Author: Emil Lazarian

OUT-OF-TURN SPEECH AGAINST AZERBAIJAN
Panorama.am
14:27 28/03/06
During the session of the Economic Committee of Parliamentary Congress
of Black Sea Economic Cooperation the Azeri delegation put forward its
allegations to return the territory as well as to give the refugees
an opportunity to return to the former dwellings.
All this were the reason why the head of the Armenian delegation
Gagik Minasyan made an out-of-turn speech.
Today at the conference the latter read an extract from that speech:
“There is no basis to call Nagorno Karabakh a dim territory. NK people
build their state system according to all the international law and
democratic principles… The economic blockade of a whole state is
the highest level of economic cooperation realized by Azerbaijan
against Armenia …”
As G. Minasyan informed at the conference today, they were ready to
attacks by Azerbaijan. “We were afraid for the Azeri delegation to
speculate of Karabakh issue,” he noticed. As G. Minasyan said after
his speech the Azeri abstained from further discussion of NK issue.
However, G. Minasyan will perhaps have no more chance to make such
anti-Azeri announcements as he is no longer Deputy of President of
the Economic Committee.
The matter is that as a result of change of the legislation of the
committee the latter is going to have only one deputy. And this time
the Deputy is going to be Vladimir Badalyan representing “National
Deputy” group.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

INTERNATIONAL BANKING CONFERENCE HELD IN YEREVAN
Panorama.am
12:40 28/03/06
Today the three-day international banking conference dedicated
to questions of financing international trade started its work
in Yerevan. The initiators of the conference were European Bank
of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Armeconombank and the
European Union.
As the head of Armenian Central Bank Tigran Sargsyan mentioned in
his speech it is necessary to use the trade financing new instruments
accepted in international practice. “Unfortunately, today most Armenian
banks give only elementary letters of credit and short-term credits
to exporters and importers, which in its turn has a negative influence
on their opportunities,” T. Sargsyan noticed.
In the course of the conference the manager of EBRD in Southern
Caucasus, Byelorussia and Moldova Michael Davy mentioned the dynamic
development of trade financing sector in Armenia. According to the
data of M. Davy last year the EBRD granted 20 million euros to Armenia
to realize programs in the spheres of energy, industry and insurance
business. This year the Eurobank intends to grant 40-50 million euros
which will be allocated to financing 20 programs. In the meantime
Michael Davy noticed that in spite of the political risks present in
the country the Armenian banks succeed in favorably cooperating with
foreign partners.
Representatives of international banking structures such as
“Citibank N.A.”, “Commerzbank AG Frankfurt”, Raiffeisen Zantrallbank,
“Lloyds TSB Bank PLC”, “Deutsche Bank”, “International Financial
Corporation” as well as Russian and Ukrainian banks participate in
the conference.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OSCE MISSION TO CARRY OUT REGULAR MONITORING AT THE CONTACT LINE OF ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI ARMED FORCES
ArmRadio.am
28.03.2006 16:53
On March 29 the OSCE Mission will carry out regular monitoring at
the contact line of Armenian and Azerbaijani Armed Forces.
>From the Armenian side the monitoring will be carried out by
Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ambassador
Anjey Kasprchik and his field assistants Alexander Samarski and
Imre Palatinius. From the Azerbaijani side the monitoring will be
accomplished field assistants of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Harry
Erronen and Peter Key.

