Author: Emil Lazarian

DRAFT NATIONAL FOOD SAFETY CONCEPT OF ARMENIA DEVELOPED

Noyan Tapan
Mar 13 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 13, NOYAN TAPAN. At the suggestion of the RA Ministry of
Agriculture, the US Department of Agriculture’s Caucasus Agricultural
Development Initiative (USDA/CADI) has developed the draft National
Food Safety Concept of Armenia. The draft was presented at the March
13 round table with the participation of representatives of the above
mentioned departments, as well as over 50 representatives of the RA
Ministry of Trade and Economic Development, the Ministry of Health,
enterprises of the agroindustrial complex, and organizations and
scientific-research institutions protecting consumer rights.

According to the RA Deputy Minister of Agriculture Samvel Avetisian,
the American side also presented "Armenian Food Safety Technical
Assistance" project. He expressed a hope that the above mentioned
documents will become the basis for formation of the food safety system
in Armenia. Genady Mironyuk, Head of USDA/CADI "Armenian Food Safety
Technical Assistance" project, presented the draft National Food
Safety Concept. In his words, the legislation, normative documents
and procedures of the sector are not sufficient for the current food
safety system of Armenia to be considered in line with international
standards. The concept envisages introduction of the internationally
accepted Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system
in Armenia’s agroindustrial complex. The system allows to control food
safety from the stage of raw material growth to the stage of sale. The
RA State Food Safety and Veterinary Inspection is the authorized body
in the state system to ensure food security.

It is envisaged that in 2007, informational work on introduction of
HACCP system in enterprises of food industry and work on development
of local capacities for the system’s introduction will be done; in
2008-2010, the best enterprises will be selected by sectors in order
to use their experience for developing HACCP guides. According to
the draft National Food Safety Concept, it is expected that starting
from 2009, HACCP system will be introduced in production of baby,
dietary and special food, from 2010 – in production of meat, meat
products, fish and fish products, from 2011 – in production of milk,
milk products, ice cream, juices and low acidity food, from 2012 –
in production of bread, confectionery, wines and beer, and from 2013 –
in public catering and trade networks and other sectors.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS TO MEET IN GENEVA

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
March 13 2007

Azerbaijani foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov is already in Geneva,
the Minister told the APA. He will attend the meeting of the UN Human
Rights Council.

The minister is expected to address the meeting.

Minister Mammadyarov will tomorrow meet with OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairs – Bernard Fassier (France), Matthew Bryza (US) and Yuri
Merzlyakov (Russia). Tomorrow the next round of the negotiations for
the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict will be held between
Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenian foreign minister Vardan Oskanian with
participation of the co-chairs. Vardan Oskanian has already arrived
in Geneva too.

OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs have arrived in Geneva since yesterday.

Russian co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov told the APA the co-chairs will
have talks today. French co-chair Bernard Fassier will inform his
colleagues on his latest visit to the region.

U.S. BAN ON ARMENIAN MINERAL WATER ‘NOT IRREVERSIBLE’
By Shakeh Avoyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
March 13 2007

The ban on sales of Armenia’s most popular brand of mineral water in
the United States may still be lifted if appropriate changes are made
in its labeling, an official from the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) indicated on Tuesday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the ban on Jermuk
bottled water last week, saying that it contains excessive amounts of
arsenic, a poisonous chemical that can cause cancer. It said Jermuk
importers have already recalled the product from stores in California
and other Armenian-populated parts of the U.S. The move prompted a
similar decision by health authorities in neighboring Canada.

According to Sean Carmody, who runs a USDA project in Armenia, the
USDA is now collecting additional information about Jermuk for FDA.

He said the still and carbonated water bottled by several Armenian
firms is not as dangerous for health as the FDA ban might suggest.

"You have to drink a lot of mineral water per day to really have any
effect. You have to drink around 20 liters of water a day," Carmody
told RFE/RL. "It’s either a testing issue or a labeling issue," he
added, demonstratively sipping Jermuk on the sidelines of a roundtable
discussion on Armenia’s national food safety strategy.

FDA argued that laboratory tests have found that Jermuk products
contain between 500 and 600 micrograms of arsenic per liter, or at
least 50 times more than is allowed by U.S. safety standards. It
said extended exposure to the poisonous metal could lead to cancer
and death.

