Author: Jabejian Elizabeth

MAIN PART OF INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION OF ARMENIA TO PASS TO CREDIT SYSTEM IN 2006-2007 ACADEMIC YEAR

Noyan Tapan
Apr 06 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 6, NOYAN TAPAN. The credit system has partly been
introduced in the State Engineering University of Armenia already
for the third year. As Ruben Aghgashian, the Pro-Rector of the
institution of higher education informed at the seminar-training
taken place on April 5, at the SEUA with the participation of Rectors
of state and non-state institutions of higher education, this was
first initiated in Master’s programs, and then among bachelors
and post graduate students. At present this system is initiated in
80% of the Master’s programs of the institution. All the Master’s
programs of the institution will pass to the credit system from this
September. According to the Pro-Rector, the SEUA post graduate programs
have passed to the credit system already for the second year. The
credit system is introduced in one faculty among bachelors programs,
for the group of English speaking students. RA Minister of Education
and Science Sergo Yeritsian mentioned that besides the SEUA, the credit
system is experimentally introduced in other three institutions of
higher education, the Yerevan Linguistic and Pedagogical Universities,
Agricultural Academy. According to the Minister, seminar-trainings
and discussions in different institutions of higher education will be
regularly organized till the next academic year, as a result of what
the Armenian model of the credit system will be formed. The main part
of institutions of higher education will start to introduce this system
in the 2006-2007 academic year, and it will be used only for the first
year students. “Of course, all the institutions of higher education
will not pass to this system at the same time. The process will start
in different institutions of higher education in different periods of
time. First of all those institutions will pass which are ready for it.

The scientific council of the institution will decide the time for
starting the process,” the Minister emphasized. S.Yeritsian expressed
confidence that introduction of the credit system supposes encrease
of the quality of the genearal education and preparation of high
quality specialists.

RUSSIAN AND ARMENIAN FMS TO DISCUSS KARABAKH SETTLEMENT IN MOSCOW

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.04.2006 00:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Relations with Armenia lately acquired a character
of strategic and allied partnership, distinguished for positive
development dynamics, Russian MFA spokesperson Mikhail Kamynin said
regarding the visit of Armenian FM Vartan Oskanian to Moscow on
April 5-7. In his words, the meeting agenda will include matters of
coordination of efforts of the MFAs of the two countries to improve
situation in the Caucasus, settle conflicts, build confidence. “The
Nagorno Karabakh settlement will occupy an important place in the
agenda of the coming talks,” Kamynin remarked.

The Russian diplomat reminded Russia comes for continuation of the
Armenian-Azeri dialogue at various levels, first of all between the
Presidents. “We proceed from the principle that parties to conflict
themselves have to find a mutually acceptable solution. Russia is
ready to actively promote Karabakh settlement, both in the bilateral
respect and as an OSCE MG co-chair,” the Russian MFA spokesperson said.

Special attention will be paid to coordinate efforts aimed at increase
of anti-terror political interaction, taking into account Russia and
Armenia have similar approaches to fighting international terror.

In his words, the parties will also exchange views over bilateral
cooperation matters, coordinating efforts within international
organizations, as well as most important regional issues. “The parties
will also consider matters of interaction within the CIS framework,
including that within the Collective Security Treaty Organization
(CSTO),” the diplomat remarked.

When discussing aspects of bilateral relations the ministers will
also consider ways to enhance the interaction, specifically in solving
transport, fuel and energy issues. The holding of the Year of Armenia
in Russia will be a priority subject at the talks, RIA Novosti reports.

9 ARMENIAN CHESS-PLAYERS TAKE PART IN EUROPE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Noyan Tapan
Apr 04 2006

IZMIR, APRIL 4, NOYAN TAPAN. The 7th individual chess Europe
championships of men and women start on April 4. Chess-players from
several dozens of countries take part in the competitions being
held in Kushkadasi situated in the vicinity of the Turkish city
of Izmir. 9 representatives of Armenia are also among them. Grand
masters Artashes Minasian, Ashot Anastasian, Tigran L.Petrosian,
international masters Arman Pashikian and Tigran Kotanjian will
take part in the men’s championship, grand masters Lilit Mkrtchian,
Elina Danielian, Nelli Aghinian and international master Siranoush
Andreasian in the women’s championship. The Europe championships
also have a selective character: besides the title of the champion,
the participants will compete for the right of participation in the
world championships. Such a right will be given to chess-players that
will take 1-16th places in the Europe men’s championship and 1-12th
places in the women’s championship.

