POPULATION’S INCOMES DECREASED BY 17.8%, EXPENSES BY 17.7% IN
JAN-JULY, 2004
YEREVAN, AUGUST 20. ARMINFO. In Jan-July, 2004 the Armenian
population’s incomes increased by 17.8%, totalling 650.6 bln drams
According to the preliminary data of the National Statistical Service
of Armenia, in July as against June the incomes increased by
9.7%. Expenses of the population totaled 657.1 bln drams, increasing
by 17.7% during the seven months of the current year, and they
increased by 10.1% in July as against June. In Jan-July 2004 AMD/USD
exchange rate was 553.58 drams against one US dollar.
The average monthly nominal wages in Armenia totaled 40,397 drams,
increasing by 32.0% as against the same period of last year, and in
July as compared with June 2004 it increased by 1.3%. The average
monthly wages of citizens employed in budget organizations was 26,074
drams (43.8% growth in Jan-July). The average monthly wages of
citizens employed in non-budgetary organizations totaled 52,398 drams
(27.3% decrease). The wages of one employee in budgetary organizations
and non-budgetary organizations increased by 1% and 1.4% respectively
in July as against June, 2004.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

WRITING-MATERIALS TO BE GIVEN TO MORE THAN 18,000 PUPILS ON “WHEN
SEPTEMBER COMES” PROGRAM
YEREVAN, August 20 (Noyan Tapan). The RA Ministry of Labor and Social
Issues with the participation of more than 20 international and local
benevolent organizations has implemented “When September Comes”
program for the second year in succession. According to Larisa
Petrosian, Adviser of the Minister, this year within the framework of
the program aid will be also rendered to the families having three and
more children and receiving welfare benefits, as well as to children
who don’t go to school for different reasons. It was noticed that the
program is implemented during the whole year and includes different
kinds of aid: the distribution of foodstuff, writing-materials,
clothes, means of hygiene, the rendering of pecuniary aid, as well as
medical and psychological services. L. Petrosian reported that in
August-September school-bags and writing-materials will be distributed
among 18,189 families having four and more children and receiving
welfare benefits. Such families having three children will receive
such an aid during a year. The Adviser of the Minister emphasized that
the lists of users are renewed once a quarter for the provision of the
program and higher effectiveness.

REPRESENTATIVES OF COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY ORGANIZATION
MEMBER-STATES HOLD CONSULTATIONS IN MOSCOW
YEREVAN, AUGUST 21. ARMINFO. Consultations of CSTO member-states on
foreign policy and security issues were held at CSTO Secretariat in
Moscow on August 20.
The press-service of the CSTO Secretariat told ARMINFO that
consultations were attended by representatives of foreign political
departments and embassies of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia,
Russia and Tajikistan, as well as by plenipotentiary representatives
of CSTO member-states. The consultations were held by Deputy Secretary
General of CSTO Toktasin Buzubayev. The parties exchanged opinions on
the main points of the agenda of the 59th session of UN General
Assembly, discussed the attitude of the CSTO member-states to the
Initiative of Combatting dissemination of mass weapons and elaboration
of a common position of CSTO member-states on the main directions of
OSCE’s activity. The consultation-participants pointed out the central
role of the UN and the UN Security Council as the major mechanism of
peace-keeping and international security, as well as the urgency of
regular verification of the positions on the key issues related to the
interests and security of the CSTO member-states.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SARGIS HARUTYUNYAN INVITES ARSHAK SADOYAN TO DEBATE
YEREVAN, AUGUST 21. ARMINFO. “I am ready to invite the Parliament
member Arshak Sadoyan to debate over training us, the newcomers’, as
he expressed himself, politics,” Vice-Chairman of the Youth
Progressive Party of Armenia Sargis Harutyunyan told a press
conference, commenting on Sadoyan’s statements during his interview to
the “Epicenter” program yesterday.
According to Harutyunyan, Sadoyan made a laughing stock of their party
by stating that it is ridiculous to hear “newcomers to politics”
talking about the defense of the country’s citizens. Responding to the
statement, Harutyunyan pointed out that defending citizens’ interests
is each person’s duty. “Sadoyan solves the problems of citizens that
apply to him due to his authority, but not due to his deputy mandate,
as he himself admits, whereas our party is carrying out such
activities during direct contacts with the population,” Harutyunyan
said. Elaborating on the subject, he pointed out that it is Arshak
Sadoyan that is laughed at in the country. “His time as a respectable
Armenian parliamentarian has passed. Instead of laughing at any young
parties, he would better assist their political activities,”
Harutyunyan.

DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF YOUTH PROGRESSIVE PARTY OF ARMENIA BLAMES
OPPOSITION FOR POPULISM
YEREVAN, AUGUST 21. ARMINFO. “Lately the Armenian opposition instead
of representing the interests of the population in the National
Assembly, is engaged in populism”. Deputy Chairman of the Youth
progressive party of Armenia Sargis Haroutunian expressed such an
opinion during the press conference today.
According to him, the aspiration of the opposition for the change of
the power has reached that the opposition deputies are ready even to
discredit the country abroad. At the same time Haroutunian reminded
that the opposition deputies of Armenia had left the hall in
demonstrative way during the speech of Armenia’s President Robert
Kocharian at PACE session. “The boycott of the activities of the
parliament by the opposition has resulted in that the electors already
do not trust it and require from the opposition deputies to return to
law-making activities”, deputy chairman of the Youth progressive party
said. However, the opposition prefers to communicate with its
electors during the rallies and demonstrations, he added.

AZERBAIJANI SPECIAL SERVICES KEEP ON LOOKING FOR “ARMENIAN SPIES”
YEREVAN, AUGUST 21. ARMINFO. About 1/3 of “agents” detained by
Azerbaijan’s law-enforcers are charged with espionage in favor of
Armenia.
The Baku-based echo newspaper reports that during seven months of 2004
Azerbaijani law-enforcement agencies received information on at least
nine cases of espionage against Azerbaijan, all the detainees being
foreign citizens – two Armenian citizens, two Iranian citizens, 2
Russian citizens, two citizens of Georgia and one citizen of
Japan. The Japanese citizen, who was detained for being a student of
one of the Yerevan higher schools, was released.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SUPERPOWERS’ POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC PRESSURE ON ARMENIA ONLY WAY OF
SETTLING NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT: TOFIK ZULFUGAROV
YEREVAN, AUGUST 21. ARMINFO. political and economic pressure on
Armenia on the part of superpowers is the only way of settling the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the ex-minister of foreign affairs of
Azerbaijan Tofik Zulfugarov stated in his interview to the Baku-based
“Zerkalo” newspaper.
Commenting on the recent talks on Russia’s attempts to take the
initiative in settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Zulfugarov
stated that “the problem can hardly be resolved by only one of the
OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs without considering the others’ points of
view.” According to Zulfugarov, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs have
already elaborated a strategy of solving the problem. “From this
point of view, at a certain stage, each country accomplishes tasks set
to it. Thus, the Minsk Group intends to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh
problem by combined efforts,” Zulfugarov said.
Commenting of the statement made by Steven Manne, US Co-Chair, that
“we cannot confirm the fact of aggression,” Zulfugarov said that Manne
thus indicated that the Co-chairs are not assessing the situation.
According to him, the OSCE Minsk Group is trying to find a peaceful
solution to the problem, so it is avoiding statements that may arouse
one of the conflicting parties’ concern. As to whether the Minsk Group
is able to make proposals for the resolution of the problem, Zulfugarov
pointed out that it requires the combination of two factors. In
particular, the OSCE Minsk Group must cause the two sides to draw
closer to each other, as well as criticize the side that will take on
a nonconstructive position and exert influence on it. Commenting on
statements made by some political scientists, who draw parallels
between the situation in Georgia and the Nagorno-Karabakh problem,
Zulfugarov stated that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is different from
the Georgian-Ossetian one. According to him, Armenia occupied
Azerbaijani territories and “though temporarily, annexed them.” At the
current stage, it is difficult to say what is behind the Co-Chairs’
statements on the importance of mutual concessions, Zulfugarov said.

UKRAINE ASPIRES TO DEVELOP ITS RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA ON BASIS OF
FRIENDSHIP AND MUTUALLY PROFITABLE COOPERATION
YEREVAN, AUGUST 21. ARMINFO. The Ukraine wants to develop ots
relations with Armenia on the basis of friendship and mutually
profitable cooperation. It is said in the news release of the
Ukraine’s Embassy in Armenia on the occasion of the 13th anniversary
of the Ukraine’s independence marked on Aug 24.
As it is said in the release, the two countries have positive trends
in mutual commerce. Thus, in Jan-June 2004 the trade turnover of the
Ukraine with Armenia has increased 1.7 times as against the same
period of last year and totaled $36.1 mln. The exports of the
Ukrainian goods to Armenian market increased 1.7 times and totaled
$32.2 mln. The exports of Armenian goods to the Ukraine increased 1.8
times and totaled $3.9 mln. The huge potential in the mutual
trade-economic cooperation is put in further development of
interregional cooperation, in the cooperation in transport sphere,
agriindustrial complex and machine-building, in the development of
science-technical cooperation, in the sphere of information
technologies, in the banking sphere, in mutual investments in the
economies, in the sphere of tourism, etc.

IN SEPT OPPOSITION OF ARMENIA WILL BEGIN SERIOUS ACTIONS: HOVHANNES
HOVHANNISIAN
YEREVAN, AUGUST 21. ARMINFO. Liberal-progressive party of Armenia is
now carrying out consultations with other opposition political forces
to form a united camp. LPP leader Hovhannes Hovahnnisian informed
during the press conference today.
He declared that already in Sept of the current year the united
opposition will begin serious operations and make a serious
application for implementation of the change of the power in
Armenia. Speaking about the situation in the republic, Hovhannes
Hovhannisian stressed that Armenia has turned into a corrupted
country, where the laws do not work, and all takes place on the basis
of oral agreements between the powers that be. Armenia is a country
which has a potential for development, if the corruption is extirpated
here, he stressed.

DISASTROUS FOREIGN POLICY MADE ARMENIA MARGINAL IN REGIONAL PROCESSES:
HOVHANNES HOVHANNESYAN
YEREVAN, AUGUST 21. ARMINFO. If Armenia fails to get integrated into
global foreign-policy processes before 2009, by 2010 it will only turn
into a territory inhabited by Armenian-speaking people, Chairman of
the Liberal-Progressive Party (LPP) Hovhannes Hovhannesyan stated at
the “Azdak” discussion club today.
According to him, Armenia is no longer pursuing a flexible foreign
policy and has become a country isolated from all the regional
communication, economic, and political processes. Hovhannesyan pointed
out the fact of Armenia remaining outside the EU-implemented INOGATE
and TRACECA projects, and the North-South railway section skirted the
country. According to Hovhannesyan, the construction of the
Iran-Armenian gas main is danger as well,as the laying of a gas
pipeline with a diameter of 700mm will be of no benefit to either
Armenia or Iran.
Hovhannesyan also stated that Armenia’s orientation to Russia has put
the country into a most delicate situation. “The international
community views Armenia as Russia’s vassal, which makes Europe, the
USA and NATO to turn from the country, the LPP leader said. According
to him, Russia values Armenia now, as all its other satellites have
got out of its control. On the other hand, it did not prevent RF
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to make a statement the other day that
Moscow recognizes Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sees a
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as based only on this
principle. According to Hovhannesyan the fact that the Speaker of the
Iranian Parliament made a similar statement in Baku the other day
testifies to Yerevan’s disastrous foreign policy. The LPP leader said
that the international community is now forcing on the Armenian side
“a scheme of settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that does not
meet its interests.”
According to Hovhannesyan, Armenia’s membership in the Collective
Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is not justified as well, as the
country does not border on any of the CSTO members. “Armenia’s
membership in the CSTO does not solve its security problems,” he
said. Meanwhile, Armenia’s neighbors, Georgia and Azerbaijan, are
making every effort to get integrated into NATO. According to
Hovhannesyan, it may happen as soon as 2007, in which case Armenia
will find itself isolated, as, in case of need, the CSTO members will
not be able to render prompt assistance to it through the territory of
its neighbors, which will be NATO members.