Month: October 2006

KOFI ANNAN: AT THIS TIME OF ALL TIMES, WE CANNOT AFFORD TO BE DIVIDED

Noyan Tapan
Oct 23 2006

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, NOYAN TAPAN. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan
sent a message on October 24, on the occasion of the United Nations
Day. It is, particularly, said in the message submitted to Noyan
Tapan by the UN Armenian Office: "For the tenth and last time as
Secretary-General, I offer friends and colleagues around the world
my best wishes on United Nations Day. I have spent almost my whole
professional life working for the United Nations – so this day, and
the values that it stands for, will always be special for me. Over
the past ten years, we have made some big steps forward in our common
struggle for development, security and human rights. Aid and debt
relief have increased, making the world economy somewhat fairer. At
last, the world is scaling up its response to HIV/AIDS. There are
fewer wars between States than there used to be; and many civil wars
have ended. More Governments are elected by, and accountable to,
the people whom they govern. And all States have acknowledged, at
least in words, their responsibility to protect people from genocide,
war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. But there
is so much that still needs doing: – The gap between rich and poor
continues to grow. – Very few countries are on track to reach all
eight of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. – Many people still
face atrocities, repression, and brutal conflicts. – The nuclear
non-proliferation regime requires urgent attention. – Terrorism,
and the reaction to it, are spreading fear and suspicion. It seems we
don’t even agree which threats are most important. Those who live in
small islands may see global warming as the biggest danger. Those who
live in a city that has suffered terrorist attacks (like New York,
or Mumbai, or Istanbul) may feel that confronting terrorism is more
urgent. Others again may cite poverty, disease, or genocide. The
truth is, these are all global threats.

All of us should be concerned about all of them. Otherwise, we
may not succeed in dealing with any of them. At this time of all
times, we cannot afford to be divided. I know that you, the peoples
of the world, understand this. Thank you for all the support and
encouragement you have given me, throughout these ten difficult but
exciting years. Please urge your leaders to work with my successor,
and make the United Nations ever stronger and more effective. Long
live our planet, and its peoples. Long live the United Nations!

YEREVAN "NZHDEH" TEAM CHAMPION OF ARMENIAN LADIES VOLLEY-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Noyan Tapan
Oct 23 2006

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, NOYAN TAPAN. The final tour of Armenian Ladies
Volley-Ball Championship ended on October 22 in Yerevan. In the game
determining the champion the "Nzhdeh" team of Yerevan State Medical
College defeated the Artik lady volley-ball players with a score of
3 to 1. In the game for the 3rd place Sisian lady volley-ball players
defeated NKR’s "Stepanakert" team with a score of 3 to 1.

7th MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT OF HERO OF ARTSAKH LIBERATION STRUGGLE, USSR SPORT MASTER VAHAN ZATIKIAN HELD IN YEREVAN

Noyan Tapan
Oct 23 2006

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, NOYAN TAPAN. 114 Armenian and 13 Georgian
free-style wrestlers took part in 7th youth memorial tournament
of Vahan Zatikian held on October 21-22 in Yerevan. In all of 8
categories, among the hosting team, Tsolak Alexanian (55 kg), Narek
Sanoyan (60 kg) and Suren Adian (66 kg) from Yerevan were recognized
as winners. The guests won in another weight categories.

The memorial tournament of hero of Artsakh liberation struggle,
former RA MP Vahan Zatikian was organized by the "Malatia" wrestling
club founded by him.

LEGISLATIVE FIELD OF ANTI-CORRUPTION STRATEGY REFORMED

Noyan Tapan
Oct 23 2006

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, NOYAN TAPAN. The annual results of implementation
of the events scheduled for 2005 by the "Anti-Corruption Strategy and
its Implementation Events Program" were summed up at the October 23
sitting of the Anti-Corruption Strategy Monitoring Committe. Gevorg
Mherian, the Committee Chairman, RA President’s Advisor stated that
the legislative field of the anti-corruption strategy was reformed
with the means of studying the legislative experience of developed
countries. Reforms of the judicial-legal system were implemented
under direct control of the RA President, and the process is at the
final stage. G.Mherian mentioned that the President of the republic
instructed to make reforms of the legislative field more transparent,
with the help of public organizations to upmost involve the society in
works of solution of problems it is interested in. It was mentioned
that from the 99 events envisaged by the program of implementation
of the RA anti-corruption strategy within the period of time of
2004-2007, 69 ones were implemented, other 30 are in the process of
implementation. Presenting results of the visit paid to Armenia by
the monitoring group of the anti-corruption net of countries of the
transitional economy of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development, Tigran Barseghian, the Chief of the Legal Department
of the RA Government’s staff stated that the committee fixed a
considerable progress in works of implementation of the anti-corruption
programs. According to the information submitted to Noyan Tapan by
the RA President’s Press Office, the committee discussed problems
of working out new program of the anti-corruption strategy as well,
as the acting program.

RUSSIAN SHAKESPEARE ADAPTATION WINS IN ROME

RTE.ie, Ireland
23 October 2006

Russian film ‘Playing The Victim’, a modern-day adaptation of
Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’, has won the best film award at Rome’s first
international film festival.

The nine-day movie marathon finished on Saturday with the awards
ceremony.

‘Playing The Victim’s director, Kirill Serebrennikov, accepted the
award with an emotional speech, saying: "This film is a film for
Russia and for Russians. Because we still believe that cinema can
change people’s way of thinking and consciences."

British film director Shane Meadows (‘Once Upon a Time in the
Midlands’, ‘A Room for Romeo Brass’) won the special jury prize for
‘This Is England’, a film about an impressionable young boy who
becomes involved with a gang of skinheads in the early 1980s.

The films were judged by a popular jury of 50 film fans chosen from
the public.

France’s Ariane Ascaride won the best actress award for her role in
Robert Guediguian’s drama ‘Armenia’ and Italy’s Giorgio Colangeli
was named best actor in the film ‘L’Aria Salata (The Salt Air)’
by Alessandro Angelini.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN TRADE GROWS 12%

Armenpress
Oct 23 2006

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, ARMENPRESS: Armenia’s statistical committee
said the country’s foreign trade in the first nine months of the year
rose 12.1 percent from a year ago to $2.2 billion. The trade growth
in September grew 15.6 percent over August.

The committee said not counting diamond trade, the growth was 19.5
percent with at $1.861 billion.

The committee said the amount of Armenian exports was $700 million,
1 percent down from a year ago, while imports grew 19.4 percent to
$1.508 billion.

ARMENIAN GDP GROWS 12.5% IN NINE MONTHS

Armenpress
Oct 23 2006

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, ARMENPRESS: Armenia’s GDP in the first nine
months of 2006 grew 12.5 percent, making, in terms of money, around $4
billion. GDP growth rate in September against August was 26.3 percent.

Armenian statistical service said industrial output, not counting
indirect taxes, went down 2 percent from a year ago to 468.1 billion
Armenian drams, but not counting the overall volume of diamond cutting
industry’s production, the industrial output grew 1.5 percent making
a total of 466 billion drams.

The production of electricity went down 5.2 percent from a year ago
to 4.530 billion kilowatt/hours.

Agricultural GDP grew in 2006 September against August 15.6
percent. Overall the agricultural GDP grew to 370.5 billion drams,
as much as in the first nine months of the previous year.

The biggest growth rate was reported in construction branch which
saw around 400 billion drams worth investments, growing almost 40
percent from a year ago.

ARMENIAN CYPRIOT MARIOS GAROYIAN ELECTED LEADER OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

ArmRadio.am
23.10.2006 16:56

An Armenian Cypriot – Marios Garoyian – was elected with a margin of
62.6% as the new leader of the ruling Democratic Party. Vice President
Nicos Kleanthous collected 37.4%.

Moments after the results were known around 8:00 pm on Sunday night,
Marios Garoyian was proclaimed President. He thanked voters for their
confidence in embracing his vision and in his short speech at the
Democratic Party headquarters in Nicosia, he called for unity and a
stronger party and stated.

"Today democracy has won and it is the beginning of a new era. We owe
a lot to the legacy of Spyros Kyprianou the founder of our party as
well as today’s president Tassos Papadopoulos. We will implement the
political line of the coalition and move forward united, through a
modernized Democratic Party."

Marios Garoyian is the first Armenian Cypriot that is being elected
leader of a political party in Cyprus. In May 2006 he was elected as
member of the Cyprus Parliament with top preferential votes in Nicosia.

Marios Garoyian was born in 1961. His involvement in party
politics began in Italy with Democratic Party’s youth movement
Anagennisi. After his studies in politics and return to Cyprus, he
was elected President of the Youth movement of NEDIK-Nicosia where
he served from 1986-1992. He later became a member of the Central
Executive of the Democratic Party in 1988.

Garoyian was a close aide of the late President Spyros Kyprianou and
served as The Director of his Office in the House of Parliament as
well as The Director of the Office of President Tassos Papadoulos. He
also served as Government Spokesperson.

He was elected to the Cyprus Parliament in May 2006.

Marios Garoyian has kept close ties with the Armenian community of
Cyprus and its leadership, addressing many problems connected with
community life.

ARMENIAN-CHINESE ECONOMIC COOPERATION PRODUCES APPRECIABLE RESULTS

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Oct 20 2006

YEREVAN, October 20. /ARKA/. Armenian-Chinese economic cooperation
is producing appreciable results. This statement was made at RA
Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan’s meeting with Vice-Chairman of
the Standing Committee, National People’s Congress of China, Siu Xialu.

The sides expressed satisfaction over the fact that the bilateral
trade and economic relations are producing results.

The sides pointed out that the "Shangsi-Nairit" JV founded by
the Chinese authorities is a successful start of further economic
cooperation. The sides agreed on the necessity of planning other
large-scale projects.

Premier Margaryan and Vice-Chairman Siu Xialu alo pronounced for
intensification of trade relations and contacts between Armenian
and Chinese business circles. The sides expressed hope for new
opportunities for materializing the business potential for the
development of economic, scientific and cultural cooperation.

EXPERTS AT COUNCIL OF EUROPE TO HELP ARMENIA COMPLETE ELABORATION OF LAW ON TELEVISION AND RADIO

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Oct 20 2006

YEREVAN, October 20. /ARKA/. Experts at Council of Europe will help
Armenia complete elaboration of the law on television and radio,
the CE Secretary General Special Envoy Bojana Urumova said Friday in
Yerevan, at a seminar focused on freedom of speech.

Urumova said that the Council of Europe has helped Armenia elaborate
the law on freedom of information in conformity with European
standards.

Armenian Ombudsman Armen Harutyunyan, in his turn, said Armenia
is a country of transition period and democracy here is still
underdeveloped, and the same goes with the freedom of speech.

Armenian lawmakers voted down bill on radio and television and
National Radio and Television Commission regulations at the first
reading last month.

Under the amendments, the commission will be made up of eight members,
half of which will be elected by the parliament for a six-year term.

Other four members will be appointed by the country president.

The bill also lifts restrictions for Public television and Radio to
advertise by removing the provision restricting commercials duration
to 5% of total duration of programs from the law.