Month: May 2008

NALBANDIAN-MAMMADYAROV FIRST-EVER MEETING DUE IN STRASBOURG MAY 6

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.05.2008 12:28 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On invitation of French Foreign Minister Bernard
Kouchner, Armenian FM Edward Nalbandian departed for France on a
formal visit.

Meeting with Mr Kouchner and Senate President Christian Poncelet
are scheduled.

On May 6, Minister Nalbandian will head for Strasbourg to attend
the 118th session of the CoE Foreign Ministers. On the same day,
he will meet with OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs and Azerbaijani FM
Elmar Mammadyarov.

The Armenian Minister is also scheduled to meet with OSCE Secretary
General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, CoE Secretary General Terry Davis,
PACE President Lluis Maria de Puig, President of the European Court
of Human Rights Jean-Paul Costa, CoE Commissioner for Human Rights
Thomas Hammarberg, representatives of AGO Group and Foreign Ministers
of some European countries, the RA MFA press office reported.

RA PRESIDENT RATIFIES NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL COMPOSITION

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.05.2008 13:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On May 4, Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan signed
a decree on appointment of Artur Baghdassaryan as Secretary of the
National Security Council, the presidential press office reported.

By another decree, the RA President ratified the composition of the
National Security Council and instructed Secretary Baghdassaryan to
produce the Council’s regulations within a month.

The National Security Council includes:

President of Armenia

Chairman of the National Assembly of Armenia

Prime Minister of Armenia

Chairman of the Constitutional Court of Armenia

Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia

Secretary of the National Security Council of Armenia

Minister of Defense of Armenia

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia

Head of presidential administration

Prosecutor General of Armenia

Chief of National Security Service

Head of external relations parliamentary committee

CONGRESSMAN PERLMUTTER JOINS ARMENIAN CAUCUS

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.05.2008 13:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Congressman Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) has officially
joined the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, bringing the
total Caucus Membership to 156 lawmakers to date.

"I am proud to join the Armenian Caucus along with so many of my
colleagues in Congress," Representative Perlmutter told the Armenian
Assembly of America.

"This Caucus will help me to better represent Armenian-Americans in
the seventh congressional district and Colorado, while strengthening
U.S.-Armenian relations."

"The Assembly welcomes Congressman Perlmutter’s membership to this
important body and looks forward to working with him and his staff
to advance Armenian-American issues in Congress," said Executive
Director Bryan Ardouny.

Perlmutter also supports U.S. reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide
and is a cosponsor of House Resolution 106. He serves on the House
Financial Services and Homeland Security Committees.

THE WASHINGTON POST: AKP MUSTN’T BE BANNED

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.05.2008 14:05 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Washington Post called on the Bush administration
to prevent banning of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

"In many countries where elections and Islam overlap, religious
political parties are suspected – often rightly – of trying to
use the democratic system to advance an illiberal agenda. Turkey,
the most advanced democracy in the Muslim world, has the opposite
problem. Its mildly religious ruling party has led the way in
introducing progressive political and economic reforms and preparing
the country for membership in the European Union. Its secular
opposition, meanwhile, has repeatedly resorted to antidemocratic
tactics," the editorial says.

"The administration ought to make it plain that banning the AKP
would cause serious damage to U.S.-Turkish relations. The United
States has a vital interest in the success of Turkish democracy –
and of the moderate Islamic party that now leads it."

In March 2008, the Turkish Constitutional Court said it will consider
a request to ban the ruling political party of Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan.

The chief prosecutor for the Turkish Court of Appeals, Abdurrahman
Yalcinkaya, handed the court an indictment charging the ruling
Justice and Development Party, known by its Turkish initials AKP,
with stoking an "Islamist-inspired" system of government.

Yalcinkaya called for a total ban on AKP, which has roots in the
religious community, and a five year political ban on Erdogan,
President Abdullah Gul and former parliamentary speaker Bulent Arinc.

Erdogan countered the charges, suggesting the allegations were meant to
"create social unrest."

KENTUCKY BRINGS NUMBER OF STATES TO FORMALLY RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TO 41

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.05.2008 14:45 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Kentucky Governor Steven L. Beshear issued a
proclamation recognizing the Armenian Genocide. The "Bluegrass State"
proclamation brings the number of states to formally recognize the
Armenian Genocide to forty-one, the Armenian National Committee of
America reported.

The powerfully worded proclamation designated April 24, 2008, as "Day
of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide" in the state of Kentucky,
noting that "recognition of the ninety-third anniversary of this
genocide is paramount to guarding against the repetition of future
genocides and educating people across the Commonwealth about the
atrocities of these horrific events."

YEREVAN MUNICIPALITY TO BUILD 110 APARTMENTS FOR RESIDENTS OF RUN-DOWN RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

ARMENPRESS
May 5, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 5, ARMENPRESS: The Yerevan municipality will have built
this year two ten-storey residential blocks with 110 apartments for
residents of four four-storey run-down residential buildings.

A deputy Yerevan mayor Karen Davtian said today these four buildings
are the last run-down residential buildings in Yerevan rated as
category 4.

He said the municipality then will turn to residents of four-category
run-down hostels, which will be supported by a special government
decision.

He said there are 58 development sites in Yerevan.

He said residents of old houses which are razed to ground to give room
for high-rise buildings are provided either with housing in the same
area or offered monetary compensations at market prices with extra
15 percent pay.

DEFENSE MINISTER VISITS NORTH-EASTERN SECTION OF BORDER WITH AZERBAIJAN

ARMENPRESS
May 4, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS: Defense minister Seyran Ohanian traveled
on May 3 to north-eastern province of Tavush where he visited the
town of Noyemberian and military units located close to the villages
of Koghb and Voskepar.

During the visit the minister met with local leadership and senior
army officers for a consultation. The minister was also eager to
learn about housing and living conditions of the servicemen.

Some 40 apartments were built for officers who have their service
in the region. There is also a special area for cultivation of
vegetables. A string of additional facilities, including a gym and
a swimming pool, will have been built by the end of the year to
facilitate and improve the border protection.

The minister then traveled to the military unit located close to
the village of Voskepar, one of the most dangerous sections of the
Armenian-Azeri border.

According to Armen Azizbekian, a deputy commander of the unit, Azeri
soldiers have been reinforcing their positions across the border
without interruption in the last 16 years.

He said the Armenian side is doing the same. In the past a section
of the road that connects the town of Ijevan with Noyemberian came
under fire from the other side and that was why several years ago a
circumventing road was built.

Speaking to journalists the minister said he was making his first
visit to this region as it has many settlements which are close to
the border and which sometimes come under Azeri fire.

He said within the current year a series of reforms will be enforced
in the army to significantly raise its efficiency. These reforms are
designed to make structural changes and upgrade the military equipment.

During the visit the minister ordered to grant a one-week leave to
Zohrab Mstoyan, who was recognized as the most diligent serviceman
of the Koghb unit.

FOREIGN MINISTER TO VISIT PARIS AND STRASBOURG

ARMENPRESS
May 4, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS: Foreign minister Edward Nalbandian will
fly tomorrow to Paris, France, for an official visit. The foreign
ministry in Yerevan said the visit takes place at the invitation of
French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner.

The foreign ministry said apart from meeting with Kouchner, Nalbandian
will also meet with chairman of the French Senate, Christian Poncelet.

On May 6 Nalbandian will head for Strasbourg to take part in
the recurrent gathering of the Council of Europe’s Committee of
Ministers. On the same day in Strasbourg Nalbandian will meet with
the OSCE Minsk Group cochairmen and his Azerbaijani counterpart
Elmar Mamedyarov.

In Strasbourg the Armenian foreign minister will also meet with
the OSCE secretary general Mark de Brichambaud, Council of Europe
secretary general Terry Davis, president of the Council of Europe
Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) Louis Maria de Puig, chairman of the
European Human Rights Court Jean Paul Costa.

The Armenia minister is also scheduled to meet with Council of Europe
human rights commissioner Thomas Hammamberg and members of the Council
of Europe Ago Monitoring Group.

In Strasbourg Nalbandian will also meet with some of his counterparts.

TIGRAN SARKISIAN CONTINUES TO RECEIVE CONGRATULATORY MESSAGES

ARMENPRESS
May 4, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS: The government press office said prime
minister Tigran Sarkisian continues to receive congratulatory message
on the occasion of his appointment.

It said messages of congratulations arrived from prime minister of
Belarus Sergey Sidorsky, prime minister of South Korea Han Sin Soon,
prime minister of the People’s Republic of North Korea Kim En Ir,
prime minister or Vietnam Nguen Tan Zung and Thai prime minister
Samak Sundaravej.

The government press office said also congratulator messages to Tigran
Sarkisian were sent by presidents of Central Banks of Bulgaria and
Kazakhstan.

POLITICAL COALITION MAKES A JOINT STATEMENT

ARMENPRESS
May 4, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS: Armenian political coalition has made
today a statement reconfirming its determination to carry out the
reforms in the country, noting that the suggestions included in 1609
resolution of PACE are corresponding to these reforms and goals of
the political coalition registered in its agreement.

In its statement the political coalition particularly states
that it will continuously carry out the reforms registered in the
pre-electoral programs, agreement of the coalition, government program,
PACE resolution, which particularly refers to the expansion of the
opportunity of activity of the opposition, increase of trust of
the public towards the electoral processes in the country, freedom
of speech and consolidation of independent activity of mass media,
complete relevance of the judicial system to European standards. The
reforms must promote the development of stable democratic institutions
and ensure rule of law.

In its statement the coalition calls on all the political forces for
constructive dialogue and effective cooperation for the solution of
existing issues. In this respect it underscored the initiative of
the President of Armenia who has ordered to set up a task group for
coordinating the activities directed towards the implementation of
suggestions registered in PACE resolution and regrets that the head
of the "Heritage" faction, member of Armenian delegation to PACE
Raffi Hovhanesian refused to participate in the works of the group.

The political coalition expects clear steps from the task group for
the implementation of the suggestions included in the resolution
and particularly in the direction of independent investigation of
post-electoral developments.

The statement has been signed by four forces of the coalition –
Armenian Republican Party, Prosperous Armenia, ARF and Orinats Yerkir