Author: Emil Lazarian

NAGORNO-KARABAKH WILL NEVER BE GIVEN AUTONOMY, PRESIDENT ILHAM ALIYEV
[December 21, 2006, 21:05:23]

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Dec 22 2006

The territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is recognized by all
countries in the world, President Ilham Aliyev said at a session of
the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic’s Supreme Majlis on December 21.

The Head of State said he believes that in future, Armenia will
agree with the Minsk Group’s offers, and will not search for pretext
for stalling.

Speaking of recent statements by Armenian officials, the Azerbaijan
leader stressed "in a number of cases these statements are provocative
in character".

"Nagorno-Karabakh will never be given autonomy", President Aliyev said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SPECIAL ELECTION OF VILLAGE HEAD TO BE HELD IN RIND

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, NOYAN TAPAN. At RA government’s December 21
sitting, a decision was made ahead of schedule to stop the powers of
Aram Kyureghian, head of village community of Rind, Vayots Dzor,
and to fix and hold special election of village head in the above
mentioned village’s electoral district on the last Sunday of 30-day
term following the day of the decision’s coming into force. NT was
informed about it from RA government Information and Public Relations
Department. RA Minister of Finance and Economy was instructed
to allocate 130 thousand 190 drams (about 306 USD) to RA Central
Electoral Committee’s United Fund at the expense of RA government’s
reserve fund for financing the expenditures on preparation and holding
of the village head special election in the community of Rind.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ALIYEV ‘SLAMS THE WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY’
By Aghavni Harutyunian

AZG Armenian Daily
22/12/2006

"We offer autonomy to Nagorno Karabakh now until it’s too late and
we consider Armenia’s interests. In future there may be no such
opportunity," day.az quoted Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev as
saying while meeting with local authorities in Nakhijevan Autonomous
Republic. "Nagorno Karabakh will never be allowed to be independent,"
Aliyev stated.

The Azeri president once again told his people about Azerbaijan’s
"prevalence over Armenia in economic terms." These usual statements
on "military potential and steadfast political position" of the
Azeri president can be considered an attempt to "slam the window of
opportunity of 2006".

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MUSEUM OF MHER MKRTCHYAN OPENS IN GYUMRI
By Gegham Lazarian

AZG Armenian Daily
22/12/2006

The official opening ceremony of Mher Lazarian’s museum took place
at the crossroad of Varpetats and Roustaveli Streets in Gymri. The
newly opened museum is located near the museums of Avetiq Isahakian
and Hovhannes Sgiraz. About 160 samples of the museum are exhibitted
in the upper floor of the museum, while the first floor is envisaged
for film sessions, discussions, meeting and other culture events. The
museum samples are the personal belongings of the artists, his
theatre costumes, photos of the roles he played in the theatre and
cinema. Here, one can find the bed of Lazarian, the costumes of Syrano
and other characters he played, the old pipe from The Orchestra Boys
film, the bottom bass from 01-99 film, the old dresser from The Tango
of Our Childhood film.

The museum was built at the initiative of the Gyumri Mayor’s
Office. Rudik Hayrapetian, director fo the museum, informed that the
samples of the museum are accumulated from HayFilm Studio with the
active assitsnace of Mher Lazarian’s brother film director Albert
Lazarian. Even before opening many turists from Egypt, Syria and
France have visited the museum.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NATIONAL LIBRARY STILL REMEMBERS TIGRAN LEVONYAN

A1+
[05:05 pm] 21 December, 2006

On December 21, RA National Library celebrated 70th anniversary of
Tigran Levonyan, Armenian renowned director, Head of the National
Opera and Ballet House, professor of the Yerevan State Conservatoire.

An exhibition was opened on Mr. Levonyan’s biography and working
background. The exhibition was accompanied by a song performed by
Tigran Levonyan.

Tigran Levonyan was born on December 14, 1936, in Beirut. Being the
tenor of the theatre group for many years, Tigran Levonyan successfully
performed all the leading songs of international and local importance.

"Further on, Tigran Levonyan combined the profession of singer
with that of director and staged many classical operas as well as
the works of many modern Armenian composers. Tigran Levonyan gain
fame in the USA, France, Germany, Egypt, Russia, Hungary, Poland,
etc displaying his many-sided talent", said Marina Simonyan, head
of the Musical Department of the National Library while introducing
Tigran Levonyan’s life and activity.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ZHIRAYR SEFILYAN’S LETTER

A1+
[07:34 pm] 21 December, 2006

On December 21, Public Initiative "Protection of Liberated Territories"
spread the letter of Zhirayr Sefilyan, coordinator of the initiative
who is currently in the NSS isolation cell.

The letter runs, "The illegal steps of the acting administration have
done a great harm to my mother’s health putting it into peril. Bringing
forward false and instigating accusations and under the guise of
administering justice, the RA authorities display apparent scenes of
retribution against their opponents. They neglect the fact that their
political tricks and intrigues may become the cause of a human’s death,
as each suffering caused by my arrest can be fatal for my mother

I call on you to sober up and beware as your actions may lead to
crucial mistakes. What is the use of killing my mother if you see me
as your enemy and opponent? Zhirayr Sefilyan".

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NO NEW YEAR WITHOUT AN ANTHEM

A1+
[08:12 pm] 21 December, 2006

Today RA Government began its current routine with the voting of
the draft laws discussed ON December 20. To note, all the bills were
passed, with the exception of the bill on the "RA Anthem".

NA Speaker Tigran Torosyan didn’t put the bill into voting. He was
convinced that it wouldn’t be endorsed as even the simplest bills
have so far been passed with 70 votes for.

The bill on the "RA anthem" is a serious one; both the oppositional
deputies, freelance deputies and the ARF Dashnaktsutyun are against
it. The National Assembly will vote the bill tomorrow with the
participation of the deputies who rarely press the buttons.

Nevertheless, Tigran Torosyan mentioned that we must bear full
responsibility for the anthem and we have not the right to step into
2007 without an anthem.

"Our Homeland" seems to be the anthem of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun but
it isn’t so. "Our Homeland" has been the Armenian anthem since the
beginning of the century," Tigran Torosyan briefed the journalists
on the anthem today.

He also added that RA government has introduced the last version of
the anthem though he hasn’t managed to get acquainted with it yet.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

HURRIET: U.S. SENATE DID NOT RATIFY HOAGLAND’S APPOINTMENT TO POST OF U.S. AMBASSADOR TO RA: THIS IS VICTORY OF ARMENIAN LOBBYING

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Dec 21 2006

ANKARA, DECEMBER 21, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. "American Armenian
lobbists registered a new victory in the sphere of diplomacy. The
U.S. Senate did not ratify George Bush’s candidate Richard Hoagland’s
appointment to the post of the U.S. Ambassador to RA." This was
mentioned in the December 21 issue of the Hurriet Turkish daily. "The
current Senate, the powers of which have expired lately, did no ratify
Hoagland’s appointment at its last session and put in a hard condition
President Bush," the newspaper read.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PROBLEM OF ADMINISTRATION OF NONRESIDENTIAL AREAS OF APARTMENT BUILDINGS SETTLED

Noyan Tapan
Dec 21 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, NOYAN TAPAN. At the December 21 sitting,
the Armenian government decided that nonresidential areas (NA) of
apartment buildings that are occupied by state governance bodies
or state noncommercial organizations and their territorial units
(including libraries, laboratories, museums, clubs, communication
offices, etc) must be transferred under the administration of the
State Property Management Department adjunct to the RA government
with the aim of passing them to the indicated bodies and organization
with the right of free use. According to the decision, NAs occupying
an area over 100 square meters in Yerevan, and over 200 square meters
in marzes must be transferred under the Department’s administration
for state needs, while the other NAs will be transferred to the
respective commmunities with the right of free use. NT was informed
from the RA Government Information and PR Department that the head of
the State Property Management Department was instructed to carry out
state registration of the ownership right of the areas transferred
to the department within three months, after which proposals about
their further administration will be submitted to the RA government.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

846 SCHOOL TO BE EQUIPPED WITH COMPUTERS IN 2007

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Dec 21 2006

YEREVAN, December 20. /ARKA/. By the end of 2007, 846 Armenian
schools will be equipped with computers, which amounts to 57.6% of
the total number of the country’s schools. Minister of Education and
Science of Armenia Levon Lazarian told reporters Wednesday that the
computerization of schools is implemented by the ministry together
with the World Bank.

He said that computers were provided for 367 schools in 2005.

Distribution and installation of computers is under way at 368 schools
in 2006. "In 2007 we have to provide 311 schools with computers,"
he reported.

"We plan to equip our library in every Armenian school. Besides
literature, it will have a special computer lab," Lazarian said.

The minister reported that it is planned to have at least one
modernized school having a library with computers in every region by
the end of 2007.

"If our plans are implemented successfully, we intend to provide
these schools also with laboratory equipment in future," he said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress