Author: Dabaghian Diana

OFFICIAL DELHI APPRECIATES CONSTANT ASSISTANCE OF ARMENIA IN INTERNATIONAL ISSUES
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Aug 31 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Official Delhi
appreciates constant assistance of Armenia to India in international
issues. Rina Pandey, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
of India to Armenia stated about it at the August 31 event taken place
in Yerevan, dedicated to the presentation of the Indian jewelry. In
R.Pandey’s words, “India has had a role of the second Fatherland of the
Armenian Diaspora for a long time, and Indians lived in Armenia still
in the 5th century B.C.” He also mentioned that “the political and
cultural ties between the two countries have always been strong.” The
Ambassador reminded that RA President Robert Kocharian visited Delhi
in 2003, and Vice-President of India Bhairon Singh Shekhawat visited
Yerevan in October, 2005. Other official visits are expected. R.Pandey
also informed that a 16-person song and dance group of India will
participate in the celebration dedicated to the 15th anniversary of
the independence of Armenia.

STATEMENT OF ARMENIA FOUNDATION
Armenia Foundation
Lragir.am
31 Aug 06
At the request of the local bodies Armenia Foundation once again
touches upon the construction of the North – South highway in
NKR. Although the foundation regularly reported to the media about the
construction of the highway, now, in refuting the misinformation by
unconsciencious media, we announce officially that the construction
of the highway goes on normally.
Roadworks are underway on seven sections of the highway
simultaneously. The construction of the 5.2 km section Kichan – Drmbon
finishes soon (contractor Chanshin C.J.S.C.). The construction of
several sections will end soon, and will be operated late this year:
Stepanakert – Karmir Shuka 8.7 km (contractor Karavan Ltd.), Tsakuri
– Hadrut 11.1 km (contractor Vrej Ltd.), Drmbon – Martakert 11.6 km
(Virage Ltd.). the 6.9 km section (contractor Veratsnund Ltd.) and 6.4
km section (contractor Chanshin Ltd.) of Kichan – Drmbon will end at
the end of this year. Raodworks on Azokh – Tsakuri 10 km and Drmbon –
Martakert 4.865 km are underway.
In 2006 Armenia Foundation built 90 thousand sq m of tarmac. In 2006
Armenia foundation signed a 1 m 200 thousand dollar contract with LK &
D International Investment Group to settle the problems connected with
imports of bitumen and help the building companies. Already 1200 tons
of bitumen was imported to Armenia.
As to the problem of quality of construction, such problems may occur
under every circumstance, and when necessity occurs, the foundation
turns to the NKR government and other relevant organizations and
warns contractors. On the whole, the foundation has enhanced control
on the quality of construction.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Dramatic Arts Alliance
22 Concord Lane
Cambridge, MA 02138
Contact: Bianca Bagatourian
Tel: 617-871-6764
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
“THE ARMENIAN DRAMATIC ARTS ALLIANCE SPONSORS A READING OF WILLIAM
SAROYAN’S PLAY HELLO OUT THERE” AT THE ARMENIAN LIBRARY AND MUSEUM OF
AMERICA
On Sunday June 11, 2006 in Watertown, MA, the Armenian Dramatic Arts
Alliance (ADAA), a newly formed non-profit organization dedicated to
projecting the Armenian voice on a world stage sponsored a reading of
one of William Saroyan’s lesser known plays, `Hello Out There’ at the
Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA). The reading was
presented in ALMA’s contemporary art gallery on the 3rd floor of their
museum building and coincided with the exhibit “May name is Bill:
Remembering William Saroyan” in the Terjenian Hall. The play was
directed by Zoya Kachadurian of NYC and starred Paul Shafer, Danielle
Bauman, Jason Taylor, Michele Markarian.
Jacqueline Papasian Kazarian from San Francisco gave an interesting
talk about her `Uncle Bill’ after the reading and a reception followed
for the guests Saroyan is better known for his story “The Daring Young
Man on the Flying Trapeze” and his play “The Time of Your Life”.
Written in 1941, `Hello Out There,’ tells the story of a wandering
gambler who finds himself arrested and jailed in a small Texas town
after a false claim of rape. A young girl who serves as the jail’s
cook is the only person to believe in the gambler. The gambler
ultimately gives all of his money to the girl before a mob, headed by
the husband of the alleged victim, breaks into the jail to kill the
gambler. This play was first produced for the Lobero Theatre in Santa
Barbara. On the 10th of September, 1941, `Hello Out There’ served as
the curtain-raiser to George Bernard Shaw’s `The Devil’s Disciple.’
Sponsoring and supporting readings and productions of Armenian plays
and scripts is at the heart of the Armenian Dramatic Arts Alliance’s
mission to share the Armenian voice. For more information, please go
to

CHINA AND KAZAKHSTAN INTERESTED IN KARS-TBILISI-BAKU RAIL PROJECT
ArmRadio.am
28.08.2006 15:45
China and Kazakhstan are interested in the project of construction
of Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railway bypassing Armenia, “National Interests”
news agency of Kazakhstan reports, referring to Turkish media.
The source notes that the Chinese intend to join the construction
of the railway, which should start in 2007. In case the project
is a success, Turkey will turn into the major transport and energy
corridor linking Europe, Caucasus and Asia. It is supposed that the
railway will transport 20 million tones of cargoes annually. After
the exploitation of the transport network, Kars city will be linked
to Shanghai. The Kazakh agency reports that Turkey connects great
hopes with the Kars-Tbilisi-Baku rail project, which, Ankara is sure,
will fundamentally change the face of the region. The railway will
establish an immediate link between Azerbaijan and Turkey, which
goes in line with the strategy of Baku and Ankara to reinforce the
military-political relations.
To remind, the project will cost $400 million. According to some
Turkish experts, the accomplishment of Kars-Tbilisi-Baku project
will lead to the considerable weakening of Armenia’s and Russia’s
positions in the region.

HUNTSMAN CORPORATION TO CONTINUE IMPLEMENTING CHARITY PROGRAMS IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, AUGUST 24, NOYAN TAPAN. Receiving on August 23 the delegation
headed by Jon Huntsman, the founder and Chairman of the Huntsman
Corporation, RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian attached special
importance to the great assistance shown to the Armenian people by
the coorporation, especially the investments made in the disaster
zone. According to the information submitted to Noyan Tapan by the RA
Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information Department, J.Huntsman briefly
presented the programs implemented in Armenia by the corporation till
now, as well as those projects which they intend to implement in the
nearest future. He, particularly, envisages foundation of a hospital on
examining cancer and allocation of scholarship to people who wants to
get education in the U.S. The Huntsman corporation implements numerous
charity programs in Armenia. In parallel with the assistance shown
by a number of international organizations after the 1988 earthquake,
the corporation implemented numerous construction works in the disaster
zone and donated 2.1 mln U.S. dollars.
During the years after the disaster and till now, the Huntsman family
gave food, clothes, different domestic goods of total cost of 18 mln
U.S. dollars.
Family members paid about 40 visits to Armenia.

OSCE: FIRES IN THE TERRITORIES AROUND NK CAUSED BY WEATHER CONDITIONS
Regnum, Russia
Aug. 22, 2006
The fires in the territories around Nagorno Karabakh have been caused
by weather conditions, says the Personal Representative of the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk. He says that the bigger scale
of fires this year is due to very early heat. At the same time,
Kasprzyk refrains from making conclusions. He says that he is not an
investigator. Besides, he did not see anybody and could not find any
fact revealing the cause of the fires. He says that there have been
fires before though they were not as big.
“I think everybody understands that fires are caused by different
things. It will be enough for you to watch the latest news: fires
in California, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Poland, Spain, Portugal,”
says Kasprzyk.
He says that the Azeri side has already asked the OSCE CIO to set
experts to find out the cause of the fires, reports ArmInfo.
To remind, on June 15, 2006 the Nagorno-Karabakh Foreign Ministry
urged the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE CIO to
hold a monitoring of the contact line with Azerbaijan in order to
give a real assessment of the situation and to see that Azerbaijan’s
charges of arson are just allegations. On July 3-5 the Personal
Representative of the OSCE CIO Andrzej Kasprzyk monitored the border
zone between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan, drafted a seven-page
report and submitted it to OSCE CIO Karel de Gucht, who, in his turn,
presented the report to the Azeri FM.

