Category: News

ArmenPress
March 16 2004

LIVING IN YEREVAN BECOMES HAZARDOUS, NGO SAYS

YEREVAN, MARCH 16, ARMENPRESS: A coalition of 28 nature protection
non-governmental organizations, united in Yerevan Ecological
Alliance, warned today that living in Armenia’s capital is becoming
gradually hazardous, following mass logging of trees in public parks
and building the vacated areas with cafes and other entertaining
facilities.
Sona Ayvazian, one of the seven members of the Alliance’s board
said today: “We have neither forests, nor parks, the only green area
in the capital is the Botanic garden in which many species are drying
up.” She called on mass medias and public at large to raise their
protesting voice against the ongoing destruction of green areas.
According to another speaker, in early nineties trees were cut by
people to warm their houses due to the lack of other fuel, today
forests are destroyed to make money.

Yahoo News
March 16 2004

Al-Arabiya factors in ‘Genocide’ doc
Sun Mar 14, 7:00 PM ET

Melanie Goodfellow

(Variety) JERUSALEM Pan-Arab satcaster MBC TV has acquired “The
Genocide Factor,” a U.S.-made doc exploring religious and ethnic
persecution from Biblical times to the present, to air on news and
current affairs channel Al-Arabiya in April.

Series, narrated by thesp Jon Voight, examines some of the worst
crimes against humanity including the Nazi Holocaust and the
Armenian, Bosnian and Rwandan genocides.

“Having “The Genocide Factor’ run complete and uncensored on free TV
in the Middle East to a potential audience of more than 130 million
people is truly groundbreaking,” says Gary Lico, CEO of U.S. distrib
Cable Ready.

Directed by Robert Emery, the four-part series features photos, news
footage and interviews with Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, former U.S.
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (news – web sites) and genocide
survivors.

RIA Novosti, Russia
March 16 2004

ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN HAVE TO BE MAIN FORCE IN SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNY
KARABAKH PROBLEM, BAKU BELIEVES

BAKU, March 16, 2004. (RIA Novosti) – Azerbaijan and Armenia have to
make the main efforts to settle the Nagorny Karabakh problem,
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Vilayat Guliyev told reporters after his
meeting on Tuesday with the incumbent chairman of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Bulgarian
Foreign Minister, Solomon Pasi.

“The OSCE plays the role of a mediator in this process today,”
underscored Mr. Guliyev.

He noted that in the course of the meeting with Mr. Pasi the role of
the OSCE in settling the Nagorny Karabakh problem was discussed.

Apart from that, they discussed the problems of democratic reforms in
Azerbaijan, the preparations for the municipal elections in the fall
of 2004, the events of October 15-17, 2003 in Baku (during the
presidential elections, the opposition organized several unsanctioned
protests) and freedom of the press in Azerbaijan.

Polish Press Agency
PAP News Wire
March 16, 2004 Tuesday

Polish, Armenian MPs discuss bilateral relations

Warsaw

Sejm Speaker Marek Borowski and head of the Armenian National Assembly
Artur Bagdasarian met Tuesday to discuss bilateral relations,
international affairs and Armenia’s policy towards the Polish
minority.

Borowski said after the meeting that Bagdasarian was interested in
European legislature, Poland’s political system and the functioning
and powers of the Sejm. The Armenian side expressed readiness to
develop closer interparliamentary contacts between the two countries
and interest in Polish experience in European integration.

On Wednesday the guest will be received by President Aleksander
Kwasniewski, PM Leszek Miller, Foreign Minister Wlodzmierz Cimoszewicz
and presidia of the Sejm’s foreign affairs and European committees.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
March 16, 2004 Tuesday

Armenia hopes for peaceful settlement of Adzharia situation

By Tigran Liloyan

YEREVAN

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan said he was hoping that Tbilisi
and Batumi would settle their disagreements through talks. Yerevan
hopes that the situation will normalize and that it will not affect
the functioning of Black Sea ports, he said.

“Georgia on the whole and the Black Sea ports of this country have a
very important significance for Armenia,” Kocharyan said in the
course of his visit to a Defense Ministry’s military college on
Tuesday.

The president noted that Armenia’s authorities wish for a peaceful
settlement of the situation around Adzharia was voiced during the
recent official visit to Yerevan by Georgian leader Mikhail
Saakashvili.

“Stability in Georgia has an extremely important significance for
Armenia,” said Serzh Sarkisyan, Armenia’s Defense Minister and
Secretary of the National Security Council under the president.

The minister said he did not share the view that a new war would
break out in the region.

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
March 16, 2004, Tuesday

Students protest in Cyprus over closure of historic boarding school

Over 200 students of an historic Armenian boarding school in Nicosia
demonstrated Tuesday against its impending closure.

The U.S.-based foundation that runs the Melkonian Educational
Institute announced it will close the school in June 2005, after over
seven decades.

News of the closure has angered critics who say that profits from the
40 million Cyprus pound (84 million dollars) sale of the school’s
prime assets will leave Cyprus.

Protesting students blocked the main road leading out of the capital,
chanting “Melkonian not for sale” and brandishing placards condemning
the foundation.

The school, Cyprus’s only boarding school, was established in 1926 by
two Armenian brothers to provide shelter to orphans that escaped
genocide at the hands of the Ottomans during the First World War.

Students and teachers claim the New-York based Armenian General
Benevolent Union (AGBU), which had been entrusted with the management
of the school, decided to close the institute without sufficient
justification. dpa mdp ch sc

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
March 16, 2004 Tuesday

Putin receives congratulations on his re-election

MOSCOW

Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to receive numerous
congratulations on his re-election to the highest executive post in
Russia from foreign leaders.

Vladimir Putin and his ARMENIAN counterpart Robert Kocharyan held a
telephone talk, a source in the Russian Presidential press service
told Itar-Tass on Tuesday. The Armenian side initiated the talk to
congratulate Vladimir Putin on “great success in the March 14
presidential election in Russia.”

Kocharyan and Putin also discussed practical issues of the
Russian-Armenian cooperation and situation in the Transcaucasia.

UZBEKISTAN President Islam Karimov telephoned Vladimir Putin on
Tuesday, the source said. During the conversation, Islam Karimov
expressed sincere congratulations to his Russian counterpart on “the
convincing victory in the presidential election.”

The two presidents decided to hold a working meeting in Moscow in
April.

SERBIA and MONTENEGRO President Svetozar Marovic sent a message of
congratulations to Putin on his re-election to presidency.

“I am sure that you, filling this executive post, will continue to
make efforts for the further successful development and prosperity of
friendly Russia for the benefit of all its citizens,” Marovic said in
the message.

A source in the Serbia and Montenegro presidential office conveyed
the message to Itar-Tass.

“The deepening of political dialogue with Russia, development of
many-sided and mutually advantageous cooperation and keeping of
traditionally close contacts between our two states” are of much
importance to Serbia and Montenegro, Marovic said.

JAPANESE Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi phoned Vladimir Putin to
congratulate him on his winning the presidential election, the source
said.

The two parties also discussed the vital issues of bilateral
cooperation in 2004, including the schedule of high-level contacts.

Chairman of CHINA’s Central Military Council (CMC), former president
Jiang Zemin warmly congratulated Vladimir Putin in a telegram on his
re-election to the post of Russian president for the second term.

Former Chinese leader expressed confidence that the joint efforts of
the two parties will ensure still more brilliant prospects for
strategic partnership between China and Russia, Xinhua news agency
reported.

On the previous day, Chinese Chairman Hu Jintao congratulated
Vladimir Putin on a landslide re-election for the second term.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
March 16, 2004 Tuesday

Direct negotiations are only way to Karabakh settlement- OSCE

By Sevindzh Abdullayeva, Viktor Shulman

BAKU

OSCE thinks that direct negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia
are the only way to the Karabakh settlement, Bulgarian Foreign
Minister and OSCE Chairman-in-Office Solomon Pasi said at a Tuesday
meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku.

He noted with regret that the OSCE Minsk Group mission had not
brought positive results. “I expect a lot from dialog between the two
presidents, and I will declare that during a visit to Yerevan,” Pasi
said. Pasi will go to Yerevan on Tuesday evening for discussing the
Karabakh problem with the Armenian administration.

The Azerbaijani president said he hoped for more intensive efforts of
the Minsk Group in the Karabakh settlement. The unsettled problem “is
a great danger to the region,” he said.

“Solomon Pasi promised support to the Azerbaijani striving for closer
integration into Europe,” the AzerTadz news agency reports.

The absence of dialog is characteristic of conflicts in the South
Caucasus, Pasi said. He noted that OSCE would boost dialog between
Azerbaijan and Armenia for settling the Karabakh conflict. “We can
offer a dozen of settlement options, but neither of them will be
workable until Azerbaijan and Armenia reach understanding,” he said.

Baltic News Service
March 15, 2004

ALCOHOL WHOLESALER PERNOD RICARD LATVIA BOOSTS TURNOVER 34 PCT TO EUR
2 MLN IN 2003

RIGA

Pernod Ricard Latvia premium alcoholic beverage wholesaler posted a
turnover of 1.346 million last (EUR 2 mln) in 2003, up 34 percent in
the previous year, reported the company.

The company sold a total of 167,000 liters of beverages, mainly
brandy, cognac, tequila, vodka and wine last year, up 28.5 percent.

20.5 percent of the beverages sold by the company come from Armenia’s
Erevan Brandy Company and its Ararat brandy.

Pernod Ricard Latvia is a subsidiary of the Groupe Pernod Ricars,
Europe’s largest alcohol producer, and was established in 1998.

ARKA News Agency
March 16 2004

Forum dedicated to international Women Month to take place on March
19 in Yerevan

ArmenTel tries to evict largest provider of Armenia Arminco Company
from the market

RA Deputy Foreign Minister receives the Ambassador of Ghana to
Armenia

Armenian PM releases Martun Matevosyan from position of Yerevan Vice
Mayor

*********************************************************************

FORUM DEDICATED TO INTERNATIONAL WOMEN MONTH TO TAKE PLACE ON MARCH
19 IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, March 16. /ARKA/. Forum dedicated to International Women
Month will take place on March 19 in Yerevan, US Embassy to Armenia
told ARKA. The forum will discuss the role of women in such spheres
as international relations, politics, business, mass media and
legislation. L.D. –0–

*********************************************************************

ARMENTEL TRIES TO EVICT LARGEST PROVIDER OF ARMENIA ARMINCO COMPANY
FROM THE MARKET

YEREVAN, March 16. /ARKA/. Armentel tries to evict largest provider
of Armenia – Arminco Company -from the market, Director General of
Arminco Global Telecommunications Andranik Alexanian stated today. He
said that Armentel does not create conditions for development of IT
sector and prevents the one who wants to do it. Alexanian stressed
that Armentel sent official letter to Arminco stating that the
infrastructures created by the provider are illegal. `If Armentel
does it deliberately it means that the company damages us on
purpose’, he said. He added that Arminco plans to build its own cable
through Mehri to Georgia to avoid communication with Armentel.
Joint Russian-Armenian Company Arminco Global Telecommunications was
founded in 1991. 80% of the shares belongs to Armenian party.
The Armenian Government took decision on 8 September 2003 to deprive
ArmenTel company of its monopoly license on mobile services and
Internet.
The Greek telecommunication company OTE obtained through an
international tendering 90% of shares of the telecommunication
company ArmenTel for USD 142.42 mln in the end of 1997. The rest 10%
of shares belong to the Armenian Government. According to the
agreement terms signed by the Armenian Government, ArmenTel was
awarded monopoly rights in the telecommunications sphere for the
period of 15 years. According to the agreement, OTE has undertaken a
commitment to invest in the Armenian telecommunication network USD
200 mln during the first five years. L.D. -0 –

*********************************************************************

RA DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER RECEIVES THE AMBASSADOR OF GHANA TO
ARMENIA

YEREVAN, March 16. /ARKA/. RA Deputy Foreign Minister Tatul Margarian
received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ghana to
Armenia Francis Yahaya Mahama (residence in Moscow), RA NA told ARKA.
The parties noted the necessity of stimulation of links and
development of cooperation between Armenia and African countries and
the role of Ghana in this issue. Margarian expressed hope that the
relations of the countries will receive new stimuli during diplomatic
activity of newly appointed Ambassador.
Yahaya Mahama in his turn stressed the interest of his country in
establishment of multilateral relations with Armenia. He noted the
importance of direct contacts between the businessmen of the two
countries. L.D. –0 –

*********************************************************************

ARMENIAN PM RELEASES MARTUN MATEVOSYAN FROM POSITION OF YEREVAN VICE
MAYOR

YEREVAN. March 16. /ARKA/. The decree by the Armenian PM Andranik
Margarian released Martun Matevosyan from the position of Yerevan’s
Vice Mayor, as ARKA News Agency was told in the Armenian Government
Apparatus Public Relations and Press Department. T.M. -0–