EXPECTATIONS OF DEMOCRACY ARE NOT GREAT
Lragir.am
28 March 06
“Will there be upward democracy?” Lragir.am offered its readers
this question, which was one of the burning topics in the public
and political life over the past week. The results of our opinion
poll suggest that expectations of democratization, what is more,
of upright democratization, are not great.
Only 29 per cent answered “yes”, thus expressing their confidence
that upward democracy is possible. 33 per cent think that upward
democratization is unlikely to happen. 12 per cent think there are
no preconditions for “upward democratization” in Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AWAOC MONTHLY LITERARY MEETING TO BE HELD IN GLENDALE
ArmRadio.am
28.03.2006 17:47
Monthly literary meeting of the Armenian Writers Association Of
California (AWAOC), sponsored by Glendale Public Library, will take
place at 7-9 PM, on Thursday, April 6 2006, at the Auditorium of the
Central Library of Glendale.
Writer and Editor of Kamarak Periodical Hakob Mkrtchian will read
his poems.
Writer Kima Kirakosian will present a literary report. There will be
exchange of opinions. Proceedings will be in Armenian.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARF MEMBERS MEET WITH CANADIAN MP
Yerkir
28.03.2006 11:08
YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Canada
Central Committee met on March 26 with Gary Goodyear, a member of
the Canadian Parliament from Cambridge, Ontario.
The meeting was held at the Armenian Center of Cambridge. ARF Canada CC
representative Vagharsh Ehramjian, CC’s Hay Dat representative Grigor
Ter-Ghazarian, Armenian National Committee of Canada representative
Aris Papikian, Hay Dat regional co-chair Arti Hakobian, ARF’s
Aram-Dro Committee representative Joseph Poladian and Cambridge Hay
Dat Committee member Simon Poladian participated in the meeting.
The parties discussed Canadian government’s statement to recognize
the Armenian Genocide, Armenian President Robert Kocharian’s upcoming
visit to Canada, establishing a Canadian embassy in Yerevan as well
as prospects of cooperation between the Canadian Conservative Party
and Hay Dat Committee. Mr. Goodyear promised to keep the issues under
personal control.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EU MAP SHOWS AZERBAIJAN’S NG AND NAKHCHIVAN PROVINCES AS ARMENIAN TERRITORY
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
March 28 2006
Some parts of Azerbaijan’s territories have been shown as a territory
of Armenia on the website of the European Union European Commission
directorship for energy.
Azerbaijan’s province Nagorno Garabagh, which is under occupation
of Armenia, the surrounding regions and the Nakhchivan Autonomous
Republic have been shown as the territory of Armenia on the map,
in the Gas section of the website.
The Azerbaijani Embassy to Belgium, which has been accredited in the
EU, has sent an inquiry to the EU General Directorship of External
Relations regarding this issue today. The 3rd secretary of the Embassy
Anar Jahangirli told APA that the Directorship contacted the embassy
and said the mistake will be corrected.
The website of another European Union organization-European Parliament
has also shown Azerbaijan’s territory in a wrong way recently. Though
the occupied territories of Azerbaijan were not shown as Armenian
territory, Nagorno Garabagh province was presented as a separate
organization on the website.
After the Embassy’s interference in the issue this technical mistake
was corrected.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SKINHEADS CHARGED WITH ATTACKING FOREIGNERS IN URALS CITY
RIA Novosti, Russia
March 28 2006
UFA, March 28 (RIA Novosti) – Prosecutors in a southern Urals region
have pressed charges against members of a group of skinheads suspected
of attacking foreign students, a spokesman said Tuesday.
Prosecutors in Bashkortostan, a republic on the Volga, said the case
had been sent to a court in Ufa, the regional capital, and qualified
the attacks on the students from a local oil university as race-hate
crimes.
According to the prosecutors, the group was led by a 24-year-old
young man, who had increased the numbers of the gang to more than 30
people, mostly minors at the time of the alleged assaults dating back
to last year.
According to investigators, three members of the gang publicly
assaulted the foreign students on the instructions of the gang
leader in February 2005. The skinheads are alleged to have beaten up
students from Vietnam, China and Angola, with one of the attackers
purportedly hitting the Chinese student with a wooden bat in “an
admission ceremony.”
Two other members of the group are not facing any charges as they
were 13 when the attacks are said to have taken place.
A wave of racially motivated crimes has recently swept Russia.
Reports of attacks on foreigners with non-Slavic features have prompted
Russian and foreign human rights groups to raise concerns over the
alarming spread of racist and xenophobic sentiments in the country.
In one of the latest incidents, four teenagers suspected of the murder
of an Armenian man on a commuter train two weeks ago were arrested
in the Moscow Region Monday.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ALIYEV: ARMENIA’S POSITION URGES AZERBAIJAN TO CHANGE POLITICS REGARDING NK
Prime News Agency, Georgia
March 28 2006
Tbilisi, March 28 (Prime-News) – Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijani president,
sated that Armenia’s non-constructive position urges Azerbaijan to
change politics regarding resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
“We maintain adherence to peaceful negotiations, thus they have no
results yet. It is evident that we should change our policy,” Ilham
Aliyev stated delivering speech on the ceremony regarding the 87th
anniversary of Special Forces of Azerbaijan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

GERMAN COMMERCE BANK READY TO EARMARK UP TO EUR 100MLN TO ARMENIA
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 28 2006
YEREVAN, March 28. /ARKA/. The German Commerce Bank (Commerzbank) is
ready to earmark up to EUR 100mln to Armenia, the bank’s representative
Karslen George stated during the first international banking conference
for foreign trade financing opened held today in Yerevan According
to him, the bank’s experts studied the situation and opportunities
in Armenia and come to a conclusion on extending their activities in
the country.
In general, according to the bank’s representative, “the bank’s
activity in the CIS countries was quite a success”.
He pointed out that Commerzbank works mainly with enterprises of
small and medium-sized business, principally playing the role of a
confirming bank during foreign trade operations.
Commerzbank currently cooperates with Armeconombank, Agricultural
Cooperative Bank of Armenia, “Anelik Bank”, Armimpexbank, Inecobank
and Converse Bank in Armenia.
The conference was organized by the EBRD and Armeconombank.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress