Author: Emil Lazarian

A-320 INFLAMMATION IN BELGIUM CONFIRMED
PanARMENIAN.Net
06.05.2006 01:05 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Head of the General Department of Civil Aviation
of Armenia Artem Movsesyan confirmed the information that early
Ma4 two Armenian jets burnt in a Belgian airport. As it was reported
earlier, May 5 night fire broke out in the airbase of Sabena-Technique
Belgian company. As result 4 A-320 planes including two Armenian ones
burnt. One plane belonged to Armavia national carrier, the other –
to entrepreneur Versand Hakobyan. The Armenian planes were undergoing
servicing in Belgium. Armavia press office said it will be possible
to speak of the damage only after official information on the fire
is received. The plane was insured. “Aibus-320 was a reserve one and
the incident will not tell on the flight,” Armavia representatives
said. To note, Armavia lost its second plane during the recent 3 days,
reported IA Regnum.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CONDOLING TELEGRAMS
A1+
[08:14 pm] 05 May, 2006
President of the Belgian Senate Ann-Mary Liezen, President of the
Georgian Parliament Nino Burdjanadze, President of the Ukrainian
Supreme Rada Vladimir Litvin, President of the Greek Parliament Anna
Benaki, President of the Irani Islamic Republic Parliament Gholamali
Haddad-Adel, and deputy Speaker of the RF State Duma Arthur Chilingarov
have sent condoling telegrams to RA NA Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan
expressing their condolences with the relatives of the victims of
the terrible aircrash on May 3.
BOOK OF CONDOLENCES OPENED IN PARIS
Since early in the morning of May 5 people have been visiting the
Embassy of Armenia in France where a book of condolences has been
opened in connection with the crash of the Armenian airplane in Sochi.
Numerous Ambassadors, state and political officers, deputies, Senators,
and high officials of international organizations and the Foreign
Ministry of France have expressed their condolences in the Embassy.
French President Jacques Chirac too ahs sent a condoling telegram
to the RA President which says, “Mr. President, my dear friend,
I learned about the crash of the Armenian airplane in Sochi which
took the lives of so many people with the deepest sorrow. In this
hour of trial in connection with this tragic event on behalf of the
French nation I express my sincere condolences to you, as well as to
the families of the victims.”
French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, President of the Senate
Christian Poncelet and Foreign Minister Philip Douste-Blazy have sent
condoling messages too.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ALEKSANDER BOZHKO: ARMENIAN-UKRAINIAN RELATIONS EXPERIENCE DYNAMIC DEVELOPMENT
By Gohar Gevorgian
AZG Armenian Daily
06/05/2006
Aleksander Bozhko, Ambassador of Ukraine to Armenia, expressed
deep condolences to the families of the victims in the May 3 crash
of A320 jet and stated that president of Ukraine had already sent
his condolences to RA and RF presidents. He said this at the press
conference at the National Press Club.
As for the relations of our countries, Mr. ambassador stated that
the positions of Armenia and Ukraine coincide especially in the
processes of integration into Europe. Mr. ambassador also emphasized
the importance constitutional amendments carried out by Armenia.
Mr. Bozhko said that the annual goods turnover of the
Armenian-Ukrainian amounted to $110 million, while in the first three
months of 2006, the goods turnover doubled as compared with the
same period in 2005. As for the political relations, he said that
the visit of Artur Baghdasarian, chairman of RA National Assembly,
to Ukraine was quite a fruitful one. He added that it is expected
that Vartan Oskanian, RA foreign minister, and RA president Robert
Kocharian will also visit Ukraine in the coming few months.
In response to the question of the journalists, how he would comment
the pro-Azerbaijani orientation of his country, Mr. Bozhko stated
that the home interests and issues of the given country condition
the position of each country. Besides, he said that in the course
of the Moscow meeting of the CIS Foreign Ministers in end 2005, only
Georgia, Azerbaijan and Moldova supported the suggestion of Ukraine
to investigate the case of raging famine in Ukraine in 1932-33.
As for Ukraine’s determination to join NATO, Mr. Bozhko said that a
country should keep in line with the relevant high requirements of
this organization.
He added that Ukraine is a normal European country and its wish to
become a member of NATO is quite natural.
Besides, Mr. Bozhko stated that Ukraine is still interested in
Iran-Armenia gas pipeline. Moreover, he said that they take certain
steps in this issue. He expressed confidence that the project may
be implemented only in case of Europe’s consent and interest in
the project. As for the recent deal of RA Government with Gazprom,
Mr. Bozhko said that RA authorities had to sign the agreement.
Mr. Bozhko said that the orange revolution was of great importance
both for Ukraine and for the whole region. He added that millions
of people who carried out the revolution attained the goal of making
changes. He said that though the authorities didn’t keep some of the
promises, Ukraine managed to carry out good parliamentary elections.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT TRANSFERS HIS MONTHLY WAGES TO FUND OF SUPPORT OF FAMILIES OF VICTIMS OF A-320 CRASH
Yerevan, May 5. ArmInfo. Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has
transferred his monthly wages – 318,000 AMD – to the fund of support
of the families of the victims of the May 3 A-320 crash, reports the
president’s spokesman Viktor Sogomonyan.
Parts of the wages of the presidential administration employees will
also be transferred to the fund.

REFORMS REFER TO THE ELITE
Lragir.am
05 May 06
Today Armenia is a more democratic country than it was before its
accession to the Council of Europe, stated Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanyan in the conference “Council of Europe and Armenia: 5 Years of
Cooperation” on May 5. Vardan Oskanyan assured that Armenia fulfilled
all the commitments it had undertaken on accession to the Council of
Europe. “We are going through a second stage of democratization. It is
a difficult stage for it suggests reforms that are directly related
to the political elite. We must display a political will,” stated
Vardan Oskanyan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

JUST A FEW NAIVE QUESTIONS ON THE ‘ARMENIAN GENOCIDE’
Cem Oguz
New Anatolian, Turkey
May 4 2006
At a symposium held in Kayseri recently Turkish Armenians’ Patriarch
Mesrob Mutafyan II wisely argued that it’s unethical for both Armenians
and Turks “to ignore each other’s responsibility or completely put it
on the other side although responsibilities weren’t equal in the brutal
consequence.” He then criticized the great powers of the time, ranging
from France to the U.S., since they bore a responsibility as well.
What might be the responsibility of the great powers that the patriarch
touched upon? And what is its relevance today?
During his visit to Ankara two weeks ago, Polish Foreign Minister
Stefan Meller, in response to Turkish criticism regarding the Polish
Parliament’s recognition of the so-called Armenian genocide, said that
the decision neither has a binding impact on his country’s foreign
policy nor reflects the view of his government. Supposedly the decision
wasn’t one taken against Turkey. Since a number Polish citizens
with Armenian roots have carried out significant duties in Poland,
the Polish Parliament considered the decision moral compensation for
Armenian suffering and pain stemming from the 1915 tragedy.
The foreign minister’s statement begs one simple question: Is the
Polish Parliament’s decision indeed so apolitical?
Just as was the case when the U.S. public TV network PBS a short
while ago aired a controversial documentary on the so-called Armenian
genocide but gave little opportunity for scholars supporting the
Turkish thesis to have a say, every defensive attempt by Turks are
zealously blocked by Armenian diaspora organizations.
If our Armenian friends are so sure that our arguments are baseless
why are they so hesitant about giving us a chance to fall flat on
our faces?
A memorial in Lyon, France honoring those killed in the so-called
Armenian genocide was vandalized just a week before it was to be
unveiled, which, as The New Anatolian’s Nazlan Ertan two days ago
wrote, has created a fertile atmosphere for the new law that would
punish genocide deniers with time in prison.
Who might the vandals be? Some men with moustaches, as some circles
are trying to portray, or teenagers being paid in a dark alley by a
guy in a suit?
As of today the number of U.S. states that have passed resolutions
supporting the Armenian allegations has reached 36 in total.
Why then are we heartened on April 24 every year to see that the U.S.
president, whoever he is at the time, has avoided using the term
“genocide” in his message to Armenia and the Armenian Americans? Are
these resolutions passed by U.S. states, on the other hand,
just like the controversial movie “Midnight Express,” a sign of
anti-Turkishness? As our U.S. friends do about “The Valley of Wolves
Iraq,” shall we complain about it as well?
George W. Bush, in his presidential message this year, interestingly
expressed his willingness to strengthen Armenia’s inclusion in the
Euro-Atlantic family.
Doesn’t the U.S. president or other Western leaders realize that
the biased Western stance towards the Armenian claims, in turn,
is accelerating the Turkish people’s alienation from the West?
TNA recently published a striking news story entitled “New measures
to fight Armenian claims.” Due to the fait accompli of the Armenian
diaspora, a high-level and unnamed Turkish source ironically asserted
that sometimes even the foreign ministries of some countries find out,
much to their “surprise,” that their parliament took a decision on
the matter. Supposedly Venezuela was a good example. Its Foreign
Ministry officials discovered that a resolution supporting the
Armenian allegations was passed in their Parliament only after it
was condemned by Turkish diplomats. The way these resolutions are
passed is also worth considering. In several cases previously such
drafts were brought to Parliaments during late evening sessions when
the number of deputies present was very few indeed.
This leaves us scratching our heads, wondering why the Turkish
diplomats in Venezuela didn’t inform their colleagues before the law
was passed. Or are such arguments merely another reflection of our
diplomats’ professional kindness?
Last, but not least, why doesn’t Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc,
instead of making speculative speeches that further divide the public,
convene Parliament on his own initiative to formulate a national
declaration, to be signed by all political parties in and outside
Parliament, reaffirming that the Armenian allegations are unacceptable
and Turkey is ready to pay the consequences of its alleged “denial”
whatever they are? Why do opposition parties, in turn, make this
national cause simply another matter of domestic polemics and populism
despite the fact that they’re equally responsible?
Can nobody see that the Turkish people won’t forgive those who are
trying to attribute a grave moral flaw to them?
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SHUSHI, SAN DIEGO AND ETHNOGRAPHY
Lragir.am
5 May 06
Shushi is not ignored by the Armenia Fund, we simply have to have a
clear perception, Naira Melkumyan, Executive Director of the Fund,
said May 5. While we will be trying to perceive, there will remain
nothing in Shushi that can be perceived, for the town is ruined, and
the population is quickly dropping instead of growing. Nevertheless,
it is interesting to know what needs to be perceived. It turns out
that there is little to perceive.
“Shushi is not the case when we must implement separate programs
there. A long-term policy, an urbanist program must be worked out,
because Shushi is a town, it does not have agricultural potential,
and we need to find peculiar solutions there. There are cities,
such as San Diego, for instance, if I am not mistaken, which have
ethnographic elements,” says Naira Melkumyan. She says they have
been seeking for such interesting solutions for over two years,
and Diasporan specialists on urban development have been involved.
“We must carry out a complex policy. A policy which is not developing
a town or a district but it drags the entire region, if I can say
so. I think the development of Shushi also needs the support of
private business,” says the executive director of Armenia Fund.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

INFLATION IS DETERMINED BY THE STATE OF AGRICULTURE
Lragir.am
5 May 06
The president of the Central Bank of Armenia told the reporter of
Lragir.am May 5 that sustaining a 3 percent inflation projected for
2006 is quite realistic. “Our estimations show that it is realistic
to sustain a 3 percent inflation determined by monetary factors by
the end of this year. Especially that the growth of the price of
gas was softer than it had been expected,” said Tigran Sargsyan. He
mentioned that the rate of inflation will greatly depend on the state
of agriculture, the rate of growth in this sector.
“For the fluctuations of the price of agricultural products has an
essential effect on the level of prices, and it will determine the
rate of inflation this year,” said Tigran Sargsyan.

OSKANIAN SAYS ARMENIAN AND AZERI LEADERS LIKELY TO MEET NEXT MONTH
Armenpress
May 05 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 5, ARMENPRESS: Armenian foreign minister Vartan Oskanian
said today Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents are likely to have
another meeting early next month, but added there were no concrete
arrangements about the venue and the date of the possible meeting of
Robert Kocharian of Armenia and Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of “Armenia and the Council
of Europe: Five Years of Membership” conference, kicked off today in
Yerevan, Oskanian said the anticipated meeting may suffer a setback
as the one earlier this year in the French castle of Rambouillet.
Oskanian said again that Armenia had done everything it could and now
the turn was for Azerbaijan to make its concessions in order to give
a fresh push to the process of peaceful talks.
“The problem now is to avoid a setback and we expect appropriate
moves from Azerbaijan,” he said, adding otherwise it would be very
difficult to move forward. Oskanian downplayed media allegations that
Aliyev’s recent visit to Washington has given an additional weight to
Azerbaijan’s positions. “We know that Aliyev was made understand in
Washington by very top US government officials that seeking a military
solution to the Karabakh conflict is not an option. We appreciate it,”
he said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARA ABRAHAMYAN SAYS THEY ARE THE RUSSIAN PATRIOTS
Panorama.am
13:44 05/05/06
According to Armeina Union of Russia (AUR), 4 Armenian nationals were
murdered during the first quarter of 2006, AUR Chairman Ara Abrahamyan
told Echo Moscow today. According the him, the statistics shows that
this number is increasing year by year and said that “nothing has
been done to prevent that in the course of 10 years.”
“When Vigen Abramyants was murdered, I was personally talking to 500
young men talking them into not to go out,” Ara Abrahamyan said.
The Chairman noted that the Union is pursueing its own investigation
on the case of 17 year old Vigen Abramyants. He said the law entitled
them to do so.
According to Ara Abrahamyan, when 16-17 year old becomes a mudered,
this is a social problem. The more we think on that and take actions,
the less criminal acts will be committed. It seems that they are better
organized than we. Those who cover such actions are only seemingly
“patriots”. We are the patriots who name things as they are, Ara
Abrahamyan said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress