Author: Emil Lazarian

Square named after Armenian Genocide
13.04.2005 13:41
YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Uruguay capital’s city council passed a decision on
March 30 to name a broad strip in the central Montevideo the Square of
the Armenian People’s Genocide.
A motion to name one of Montevideo’s streets “April 24, 1915,” was
introduced to the city council by its member Raffi Hunanian about a
year ago. Under the same decision, a monument to be officially
unveiled on April 24 will also be erected in the square.
Uruguay was the first country to recognize the Armenian Genocide in
1965, on the eve of the Genocide’s 50th anniversary.

Turkey upset with German bill on Armenian Genocide
13.04.2005 15:26
YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Speaking at a press conference following his
meeting with Fritz Kuhn, the foreign policy spokesperson of the Greens
in Germany, Turkish Parliament’s European Union Harmonization
Commission head Yasar Yakis said that a draft bill prepared by the
Greens on the Armenian genocide was rife with falsehoods, adding that
the measure could harm relations between Germany and Turkey as well as
the Armenian-Turkish relations.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pan Armenian News
RUSSIAN FILMS WEEK OPENED IN YEREVAN
12.04.2005 06:40
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The week of the Russian films has opened in Yerevan. In
the words of Alfael President Levon Abrahamian, “My stepbrother
Frankenstein”, “Ours”, “Driver for Eva”, “Butterflies’ plays”, “Father”, as
well as “The night is bright” film by Roman Balayan will be screened. Being
dedicated to the topic of war of both the past and the present years, these
films have gained the most spectator sympathies, as well as won prizes at
various international film festivals. As noted by Chief of Cinematography
Department of Russia’s Federal Agency for Cinematography Sergey Lazarchuk,
the judgements of people of Russia on the Armenian cinema are more based on
the films of western directors of Armenian origin, e.g. Atom Egoyan. The
Russian cinema figure gave a low evaluation to the state of the
cinematography in Armenia, in contrast to the Russian one called
Renaissance, attributing it to financial difficulties. Mr. Lazarchuk also
added that the Russian party is considering a range of projects presented by
Armenian film directors for getting financing. S. Lazarchuk also added that
touring performances of the Bolshoy and Obraztsov Theatres, as well as the
ITAR-TASS exhibition dedicated to the 60th anniversary of Victory in Great
Patriotic War will be organized within the framework of the Year of Russia
in Armenia, Arminfo news agency reported.

SHOTS FROM AZERI SIDE REGISTERED DURING REGULAR OSCE CONTACT LINE
MONITORING
STEPANAKERT, APRIL 12. ARMINFO. A regular OSCE monitoring was held
westward from Verin Chailu, Nagorno Karabakh republic, Monday, reports
the press service of NKR FM.
>From the NKR side the monitoring was held by Miroslav Vimetal (Czech
Republic) and Oleksander Samarsky (Ukraine), field assistants to the
personal representative of the OSCE chairman-in-office Andrzej
Kasprzyk; from the Azeri side by Kasprzyk himself.
During the monitoring the NKR DM and FM representatives accompanying
the OSCE mission registered shots from the Azeri sides – northward
from Verin Chailu. The monitoring was continued after the sides got
reconfirmed security guarantees and was held according to the
schedule.

Russians Indicted for Roles in Jet Blasts
By Associated Press
April 12, 2005, 4:13 PM EDT
MOSCOW — An airline employee and a ticket scalper were charged Tuesday in
connection with the nearly simultaneous bombing of two Russian passenger
jets last summer that killed all 90 people aboard the planes.
The Aug. 24 bombings were the first in a series of terror attacks in August
and September that killed more than 400 people and shocked the country.
The ITAR-Tass news agency said Armen Arutyunian and Nikolai Korenkov entered
partial pleas at a Moscow region court to the indictment, which charged them
with aiding and abetting terrorism and commercial bribery.
Two Chechen women are believed to have blown up a Sibir Airlines Tu-154 and
a Volga-Aviaexpress Tu-134 after buying scalped tickets, allegedly from
Arutyunian. Korenkov, a Sibir employee, allegedly accepted a $36 bribe for
helping one of the women get on the flight after check-in had ended.
Both planes took off from Moscow’s Domodedovo airport.
ITAR-Tass said Korenkov told the court he would refute the charges during
the trial.
“I doubt my guilt and during the submission of evidence I will explain why,”
Korenkov was quoted as saying by ITAR-Tass.
Arutyunian pleaded partially guilty, the news agency reported, though it was
unclear for which charges.
A police officer has also been charged with negligence for detaining the two
women then releasing them without inspecting their belongings.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Journal of Turkish Weekly
April 12 2005
Turkish Prime Minister Addresses anti-Turk Sentiments in Europe

