KOTAYK AND ARARAT REGIONAL GOVERNORS AWARDED ANANIA SHIRAKATSI MEDAL
Noyan Tapan
Dec 27 2006
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN. By RA President Robert Kocharian’s
December 26 decree, Kovalenko Shahgaldian and Alik Sargsian, Governors
of the RA marzes of Kotayk and Ararat were awarded Anania Shirakatsi
medals for effective work in the state government system. Noyan Tapan
was informed about it by the RA President’s Press Office.
TOURISM SCHOOL TO OPEN IN YEREVAN WITH SUPPORT OF FRANCE
Noyan Tapan
Dec 26 2006
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The Ministry of Transport and
Tourism of France will assist with founding a tourism school in
Yerevan. The RA Minister of Trade and Economic Development Karen
Chshmaritian stated this on December 26 at a press conference to
summarize this year’s results. According to him, steps to present
Armenia as a tourism country are continuing: an agreement has been
reached with the German airline Lufthansa to provide all planes
of Lufthansa with brochures about Armenia. In addition, in 2007 a
commercial on Armenia will be demonstrated on CNN. In January-September
2006, 272,499 international tourists visited Armenia, which exceeds
by 18.3% the respective index of last year (230,390). If such growth
rates continue, the number of tourists will reach 500 thousand in 2009.
THEY DEMANDED FREEDOM
A1+
[07:26 pm] 22 December, 2006
Hundreds of people gathered near the President’s residence today and
demanded to set free coordinator of the initiative "Protection of
Liberated Lands" Zhirayr Sefilyan and member of the party "Fatherhood
and Honor" Vardan Malkhasyan. They were arrested on December 10 and
sentenced to two months’ imprisonment.
Representatives of the "Union of Armenian Volunteers", "Fatherhood
and Homeland", "New Times party" and several NGOs, carrying posters
saying "NO to unpunished violence" and "Give citizenship to Zhirayr
Sefilyan", walked from Mergelyan park along Baghramyan avenue towards
the building of the National Security Service.
The National Security Service did not receive the participants of the
protest action. "We in fact did not even apply to be received", said
Armen Yeghyan, member of the committee supporting Zhirayr Sefilyan and
Vardan Malkhasyan. According to him, the number of the participants
of the protest action would have been greater if it hadn’t been for
the bad weather. Precisely because of it the march did not continue
to the Republic Square, as previously announced.
According to Armen Yeghyan, they are waiting for the trial of Sefilyan
in the Court of Cassation next week.
ANDRANIK MARGARIAN RECOGNIZED "MAN OF THE YEAR" ACCORDING TO RESULTS
OF HAYELI CLUB’S SURVEY
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, NOYAN TAPAN. According to the results of the
survey conducted among 700 residents of Yerevan and different RA
reigons by the Hayeli (Mirror) club, RA Prime Minister, Chairman of
the Republican Party of Armenia, Andranik Margarian was recognized
"Man of the Year" for the most efficient public-political activity
in 2006. Club Chairwoman Anzhela Tovmasian reported this at the
December 22 meeting organized at the Prime Minister. Answering
the question, how he managed to be one of the "most long-lived"
prime ministers in CIS, A.Margarian said that from 2000 May, the
beginning of his tenure, "we managed to achieve these results and
welfare thanks to working jointly, with a team. This is the result
of National Assembly-President-Government joint work." In the Prime
Minister’s words, this joint work "accentuated first of all creation
of preconditions for stable development of our state’s economy and the
political assistance the National Assembly and the president provide
to the government," creates a possibility to implement the latter’s
programs. A.Margarian attached importance to the circumstance that in
the very first years of its tenure RPA managed to solve its target
problems by cooperating with another parties and formed a political
coalition in 2003.
