Author: Tambiyan Samvel

ITALIAN EMBASSY REFUSES TO GRANT VISA TO ARMENIAN PHYSICIAN FOR PARTICIPATION IN WORLD SPORT GAMES OF MEDICS

Yerevan, June 20. ArmInfo. Italian Embassy in Armenia refused to grant
an entry visa to Dmitry Haroutunyan, who was to participate in the
chess tournament of World Sport Games of Medics. Vahe Ter-Minasyan,
PR Manager of the Armenian Medical Association told journalists.

V. Ter-Minasyan did not name the reason of the refusal as they received
no explanations from the Embassy, he said. The Italian Embassy to
Armenia told ArmInfo an application for a visa can be rejected only
for a sound reason. However, the Embassy did not explain the reason.

To note, the Games are scheduled for July 1-8 in an Italian town of
Montecatini, Tuscany province. Armenia was invited to the Games for
the first time. Dmitry Haroutunyan, attending physician of Yerevan
State Medical University Department for Infectious Diseases, passed the
selection tour and was to leave for Italy to participate in the Games.

MARC PERRIN DE BRICHAMBAUT:THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO RESOLVE THE KARABAKH ISSUE IN A PEACEFUL WAY

ArmRadio.am
22.06.2006 13:11

There are still opportunities to resolve the Karabakh issue in a
peaceful way, OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut.

It is important to continue the dialogue after the Bucharest talks, he
declared reminding that today in Vienna the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs
will report to the Permanent Council of the Organization. "Therefore,
no one can say that the process has been suspended. I think the
international community is interested in the resolution of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. Various ways of resolution of the
issue will be discussed. We can only hope that everything will proceed
well. At the same time it is hard to predict whether the conflict will
be resolved in the current year or not," the OSCE Secretary General
said. Simultaneously, Brichambaut expressed his appreciation for the
activity f the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

To remind, today Mattew Bryza will be presented to the OSCE Permanent
Council as new Co-Chair of the Minsk Group.

TURKISH REGIONAL POLICY CAPTIVE OF RELATIONS WITH AZERBAIJAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.06.2006 15:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "In fact, Turkey’s regional policy, which got stuck
on Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline, promotes freezing of the
Azeri-Armenian conflict," Turkish researcher Burcu Gultekin writes in
a book titled Prospects of Regional Cooperation in NATO South-Eastern
Borders: Development of the Turkish-Russian Cooperation in the South
Caucasus. In the author’s opinion, policy of prevalence of interests
of "security at the expense of economy" between Turkey and Azerbaijan
strongly limits Turkish diplomacy in the region. "Turkish regional
policy has become captive of relations with Azerbaijan, i.e. pro-Azeri
position is the price to be paid for implementation of the BTC oil
pipeline," she believes.

In Burcu Gultekin’s opinion, opening of borders may promote improvement
of Turkey’s image in the Armenian society, lead relations between the
two countries out of today’s crisis. The book also reads, "In 1920
the Soviet authorities joined Nakhichevan with Azerbaijan in spite
of the protest of Armenia. Georgia, Armenia, Nakhichevan, situated
on the Caucasus-Turkey border, are a knot of network communication
and are situated in the center of North-South and East-West corridors.

The Caucasus has the potential of becoming a bridge between Turkey
and Russia," the research book says.

The Turkish scholar comes against international transport projects,
planned in the region, i.e. East-West: Kars-Akhalkalaki and
North-South: Kazvin-Resht-Astara leaving out Armenia. "It would be
expedient to restore and use the already available Kars-Gyumri and
Sochi-Sukhumi-Yerevan-Julfa railways.

Burcu Gultekin believes that laying new railways will only aggravate
the situation in the region and will freeze the conflicts available.

The book caused acute negative response in Azerbaijan.

PUBLIC ORGANIZATION CONDUCTS AN ACTION TO ATTRACT ATTENTION TO REFUGEE PROBLEMS

Panorama.am
15:08 20/06/06

June 20 is the day of refugees around the world.

Seiran Martirosyan, coordinating council member of Kringo public
organization told a press conference today that there are more than 20
mln refugees across the world, 1,5 mln of them living in Caucasus. The
PO does not have information how many refugees there are in Armenia
right now. However, the organization is concerned that the refugees
in Armenia should be provided with housing. Kringo has organized an
action today to attract the attention of public officials to the
problems of refugees. They have distributed house designs made of
paper to children who have made houses and handed out to people. The
PO has also sent e-mail messages to different organizations on the
state of refugees.

FOURTH OF IT-SPECIALISTS IN ARMENIA INVOLVED IN EDUCATION PROGRAM OF ENTERPRISE INCUBATOR FOUNDATION

Yerevan, June 19. ArmInfo. Over one thousand of specialists who
participated in educational programs of Enterprise Incubator Foundation
(EIF) for the last three years successfully work in the sphere,
Head of EIF Bagrat Yengibaryan told ArmInfo.

He said 70% of these specialists are students of Yerevan State
University, Yerevan State Engineering University, and Armenian-Russian
(Slavonic) University, the remaining part are specialists who took
retraining courses. B. Yengibaryan said despite this high indicator,
the country’s IT sector still needs specialists.

To solve this problem, EIF intends to double the participants of its
programs, especially, those involved in long-term programs. He said
the participants of long-term programs not only master the up-to-date
technologies of chip-design but also get basic knowledge.

