Month: April 2007

LEVON MKRTCHIAN: MAKING EDUCATION SYSTEM PARTY IS MORTAL FOR EDUCATION

Noyan Tapan
Apr 23 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 23, NOYAN TAPAN. According to characterization of
ARF member, RA Minister of Education and Science Levon Mkrtchian,
interest is nocited among the people during the propaganda mission
preceding the National Assembly elections to take place in Armenia
on May 12: there is no despair among the public like it was during
the previous elections. "However, task number one of the propaganda
mission today is the issue to take the people to the elections,
L. Mkrtchian mentioned, who also stated that, for example, only 35
thousand of the 90 thousand voters living in the center of Yerevan
participated in the previous elections.

Levon Mkrtchian considers explosions and shots taking place during the
propaganda mission as a normal phenomanon. In his words, the criminal
element always uses the pre-electoral period for "settling accounts:"
"The criminogen situation always strains during that period, and
clashes take place among these or those forces," L. Mkrtchian said.

Emphasizing that making the education system party is mortal for the
education, L. Mkrtchian assured that the ARF has never made the sphere
employees become party members and has not put pressure on them for
joining other parties."

ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER AND "ROSATOM" HEAD DISCUSS POSSIBILITIES OF CONSTRUCTING NEW NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
Apr 23 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 23, NOYAN TAPAN. The visit of the delegation of the RF
Federal Atomic Energy Agency to Armenia will mark the start of a new
stage in the cooperation between the two countries for the peaceful
use of atomic energy, especially as Armenia and Russia have already
accumulated substantial joint experience. The Armenian Prime Minister
Serge Sargsian stated this when receiving the head of the Rosatom
agency Sergei Kirienko and the delegation headed by him.

Attaching importance to development of cooperation with Russia in
the sphere of atomic energy, the prime minister underlined that the
Armenian side is prepared to receive Russian experts and will do
everything possible for the timely and successful implementation of
the programs envisaged by the mutual high-level agreements.

S. Kirienko in his turn noted that taking into account the positive
experience of the safe and reliable operation of the Armenian Nuclear
Power Plant, Armenia and Russia may successfully continue their
cooperation. In his words, a new state of practical realization of
joint initiatives starts, and it will raise the bilateral cooperation
in this sphere to a new qualitative level.

According to the RA Government Information and PR Department, during
the talk the sides also discussed the possibilities of building a
new nuclear power plant in Armenia.

3 RUNS TO FREELY SERVE IN CAPITAL VISITORS OF TSITSERNAKABERD MEMORIAL COMPLEX ON APRIL 24

Noyan Tapan
Apr 23 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 23, NOYAN TAPAN. To organize transport service of
visitors of the Tsitsernakaberd memorial complex on the occasion
of the memory day of the Armenian Genocide victims, by the Yerevan
Mayor’s decree, visitors of the memorial complex will be freely moved
from 9:00 to 22:00 on April 24 from the territory near the Hrazdan
sports ground in the following runs:

Run No1 – Hrazdan sports ground – Athens street – Haghtanaki (Victory)
Bridge, Argishti, Italy, Khorenatsu, Agatangeghosi streets – Zoravar
Andranik underground station. Recourse: Agatangeghosi, Gr. Lusavorich
(Gregory the Illuminator), Argishti streets, Haghtanaki bridge –
Athens street – Hrazdan sports ground.

Run No2 – Hrazdan sports ground – Athens street – Haghtanaki bridge,
Mashtots avenue, Koryuni, Abovian streets – Yeritasardakan (Youth)
metro station.

Recourse: Abovian, Moskovian, Sarian streets, Mashtots avenue,
Haghtanak bridge – Athens street – Hrazdan sports ground.

Run No3 – Hrazdan sports complex, Tsitsernakaberd highway,
Leningradian, Kievian streets – Barekamutiun (Friendship) metro
station. Recourse: in the same run.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MOST PART OF SYUNIK SCHOOLS PROVIDED WITH COMPUTERS

Noyan Tapan
Apr 23 2007

KAPAN, APRIL 23, NOYAN TAPAN. 94 out of 121 schools (4 of them are
special) functioning in Syunik region have been already provided
with computers.

Computer classes work in 32 schools of the region and 29 schools have
Internet communication.

As Noyan Tapan was informed from the Education, Culture and
Sport Department of the Regional Administration, for the purpose
of organizing process of compulsory teaching of information and
communication technologies and for introducing it in the educational
system, school computer training centers have been already created
within the framework of Quality and Correspondence of Education program
in 58 schools of Syunik region. The center has 246 computers and 233
computer and other equipment. It was mentioned that these activities
in the educational centers of the region will be continued.

TURK YOUNG MAN ATTEMPTS TO BURN FLAG AS A SIGN OF PROTEST AGAINST PRIME MINISTER

Noyan Tapan
Apr 23 2007

ANKARA, APRIL 23, NOYAN TAPAN. A 32-year Turk young man with the
name of S.T. attempted on April 19 to burn publically the flag of
Turkey in one of the regions neighboring to Balikesir. But the police
employees arrived in the place of accident arrested the young man being
under the influence of spirits, preventing the attempt of burning
the flag. In the evidences given to the police, the young man said:
"With such a step I want to raise my voice of protest against Prime
Minister Tayyip Erdogan. I am not a Turk, I am an Armenian."

But, as the Hurriyet daily states, it was found out as a result of
the investigation that the young man is a Turk but not an Armenian
and has great dependence from spirits and narcotics.

VANDALS DESECRATED ARMENIAN CHAPEL OF KIEV

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.04.2007 15:40 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Last Sunday unknown people have committed an act of
vandalism towards Armenian Apostolic Church desecrating a chapel, which
belongs to that confession. The Armenian chapel was covered by images
of swastika and splashed with red paint. The chapel was desecrated
several hours after it was inaugurated by representatives of Eparchy
administration of the Armenian Church, who said they have doubts
concerning organizers of this vandalism, Ukrainian media reports.

Earlier residents of Podolski district of Kiev protested against
construction of the chapel and turned to the court demanding to ban
construction works in the rest zone.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT DEMANDED FROM THE HEADS OF TAX AND CUSTOMS SERVICES TO CONTINUE THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE SHADOW ECONOMY

Mediamax Agency, Armenia
April 24 2007

Yerevan, April 23 /Mediamax/. Armenian President Robert Kocharian held
today a working conference following the fulfillment of the budget in
the first quarter of 2007, in which the Prime Minister, the Minister
of Finance and Economy, the Head of the National Statistical Service
and the Heads of the Tax and Customs Services of the country took part.

As Mediamax was told in the presidential press service, Robert
Kocharian informed that the economic growth in the first quarter made
11%, instead of the 9%, planned by the state budget, and expressed
contentment as to the indices and the work, carried out by the fiscal
bodies, at that noting that higher speeds of growth of economy give
the opportunity to gain more revenues and to pay more attention to
the solution of social problems.

The President stated that today the leadership of the country should
make correct decisions and set correct tasks for the Tax and Customs
Services, noting that there are still serious reserves for their
work. Robert Kocharian demanded from the Heads of the Tax and Customs
Services daily consecutive work, noting that their activity and the
solution of the set tasks will remain in the center of his attention.

Robert Kocharian described as "primary" task of the Armenian
authorities the struggle against the shadow economy. In this connection
the President noted that the struggle can be productive only if it
is just and concerns everyone, securing equal conditions for all the
managing subjects.

MEMORY ABOUT GENOCIDE – NO MATTER RECOGNIZED OR NOT – MUST BECOME WARNING FOR ALL

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.04.2007 15:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "April 24 is the world day of commemorating the
victims of the Armenian Genocide.

This day thousands of Armenians worldwide mourn for the people who
died at those tragic days of the 20th century. Armenian Cultural
Association of Irkutsk annually holds commemorative evenings dedicated
to that tragedy. Armenians of Irkutsk mourn for their compatriots,
expressing condolences to descendants of those who died in 1920-ies
of the last century and invite all Irkutsk residents to participate
in commemorative evening," the statement of city administration says.

On April 24 all who wish may pay homage to the Armenian nation, which
was subjected to extermination, light a candle on the khatchkar for
the peace of victims’ soul. Representatives of the Armenian Cultural
Association of Irkutsk hope city residents will not be indifferent to
the pain that the Armenian population feels. Today the memory about
Genocide – no matter recognized or not – must become warning for all
of us.

The statement reminds that crimes against humanity do not have statute
of limitation. "The internationally recognized Holocaust, genocides
in Rwanda, Yugoslavia and Iraq are those green wounds, which will
bleed and which will be remembered and mourned in the whole world for
a long time. However, the first genocide of an entire nation in the
history of the 20th century is the events between 1915 and 1923 in
Turkey. The monstrosity of this crime against the Armenian nation has
been officially recognized by the world community," says the statement
of the Armenian Cultural Association and Irkutsk City administration.

A TORCH PROCESSION TO GENOCIDE MEMORIAL TO TAKE PLACE IN YEREVAN TODAY

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.04.2007 16:01 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A torch procession that has already become a
traditional one will be held in Yerevan under the slogan "My name
is struggle, my death is victory" to commemorate victims of the
Armenian Genocide in 1915. It will start at the Liberty Square
at 8:00 p.m. and will finish at Tsitsernakaberd memorial complex
dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide, reports the Press
Center of the Youth Wing of ARF Dashnaktsutyun and Nikol Aghbalyan
student union. Last year 1500 torches and 300 candles were lit from
the burning Turkish state flag.

LOWER HOUSE DOES NOT WANT BAN ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIAL

NIS News Bulletin, Netherlands
April 24 2007

THE HAGUE, 25/04/07 – There is hardly any support in the Lower House
for a proposal by small coalition party ChristenUnie to ban denial
of internationally recognised genocides, such as the Holocaust and
the Armenian genocide.

ChristenUnie MP Joel Voordewind yesterday announced to submit a bill
seeking the ban. The party already proposed including a specific ban on
genocide denial last year. The Council of State studied this proposal
and has meanwhile advised that the Dutch law already implicitly bans
such conduct.

The Council, the highest advisory body on planned legislation, referred
to article 137c in the penal code, which says insulting peoples is a
criminal offence. However, although the Council does not mention this,
this might also hamper free speech on the Armenian genocide as Turks
might feel insulted by claims that this indeed took place.

Armenians yesterday commemorated the 24 April 1915 genocide and
presented the Lower House with a petition asking for the ChristenUnie
bill to be adopted. But apart from Party for Freedom (PVV) and orthodox
Christian SGP all parties reacted extremely cautiously.

Voordewind pointed out that the EU recently called on all member states
to ban genocide denial. Nevertheless, Labour (PvdA), the leftwing
Greens (GroenLinks) and centre-left D66 said yesterday they would
not support ChristenUnie. The Christian democrats (CDA) suggested
the Council of State says an amendment would be superfluous. The
conservatives (VVD) and Socialist Party (SP) were undecided as yet.

In Turkey, acknowledging the Armenian genocide is illegal. PvdA Justice
State Secretary Nebahat Albayrak, who is a Turkish as well as a Dutch
citizen, almost had to resign from the PvdA list of candidates for the
last Lower House elections in November because she would not recognise
the genocide. Media pressure waned just in time for Albayrak, but not
for two other PvdA candidates and one CDA candidate who did have to
go for the same reason. Albayrak stated that it was up to historians
to decide whether genocide technically took place.