Month: November 2006

EU-ARMENIA ACTION PLAN OFFICIALLY ADOPTED
Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 14 2006
November 14 the 7th sitting of the Armenia-EU Cooperation Council was
held in Brussels. The Action Plan of Armenia and the European Union
was ratified and came into force during the sitting.
The Armenian delegation was headed by the Armenian Co-Chair of the
Cooperation Council, RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian. From
the European Union the sitting was attended by EU Presidency
representatives – Minister of Foreign Trade and Development of
Finland Paola Lehtomaki, German Secretary of State Gunter Glusser,
EU Special Envoy for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby, other European
Commission officials.
The sitting was opened by Paola Lehtomaki, following which RA Foreign
Minister addressed the meeting. The EU Representative highly assessed
the jointly elaborated Armenia-EU Action Plan, emphasizing EU’s
willingness to start accomplishing the provisions of the document.
Latter reference was made to the agenda of the Council. Discussions
focused on political question including domestic reforms and human
rights issues. Views were exchanged on energy issues. The Armenian
side presented the activities in the direction of diversification
of energy sources, particularly the process of construction of the
Iran-Armenia gas pipeline.
The sitting was followed by the ceremony of official adoption of the
EU-Armenia Action Plan in the framework of the European Neighborhood
Program. RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and Minister Lehtomaki
signed a corresponding document.
The adoption of the document allows to implement a whole package of
reforms with EU assistance. In the result of the implementation of
the document, Armenia’s social, political and economic systems will
come close to European ones.
The Action Plan attaches particular importance to the economic
cooperation of Armenia and the EU. EU financial assistance will be
expressed in the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument
proposed by the European Commission.
In the evening the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan will
hold the recurrent meeting, featuring the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

ARMENIAN AND NKR MPS TO DISCUSS THE HARMONIZATION OF ECONOMIC LEGISLATURES
Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 14 2006
November 20-21 the recurrent sitting of the Interparliamentary
Cooperation Commission of Armenia and the Nagorno Karabakh Republic
will be held in Yerevan.
Chairman of the NKR NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations
Vahram Atanesyan told Mediamax agency that issues of harmonizing the
legislation in the economic sphere, as well as peculiarities of the
economic situation in NKR will be discussed during the sitting.
Vahram Atanesyan informed also that consultations will be held also
on the settlement of conflicts and regional cooperation, during which
NKR MPs will familiarize themselves with the activity of Armenian
parliamentary delegations in European structures.

KHACHKAR TO THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TO BE ERECTED IN ROME
Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 14 2006
The 22nd district of the City Council of Rome unanimously approved
a resolution for erection of a Khachkar commemorating the Armenian
Genocide. Already, on May 4, 2006, at the initiative of architect
Vahed Vartanian and under the patronage of the City Hall of Rome,
a commemorative plate had been placed on the Milvio bridge on
the occasion of triple twinning between the bridges Allahverdi-Kan
(Isfahan-Iran), Sanahin bridge (Alaverdi – Armenia) and Milvio bridge
(Rome – Italy). According to certain writings, King Trdat III and
Holy Grigor the Illuminator crossed the Milvio Bridge 300 after
Jesus-Christ to carry to Rome their Christian testimony.

KARABAKH ALONE CANNOT RESETTLE LACHIN
Lragir, Armenia
Nov 14 2006
Nobody knows the exact number of people living in Lachin, says
Arman Melikyan, adviser to the NKR president, former NKR minister of
foreign affairs. He thinks that the reason for this uncertainty is
the constant migration to Armenia and back. Arman Melikyan says this
is very bad because there must be a permanent population in Lachin,
but Karabakh is unable to resolve this problem alone, says the adviser
to the NKR president.
“We must realize that Karabakh alone cannot provide conditions for
the fast resettlement and prosperity of this territory. This is the
problem of both Armenia and the Diaspora, and also the problem of our
potential allies, who must be interested in having the Armenians live
there,” says Arman Melikyan.