To note, within 4 years of its operation, EIF opened 10 specialized
branches at higher education universities of Armenia with support of
international organizations, including 6 branches independently.

These are such well-known organizations as Lycos, Intermec, Bremen
University.

PARLIAMENT ALLOWS EXPANDING AFZ

Tehran Times, Iran
June 15 2006

TEHRAN – Majlis (the Iranian Parliament) ratified on Sunday the
development plan of Aras Free Zone (AFZ).

According to the ratification approved at the Majlis’ open session
yesterday, the government is allowed to develop Aras Free Zone in
the country’s border lines with the Azerbaijan Republic and Armenia.

The costs of implementing the plan are to be supplied out of the
revenues generated in the free zone.

Accessibility to the markets of the newly independent states in Central
Asia, creation of new export opportunities, attraction of foreign
investments, development of railway to China and Russia, expansion of
tourism, increase of security in northwestern parts of the country, and
generation of job opportunities in these regions are some of reasons
behind putting the development plan of the free zone on the agenda.

CELEBRATION NEXT TO ZVARTNOTS TEMPLE DEDICATED TO THE BIRTHDAY OF QUEEN ELISABETH II

ArmRadio.am
16.06.2006 11:14

On the occasion of birthday of Elisabeth II, Queen of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the UK Embassy
in Armenia will hold an open-air celebration next to Zvartnots
Temple. British culture and cuisine will be presented. For this purpose
traditional British dishes, beer and Scottish whisky has been brought
to Armenia.

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
Government House # 2, Republic Square
Yerevan 0010, Republic of Armenia
Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 562543
Email: [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

12-06-2006

Minister Oskanian Receives Micheline Calmy-Rey,
Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation

On June 12, Minister Oskanian received a delegation led by Micheline
Calmy-Rey, head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss
Confederation.

While welcoming Micheline Calmy-Rey’s first visit to Armenia, the Armenian
Minister noted that there exists an extensive and active dialogue between
Armenia and Switzerland.

During the meeting, Minister Oskanian broached the issue of intensifying
Armenia-Switzerland relations, particularly in the economic, cultural and
humanitarian spheres. He expressed his satisfaction with the invitation to
Armenian businessmen to participate in the Swiss Invest Forum launched in
Zurich on June 12.

The two focused on deepening cooperation in the framework of international
organizations, specifically given Switzerland’s capacity as full member of
the United Nations and a newly-elected member of the Human Rights Council of
the United Nations.

Minister Oskanian noted with appreciation Switzerland’s assistance to
Armenia in the process of development, particularly through the involvement
of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in specific programs,
including a Tsakhkadzor development program. He also invited Switzerland to
consider its contribution in the initiative of the Republic of Armenia
targeted at developing Armenian’s rural areas.

The Swiss Minister assured their readiness to keep on launching and
implementing different programs in Armenia. This year, the Swiss State
Council has allocated 4 million Swiss francs to this end. About activating
bilateral economic relations, Minister Calmy-Rey expressed confidence that
the Convention for the avoidance of double taxation just signed between the
Swiss Confederation and the Republic of Armenia, will boost the business
contacts of the two countries.

On the guest’s request, Minister Oskanian briefed the delegation on the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process, the present status of
Armenia-Turkey relations, as well as the demolition of cross-stones
(khachkars) in the Armenian cemetery in Julfa, Azerbaijan, and Armenia’s
appeals to the international community, specifically to the Council of
Europe, OSCE and UNESCO.

ARMENIAN AND BULGARIAN PARLIAMENTS TO SIGN AGREEMENT ON COOPERATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.06.2006 17:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today Armenian Parliament Speaker Tigran Torosian
met with Bulgarian Ambassador to Armenia Stefan Dimitrov to discuss
the possibilities of strengthening interparliamentary ties between
the two states, reported the RA NA press service. During the meeting
Stefan Dimitrov conveyed the congratulatory address by Chairman of the
Bulgarian National Assembly Georgi Pirinski over Tigran Torosian’s
election to the post of the Speaker. The interlocutors also touched
upon the signing of the agreement on cooperation that will become
a legal basis for the development of ties between the parliamentary
friendship groups, standing committees and administrations. In this
view Tigran Torosian marked out the importance of activities within
international organizations. The parties stressed the importance
of exchange of legislative experience and cooperation between the
Armenian and Bulgarian parliaments.

ETHNIC ARMENIAN SHOT DEAD IN MOSCOW, ANOTHER WOUNDED

MOSNEWS, Russia
June 11 2006

Two ethnic Armenians have been shot in Moscow on Saturday night,
Interfax reported.

One of the men died, the other received injuries.

In late April, a young Amernian-born man was killed by a group of
youngsters in a fight at Moscow’s central Pushkinskaya metro station.

17-year-old Vagan Abramyants, a student of a Moscow university,
was standing on the platform with several friends, when a group of
shaved young men dressed in black attacked them, NTV channel said. The
attackers looked like skinheads, members of radical nationalistic
movement.

The nation’s leading pollster, Yuri Levada, said hate crimes were an
outgrowth of deep resentment over migrants and other foreigners who
come to Russia for work or to study – some illegally and many from
Central Asia, the Caucasus, and other parts of the former Soviet Union.