Author: Dabaghian Diana

ARMENIA’S COOPERATION WITH EUROPEAN STRUCTURES SHOULD ISSUE FROM ITS DESIRE
PanARMENIAN.Net
01.06.2006 15:19 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Approaching European standards for closer cooperation
is determined by the programs by means of which it takes place,
French Ambassador to Armenia Henry Cuny stated in an interview with
PanARMENIAN.Net. In his words, the European Neighborhood Policy,
EU-Armenia Action Plan aim at promoting this cooperation, but this
can by no means take place against Armenia’s will.
“As of the bilateral cooperation, France actively participates in such
priority cooperation fields as education. I must specially note that
the largest French university outside France is situated in Armenia. We
also cooperate in tourism and health,” the French diplomat said.

ARMENIAN MONUMENT FOUND DURING EXCAVATIONS IN AGHTAMAR ISLAND: TURKS KEEPS SILENCE ABOUT ITS BEING ARMENIAN
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 1 2006
ISTANBUL, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. A monument dated of
June 1, 1884 was found during the excavations implemented near the
church of the Akhatamar Island in Lake Van. Mete Tozkoparan, the
Director of the Van museum informed that excavations were started
from the church garden, near the monks’ house, and numerous rooms
coming next to each other were found out in this territory. “A marble
stone-monument was found during the last excavations in a territory
consisting of six rooms, and the monument shows that a college
established to prepare clergymen existed in that territory. It is
written on the stone that the college was opened on June 1, 1884 by
Khachatur Rshtuntsi, one of Catholicoses of that period of time,”
Tozkaparan stated. The Director of the Van museum considers notable
the fact that the monument, besides giving information about details of
building of the college, contains “expressions of gratitude” addressed
to sultan of that period of time Abdul Hamid II for his permission,
assistance and support in the issue of building the college. “It
is clear from the monument that the monks’ college was built during
the period of Abdul Hamid II, Tozkoparan mentioned and informed that
they defined that a monks’ college was really built in that territory
in the same year. The Istanbul “Marmara” daily draws attention to
the fact that in spite of the information of the monument with text
in the Armenian language and one about the Armenian Catholicos, the
issue that this church of Aghtamar is Armenian, and the text on the
stone is in Armenian was not touched upon at all.

ARMENIA MOVES BIG AMOUNT OF MILITARY TECHNIQUE AND VEHICLES TO NK – AZERI DM
Author: R.Abdullayev
TREND, Azerbaijan
June 1 2006
Armenia moves big amount of military technique and vehicles to
Azerbaijan’s occupied lands, Trend reports quoting Colonel-General
Safar Abiyev, Azeri Defense Minister, speaking June 1 on the totals
of Azeri-Tajik military talks in Baku.
Minister said he informed his Tajik colleague of Armenia’s having
invaded 20 percent of Azerbaijan.
Colonel-General Abiyev said Tajik Defense Minister Colonel-General
Sherali Heyrulayev supported Baku’s position in the conflict. “In
the course of the meeting, several ministers stated their support to
Azerbaijan’s position in claiming Armenia aggressor country. Among
them was the very Tajik Minister”, Abiyev said.

RUSSIA SPEAKS FOR PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF THE KARABAKH ISSUE
ArmRadio.am
31.05.2006 15:01
“Russia speaks for the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh issue,
a political resolution. Russia is a Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group
together with France and the US,” Vice-Premier of Russia, Defense
Minister Sergey Ivanov told in Baku. In his opinion, the OSCE Minsk
Group, “in the framework of which rather regular contacts between
representatives of Armenia and Azerbaijan are arranged, is the correct
way for resolving the issue.”
“Any resolution format imposed from outside is not only ineffective,
but also dangerous,” Ivanov said.

AFX News Limited
Russia to remove enriched uranium from other former Soviet-bloc states by
2013
05.29.2006, 09:02 PM
MOSCOW (XFN-ASIA) – The government here has announced that it will
repatriate by 2013 the enriched uranium from reactors in 17 countries
that formerly belonged to the Soviet bloc, as part of the Global
Threat Reduction Initiative.
The 17 countries, which together possess 20 Soviet-era nuclear
reactors, have all agreed to participate in the initiative.
The initiative, launched by the US in 2004, aims to identify, secure
and remove from other countries around the world any US or Russian
nuclear materials, in order to avoid their falling into the hands of
terrorists.
Russia’s first operation was completed in secret in April, when 63
kilograms of uranium was removed from Uzbekistan, according to Valeri
Govorukhin, deputy director-general of Technsabexport, which deals
with exports of products and services produced by the Russian federal
atomic energy agency.
‘The Uzbek reactor was only 37 kilometres from Afghanistan,’ where
US-led forces are battling Islamist extremists, Govorukhin said.
‘The operation was paid for by the US and cost around 7 mln usd, a
third of which went on environmental protection,’ he said.
The next two countries from which Russia plans to remove fissile
material are Latvia and the Czech Republic.
‘We plan to finish the program of repatriating enriched uranium by
2013,’ Govorukhin said.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, more than 100
research reactors around the world are using highly enriched uranium
that could be used for terrorist purposes.
afp/jm

Iran builds biggest sea terminal in Persian Gulf
Khuzestan Provincial TV, Ahvaz
26 May 06
Text of report by Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran Khuzestan
Provincial TV on 26 May
The country’s biggest passenger terminal was inaugurated in the port
of Khorramshahr simultaneous with the anniversary of the liberation of
Khorramshahr [during the Iran-Iraq war].
The passenger terminal is capable of transiting 800 passengers each
day and has been built in an area 600 sq.m. A sum of 25bn rials
[around 28m dollars] has been spent on the building of the terminal.
The biggest sea terminal in the Persian Gulf is equipped with special
facilities used at international sea terminals, such as: an
audiovisual information system, display equipment showing entrance and
departure of vessels, mechanized equipment facilitating the arrival
and departure of passengers and inspecting their luggage,
telecommunication equipment, pinpointing and extinguishing fires,
close-circuit cameras and computer equipment.
Moreover, passenger facilities have been envisaged such as departure
halls, transit, ceremonies, passport, VIP, Customs, Quarantine and
left luggage.
Khorramshahr is the closest port of the country’s southern economic
zone to the countries of Kuwait, Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia,
Georgia and Russia.

