Author: Tadevosian Garnik

THEY DEMAND TO FREE SEFILYAN IMMEDIATELY

A1+
[10:34 pm] 11 December, 2006

Today, a number of parties and organizations have made a statement
about the arrest of Zhirayr Sefilyan. It says:

"On December 10 of the current year, about 15 armed and masked people
arrested former commander of the Shushi regiment, lieutenant colonel
Zhirayr Sefilyan, coordinator of the initiative ‘Union of Armenian
Volunteers’, head of the NGO ‘Protection of Liberated Lands’, in a
public place, in the presence of his wife and friends, violating the
11th and 12th articles of the RA Criminal Code.

On the same day, member of the initiative ‘Union of Armenian
Volunteers’ Vardan Malkhasyan was arrested in his own house, regardless
of the presence of his sick mother.

On the same day about 40 citizens were arrested and their houses were
searched. Until now, the fate of some of them is unclear.

We condemn any activity reminding the year 1937 and announce officially
that they authorities which have long exhausted all the civilized
resources, will not be able to create an atmosphere of fear but will
suffer the just anger of the society.

We demand to set Zhirayr Sefilyan, Vardan Malkhasyan and their friends
free immediately.

We also demand to give Zhirayr Sefilyan citizenship of Armenia for
sacrificing his whole life for the well-being of his country".

The statement was signed by "New Times", "Fatherland and Honor",
"Republic", "Democratic Path", "Democratic Homeland", RA People’s
Party, RA Democratic Party, "National Self-Determination Union",
"Constitutional Right Union", RA Progressive party, "Orinats yerkir",
Hnchakyan party, "National Democrats’ Union", and Nzhdehyan party.

It was also signed by the aldermen of the Intellectuals’ forum,
and the Civic Disobedience Movement.

CLEAR PARALLELS FOR ARMENIA EARTHQUAKE: LESSONS LEARNED IN PAST EARTHQUAKES

ABC News
SHOW: TIME TUNNEL 9:05 AM EST ABC
December 8, 2006 Friday

Anchors: Rob Simmelkjaer
Reporters: Bill Blakemore (New York, NY USA)

CONTENT: TIEN SHAN, EARTHQUAKE, MEXICO CITY, ARMENIA, DOUG JEWETT,
DAVID SIMPSON, VENEZUELA, DADE COUNTY, APLS, HIMALAYAS

PETER JENNINGS (ABC NEWS)

(Off-camera) Try to put the Armenian earthquake in perspective in
the worst earthquake in recent years. It struck the Chinese City of
Tien Shan in 1976 and it measured 7.8 on the Richter scale. Almost a
quarter of a million people died. The Mexico City earthquake in 1985
was an 8.1. 10,000 people died. The disaster in Mexico City, you may
remember, was extensively and widely televised, which means it was
something of a classroom for rescue workers all over the world. In
Soviet Armenia, there are clear parallels. Here’s Bill Blakemore.

GRAPHICS: SOVIET UNION

BILL BLAKEMORE (ABC NEWS)

(Voiceover) The Soviets are facing a terrible problem no nation has
yet been able to solve, how to take a part of collapsed buildings
quickly enough and delicately enough to save unseen thousands buried
alive. Survivors in profound shock usually can’t believe anyone could
be alive in the heavy rubble.

GRAPHICS: 1980

GRAPHICS: ITALY

BILL BLAKEMORE (ABC NEWS)

(Voiceover) But lessons we’ve learned from earthquakes earlier this
decade have taught how people can survive two or three weeks buried
without food or water.

GRAPHICS: 1985

GRAPHICS: MEXICO

BILL BLAKEMORE (ABC NEWS)

(Voiceover) Babies surprised the world in Mexico City when they
were taken out alive from ruined maternity wards in the second
week after their 1985 earthquake. The Mexican buildings were of the
same reinforced concrete construction collapsing down in sandwiching
layers, which we’ve seen now in the first pictures coming from Soviet
Armenia. But the craft of getting quickly into such ruined buildings
is in its infancy. Mexico City saw squabbling among different experts
from France, Mexico, the US, and 45 other nations.

BILL BLAKEMORE (ABC NEWS)

(Voiceover) Doug Jewett of Miami’s Dade County Rescue was one of the
experts in Mexico.

