Author: Chalian Meline

TEHRAN SCOUTS INTEND TO FOUND SCOUT MOVEMENT IN SHOUSHI

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Aug 10 2006

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 10, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. 70
representatives of the scout detachment of the Armenian "Raffi" sports
and cultural complex of Tehran arrived in the NKR to participate in
the "Hayordiner" (Armenian sons) children-juvenile and youth gathering
to take place in Shoushi on August 8-14. As Noyan Tapan was informed
by the "Hayki Serund" (Hayk’s Generation) youth public organization,
60 juveniles and young people from Yerevan, Kapan, Stepanakert and
Shoushi as well participate in the gathering. The "Raffi" complex,
jointly with the "Hayki Serund" youth public organization, organizes
a scout gathering in Artsakh for the second time. According to the
preliminary agreement, the Iranian Armenian group is going to build
a children-juvenile and youth camp in Shoushi. It is envisaged to
found in Artsakh a scout movement as well.

PROMINENT ARMENIAN BUSINESSMAN MURDERED

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS General Newswire
August 9, 2006 Wednesday 12:42 PM MSK

Alexander Givoyev, a prominent Armenian businessman and the head of
a local children’s rights protection organization, was killed on the
highway between Ashtarak and Gyumri on Tuesday.

Police responding to reports of gunfire on the highway found Givoyev’s
body with numerous gunshot wounds, the Armenian Prosecutor General’s
Office press service told Interfax.

The investigators determined that Givoyev, heading for Gyumri with his
family in a Jeep Grand Cherokee, had stopped near a roadside store for
shopping, after which a red Lada car without license plates approached
the jeep and an unidentified gunman fired automatic weapons at the
businessman. Givoyev and the shopkeeper were killed on the spot.

A criminal case has been opened into Givoyev’s murder, and an
investigation is underway.

DOLLAR CAN BE BOUGHT FOR 399 DRAMS

ArmRadio.am
09.08.2006 15:30

The appreciation of the Armenian dram gathered a new speed
recently. On August 9, the dollar’s exchange rate fell below 400
drams: a US dollar can be bought for 398 drams. The exchange rates
of the Russian ruble and the euro are also declining: up to 14.5 and
512 drams respectively. The current dram/dollar exhange rate is an
unprecedented one for the past 12 months.

The price of a US dollar made about 400 drams in November 1994 and
October 1995. It was the first relatively stable exchange rate of the
Armenian currency following the dram’s rapid decline about six months
after its being put in circulation. At the moment of its putting in
circulation (November 1993), the dram’s exchange rate was set at 14
drams against one dollar, which was excessively high as was later
revealed, NT reported.

>From mid 1994, the Armenian dram depreciated against the US dollar
(with some deviations from this tendency). The tendency changed in the
first months of 2004 when the dram started strengthening slowly. The
highest price of the dollar (about 590 drams) was registered in
February-March 2004.

COMMISSION ON ECONOMIC RIVALRY PROTECTION
SUSPECTS SOME FOREIGN CAR IMPORTERS OF FRAUD

Yerevan, August 7. ArmInfo. The State Customs COmmittee of Armenia
reports that 43 companies sold foreign cas in Armenia in 2005. The
leaders were Muran, Megna, Karkomavto, Fora, Armenia-Lada, Eurowagen,
Euromotors, Avangard Motors. 16,741 cars were imported into the
country in 2005 of which 5,525 by companies and 10,947 by individuals.

The press secretary of the State Commission on Economic Rivalry
Protection Armine Udumyan says that legal entities declared only
552 new foreign cars. Hence, the commission suspects them of fraud.
Experts say that some of them fulfilled individual orders but declared
their operations as carried out by individuals.

SPIRITUAL LEADERS OF LEBANON CALL UPON WORLD COMMUNITY TO CONTRIBUTE
TO SOONEST CESSATION OF MILITARY ACTIONS IN LEBANON

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Aug. 7, 2006

YEREVAN, August 7. /ARKA/. Spiritual leaders of Lebanon made an
appeal to the world community to contribute to the soonest cessation
of military actions on the territory of Lebanon, Ambassador of Lebanon
in Armenia Gabriel Zheara told journalists in Yerevan.

"This appeal was announced after a meeting of all religious creeds
of Lebanon, including Christian and Muslim", he emphasized.

Zheara said that the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram
the Ist also took part in the meeting.

He said the appeal of the spiritual leaders of Lebanon completely
reflects interests and the opinion of the Lebanese people.

On August 2 a meeting of the spiritual leaders of Lebanon took place
in Beirut. S.P.–0–

ALL-ARMENIAN FUND LAUNCHES NEW PROGRAMS

Panorama.am
15:06 07/08/06

The All-Armenian Fund keeps on holding construction tenders on a number
of programs in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. The Fund press office
says massive reconstruction and repair of medical clinics will start
in Sisian and Artik soon. Particularly, reconstruction of a hospital
in Sisian, serving 40 000 residents of the town and nearby villages,
will start in early 2007. The tender for the construction, which is
financed by the French branch of the Fund, has finished already.

The best bidder of the tender for Artik program will be announced
soon. A hospital, providing medical services to about 60 000 residents,
will be reconstructed in Artik on the funds donated by the Armenian
community of Great Britain.

Programs are in process in Nagorno Karabakh, too.

Particularly, global programs on revival and development of Martakert
region are implemented.

Construction works have started to ensure water supply to Martakert
and nearby villages Mets Shen and Magavuz.

The construction of 4.865 km section of North-South highway,
Drmbon-Martakert, has also started.

Soon, tenders will be announced for gas supply in the villages
Chldran and Arachadzor as well as for the construction of schools
in villages Verin Khoratakh and Kochokhut, Martakert region, Nagorno
Karabakh./Panorama.am/

ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER WENT ON LEAVE

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.08.2006 15:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan
went on a leave that will last till August 21. As PanARMENIAN.Net
came to know from the RA government’s press office, the RA Premier
will spend his vacation abroad. By Margaryan’s order, his authorities
were temporarily conferred to Minister of Territorial Administration
Hovik Abrahamyan.

19 Cases of death in Armenian Army

ArmRadio.am
02.08.2006 14:46

In 2006 in the armed forces of RA 413 criminal cases are recorded, 302
of which are soldiers’ and 111 others. According to the data of the
Military Office of Public Prosecutor, compared to the same period of
time of the last year the criminal cases are decreased by 32 cases. In
the same period of time this year 19 cases of death were recording,
while last year the number of deaths was 39. In 2006 574 cases of
different degrees of injuries were recorded, and in 2005 the number
of injuries was 477.

CONDUCTOR LORIS CHGNAVORIAN SPEAKS FOR KEEPING RA PRESENT HYMN

TEHRAN, AUGUST 2, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Famous conductor
and composer Loris Chgnavorian sent a letter of complaint to Hasmik
Poghosian, the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Armenia, on
the occasion of change of the RA hymn and the competition announced
for a new hymn. The Tehran Armenian "Alik" daily informs about it,
mentioning L.Chganvorian’s great contribution in 1991 in the affair of
proclaiming the "Mer Hayrenik" (Our Fatherland) hymn as the RA national
hymn. To judge from the letter, L.Chgnavorian presented a claim for
participation in the competition, by sending a little changed variant
of the present hymn ("Mer Hayrenik" Our Fatherland). It is particularly
said in the letter dated for July 26: "Dear Mrs.Poghosian, I address to
You on the occasion of a too important issue for our people, the hymn
of the Republic of Armenia. I propose for the announced competition the
acting "Mer Hayrenik" anthem of the Republic of Armenia and present
attached to the letter the notes and the recording. I propose it as
it has a national and historic meaning.

I want to stress that it has never been sung with the "wretched,
ownerless" ("tshvar, anter") text, but our fighters (fidayi, in
Armenian war of liberation against the Turks) and heros sang it with
the text "everywhere death is one" (amenayn tegh mah mi e) for example
in the 1915 Van heroic war and our May 26 battle, the result of what
is our Armenia of today. It has been the hymn of two republics,
1918 and 1991, and has never been sung with the text "wretched,
ownerless." I must also stress that "Mer Hayrenik" is national and
revolutionary music and has a wonderful soul and stragers are fond
of it as well. I have a hope that pages of the history will not be
changed by competitions.

Giving preference to "Mer Hayrenik" and taking into account that my
colleagues participate in this competition, I want to participate with
them with the work written on my words and music. I present attached
to the letter the notes and recording of my work as well."

EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE SUGGEST ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ARMENIAN-
AZERBAIJANI ORGANIZATION FOR FIRE PREVENTION

Yerevan, July 31. ArmInfo. The issue of fires in the woods on the
Karabakh-Azerbaijan border was discussed during the latest visit of EU
Special Representative in South Caucasus Peter Semneby to the region.

In an interview to ‘Trend’ agency Mr. Semneby said that both the sides
must be interested in a bilateral Armenian-Azerbaijani organization
for fire prevention. He expressed hope that this suggestion will be
considered seriously. To the Special Representative’s opinion this
organization will help to establish contact and trust between the
two sides of the conflict.