Month: November 2006

HEIRS OF VICTIMS OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TO RECEIVE COMPENSATION OF ABOUT $8 MILLION
By Aghavni Harutyunian
AZG Armenian Daily
10/11/2006
This week, the heirs of the victims of the Armenian Genocide
will receive about $8 million of compensation from New York Life
insurance company. According to the press release disseminated by the
company, about 2500 people will get $7 million 954 thousand 362. This
compensation sum will amount to $10 million as a result of the court
investigation instituted since 1999. Besides, about $3 million were
already sent to various Armenian benevolence organizations.
According to the geography, the heirs dwelling in Armenia will
receive about $3,7 million, the American-Armenians will get $2,7
million of compensations, while the French Armenians will get about
$650 thousand. In general, Armenians dwelling in 26 countries will
get the compensations.

FRANCE INSISTS THAT TURKEY SATISFIES DEMANDS OF EU REGARDING CYPRUS
By Hakob Chakrian
AZG Armenian Daily
10/11/2006
On November 8, the European Commission confirmed the report on Turkey
and EU enlargement strategy document that demand that Turkey opens its
airports and ports to the Republic of Cyprus and to revise article 301
of the new Turkish Penal Code before the EU summit on December 14-15.
The European Commission also put other demands before Turkey. Despite
PM Erdogan’s statement that no step forward will be taken as long
as the international blockade of northern Cyprus continues. Yet, his
government considered the report acceptable and the Foreign Ministry
officially stated that “though it is rough, it is impartial.”
Meanwhile, Turkish printed media varies in its replies to the
report. It does not try to objectively discuss the report but instead
to use it against Erdogan’s government. As to the Western media,
it looks at the report as “an ultimatum for Turkey and a last chance
for Cyprus.”
The same day, according to Turkish public TV, foreign minister of
France, Philippe Douste-Blazy, responded to the report stating:
“Turkey is obliged to fulfill the European Commission’s demand on
Cyprus the soonest. As one can see, it avoids the obligations. If
Turkey does not take steps in this direction by the year-end, then
its membership to the EU should be reconsidered.”

GEORGIAN GAS PIPELINE NOT TO BELONG TO GASPROM
By Aghavni Harutyunian
AZG Armenian Daily
10/11/2006
Georgia thinks that the military attack from Russia is quite
possible. In the course of official visit to Paris, Gela Bezhoushvili,
Georgian foreign minister, told about this. It’s worth mentioning
that at the same time, Zurab Noghaideli, prime minister of Georgia,
stated that the suggestion to give energy objects in order to pay
for Russian gas to Gazprom is not acceptable for Georgia. Moreover,
he said that this resembles political blackmail. Anyway, according
to Zurab Noghaideli, Georgia is ready to negotiate for the price of
the Russian gas but it won’t be able to hand the magisterial gas
pipe line to the Russians. To remind, few months ago the Georgia
authorities used to speak of the sell of the same gas pipeline from
quite more democratic positions. They used to state that the company
that will pay the highest price for the gas pipeline in the course
of the tender, will become its owner.
It’s worth mentioning that on the background of these gas stories,
several Georgian officials of the gas transfer company, including
its executive director Revaz Uroushadze, were arrested accused of
corruption.

ORHAN PAMUK’S ‘SNOW’ TO BE HEARD IN ARMENIAN
By Anahit Hovsepian in Germany
AZG Armenian Daily
10/11/2006
On November 10, at 7.00 pm “Snow” novel of 2006 Nobel Prize winner
Orhan Pamuk will be declaimed in parts in 5 language at Lev Kopelev
forum in Cologne, Germany.
The international literary soiree, as the event is dubbed in the
invitation letters, will be accompanied by a performance (Grigor
Manukian) and a slideshow.
“Snow” is a wonderful novel, a travel into a village narrated
with great imagination. Parts of the novel will be read in German
by Albrecht Keezer (journalist), in Armenian by Hasmik Hakobian
(translator), in Turkish by Hyula Engin (translator), in Kurdish by
Adnan Dindar and in Russian by Harutyun Harutyunian. The town of Kars
depicted in the novel will be displayed in the slideshow.
The gathering will help give new push to the 54-year-old novelist’s
work that was translated into 34 languages.
The novel that deals with love and fanaticism, traditions and modern
trends place Pamuk among the greatest authors of our time, Kolner
Stadt Anzeiger magazine reports. The magazine intends to organize 4
more such events.

ARMENIAN ECONOMY NEEDS INNOVATIONS
A1+
[04:41 pm] 09 November, 2006
“The number of saunas and night clubs is increasing in Armenia day by
day. They only enhance the sex industry,” announced Edward Aghajanov
in the club “Pastark” today.
He claims that the economy of the country can only develop due to
innovations-due to the shift to knowledge-based economy.
“The 2003 – 2007 project of the RA Government touched upon the
idea of establishing innovative economy in Armenia but it hasn’t
been implemented so far. Armenia cannot develop all the branches of
science at the same time.
We must develop at least a few branches – informational, hi-tech,
medical, biological, etc,” noted Mr. Aghajanov.
Mr. Aghajanov confesses that he has already got tired of referring
to the innovative economy. But he becomes indignant at the fact that
the government decided to allocate only one percent of the 2008 State
budget to the science. “The country that evades feeding its scientific
field will have to feed the science of foreign countries.”
Science is the most expensive pleasure all over the world which it
requires great investments. You cannot promote the country’s future
well-being by exporting tomato paste or rice.
While speaking of the investment field of Armenia, Mr. Aghajanov
qualified it as unattractive.
“Investors need super-privileged conditions as “there will be no
gain without pain.” Armenia can suggest the investors nothing but
poor poverty index and lack of communication systems.

IS THERE ANY CONNECTION BETWEEN CC DECISION AND NA?
A1+
[05:38 pm] 09 November, 2006
Two days ago the Constitutional Court (CC) upheld the claim of the
Opposition and found the involvement of judges in the electoral
commissions anti-constitutional.
“Provided the CC didn’t make such a decision, the provision might
be omitted from the Electoral Code as a result of the Constitutional
amendments,” says NA Speaker Tigran Torosyan while commenting on the
CC decision.
Prior to answering the question of A1+, Mr. Torosyan noted that the
Constitutional amendments were of great importance in the political
sphere and were mainly in favour of the Opposition representatives
who were against the amendments. “The Opposition could appeal to
the CC and make it turn down the proposal of judges’ involvement,”
added Mr. Torosyan.
The NA Speaker doesn’t see any reason for rejecting judges’ involvement
in the electoral commissions as “there a lot of countries where
judges are involved in the electoral commissions and this arouses
no problems. As for Armenia, there are two factors mingling with the
endorsement of the proposal. There are two contradicting provisions in
the acting EC. One of them stipulated that the electoral commission
is a state institution whereas according to the other provision it
is an independent free body.”
I see a contradiction in this connection which must be taken into
consideration. Besides, provided electoral commissions are state
bodies, contradictions arouse in connection with Article 98 of the
Constitution as it states that judges mustn’t hold other posts in
state bodies.”
The NA Speaker informed A1+ that the amendments to the EC, endorsed
during the first hearing, will be put to the second hearing in
December.

THE PROPERTY “PAKAGITS” IS CONFISCATED
A1+
[06:48 pm] 09 November, 2006
Today, at 1-2 o’clock, there was a bustle in the club of “Pakagits”
daily. The Compulsory Executive Services confiscated the property of
the editorial office, thus depriving the staff of the possibility of
publishing the daily.
The representatives of the editorial office claim, “It is already two
days the copies of “Pakagits” daily have been taken from all the news
stands. Today, while participating in the NA session, I got a call
that the Compulsory Executive Services are taking the property of the
office out of the building. The workers of the office forbade them
to take it out in the absence of the editor but they didn’t listen
to them,” says Agapy Haykazuni, editor of the newspaper.
We couldn’t get any information from the Compulsory Executive Services
on the decision according to which they confiscated the property. The
director of the newspaper didn’t sign the documents of confiscation
either.
“According to the documents, submitted by the Compulsory Executive
Services, a Daniel Tounyan demands 8 million AMD from us. I am unaware
of it as I have got no court summons.
I assume the Republican Party is responsible for this action. Our
newspaper displayed courage to open the brackets and here is the
result,” complains Mrs. Haykazuni.
Political commentator Lili Martirosyan added, “Asked how they would
comment on their biased attitude towards “Pakagits” daily, the Defense
Minister and Andranik Margaryan said they are not interested in
“Pakagits.” We have seen how interested they are. This gives us a
perfect ground to conclude that on the eve of elections the current
authorities don’t need free and independent media.”

ELECTIONS ARE AHEAD
A1+
[07:24 pm] 09 November, 2006
Today the residents of North and Main Avenues, Firdus and Kozern
districts and the gardeners of Dalma and Nor Norq, organised a rally
of complaint opposite the National Assembly.
They called on the NA deputies to discuss their version and proposals
of the draft bill on “Alienation of Property for Public and State
Needs.” But their attempts were a failure as the NA passed the old
version with 61 votes for. “We approve of the law but not in its
current form,” complained the residents.
“They were elected due to the residents’ votes. Let them not forget it
and not become the stooges of the government. The government has once
more revealed its “real face.” We see the interests of the government
quite well,” said Sedrak Baghdasayan, one of the rally participants.
By the way, the strikers urged the authorities, “We did everything
within the framework of the law, whereas our-high rank officials
breeched it. They will soon start election campaigns. And the acting
authorities will be treated just the way they treat people. They stir
us to be disobedience… “

WILL ARMENIA HAVE PAYABLE MOTOR-WAYS?
A1+
[07:59 pm] 09 November, 2006
RA Government has initiated draft bill on “Motor-ways” which was
submitted to the NA for the first hearing.
There is a reference to the “payable motor-ways” in the bill which
seems to be obscure.
“Suppose an investor comes and announces, “It takes people three hours
to get to Sadakhlu from Yerevan. I want to open a direct road under
the mountains through tunnels. People can get to Sadakhlu within
half an hour. “Of course, we shall endorse his proposal as half an
hour is less than three hours,” says Andranik Margaryan, Minister of
Transportation and Communication and adds, “People are free to choose;
if they want they can pay and go via shorter route. The payable roads
provide alternative solution for the RA passengers.”
The prospect of employing payable motor-ways in Armenia is still deem
as no one has submitted such a proposal to the RA Government yet.

KASPRZYK: EVERYBODY PUSHES ITS INTERESTS
Panorama.am
13:35 09/11/06
Andrzej Kasprzyk, special representative of OSCE acting chairman on
Nagorno Karabakh, is participating in Wilton Park’s conference on
South Caucasus.
Panorama.am interviewed Kasprzyk on developments in the region.
– You have been in Armenia and Azerbaijan. How does the conflict
between Russia and the West influence the stability and development
in the region?
– I do not think that after cold war there is such a notion as a
conflict between Russia and the West. I think each country represents
its interests. I can point out that Russia has good relations with
France, Germany. It is wishful that similar relations were with Poland
as well. I do not think there is a specific approach to the region. I
think the developments in the region are not the continuation of cold
war. Everybody tries to push its interests.
-However, we are witnessing Russia-Georgia conflict which is viewed
in the context of American expansion in Georgia and South Caucasus
(or Transcaucasus).
After all it hinders the development in the region.
What can you say in this regard?
– I understand that the recent relations between Georgia and Russia do
not contribute to cooperation and reflect on the whole region. As an
external observer, we will hope that Russia and Georgia can regulate
their relations to the level that it will promote cooperation.
– This conference mainly discussed regional security and
development. In this context, we see that Azerbaijan and Turkey
together with Georgia build and form regional and bigger infrastructure
which passes by Armenia. How can this influence the region and can
it create new problems?
– I think the best would be full cooperation among the regional
states. I have no doubts in this and I think no one has. Taking
into consideration the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan
it is clear that it creates problems in the region on the way of
cooperation between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan says she does
not want to cooperate because of the territorial occupation. Until
the conflict is regulated, I do not believe that such cooperation is
possible.