ELECTIONS OF CIVIL SOCIETY REPRESENTATIVES TO MILLENNIUM CHALLENGES –
ARMENIA PROGRAM BOARD OF BENEFICIARIES TO TAKE PLACE ON MAY 2

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN. Voting on the elections of civil
society representatives to the Board of Beneficiaries of the
Millennium Challenges – Armenia Program will be held at the American
University of Armenia (AUA) on May 2. According to the working group
of the Millennium Challenges – Armenia Program, the voting results
will be summarized on the same day until 9:00 pm.

OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF ARMENIAN MIGRANTS NOT AWARE OF MIGRATION LAWS
OF ABROAD

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian representation of the
Czech charity fund “People in Need” jointly with the “Hamaynk ev
Iravunk” (“Community and Right) public organization held a
sociological survey in Yerevan from February 24 to March 10. As Samvel
Mkrtchian, the Chairman of the organization informed at the April 28
event dedicated to presenting of results of the survey, 123 people
participated in the sociological survey. 56.9% of them has no profit,
13% gets very low salary and only 9% gets from 50 thousand to 200
thousand drams (about 444 U.S. dollars). 9.8% of them was in refugees’
camp, 4.9% worked abroad legally, and 7.3% worked in illegal
way. 59.3% of those surveyed decided to stay in the Fatherland, and
40.7% to leave for abroad. 66.7% of participants of the survey is
interested in the migration laws functioning abroad, 19.5% is not
interested in them. S.Mkrtchian mentioned, according to official data,
one migrant falls to the lot of every 10th family in the republic. 147
thousand people left the country in 2002-2005 to find work. According
to him, the overwhelming majority of those leaving the country is not
aware of migration laws of the above-mentioned country. It was also
mentioned that the “People in Need” Armenian representation created
“Hot Line,” which gives free consultation to RA citizens about
migration laws functioning in European countries.

Armenia Fund, Inc.
111 North Jackson St. Ste. 205
Glendale, CA 91206

T | 818-243-6222
F | 818-243-7222
E | [email protected]

Press Release
April 28, 2006

Armenia Fund Continues Reconstruction in Earthquake Zone

Yerevan, Armenia – Armenia Fund continues its reconstruction projects in
the earthquake battered northern region of Armenia. In 1988, the country
was struck with a catastrophic earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 on the
Richter scale and an epicenter at Gyumri-Spitak. Armenia’s 2nd largest
city – Gyumri – fell to rubbles as the earthquake struck a major blow to
its infrastructure. Residential buildings toppled one after another
forcing the population to live in temporary shacks.

Thanks to the combined effort of countless NGOs and Diaspora based
philanthropists, the region is gradually recovering through large-scale,
long-term infrastructure development assistance. Armenia Fund and the
Lincy Foundation have been at the forefront of such reconstruction
projects.

Building upon years of revitalization projects, Armenia Fund is proud to
announce, yet again, that it will construct 2 new, modern residential
buildings in the `Yerankyuni’ District of Spitak. The financing of the
project is generously provided by the British affiliate of Armenia Fund.
The affiliate has also undertaken the reconstruction of the Artik
Regional Hospital of Shirak which is the only regional healthcare
facility catering the republic’s northern population. The new building
will be dubbed as 7B and 8B – completing a series of other building in
the district. Each building will consist of three or two room apartments
designed for 8 families. Although construction of the project had
started in late 2004 and early 2005, the British affiliate of the Fund
pledged to complete its financing.

The buildings will feature four floors, modern windows and doors, as
well as a roof resistant to the harsh climate of Armenia. The
surrounding landscape of the buildings will be rehabilitated through
financing provided by the government of Armenia. Upon the completion of
the project, the `Yerankyuni’ district will enjoy a series of new
residential buildings. The 8A building was completed thanks to financing
provided by the German affiliate of Armenia Fund – Hayastan Fonds eV
Germany. The 7A building was completed by the British affiliate.

Armenia Fund continues to provide large-scale infrastructure development
assistance in the earthquake region. The Fund focuses on the
construction of safe and reliable housing, as well as new schools,
healthcare facilities, and cultural centers. Armenia Fund is the single
most effective organization in carrying out such projects in Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh thanks to the wholehearted support of the Armenian
Diaspora around the world.

