Month: April 2007

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT TO VISIT EGYPT ONE OF THESE DAYS

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.04.2007 17:45 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ One of these days Armenian President Robert Kocharian
will depart for Egypt with a working visit, presidential Press Officer
Viktor Soghomonian told the PanARMENIAN.Net journalist. He said,
the exact date of the visit will be clear April 10-11.

Meanwhile Qatar News Agency reports that Robert Kocharian’s visit
to Egypt will launch on April 14 and will last 7 days. During the
visit Kocharian will meet with Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak to
discuss the latest regional and international developments as well as
matters of interest to both countries. He will also attend the signing
of a number of cooperation agreements between the two countries in
various fields.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DURING FIRST QUARTER OF 2007 13 PEOPLE WERE KILLED BY NATIONALISTS

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.04.2007 17:52 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ During the first quarter of 2007 a rise is being
noticed among incidents on the ground of xenophobia compared with
the same period of past years, Director of Human Rights Moscow Bureau
Alexander Brod stated to a press conference on Monday.

"According to our monitoring, 49 cases on the ground of xenophobia have
been registered in the first quarter of 2007. 13 people were killed
and 50 were wounded," Brod said. He told during the same period in
2005, 22 attacks were registered, and 19 – in 2006; two people died
and 30 were wounded. Such figures show that crimes on the ground of
xenophobia have increased in Russia this year.

Brod underlined by number of crimes "in general large Russian cities
are leaders, among which are Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Nizhni Novgorod,
Voronezh and Yaroslavl". And generally immigrants from Azerbaijan,
Uzbekistan, Armenia, Georgia, North Korea and representatives of
African states become targets for nationalistic attacks.

He said, in 2007 "nationalistic parties" have started to actively
prepare for participation in elections.

"Xenophobia resource is being actively used and has been used during
regional elections on March this year, and it will be used during
elections scheduled for December 2007," he stated. According to
Brod, literature of xenophobia character is being published like
before. Three such books have been already published this year,
and currently they undergo an examination, Interfax reports.

IVANOV TO DISCUSS IN YEREVAN ENERGY, ECONOMIC AND MILITARY COOPERATION CHARACTER ISSUES

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.04.2007 18:39 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ During his working visit to Armenia Russian First
Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Ivanov is going to discuss issues of
investment character, Sergey Ivanov stated at the meeting of Russian
President with cabinet members. "In connection with the fact that
there is an atomic nuclear power plant in Armenia, I will discuss with
Armenian authorities issues concerning realization of gas and energy
agreements, A special accent will be made on transport infrastructure
connected with Kavkaz-Poti train ferry.

I am also going to discuss with Armenian leader issues of
military-technical cooperation," the Russian First Deputy Prime
Minister, "First Channel" reports.

USA – IRAN; WHICH COUNTRY’S NERVES WILL GIVE UP FIRST?

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.04.2007 GMT+04:00

President Bush has only one year left and he is doing his best to
have the best use out of it taking the whole oil of the Middle East
under his control.

April 6 was passed without any incidents both for Iran and for the
whole world. One may only guess what could make the USA change its
mind about invading into Iran.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a very reasonable decision, releasing
the British seamen on the Easter eve, letting the whole world know
what importance he gives to religion. The release of the seamen most
probably was approved by the higher religious leader of Iran ayatollah
Ali Hominy, who has much more power than the president.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The role of the Secretary of the Supreme National
Security Council of Iran Ali Larijani was also great. According to
Italian Magazine Corriere della Sera, he was the one to find the key to
the door of the British seamen’s freedom. "Both the Iranian and British
sources emphasize that the decisive turn happened after a number of
contacts and the night telephone talks between Nigel Sheinwald, Tony
Blair’s chief foreign policy adviser and Secretary of the Supreme
National Security Council of Iran. The talks were accompanied with
secret missions and numerous arrangements, the center of which was
again Ali Larijani," the magazine writes. It is no secret that Great
Britain still considers the Middle East "its region", not taking into
account that more than 60 years have passed after the end of World
War II.

However the attack is put off, and not at all because of the Iran
nuclear program, though it certainly plays its essential role in the
threats from US. The whole matter is in the regional predominance,
something which Iran moves to so steadily. Confrontations between
Sunnis and Shiites, which are irritated by the activities of Bush’s
Administration, may bring to Iranian occupation of Iraq, and will bring
to naught all the Turkish efforts of taking control of the whole region
with the help of the USA. "Iran contents itself with growing tension
in the region, where most of the population is Shiite. Iran doesn’t
want to see stable and independent government in Iraq. Iran hopes that
its impact on Iraq in the long-term perspective will be even stronger,
than the chaos Iraq might face in short-term plan," Times writes.

Nevertheless the war most probably is inevitable. US needs an image of
an enemy, this is what any powerful country needs. Yet the USA also
needs to have Turkey’s and UK’s agreements on implementation of the
strategic air bases; Incirlik Air Base in the Mediterranean Sea and
the British Military Bases in the Indian Ocean and in Gloucestershire
County. Without these bases any military operation will end without
even launching, and the Pentagon is well aware of this fact. However
the US aircraft-carriers approach the Persian Gulf.

Mass Media has released information about the US readiness to punish
Iran, making the country suffer strong physiological pressure. Which
country’s nerves will give up first is hard to predict. President
Bush has only one year left and he is doing his best to have the best
use out of it, and to take the whole oil of the Middle East under
his control.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RUSSIAN FIRST DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA WITH A WORKING VISIT

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.04.2007 17:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Sergey
Ivanov will arrive in Armenia with a working visit April 10-11,
the PanARMENIAN.Net journalist was told in the Press Office of the
RA Government. Sergey Ivanov’s meeting with RA Prime Minister Serzh
Sargsyan is scheduled for April 11. In the framework of Ivanov’s visit
also a meeting is scheduled with RA President Robert Kocharian. The
Russian First Deputy Minister will also visit the secondary school
N21, where study children of Russian servicemen, who serve in the
102nd Russian military base stationed in Armenia.

AGENCY PREPARES FOR MASSIVE INVENTORY OF FORESTS

ARMENPRESS
Apr 09 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS: Chief manager of Armenian Forest company,
an affiliation of the agricultural ministry with a wide scope of
independence Martoun Matevosian said today his agency is launching
a massive inventory of Armenian forests to have a clear picture of
the nation’s forest reserves and potential.

He said the inventory will take up at least five years. Last time
such inventory was held in 1988-1992.

According to Matevosian, the volume of illegal logging has reduced
more than three times since 2005, which he attributed to a wider use
of natural gas by Armenian households, especially in rural areas.

Another reason behind the fall is higher wages for forest keepers
who now receive 55,000 Drams, drastically up from 7,000 in 2000.

Historically forests covered approximately 40-45% of the current
territory of Armenia and in the early 19th century the figure was about
25%. Now forests cover approximately about 9 percent the country’s
territory. Non-governmental organizations warn that loss of forests
brings problems of soil erosion, landslides, loss of springs and
rivers, loss of fruits and other forest products, greater weather
damage, loss of productive soil, loss of biodiversity, loss of
sensitive animal habitat and additional problems.

Some of the greatest loss occurred during the energy crisis in
the early 1990’s, but cutting still continues. According to expert
estimates, at current rates of destruction Armenian forests would be
eradicated within 20 years.

However, according to Matevosian, last year Armenian imported 52,000
cubic meters of timber and exported 1,200 cubic meters. He said the
export volume fell radically from 12,000 cubic meters in previous
years.

Agricultural minister David Lokian said Armenia has to export some
kinds of timber which have no domestic demand. He said after natural
falling these trees remain in forests.

The two men spoke today at the meeting of the state forest monitoring
council. The minister said law-enforcers and foresters detected last
year 6,825 illegally cut trees, which caused a total of 173 million
Drams of damages, but so far only part of these damages-12 million
Drams- were recovered.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION EXPERTS TO DECIDE WHETHER ARMENIA IS MARKET ECONOMY OR NOT

ARMENPRESS
Apr 09 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS: Deputy trade and economic development
minister Tigran Davtian said last week a team of experts from the
European Commission will arrive here on May 8 for a final monitoring
of Armenian economy and relating legislation to decide whether to
grant it the status of market economy or not.

Davtian said the European Commission then will be expected to make
its final conclusion by the end of the year. He said only two former
Soviet republics from the Commonwealth of the Independent States
(CIS) have been granted this status.