Armenian medical authorities admit that Jermuk is "medical water"
that should be regularly drunk only by individuals suffering some
stomach and intestinal diseases. Gennady Myroniuk, director of the
Kiev-based International Institute for Food Safety and Quality,
believes local manufacturers must be make this clear to consumers.

"If the word ‘medical’ is on the label, then there has to be, as
doctors call it, a consumption methodology," Myroniuk told RFE/RL.

"You can’t drink it at will."

However, Jermuk continues to be is heavily advertised by Armenian
television stations as "table water" meant for mass consumption. And
representatives of companies bottling the water remained unrepentant
on Tuesday, accusing FDA of playing into their competitors’ hands.

"This is a deliberate effort directed at Jermuk and other Armenian
mineral waters," charged Edgar Ghazarian of the Jermuk Group company.

"Arsenic is also contained in other Armenian water brands. By driving
Jermuk out of the U.S. market, they close it for other Armenian brands
of water as well."

The claims were echoed by Armenia’s Deputy Agriculture Minister Samvel
Avetisian. "My personal guess is that this is more of an issue of
[unfair] market competition than food safety," said Avetisian. "We
all drink and will continue to drink Jermuk," he added.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I RECEIVES METROPOLITAN BISHOY

His Holiness Aram I received Metropolitan Bishoy, the General Secretary of
the Coptic Church’s Sinod in Antelias on March 11. The Pontiff and the
Metropolitan met for over an hour in the presence of Bishop Nareg Alemezian,
the Ecumenical Officer of the Catholicosate, and Georges Saleh, the General
Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC).

His Holiness and the Coptic Metropolitan discussed a number of issues,
including the agenda of the meeting between the three spiritual Heads in
Damascus next month, the upcoming MECC assembly in Cyprus in November, the
future phases of the theological dialogues of the Oriental Orthodox family
with other churches and world communions, as well as the bilateral relations
and collaboration between the Catholicosate of Cilicia and the Coptic
Patriarchate in Alexandria.

The Pontiff expressed his viewpoints on the above issues based on his long
years of ecumenical experience. He stressed the importance of creating a
strong link between the theological and cooperative aspects of ecumenical
relations.

##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TRIBECA ’07: Slimmer 34 Film Competition Planned for Tribeca’s 6th Fest;
Spotlight Lineup Also Announced

Indiewire

March 12, 2007

by Eugene Hernandez

"A Story of People in War & Peace"
directed by Vardan Hovhannisyan. (Armenia) – U.S. Premiere

A deeply personal meditation on the horrors of war and its effects is shown
through the eyes of Armenian journalist Vardan Hovhannisyan. Weaving
together footage he shot during his country’s 1994 conflict with neighboring
Azerbaijan over the Nagorno Karabakh region, Hovhannisyan creates a
devastating portrait of lasting damage inflicted by the battlefield. In
English and Russian.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

WEEK OF NATO STARTS IN ARMENIA TODAY

arminfo
2007-03-12 14:15:00

A Week of NATO starts in Armenia today. As RA FM’s press-service
told ArmInfo, visits of NATO’s representatives to Armenia, lectures,
different programs at TV are scheduled within the frames of the Week
that is being held in the framework of Individual Cooperation Actions
Program and will last till March 16.

The official opening of NATO’s Information Center will be held
today with participation of RA FM Vardan Oskanyan and the NATO
Deputy Secretary on Public Diplomacy Jean Furne. The latter will
give lecture today in the Yerevan State University to be followed by
the opening of an exhibition devoted to Armenia-NATO cooperation. A
seminar will open in RA Foreign Ministry on March 14 devoted to the
electron information network for broadcasting of NATO actions. The
Head of NATO Defense Policy and Planning Division George Katsirdakis
will visit the Information Center of NATO on March 15. A TV-bridge
Yerevan-Kosovo is scheduled for March 16 with participation of the
Armenian peacemakers in Kosovo and their relatives.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RA FOREIGN MINISTER EMPHASIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF THE NATO INFORMATION CENTER

armradio.am
12.03.2007 16:10

RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian today declared about the important
role of the NATO Information Centre in Yerevan.

"We are very glad to officially open this Center today," Vartan
Oskanian said.

"The Center has already been operating for a certain period of time
and has proven its relevance. Establishment of this Center was one of
the provisions of the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP), and
I’m very pleased that we realized the project during the first year of
the IPAP implementation. This is an important step, since due to this
Center we shall present correct data about the Alliance, its activity
and cooperation with Armenia," said the Armenian Foreign Minister.

