Author: Ekmekjian Janet

Analytical Information Agency, Russia
June 6 2005
Impexbank will directly hold 19.9% of Areximbank’s stocks.
Next week Impexbank will acquire a 19.91-percent stake in commercial
Areximbank.
Areximbank’s capital equals $4.7 million. Accordingly the deal value
will total $935.77 thousand.
The share of direct participation of Impeksbank in Areximbank will
make 19.9 %. AT present the shareholders of Areximbank are Armenian
company ” Finmarket ” and the non-resident – RosCreditResources,
being controlled by Impexbank and Unikor-Finance which operates the
assets of businessman Boris Ivanishvili.
The Russian-Armenian export-import bank has been created in 1998 for
support of business and service of financial flows between Russia and
Armenia. As of April 1, 2005, Areximbank’s assets amounted to $46.64
million.
Impexbank was founded in 1993, its authorized capital is 2.334
billion rbl. It enters 30 largest Russian credit organizations,
monthly published by the Central Bank. The Bank is supervised by the
structures close to businessman B.Ivanishvili.

60% OF ARMENIANS HAVE EXCESS WEIGHT AND 26% – ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION
YEREVAN, JUNE 3. ARMINFO. According to recent investigations conducted
by the Armenian Medical Association (AMA), 26% of Armenian citizens
have arterial hypertension.
Chief of the AMA Parunak Zelveyan informed at today’s press-conference
that the investigations were conducted in Yerevan, 800 people of
various ages were questioned. According to the questioning, 60% of
respondents had the excess weight, 90% noted that they do not realize
or do not take into consideration the information about the harm of
cholesterol excess in blood. 50% of questioned hypertensive patients
noted that they received medical treatment only a week. In Zalveyan’s
opinion, short treatment is worse than not receive treatment at all.
Zalveyan noted that Armenia’s government should take measures for
precautions of hypertension and to enter to the state order patients
with arterial hypertension as most of them give up the treatment
because of the inaccessibility of drug prices.

PRINCIPLE OF POWER DIVISION NOT PRESERVED
A1plus
| 12:37:10 | 04-06-2005 | Politics |
May 11 the National Assembly in the first reading adopted as a basis
the draft of constitutional amendments submitted by the coalition. The
draft that does not solve the main problem of reformation- the
regulation of balance of power between the states bodies. The Venice
Commission adheres to the same opinion.
“Even in December 2004 the conclusion said that the draft does
not secure the principle of power balance, moreover the President
still preserves his dominating position in the political system”,
constitutional right specialist Vardan Poghosyan reminds. In his words,
both in the acting Constitution and the adopted draft the government
still bears a double responsibility before the National Assembly and
the President. “It means that the President can any moment dismiss
the Prime Minister, what means that the government activity directly
depends on the President’s will.
Vardan Poghosyan assures that in none of the countries with
semi-presidential government system the government bears double
responsibility. “Semi-presidential system supposes that the government
that enlists the support of the parliament is functioning until it
loses the NA’s trust. Besides the problem of dismissing the Premier
the draft adopted leaves the government formation in the President’s
hands. The only change is that the NA will be dissolved not after the
third but after the second time it does not approve the government’s
program” Vardan Poghosyan said.
In his words, these two clauses are enough to be convinced that
the draft violates the logics of the semi-presidential government
system. Thus we are dealing not with the semi-presidential but
the super-presidential system. “The government is obliged to take
decisions on the basis on normative acts by the President. Though
the President does not ratify decision of the government he has the
right to suspend any decision and appeal to the constitutional court
to check it with the Constitution. At that the matter concerns not
only the normative but also individual decisions by the government”,
V. Poghosyan noted.
According to the draft adopted though the President does not preside
over the government sittings he can exercise his right to do that.
The functions of the President remain almost unchanged . “There is
a gap in Article 49. It says that for performing his functions the
President is empowered to undertake any steps; thus the President
has boundless authority. Consequently, Article 49 should define
that the President of the republic can perform his functions within
his authority only”, V. Poghosyan stressed. According to him, the
draft does not solve the problem of expanding the authority of the
National Assembly. On one hand its authority on exercising control is
insignificant, on the other hand with the absence of precise majority
it can turn into an uncontrollable body that can cause governmental
crisis.
In its conclusion the Venice Commission with regret noted the reduction
of the number of questions included in the legislative authority
of the National Assembly (in 2001 draft -37, now – 18). The draft
adopted in the first reading provides for 10 exclusive legislative
authorities of the National Assembly.
Victoria Abrahamyan

