Author: Emil Lazarian

UNIDO TO ASSIST ARMENIA WITH INNOVATION ACTIVITY DEVELOPMENT
Noyan Tapan
Apr 25 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA Ministry of Trade and
Economic Development is working out jointly with the UN Industrial
Development Organization (UNIDO) Armenia Office a program on
financing of the measurus envisaged by the 2005-2010 Program on
Development of Innovation Activity in the Republic of Armenia. NT
correspondent was informed about it from Ashot Khandanian, Head of
the Science, Technologies and Innovation Policy Department of the
ministry. According to him, it is intended that the measures will be
financed from the RA state budget and with funds to be provided by
donor organizations and the private sector. The UNIDO has expressed a
willingness to assist with financial resources of donor organizations
for the purpose of financing the 2005-2010 Program on Development
of Innovation Activity in the RA. It was noted that the allocation
of budgetary resources was outlined in the RA draft law on state
assistance of innovation activity. The draft law is expected to be
passed in third reading by the RA National Assembly during the next
four-day session.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE MARKET IS RISKY BOTH FOR PEOPLE’S HEALTH AND THEIR POCKETS, CHAIRMAN OF UNION OF ARMENIAN CONSUMERS STATES
Noyan Tapan
Apr 25 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenia’s consumer market is risky
both for people’s health and their pockets. Chairman of the Union of
Consumers of Armenia Armen Poghosian expressed this opinion during
a debate at the Pastark Club on April 25. In his words, about 30%
of the consumer’s money is spent “to no avail” due to low quality of
goods and services. He said that since 2001, the Union of Consumers has
warned not to by goods made in Turkey. According to him, the Armenian
consumer should decline to buy such goods not because of their low
quality but because they are Turkish. He reminded that when the
French Senate recognized the fact of the Armenian Genocide, Turkey
imposed a ban on the import of French goods as protest. Calling on
Armenian consumers to give preference to local goods, A. Poghosian
noted at the same time that the local commodities are not perfect
either. Studies have revealed that 64% of information on labels is
not exact. Particularly, most labels do not contain information about
production and expiry date of foodstuffs, additives, in many cases
the exact contents are not indicated. Chairman of the Consumer Right
Protection NGO Abgar Eghoyan pointed out that the key problem is that
consumers are not aware of their rights. They may return and exchange
a low quality commodity in case they have a cash register check, which
is often not given to the purchaser. A. Eghoyan noted that a lot of
outdated, faked, improperly processed or labeled foodstuffs without
the appropriate certificates were discovered during a monitoring on
foodstuffs security, which has been conducted by the NGO over the
last 6 months. Laboratoty tests of 8 types of Turkish goods revealed
intestinal bacilluses harmful to human health in 4 of them. Among
these products were “Tofita” sweets and “Goldfresh” chocolate bars.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

HISTORIANS TO HANDLE ‘ALGERIAN GENOCIDE’
By Ali Ihsan Aydin, Paris
Zaman Online, Turkey
April 25 2006
France, overlooking the suggestion to “resort to historians” when
it issued the so-called Armenian Genocide Law five years ago, now
seeks assistance from historians in the face of accusations of having
committed genocide.
“Memory study cannot be conducted by politicians; it is neither the
business of parliamentary representatives nor that of senators,”
the French foreign minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said.
Politicians should leave history to the historians, the minister added
last week. Algerian President Abdelaziz Buteflika accused France of
having committed genocide in Algeria.
Talking to a French radio, “Memory studies are conducted by historians
and researchers,” said Doust-Blazy in response to a comment suggesting
that “Buteflika insulted France by mentioning genocide.”
Before he came to France, Buteflika held the country responsible for
“conducting genocide against the Algerian identity” between 1830
and 1962.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERBAIJAN, RUSSIA AGREE ON ARMS TRANSIT
Turan news agency, Baku
25 Apr 06
Moscow, 25 April: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigoriy Karasin
met Azerbaijani ambassador Polad Bulbuloglu in Moscow today. They
agreed on the procedure for the transit of Russian military cargoes
from Georgia to Russia via Azerbaijan.
A report from the Russian Foreign Ministry’s information and press
department said that during the meeting the sides exchanged official
notes endorsing the bilateral agreement on the issue.
To recap, this is about the withdrawal of hundreds of pieces of
armoured hardware, artillery and other heavy weapons from the Russian
bases in Akhalkalaki and Batumi. Part of the weapons from the bases
will be transferred to the Russian base in Gyumri in Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY DENIES ZAMAN SPECULATIONS
Armenpress
Apr 25 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS: Armenian foreign ministry has denied
today media reports that president Kocharian is likely to visit the
United States of America.
A spokesman for foreign ministry, Hamlet Gasparian, said it was wrong
to conclude from an interview by Armenian deputy foreign minister
Arman Kirakosian to Turkish daily Zaman that Kocharian was going to
visit Washington after Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev.
He said the conclusion was either a wrong translation of the interview
or a distortion of Kirakosian’s words.
Gasparian said in a last week interview with Zaman Arman Kirakosian
did not say Kocharian would visit Washington following Azeri president
Aliyev’s visit, but singling out good relations between Washington
and Yerevan did not exclude that Kocharian may visit the U.S.A. in
any time in future.
Meantime Azeri president Ilham Aliyev has left today for a four-day
official visit to Washington. In the USA he is scheduled to discuss
various issues with president George Bush, vice-president Dick Cheney,
defense secretary Rumsfeld and secretary of state Condoleezza Rice. The
outgoing US Ambassador in Baku Reno Harnish was quoted by local media
last week as saying that the Karabakh problem will be high on Aliyev’s
Washington agenda.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

STAVROPOL COMMEMORATES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS
PanARMENIAN.Net
25.04.2006 20:55 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenians of Stavropol Region paid tribute to their
compatriots, who fell victims of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman
Turkey in 1915-1923.
Divine service was held in Armenian churches of Budyonnovsk,
Pyatigorsk, Kislovodsk, Georgiyevsk towns and Edissiya village. Priest
of the Holy Cross church of Budyonnovsk Arsen Budaghyan addressed
the commemoration meeting at the Armenian Culture Center in
Zelenokumsk. April 24 I Accuse documentary, produced by Yerkir
Media TV Company (Armenia) was screened for those present, memories
of witnesses were read. Zelenokumsk youth activists of Bartsrunk
Armenian organization arranged the meeting. In the evening I Accuse
documentary also was shown by Stavropol city TV, reports the Yerkramas,
the newspaper of Armenians of Russia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MURDER AS STRUGGLE
By Ruben Hayrapetian in Moscow
AZG Armenian Daily
26/04/2006
“The Fuehrer’s successors conquer Russian cities swifter than the
Nazi troops in the autumn of 1941,” one of Moscow’s newspapers gives
alarm on occasion of the murder of 17 years old Armenian student
Vahan Abrahamiants.
What strikes one in this heinous crime is its unspeakable impudence
that is certainly the result of assurance of staying unpunished. The
headlines of Russian papers evidence to it: “Student Slain In Front of
A Dozen of People”, “Killing and Leaving by Train”, “Hitler Conquers
Moscow” etc.
It’s merely unbelievable how the murderer could escape the police after
stabbing the Armenian student to death at Pushkinskaya subway station –
one of the central stations in Moscow – that was heavily guarded by
the police for Easter celebrations. All tragedy is that people are
being killed in Russia today for a darker skin and for narrower eyes.
One has an impression that the Russians, particularly lower orders,
instinctively feel that something is happening to them, that they
are losing their national identity, spiritual charge, moral ground
and are turning into faceless and invertebrate creatures. And they
turn to the most primitive most animal way of struggle…
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE STATE VEHICLE INSPECTOR REPLACED BY A CAMERA
A1+
[05:17 pm] 25 April, 2006
The phase of making changes in the state vehicle inspectorate
was started in Gyumri. The road violations will be controlled by
speedometers and cameras.
The state vehicle inspectorate department of Gyumri presented
the corresponding bodies the list of the city streets where the
speedometers and cameras will be located. According to the chief of
the Gyumri state vehicle inspectorate Gurgen Derdzyan 70 cameras,
14 speedometers and traffic lights will be given to Gyumri.
The people responsible for this act are sure that the new system will
contribute to curtail of accidents, crashes and will help reveal a
number of road violations quickly.
“Tsayg” TV channel of Gyumri
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PARLIAMENTARY HEARINGS TOOK PLACE IN NAGORNO KARABAKH
A1+
[07:39 pm] 25 April, 2006
Hearings on subject “Karabakh problem: settlement perspectives” took
place in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic National Assembly. Besides
NKR NA deputies, a parliamentary delegation from Armenia headed by
Chairman of the Permanent Commission on Foreign Relations of the RA
National Assembly Armen Roustamian, a number of Armenian political
scientists and experts, representatives of the NKR non-governmental
sector took part in the hearings.
The hearings were opened by Chairman of the NKR NA Permanent Commission
on Foreign Relations Vahram Atanesian. Chairman of the Parliament
Ashot Ghoulian greeted the participants.
The Speaker, in particular, noted that Artsakh had always been and
remained in the centre of the Armenian world’s attention. At the same
time, he noted the importance of defining the positions and opinions of
the groups and factions represented in the Parliament, the political
forces of the NKR on the process of the Karabakh conflict settlement,
possible developments in the context of the Karabakh problem. According
to Ashot Ghoulian, the hearings will become an important prerequisite
for organizing similar discussions on the key issues of the Karabakh
settlement in future.
“For the people and authorities of the NKR, the solution of the
problem starts from the results of the 1991 referendum, according to
which the Armenians of Artsakh unambiguously said “yes” to the idea
of independence accepting building of an independent statehood as
a strategy. Naturally, the activity of the whole political system
including that of the NKR National Assembly is directed to the
achievement of this aim”, Ashot Ghoulian said.
In his speech, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic Georgy Petrossian noted that the disrespect for the right of
the Nagorno Karabakh people lay in the base of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. In this context, he stressed that when the Karabakh
people claimed its right on self-determination the political demand
transferred into ethnic cleanings by Azerbaijan. At the same time,
the Minister noted that “independence is not an end in itself for
the NKR but a possibility to live and develop on its own land”.
Georgy Petrossian noted that when the political process did not
consider the right of a people, a collision of interests of the parties
took place. At the same time, the Minister stressed that Baku had
actually transferred the solution of the problem from the political
field into the field of military confrontation. He expressed pity that
the mediators ignored the results of the referendum on independence
in Nagorno Karabakh.
The head of the Karabakh Foreign Ministry spoke for signing an
agreement by the parties on giving up force usage.
Answering the questions of the hearings participants, the Minister
noted that the Karabakh party was always aware of the contents of
the negotiations between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan. At
the same time, Georgy Petrossian stressed that it did not mean that
the Karabakh party agreed with all the issues.
The Minister stressed the inadmissibility of using “the Karabakh card”
with any personal or corporative views.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

“ASHLID” TRIES TO TAKE THE PLACE OF “ARMRUSGASARD”
A1+
[12:51 pm] 26 April, 2006
The workers of the company “Ashlid” have been visiting the buildings
of the capital for the last few days and persuading the subscribers to
sign a contract of gas service with them. Nevertheless, this right is
given to “ArmRusGasArd” only, and all those citizens who have already
paid “Ashlid” and signed a contract, will have to make payment to
“ArmRusGasArd” too.
On December 9, 2005 the Committee Regulating Social Services decided
that “ArmRusGasArd” is given the monopoly of house service of gas
consumers. Before that there were a number of companies in the
republic which engaged in getting payments from the people, 3000
AMD per person. By the decision of the Committee new tariffs were
established for the service. The annual payment for subscribers with
one gas consuming device is 2400 AMD, for two – 5700 AMD and for
three – 6900 AMD.
The inspectors of “Ashlid” visit different people and seduce the
people with low tariffs. Several suchlike cases have been recorded in
the Yerevan Ajapnyak district. A number of consumers of this district
have signed contracts with “Ashlid” and paid them after which they
have been visited by the “ArmRusGasArd” inspectors and warned not to
make payments to other companies as in that case they will have to
pay twice.
It is noteworthy that the main office of “ArmRusGasArd” was not aware
of the incidents.
Informational representative of the company Shushan Sardaryan informed
that they have not received any information from their consumers or
branches. But still, we have facts. In particular, last week one
of the inspectors of “Ashlid” visited the Kievyan 12, 14 and 14A
buildings and signed several contracts.
Regardless of the fact with which company the consumers sign a contract
they will have to do the same with “ArmRusGasArd”, otherwise they
will not be supplied with gas.