Author: Emil Lazarian

NEW RIGHTS MEMBER PREDICTS IRAN-ARMENIA PIPELINE COULD HURT GEORGIA
The Messenger, Georgia
May 22 2006
Sakartvelos Respublika reports that a member of the parliamentary
opposition party New Rights Irakli Iashvili forecast that after the
exploitation of the Armenia-Iran gas pipeline, the gas tariff will
be further increased in Georgia.
The article writes that Iashvili stated at a session of the Sector
Economy and Economic Policy Committee that the construction of the
Armenia-Iran gas pipeline will be completed late this year, which
means that while negotiating with Russia, Georgia will lose a key
lever – its role as the key transit route for Armenian gas.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER TENDERS RESIGNATION
RIA Novosti, Russia
May 22 2006
MOSCOW, May 22 (RIA Novosti) – The speaker of the Armenian parliament
officially tendered his resignation Monday.
Artur Bagdasaryan, the chairman of the Orinats Erkir party, initially
announced his plans to resign May 12 following a decision by the
party’s political council to quit the government’s ruling coalition
due to what the speaker said were differences on political issues
and democracy.
The speaker should officially confirm his move in the next five days
after which he will automatically leave his post.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

UNITED LABOR PARTY CAME TO POWER IN ARMENIA
Lragir.am
22 May 06
There is no need to sign a new memorandum on a coalition or a
parliamentary majority, stated Deputy Speaker Tigran Torosyan May 22 to
news reporters. According to him, the political culture does not impose
anything similar. However, it is attempted to restore the parliamentary
majority, although Tigran Torosyan thinks it is early to consider it.
“I believe that it will be correct to answer these questions in
several days, because the final formulations were voiced today, and
soon there real negotiations are going to take place,” says Tigran
Torosyan. But real negotiations have been kicked off, and perhaps have
already produced the first fruits. Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan
appointed members of the United Labor Party to the offices of two
deputy governors and one deputy minister, affiliates of the Orinats
Yerkir Party. Tigran Torosyan thinks that these appointments are a
kick-start. However, he also advises them not to draw deep conclusions,
and not to think that negotiations with the United Labor Party were
successful, whereas there are problems with the People’s Deputy Group.
“First of all, I think it is wrong to give an assessment of a short
period. We have been working with the same People’s Deputy Group
for a long time and we will go on to work. And it is not worthwhile
drawing conclusions from appointing or not appointing to one office
or another,” said Tigran Torosyan. He also announced that the new
parliamentary group including the businessmen who left the Orinats
Yerkir Party will also be involved in the negotiations on forming
the majority in the parliament.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NATO SECRETARY GENERAL’S SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA
ArmRadio.am
22.05.2006 11:05
NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for South Caucasus and
Central Asia Robert Simmons will arrive today in Armenia. During the
two-day visit he is scheduled to meet RA President, Prime minister,
NA Vice-Chairman Tigran Torosyan, Deputy Foreign Minister Arman
Kirakosyan and other officials.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF THE THREE SOUTH CAUCASIAN COUNTRIES TO MEET IN MOSCOW
ArmRadio.am
22.05.2006 11:30
July 4-5 the Catolicos of All Armenians Garegin II will participate
in the international conference of interreligious dialogue to be held
in Moscow under the auspice of the Patriarch of All Russians Aleksi II.
Press Service of the Mother Sea of Holy Ecmiadzin informs that
it is possible that the religious leaders of Armenia, Georgia and
Azerbaijan will be suggested to have a meeting. The Armenian side
is ready t discuss issues of peaceful coexistence in the region with
the religious leaders of other South Caucasian countries.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN SPORTSMEN TO PARTICIPATE IN WORLD YOUTH WEIGHT-LIFTING CHAMPIONSHIP TO BE HELD IN CHINA
ArmRadio.am
22.05.2006 12:39
Two Armenian sportsmen – Araik Mirzoyan from Baghramyan and Aghvan
Melikyan from Gyumri will participate in the World Youth Weight-Lifting
Championship to be held May 25-June 2 in China. The trainer of the
team is Olympic Champion Ogsen Mirzoyan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

LESSONS OF HISTORY
Yerkir.am
May 19, 2006
You can often hear that Armenia and the Armenians are facing a
difficult situation today since the interests of super-powers clash in
our region and these clashes threaten our national and state security.
This is a valid observation. However, it should be added that this
situation is not new for Armenia. It has faced the same situation
for at least 25 centuries. Judging from the existing geopolitical
tendencies and the logic of their possible development there are very
slight chances that this situation will change.
This does not mean that we should blame our ‘Armenian luck’ and
complain that our country is located at the locus of clashing
geopolitical interests.
This does not mean that we should fall into despair and yield ourselves
to the benevolence of the fate or of some super-power. We must assess
our own history.
Our history of the past 25 centuries shows that whenever we failed
to mitigate the clash of interests in our region we had to suffer
the loss of independence and statehood. And on the contrary, whenever
we succeeded in mitigating such clashes harmonizing the interests of
super-powers in our region we benefited from it. Today we are facing
the same situation. We are facing the same challenges and have the
same approach. Our political leaders must realize this or at least
think about it.

CRASHED ARMENIAN AIRBUS BLACK BOX RECORDER RECOVERED
Agence France Presse — English
May 22, 2006 Monday 2:04 PM GMT
The black box voice recorder from an Armenian Airbus passenger plane
that crashed in the Black Sea earlier this month has been raised from
the sea bed, an official at the transport ministry said Monday.
“We found the black box yesterday during the night,” a source at the
ministry, who asked not to be named, told AFP.
All 113 passengers and crew died when the Armavia airlines Airbus A320,
which had taken off from Yerevan, crashed May 3 during its approach
to Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi. Eighty-five of the victims
were Armenians, many of them on family visits.
The transport ministry source said the recovered black box was “the
one with voice recordings and was lying 25 to 50 centimetres (10 to
20 inches) under the mud. This evening we should find the flight data
recorder, which should lie about five metres away.”
A submersible vessel has been used to search for the flight recorders,
which were reported to be lying at a depth of some 500 metres (1,600
feet) below the surface.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SPEAKER OF ARMENIA’S PARLIAMENT RESIGNS
Agence France Presse — English
May 22, 2006 Monday
The speaker of Armenia’s parliament resigned Monday, citing differences
within the ruling coalition over whether the nation should align
itself more with the European Union or Russia.
Artur Bagdassarian’s resignation follows the decision of his Rule of
Law Party to quit the government.
“I renounce my position as speaker of the National Assembly,” he
told the parliament, going on to thank the deputies of all parties
for work accomplished during the three years of his speakership.
Bagdassarian discussed the discord that prompted his party to leave
the coalition, formed with the Republican Party of Prime Minister
Andranik Margarian after legislative elections in 2003.
“There are two paths that Armenia can follow,” he said. The country can
“be part of the union with Russia and Belarus and be on good terms
with Europe, or it can be part of the European Union and be on good
terms with Russia. Our party is for the second path,” he said.
Before fragmenting, his parliamentary group counted 21 members,
but 11 among them — mainly businessmen — quit the party.
The heads of two parliamentary committees also resigned Monday.

ABSURD NOMINATION OF SPEAKER
Lragir.am
22 May 06
Deputy Speaker Tigran Torosyan says it is absurd that the Republican
faction can nominate two speakers at once. Tigran Torosyan thinks that
it is even unnecessary to consider candidacies unless the position
is vacant. Unless there is a vacant position, it is pointless to
consider nominees, votes, etc. While he is avoiding speaking about his
candidacy or others’ candidacy, a member of the People’s Deputy Group
Hakob Hakobyan is likely to nominate the leader of the Republican
faction Galust Sahakyan. Hakobyan says Sahakyan’s candidacy will be
endorsed by the parliament. “I refuse to comment on backstage rumors
and nonsensical questions,” says Tigran Torosyan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress