Month: June 2005

CONSTRUCTION OF GAFESJIAN MUSEUM STARTS IN YEREVAN
YEREVAN, JUNE 3, NOYAN TAPAN. The construction work of the Gafesjian
arts museum has started in Yerevan, in connection with which seven
sculptures of the Gafesjian collection – the Welsh sculptor Barry
Flanagan’s “Acrobats” and “The Hare on the Bell”, “Open Window” by
Czech sculptors Stanislav Libenski and Yaroslava Brikhtova, Fernando
Botero’s “The Roman Soldier”, the British sculptor Lynn Chedvick’s
“Stairs”, “Two Observers” and “Sitting Forms” – have been brought to
Armenia. The Gafesjian museum spokeperson Madlen Minasian told about
this at the June 1 press conference. According to her, until now 8
sculptures of the Gafesjian collection has been brought to Armenia,
whereas the remaining part will arrive at the time of opening the
museum. M. Minasian informed reporters that the construction will
finish in 2007, as a result of which the main building of the museum
will connect Tamanian Park and the Cascade Hill by the external stairs
and escalators. The construction is estimated at about 25 mln USD. The
Gafesjian collection contains over 100 items, including sculptures
and other works of art, and is worth 25 mln USD.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TO MEET WITH OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRMEN
IN VIENNA ON JUNE 8
YEREVAN, JUNE 3, NOYAN TAPAN. According to the RA MFA Press and
Information Deprtment, a meeting of the Armenian Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian with OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen is scheduled for
June 8 in Vienna.

2005 IS GOING TO BE A YEAR OF COMPETITION FOR RA BANKING SYSTEM, DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF CBA STATES
YEREVAN, JUNE 3, NOYAN TAPAN. 2005 is going to be a year of new
challanges, competition and new instruiments application for the RA
banking system. Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA)
Artur Javadian stated this at the annual meeting of Armeconombank’s
shareholders on June 3. According to him, due to a decline in the
yield of government bonds, the banks will compete for customers
placing deposits and taking loans. CBA Deputy Chairman said that
this year the banks will also start introducing the principles of
corporate governance. According to A. Javadian, 2004 was also an
unprecedented year for the Armenian banks – the overall assets of the
system grew by 28.9% to 363 bln drams (about 827 mln USD). In the year
under review, the liabilities of the banking system increased by 29%,
while the time deposits of legal entities – by 50%. The overall profit
of the banks made 19.9 bln drams against 8.3 bln drams in the previous
year. During the year, a considerable increase in the crediting volumes
was registered – 37%. Most credits were provided to the food industry
and trade. The share of consumer credits was substantial as well.

FOREIGN INVESTMENTS IN ARMENIA MAKE 60 MLN 191.3 THOUSAND USD IN FIRST QUARTER
YEREVAN, JUNE 3, NOYAN TAPAN. In January-March of 2005, foreign
investments of a total of 60 mln 191.3 thousans USD were made in
Armenia, which exceeded by 44% the index of the same period of last
year. In the indicated period, direct foreign investments made 35
mln 657.6 thousand USD, exceeding by 27.5% the respective index of
2004. According to the RA National Statistical Service, 63.4% of
the overall foreign investments and 47,4% of the direct investments
was allocated to the sphere of communication. 17.3% of the direct
investments was made in the production of foodstuffs and drinks,
while 11.5% – in the air transport sector.

LUFTHANSA OPERATES NEW FLIGHT YEREVAN-MUNICH-YEREVAN ON JUNE 3
YEREVAN, JUNE 3, NOYAN TAPAN. The German company Lufthansa operated
a new flight Yerevan-Munich-Yerevan on June 3. About 80 passengers
arrived in Yerevan by this inaugural flight. The company’s regional
director in Russia and CIS Guenther Ott stated at a press conference on
the same day that Lufthansa is increasing the number of its flights in
the CIS region – starting June 5, flights will be operated to Tbilisi
as well. On the occasion of regular flights Yerevan-Munich-Yerevan,
the company offers special prices. By Lufthansa’s new package of
offers, passengers have an opportunity to travel to Germany for $299,
to any European destination for $349 and to North America and Africa
for $599. These prices will be offered until October 24 of this year,
with ticket sales continuing until June 30.

