Author: Garnik Zakarian

NTV MSNBC, Turkey
April 27 2005
EU calls on Armenians to set up joint committee with Turkey

The EP declaration described the years of WWI as a dark period for
all citizens of the Ottoman Empire.

NTV-MSNBC

April 27′ Eighty members of the European Parliament have signed a
declaration calling on the Armenian head of state Robert Kocharyan to
accept a Turkish proposal to set up a joint committee to discuss
allegations that the Ottoman empire committed acts of genocide
against its Armenian citizens.
Ankara has put forward a proposal that a joint committee of
historians be established to study the Armenian genocide allegations
from 90 years ago.
The EP declaration called for the all the national archives of
the period of World War I to be opened. It said that this dark period
was a tragic one for all societies living in the Ottoman Empire.
The declaration also said that within this dark period that
people fought against each other, and that there were massacres and
death caused by diseases and famine.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO ARMENIA HAS HALVED
YEREVAN, APRIL 14. ARMINFO. The volume of humanitarian assistance to
Armenia decreased twice last year, Chairman of Commission for
Coordination of Humanitarian Program of the Republic of Armenia Simon
Ter-Simonian informed during the briefing.
According to him, humanitarian cargos worth a total of 18.4 bln drams
came to Armenia in 2004, which is 9.6 bln drams less than in 2003. He
explained this circumstance by the curtailing of humanitarian
programs in the republic and their substitution by development
programs. In total humanitarian and charitable programs worth a total
of 36.3 bln drams were implemented in Armenia last year. The United
States is in the lead as regards the volumes of humanitarian aid,
70.89% out of the total volume falls to its share.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Institute for War and Peace Reporting
April 14 2005
BAR FIGHT IN ARMENIA
A new barristers’ association is riven with disputes even before it
gets off the ground.
By Zhanna Alexanian in Yerevan
The start of Armenia’s new Bar Chamber, which it was hoped would
improve the professional standing of lawyers in the country, has been
delayed by a bitter fight over the election of a chairman, which has
ended up in court.
The only winners, say independent lawyers, are officials who want to
keep exerting political control over the judiciary.
This week, two rival candidates to head the new body are in court,
after the losing candidate alleged that the ballot was rigged.
A new law on the bar, effective as of February 1, instituted the Bar
Chamber so that Armenian lawyers would operate under one umbrella
body, instead of the two previous organisations.
David Harutiunian, Armenian justice minister, hailed the new Bar Act
as a “sound piece of legislation that will help shape Armenia’s
justice system”.
“By creating a new, consolidated Bar Chamber, we are establishing a
powerful body that will dictate legal ethnics and regulate other
issues as yet not covered by any laws or codes,” the minister told
IWPR. “The stronger the Bar, the stronger the government, and the
better the justice system overall,” he added.
However, the March 19-20 inaugural meeting of the new chamber – at
which its leadership was to be elected – ended in an acrimonious
dispute, which left the nascent institution unable to start work.
The election for the chairmanship was won by a margin of seven votes
by Enok Azarian, 40, deputy chairman of the Union of Barristers of
Armenia. Azarian is a doctor of law who says he wants to found a new
law school in Armenia.
However, the result is being contested by the losing candidate, Ruben
Saakian, a well-known lawyer. Azarian cannot take up his post until
the court decides on a verdict.
“This was just another case of rigged elections in Armenia,”
complained Saakian. He and his supporters claim there were numerous
irregularities in the way the vote was conducted – for example, that
lawyers who had not taken a re-qualifying exam were allowed to vote
and that voting was suspended for one hour and, as a result, many
participants were unable to vote.
The Yerevan office of the American Bar Association, ABA/CEELI, which
organised the meeting and also observed the voting, said that the
vote had been fair and an audit commission had only noted a few minor
irregularities that “did not affect the voting results”.
Karen Kendrick, Armenian country director of ABA/CEELI, said the
process was “messy but democratic” and said there had been no
political intervention in the vote.
Kendrick characterised the row as an unfortunate beginning for a
much-needed organisation. She told IWPR, “Advocates have been a
dispirited group in Armenia and haven’t felt they have had the
respect of other members of the judiciary, like judges and
prosecutors. They see this as an opportunity to raise the reputation
of their profession.”
Well-known lawyer Tigran Janoyan insisted that Saakian had not been
cheated of victory for some political reason. “The ballot was open,
fair and transparent,” he told IWPR. “It is unacceptable when some
people try to discredit the Bar institution for their own personal
ends. As it is, we have enough problems trying to ensure that
barristers are treated with due respect.”
Although the new legislation has been generally welcomed, another
area of controversy is a new provision in the law establishing the
institution of “public defender”, without clarifying how it should be
funded. Public defenders will act as defence lawyers paid for by the
state. The law provides for a certain number to be elected from among
practicing lawyers, but fails to specify how much funding the state
is willing to allocate to support them.
“Our cash-strapped government wants more democracy than it can
afford,” said Janoyan. “They probably expect the Bar to pay for
public defenders, and if that fails, then the Bar will be held
responsible.”
Janoyan said that there is a tradition of state lawyers in Armenia
creating more problems for their clients than they help solve. “They
will always do the state’s bidding,” he said. “A state lawyer is
assigned in the early days of an investigation. That’s when charges
are trumped up and people are forced into making confessions.”
According to Janoyan, some 70 per cent of Armenian lawyers are in
cahoots with judges and prosecutors. He even alleges that lawyers
have ties to organised crime.
“Justice is anything but ‘just’ these days,” he said. “Barristers are
not magicians, but when they sell out to the judicial system it
confuses citizens and makes them defenceless.”
Minister of justice Harutunian said lack of funds should not be an
obstacle to the institution of public defenders, “In theory, public
defenders should be sponsored by the state. Whilst our country is not
wealthy enough to afford a good institution [public defenders], it
cannot afford to have a bad one either.
“Funding has been increasing year on year. Things are getting
better.”
Fears are being expressed that the quarrel in the new chamber is
damaging the reputation of Armenian lawyers just as they are trying
to become more independent. Tigran Ter Esayan, a former president of
the International Bar Association, described the ongoing internal
strife within the Bar Chamber as “a disgrace”, saying it gives
Armenian lawyers a “bad name”.
“What’s going on is the opposite of consolidation, and that’s exactly
what the government wants,” he told IWPR. “This cannot be good and
the split will only get worse.”
Mikael Danielian, chairman of Armenia’s Helsinki Association, a
leading human rights group, also took part in the vote and expressed
disappointment at the way it ended.
“If these are the people who should be defending the letter of the
law, how can we trust them?” he asked. Danielian expressed sympathy
for the winner, Azarian, saying, “He is young and he has behaved
decently throughout all this.”
“Seeing all this happening, how can anyone trust a lawyer any more?”
said Nino Sarkisian, the mother of a soldier killed while doing
military service.
“These people are going out of their way to put each other down. How
are they going to defend us in court?”
Zhanna Alexanian is a correspondent with in
Yerevan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian official denies journalist’s accusations
Arminfo
2 Apr 05
YEREVAN
“The attempts by the editor-in-chief of Syunats Yerkir [Country of
Syunik] newspaper, [Samvel Aleksanyan], to accuse me of burning his
car are slander and a bid to gain popularity with journalists,” the
governor of Syunik Region and a member of the Republic Party of
Armenia, Suren Khachatryan, has said.
He said that the editor-in-chief has no evidence proving that the
governor organized the burning of his car. Khachatryan pointed out
that he had ordered the law-enforcement bodies to carry out a thorough
and objective investigation into this case.
“I am going to deal with this swine within the law,” he said.
Khachatryan also noted that such a statement does not help a
journalist build up a positive image. “Moreover, his statement harms
your business (the media is meant)”.
The editor-in-chief, Samvel Aleksanyan’s, Niva jeep was burnt in Goris
on 1 April. He commented on the incident to Arminfo, describing it as
another terrorist act against his newspaper by the governor of Syunik
Region.
[Passage omitted: minor details]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1 Plus | 19:17:01 | 29-03-2005 | Politics |
KAZIMIROV SUGGESTS STEPWISE SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH PROBLEM
Former Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Vladimir Kazimirov does not
understand the phrase “liberated territories”. During today’s hearings
in the National Assembly he asked, “From who and what were these
territories liberated? From the population or buildings, where they lived?”
