ARKA News Agency – 01/11/2005

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Jan 11 2005

RA President congratulates Viktor Yushenko with election on the
position of the President of Ukraine

Catholicos of All Armenian receives Bulgarian Minister of Science and
Education

Plane of Armavia Airlines performing the flight from Yerevan in
Rostov on don was forced to return in Yerevan

Fifth round of negotiations between Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign
Ministers on Karabakh settlement held in Prague

Monitoring of NKR and Azerbaijani Armed Forces contact zone reveals
no violations of the ceasefire regime

Robert Kocharian: `We cannot encourage creation of privileged
conditions for anyone’

Russia will be a mediator in settlement of Karabakh conflict and
relations between Turkey and Armenia – V. Putin

RA Ministry of Science and Education receives the Minister of Culture
and Science of Bulgaria

Armenia to send humanitarian aid to Sri-Lanka population affected by
tsunami disaster

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RA PRESIDENT CONGRATULATES VIKTOR YUSHENKO WITH ELECTION ON THE
POSITION OF THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE

YEREVAN, January 11. /ARKA/. RA President Robert Kocharian
congratulated Viktor Yushenko with election on the position of the
President of Ukraine, President’s press office told ARKA. Kocharian
expressed confidence that historic relations between Armenian and
Ukrainian people will continue successful development and deepening
for the welfare of the two countries. L.D. –0–

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CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIAN RECEIVES BULGARIAN MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND
EDUCATION

YEREVAN, January 11. /ARKA/. Catholicos of All Armenian Garegin II
received Bulgarian Minister of Science and Education Igor Damianov,
St.Echmiadzin press office told ARKA. Garegin II noted expanding
relations between the countries, which are the `reflections of
century-long friendship of two Christian people’. He expressed
gratitude to Bulgarian authorities for tender attitude to Armenian
population of the republic.
RA Minister of Science and Education Sergo Yeritsian and Bulgarian
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Stephan
Dimitrov also took part in the meeting. L.D. –0–

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PLANE OF ARMAVIA AIRLINES PERFORMING THE FLIGHT FROM YEREVAN IN
ROSTOV ON DON WAS FORCED TO RETURN IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, January 11. /ARKA/. Plane of Armavia Airlines performing the
flight from Yerevan in Rostov on don was forced to return in Yerevan,
Armavia press service told ARKA. The decision was made after airport
of Rostov refused to accept the plant due to damage on landing strip.
L.D. –0–

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FIFTH ROUND OF NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN
MINISTERS ON KARABAKH SETTLEMENT HELD IN PRAGUE

YEREVAN, January 11. /ARKA/. The fifth round of negotiations between
Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers Vardan Oskanian and Elmar
Mamedyarov on Karabakh settlement was held in Prague with
participation of Co-Chairmen of OSCE Minsk Group (MG). As Armenian
Foreign Ministry Press and Information Department told ARKA, earlier
both Ministers arrived in Prague by invitation of OSCE MG. As it is
stated in the press release, this is the first meeting of a similar
kind after some time break in the Prague negotiations. During the
meeting the Ministers discussed the issues related to possibilities
of settlement of the Karabakh conflict on the bases of common
approaches achieved during the previous stage of the negotiations.
Also, the Ministers had separate meetings with the Co-Chairmen of the
OSCE MG. Today in the late evening Oskanian returned to Yerevan.
To mention, the Foreign Ministers held four meetings around the
settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. On the last meeting of
the Ministers on Aug 30, the sides achieved agreement around future
meeting with the Co-Chairmen on Oct 25, 2004, however later the
meeting was postponed. As Oskanian stated earlier, all negotiations
concerning the process were suspended as the sides were expecting new
instructions from the Heads of two States around continuation of the
negotiating process. T.M. -0–

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MONITORING OF NKR AND AZERBAIJANI ARMED FORCES CONTACT ZONE REVEALS
NO VIOLATIONS OF THE CEASEFIRE REGIME

YEREVAN, January 11. /ARKA/. The regular monitoring of the Nagorno
Karabakh and Azerbaijani Armed Forces contact zone near the
settlement of Marzili revealed no cases of violation of the ceasefire
regime. As NKR Foreign Ministry Press Service told ARKA, the
monitoring from the NKR territory was implemented by Coordinator of
the OSCE Tbilisi Office Lieutenant Colonel Imre Palatinusz (Hungary).
The Monitoring Group included Field Assistant of Personal
Representative of the OSCE Acting Chairman Alexander Samarsky
(Ukraine).
The monitoring was held as per the established schedule and no cases
of violation of the ceasefire regime were recorded.
The monitoring mission from the NKR side was accompanied by
representatives of the NKR Defense and Foreign Ministry. T.M. -0–

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ROBERT KOCHARIAN: `WE CANNOT ENCOURAGE CREATION OF PRIVILEGED
CONDITIONS FOR ANYONE’

YEREVAN, January 11. /ARKA/. `It is necessary to conduct equal and
fair approach to economic subjects in realization of tax
administration’, RA President Robert Kocharian stated during the
meeting with the administration of RA State Tax Service. According to
the President, any exception will damage the whole process. `If you
start gathering taxes form yourself, your friends and relatives, I’m
sure you will not allow others stay away of tax field. Our attention
will be concentrated on this’, Kocharian said.
He stressed the necessity of easing the methodology of conduction of
tax inspections and paid attention of principle of conduction of
inspections on the base of results of researches. `Organization of
inspections should be realized on the base of data analysis, which
will increase their productivity. Researches of control service at RA
President’s show that there are companies where the inspections have
not been conducted for years and there are structures where the
inspections are made several times a year’, Kocharian said.
The President also paid attention to use of additional methods during
checking the reliability of reports of businessmen paying simplified
tax and fixed payments and improvement of mechanisms of control over
activity of tax inspectors and increase of demands to quality of
their work.
Kocharian stressed the necessity of increase the level of
transparency and publicity of process of settlement of all mentioned
problems. L.D. –0–

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RUSSIA WILL BE A MEDIATOR IN SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT AND
RELATIONS BETWEEN TURKEY AND ARMENIA – V. PUTIN

YEREVAN, January 11. /ARKA/. Russia will be a mediator in settlement
of Karabakh conflict and relations between Turkey and Armenia, RF
President Vladimir Putin stated during the meeting with
representatives of Turkish business circles in Moscow.
Answering the question of Turkish mass media, Putin said that during
the meeting the parties did not discuss Karabakh conflict.
Both parties expressed desire to establish friendly relations between
neighbors.
`Russia in its turn will make everything to settle conflicts in post
Soviet area, including Karabakh conflict’, Putin said and added, `But
we will do it as a mediator and guarantor of agreements that will be
achieved between the parties of the conflict’.
Turkish PM in his turn spoke for future establishment of relations
with Armenia.
He reminded that Turkey already opened Istanbul airport for flights
from Armenia. Land border is not opened yet, but its opening will
depend on process of negotiations, he added.
Prime Minister stressed that Turkey is interested in development of
relations with Armenia. L.D. –0–

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RA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND EDUCATION RECEIVES THE MINISTER OF CULTURE
AND SCIENCE OF BULGARIA

YEREVAN, January 11. /ARKA/. RA Ministry of Science and Education
Sergo Yeritsyan received a delegation headed by Igor Demyanov, the
Minister of Culture and Science of Bulgaria. The delegation has been
to Armenia with an official visit since January 9-12. According to RA
Ministry of Science and Education Press Service Department, this is
the first official visit on the part of the Ministers of Bulgaria to
Armenia.
During the meeting Yeritsyan introduced reforms in the sphere of
education introduced in Armenia to guests. The Ministers of the two
countries discussed the program on cooperation in the sphere of
science and culture signed by the two countries in 2003, as well as
aspects of cooperation that can be implemented in the nearest future.
According to the parties, the cooperation may have an impact on both
the sphere of education and science. It’s supposed that a
corresponding protocol will be signed issuing from the results of the
visit.
In the course of the visit, the delegation will meet professors and
teachers as well as students of some Universities and will be
introduced cultural and historical values of Armenia.
RA and Bulgarian Governments began cooperation in 1994. A program on
cooperation between the two countries for 2003-2006 in the field of
science and culture was signed in the framework of the above
mentioned agreement during the official visit of RA President
Kocharyan to Bulgaria on September 8 2003. A.H.-0–

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ARMENIA TO SEND HUMANITARIAN AID TO SRI-LANKA POPULATION AFFECTED BY
TSUNAMI DISASTER

YEREVAN, January 11. /ARKA/. Armenia will send humanitarian aid to
the population of Sri-Lanka affected by tsunami disaster, as stated
Armen Bayburtyan, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia. According
to him, it is planned to send tents and mobile energy generators to
the total sum of AMD 15 mln (about $30 thou), as well as antibiotics
and pain-relieving medicine of AMD 10 mln (about $20 thou). He also
said that it is also planned to send aid to Indonesia as well. In
addition, according to Bayburtyan, Armenian Church of Calcutta
pledged $210 thou to the Indian Government. Also, 10 citizens of
India can pass a treatment course by request in the Rehabilitation
Centre of the Armenian Red Cross. L.V. – 0–