ARKA News Agency
March 23 2005
Armenia to adopt national security concept before end of 2007
RA President meets with head of OSCE Yerevan office
Serge Sargsyan: All stores of weapons and ammunition of Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh are under control
Bill on higher school of law to be discussed in Yerevan on March 24
Russia and Armenia need to settle economic issues: Ara Abramyan
Favorable migration balance of 2,000 people recorded in Armenia in
2004
Armenia, Azerbaijan to release pows in future
A campaign of protest by Armenian youth against destruction monuments
of Armenian architecture to be held in Yerevan on March 25
OSCE Chairman-in-Office to visit Armenia on March 30
RA, RF Presidents to hold one-on-one meeting on March 25
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ARMENIA TO ADOPT NATIONAL SECURITY CONCEPT BEFORE END OF 2007
YEREVAN, March 23. /ARKA/. Armenia is to adopt a national security
concept before the end of 2007, Secretary of the RA Presidential
Security Council, Minister of Defense Serge Sargsyan stated in
Parliament. According to him, the concept will be published in a
month. The Minister reported that he has submitted the concept to the
country~Rs top officers, and it ~Scontains a detailed and comprehensive
description of possible threats to the state~Rs security and ways of
neutralizing them.~T Sargsyan said that the document will clearly
indicate what relations Armenia wants to build up with NATO, Russia,
EU, and the USA, as well as with other organizations and countries,
considering its own security interests. P.T. ~V0–
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RA PRESIDENT MEETS WITH HEAD OF OSCE YEREVAN OFFICE
YEREVAN, March 23. /ARKA/. RA President Robert Kocharian has met
today with Head of the OSCE Yerevan office Vladimir Pryakhin,. The RA
presidential press service reports that Pryakhin informed the RA
President of the main directions of the office~Rs activities in 2005.
The sides also discussed issues of improving the RA Election Code and
constitutional reforms, as well as a number of programs being
implemented with the OSCE~Rs assistance. President Kocharian
congratulated Pryakhin on the 5th anniversary of the OSCE Yerevan
office and wished him success in his work. P.T. ~V0–
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SERGE SARGSYAN: ALL STORES OF WEAPONS AND AMMUNITION OF ARMENIA AND
NAGORNO-KARABAKH ARE UNDER CONTROL
YEREVAN, March 23. /ARKA/. All stores of weapons and ammunition of
Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh are under control, as stated RA Minister
of Defense Serge Sargsyan. According to him, the investigation of
weapons smuggling by a criminal group headed by an Armenian native in
the USA doesn~Rt prove that weapons were exported to the USA or other
country from Armenia. Sargsyan noted that the representative of RA
Armed Forces involved in the case hasn~Rt done any illegal activity,
since taking photos of weapons is not a crime. ~SThis doesn~Rt mean
that weapons should be sold somewhere~T, he said.
The Attorney~Rs Office of New York, the USA, announced on March 15
about the arrest of 18 people suspected of smuggling Russian military
arms. The ringleaders are Arthur Solomonyan, 26, native of Armenia
and native of South Africa, Christiaan Dewet Spies, 33. The arrested
are charged with making a scheme including attempts to smuggle
rocket-propelled grenade launchers and shoulder-fired surface-to-air
missiles, which experts have warned attackers might use to down a
plane. According to the Head of RA National Security Service Hrachya
Harutyunyan, on March 17 criminal proceedings were instituted, and
already three people involved in crime are arrested in Armenia.
A.H.~W0–
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BILL ON HIGHER SCHOOL OF LAW TO BE DISCUSSED IN YEREVAN ON MARCH 24
YEREVAN, March 23. /ARKA/. A bill on higher school of law is to be
discussed in Yerevan on March 24, at an international seminar
~SDevelopment of lawyers retraining institutions~T. Ara Saghatelyan,
Press Secretary of the Minister of Justice, reported that RA Minister
of Justice Dacid Harutyunyan and a CE representative, Joze Maria
Fernandes, are to take part in the seminar. P.T. ~V0–
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RUSSIA AND ARMENIA NEED TO SETTLE ECONOMIC ISSUES: ARA ABAMYAN
YEREVAN, March 23. /ARKA/. President of the World Armenian Congress
(WAC) and of the Union of Armenians of Russia (UAR) Ara Abramyan
believes that Russia and Armenia need to focus on resolving economic
problems. At his press conference at the RIA ~SNovosty~T he stated that
~SArmenian-Russian political and military relations are closest and
warmest. However, economic problems must be solved as well.~T
According to Abramyan, the sides should also cooperate in resolving
the problem of Armenia~Rs transport blockade and discuss the issue of
withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgia. ~SI believe that
Armenia deal with these issues together [with Russia],~T Abramyan
said.
In his turn, Andranik Migranyan, Professor of Moscow State Institute
of International Relations, expressed a hope that the meeting of the
two countries~R leaders in Yerevan will result in a mutually
acceptable decision being reached. ~SWe are unlikely to get any result
from the visit, but a breakthrough may be expected in a number of
issues,~T Migranyan said. He also expressed a doubt that the
Azerbaijani president~Rs recent statement that a war with Armenia may
break out at any moment may cause changes in the agenda of
negotiations between the Armenian and Russian Presidents. ~SThe
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement would be on the agenda in any case. But
it would cause the problem to be considered more thoroughly,~T
Migranyan said. P.T. ~V0–
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FAVORABLE MIGRATION BALANCE OF 2,000 PEOPLE RECORDED IN ARMENIA IN
2004
YEREVAN, March 23. /ARKA/. A favorable migration balance of 2,000
people was recorded in Armenia in 2004, the RA presidential press
service reports, referring to Head of the Ra Department for Migration
and Refugees Gagik Yeganyan, who made this statement at his meeting
with RA President Robert Kocharian.
The sides discussed a housing program for 760 refugee families,
reduction of illegal migration, problems of Armenian migrants in
Russia. The President instructed to classify the problems and take
measures to resolve them. P.T. ~V0–
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ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN TO RELEASE POWs IN FUTURE
YEREVAN, March 23. /ARKA/. The Armenian and Azerbaijani State
Commissions for POWs and Missing Persons intend to establish regular
direct contacts. A relevant agreement was reached at a meeting of the
Commissions in Tbilisi. The Information and Propaganda Department, RA
Ministry of Defense, reports that the meeting participants elaborated
a mechanism of constructive cooperation, which is based on the
principle of handing over POWs after necessary investigations within
the shortest period. The meeting participants consider exchange of
people immoral, stressing that in future they will only raise the
issue of releasing POWs. The sides stated their willingness to create
conditions for meetings of relatives and representatives of
international organizations with the POWs to be convinced of their
voluntary decisions to return to their native countries.
The Armenian and Azerbaijani Commissions for POWs and Missing Persons
held the meeting in Tbilisi on March 18. The Armenian Commission was
represted by Vice-Chairman Mikael Grigoryan and his assistant Leo
Agajanov, and the Azerbaijani Commission by Secretary Shahin Sailov
and Head of the task group Firudin Sadigov. Participating in the
meeting were also Co-Chairmen of the international task group for
missing persons and released POWs in the Karabakh conflict zone
Svetlana Gannushkina and Bernhard Klasen. P.T. ~V0–
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A CAMPAIGN OF PROTEST BY ARMENIAN YOUTH AGAINST DESTRUCTION MONUMENTS
OF ARMENIAN ARCHITECTURE TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN ON MARCH 25
YEREVAN, March 23. /ARKA/. A campaign of protest by Armenian youth
against destruction monuments of Armenian architecture will be held
in Yerevan on March 25. According to the Armenian Youth Union, the
campaign will be followed by march in the center of the city for
protection of historical-cultural monuments of the capital. In this
regard, the Union collected 1012 signatures that as an open letter
was sent to RA President Robert Kocharyan, RA NA Speaker Arthur
Baghdasaryan, RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan, Yerevan Mayor
Yervand Zakharyan. It states in particular that for the recent years
active reconstruction of the center of Yerevan is accompanied with
destructions of the national historic heritage, valuable buildings of
Armenian architecture, urban planning complexes and historical
atmosphere. ~SAll this brings to the fact that Yerevan gradually loses
its peculiar historic architecture face. The Armenian youth expressed
anxiety in regard with the fact and asks direct and immediate
interference with it to prevent the process and preserve common human
values of the capital~T, according to the letter.
As it became known, the letter sent to the President~Rs apparatus was
addressed to Yerevan municipality and RA Ministry of Culture and
Youth Affairs. A.H. –0–
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OSCE CHAIRMAN-IF-OFFICE TO VISIT ARMENIA ON MARCH 30
YEREVAN, March 23. /ARKA/. OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Slovenian Foreign
Minister Dimitry Rupel is to arrive for a two-day visit to Armenia on
March 30. The press and public relations department, RA Foreign
Office, reports that during his visit D. Rupel is to hold meetings
with RA President Robert Kocharian, Speaker of the RA Parliament
Artur Baghdasaryan, RA Premier Andranik Margaryan and RA Foreign
Minister Vardan Oskanyan. The OSCE Chairman-in-Office may also meet
with President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) Arkady
Ghukasyan. P.T. ~V0–
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RA, RF PRESIDENTS TO HOLD ONE-ON-ONE MEETING ON MARCH 25
YEREVAN, March 23. /ARKA/. RF President Vladimir Putin is to arrive
for a working visit to Armenia in March 24. The RA presidential press
service reports that on March 25 the Russian and Armenian Presidents
are to hold a one-on-one meeting, after which a joint press
conference is to be held. The two countries~R leaders are also to
attend meetings of Russian and Armenian officials. President Putin is
also scheduled to meet with Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II.
The Armenian and Russian Presidents are to attend the ceremonial
opening of a Year of Russia in Armenia at the Armenian National
Opera. The Russian delegation led by the RF President is to leave
Armenia on March 25 evening. P.T. ~V0–
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