He called Armenia not to hide behind the wording “guarantor of
security”, as everyone knows that the conlfict broke out between Armenia
and Azerbaijan.
He also stated that the Azeri party, which adhered to the military
resolution of the conflict, waged the war and lost it. “I have many
times spoken to Heydar Aliyev and he always reiterated he is not going
to fulfill the demands of the Security Council”, he said. Ilham Aliyev,
in Kazimirov’s opinion, does not wish the problem to be resolved as
speaking of the liberated territories, he mentioned about Karabakh as well.
Proceeding from the situation Vladimir Kazimirov suggested a stepwise
settlement of the conflict as it is impossible to resolve the problem by
a package one. “You do not want to see Karabakh as a part of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan is of an opposite opinion, it would be hara-kiri for Ilham
Aliyev”, he said. In case of stepwise settlement each conflicting party
will raise its priority issues. For Armenia it is the status of
Karabakh, for Azerbaijan – the returning of the territories.
Vladimir Kazimirov also stressed the importance of providing the
guarantees for bilateral security.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN NGONEWS IN BRIEF
Volume 2, No. 52
January-February, 2005
*** EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO LIVE
*** DICTIONARY OF ARMENIAN SIGN LANGUAGE PUBLISHED
*** VETERINARY ASSISTANCE TO VILLAGE COMMUNITIES
*** NGOS MONITOR ANTI-CORRUPTION STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION
*** CIVIL SOCIETY INITIATIVES IN ROA MARZES
*** ARMENIA DEVELOPMENT GATEWAY PORTAL: IMPLEMENTATION PHASE YEAR II
*** WEBSITE OF THE ROA ECONOMIC COURT WAS CREATED
*** GYUMRI YOUTH ISSUES UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
*** EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO LIVE
On January 27, 2005, the Association of Investigative Journalists NGO
addressed the issue of street people. Photographs taken by their
photojournalist and the Nameless Tombs documentary were presented, showing
the everyday life of street people. Yerkir-Media TV Company and Association
of Investigative Journalists NGO produced the documentary. The goal was to
draw the attention of the Government, international structures and the
public-at-large to the problems faced by street people and beggars and seek
support (food and shelter) for them. Results included: financial assistance
from the USA, material assistance from Yerevan, and medical assistance,
which will be provided to all of the street people in Yerevan, by three
physicians from the USA. The action contributed to the ROA Government’s
reviewing the draft Law on Social Support. The Law will take force in 2006.
However, as stated by the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Issues,
providing street people with shelter may be realized now in case of relevant
financial assistance.
Contact: Edik Baghdasaryan
Association of Investigative Journalists NGO
2 Mashtots Ave., #40
Tel.: 56-31-49
E-mail: [email protected]
*** DICTIONARY OF ARMENIAN SIGN LANGUAGE PUBLISHED
This dictionary has been developed through the efforts of the Kamk and Korov
NGO of Young Disabled, with funding support received from OXFAM. The
dictionary will play an important role in improving the quality of education
for those with hearing impairments. Better application of signs will
contribute to the beneficiaries’ easier integration into and communication
with society. It will also help educate the public-at-large on these
opportunities. Young people with hearing impairments translators for the
deaf and dumb, and pedagogues of the deaf and dumb participated in the
development of the dictionary. The dictionary is also a training handbook,
certified by the National Institute of Education of the ROA Ministry of
Education and Science. The dictionary is intended for professors and
students of the Defectology Department of the Armenian State Pedagogical
University, those employees of special and secondary schools, who interact
with children with hearing impairments, their parents and the
public-at-large. The Dictionary of Armenian Gesture Language contains 1,118
signs, classified by topics. The signs are presented by photographs and word
explanations.
Contact: Mary Pahutyan
Kamk and Korov NGO Of Young Disabled
69 Y. Koghbatsi St.
Tel.: (374-1) 53-85-41, 53-85-23
E-mail: [email protected]
*** VETERINARY ASSISTANCE TO VILLAGE COMMUNITIES
On January 31, the Strategic Development Agency NGO presented the findings
of its recently completed Basic Veterinary Services Model project. The
program goal was to assist farmers of Syunik’s Noravan village community in
contributing to the food safety and development of the livestock sector. A
local veterinary service center was supplied with the necessary equipment,
medicines and a veterinarian.. The center carries out mandatory and ad hoc
preventive and medical activities. A revolving drug fund was created
enabling the farmers to utilize services of the veterinarian, free of
charge. Instead of the planned 30% community participation, 66% involvement
was registered. The project results are apparent: improved sanitary and
hygiene conditions of cattle-sheds, possible prevention of parasitical
diseases (particularly those transferred from animals to people), and more.
