A SEMINAR ON “TRANSPARENCY OF THE ACTIVITY OF STATE BODIES AND
AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION” TO BE HELD IN ARMENIA ON JUNE 22

YEREVAN, June 17. /ARKA/. A seminar on “Transparency of the activity
of state bodies and availability of information” will be held in
Armenia On June 22. According to the National Center for Monitoring
of Liberalization Processes NGO, the seminar aims to increase the
role of the Mass Media in covering corruption cases, contributing
to the influence of the fourth power on formation of public opinion
and achievement of an atmosphere of trust between the Mass Media and
state bodies, as well as to increase publicity and transparency of
the activity of state bodies.

It’s supposed that representatives of the Ministries of Trade and
Economic Development, Agriculture and CBA will participate in the
seminar.

The seminar is organized National Center for Monitoring of
Liberalization Processes NGO in association with OSCE Yerevan Office.

A.H. -0–

Oneworld.net, 17 June 2005 (Updated)

Last chance for the forests of Armenia

Onnik Krikorian

Government-connected businessmen and state officials engaged in the
illegal export of timber from Armenia are mostly to blame for the former
Soviet republic~Rs dwindling number of forests. Whereas 11 per cent of
the republic was covered by forests in 1991, the figure stands at below
8 per cent today. Environmentalists warn that unless current trends are
reversed, Armenia will be forestless by 2024.

In recent weeks, such concerns have have been reinforced by plans to
build a highway through the Shikahogh Nature Reserve situated in the
southern-most Siunik region of the republic. Tens of thousands of trees
in the reserve will be felled in government plans to build a second,
90-kilometer road leading to the Iranian border. Shikahogh is habitat
for over 1000 species of plants and fauna such as leopards.
Environmental activists and NGOs in Armenia are up in arms against this
latest threat especially as work on the $16 million project has already
begun.

Blockaded by Turkey and Azerbaijan as a result of the frozen conflict
with the latter over the mainly Armenian-inhabited territory of Nagorno
Karabagh, Armenia relies on its two other neighbors, Georgia and Iran
for the bulk of its import and export. Approximately ten per cent of all
imports into Armenia come from the Islamic Republic via mountainous
terrain that often makes the journey dangerous during the winter.

The government argues that it is for this reason that a new road should
be constructed even though the proposed route will not only pass through
the Nature Reserve but also the centuries-old Mtnadzor forest.

Environmentalists say that the new road offers no advantage over that
which already exists and accuse the government of having other motives
for the project. Because the Shikahogh reserve and forest are currently
protected under national law, they say that the new highway is simply a
way to “legitimize” logging and hunting in the area.

According to the Armenia Now online publication, the value of the 14,000
mature and 90,000 younger trees that stand in the path of bulldozers is
estimated at approximately $1 million.

“If they refuse to accept any of the proposed alternatives then the road
is not the real issue,” said Karen Manvelyan, National Director of the
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Armenia in an interview with Hetq Online.
“The plan for a ~Qstrategic’ road is simply to get at the forest and the
wood. Governmental officials say that the highway has strategic
importance but none can explain why they have chosen this way through
the reserve.”

If the road passes through the reserve, the government will violate
several of Armenia~Rs international commitments as signatories to the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change, UN Convention on Biodiversity,
UN Convention to Combat Desertification and the European Convention on
Landscape,” says Jeffrey Tufenkian, President of the Armenian Forests NGO.

“It also breaks various national laws and contradicts many decrees by
the Armenian Government such as the State Strategy and National Action
Plan for Development of Specially Protected Natural Areas,” he adds.
“Construction will also infringe upon the Law on Environmental Impact
Expertise as there was no environmental impact assessment conducted for
the concept of passage of the road through the natural reserve.”

In fact, the Environmental Impact Assessment that the government had to
undertake only occurred after construction started in May. In an
interview with Radio Free Europe / Radio Europe at the beginning of
June, however, the Armenian Transport and Communications Minister,
Andranik Manukyan, added insult to injury by saying that the road would
be constructed regardless of what the assessment concluded.

Amalia Kostanyan, Chairperson of the Armenian branch of Transparency
International, the world~Rs leading anti-corruption watchdog, is not
impressed.

“The plan was examined by the State Non-Commercial Organization on
Environmental Expertise,” says Kostanyan, “The law says that the
construction of any project can only start after the positive conclusion
of an impact assessment. In the case of this road, however, no findings
have been released ~V neither positive nor negative ~V and in fact, the
assessment was returned by the government with the request that it be
revised.”

Environmentalists are equally unimpressed and are particularly concerned
by what they see as a cynical ploy to legalize construction on the
reserve by
Moreover, the new road would also allow easy access to loggers and poachers
changing the status of Shikahogh from a Nature Reserve to that of a
National Park. Such a dangerous precedent would immediately open it up
to poachers and other commercial activities, they argue.

Meanwhile, public outcry has at least united NGOs in Armenia. Dozens of
NGOs working within a coalition to save the nature reserve say that an
alternate route should be taken and, already, extensive media coverage
has forced the government to suspend construction for 15 days. However,
while construction in the reserve has not yet started, bulldozers are
still clearing the way for the access road.

As a result, environmentalists are convinced that the Armenian
government has no intention to bow to public pressure to adhere to its
own national law and international commitments.

“They seem to be proceeding in a way that indicates they have already
made their decision regardless of what the public and NGOs have to say,”
says Tufenkian. The American environmental activist of Armenian descent
is also part of the coalition to save Shikahogh. A public hearing
scheduled to be held in Yerevan on 17 June might well represent the last
stand of environmentalists to prevent further deforestation in Armenia.

“The coalition of organizations working to save the Shikahogh Reserve
has taken it upon itself to organize this public forum and has had to
invite the relevant government ministries,” says Tufenkian. “Hopefully
they will yield to public pressure and protect the reserve by choosing
another route for the highway. However, it is possible that even if the
government attends the public hearings, they will be doing so
insincerely and simply as a matter of formality.”

Concern over the fate of Shikahogh and Mtnadzor has also spread far
beyond the boundaries of the former Soviet republic. In the influential
Armenian Diaspora, Carolyn Mugar, founder of the Armenian Tree Project
and Executive Director of the US Farm Aid organization, has already
started a letter writing campaign to lobby the Armenian Embassy in
Washington.

Since then, the Minister for Transport and Communication, Andranik
Manukian, has told the ArmInfo news agency that the government would now
look at alternate routes and requested that environmentalists put in as
much energy into securing extra finance for the project as they have in
protesting. Paradoxically, he also declared that this “change of heart”
had nothing to do with the campaign by environmentalists to save Shikahogh.

But given earlier broken promises that construction would be suspended,
environmentalists are not taking the government at their word just yet.
“There is not a single official decision and we do not know how the road
will be constructed,” says Nazeli Vardanian, Director of the Armenian
Forests NGO. “So, non-governmental organizations must continue the
struggle.”

—

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

US AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA TO JOIN ACTION ORGANIZED BY “ARMENIAN HABITAT”
ORGANIZATION

YEREVAN, June 17. /ARKA/. On June 21, US ambassador to Armenia John
Evans and 15 volunteers of the US Embassy are to join an action of the
“Armenian Habitat” benevolent organization. The goal of the action is
the construction of a house for the Avagyan family in the village of
Mayakovskoye, Kotayk region. The press service of the US Embassy in
Armenia reports that an action under the Jimmy Carter construction
program is simultaneously to be held in Michigan, USA.

The US ex-president Jimmy Carter and Catholicos of All Armenians
Garegin II are to take part in the action.

“Armenian Habitat” is a branch of the International Habitat, which
contributes to general development measures implemented in Armenia,
construction of housing for needy families. “Armenian Habitat” was
founded in 2000 and has built 122 houses for 600 people. P.T. -0–

U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA EXPRESSES HIS SUPPORT FOR THE OFFICE OF
THE OMBUDSMAN OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA

YEREVAN, June 17. /ARKA/. On June 16, 2005 U.S. Ambassador John Evans
met with Larisa Alaverdyan, Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic
of Armenia. According to the source in U.S. Embassy, Ambassador
Evans expressed his support for the Office of the Ombudsman and the
democratic principles for which it stands. As an expression of this
support, Ambassador Evans presented the office with a computer to
aid in its important work. The rights of women, children, refugees,
and other vulnerable groups is an important priority for the U.S.
Embassy. L.V.-0–

EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION
For Justice and Democracy
Avenue de la Renaissance 10
B-1000 Bruxelles
Tel: +32 2 732 70 26
Tel/Fax: +32 2 732 70 27
Email : [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
17th June 2005
Contact :Talline Tachdjian
Tel/Fax :+32 2 732 70 27

EUROPEAN DECLARATION ON THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE SENT TO THE ENTIRE
EUROPEAN COUNCIL

Brussels, Belgium (17th June 2005) The European Armenian Federation
yesterday forwarded a Europe-wide public declaration, launched on
the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, to the
heads of the 25 members States of the European Union gathered at the
Brussels Summit on the 16th and 17th of June.

Hundreds of European associations, organizations and institutions
have already signed this declaration, which calls on the European
Council and the European Commission to establish, as a formal
requirement within the negotiations framework for Turkey’s potential
membership in the European Union, the necessity that Turkey abide by
resolutions adopted by the European Parliament since 2000 demanding
its acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide.

“While seeking to maintain the image of a state committed to accepting
its responsibilities,” wrote the Federation in a letter accompanying
the declaration, “Turkey, in practice, continues to escalate its
aggressive denial campaign and to pressure the European Union to avoid
this issue altogether.” In light of Turkey’s stark hypocrisy, “only
a clear and decisive approach on the part of the European Union will
lead to any meaningful progress in this area,” said Hilda Tchoboian,
chairperson of the European Armenian Federation.

“The European citizens represented in this declaration hold that the
democratically expressed views of the people of Europe, as expressed
European Parliament, must be reflected in the actual decision-making
concerning Europe’s future,” concluded Tchoboian.

Human rights violations “still very frequent” in Georgia – ombudsman

Kavkasia-Press news agency
17 Jun 05

Tbilisi, 17 June: “Human rights are violated in Georgia,” human
rights ombudsman Sozar Subari said today at the seminar entitled
“Problems and prospects of national human rights institutions in the
South Caucasus”, held at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel.

He also said that last year was the worst as far as human rights
are concerned as the public had expected the new authorities
to dramatically improve the situation in this respect after the
revolution. “Human rights were violated in the private sector; there
were illegal arrests, torture and violence on the part of the police,”
he said.

According to Subari, there have been no documented cases of torture
this year, but several detainees have been beaten up and several
prisoners have been left with injury marks on their bodies. “We have
already reacted to these cases,” he said, adding that unfortunately
gross violation of human rights still is a very frequent phenomenon
in Georgia.

Subari said that this year the office of the human rights ombudsman
has received four times as many complaints as last year.

The seminar, organized by the Swedish Raoul Wallenberg Institute of
Human Rights and Humanitarian Law and the UNDP, will end on 21 June.

The human rights ombudsman has said that he has friendly relations with
his Armenian and Azerbaijani colleagues and wishes to establish similar
relations with his Turkish colleagues. “We need good relations with the
human rights ombudsmen of these countries. Our citizens often go there
on visits and we should be able to count on their help,” said Subari.

Turks protest German parliament’s call to examine role in killing of Armenians

AP Worldstream; Jun 17, 2005

Some 150 members of a Turkish trade union protested the German
parliament’s call on Turkey to examine its role in the killing of an
estimated 1 million Armenians a century ago.

The protesters, members of a civil servants union, also scuffled
with police for about 10 minutes outside the German Embassy after a
plainclothes policeman removed and broke a black wreath the protesters
left at the embassy gate.

They dispersed peacefully after the wreath was returned to the gate.

Earlier, the protesters shouted: “Fascist Germany,” “Racist Germany”
and “Germany, don’t test our patience” as some 100 police officers
stood guard.

German lawmakers on Thursday adopted a resolution asking the government
to press Turkey to investigate the “organized expulsion and destruction
of the Armenians” and foster reconciliation.

Armenia accuses Turkey of genocide in the killings as part of a
1915-23 campaign to force Armenians out of eastern Anatolia.

Turkey denies that the killings were genocide and says the death
count is inflated and that Armenians were killed or displaced along
with others as the Ottoman Empire tried to quell civil unrest.

The German legislature’s resolution angered Turkish authorities.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that it was
“biased, contained serious errors and lacked information,” and that
its approval would “deeply wound the Turkish people.” Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the decision “wrong” and “ugly.”

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone 212.319.6383, x137
Fax 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, June 17, 2005

AGBU SOFIA RECEIVES NEW ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR TO BULGARIA

Sofia, Bulgaria – On May 18, 2005, the AGBU Sofia Chapter, including
the AGBU Young Professionals of Sofia and the AGBU Sofia Youth Group,
welcomed the new Armenian Ambassador to Bulgaria, Sergei Manasarian,
and wife Irina, at its headquarters.

Topics of discussion included the relationship between the youth of
Bulgaria and Armenia, and opportunities for cultural exchange between
the two countries. Manasarian expressed his readiness to partner with
AGBU Sofia on an ongoing basis and maintain the already favorable
relations between the Chapter and the Armenian Embassy in Sofia.

AGBU Sofia is dedicated to preserving and promoting the Armenian
heritage and culture through humanitarian, educational and
cultural programs. For more information on AGBU Sofia, please email
[email protected].

For more information on AGBU and its worldwide chapters, please
visit

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| 20:39:33 | 16-06-2005 | Politics |

FREEDOM HOUSE STUDY:NATIONS IN TRANSIT 2005

STUDY: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEMOCRACY IN FORMER SOVIET COUNTRIES

New Freedom House Study Warns of Obstacles From Authoritarian Regimes

Recent developments in Ukraine, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan have altered
assumptions about democracy’s prospects in the former Soviet Union,
raising questions about what a new democratic spring means for
countries from Central Europe to Eurasia, according to a major study
released today by Freedom House.

The study, Nations in Transit 2005, presented today at a briefing in
Brussels, suggests that the Rose Revolution in Georgia in 2003 and the
Orange Revolution in Ukraine in 2004, as well as more recent events
in Kyrgyzstan, may have opened a new wave of democratic expansion
in the post-Soviet environment. The study warns, however, that the
failure of leaders throughout the region to uphold commitments to
democracy and to preserve their own citizens’ meaningful voice in
governance is a political dead end.

“The findings of this year’s Nations in Transit study make clear that
citizens in the former Soviet countries have what it takes to make
their countries democratic,” said Freedom House executive director
Jennifer Windsor. “In particular, Ukraine’s extraordinary return to
the democratic path in 2004 confirmed the potential for the peaceful
spread of liberal democracy and free markets to former Soviet countries
still suffering under corrupt and authoritarian regimes,” she said.

Based on the study, which tracks the movement of countries toward or
away from democracy, Freedom House urges Western leaders concerned with
encouraging democratic practices and good governance in the region to:

~U Assist countries in consolidating important democratic gains. For
example, ensure that additional U.S. foreign assistance is delivered
to Georgia, which has been selected for enhanced support under the
Millennium Challenge Account.

~U Engage and provide incentives to countries, such as Moldova,
whose leaders have communicated a desire for greater integration with
Western democracies.

~U Consider new strategies to deal with consolidated authoritarian
regimes such as in Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Uzbekistan.

~U Address countries that are backsliding. Press President Vladimir
Putin to make good on pledges to advance democracy in Russia and
address democratic deterioration in Armenia.

~U Promote nonviolent approaches to change and provide clear and
effective responses to violence when it does occur.

“With the stakes so high, the transatlantic community must renew
efforts to support good governance, independent media, civil society,
the rule of law, and free and fair elections in the former Soviet
states,” said Nations in Transit editor Jeannette Goehring. “The
community also must devise new strategies to deal with governments
that are increasingly consolidating authoritarian rule and give
assistance to countries that previously may have been overlooked.”

Russia warrants special attention. “The fate of Russian democracy
has enormous implications, both for the former Soviet region and
globally,” said Ms. Windsor. “The fact that democracy has failed in
so many countries of the former Soviet Union is due in part to the
increasingly authoritarian Russian example. The U.S. and Europe should
press Moscow to play a constructive role in supporting democratic
practice both at home and abroad.”

Freedom House found that the eight new European Union members
from Central and Eastern Europe held their position as the
highest ranking countries in the study. These countries-Czech
Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia,
and Slovenia-continued to show the strongest overall performance in
the key areas of democratization tracked: electoral process; civil
society; independent media; governance; corruption; and judicial
framework and independence. However, Nations in Transit also points
to the need of all these countries to tackle widespread corruption.

The Balkan countries showed signs of increased stability in
2004, yet still confronted substantial challenges to democratic
consolidation. Bulgaria and Romania both joined NATO in 2004 and
remained on the road to joining the European Union in 2007. At the
same time, analysis of both countries makes clear that attention is
still needed in areas such as advancing judicial reform, fighting
corruption, and increasing media independence.

The Western Balkan countries of Albania, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Macedonia, and Serbia-Montenegro (including Kosovo) face the most
substantial challenges of democratic consolidation in the Balkans. At
the Brussels briefing, Jasna Jelisic, an advisor to the Nations in
Transit study and a journalist with the Sarajevo-based weekly news
magazine Dani, noted that these countries are “only halfway down
the road to joining the European community of democratic nations and
building prosperous, open societies.”

“Although much remains to be done, the events of 2004 demonstrated that
the European integration process is having a major positive impact
on democratic consolidation and stability in the Western Balkans and
is giving hope to people for the future,” Ms. Jelisic said.

Zamira Eshanova, another advisor to the study and regional
expert on Central Asia for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, said:
“The turmoil from power successions-those that have occurred and
those that are anticipated, though nobody knows when-is having an
increasingly destabilizing effect on Central Asia. The question
is: What institutions are in place and how will relative levels of
democratic strength and weakness play out in post turmoil regimes?”

NATIONS IN TRANSIT 2004: THE RATINGS

Produced annually, the Nations in Transit study provides comprehensive
analysis of transitions in 27 post-Communist countries (plus Kosovo) by
tracking progress and setbacks in electoral processes; civil society;
independent media; governance; corruption; and judicial framework and
independence. It also provides a unique set of comparative ratings
based on a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 representing the highest level of
democratic development and 7 the lowest. Nations in Transit 2005 is
an updated edition of surveys published in 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001,
2000, 1998, 1997, and 1995. The 2005 study covers the period from
January 1 through December 31, 2004, and includes for the first time
separate analysis and ratings of national democratic governance and
local democratic governance.

Largest Improvements in Ukraine and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Both Ukraine and Bosnia-Herzegovina experienced ratings improvements
in 4 out of 7 Nations in Transit categories-the highest number in the
study. Ukraine’s ratings improvements were more substantial owing to
the extraordinary challenges the country overcame in late 2004 and the
success of pro-democracy supporters in reinvigorating and jumpstarting
democratic political development in the country. Ukraine’s ratings
improved significantly in the categories of electoral process, civil
society, independent media, and judicial framework and independence. As
in previous years, Bosnia continued slow but steady democratic progress
and received modest ratings advances in the categories of electoral
process, independent media, judicial framework and independence,
and corruption.

Largest Declines in Russia and Azerbaijan, Deterioration in Armenia.

Russia and Azerbaijan both experienced ratings declines in 4 out of 7
Nations in Transit categories-the greatest number in the study-owing
to the consolidation of authority by presidents in both countries. In
Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev’s efforts led to declining ratings
for electoral process, civil society, independent media, and judicial
framework and independence. Russia’s more substantial declines occurred
in the categories of electoral process, civil society, independent
media, and judicial framework and independence. Russia’s performance
in 2004 stands in stark contrast to the positive changes noted in
neighboring Ukraine. Over the last two years, Armenia has shown a
less dramatic but still disturbing decline in the areas of electoral
process, independent media, and judicial framework and independence.

Electoral process.

(+) Nine countries or territories experienced ratings improvements
for electoral process: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Georgia, Kosovo,
Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.

(-) Five countries or territories experienced declines in electoral
process: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Poland, Russia, and Tajikistan.

Civil society.

(+) Eight countries or territories showed gains for civil society:
Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Latvia, Montenegro, Romania, Tajikistan,
and Ukraine.

(-) Three countries or territories experienced setbacks for civil
society: Azerbaijan, Russia, and Slovenia.

Independent media.

(+) Seven countries or territories experienced improvements for
independent media: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Kyrgyzstan,
Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.

(-) Eight countries or territories showed declines in independent
media: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Hungary, Romania,
Russia, and Tajikistan.

New Governance Ratings

~U Eight countries or territories showed better national democratic
governance than local democratic governance: Armenia, Croatia, Estonia,
Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.

~U Thirteen countries or territories showed better local democratic
governance than national democratic governance: Albania, Belarus,
Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, Poland,
Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

~U Eight countries or territories received the same ratings for
national and local democratic governance: Azerbaijan, Bosnia, Bulgaria,
Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Russia, and Turkmenistan.

Judicial Framework and Independence.

(+) Nine countries or territories had ratings improvements in this
category: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Estonia, Kosovo, Latvia, Macedonia,
Romania, Slovenia, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan..

(-) Seven countries experienced setbacks in their ratings for this
category: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Poland,
and Russia.

Corruption.

(+) Five countries showed improvements in their ratings for corruption:
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, and Slovakia.

(-) Four countries showed regression in their ratings for corruption:
Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, and Turkmenistan.

NEGOTIATING WITH ARMENIA AZERBAIJAN RECOGNIZES KARABAKH AS PART OF ARMENIA

A1plus

| 20:13:48 | 16-06-2005 | Politics |

“On the one hand the international forces pressure Azerbaijan to
accept that Karabakh (and probably Lachin, too) should be joined to
Armenia, and on the other hand they pressure Armenia to accept that
the liberated territories should be returned to Azerbaijan. I don’t
believe there is an Armenian who wants the liberated territories
to be returned”, Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau
representative Hrant Margaryan told at a conference today.

He noted that the issue can be touched upon during the talks process
for tactical reasons. As for Armenia’s discussion the issue despite
Arkady Ghukasyan’s strict position, H. Margaryan said it has its
positive aspects. “The fact that Azerbaijan negotiates with Armenia
proves that it recognized Karabakh as a part of Armenia. If it doesn’t
it should demand negotiations with Karabakh”, he resumed.