Month: April 2007

DRIVER IS STILL UNCONSCIOUS

A1+
[12:51 pm] 04 April, 2007

Vardan Ghukasyan, Mayor of Gyumri and Gagik Manukyan, Deputy Mayor
of Gyumri, are out of danger; their health state is satisfactory,
the doctor on duty in "Grigor the Illuminator" medical centre,
informed A1+.

Both Vardan Ghukasyan and Gagik Manukyan are already able to speak. The
doctor refrained from answering other questions claiming that it
is forbidden.

Reminder; on April 2, at 22:20 p.m. unknown people assaulted on Vardan
Ghukasyan’s car on the 27th km of Ashtarak-Gyumri highway. AS a result
of gun shootings, the mayor and deputy mayor were taken to hospital
with corporal injuries and were immediately operated on.

Varazdat Ghukasyan, the driver of Vardan Ghukasyan, was taken to
Armenia clinic. Doctors claim his state is still grave. A1+ has just
been informed that Varazdat Ghukasyan hasn’t regained consciousness
yet.

"SARGIS TKHRUNI" TO PICKET

A1+
[12:21 pm] 04 April, 2007

"Sargis Tkhruni" Youth Student Union is indignant at the announcement
of Gagik Gyurjinyan, Deputy Minister of the RA Culture. The point
is that after negotiating with his Turkish counterpart, Gagik
Gyurjinyan announced that Armenia is ready to renovate a Turkish
historical monument in Armenia and to invite a Turkish delegation to
the opening ceremony in return of rehabilitating Armenian cultural
treasure Akhtamar in Turkey.

"Mr. Gyurjinyan doesn’t fully realize the matter or pretends not to
realize. The event is really disgraceful for the whole Armenians. We
let the Turks to humiliate us via cutting the fillet in the presence
of Ataturk’s picture. And now we announce world-wide "how kind the
Turks are, we must invite them to Armenia as a sign of gratitude,
hang the picture of Andranik and make the Turks cut ribbons under
his picture. Let’s initiate a struggle to raise Turkey’s reputation
on the international level and serve Turkey’s interests. The Turks
may feel pity for us and "leave alone," the announcement reads.

Taking into consideration the current scene, "Sargis Tkhruni" still
urges Hasmik Poghosyan, Minister of RA Culture, to apologise to all
Armenians for sending a delegation to Turkey and humiliating Armenians.

Otherwise, "we shall stick to our principles and hold a picket opposite
RA Ministry of Culture."

PARLIAMENTARIAN ELECTION: RUSSIA WILL AGREE TO ANY CHOICE OF ARMENIAN NATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.04.2007 18:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russia is interested in international community’s
ability to draw objective picture of parliamentarian election in
Armenian scheduled for May 2007, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov stated to a joint press conference with RA Acting Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian in Yerevan.

He said, there are representatives from Russia in OSCE watchdog
commission. "Russia’s representatives will be maximum represented
in monitoring missions both from CIS Parliamentary Assembly and OSCE
PA. We fully used our quota and sent 30 observers. Russia will agree
to any choice of the Armenian nation," Sergey Lavrov underscored.

KARINE HAKOBYAN SAYS WOMEN MAY ENSURE QUALITATIVE CHANGES IN THE PARLIAMENT

Panorama.am
19:06 02/04/2007

The presence of women in the parliament should not be an end in
itself, Heghine Bisharyan, deputy chair of Orinats Yerkir party,
and Karine Hakobyan, member of Democratic Party, told a debate at
Hayeli Club. Both believe the national parliament needs qualitative
changes and that women may ensure that.

Karine Hakobyan worked as a deputy minister of employment and social
affairs from 2002 through 2005.

She believes institutional mechanisms are lacking for tackling gender
problems. Hakobyan urges not to equal gender policy with feminism.

Hakobyan quoted World Bank study, which found a correlation between
corruption and gender problems: the lower corruption, the less gender
problems.

SERGEY LAVROV LAID WREATH TO GENOCIDE MEMORIAL

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.04.2007 18:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited
Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex, where he laid a wreath to the
Memorial of Armenian Genocide victims. The head of Russian MFA also
planted a memorable fir-tree in the alley near the Memorial. Armenian
and Russian Ambassadors Armen Smbatyan and Nilolai Pavlov accompanied
Sergey Lavrov.

38 CANDIDATES REMAIN IN ALLIANCE LIST

Panorama.am
17:22 03/04/2007

Changes took place in the proportional list of "Alliance" party,
headed by NKR ex-minister of defense, Samvel Babayan. The Alliance
submitted a 47-person list to the Central Electoral Committee.

Later two, Petosyan Lilit and Saribekyan Eduard, were left out.

The Alliance did not submit documents for another 7 candidates on
March 28, deadline for registration. So, the Alliance will run in
the elections with 38-person list.

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY TO HOLD ANNUAL TRUSTEES MEETING AND ADVOCACY CONFERENCE IN WASHINGTON

ArmRadio.am
04.04.2007 10:25

The Armenian Assembly will hold its Annual Trustees Meeting and
Advocacy Conference on April 23-24, 2007 in Washington, DC.

The two-day event kicks off with the Annual Trustees Meeting
where Assembly leaders will review the past year and discuss
the organization’s upcoming plans and initiatives. In addition,
participants will be briefed on pending legislation and sharpen their
skills with an advocacy training session. Activists will also embark
on a full day of meetings with Members of Congress and their staff
to advocate for critical legislation and strengthen the US-Armenia
relationship.

"This is a great opportunity to come together in our nation’s capital
to press for key legislation affirming the Armenian Genocide," said
Board of Trustees Chairman Hirair Hovnanian. "We encourage all of
our members and activists to attend."

On the evening of April 24, Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone,
Jr. (D-NJ) and Joseph Knollenberg (R-MI) will spearhead a Capitol Hill
commemoration for the 92nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. This
pan-Armenian event will be held in conjunction with the Armenian
Embassy and will feature former US Ambassador to Armenia John M. Evans
as the keynote speaker.

RUSSIAN, ARMENIAN FMS SPEAK IN FAVOR OF THEIR ONGOING DIALOG

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
April 3, 2007 Tuesday 03:57 PM EST

The foreign ministers of Russia and Armenia, Sergei Lavrov and Vartan
Oskanian, have spoken in favor of the ongoing dialogue between
the foreign ministers of the two countries, which is aimed at the
enhancement of bilateral mutually beneficial interaction, an official
at the Armenian Foreign Ministry’s Information and Press Department
told Itar-Tass late on Tuesday.

Lavrov is now on an official visit in Armenia. He lauded the high
level of Russian-Armenian relations, and their useful cooperation at
international organizations, the Armenian diplomatic official said.

In Lavrov’s words, the Russian-Armenian cooperation is already rich
in various contacts in the economic, cultural, and educational areas,
as well as in tourism.

Touching upon the economic sphere, the ministers considered the
implementation of joint projects, which were discussed during the
recent meeting between the Russian and Armenian presidents.

Lavrov and Oskanian pointed to the intensive enlargement of trade and
economic contacts last year, and significant growth of the bilateral
trade, the official said.

With this in mind, they spoke in favor of developing a reliable and
economically efficient transport infrastructure between Russia and
Armenia, which will substantively advance the fulfillment of bilateral
and multilateral economic projects.

While considering the regional security and stability, the two
ministers expressed readiness to exert efforts for establishing the
atmosphere of mutual confidence in the South Caucasus, the official
said. With this in mind, the sides discussed the current developments
around the Karabakh conflict settlement, he added.

Lavrov stressed that the mediators of the OSCE Minsk Group on the
conflict settlement have identical stances, which promotes the soonest
accord between the sides, the official said.

Lavrov and Oskanian also exchanged opinions on Iran, Kosovo, relations
between Russia and Georgia, and reforms of the OSCE and CIS, the
official said.

ARMENIAN GRAND MASTERS’ FIRST VICTORIES AT THE EUROPEAN INDIVIDUAL CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

ArmRadio.am
04.04.2007 11:49

Armenian Grand Masters Rafayel Vahanyan, Artashes Minasyan, Tigran
Petrosyan, Elina Danielyan and Lilit Lazarian celebrated their first
victory at the 8th European Individual Chess Championship held in
the German city of Dresden.

AZD RELEASES DVD ON ARMENIA AND NAGORNO KARABAKH

Panorama.am
17:23 03/04/2007

Azd agency released an interactive DVD on Armenia and Nagorno
Karabakh. The product tells about sites of these countries. It also
includes 755 photos and 91 descriptions of cultural and historical
monuments of Karabakh and Armenia. One can easily find a town or a
church using alphabetical list and an interactive map.

"The DVD is a wonderful gift to visitors of Armenia and for those
who want to take pleasant memories with them," Azd agency says.

More information may be found at