Month: August 2008

AZERI ARMED FORCES BECOME MORE ACTIVE AT CONTACT LINE

Noyan Tapan

Au gust 1, 2008

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 1, NOYAN TAPAN. The Azeri armed forces are again
displaying notable activity all along the contact line recently,
as a result of which cases of violation of the cease-fire have been
registered.

According to a press release of the press service of the NKR Ministry
of Defence, on the morning of July 29 and during that day, Azeri
military opened fire from small-calibre rifles and machine-guns at the
Karabakh positions in the south-eastern, north-western and northern
border sections.

The Azeris stopped fire after adequate actions of the Armenian
armed forces.

It is mentioned in the press release that the NKR Defence Army did
not suffer losses as a result of the cease-fire violation.

Reference of the NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The NKR conflict
began in 1991 when in response to the Nagorno Karabakh population
demand for self-determination, Azerbaijan’s authorities made an attempt
to solve the problem by starting ethnic cleansing and large-scale
military actions by Soviet security forces (KGB special detachments)
– under the mask of passport regime, which resulted in thousands of
victims and considerable material losses. Cease-fire was signed in
1994. Negotiations are now being conducted on the conflict settlement
with the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs (Russia, the US
and France) based on the Madrid proposals presented by the co-chairs
in November 2007.

SERGE SARGSIAN VISITS UNIVERSITY EXAMINATION CENTER ON SUBJECT "PHYSICS"

Noyan Tapan

Au gust 1, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 1, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian president Serge Sargsian
on August 1 visited the higher educational institution entrance
examination center on "Physics" subject. The center is located at the
State Engineering Univeristy of Armenia. After visiting the center,
S. Sargsian had a short conversation with parents of university
entrants.

The president was accompanied by the RA minister of education and
science Spartak Seyranian, in whose words, "Physics" examination
center was chosed as a place to be visited by the president for the
reason that a lot of university entrants take exams on this subject.

The minister said that the exams passed well in terms of their
organization, and in this connection there were no complaints from
the entrants and their parents. On the other hand, many examination
commissions did not register the maximum 20 points, and in general
the number of entrants who received 18-20 points was quite small. The
number of those to receive 14-14.5 points was the largest one due to
the fact that as compared with previous years, higher standards of
examinations were used this year. S. Seyranian expressed an opinion
that the lowest passing score may be lowered for a number of subjects
as compared with previous years.

It was mentioned that unlike the previous years, no cases of expert
disputes on contents of exam papers were registered this year. "The
republican commission on entrance examinations is satisfied with
general objectivity, which is reflected in the low number of complaints
about exam scores".

He reminded that the last day of exams is August 4, 3 days after
which the examination of complaints will be completed, and the contest
process will start. The minister expressed confidence that the list
of those who entered the higher educational institutions will be
published no later than on August 14.

The chairman of the exam commission on "Physics" Roma Alaverdian said
that over 2,000 entrants took exams on this subject. The highets score
was 19.8 points. Those to have received 15-17 points make the largest
number, and as compared with previous years, the level of knowledge
of examinees on "Physics" did not change notably. R. Alaverdian also
underlined a considerable decline in the number of complaints about
exam scores: about 2% of entrants filed such complaints, and in most
cases the scores were raised by 1 point.

"YERKIR" UNION CALLS ON GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES TO RELEASE IMMEDIATELY RELATIVES OF VAHAGN CHAKHALIAN AND GURGEN SHIRINIAN

Noyan Tapan

Au gust 1, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 1, NOYAN TAPAN. "Yerkir" Union of Repatriation NGOs
called on the Georgian authorities to ensure a fair and impartial
inquiry into the recent events in Akhalkalak and to release immediately
the relatives of the leader of the democratic alliance "United Javakhk"
Vahagn Chakhalian and the alliance member Gurgen Shirinian. Robert
Tatoyan, program coordinator of "Yerkir" Union stated this at the
July 31 press conference. According to him, the events in Akhalkalak
are the result of the unwillingness of Georgian authorities to give a
real solution to the problems of the ethnic minorities. "Instead the
Georgian authorities prefer to use force to repress any manifestation
of legal protest," he said.

R. Tatoyan reminded that after the July 17 explosion near the house
of the Akhalkalak police head Samvel Petrosian, the police started
an unprecedented wave of persecutions against activists of "United
Javakhk": more than ten members of the alliance were taken to police
with the use of force and violence. Father and brother of G. Shirinian
were arrested on July 17, while V. Chakhalian, his father and under-age
broher were arrested on July 21.

Member of the Union of Armenian Lawyers Stepan Voskanian said that a
fact-finding group of "Yerkir" Union went to Akhalkalak and found out
that all the arrests were made with gross violation of human rights
and were accompanied by violence.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TRANSPORT NODE NEAR AIRARAT CINEMA IN YEREVAN PUT INTO OPERATION

Noyan Tapan

Au gust 1, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 1, NOYAN TAPAN. On August 1 the Armenian president
Serge Sargsian participated in the opening ceremony of the transport
subway near the Airarat Cinema, at the crossroads of Yerevan’s Tigran
the Great, Khanjian and Agatangeghos Streets. The transport node
starts from Khorenatsi Street and ends in Khanjian Street in front
of the Pegagogical Academy. It ensures an interrupted movement from
Agatangeghos Street to Khanjian Street and in the opposite direction,
and a pedestrian crossing is regulated by traffic lights. Griar
company began the construction of the transport node by design of
Yerevanproject Institute in June 2007, the program cost made 1 billion
845 million drams which was allocated from the RA state budget. The
total length of the node is 360 meters, the length of the underground
part is 80 meters, its width – 15 meters.

During the opening ceremony Yerevan’s mayor Yervand Zakharian stated
that this structure is one of the junction points of the complex road
construction program that will ensure tranport flows along a freeway
with a large capacity which is being built in Saralanj, bypassing the
Small Center of the city and considerably reducing the time of movement
from the southern to north-eastern parts of Yerevan. "Today the rapid
and large-scale construction of Saralanj highway, Getar freeway,
and work done in Heratsi, Charents, Koryun, Alek Manukian, Nalbandian
and Khanjian Streets is in the junction phase and will be completed
in late September," the mayor said, adding that in order to deal with
traffic congestion in the city’s center, it is envisaged to build soon
underground parking lots at Opera Square, Sharles Aznavour Square,
Shahumian Square and Sakharov Square and near Yerevan Cycle Track.

12-MONTH GROWTH OF CONSUMER PRICES MAKES 10.7% IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan

Au gust 1, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 1, NOYAN TAPAN. 7.4% inflation in Armenian consumer
market in January-May 2008 was followed by a 2.7% fall of prices
in June-July.

Prices fell by 2.2% in July on June.

According to the RA National Statistical Service, prices of foodstuffs
(including alcoholic drinks and cigarettes) fell by 4.4% in the
indicated period, while prices of non-food commodities and service
tariffs grew by 0.7% and 0.4% respectively.

The consumer price index made 104.5% in July 2008 as compared with
December 2007, including the index of food commodities (including
alcoholic drinks and cigarettes) – 102%, that of non-food commodities –
104.9%, and service tariffs – 109%.

The average monthly growth of consumer prices made 0.6% in January-July
2008, which exceeded the respective index of the same period of last
year by 0.5%.

The consumer price index (12-month inflation rate) made 110.7%
in July 2008 on July 2007, including the index of food commodities
(including alcoholic drinks and cigarettes) – 111.6%, of non-food
commodities – 106.9%, service tariffs – 111.1%. The same indices in
January-July 2008 on January-July 2007 made 109.2%, 111.2%, 105.1%
and 107.7% respectively.

17 COMPANIES EXPRESS INTENTION TO PARTICIPATE IN TENDER FOR SELECTING THIRD MOBILE COMMUNICATION OPERATOR IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan

Au gust 1, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 1, NOYAN TAPAN. 17 companies: France Telecom (France),
CEO Blackrock Communications (Ireland), V-Tel (Netherlands), CEO (UK),
M$A Tele2 AB (Sweden), Knightsbridge International Telecommunications
Holding (Austria), Aetos Consulting Limited (UK), Kalba International
(Egypt), AAA Capital GmbH (Germany), Auroratel (Russia), PJ Engineering
(Finland), Eventis Telecom (Russia), EEC Group (Egypt), mmC Group
(Spain), Samsson Group (Germany), SALEM Agencies and Services Co. (SAS)
and JGAG have expressed their intention to participate in the tender
for receiving a licence of a mobile communication operator in Armenia
and permission to use radio frequencies. By the way, the last two
companies did not state what countries they represent.

NT was informed by Susanna Tonoyan, spokeswoman for the RA minister
of transport and communication that within 40 days the tender
commission will publish the names of the companies to pass to the
pre-qualification stage.

Then, within 40 calendar days the companies to pass pre-qualification
must submit bids-proposals to the commission. The third operator will
be announced in December.

UNIFICATION OF PARTIES NOT A MECHANICAL PROCESS
Gevorg Harutyunyan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on Aug 01, 2008
Armenia

Interview with the Leader of Armenian National Progressive Party
Edward Antinyan.

"Mr. Antinyan at what stage is the process of the unification of your
party with "Ramkavar" party?"

"We don’t have disagreement regarding the issue of the unification with
"Ramkavar" Party on ideological bases. Moreover bilateral readiness
is evident. But the process of the clarification of the principle
clauses of the future party’s program and the adoption of the agreed
version is still in process. Until this happens we can’t even speak
about coming to a final decision by means of a joint congress."

"Armenian Pan National Movement sharply criticizes all those who look
for alternative solutions in the pro-oppositional domain. Why do they
hate the idea of forming a third force or a new political pole?"

"We shouldn’t forget that after the pan-state elections in 2003, some
part of the people and some political figures met the deadlock and
tried to find ways out. They were proposing certain formats capable of
wining, but the opposition of that time announced that those who look
for other option or those who leave "Ardarutyun" union are traitors.

There was no sense in the activity of that union. They did not
manage to meet the expectations of the society. Later the leader of
"Ardarutyun" union announced that he would run for the coming elections
without the party. Which means he himself betrayed his own party.

If the leaders of the parties feared the blackmail of the "single"
opposition of that time and ceded their position, today we shouldn’t
make the same mistake. And it will be better for those who consider
themselves real opposition to struggle against the ruling power
instead of struggling against those pro-oppositional parties that
have different ideologies."

"Do you think the radicals will manage to form Armenian National
Congress?"

"It is not a secret that the first President overestimates the picture
of his team-members and the social support. He usually states that
400 thousand people participate in the demonstration and he never
accepts that the number of the parties supporting him becomes lesser
and lesser. During the demonstration on July 20 Levon Ter-Petrosyan
announced that 23 parties support him. But you can see the list of
the parties supporting him in his official site, in the section "Team
-2008". As of July 20, 17 parties were mentioned there, including
"Alternative" social-political initiative and "National Renaissance"
that simply doesn’t exist.

The thing is Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s "Blitz Dan ce" operation has been
torpedoed long ago. Not only the number of the participants of the
demonstration but also those gathered on the stage becomes lesser and
lesser. Even blackmail doesn’t help the first President at the moment.

He is well conscious of all this, that’s why he is trying to put
all the blame on Robert Kocharyan, even to hand the latter over to
Hague Court.

Let’s consider he managed to gather enough signatures and those who
gave their signatures will wait for good results. But later they
learn that there is not result. This means it was a regular attempt
to inspire their supporters as usual to disappoint them later.

THE FIRST SERIOUS SIGNALS
Vardan Grigoryan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on Aug 01, 2008
Armenia

The discussions held by the US House of Foreign Affairs Committee over
the issue of appointing Maria Jovanovich as the new US Ambassador
in Armenia and the subsequent approval of her candidacy became the
successive occasion for clarifying Washington’s political attitudes
towards the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

It is obvious that having received the approval of the Foreign
Affairs Committee of the Senate on July 29, Maria Jovanovich will be
confirmed in her new position in August, during the plenary session of
the Senate. This will put an end to the struggle for the appointment
of a new US Ambassador in the Republic of Armenia – a process that
lasted around 2 years.

Let’s bear in mind, however, that in that period a certain progress
was observed on the American political arena towards the recognition
of the Armenian Genocide. Apart from being confirmed by the relevant
committee of the Congress and receiving the approval of several
legislators from different states, the issue was consistently raised
by US Democratic candidate Barrack O’bama.

It’s not accidental that after the July 19 preliminary hearings held
by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Senate, Maria Jovanovich
sent a written reply to Barrack O’bama’s question concerning the
Armenian Genocide.20The letter reads as follows, "The US Government
and certainly I grieve over the mass killings, ethnic cleansings
and deportations which deprived 1.5 million Armenians of life in the
final era of the existence of the Ottoman Empire. The United States
of America considers these events as the greatest tragedy of the 20th
century – ‘Great Massacres’, as many Armenians are wont to say".

Maria Jovanovich supported the same viewpoint on July 29, during
the discussion of her candidacy by the Foreign Affairs Committee of
the Senate.

Of course, Robert Menendez and many other the Senators having a
consistent attitude towards the recognition of the Armenian Genocide
were not fully satisfied with the viewpoint, however, they estimated
it as a consequence of the political attitude of President George
Bush who is ending his term of office in a couple of months’ time. So,
their political campaign has now focused on raising the issue of the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide in the context of the upcoming
presidential elections.

owever, it is noteworthy that with the purpose of achieving the
approval of Maria Jovanovich’s candidacy by the Foreign Affairs
Committee of the Senate, the State Secretariat has also made certain
clarifications with regard to the issue of the Armenian Genocide. In
a letter addressed to Jo Byden, Chairman of the US House of Foreign
Affairs Committee, US Under-Secretary=2 0of State Mathew Reynolds
mentioned on behalf of the State Secretariat that Maria Jovanovich does
not question the events that happened in the Ottoman Empire in 1915."

Furthermore, M. Reynolds added that the State Secretariat also
acknowledges the fact that the government of the Ottoman Empire
carried out the mass killings, ethnic cleansings and deportations of
1.5 million Armenians.

"We really find that the officials of the Ottoman Empire are
accountable for those crimes," M. Reynolds mentioned in the concluding
part of his letter.

This means that the US Under-Secretary of State admits not only the
fact of the extermination and displacement of 1.5 million Armenians
but also the accountability of the Ottoman Empire, i.e. the Republic
of Turkey (its legal successor) for the state crime. That’s to say,
without officially characterizing the massacres of the Armenians as
"genocide", the United States already advances the issue of Turkey’s
accountability.

Formulating Turkey’s accountability for the 1915 events and introducing
it as a condition for the regulating the relations between Ankara
and Yerevan, the United States is:

1. separating the century-old Armenian-Turkish debate from the prospect
of the settlement of the Karabakh conflict,

2. proposing Turkey to give up the policy of imposing preconditions
upon Armenia,

3. introducing new and serious elements for increasing the potent
ial instability into the agenda of the debates between the moderate
Ã~Jemalists and the secular Kemalists.

We believe that after the appointment of the new Ambassador in Armenia,
the positive changes in the United States attitude towards the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide may become effective only after
the clarification of the policy of the new US administration. And
now they can be viewed as the first serious signals of the changes
expected in that policy.

–Boundary_(ID_Pd1ad/zUurRnXi6vpNmR0Q)–

THE WORST NEGOTIATION BETTER THAN A WAR
Lilit Poghosyan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on Aug 01, 2008
Armenia

Leader of the United Labor Party Gurgen Arsenyan expressed his
viewpoints regarding the foreign challenges, in the National Press
Club yesterday.

Surprising but a fact. The Council of Europe, which conditions the
"flourishing" anti-democratic process in Azerbaijan by Karabakh
conflict: "is serious about the obligations committed by Armenia. The
PACE Chairman directly warned that most probably we don’t picture
the consequences of the sanctions used by the Council of Europe
against Armenia.

I can explain it. And I also express my deep concern about the fact
that most probably sanctions will be used against Armenia, if we fail
to understand in what speed and productiveness must we implement the
obligations committed by Armenia.

Gurgen Arsenyan said he could understand the distrust of the radicals
against the NA Temporary Committee, but he doesn’t consider it
justified. "There is an old Roman principle: "I can understand, but
I can’t forgive". The distrust of the opposition is conditioned by
the fact that all the 8 members of the committee represent coalition,
those parties that ratified the decree about the state of emergency.

But I would like to remind you that besides having the right to
distrust towards the committee, it would have20been better for the
opposition to have active participation in the works of the committee."

In general: "There is no article in RA Criminal Code that envisages
persecutions for political standpoints. De jure we don’t have similar
article. But it is another issue that in any country that has chosen
the path of democracy and they are new in this path the ruling power
of this country feels temptation to use criminal articles against
their political rivals.

Armenia is not exclusion: "We are not from the moon. We used to be
part of the Soviet Union, with soviet mentality. How can we be the
best and the most progressive?

The question is to what extent can the authorities confront this
temptation.

We have a problem here. "It is not right to say that our country is
the symbol of democracy. It is another issue that we must try to be
like that.

We must try to bring to power those who will never use that tool
against their political rivals." The speaker said and added: "Vote
for United Labor Party and you will see how it works."

Touching upon the announcement made by Minsk Group co-Chairmen not to
make abrupt steps before the meeting between Armenian and Azerbaijani
Foreign Ministers, the leader of the United Labor Party said: "we
will never take abrupt steps." "Let’s see how the meeting will start
and end. We shouldn t hurry."

He says the fact is, the negotiations are still on and "the worst
negotiation is much better than the wars. Therefore it is very
necessary to speak, to be in touch, to discuss."

The efforts of the country’s President and the Foreign Minister are
not enough for this. "There should be a social dialogue, in order to
understand what we want, where have we insulted one another and how
can we develop our dialogue."

WAVE OF PROTESTS TO BE DIRECTED AGAINST TER-PETROSYAN

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on Aug 01, 2008
Armenia

"In the fight against the authorities or for power, the blood of an
Armenian was shed by another Armenian. If Ter-Petrosyan thinks that
the authorities will not manage to appease society unless he creates
a public support for them, he is sadly mistaken.

Some time in future, the wave of protests of the riotous society will
directed against Ter-Petrosyan if that society understands that his
programs were unrealizable from the outset," EDWARD ANTINYAN, Head
of the Armenian Liberal Progressive Party is convinced.