Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

AZERI PARTY FAILED TO ADMIT OSCE OBSERVERS TO ITS FRONTLINE

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
June 6 2006

June 6, pursuant to an earlier agreement with the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic leadership, an OSCE mission conducted a planned monitoring
of the Nagorno Karabakh and Azeri Armed Forces’ contact line to the
east of the settlement of Seysulan, NKR Martakert region.

The OSCE Chair-in-Office’s Field Assistants Peter Key (the UK) and
Irzhi Aberle (the Czech Republic) conducted the monitoring from the
NKR Defense Army’s positions, NKR MFA reports.

The monitoring passed according to the schedule, no cease-fire
violation was fixed. However, the Azeri party again did not admit
the OSCE observers to its frontline.

>From the Karabakh party the mission was accompanied by the
representatives of the NKR MOD and MFA.
From: Baghdasarian

DO SHAVED HEADS HATE …CHEAP LABOR FORCE

Panorama.am
16:54 06/06/06

Today the vice minister of foreign affairs Gegham Gharibjanyan spoke
about the murder of Armenian nationals in Russia in the Armenian
parliament. “We have delivered our concern to the press secretary
of Russian foreign ministry who is in Yerevan now. The issue is very
serious and we are watchful for the process,” he said.

Gharibjanyan assured that he will discuss the issue with his Russian
counterpart soon. “We will raise the issue during high rank meetings
and we must ensure that such cases are not repeated with our citizens,”
he said. He is sure that Russian chief prosecutor should seriously
engage in inter-ethnic conflicts. He also thinks that former Russian
chief prosecutor was dismissed from his post on that ground.

Replying to the question if it is possible that Russian-Armenian
relations deteriorate because of such cases, Gharibjanyan answered,
“Armenian-Russian relations are not based on several individuals. They
are serious strategic relations.” He also advised not to politicize
the issue since similar problems arise in many countries where cheap
labor force appears.
From: Baghdasarian

NALBANDYAN REACHED THE SEMI-FINAL

A1+
[02:02 pm] 07 June, 2006

In the quarter-final of Roland Garros tennis tournament, one of the
four Grand Slam tournaments, David Nalbandyan beat Nikolay Davidenko
from Russia 6:3, 6:3, 2:6, 6:4. Nalbandyan reached the semi-final
where he will play with the first racket of the world Roger Federer
from Switzerland. The latter beat Mario Anchich 6:4, 6:3, 6:4 in
the quarter-final.

The semi-final will take place on June 9 at 03:00 PM by Yerevan
time. During the last four years these sportsmen have played 11 times
with each other. David won in six of them whereas the other five were
won by Federer.
From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN CHESS PLAYERS ARE THE BEST IN THE WORLD

A1+
[12:57 pm] 05 June, 2006

In the last 13th round of the 37th World Chess Olympiad In Turin the
Armenian chess players tied with the team of Hungary 2:2 and became
the winners of the Olympiad with 36 points. All the four players tied
very quickly as the Armenians needed only one point to be beyond the
reach of China.

The names of the winners are – Levon Aronyan, Vladimir Hakobyan,
Karen Asryan, Gabriel Sargsyan, Smbat Lputyan, Artashes Minasyan and
coach Tigran Nalbandyan. The first four players participated in all
the rounds celebrating a number of impressive victories. And Gabriel
Sargsyan participating in all the 13 rounds gained 10 points which
was a record in the Olympiad.

Congratulations on this unprecedented victory!
From: Baghdasarian

FRANCE SUPPORTS TURKEY CANDIDACY FOR EU ACCESSION

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.06.2006 15:13 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “France supports Turkey’s candidacy for accession
to the EU. Turkey approaching European norms will have an undisputed
stabilizing effect in the region as a whole. Everyone will benefit
from it, first of all Armenia,” French Ambassador to Armenia Henry
Cuny stated in an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net. He said the EU is
a club with clear, detailed rules, which are compulsory for everyone
without exceptions. “Democracy, freedom of expression of opinions,
beliefs, including religious ones, human rights, including national
minority rights, lifting blockades of borders, liberalization of
economy, establishment of normal relations with neighbors are the
core of that club,” Henry Cuny remarked.

As of demonstrations against establishment of monuments to Armenian
Genocide victims in some French towns lately, the diplomat called these
“unacceptable” and “anachronistic.”

“While one of Turkish TV channels showed Ararat film on the events in
1915 with the consent of 71% of the audience, demonstrations denying
the Armenian Genocide were held in France. These demonstrations are not
in line with the evolution of the Turkish mentality,” he underscored.
From: Baghdasarian

RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTER SAYS PEACEKEEPERS ROTATION GOES AHEAD IN SOUTH OSSETIA

NTV Mir, Moscow
31 May 06

[Presenter] Peacekeepers may be deployed in the zone of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in Nagornyy Karabakh, Russian Defence
Minister Sergey Ivanov said today. He is visiting Baku. “The uncertain
situation cannot last forever,” he said. The minister also detailed
the plans to rotate the Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia and
specified the reasons for their stay there.

[Ivanov] As far as our peacekeepers are concerned, they are acting on
the basis of agreements. Speaking of South Ossetia, it is within the
framework of the Joint Control Commission. The agreement to this effect
did not say anything about visas for peacekeepers, and we have no plans
to cancel the rotation. It will be carried out in the same way as it
has been carried out in recent years, through the Roki Pass [Tunnel]

[Presenter ] At least 500 Russian peacekeepers arrived in Tskhinvali
yesterday within the framework of rotation, and the Georgian Defence
Ministry has protested at the arrival. The ministry described the
peacekeepers as criminals because the servicemen crossed the Georgian
border without visas. Besides, the peacekeepers did no go past the
Verkhniy Lars checkpoint, but they used the Roki Tunnel, which,
according to the Georgian side, is a violation of rules.

The joint peacekeeping contingent has been stationed in South
Ossetia since 1992. It comprises Russian, Georgian and North
Ossetian battalions, with 500 men in each. In all the previous years
peacekeepers and hardware arrived in the conflict zone through the
Roki Tunnel.

[Interfax said at 0830 gmt that 500 servicemen of the 526th motor-rifle
Battalion of the 131st Maykopskaya Motor-Rifle Brigade is replacing
the 529th motor-rifle battalion of the same unit.]
From: Baghdasarian

RA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY STARTS PARLIAMENT SPEAKER’S ELECTION

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 1 2006

YEREVAN, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. During the first 20
minutes of the June 1 special sitting, the RA National Assembly adopted
the 23 drafts and legislative packages discussed on the previous
day, the most part of which envisaged amendments and additions to
acting laws. The Parliament started discussion of the issue on the
NA Speaker’s election. On behalf of the “RPA” faction, latter’s head
Galust Sahakian proposed NA Deputy Speaker and RPA Deputy Speaker
Tigran Torosian’s candidature. Hakob Hakobian, a member of the
“People’s Deputy” group elected from Etchmiadzin, according to the
beforehand given promise, proposed Galust Sahakian’s candidature
but the latter presented withdrawal. The only candidate proposed
for the NA Speaker’s post, presented briefly to the Parliament his
approaches concerning the future activity of the Parliament, not
considering purposeful to present his own biography and the working
activity implemented up to that moment. He only mentioned that he
has worked at the Parliament during the recent 7 years and occupied
the Parliament’s Deputy Speaker’s post which has always considered
honourable and obliging for him. According to him, undertaking the NA
Speaker’s post for a short time, he attaches importance to solution
of 3 problems. Those are: full involvement of the constitutional
amendments in the legislation, holding and preparation of coming
elections in correspondence with all the international standards and
creation of a necessary political atmosphere both in Parliament and
out of Parliament. According to T.Torosian, in the case of working
together, it will be possible to create all the necessry bases for
solution of the above-mentioned problems. He also stated that he
had worked jointly with former NA Speaker, Chairman of the “Orinats
Yerkir” (Country of Law) party Artur Baghdasarian for 3 years “in a
peaceful and very effective way,” and he himself would not like at
all that “anybody makes an attempt to interprete presenting of those
questionings as a contrast to that work,” that had been implemented
during the last 3 years.
From: Baghdasarian

FIASCO IN ANTI-CORRUPTION STRUGGLE IN PARLIAMENT

Lragir.am
31 May 06

On May 31 the National Assembly debated and rejected two bills,
which were said by the authors to be steps against corruption. These
bills were introduced by the government, and were supported by the
Republican majority, and were not adopted. One of the bills was on
the declaration of property and income of natural persons, the other
was on imprisonment for tax evasion.

“They speak about anti-corruption policies, transparency,
accountability but the changes to the Crime Code connected with tax
evasion is not passed. The bill on declaration of property and income
of natural persons, which is targeted at people whose monthly income
and salary exceed 500 thousand drams, is not adopted,” said Armen
Alaverdyan, Deputy Chief of the State Tax Agency, to news reporters
after the failure of the bills. Moreover, he says, if adopted, the
law on declaration would be enforced in 2008. Armen Alaverdyan says
the members of parliament demanded to change the bill on imprisonment
for tax evasion.

“We had made it softer, turned the threshold gradual, replaced
three million with six million. Property 40 million. The members of
parliament who did not vote last time, did not vote this time either.

I do not know why. Why are we talking about battling corruption,
pre-election programs and so on? Now shall we battle corruption or
not?” asks Armen Alaverdyan, who was very much upset by the failure
of the bills.

The majority of members of parliament who were, in fact, against
these laws, and either voted against or did not vote at all, explain
their action by the interests of people. They say a farmer does not
earn that much to declare his income and pay taxes. Armen Alaverdyan
thinks that this explanation is false and impertinent. “They blame
farmers for everything. You are sure not to find a farmer whose monthly
income is 500 thousand drams,” says Armen Alaverdyan. He concludes
from the failure of these bills that the members of parliament serve
the interests of people who earn over 500 thousand drams monthly and
are reluctant to declare anything rather than people.
From: Baghdasarian

RUSSIAN MILITARY EQUIPMENT WITHDRAWAL TO ARMENIA NOT TO DESTABILIZE POLITICAL SITUATION IN REGION

Yerkir
31.05.2006 15:25

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – The part of the ammunition being withdrawn to
Armenia from the Russian base in Akhalkalaki (Georgia) cannot lead
to political destabilization in the region, Russian Vice-Premier,
Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov stated at a news conference in Baku
May 30 when commenting on the outcomes of the sitting of the CIS
Council of Ministers.

“For most part impedimenta but not ammunition is being withdrawn,”
Sergey Ivanov said emphasizing that Russia doesn’t violate the
obligations undertaken within the Conventional Armed Forces in
Europe Treaty.

The Russian Minister noted that the major part of the equipment is
being withdrawn from Akhalkalaki to Russia via Azerbaijan. “As for the
Batumi base, the terms of its withdrawal will be determined later,”
Ivanov resumed.
From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN INTERNET COMMUNITY OFFERS KOMMERSANT DAILY TO APOLOGIZE FOR MISINFORMATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
29.05.2006 14:07 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ As it was reported earlier, Russian magazine
Kommersant Dengi (¹19) affixed a booklet advertising Turkey’s places
of interest. In addition the readers found a CD with a 70-minute
film about the “Turkish genocide perpetrated by Armenians”. As
reported by the Yerkramas, the newspaper of Armenians of Russia,
the Armenian Internet Community (, ,
forum.hayastan.com and others) launched a protest action and offered
all people concerned to write a letter to the magazine editorial office
with a suggestion to apologize for having spread false information.

The numerous letters sent to the Kommersant Dengi say that
“the Armenian Diaspora of Russia is one of the biggest in the
world. Armenians have worked for Russia’s welfare for centuries. The
Republic of Armenia is Russia’s strategic partner and the two states
enjoy allied relations. An anti-Armenian action of the kind carried
by Turkey through your edition cannot but arouse discontent among
the Armenian population of Russia. We appeal to you with a request
to apologize to the readers for having spread information that does
not correspond to historical reality and offends the feelings of the
heirs of the Armenian Genocide victims. The denial of the Armenian
Genocide is actually equal to complicity in the crime.”

–Boundary_(ID_xyf1Esl46eD8l0u+k90P9A)–
From: Baghdasarian