Month: May 2008

TIGRAN SARKISSIAN SEIZED THE EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY

A1+
[04:11 pm] 23 May, 2008

The Armenian delegation headed by Prime Minister Tigran Sarkissian
left for Minsk yesterday evening to participate in the sitting of
the CIS Council of Heads of Government.

Preceding the sitting the Armenian Premier had a meeting with his
Georgian counterpart Lado Gurgenidze.

The parties spoke about the current programmes of cooperation and the
existing problems. Assessing the cooperation in the energy sphere
as rather productive, the interlocutors attached importance to the
intensification of mutual investments in the financial-banking and
other spheres, as well as the collaboration within the framework of
regional programs.

Seizing the opportunity Tigran Sarkissian presented the problems of
the Armenian side and asked Gurgenidze for advice, reports the press
service of the RoA Government.

He mainly referred to high tariffs levied on the Armenian transits
by the Georgian side and the violations and provocations of Georgian
religious and temporal radicals against Armenian churches.

Lado Gurgenidze condemned all extreme approaches and provocations
and promised to intervene after a thorough study of the matter.

"I AM NOT AS PATIENT AND PATRIOTIC AS RAFFI IS"

A1+
[05:44 pm] 23 May, 2008

Professor of California, historian Richard Hovannissian is concerned
over Armenia’s political scene. He expressed his concern to A1+
saying that "he is first of all concerned as an ordinary human being."

"March 1 was a great tragedy. I cannot name those guilty or innocent. I
think we are all guilty as we couldn’t avert the occurrences. The
Armenian Diaspora is shocked as blood was shed in the capital,"
he says.

As a solution to mutual antagonism Richard Hovannissian offers to
forgive each other. "We must forgive each other. We must treat each
other with endurance. Both policemen and people died. Sorrow and
hatred will deepen even more if they don’t free the jailed people."

Mr. Hovannissian is also concerned over ongoing migration from
Armenia. Asked whether he might take his son’s model and settle in
Armenia, he said, "I am not so patriotic and patient as my Raffi is."

While summing up Armenia’s background over the past 90 years Richard
Hovannissian said, "The creation of this small country was unexpected
as the whole revolution and the Armenian Cause were concentrated
in Western Armenia. No matter where the representatives of our
intelligentsia were they never thought of Western Armenia. They never
thought that they might come together and Yerevan might become the
country’s capital. Sometimes history plays tricks on us.

The country once occupying 10 000 square kilometers expanded to the
slopes of Ararat covering 50 000 square kilometers. We hoped to unite
Western and Eastern Armenians but our dream didn’t come true.

Mr. Hovannissian is surprised at the fact that Yerevan shops are open
on April 24, the day of the Great Armenian Genocide. He thinks that
people are absorbed in everyday problems and thoughts even on that day.

"People are not given equal footing in Armenia. While walking
in the streets one has the impression that nobody cares for the
vulnerable. The authorities should constantly take care of them. Though
I am in Armenia for a short period I am seriously concerned about
the country’s state."

Hovannissian says he had more respect towards the authorities of the
first Republic than the acting ones. "The authorities of 1918 came to
suffer with their people. No official or prime minister abused his
powers or pursued personal interests. Neither did they enrich their
relatives and acquaintances. They suffered with their people. For
instance, Aram Manukian died of typhus."

"CoE IS NOT A "DEVIL" TO BE AFRAID OF"

A1+
[07:25 pm] 23 May, 2008

Armenia has not implemented any recommendation of the PACE Resolution
1609, Zharangutiun MP Stepan Safarian said in reply to Radio Free
Europe / Radio Liberty.

Zharangutiun MP Vardan Khacahtrian added that the recommendations
cannot be carried out within the mentioned time.

All other factions sounded optimistic of the matter.

For instance, BhK MP, Chairman of the National Assembly’s Standing
Committee on European Integration Avet Adonts notes that Armenia
will present in Strasbourg everything done within the short period,
including the activity of working groups and the intention to form
an independent expert’s panel.

And yet, Adonts thinks that Armenia’s delay with the recommendations
will affect the country’s reputation on the international
level. Moreover, no documents are significant unless vital changes
are made in the home life.

"Let them deprive us of the right to vote and impose punishment on
us but the documents will not important for me unless home problems
are solved," said Avet Adonts.

BhK member Naira Zohrabian added that the amendments to the Law on
"Meetings, demonstrations, marches and rallies" will be passed during
the June sittings.

ARF Dashnaksutiun member Ara Nranian thinks an overall approach to
problems is needed.

OYK member Artashes Avoyan noted that two sittings have been convened
to consider the recommendations. He hopes the country will implement
all the recommendations in due time.

"The Council of Europe is not a "devil" to be afraid of. We carry out
the reforms ourselves because they are in the interests of Armenia,"
HHK member Hermine Naghdalian told journalists.

ARMENIA AND RUSSIA SIGN MEMORANDUM ON ESTABLISHMENT OF CORPORATE ADMINISTRATION HIGHER SCHOOL

ARMENPRESS
May 23, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 23, ARMENPRESS: Today the National Academy of Sciences
of Armenia and the Russian Government Academy of Economy signed in
Yerevan a memorandum on establishment of Corporate Administration
Higher School in Yerevan.

On behalf of Armenia the memorandum was signed by Radik Martirosian,
president of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia and on behalf
of Russia by Abel Aghanbekian, an academician of the Russian Academy
of Sciences and head of Business Administration Doctor program.

Radik Martirosian emphasized the establishment of the Corporate
Administration Higher School saying that it will promote preparation
of skilled specialists for Armenian economy.

According to Abel Aghanbekian, the new school will recruit the best
Armenian and Russian professors and specialists to teach the students
who may become business doctors after 3 year-long tuition.

The new school will offer courses on marketing, strategic business,
international business, corporate administration as well as foreign
languages.

The new school will start operating from September.

"There is enthusiasm and desire, we have managed to secure funds
as well and therefore the initiative is quite feasible. The biggest
investment is to invest in people," Abel Aghanbekian said.

According to him, Armenian businessmen in Russia donated heavily
to help realize this idea, but the main financing is to come from a
businessman Radik Vanunts, who also signed the memorandum. The school
is supposed to become later into a self-supporting entity.

SESSION OF THE HEADS OF CIS GOVERNMENTS KICKS OFF IN MINSK

ARMENPRESS
May 23, 2008

MINSK, MAY 23, ARMENPRESS: The session of the council of the heads
of the governments of the CIS countries kicked off in Minsk with
the participation of the Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsian,
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani Prime Minister
Arthur Rasizade, Georgian Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze, Kyrgyz
Prime Minister Igor Chudinov, Tajik Prime Minister Akil Akilov,
Moldovan Prime Minister Zinaida Grechanaya, Ukrainian Prime Minister
Yulia Timoshenko, Uzbekistani Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Kasimov,
Kazakhstan Deputy Prime Minister Umirzak Shukeev, Turkmen Deputy
Chairman of the Ministers’ Cabinet Rashid Meredov.

Addressing to the participants of the session Belarus President
Alexander Lukashenko stated that the main issue of the participants
is to "fill the partnership with concrete content". "We are expected
to carry out active work for boosting cooperation and make rational
suggestions for bringing to life all the initiatives," he stated.

Belarus president noted that the main vectors have already been
established in the concept of the further development of the CIS.

The agenda of the session of the heads of the governments includes
a wide range of issues on cooperation among the member states.

ARMENIAN AND GEORGIAN PRIME MINISTERS DISCUSS RELATIONSHIPS

ARMENPRESS
May 23, 2008

MINSK, MAY 23, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian who
arrived in Minsk, Belarus, on May 22 afternoon to attend a recurrent
CIS summit of heads of governments, met today morning, before the
launch of the summit, with his Georgian counterpart Lado Gurgenidze.

The government press office said Tigran Sarkisian first congratulated
his Georgian counterpart on the occasion of the May 21 parliamentary
elections expressing hope that their results will become a serious
step towards democracy strengthening and resolution of the country’s
urgent problems.

The Georgian prime minister cited the assessments of international
observers who said the polls were held successfully. At the request
of Gurgenidze Tigran Sarkisian spoke about new Armenian government
and its priorities.

During their conversation both prime ministers stated the significance
of the bilateral inter-governmental cooperation commission from the
perspective of closer relationships between the two countries. They
agreed to continue steering the work of the commission and convene
its next meeting in July, which they said will give a new push to
strengthening of relations between Armenia and Georgia.

Tigran Sarkisian and Lado Gurgenidze also spoke about ongoing projects
and existing problems. Citing cooperation in energy as successful
they said they should enhance partnership in banking, financing and
other areas.

Taking advantage the Armenian prime minister spoke about some issues of
concern for the Armenian side requesting Gurgenidze’s intervention for
their solution. Particularly, Sarkisian spoke about high transit fees
imposed by the government of Georgia on Armenia-bound and vice-verse
goods. He said the Armenian government would like to learn the
rationale of how these fees are calculated.

He then drew his counterpart’s attention to the status of the Georgian
Diocese of the Armenian Church and encroachments of Georgian clergy
and laymen on Armenian churches in Georgia, which according to the
Armenian prime minister, cause extra tensions among the society.

In this sense he mentioned developments around the Armenian Surb
Nshan church in Tbilisi which is being fenced off illegally by a
Georgian Orthodox Church priest, who claims that it belongs to the
Georgian Church.

The Georgian prime minister condemned all manifestations of extremism
and provocative actions premising to learn more about this incident
and intervene.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT CHAIRMAN MEETS WITH POLISH SEIM CHAIRMAN AND AGO GROUP NEW HEAD

ARMENPRESS
May 23, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 23, ARMENPRESS: On May 22 Armenian parliament chairman
Tigran Torosian met in Strasbourg with Bogdan Borusewitsz, chairman
of Poland’s Seim, who according to the parliament press office, once
again congratulated Torosian on the occasion of successful elections
in Armenia and reaffirmed the official invitation sent to Torosian
to visit Warsaw.

Borusewitsz was quoted by the parliament press office as saying that
the interest in the Caucasus is growing not only in Poland but in
the European Union as well.

While speaking about March 1 events in Armenia the Polish official
emphasized that the situation in Armenia has stabilized. He also
expressed hope that the Armenian parliament will eliminate restrictions
on holding mass gathering and all arrested people who did not commit
grave crimes on March 1-2 will be set free.

Bogdan Borusewitzs also reconfirmed Poland’s position on the basic
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through negotiations.

For his part Tigran Torosian presented the details of March 1-2 events
saying that the parliament has set up an ad hoc commission for a
thorough inquiry into these events. Torosian said that all those who
committed grave crimes on March 1-2 will be held accountable and no
one will be prosecuted or persecuted for his or her political views.

He recalled that ten people were killed in the clashes between
opposition demonstrators and security forces and hundreds received
different injuries.

On May 22 Tigran Torosian met also with Stellian Stoyan, the new head
of the Council of Europe Ago Monitoring Group, who visited Yerevan
twice with Ago Group. At his request Tigran Torosian presented what
Armenian authorities are doing to implement the conditions listed in
the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly’s (PACE) resolution 1609.

Tigran Torosian again reiterated that all people who committed
grave crimes on March 1-2 will be held accountable. On May 22 Tigran
Torosian also delivered a speech at the meeting of the Council of
Europe’s parliament heads.

On May 23 Tigran Torosian was expected to meet also with PACE chairman
Louis Maria de Piugi.

DEPORTATION OF ZHIRAYR SEFILIAN FROM ARMENIA STARTS

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 23, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 23, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian police made a decision
to start the process of deporting Lebanese citizen, coordinator of
the civil initiative "In defence of Liberated Territories" Zhirayr
Sefilian from Armenia. The police filed a suit to the Administrative
Court with the request to take a decision on deportation of
Z. Sefilian, NT correspondent was informed by Sefilian’s lawyer
Vahe Grigorian. According to him, the process is illegal because
Z. Sefilian has under-age children in his care, and the ban is
stipulated in Article 32 of the RA Law on Foreigners.

To recap, Zhirayr Sefilian was found guilty of carrying illegal
arms. His imprisonment term ends on June 9.

ISSUE OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IS STILL AT STAGE OF RECOGNITION, HISTORIAN RICHARD HOVANNISIAN SAYS

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 23, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 23, NOYAN TAPAN. The issue of the Armenian Genocide is
still at the stage of recognition, – historian, Professor of the
University of California Richard Hovannisian expressed an opinion
at the May 23 press conference. He disagreed with the historians who
believe that this issue is already in the legal field. According to
him, the next step to be taken after the Genocide’s recognition is
the issue of compensation, whose solution will be more difficult.

In his opinion, even the states to have recognized the Armenian
Genocide do not address the problem of compensation. In his words,
the Armenian authorities should achieve the problem’s solution
through dialog with Turkey. The historian stated that the issue
of the Genocide’s recognition will not be solved until the Turkish
government is prepared for it. He welcomed the fact that by opposing
their authorities, some Turkish scientists today started to raise
this issue. "We should encourage these scientists – in the hope that
they will blow up from inside Turkey’s policy of denial," he stated.

As for recognition of the Genocide by the U.S. Congress, the historian
noted that the Congress will eventually recognize it.

RICHARD HOVANNISIAN: IDEA OF PATRIOTISM IS BROUGHT TO BACKGROUND IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 23, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 23, NOYAN TAPAN. Day of Declaration of Armenia’s
Independence – May 28 is of exceptional value in the Armenian history,
Prof. Richard Hovannisian of the University of California stated at
the May 23 press conference, adding that if there had not been May
28, there would have been neither Soviet Armenia nor the current
independent state. According to him, the fact of Eastern Armenia’s
becoming independent in 1918 was unexpected.

The situation in the country: the Russian revolution, the ruin of the
Caucasian front, the invasion of the Turkish army left Armenians with
no choice but to defend and save this small piece of land. At that time
both the Armenian leaders and intellectuals were concerned very much
about the fate of Western Armenia. "They never thought that Yerevan
would become a capital city, around which a state would be created,"
the historian said.

In his words, patriotism and a sense of statehood should be instilled
more deeply into the Armenians. That is, they should remember this
not only on that day but they should live with this feeling every
day. However, as he pointed out, for this the peope should be free
and well-off, whereas today many in Armenia are more concerned over
their daily problems, as a result of which the idea of patriotism is
being brought to the background.

R. Hovannisian noted that favorable living conditions should be created
in the country so that people will not emigrate. According to him,
each people should live and create in its own country for the welfare
of homeland.

Speaking about the March 1 events, R. Hovannisian described these
events as a great tragedy, noting that everybody is to blame for it. In
his words, to forgive is the only way to solve the prolblem. The
existing situation and hatred will aggravate if people continue to
accuse and not tolerate each other.