EXPERTS TO DISCUSS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN OTTOMAN EMPIRE

Czech News Agency
April 2, 2006 Sunday

Prague, April 2 (CTK) – Facts about the extermination of Armenian
inhabitants of Turkey during World War One and its circumstances
and consequences will be discussed at an international conference
that will be held in the Czech Senate next week. The event will be
organised by the Armenia Club civic association and senator Jaromir
Stetina (for the Greens) under the aegis of former president Vaclav
Havel. The conference will be held 91 years after then Ottoman
government arrested more than 2300 prominent Armenians. Armenians
consider April 1915 the beginning of genocide that claimed the lives
of 1.5 million people. Turkey refuses to speak about genocide, and it
links the events with the struggle against Armenians collaborating
with the invading Russian forces. It claims that the accusation is
to slow down its admission to the European Union. According to the
programme the conference in the Senate is to be also attended by
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian.

GREEK TELECOM OTE CONSIDERS SELLING STAKE IN ARMENIAN OPERATOR

AP Worldstream
Apr 04, 2006

Hellenic Telecommunications Organization, or OTE, said Tuesday it
was considering selling its 90-percent stake in Armenia’s dominant
telecommunications operator ArmenTel.

OTE has discussed its options with the Armenian government, which
owns the remaining 10 percent of ArmenTel, the Greek company said in
a statement.

HSBC Bank will advise OTE on the transaction, the statement said.

ARMENIA AND ARMENIANS IN WORLD CULTURE CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN KUBAN APRIL 25

Yerkir
04.04.2006 14:34

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Armenia and Armenians in the World Culture
scientific conference will be held at the archaeological museum in
the reserve after Felitsin in Kuban April 25, reports the Yerkarmas,
a newspaper of Armenians of Russia. During the event cultural and
domestic items of Armenians of Kuban will be presented.

The conference is organized by the South Russian Diocese of the
Armenian Apostolic Church, Kuban State University, South-Caucasian
Center of social and cultural research of history, the Armenian
community of Kuban. A collection summarizing the reports at the
conference will be published.

The scientific conference is dedicated to the anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide in 1915-1923, when some 2 million Armenians were
slaughtered by Turks in Western Armenia’s territory. A similar
conference was held in Kuban in 2005 as well.

Turkish Consul of Novorossiysk Ahmed Ryza Demirer objected to holding
the event by sending an official letter of the rector of the Kuban
State University, where the conference was planned. It took place
nevertheless and its final document urged Turkish authorities to
recognize the Armenian Genocide. Conference participants considered
is a pre-requisite for Turkey’s accession to the family of European
peoples.

NEW DIGS FOR METALLON
Julie Bain reports that Mzi Khumalo has operations in ex-Soviet states

cle.aspx?ID=ST6A175704
02 April 2006

METALLON Gold, which has had its fair share of troubles in recent
months, is expanding into a number of former Soviet states.

Andile Reve, chief executive of Metallon Corporation, which controls
the Metallon group of companies, said mining had started at one of
the company’s two prospects in Armenia just a few days ago.

“Profit for 12 months’ production of about 60000 ounces is put at
$12-million to $15-million,” he said.

The open-pit mine is about 300km from Yerevan, the Armenian capital.

Exploration at a second prospect is under way and Reve said Metallon
could prove up a resource of about one million payable ounces in
eight to 10 months.

“We are very excited. After the reserves are proved we will make a
decision on whether to take [these projects] to market,” he said.

Metallon Gold also has a prospect in Georgia, where further exploration
work is being carried out, and it is looking at a prospect in
Kazakhstan.

Last month Metallon Gold was knocked by the resignation of CEO Greg
Hunter. He seems to have been frustrated at the hurdles that have
stymied the company’s strategy, and decided to quit.

Metallon Gold had planned to list in SA in May last year but a dispute
with the Reserve Bank has put paid to this.

Reve said Metallon Corporation chairman Mzi Khumalo was negotiating
with the Bank about the conditions under which Metallon’s Zimbabwean
gold assets, which are held in a British company, could be repatriated.

He said the gold companies were now running as separate units.

“We will admit the failure to list was a serious setback,” he
added. “It is a big opportunity to list a gold company in this
environment, at these prices.

“The capital coming out of that would have been great; it would have
made our lives much easier. And because of that we have had to regear
ourselves and change strategies.”

Metallon Corporation was also hit by a Zimbabwean court ruling this
month ordering it to pay $7.4-million to a former business partner
for breach of contract.

But Reve said the company would appeal the decision.

In the past month Khumalo has also come under fire over the sale of
some of Metallon Ventures’ shares in construction company Basil Read.