Armenia Fund, Inc., is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation
established in 1994 to facilitate large-scale humanitarian and
infrastructure development assistance to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.
Armenia Fund, Inc. is the U.S. Western Region affiliate of “Hayastan”
All-Armenian Fund. Tax ID# 95-4485698

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Dünya online, Turkey
April 28 2006

Ombudsmen of BSEC gather in Istanbul

27/04/2006 16:26:05 Geri dön gönder yazýcý

Ombudsmen of the Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation
(BSEC) have gathered in Istanbul, Turkey, to discuss role of
ombudsman institution in strengthening democracy.
The two-day conference organized with the assistance of the
Parliamentary Assembly of BSEC started on April 26. Addressing the
meeting, former Turkish President Suleyman Demirel expressed hope
that ombudsmen would contribute to bring peace and stability to the
region.

Human rights commissioner of Azerbaijan Mrs. Elmira Suleymanova spoke
of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

She said over one million Azerbaijani nationals were forced to flee
their homelands and became refugees or internally displaced persons
(IDP) in result of 18-years long Armenian aggression.

Mrs. Suleymanova also called on all the human rights defenders to
step up their efforts to help Azerbaijani refugees return to their
homes.

The conference will last until April 27.

PRAVDA, Russia
April 28 2006

Young woman denies reports she won Miss Iraq contest and returned the
title

04/28/2006 00:42 Source:

A young Iraqi woman has denied reports that she won the Miss Iraq
beauty pageant and returned the title after receiving threats from
Islamic extremists.

“Everything is a big lie and fabricated. I never took part in such an
event and did not even know that a beauty pageant had taken place,”
Tamar Goregian told The Associated Press in a phone interview on
Thursday.

Earlier this month, the American TV network ABC reported that
Goregian had won the Miss Iraq contest which was held in a Baghdad
social club on April 9. She gave back the beauty crown four days
later because she was threatened by religious extremists who called
her as “the queen of infidels” for taking part in a contest that
violated Islamic principles.

The Associated Press reported the ABC story on April 12. A person
familiar with the pageant confirmed the report to the AP but insisted
on anonymity as he said he also feared retribution from Islamic
militants.

Goregian, 29, an engineer and a Christian of Armenian origin, said
she came to Jordan on April 10, the day after the contest, to look
after her mother who was to undergo an operation in the kingdom.

“Those lies caused me fear and worry,” Goregian said Thursday. “The
false reports that I have taken part in the pageant contest and
(received) threats from Muslim groups could expose me to danger.”

“I am afraid to return to Iraq and I’m afraid for my family, who
remained in Baghdad,” she added.

Asked about the person who confirmed the ABC report to the AP,
Goregian insisted that she did not take part in any Miss Iraq
contest.

ABC said that after Goregian handed back the award, the title of Miss
Iraq went to Silva Shahakian, another Iraqi Christian.

Shahakian was quoted by ABC’s “Good Morning America” as saying she
would keep the title, but she planned to change her residence for
personal safety.

“This chance does not come to every girl. So, I’m lucky to have that.
I’m not going to lose it,” she said in the program broadcast April
11.

The network said the pageant organizers are hoping to send Shahakian
to the Miss Universe contest which is due to be held in Los Angeles
on July 23, reports AP,.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

COMMISSION ON WORKING OUT DRAFT NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY CONVENES
ITS FOURTH SITTING

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN. The fourth sitting of the
interdepartmental commission coordinating the works of elaboration of
the draft national security strategy was held on April 28. The sitting
was presided over by Serge Sargsian, Secretary of the National
Security Council under RA President, RA Defence Minister. As Noyan
Tapan was informed by Colonel Seyran Shahsuvarian, Spokesperson for RA
Defence Minister, among about 250 proposals received by the
interdepartmental commission, those included in the agenda of the
fourth sitting, regarding the departments “Strategy of Armenian
Foreign Security.

Strategy of All-Armenian Integration” were discussed. The revisions
implemented as a result of exchange of opinions, on the whole, were
approved and the commission’s secretariate was charged to additionally
edit them.

The Messenger, Georgia
April 28 2006

Millennium Challenge Georgia Fund hits the ground running

By Nino Kopaleishvili

The Samtskhe-Javakheti Road Rehabilitation Project, which calls for
the of a 245 kilometer stretch of the region’s main road, as well as
the of some of Georgia’s most remote areas with the rest of the
country, will commence in the spring of 2007.

Millennium Challenge Georgia Fund (MCG) started preliminary work on
the road in the autumn of 2005 within the framework of the USD 4.1
million “pre-compact” grant allocated by the Millennium Challenge
Corporation (MCC).

Since the compact itself entered into force this April, the total
budget for the road rehabilitation scheme shot up to USD 102.2
million. The German consulting firm The German consulting firm Kocks
Consult GmbH has been conducting a feasibility study, environmental
impact assessment and created the final design for the road since
winter 2006.

The project will focus on improving the network of roads in Georgia’s
long neglected southern region which is adjacent to the neighboring
state of Armenia with the ultimate goal of connecting a number of the
area’s attractions and historic sights – ranging from Teleti,
Manglisi, and Tsalka to Akhalkalaki, Ninotsminda, and Vardzia – to
the rest of the country.

As the Millennium Challenge Georgia Compact officially entered into
force in April of this year, the Millennium Challenge Georgia Fund
took the opportunity this week to sum up the preliminary activities
that it has been carrying out over the past two years.

On April 9 Georgia’s Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli and CEO of the
Millennium Challenge Corporation Ambassador John Danilovich announced
the “Entry into Force” of the Millennium Challenge Georgia Compact.
The duration of the USD 295.3 million Millennium Challenge Account
(MCA) Compact is five years.

The organization’s activities are overseen by a supervisory council
chaired by the prime minister. Currently, the organization is
focusing on two projects – Regional Infrastructure Rehabilitation and
Enterprise Development.

The Regional Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project is divided into
three primary activities: the rehabilitation of the
Samtskhe-Javakheti Road – for which USD 102.2 million has been
allotted; the rehabilitation of Georgia’s North- South gas pipeline,
which has a budget of USD 49.5 million; and the USD 60 million
Regional Infrastructure Development plan that encourages regional,
local, and self-governance units to propose projects in the fields of
water supply, sanitation, irrigation, municipal gasification and
overall water processing infrastructure.

“The majority of the projects are in the field of water and
irrigation” said MCG’s Public Outreach Director Eka Zguladze, who
believes that this is an area of particular need as a number of
cities in the country – Poti, Rustavi, Kutaisi – have no potable
drinking water. “Compared to this, other projects seem to have less
importance,” she said.

Explaining why the regional infrastructure projects can be undertaken
solely by state structures Zguladze said, “We want to ensure
sustainability of the investment. It might be that the idea belongs
to a non-governmental organization, but the project proposal must be
submitted by the governmental agency actually owning or operating the
specific infrastructure.”

MCG has identified two Municipality Development Fund projects this
year – the Sioni and the Algeti irrigation schemes – and another four
projects are currently under discussion and are expected to be
implemented with the help of cofinancers such as EBRD.

MCG’s total 2006 budget for Municipality Development Fund projects is
USD 27 million, and the same amount will be provided the next year.

The two year long gas pipeline rehabilitation project is expected to
play a pivotal role in the development of Georgia’s energy security.

Zguladze explained that initially MCG had been planning to work on
hydroelectric power stations, however after the Georgian government
changed course and put hydroelectric power on the privatization list,
“there has been no alternative to the gas pipeline project,” she
said.

Project executives expect that the allotted sum of USD 49.5 million
for the pipeline still is not enough to carry out the total necessary
rehabilitation, however, according to Project Director of the Energy
Rehabilitation Project Activity Ilia Eloshvili the most vulnerable
spots will be repaired and the consequent reduction in carbon
emissions will enable Georgia to amass and hopefully sell USD 26
million worth “carbon credit” by the end of the Compact period.

“Carbon credit” is the prevention of the emmission of one metric ton
of carbon produced by the burning of fossil fuels. Credits can be
traded for or developed into financial instruments such as bonds or
credit lines. The strategy was put forth to curb the emission of
greenhouse gasses by creating an international market in emissions
credits. The idea was proposed at the third session of the Conference
of the Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
in Kyoto, Japan December 1997. The Kyoto Protocol commits developed
countries to reduce their emissions of six greenhouse gasses by at
least five percent of 1990 levels by 2012. The country that fails to
meet its target can buy carbon emission permit from other country
that is under target. The Kyoto agreement became legally binding on
February 16, 2005 when 132 signatory countries agreed to decrease
carbon dioxide emissions.

The pipeline rehabilitation is expected to decrease Georgia’s losses
by three percent, or approximately 300 million cubic meters, a
reduction which should equal USD 30 million.

Preparatory work on the pipeline started in 2005 and at this stage
the work is focused on the Pasanauri- Saguramo and Saguramo-Red
Bridge sections of the structure.

The Enterprise Development Project at present is concentrating on two
activities: the Georgian Regional Development Fund Activity (GRDF),
which is funded by an earmarked USD 32.5 million and the Agribusiness
Development Activity for which USD 15 million has been allotted.

The GRDF is a 10 year lifetime investment fund that offers financing
to regional small and medium sized enterprises (SME) predominantly in
the fields of agriculture and tourism. The fund, which will be
created as a separate legal entity from MCG, will be run by a
managing company which will assist the funded companies on technical
and managerial levels. The managing company will be named within a
month.

The SMEs that will participate in the project should have more than
10 but less than 250 full-time employees and their total turnover
should not be greater than USD 5 million.

The Agribusiness Development Activity will provide grants to three
directions for farmers and farm enterprises, service providers and
enterprises that focus on processing, packaging and market
acquisitions.

Mehr News Agency, Iran
April 28 2006

Iran-Armenia pipeline is not for sale: minister

TEHRAN, Apr. 28 (MNA) – Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan
denies it while Manok Gasparian, an MP, says that the contract
indicating the sale of Iran-Armenia Gas Export Pipeline is on his
table.

However, the Prime Minister did acknowledge the sale of 5th energy
unit of Hrazdan (Harazdan-5) to Gazprom of Russia for $60m as part of
ongoing privatization process in Armenia, the Persian service of ISNA
reported on Friday.

Elsewhere in the news, the nation’s Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan
reiterated that the pipeline is not for sale while the Russian
company omitted this section from its news site and corrected it
later. The energy minister also rejected that the money has been
transferred to the Defense Ministry’s account.

`The contract clearly states that 40 km of the pipeline will be sold
to Gazprom and the plan to construct additional 137 km is on the
agenda,’ Gasparian emphasized.

ACCORDING TO CBA CHAIRMAN, LEVEL OF SHADOW ECONOMY IS HIGH IN SOUTH
CAUCASIAN COUNTRIES

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN. “Today we live similarly badly, but
differently well.” Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA)
Tigran Sargsian stated this at the opening of the international forum
Caucasus 2005, when analyzing the development dynamics of the South
Caucasian economies. According to him, the situation assessment by
using the main criteria of the Maastricht Agreement shows that the
level of shadow economy is high in the three South Caucasian
countries, which are also facing the problem of poverty and unsettled
conflicts. The first criterion is inflation level. In this respect
Armenia is in the most favorable state, which, according to
international organizations, is conditioned by the efficient monetary
and credit policy. Currency rates prevail in the monetary and credit
policies of Georgia and Azerbaijan, which may lead to macroeconomic
problems in both countries in the next few years. T. Sargsian noted
that in 2006 Armenia adopted the inflation targeting policy, while it
will take Azerbaijan and Georgia 3 years to shift to this policy.

Besides, the highest level of economy’s dollarization is in
Azerbaijan. In the opinion of CBA Chairman, in terms of the ratio of
state debt to GDP, all the three countries are in a favoravle
state. At the same time, it was noted that only in Armenia, the
government places 15-year state bonds at an annual interest rate below
10%. In terms of salaries, Armenia is in first place in the region
(145 USD), followed by Georgia and Azerbaijan. The higest index of
poverty is in Georgia – 52%, with this index making 34% and 29% in
Armenia and Azerbaijan respectively. By the economic growth index,
Azerbaijan is the leading state among CIS member states, however, oil
products account for about 41% of Azerbaijan’s GDP. In Georgia, GDP
growth made 9.3% in 2005, but the inflation level was quite high –
over 6%. In Armenia, economic growth made 13.9% over the same period
with a 0% inflation. T. Sargsian said that in connection with a growth
in their expenditures, all the three countries are trying to icrease
tax collection. Azerbaijan’s state budget expenditures have
especially grown, particularly defence expenditures. In 2006 alone,
the country’s defence expenditures will amount to 650 mln USD, which
is 4 times as much as Armenia’s defence expenditires.

PRESIDENTS OF ARMENIA AND RUSSIA DISCUSS TOPICAL ISSUES OF
ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN COOPERATION

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On the initiative of
the Armenian side, a telephone conversation took place on April 28
between the Presidents of Armenia and Russia, Radio Liberty reported
referring to a press release of the Kremlin’s press service.

According to the press release, Vladimir Putin and Robert Kocharian
“discussed some topical issues of Armenian-Russian cooperation.”

“As part of regular exchange of opinions, the leaders of Russia and
Armenia also addressed partnership issues in multilateral formats,”
the press release says. No details were reported.