WINNERS OF SECOND ALL-ARMENIAN E-CONTENT CONTEST TO PARTICIPATE IN WSIS AWARD-GIVING CEREMONY IN CROATIA IN SEPTEMBER 2007
Noyan Tapan
Dec 21 2006
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, NOYAN TAPAN. Th winners of the second
All-Armenian e-Content Contest will participate in the award-giving
ceremony of the World Summit of the Information Society (WSIS) to be
held in Croatia in September 2007. Garegin Chugaszian, Chairman of the
IT Foundation – the contest’s organizer, stated this at the December
20 seminar dedicated to the results of the contest. It was noted that
works from Armenia were recognized as winners at the award-giving
ceremonies of the WSIS in 2005 and 2006. According to G. Chugaszian,
only 14 countries presented award-winning works two consecutive years,
and only Armenia and Croatia as developing countries achieved such
success.
Vahan Balasanian, Director of the company Balasanian Design Bureau,
member of the contest jury, said that it is quite diffucult to choose
a work out of those presented at the 2006 contest, because contents
and low level of technical quality are "typical of the Armenian
Internet." In his opinion, there has been progress in the design
of Armenian websites. He noted that during all-Armenian contests,
not only contents and technical level but also design quality of
multimedia works should be assessed. To recap, the winners of the
second all-Armenian e-content contest are: the Golden Apricot-3
website (e-culture), Spyur business reference website (e-business),
the website of the Ararat Partriarchal Diocese of the Armenian
Apostolic Church (e-inclusion), the website of the Apricot tour
agency (e-entertainment), the IT Development Assisting Council
(e-governance), the laser disc "Orange Planet" (e-education), the
website of the Union of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery of Armenia
(e-health) and the website of the National Foundation of Science and
Advanced Technologies (e-science).
Press Release
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Father Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
THE MODERATOR AND GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE
WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES VISIT ANTELIAS
The General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Dr. Sam Kobia,
and its newly elected Moderator, Rev. Dr. Walter Altmann, arrived in
Antelias on December 16.
The two WCC senior officials decided to come to Antelias to personally thank
the Armenian Pontiff for his great contribution to WCC as its Moderator
during the last 15 years.
The WCC Moderator and General Secretary had a private meeting with the
Catholicos in his office in Antelias. The two officials and the Catholicos
then met with the Catholicosate of Cilicia’s Ecumenical Committee, which
includes Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian (Primate of the Diocese of Tehran),
Bishop Kegham Khatcherian (Primate of the Diocese of Lebanon), Bishop Nareg
Alemezian (Ecumenical Officer), V. Rev. Fr. Krikor Chiftjian (Communications
Officer), Mrs. Teni Piri-Simonian (Programme Executive General Secretariat
Church & Ecumenical Relations and the deputy chairwoman of the Catholicosate
Ecumenical Committee), Dr. Nora Bayrakdarian-Kabakian (Political Science
professor in Lebanese universities and the Committee’s chairwoman) and Dr.
Jean Salmanian (professor of Arabic Literature in Lebanese universities).
Also present were Mrs. Seta Khedeshian (MECC Director of Life and Service
Programme), and Ms. Carla Khijoyan (member of the Youth Department Committee
of the Catholicosate).
The Committee members and the WCC representatives discussed the recent
developments in ecumenical relations both on regional and international
levels. The Council’s Moderator and General Secretary welcomed the
Catholicosate of Cilicia’s continued involvement in ecumenical work, an
important aspects of the Holy See’s mission during the last few decades.
They expressed their gratitude to His Holiness Aram I’s dedicated service to
the WCC and the ecumenical movement at large, conveying their hope for
continued cooperation and stressing their confidence in His Holiness’ strong
commitment to the ecumenical movement.
##
View the photos here:
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.
PETER SEMNEBY AND VARTAN OSKANIAN EXCHANGE ESTIMATIONS ON LAST DEVELOPMENTS OF NAGORNO KARABAKH SETTLEMENT NEGOTIATIONS
Noyan Tapan
Dec 18 2006
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 18, NOYAN TAPAN. On December 18, RA Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian received EU Special Representative to South Caucasus
Peter Semneby who had arrived in Armenia within the framework of the
regional visit.
During the meeting, the sides discussed EU-Armenia relations touching
upon the fulfilment of the Actions Plan signed within the framework
of the European Neighborhood Policy. The interlocutors also touched
upon the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia attaching
importance to their holding in correspondence with the international
standards. The Minister reaffirmed the position of RA authorities on
inviting international observers in the future. During the meeting,
they exchanged thoughts about Armenia’s relations with neighboring
countries in the light of Minister Oskanian’s visit to Iran on
December 17.
Touching upon Armenian-Turkish relations, P.Semneby mentioned EU’s
position citing the European Commission’s report on Turkey’s progress
on its way to membership to European Union in November 2006, which,
in particular, touches upon the necessity to open borders with
Armenia. The EU Special Representative spoke about his meeting with
NKR President Arkady Ghoukassian held the day before, then V.Oskanian
and P.Semneby exchanged estimations about the last developments in
negotiations on Nagorno Karabakh settlement. Heike Peitsch, Ambassador
of Germany assuming EU chairmanship starting 2007 January 1 also took
part in the meeting.
Payvand, Iran
Dec 16 2006
Iran to start gas transfers to Armenia in Jan 2007
Tehran, Dec 16, IRNA-Iran is to begin piping gas to Armenia in
January 2007, the executor of the gas pipeline project of Iran’s Gas
Engineering and Development Company, Mohammad-Reza Lorzadeh, said on
Saturday.
Speaking to reporters, he said the pipeline will be inaugurated in
January 2007, putting into effect an agreement already reached
between Iranian and Armenian officials to reduce time needed for
implementation of the project from 930 days to 650 days.
He added that although the 650-day deadline has still to be reached,
the project is nearly 96 percent implemented.
He said the first shipment of the pipes imported for the project
arrived in Iran in September 2005.
The official placed the total value of the project at Rls 550-600
billion.
The pipeline agreement, signed between Armenia and the Iranian
company `Payandan’, stipulated that the project was to be implemented
on an EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) basis, he said.
The agreement further stipulated that the gas pipeline was to be
implemented through two projects in Iran — the first requiring
construction of a pipeline from the northwestern city of Tabriz to
Aras River on the border of Iran and Armenia and the second
construction of a pipeline beneath the Aras River coastline.
He further said the pipeline would have a total length of 115
kilometers.
Completion of the project will enable Iran to export three million
cubic meters of gas to Armenia per day.
Lorzadeh said the project was aimed at opening a gateway for export
of Iranian gas to Europe.
MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS TO MEET WITH THE SPANISH FOREIGN MINISTER
ArmRadio.am
13.12.2006 13:30
Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Yuri Merzlyakov has already
left for Madrid. Let us remind that the Minsk Group Co-Chairs are
due to meet with the future OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Spanish Foreign
Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos to inform the latter about the process
of the Karabakh conflict settlement, Russian Foreign Ministry Group
on Nagorno Karabakh informs. The source refused to say, however, when
exactly the meeting will take place and whether the parties will be
content with one meeting.
Starting January 1, 2007 Spain will assume OSCE chairmanship for
one year.
The Spanish Foreign Minister is expected to visit the Karabakh conflict
zone at the turn of the year.
ARMENIAN ECONOMY TO BE PRESENTED AT EBRD ANNUAL MEETING
Noyan Tapan
Dec 12 2006
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenia’s economy will be presented
at the Annual Meeting and the Business Forum of the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to be held in Kazan, the capital
city of Tatarstan (Russia), on May 20-21, 2007. Michael Weinstein,
EBRD Armenia Office Director, stated this during the December 12 press
conference. According to him, issues related to the development of the
financial sector of the Armenian economy will be discussed at these
events. "The forum may play a decisive role in developing Armenia’s
financial sector," M. Weinstein noted.