Month: November 2006

‘HUMAN RIGHTS AND MILITARY SERVICE: PROSPECT OF CONTRACT SERVICE IN ARMENIA’ ROUND TABLE HELD IN YEREVAN
AZG Armenian Daily
17/11/2006
“Human Rights and Military Service: Prospects of Contract Service in
Armenia” round table-discussion on this is currently being held in
Yerevan. The discussion is initiated by the OSCE Yerevan Office and a
non-governmental organization “Hakastver” (“Anti- shadow”). Various
officials of relevant state departments, including representatives
of the Defense Ministry, Prosecutor General’s Office, Court of
Appeal and some non- governmental organizations participate in the
discussion. Lieutenant Colonel Harutiun Mukhsi- Hoveyan, Head of
the Department of Personnel Management Integration of RA DM, touched
upon the current integration rules in the Armenian Army on a contract
basis. RA deputy Judge Advocate, Armen Haroutiunyan, has represented
the National Legislation clauses, which envisage punishments for the
crimes.The Head of OSCE Yerevan Office, Vladimir Pryakhin, welcomed
the event participants, as well.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT’S FIRST VISIT TO CYPRUS
AZG Armenian Daily
17/11/2006
Next week on November 22 a big Armenian delegation headed by president
Robert Kocharian will leave for Cyprus. This will be the first visit
of the Armenian president to Cyprus since Armenia’s independence.
Robert Kocharian will meet his Cypriot counterpart, parliament speaker
and head of the Cypriot church, Azg daily’s correspondent George Der
Partogh reports from the island. Mayor of Nicosia will present Robert
Kocharian with the golden key of the city. Within the framework of
the visit the president will meet members of the small but intense
Armenian community, it’s cleric and political representatives as well
as will visit Narek Armenian school.
As a closing accord, president Kocharian will take part in erection
of a monument to the memory of Genocide survivors who first reached
Larnaca.

34 CRIMINAL CASES ON TRAFFICKING, SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND INVOLVEMENT INTO PROSTITUTION CASES REGISTERED IN 9 MONTHS OF 2006
AZG Armenian Daily
17/11/2006
In the course of the nine months of 2006, the relevant bodies of
Armenia 34 criminal cases on the articles 132,132.1, 261 and 262 of
RA Criminal Code of Armenia that include such crimes as trafficking,
enrolment of people for exploitation, sexual exploitation, involvement
into prostitution, contribution to prostitution. The press-service
of RA Prosecutor’s office of Armenia informed that 26 people were
convicted and no judgment of acquittal was delivered.
7 suspects are wanted, 5 criminal cases are on investigation, 4
cases are united. According to the materials of the criminal cases,
121 people, including 118 women, underwent sexual exploitation. 64
persons were brought to administrative responsibility during the
period under review.

ITALY AWARDS FILMMAKER KAREN SHAHNAZAROV
By Karine Danielian
AZG Armenian Daily
17/11/2006
Movies of Russian-Armenian filmmaker Karen Shahnazarov have been shown
in Rome, Piza and Carrara since October. During the 20 years of work
he shot 20 feature films but is mostly renowned for “We Are From Jazz”
musical, winner of a number of international awards.
As it transpired yesterday, Karen Shahnazarov was awarded Italy’s
Gastone Predieri award for his contribution to the art of filmmaking
and for developing Russian-Italian cultural relations.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

“DOES THE EXPRESSION “STATE NEEDS” COINCIDE WITH ELITE BUILDINGS?”
A1+
[03:48 pm] 16 November, 2006
Today the residents of alienated zones organised a rally of protest
and assembled opposite the RA government building. They shouted,
“Go away, thieves!”
“Shame on you, prime minister!” “We demand resignation from the post,”
etc. The veterans of the Artsakh war also joined them.
This time the rally participants displayed civil disobedience against
the adoption of the draft bill on “Alienation of Property for State
and Public Needs.”
None of the government representatives received the strikers. The
residents become indignant at the fact that they were neglected
by the authorities. “They ignore us and our demands. If we live in
a democratic country, they ought to respect our rights. This is an
apparent violation of the citizens’ rights”, claims Sonya Barseghyan,
one of the residents.
The strikers continued to shout and warn that the “illegal law”
refers to each citizen of the Republic of Armenia. They claimed that
they had been paid lower than the current prices at the market.
By the way, the strikers are going to organise the next rally of
protest opposite the President’s residence. They will call on Robert
Kocharyan to negotiate with them tete-a-tete.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE PARTIES TOUCHED UPON THE ISSUES OF THE CO-CHAIRS’ VISIT
A1+
The NKR MFA Press-Service
[04:07 pm] 16 November, 2006
On November 15, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic Masis Mayilian received a group of members of the office of
the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Personal Representative (CiO PR).
In the course of the meeting office employee Gunter Volk (Germany)
introduced to Masis Mayilian newly appointed Field Assistant of the
OSCE CiO PR, Kazakh diplomat Jaslan Nourtazin.
The participants of the talk touched upon issues concerning the coming
regular monitoring of the Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijani armed
forces contact-line, as well as the visit of the OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chairs on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict to the region planned for
the last decade of December.
Masis Mayilian answered the questions in which the newly appointed
Field Assistant of the OSCE CiO PR was interested in.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