Based on the gaps revealed during one year of the project implementation and
specific needs of the village community, the NGO plans to apply its
successful experience in other communities of the republic as well,
replenishing the project with a number of new components. The project was
financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
Contact: Karina Harutiunyan
Strategic Development Agency NGO
29 Khanjyan St., #8
Tel.: (374-1) 54-09-96
E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
*** NGOS MONITOR ANTI-CORRUPTION STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION
On February 16 and 18, the second sessions of the Protection of Economic
Competition (preventing anti-monopoly and conflict of interest) and the
Healthcare working groups of the ROA Commission on Anti-Corruption Strategy
Monitoring were held. The first working group unites 17 NGOs and the second
27. Representatives of interested departments and the ROA Ministry of Health
participated in the sessions. Draft laws on the Protection of Economic
Competition and Healthcare were presented and plans of the NGO working
groups for the first half-year of 2005 were discussed. Activities of the
working groups include: implementing anti-corruption strategy and monitoring
implementation of departmental anti-corruption projects; studying the
experiences of international organizations in anti-corruption efforts,
developing suggestions to improve the mechanisms used, conducting expert
review of legislative drafts, suggesting amendments and submitting those to
the Commission on Anti-Corruption Strategy Monitoring.
Contact: Abgar Yeghoyan: Commission member; Coordinator of the Protection of
Economic Competition working group
E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
Greta Mirzoyan: Commission member; Coordinator of Healthcare working group
E-mail: [email protected]
Marianna Stepanyan: Commission exptert
E-mail: [email protected]
*** CIVIL SOCIETY INITIATIVES IN ROA MARZES
To raise the level of civic activism of the populations in Shirak and Syunik
marzes, the A. D. Sakharov Human Rights Protection Center NGO is
implementing the Civil Society Initiatives project, within the framework of
which Civil Society School #2 is operating. It will function as an
educational, consulting and resource center, increasing the professionalism
of representatives of NGOs, mass media, local self-government and regional
government bodies in Gyumri and Goris. The school will work towards creating
a cooperation network of NGOs and other players of the civil society. Within
the framework of the project, an institute of experts will be formed, which
will reveal and analyze problems in Armenia and specific marzes. Situation
reports and analyses on Shirak and Syunik marzes, as well as methodic
handbooks on organizing training of NGOs will be published.
Contact: Seyran Martirossyan
Sakharov Human Rights Protection Center NGO
1 Sarmen St.
Tel.: (374-1) 58-78-64, 54-29-36
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
*** ARMENIA DEVELOPMENT GATEWAY PORTAL: IMPLEMENTATION PHASE YEAR II
The Electronic Armenia Foundation NGO (EAF: www.e?armenia.am) is launching
the Implementation Phase II of the Armenia Development Gateway Project
(AmDG: ). The major priorities for the first six months of the
project implementation are: AmDG portal content (Community Gateways,
Knowledge Center, etc.) and functional development, and e-Development
initiatives, including DG market: localization (Armenian)
and the BIT@E newsletter development (Russian/English). The project goal is
to make the portal an effective information resource to contribute to
e?Development issues and present Armenia’s potential in using ICT tools.
During project implementation, the AmDG team will again connect with its
previous partnership network of project stakeholders, including Community
representatives presented on the portal (State, Civil Society,
International, Business, High-Tech and Diaspora). The project team is open
to cooperate with all interested counterparts to enlarge the network and
provide its target audiences with a comprehensive view on development
opportunities in Armenia.
Contact: Vahand Danielan
Electronic Armenia Foundation NGO
Tel: (374-1) 57-02-60
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
*** WEBSITE OF THE ROA ECONOMIC COURT WAS CREATED
The web-based information center of the Economic Court of Armenia
was created by the Armenian Public Relations
Association and Youth for Achievements NGOs with the assistance of the EU
European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights. The goal of the website
is to ensure accessibility of information on management and activities of
the judiciary system, particularly of the Economic Court, and enhance the
efficiency and quality of the information exchange between society and the
Economic Court. The authors of the project hope that this initiative will
contribute to increasing public awareness on court functions and raising the
legal awareness of the public.
Contact: Anush Begloyan
Armenian Public Relations Association NGO
7 Khorenatsi St.
Tel.: (374-1) 53-79-55
E-mail: [email protected]
*** GYUMRI YOUTH ISSUES UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
In response to the lack of information available for Gyumri’s youth, the
Youth for Peace and Development NGO now publishes the Youth Initiative
bi-monthly electronic newsletter. It presents information on events taking
place in universities, other educational institutions, cultural structures,
NGOs and other spheres. Student journalists collect materials for the
newsletter. The newsletter also contains creations by gifted young people of
Gyumri. The publication is disseminated to young people throughout the
republic. To subscribe to the newsletter send your e-mail address to
[email protected].
It is worth noting that the Youth for Peace and Development NGO has
established a permanent commission to deal with youth issues and functions
by the Gyumri Avagani (local self-governing body.) Representatives of six
interested NGOs, members of Gyumri Avagani and state officials are
commission members. It is their responsibility to ensure the civic
participation of young people in decision making processes and that the
interests of various vulnerable groups of youth are represented in local
self-governing bodies. The two most urgent problems being addressed by the
commission today are youth employment and providing leisure activities for
youth.
Contact: Hovhanness Bayburtyan
Youth For Peace and Development NGO
Gyumri, 4 Gayi St., #4
Tel.: (374-41) 2-38-34
E-mail: [email protected]
__________________________________________________________________________
Armenian NGO News in Brief is a publication of the NGO Training and Resource
Center (NGOC) issued in the Armenian, English and Russian languages for
electronic dissemination inside and outside Armenia. Primary funding for
the NGOC, which is a project of the Armenian Assembly of America, is
provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Individual NGOs are welcome to submit information for publication to the
NGOC. The NGO Center is not responsible for the clarity of information
provided by individual NGOs.
Dear Readers,
The not-for-profit, non-governmental sector of Armenia is rich with diverse
civic initiatives and activities. This electronic publication, though far
from covering all activities of the sector per any given period of time, is
intended to contribute to raising awareness, both inside and outside
Armenia, of the activities of Armenian not-for-profit, non-governmental
organizations.
Your comments and feedback about this electronic publication are greatly
appreciated.
Thank you.
NGOC staff.
Contact Information:
In Armenia:
Armenian Assembly of America
NGO Training and Resource Center
39 Yeznik Koghbatsi St., Yerevan 375010
Tel.: (3-741) 54-40-12; 54-40-13; 53-92-04
Fax: (3-741) 54-40-15
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
In the United States:
Armenian Assembly of America
NGO Training and Resource Center
122 C Street NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001 USA
Tel: (202) 393-3434
Fax: (202) 638-4904
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN REVOLUTIONARY FEDERATION DEFENDING HIMSELF FROM GACHECHILADZE
A1+
18-03-2005
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau issued a press
release on March 18 in regard with some statements made by Georgi
Gachechiladze, advisor to the Georgian president on international
issues, and published in the March 14 issue of the Georgian newspaper
Rao-Rao. The release reads:
1. The Armenian Revolutionary Federation has never sought and does not
seek “Georgia’s destruction through North Caucasus.” The ARF is
seeking the protection of the Javakhk Armenians’ rights within
Georgia. Such statements of the Georgian president’s advisor may only
sow disturbance in the Caucasus.
2. On the eve of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the
Georgian president’s advisor is insults the memory of the Genocide
victims, accusing them of becoming a blind tool in the hands of
others. Actually, he is repeating the official position of
Turkey. Such unpardonable stance of the Georgian president’s advisor
is unfitted to the position he holds.
3. The Georgian presidential advisor’s threats directed at the Javakhk
Armenians prompt that the attempts to initiate disruption in Javakhk
are aimed at justifying those very threats. The Georgian presidential
advisor’s intimidating tone is no good for a country that claims to be
a democracy champion; it resembles the style of dictators speaking to
their subjects in tyrannies.
