Author: Emil Lazarian

THE NEW ARMAVIA FLIGHT TO ISRAEL WILL RECOMMENCE FROM MARCH 23
YEREVAN, MARCH 17. ARMINFO. Yerevan-Tel-Aviv flights of Armaviua
company, sterted on January 1, 2006, were suspended due to lack of
passengers, reports the Armavia press center.
According to the information received, small quantity of passengers
flying to Israel is caused by the difficulties of the visa system.
Armavia has submitted this question to the Government of Armenia and
intends to recommence the flights to Tel-Aviv from March 23.
The company also informed that new prices are offered to Armavia
customers in 2006. From March the Armavia passengers are to pay AMD
700 for 1 kilogram of cargo when traveling by Yerevan-Amsterdam-
Yerevan, Yerevan-Paris Yerevan, Yerevan-Aleppo-Yerevan,
Yerevan-Frankfurt-Yerevan flights. The ticket price is $225.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

IN 2005 ARMAVIA INCREASED ITS PASSENGER TRAFFIC VOLUME BY 1,2
YEREVAN, MARCH 17. ARMINFO. In 2005 the Armavia company increased
the volume of passenger transportations 1,2 times v to 501 thousand
passengers, reports the press center of the air company.
According to information received, in 2005 the company realized 2841
flights, 1,2 times more than in 2004. Cargo transportation volume
remained on the same level v 1.815.683 kilograms. In January 2006
Amavia transported 26.700 passengers in February v 23.500.
Since July 2005 the company has been implementing a new policy of
increasing the flights and opening new routes. From summer 2006 new
flights to Anapa, Donetsk, France, Saint Petersburg, Samara, Odessa,
Simferopol, Beirut, Athens, Aleppo and Teheran will be available
at Armavia. In 2006 the company will purchase two A-319 airplanes,
produced in 2004.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

‘ROYAL-ARMENIA’ REPRESENTATIVES ASK THE PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA TO
INTERFERE THE PERSECUTION OF THE COMPANY
YEREVAN, MARCH 17. ARMINFO. Representatives of ‘Royal Armenia’
CJSC ask President Robert Kocharian to interference and to stop the
unlawful judicial persecution of the company.
‘Royal-Armenia’s open letter addressed to the President states that
shareholder Gagik Hakobian and deputy-director Aram Kazarian were
detained in result of calumny and falsifications by the Customs
Service. The company accuses investigator Mnatsakan Marukian for
neglecting the evidence of Hakobian’s and Kazarian’s innocence and for
stating openly that the activity of ‘Royal-Armenia’ has been illegal
for 6 years. The letter states that the company suffers from refusing
the unlawful demands of the corrupted Customs Committee.
‘Royal Armenia’ reminds the President about his criticism of the
Customs Committee and calls upon him for justice.

ARMENIA WILL HAVE MORE EFFICIENT ARMED FORCES IN 10 YEARS, DEFENSE MINISTER STATES
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 17 2006
YEREVAN, March 17. /ARKA/. Armenia will have more efficient armed
forces meeting the international standards in ten years, Secretary of
the RA Presidential National Security Council, RA Minister of Defense
Serge Sargsyan stated at his meeting with a US delegation.
Colonel Seyran Shahsuvaryan, Press Secretary to the RA Minister of
Defense, reported that the Minister pointed out that importance of
the Armenia-NATO relations, stressing that they are rapidly developing.
In his turn, the member of the US delegation, representative of the
Command of the US armed forces in Europe, Colonel Mike Andersen
expressed gratitude for the Armenia~Rs peace-makers~R successful
mission in Iraq. The US officer expressed special thanks to the RA
Minister of Defense for assistance and transparent activities of the
RA armed forces. He also pointed out the importance of rescue training
to be held in Armenia in July 2006. P.T. ~V0~W
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EDITORIAL AMERICANS MUST SPEAK UP TO STOP DARFUR GENOCIDE
by Trudy Rubin
KRTBN Knight-Ridder Tribune Business News – The Olympian
March 16, 2006 Thursday
PHILADELPHIA — Can an individual do anything to stop a genocide?
Let’s hope so, because governments certainly aren’t doing much. Two
years after Sudan began a genocidal slaughter in Darfur province, the
killing of black African Muslims by black Arab Muslims continues. No
government seems willing or able to force Sudan to stop.
The Bush administration calls this killing by its rightful name —
genocide — but has yet to use the kind of political muscle that
might stop it. So it is left to ordinary individuals to act. Think
you can’t do anything? Former Marine Capt. Brian Steidle thinks you
must. He photographed Darfur’s horrors, and the images are driving
him crazy. He wants a million Americans to write to President Bush
and urge him to ensure that a strong multinational force is sent to
Darfur. Steidle, 29, was one of three U.S. military observers
assigned to the African Union, which has a toothless force of 7,000
monitors in Darfur. The monitors are permitted only to observe a
nonexistent cease-fire. Steidle went to this killing field in
September 2004 armed only with a pen, pad and camera; he took more
than 1,000 photos. The ex-Marine had no doubt who was to blame for
the carnage, which has killed about 180,000 in the past three years
and driven 2 million Darfurians from their homes. The Sudanese
government, in an effort to crush Darfur rebels, sent in its army
along with an Arab militia known as the janjaweed. Their goal: to
“cleanse” Darfur of its ethnic African population. But Steidle’s
reports to the AU disappeared down a black hole. So he quit in
February 2005, went home, met the media and found sympathetic
legislators who displayed his photos. He even met senior Bush
officials. “But I couldn’t get the administration to listen,” he
says. So he decided to approach the public directly. He wants you to
lobby for a U.N. force that would protect civilians in Darfur. He is
touring 22 cities in a campaign backed by Jewish, Armenian,
mainstream Protestant, evangelical and other groups that will
culminate in an anti-genocide demonstration April 30 in Washington,
D.C. The goal: to get 1 million Americans to send this message to the
White House: “Dear President Bush: During your first year in the
White House, you wrote in the margins of a report on the Rwandan
genocide, ‘Not on my watch.’ I urge you to live up to those words by
using the power of your office to support a stronger multinational
force to protect the civilians of Darfur.” (You can send the message
via e-mail or order preprinted postcards at )
Sudan is lobbying the Security Council to block a U.N. force. China,
which buys Sudanese oil, is opposed, as are Russia and Qatar, the
current Arab representative on the council. Steidle believes that a
U.N. force can be achieved but that “it would take a lot of
leadership from the United States.” The White House has yet to show
that leadership, despite the President’s fine words. What’s needed
now is grassroots pressure on the White House. One million postcards
and 1 million people in the Capitol on April 30 might motivate the
Bush team to lean harder on the AU, Sudan, China and Russia to
approve a U.N. force. Such pressure would also demonstrate that there
are people who refuse to tolerate genocide, even if most of the world
ignores it. Brian Steidle wants to show that one person can make a
difference. But he can succeed only if, one by one, other Americans
join in.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMAVIA TO RESUME YEREVAN – TEL AVIV – YEREVAN FLIGHTS FROM MARCH 23
YEREVAN, MARCH 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Starting March 23, the Armavia
airline will resume Yerevan – Tel Aviv – Yerevan flights which
were discontinued due to the insufficient number of passengers. NT
correspondent was infomed from Armavia’s press service that the company
plans to operate new flights to Anapa and Donetsk this summer, as
well as to increase the number of flights in July in the following
destinations: Paris, Saint Petersburg, Samara, Odessa, Simferopol,
Beirut, Athens, Aleppo and Tehran. Armavia envisages to purchase two
new Airbus A-319 planes this year.
It was noted that in January-February 2006, Armavia operated 356
regular flights, transporting 26,700 passengers.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SEVERAL BOILER-HOUSES TO BE PUT INTO OPERATION THIS YEAR
YEREVAN, MARCH 17, NOYAN TAPAN. 7 months ago the US Agency for
International Development (USAID) started a program on apartment
heating, under which several boiler-houses will be put into operation
this year. The program director Gagik Hovhannisian said at the March
17 press conference that the allocated 1.5 mln USD will be used to put
these boiler-houses into operation and supply thousands of families
with heating. The program also envisages free advice services for
those organizations which will express an intention to participate
in the program on heating of apartment buildings.
Tamara Babayan, Director of the Fund of Renewable Energy and Energy
Saving of Armenia, noted that 15 mln USD provided by the World Bank
will also be used for repairs of heating systems. According to her,
the program’s main directions are heating of schools (it is envisaged
to restore the heating supply of about 100 schools) and grants for
vulnerable families in the form of gas supply provision and purchase
of gas stoves.
It was noted at the press conference that in addition to this program,
the World Bank envisages to allocate a 3 mln-dollar grant until this
summer in order to deal with the same problems.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Ukraine Finished Talks with Armenia and Columbia on Mutual Access to Markets
[17.03.2006 15:23]
UNIAN , Ukraine
March 17 2006
Ukraine finished market access talks with Armenia and Columbia within
the framework of joining the World Trade Organization.
According to an UNIAN correspondent, Economics Minister of Ukraine
Arseniy Yatseniuk disclosed this to journalists today.
Ukraine has been holding talks for joining WTO since 1994. Presently a
new date of entering WTO is expected – summer-autumn of the current
year.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BÝA, Turkey
March 17 2006
Not Many “New Approaches” for Armenian Issue
“New Approaches in Turkish Armenian Relations” conferance will
continue for 3 days witnessed the reproduction of nationalist
reflexes and unscientific propositions: “There is not more noble a
nation in the world than the Turks.”
BIA News Center
17/03/2006 Talin SUCIYAN
BÝA (Istanbul) – On the first day of the international symposium
entitled “New Approaches in Turkish Armenian Relations” organized by
Istanbul University as the Science and Literature Faculty Cemil
Birsel Meeting Hall that started on Wednesday, the symposium stayed
far away from bringing new approaches to the issue. Old formulaic
narratives were repeated.
The symposium witnessed the reproduction of nationalist reflexes and
unscientific propositions.
Propositions and questions such as “The Armenians had sold their
masters”, “deportation is a form of crisis management”, “how could
one compare those who die from deportations with those who die from
the flu”, “there is no nobler nation on earth than the Turks” were
repeated.
A 25-page anonymous brochure printed by Ýstanbul University entitled
“The Attack of the Genociders and the Reactions One Must Give to
Them” was introduced at the last minute at an unnamed exhibit.
The symposium started with a practice inappropriate for an academic
meeting, namely with the reading of the National Anthem and the March
of the 10th Year Celebrations of the Turkish Republic. Then there was
a moment of silence observed for those who had lost their lives
during World War I.
The National Anthem was sung by Katya Hallacoglu from Ferikoy
Armenian Elementary School who was elected the best national anthem
singing student and the Tenth Year (of The Republic) March was sang
by the Surp Takavor Choir. The same choir then sang some Armenian
pieces.
The Brochure with the unknown author and publisher
Among the various bookstands in the hall way were the publications of
the Prime Minister’s Office, Ataturk Research Center and the Gomidas
Institute. During the first panel, there was added next to the books
of the Gomidas Institute a brochure stand for a 25-page brochure
entitled “The Attack of the Genociders and the Reactions One Must
Give to Them.”
The name of the author was someone named “Holdwater” and the
translator the Turkish Forum member Fatma Sarýkaya who had attended
the Bilgi University conference in September 2005. Vice Rector Þafak
Ural stated that the brochure had been printed by the Istanbul
University Press right before the symposium but it had not yet been
accepted as an Istanbul University publication because it had not
been examined adequately.
There was no information in the brochure that it had been printed by
Istanbul University. The entire content of the brochure whose writer
is unknown has been taken from the website
and translated by Fatma Sarýkaya.
On the first day of the conference that will continue for three days,
a total of 18 presentations took place under the themes “Armenians
under Ottoman Adminsitration,” “Deportation according to Archival
Documants” and “Great Powers and the Armenian Issue.”
Even though the original title of the paper of Yair Auron who
participated in the symposium from Israel was “Armenian Genocide
during World War I According to the Narrtives of the Witnesses and
Jewish Documentation,” it appeared in the program as “Armenians under
Ottoman rule according to the archival documents of the Yishuv (the
Palestinian Jewish community).” This misprint was corrected at the
end of the presentation by Yusuf Halacoglu.
Auron: “1915 is a Genocide”
As could also be understood from his paper title, Yair Auron gave a
presentation on the proofs of the Armenian genocide in the Jewish
sources. Auron stated that he had been researching genocides for 30
years and the Armenian genocide for 20 years and that he employed the
term genocide not to offend anyone but because he interprets 1915
within the scientific and legal conceptualizations as genocide.
Saray: “Armenians and Greek were used as Tools for Selfish Purposes”
Mehmet Saray who presented in an emotional tone a paper entitled
“Armenians and the Ottoman conception of the state” said the
following at the end of his paper: “The Turkish nation is the most
noble nation of the world; friends, it is not possible for such a
nation to commit genocide.” Saray also stated that the Armenians and
Greeks were used by the Britain, France and Russia as ‘tools.’
Bozkurt: “Non-Muslims prevented equality”
In her talk entitled “non-Muslims in Ottoman Law,” Gulnihal Bozkurt
said that the legal differentiation between the Muslims and
non-Muslims occurred because the Ottoman state was a religious state
and the legal system applied a religious one. She claimed that the
non-Muslims did not support the application of the reforms that gave
them more rights but also more responsibilities and that was why the
introduction of an egalitarian understanding (to Ottoman society) was
prevented directly by the non-Muslims.
Ali Arslan who defended the view that the Armenian church and the
Armenian problem were interconnected stated that the (activities of
the) churches had to be observed very carefully and that he wished
the churches were centers of peace and love.
“Armenians have sold their Masters”
Erol Kurkcuoglu who stated while giving his paper that “the Armenian
problem is an artificial (non-existent) issue created by the Russians
and Western powers” referred to the Russian historian Velichkov in
stating that Armenians always had masters. He narrated that these
“master”s’were respectively Romans, Byzantines, Iranian, British,
French and Germans. He concluded his talk by stating that “Armenians
have always changed their masters in history and have sold them (the
masters).”
Deportation as Crisis Management
Hikmet Ozdemir stated that his talk searched for the answer to the
single question: ‘what are the reasons for the deportation?’ and
pointed out that he had “the right to ask to know what his colleagues
at Bilgi and Sabanci Universities thought about this.” Ozdemir listed
various rebellions to argue that deportation emerged as a crisis
management technique during war.
Why did Gomidas go abroad?
In his paper entitled “Deportation according to Ottoman documents”,
Yusuf Sarinay gave the example of Gomidas, the first
ethnomusicologist of Anatolia, stating how helpful the state elite
had been in sending him abroad for his medical treatment.
Sarýnay did not state that Gomidas had lost his mental health because
of what he had lived through and witnessed.
Sarýnay also argued that Armenians had been sent south in order to
move them away from the warfront to settle them at a secure place.
“Comparison of deportation and flu deaths”
Yusuf Hallacoðlu argued in his talk entitled “population loss due to
deportation and migrations” that the number of casualties due to
sickness, travel, hunger was 227 500 and that this could be compared
to those in England who died from the flu.
The Activities of the Missionaries and the Armenians are Different
from One Another
Hilmar Kaiser who presented a paper entitled “Merzifon, 1915: Ottoman
Armenians and American Missionaries during times of Crisis” stated
that one should not equate those who performed missionary activities
with the Armenians because Armenians sometimes converted to Islam to
escape genocide and this (conversion) would not be acceptable to the
missionaries.
As proof for his argument that the purposes of the two groups were
entirely different, Kaiser relayed from the memoirs of the wife the
negative reaction received by the Armenian doctor who had become the
director of the Merzifon missionary hospital.
Kaiser stated that Merzifon was totally cleansed of Armenians except
for the Protestant Armenians who were disabled or working at the
American mission.
The symposium that has not been well attended will continue at the
same place Thursday and Friday. (TS/KO/FMG/YE)
–Boundary_(ID_ak3GXP3MJkOtSxHJpac riA)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Gazprom has not still fixed final gas price for Armenia, but chain reaction has already began
Regnum, Russia
March 17 2006
On March 16, Hrazdan thermoelectric power plant (Armenia) addressed
to the Armenian Commission on Public Services Regulation, requesting
to recalculate tariff for produced energy. As a REGNUM correspondent
informs, in accordance with gas tariffs increasing, the electric
station suggested fixing price for domestic consumer of 21.36 drams
($4.7 cents) per kilowatt-hour instead of former 11.37 drams. The
tariff offered by Hrazdan electric station, increases by 90%, comparing
with he current one.
It should be reminded, that on April 10, average gas price for
domestic consumer totals $162.95 per 1000 cubic meters. For users,
consuming less then 10,000 cubic meters per month (for population),
tariff totals 90 drams ($20 cents) per cubic meter; for users,
consuming more then 10,000 cubic meters ~W $146.51. For population
gas tariff will rise by about 52.5%, for enterprises ~V by 85.2%.
Recalculation of gas tariffs for domestic consumer is caused by fact
that from April 1 price of gas, supplied from Russia, will nearly
duplicate ~V from $56 up to $110 per 1000 cubic meters. However,
the Russian holding granted Armenia a delay till April 1, and talks
between Yerevan and Moscow on the question still continue.
It should be reminded, that recently spokeswoman to Electroseti
Armenii JSC Margarita Grigoryan stated if Armenian Commission on Public
Services Regulation decided to increase tariffs for produced energy,
probably Electroseti Armenii JSC would address to the Commission
requesting to change tariffs for domestic consumer.
Part of gas expenditures totals 85% in energy prime cost, produced by
Hrazdan thermoelectric power station. It should be mentioned, that
Hrazdan TPS infrastructure was handed over to Russia, in accordance
with On Armenia~Rs Acquittance to Russia agreement between governments
of Armenia and Russia. Within of the framework of the scheme, the
whole stock of Hrazdan TPS was received by Russian side for $31
million. Also, Hrazdan TPS is the only one energy supplier from
Armenia to Georgia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress