Author: Tadevosian Garnik

ELECTRONIC REFERENDUM LAUNCHED OVER TURNING SHOUSHI PAN-ARMENIAN CULTURAL CENTER

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.04.2006 01:20 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ April 4 Shoushi Foundation launched an electronic
referendum () to turn Shoushi into a pan-Armenian
cultural and tourist center, Foundation initiator, writer, publicist
Bakur Karapetyan stated at a news conference today. In his words,
at least 1 US dollar or euro transferred to the Foundation will be
considered as a vote. Bakur Karapetyan informed project of revival
of Shoushi is worked out.

In the writer’s words, with the financial support of the Beirut
Catholic community, which provided $24 thousand, organized
archaeological excavations were carried out in Shoushi Plateau,
which specifically resulted in discovering a fortress of 12th century,
registration of 525 historical monuments, tourism sights and cultural
regions of the region were studied. Within the framework of the project
the Foundation also registered evidence of all participants of the
Artsakh liberation struggle to publish a multi-volume collection in
the future, To remind, at the beginning of the Karabakh national
liberation movement Shoushi population was 8000, while it numbers
only 2500 at present.

GOVERNMENT HAS ITS OWN PLAN FOR ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

Lragir.am
03 April 06

According to the information we possess, the government has worked
out a plan of a dignified retirement of the president of the National
Academy of Sciences. While the director of the Fundamental Scientific
Library Henry Nersisyan is trying to prove through the mass media that
his 13 accusations against Fadey Sargsyan on violations of the bylaws
and financial breaches are true, the government of Armenia decided
that the annual general meeting of the NAS will take place on April
5, and Fadey Sargsyan will resign. They say he will be adviser to the
prime minister of Armenia. By the way, Henry Nersisyan announces that
the articles of the bylaws on the election of academicians and the
general meeting are violated, and financial breaches count several
dozens of million drams. Whereas, if Fadey Sargsyan resigns, there it
will not be necessity to hear the conclusion of the academic commission
that has investigated the accusations of Henry Nersisyan. Then a new
president of the NAS will be elected. Presently the names of four
people are mentioned: the vice president of NAS Edward Ghazaryan, the
former rector of Yerevan State University Radik Martirosyan, another
former rector of Yerevan State University Norayr Arakelyan, and the
present rector of the State Engineering University of Armenia Yuri
Sargsyan. Henry Nersisyan suggests abstaining from predictions. “See
what happened at the University.”

AZIMOV: MAINTENANCE OF BAKU’S CURRENT POSITION DEPENDS ON “EFFICIENCY OF TALKS”

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.04.2006 01:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azerbaijan will keep on efforts to maintain the
dialogue on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, however the
opponent should know that the maintenance of Baku’s current position
depends on the efficiency of the talks,” Azeri Deputy Foreign Ministry
Araz Azimov stated. “The continuation of the dialogue for the sake
of formality or with taking into account somebody’s ambitions is
senseless. There is no other variant,” he said adding that “this
position was many times sounded by official Baku,” reported Trend
news agency.

Millennium Challenge Corporation Executive Director to Visit Armenia April 10-15

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.04.2006 02:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ John Danilovich, the Executive Director of the
Millennium Challenge Corporation will pay a visit to Armenia April
10-15, Armenian Minister of Economy and Finance Vardan Khachatryan
stated at a press conference in Yerevan today. John Danilovich intends
to discuss the Millennium Challenge Compact and get familiarized
with the preparation works, specifically the establishment of the
Corporation Office scheduled to open in June 2006.

Congressional Record: March 28, 2006 (Senate)]
[Page S2469-S2473]
>From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

By Mr. SANTORUM (for himself and Mr. Menendez): S. 2461. A bill
to prohibit United States assistance to develop or promote any
rail connections or railway-related connections that traverse or
connect Baku, Azerbaijan, Tbilisi, Georgia, and Kars, Turkey, and
that specifically exclude cities in Armenia; to the Committee on
Foreign Relations.

Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation
to block U.S. support for yet another anti-Armenian initiative.

In numerous cases over the last few years, the Turkish government has
methodically sought to isolate Armenia economically, politically and
socially. One of the most egregious examples was the imposition of a
1993 blockade against Armenia in support of Azerbaijan’s war against
Karabakh Armenians.

The Turkish government has routinely sought to exclude Armenia from
projects that would benefit the economies of the countries of the South
Caucasus. The latest example of this policy is the proposal to build
a new rail line that would connect Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Similar to the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, this rail link would specifically
go around Armenia.

Now, geographically, we all know that a pipeline or rail line that
seeks to connect Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan would have to pass
through Armenia. One would have to make a special effort to bypass
Armenia.

The U.S. should not endorse Turkey and Azerbaijan’s politically
motivated attempt to isolate Armenia.

I therefore rise today in opposition to this plan, and to introduce
legislation, along with my colleague, Senator Santorum, that would bar
U.S. support and funding for a rail link connecting Georgia and Turkey,
and which specifically excludes Armenia. This project is estimated to
cost up to $800 million and would take three years to complete. The aim
of this costly approach, as publicly stated by Azeri President Aliyev,
is to isolate Armenia by enhancing the ongoing Turkish and Azerbaijani
blockades and to keep the existing Turkey-Armenia-Georgia rail link
shut down. This ill-conceived project runs counter to U.S. policy,
ignores the standing Kars-Gyumri rail route, is politically and
economically flawed and serves to destabilize the region.

