Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

Azerbaijan ready for another meeting with Armenians – official
ANS TV, Baku
4 Aug 06
[Presenter] Baku has not received an official proposal on a new
meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers after
the meeting in France of the OSCE Minsk Group, which is mediating
a solution to the Karabakh conflict. If the co-chairs have such a
proposal, we can consider it, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has
said. A joint statement, issued at the end of the Paris meeting of the
co-chairs, called on the foreign ministers to meet in Prague in autumn
[2006]. Mammadyarov also commented on the plan to hold a referendum on
the status of Karabakh simultaneously with the withdrawal of Armenian
troops from the occupied Azerbaijani lands. The minister believes
that it is impossible.
[Mammadyarov, speaking to journalists] If the process continues within
the framework of any opinion poll or democratic process, Azerbaijanis
must return to Nagornyy Karabakh first. You yourselves heard that
the US co-chair also confirmed that if we wanted to see some progress
within the democratic framework, Azerbaijanis must return to Nagornyy
Karabakh first. Sometimes they talk about some Nagornyy Karabakh
people. What people is it? They are the same Armenians. Azerbaijanis
also lived there and they must return there first and live in normal
conditions, because you cannot send someone to a polling station at
gunpoint. The potential of negotiations has not run out. We are ready
for this. If the co-chairs propose a new meeting, Azerbaijan is ready
for it.
From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN STUDENT CREATES LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES
BYU Newsnet, UT
Aug 3, 2006
By Elizabeth Watts – 3 Aug 2006
Vahe Babayan loves gettin into his work. In his second semester in
the BYU Bookstore framing department he mostly enjoys working with
the customers and his fun boss.Hearing students grumble about the
walk to campus from home or distant parking lots is not uncommon, but
Vahe Babayan was grateful to be able to walk from University Avenue
to Utah Valley State College without fear of being arrested.
“For three days I walked to UVSC, where I was going to school at that
time, and then I would walk home after class,” said Babayan, an
Armenian BYU student who spent years in Russia. “All I knew was that
I lived by the mountains, so I walked toward them to find the house I
was staying at until I got used to the area.”
After growing up in a country where he was not always free to go
where he wanted to go; this long walk was refreshing to
Babayanbecause it meant he had more freedom.
Over the past 25 years of his life, times have not always been easy,
but Babayan learned from his experiences and is grateful for what he
has been given. His gratitude toward the U.S. continues to grow from
experiences and the life perspective he has developed from them.
“Life is a beautiful thing. You don’t have to be beautiful to live
life,” Babayan said, “What eyes you see life with depends on you.”
After receiving his I-20 visa to allow him to attend school in the
U.S., Babayan moved here on Jan. 3, 2004 – a date he will always
remember because it was a major day in his life when many
opportunities were opened to him.
He said the U.S is a great country and he would like to work with the
government after finishing school in order to allow others to have
the freedoms he has experienced. He is very passionate about the U.S.
and the freedoms he has been given while being here.
“Great people came to the U.S. and created what it is now,” Babayan
said. “I am appreciative that people like me can come here to create
my own life and I will do what ever I can to defend it.
Babayan is originally from Yerevan, Armenia. However, at age 15 he
moved to Moscow to attend school and play soccer.
Moscow gave Babayan a greater opportunity to gain an education and
provided better living standards, but it also had its difficulties.
In Moscow there is a lot of prejudice resulting from conflicts
between Russia and other countries. Babayan said the police in Moscow
would think he was a terrorist because of his darker skin. The legal
system has some corruption there and he was arrested at least twice a
week for suspicions the police had.
“To avoid being arrested, I would try to be home before dark and knew
the areas the police would always be at,” Babayan said.
Babayan was first introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints after his father met missionaries for the church on
the street in Moscow and invited them to his house. Babayan was
baptized into the church along with his mother and brother when he
was 17.
Babayan later served in the Romania Moldova Mission for the church.
