Author: Emil Lazarian

YEREVAN-BATUMI RAILWAY TO OPEN ON JUNE 15

Armenpress
June 06 2006

YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS: Very soon Armenian holiday-makers wishing
to spend a week or two in Georgia’s Black Sea resorts will be able
to travel to Batumi, the capital of the autonomous Ajaria region,
by train.

Armenian transport and communication ministry said comfortable
trains with double and four-passenger compartments will be running
between Yerevan and Batumi from June 15 to September 15. The railway
connection between Armenia and Georgia’s Batumi is expected to give a
very strong boost to development of Georgia’s tourist industry. The
train from Yerevan will make stops in Gyumri, Vanadzor and Sanahin
stations before crossing the brooder with Georgia.

Ticket prices will be very affordable, 18, 000 drams for a double
compartment and 9,300 drams for four-passenger compartment. Last
year around 20,000 Armenians spent their summer vacations in Ajaria,
traveling largely by vans and buses.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

INCREASE IN WATER TARIFF WILL RAISE DEMAND FOR WINE

Panorama.am
14:42 06/06/06

At present each citizen consumes 1 liter of wine in average in
the Republic, NA deputy Manuk Gasparyan stated at a discussion
today. Manvel Ghazaryan, the head of Vedi Alco Co., said that in
Europe this statistics reaches 40-50 liters per one person.

Armenians have a tradition of drinking wine. However, the present
figures do not speak about that. In fact, our consumption is very
low. M. Ghazaryan thinks that the decline of wine consumption is
connected with Soviet era when Armenians shifted from aristocratic
wine to less respected vodka. “Almost all parties have first of all
vodka and then brandy on the table,” he said. He thinks that wine
should be promoted on state level. Ghazaryan hoped that after some
years the situation with wine consumption will improve both at home
and abroad. “Soon the water tariffs will rise and everybody will
drink wine,” he joked.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RPA MEMBER TO APPEAL AGAINST DISTRICT ELECTORAL COMMISSION’S DECISION AT COURT

Noyan Tapan
June 06 2006

IJEVAN, JUNE 6, NOYAN TAPAN. According to preliminary data, as a
result of the elections held on May 28 in the community of Debedavan,
Tavush region, current village head, RPA member Salavat Babayan had
received 190 votes and his rival, non-partisan Vanya Damirchian 188
votes. The latter applied to district electoral commission N 40 with
a demand to recalculate the ballot-papers.

The commission recognized invalid 4 ballot-papers for Salavat
Babayan. As a result, the commission registered 186 ballot-papers for
Salavat Babayan and the number of ballot-papers for Vanya Damirchian
remained unchanged, 188. Salavat Babayan applied to first instance
court of Tavush region demanding that the decision of district
electoral commission N 40 about recognizing the ballot-papers invalid
be invalidated. As Chairman of Tavush first instance court Samvel
Mardanian is a member of the same commission, the court sitting on
this case will be presided by judge of the same court Zoya Zakinian
(residence town of Berd). The latter informed Noyan Tapan correspondent
that the court sitting, probably, will take place on June 7.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PROJECT OF CONSTRUCTION OF CIRCULAR ROAD INCLUDING ARMENIA WORKED OUT WITHIN FRAMEWORK OF BSEC

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
June 06 2006

YEREVAN, JUNE 6, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The June 6 joint press
conference of RA Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosian and BSEC
Secretary General, Ambassador Leonidas Chrisanthopoulos was dedicated
to issues of development of cooperation of Armenia within the framework
of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC). Both
speakers expressed satisfaction with Armenia’s cooperation in this
organization. It was mentioned that the BSEC General Secretariate
has had meetings with the Armenian President, Foreign Minister and
other high-ranking officials. Leonidas Chrisanthopoulos informed that
currently BSEC is considering issues of its reforming and in this
respect the opinion of BSEC country-members is especially valuable. He
mentioned that BSEC attaches great importance to the session of BSEC
PA to be held in Yerevan. Ambassador Chrisanthopoulos also said
that it is supposed that an analogous summit be held next year in
Istanbul. According to him, one of the main advantages of BSEC is
that representatives of countries having no diplomatic relations can
meet within the framework of this organization.

L.Chrisanthopoulos informed that Greece being the only participant of
BSEC, which is at the same time a EU member, has submitted a proposal
on activization of cooperation between BSEC and EU to the Council of
Ministers of this organization.

According to him, possibly, this issue will be discussed at the highest
political level, unless this takes place, BSEC will continue to work
in this direction with the next EU chairman, Finland. According to
Arman Kirakosian, the legal field created within the framework of
BSEC permits to hope for a full-value cooperation with EU. He said
that a project of construction of a circular road aroud the Black
Sea is being worked out within the framework of BSEC at present
and possibly, in September of the current year the project will be
submitted to BSEC for consideration. L.Chrisanthopoulos mentioned
that the issue of transport communications is one of the important
ones and the project of the circular road also envisages a compulsory
connection with Armenia. To recap, Leonidas L.Chrisanthopoulos was
the Ambassador of Greece to Armenia in 1992-93.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DEVELOPMENT OF ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN PROJECT ON CHARENTSAVAN RECONSTRUCTION UNDER DISCUSSION

Noyan Tapan
Jun 06 2006

YEREVAN, JUNE 6, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA Ministry of Urban Development
and the Building Guild of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI)
of Moscow are discussing the issue of developing a project on complex
reconstruction of the city of Charentsavan (Armenia). Alexander
Zhuravlev, Chairman of the Building Guild, Deputy Director General
of the Avtobaninvestcenter interregional administrative company
(chairman Arsen Aghajanian) stated this. Reconstruction will be
carried out by a project envisaged for a city with a population
of 40-70 thousand. The current population of Charentsavan is 25
thousand. In response to a question of NT correspondent, A. Zhuravlev
noted that cooperation between Russia and Armenia in the speres of
urban development, production of building materials and exchange of
technologies is developing dynamically. In his words, the interest
that Russian construction businessmen take in Armenian productive
forces is constantly increasing. Chairman of the Building Guild
expressed an opinion that the most promising sphere of cooperation
is the production and export of dry construction mixtures for various
Armenian building stones. The export of mixtures will allow to reduce
transport charges compared with cost of transportation of worked
building stones. According to him, these mixtures can be used in
production of stone and concrete building materials and structures
with various properties.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

500 HECTARES OF SOWING AREA NOT USED BECAUSE OF LACK OF IRRIGATION IN ARAGATSOTN REGION

Noyan Tapan
Jun 06 2006

ASHTARAK, JUNE 6, NOYAN TAPAN. 500 hectares of sowing area of two
communities of Aragatsotn region are not irrigated. As Noyan Tapan
correspondent was informed by Gurgen Zakarian, Head of the community
of Suser, Aragatsotn region, the reason of this is lack of funds for
launching the pumping-station ready for exploitation. The community
has repeatedly applied to the Union of Water Users of Talin, to the
union’s higher organization for giving a solution to the problem, but
has not received any answer by now. As a result, it is two years 500
hectares of sowing area of the village of Suser and its neighboring
village of Nor Artik have not been used.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERI OPPOSITION DISCONTENT WITH OSCE MG ACTIVITIES

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.06.2006 13:28 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Supporting the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict Azeri opposition bloc Azaldyg (Liberty) is however
discontent with the mediating activities of the OSCE Minsk Group. “We
stand for peaceful talks, however the activities of the OSCE Minsk
Group have been fruitless so far,” co-founder of Azaldyg, chairman
of the People’s Front of Azerbaijan Ali Kerimli considers.

In his opinion, the problem will not be settled unless measures
are taken against Armenia that seized a part of the Azerbaijani
territory. “Instead of taking measures the Minsk Group co-chairs are
trying to reconcile aggressor with a state whose lands are seized,”
he said adding that such approach is doomed to failure.

Besides, the statement issued by the Organization for Karabakh
Liberation says that “the Minsk Group approaches the Karabakh conflict
settlement from the position of double standards.” “Azerbaijan should
refuse from negotiations with the Armenian leadership, urge the
international community to apply sanctions against Armenia and launch
a military operation for the liberation of the seized territories,’
the statement says, reported Interfax.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ASAF HAJIYEV: YEREVAN AND BAKU WILL ESTABLISH COOPERATION SOONER OR LATER

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.06.2006 14:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ It will be possible to speak of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani cooperation only after complete settlement of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict, head of the Azeri delegation to the BSEC
PA Asaf Hajiyev stated today during the 27th session of the General
Assembly of the BSEC PA. “The war between Armenia and Azerbaijan
has not finished yet and speaking of cooperation is senseless now,”
he considers.

At the same time Hajiyev remarked that Armenia and Azerbaijan are
closest neighbors and sooner or later after the Karabakh conflict
settlement cooperation between the two states will be established. He
also said that the recent talks between the Armenian and Azerbaijani
President prove that there is hope for the conflict resolution,
reported Novosti-Armenia.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ABOUT 500 GROUPS ARE ENGAGED IN ILLEGAL FISHING

A1+
[01:19 pm] 07 June, 2006

The February 9 decision of the Minister of Environmental Protection
concerning illegal fishing in Lake Sevan fails to work in the
Gegharqounik region.

According to the order, fishing is strictly prohibited since April 15
until July 15. Nevertheless, illegal fishing still continues in the
Sevan, and the corresponding structures not only fail to prohibit it,
but also encourage the process.

According to Hambardzoum Hambardzoumyan, the head of the administration
of environmental protection, there are about 400-500 groups engaged
in illegal fishing which do not have licenses. It is due to mention
that the Minister of Environmental Protection himself is in charge
of the issue.

TV Company “Qyavar”, Gavar

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

GALA CONCERT DEDICATED TO MOZART’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY

ArmRadio.am
07.06.2006 10:41

In the framework of the “National Art Gallery” musical festival a
gala concert dedicated to Mozart’s 250th anniversary will be held
in Yerevan. The State Chamber Orchestra of Armenia and famous singer
Araks Davtyan will participate in the concert.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress