Month: May 2008

ARMENIA OPPOSITION YOUTHS DEMAND RELEASE OF ALL COUNTRY’S POLITICAL PRISONERS

Interfax News Agency
April 30 2008
Russia

Activists of the Now youth movement, which backs former Armenian
President Levon Ter-Petrosian, have staged a protest rally in Yerevan
demanding to release of Armenian political prisoners.

Several dozens of activists put on overalls, with only one letter
engraved on each overall, but which altogether make up the phrase:
"Freedom to Political Prisoners."

The protesters marched in downtown Yerevan. They stopped near the
Armenian government offices, the parliament, the presidential
residence, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the monument to
revolutionary Alexander Myasnikian – Vladimir Lenin’s comrade and
the first chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars in Soviet
Armenia – and the embassies of France and Italy.

The youths then marched along Severny Prospekt and attempted to enter
Liberty Square, but police officers did not allow them to do this.

According to earlier reports, refusing to accept the official results
of the February 19 presidential elections, Ter-Petrosian and his
followers organized protests in Yerevan on March 1, which later grew
into clashes with police, in which 10 people were killed and more
than 200 injured. Ter-Petrosian’s supporters still do not recognize
the election results.

The National Movement Center headed by the former Armenian president is
preparing a lawsuit at the European court of Human Rights (ECHR). They
are going to appeal violations during and the falsified results of
the February election. A working group, in which foreign lawyers are
involved, was established to prepare the lawsuit.

PARLIAMENT APPROVES ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT’S PROGRAM FOR 2008-2012

Interfax News Agency
April 30 2008
Russia

The Armenian government’s program for 2008-2012 was adopted by the
session of the National Assembly on Wednesday.

The program was supported by 88 votes with three opposing deputies.

The program was developed taking into account the provisions of the
National Security Strategy and poverty fighting program. It also
includes some provisions of the election programs of the president,
the Republican party coalition, Flourishing Armenia party, Orinats
Yerkir party and Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun.

The government’s program was proposed for the parliament’s discussion
on April 28.

No parliamentary faction, excluding the Heritage opposition faction,
made any proposals on the governmental program.

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan thanked opposition faction members
for "efficient and valuable proposals." Most of these proposals were
included in the governmental four-year program.

ARMENIAN GDP UP 8.8% IN Q1

Interfax News Agency
April 30 2008
Russia

Armenian GDP grew 8.8% to 428.3 billion dram ($1.4 billion) in the
first quarter of 2008 compared to the same period of 2007, the National
Statistics Service said in a report.

The GDP growth was mainly the result of a 22.5% increase in
construction output to 41 billion dram, a 10.2% rise in services
to the population (excluding retail) to 122.5 billion dram, a 5.9%
increase in electricity output to 1.722 billion kilowatt hours and
a 4.5% rise in retail turnover to 184.3 billion dram.

Industrial production grew 0.2% to 169 billion dram in the period,
although output in the mining industry fell 4.7% to 24.5 billion dram
and manufacturing dropped 1.1% to 102.3 billion dram.

The biggest slump in the period was seen in the chemicals industry,
while the biggest increase was seen in the metallurgical industry. The
production of electricity, gas and water rose 6.7% to 42 billion dram
in the quarter.

Average monthly salaries grew 21.3% to 84,374 dram ($275).

Foreign trade turnover increased 23.6% to 333.6 billion dram in
January-March 2008. Exports rose 1.5% to 72.3 billion dram, while
imports grew 31.5% to 261.3 billion dram.

The Armenian Central Bank’s average exchange rate for the dram against
the U.S. dollar was 308.06 dram/$1 in the quarter.

The official exchange rate on April 30 was 306.82 dram/$1.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

JURY ISSUES GUILTY VERDICT TO SUSPECTS IN 2006 MARKET EXPLOSION

Interfax News Agency
April 30 2008
Russia

The Moscow City Court jury has issued a guilty verdict in the trial
over the explosion at the Cherkizovo market in summer 2006.

The defendants were found guilty by the jury, spokeswoman for the
Moscow City Court Anna Usachyova told Interfax.

The decision making process took three days. The jury retired to
their room on Monday, April 28, however it was not until Wednesday
that they made their final decision. The jury faced 270 questions.

"The jurors made a decision which led to a guilty verdict against
all the defendants. Defendants in the trial over the Cherkizovo
market explosion – Korolyov, Klimuk, Kostarev and Zukovtsev – were
found guilty of committing a terror attack, killing 14 people and
the attempted killing of 61 people," Usachyova said.

When issuing their verdict against these individuals, the jurors said
that they "do not deserve leniency," she said.

Also, the jurors issued a guilty verdict against defendant Nikita
Senyukov who was charged with the murder of the Armenian student at
the Pushkinskaya metro station.

The debates on the jury’s verdict, during which the prosecutor will ask
to determine sentences for the defendants, are scheduled for May 12.

NO REFUSAL OF PREMISES TO OPPOSITION BY GOVERNMENT, PREMIER SAYS

ARKA
April 30, 2008

YEREVAN, April 30. /ARKA/. The RA Government has not refused to provide
Armenian first President Levon Ter-Petrosian’s supporters with premises
for holding meetings, RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsian said.

The Premier gave the lie to these rumors, saying that people know who
tells the truth. The Armenian Government has satisfied two applications
for assignment of premises for opposition meetings and has made public
the decision, according to the Premier.

Levon Ter-Petrosian’s office applied to the RA Government to provide
them with premises on April 30. The second application was sent by
the Republic opposition party to give them premises for their April
25 meeting.

It was difficult to act on the party’s request, as an open exhibition
was scheduled in the meeting hall of the government on that very day.

"Therefore, we have made a decision to provide the party with premises
on May 2 at any time they want," Sargsian said. "We have been signed
and we will work with them."

He pointed out that information on these applications is available
on the RA Government’s official website.

>From now on, the meeting hall will be open for everyone who meets
the security requirements set by the contract.-0–

ARMENIA, BULGARIA PLANNING TO HOLD ECONOMIC INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION’S SESSION

ARKA
April 30, 2008

YEREVAN, April 30. /ARKA/. Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan and
Bulgarian Ambassador to Armenia Todor Staykov, who met on Tuesday,
expressed hope that it will be possible to hold Armenian-Bulgarian
intergovernmental commission’s session on economic cooperation
and a bilateral economic forum as part of the session this fall,
governmental press office reports.

Premier and the ambassador pointed out that unlike political ties,
economic relations between the two countries are underdeveloped and
stressed the necessity to spur them.

Sargsyan said that the agreement on establishing Armenian-Bulgarian
intergovernmental commission on economic, scientific and technical
cooperation took force in February and added that Armenian members
of the commission will be named the next week.

National Statistical Service of Armenia says Armenian-Bulgarian trade
turnover grew 3.1 times in 2007 and reached $133.1 million.

Goods worth $45.6 million were exported from Armenia to Bulgaria
in 2007.

This result is 35.5 times greater than that of the previous year.

Bulgarian imports to Armenia grew 2.1 times from $87.5 million in
2006.

NOT BY WORDS BUT BY DEEDS
Lilit Poghosyan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on May 01, 2008
Armenia

By the overwhelming majority of the votes (87-for, 3-against
and 1-abstaining), the Parliament expressed confidence in the
government headed by Tigran Sargsyan, approving the action plan
for the forthcoming 5 years: "pretentious", "ambitious" but still
"painful" for some people.

Before that the MPs and the representatives of all the 5 fractions
expressed their standpoints regarding the action plan of the
government.

On behalf of "Orinats Yerkir" party Heghine Bisharyan proposed absolute
support to the "audacious and pretentious" program.

Stressing the importance of the formation of the institute of
responsibility she assured: "Our political team is going to be
consistent in supporting the government and we will do our best to
put into practice the program we approved. It is a government of a
new start. Consequently, with the confirmation of those steps we must
switch on the clock of the new start."

Head of ARFD fraction Hrayr Karapetyan mentioned in his turn:
" Not all the proposals made by Dashnaktsutyun party are included
in the government’s action plan. In general it is not possible to
include the programs of all the political powers of the coalition in
this program. In that case there would have been one party, and one
political power in Armenia, with all the bad consequences deriving
from it.

In our view the priorities declared by the government must suit all
the political powers considering themselves bearers of the national
ideology, including Dashnaktsutyun."

Vardan Bostanjyan expressed the attitude of "Bargavach Hayastan" party:
"We must wish success to the government for implementing similar
program. It is of high quality and correct and we must welcome and
vote for it."

He also brought the attention of the MPs on "certain priorities
covered in the program" that in many cases don’t go beyond the form
of beautiful words. Like, for example, increase of the quality
of governance, fighting protégé and bureaucracy, free rivalry,
assistance to entrepreneurs, etc.

The speech of the representative of the Republican Party Artak
Davtyan was laconic and to the point. "Formation of effective
governing system, development of education and science, proportional
territorial development, social protection of our citizens, these
are the priorities declared in the program. It is only in case of the
implementation of those priorities that we can have a qualitatively
different country in 2012.

Taking into account this fact, as well as attaching importance to
the fact that the digital index of the program submitted by the
government is the minimum value recorded in the pre-election program
of the President, the implementation of this program requires great
power and devotion from each member of the government.

That is why by saying, "yes" to the action plan of the government RPA
faction appeals to the coalition partners to avoid party-addiction,
which according to Garegin Njdeh "must be uprooted from the guidelines
of our political figures and parties. Their role must mainly be
the unification of our people around the realization of state and
pan-national programs, being guided by moral principles and standards."

According to the evaluation of the Speaker of NA Tigran Torosyan the
government action plan is not only "very ambitious" but it is very
"special for our country. During the period before the submission
of the program, unfortunately, we revealed various flaws, that still
exist this or that way and I don’t think that tomorrow they will be
completely annihilated.

People are mostly concerned about this or that personality than the
approaches and standards submitted by the government. For around
5 decades they appointed people in different positions and then
dismissed, by different methods – ordered articles discrediting,
and libeling them. It is a really serious issue and serious
challenge. Maybe some people have become accustomed to this working
style, but this is the principal flaw existing in the society."

The Prime Minister summarized the discussion by the principled
approaches of his team and Serge Sargsyan: "We are going to
implement changes and we will start from ourselves. This program is
"pro-governmental". We will reveal the failures and propose solutions."

He also added: "The way you trust our words, I would like to assure
you that the same way, we trust you. Your moral assistance is more
binding than the criticism heard, all the time, in our address. And
we must try to prove with our work that your moral assistance is to
the point. We really need that assistance, because it is a good way
to unite for healthy cooperation.

I would like to assure you that there will be no difference between
our words and deeds. We are really interested in strengthening the
rights of the opposition by law, because we can’t have a strong
government without a strong and constructive opposition."

–Boundary_(ID_4QkslsbpMrBT/i50 eoo9oA)–

THE PRESIDENT’S CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on May 01, 2008
Armenia

Dear compatriots,

I congratulate you on the occasion of the Labor Day.

May 1 is traditionally celebrated as the day of the working
people. Armenia has always had a special attitude towards work and
working people. This holiday belongs to those who contribute to our
country’s progress by their painstaking work, thus developing the
economy of Armenia.

We realize that the working people of our country currently have
serious expectations in terms of the opening of workplaces, the
improvement of the labor market, the regulation of the employment
relations and the increase of salaries. All these problems are in
the center of our attention, and they are possible to solve.

Congratulating you on the occasion of May 1, I wish you peaceful and
creative work that will serve to the benefit of your families and
the welfare of our country.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CHANGES – FINALLY ADOPTED

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on May 01, 2008
Armenia

Early in the morning yesterday, the Parliament of Turkey adopted the
amendment to Article 301 of the Criminal Code, with a vote of 250 for
and 65 against. Only the members of the ruling party voted in favor
of the amendment which will enter into force after being ratified by
the President.

On April 29, the National Assembly held discussions till late at night,
over introducing an amendment to Article 301 envisaging punishment for
"insulting the Turkish identity". Hundreds of journalists and writers,
including Hrant Dink, Editor of "Agos" newspaper, and Orhan Pamouk,
laureate of Nobel Prize in literature, have been persecuted under
this article.

The nationalistic parliamentary opposition was against the amendment
which criminalizes the insult to the Turkish state vs. the "Turkish
identity". Any criminal case under this article will be instituted
only by the permission of the Minister of Justice, and the maximum
degree of punishment will be reduced from 3 to 2 years of imprisonment.

B. O’BAMMA PROMISES TO RECOGNIZE

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on May 01, 2008
Armenia

The US democratic presidential candidate Barrack O’Bamma promises to
continue his pressure on Turkey in the issue of the recognition of
Armenian Genocide.

"I was deeply concerned, when two years back the US Ambassador
to Armenia was called back, because he used the term "genocide"
to describe the massive bloodshed of Armenians. I appealed to the
Secretary of State Mrs. Rice to examine that case in detail, which
I believe was a senseless act by the US government. I continue to
support the process of the recognition of Armenian Genocide and share
the grief of all Armenians," O’Bamma said.