4. The level of the Georgian presidential advisor’s ignorance may be
low enough to call a Yeltsin aide an ARF member, but it should not be
as low as to overlook the real problems in Javakhk.
5. The ARF is ready to assist the Georgian authorities in protecting
the political and civil rights of the Javakhk Armenians as well as
resolving their socio-economic problems if the Georgian authorities
take such steps. Georgian authorities’ continuing discriminatory
policy towards the Javakhk Armenians will not result in favorable
consequences.

PanArmenian News
March 15 2005
ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER MET WITH ITALIAN AMBASSADOR IN ARMENIA
15.03.2005 04:04
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sargsian met
with Italian Ambassador Marco Clemente, the Press Service of the
Armenian Defense Ministry reported. The newly appointed military
attache Mauro Scaccia and his deputy Cucu Giangavino were also
present at the meeting. «A new page opened in the Armenian-Italian
relations after the visit of Armenian President Robert Kocharian to
Italy. I am assured that we will be able to succeed also in the
military sphere,» Marco Clemente stated. In his turn, Serge Sargsian
emphasized notable progress in the Armenian-Italian political and
economic relations. «I want to again accentuate the role Rome, Italy
played in our history. I again become convinced that the Armenian
culture develops in Italy today, too. We must develop the military
cooperation against that positive background. I think we will succeed
without fail,» the head of the defense department of Armenia stated.
Military attache Mauro Scaccia said he was ready to work for
promoting Armenian-Italian close military cooperation in the course
of his activities in Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

UNFAVORABLE DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS CLOUD ARMENIA’S ECONOMIC PROSPECTS — STUDY
Haroutiun Khachatrian 3/07/05
EurasiaNet Organization
March 7 2005
Unfavorable demographic trends are clouding Armenia~Rs economic
recovery prospects, according to a recent study. To improve the
population picture, the Armenian government should develop programs
aimed at raising the birth rate and discouraging economic migration,
one of the authors of the study says.
The recent economic news coming out of Armenia has tended to be
good: the country has recorded impressive economic growth rates in
recent years, and a report released in late 2004 showed a significant
decline in the poverty rate. [For background see the Eurasia Insight
archive]. However, the country~Rs high emigration rate, driven in
large measure by economic factors, could make it hard for Armenia to
sustain the current growth pattern. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive].
The recent report, titled Social Demographic Challenges of Post-Soviet
Armenia, takes a detailed look at how economic chaos, war and
natural disaster have affected Armenia~Rs demographic picture in the
post-Soviet era. The United Nations Population Fund funded the survey
prepared by Ruben Yeganian, a researcher at Yerevan State University,
and Karine Kujumijian of the National Statistical Service.
Large-scale emigration has been a major factor in Armenia~Rs overall
drop in population since the Soviet collapse in 1991. Though the
country~Rs emigration rates have declined ~V 2004 was the first time
since 1996 that immigrants outnumbered emigrants ~V the report finds
that the damage to the Armenian economy may prove long-lasting.
Declining birth rates, rising death rates and an ageing population have
transformed the country~Rs demographic make-up. During the 1970s and
80s, Armenia featured perhaps the healthiest demographic picture in the
Soviet Union. The country enjoyed an optimal population growth rate —
1.4 percent per year between 1979 and 1990 — and had the highest life
expectancy (about 74 years as of 1987) of any Soviet republic. A good
health care system, a relatively high number of children per family
(2.4 on average) contributed to Armenia~Rs solid growth rate.
Armenia~Rs demographic trends abruptly changed following the December
1988 earthquake at Spitak. Most of the quake~Rs victims were in their
reproductive years, putting a dent in population growth. The economic
chaos produced by the Soviet Union~Rs collapse added to the quake~Rs
legacy. Armenia~Rs death rate began to climb to about 8 deaths per
1,000 people by 2000, an increase of 27 percent. The number remains
largely unchanged today. Concurrently, life expectancy started to fall
and, more than a decade after independence, has still not climbed back
to its Soviet-era level. As of 2003, Armenians could expect to live
for 72.3 years, according to official statistics. But the authors of
the Social Demographic Challenges study suggested that the official
estimate might be inaccurate, adding that actual life expectancy is
probably lower.
At the same time, Armenia~Rs birth rate has declined by half, prompting
a sharp drop in the natural population growth rate. This statistic,
which reflects the number of births minus the number of deaths,
has undergone a six-fold decrease since 1990. That year, Armenia~Rs
growth rate stood at 16.3 births per 1,000 people, but by 2001,
it had fallen to a mere 2.7 births.
Another population study, presented at an Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe meeting in late 2004, made a startling
forecast: if Armenia~Rs demographic trends continue to follow the
existing pattern, the country~Rs population could fall to 2.66 million
by 2025. That would represent an over 15 percent decrease from the
official population figure of 3.2 million on January 1, 2005. By 2050,
the numbers could tumble still further to 2.33 million.
Many specialists, however, argue that the population growth pattern is
hard to accurately forecast, given the influence of fluctuating and
unpredictable migration trends. In 2000, for instance, even though
the population~Rs natural growth rate increased by 10,300 people,
the gain was neutralized by the 42,000 people who emigrated from
Armenia. If emigration slows down, demographers say, the country~Rs
population growth picture could improve markedly.
Yeganian, however, is cautious. Armenian families, which traditionally
had two or three children, now mostly have only one. A change
in migration numbers, he said, is unlikely to reverse the birth
trend. “This means that the ageing of the population may be a real
perspective in the near future,” Yeganian said. In 2004, according
to official statistics, 10.6 percent of the population was estimated
to be over the age of 65.
Recent surveys suggest that the number of Armenians planning to
emigrate is not decreasing, Yeganian went on to say. An active
government policy is needed to stimulate birth rates and reverse
emigration, he added. Hranush Kharatian, who heads the government~Rs
department of national minorities and religious affairs, shares
that opinion. “Even a very modestly funded program declaring the
government~Rs readiness to attract labor migrants back to the country
will have a very positive psychological effect,” she said. Kharatian
has shared her thoughts with other government officials, but reports
that, despite sympathy for the idea, no plans are in the works to
realize it.
The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, the government~Rs principal
program document, makes no mention of demographic problems. The
document simply implies that with a reduction in poverty, migration
will decrease. For now, the closest program to Kharatian~Rs proposal
is a Migration and Refugees Agency public information campaign about
the dangers of human trafficking and the problems migrants may face
trying to obtain asylum in various countries. At the same time,
the agency also tries to assist people in finding jobs abroad.
Editor~Rs Note: Haroutiun Khachatrian is a Yerevan-based writer
specializing in economic and political affairs.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The St. Petersburg Times
#1045, Friday, February 18, 2005
Phillip Morris Plans 40% Boost This Year
THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES
The Leningrad Oblast’s Phillip Morris plant will become the largest
tobacco factory in Russia by increasing production by 40 percent in
2005, up from the 50 billion cigarettes output last year, the company
said this week.
The increased capacity will come from an additional 50,000 square meter
facility that the company’s management hopes will be finished by the
end of this year, Guy Guffers, Phillip Morris’ production director,
said Tuesday at a news conference.
The new facility, which began construction in 2002, will include
a new processing line and a warehouse. The total cost of expansion
works is estimated at $240 million, Guffers said.
The Phillip Morris Izhora (PMI) factory was built in the Lomonosov
district of the Leningrad Oblast in 2000 with an initial investment
of $360 million. The factory is a fully-owned subsidiary of Phillip
Morris and produces the Marlboro, Parliament, Virginia Slims, L&M,
Chesterfield and Bond Street brands.
The company said no further expansion will be discussed until full
capacity levels are reached at the factory by the end of the year,
Phillip Morris operates two factories in Russia, one in Krasnodar and
the Leningrad Oblast plant from which it also exports cigarettes to
Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Moldova and Kazakhastan.
PMI was the largest taxpayer in the Leningrad Oblast in 2004,
transferring over 1.5 billion rubles ($54 million) to the local budget
– something that the oblast’s Governor Valery Serdyukov said he’s be
loathe to lose, even though he disapproves of smoking himself.
“I believe that smoking is bad. But if one has the habit, it is
better to smoke quality cigarettes,” said Serdyukov as reported by
Delovoi Peterburg.
“Once everybody stops smoking, though, we will find something else
for the factory to produce.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress