Author: Badalian Vardan

ARMENIAN AND LATVIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS POINT TO NECESSITY TO ACTIVIZE COOPERATION BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES

Noyan Tapan
Apr 20 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 20, NOYAN TAPAN. "There are absolutely no problems
between our countries and we need to activize our cooperation for even
more." Latvian Foreign Minister Artis Pabrik stated at the April 20
joint press conference with RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian.

In his words, Latvia is very much interested in development of contacts
with Armenia and providing assistance to it in cooperation with the
European Union and NATO. "Latvia has always been disposed in a friendly
way towards the Caucasian region and Armenia: we lived together in
the same system. Today we can start implementing small projects, we
should just specify the spheres of mutual interests," A. Pabrik stated.

V. Oskanian, in his turn, highly estimated Armenian-Latvian relations
and pointed to the necessity to activize cooperation in all directions,
including spheres of politics, economy and culture. He also emphasized
that Latvia’s experience on integration to EU and NATO is very useful
for Armenia.

It was reported at the press conference that a Memorandum on
Cooperation was signed between the Foreign Ministries of Armenia
and Latvia.

FOUR-DAY COURSES DEDICATED TO ISSUES OF COOPERATION OF ARMED FORCES AND MASS MEDIA TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN IN JUNE

Noyan Tapan
Apr 20 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 20, NOYAN TAPAN. Within the framework of implementation
of the goals of the Armenia-NATO Individual Partnership Actions
Plan, the RA Foreign Ministry and the U.S. Center for Civil-Military
Relations will jointly organize in Yerevan on June 12-15 four-day
courses dedicated to mutual relations and cooperation of the Armed
Forces and mass media in the democratic social system. Noyan Tapan was
informed about it by the RA Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information
Department.

The courses are envisaged for departments responsible for press and
public relations of the force ministries and departments as well
as for officials of middle and high cicles having a right of direct
contact with mass media and for media representatives.

SIX ARMENIAN INSURANCE COMPANIES ALREADY OPERATE BY TARIFFS CALCULATED BY ACTUARIAL ANALYSIS OFFICE OF NORK COMPANY

Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The Actuarial Analysis Office of Nork
CJSC calculated insurance tariffs for 6 Armenian insurance companies,
made analyses for introduction of the compulsory medical insurance
system and reforms of the pension system in Armenia, as well as made
analysis of various informational bases of the RA Ministry of Labor
and Social Security. The office head Hrachia Petrosian informed NT
corresondent about it.

According to him, very often the prices of insurance policies of
the same risks related to services of various insurance companies
are quite different due to the fact that insurance companies provide
their services by tariffs not substantiated by an actuarial analysis.

H. Petrosian said that in addition to the insurance sector, the
system of social security also needs forecasts based on analysis. In
general, actuarial analyses may be related to time forecasts on
changes to occur in commodity markets under the influence of one or
another factor. "However, such forecasts are made difficult by the
circumstance that the overwhelming majority of natural and juridical
persons do not have a financial history," he noted.

In the words of H. Petrosian, there is also the problem of ensuring
secrecy of the initial financial data, which has to do with ethics
of a statistician, regardless of the fact which sector of statistics
he/she works in – official, administrative or private. The expert of
Nork company said that the code of employees of national and community
statistical services is already in effect in the European Union. In
accordance with this document, at the stages of data collection,
processing and summarizing, the statistician must be guided by such
principles and use such methodology that will allow to receive
objective final statistical data and will not be in favor of or
against some interested party. "Personal" initial statistical data
may be transferred to a third person only in case of consent of the
person who provides this data.

MEETING OF HEADS OF "UNION OF FRIENDS OF ARMENIA AND ARTSAKH" WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF GREEK ARMENIAN ORGANIZATIONS IS ORGANIZED IN ATHENS

Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2007

ATHENS, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. A meeting of heads of the "Union
of Friends of Armenia and Artsakh" charity organization with
representatives of Greek Armenian public, political, charity and
cultural organizations was organized on April 16, with the assistance
of the RA Embassy to Greece.

RA Ambassador Vahram Kazhoyan welcame those present and expressed
gratitude to the "Union of Friends of Armenia and Artsakh" charity
organization.

Union head Hrant-Mikayel Basmachian informed those present about the
foundation, mission and done works of the organization. In his words,
the Union has pledged itself from 2000 till today to assist as much
as possible to the village of Jiliza, the marz of Lori, situated on
the northern border of Armenia.

It became possible owing to the Union to hold a water pipe line in
the village, restore the school, give assitance of different types
to needy families.

A video material telling about the Union’s activity was shown at
the meeting.

NON-TERM GUEST OF PRIME MINISTER

A1+
[03:23 pm] 19 April, 2007

Today, 69-year-old homeless refugee Rudolf Stepanyan went on a non-term
strike in front of RA Government.

Even the weather was not an obstacle for him as the open air has served
his roof for 10 months. The former resident of hotel ‘ Erebuni’ was
taken away his only shelter on June 19, 2006 and since then he has
been living in a track, the owner of which wants to sell it.

‘ Before this, I had to live on without water and electricity. All
of sudden, the hotel guards barred the entry into my shelter. I left
all my stuff there.

I begged them to let me take my documents at least, but they
didn’t.’ he complains.

Today, Rudolf Stepanyan sent a letter to Prime Minister which says,

‘ It’s not my fault to live the year of 1989.I ask very little: just
give me the chance of living the last years of my life under my own
roof. Thank you in advance.

Homeless Refugee.’

As a matter of fact, several NGO leaders came to support him.

TURKEY DETAINS 5 MORE IN CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY SLAYING
By Amberin Zaman

Voice of America
April 19 2007

Police in Turkey have detained five more suspects in connection with
an attack against a Christian publishing house in the conservative
eastern city of Malatya. Three employees were killed Wednesday by
knife-wielding assailants, who reportedly said they were acting to
protect Islam. From Istanbul, Amberin Zaman reports for the VOA.

Malatya Governor Halil Ibrahim Dasoz, 19 Apr 2007 Governor Halil
Ibrahim Dasoz says police have arrested five more suspects, doubling
the number of people detained in connection with the attack on the
Zirve publishing house. The publisher distributes bibles and publishes
Christian material.

Dasoz told reporters that no links have been established between
the alleged killers and illegal Islamic groups. The three victims,
two Turkish citizens who were converts to Christianity and a German
Protestant, were found bound to chairs with their throats slit.

Turkish police officers detain a suspect following attack on a
publishing house in Malatya, southeastern Turkey, 18 Apr 2007 Turkish
media said the suspects were mainly students who lived at a hostel
run by an Islamic foundation.

Wednesday’s killings drew sharp protests from EU governments that
have long criticized Turkey over discrimination against non-Muslim
and non-Turkish minorities.

Last year, an Italian Catholic priest was shot dead by an
ultra-nationalist teenager in the Black Sea city of Trabzon. In
January, an ethnic-Armenian news editor, Hrant Dink, was gunned down
by a teenager in Istanbul, raising fears of a concerted campaign
against the country’s tiny Christian community.

The Chairman of Turkey’s Protestant Churches’ Union, Bedri Peker,
told a news conference anti-Christian sentiment has been fostered by
Turkey’s nationalist education system and encouraged by politicians
and the media.

Peker added that Turkey’s Christians have the right to worship freely
and spread their faith through peaceful means, but they are regarded
as what he called "spies and enemies of the state."

Ihsan Ozbek, the pastor of the Ankara-based Kurtulus Church that has
received many anonymous threats, told VOA in a telephone interview
that he blames the murders on a climate of intolerance towards
Christians. He added that no government official outside Malatya has
contacted church officials to offer condolences.

Turkey’s government, led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a
former Islamist, has expressed concern over the spread of Christian
missionary activity in Turkey. Mehmet Aydin, minister of state in
charge of religious affairs, has called missionaries "separatist
and destructive."

There are mounting worries among pro-secular Turks that Mr. Erdogan
will make a bid for the presidency when the incumbent Ahmet Necdet
Sezer steps down in May. Throughout his seven-year term, Mr Sezer,
a former judge, blocked government moves he viewed as a threat to
the secular tenets laid down by the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk.

Mr. Erdogan has not yet announced his intentions, but he has pledged
to remain faithful to Ataturk’s legacy.

RULING PARTY CAMPAIGNS IN SOUTHERN ARMENIA

Arminfo
18 Apr 07

Yerevan, 18 April: The further development of the country for
the next 5-10 years depends on what the next parliament will
look like, Levon Lazarian, a member of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation-Dashnaktsutyun [ARFD] and minister of science and education,
told voters in the towns of Vayk, Yeghegnadzor and Jermuk of Vayots
Dzor Region.

He said that the ARFD has always stood by the people, shared their
hardships, and understood their problems. The party has always checked
its programmes with voters and paid attention to the development of
the country’s regions.

The role of parliament has increased after the amendments made to
the constitution [in 2005] since the cabinet is now formed by the
National Assembly [parliament]. The ARFD’s position has always been
extremely clear – it always gave special importance to social issues,
but all the spheres have been focus of attention since the party is
known in the world as a socialist party.

[Passage omitted: Lazarian praised his party, urged voters to vote
for it.]

ARFD member and Minister of Health Norayr Davidyan said that after he
had been appointed minister in 2003, the ministry started paying more
attention to equipping hospitals in regions. He said that beginning
June 2007, a 49m-dollar World Bank programme will be implemented. Under
the programme, hospitals will be reconstructed and provided with
equipment, as well as doctors will be retrained.

[Passage omitted: Davidyan praised government efforts, urged voters
to vote for the ARFD.]

THE LEADER OF NATIONAL-DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF ARMENIA IS DISGUSTED THAT NOBODY SPEAKS ABOUT ATOMISM OF THE POWER CAMP

Arminfo
2007-04-18 18:58:00

"Nobody speaks about atomism of the power camp but only about separate
participation of the oppositional parties in the election," the leader
of the oppositional National-Democratic party of Armenia Shavarsh
Kocharyan said in Zerkalo club today.

He also added that actually present political field of the country
is unfavourable, but this circumstance must not be used for permanent
touching on the problem of atomism of the local opposition.

Replying to the statements of the leader of the National Accord
party Aram Arutyunyan about idleness of the opposition in the
present parliament, Kocharyan said: "Only because of the position
of the parliamentary majority we could not fulfill such important
legislative initiatives as setting of direct link between salary
of functionaries with the minimal salary size, and many others. At
the same time, positive movement in reforming the Constitution was
conditioned by the fact that many points were copied from the draft
suggested by the National-Democratic party."

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Students’ Association
Babson College
Wellesley, MA
Contact: Levon
Email: [email protected]

Babson’s ASA is sponsoring a movie night on April 23, 2007 at 5pm in
the Olin Hall auditorium. We will show the movie, "Ararat".

Admissions are Free and Free food will be provided.

RF WELCOMES ARMENIA JOINING GLOBAL ANTI-NUCLEAR TERRORISM INITIATIVE

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
April 16, 2007 Monday 04:00 PM EST

Russia welcomes Armenia’s decision to join the Global Initiative
to Combat Nuclear Terrorism and hopes that this country will make
a substantial contribution to its implementation, a Russian Foreign
Ministry official said on Monday.

"Armenia has officially informed Russia and the United States, as
the Global Initiative’s co-chairmen, that it acclaims the Statement
of Initiative principles," the official said.

"We are hopeful that other countries, which share the major goals of
the Global Initiative and actively promote the fight against nuclear
terrorism, will also join the Global Initiative," the official said.

The Global Initiative was proclaimed by the presidents of Russia and
the United States during St. Petersburg 2006 summit of the Group of
Eight, the official reaffirmed.

"Since this event, the Initiative founders (the Group of Eight member
states, Australia, Turkey, China, Kazakhstan, and Morocco) have met
twice, in Rabat and Ankara," the official said.

"In Rabat, the countries approved the Initiative’s basic documents –
statement on principles, and the act on implementation and assessment,"
the official recalled.

"During the second meeting in Ankara this February, the parties
coordinated the action plan for 2007-2008," the official said, adding,
"Ukraine, Greece, Palau, Israel, Macedonia, Cambodia, and Romania
joined the Initiative after the meeting in Ankara."