CD: Sergey Khachatryan: Sibelius, Khachaturian, violin concertos

Andante
May 29 2004

Sergey Khachatryan
Sibelius, Khachaturian, violin concertos

Sergey Khachatryan was born in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, in
1985. He comes from a family of musicians. From childhood onwards,
he benefited from broad cultural horizons that favoured the musical
career of which he dreamt. He began the violin at the age of five. The
following year, he began his studies at the Sayat Nova Conservatory in
Yerevan, continuing them in Germany when his family settled there. The
exceptional qualities of this young virtuoso were revealed at a

concert with the Orchestra of the Hessen State Theatre, Wiesbaden;
he was then nine years old. From then on, foreign trips and prizes
followed at regular intervals, with many concerts, all over Europe
– Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Portugal, Spain, Italy, France –
as well as in the USA, South America, Russia and Armenia.

The coming seasons are rich in exciting projects: with the Philharmonia
Orchestra, with the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Neeme Järvi, with
the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, the Tokyo Philharmonic
Orchestra under Vladimir Fedoseyev. then partner Anne-Sophie Mutter
in Bach’s Double Concerto with the London Philharmonic.

When one asks Sergey Khachatryan which violinists he admires most,
he unhesitatingly speaks of the supreme genius of the Soviet school.
Above all, he evokes the magnetic tutelary figure of David Oistrakh.

Sergey Khachatryan’s first recording, released in EMI’s ‘Début’
series in 2002, allowed us to meet a violinist blessed with a glowing
sonority and with musical intelligence rare in so young a musician.

Now he has recorded for Naïve two concertos that figure among the
jewels of the violin repertoire.

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TOL: The Death of Green Spaces

The Death of Green Spaces
by Edik Baghdasaryan

Transitions Online, Czech Republic
May 28 2004

They may have botanical names, but there is no disguising that the
cafes blossoming in Yerevan are destroying parks – and bearing rich
fruits for public officials.

YEREVAN, Armenia – In 1988, the large, leafy public square next to
the Opera House in Yerevan was renamed Freedom Square, in honor of
the movement that eventually led the country to independence from
the Soviet Union in 1991.

With its benches, open spaces, and trees, the square has long been a
popular place for people to come and relax. Grandparents come to take
their grandchildren for a walk, kids to roller-skate, and couples to
romance each other. It has also long served as a gathering point for
the opposition.

All that is changing at alarming speed, however, as the square’s green
spaces are paved over to make room for cafes, restaurants, and dance
clubs. So many of these places have sprung up that in some corners
of the square it is impossible to tell where one establishment stops
and another begins – the outdoor tables and chairs all run together,
and the music from competing loudspeakers merges.

Every time a café is built, another bit of public space is lost.
Here, dozens of trees have been felled, benches have been ripped
up, and grass has been replaced by cement patios. It’s a phenomenon
that can be seen across the city. According to the Social Ecological
Association, more than 700 hectares of trees have been chopped down
over the past decade in Yerevan’s construction boom.

“I don’t bring my grandson [to the park] anymore, because there are
cafes everywhere and no benches,” said Sargis Torosian, a 72-year-old
pensioner. “We used to spend every evening here, but now we have no
place to go.”

“What happened to the Himalayan cedars that are so rare in our city?
Or the grapevines and persimmon trees that used to grow where the
Astral Disco is now?” asks biologist Gohar Oganezova. “Most of
the firs have dried up over time as their roots come up against the
concrete base of the cafes. A plane tree whose branches got entangled
in the fence has withered. Two years ago, it was a wonderful, viable
tree. The fir trees along the path next to the Atlantic Café are
drying up, too. Last season they were almost leafless, their roots
are so damaged.”

By law, it shouldn’t be happening this way. According to government
records, the building permits for most of the cafes violate the city’s
own ecological and planning standards. The rules say that before
construction can begin on a new establishment, an owner must submit a
design that meets the approval of ecologists. According to 2002 data
from the Ecology Ministry, only one of the 12 cafes in Opera Square,
the Astral, followed that procedure.

Yerevan’s chief architect, Narek Sargisian, defends the onslaught
of development as a market response to public demand. “If so many
cafes are being built, it means that there is a demand for them,”
he said. Sargisian admits that the park’s planners didn’t anticipate
the displacement effect that the retail establishments would have on
people who are looking for a public green space to relax in. On the
other hand, he said, “the cafes are always full.”

But they’re not making much money, or so believes Srbuhi Harutiunian,
head of the Social Ecological Association. Harutiunian said his group
had undertaken an unofficial survey of the park’s café and restaurant
owners and came up with surprising results.

“We found that 40 percent of these establishments are unprofitable,”
Harutiunian said. “Among the rest, 40 percent don’t worry about profit
at all [and are more interested in the prestige of their location],
and the remaining 20 percent secure a profit only by not paying
their taxes.”

Yet the building continues. To understand why, it’s necessary to
look at who’s behind the chattering crowds, loud music, and frothy
cappuccinos.

THE WINDFALL FROM CUTTING TREES

Ordinary Armenian businesspeople patronize the restaurants and cafes
around Opera Park, but they certainly don’t own them. So far, at least,
it seems that ownership is a privilege reserved for the political
elite – members of parliament, ministers, influential bureaucrats,
and their cronies. The concreting over of Yerevan’s green spaces has
been enabled by a loophole in the city’s law on allocation of land
that has allowed the city to chop up and sell small café-size plots
that it owns. Any plot larger than 20 square meters must be sold
at public auction; anything less can be quietly sold to any buyer,
for any price. Former Mayor Robert Nazarian, a man appointed by the
president, was a champion of the loophole.

Although he is no longer in office, Nazarian’s legacy of political
favoritism continues to deprive the city treasury of public funds
and to line the pockets of government officials who “bought” parcels
of land. A case in point: recently, according to reliable sources,
a café in Freedom Park that was owned by a senior government official
sold for $250,000. The official had spent $15,000 on the land on which
the café has constructed. His final take after including construction
costs? More than $220,000.

Some estimates of the total losses to the state treasury from corrupt
land sales near the Opera, where 15 companies have built cafes,
exceed $1 million.

Typically, the new owner begins to expand his cafe. After the event,
the Mayor’s Office “legalizes” the expansion of the café rather than
taking action against the owners – who are high-level public officials.

Whatever the procedure, the results can be gargantuan. In early 2002,
Nazarian “sold” a 20-square-meter plot of parkland to a company
(inappropriately) named Magnolia. The area of the plot has continued
to expand until today. According to the city’s Architecture and
Planning Department, the Magnolia Café occupies a staggering 2,615
square meters, making it the largest establishment in the park. The
businessman who managed to take over so much land? Grigor “Bellagio
Grish” Margarian, a member of parliament from the Orinats Yerkir Party.

Nazarian has explicitly intervened in some developments. In January
2002, a company named Only Merriment requested permission to buy
a plot of land and build a video arcade next to Freedom Square.
Permission was granted, and approval from the city planning department
awarded. One month later, Only Merriment was allowed to acquire an
additional 312-square-meter plot of land adjacent to the arcade site,
to build an outdoor café.

Then, one month after that, Nazarian abruptly amended both decisions
and issued blanket permission to Only Merriment to build a combined
arcade-café, although this hybrid had never been approved by the
city’s architecture department. Only Merriment was re-registered as
Atlantic Garden and, according to official documents, was authorized
to occupy 332 square meters in a public tender. Today, it’s hard to
tell how much of the park Atlantic Garden occupies – much more than
332 square meters, though, since, during construction the building
was considerably expanded by its owner. The owner? Anush Ghazaryan
(better known as Kamvolny Anush, or Pretty Anush), a man widely thought
to enjoy the protection of National Security Minister Karlos Petrosian.

Levon Khachatrian, a member of parliament, has also benefited from
the generosity of the Mayor’s Office. Just as with Only Merriment
and Magnolia, the major expansion of his café was within the law:
Khachatrian first received a 20-square-meter plot and then permission
to expand the plot. Khachatrian’s café today obscures part of the
Opera House from Sayat-Nova Street.

Asked recently if any establishment in Freedom Square of the area
near the Opera House was built according to city-approved plans,
chief architect Sargisian replied with one word: “No.”

KEEPING PUBLIC RECORDS PRIVATE

Official corruption in Armenia is a problem recognized by a host of
international organizations. The Office for Security and Cooperation
in Europe has been at the forefront of international efforts to bring
attention to the problem and help the government tackle it, in part
with the help of a joint OSCE-Armenian task force. President Robert
Kocharian has even appointed a special adviser to coordinate the fight.

So why hasn’t anything been done to stop the corrupt practices
that are doing obvious damage to public life in the capital?
“Unfortunately, the people with power in this city are above the
law,” says biologist Oganezova, voicing a common public sentiment.
“But they don’t realize that they, too, lose. We lose our city’s
environment, literally and figuratively.”

He may have final approval over all new construction and land sales
in the capital, but chief architect Sargisian says he can do nothing.
“I try to do everything in my power, but there are too many senior
officials in our government. They build these structures and consider
themselves to be above the law,” he said. But, as someone who has
kept his post through three mayors, Sargisian has become vulnerable
to accusations by some nongovernmental organizations that he allows
the situation to continue.

In November 2003, two months before he was dismissed from office,
Mayor Nazarian admitted to reporters that he had come under pressure
by government authorities to approve the land sales. Ninety-nine
percent of the cafes near the Opera House were illegal structures,
he acknowledged, adding, “We did not approve these designs.” But none
of the structures was torn down. In fact, since he made those remarks,
new ones have gone up.

According to City Deputy Kamo Areyan, current Mayor Yervand Zakharian
has given his staff a “strict order” to examine how building licenses
and land sales are approved.

Armenia’s Association of Investigative Journalists has tried several
times to gain access to mayoral decisions on land allocations during
the period from 1997 to 2003, without success. Zakharian has refused
to provide the group with this public information and has not given
an explanation for his refusal. President Kocharian has refused to
intervene. The matter is now with the courts.

Edik Baghdasaryan is the editor-in-chief of the Armenian daily
***HETQ*** and a member of the Association of Investigative
Journalists.

ASBAREZ ONLINE [05-24-2004]

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
05/24/2004
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1) Intellectuals Again Call for Dialogue
2) Renewed Calls for US-Armenia Tax Treaty
3) Azerbaijan’s FM Says Karabagh Talks Have New Impetus
4) Senate Committee Approves Funding for Genocide Curriculum
5) Blasts Kill Seven in Baghdad, More Killed In Clashes

1) Intellectuals Again Call for Dialogue

YEREVAN (Yerkir)–Armenia’s intellectuals met for the second time in recent
months to discuss the current political climate of the country.
At a roundtable discussion organized by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(ARF) of Armenia, a government coalition partner, prominent academics and
cultural figures once again emphasized, on Monday, that the only means to find
a possible resolution to current political tensions is for the authorities and
the opposition to engage in political dialogue.
ARF Supreme Body representative Armen Rustamian emphasized that though the
first round of discussions helped alleviate tensions, there is threat of “a
new
wave of confrontation,” and asked those present for their input to avoid yet
another escalation. “We must find the guarantees to provide the necessary
changes,” he urged.
Linguistics University rector Suren Zolian, stressed that both sides must
first and foremost display political will, and pointed to the roundtable as a
practical tool in reviewing the situation, and offering ideas.
The majority of participants voiced their discontent with behavior of both
the
government and opposition, saying that authorities should not expect praises
while 80% of population remains socially underprivileged. They also went on to
say that both sides do not comprehend the silence of the population that
remains hapless and distrusting of both sides. They concluded that Armenia’s
political arena remains flawed because of its Constitution and delays in
amending the document.
“There is stability in the state. But changes must be made in order for the
country to enter its natural course of development,” Rustamian stressed.

2) Renewed Calls for US-Armenia Tax Treaty

–Treaty Needed to Address Growing Bilateral Commerce and Increased Diaspora
Economic Involvement in Armenia

WASHINGTON, DC–In a letter to Treasury Secretary John W. Snow and in
correspondence sent to members of Congress, the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA) renewed its call for the US government to facilitate the
growing
levels of US-Armenia trade and investment by negotiating a comprehensive tax
treaty with Armenia.
“With the expansion of US-Armenia economic ties, it is more important than
ever that our government negotiate a comprehensive and far-reaching tax treaty
that will strengthen the US-Armenia economic relationship for many decades to
come,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “The Department of the
Treasury should be working closely with the Armenian government and with
American businesses operating in Armenia–including the growing number run by
Diaspora Armenians–to specifically tailor an agreement that addresses the
needs of Americans who divide their careers between the US and Armenia–or who
plan to retire to Armenia–in terms of portability of pensions and healthcare
and a variety of other concerns.”
The US has negotiated tax treaties with over forty nations in order to
clarify
the taxation of transactions, investments, rents, royalties, management
contracts, dividends, interest, and salaries of companies and employees
working
in both countries. The US has recently exchanged instruments of ratification
with three new countries–Ukraine, Luxembourg, and Denmark.
As part of its broader efforts to strengthen US-Armenia bilateral economic
relations, the ANCA has been working for more than four years to encourage the
US to negotiate a tax treaty with Armenia. Other elements of this effort
included helping to secure Armenia’s membership in the World Trade
Organization–which took place in February of last year–and the granting to
Armenia of Permanent Normal Trade Relations Status (PNTR). Several thousand
Armenian Americans have written to the Social Security Administration using
the
ANCA WebFax program to call for a Social Security Agreement that would help US
citizens who work part of the year or plan to retire in Armenia. At the state
level, the ANCA-Western Region spearheaded the creation of the
California-Armenia Trade Office, which is set to open in Yerevan later this
year.
In January of 2002, Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairmen Joe Knollenberg
(R-MI) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ) urged then Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill, to
help expedite a bilateral tax treaty between the US and Armenia that would
effectively eliminate the “double taxation” of income of citizens working in
both countries. The appeal came on the eve of an inter-agency US Armenia Task
Force meeting, which discussed taxation issues as part of an overall framework
to promote bilateral trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.

For an overall review of US Tax Treaties

For the full text of most US Tax Treaties:
ind_info/ treaties.html.

For information about Armenia on the website of the US Department of
Commerce:

To learn about USAID’s private sector aid to Armenia:

3) Azerbaijan’s FM Says Karabagh Talks Have New Impetus

(AFP)–Peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia to resolve one of Europe’s
longest-running armed conflicts are “intensifying” after a period of
stagnation, Azerbaijan’s foreign minister told AFP in an interview.
Elmar Mamedyarov said that the newly-expanded European Union (EU) was showing
a greater interest in resolving the conflict over the territory of Karabagh, a
factor which he said will have a “positive impact.”
Azerbaijan’s foreign minister was speaking a week after President Ilham
Aliyev, on a visit to EU headquarters in Brussels, urged the organization to
take a more active stand in finding a peaceful solution.
“The negotiations…have recently become more intense after certain
stagnation,”
Mamedyarov, a 44-year-old career diplomat appointed last month, told AFP in
the
interview. “After the European Union received new members, the EU, and Europe
as a whole, has begun to look attentively at our part of Europe,” he said. “I
believe that will have a positive impact on the search for a conflict
resolution.”
He said Azerbaijan’s negotiators were pushing for an interim deal, under
which
Armenia would relinquish its control over the regions around Karabagh in
exchange for the Azeri side loosening its economic blockade on Armenia. This
deal would reduce tension between the two sides, and “create a possibility for
negotiations to go forward in a freer atmosphere to find some sort of
compromise,” Mamedyarov said.
Armenian negotiators have already rejected this proposal but the Azeri
foreign
minister said he would be “persistent.” “Resolving this question is a priority
for us,” Mamedyarov added. “It is very difficult, when you are in the
twenty-first century, you are moving towards Europe, and you have these
displaced persons and you feel under occupation.”

4) Senate Committee Approves Funding for Genocide Curriculum

SACRAMENTO–The Senate Budget Committee on Education, chaired by Senator Jack
Scott (D-Glendale), has approved $250,000 in the 2004-05 state budget for a
model curriculum on human rights and genocide to be distributed to all public
schools in California, which would include studies related to the Armenian
Genocide, the Holocaust, as well as other attempts to destroy or eliminate
ethnic groups around the world.
“To be able to operate in an atmosphere of freedom and democracy, one must
understand the evils that have haunted past generations,” stated Senator
Scott.
“We must open the discussion on human rights so that today’s children become
responsible adults.”
The model human rights and genocide curriculum, approved by the State
Board of
Education, is intended for use at all K-12 public schools and county
offices of
education.

5) Blasts Kill Seven in Baghdad, More Killed In Clashes

BAGHDAD (AFP)–Several blasts rocked Baghdad, killing seven people, including
two Britons, while clashes between US troops and Shiite militiamen left 18
people dead in the populous Sadr City neighborhood.
Four people were killed and two wounded in an explosion that destroyed an
armored civilian vehicle just outside the sprawling complex housing the US-led
coalition that administers Iraq, a military spokesman said Monday.
Two of those killed in the blast were British civilians, according to the
British Foreign Office.
“These deaths are shocking and they show the risks that civilians and others
have to take in order to assist the Iraqis in the necessary task of rebuilding
and reconstructing their country,” British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told
reporters in Brussels.
Another three people, including a child, also were killed Monday in an
explosion that destroyed their car only minutes before a US convoy drove by,
witnesses said.
Meanwhile, US troops, who have vowed to wipe out Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr’s
private army, clashed with the militia overnight in a neighborhood of Baghdad
where he has strong support.
Hospital officials said 18 civilians were killed in the Sadr City
neighborhood, but the coalition put the figure at 26 and said all were
militiamen loyal to Sadr.
The military said US soldiers already had killed “an estimated 21” militiamen
over the weekend after coming under small arms and rocket-propelled grenade
fire in Sadr City.
US troops had announced the death of another 32 militiamen Sunday in Kufa,
just a few kilometers (miles) from the holy city of Najaf where Sadr is holed
up to escape arrest in connection with the killing of a rival cleric.
Twenty of those killed were felled during a battle in the compound of a Kufa
mosque, the coalition said.
Sadr’s Mehdi Army has been involved in weeks of clashes with the occupation
forces, mainly in central Iraq, after the coalition closed down his newspaper
and threatened to arrest him.
Some of the fiercest battles were fought in the Shiite holy city of Karbala,
but both sides moved out of the city over the weekend.
Coalition officials have made it clear they are determined to wipe out the
armed militia.
The coalition’s military and civilian spokesmen have also said they feared
violence could surge further as the date for a transfer of power nears.
The Coalition Provisional Authority is scheduled to hand over sovereignty to
an interim Iraqi government on June 30, and US authorities have insisted they
intended to stick to that date despite the violence.
Last week insurgents carried out two attacks against senior Iraqi political
figures, killing the president of the coalition-installed Governing Council,
Ezzedine Salim, in a suicide car bombing on May 17.
A similar attack on Saturday wounded deputy interior minister General Abdel
Jabbari Yussef. Three guards, an unidentified woman and the attacker were
killed in the blast.
Salim’s successor, Ghazi Ajil al-Yawar, said in an interview published Monday
that the coalition must grant “full sovereignty” to the transitional
government, which has yet to be formed.
“We will not agree to less,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.
The United States and Britain were to submit to the UN Security Council later
Monday the first draft of a resolution to recognize a new Iraqi government and
clear the way for foreign forces to remain in Iraq after the formal end of the
occupation.
“Once we have full sovereignty, we will have the right to decide whether
multinational forces go or stay,” Yawar said.
But he added that the lack of security “means that we will need multinational
forces…which we hope to broaden to include European Union troops and certain
influential Arab countries.”
He also said another two weeks were needed to set up the transitional
government amid intense negotiations involving UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, the
Iraqi council and coalition officials.

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‘Decisive’ Opposition Action Again Postponed

‘Decisive’ Opposition Action Again Postponed
By Emil Danielyan 24/05/2004 11:12

Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic
May 24 2004

The Armenian opposition announced late Friday yet another postponement
of its promised “decisive” offensive against the government,
effectively admitting its failure so far to boost attendance at its
rallies and promising to “rethink” its strategy.

Opposition leaders assured several thousand supporters in Yerevan
that their two-month campaign against President Robert Kocharian
will resume with a fresh momentum two weeks later. They also remained
uncompromising in demanding Kocharian’s resignation. “We reaffirm our
resolve to continue our struggle for the establishment of democracy
and the rule of law in Armenia,” the Artarutyun bloc and the National
Unity Party (AMK) said in a statement read out to the crowd.

“During these two weeks we will completely reassess the situation,
regroup our forces and starting from June 4 will hold permanent
rallies, marches and sit-ins until Robert Kocharian’s resignation,”
Artarutyun’s Albert Bazeyan said.

The opposition leaders said during their previous unsanctioned rally on
May 14 that they will stage another march towards Kocharian’s official
residence on the city’s Marshal Baghramian Avenue if they mobilize
“a critical mass of supporters.” One of them, Victor Dallakian,
admitted on Friday that they have yet to achieve that.

“If all of the people standing here stay [on Marshal Baghramian Avenue]
throughout the night there will be a critical mass,” Dallakian told
RFE/RL. “But they won’t. We must make sure they do. Everything must
be well prepared.”

“We will go [to the presidential palace] only once,” he added.

The opposition supporters already marched up the avenue but were
stopped from approaching Kocharian’s residence by heavily armed
riot police on April 12. There were still between 2,000 and 3,000 of
them on the street in the early hours of April 13 when the protest
was violently broken up by baton-wielding security forces using
water cannons, stun grenades and, according to some eyewitnesses,
electric-shock equipment. Scores of demonstrators were arrested and
seriously injured.

Artarutyun and the AMK have since repeatedly promised to lay another
siege to the presidential palace, but have avoided doing that so far.
Some local commentators have concluded that their campaign has lost
momentum. But the opposition leaders disagreed, with Bazeyan claiming
that the street protests have weakened the ruling regime and Dallakian
alleging that Kocharian is “widely hated” by the population.

Another prominent oppositionist, Aram Sarkisian, sounded, as always,
even more self-confident. “Dear people, I wish you patience. We
will indeed remove Kocharian with our rallies and his departure is
imminent,” he said.

Armenian, Russian presidents discuss regional issues

Armenian, Russian presidents discuss regional issues

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
14 May 04

[Presenter over video of meeting] The Russian and Armenian presidents
[Vladimir Putin and Robert Kocharyan] met an hour ago in Moscow
today. This is the fifth meeting of Vladimir Putin and Robert Kocharyan
in one year.

The strengthening of trade-economic relations was the main issue the
presidents discussed during the meeting. The volume of the commodity
turnover between the two countries increased by 34.5 per cent last
year.

The presidents also exchanged opinions on the main regional
issues. In this context, they talked about the settlement of the
Karabakh conflict.

Russian president meets with his Armenian counterpart

Russian president meets with his Armenian counterpart

AP Worldstream
May 14, 2004

Boosting trade between the two former Soviet republics topped the
agenda at Friday’s meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin
and his Armenian counterpart, Robert Kocharian.

Putin said that trade has increased 34 percent in recent years.

“This is a record indicator that we are moving toward the right
direction,” Putin said.

Kocharian recalled the major agreement last year under which
Armenia ceded control over its only nuclear power plant to Russia’s
state-controlled electricity monopoly in exchange for the cancellation
of US$40 million debts to Russian energy suppliers.

The start of true economic cooperation came with that “major agreement
of debt-for-property,” Kocharian said. “I would like to say with utmost
confidence that we started and are moving together on all issues.”

Putin and Kocharian have met frequently in recent years.

Romania & Armenia foster coop in education & science

ROMANIA AND ARMENIA FOSTER COOPERATION IN EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

ArmenPress
May 11 2004

YEREVAN, MAY 11, ARMENPRESS: An Armenian delegation headed by
minister of education and science was in Romania recently. Education
and science ministry press services reported that the visit aimed to
discuss cooperation projects with Romanian education and scientific
research ministry to ensure implementation of a 1999 agreement between
Armenian and Romanian governments.

During the working meetings the sides discussed ways of fostering
cooperation. Particularly it was proposed to open a department of
Armenian Studies at Bucharest State University and a department of
Rumanian studies at the Yerevan Linguistic University.

Further it was arranged to foster student and research exchange
program. Romanian government took the responsibility to support the
Armenian school in Bucharest. The sides signed a memorandum which
they will later develop into an agreement.

Transcript of Bush Remarks at Ceremony Celebrating Countries Selecte

U.S. Newswire (press release), DC
May 10 2004

Transcript of Bush Remarks at Ceremony Celebrating Countries Selected
for the Millennium Challenge Account

To: National Desk
Contact: White House Press Office, 202-456-2580

WASHINGTON, May 10 /U.S. Newswire/ — Following is a transcript of
remarks by President Bush at a Ceremony Celebrating Countries
Selected for the Millennium Challenge Account:

The East Room

9:35 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. Please be seated. Welcome.
Thanks for coming to the White House.

Two years ago, I announced a new and hopeful approach in America’s
aid to developing nations. Under this approach, America has pledged
to increase development assistance by 50 percent over three years. To
make sure that governments make the right choices for their people,
we link new aid to clear standards of economic, political, and social
reform. We invited governments in developing nations to meet those
standards so that they may truly serve their people.

America formed the Millennium Challenge Corporation to oversee this
new program. Last week, the first group of Millennium Challenge
Account nations was selected. I congratulate representatives with
us today from Armenia, Benin, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Georgia, Ghana,
Honduras, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua,
Senegal, Sri Lanka, and Vanuatu. You have chosen the path of reform,
and your people and your nations are better off as a result of the
decisions your governments have made.

I want to thank the Secretary of State for leading this effort. He is
the chairman of the board of the new corporation. I appreciate other
board members who are with us — Secretary John Snow, the Secretary
of the Treasury; Ambassador Bob Zoellick, the United States Trade
Representative; Andrew Natsios, the Administrator of the U.S. Agency
for International Development; and Paul Applegarth, who is the CEO
of the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

Mr. Chairman, thank you for taking on this important assignment.

I want to welcome the ambassadors and representatives from the
16 Millennium Challenge Account nations. We are glad you’re here.
Congratulations.

I want to thank the members of Congress who are here. Two members have
come today, one from the Senate and one from the House, who have been
very instrumental in making sure the Millennium Challenge Account
passed through both bodies. First, Senator Dick Lugar, who is the
chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Mr. Chairman,
Senator Lugar is a clear visionary when it comes to U.S. aid. I
appreciate you being here, Senator. Thank you for coming. As well as
Congressman Tom Lantos, the ranking member. I see you brought Annette
with you. Thank you for doing so. We’re proud you both are here.

Congressman Lantos, do me a favor. When you see Jim Kolbe, who is not
with us today, thank him for working so hard to make sure that the
House appropriations process honored our request for the Millennium
Challenge Account. But at any rate, I’m glad you’re here. You guys
are great leaders for — to help America spread our vision of freedom
and peace and decency for every human being.

In many nations, poverty remains chronic and desperate. Half the
world’s people still live on less than $2 a day. This divide between
wealth and poverty, between opportunity and misery, is far more than
a challenge to our compassion. Persistent poverty and oppression can
spread despair across an entire nation, and they can turn nations
of great potential into the recruiting grounds of terrorists. The
powerful combination of trade and open markets and good government is
history’s proven method to defeat poverty on a large scale, to vastly
improve health and education, to build a modern infrastructure while
safeguarding the environment, and to spread the habits of liberty
and enterprise.

The Millennium Challenge Account encourages all nations to embrace
political and economic reform. The United States has pledged to
increase its core development assistance by half, adding $5 billion
annually by 2006. To be eligible for this new money, nations must
root out corruption, respect human rights, and adhere to the rule of
law. They must invest in their people by improving their health care
systems and their schools. They must unleash the energy and creativity
necessary for economic growth by opening up their markets, removing
barriers to entrepreneurship, and reducing excessive bureaucracy
and regulation.

The 16 nations represented here today have done all this and more.
Each has worked hard to be here today, and their efforts are
already yielding results. For example, Madagascar is aggressively
fighting corruption. The Ministry of Justice has suspended a dozen
magistrates on suspicion of corrupt activity. The government is also
implementing an ambitious program of judicial reform. Senegal, Africa’s
longest-standing democracy, has also enacted new anti-corruption
laws, and is implementing new measures to fight money-laundering.
Honduras has made the improvement of education and health services
a top priority. Its immunization rate of 96 percent is among the
highest of all eligible countries.

The new government of Georgia has doubled its investment in health
care and raised teacher salaries by two-thirds. Mozambique has curbed
government spending and lowered tariffs. These, and other reforms,
have resulted in double-digit growth rates over the last decade.
Since launching its program of economic reform in 2002, Sri Lanka
has reduced its budget deficit by a third, and cut inflation by half.
Other nations represented here can point with pride to similar examples
of progress.

Yet funding is not guaranteed for any selected country. To be awarded a
grant, nations must develop proposals explaining how they will further
address the needs of their people, and increase economic growth —
proposals that set clear goals and measurable benchmarks.

The countries selected today represent a small fraction of those
struggling to emerge from poverty and establish reform. I urge all
nations of the world to follow the progressive standards of governing
justly, investing in people and encouraging economic freedom.

Reform can bring more aid from America, and it will also bring more
investment and more trade, lessening the need for aid over time.
Reform will be repaid many times over in the relief of poverty,
and rising national wealth and stability for their countries.

The 16 chosen in this round are showing the way, are showing what is
possible, are serving as a bright light in the developing world. You
have taken the first courageous steps toward greater independence
and greater wealth, and greater hopes for the people you serve.

I want to thank you all for being here. I congratulate you on
your work. And may God bless your countries and the people in the
countries. Thank you for coming. (Applause.)

Bush names John Marshal Evans new Ambassador to Armenia

ArmenPress
May 7 2004

BUSH NAMES JOHN MARSHAL EVANS NEW AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA

WASHINGTON, MAY 7, ARMENPRESS: President George W. Bush announced
Thursday his intention to nominate John Marshall Evans, of Virginia,
to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United
States of America to the Republic of Armenia.
A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Mr. Evans currently
serves as Director of the State Department’s Office of Russian
Affairs. He previously served as Director of the Office of Analysis
for Russia and Eurasia in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research.
Mr. Evans earned his bachelor’s degree from Yale University.

Country profile: Armenia

BBC News
Last Updated: Wednesday, 21 April, 2004, 15:34 GMT 16:34 UK

Country profile: Armenia

A landlocked republic with Turkey to the west and Georgia to the north,
Armenia has seen great changes since the break-up of the Soviet Union in
1991.
Once dubbed the Soviet ‘silicon valley’, Armenia’s economy collapsed when
its old markets disappeared.