WILL USA DISPLAY ROUGH ATTITUDE TOWARDS ARMENIA?
A1+
[05:24 pm] 16 November, 2006
The Representatives of Dashnatsutyun (ARF) Party inspire great hopes
from the victory of the Democrats in the recent U.S. elections. They
voice hope that the Senate might recognize the Armenian Genocide.
Today, Kiro Manoyan, head of the Armenian Cause, briefed the
journalists on the reasons for such optimistic expectations; the
presidential elections are still ahead and the newly elected senators,
both the Republicans and the Democrats, seek cooperation with the
Armenian community, as the latter renders them high-level assistance.
In reply to the journalists’ hints that a lot of high-rank officials,
including George Bush, have given promises but the Genocide has not
been recognized so far, Mr. Manoyan claims that he hopes “this time
the Democrats will make a step ahead”. But they need serious and
purposeful assistance of the Armenian community.
As for the alternation of the U.S. stance towards Armenia after the
Democrats’ victory in the elections, Mr. Manoyan noted that the USA
will become coarse in respect of democracy and Armenia must be on
alert. In his words, the USA will display certain rough attitude
towards Armenia in pre-election period as well.
But America will not deprive Armenia of the money allotted to the
country within the framework of “Millennium Challenges” Cooperation
as the USA will try to hold the control lingers over Armenia tight.
While speaking of the security systems, Mr. Manoyan noted that Armenia
must be trustworthy partner in any sphere.

ARMENIANS ARE BOTH TOLERANT AND INTOLERANT
A1+
[06:12 pm] 16 November, 2006
“The International Day of Tolerance is officially celebrated on
November 16. Let us reaffirm the wide-spread opinion that the diversity
of expression and religion is a valuable gift and not a threat. And
let us try to build tolerant communities based on this ideology”,
this is an extract from Kofi Anan’s message.
The International Tolerance Day was introduced in 1996.
Today, Armenia has celebrates this holiday for the first time in the
Armenian Office of the UNO.
Tolerance is a challenge. Armenia is in the crossroad and the country
attempts to combat against corruption.
Besides, the country is directly engaged in the Karabakh conflict
settlement, and tolerance is but a necessary factor in this respect.
“I am really delighted by the fact that today mainly the young
will make reports as they are the future of the world”, announced
Mrs. Consuela Vidall, coordinator of the UNO.
Lusine Hakobyan, member of “Areg Scientific-Cultural Youth Association”
NGO, held polling among 11 experts in order to find out the level of
tolerance in the Armenian reality.
“It seems that everything is clear from the first sight. But the
experts working in various spheres comment on the phenomenon in
different ways. Some of them maintain that it is an inborn feature,
others find close connection between tolerance and mentality”, says
Lusine Hakobyan.
The reporters announced that Armenians are intolerant in everything,
starting from gender issues to political ones.
“Armenians are intolerant towards all changes but they are tolerant
to ethnic minorities as we consider ourselves to be a wise nation”,
added Lusine Hakobyan.
As for the political tolerance, she mentioned that it is still too
early to speak of it as the political field isn’t fully developed
in Armenia and the political tolerance is on the lowest level in
our country.

CAN YOU LIVE ON 20000 AMD?
A1+
[06:48 pm] 16 November, 2006
Today the RA NA devoted a quarter of an hour to the discussion of
the draft law on the “increase of minimum monthly salary”, which is
one of the vital public concerns.
Aghvan Vardanyan, Minister of Labour and Social Issues, supported
the hasty discussion of the issue.
To note, Mr. Vardanyan introduced the bill to the first hearing.
According to the bill, the minimum salary in Armenia will be 20
thousand AMD from 2007. By the way, a project has been worked
out under which the minimum salary will be raised to 30 thousand a
month. This means that the minimum salary will be annually increased
by 5 thousand AMD in Armenia. The bill refers to 7500 people who are
mainly representatives of technical and scientific spheres.
Reminder: last year the minimum salary was fixed 28 thousand AMD
taking into account the physiological needs of human organism.
Provided the bill is endorsed, the state budget will allot 506 million
AMD to the minimum salary.
By the way, the RA Government assumes that the increase of high-rank
officials’ salaries is more important than that of the minimum salary.

RUSSIAN ARMS IMPORTED TO ARMENIA
A1+
[07:28 pm] 16 November, 2006
Today the arms of the Russian military base located in Tbilisi were
being taken out of the city. The first train left for Gyumri.
Another train loaded with Russian arms will arrive in Armenia by the
turn of the year.
The Russian Defense Ministry has decided to remove the arms and
transport them to Armenia prior to the fixed deadline. The decision was
determined by the recent worsening of the Georgian-Russian relations.
Over 350-ton stores, ammunition and 390 servicemen will be taken out
of Tbilisi.