FORMER POW TO SHARE HIS STORY
By Emanuel Parker Staff Writer
Pasadena Star-News (California)
November 8, 2006 Wednesday
PASADENA – Shant Kenderian will be in Pasadena next week to discuss
the harrowing experience of being drafted into the Iraqi army and
forced to fight in the Iran-Iraq War and in Operation Desert Storm.
Kenderian has written a book about his experiences, “1001 Nights in
the Iraqi Army: The True Story of a Chicago Student held as a POW by
the Americans During Desert Storm.”
He will speak at 1 p.m. Wednesday at St. Gregory, the Illuminator
Apostolic Church, 2215 Colorado Blvd. Tickets to the event will be
$15 and include a noon luncheon.
Kenderian was in Iraq visiting his father in 1980 when Saddam Hussein
issued an order to all men between the ages of 18 and 55, “Register
for the army within 72 hours or be shot!”
The high school senior was born in Iraq and discovered Iraqi officials
considered him an Iraqi citizen, despite his American Green Card.
He served in the front lines of the army during the Iran-Iraq war
and was transferred to the Iraqi navy during Operation Desert Storm.
The boat he was assigned to hit an Iraqi mine, and he was captured
by U.S. Naval forces and held at various POW camps in Kuwait before
re-establishing his Green Card status.
“I served in both wars,” he said, “but never had a gun. You can’t
fight when you don’t have a gun.”
Kenderian earned an undergraduate degree in engineering in Baghdad.
He earned his Ph.D. from the Materials Science and Engineering
Department at Johns Hopkins University in 2002, and in September 2002
became an American citizen. He joined a NASA team in the aftermath
of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, and helped investigate the
cause of the disaster. He is currently vice president of the Armenian
Engineers and Scientists of America, based in Glendale.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT DEPARTING FOR GERMANY NOVEMBER 15
PanARMENIAN.Net
13.11.2006 17:14 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ November 15 Armenian President Robert Kocharian
will depart for Germany on a working visit, reported the RA leader’s
press office.
President Kocharian will meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel, Bundestag
chairman Norbert Lammert and Mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit. The RA
President and Bundestag Speaker will take part in the opening ceremony
of the RA Embassy. Robert Kocharian is also scheduled to address the
German Bartelsman Fund.

U.S.: DEMOCRATS TO CONTINUE BUSH LINE
PanARMENIAN.Net
13.11.2006 17:16 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ After the victory in the House of Representatives
and Senate the Democrats will not reconsider the foreign policy,
especially towards the Near East. The same refers to Turkey, a
source in the Ohio republican headquarters told a PanARMEMIAN.Net
reporter. According to the source, the democratic majority of the
House of Representatives and Senate will proceed with the line of
the U.S. President Administration. “They will not be able to change
anything. Cardinal changes are needed for this. Since introduction
of amendments into the U.S. Constitution is an extremely hard process
I thinks we will not face a shock,” the source said.

NEW YORK LIFE LAUNCHED PAYMENT OF COMPENSATIONS TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS’ HEIRS
PanARMENIAN.Net
13.11.2006 18:05 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ New York Life insurance company launched payment of
compensations to the heirs of the Armenian Genocide victims. According
to lawyer Vardges Yeghiayan, the commission approved 2515 out of
5692 appeals and launched payment process. In his words, Armenians
not living in Armenia will receive bank checks. Those residing
in Armenia will receive the sum via transfers in one of the RA
banks. All the people who sent appeals will receive written notice
on confirmation or rejection. In the United States people can get
letters in several days while in Armenia the process can last a
week or more. The sum to be paid to 1254 heirs in Armenia makes
$3.6 million; 896 American Armenians will be paid $2.7 million. The
whole sum totals some $8 million. The rest $3 million will be paid
to charitable organizations. Bardres Yeghiayan also informed that the
Aksa French insurance company has also allocated appropriate funds. The
names of the insured people numbering 4-5 thousand will be posted on
website, reports RFE/RL.
From: Baghdasarian

6TH SHIFT OF ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPERS TO DEPART FOR KOSOVO NOVEMBER 14
PanARMENIAN.Net
13.11.2006 17:31 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The 6th shift of Armenian peacekeepers will
depart for Kosovo November 14, RA Defense Minister’s Spokesman
Seyran Shahsuvaryan told PanARMENIAN.Net. To remind, the 5th shift
of Armenian peacekeepers left for Kosovo May 11, 2006. The rotation
of the peacekeeping contingent is exercised once in six months.

FROM 2008 RUSSIAN MILITARY WILL BE DEPLOYED IN ARMENIA ONLY
PanARMENIAN.Net
13.11.2006 18:19 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The reduction of the Group of Russian Troops in
Transcaucasus (GRVZ) is conditioned by the withdrawal of Russian forces
from Georgia, said chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense
Alexey Sigutkin. The decision of reformation of the GRVZ was taken over
the change of tasks of the Russian military contingent in Georgia. The
most important task now is to secure the withdrawal of troops from
Georgia to Russia,” the deputy said. In his opinion, from January 1
2008 the necessity of deployment of the Russian operative group in
Georgia will drop off. “Russian troops will remain in Armenia. It
will be Armenian but not Transcaucasian group of troops,” he said.
According to GRVZ commander Andrey Popov, an operative group of 13
military will be deployed either in Akhalkalaki or Batumi. The 102nd
Russian military base in Armenia numbers 3000 servicemen. The term
of stay is 25 years, reports Rosbalt.