Last year Metallon Ventures and Amabubesi, headed by former Scorpions
boss Bulelani Ngcuka, bought a 51.2% stake in Basil Read from French
company Bouygues.

The sale has attracted attention because of Khumalo’s sale of
empowerment shares in Harmony Gold a few years ago. It also raised
eyebrows because it reduced empowerment in Basil Read and there has
been talk of a disregarded lock-in agreement.

Basil Read CEO Marius Heyns said a 6.3% stake was sold, leaving
empowerment in the company well above the 26% threshold. Amabubesi
now has 25.6% and Metallon Ventures 19.3%.

Asked if the sale could have any negative implications for the company,
Heyns replied by e-mail: “It could possibly, but it is difficult
to ascertain.”

The company was not informed of the sale, but Heyns pointed out that
Bouygues and the empowerment consortium had a private contract.

Reve said the sale of the 6.3% to Mawenzi Asset Managers — in which
Khumalo has a controlling stake — at the original deal price was
agreed when the original deal was reached last year. There is no
further agreement with Mawenzi for any sale on similar conditions.

There were no plans to sell more of Metallon Ventures’ stake in Basil
Read, but Reve did not rule this out entirely.

“There really should not be such a fuss about a share sale that was
part of the funding agreement,” he said.

“We are a company like any other, we just that we happen to be black.”

The purchase of the stake in Basil Read was conducted with Bouygues
and it was not billed as an empowerment deal, Reve added.

If there was any future sale there is a so-called “tag-along clause”
with Bouygues, meaning it would have to be informed, he said.

The CIS and Baltic press on Russia

RIA Novosti, Russia
March 31 2006

ARMENIA

According to the local press, Russia does not want to settle
conflicts in the South Caucasus. “Contradictions in Armenian-Russian
relations are fuelled by the fact that Russia supports the
establishment of totalitarian regimes in the Commonwealth of
Independent States, whereas Armenia links its future with democracy
and European integration.” (Azg, March 23.)

“Russia will do its best to keep up the pockets of paramilitary
tension in Karabakh, Ossetia and Abkhazia, because this allows it to
force all sides to do its bidding. This is logical, for Russia is
acting to satisfy its own interests. Moreover, Armenia has actually
become Russia’s stick used to influence different processes in the
South Caucasus.” (168 zham, March 24.)

The republican media write about a possible revision of Russia’s
stand on the independence of Kosovo. “Russia and China have hinted to
the United States that they would not hinder the adoption of a UN
resolution on Kosovo’s independence, preferring to abstain from
voting. The Bush Administration has convinced Moscow and Beijing that
the recognition of that country’s independence would not create a
precedent for the recognition of the independence of Chechnya, Tibet
and Taiwan. Analysts note that certain quarters in Moscow may
nevertheless use the example of Kosovo to request recognition for the
independence of Abkhazia and other separatist regimes.” (168 zham,
March 22.)

RA FOREIGN MINISTER TO MEET UN SECRETARY GENERAL

ArmRadio.am
31.03.2006 10:28

In the framework of his visit to the United Sates RA Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanayn will meet UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Today the Foreign Minister is expected to deliver a speech at the
University of Columbia.

MIKHAIL MEYER: ARMENIANS GENETIC RESERVES DESTROYED IN 1915

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.03.2006 01:20 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ It is possible to write the impartial history
of the events in Ottoman Turkey in 1915-1923. However, the essence
is not in the number of Armenians killed and deported, but in half
of the population of Western Armenia being annihilated, professor
Mikhail Meyer, the Director of the Institute of Asian and African
Studies of Moscow State University stated in Yerevan at a meeting
in the South Caucasian branch of the Caucasus Democracy Institute
development foundation. In his words, there was no term genocide in
WWI, however it changes nothing.

“Turkey has to reconsider its attitude to the Armenian Genocide. Delay
of the process will entail negative consequences for the country
itself,” the famous Russian specialist of Turkic science said, when
answering a question of PanARMENIAN.Net. In his words, Turkey fears
not so much of territorial claims by Armenia, as compensation of
material and moral damage.

“No economy can bear that compensation,” Meyer remarked. As
of parallels with Germany, which paid compensation to Holocaust
victims, Meyer remarked, “not all prisoners of concentration camps
got compensations.”

At that the professor remarked the process of liberalization of
Turkey on the way to EU membership is not so fast. “I think the EU
will nevertheless stipulate accession by recognition of the fact
of the Armenian Genocide. EU representatives should be taken to the
Genocide Museum to see what actually happened in 1915,” he remarked.