While he was on his mission, he formed relationships with many of his
close friends now at BYU who influenced him to come to the U.S.
BYU student Ryan Divine met Babayan in Moldova where they served
together. Divine said Babayan did not speak English and had just
started serving his mission, so he did not speak Romanian well
either. They did not have a common language to speak to each other,
but they bonded from the start.
In order to communicate they would use hand gestures and show each
other pictures of what they were talking about.
An experience Divine remembers from the mission was on a preparation
day during lunch when they were playing soccer. Divine watched as
Babayan walked away from the soccer game to talk with two young boys
and give them the three oranges they had for their lunch.
Babayan said when he saw the boys he remembered being young and not
having much. He felt that he could relate with the boys.
Finding oranges in Moldova was hard and they were expensive. He knew
the boys had not had an orange before, so he wanted them to be able
to have the oranges.
Divine said he was able to learn from Babayan’s actions and told
other missionaries playing soccer with him, “We will learn more from
him than we will ever be able to teach him.”
Coming from a different culture helps Babayan to stick out in Provo.
Everyone around where he lives knows him. Divine said the reason for
his popularity is that Babayan is a fun person to be with, but he is
also refreshing to be around, since he has a different view point of
the world.
A friend and past roommate of Babayan has known him for two years,
and said he feels it a pleasure to know him.
“He leaves an impression and is infectious,” said BYU student Shane
Mount. “Vahe would do anything for someone who needs help, but will
not ask anything of you.”
When moving into the apartment, there were not enough beds for
everyone. Babayan put his bed in Mount’s room before he moved in and
made himself a bed on the floor that he slept on for the rest of the
year. Mount said Babayan refused to take the bed back.
“Vahe has such a good example of integrity and everyone should get to
know him, everyone,” Mount said. “He is that good of a guy.”
From: Baghdasarian

OVER 13 YEARS UN’S WFP PROVIDES ASSISTANCE OF 75 MLN USD TO ARMENIA
YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, NOYAN TAPAN. Since 1993 when the United Nations’
World Food Program (WFP) started operating in Armenia, it has made
a significant contribution to the community development through
investments aimed at improving the food provision to socially
vulnerable groups in Armenia, including refugees, and developing the
country’s infrastructures and human potential. The Armenian Prime
Minister Andranik Margarian stated this when receiving on August 2
the delegation headed by the WFP’s Executive Director James Morris.
According to the RA Government Information and PR Department,
the delegation is in Armenia within the framework of its regional
visit. A. Margarian said that the assistance provided by the WFP
before the first quarter of 2006 amounted to 75 mln USD in the form
of 134 thousand tons of humanitarian food, which was supplied to
200 thousand needy persons annually on average. The prime minister
considered it important that since mid 1999, the special assistance
programs were replaced with long-term assistance and restoration
programs. In case of some programs such as the food-for-work
project, the problem of temporary employment is solved, which is
also psychologically important for vulnerable groups. During the
meeting, the sides also spoke about the consequences of the drought
in some regions of Armenia. A. Margarian asked that if possible, some
assistance be provided to mitigate the drought’s consequences. James
Morris expressed his satisfaction over the process of WFP programs’
implementation in Armenia, noting that during the visit he went to Lori
and Tavush marzes to see the work being done there. Speaking about the
cooperation with the Armenian government, particularly with the WFP’s
partner – the RA Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, he considered
it as quite successful. J. Morris pointed out that he is impressed by
the Armenian government’s efforts aimed at economic growth and poverty
reduction and expressed a willingness to continue the cooperation to
make it more comprehensive and efficient in the coming years.
From: Baghdasarian

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
08/02/2006
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1. Christian and Muslim Leaders Appeal for Immediate Cease-Fire 2. Homenetmen Pan-Armenian Jamboree Begins in Armenia 3. Armenian Community In Rostov Condemns Church Desecration 4. Minsk Group Co-Chairmen Meet in Paris 5. Extent Of 'Victory' In Kodori Offensive Unclear 1. Christian and Muslim Leaders Appeal for Immediate Cease-Fire ANTELLIAS, Lebanon--His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great See of Cilicia Tuesday joined Lebanon's spiritual leaders to call for an immediate cease fire and urge the international community to monitor the crisis more seriously. The conference, which was held in Bekerkeh region of Lebanon, was attended by Christian and Muslim leaders and carefully examined the current military crisis afflicting Lebanon. "This is the true Lebanon; this togetherness of Muslim and Christian Spiritual leaders concretely manifest the real image of Lebanon. This very meeting by itself is a living message. It is a message of the crucial importance of coexistence; it is a message of peace with justice; it is a message of compassion tolerance and mutual respect. In fact, violence is not the way to solve problems. Dialogue, mutual understanding and compromise based on justice and peace for all, is the most efficient way of dealing with complex issues and situations," Aram I told the press after the conference. "Together with one voice in our joint declaration we appealed for immediate cease-fire and cessation of all hostilities. We expressed our full support to all actions and initiatives taken by the government of Lebanon. We emphasized the importance of the expansion of the state's authority over all the territories of Lebanon. It is our firm expectation that international community and particularly the United Nations will act decisively to stop violence and help Lebanon to recover itself," added the Catholicos. 2. Homenetmen Pan-Armenian Jamboree Begins in Armenia BIURAKAN, Armenia--More than 650 scouts representing 16 countries gathered at a campsite Monday for the opening of the 8th pan-Armenian scouting jamboree organized by Homenetmen. Present at the opening ceremonies for were chairman of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau Hrand Markarian, Primate of the Argadzotn Diocese Rev. Torgom Donikian, members of the Homenetmen Central Executive and other guests. At the beginning of the inaugural, representatives from each country participated in a flag ceremony where the flags of each guest country was raised. This was followed by the raising of the Armenian tri-color and the Homenetmen flag. This impressive ceremony was followed by a message delivered by Lucine Kazezian who spoke on behalf of the Homenetmen Lebanon Regional Executive, expressing disappointment that its members were unable to participate in this event due to the continuous bombing of the country by Israel. Kazezian explained that despite months of preparation and excitement, the scouts from Lebanon were unable to attend, adding that while they were not physically present at the jamboree each and every scout in Lebanon was there with heart and soul. Hratch Shmavonian, chairman of the Homenetmen Armenia (HASK) Regional Executive welcomed all the participants and expressed hope that this jamboree will, once again, become an opportunity to create new memories. Following remarks by jamboree director Alec Khatchatryan, who underscored the important role of gatherings such as the jamboree in the lives of young Armenians, ARF Bureau chairman Markarian welcomed the participants. In his remarks, Markarian stressed that the mission of the Homenetmen and the ARF did not differ from one another, stressing that the Homenetmen has an important mission in Armenia as the nation continues to become strong country. By comparing Homenetmen to a volunteer army, Markarian underscored the important role the organization plays throughout the world in bringing together Armenians and especially the Armenian youth. On behalf of the Homenetmen Central Executive, Garbis Kabasakalian highlighted the significance of being able to convene the jamboree in Armenia as the most natural setting for the organization since its mission of bringing Armenians together is fully realized when its scouts gather in the homeland. After the convocation by Primate Donikian, the jamboree officially began, with the participating scouts each beginning to take part in the various activities. The jamboree will conclude on Wednesday, August 9, at which time the participants will tour Armenia. 3. Armenian Community In Rostov Condemns Church Desecration ROSTOV, Ukraine (Armenpress)--Armenian intellectuals and community leaders Wednesday condemned the desecration of Holy Cross Armenian Church in Rostov, Ukraine and an attempt to burn down the Russian-Armenian friendship situated inside the church. Unknown assailants Monday reportedly desecrated the temple and tried to burn it. Failing to enter the church they broke and burnt the windows and sprayed the slogans "white justice has come" and "Russia is for Russians" on the church walls. A meeting was held Tuesday at the Armenian Consulate General in the Southern Russian, during which Consul General Ararat Gomtsian condemned the act of vandalism and read a message directed to the town and provincial authorities, as well as to law-enforcement bodies. The message demands that the persons responsible for this be found and punished. The Russian-Armenian Yerkramas newspaper reported that the director of the Rostov regional monuments protection agency Alexander Kozhin said "the desecration of historic monuments is terrible." He added that the Holy Cross Church was the only architectural monument in Rostov that date back to the 18th century. 4. Minsk Group Co-Chairmen Meet in Paris PARIS--The US, French and Russian Co-chairmen of the OSCE Minks Group were joined by the special representative to the chairman in office of the OSCE Wednesday to discuss the Karabakh peace process, following the recent by the US Co-chair Matthew Bryza to the region. Bryza briefed his Russian and French counterparts Yuri Merzlyakov and Bernard Fassier Yuri, as well as the OSCE Chairman in Office representative Andrzej Kasprzyk about his recent visit to Yerevan, Stepanakert and Baku. Sources close to the discussion stated that the Minsk Group leaders are expected to recommend a meeting between Armenian foreign minister Vartan Oskanian and his Azeri counterpart Elmar Mammedyarov to be held in Prague. In Yerevan, director of political affairs for the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Giro Manoyan told the Hayots Ashkhar daily that Bryza's visit to the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic could be viewed as an indication that the Minsk Group was considering to bring back Stepanakert into the negotiating process. Manoyan told the newspaper that before agreeing to a future referendum of independence in Karabakh, the Armenian side must make sure that Azerbaijan would not be able to thwart the vote or reject its results. "If the parties agree to hold a referendum clarifying Karabakh's status three or five years after signing an accord, it must be made clear that in case of a failure to hold it for any reason Karabakh will automatically become a part of Armenia," he says. Meanwhile, the human rights group Refugees for International Law, in a letter, appealed to the OSCE Co-chairmen to include the issue of Armenian refugees displaced by Azeri ethnic cleansing efforts in Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan within the ongoing negotiations. In the letter, the organization pointed out that the status of the 500,000 Armenian refugees from the Baku and Sumgait pogroms in the late 1980's and early 1990's, as well from ethnic cleansing operations in Nakhichevan at that time needed to be a part of the Minsk Group peace process agenda. "From the legal point of view the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is the only legal successor of Soviet Azerbaijan. We believe a partial resolution of the issue would be if Karabakh citizenship were granted to the Armenian refugees in territories outside Karabakh boundaries but within its jurisdiction today," stressed the human rights organization's appeal. Similar letters have been sent to leaders of both Armenia and Azerbaijan by the same group. 5. Extent Of 'Victory' In Kodori Offensive Unclear PRAGUE (RFE/RL)--Georgian officials have sought to present last week's incursion into the Kodori Gorge as a major territorial gain. But such claims gloss over the Georgian failure to apprehend former Kodori Governor Emzar Kvitsiani, whose defiance of the Georgian authorities served as the catalyst for what Tbilisi claims was simply a police operation. Speaking on national television on July 28, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said that Georgia now "directly controls a very important strategic part of the territory of Abkhazia," and will "establish Georgian jurisdiction and constitutional order in the heart" of that breakaway region. "We have a good army in Georgia. They are really good boys...but the commander...is an idiot. He knows nothing about military strategy." -- Kvitsiani Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili said the same day that "practically the whole of the gorge is under the control of the police." Such claims are, however, an exaggeration, insofar as Georgia has merely extended its control over the upper reaches of the gorge -- formerly a no-man's-land controlled by Kvitsiani's Monadire (Hunter) militia -- as far as the