Author: Emil Lazarian

SERGE SARGSAYN TO MEET WITH HIS IRAQI COUNTERPART
Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 14 2006
Today RA Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan will visit the place of
deployment of Armenian peacekeepers in Iraq, Deputy Defense Minister,
Lieutenant-General Arthur Aghabekyan told the journalists.
According to the General, the Minister will familiarize himself
with the work and everyday life of the peacekeepers. Yesterday Serge
Sargsyan visited the multinational corps to get to know how the work
is organized. Today the Defense Minister is due to have meetings with
the leadership of the corps and his Iraqi counterpart. Tomorrow the
Minister will return to Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DID THE PRIME MINISTER READ THE CONSTITUTION?
Lragir, Armenia
Nov 14 2006
One had a deja vue before the November 14 meeting of the National
Assembly. The members of parliament entered the National Assembly
traversing the lines of policemen. The people, who have become
homeless as a result of expropriation, gathered several meters from
the gate of the parliament building and the members of parliament. On
the eve these demonstrators had tried to talk to some members of
parliament for a couple of minutes, which was considered an attempt
of take hostages, and today the police simply did not allow them to
approach the gate of the National Assembly for the free movement of
the members of parliament. And they moved on. Without taking a look
at the people gathered over there. The demonstrators were amazed by
this attitude? “Who do these members of parliament fear? It’s them
who shoot one another, not us.”
It is not the first time these people protested. And this is not the
first day they came to the National Assembly. They come to demand that
the members of parliament elected by people vote against the bill on
expropration. So it is natural that they shouted abuse when they saw
the Republicans. Republican Member of Parliament Hermine Naghdalyan
was reproached most of all because on the eve she had promised to
the victims of expropriation to vote against the bill but then she
announced she would vote like her party, i.e. for the bill.
Instead, Khachatur Sukiasyan and Alvard Petrosyan got applause because
at least they are not for the bill. Member of Parliament Khachatur
Sukiasyan even made some proposals to improve the bill. His proposals,
as well as the proposals of other members of parliament and the NGOs
were rejected. In an interview with the Lragir the chair of Victims
of Expropriation Sedrak Baghdasaryan stated that we do not have a
parliament or a government but “a gang who have usurped government
offices and are making money ignoring the interests of people. We
have a minister of justice who does not think about justice and the
rights of people.”
The demonstrators demand the resignation of the prime minister,
and in answer to this the prime minister asks to show him the point
in the constitution which enables the demonstrators to demand the
resignation of the government. “According to the representative of
the political party of the prime minister Rafik Petrosyan, the prime
minister does not read the laws. Meanwhile, he is ashamed of referring
to the Constitution? Did he read the Constitution. I remind Article
1 of the Constitution especially for the prime minister: the Republic
of Armenia is a democratic republic. In other words, people can elect
and demand the resignation of anyone and at any time they want. Let the
prime minister know that he will not remain in this office forever. He
may have read the Constitution of an African state and since 2001
he has been robbing the people’s property. The Constitutional Court
barred expropriation in 1998. They do not care for the decision of
the Constitutional Court,” stated Sedrak Baghdasaryan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

REPUBLICAN YOUTH FESTIVAL TAKES PLACE
Panorama.am
15:19 13/11/06
Chamber Music House hosted today young representatives from the
Armenian regions who showcased dozens of dresses. The representatives
won a contest in the regions. This fashion show took place within
the republican youth festival “Armenia is my motherland” organized by
the ministry of culture and youth affairs. The festival has sections
on photography, applied art, song and drawing. Deputy minister,
Arthur Poghosyan, said the state released 8 million Armenian drams
for the festival.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ANOTHER SHIFT OF ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPERS TO GO TO KOSOVO
Armenpress
Nov 13 2006
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS: Thirty-four Armenian peacekeepers
are flying November 14 to Kosovo to replace their colleagues who have
served six months there. This will be the sixth shift of Armenian
peacekeepers in the volatile Yugoslav region.
Seyran Shahsuvarian, a spokesman for Armenian defense ministry, said
the Armenian platoon is stationed near Pristina under the command of
the Greek peace-keeping battalion. Some 170 Armenian servicemen have
already served in Kosovo as peacekeepers. The sixth shift will raise
their number to 204.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

COMMON ENDEAVOR EXERCISE LAUNCHES IN ARMENIA
Armenpress
Nov 14 2006
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS: Some 270 representatives from 38
countries, as well as from NATO and a brigade implementing peacekeeping
mission in the southeastern Europe, have come to Armenia to participate
in an annual Combined Endeavor exercise sponsored by the US European
Command (USEUCOM).
The exercise held in the spirit of Partnership for Peace (PfP)
integration and interoperability consists of four planning conferences
and a multi-side workshop. Colonel Samvel Atoyan, a senior military
officer of the Armenian armed forces’ department for communications
and automated systems, said the ultimate goal of the exercise is to
have a document setting clearly out interoperability principles.
He said the Common Endeavor military exercise, scheduled for
April 26 to May 13 of 2007 is planned to be held in Germany and
Armenia. Armenian troops have been participating in this exercise
since 2002. The exercise will run through November 17. Azerbaijan
and Turkey were expected originally to send their representatives to
Armenia, but later they refused.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PROSECUTOR GENERAL ORDERS FURTHER INQUIRY INTO HERITAGE BREAK-IN CASE
A1+
[07:34 pm] 14 November, 2006
Yerevan-Heritage founder Raffi K. Hovannisian, the party’s executive
board members, and fellow citizens gathered today in front of the
Armenian prosecutor general’s office. They demanded an official
response from the prosecutor general with respect to bringing
criminal charges for the unlawful March break-in to the party’s
central headquarters and the ensuing theft of information from its
computer system.
Two hours into the assembly, held under the banner of “Truth and
Right,” Heritage board chairman Vardan Khachatrian and attorney Zaruhi
Postanjian received a formal letter from prosecutor Karapet Karapetyan
of the Department for the Protection of State Interests.
The letter confirmed that all decisions of the Yerevan city police
department and prosecutor’s office, which had previously refused to
institute a criminal case against the “mysterious” computer bandits,
have now been revoked, and an additional inquiry has been launched
by the prosecutor general’s office.
“All the details of this ‘presidential’ parade of criminal acts, which
together form a single web among the White House, the Service for
Mandatory Execution of Judicial Acts, the management of the Paronian
State Theater and the nation’s judicial system, must be revealed
through a courageous determination to file criminal charges and to
carry out a full investigation,” Raffi Hovannisian said.
“Notwithstanding the ‘instructions from above’ to cover up this
scandalous reproduction of the Watergate precedent in Armenia, we
expect that the Republic’s prosecutor general will finally step in
to defend the constitutional rights of its citizens.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MINISTER OSKANIAN IN BRUSSELS FOR COOPERATION COUNCIL MEETING
Panorama.am
12:46 14/11/06
Minister Oskanian is in Brussels to participate in the 7th session
of the Armenia-EU Cooperation Council.
Together with the foreign ministers of Georgia and Azerbaijan,
Minister Oskanian met with the EU leadership — the Foreign Minister
of Finland, which holds the EU Presidency, the Secretary of State of
Germany which will hold the Presidency in the first half of 2007 as
well as EU High Representative, Javier Solana, and External Relations
Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner.
During the first day’s dinner meeting, the participants discussed
developments in the region, including Caucasus states’ relations
with neighbors, and also prospects for regional cooperation. Regional
conflicts, especially Nagorno Karabakh, were the focus of much of the
discussion, particularly in light of the upcoming meeting between the
foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The dinner meeting was
followed by a press conference, during which Minister Oskanian thanked
the EU for its persistence in concluding the Action Plan process.
He also noted that “this year’s meeting of the Cooperation Council
will be particularly memorable because it represents the beginning of
a new chapter – for each of us individually, for our relations with
the EU, and for the EU itself.” The meeting was followed by a Press
Conference. On November 14, during the formal Council meeting the
European Neighborhood Policy Action Plan will be adopted. Press and
information department of Ministry of foreign affairs of the Republic
of Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA RATIFIES THE HAGUE CONVENTION ON INTER-COUNTRY ADOPTION
Panorama.am
13:13 14/11/06
President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan signed today the Hague
Convention on the Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect
of Inter-Country Adoption.
According to UNICEF Armenia Office, the Convention was ratified by
the National Assembly on 23 October 2006.
The Hague Convention establishes a set of internationally agreed
minimum requirements and procedures to govern inter-country adoptions
in which a child moves from one country that has signed the Convention
to another signatory country.
“Armenia’s ratification of this treaty highlights the country’s
commitment to ensure that essential safeguards and procedures are
in place regulating the inter-country adoption of children from
Armenia,” says Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative in Armenia. “With
its ratification, Armenia joins a partnership of some 70 countries
working together to ensure that the best interests of each individual
child are respected when inter-country adoption is being considered.”
The Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Armenia is a
signatory, clearly states that every child has the right to be cared
for by his or her own parents, whenever possible. UNICEF believes
that families needing support to care for their children should
receive it, and that alternative means for caring for a child should
only be considered when, despite this assistance, a child’s family is
unavailable, unable or unwilling to care for him or her. Inter-country
adoption is one of a range of care options for a child who cannot be
placed in a family setting in his or her country of origin. However,
the best interests of each individual child must always be the
guiding principle.