The Daily Star, Lebanon
June 4 2005
Nassib Lahoud announces list for northern Metn
Gabriel Murr will stand for Orthodox seat and not ally with Aoun as
predicted
By Therese Sfeir
Daily Star staff
NACCACHE, Metn: Metn MP Nassib Lahoud announced an electoral list for
the northern Metn supported by the Christian opposition Qornet
Shehwan Gathering and the Democratic Renewal Movement. The list
includes Lahoud, Metn MP Pierre Gemayel, Wadih Hajj and Eddy Abi
Lamaa for the Maronite seats.
It also includes Qornet Shehwan Gathering member Gabriel Murr and
Michel Akl for the Orthodox seats, Rafi Madoyan for the Armenian seat
and Philippe Maalouf for the Catholic.
The announcement came during a news conference held at Murr’s
residence in Naccache. It had been understood that Murr was going to
ally with Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, who has parted
company from the Lebanese opposition.
Lahoud stressed the need to promote the unity of the opposition and
enhance cooperation between its leaders in order to stand up to the
challenges facing the country.
In an indirect reference to Aoun, Gemayel said: “This is the real
opposition list that expresses the true voices of Metn’s citizens.”
He added that the opposition had sought to reach an agreement with
Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement, but had been surprised by the
latter’s announcement of an incomplete electoral list earlier in the
week that left seats open for the Maronite, Orthodox and Armenian
seats.
Aoun explained the lack of a full list by saying: “The circumstances
didn’t allow us to form one unified list because of our alliance with
the opposing list in northern Metn, which will be declared Friday.”
Commenting on the assassination of journalist Samir Kassir, Gemayel
said: “We have called, during the meeting of the Bristol Gathering on
Thursday, for the resignation of President Emile Lahoud.”
Responding to comments made by Aoun on Thursday, in which the retired
general held the Cabinet responsible for Kassir’s murder, Gemayel
said: “The interim government is formed by neutral figures and cannot
be held responsible for the crime.”

PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Antranig Kasbarian
Tufenkian Foundation
20 Capitol Drive
Moonachie, NJ 07074
mailto:[email protected]
TUFENKIAN FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES NEW SPONSORSHIP IN KARABAGH RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM
Dr. Albert Karamanoukian joins effort to resettle NKR’s border regions
STEPANAKERT, NKR — The Tufenkian Foundation today announced a generous
gift by Dr. Alber Karamanoukian toward its ongoing efforts to promote
Karabagh’s resettlement. Dr. Karamanoukian’s gift of $20,000 will
underwrite the construction of one house and associated facilities
in Arajamough, a new village the Foundation is building in Karabagh’s
border regions.
Begun in 2004, Arajamough currently houses 25 resettlers, consisting
of 6 families, most of them refugees from Azerbaijan. The village
will welcome another 6 families this fall. The Tufenkian Foundation
is committed to building and resettling at least 6 houses per year
until the Arajamough project is completed.
“We are grateful to Dr. Karamanoukian for his generous support of
this project,” stated Antranig Kasbarian, a Program Director with
the Foundation. “Indeed, his support for resettlement extends
beyond this project and toward the larger vision of fortifying
Artsakh–particularly its vulnerable border regions–as a crucial
component of our national security.”
In turn, Dr. Karamanoukian praised the Foundation for its
efforts. “Resettling Karabagh is of vital importance, particularly
when many people still lack decent housing, facilities, and especially
jobs. I commend the Foundation’s commitment to raising the bar in each
of these fields, and urge others to join the effort to consolidate
our victories on the ground. ”
The Arajamough project features newly built houses with modern
amenities. Alongside these, the Tufenkian Foundation is providing
water, power lines, gravel roads, as well as administrative support
in bolstering the village. Future plans include animal husbandry and
land cultivation, in order to provide sustainable livelihoods and to
spur economic growth in surrounding areas.
“Our view of resettlement is an integrated one, and moves beyond the
usual humanitarian-subsistence approaches,” stated Kasbarian. “The
Karabagh war created many thousands of refugees and homeless persons;
some of these have left the area entirely, while many others
continue to eke out an existence in ruined areas amidst primitive
conditions. Under such circumstances, our very existence on these
lands remains tenuous. If we are to attract Armenians back and
solidify our presence, then clearly having a roof over one’s head
is not enough. Rather, people must gain hope that there is a future
living on these lands, which is why modern facilities, infrastructure,
and the promise of economic activity are essential as well.”
Dr. Karamanoukian is a prominent physician and businessman based in
Glendale, California. He has a long record of philanthropy toward
Armenian causes.
The Tufenkian Foundation was established in 1999 by New
York-based entrepreneur James Tufenkian. The Foundation
currently pursues a wide array of projects in Armenia and
in Karabagh, and also sponsors the “Armenian Forests” NGO,
which addresses environmental issues. To learn more about the
Foundation’s efforts, please see the Foundation’s website at
<;, or contact Antranig Kasbarian at [email protected] .
###

BTC launch draws differing reactions from Armenians
Baku, May 31, AssA-Irada
Armenian officials have issued conflicting statements following the
launch of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan main export pipeline on May 25,
which sent them into panic.
“The BTC commissioning rules out the resumption of hostilities in
Upper Garabagh. We can talk of settling the conflict only in peace”,
Armenian foreign minister Vardan Oskanian said.
Armenian media quoted Oskanian as saying that with the launch of
pipeline, Azerbaijan will face ‘serious restrictions’.
“Azerbaijan will now be unable to start military action on its own. But
if such a decision is made, it will be opposed not only by Armenia
but the entire international community.”
The Armenian minister came out against statements that the BTC
pipeline’s bypassing Armenia’ is a defeat for this country.
“If people that believe this were present in the Armenian government,
they would turn Upper Garabagh into a subject of speculation”, he said.
“To ensure the BTC passes through Armenia, Upper Garabagh had to be
returned. But this is unacceptable”, said Oskanian.
A day after the first oil was pumped into the BTC pipe, Armenian prime
minister Andranik Markarian made a contradictory statement. He openly
expressed concerns over the BTC launch, saying that the project would
‘disrupt the balance of forces’ in the region.
The Armenian official also suggested that Iranian gas be transported
from Armenia to Europe.*

OSCE MONITORING HELD AT KARABAKH AND AZERI CONTACT LINE
Pan Armenian News
01.06.2005 05:25
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A recurrent OSCE monitoring was held at the
contact line of the Karabakh and Azeri armed forces in the region
of Fizuli near Karakhanbeily settlement. From the Karabakh party
the monitoring was group was headed by Personal Representative of
the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzuk. The Azeri side in
contrast to the Armenian did not lead the monitoring commission to
the front line. The monitoring was held according to the schedule;
no violations of the cease-fire were fixed. Today Andrzej Kasprzuk
will meet with NKR Defense Minister Seyran Shahsuvarian.

