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06/19/2006
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1) Matthew Bryza to Visit Karabagh Conflict Region 2) Czech Senate to Discuss Armenian Genocide Recognition in Fall 3) Armenian Plane ~QDid Not Malfunction before Crash~R 4) Statue of Archbishop Ashjian Unveiled in Armenia 5) IMF Praises Armenia~Rs Economic Growth 1) Matthew Bryza to Visit Karabagh Conflict Region YEREVAN (Yerkir)--Newly appointed American co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group will pay a visit to the Karabagh conflict region, said Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov. According to Mamedyarov, the three co-chairs in charge of mediating the regulation process will meet with the OSCE Permanent Council on June 22 in Vienna to discuss the current stage of the settlement. ~SThe co-chairs have already proposed to hold a new meeting at the level of Foreign Ministers and received my consent. In Vienna, Matthew Bryza will officially assume his duties. After this he will alone visit Baku and Yerevan,~T he said. ~SThe US Government has not lost hope for progress. Matthew Bryza is aware of the region,~T said Mamedyarov. ~SBeing well-informed about the Karabagh conflict, he won~Rt need time to get familiarized with the problem.~T 2) Czech Senate to Discuss Armenian Genocide Recognition in Fall YEREVAN (Armenpress/PanArmenian)Members of the Czech Senate committee on foreign and defense issues said during an official visit to Armenia Monday that they hope the Senate will adopt a resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide. At a meeting with members of an Armenian Parliament committee on foreign affairs, Jaromir Stetina, who organized a conference on the Genocide in the Czech Senate two months ago, said he hoped the Senate would pass a resolution recognizing Armenian genocide this Fall. During the meeting, Parliament Members also discussed strengthening relations between the two countries, legal and cultural cooperation, and Turkey~Rs bid to join the European Union. Armen Rustamian, chairman of the Armenian Parliament committee, said the European Union is not only a geopolitical space but also a system of values. He said that in order to join the European family, Turkey should share European values including recognition of the Armenian genocide. ~SUntil Turkey recognizes the Armenian genocide there will be no guarantee the crime will not be repeated,~T Rustamian remarked. The Czech Parliamentarians agreed with him, noting that the EU-Turkey talks could last between 10 and 15 years during which Turkey~Rs domestic and foreign policy should be brought up to European standards. 3) Armenian Plane ~QDid Not Malfunction before Crash~R (AP)--The Armenian airliner that crashed into the Black Sea last month killing all 113 people aboard was intact, had its engines operating normally, and had enough fuel to land, a Russian commission said Monday. The Armavia Airbus A-320 was under manual control of its pilots up to the moment of the May 3 pre-dawn catastrophe near the Russian port of Sochi, the Transport Ministry commission investigating the disaster said in a statement. The commission, which based its conclusions after analyzing the plane's "black box" flight recorders, did not attribute blame for the crash. Prosecutors have dismissed the possibility that terrorists brought the plane down, and officials point to rough weather or pilot error as the likely cause. Armavia officials have suggested that air traffic controllers were at least partly to blame, giving the pilots improper instructions. The commission said it planned further analysis of the recorders and computer modeling to determine a cause. The flight was en route to Sochi from Yerevan. 4) Statue of Archbishop Ashjian Unveiled in Armenia A life-size statue of Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian was unveiled Sunday in the Armenian village of Moughni, in honor of the man known for his charitable work and devotion to the church. The statue, designed by Ara Shiraz, is located in the yard of the school named after Archbishop Ashjian, who faithfully served the Armenian Church for half a century, including twenty years as the Prelate of the Armenian Apostolic Church of the Eastern United States and Canada. Prior to his death in 2003, Ashjian lived in Armenia where he undertook extraordinary charitable work including the care of orphans, the elderly, the re-transmission of the faith to the people after 70 years of communist rule, bringing back to life centuries-old monasteries and churches, and the publication of hundreds of historical and literary books. In Moughni, Archbishop Ashjian revitalized the village through the renovation of the St. Gevorg church and the building of a community center. The statue will remind residents of his contribution to the village and to Armenian society at large. 5) IMF Praises Armenia~Rs Economic Growth YEREVAN (RFE/RL)--The managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Rodrigo de Rato, praised Armenia for continuing ~Simpressive~T growth of its economy, which looks set to remain in double digits for a sixth consecutive year. De Rato reiterated over the weekend the IMF~Rs highly positive assessment of the country~Rs macroeconomic indicators after what he described as ~Svery productive~T talks in Yerevan with President Robert Kocharian and other senior Armenian officials. ~SArmenia~Rs economic performance has been impressive in recent years: double-digit growth since 2001 in an environment of low inflation; a strengthening external position; a reduction in poverty; and, more recently, a notable improvement in tax performance,~T he told a news conference. ~SThe authorities have done a commendable job in maintaining sound macroeconomic policies,~T de Rato said. They will therefore be rewarded with $34 million in additional IMF loans to be disbursed in the next two years, he added. De Rato was in Yerevan to participate in a high-level conference of the so-called Dutch group of 12 countries, including Armenia, affiliated with the IMF and the World Bank. Armenian growth was a big feature during the two-day gathering that was attended by finance ministers, central bank chiefs, and other top officials from those nations. Official statistics put the Armenian economy, still reeling from the post-Soviet slump of the early 1990s, on track to expand by more than 10 percent this year. ~SEven China is not achieving that sort of growth,~T said Jeroen Kremers, a member of the IMF~Rs governing board representing the Dutch group. ~SThat~Rs pretty good, I think.~T According to the National Statistics Service, the proportion of Armenians living below the official poverty line fell from 56 percent to 34.6 percent between 1999 and 2005. The Armenian Government says this shows that the growth has benefited not only the small class of wealthy citizens but the population at large. De Rato also spoke about key economic challenges facing Armenia, such as tax evasion. He said he urged Armenian leaders to improve tax and customs administrations in a ~Stransparent and non-discretionary manner.~T Kocharian was quoted by his office as telling de Rato that his Government is doing its best to tackle the problem. The IMF chief further praised the Kocharian administration~Rs monetary policies, defending the appreciation of the Armenian currency, the dram. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2006 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.