Over the past years, the number of families from rich countries wanting
to adopt children from other countries has grown substantially. This,
coupled with insufficient regulation and oversight, risks creating an
environment where motives and activities that may not be in the best
interests of the child can take centre stage. The Convention seeks to
establish a cooperative framework between the countries of origin of
children being placed for adoption and their receiving countries to
ensure that the child’s best interests are safeguarded and to prevent
abuses such as exploitation and trafficking in children.
“Armenia has embarked on the path of child welfare reforms by
adopting a new Family Code, amending key legislation related to
children and establishing child protection bodies at the central and
local level. The country’s accession to this Convention once again
demonstrates the Government’s strong commitment to create a protective
environment for children in Armenia,” the UNICEF Representative
said. “It is now important to ensure that relevant mechanisms are in
place for the effective and full implementation of the Convention.”
The Hague Convention includes provisions to ensure that adoption is
authorized by competent national authorities and that inter-country
adoption does not result in improper financial gain for those involved
in it. These provisions are meant first and foremost to protect
children but also have the positive effect of providing assurance
to prospective adoptive parents that their child had not been the
subject of illegal and detrimental practices.
UNICEF established its presence in Armenia in 1994.
UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate
for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic
needs and to expand their opportunities to meet their full potential.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DIVISIONS OF THE ARMENIAN ARMED FORCES ONCE AGAIN BROKE CEASEFIRE REGIME
Author: Sh.Jaliloglu
TREND, Azerbaijan
Nov 14 2006
On 13 November, the divisions of the Armenian Armed Forces once
again broke the ceasefire regime on the front line, Trend Regional
Correspondent reports.
Yesterday, on November 13, the divisions of the Armenian Armed Forces
located in the occupied Bash Gervend village of Agdam district shot
at the opposite positions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces from 08:35.
In addition, on 14 November, the divisions of the Armenian Armed
Forces located in the occupied Mehtili and Laltepe villages of
Jabrail district shot at the opposite positions of the Azerbaijani
Armed Forces. The enemy was made silent with response fire.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TUSIAB SAYS NO COOPERATION WITH ARMENIA
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 14 2006
Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’ Association -TUSIAD-, based in
Istanbul, which cooperates with Armenian businessmen, has no relations
to the Union of Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen-TUSIAB,” TUSIAB
issued a statement to make clear the article “TUSIAD establishes new
union to expand business relations with Armenia” spread by APA news
agency quoting Turkish Daily News.
TUSIAB said the news misled public and was misunderstood.
“TUSIAB condemns and is against any political, cultural social or
commercial relations with aggressor-Armenia until the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan is restored,” the Union stated, adding there
is no connection between TUSIAD and TUSIAB.
The previous news said the TUSİAD-led Union of Black Sea and
Caspian Confederation of Enterprises (UBCCE) will hold its first
general assembly on Nov. 27 to which executives from the Armenian
Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association have been invited,
APA reports quoting Turkish Daily News.
The union was established with the aim of developing economic and
commercial relations among neighboring Black Sea and Caspian countries.
TUSİAD President Omer Sabanci initiated the establishment of the
union with the aim of developing economic and commercial relations
among neighboring Black Sea and Caspian countries. A decision was
made at preparatory meetings in May and June of this year to locate
the headquarters of the 12-member UBCCE in Istanbul.
The union was formed with the participation of several TUSİAD
counterparts from member countries. Armenia became a member of the
union with the Armenian Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association.
The UBCCE general assembly will be held at Istanbul’s Sail Halim
Paşa Yalisi on Nov. 27, at which Armenia will be represented by
Arsen Gazeryan, head of the Armenian Industrialists and Businessmen’s
Association and also co-chairman of the Turkish-Armenian Business
Council.
TUSİAD’s Brussels representative, Bahadir Kaleagasi, said the
UBCCE was formed after intensive studies around the Black Sea and
Caspian region. The preparatory meetings of the confederation have
been completed. Armenia is a member of the union, and they have been
invited, he said.
Turkish-Armenian Business Development Council deputy head Noyan Soyak
said TUSİAD and the Turkish-Armenian Business Council had been
exchanging views since 2000. Gazeryan served as a bridge between the
business worlds of the two countries, both in his capacity as head of
the Armenian association and as co-chairman of the council, he noted,
adding that Gazeryan and TUSİAD were in constant contact with
each other.
“Armenian businessmen are informed of every development in
TUSİAD. When Sabanci was elected president, Armenian businessmen
congratulated him. We, as the council, also organize meetings where
Turkish and Armenian businesspeople come together,” he said.
The meeting in November aims to develop Turkey’s relations with its
neighbors, Soyak said.
“Armenia is invited within this context. We see this as the
continuation of previous meetings. In the upcoming meeting, the
launching of bilateral talks between the two countries may come up,”
he said.
Turkish business circles said nay commercial or economic cooperation
with Armenia doesn’t serve the interests of Turkey and those
cooperating with Armenian businessmen are Jews and Armenians by
origin.