DOUG JEWETT (EARTHQUAKE RESCUE EXPERT)

We have all the resource in the world, but we got one major problem.

We cannot coordinate all these resources. There’s always 15 chiefs
and one Indian.

BILL BLAKEMORE (ABC NEWS)

(Voiceover) After the Mexico quake, international rescue teams met
in Venezuela, to try to get organize for the next big one. But they
failed to agree on standardized rescue techniques. Earthquake rescue
experts in many countries today like these, ready to go in France and
in Britain, wanted to get to Soviet Armenia yesterday. But have had
to wait for governments to work out detail. There’s a series of faults
stretching from the Alps to the Himalayas. The Soviet earthquake was in
the center of this in the Caucasus Mountains. And being in mountains,
say geologists, can make earthquakes worst.

DOCTROR DAVID SIMPSON (SEISMOLOGIST)

It will get much more effect because of landslides, because of loose
soil, because of the ground conditions in the area.

BILL BLAKEMORE (ABC NEWS)

(Voiceover) Great plates of the earth are pushing against each other
there, literally pushing the mountain ranges farther up. And will
go on in doing so for thousands of years to come. But without an
international organized rescue system, the Soviets today are facing
much of the same learning from scratch about catastrophic earthquake
rescue so many have faced before. Bill Blakemore, ABC News, New York.

ROB SIMMELKJAER (ABC NEWS)

(Off-camera) When we come back on ‘Time Tunnel," more on that huge
earthquake in Armenia and a look at a long gone sliced of Americana.

Stay tuned for more ‘Time Tunnel" in just a moment.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

BBC FINAL SHOWS BEST TEENAGE BEATS
By Ben Sutherland

BBC News
inment/6216158.stm
2006/12/09 09:40:01 GMT

Fans of TV talent shows would have been familiar with the format –
an act performs, the judges debate the merits of that performance,
the presenter asks them how they feel – and ultimately, one of them
is awarded the winner.

But the final of The Next Big Thing – the BBC’s global search for
the best young musical talent – was different in a couple of ways.

Firstly, all the acts were aged under 18. Secondly, they were all
really rather good.

In this case, selecting the eventual winner would be legendary
producer William Orbit, Rough Trade founder Jeff Travis, African
star Angelique Kidjo and Dirty Pretty Things drummer Gary Powell,
with former Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel also giving his input.

And so to the acts. Brazilian six-piece combo Sweet Cherry Fury began
the night with their jaunty, raucous take on boredom in exams, Cold
Blonde Body.

Having flown 20 hours from Sao Paulo – and lost their luggage en
route – they were determined not to let a minor technical hitch that
had delayed the start of the gig put them off.

Lyrical flow

Impressively, performing live at the BBC’s famous Maida Vale studios
in front of industry icons seemed to inspire them rather than make
them nervous – something, on the most part, in common with all the
performers on the night.

They threw themselves into their songs with both intensity and
passion. As Vardy, the lead singer of British three-piece rock group
Skagz put it, "we’re having the time our lives."

There was an intense performance from Malawian rap act NiC, a duo
who volleyed words back and forth like Sampras and Ivanisevic in
their prime, deciding not to bother with those fancy passing shots
and just belting the ball at each other.

Their angry – if interestingly anti-materialistic – rap stems from
their frustration at attempting to break into the music industry
in Africa. Judge Gary Powell was particularly impressed by what he
described as their "lyrical flow", saying they could be understood
better "than acts in the charts earning millions".

NiC would eventually finish second, a place shared with British duo
Stefan and Mya – whose much more light-hearted song, My Dunks, is
about a fashion victim and his girlfriend, who feels she is always
second-best to her man’s trainers.

Their bickering couple style drew high praise from the judges. "I’d say
you’re like Lily Allen, but you’re much better than that," said Powell.

But everyone brought something different to the final, despite –
or perhaps because of – their widely diverse backgrounds, sounds,
and themes.

Refugee Malikinke delivered a multi-language plea to African men to
think before they sleep around; US multi-member group MLK performed
an eight-word, two-minute celebration of Martin Luther King; while
the Skagz thrashed out their up-tempo rock song about singer Vardy
"getting attacked in the mining village of Whitwell".

Winner

As soon as she stepped behind the microphone, however, the star
quality of the act who go on to win shone through.

Armenian performer Silva not only sang, she also really performed,
coupling her smooth vocal with some well-honed dance moves.

The 17-year-old’s tango-based song I Like – written by her sister and
produced by her brother – would not have sounded out of place on any
hit-centred radio station.

But, with a little polish, the same could have been said for most of
the other acts too. None were noticeably weak – a benefit, perhaps,
of having a panel of music industry experts give their input into
choosing the final seven.

The four judges admitted they had expected the standard to be "much
lower", and were visibly impressed.

As they deliberated and the groups awaited the result, the genuine
camaraderie that had grown between the acts – they had stayed together
in the same hotel since arriving in London earlier in the week,
and cheered each others’ performances – was clear to see.

They all stood huddled together, nervously chatting to each other,
offering congratulatory handshakes and hugs whenever one of them was
mentioned by name by the judges.

When the result was announced, the cheers and applause were such
that any one of them could have been cheering their own win as much
as Silva’s.

Silva herself was utterly overwhelmed by the experience, and accepted
the trophy with tears in her eyes.

Asked if she was happy to have won, she could manage only one word:
"Yes."

CE INVESTIGATION GROUP TO MONITOR AZERBAIJANI HISTORIC & CULTURE MONUMENTS IN OCCUPIED TERRITORY BY SUMMER 2007 – AZERBAIJANI MINISTER
Author: S.Agayeva

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Dec 8 2006

Abulfaz Garayev, the Azerbaijani Minister for Culture & Tourism, stated
to a news conference on 8 December that a visit of the Investigation
group of the Council of Europe (CE) to monitor the historic and culture
monuments of Azerbaijan in the occupied territory is scheduled for
summer 2007, Trend reports.

The Ministry of Culture & Tourism, the Ministry of National Security
and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have developed and submitted
to the research mission of the CE, all factual documents relating
to the termination of historic and culture monuments of Azerbaijan
located in the occupied territory of Azerbaijan. ‘We are organizing
a day tour of the mission to Armenia, Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani
territory under the Armenian occupation," the Minister stated.

The visit of the mission was originally scheduled to take place at
the beginning of September, but this was later postponed. At the
same time the Ministry continues to conduct research on the state of
culture and historic monuments left in the occupied territory.

December 9, 2006

PRESS RELEASE
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
Website: <;

THE PRELATE ACCOMPANIED H.H. CATHOLICOS ARAM I
ON HIS VISIT TO THE EASTERN UNITED STATES

-18 YOUTH FROM THE WESTERN PRELACY PARTICIPATED IN THE YOUTH GATHERING

On Thursday, December 7, H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate,
returned to Los Angeles from a weeklong visit to the Eastern United States,
where he had accompanied the entourage of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of
the Great House of Cilicia, during His visit to the Eastern United States.
His Holiness visited Detroit, Michigan, during the weekend of December 1 –
3, 2006, where He addressed Armenian youth, students and young adults, at a
gathering organized by the three Prelacies, encouraging them to take the
renewal of the Armenian Church seriously.
His Holiness visited the United States upon a special invitation by St. John
‘s University in Minnesota to receive the Pax Christi Award. In addition,
He was invited to speak at the University of Notre Dame’s `Interdisciplinary
Conference on the Dynamics of Religious Coping’. During His trip He
requested that the young adults of all three prelacies organize a meeting,
so that issues regarding the youth of the Armenian Apostolic Church could be
discussed.
His Holiness arrived in Detroit on December 1st where He was
greeted by H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, H.E. Archbishop Oshagan
Choloyan, Prelate of the Eastern United States, H.E. Archbishop Khajag
Hagopian, Prelate of Canada, members of Prelacy councils, Pastor and Board
of Trustees of St. Sarkis Church in Dearborn, and representatives of various
community organizations.
In the youth gathering entitled `Your Church, Your Future, Engage,’ His
Holiness challenged attendees to do just that; engage. `We must remind
ourselves that we are the first Christian nation which accepted Christianity
as a state religion, but at the same time, we must realize that our church
directly needs renewal,’ He told the youth. `By renewal I don’t mean
changing the language of the liturgy or introducing some changes in the
administration or the structure of the church. This would be a very
superficial and one-sided perception of renewal. By renewal I understand
making our church a people’s church impacting the life of our people. By
renewal I mean making our church responsive to the needs and expectations of
our people. By renewal I mean reaffirming the missionary, evangelistic and
educational outreach of the church. Therefore the renewal must be perceived
as a process permeating the entire life of the church.’
In his remarks, H.E. Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate of the Eastern
USA, stressed the importance of greater participation of the youth in our
Church life. Through his biblical meditation, H.E. Archbishop Moushegh
Mardirossian, Prelate of the Western Prelacy, placed the emphasis on serving
the spiritual needs of people. The Prelate of Canada, H.E. Archbishop
Khajag Hagopian, in his turn shared the concern of the youth and invited
them to take an active part in the reformation of the church.
The youth gathering, jointly organized by the three Prelacies, brought
together young adults from different parts of the USA and Canada. The
delegation of 18 youth from the Western United States was led by His
Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, accompanied by Christian
Education Department Co-Director Very Rev. Fr. Barthev Gulumian.
Delegates of the Western Prelacy A.C.Y.A. took active roles during the
weekend event, including greeting His Holiness upon arrival to the hotel,
participating in all scripture readings during the event, and joining the
weekend services both as deacons and sub-deacons. The program of the
educational gathering also included testimonials, lectures, panel
discussions, informal meetings and a musical event. Worship and biblical
meditations were at the heart of this gathering.
During `Hrashapar’ service at St. Sarkis Armenian Church in Detroit on
Friday, December 1st, His Holiness Aram I addressed attendees by
emphasizing: `Not only should we build Churches, we must be built by the
Church, we must become the Church. The Church is not an organization, it is
a community of faith, hope, and love.’
During the second day of the event, in a powerful message addressed to the
youth gathering, Catholicos Aram I challenged the Armenian young adults to
take the renewal of the Armenian Church seriously: `We must be proud that
the Armenian Church is an ancient Church. We must remind ourselves that we
are the first Christian nation which accepted Christianity as a state
religion, but at the same time we must realize that our Church direly needs
renewal.’
At the end of His address, His Holiness engaged in a dialogue with the youth
by responding to the many questions related specifically to the renewal of
the Armenian Church.
The gathering was concluded by a firm commitment of the youth to remain
faithful to the very theme of this event, `Your Church, Your Future, Engage’
.
In the following days, the Prelate accompanied His Holiness to
Indiana and Minnesota where he was present at lectures and church services,
most notably at St. John’s University where His Holiness received the Pax
Christi award. The Prelate returned to Los Angeles on the evening of
Thursday, December 7th.

PRAYERS OFFERED ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE

ARMENIA EARTHQUAKE

Thursday, December 7, was the 18th anniversary of the devastating earthquake
in Armenia. Upon the ordinance of the Prelate, Prelacy churches opened their
doors and welcomed our faithful to pray in memory of the victims.
At St. Garabed Church in Hollywood, a special service was
offered with the participation of students from Rose and Alex Pilibos High
School.
On this day, our faithful parishioners and students prayed for
the souls of the victims and also for the safety of our homeland and all
mankind.

HOLY MASS AT THE LAS VEGAS PARISH

On Sunday, December 10, Holy Mass will be offered at the Armenian Apostolic
Church of Las Vegas, at the Lakes Lutheran Church.
By the ordinance of the Prelate, Very Rev. Fr. Muron Aznikian
will conduct Mass and offer the sermon. Service will begin at 3:00 p.m.

STUDENT GATHERING TO CELEBRATE
THE YEAR OF THE ARMENIAN SCHOOL

As you well know, H.H. Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, had
declared 2006 to be `The Year of the Armenian School’. Therefore, throughout
the year, Prelacy schools organized various events to celebrate the Armenian
School.
On Friday, December 15, the last of these celebrations will take place under
the auspices of the Prelate and with the participation of all Prelacy
Schools. The student gathering, which was initiated by the Board of Regents
of Prelacy Schools, will take place at `Avedissian’ Hall of Ferrahian High
School.
During the event, representatives of the Executive Council and
Board of Regents will deliver their remarks. Concluding remarks will be
made by the Prelate.

ACYA CHRISTMAS PARTY

The Central Board of the ACYA has organized a Christmas party to
take place on Friday, December 15, at 8:00 p.m., at the `Armenak Der
Bedrosian’ Hall of St. Mary’s Church, in Glendale.
The event is being held under the auspices of the Prelate and
with the participation of youth from all Prelacy churches.

SUNDAY SCHOOL CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS

On Sunday, December 17, the Christmas celebrations of St.
Garabed, Holy Martyrs, and Holy Cross Cathedral Sunday Schools will take
place under the auspices of the Prelate. The festivities will begin
following church services, at 1:00 p.m.
St. Mary’s Church Sunday School has planned its celebration for
December 24, at 10:30 a.m. in the church hall.

EMERGENCY RESTORATIONS COMPLETED ON ST. THADDEUS CHURCH
Maryam Tabeshian

Cultural Heritage News, Iran
Dec 8 2006

Photo: St.Thaddeus Cathedral, known as Qara Kelisa (Black Church),
West Azarbaijan provice, northwest Iran St. Thaddeus Cathedral,
also known as Qara Kelisa (The Black Church), northwest Iran, was
renovated by experts in an attempt to register this 1700-year-old
church in UNESCO’s list.

Tehran, 8 December 2006 (CHN Foreign Desk) — Renovation experts
ended their emergency restorations on the Church of Saint Thaddeus,
locally known as Qara Kelisa (The Black Church), built 1700 years
ago in the Iranian northwestern province of West Azarbaijan, in an
attempt to inscribe this ancient monument in UNESCO’s list of World
Heritage Sites in 2008.

Qara Kelisa had previously been put up by Iran for UNESCO world
registration in 2007, but the international organization turned down
the application due to lack of substantial documents including those
pertaining to the value of the building and maps of its precincts.

Experts of Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO)
are now working on the Church’s dossier to be forwarded to UNESCO
for a final review in 2008.

According to Qara Kelisa project manager, Mehdi Shoja-del, an
equivalent of 60,000 US dollars had been allocated to the Church’s
initial restorations which recently came to an end.

Heavy rains had washed away the mortar gluing the stones on the
dome of the St. Thaddeus Church, causing cracks on the dome and its
columns which, according to Shoja-del, were restored by experts during
the initial phase of this project. He also said that the Church’s
surrounding site was reorganized, the northern fortified tower was
restored and the southwestern one was strengthened during the recent
restoration works by experts.

This expert further added that the next phase of the project will
begin once its plan is approved by the Council for the Management
of Churches in Iran and will include restoration of stones on the
Church’s facade, renovation of its museum, and construction of a
center for archiving documents close to the Church.

Northwest Iran is home to the oldest churches in the country among
which Qara Kelisa, St. Stepanous, and Zoorzoor stand out because of
their antiquity.

The Thaddeus Church, locally known as Qara Kelisa or the Black
Church, is considered one of the oldest churches in the world, whose
construction began 1700 years ago. Historians believe that the Church
is the tomb of Thaddeus who is said to have been one of Christ’s
disciples who traveled to Armenia, then part of the Persian Empire,
for preaching the teachings of Christ.

Armenians, an ethnic group living in the Persian Empire, followed
Thaddeus’ teachings and converted to Christianity in 300 AD. Thaddeus
was later martyred and buried in present-day West Azarbaijan
province. A tomb was erected on his burial place by his followers who
turned it into a small prayer house. The building was later changed
into a cathedral in the seventh century AD.

According to the inscriptions remained there, the Church was ruined
in by a devastating earthquake but was later restored in its current
form by a Christian religious figure.

Today the church is known as Qara Kelisa and belongs to the Armenian
community of Iran. It has an international reputation and hosts annual
meetings of world Armenians each year in July-August.

Initially, this church comprised of a small hall with a pyramid-shaped
dome on the top and 12 crevices similar to the Islamic dome-shaped
buildings from the Mongol era. The main part of this pyramid structure
followed Byzantine (Eastern Roman) architecture, including the
horizontal and parallel fringes made of white and black stones in
the interior and black stones on the exterior facing.

The monument has two sections: The old one which is made of black
stones, hence the name Qara (black) Kelisa (church) was given to it
by the locals, and the new one which is made of white stones, each
with its specific engravings.

Special features, antiquity, architectural style, decorations, its
religious importance among the world Armenians, and the celebrations
held annually in Qara Kelisa make the Church worthy of inscription
in UNESCO’s list.

Experts from Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization are
also intending to have other famous churches in the province such
as St. Stepanous Cathedral in Khoy and Zoorzoor Church in Chaldoran
included as annexes to St. Thaddeus Cathedral after its registration.

View images of Qara Kelisa here
p;gallery_uid=262
ction=2&id=6853

A YEZIDI WOMAN AND 4 CHILDREN BURN THEMSELVES DEMANDING JUST PROBE INTO THEIR RELATIVE’S MURDER

Armenpress
Dec 07 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS: The mother of a 42 year-old Yezidi man
and his four children tried to burn themselves today in front of the
presidential residence in downtown Yerevan. Emergency officials rushed
the five to the Center for Treatment of Radioactive Diseases and Burns.

The 42 year-old Yezidi man, Kyaram Avdalian, a resident of Zovuni
village near Yerevan, was killed lately, allegedly by several residents
of a village in Gegharkunik region, led by their community head.

Avdalian’s relatives who gathered outside the presidential residence,
told journalist they expect law-enforcement bodies to carry out an
unbiased probe into the murder, warning otherwise they would burn
themselves.

Doctors in the Center said the woman and four children were out of
danger, but their condition was grave as the burns were deep. The
mother of the killed man was said to have 15 percent of her skin
burned, while the faces and hands of the children were also affected
by fire.

ARMENIA WITHOUT AN ANTHEM

Yerevan, December 6. ArmInfo. Armenia will be without a state anthem
from 7 December 2006. The final deadline on ratification of the
law on anthem expires in 24 hours. According to amendments to the
Constitution, a law on state anthem had to be adopted within a year
after the amendments were entered. Unfortunately, the law hasn’t been
ratified yet. Armenia will remain without anthem for some time till
a special governmental sitting on the issue is held.

Andranik Margaryan, Armenian Premier and Leader of Republican Party,
said that, de jure, Armenia will be without the state anthem for
some time.

The draft law on anthem was not adopted due to acute disputes between
parliamentary parties and the government.

THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL STUDIES ORGANIZED FOR ARMENIAN TRAINERS UNDER PATRONAGE OF INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE

Noyan Tapan
Dec 05 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 5, NOYAN TAPAN. Technical and traner’s courses
will be held in Yerevan on December 5-11, on the initiative of the
National Olympic Committee of Armenia, within the framework of the
"Olympic Solidarity" program of the International Olympic Committee
(IOC). Free-style wrestlers were the first to start their work
on December 5. Yuri Shahmuradov (Moscow), a multiple champion and
prize winner of USSR, Europe and world championships, long-term main
trainer of the USSR free-style wrestling team, honorary master and
trainer of sport, doctor-professor of sciences, gives the courses. 25
participants of RA marzes participate in the courses. They will take
exams and get a corresponding certificate at the end.

50% OF WORKS ENVISAGED BY MODERNIZATION PROGRAM OF HEALTH CARE SYSTEM OF ARMENIA ALREADY DONE

Noyan Tapan
Dec 04 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. Development of family medicine,
modernization of hospitals, improvement of management mechanisms
is one of important components of 25 mln U.S. dollars program
on modernization of the health care system of Armenia. As Sergey
Khachatrian, the Director of the Health Care Program Implementation
Office state institution of the RA Ministry of Health Care mentioned
when presenting the middle-term report of the program on December 1,
for implementation of the program started from December, 2004, the
World Bank allocated about 19 mln dollars credit, and the RA Government
gave 2.3 mln dollars. It was mentioned that as of today, half of that
money was used and 50% of envisaged work was done. Programs directed
to formation of the family doctor’s institute, including training of
family doctors and nurses, were implemented within the framework of the
program. More than 10 out-patient’s clinics of marzes were restored,
150 out-patient’s clinics got medical equipment, furniture and other
accessories. Restoration works are at present being done at the
Yerevan Surb Astvatsamayr (the Blessed Virgin) and Grigor Lusavorich
(Gregory the Illuminator) medical centers. Medical modern equipment
of about 3 mln dollars were bought and brought to Armenia for those
hospitals. The Director of the Health Care Program Implementation
Office state institution stated that works done in all directions will
continue in 2007. But, in his words, this time more attention will
be paid to marzes: one hospital in each of 10 marzes of the republic
is envisaged to "modernize" within the framework of the program. In
S.Khachatrian’s words, the first stage of the program will finish in
2009, after what, in the case of necessity, the RA Government will
again address to the World Bank with the expectation to get other
10-12 mln dollars.