Vartan Oskanian mentioned that "because of understandable reasons
the notion of the Alliance among our society does not completely
correspond to today’s reformed NATO."

"Today NATO is not the alliance that existed during the "cold
war." Many things have changed in the world situation, and the NATO
has managed to adapt to the new reality. However, elements of the
mentality of the "cold war" period still persist in our society, and
that is why there is the necessity of providing correct information,"
said Vartan Oskanian.

In the Foreign Minister’s words, it is of particular importance for
Armenia, which, unlike other ex-Soviet countries, is carrying out a
complementary policy, closely cooperating with Russia in the field of
security, being a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization
(CSTO), and deepening the cooperation with NATO in the framework of
the IPAP.

"Our policy of recent years has proven that there is no contradiction
between all these directions," Vartan Oskanian underlined.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NO POLITICAL PARTY AND ELECTORAL BLOC SUBMITTED DOCUMENTS TO RA CEC FOR REGISTRATION

arminfo
2007-03-12 14:23:00

"No political party and electoral bloc, having claimed of their
participation in parliamentary elections, submitted a list of documents
for registration as yetÂ", the press-secretary of RA Central Election
Committee Tsovinar Khachatryan told ArmInfo.

To remind, upon March 3 results of nomination of the parliament deputy
candidates per the proportional and majority systems, 27 political
parties and one bloc have submitted the documents for participation
in the election campaign.

The registration of the proportional lists of the deputy candidates
from political parties and blocs will be held by CEC from April 2 to
7. A period from April 8 to May 10 has been allotted for the election
campaign. The Parliamentary elections will be held on May 12, 2007.

–Boundary_(ID_gkn+/lWIaSxupPvSa6WbZQ)–

SCHIFF EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER ADMINISTRATION’S BUDGET CUTS

armradio.am
12.03.2007 16:43

During a hearing before a key House foreign aid panel today,
Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) expressed concern with the
Administration’s budget request which calls for $35 million in
economic assistance to Armenia for Fiscal Year 2008, reports the
Armenian Assembly of America.

Schiff questioned Randall L. Tobias, US Director of Foreign Assistance
and USAID Administrator, on the Administration’s request that Congress
provide Armenia with a more than 50 percent reduction in economic
assistance. Last month, the House of Representatives approved FY 2007
funding for Armenia at the 2006 level of nearly $75 million.

Tobias responded that the Millennium Challenge Compact "is expecting
to disperse 60 million dollars" in FY 2008 alone and that "together
with foreign aid, Armenia will receive 98 million dollars, or a 34
percent increase."

Schiff said that "cutting funding in one area and adding in another
is misleading."

Last year, the United States and Armenia signed the Millennium
Challenge Compact – a five-year $235.65 million agreement intended to
reduce Armenia’s rural poverty and increase agricultural productivity.

"The Freedom Support Account (FSA) and the MCC grant serve completely
different functions," said Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny.

"Funding for one should not be a substitute for another."

Schiff also asked that a complete accounting of financial assistance
to Armenia be sent to him following the hearing.

Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), who also serves on the
Committee, noted that Armenia’s upcoming parliamentary elections "must
go well," and asked Tobias to comment on Armenia’s electoral process.

Tobias replied that the multi-year assistance programs for elections
in Armenia have been "successful" and that Armenia has shown "great
progress" in recent elections.

"The Assembly thanks Congressmen Knollenberg and Schiff for their
longstanding support and looks forward to working with them, along with
Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Ranking Member Frank Wolf
(R-VA), to rectify the deficiencies in the Administration’s budget
proposal," Ardouny added.

VARTAN OSKANIAN RECEIVED NATO ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

armradio.am
12.03.2007 17:17

On March 12 RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian received NATO Assistant
Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Jean Fournet.

Jean Fournet stressed the importance of opening the NATO Information
Center in Yerevan from the perspective of disseminating corresponding
information about the Alliance, specially underlining the importance
of the dialogue and discussions about NATO’s role and place for
the Alliance.

The interlocutors attached importance to involving the society in
the Armenia-NATO dialogue, which is not restricted to security issues
only and embraces a broad circle of public interests.

Reference was made to the accomplishment of the Armenia-NATO Individual
Partnership Action Plan.