MEMBERS OF U.S. CONGRESS SPEAK OUT AGAINST TURKISH GOVERNMENT CRACKDOWN ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CONFERENCE
YEREVAN, MAY 31. ARMINFO. “The sad reality, is that when it comes to
facing the judgment of history about the Armenian genocide, Turkey,
rather than acknowledging the truth, has instead chosen to trample on
the rights of its citizens,” said U.S. Congress Rep. Pallone. Members
of Congress this week expressed outrage and disappointment at the
Turkish Government’s recent decision to quash a planned academic
conference on the Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA).
The event, organized by scholars from Turkey’s Bilgi, Bogazici
and Sabanci Universities, was scheduled to take place May 25-27th
at Bosphorus University. In remarks of the House floor yesterday,
Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) commented
that the government’s forced cancellation of the conference “further
affirms the speculation that the image that the Turkish Government has
attempted to create for itself is nothing more than a desperate attempt
to create a facade. Contrary to what Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan
and other Turkish officials would have us believe, the Government of
Turkey is not democratic, is not committed to creating a democracy,
is not making an effort to create better relations with Armenia and
is definitely not ready to join the European Union.”
Rep. Pallone went on to explain that the U.S. “cannot sit by and
allow any nation that we consider an ally and a nation that is
desperately seeking admission into the European Union to behave in
such a manner. To bring this development into perspective, consider
that according to current law in Turkey, dozens of U.S. Senators and
hundreds of Congressmen would be punished simply for having voted for
Armenian genocide resolutions, spoken about the lessons of this crime
against humanity or commemorated the victims of the atrocity. So,
too, would the American academic establishment, human rights groups,
the mainstream media and just about everyone else aside from the
Turkish Embassy and its paid lobbyists here in Washington, D.C.”
Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA), who spearheaded a successful effort
in 1996 to cut foreign aid to Turkey based on their ongoing denial
of the Armenian Genocide, stated: “Turkish government pressure on
historians from Bilgi, Bogazici and Sabanci Universities to cancel the
Armenian Genocide conference is yet another indication of the Turkish
government’s repression of freedom of speech and lack of respect
for academic freedom. The action exposes as a hollow gesture Prime
Minister Erdogan’s call for a dialogue between Turkish and Armenian
historians. The Turkish government’s labeling of Turkish academics
as ‘traitors’ simply for discussing the Genocide amongst themselves
underscores the need for those of us here, in the United States,
to call on Ankara to end its campaign of genocide denial.”
Urging Turkey to end its ongoing denial of the Armenian Genocide,
Michigan Republican Thaddeus McCotter argued, “Only honesty can begin
to ease the ache of this evil perpetrated upon the Armenian people,
and to further guard against a recrudescence of genocide anywhere
in our world. Thus, any delay in acknowledging and apologizing for
their nation’s abhorrent historical crime only serves to embolden
other proponents of genocide, and to implicate this generation of
Turks in the sins of the past.”
The Conference, titled “Ottoman Armenians During the Decline of the
Empire: Issues of Scientific Responsibility and Democracy,” was jointly
organized by the Comparative Literature Department of Bilgi University,
the History Department of Bogazici University and the History Program
at Sabanci University. Originally set to take place May 25th-27th at
Bosphorus University, the schedule was to include over 30 papers by
Turkish scholars from Turkey and abroad.
In the days leading up to the conference, Turkish Government officials
spoke stridently against the conference and its organizers. Turkish
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek, in a speech before the Turkish Parliament
on Tuesday, went so far as to accuse the academics of “treason.” The
Minister described the conference as a “a stab in the back to the
Turkish nation.” Cicek expressed regret that, as Justice Minister,
he could not personally prosecute the organizers and participants.
The government crackdown on the conference is the most recent chapter
in the Turkish government’s 90-year campaign of genocide denial. This
effort has intensified in recent years. In 2003, Education Minister
Hikmet Cetin issued a decree making student participation in a
nation-wide essay contest denying the Armenian Genocide compulsory.
The most recent revisions to the Turkish Penal Code criminalize
references to the Armenian Genocide and the removal of troops from
Turkish occupied northern Cyprus.

SERGE SARGSIAN AND RF NEWLY APPOINTED AMBASSADOR TO RA DISCUSS CURRENT
ISSUES AND DEEDS OF ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN RELATIONS
YEREVAN, MAY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian-Russian relations, both in
economy and military spheres are at rather high level at present
though they still have great potential of development. Serge Sargsian,
the Secretary of the National Security Council attached to President
of the Republic of Armenia, the Defence Minister, the Co-Chairman of
the Intergovernmental Committee of the Armenian-Russian Economic
Cooperation stated this, receiving Nicolay Pavlov, the newly appointed
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation
to the Republic of Armenia on May 25. The Minister expressed hope that
during Pavlov’s tenure, those relations will strengthen even more and
become wider. The newly appointed Ambassador assured that he will do
his best to support cuntinuous development of the present wide
cooperation between the two states. As Noyan Tapan was informed from
the RA Defence Ministry’s Press Service, current issues and deeds of
the Armenian-Russian cooperation were also discussed, opinions were
exchanged around lattest regional and international developments.

YEREVAN, MAY 28. ARMINFO. “Unity Round dance” began in Armenia
Saturday.
According to the lists of the organizers, 350,000 people had to take
part in the arrangement, but in actual fact the number of the
participants totaled 500,000. At the same time it was planned that
160,000 people would be enough for taking part in the unity round
dance. The presidents of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic,
representatives of Armenian Government, headed by Defence Minister
Serge Sargsian and deputy corp take part in the event. The presidents
of the two countries took part in the round dance of unity near the
village of Hartavan, where they arrived by a helicopter after taking
part in the arrangement in the historical complex of Sardarapat.
Numerous guests from abroad had arrived to take part in the
arrangement. According to the organizers of the arrangement, guests
from all the communities of the Armenian diaspora, as well as from NKR
and the Armenian-populated region of Georgia Samtskhe-Javakheti had
arrived to take part in the round dance. Catholicos of All Armenians
Garegin II gave blessing to the participants of the roundtable, where
representatives of the Armenian Apostolic Church took part as well.
The representatives of the Armenian diaspora, who could not take part
in the unity round dance, have decided to organize small round dances
in their countries. The arrangement was organized charitable and
nongovernmental organization and is not finances by governmental
funds. The organizers say that the Unity Round dance symbolized the
unity of the Armenian nation.

—
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