NO BIRD FLU PATHOGEN IN ARMENIA YET

Panorama.am
17:13 21/03/06

Today President Robert Kocharyan had a meeting with Minister of
Agriculture David Lokhyan. Firs of all, the President was interested
in questions concerning bird flu.

As it has been informed in President’s Press Service the Agriculture
Minister has introduces the final results of examinations of Armenian
as well as US experts according to which there is no bird flu pathogen
in Armenia yet. The question of establishing small and medium recycling
enterprises has also been discussed. The President ordered to pass
the process about that in the future. Robert Kocharyan also said that
they should support recycling enterprises giving them opportunity to
get credits at low interests.

The President was interested in planting works, irrigation system,
whether the fertilizers are enough as well as in questions of
importation of new agriculture technical equipment.

LIGHT IN AT THE END OF TUNNEL: RUSSIA MAY CHANGE APPROACH TO GAS PRICE

Panorama.am
16:06 21/03/06

“There are certain positive developments in the negotiations over
gas price. We expressed stormy protests,” announced NA vice Speaker
Vahan Hovhannisyan at the press conference today who has taken part
in the 10th session of Armenian-Russian inter-parliamentary committee.

The NA vice Speaker informed about what had been discussed at the
session. One of the questions discussed was the question concerning
Education and Science about the fact that the 50 free places for
Armenian students in Russia are not filled up. “It is the problem of
Ministry of Education and Science,” the vice Speaker mentioned.

Another question discussed at the 10th session of Inter-Parliamentary
Committee referred to the means of connection between the two
countries. The question of ferry-boat was discussed, the fact that
it doesn’t transfer goods. “Aren’t there any goods,” they asked.

And the Armenian side noticed that the taxes fixed by Russian side
for transfer of goods are too high.

Among the questions examined at the session was the question of dual
citizenship as according to V. Hovhannisyan’s formulation: “Russia
is a problematic country from the point of view of dual citizenship.”

As he says dual citizenship is banned by Russian laws, yet their
Constitution there is no such ban. “Our colleagues promised
us to review and correct those legislative contradictions” he
added.

“RATHER IMPORTANT CHANGE” IN ONE SENTENCE

Panorama.am
14:53 21/03/06

According to one sentence to be changed in the law about “Privatization
of State Property” the resolutions about privatization of state
property will be passed by the NA and not the Government as it used
to be. The authors of the changes in this law are members of “Orinats
Yerkir” and it is noteworthy that the suggestion met with the approval
of the Government.

NA Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan, who is co-author of the draft law,
remembered that the number of privatizations of state property has
greatly increased since Armenian Independence. “Greatest number of them
was realized without selling and the buyers were known beforehand. Sale
of about 1 million USD has been carried out illegally. We know that
previously known buyers do not buy the property with market prices,”
the speaker said.

The draft law about making changes in the law about “Privatization
of State Property” will be voted when quorum will be asserted in the
NA hall.

LAWS PASSED WITHOUT A MOMENT’S RESPITE

Panorama.am
13:08 21/03/06

Not long ago 10s of laws and agreements were passed in the NA after
10-minute voting. The laws passed were those discussed yesterday.

The convention about “Cyber Crime” was also passed.

Besides, the NA accepted the covenant about receiving just
another credit from the World Bank. To remind, the credit of 21
million USD will be lent to Armenia to overcome poverty in the
country.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PLACE OF MEETING CANNOT BE CHANGED

Panorama.am
12:43 21/03/06

A new page seems to be recorded in the relation of the two companies
competing in the filed of cellular connection “ArmenTel” and
“Gh-Telecom”- “Vivacell”.

Today it became known that “ArmenTel” is not going to carry out
the resolution of Official State Committee of Economic Competition
passed during the latest session according to which the activity of
the company has been qualified as misuse of prevailing position.

The head of “ArmenTel” management of public relations Hasmik
Chutilyan confirmed the information about neglecting the resolution
and assured that the company is going to appeal against the decision
of State Committee of Defence of Economic Competition according to
administrative order. Moreover, “ArmenTel” is going to appeal against
the Committee itself.

SAMTSKHE – JAVAKHK ROADS TO BE GERMAN

Panorama.am
12:22 21/03/06

Georgian organization “Millennium War calls Fund” has spread
information about the grant given to Georgia for repairing
Samtskhe-Javakhk roads in the scopes of US governmental program
“Millennium War Calls”.

As “A-info” informs on February 10, 2006 an agreement was signed
with German company “Kocks Consult” which is going to carry out the
preliminary examination of the roads to be rebuilt and prepare the
final project.

This preparatory stage is going to cost 3.196 million USD.

As it had been announced beforehand most part of the roads
to be repaired runs through Samtskhe-Javakhk and Kvemo Kartly
territories. The repair works of 245 km of road will begin in 2007. It
is expected that all the repair works will be finished by 2010. And
before that, temporary roads will be opened not to impede the traffic.