OVERVIEW

It has since recovered significantly, but job creation and poverty reduction
have not kept pace with growth. Armenia also suffers from a trade blockade,
imposed by neighbouring Turkey and Azerbaijan since the dispute over
Nagorno-Karabakh.

The conflict over the predominantly Armenian-populated region in Azerbaijan
overshadowed Armenia’s return to independence in 1991. Full-scale war broke
out the same year as ethnic Armenians in Karabakh fought for independence,
supported by troops and resources from Armenia proper. A ceasefire in place
since 1994 has failed to deliver any lasting solution.

Armenia has always experienced waves of emigration, but the present exodus
is causing much alarm. It is estimated that Armenia has lost 20% of its
population in recent years, as young families leave for what they hope will
be a better life abroad. The negative consequences for the economy have been
widespread.

Around 50% of Armenians live below the poverty line. Corruption and
political killings add to the sense of a society under threat.

Gunmen who stormed the Yerevan parliament in 1999, killing the prime
minister and other politicians, said the plight of the Armenian people was
the reason for the bloodshed. Analysts believe that there were more complex
political factors involved as well.

The government is trying to promote tourism and technology parks. But
foreign investors are reported to be extremely wary.

FACTS

Population: 3.1 million (UN, 2003)
Capital: Yerevan
Major languages: Armenian, Russian
Major religion: Christianity
Life expectancy: 69 years (men), 75 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 dram = 100 lumas
Main exports: Processed and unprocessed diamonds, machinery, metal products,
foodstuffs
GNI per capita: US $570 (World Bank, 2001)
Internet domain: .am
International dialling code: +374

LEADERS

President: Robert Kocharyan

President Kocharyan
President Kocharyan is a former president of the self-proclaimed
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. He became Armenian prime minister in 1997 and was
elected president the following year on a platform of ensuring the existence
of Karabakh and boosting the Armenian economy.

Mr Kocharyan’s reelection as president in 2003 was followed by widespread
allegations of ballot-rigging.

He went on to propose controversial constitutional amendments on the role of
parliament. These were rejected in a referendum the following May at the
same time as parliamentary elections which left Mr Kocharyan’s party in a
very powerful position in parliament.

There were mounting calls for Mr Kocharyan’s resignation in early 2004 with
thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets in support of demands for a
referendum of confidence in him.

A Communist Party official in Soviet times, Mr Kocharyan is no longer a
member of any political party.

The Armenian president has said he wants to solve the Nagorno-Karabakh
question and has held meetings with his Azerbaijani counterpart. But while
he acknowledges the importance to peace of compromise on both sides, he
insists that the people of Nagorno-Karabakh must be guaranteed the right to
exist within safe borders and that a link with Armenia must be maintained.

Mr Kocharyan was born in Nagorno-Karabakh in 1954 and trained as an
electrical engineer in Yerevan.

Prime minister: Andranik Markaryan
Foreign minister: Vardan Oskanyan
Defence minister: Serzh Sarkisyan

MEDIA

Armenia’s government oversees national TV and radio. The national public TV
service can also be seen in many districts of neighbouring Azerbaijan. The
main Russian TV channels are widely available.

Libel and defamation are punishable by prison terms and journalists have
been sentenced under these laws. All print and broadcast media must register
with the Justice Ministry.

In 2003 the US-based NGO Freedom House downgraded its assessment of the
media climate in Armenia from “partly free” to “not free”, citing the use of
security and libel laws to silence criticism and the closure of a private TV
station in 2002.

The press

Aravot – private
Ayots Ashkar – private
Ayastani Anrapetutyun – founded by Armenian parliament
Aykakan Zhanamak – founded by opposition Democratic Homeland Party
Azg – founded by Liberal Democratic Party
Golos Armenii – private
Iravunk – founded by Union of Constitutional Law party
Respublika Armenia – founded by Armenian Presidential Executive Staff,
parliament and government
Yerkir – founded by Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun
Television

Public TV of Armenia – national, state-run
Armenia TV – national, commercial
Prometheus TV – national, commercial
Radio

Public Radio of Armenia – national, state-run
Hai FM – first private radio station

Hit FM – private, Yerevan FM station
Radio Alfa – private, Yerevan FM station
Radio Van – private, Yerevan FM station
News agencies

Arka – private
Armenpress – state-run
Noyan Tapan – private
Mediamax – private
Arminfo – private