border between Abkhazia and the rest of Georgia. Kristian Bzhania, a spokesman for Abkhaz President Sergei Bagapsh, derided the Georgian claims, telling regnum.ru that "we have another word for what Saakashvili calls the heart." Bagapsh himself warned when the Georgian forces first entered Kodori that he would mobilize his army if the Georgian contingent actually advanced onto Abkhaz territory. Saakashvili and Okruashvili praised the conduct of the Kodori operation, which was supervised by Okruashvili and Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili personally as both army and Interior Ministry troops took part. (Okruashvili subsequently clarified the division of responsibilities between the Defense and the Interior ministries, saying that the latter carried out the operation and the armed forces merely provided "logistical support," according to "Novye Izvestia," as cited on August 1 by apsny.ru.) Former Governor Emzar Kvitsiani (InterPressNews, undated)US military personnel in Georgia described the Georgian troops' performance to one Washington analyst as less than stellar, noting that morale among the Georgian servicemen was not good and that at one point the operation was halted due to "inclement weather conditions." The Russian newspaper "Vedomosti" on July 28 likewise quoted unnamed "experts" as saying the Georgian military is not yet professional enough to conduct large-scale operations. Former Kodori Governor Kvitsiani, who managed to evade the advancing Georgian troops and whose current whereabouts are unknown, was particularly scathing. He said in video footage broadcast on July 30 by the independent Georgian television channel Imedi that claims that his fighters were surrounded were "laughable." Kvitsiani claimed that the Georgian troops "do not know the area and cannot read maps.... We have a good army in Georgia. They are really good boys...but the commander...is an idiot. He knows nothing about military strategy." Russian experts have pointed out that even if, as Abkhaz presidential envoy to Gali Raion Ruslan Kishmaria has alleged, Georgia is deploying more troops to the upper reaches of the Kodori Gorge with the aim of advancing into the lower reaches and attacking Sukhum, the Abkhaz capital, such an offensive is fraught with risk. "Izvestia" on August 1 quoted an unnamed Russian general as saying that "starting a campaign in Kodori in summer would be suicidal." He pointed out that the mountains are covered in foliage, providing the enemy with excellent cover, and that it would be virtually impossible to use armor or heavy artillery. A Russian military analyst similarly noted that at one point the gorge narrows to the point that two platoons of Abkhaz special forces could easily block any further Georgian advance. Georgian First Deputy Foreign Minister Valeri Chechelashvili said on July 31, however, that Tbilisi has no intention of using Kodori as a bridgehead to advance further into Abkhazia. And Abkhaz President Bagapsh apparently sees no danger of such an advance at this point. Bagapsh told volunteers from the North Caucasus on August 1 that there is no need at this juncture to mobilize the entire male population of Abkhazia, Caucasus Press reported, although he added that "there are people within the Georgian government whose ambitions are so high they are incapable of rational decisions." But Abkhaz Defense Minister Lieutenant General Sultan Sosnaliyev told Interfax on August 1 that Tbilisi is secretly replacing the Interior Ministry troops deployed to Kodori with regular military personnel -- a claim that has not been verified. The Russian Foreign Ministry released a statement on July 31 demanding the immediate withdrawal of all Georgian forces from Kodori. That statement warned that the Georgian authorities' actions risk fueling tensions and provoking an unanticipated "confrontation." Meanwhile, Okruashvili responded on July 31 to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov's demand for international monitoring of the Georgian troops in Kodori by saying Tbilisi would consent only after international military experts have been allowed to inspect the former Russian military base in Gudauta, Abkhazia. Under an agreement signed in November 1999, Moscow undertook to withdraw its troops and materiel from that base by July 1, 2001, but the Georgian government claims that some Russian personnel are still there. Whether Okruashvili is trying to buy time in order to prepare for a new offensive is as yet unclear. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2006 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets. From: Baghdasarian

Novelist takes on Turkish ‘taboo’
Arizona Republic, AZ
July 30, 2006
University of Arizona Professor Elif Shafak has a freedom problem.
She used the freedom of speech to exercise the freedom to tell
her truth.
But by doing so, she may have cost herself, well, her freedom.
advertisement
Shafak, a 35-year-old native of Turkey, is waiting to stand trial
in Istanbul on charges of “insulting Turkishness.” A trial date has
not been set. The reputed insults appear in her novel The Bastard of
Istanbul, written in English but translated into Turkish and published
in Turkey on March 8. The book is already a bestseller there.
The problem comes down to a disagreement about what happened to the
Armenian population living in Turkey in 1915. Ethnic Armenians say
Turkey killed up to 1.5 million of their people during a genocidal
war that lasted about eight years.
The International Association of Genocide Scholars, the definitive
body of researchers who study genocide, has affirmed the historical
fact of the Armenian Genocide. Polish jurist Raphael Lemkin, when
he coined the term genocide in 1944, cited the Turkish extermination
of the Armenians and the Nazi extermination of the Jews as defining
examples of what he meant.
A character in Shafak’s book talks about “genocide survivors who lost
all their relatives in the hands of Turkish butchers in 1915.”
In a telephone interview from Turkey, Shafak said that “the Armenian
Question is one of the biggest political taboos in Turkey.”
Though she hasn’t been jailed and is free to do what she wants,
Shafak has endured weeks of interrogation by a Turkish prosecutor.
She was indicted under Turkey’s Article 301.
That law states that “a person who publicly denigrates Turkishness,
the Republic or the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, shall be
punishable by imprisonment of between six months and three years.”
Shafak calls it “a huge obstacle in front of freedom of expression”
in her native land.
So does the European Union, which has repeatedly warned Turkey that the
existence of the law could hinder its chance to become an EU member.
“The biggest danger concerning the article is its vagueness,” Shafak
said. “It penalizes those who ‘defame Turkishness’ but what exactly
that means, no one knows. The article is so vague, it is open to
interpretations and therefore, misinterpretations.”
Many authors, publishers and journalists have been charged under
Article 301.
What’s unusual about Shafak’s case is that she has been indicted
for writing a work of fiction. The ultranationalist lawyers have
specifically singled out Armenian characters in the book for
denigrating Turkishness.
One of Turkey’s newspapers even asked, “Are you going to bring
fictional characters into court?”
Minister Counselor Tuluy Tanc of the Turkish Embassy in Washington,
D.C, points out another element of uncertainty in implementing
Article 301.
“In the last paragraph it says that expressions of opinion made for the
purpose of criticism cannot be a crime. If the purpose is criticism,
then that’s all right. It’s a good point: What’s the difference?”
Tanc, too, said the law is too general.
But, Tanc said, just as the Turkish government does not view
what happened to the Armenians in 1915 as genocide, the Turkish
government does not view Article 301 as the suppression of the
freedom of speech. Despite acknowledging the international criticism
of Article 301, he said that due to the separation of powers under
Turkey’s democracy, “the government cannot comment on its merits. The
Parliament has passed it. The courts that interpret this are also
entirely independent of Parliament. Anything I would say would be an
invasion of their duties.”
Tanc added that Turkey is not concerned about the criticism of
Article 301.
A Turkish court convicted an Armenian-Turkish journalist in February
under that law. He received a suspended six-month sentence.
Tanc said case law will determine how Shafak’s and others’ indictments
are handled.
Authors, artists, scientists and professors in the United States and
around the world are campaigning for the charges against Shafak to
be dropped.
Shafak appreciates the international community’s passion for her cause.
Yet, she emphasizes that it is precisely because Turkey’s culture is
becoming more progressive that this tension between ultranationalist
and democratic forces has arisen.
Shafak urges those outside Turkey to ally themselves to the
progressives within her country to propel democracy forward. She
cautions people not to paint all of Turkish society black.
“This is precisely what the Turkish ultranationalists want. They
want to increase the distance between Turkey and the Western world
by defining them as mutually exclusive. We need to prove them wrong
by building more and more intercultural dialogues that transcend
nationalist and religious boundaries.”
For discussion on this article, go to
of0730.html
From: Baghdasarian

WORLD BANK CITES WIDESPREAD CORRUPTION IN ARMENIA
AssA-Irada, Azerbaijan
July 26, 2006 Wednesday
Corruption and bribery in Armenia has increased compared to previous
years, the World Bank said in a recent report. A survey conducted
among representatives of numerous private companies of the country
suggests that Armenian companies continued to give bribes last year,
the WB Yerevan office said. Armenian customs and taxation bodies
are the most corrupt, as businesspeople and potential investors
continue to face serious problems in this area and are regularly
prompted to give bribes, according to the study. Corruption is also
ingrained in the judiciary field, although its levels remain unchanged
compared to 2002, the WB said. The World Bank experts indicated that
corruption poses serious risks to business in Armenia, Tajikistan
and Uzbekistan. The reforms in Armenia, Russia and Albania carried
out in 2002-2005 to solve the problem were very slow. The cases of
corruption are widespread in the registration of companies in Armenia,
Russia and Moldova, the report said. The WB research of this kind is
conducted in 26 countries and Turkey three times a year.
From: Baghdasarian

UN WFP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JAMES T. MORRIS TO VISIT ARMENIA
Armenpress
YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS: A delegation led by the United Nations
World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director James T. Morris is due
to travel to Armenia on 1-3 August, at the invitation of the Armenian
Government, the WFP Country Office in Armenia informed Armenpress.
During their two-day stay, the high-ranking WFP officials will
visit WFP project sites and meet with the Armenian authorities. WFP
first began operations in Armenia in 1993. To date, it has mobilized
137,840 metric tons of food assistance and fed on average 220,000
people a year.
From: Baghdasarian

A WEEK OF ARMENIAN FILMS TO BE HELD IN SAO-PAOLO, BRAZIL
Yerevan, July 25. ArmInfo. On September 19-24, during celebrations
dedicated to the 15-th anniversary of the independence of the Republic
of Armenia, a week of Armenian films will be held at the Cultural
Complex of Sao-Paolo, Brazil.
The press center of the Armenian Foreign Ministry films by Sergey
Parajanov, Harutiun Khachatrian, Vigen Chaldranian, Albert Mkrtchian
and Ruben Kochar will be demonstrated to the Brazilian public. Films
from the Armenian diaspora will be represented by the works of Atom
Egoyan, Henry Vernoy and Robert Keshishian.
According to information received the event will be organized by
the Foreign Ministry of Armenia, Culture Ministry of Armenia and the
Culture Department of Sao-Paolo City Administration.
From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN MINISTER OF JUSTICE HAS NO PLANS TO BECOME A PRESIDENT
Panorama.am
14:46 25/07/06
Armenian minister of justice David Harutunyan shared his political
plans with reporters today, saying he does not intend to become the
president of Armenia.
Harutunyan said there are a number of newly establishing parties
which he may think to team up with when asked if he may join Gagik
Tsarukyan’s new party “Prosperous Armenia.” However, he also said
there are a number of other parties he will definitely not join.
The minister refrained to share his political priorities promising
to inform reporters about it when he decides on his next step. “If I
decide to stay in politics, I will definitely team up with a party,” he
said, also saying he has already made up his mind to stay in politics.
Harutunyan informed the reporters that he is not going to create
his own political movement, saying “this notion has lost its value
in Armenia.”/Panorama.am/
From: Baghdasarian

EU Special Envoy for the South Caucasus paying a two-day visit to Armenia
ArmRadio.am
24.07.2006 11:05
EU Special Envoy for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby is in
Armenia. During the two-day discussions with the leadership of
the Republic reference will be made to Armenia-European Union
bilateral relations, the current stage of settlement of the Karabakh
conflict. Today RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan and Peter Semneby
will give a joint press conference.
From: Baghdasarian