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan currently on a state visit to
Norway, met with Turkish citizens at the Oslo Military Museum Meeting
Hall, Monday. Speaking at the meeting Erdogan addressed the
“anti-Turk sentiments” that have been felt across Europe recently.
“We regret to see negative attitudes against Turkish and Muslim
people in some European countries recently. it is impossible to
understand such attitudes against Turks and Muslims in a period when
the world focuses on dialogue among different civilizations and
cultures.”
“We saw similar attitudes before December 17th. However, we overcame
them. the EU is not a Christian club. It is the outcome of compromise
among civilizations.the EU is a whole of political values.”
On the subject of the so-called Armenian genocide the Turkish PM said
that the issue would be addressed in a special session April 13. and
will be debated in parliament, the outcome of which will be a
statement signed by 550 MPs that will then be sent to several
countries including Britain.
The PM also addressed the issue of sensationalized domestic events,
in comparison with domestic events within EU countries. “Students
held demonstrations in France and in other European countries. Police
used force to disperse demonstrators and beat some of them. none of
these events in Europe are mentioned or criticized.”
Erdogan also reiterated Turkey’s stance on a peaceful and fair world.
“We have been advocating since the very beginning that a peaceful
world cannot be established on hatred and enmity.”
Source: Hurriyet, 12 April 2005

AZG Armenian Daily #064, 12/04/2005
Cooperation
ARMENIA-GERMANY-COUNCIL OF EUROPE
Cooperation in Urban Construction Sphere
Various officials have often touched upon the issue of the urban
construction in the capital and in the republic as a whole. There are many
problems in this sphere that are mainly caused by the fact that there is no
general layout, at present. The majority of 930 RA communities doesn’t have
this main document for urban construction.
It has been already a year that RA Urban Construction Ministry is
cooperating with the German Transport and Construction Ministry in order to
elaborate the models of the general layouts of the dwelling places. A two
day’s conference was held within the framework of the abovementioned
cooperation, recently. The conference was entitled “National, Regional and
Local Stable Territorial Development of Armenia.”
Ruzan Alaverdian, RA deputy urban construction minister, emphasized that the
general layouts of 12 communities were submitted for the competition
announced within the framework of the conference. Iris Gleicke,
parliamentary state secretary of German Transport and Construction Ministry,
said that each of the layouts deserved a prize, but it’s impossible to award
prizes to everyone. She added that the German government is glad to help
Armenia in its integration to Europe, as well as in its determination to use
the contemporary norms of urban construction and stable territorial
development.
The German side will allocate 100 000 Euros to achieve these goals. It’s
worth mentioning that the cooperation is carried out within the framework of
the European ministerial conference of regional-territorial planning of 45
CE member countries.
Aram Harutyunian, RA urban construction minister, informed that, as a
probation project, they are going to restore the historical exterior of one
street in Goris, Martouni and Ashtarak towns.
By the way, the program includes preservation and reconstruction of
historical-cultural buildings and monuments. This last factor is extremely
actual today.
By Nana Petrosian

