Month: March 2007

ABOUT 34 MILLION DOLLARS TO BE INVESTED IN ELECTRIC NETWORKS OF
ARMENIA THIS YEAR

YEREVAN, MARCH 2, NOYAN TAPAN. Investments of 12 bln 065.7 mln drams
(about 34.4 mln USD) will be made in Electric Networks of Armenia
company this year. 45% of this sum will be spent on reconstruction
and reequipment of distribution networks. According to the RA Public
Services Regulatory Commission, in 2008, 7 bln 51.1 mln drams will be
invested in networks, with 47.3% of this sum being spent on purchase
of machinery and equipment. In 2009, investments will amount to 7 bln
496 mln drams. According to the same source, work on reconstruction,
reequipment and extension of distribution networks, introduction of an
automated system of electricity assessment, creation of a center on
information servicing of users and rapid response, and capital repair
of meters will be done within the next three years. It is also
envisaged to repair administrative and production buildings and
purchase computers and office equipment. This year the frequency and
duration of blackouts will be reduced by 2.5% and 10% respectively,
while in 2009 – by 4.5% and 12%.

NGO head accuses Armenian local officials of pillaging the villages

Arminfo
27 Feb 07

Yerevan, 27 December: Robert Simonyan, head of the Kashatagh
non-governmental organization for the protection of resettlers,
accuses the administration of the Kashatagh (Lacin) district of
embezzlement.

Speaking to journalists today [27 February], Robert Simonyan, who in
1990s was the head of the administration of five villages in the
Kashatagh district, accused both the former and the current heads of
the district administration, Aleksan Hakobyan and Hamlet Khachatryan,
of pillaging the villages and embezzling funds they had been given to
reconstruct the district.

The disagreement with the district administration over its policies
resulted in Simonyan’s persecution. A Yerevan resident, who had moved
to Kashatagh, was forced to go back again, but he claims that his
persecution did not stop there either.

Simonyan claims that he had repeatedly informed all possible instances
in Armenia – from the president to foreign diplomatic corps – of the
embezzlement by the district administration and the persecution of
himself and family members, but has not received a reasonable
answer. Today, Simonyan made a statement describing the talk about a
possible return of the liberated territories (security zone around the
Nagornyy Karabakh republic – Arminfo) as a crime and treason.

"On the one hand, they speak of keeping the Lacin corridor under the
Armenian control, but on the other hand, the local authorities and the
Armenian leadership create such inhuman conditions that the resettlers
run from those strategically important territories," Simonyan said. He
said that while 15,000 people lived in Kashatagh in 1988, only 2,500
people now remained there. He also said that the residents of the
border regions of Armenia – Ijevan, Tavush, Goris and Kapan – should
be entitled to a compensation for the damage caused by Azerbaijan.

"In addition, we demand that the Armenian and the NKR [Nagornyy
Karabakh republic] authorities did their best for both the protection
of the NKR borders with Iran and opening of bilateral communication
through it," the statement said.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Pentagon wants to deploy radar station in Caucasus
02.03.2007 13:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Pentagon would like to have a radar station in
the Caucasus in the framework of Missile Defense Agency (MDA), which
will be build in near future, Director of the Missile Defense Agency
Lt. Gen. Henry Obering said in Brussels to a press conference. `We
would like to deploy a radar in this region,’ he noted escaping to
clarify what country the matter is about. Obering said, such an
additional radar system would be useful for missile defense system,
but it would not play a significant role. But he believes that Russia
should not worry about it. `Ten anti-missiles in Eastern Europe
cannot resist hundreds of Russian inter-continental ballistic
missiles,’ the general stated.

The Russian News Agency reports that the Pentagon is going to invite
Russians in order to acquaint them with objects in Czech Republic and
Poland if they will be built. The first 10 interceptor missiles are
supposed to be deployed in shafts in 2011, and the last missile will
be constructed in 2013. The Pentagon plans to deploy a radar station
in the Czech Republic in 2011. Currently the system is in the testing
area of Marshal Islands.

Alongside the EU leadership thinks that every country is free to `make
a choice to join American MDA or not’, European Union foreign policy
and security chief Javier Solana stated in Germany. He said, `the
situation should not be dramatized,’ In his part German Defense
Minister Franz Josef Jung, said that the MDA problem must be discussed
between NATO and Russia `in order to disperse all fears of Russians’.

Currently there is a functioning radar station in Azerbaijani district
of Gabalin, which was built by Russians. Totally it costs $15
billion. Alongside there are two more American radar stations in
Azerbaijan, each of which costs $2 billion and is much weaker of the
Russian one. The term of lease of Russian radar station expires in
2012.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Romania ready to assist in realization of Armenia-EU Action Plan
02.03.2007 13:56 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Romanian newly appointed Ambassador to Armenia Crina
Rodica Prunariu presented copies of her credentials to Armenian Deputy
Foreign Minister Armen Bayburtyan, the RA MFA Press Office reports. At
the meeting A. Bayburtyan underlined the importance of strengthening
relations with Romania, especially after the country became an EU
member state this January.

Alongside he stressed the importance of Romania’s experience in the
sphere of economy development. In her part, the ambassador expressed
readiness that Romania will make every effort to assist Armenia in the
process of realizing the initiatives in the framework of Action Plan
with the EU.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Turkish lawmakers to spread in U.S. Congress `Pink book’
02.03.2007 14:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish Parliamentarians will lobby the U.S. House
of Representatives and Senates’ members against the Armenian Genocide
resolution which was introduced in January, by sending a `Pink
Book’. The Pink Book includes detailed information and documents
concerning the genocide allegation. After sending the books to
U.S. senators, members of Parliament Aziz Akga and Egemen
Bağış will meet the leaders of Muslim and Jewish
communities in the United States and discuss the campaign preventing
the bill. Akga said that the booklet includs information, documents
and proofs provided by the Turkish History Association. `We are
stating with documents that the claimed genocide never happened,’ he
underlined.

Lord Bryce and Arnold Toynbee have publish the "Blue Book" in Great
Britain. It contains materials and diplomatic documents from 1915,
which are evidence of mass killings of Armenians in Ottoman Empire.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Baku agrees on Oskanian Mamedyarov meeting in Geneva
02.03.2007 14:52 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs offered to hold a
meeting between Armenian and Azeri FMs March 13-14, Azeri Foreign
Minister Elmar Mamedyarov stated. `Azerbaijan has given its agreement
but I do not know Armenia’s position and I cannot speak about it. What
if Armenian foreign minister does not agree to meet me? And now it’s
difficult for me to say what the matter can concerns, since it is
unknown if the Armenian FM wants to meet me,’ he stated. Mamedyarov
said, the meeting is scheduled to be held in the framework of `Prague’
format. `That is axiomatic Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity is not a
subject for discussions. In this case we are talking about the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict settlement with step-by-step approach, taking away
problematic questions, namely withdrawal of Armenian troops from
occupied territories, return of Azeri population, mine clearing,
reconstruction of infrastructure, economic cooperation. In other
words, we are putting off all these questions leaving the main
one-determination of political status of Nagorno Karabakh within
Azerbaijan. Still it is a subject of negotiations and it is very
important to organize the return of Azeri population, after which they
together will decide the status of Nagorno Karabakh-if it will be a
republic or an autonomous region within Azerbaijan,’ E. Mamedyarov
told, `Trend’ reports.

From: Sebouh Z Tashjian <[email protected]>
Subject: Russia to respond to US MDS radar station deployment in Caucasus

PanARMENIAN.Net

Russia to adequately respond to U.S. MDS radar station deployment in Caucasus
02.03.2007 14:55 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The possible deployment of American MDS (Missile
Defense System) radar station in the Caucasus will not harm Russia’s
defensive capacity, Commander-in-Chief of Russian Air Forces Vladimir
Mikhaylov stated commenting on American MDA (Missile Defense Agency)
head Henry Obering’s statement that `The U.S. would like to deploy a
radar station somewhere in Caucasus.’

`Let them deploy. After all, it’s their problem. Unfortunately they
are speaking about deploying American MDS components in such countries
like Ukraine and a number of other countries, including the CIS
countries. Russia has everything necessary to adequately respond to
those deployments,’ the General said.