OLIGARCHS DO NOT AVOID GIVING INFORMATION TO STATE COMMISSION ON ECONOMIC COMPETITION PROTECTION
YEREVAN, JUNE 3, NOYAN TAPAN. Deputy Chairman of the RA State Commision
on Economic Competition Protection Pavel Ghaltakhchian said at the June
2 conference “The Competition in Armenia. Expert Discussion” that one
of the main problems the Commission encounters is that the RA Law on
Economic Competition is not applied to the full. According to him, at
present this law is “a bit Western”, but it is possible to bring the
law into line with the national peculiarities by making amendments
in it. Deputy Chairman of the Commission noted that collecting
imformation about the actual volumes of markets continues to be a
difficult task for the Commission. According to him, small economic
entities are reluctant to provide information about certain types of
goods, whereas oligarchs do not create problems in this regard. Despite
this, P. Ghaltakhchian opposed the idea of introducing the practice
of “early morning checks” suggested by international experts, since
in Armenia there are corruption-related risks involved in this form
of gathering information which is quite widespread in European
countries. At the same time it was mentioned that the Commission
has no other mechanism of collecting evidence about anticompetition
agreements reached between economic entities. In connection with
the only case of this type – the fact of increasing microbus fares,
the Commission filed a lawsuit last year and lost it.

LAW “ON CONDUCTING MEETINGS, RALLIES, PROCESSIONS AND DEMONSTRATIONS”
DISCUSSED WITH PARTICIPATION OF REPRESENTATIVES OF ARMENIA, OSCE
AND PACE
YEREVAN, JUNE 3, NOYAN TAPAN. On the initiative of the CE Venice
Commission and OSCE Yerevan Office a roundtable on the subject “Freedom
of Holding Meetings: Legislation and Application” was organized
on June 3 at Yerevan “Congress” hotel. The goal of the event was
to discuss RA law “On Conducting Meetings, Rallies, Processions and
Demonstrations,” its application, as well as to discuss it from point
of view of correspondence of the draft of law’s amendments approved
recently in the first reading at NA to European standards. The event’s
organizers tried to combine those bearing the law’s influence and
those responsible for law’s execution at the discussion. Experts of
CE Venice Commission and OSCE Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
Office (DIHRO) who are in Yerevan on a working visit also participated
in the discussion. Ambassador Christian Shtrohal, Director of OSCE
Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Office, mentioned in his
greeting speech that the holding of the event with joint participation
of Armenia’s, OSCE’s and CE’s representatives is the evidence of
a long-lasting cooperation aimed at contributing to reformation of
democratic processes in Armenia. According to him, the above-mentioned
law adopted a year ago by the NA was sent for an expertise on the
NA’s initiative, which is the evidence of parliament’s devotion to
pursuing of fulfilment of obligations assumed towards the CE and
correspondence to European standards. The experts had revealed that a
number of provisions of the current law don’t correspond to European
standards and the parliament initiated realization of amendments. The
ambassador expressed a hope that finally the law will correspond to
the principles adopted by Europe. From point of view of provision
of pluralism the main right to express opinions is closely connected
with the rights to conduct rallies, processions. Mass events should be
peaceful, disciplined, without violence, appeals sowing religious and
racial discrimination, but the primary is freedom and the limitations
should be exceptions aimed at provision of observance of the law. The
above-mentioned principle was dominating in all speeches of European
experts. Gianni Buquicchio, Secretary of CE Venice Commission, also
mentioned that the CE attaches great importance to having a good law
on conducting meetings in Armenia. According to him, proceeding from
this PACE precisely suggested Armenia amending the current law. The
possibility to completely enjoy fundamental human rights and freedoms
is the evidence of the extent of country’s democratization. There can
be limitations only in cases fixed by the law but the latters should
be harmonious with the needs of the democratic society. The right
application of the law and exclusion of self-willed limitations by the
respective power links is too important from point of view of complete
recognition of the right to conduct meetings in Armenia. Therefore,
the Venice Commission attaches great importance to the courses to be
organized by the CE for Armenian police in some weeks. The courses
will be followed by other events.

VARTAN OSKANIAN: ARMENIA DOES ITS BEST TO MAKE STRUGGLE AGAINST CORRUPTION MORE EFFICIENT
YEREVAN, JUNE 3, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenia takes all possible steps
to make struggle against corruption more efficient. RA Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian declared this on June 3, receiving the
delegation of Assessment Commission of Group of States against
Corruption (GRECO) headed by Mr. Carlo Chiaramonte, member of GRECO
Secretariate. According to RA Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information
Department, Vartan Oskanian highly estimated the commission’s
work. During the previous 5 days GRECO delegation met with heads of
structures and specialists responsible for making struggle against
corruption more operative. They must be able to suspend corruption
risks in the country by means of legislative reforms and other concrete
steps. Within 6 months after this visit, during GRECO’s close sitting,
the commission will submit a document containing its conclusions on
the results of assessment carried out in Armenia. Guarantees will be
given on the basis of this document.

GEORGIA INTERESTED IN DEVELOPMEMT OF ARMENIAN ECONOMY
TBILISI, JUNE 3, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Prime Minister Andranik Margarian,
who is on a working visit to Georgia, attended on June 2 the
Armenian church St Gevorg in Tbilisi where he met with members of the
Armenian community. According to the RA government press service,
then a meeting between the RA Prime Minister and the President of
the Georgian parliament Nino Burjanadze took place. Underlining the
importance of the dynamically developing friendly relations between
the two countries, N. Burjanadze welcomed RA Prime Minister whose
visit, according to her, will become yet another stimulus for further
development of the Armenian-Georgian relations. Both sides attached
importance to the partnership and friendly relations between the
Presidents, as well as the heads of the legislative and exxecutive
powers of the two countries, which are considerbly conducive to
their cooperation. At the same time, it was noted that a number of
problems requiring efforts from both sides still exist between the
two countries. N. Burjanadze emphasized that Georgia is interested
in the development, stability and strengthening of the neighboring
Armenia. She said that our region has great prospects and may well
occupy its worthy place in the modern world. Noting the existence
of a number of long-term programs, in particular in the economic
sphere, she underlined the necessity of implementing such joint
programs. Appreciating the work done by the Armenian-Georgian
Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation Affairs in
solving the problems related to the economic cooperation, the sides
considered it important to increase the role of interparliamentary
relations in the further development of bilateral relations in various
fileds. As regards the social and economic problems of Javakhk,
N. Burjanadze said that the previous government completely failed
to solve them, and new approaches have been adopted. She noted that
the social and economic situation is indeed difficult in Javakhk,
and there are numerous problems, which she dis! cussed with the
local authorities and population. She stressed that she takes such
actions not to demonstrate that someting is done in that region but
because she is indeed concerned about the well-being of the Georgian
citizens. In connection with the transport problems, in particular
the restoration of the Abkhazian sector of the railway, N. Burjanadze
noted some progess made – if previoulsy the solution of the problem
was directly connected to the conflict, now the approach has been
essentially changed and the Georgian authorities are in favor of
carrying out these activities in parallel. She considered the prospect
of exporting the Iranian gas to European countries through Armenia and
Georgia to be interesting and mutually beneficial. N. Burjanadze also
stressed the need for active work to solve the problem of demarcation
of the border lines of the state frontier. In response to this, RA
Prime Minister noted that he has decided with his Georgian counterpart
to hold a meeting of the commission that deals with this problem in
Novemeber for the purpose of a more detailed discussion. The sides
addressed the issue of regulating the activities of the Georgian
diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, in connection with which RA
Prime Minister said that the issue can be settled within the framework
of the Georgian legislation provided the sides make concerted efforts.

Minneapolis Star Tribune , MN
June 5 2005
Business Books
By Hugh Pope Overlook, $35
June 6, 2005 BIZBOOKS0606
Sons of the Conquerors
The Rise of the Turkic World
The emergence of a clutch of newly independent Muslim Turkic states
after the collapse of the Soviet empire in 1991 stirred up an
intense, if short-lived, interest in the Turkic presence that
stretches from the outer edges of China all the way to the Balkans.
At its core lay Turkey, whose ready, if wobbly, democracy, its
free-market economy and its own brand of moderate Islam could serve
as a model, Western strategists hoped.
Fired by visions of leading this Turkic world, imams, entrepreneurs
and language teachers all poured into the former Soviet republics.
But their fervor was soon tempered by Russia’s continued political
and cultural grip over its onetime colonies. With the exception of
tiny landlocked Kyrgyzstan, each of these countries is still ruled by
its corrupt former communist dictator, its every potential
unfulfilled. Indeed, modern Turks often seem to have more in common
with their Christian Greek neighbors than they do with their ethnic
cousins in Azerbaijan.
Hugh Pope, a veteran Istanbul-based correspondent of the Wall Street
Journal and co-author with Nicole Pope of an unrivaled history of
modern Turkey, “Turkey Unveiled,” might agree. Yet, in his ambitious
new book, “Sons of the Conquerors,” Pope seeks to unearth the common
strands that link the 140 million Turkic speakers across the globe.
In a quest that takes him from the grim battlefronts of
Armenian-controlled Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan to secret
encounters with Turkic-speaking Uighur nationalists in China, he has
produced the most comprehensive work on the Turks today. His book is
also very timely; Turkey prepares to open membership talks with the
European Union later this year.
Part travelogue, part history and part political analysis, “Sons of
the Conquerors” overflows with hilarious anecdotes and distinctive
characters that only someone who speaks Turkish, Farsi and Arabic as
effortlessly as Pope could dig up.