AMERICAN EXPERT CONSIDERS MISUNDERSTANDING OF OPINION EXPRESSED BY HIM
TO BE RESULT OF INCORRECT INTERPRETATION
YEREVAN, APRIL 11, NOYAN TAPAN. “The Public Services Regulatory
Commission (PSRC) is acting independently, and I had no reason to
believe that they are not.” The American expert Bruce Hutchinson wrote
this in his letter to NT. At a recent seminar on the energy sphere
regulation and tariffs methodology, he stated that the PSRC does not
present respective calculations on tariff changes to its resolutions,
which calls in question the full independence of this body. In his
letter Bruce Hutchinson insists that he did not make such a comment
and there was probably a misunderstanding of the interpretation. At
the same time, the American expert repeated tha idea that he had no
opportunity to see any calculations or working papers. “The PSRC
official resolutions that approve the tariffs do not contain the
calculations, which were used in the tariffs,” B. Hutchinson wrote.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1plus
| 14:13:41 | 11-04-2005 | Social |
THE HEADMASTERS WILL CONTROL THE MONEY
Starting from this year a new system of educational institutions development
indices is put into execution in the Yerevan municipality. The educational
institutions and the state non commercial organizations have been given the
possibility to master their own budget. 8.5 billion drams will be
distributed to the schools and other educational institutions under the
control of the Yerevan municipality. Kamo Areyan, the first deputy mayor of
Yerevan informed about it today.
He said that the sum will be distributed according to the quantity of
pupils. «This year the approach to the financing of schools has changed
crucially. The schools have attainted self-dependence and responsibility for
the budget», says Kamo Areyan. The special monitoring group will monitor the
«positive» step every year. Besides, every year the schools will be subject
to inner audit the graphic of which has been formed by the Government and
the Ministry of Finance.
According to Kamo Areyan, the municipality has decided to restore the
contracts of the ex soil users of the Dalma gardens 256 hectares of soil.
After the restoration the contracts will enter into vigor.
Kamo Areyan also announced that April 16 is a day of volunteer labor.

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
April 6, 2005, Wednesday
RUSSIAN BASE SCANDAL FORCES KOCHARYAN TO VISIT TBILISI
SOURCE: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, April 4, 2005, p. 3
by Yuri Simonyan
Mass protests by Armenians in Javakheti (southern Georgia) against
withdrawal of the 62nd Russian military base at Akhalkalakhi have
suddenly raised this problem to the presidential level. On returning
from Astana last Friday, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili left
for Tbilisi Airport within a couple of hours to meet President Robert
Kocharyan of Armenia, arriving for an urgent two-day visit at
Saakashvili’s invitation.
As expected, the problems of Javakheti, where Armenians make up the
overwhelming majority of the population, became a significant subject
at the talks. The situation has escalated to a noticeable degree of
tension there over past several days. Demonstrations have been
happening in Akhalkalaki since March, at which in addition to social
claims the residents are making a political demand: hands off the
Russian military base stationed in this town. Georgian President
Mikhail Saakashvili has called for order, but his promises to find
jobs for all local residents after the Russian base is shut down
failed to have the required effect.
This was when Saakashvili decided to seek ways of solving the problem
together with the Armenian president. Yerevan’s stance on Russia’s
military presence in Georgia is clear: Robert Kocharyan reconfirmed
it at Gudauri by saying that the issue of withdrawing the Russian
military base from Akhalkalaki is “a domestic affair of Georgia.”
Commenting on the talks, Nino Burjanadze, chairwoman of the Georgian
parliament noted that Tbilisi “is satisfied with position of the
Armenian officials, primarily President Robert Kocharyan, concerning
the Russian base located in Akhalkalaki.” Burjanadze told
journalists: “The Armenian president unambiguously stated that this
is Georgia’s domestic affair; that Georgia must make its own
independent decision, and Armenia will refrain from any comments on
the subject.”
Parliamentarian Van Baiburt, a leader of the Armenian diaspora,
regards Kocharyan’s visit as a positive and timely measure. He urged
everyone to refrain from over-dramatizing the meetings in
Akhalkalaki. Baiburt said: “The people’s protests must be primarily
regarded as an attempt of drawing attention of the authorities to the
hard social conditions. The demand to leave the Russian military base
in Akhalkalaki, since it provides jobs, must be considered in the
framework of this very context, outside the political sphere.” At the
same time, Baiburt maintains that emotions are being artificially
exaggerated in Akhalkalaki. Baiburt told us: “It is entirely clear
that somebody is interested in having Georgian citizens of Armenian
origin in Javakheti be so active. Evidently, servicemen of the 62nd
Military Base are inciting the developments in Akhalkalaki. It is
also obvious that these problems are not being solved in Akhalkalaki
and the Russian military is trying to turn Armenians residing
Javakheti into a fifth column against Georgia.”
Simultaneously, similar rallies in favor of immunity of the Russian
military base were held in Batumi the other day. This protest was
arranged by the United Communist Party of Georgia, led by Panteleimon
Geogradze – the father of runaway former chief of the State Security
Igor Georgadze. This political organization, which was likely to be
forgotten, arranged a picturesque procession with Soviet flags and
the green-white-red tricolor of the Justice Party, and portraits of
Igor Georgadze, who founded it from abroad, and Joseph Stalin.
Translated by Andrei Ryabochkin
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress