Author: Chalian Meline

esctoday.com, Netherlands
Feb 24 2007

Armenia: results of the second semi final

Tomorrow, the Armenian national final will be held. After the first
semi final yesterday, the second heat was held today. Another ten
songs were performed and three were chosen to move forward to the
final, one of them by SMS voting and the further two by a jury who
will eventually decide the winner tomorrow. A ‘wildcard’ was given to
Meri Voskanyan who had two songs in the selection.
The following songs made it to the final:

Hayko – Antime you need (Jury)
Emmi – You’ve done it (Jury)
Karine Asiryan – Your heart is hot (SMS)
Meri Voskanian – Carry me in (Wildcard)

Since Hayko was not only chosen by the jury but also won the SMS
voting, Karine Asiryan who was second qualified. Meri Voskanyan got a
‘wildcard’ because she ‘is popular in Germany and has no relatives in
Armenia’. Actually, The singer has competed in German Idol last year
where she reached the top14. In 2006, she was already announced as
Armenian representative by tabloid BILD, something which turned out
to be untrue.

You can find videos of the songs that qualified yesterday on
eurovision.am here. The other videos will surely be added soon. On
the page, you can also find the lyrics of the finalist entries.

The complete line-up for tomorrow:

Hayko – Antime you need (Jury)
Emmi – You’ve done it (Jury)
Karine Asiryan – Your heart is hot (SMS)
Meri Voskanian – Carry me in (Wildcard)
Arina Hovhannisyan – Colour of my tears (SMS winner)
Asta – My story
Sergey Grigoryan – I am yours (Quonn emm)

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`WE ARE THE OWNERS OF OUR PROPERTY’
[05:18 pm] 22 February, 2007

more images On February 22, the residents of Miasnikyan, Kond and
Kozern districts held an act of complaint opposite the RA Government.

They urged the RA Government to give them the certificates testifying
their right to property. They deem their claim legal as since 1990
(when the expression `zone of alienation’ was not put into circulation
yet) they have applied to the state cadaster and their request has
been turned down on groundless motivations.

`I have lived here since 1940 but so far I haven’t received the right
to property. They don’t want to register none of us. What is to become
of us? They only repeat the same words: lands are sold out, nothing
more’, says Mrs. Anahit, one of the rally participants.

`Under the order of 1998 we were allowed to privatize the property. We
arranged all the necessary documents, went to the municipality, where
we got the answer; `It is already too late, the procedure is frozen’,
tells resident Heghine.

One of the residents of Miasnikyan said that they wouldn’t get
certificates unless they paid for it but as they had neither jobs nor
savings they couldn’t afford them.

As it turns out some of the residents of the disputable areas have
already got certificates on property but the certificates are signed
`zone of alienation’ and therefore are null and void. `It means we are
not the owner of our property. We don’t need such conditions; let them
return us the whole packet. We shall get the compensation in
accordance with the current market prices’, says Manya, a resident of
Kond.

Samvel Lazarian, head of `Community and Right’ NGO, assures that only
Kond and Kozern were officially considered zone of alienation under
the decisions of the Yerevan Municipality; there has been no reference
to other districts.

`We voice hope that the representatives of the government will meet us
and we shall be able to represent our claims,’ noted Samvel Lazarian.

RAFFI HOVANNISIAN IS FOR CREATING A BIG OPPOSITION UNION AND IS GOING
TO NOMINATE HIS CANDIDATURE BY MAJORITARIAN SYSTEM

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23, NOYAN TAPAN. Zharangutiun (Heritage) Party
leader Raffi Hovannisian is going to nominate his candidature at the
forthcoming May 12 elections by majoritarian system. He declared this
at the February 23 press conference. As regards the format of
Zharangutiun Party’s running for the elections, this issue is being
discussed at present and will be cleared up in the coming days.

R. Hovannisian said that he is for creating a big opposition union and
expressed the hope that this union will be established. In his words,
under the conditions of running for the elections independently and
undermining the opposition field it will be more difficult for
citizens to overcome indifference and distrust, to give importance to
their own votes and and to the dictate of struggling for it. "I will
respect the decision of my partners to run for the elections
independently, but this is a great strategic, ideological and civil
mistake," R. Hovannisian said. As the Zharangutiun leader affirmed, if
equal conditions are provided for everybody in the elections, the
opposition will unanimously win. In his words, the rumors coming from
power camp that there is no alternative to the current administration,
are not only false, but scornful for Armenia. In R. Hovannisian’s
words, no format of opposition forces’ running for the elections has
been specified yet. "I cannot speak on behalf of the persons who have
decided to run for the elections independently and I consider
cooperation with all other forces in different ways as possible,"
Zharangutiun’s leader said. In his words, Zharangutiun’s running for
the elections independently is not excluded, but this is considered as
a spare variant.

KAPAN GANDZASAR TO PARTICIPATE IN TURKMENBASHI CUP TOURNAMENT

Noyan Tapan
Feb 21 2007

ASHKHABAD, FEBRUARY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. The "Gandzasar" team of Kapan
left for the capital of Turkmenistan, Ashkhabad, on February 21 to
take part in the Turkmenbashi Cup 13th international tournament.

The prize fund is 35 thousand U.S. dollars. The winning team will get
20 thousand dollars, 2nd prize winners will get 10 thousand dollars,
the 3rd prize winners will get 5 thousand dollars.

The 10 teams participating in the event were divided into 3 sub-groups.

"Gandzasar" is involved in the 2nd group where it will play with the
Turkmenistan "Nebitchi" team on Fevruary 22, and Kazakhstan "Ordabas"
on February 24.

19 football players are involved in the "Gandzasar" staff. Suren
Barseghian, the new coach of the team accompanied them to the
competition place.

ARMENIANS APPEAL TO YEREVAN MAJOR’S OFFICE TO IMMORTALIZE GURGEN MARKARIAN’S MEMORY

Today, Azerbaijan
Feb 21 2007

Alley and museum named after Gurgen Markarian will be opened in
Achanyank community of Yerevan.

Necessary documents have already been presented to Major’s Office.

Gurgen Markarian’s monument is expected to be constructed in the alley.

A lawyer for Gurgen Markarian Nazeli Vardanyan and the director of
"Armenian genocide" Museum-Institute Ayk Demoyan left for Budapest
to attend the trial.

Armenian officer Gurgen Markarian was assassinated by Lieutenant of
Azerbaijani Armed Forces Ramil Safarov in Budapest. Ramil Safarov was
sentenced to life imprisonment on the decision of Budapest court. The
court will consider Ramil Safarov’s appeal on February 22, APA reports
in reference to Regnum agency.

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ARMENIAN CB TO CONTINUE CLEANING COUNTRY’S INSURANCE SECTOR IN 2007

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Feb 20 2007

YEREVAN, February 20. /ARKA/. The Central Bank of Armenia intends
to continue the strategy of cleaning the country’s insurance sector,
reported Tigran Sargsyan at the fourth International economic forum
Bridge 2007 on Saturday.

He pointed out that the CBA is creating a new basis for insurance
companies and begins this activity from cleaning this sector. "Over
the past year we managed to close about 1000 insurance companies
whose activity did not meet our requirements.

In this connection, Sargsyan pointed out that the experience of
cleaning the bank sector proves that "the tougher the regulator’s
actions, the faster develop those under regulation.

"The more banks we close, the higher has been the increase in the
capital of bank sector and amount of credits. Despite the fact that
we closed 10-15 banks a year, the amount of loans provided and the
amount of capital increased twice," he said and added that this is
the main aspect of competitiveness.

The fourth International economic forum was held in the resort town
of Tsakhkadzor on February 17-18, 2007.

BY NKR PRESIDENT’S DECREE, 436 PEOPLE DECORATED WITH ORDERS AND MEDALS ON OCCASION OF DAY OF FATHERLAND DEFENDER

Noyan Tapan
Feb 20 2007

STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 20, NOYAN TAPAN. By NKR President Arkady
Ghukasian’s February 20 decree, Senorik Sedrak Avagian and Vladimir
Mikayel Poghosian were decorated on the occasion of the Day of
Fatherland Defender with the "Martial Cross" of the 2nd category for
the exclusive bravery and personal valour displayed in the affair
of defending the Fatherland. According to the NKR President’s Press
Service, 196 people, 35 of who posthumously, were rewarded with
the medal "For Valour" for the valour displayed in the struggles
for defence of the Fatherland. 238 people were rewarded with the
"Martial Service" medal for the valour displayed during skilled,
brave actions assisting implementation of martial instructions and
when defending the borders of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh.

ARMENIA READY FOR UNCONDITIONAL NORMALIZATION OF TIES WITH TURKEY

Armenpress
Feb 19 2007

PARIS, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS: In an interview with a French daily Le
Figaro published on Monday Armenian president Robert Kocharian said
Armenia is ready to establish diplomatic ties with Turkey without
preconditions and create a joint government commission to discuss
all sensitive issues between the two nations, including the 1915
Armenian genocide.

Robert Kocharian rejected Turkey’s offer to set up a joint panel of
historians to debate the issue and called on Ankara to accept his
suggestion of an intergovernmental commission. "The normalization
of bilateral relations is the responsibility of governments, not
historians," Kocharian was quoted by Reuters as saying.

"That is why we are ready to establish diplomatic relations with
Turkey without preconditions, create an intergovernmental commission
and to discuss all issues, including the most sensitive," he added.

YURI MERZLIAKOV: CONSULTATIONS IN PARIS WERE FRUITFUL

Arminfo
2007-02-20 13:56:00

"The consultations in Paris were very fruitful", the Russian co-chair
of OSCE Minsk Group, Yuri Merzliakov, said commenting on the last
meeting of Co-chairs held Feb 15-16 in Paris.

As the APA Azeri Agency reports, Y. Merzliakov noted that the OSCE MG
Co-chairs had also met in Paris with the Foreign Minister of Armenia
Vardan Oskanyan. According to Merzliakov, this meeting was also very
useful. The diplomat expressed regret in view of the absence of Elmar
Mamediarov at the meeting.

Asked why he did not meet with the Personal Representative of
Azerbaijan’s President for Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Araz Azimov,
Y. Merzliakov said there was no such a request. Moreover, according
to the data of the American Co-chairman, Mathew Bryza, he was not at
the Paris conference.

Commenting on the statement of A. Azimov saying that Armenia recedes
from its position on uncoordinated issues, Y. Merzliakov noted that
Azerbaijan had really put definite questions, however, there was no
definite response from Armenia. I think, it is incorrect to say that
Armenia recedes. We have not yet discussed these issues in details
for it could be possible to agree with his opinion about the retreat
of Armenia", the Russian Co-chair said.

Y. Merzliakov noted once more that the uncoordinated issues at
negotiations have just a technical character. According to him, the
mediators are still working for the meeting of Foreign Ministers of
Azerbaijan and Armenia to be held in the beginning of March.

RIGHTS IN TURKEY

Irish Times
Feb 19, 2007

The Turkish Nobel laureate, Orhan Pamuk, has cancelled a book tour
of Germany and is reported by a colleague to have gone into exile
in New York because of fears for his safety following the murder of
Turkish-Armenian editor Hrant Dink last month. Pamuk’s decision now to
move will bring renewed, unwelcome attention to Turkey as it struggles
to bring its human rights situation into conformity with EU standards.

Three weeks ago Yasin Hayal, the man police say has confessed to
organising Dink’s murder, shouted "Orhan Pamuk, be smart, be smart"
to journalists as he was being led into an Istanbul court. Pamuk’s
friends fear he is high on the target list of ultranationalists who
resent the two men’s support for acknowledgment by Turkey of the
genocidal massacre of Armenians in 1915.

The call last Monday by Turkey’s foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, for
the amendment of the country’s infamous Article 301 is welcome. It
prohibits insults to "Turkishness" or state institutions and was
used in 2006 to prosecute 50 writers. But, though the case against
Pamuk was dropped and many were acquitted, Dink, the editor of Agos,
a bilingual Armenian-Turkish newspaper which promoted reconciliation,
had been prosecuted several times for "insulting Turkish identity"
and in 2006 got a six-month suspended sentence.

In April an Adana court sentenced broadcaster Sabri Ejder Ozic to
six months, suspended pending appeal, for "insulting parliament" by
describing a decision to allow foreign troops on Turkish soil as a
"terrorist act". In September British artist Michael Dickinson was
jailed for two weeks and deported for publishing a collage showing
prime minister Erdogan as President Bush’s poodle.

Ipek Calislar, biographer of founder of the republic Kemal Atat’rk’s
first wife, is on trial under the Law to Protect Atat’rk. In an
interview, Calislar had told an anecdote, supposedly shameful,
that Kemal had put on his wife’s hijab once in 1923 to escape an
armed rival.

Such prosecutions, often at the instigation not of the state but of
nationalist groups, do not normally result in jailings but their effect
is chilling and oppressive on debate and, as Mr Gul acknowledged,
Article 301 is "casting a shadow over the reform process".

Also deeply chilling, as Mr Pamuk’s exile testifies, is the climate of
fear and polarisation in this deeply divided society. A recent poll
showed Turkey’s far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) likely to
become the third largest party in parliament after elections due before
November. Ominously, a majority also opposed the repeal of Article 301.