IN OPINION OF VIASPHERE TECHNOPARK’S DIRECTOR GENERAL, 40-50 PROGRAM-FINANCING VENTURE FUNDS SHOULD OPERATE IN ARMENIA
Noyan Tapan
Aug 21 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 21, NOYAN TAPAN. To promote the formation and
activities of high technology companies in Armenia, it is necessary
that 40-50 venture funds on program financing operate at the same
time in Armenia, and the costs of the programs operating at a loss be
covered at the expense of other projects that make superprofits. Aram
Vardanian, director general of Viasphere Park, expressed this
opinion during a talk with NT correspondent. In his words, 3-4
experts of the technopark have submitted bids to get grants from the
1-mln-dollar venture fund of the Enterprise Incubator Foundation and
Cascade Capital company, which was established by Cafesjian Family
Founadation. A. Vardanian said that these experts signed contracts
with Armenian enterprises to receive assistance with their scientific
developments in order to use them at their enterprises. They also
attended the courses organized in Boston with the assistance of the
US Civilian Research and Development Fund (CRDF) that supports the
venture fund. Bagrat Yengibarian, director of the Enterprise Incubator
Foundation, said that as of late July, 20 projects were submitted to
the Armenian venture fund, 50% of which were from biotechnologists,
40% – from IT experts, and the rest – from scientists engaged in other
spheres. According to him, the fund plans to increase its capital.

“IAC is no longer effective”, Adbashyan Claim
ArmRadio.am
17.08.2006 18:23
The Regulations of the International Aviation Committee (IAC) prevented
from modernization of the aircraft fleet in Armenia, a well-known
aviation worker Dmitry Adbashyan says in an interview with “Iravunk”
newspaper, Arminfo reported.
The IAC registration and certification rules Armenia has got are
contrary to the ICAO codes. “Once, we brought in two planes which we
failed to register. We asked IAC to register them. The ICAO codes
did not require certificate for registering such a brand but IAC
claimed one.
By the way, one article of the IAC codes said that one should have a
certificate for registering such a plane while another article gave
the list of documents one should present to register it and there was
certificate mentioned in it. While the ICAO codes clearly said that
for having his plane registered an owner has just to prove that its
worthiness, with no certificate required,” Adbashyan says.
Reference to the regulations of ICAO did not allow Armenian aviators
persuade IAC of the necessity of certificates for the purchased
planes. They in IAC stated that brand certification is necessary if
a company acquires more than 2 planes. ICAO has no such rule and in
Russia they invested it just to earn money. There are over 500 such
planes in the world, so, according to IAC, it is obligatory to have
their brand certificate.
IAC rules were very much different from the international standards
So, if there are so many contradictions between the IAC and ICAO
rules, which ones Armenia should adopt? “Of course, there are, and
we should adopt the ICAO rules,” says Adbashyan. “IAC is no longer
effective. There is ICAO and we should cooperate with them and,
in some cases, with their European counterparts,” says Adbashyan.
The point in this particular case is not so much if the pilots or the
planes were guilty for the Sochi and Irkutsk crashes. The point is
that IAC – who says that it is exclusively professional structure –
has allowed or, at least, has failed to prevent those cases from being
politicized. In the Armavia case, IAC has failed to professionally
substantiate its position and to prove that its findings are true. And
even if in this particular case IAC is professionally right and fair,
we can still see that it can no longer normally regulate its own
functions and decisions. This proves that it is stagnating, and not
only Russian but also our relevant authorities should do something
about it, “Iravunk” writes.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
08/15/2006
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1. ARF Supreme Council Sets Up Lebanese Relief Fund 2. Kocharian, Putin Discuss Bi-Lateral Relations 3. Turkey Wants Clarity from UN Before Committing Troops to Lebanon Ceasefire 4. Government Reports Continued Growth In Tourism 1. ARF Supreme Council Sets Up Lebanese Relief Fund YEREVAN (Yerkir Daily)--In an announcement issued Tuesday, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Supreme Council outlined efforts to join the international effort to assist in the humanitarian relief efforts for Lebanon by setting up special bank accounts for donations to the relief efforts to the Lebanese-Armenian community. "All communities in the Diaspora have embarked on efforts to assist the Lebanese-Armenian communities," the announcement stressed. "In order to provide assistance to our brethren, the ARF Supreme Council of Armenia has set up special accounts in ArExImBank. For donations in Armenian drams the account number is 2380002225190700 and for donations in US dollars the number is 2380002225190301," the ARF announced. 2. Kocharian, Putin Discuss Bi-Lateral Relations SOCHI, Russia (Armenpress)--Armenian president Robert Kocharian met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin Tuesday in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, where they discussed bilateral relations, including economic and cultural matters, as well as a number of regional issues. Putin highly praised the positive development of cooperation in trade between the two countries and expressed his conviction that Russian-Armenian economic relations will prove successful. Kocharian emphasized the importance of establishing effective cooperation mechanisms in the communication, transport and investment sectors. The two leaders also discussed the successful progression of events in relation to the "Year of Armenia in Russian" program. The delegation Kocharian arrived in Sochi Tuesday to participate in the non-official summit of the Eurasian Economic Association, which will conclude Thursday. Armenia is participating in the summit as an observer. At the airport, Kocharian was met by the governor of Krasnodar province Alexander Tkachov, Russian deputy foreign minister and executive secretary of Eurasian Economic Association Grigori Rapota and Armenian consul in Sochi Vardan Azoyan. Members of the Eurasian Economic Association are Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine have observer status. 3. Turkey Wants Clarity from UN Before Committing Troops to Lebanon Ceasefire ANKARA (Combined Sources)--The Turkish government led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Monday signaled that it will await a UN resolution on a planned international force for Lebanon before making a formal decision on whether  to contribute troops, although the office of the Lebanese prime minister had earlier listed Turkey among the six countries that have already agreed to send troops to bolster the UN force there, the Turkish Daily News reported "A new resolution to be adopted at the UN Security Council in the coming days is expected to bring more clarity" to the terms of the planned deployment, the prime minister's press office said in a written statement following a senior level meeting at the office of the prime minister. At the meeting, Erdogan discussed the conflict with senior government and military officials. Present were Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, outgoing Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok and his successor, Land Forces Commander Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, who takes office next week. However, Gul will travel to Lebanon and Israel Wednesday for a one-day visit to discuss the aftermath of the ceasefire between the two countries, Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. -In the interest of preventing further regional unrest--and mindful of Turkey's violent legacy in the Middle East--the Armenian National Committee of America this week expressed the Armenian American community's opposition to the prospect of Turkish armed forces being deployed between Lebanon and Israel as part of a future peacekeeping operation. In an August 9 letter to President George W. Bush, ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian called upon the Administration to oppose any proposal to include Turkish troops in such a deployment, noting that, "Turkey's presence on Lebanese soil will only make the current situation even worse."  He added that, "as Armenian Americans--the sons and daughters of a people who endured genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Turkish government--we are especially mindful of raising the legacy of Turkey's brutal Ottoman rule over the Middle East and unnecessarily introducing a nation with history of destabilizing behavior into an already complex and highly sensitive region." Stressing that, "Turkey's record of persecution and genocide has left deep scars in the collective memory of the Lebanese people," Hachikian explained that, "it would be immensely insensitive on the part of the United States to promote Turkish participation in an international peacekeeping force that will need every ounce of credibility and goodwill that it can muster in order to succeed in such a highly delicate and challenging mission." Late on Sunday, a statement released by the office of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said Morocco, Indonesia, Italy, Turkey, Spain and Malaysia had agreed to send troops on the condition that "all the Lebanese parties accept their participation," Agence France-Presse reported from Beirut. The Lebanese government's statement followed a telephone conversation between Erdogan and Siniora earlier on Sunday. According a report by the semi-official Anatolia news agency, the conversation took place upon Siniora's request and he informed Erdogan about recent developments following the release of Resolution 1701 of the UN Security Council, under which a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect Monday. The agency's report didn't elaborate whether the two prime ministers talked about Turkey's possible contribution to the planned international stabilization force in Lebanon, while it said that Erdogan and Siniora exchanged views concerning the upcoming process in Lebanon. The Turkish statement described the UN resolution as "an important step to stop the fighting before the crisis in Lebanon reaches more serious proportions and to find a permanent settlement to the problem," adding that "Turkey will consider its possible contributions to finding a permanent resolution to the problem [in Lebanon] in the light of developments. It is expected that a new decision to be approved by the UN Security Council will shed more light" on the