ANDRANIK TEYMURIAN IS NEW DISCOVERY OF IRANIAN FOOTBALL

TEHRAN, MAY 25, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. This is the first time
during the whole Iranian football history that an Iranian Armenian has
succeeded to be chosen for participation in the world championship as
well, besides being involved in the country team. 23 years old
Andranik Teymurian as well will participate in the staff of the
Iranian team in the world football championship to start in Germany on
June 9. As Noyan Tapan was informed by Vardan Davtian, the Tehran
“Alik” daily correspondent, Teymurian started to play football when he
was 17 years old, in the Armenian district teams of Tehran. Showing
his abilities, he was accepted the Tehran “Ararat” youth football
team, then was involved in one of the strongest football teams of
Iran: “Abumoslem” of the state of Khorasan, from which he was chosen a
member of the country team.
Participating in the Iranian team staff in the gathering taken place
in Switzerland, Teymurian presented himself perfectly in games with
three Swiss teams, and Croatian trainer of the team Branko Ivankovich
chose him for participation in the 2006 world championship. Both
Ivankovich and Iranian Football Federation Chairman Dadkan, local and
foreign press and specialists consider Teymurian a new and exclusive
event in the Iranian football. Andranik’s father, Sokrat Teymurian,
who died a year ago, was the first trainer of the “Shahaziz” Armenian
team which was the first Armenian team participated in the Iran
football championship. Andranik’s brother, Serzhik, is an Iranian
Armenian famous football player who had played in German clubs.

RUSSIA PULLING OUT MILITARY HARDWARE FROM BATUMI BASE IN GEORGIA
ITAR-TASS, Russia
May 25 2006
TBILISI, May 25 (Itar-Tass) – Russian troops at the Batumi base
started dispatching military hardware to the Russian base Gyumri in
Armenia on Thursday, Tass learnt at the headquarters of the Group of
Russian Troops in Transcaucasia.
The first train will bring to Gyumri 54 units of military materiel,
communication trucks as well as some property. In 2006, this is
already the third train with weapons and property of Russian troops.
The two previous ones pulled out military property from the Akhalkalaki
base. The headquarters reported that another six trains would depart
from Batumi over the next few months.
Last summer, Russia carried out the first stage of pulling out combat
materiel and weapons from the Batumi base. Two landing ships dispatched
to Russia 40 units of military hardware, including 12 tanks, the same
number of air defence missile systems Kub, five military reconnaissance
motor vehicles and three self-propelled missile vehicles Shilka.
The Batumi base is to be closed down during 2008 in compliance with
the Russian-Georgian understandings.

NATO PA SESSION STARTS IN PARIS
PanARMENIAN.Net
26.05.2006 13:37 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The regular session of the NATO Parliamentary
Assembly will be held in Paris May 26-30. During the first
day Ukrainian Foreign Minister Boris Tarasyuk and one of the
Belarusian opposition leaders Alexander Milinkevich will address
the parliamentarians from 26 member states. Milinkevich will also
answer the questions by the members of the NATO PA political committee
council on May 27. The agenda also includes the joint sitting of the
NATO PA and the Alliance Council to be held 30. On that day Georgian
President Mikhail Saakashvili and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
are expected to deliver a speech.
The recurrent session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly that unites
340 parliamentarians from Northern American and European states will
be dedicated to the issues referring to the NATO transformation,
international and regional security, peacekeeping operations within
the Euro-Atlantic region and beyond its borders.
Sittings of the NATO PA political, defense and security, economic and
security, science and technology as well as civic security committees
will be held within the session framework, reported RIA Novosti.
To note, RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and Defense Minister
Serge Sargsyan will represent Armenia at the session.

ARMENIAN SPECIALISTS LEFT FOR MOSCOW TO TAKE PART IN DECODING FLIGHT RECORDERS
PanARMENIAN.Net
25.05.2006 13:34 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Specialists of the Central Administrative Board
of the Civil Aviation of Armenia departed for Moscow. Along with
Russian and French specialists, they will engage in decoding the flight
recorders of A-320 airplane of Armavia air company, which crashed near
Sochi on the night of May 3. The speech recorder was lifted from the
Black Sea ground Monday afternoon, while the parameter recorder on
Tuesday evening. Earlier Chair of the Inter-State Aviation Committee
Tatyana Anodina stated that no complications are expected when decoding
the parameter recorder, while the speech recorder was heavier damaged
by aggressive water environment. “We may have to decode the magnet
tape piece by piece,” she said.
Experts of Airbus consortium – the producers of A-320 – will take
part in the decoding. Spokesperson of the Civil Aviation Department
of Armenia Gayane Davtyan stated Wednesday that the flight recorders
will only be examined in Russia, while they will be sent to France
for decoding. However, judging from latest reports, the recorders
will be decoded in Russia, reports Lenta.ru