The deputy minister said if granted that status Armenia would get
down to work to qualify for the General System of Privileges (GSP),
which envisages that Armenian businessmen would not pay customs duties
when trading with the European Union.

The next move would be to start talks with the EU to pass to free
trade zone as part of Wider Europe, New Neighbors program.

NEW PRIME MINISTER VISITS TOWN OF ALAVERDI, PROMISES ASSISTANCE

ARMENPRESS
Apr 09 2007

ALAVERDI, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS: On Saturday prime minister Serzh
Sarkisian pledged 20 million Drams from the government’s budget to
the municipality of a small northeastern town of Alaverdi in the
province of Lori to help it repair the roofs of high-rise blocks
of apartments and 150 million Drams to the local branch of the
Yerkrapah Union of Nagorno-Karabakh War Veterans as an assistance to
the families of soldiers who fought against Azerbaijan’s aggression
in the early 1990-s.

Serzh Sarkisian traveled to the town for his first visit in the
capacity of interim head of the government for a meeting with local
people to learn their problems and look with them for ways to solve
them.

Alaverdi is home to the second biggest cooper smelter run by the
Armenian Copper Program (ACP) company, which the prime minister said
is of crucial importance for the country’s economy.

Sarkisian said also his government will support all businessmen who
will invest in Armenia’s economy ‘because they are creating new jobs
and pay taxes."

Valeri Mejlumian, the owner of the Armenian Copper Program, promised
to install new modern equipment in the smelter to reduce the pollution
level.

ELECTIONS TO BECOME MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

ARMENPRESS
Apr 09 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS: The alliance of non-governmental
organizations founded to help people with disabilities has designed
a scheme to make national elections more accessible to blind and
visually impaired Armenian citizens.

Suren Ohanian, chairman of Paros non-governmental organization, said
now these people can vote with special voting boards, for the first
time in Armenia.

He said 4,000 such boards will be printed and distributed to precincts
which have blind of visually impaired voters. Three testing samples
were printed and proved successful, he said. Until now blind and
visually impaired people voted with the help of assistants and their
right to privacy was violated.

The International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) has helped
the Alliance to print these boards.

Suren Ohanian said also special 8 ballot-boxes will be available for
people with movement disabilities in eight Armenian towns.

He said the Central Election Commission is shooting now two special
video trails for people with hearing problems. The trails will be
with gesture translation and will be aired on TVs ahead of the May
12 parliamentary elections.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

‘WE WANT TO BECOME A MEMBER OF EUROPEAN FAMILY OF NATIONS,’ ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER SAYS TO THE FINANCIAL TIMES

Armenpress
Apr 09 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS: In an interview to The Financial Times
newspaper, published in today’s issue, Armenia’s new prime minister
Serzh Sarkisian spoke about the country’s economic development and
the process of democracy advancement, as well as about regional
developments and Armenia’s geopolitical concept.

In response to a question about the authorities’ commitment to hold
free and clean parliamentary elections on May 12, Sarkisian said
Armenia has assumed a long string of obligations and the failure to
observe them would make it ineligible for a number of economic and
political programs, promising effective incentives. He said Armenia
has to observe these commitments since they stems from its national
interests.

"We want to become a member of European family of nations,’ Serzh
Sarkisian said.

The Financial Times says one third of the landlocked Armenia, which
has a total of 3 million population, still lives below the poverty
level. In response to this question Sarkisian said, "It is hard to
speak about democracy and human rights, when one has to solve the
population’s social and economic needs." He added that Armenia does
not want to be a country stuck in the transitional period.

The newspaper writes that the new prime minister wants a bigger
involvement of the Armenian Diaspora in economic activity and the
government is looking for ways to encourage Diaspora investments.

In the interview Serzh Sarkisian also referred to the peaceful
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, improvement of
Turkish-Armenian relations and regional developments.

In a reference to the clash of superpowers’ interests in the region
he said," Some are trying to capitalize on their (superpowers’)
differences, some others are trying to cooperate with them. We choose
the second option."

Sarkisian also said he would like to see one day Armenia as a member
of the European Union. He also said that despite Armenia’s close
cooperation with NATO, a membership in it is not on the country’s
foreign policy agenda.