In his opinion, Russian C-400 systems provide security, including in
the context of air- space defense. The Commander-in-Chief of Russian
Air Forces clarified that the range of C-400 zenith-missiles exceeds
400 kilometers and provides solutions for air-space defense tasks, RIA
`Novosti’ reports.

PanARMENIAN.Net

CSTO Sec. Gen. warns U.S. not to use force towards Iran
02.03.2007 15:45 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization)
Secretary General Niklolay Bordyuzha warned the United States not to
use force towards Iran. He said, U. S. military strikes will not be
able to stop nuclear programs, but will become one more step towards
destabilizing the Central Asian region.

`Strikes on Iran will not have an influence on his nuclear
programs. It is easy to give an order to strike, but it is very
difficult to reach peace after it. The most vivid example for it is
Afghanistan,’ Nikolay Bordyuzha stated, RFE RL reports.

Festival celebrates Armenian filmmakers
Rick Bentley

The Fresno Bee – California – KRTBN
Mar 02, 2007

The Eighth Annual Armenian Film Festival will be held 7-10 p.m. today
in the Leon S. and Pete P. Peters Educational Center on the Fresno
State campus. The event is co-sponsored by The Armenian Students
Organization and Armenian Studies Program of California State
University, Fresno.

Filmgoers will be able to discuss films after the screenings.

Barlow Der Mugrdechian of the Armenian Studies Program says that there
has been significant growth in the number of Armenian filmmakers in
both the United States and Armenia.

"It is making it a little easier to find films. We have 8-10 films we
could show if time allowed," Der Mugrdechian says.

Featured films in the festival include:

"The Story of My Name: An Armenian Tale": The movie was directed by
Dorothee Forma. It is the story of a man who discovers that his
biological father is Armenian. At the age of 44, he decides to take on
his father’s name, Alex Peltekian, and to find out the story behind
the name.

"The Long Journey from the NFL to Armenia": Tennessee Titans football
player Rien Vartan Long takes a 12-day trip with his mother and
grandmother to Armenia.

Der Mugrdechian says that the films in the festival reflect views of
Armenian culture not often depicted in films.

"There are not that many Armenian football players in the NFL," Der
Mugrdechian says.

The film program is supported, in part, by funds of the Fresno State
University Student Union Diversity Awareness Program.

The festival is open to the public, and admission is free. Parking
restrictions in Lot V will be relaxed after 6:30 p.m.

For more information, call the Armenian Studies Program office at
(559) 278-2669.

The reporter can be reached at [email protected]_
(mailto:[email protected]) or at (559) 441-6355.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Turkish analyst: Turkey must change its strategy in genocide issue
02.03.2007 16:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `As we all know, Turkey’s usual response to Armenian
claims of genocide has been `let’s leave this subject to the
historians’. This means, we expect that historians will sit down,
examine all the documents from both sides, as well as from third
countries, and make a decision,’ Mehmet Yilmaz writes in Hurriyet. He
says the real problem is `what label the historians will decide to put
on the tableau which emerges as they do their work.’ He thinks that
historians will be subjective in their viewpoint, and it will hamper
the truth, since everyone will speak about the Armenian Genocide based
on his own beliefs. `So, once again, the problem will not be
solved. Some historians will say "it was genocide," while others
assert "it wasn’t."` the analyst writes.

Reminding the recent decision from the International Court of Justice
on the "ethnic cleansing" and the allegations of genocide in
Srebrenitsa, Yilmaz said Bosnia signals to Turkey where they should be
looking for solutions to this problem. `Turkey should start preparing
for this case to be brought to The Hague’s International Court of
Justice, and should begin to focus its efforts in this direction. We
have accustomed ourselves to leaving debate on this subject open to
the flow of developments outside of us, rather than taking action into
our own hands. But we have got to change our strategy, and bring the
fast-paced developments on this subject under our control. The
government must not be dissuaded by the atmosphere of election season,
and must not allow this subject to be postponed,’ the Hurriyet analyst
stressed.