic Party of Arstakh. According to him, if the defense of the
country is entrusted to a 20-year-old youth, it would be right to
involve him in political processes as well. The orders of forming
government and courts are different, the structure of the
constitution and the chapter on human rights are different too. It
became clear from Armenian Member of Parliament Galust Sahakyan’s
question that Karabakh will have a separate law on citizenship, and
the Constitution does not bar dual nationality. Gagik Minassian asked
to explain why the president is empowered to take legislative action.
Rudolf Martirossian said it was intended to facilitate the solution
of problems. Member of Parliament Mnatsakan Petrossian asked a
question about the power to hold a referendum. The NKR parliament
member informed that they have not foreseen local referendums,
starting from the security of the country. The parliamentary
commission also discussed the Armenian and NKR economic legislations.
Benik Bakshiyan, Chair of the Finance, Budget and Economy Committee
said Karabakh and Armenia have almost the same laws, but there are
urgent problems, namely the compliance of the economic legislation
with the international standards, membership to the World Trade
Organization, the elimination of structural differences between the
economies of the two republics, and investments. NKR Member of
Parliament Arayik Harutiunian said the economic indexes of Karabakh
are lower than in Armenia. There problems with gasifying, irrigation
systems, housing, international investments. Assistant chief of the
Armenian Tax Service Armen Alaverdian said the parliamentary
committee deals with legislations, and the economic and budget
problems are to be dealt with by the government committee. Deputy
Minister of Economy and Finance Suren Gharayan pointed out the
importance of synchronizing the excise tax regulations in the
legislations of the two countries. There were also political
discussions on the regional developments and the settlements of
conflicts.