World Bank to allocate 220m dollars to Armenia in 2004-2007
Mediamax news agency
11 Jun 04
Yerevan, 11 June: The board of directors of the World Bank (WB)
has approved the Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for Armenia for
2004-2007.
The head of the external relations department of the WB’s Yerevan
office, Vigen Sarkisyan, said today that the WB will allocate
220m dollars to Armenia under this strategy. He noted that this
is conditioned by the fact that at present Armenia is developing
according to the high case scenario.
Vigen Sarkisyan pointed out that according to the assessment of the
International Development Association, Armenia’s macroeconomic figures
and the level of fulfilment of WB’s requirements by Armenia are the
best among CIS countries. Despite this, he said, there are still
unsettled tasks in Armenia concerning the continuation of reforms
and development of the economy.
The Country Assistance Strategy for Armenia for 2004-2007 is based
on three directions. First, WB funds will be directed to increase
the share of small and medium-sized businesses in the GDP structure.
The second direction is the influence of the economic growth on
poverty reduction. The third direction is poverty reduction in the
regions of Armenia, the modernization of the health and education
systems and the building of the heating system.

Azeri soldier maimed by land mine in front line village
ANS Radio, Baku
12 Jun 04
   
Despite a relative lull on the contact line between the Armenian
and Azerbaijani armed forces, Rahib Zahid oglu Babayev, a soldier
of a military unit in the village of Qapanli in Tartar District,
was wounded in a land mine blast at about 2030 [1530 gmt] on 11 June.
The accident took place when he was weeding the area at a distance
of 500 metres from the village. Local residents told the Karabakh
bureau of ANS that the soldier, who was called up from Agdas District,
lost his arm in the blast. He was taken to the Saricali hospital.

Baku insists on return of seven occupied districts – Azeri minister
Ekspress, Baku
12 Jun 04
During his recent trip to Yerevan, the US co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk
Group, Steven Mann, proposed that the Armenian leadership return three
of Azerbaijan’s occupied districts, the opposition’s Justice bloc said
in a joint statement disseminated in the Armenian parliament yesterday.
[Passage omitted: Armenian reports on the issue]
During the Prague meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign
ministers next week, the Baku government will put forward a proposal
on signing a final agreement on “the return of the seven districts”,
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told journalists
yesterday.
Asked about the probability of new settlement scenarios in Prague,
Mammadyarov said that “this depends on the co-chairmen of the OSCE
Minsk Group”.
Asked about Mann’s proposal, Mammadyarov described it as impossible. “I
have not heard about a statement of this kind. This issue is not
being discussed at all,” he added. According to Mammadyarov, the
current talks have nothing to do with “changing any figures”.
“I have not heard any such words from Mann. Even if it is true, the
Azerbaijani side has expressed its position, making the proposal on
the seven districts”, he said.
[Passage omitted: Expert’s opinion on the issue]

Eurasian community to hold session in Kazakh capital 15-18 June
Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty
12 Jun 04
Astana, 12 June: A summit of the Eurasian Economic Community [EAEC;
members are Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan –
the former Customs Union] will be held in Astana in the second ten
days of June, a press release circulated by the community’s press
service says.
“A programme (of the summit. – Interfax-Kazakhstan) will be very
rich: a session of the permanent representatives of the EAEC will be
held on 15-16 June; a session of the EAEC Integration Committee will
be held on 17 June and a session of the community’s highest body,
the Interstate Council of the EAEC at the level of heads of state,
will be held on 18 June,” the press release says.
Apart from this, an international forum entitled “Eurasian integration:
tendencies of modern development and challenges of globalization ”
will be opened on 18 June.
At the forthcoming session, the five countries’ heads, Belarusian
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev,
Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev, Russian President Vladimir Putin
and Tajik President Emomali Rahmonov “will discuss issues aimed
at further deepening economic integration in the Eurasian space,
including issues related to control over the implementation of domestic
procedures that are necessary to bring international agreements signed
within the framework of the EAEC into effect; cooperation between the
community’s states in the energy sector, in particular, the effective
development of water and energy resources of Amudarya and Syrdarya;
the creation of a single EAEC tariff basis for railway transportation
and a number of other issu es”, the press release says.
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, Moldovan President Vladimir
Voronin and Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma are invited to attend
the session of Interstate Council as observers.
A news conference will be held following the session.
[Passage omitted: Background on EAEC]

Pope may mediate Karabakh settlement – Vatican envoy
Ekspress, Baku
12 Jun 04
Ekspress on 12 June headlined “The Pope wants to be a mediator as well”
“Pope John Paul II may be a mediator in the settlement of the Karabakh
conflict,” the Vatican’s ambassador to the South Caucasus, Apostolic
Nuncio Claudio Gugerotti, told journalists yesterday. He recalled
that the Pope has been playing a major role in the settlement of
conflicts in “the whole world”.
“This is the second time that John Paul II has offered his mediation to
Azerbaijan and Armenia,” Gugerotti said. He called on the conflicting
sides “to express a decisive position on the issue before it is too
late”. Gugerotti added that the Vatican could make its positive
contribution to the just settlement of the conflict “without any
religious, racial and ethnic segregation”.
“One should appreciate this proposal. We are against shedding innocent
blood in any part of the world. We are ready to mobilize our all
goodwill efforts to prevent this,” he added.
Asked by our Ekspress correspondent whether “the Vatican recognizes
Armenia as an aggressor”, Gugerotti said that in issues of this kind,
he prioritizes “only general interests”: “And the interest here must
be a settlement to the Karabakh conflict.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Human rights development very slow in Armenia – ombudsman
A1+ web site
12 Jun 04
11 June: Ombudsman Larisa Alaverdyan held a news conference today to
mark the 100 days of the establishment of the human rights institution
in Armenia.
Alaverdyan said that the process of restoring violated human rights
in Armenia is very slowly. The institution has only recently started
to operate and the ombudsman hopes that it will be really successful
in Armenia since people are now taking their work more seriously.
Passage omitted: Minor details
The ombudsman said that she was more interested in the problems of
defenceless people rather than in sensations.
As for the trial of the skinheads who committed disturbances on 5
April attacked journalists , she said: “We should be glad about the
very fact that those who beat up journalists have been brought to
book in our country.”

CENN – JUNE 14, 2004 DAILY DIGEST
Table of Contents:
1. 57th Meeting of World Journalists Held in Istanbul
2. Eurasian Space Development Concept Adopted
3. KfW May Credit Yerevan Hydro Plant Modernization
4. Terms of Reference — Agricultural Biodiversity
5. IRD Tender Announcement
1. 57TH MEETING OF WORLD JOURNALISTS HELD IN ISTANBUL
Source: AzerTag, June 12, 2004
The regular, 57th Congress of World Association of Newspapers /WAN/ was
held in Istanbul.
The organization created in Paris, in 1948, amalgamates 72 newspaper
associations, over 18.000 newspapers, 12 news agencies, 9
media-organizations of the world, AzerTAj correspondent reports.
Aim of annual forum is to unite journalists of world in the period of
globalisation, protect their rights and interests, and establish
cooperation between the mass media representatives and editorial offices
of different countries
2. EURASIAN SPACE DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT ADOPTED
Source: AzerTag, June 12, 2004
According to information received by AzerTAj, The participants of the
forum “Eurasia in the 21st century: cultures dialog or civilizations
conflict”, held on the shores of the Issyk Kul high-mountain lake,
adopted a common Eurasian space development concept.
“The East and the West as social and cultural formations should have a
dialog, based on the principles of tolerance and mutual understanding,
as equal partners”, reads the document. “There are no grounds for
separating or opposing the cultural values from the viewpoint of their
belonging to different types of civilization”, stresses the concept.
The forum participants came to the conclusion that “only through the
dialog can the problems of security, counter-terrorism and violence
globalisation be settled”. The economic basis of the dialog should be
made up of “international trade and tourism development and
establishment of new transportation corridors”.
The globalisation advantages should be used by all nations to reduce
poverty and settle the environmental issues, which are closely related
to the economic and social issues, believe the forum participants.
“The oncoming generation should be brought up in the spirit of the world
culture and civilizations dialog”, reads the concept.
The forum was attended by Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmonov,
Kirghiz President Askar Akayev, UNESCO Director General Koitiro
Matsuura, Iran’s Vice-President Mohammad Ali Abdahi, and government
delegations of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Afghanistan,
Turkmenistan, Russia and other countries, as well as by famous
scientists.
3. KFW MAY CREDIT YEREVAN HYDRO PLANT MODERNIZATION
Source: Interfax, June 11, 2004
ZAO International Energy Corporation hopes to receive a credit of 15
million euros from Germany’s Kreditanstalt fuer Wiederaufbau by the end
of 2004 to modernize Yerevan Hydroelectric Plant, plant Deputy General
Director Mels Akopyan told Interfax.
He said that representatives from KfW are currently discussing this
project with IEC General Director Mikhail Mantrov in Moscow.
Akopyan said that the German bank is waiting for the question of
guarantees to be resolved before providing the credit. He said that he
hopes that the credit will be provided under beneficial terms.
IEC has taken on the obligation of repaying a credit for 18 million
euros already received from KfW to restore the fifth and sixth
power-producing units at Kanaker Hydroelectric Plant, which is also part
of the Sevan-Razdan Cascade power plant. This credit was provided to the
Armenian government at the end of 2000 for 40 years at 0.75% per annum,
with a grace period of 10 years.
The Sevan-Razdan Cascade united six hydro plants build between 1930 and
1962 and is one of the main electricity producers in Armenia. The plant
has a capacity of 556 megawatts or about 18% of the total power capacity
of Armenia.
ZAO International Energy Corporation was set up at the start of
September 2003 by Unified Energy System of Russia to operate the Sevan-
Razdan plant. The company has a license from the Armenian commission for
the regulation of natural monopolies to produce electricity in the
country for 15 years.
4. TERMS OF REFERENCE — AGRICULTURAL BIODIVERSITY
Project Consultant (part-time)
UNDP/GEF Project:
Recovery, Conservation, and Sustainable Use of Georgia’s Agricultural
diversity
Project Summary:
The project’s goal is the conservation and sustainable utilization of
threatened local plant genetic resources important to food and
agriculture. The project has two immediate objectives. The first is the
on-farm conservation of selected local agricultural biodiversity in
Samtskhe-Javakheti, historically the main granary of Georgia, on a pilot
demonstration basis. The second is to develop and implement a strategy
for replication of best lessons learned in conservation and utilization
of local agricultural biodiversity to other Georgian regions.
The project will address threats and root causes by concentrating its
technical and financial resources along 5 main avenues of actions.
First, it will establish sources of primary seed and planting material
for the threatened crops and fruit varieties. Second, it will strengthen
farmers’ own organizational structures (e.g. farmer association) as main
vehicles for production and distribution of seed and planting material
and experience sharing. Third, it will assist farmers in accessing
markets, including markets for organic products. Fourth, it will enhance
access to information on local agricultural biodiversity to farmers,
authorities, research stations, donors and other stakeholders and
promote information sharing among them. Finally, the project will ensure
that best lessons from project activities in Samtskhe-Javakheti are
replicated to other regions of Georgia.
Responsibilities
The Project Consultant will be responsible to the Project Coordinator.
The Consultants will provide needed expertise to the Project. The
Consultant will work in close cooperation with the Project Management.
His/her responsibilities include but are not limited to:
ž working closely with the Project Coordinator, Manager and
Agrobiodiversity Program Officer, assisting in development of work-plans
for conservation program
ž development of an assessment and analysis of existing information on
agricultural sector, including
– analysis of cross-sectoral issues related to in situ and on farm
conservation;
– policy and legal framework;
– Institutional and human capacity;
– identification of gaps and assessment of existing needs with respect
to involving different stakeholders in the conservation program
implementation
ž assisting in preparation of and participation in stakeholders’
meetings, strategic planning workshops;
ž assisting with the drafting of strategy document on agricultural
diversity conservation and sustainable utilisation, as required by the
Project Coordinator.
Outputs
ž Analysis reports and recommendations
Qualifications
ž Recognized expertise in related subject (local and international);
ž At least 10 years of experience in professional or academic position
in related discipline;
ž Proven ability to effectively analyze situations and communicate
results well;
ž Excellent knowledge of written and oral English and Georgian.
Education
– Higher education in related discipline
Duty Station
Tbilisi
Period of work
5 days per month during the total period of the project implementation
(5 years).
Deadline for CV submission
June 21, 2004
Please deliver your CVs according to the following contact information:
UNDP
Mariam Shotadze
Program Analyst
UNDP, Georgia
Eristavi Str. 9, Tbilisi,
Tel: 25 11 28/29 or 31
Fax: 25 0071/72
E-mail: [email protected]
and
ELKANA
III Delisi str. Nakveti 16
Tel: 536487 (contact person: Rusudan Nemsadze)
Fax: 536484
E-mail: [email protected]
Important note: Interviews will be scheduled with the short listed
candidates only.
5. IRD TENDER ANNOUNCEMENT
IRD, Inc. is announcing request for application from experienced
construction/engineering companies to take part in implementation of the
2-year USAID-financed SAE Primary Health Care initiative project in
Tsalka district.
Interested parties are invited to apply immediately. Please submit the
application documents required below in a sealed envelope to: 1 Irakli
Abashidze St. Tbilisi 0179 IRD Georgia Office.
The deadline is June 28, 2004 12.00 AM.
Organization/Project description:
International Relief and Development is a US based non-profit,
non-governmental organization working in Georgia since 1999.
In 2003 IRD started implementation of the USAID/SAE “Primary Health Care
Initiative in Georgia” for the period of 2003 – 2005. The project is
designed to provide medical care and treatment to the vulnerable
population of Tsalka district. This project will:
– Increase the professional level of Primary Health Care providers;
– Improve the condition of out-patient medical facilities.
The activities outlined address these objectives with an overall goal to
providing increased access to and improvement of the delivery of primary
health care services in Georgia.
General Description of Work:
Rehabilitation of three village Ambulatories selected by IRD in Tsalka
district. Due to the severe weather conditions in Tsalka region,
rehabilitation works should be finished before October 2004.
Interested organizations should submit the following:
1. Organization’s legal status and place of registration;
2. List of the civic infrastructure building/rehabilitation activities
implemented during the last three years;
3. Approximate amount (in GEL) of the total operational activities
implemented during the last three years;
4. Information about human and material resources;
5. Information about the bad debt for the State budget and/or any other
law obligations raised against organization;
6. Information about participation in construction/rehabilitation
activities financed by USAID or other international donor organization;
7. Building-repairing experience in Tsalka Region (desirable).
Only successful candidates will be contacted on June 29, 2004 before
6.00 PM. On June 30, 2004 they will be invited to come to Tsalka to
perform the assessment of physical condition of three selected village
Ambulatories in Tsalka district. Before July 6, 2004 5.00 PM, they have
to submit rehabilitation projects for each of three Ambulatories
(including time schedule and detailed budget).
—
*******************************************
CENN INFO
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)
Tel: ++995 32 92 39 46
Fax: ++995 32 92 39 47
E-mail: [email protected]
URL:

Return of occupied Azeri districts dangerous for Armenia – paper    
Aykakan Zhamanak, Yerevan
12 Jun 04
The return of Azerbaijan’s seven occupied districts poses a
threat to Armenia’s security, the Armenian newspaper Aykakan
Zhamanak has said. This will allow Azerbaijan to control the whole
Armenian-controlled sector of the Azerbaijani-Iranian border and
worsen the position of the Armenian troops along the front line,
the newspaper said. According to Aykakan Zhamanak, these steps can
seriously threaten the security of Karabakh and Armenia’s southern
regions. If this information is true, it will confirm the failure of
President Robert Kocharyan’s Karabakh policy and testify that he is
using this to extend his power, the newspaper said. The following
is the text of Erdzanik Abgaryan’s report by Armenian newspaper
Aykakan Zhamanak on 12 June headlined “Conflict in the business
sphere?”. Subheadings have been inserted editorially:
The warning issued by the first president, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, that
in the Karabakh conflict our real enemy is not Azerbaijan, but the
world community has become evident. And even the political forces in
power who are suffering from night blindness and corrupt intellectuals
who are eating their leftovers can notice this if they want.
Helpless Kocharyan
The Council of Europe, the OSCE, the European Union and NATO have
attacked [Armenian President Robert] Kocharyan. Kocharyan is helpless
because even his “partner” Putin cannot help him. He was warned six or
seven months ago that during the NATO summit in Istanbul progress will
be made in the Karabakh problem and Armenian-Turkish relations. If you
remember, some time after that, the Dashnaks [Armenian Revolutionary
Federation – Dashnaktsutyun] started speaking even about holding a
referendum on the Karabakh issue. If their Karabakh policy fails,
[Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan] Oskanyan threatens to resign, etc.
But as is seen, Kocharyan understood the seriousness of the problem
later and turned off the wrong path, deciding not to go to Istanbul.
But this step did not help him either. Oskanyan has been summoned
to Washington, and on 15 June, he should be there with Kocharyan’s
reply to a letter from the American co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk
Group, Steven Mann, who suddenly turned up in Yerevan about 10
days ago. According to our information, during a recent meeting
between the coalition parties, Yerkrapa [Union of Volunteers] and
representatives of the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic [NKR], Kocharyan
put to a vote the issue of returning Fuzuli, Cabrayil and Zangilan
Districts to Azerbaijan.
The highest price
In fact, Kocharyan suggested discussing the issue of surrendering
the regions of the most strategic importance to Azerbaijan, through
which the Baku-Naxcivan railway passes, which will allow Azerbaijan to
control the whole Armenian-controlled sector of the Azerbaijani-Iranian
border. It is obvious that the territory of those regions should
have the highest price in the settlement of the Karabakh issue. The
positions of our troops that are in this sector of the front will
worsen: the current 20km front line will be extended by 10 times and
will become 200km long. These steps, which are beyond the logic of any
option for the conflict settlement, can seriously threaten Karabakh
and the security of Armenia’s Megri region.
New events, in particular the surrender of [Azerbaijan’s] Zangilan
District, which will lead to the establishment of contact between
Armenia and Azerbaijan on the southern border, raise the issue of
Kapan’s protection. This problem is directly related to the security
of Kapan. It is inadmissible for Kapan to be on the state border
again. Incidentally, we still do not know how Kocharyan is going
to settle such problems which are great in number in the Karabakh
issue. We do not know either which problems connected with the
interests of Armenia and Karabakh Kocharyan will settle if these
regions are surrendered to Azerbaijan. According to some information,
in that case, the USA is ready to give 150m dollars to Armenia within
the framework of “Millennium Challenges” programme and force Azerbaijan
to give up its efforts to include the Karabakh conflict in the sphere
of the anti-terrorist fight.
Kocharyan’s failure
It is difficult to say how correct this information is, but if it
is really so, then it is threatening: if Armenia does not agree,
it will be sidelined from the “Millennium Challenges” programme
and the Karabakh conflict may be included in the anti-terrorist
sphere. Moreover, it is not clear how Kocharyan sees this problem,
which is separate from the Karabakh issue, in the general difficult
context of Armenian-Azerbaijani disagreements. This does not meet the
logic of the stage-by-stage or package settlement options. According
to our information, during the above meeting, everybody listened to
Kocharyan in silence.
The only person who supported this suggestion was Artur Bagdasaryan
[chairman of the National Assembly] who has a dim understanding of
the problems of Karabakh policy and who has announced that his party
[Law-Governed Country Party] is ready to support Kocharyan openly
in the issue of surrendering those regions. The only person who was
against it was the NKR defence minister, Seyran Oganyan, who expresses
the viewpoint of the Karabakh leadership. Finally, it will be clear
soon what Oskanyan will take to Washington with him. If these rumours
are true, it turns out that by turning the most important sector of
the occupied territories into something that can be bought and sold,
Kocharyan in fact confirmed the failure of his Karabakh policy. That’s
to say, like in 1998, he failed the Karabakh issue for the sake of
seizing power. Exactly in the same way, he can make this problem
serve his personal purpose – to extend his power.

ARMENIA POLLUTES RIVER IN AZERI EXCLAVE – TV SAYS
ANS TV, Baku
13 Jun 04
(Presenter) Armenia’s sewage water pollutes the Araz (Araxes)
river. Health Minister Ali Insanov has said that Azerbaijan has
repeatedly asked international organizations to help resolve the
problem. Armenia, however, does not show any interest in solving
the problem.
(Correspondent) The issue of pollution of the Araz river by
Armenia will be raised during forthcoming meetings by international
organizations, Azerbaijani Health Minister Ali Insanov said during
his trip to Naxcivan. Insanov said that he raised the question at
all international meetings in which he took part so that to solve the
problem. Armenia, however, is not interested in solving the problem.
(Insanov shown speaking to microphone) I noted the problem in my speech
at an annual session of the WHO (World Health Organization) Assembly in
Geneva in May. We raise the issue from time to time. Unfortunately,
Armenia’s position on the issue, just like on many other issues,
is inappropriate.
(Correspondent) Armenia’s sewage and waste waters pollute the Araz
river. Bacteriologic tests showed that the contamination of the river
is eight to 10 times over the norm in Sadarak District and four to
six times in Culfa and Ordubad districts. It cannot be ruled out that
the contamination affects the flora and fauna of the Araz basin.
Natella Mahmudova and Musfiq Haciyev, ANS, Naxcivan.

AZERI MINISTER TELLS NATO REP ABOUT DOUBLE STANDARDS IN KARABAKH SETTLEMENT
ANS TV, Baku
13 Jun 04
It is irrefutable that Armenia has occupied part of Azerbaijan’s
territory. Despite this the international community has not so
far declared Armenia an aggressor state which proves the existence
of double standards in the (Nagornyy Karabakh) conflict settlement
process, Azerbaijani Defence Minister Safar Abiyev told NATO Assistant
Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Jean Fournet at a meeting today
(13 June).
Mr Fournet said in reply that NATO is aware of Azerbaijan’s position
and is looking for ways of improving (bilateral) relations.