Mediamax news agency, Yerevan, in Russian
10 Mar 04

Armenian leader urges nationwide fight against corruption

YEREVAN

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan expressed his regret today that
“the fight against corruption in our country is not nationwide”, the
Armenian president said at a meeting with Yerevan State University
students today, according to a Mediamax correspondent.

Kocharyan said that for an efficient fight against corruption, it is
necessary to regulate all the functions of the state. “For example,
in Armenia, four years ago, it was impossible to have a commercial
company registered without a bribe. Moreover, it took about a month.
Now it takes only two days to have a company registered and nobody
can dare to demand a bribe,” the Armenian president said.

Robert Kocharyan cited the energy system as another example, he said
that “it used to be one of the most corrupt spheres in Armenia”. “The
privatization of the Armenian grids has led to a considerable drop in
the level of corruption in this sector,” the president said.

“We have the necessary political will that enables us to reduce the
volume of corruption every year. The elimination of corruption
demands daily laborious efforts, and this is not a problem that can
be resolved very quickly by chanting big slogans,” Kocharyan said.

Associated Press
March 10 2004

One person killed, hundreds flooded as snow melts in Armenia

Melting snows and strong winds in Armenia flooded hundreds of homes
and caused one death, officials said Wednesday.

One man was killed in the city of Idzhevan because of a tree felled
by the strong winds that buffeted the Caucasus nation, the Emergency
Situations Ministry said. Hundreds of homes were flooded across the
country, and the harsh weather also affected the capital Yerevan.

Winds blew roofs off houses, downing power lines and starting forest
fires. Exact damage figures weren’t known.

The weather calmed by later Wednesday.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
March 10, 2004 Wednesday

Air bridge links Kaliningrad to Yerevan

By Vladimir Nuyakshev

KALININGRAD, March 10

Air flights have been resumed between Russia’s westernmost province
of Kaliningrad and the Armenian capital of Yerevan after they were
interrupted more than a year ago.

A Tu-134 aircraft will fly from Yerevan to Kaliningrad and back once
a week, the air traffic service of Kaliningrad’s Khrabrovo airport
reported on Wednesday.

Kaliningrad and Yerevan have restored the air connection in response
to requests by more than 7,000 Armenians residing in the Kaliningrad
region.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
March 10, 2004 Wednesday

Armenia’s economic growth makes 139% in 2003

By Tigran Liloyan

YEREVAN

The Armenian economic growth made 13.9 percent in 2003, Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan said at a meeting with students of
universities at Yerevan State University on Wednesday. The industrial
production growth reached 18 percent, capital development — 40
percent and export — 34 percent, the president emphasised.

According to him foreign debts mostly for credits on easy terms
amounted to 40-44 percent of Armenia’s GDP that testifies to the
solvency of the country.

“The economic policy of the government should be aimed at the
improvement of the life quality in the republic,” Kocharyan remarked.
Educational reforms, particularly the transition to the two-stage
educational system are carried out so that the Armenian education
would be recognised in Europe, he pointed out.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
March 10, 2004 Wednesday

Zhukov to report on government structural reform

By Oksana Polishchuk, Natalya Slavina

MOSCOW

Russian Vice-Premier Alexander Zhukov will report on structural
changes in the federal bodies of executive power at the first cabinet
meeting on Thursday, March 11, the government information department
reports.

Russian Deputy Interior Minister Alexander Chekalin will report on
the possibility of extending the Russian-Armenian inter-governmental
agreement on regulation of voluntary resettlement.

Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Valery Loshchinin will submit
his proposals on ratification by the State Duma of an agreement
signed by the Russian and Ukrainian governments that provides for
settling all claims concerning an air crash that occurred over the
Black Sea on October 4, 2001.

The cabinet will also discuss the presentation of state housing
certificates to the Ingush government. Ruslan Tsalikov, the deputy
head of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry, will report on
this subject.

However, Russia’s new Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov said that the
cabinet would focus on implementation of the presidential decree on
forming a new government line-up at its meeting on Thursday.

“This will actually be the sole issue that we intend to discuss with
the new government at tomorrow’s cabinet meeting,” Russian Prime
Minister Mikhail Fradkov told a news conference on Wednesday.

The Prime-Tass economic and financial news agency cited the prime
minister as saying that he was continuously studying the issue and
discussed the matter with Russian President Vladimir Putin every day.

Fradkov emphasized that the process of forming a new government
marked the beginning of an administrative reform. He called for the
earliest solution of all organizational issues in order to preserve a
workable government and not to disrupt the budget process.

Fradkov reiterated once again that the idea of an administrative
reform should be regarded as part of efforts to make Russia more
competitive and ensure that prompt and needed decisions are passed.
Bureaucrats should model their actions according to a single concept
so as to avoid the duplication of functions and to single out
responsible bosses.

At the same time, Fradkov warned about the possibility of
inaccuracies in carrying out the government reform. “We are going to
remove these inaccuracies. The logic of this reform allows for
clarification as we proceed with the process,” Fradkov stressed.

The prime minister also promised to be open with the press.

Fradkov admitted at a news conference held at the Russian government
building on Wednesday that he never did that because he hadn’t faced
such a task before.

At the same time, Fradkov emphasized that the process of creating a
new government structure was, among many other things, aimed at
making it more open and transparent.

“It will make it possible to define the responsibilities of each
leader and to enable them to develop creative approach to their work.
We favour an open approach,” the Russian prime minister stressed.

Fradkov believes that society needed such actions for tracking down
the efficiency of government bureaucrats.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
March 10, 2004 Wednesday

Russia cutting supplies of natural gas to Tbilisi by half

By Dmitry Zlodorev

MOSCOW

Russian foreign trade company Gazexport, a subsidiary of the natural
gas producer Gazprom, is expected to cut by a half the supplies of
natural gas to the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi as of March 15,
Gazexport sources said Wednesday.

The upcoming slash results from non-payments for gas over the past
few months, with the total debt reaching 7.4 million U.S. dollars.

Itar-Tass Tbilisi-based correspondent Ia Barateli said earlier
Gazexport supplies 1.7 million cubic meters of gas to the city a day,
and if the local operator of gas distribution lines, Tbilgazi Co.,
manages to pay 2.5 million U.S. dollars in the next few days, there
will be no slash.

In the meantime, Georgian experts say the problem of back payments
comes partly from irregular financing of Tbilgazi by the local
authorities. This finance should cover the cost of gas consumed by
low-income people, public health institutions and social facilities.

Alexander Ryazanov, a deputy CEO at Gazprom, gave assurances earlier
this month the company would continue deliveries of gas to Georgia.

He said at the same time Gazprom was concerned by the technical
condition of the trunk pipelines by which Russia was pumping gas to
Armenia.

“We’re worried by the lack of repair works at the gas pipelines in
Georgia,” he said.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
March 10, 2004 Wednesday

Work of intergvt committees on CIS integration not to be disrupted

By Lyudmila Yermakova, Dmitry Zlodorev

MOSCOW

The meetings of five intergovernmental committees on economic
integration of the CIS states will be held not in March as planned,
but a little bit later, Russian Deputy Minister for Economic
Development and Trade Dmitry Sukhoparov said at the governmental
question-and-answer session during the Federation Council session on
Wednesday. “There will be no disruptions in this process due to the
formation of a new Russian government,” he emphasised.

Sukhoparov also noted that Viktor Khristenko who was appointed
Industry and Energy Minister on Tuesday is still in charge of the
Russian policy on integration with Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

The governmental question-and-answer session was devoted to the
development of CIS interstate cooperation. The ambassadors of
Ukraine, Belarus, Tajikistan and Armenia to Russia and staffers of
the embassies of Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan,
Moldova, Georgia and Turkmenistan participated in the session. “We
want to provide Federation Council members with the materials on the
real situation in the CIS states,” chairman of the Federation Council
Committee on CIS Affairs Vadim Gustov told Itar-Tass.

“The position of the leadership of new ministries on the creation of
a single economic space is very important for us,” he remarked.
Gustov noted that several CIS parliamentary delegations headed by
their speakers would meet in St. Petersburg on April 15 in order to
discuss how “to ratify simultaneously the documents on the single
economic space that the presidents will sign.”

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
March 10, 2004 Wednesday

OSCE chairman-in-office to arrive in Yerevan for talks on Karabakh

By Tigran Liloyan
YEREVAN

OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy
will arrive in Yerevan on a two-day official visit for talks on the
settlement of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and OSCE-Armenia
relations, sources in the Armenian Foreign Ministry press and
information department told Itar-Tass on Wednesday.

The OSCE chairman-in-office will meet Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan and Nagorno-Karabakh leader Arkady Gukasyan, the sources
said.

In 1992 it was decided to convene a session of the Minsk Conference
for Nagorno-Karabakh under the OSCE aegis, but its resolutions were
not implemented. In June 1992 the participants in the Minsk
Conference set up the OSCE Minsk Group for Nagorno-Karabakh that
became a consultative body. The Minsk Group co-chaired by Russia,
France and the U.S. is working on a draft peace agreement that will
determine Nagorno-Karabakh’s juridical status. Over the last years
the Minsk Group failed to yield certain results and bring the warring
sides’ positions closer.

ArmenPress
March 10 2004

NATO SECRETARY GENERAL RESPONDS TO LETTER OF ARMENIAN FOREIGN
MINISTER

YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS: NATO secretary general Jaap de Hoop
Scheffer responded to a letter by Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanian on the killing of an Armenian military officer in Budapest.
In his February 20 letter, the minister expressed indignation over
the brutal act which took place during the context of a NATO Language
training program.
According to the press office of the foreign ministry of Armenia,
the NATO Secretary General expressed his profound shock at the brutal
murder of Lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan of the Armenian Armed Forces
and expressed his wish to convey his grief and sympathy to the family
of the victim.
“As you know, the appropriate Hungarian authorities are conducting
a thorough investigation and I am confident that they will spare no
effort to explain all the circumstances of this murder and to make
sure that justice prevails. I will closely follow the results of this
investigation and the due legal process which will follow,” Mr. Jaap
de Hoop Scheffer said.
NATO Secretary General expressed his hope that this criminal
incident will not prevent Armenia from further developing cooperation
with NATO. He stated that the Alliance appreciates greatly Armenia’s
approach, and contribution to Partnership for Peace. “Helping build
confidence and encouraging regional cooperation in the Caucasus
remains an essential part of NATO’s policy of Partnership and
Cooperation,” he continued.
“Allies remain determined to work with your country towards this
end,” concluded the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization.

ARKA News Agency
March 9 2004

President of Georgia to visit Armenia on March 12

NKR President and RA Minister of Science and Education discuss
problems in the sphere of Nagorno Karabakh education

Hungarian Ambassador to Armenia hands copies of credentials to RA MFA

Hungarian Ambassador to Armenia hands credentials to RA President

International chess competition starts in Nagorno Karabakh

Additional protocol of agreement on application of MAGATE guarantees
corresponds to RA Constitution

The agreement on settlement of voluntary emigration processes
prolonged between Armenia and Russia

Banknotes with nominal value of AMD 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 to be
withdrawn from circulation since 1 April

`Open doors day’ to be held in American University of Armenia on 20
March

Yerevan Mayor instructed inventory of unfinished erections in
capital’s communities

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PRESIDENT OF GEORGIA TO VISIT ARMENIA ON MARCH 12

YEREVAN, March 9. /ARKA/. President of Georgia Mihail Sahakashvili
will visit Armenia on March 12 on the invitation of RA President
Robert Kocharian. On March 12, the presidents will hold confidential
conversation, after which will conduct Armenian-Georgian negotiations
in expanded format.
In the frames of the visit Sahakashvili will meet with RA NA
Chairman, Prime Minsiter, Catholicos of All Armenian and
representatives of Georgian community of Armenia. Delegation headed
with Georgian President will visit memorial of Genocide victims.
The delegations includes ministers of foreign affairs, energy,
infrastructures and development; parliament members. L.D. –0–

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NKR PRESIDENT AND RA MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND EDUCATION DISCUSS
PROBLEMS IN THE SPHERE OF NAGORNO KARABAKH EDUCATION

STEPANAKERT, March 9. /ARKA/. NKR President Arkady Gukasian and RA
mInister of Science and Education Sergo Yeritsian discussed problems
in the sphere of Nagorno Karabakh education, NKR President’s press
office told ARKA. Gukasian expressed confidence that only every-day
cooperation between profile ministries of Armenian and NKR and
realization of joint programs can positively affect the improvement
of education sphere in Artsakh.
Yeritsian said that his visit in Nagorno Karabakh follows the goal to
get familiar with the problems existing in the sphere. The parties
discussed some aspects of the program on implementation of new system
of education in NKR that envisages use of computer technologies,
re-training of teachers. The Minister promised to provide educational
institutions of Karabakh with 600 computers. The parties noted with
satisfaction that joint efforts of the ministries of the republics
helped opening of representation of National Institute of Education
of Armenia. L.D. –0 –

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HUNGARIAN AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA HANDS CREDENTIALS TO RA PRESIDENT

YEREVAN, March 9. /ARKA/. Hungarian Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary to Armenia Ferents Contra (residence in Moscow)
handed credentials RA President Robert Kocharian. The parties noted
that the countries have no political problems and emphasized the
importance of activation of economic cooperation.
Contra in his turn stated that Hungary will become a full member of
EU in May 2004 and noted readiness of his country to assist to the
strengthening of cooperation between EU and Armenia. He also
presented Hungarian Government and his condolences considering murder
of Armenian officer Gurgen Margarian in Budapest. L.D. –0–

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HUNGARIAN AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA HANDS COPIES OF CREDENTIALS TO RA MFA

YEREVAN, March 9. /ARKA/. Hungarian Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary to Armenia Ferents Contra (residence in Moscow)
handed copies of credentials to RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian,
RA MFA told ARKA. The parties discussed perspectives of deepening of
bilateral cooperation and emphasized the importance of mutual visits.
It was noted that activation of political contacts and strengthening
of legal-agreement field will create conditions for development of
business, economic and cultural cooperation between the countries.
According to Oskanian, entry of Hungary in EU will give new impulse
to Armenian-Hungarian economic cooperation, because the states will
be able to use opportunities of the agreement on partnership and
cooperation of Armenian and EU.
Contra presented Hungarian Government and his condolences considering
murder of Armenian officer Gurgen Margarian in Budapest. L.D. –0–

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INTERNATIONAL CHESS COMPETITION STARTS IN NAGORNO KARABAKH

STEPANAKERT, March 9. /ARKA/. International chess competition started
in Nagorno Karabakh. The competition is dedicated to 75th anniversary
of birthday of 9th World Champion Tigran Petrosian. The tournament
will include 10 grand masters from Armenia, Switzerland, Georgia,
Latvia and Iran. The honorary guest of the tournament is 10th World
Champion Boris Spasski. L.D. –0–

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ADDITIONAL PROTOCOL OF AGREEMENT ON APPLICATION OF MAGATE GUARANTEES
CORRESPONDS TO RA CONSTITUTION

YEREVAN, March 9. /ARKA/. Additional protocol of agreement on
application of MAGATE guarantees corresponds to RA Constitution, the
decision was made by RA Constitutional Court.
The agreement was signed on Sep. 29, 1997 in Vienna. According to
Deputy Foreign Minister Tatoul Margarian, on Aug. 15, 1993 Armenia
joined the non-proliferation treaty as of 1968. The treaty allows
MAGATE to conduct inspections in the countries that joined the
agreement. According to the agreements Armenia is obliged not to
create and receive nuclear weapons and not to assist to other
countries in creation of nuclear weapons. L.D. –0

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THE AGREEMENT ON SETTLEMENT OF VOLUNTARY EMIGRATION PROCESSES
PROLONGED BETWEEN ARMENIA AND RUSSIA

YEREVAN, March 9. /ARKA/. The agreement on settlement of voluntary
emigration processes was prolonged between Armenia and Russia. The
agreement was signed in 1997. According to the RA President’s Press
Service and Public Relations Department, the protocol on the
agreement prolongation as signed by the RA Minister of the regional
control and industrial infrastructures coordination Hovik Abarahamyan
and the RF Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in Armenia
Anatoliy Drukov. According to the protocol, the expire date of the
agreement is in 5 years.
In the course of the agreement signing ceremony the RF Ambassador in
Armenia noted that settlement of voluntary emigration processes
proved to be important. In his turn the Head of the Migration and
Refugees Department at the RA Government Gagik Eghanyan added that
the agreement is aimed at creation of favorable conditions for
voluntary emigration of citizens of Armenia and Russia. According to
him, it’s especially important now, when many people return to
Armenia, and the agreement may become stimulus for returning the
citizens of Armenia and settling in the Republic. Eghanyan stated
that at the assignment of the RA Prime Minister, an Armenian
delegation will go to Russia next week to introduce to the Armenians
staying in Russia the favorable conditions provided for them by the
agreement. A.H. – 0–

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BANKNOTES WITH NOMINAL VALUE OF AMD 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 TO BE
WITHDRAWN FROM CIRCULATION SINCE 1 APRIL

YEREVAN. March 9. /ARKA/. Since 1 April banknotes with nominal value
of AMD 10, 25, 200 issued in 1993, as well as banknotes of AMD 50 and
100 issued in 1998 will be withdrawn from circulation, as stated by
the CBA Head of Emissions and Monetary Reserves Gevorg Tumanyan. In
his words, these banknotes are still in circulation and will be
accepted for payments in relevant service points. As reminded by
Tumanyan, banknotes with nominal value of AMD 500 and 100 issued in
1993 have been withdrawn from circulation from 1 January 2004, while
the banknote with nominal value of AMD 1000 issued in 1994 were
withdrawn since 1 March 2004. `All banknotes that to be withdrawn
from circulation by the CBA will be circulating for a while, however,
they must be exchanged that can be made in any Armenian bank or their
affiliates in their nominal values without any limitation in number
of banknotes or terms of exchange’, said Tumanyan. The head of the
departments also stated that the main portion of these banknotes has
been already withdrawn from circulation, while the other was replaced
by coins.
At the same time, as mentioned by Tumanyan, the CBA is to withdraw
from circulation banknotes of AMD 5000 issued in 1995 in July 2005,
while banknotes of AMD 500 issued in 1993 in September 2005. T.M. -0 –

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`OPEN DOORS DAY’ TO BE HELD IN AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF ARMENIA ON 20
MARCH

YEREVAN. March 9. /ARKA/. The American University of Armenia (AUA)
starts admission of students for education year of 2004-2005 and
`Open doors day’ to be held in the University on 20 March. As
mentioned in the AUA press-release provided to ARKA News Agency
today, the administration, lecturers, students and graduates of the
University will take participation in the action. The participants
and those invited will be familiarized with the AUA admission
requirements, its education programs, library, computer and research
centers, as well as other structures of the University.
The American University of Armenia is functioning since 1991 and
awards Master of Arts degrees in six fields such as Industrial
Engineering and Systems Management, Computer and IT Sciences,
Comparative Legal Studies, Business & Management, Political Science,
Teaching of English as a Foreign Language and Certificate in Teaching
of English as a Foreign Language. High education and good knowledge
of English are obligatory requirements for admission to the
University. T.M. -0–

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YEREVAN MAYOR INSTRUCTED INVENTORY OF UNFINISHED ERECTIONS IN
CAPITAL’S COMMUNITIES

YEREVAN. March 9. /ARKA/. Inventory of unfinished erections in
Yerevan’s communities was the subject of today’s sitting in Yerevan
Municipality. As reported by the Vice Mayor of Yerevan Vano
Vardanyan, the Head of Landscaping Department presented the list of
these types of erections, while the Mayor instructed to hold
discussions on this problem with the leaders of the communities
within a week. According to the Vice Mayor, there will be offered
concrete programs for solutions of the problem in the course of the
discussions held, adding that the problem of unfinished erections is
timeliest for 6 Yerevan communities and each community to held
separate meeting with the Mayor. T.M. -0–