The parts to be built are: 1) Teletty – Koda and Manglisi – Tsalka
2) Tsalka – Ninotsminda 3) Akhalkalak – Ninitsminda and border with
Armenia 4) Akhalkalak – Turkish border 5) Khertvisi – Vardzia

The selection of the companied to carry out the repair works will be
held by an open, competitive, international tender.

UNITED STATES INTERESTED IN DEFENSE OF BORDERS OF ARMENIA

Lragir/am
22 March 06

Greater effectiveness of defense of borders of Armenia is in the
interests of the international community. The news agency ARKA informs
that this was stated by the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans. The
entire world should be interested in preventing the proliferation
of weapons of mass destruction, and effective defense of borders of
any country is the best means of prevention, said John Evans. He took
part in the opening ceremony of the Training Center of Border Troops
of Armenia in Yerevan. Ambassador Evans stated that his country had
assisted Armenia in the defense of borders. He mentioned that for a
country like Armenia defense of borders is of prime importance.

GERMAN-ARMENIAN CONSULTATION

Lragir/am
22 March 06

On March 21 a two-day consultation between the governments of Armenia
and Germany started. Minister of Finance and Economy of Armenia Vardan
Khachatryan and the envoy of the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and
Development Rolf Baldus conducted the meeting at which were present
the German Ambassador to Armenia Haike Renate Peitsch, representatives
of the Yerevan office of the European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development and the ministries of Armenia.

During the consultation the financial and technical programs
implemented in the sphere of energy, health care, environment,
infrastructures and hypothec market development were discussed.

The programs of cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and the
Federal Republic of Germany started in 1993. First mainly technical
programs were carried out, but since 1995 financial programs of
cooperation have been implemented. Since the negotiations between
the governments in 2001, regional programs have been implemented in
the framework of the Caucasian Initiative.

German-Armenian financial cooperation is centered in three main
spheres: energy, private capital, water supply and sewage. Besides,
grant projects of comparatively smaller scale are implemented in
health care and environment.

Besides bilateral programs, the regional programs of the Caucasian
Initiative have been launched, which involve financial and technical
cooperation in the three countries of the South Caucasus in the
spheres of energy and private business, management of tuberculosis,
as well as protection of biodiversities. In the framework of the
German-Armenian cooperation programs for development of hypothec
market are foreseen. Armenia has received about 185 million euros in
the framework of German-Armenian relations.

Ministry Of Economy And Finance.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE RATE OF SUICIDES GREW TEN TIMES

Lragir/am
22 March 06

In 2005the rate of suicides in Armenia grew ten times against
the previous years, stated Member of Parliament Hmayak Hovanisyan
at the parliament on March 21. He recalled that it was the year
when amendments to the Constitution were adopted. Certainly,
Hmayak Hovanisyan had forgotten that in the same year Armenia
reported two-digit economic growth for the seventh time. Perhaps,
the constitutional perfection and the constant economic growth have
rendered the life of people meaningless.

“The fathers of this country have to attend to the problem of suicides
with utter responsibility, for young suicides dominate,” announced
Hmayak Hovanisyan. He recalled the protest of the students of Acharyan
University against the decision to increase the tuition fee by 20 per
cent. Hmayak Hovanisyan said not a single public official backed the
students and, consequently, a young student threw herself out of the
window. In her suicide note it was written that she could not afford
to pay her tuition fee. In the meantime, the students engaged in Baze
Youth Rallies announce that they have about 500 thousand dollars on
their deposits, says Hmayak Harutiunyan.

SHAVARSH KOCHARYAN ACCUSES THE OPPOSITION

Lragir/am
22 March 06

On March 21 Shavarsh Kocharyan, the leader of the National Democratic
Party, half-member of the alliance Ardarutiun, tried to deal several
blows to the opposition, accusing his former colleagues of what they
had accused Shavarsh Kocharyan.

The MP announced that the agreement of the forces of the National
Assembly over the reform of the Electoral Code is imitation of
an agreement, aimed to show off solidarity to Europe and do what
Lukashenko did in Belarus, says Shavarsh Kocharyan. “I wonder how the
opposition could wink an eye on the lack of a 100 per cent proportional
system of election. Whereas, all of us know that electoral fraud is
mainly due to a majority electoral system,” says Shavarsh Kocharyan.

He also wonders why the opposition agreed to the changes to the
Electoral Code but did not claim to places in the leadership of
electoral commissions. ” The bulk of electoral fraud happens with
the tacit or active connivance of the leadership of the electoral
commissions,” says the leader of the National Democratic Party to
his former fellow oppositionists. He completed his offensive in black
shades with accusing the opposition of a lack of political will.

Shavarsh Kocharyan certainly covered this blow with a similar
accusation against the government. Kocharyan thinks the government
should display a political will to hold fair elections, and the
opposition to exercise control.