Author: Frangulian Shushan

Owner of Armenian airline criticizes controller

Interfax, Russia
May 6 2006

YEREVAN. May 6 (Interfax) – Cockpit voice recordings “prove” that the
captain of an Armenian airliner that crashed off the Russian Black
Sea coast on Wednesday “was acting in a perfect way, something that
cannot be said of the [ground] controller,” said the owner of the
company that owned the plane.

“No one has ever blamed the crew and the captain of the aircraft for
anything. It’s simply a lot of rubbish that irresponsible people are
saying,” Mikhail Bagdasarov told the Armenian web portal “Panorama.”

YEREVAN PREPARING TO SELEBRATE 61ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE VICTORY IN WORLD WAR II

ArmRadio.am
06.05.2006 15:50

Yerevan is preparing to celebrate the Yerkrapah Day (War-volunteers’
Day) and the 61st anniversary of the victory in World War II.

Head of the Press Service of the Ministry of Defense, Press Secretary
of RA Defense Minister, Colonel-General Seyran Shahsuvaryan, in
the framework of the celebration a visit to “Yerablur” pantheon is
scheduled 10:00, May 8. At 12:30 a sitting will be held at the sport
and cultural center after Karen Demirchyan. May 9 flowers will be
laid at the memorial to the Unknown Soldier.

GHUKASYAN AND BERNARD FASSIER DID NOT MEET

Lragir.am
5 May 06

President of Nagorno Karabakh Republic Arkady Ghukasyan was not able to
meet with the French co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Bernard Fassier,
who visited Yerevan on May 3 and May 4. He arrived in the region to
introduce the findings of the May 2 consultation of the Mink Group
co-chairs in Moscow to the conflict sides. They failed to inform the
president of Karabakh, although Arkady Ghukasyan said Fassier was
likely to meet with him, and expressed this likelihood through his
representatives. “Fassier’s representatives contacted me. Fassier
wanted to meet with me too, but since I could not, I arrived in
Yerevan yesterday. He asked me to arrive in the morning to meet with
him. Since I was told late, I would not reach there in the morning,
and later it was impossible to meet because he was going to leave in
the afternoon. Our meeting failed, though my representatives discussed
certain questions with his representatives,” said NKR President Arkady
Ghukasyan on May 5.

He reasserted that he cannot see a near prospect of resolution of the
problem. Arkady Ghukasyan says from time to time he gets information
on settlement of the issue in July, but it is only information.

“You know that it is the continuation of the same year 2006.

Nothing should be denied. God willing, we will soon reach the
compromise that all the sides need, but no one can say whether it will
be in July, August or February,” says Arkady Ghukasyan. He thinks that
the process is complicated and has many sides, the sides have different
standpoints which are difficult to combine, thinks Arkady Ghukasyan.

IT IS NOT EASY “TO FIND COMPROMISE” ACCORDING TO AZERBAIJAN

A1+
[09:25 pm] 04 May, 2006

RA Forign Minister Vardan Oskanyan participated in a conference titled
“General review on general neigbourhood” which was held in Velnyus,
the capital of Lithuania. The Presidents of Armenia and Lithuania
made openig speeches at the conference.

Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus expressed his condelence on the
Armenian airplane crash at the beginning of the conference.

Many high-rank officials and Foreign Ministers of Baltic and Eastern
European countries also participated at the conference.

RA Foreign Minister Oskanyan first of all thanked the participants
for their sympathy and then focused on political developments of
the post Soviet region. The Minister aslo referred to the Nagorno –
Karabakh conflict settlement.

“Democracy cannot be established within a night. We know and claim
that while we go ahead on the right way, the evolutional and upward
approach towards democracy will be more efficient and firmer,” noted
vardan Oskanyan.

While speaking of the NKR conflict peaceful settlement Minister
Oskanyan underlined that “with its great oil supply and the oil
current high prices Azerbaijan thinks or at least announces they have
the military way of the conflict settlement. We cannot find compromise
if they have such position. But the EU and the international community
must make them understand that the matter has no military solution. As
Armenia has already stated, compromise is required in order to settle
the conflict peacefully.”

Oskanyan held many bilateral meetings during the conference. He
diccussed the final phase of the Armenian – EU program within the
realms of the European neighbourhood policy with Javier Solana, the
highest representative of the EU joint Foreign and Security policy. The
two sides also referred to the negotitaions on the Karabakh conflict
settlement and their prospect.

Oskanyan also met with Romanian Foreign minister Razvan Ungureanu. The
Ministers focused on the issues of mutual coooperation and the upcoming
Black Sea conference “Dialogue and Partnership Forum” which will be
held in Bukharest.

SUPER S J GROUP TO SELL JERMUK MINERAL WATER BY USING ITS OWN TRADE MARK

Noyan Tapan
May 03 2006

YEREVAN, MAY 3, NOYAN TAPAN. At the May 3 sitting, the RA Commission on
Protection of Economic Competition decided that Super S J Group company
shall remove its production with packages, which so much resemble the
trademark of Jermuk Group company as to mislead the consumer, from
the market within 40 days. Besides, the commission considered the
sale of such production to be an instance of bad faith competition
and made a decision to impose a fine of 100 thousand drams (about
220 dollars) on Super S J Group. During the commission’s sitting,
Super S J Group’s representative assured that the company has already
created its trademark and will start selling its bottled mineral water
“Jermuk” by using this trademark in 40 days. The commission received
a letter from the RA Intellectual Property Agency, according to which
no trademark under the name of Super S J Group has been registered,
and the bottles of “Jermuk” sold by the company have a trademark that
resembles to the point of confusion the trademark that has belonged
to Jermuk Group with the right of ownership for 10 years.

12th SITTING OF USATF ENVISAGED TO TAKE PLACE IN AUTUMN

Noyan Tapan
May 02 2006

YEREVAN, MAY 2, NOYAN TAPAN. The 12th sitting of the US-Armenia Task
Force (USATF) was held in Yerevan on May 2. The RA Minister of Finance
and Economy Vardan Khachatrian stated during the press conference
following the sitting that the sides mainly addressed the Millennium
Challenge Program, investment encouragement issues, problems that
hinder the development of Armenia’s trade and the microeconomic
situation in the country. The minister noted that problems of
agriculture, especially those related to irrigation systems and the
energy sector were discussed as well. According to US Coordinator
for Europe and Eurasia Tom Adams, the discussions of all issues of
bilateral interest were held at high level. It is envisaged to hold
the the next – 13th sitting of the USATF in September-October. The
Armenian side proposed that it should be held in Armenia again. The
USATF was established in 2000 in order to bring to institutional level
the intergovernmental dialogs on further development of bilateral
economic cooperation and increasing the efficiency of assistance
programs implemented by the US government in Armenia. USATF convenes
two sittings annually – in Washington and Yerevan. Over the past
decade, the US government has implemented various development and
humanitarian programs of over 1.6 bln USD in Armenia.

INTERNATIONAL FORUM IN BRUSSELS

AZG Armenian Daily
03/05/2006

Raffi Hovhannisian, first foreign minister of Armenia, presented
the Republic of Armenia at an international forum in Brussels on
April 28-30.

“Transatlantic Challenges in a Global Era” forum is an annual
high-level meeting of the most influential American and European
political, corporate, and intellectual leaders to address pressing
challenges currently facing both sides of the Atlantic. Heads of
state, senior officials from the European Union institutions and the
member states, US Senators, and Parliamentarians participated among
the 200 participants.

The head of Heritage Party urged in his speech the leaders of the
states to evenly apply the standards of democracy, human rights
protection and genocide prevention to all nations regardless their
place in the world.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF BUENOS AIRES STATE ADOPTS LAW ON DEFINING
APRIL 24 DAY OF GENOCIDE MEMORY

BUENOS AIRES, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The House of
Representatives of the state of Buenos Aires, Argentina, adopted on
April 26 by an unenimous votion (92 votes) the draft law by which
April 24 of every year is defined in the state as “the Memory Day of
the first Genocide of the 21st century the victim of which the Armenia
people became.” Serjio Nahapetian, a deputy of the House of
Representatives of the state presented the draft. Speakers of all the
7 parties represented in the Parliament supported the draft with
separate speeches. The draft was adopted with stand applause. As Noyan
Tapan was informed by the RA Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information
Department, the law will come into force after being affirmed by the
Senate of the state and the Governor.

SPRING FLOODS LAST IN ARMENIA

Yerevan, April 27. ArmInfo. Spring floods last in Armenia.

As ArmInfo was informed in the Rescue Service of Armenia, the water
level in the Vedi river vastly increased because-of heavy rains and a
threat of the pump station flood in the settlement Gor on the
Vedi-Ararat 2 km road appeared. Damage control is carried out at
present. A support wall collapsed the same day on the Vaik-Azatek 2 km
road having blocked off the traffic. As a result of it, cracks
appeared and a stone fall happened. Repair-and-renewal operations are
carried out at present. Water level increase in the Razdan river
caused flooding of wheat crops in the villages Sis, Noramarg, Sipanik,
as well as of farmlands of 14 houses in the village Sayat-Nova. There
is threat of settlements’ flood. Moreover, the overflowed river Pambak
flooded the railway section not far from the “Rus” restaurant on the
Spitak-Vanadzor highway. Engineering works are carried out.

ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF BULGARIA MARKS 91ST ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 27 2006

SOFIA, APRIL 27, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Armenian community
of Bulgaria marked on April 24 the 91st anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide. Events took place in Sofia, Plovdiv, Rousee, Varna and
a number of other settlements populated by Armenians. Liturgies
were celebrated in Armenian churches of those cities and wreaths
were laid to monuments to the Genocide victims. Besides, mourning
processions took place in Sofia and Varna. Representatives of the
Armenian community made speeches during the events. On April 13 the
Community Council of the city of Plovdiv respected with one minute
silence the memory of the Genocide victims. Deputy Chairman of the
Community Council Stephan Shivachev called on the People’s Assembly
and Government of Bulgaria to officially recognize the Armenian
Genocide and condemn it as a crime against the mankind. As Noyan
Tapan was informed by the RA Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information
Department, opening of a new monument dedicated to the memory of the
Genocide victims took place in Varna. The monument is placed near
the Mayor’s Office and also expresses the Armenian people’s gratitude
towards the Bulgarian people. Varna Mayor Kiril Yordanov, Chairman of
the local Armenian Church Council Tagvor Vardanian, famous Bulgarian
soloist Tsvetan Tsvetkov made speeches at the opening. Wreaths were
also laid to the monement by the Consulates of Russia, Ukraine and
Poland functioning in Varna. Events taken place in Bulgaria were
widely covered by local mass media.