Author: Hakobian Adrine

THE "BUS" NEEDS DRIVERS

A1+
[01:21 pm] 16 November, 2006

Today eight new "Bogdan" buses will start working in Avan-Kayaran
route.

According to "Omnibus" Ltd of the Yerevan Municipality, the buses
are quite new and they have lately been exported to Armenia from
Kiev. Over 63 new buses will soon serve various routes of the capital.

By the way, the buses are anticipated to work by two shifts. So far
this is only but a wish as "Omnibus" Ltd needs drivers.

The buses are currently parked. Meanwhile, taxis rush along the city
roads overcrowded with passengers.

FUND RAISING CAMPAIGN FOR HADRUT REGION’S RESTORATION STARTED IN NKR

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
Nov 16 2006

A Fund-Raising Campaign for the restoration and development of
the Hadrut region’s populated localities have started today in the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic under the aegis of Hayastan All-Armenian
Fund.

Today the Republic Staff for the TV marathon’s organization in the
NKR urged the citizens to actively participate in the humanitarian
action, DE FACTO own correspondent in Stepanakert reports.

In the course of the NKR National Assembly plenary sitting held
November 15 Speaker Ashot Gulian also called the enterprises’ staffs,
public and political organizations, all the citizens of the Republic
to take an active part in the fund raising. He said the NKR NA had
decided to transfer 350 000 drams to Hayastan All-Armenian Fund at the
expense of private donations of the deputies and Parliament employees.

The NKR President Arkady Ghoukassian is in the U. S. to prepare the
TV marathon that starts November 23 in Los Angeles.

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Nov 10 2006

CONSTRUCTION OF MEGHRI HPP TO START IN 2007 ON IRAN-BOUNDARY ARAKS
RIVER

Construction of Meghri HPP will start in 2007 on the Iran-boundary
Araks river, RA deputy Energy Minister, Ara Simonyan, told ArmInfo
correspondent.

According to him, the RA Government has approved, the day before, an
Interstate draft Contract on HPP construction. After its signing,
Simonyan said, the financing chart of this project will be specified
and the project implementation will stat. As Simonyan underlined, the
project’s feasibility study is completely ready. The project
implementation is envisaged to take 6 years.

RA Energy Minister, Armen Movsissyan, had noted earlier that the
Armenian side emphasizes the Meghri HPP’s construction on the
boundary Araks river with capacity of 140 MW and annual output of 350
mln kWh of electric power. This project, the Minister said, will
become the determining one in the Contract to be signed by the two
states’ Presidents. It is envisaged that the Iranian side will grant
a credit of $150 mln to Armenia. The latter will repay this credit by
electric energy supplies.

ECONOMIC INTERESTS OF ARMENIA AND KAZAKHSTAN COINCIDE
By Ara Martirosian

AZG Armenian Daily
09/11/2006

Kazakhstan Imports Goods That Armenia Exports

Kazakhstan is a multiethnic country, and the Armenian community
plays a unique role in that culture. Head of the community, Artyusha
Karapetian, is included in the Association of Peoples of Kazakhstan
affiliated to the country’s president.

On the second day of his official visit to Kazakhstan Armenian
president Robert Kocharian met our countrymen and told about
the results of his meeting with his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan
Nazarbaev. He said the last bilateral meeting took place in Armenia
in 2001.

Though the leaders of both states occasionally get in touch at the
CIS summits, there are still obstacles preventing development of
relations. Meanwhile, in Armenian president’s words, economic interests
of the two states coincide, which means Kazakhstan imports goods
that Armenia exports and vice versa. The main problem is connected
with goods transportation that will hopefully be settled thanks to an
agreement on automobile transportation of goods signed by the leaders
of the states.

Robert Kocharian underscored the necessity to attract Kazakh capital
to Armenia.

After the meeting with community representatives, the Armenian
president headed for Kazakh president’s cultural center and then laid
a wreath to the monument of defenders of the motherland.

The last even in the visit agenda was the business forum with
the participation of the presidents and Armenian and Kazakh
businessmen. Once again the presidents highlighted economic
cooperation.

The Kazakh president emphasized that the Armenian economy is
one of the most liberal ones in the world, which opens doors for
investments. Kazakhstan as well as Armenia is rapidly developing. The
country’s GDP has increased 3.5 times as against that of 1997.

Currency reserves amount to $25 billion, all debts from international
economic organizations were liquidated. In Nazarbaev’s words,
living standards in Kazakhstan are the highest in CIS. In regards to
Armenia, he said that despite the blockade Armenia is developing with
astonishing pace.

CHINESE LEADER MEETS ARMENIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER IN YEREVAN

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Nov 6 2006

(ARKA) – Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing gave a good mark to
Armenian-Chinese relations as met Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister
Armen Bayburtyan on Friday in Beijing.

The Chinese minister said a mutual trust has been created by the two
countries for recent years. He pointed out that cooperation between
the countries in various areas is increasingly developing.

Bayburtyan, in his turn, said Armenia attaches a special significance
to its relations with China. He also stressed the importance of
cooperation between the two countries in international organizations,
reports Trend.

National Statistical Service of Armenia says trade turnover between
Armenia and China totaled $71.5 million in Jan-Sept 2006 after growing
77.7% over the same period a year earlier.

ARMENIA ACTIVELY GETS USE OF WORLD COUNTRIES’ EXPERIENCE IN WORKING OUT CONCEPTION OF REFORMS IN SCIENCE

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Nov 6 2006

YEREVAN, November 6. /ARKA/. Armenia actively gets use of world
countries’ experience in working out conception of reforms in
science. On Friday RA Deputy Minister of Science and Education
Ara Avetisyan told journalists that elaboration of that conception
required both local research and existing materials, as well as models
of countries with great experience in that sphere.

He emphasized that In September 2006, two working groups of the
Interdepartmental Commission on carrying out reforms in Armenia’s
scientific sphere had been on Hungary and Chzecia, as well as in Greece
and Lithuania. When studying models of countries of Western Europe
and Baltic special attention is paid to mechanisms of administration
of science system, as well as types and amount of science financing",
he clarified and added that direct cooperation with those countries
was conditioned with wide and longstanding experience.

At the same time Avetisyan said that documentary materials and research
results of some countries of post-Soviet area, at the disposal of
the RA Ministry of Science and Education had been also taken into
consideration while working out the document.

He also informed that modern transformation of Prussian academic
model – one of the most spread in Europe and basis for systems of
reforms carried out in many countries, as well as models of Canada
and Israel had been reflected in the elaboration of the conception.

The conception of scientific reforms, under the control of the
Interdepartmental Commission, will be raised for public hearings in
November 2006. Confirmation of its final variant is scheduled for
January-February 2007.

A decision about carrying out reforms in the scientific sphere of
Armenia was made on July 24, 2006, during the meeting of the country’s
President Robert Kocharyan with Minister of Science and Education
Levon Lazarian. On August 18, the RA government has approved the
order of events within the framework of those reforms.

PROPOSAL AIMED AT DISPOSAL

Burbank Leader, CA
Nov 4 2006

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved Michael
Antonovich’s motion to direct county staffers to pursue the possibility
of expanding a pharmaceutical disposal program to the entire county.

The "No Drugs Down the Drain" program informs residents about the
hazards of throwing away medications in places where they can reach
surface waters and negatively affect the environment. Research has
shown that medications in surface waters complicates human growth
and reproduction.

The program encourages county residents to either dispose of medicine
waste at hazardous-waste collection centers or seal them in sturdy
plastic containers before putting them in trash cans.

Group inaugurates new headquarters

The Armenian National Committee of America – a national advocacy
organization that promotes the role of Armenian Americans in U.S.
policy – has inaugurated a new national headquarters in Washington,
D.C. advertisement

Armenian-American dignitaries and religious leaders from throughout
the country joined Armenia’s Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian for
the inauguration on Oct. 21.

Oskanian stressed the importance of cooperation between Armenians
in the states and the Armenian government in working on issues of
economic and democratic development in Armenia, and in strengthening
the relationship between the United States and Armenia.

Schiff to speak on Darfur genocide

Rep. Adam Schiff held a Town Hall meeting to discuss the genocide in
the Darfur region of Sudan Friday at Alhambra High School.

Schiff, whose district covers Burbank and Glendale, has held previous
meetings on this topic in Glendale and Pasadena and sponsored
legislation to help get funds for victims.

Among those joining Schiff at the meeting were Mabior Isaac Amol,
a former Sudan resident who helped start an orphanage in Darfur,
and Father Vazken Movsesian, of In His Shoes Ministries in Glendale,
which is raising money to provide aid to the people of Darfur.

Campaign kick-off in Glendale council race

More than 200 people showed up at Oakmont Country Club on Oct. 26
to watch Glendale Unified School District Trustee Greg Krikorian
officially kick off his campaign for City Council.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich spoke at the event.

Other dignitaries attending included former Glendale Mayor Larry
Zarian, Burbank City Councilwoman Marsha Ramos and Glendale City
Council Bob Yousefian. Crescenta Valley Town Council members Steve
Pierce, Sharon Hales, Krista Smiley and Charles Beatty also attended.

Krikorian’s goals include getting the city to stick to its hillside
ordinance more closely.

The election is April 3.

Montrose Shopping Park Assn. President John Drayman has also officially
announced he will run for a spot on the council.

IN THE LONG RUN BILL IS NO BENEFIT

Lragir, Armenia
Nov 1 2006

How will Armenia benefit from the bill on the genocide adopted by
the French parliament? The Lragir asked this question to its readers
over the past two weeks. 24 percent think Armenia will not benefit,
18.8 percent think that the bill adopted by the French parliament
will hinder the relation with Turkey. 29.3 percent think that it is
merely another moral victory, and 27.9 percent think it enhanced the
political importance of Armenia.

AMBASSADOR OLEG YESAYAN MEETS WITH ARMENIAN STUDENTS OF BELARUSIAN MILITARY ACADEMY

Noyan Tapan
Nov 02 2006

MINSK, NOVEMBER 2, NOYAN TAPAN. Ambassador of Armenia to Belarus,
Oleg Yesayan visited Belarusian Military Academy’s Internal
Troops Faculty on October 31, where students sent on business from
Armenia have been studying for four years. They will finish their
studies in 2007 July receiving secondary military education, police
lieutenant rank and at the same time higher civil education with the
qualification of a lawyer. Officers of RA Police Internal Troops also
periodically take part in faculty’s short-term studies. As NT was
informed from RA Foreign Ministry Press and Information Department,
the head of the faculty acquainted the Ambassador with the Academy’s
material-technical infrastructures and process of education, as well
as presented the living conditions of the students. During a meeting
with the Armenian students and faculty’s commanders and lecturers
the Ambassador of Armenia attached importance to cooperation between
the two countries’ internal affairs systems, in particular, in the
sphere of training and retraining of cadres. RA Ambassador had a
tete-a-tete talk with the Armenian students, familiarized himself
with their daily life. O.Yesayan said that the Embassy will continue
to provide necessary assistance to the students in the future as well
and they will always take part in events initiated by the Armenian
Embassy and Armenian community.

NAS INSTITUTE OF MICROBIOLOGY DEVELOPS NEW BIOMETALLURGICAL METHOD OF GOLD PRODUCTION

Noyan Tapan
Oct 31 2006

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, NOYAN TAPAN. A group of scientists of the
Mineral Microbiology Laboratory of the Institute of Microbiology of
the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is developing a new integrated
biometallurgical method of gold production. The laboratory head Narine
Vardanian stated this. According to her, new isolated active strains
of chemolithotrophic bacteria will be used for gold containibg pyrite
ores processing, which may allow to increase the gold recovery degree
up to 95%. To recap, the indicated group of scientists received a 5
thousand-dollar award under the Science and Technology Entreprenuership
Program (STEP) implemented by the Enterprise Incubator Foundation
(EIF) jointly with the Civilian Research and Development Foundation
(SRDF). The scientists plan to spend this money to obtain strains of
bacteria resistant to extremal conditions and test them in the Tandzut
gold mine owned by Vallex Mining company, after which it is envisaged
to made a proposal to this company to use the biometallurgical
method of gold production. N. Vardanian said that gold reserves in
Armenia are estimated at 500 tons. In the 1980s, gold extraction
in the country made two tons a year, in the 1990s this amount was
reduced significantly, while in the past few years it made about a
ton annually.

According to her, in 2005, 2,518 tons of gold was extracted in the
world: this index is half the average annual amount in the 1980s. The
stock exchange price of an ounce (28.3 grams) of gold currently makes
about 590 dollars, exceeeding twofold its price in the 1980s.