peacekeeping force. On Sunday, Foreign Minister Gul reiterated that Ankara would look favorably on sending peacekeepers to southern Lebanon only after a full ceasefire was achieved, while Turkey's expected participation in the international peacekeeping force has also become a matter of debate on the international platform. Pro-Israeli commentators in Washington advocate a leading role for Turkish troops while others, including Britain's Robert Fisk, expressing concern. Fisk, a seasoned left-wing Middle East analyst and a correspondent for The Independent, says a Turkish move to send a contingent to the Lebanon force would be "unwise." He believes the international force plan will not work. Noting that the people of southern Lebanon have not been consulted "about the army which is supposed to live in their lands," Fisk said recently, "So when this latest foreign army arrives, count the days--or hours--to the first attack upon it." 4. Government Reports Continued Growth In Tourism YEREVAN (RFE/RL)--Armenia's tourism industry continued its steady growth in the first half of this year, with the number of foreign visitors rising by 11.6 percent to over 122,500, a senior government official said on Tuesday. Mekhak Apresian, head of the tourism department at the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development, told the Regnum news agency that the figure is expected to total at least 350,000 by the end of the year. The peak period of travel to Armenia usually starts in August and ends in October. According to official statistics, the country already had a record-high 318,000 tourists last year. Most of them are believed to be ethnic Armenians from Europe and the United States. Government officials and industry executives in Yerevan say the share of non-Armenian visitors has been steadily growing in recent years. The reported further growth of the tourism sector is supported by anecdotal evidence, with virtually all hotels in central Yerevan fully booked at the moment. Flying there is also not an easy task despite the increased frequency of flights to the Armenian capital carried out by several major European airlines. President Robert Kocharian reiterated last week that the sector's development is a top economic priority for the Armenian government. Kocharian said the country should be able to attract 500,000 tourists a year in the near future. He also promised more government investments in the still underdeveloped tourism infrastructure in regions outside Yerevan. Local travel agencies say the sector's more rapid expansion is also hampered by the relatively high cost of travel and accommodation in Armenia. Ara Petrosian, deputy minister of trade and economic development, estimated earlier this year that the average foreigner has to spend approximately $1,000 on a one-week stay in the country. 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. --Boundary_(ID_xRX4PDpEn908p6Xp0X2IyQ)--

GERMAN EXPELLEES OPEN CONTROVERSIAL EXHIBITION
Expatica, Netherlands
Aug. 10, 2006
BERLIN – Germany’s movement of former refugees Thursday recalled its
suffering in the aftermath of World War II in a controversial Berlin
exhibition it hopes will become the core collection of a permanent
museum about ethnic purges.
There has been anger in Poland, the Czech Republic and other eastern
nations at the group’s plans for a memorial to 14 million dispossessed
ethnic Germans who fled from eastern Europe in the confusion after
the Second World War.
The 600-square-metre temporary exhibition in the Kronprinzenpalais
museum on Berlin’s central avenue, Unter den Linden, treats the German
experience as just one episode in a century of similar expulsions.
Other photos and souvenirs illustrate the 1915-1917 genocide of
the Armenians in Turkey. The flight of Jews from Nazi Germany and
the “ethnic cleansing” of the 1990s in former Yugoslavia are also
mentioned.
Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski criticized the exhibition as
“an ominous, offensive and sad event.” Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel
Kowal called it an attempt to manipulate history.
The venue is just across the street from the federal German History
Museum, where a temporary exhibition began in May, showing how the
refugees, an impoverished underclass in post-War Germany, struggled
back on their feet.
Erika Steinbach, leader of the German expellees federation BdV, said
Thursday just before the evening inauguration that she was still
planning a permanent Berlin memorial and documentation centre.
The BdV decided several years ago to shift its focus from the German
experience only to the wider pain of the whole 20th century.
Critics have accused the BdV of bias because it insists the expulsions,
which were allowed by the Allied powers, were unjust.
There are also fears that a memorial would undermine the message that
the Holocaust and other Nazi crimes were uniquely reprehensible.
The German government has been wary of the BdV plans, and instead backs
a European network to study expulsion history. The ranking speaker
at the inauguration was a non-cabinet official, Norbert Lammert,
the speaker of the Bundestag parliament.
Bernd Neumann, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s top culture aide, earlier
proposed that the less controversial federal exhibition on post-war
resettlement be made a permanent one.
The BdV exhibition, “Forced Routes, Expulsions in 20th Century Europe,”
runs until 29 October.