CONSEQUENCES OF LANDSLIDE IN MUSHEGH HARUTYUNIAN STREET OF KAPAN NOT ELIMINATED YET

Noyan Tapan
Mar 21 2006

KAPAN, MARCH 21, NOYAN TAPAN. The project on elimination of the
consequences of the landslide in Mushegh Harutyunian Street of Kapan
has not yet been implemented. The project worth 150 mln drams (about
340 thousand USD) was developed by the Japanese company Jaika under the
program on landslide management. According to a preliminary agreement,
the Japanese government was to earmark 100 thousand USD of this amount,
while the remaining money was to be allocated from the state budget,
by the government and other donor organizations. Armen Sargsian,
Chairman of the Union of Kapan Communities, told NT correspondent
that the Japanese government agreed to pay 79 thousand USD instead of
the 100 thousand, whereas Kapan Mayor’s Office is ready to allocate
its share in full. The mayor’s office has prepared all the design
estamates and submitted them to the RA government for financing. After
solution of the financial problems, a tender will be held to choose
the organization to carry out the construction work, after which the
anti-landslide measures will start.

ARMENIAN COMMUNISTS CONGRATULATE BELARUS LEADER ON “LANDSLIDE” WIN

Noyan Tapan news agency
20 Mar 06

Yerevan, 20 March: The central committee of the Communist Party of
Armenia (CPA) has congratulated Belarussian President Alyaksandr
Lukashenka on “a landslide victory” in the presidential election in
Belarus on 19 March.

The congratulatory message, signed by CPA First Secretary Ruben
Tovmasyan, said that “the outcome of the election has again
demonstrated the aspirations of the Belarus people to live in a
stable country”.

The party’s central committee said that the pace of economic growth
in Belarus under Lukashenka has been substantial.

“The country has managed to avoid negative consequences of the
so-called transition period thanks to its unique development. By
active participation in the vote, residents of fraternal Belarus
demonstrated their inexorability to numerous acts of provocation
masterminded by the criminal West,” the message said.

OPPOSITION MP TELLS GOVERNMENT TO LOOK FOR ENEMY OUTSIDE ARMENIA

Arminfo
21 Mar 06

Yerevan, 21 March: Talks on the settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh
conflict have failed, Koryun Arakelyan, a member of the opposition
National Union faction, told the National Assembly [parliament] today.

Arakelyan said Azerbaijan had made use of the cease-fire years to
boost the economy and fill in the state budget.

“What have the Armenian authorities done over these years? Practically
nothing,” he said. Guided by the principle divide and rule, the
Armenian authorities have only been dealing with forming and destroying
political parties over the past few years. They seem to forget that
their enemy is not within the country, but outside it, Arakelyan said.

GEORGIAN ENVOY NOTES INTEREST IN IRANIAN GAS VIA ARMENIA

Mediamax news agency
20 Mar 06

Yerevan, 20 March: The government of Georgia is interested in
improving the socio-economic situation in the region of [Georgia’s]
Samtskhe-Javakheti, the Georgia ambassador, Revaz Gachechiladze,
said in Yerevan today.

Speaking at the National Press Club today, Revaz Gachechiladze said
that the Georgian government pays special attention to problems in
Samtskhe-Javakheti populated mainly by Armenians.

The official pointed out that the government of Georgia made a decision
to allocate over 110m dollars for the construction and maintenance
of roads in this region with the financial assistance of the US
Millennium Challenge Corporation.

Georgia is interested in receiving Iranian gas through the territory
of Armenia, Revaz Gachechiladze said. Speaking at the National Press
Club today, Revaz Gachechiladze stressed that the transit of Iranian
gas will be beneficial to both Armenia and Georgia.

Commenting on plans to construct the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi railway,
the Georgian diplomat said that Georgia considers this project
exclusively in the context of its connection to the international
railway network. According to Revaz Gachechiladze, if Armenia could
agree with Turkey on the restoration of the Gyumri-Kars railway, there
would be no need for elaborating the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi project.

Speaking about bilateral Armenian-Georgian trade and economic
ties, Revaz Gachechiladze expressed the opinion that they are
“unsatisfactory”. The ambassador said that Georgia is interested in
the flow of Armenian capital in the economy.

[Arminfo, Yerevan, in Russian 1212 gmt 18 Mar 06 quoted Gachechiladze
as saying that agreement had been reached to build a power transmission
line from Armenia’s Razdan to Georgia’s Gardabani]

GEORGIA TO SPEND $102 MILLION ON REHABILITATION OF ROADS IN JAVAKHETI

Armenpress
Mar 21 2006

AKHALKALAKI, MARCH 21, ARMENPRESS: An office set up by the government
of Georgian to coordinate and steer a multimillion extra USA aid
to that country released by the Millennium Challenges Corporation,
said Georgia had signed an agreement with a German Koks Konsult Gmbh
company that was chosen to prepare a feasibility study for repair of
roads in the Armenian-populated province of Samtskhe-Javakheti.

The repair of some 245 long roads will start next year and is supposed
to finish in 2010. Overall $102.2 million, out of $295 million aid,
which Georgia will receive from the Millennium Challenges Corporation,
are expected to be used for repair of roads in the region.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARF SAYS EMPIRIC PRO-RUSSIAN APPROACHES SURRENDER TO PRAGMATIC ONES

Armenpress
Mar 21 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 21, ARMENPRESS: A deputy chairman of Armenian parliament
told journalists today in Yerevan last week he saw indications in
Moscow that Russia may revise its decision to double the price of
natural gas it sells to Armenia.

