Month: March 2007

VALERIE BUNCE: ALL COMPONENTS OF DEMOCRACY EXIST IN ARMENIA

ArmRadio.am
14.03.2007 15:55

All the components of democracy exist in Armenia – freedom
of press, free elections, competition between political
institutions. Nevertheless, these are not enough for being considered
a truly democratic country, Valerie Bunce, PhD in Political Science,
said during the discussions at the US Embassy.

Currently the political scientist is mostly interested in the
parliamentary and presidential elections in Armenia. Valerie Bunce
attaches particular importance to the fact that new forces have
emerged on the political arena. " Nevertheless, I specially stress
the importance of the presidential elections, since Armenia is more a
presidential country," she said. According to the political scientist,
the most important for Armenia today is the conduct of democratic
elections. "Free and fair elections are the most important among
the democratic principles today. I hope the upcoming elections will
be democratic," the American diplomat noted. Among the important
prerequisites of democratic elections Valerie Bunce pointed out to
the existence of accurate voting lists.

Making a comparative analysis of democratization processes in
post-Soviet countries, the political scientist mentioned that the
opposition is week in both Armenia and other ex-Soviet republics. "The
opposition is very week in all 12 post-Soviet states, expect for the
Baltic republics. Even Saakashvili does not have a strong opposition,"
she underlined. According to Valerie Bunce, the state of democracy is
"rather hard" in Azerbaijan. The situation got even worse after the
last elections, corruption has reached to an unbelievable level,"
she said, concluding that "it is impossible to build a democratic
state with oil."

OSKANIAN-MAMMADYAROV MEETING UNDER WAY IN GENEVA

ArmRadio.am
14.03.2007 16:05

The meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan Vartan
Oskanian started in Geneva. The Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Switzerland
Elchin Amirbekov informs that the meeting has been under way for two
hours already. The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are also participating
in the meeting.

Yesterday the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister had a non-official meeting
with the Co-Chairs.

Tonight Elmar Mammadyarov will leave for Dushanbe to accompany the
President of Azerbaijan during his official visit to Tajikistan.

SAVEL MKRTCHYAN: ARMENIA DOES NOT ASPIRE TO ESTABLISH INTENSIFIED DIALOGUE WITH NATO

ArmRadio.am
14.03.2007 16:30

Next week the Armenian side will be presented the draft document
prepared on the results of the preliminary evaluation of accomplishment
of Armenia’s Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) with NATO,
Armenian Ambassador to NATO Savel Lazarian said today.

He noted that the document will be officially presented on April 4
at the sitting of the North-Atlantic Alliance to be held in the 26+1
format. The sitting will feature the Foreign and Defense Ministers
of Armenia and Ambassadors of 26 member states and will be presided
over by NATO Secretary General.

Samvel Lazarian mentioned that Armenia does not aspire to establish
an Intensified Dialogue with NATO, noting that partnership with the
alliance does not necessarily envisage membership.

"IT IS NECESSARY TO FOUND CITIZEN’S INSTITUTE TO HOLD FEAR ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA," VAHAN SHIRKHANIAN FINDS

Noyan Tapan
Mar 14 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, NOYAN TAPAN. "I left the proportional list of the
"Zharangutiun" (Heritage) party of Raffi Hovannisian as I find that
it is meaningless to participate in the elections in a list of a
separate party," RA former Deputy Defence Minister, former Deputy
Prime Minister, non-partisan Vahan Shirkhanian stated at the March 14
press conference, adding: "I thought that an opposing joint field will
be." In his words, "no elections may be in Armenia as "the electoral
system is broken in the country, the citizen’s institute is liquidated,
a coutry citizen is not sure that he forms the power."

"This is the reason that a group of people as well as parties do
not participate in this farce and set a task to found the citizen’s
institute in the country," V. Shirkhanian mentioned. In his words,
if nothing changes in that sense in the future and a citizen does
not feel himself as the country owner, "the leit-motiv of 2007 and
2008 elections will be race for making use of the authorities’ wealth."

MAJORITY OF CITIZENS OF ARMENIA FINDS THAT MEASURES REQUIRING LITTLE EXPENSES MUST BE TAKEN AGAINST GLOBAL RISE OF TEMPERATURE

Noyan Tapan
Mar 14 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, NOYAN TAPAN. 7 from 10 RA citizens (69%) find that
steps must be taken against climate changes, particularly, against
global rise of temperature. Stepan Safarian, the head of the Armenian
Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS) stated anout
it at the March 14 discussion. In his words, the Chicago Council on
Global Affairs held a survey on the theme of climate changes in 18
countries of the world, including Armenia, Russia, Ukraine, Argentina,
Australia, U.S. The National Service on Study of Public Opinion held
the surveys in Armenia.

In S. Safarian’s words, it was found out as a result of surveys that
in the opinion of the majority of ones surveyed both in Armenia and in
other 17 countries, climate changes are serious threats. But, opinions
of ones surveyed differ in the issue of taking expensive measures
against it. S. Safarian mentioned that the most part of all supporters
of taking expensive measures for struggling against the global rise in
temperature is in Australia (92%), China (83%) and Israel (83%). 19%
of surveyed people shares this opinion in Armenia, and 32% finds that
it is necessary to take measures requiring little expenses.

US FDA ACTUALLY INVESTIGATED COUNTERFEIT ‘JERMUK’

Arminfo
2007-03-14 12:02:00

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has actually investigated
the counterfeit "Jermuk" mineral water, the "Jermuk Group" Company’s
President Adviser Edgar Gazaryan said at today’s press- conference
in the "Urbat" club.

According to him, a photograph of the investigated mineral water’s
bottle was placed on FDA’s official site, where it can be clearly
seen that its label differs from the "Jermuk" label, registered
in 1996. Thus, a faulty product ahs become a basis for FDA’s
recommendation to withdraw the "Jermuk" from the American market.

According to E. Gazaryan, such a "black PR" is a preplanned action
against the producers of mineral waters. One may say with confidence
that this is the beginning of an information war against our Company,
he said. According to Gazaryan, the real picture of the "Jermuk Group"
Company’s possible losses from FDA’s "black PR" may become apparent
mush later. Presently, by his information, the production and sale of
"Jermuk" has not reduced since the FDA’s document publication.

US ADMINISTRATION BOARD SENDS LETTER TO CONGRESS TO RECALL ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 14 2007

WASHINGTON, MARCH 14, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. U.S. Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defence Robert Gates
sent a letter to the Congress House of Representatives in which
they warned about possible "serious consequences" of adoption of the
resolution guaranteeing recognition of the Armenian Genocide. "The
resolution adoption will harm the American-Turkish relations, and
the U.S. interests will be damaged," is said in the letter.

As the Turkish "Hurriyet" daily states, the letter was addressed to
Nancy Pelosi, the democrat speaker of the House of Representatives,
John Boehner, the head of the Republican party making minority at the
Congress as well as to Tom Lantos, the Chairman of the Committee on
Foreign Relations.

STRUGGLE AMONG PRO-GOVERNMENTAL POLITICAL FORCES WILL PROCEED DURING FORTHCOMING PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS, RPA BOARD MEMBER SAYS

Noyan Tapan
Mar 14 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, NOYAN TAPAN. The opposition should have united on
the threshold of forthcoming parliamentary elections and should have
struggled for not receiving mandates, but for establishing lawfulness
in Armenia, including holding of legal elections. Former RA Deputy
Prime Minister, non-partisan Vahan Shirkhanian stated this at the
March 14 dispute organized at the Hayeli (Mirror) club.

In his words, there are three directions in the opposition field. The
first group includes oppositionists who struggle for receiving
mandates, the second those who take part in the elections for the
purpose of implementing programs aimed at country’s well-being and the
third those who do not take part in the elections and consider them
"farce and a senseless thing." By the way, in V. Shirkhanian’s words,
the first group also includes "opposition" forces who have made a
bargain with the authorities.

In the opinion of RA MP Samvel Nikoyan, member of the Republican
Party Board, not ideological, but purely political struggle proceeds
in preelectoral processes. "Preelectoral processes go on rather by
the logic "what to do to have a bigger electorate," he stated.

According to S. Nikoyan’s observations, the characteristic of the
forthcoming parliamentary elections differs from the previous ones:
there is no sharp struggle between the authorities and the opposition
this time. For instance, "the Republican Party of Armenia considers
as its rivals Bargavach Hayastan (Prosperous Armenia), ARFD and United
Labor Party." "At the May 12 elections the main struggle will proceed
among the political forces of pro-governmental system," S. Nikoyan said
adding that this time each political force will strive for achieving
more and will not permit another one to commit falsifications.

NKR NA ADOPTED THE BY-LAW OF THE PARLIAMENT AT FIRST READING

ArmRadio.am
14.03.2007 16:51

The Parliament of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic today unanimously
voted for the draft By-Law of the National Assembly at first reading,
Mediamax agency reports.

Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on State-Legal Affairs Yuri
Hayrapetyan said the adoption of the new By-Law proceeds from the
necessity to bring it to conformity with NKR Constitution.

At the same time he noted that the draft has a number of shortcomings,
mainly connected with liabilities of the Deputies, and serious changes
should be implemented before the second reading.

Speaker of NKR National Assembly Ashot Ghulyan instructed to continue
the discussin of the draft in the parliamentary factions.

Today the Deputies also ratified the 2006 report of the Oversight
Chamber of the Parliament.

Ashot Ghulyan mentioned that in compliance with the Constitution, the
Oversight Chamber of the Parliament will turn into the NKR Oversight
Chamber and will; become an independent body. In his words, change
of the status of the Oversight Chamber envisages enlargement of its
liabilities and it will be necessary to adapt a new law to regulate
the activity of the new body.

REPRESENTATIVE BAIRD AGREES TO OSPONSOR THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

ArmRadio.am
14.03.2007 17:10

Members of the greater Portland-area and southwestern Washington State
communities held meetings with the district offices of Congresswoman
Darlene Hooley (D-OR-05) and Congressman Brian Baird (D-WA-03) on
March 7, 2007 to ask the representatives to cosponsor H.Res.106,
the Armenian Genocide resolution that was introduced in the House
of Representatives earlier this year. Organized by ANC of Oregon
Chairman Rafael Saakyan, the meetings were also aimed at continuing
to strengthen local grassroots relationships with each Representative.

As a direct result of these key constituent meetings and relationships,
Representative Baird has agreed to cosponsor the Armenian Genocide
resolution, bringing the total number of co-sponsors to 184.

"We wanted to make sure our elected officials were aware of the
significance of this resolution and why it was important to support
it," said Saakyan. " This resolution sends a clear message that our
Congress has the strength to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and
provide the moral foundation to help us fight the continuing specter
of genocide that confronts us today in Darfur."