U.S. policy in the South Caucasus seeks to foster regional cooperation
and economic integration and supports open borders and transport
and communication corridors. U.S. support for this project would
run counter to that policy which is why Senator Santorum and I are
introducing this legislation today.

We cannot continue to stoke the embers of regional conflict by
supporting projects that deliberately exclude one of the region’s
most important members. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

‘CASTEL BEER’ BECAME 100% SHAREHOLDER OF ‘KOTAYK’ BEER FACTORY, ARMENIA

Yerevan, March 31. ArmInfo. French entrepreneur Pierre Castel,
founder of the ‘Castel Beer’ concern, bought 29% of the Yerevan
‘Kotayk’ beer factory from Parliamant deputy Gagik Tsarukian, owner of
‘Multi Group’, at the price of $4 million.

According to Christophe Leonian, director general of the Kotayk
factory, P.Castel now became the owner of 100% shares of the factory.

He denied the information that ‘Castel Beer’ intends to sell the
Kotayuk factory to another company.

According to the information of the National Statistics Service, in
2005 Armenian factories produced 10,7 million liters of beer, 21,7%
more than in 2004 (8,8 million liters). The experts say that the beer
market of Armenia is equally shared between the ‘Kotayk’ and ‘Yerevan
Beer’ factories. 10% is taken by the ‘Gyumri’ factory. ‘Kotayk’ was
founded in 1975-76 in cooperation with Czechoslovakia. Castel Beer
owns a number of beer factories in the CIS, particularly in Georgia.

ARMENIANS IN KISLOVODSK CITY COUNCIL

Panorama.am
12:16 30/03/06

The first session of the newly elected City Council has been held in
Russian Kislovodsk city during which the management of the body was
formed. As the newspaper of the Armenian Union in Russia “Yerkramas”
informs the manager of the local medical collage N. Chapligin was
elected president of Kislovodsk City Council. And one of his three
deputies is the head of “Uyut” shoes producing enterprise Pavel
Nersesyants.

To remind, besides the latter there are five more Armenians in the
City Council of Kislovodsk. To note, Kislovodsk is one of Russian
southern cities where there is an Armenian community formed ling ago.

By the way, it is also worth mentioning that another Armenian
representative, Albert Hovsepyan, was elected Deputy of the Chairman
of Abkhazian Parliament.

RA NA SPEAKER TO PAY WORKING VISIT TO SPAIN

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 28 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 28, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. RA National
Assembly Speaker Artur Baghdasarian will pay a working visit to Spain
from March 29 to April 1. NA Speaker’s meetings with Javier Rojo,
the Chairman of the Spanish Senate, and Manuel Marin Gonsales, the
Chairman of the Congress of Deputies of Spain are envisaged during
the visit. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the NA Public Relations
Department, Artur Baghdasarian and Ann-Mari Lizin, the Chairwoman of
the Senate of the Kingdom of Belgium will open on March 24 the 5th
forum of the World Alliance of Cities against Poverty in Valencia,
during which four cities of Armenia will join the alliance. Other
meetings as well are envisaged during the visit.

THE MUNICIPALITY IS STILL A “CLOSED” STRUCTURE

A1+
02:07 pm 27 March, 2006

Is the Yerevan municipality a closed or an open structure? The
journalists tried to get the answer to this question from the head
of the Yerevan Management technologies Center Khazhak Karayan –
the guest of the traditional Monday briefing.

“It will gradually become and open structure”, he commented mentioning
that the investment of new management technologies in the form of the
new official website of the municipality will greatly
contribute to that. On April 15-20 Yervand Zakharyan will organize
the official presentation of the website.

According to Khazhak Karayan, in the newly created website the
citizens can get acquainted with the work of all the administrations
of the municipality.

Gradually it will become an open system for all the citizens.

DIRECTLY TO FORENSIC DOCTOR TO BE AUTOPSIED AFTER DEATH

Panorama.am
12:48 27/03/06

The order of the Minister of Health Norayr Davidyan, according to which
those who died at home must as well be taken to forensic autopsy,
has created a great stir. During the latest four-day sessions of
the NA Deputy Vram Gyulzadyan even announced that the above decision
gives forensic doctors an opportunity to extort money from “socially
people in need,” and later demanded “That order must be hampered from
being realized.”

To note, before this the autopsy of those who died at home was carried
out by local pathologoanatomists. And the above mentioned order passed
by the Minister is explained by saying that sometimes murders occur
in those very distant villages, or even small towns which remain not
only undisclosed but also obscure. Whereas, in case of compulsory
autopsy by a forensic doctor the real cause of death can be revealed.

At any rate, according to the information of Minister N. Davidyan,
up to no win 18 out of 78 cases of home deaths in Yerevan city murders
have been disclosed by means of compulsory autopsy.

Although Deputy Vram Gyulzadyan is concerned with the fact that
forensic doctors would get great amounts of money from forensic
autopsies, deputy Minister of Health Hayk Darbinyan informed us that
the autopsies are to be carried out free of charge irrespective of the
social layer the family belongs to. But are the doctors controlled
during their work? Is there a doctor who will reject the financial
“gratitude” of the relatives of the dead? Or is there a citizen who
will complain against the doctor in the state of mourning for his/her
dead relative?