Vahan Hovhanessian, a deputy parliament speaker from the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (ARF), who headed an Armenian delegation
to Moscow for a recurrent meeting of the Russian-Armenian
intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation, told a
news conference in Yerevan those indications made him ‘cautiously
optimistic’ that some mechanisms would be found to compensate the
gas price hike.

He said Armenians did not try to conceal their discontent in Moscow
over the anticipated price hike, largely expected to become effective
from April 1, when Russian Gazprom is expected to start selling gas
to Armenia at $110 per one thousand cubic meters instead of current
$56. He said Russian government officials promised to take note of
Armenian discontent. Hovhanessian argued that ’empiric pro-Russian
approaches in the Armenian political environment are yielding to
pragmatic approaches, as a result the voice of anti-Russian forces
is becoming stronger and they are becoming more influential.”

“We explained to our Russian partners that the authorities and
the opposition in Armenia are not divided into pro-Russian and
anti-Russian segments, but the prevalence of unreasonable elements
in Moscow’s policy may lead to stronger anti-Russian sentiments which
may eventually jeopardize Armenia’s national security,” he speculated.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN GDP GROWS 7 PERCENT IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY

Armenpress
Mar 21 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 21, ARMENPRESS: Armenia’s gross GDP in the first two
months of this year amounted to 164.4 billion drams, marking a 7
percent growth from a year ago and a 27 percent growth over January,
2006.

Armenia’s national statistical committee (Armstat) said the volume
of industrial output in January and February was 89. 6 billion drams
(not counting indirect taxes). The growth rate was down 0.6 percent
from a year ago, however, in February the industrial growth rate
was up 11.3 percent over January. Armenian power plants produced
1.1 billion kilowatt/ hours electricity in the reported time, 89.2
percent of electricity amount produced a year ago.

Agricultural output in the first two months of 2006 amounted to 24.5
billion drams, a 2.2 percent growth from a year ago. Armenia’s trade
amounted to 364.6 billion drams, a 5 percent growth from a year ago.

Exports amounted to 113.4 billion drams and imports to 251.1
billion drams. The growth from a year ago was 14.2 and 5.6 percent
respectively.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NATO AND EU INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATION IN KARABAKH PROCESS

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.03.2006 23:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The first serious request of the European community
for increase of its role in the region was made last January in David
Atkinson’s report at the PACE, Director of Civil Society and Regional
Development Institute, political scientist Aghavni Karakhanyan stated
in a conversation with a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. In her words, the
report’s point lied exactly in enhancing Europe’s role in the South
Caucasus. “Quite a logical step is the European Neighborhood Policy
(ENP), which includes conflict settlement, in particular that of
the Nagorno Karabakh. The NATO IPAP does not imply anything about
conflict settlement. This is mere verbiage. Though NATO official
mission in the South Caucasus did not consider conflict settlement
a priority. Of course, the NATO is interested in participation,” she
remarked. Karakhanyan emphasized that EU activation in the region is
quite explainable. “The US and OSCE try to solve the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict and requests for EU involvement in the region blends with
activation of US policy,” she said.

RHONE PREFECT TO PROHIBIT ACTIONS DENYING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.03.2006 23:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Prefect of the Rhone Jean-Pierre Lacroix announced
Monday that he will prohibit all new gathering of free-Turkish
associations which may result in denial of the Armenian Genocide,
following a demonstration held in Lyon Saturday. Blamed by Armenian
associations of France for not having prohibited this gathering
against the construction of a memorial to the Genocide, which will be
inaugurated on April 24, the prefect of the Rhone asked to understand
“the emotion and the anger of the French of Armenian origin”. “But,
from a legal point of view, we could not prohibit it. At present, we
have evidence and I will prohibit any other gathering of this type”,
he defended himself at a news conference. Previously, at a briefing
organized by Armenian associations, a decision was made to address
Minister of the Interior Nicolas Sarkozy so that this type of ashamed
gathering “is not held in our country any more”. “Mr. Sarkozy must
make the step necessary to complete the law of January 2001 on the
recognition by France of the Armenian genocide”, affirmed Martine
David, mayor of Saint-Priest (the Rhone). “The law on recognition of
the Armenian Genocide misses an article necessary for punishing those
who, on our ground, deny the Armenian genocide “, specified a person
in charge of the Coordination Council of the Armenian organizations
of France (CCAF), reports AFP.

March 18, when a wave of rallies shocked France several thousands of
Turks protested in Lyons against the erection of the monument to the
Armenian Genocide victims. They came across French rally participants
at the municipality. Turks attacked the French and the police dispersed
the crowd with tear-gas bombs.

ARMENIAN TO BE INCLUDED IN RUSSIAN GENERAL EDUCATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.03.2006 23:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russia will promote studying and spread of the
Armenian language as an ethno-national component of the Russian
general education system.

Armenian NA Vice-Speaker, Co-Chair of the Armenian-Russian
Interparliamentary Commission Vahan Hovhannisyan stated it, when
speaking of the outcomes of the 10th session of the Armenia-Russia
Interparliamentary Commission. In his words, the respective wording
is included in the final protocol of an interparliamentary meeting
in Moscow March 14.

“This is of huge importance for Armenian schools of Moscow and south of
Russia,” Hovhannisyan remarked. At that he emphasized that both parties
should be interested in enhancing the role of the Russian language in
Armenia. “If Russia want to promote spread of the Russian language,
it should provide for respective financing, as in case of the English,
German or French languages,” he remarked.