Author: Jalatian Sonya

USA want to see improvement in Armenian parliamentary election: American
diplomat

Arminfo
2007-04-16 10:41:00

The USA want to see an improvement in the Armenian parliamentary
election, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian
affairs Daniel Fried said at a press- conference in Washington in
response to ArmInfo correspondent’s question. He said that the USA do
not expect perfection. "We don’t expect to go from deeply flawed to
perfect, but we do expect to see substantial forward progress. That is
important. Armenia, given the strength of the Armenian Diaspora and
given Armenia’s links to the West, frankly, you ought to be way ahead
of Georgia. But I ask you, are you in terms of democratic reforms?
That’s a rhetorical question. I’m not asking for an answer. But think
about that. Armenia should be doing better. It should be a leader. It
should be a prospering country. It has all the ingredients. And lack
of oil and gas is not necessarily a curse. Assistant Secretary Fried:
Yes, but a lot of countries – Armenia is not blockaded. It has access
through Georgia. It’s not as if it has no access to the outside
world. We hope that more is done", D. Fried concluded.

IRANIAN FIRST VP FELICITATES NEW ARMENIAN PREMIER

IranMania, Iran
April 13 2007

LONDON, April 13 (IranMania) – First Vice-President Parviz Davoudi
felicitated new Armenian Premier Serzh Sarkissian on taking the office,
IRNA reported.

He also extended felicitations to the Armenian government and Armenian
nation on the new appointment.

Davoudi said that it is expected that through collective cooperation
of Iran and Armenia, the current level of cooperation would further
broaden in all grounds.

Former Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margarian, leader of the
ruling Republican party died of a heart attack last month.

CIS COUNCIL OF BORDER TROOPS COMMANDERS MEETS IN ARMENIA

ITAR-TASS Agency, Russia
April 12 2007

YEREVAN, April 12 (Itar-Tass) — The 57th meeting of the CIS Council
of the Border Troops Commanders, which opened in the Armenian mountain
resort of Tsakhkadroz on Thursday, will consider the situation on
the CIS external borders and topical problems of cooperation of the
CIS border departments.

The meeting is chaired by first deputy director of the Russian Security
Service, head of the Russian Border Service General of the Army
Vladimir Pronichev. Delegations of the border departments of Armenia,
Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine, as well as cooperating bodies
of the CIS and other international organizations.

The Council will discuss the pace of preparations of joint special
border operations and preventive operations in the current year. They
are aimed to oppose the penetration of weapons, ammunition, drugs
and illegal migration, stop poaching activities and protect sea
bio-resources in the waters of the Black and Caspian Seas through
the CIS borders from the territory of Afghanistan.

The forum participants will consider a draft agreement on cooperation
in opposing the forgery of documents giving the right to cross
the state border. They will hear information on the beginning of
interaction of the Coordination Service of the Council of Commanders
with the Agency for issues of direction of operational cooperation
on the external borders of the European Union and the Executive
Committee of the Regional Antiterrorist Agency of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization.

The Council of Commanders was created according to a decision of
the Council of CIS Heads of State on July 6, 1992. This is a CIS
collective body on issues of coordination, guarding of external
borders and economic zones of the Commonwealth.

AGHVAN VARDANIAN: YEAR BY YEAR ARF’S ACTIVITIES BECOME MORE RECOGNIZABLE, UNDERSTANDABLE AND EXPLAINABLE BY PEOPLE

Noyan Tapan
Apr 12 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, NOYAN TAPAN. "The ARF Dashnaktsutyun will have
more seats in the new National Assembly than it had previously." The
RA Minister of Labor and Social Issues Aghvan Vardanian stated this
at the April 12 press conference.

According to the minister, the reason for such confedence is contacts
of the ARF members with people. "It is obvious that year by year the
activities of the ARF are becoming more recognizable, understandable
and explainable by people," he said.

In his words, the ARF Dashnaktsutyun will do everything possible to
prevent electoral riggings. "Our party will have representatives
in all polling stations and struggle against riggings committed,"
A. Vardanian pointed out.

In response to the question about what post he will hold after the
elections, member of the ARF Armenia Supreme Body A. Vardanian replied:
"After the formation of the government, it will be clear who will
hold this or that position."

Summarizing the results of his 4-year work while in the minister’s
post, A. Vardanian said that these were "years of system reforms"
in the social sector. In his words, during this period, tens of
fundamental laws on the social sector were adopted, the minimal and
average salaries, poverty benefits were increased. However, as the
minister added, serious reforms still need to be implemented in the
social sector.

HOLY RESURRECTION HOLIDAY MARKED AT CALCUTTA ARMENIAN COMMUNITY

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 10 2007

CALCUTTA, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Saint Liturgy
was celebrated on April 8 at the Calcutta Surb (Saint) Nazareth
Armenian church on the occasion of Christ’s Resurrection Holiday. The
liturgy was celebrated by Archimandrite Oshakan Gyulgyulian, the Indian
Armenian spiritual pastor and manager of the Armenian Philanthropic
Academy. The archimandrite warmly congratulated everybody on the
occasion of the Holy Resurrection Holiday, wishing that the light
and hope of Christ’s resurrection always accompany them.

According to the information submitted to Noyan Tapan by the Armenian
Philanthropic Academy of Calcutta, Ashot Kocharian, the RA Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of India who paid
two-day visit to Calcutta with his wife, members of the Calcutta Church
Council, Indian Armenians, students of the Philanthropic Academy,
representatives of the Consulate of the Russian Federation to India
and others were present at the ceremony.

MAGNITUDE 4 EARTHQUAKE AT THE IRANIAN-TURKISH BORDER

ArmRadio.am
10.04.2007 13:13

This night an earthquake took place at the border between Turkey
and Iran.

ArmInfo was told at the National Survey for Seismic Protection that
a magnitude 4 earthquake was registered 45 km to the southeast of
the Iranian city of Maku at 02:24 local time. The strength of the
quake reached 5-6 in the epicenter. The earthquake was followed by
two aftershocks.

ARMENIAN POLITICIAN SAYS HIS PARTY MAY NOT JOIN FUTURE GOVERNMENT

Hayots Ashkharh, Yerevan
6 Apr 07 p 1

Text of unattributed report by Armenian newspaper Hayots Ashkharh on
6 April headlined "No one will have majority"

"Seeing today’s mood of the people, I don’t think that any political
force could have a majority in the parliament. A coalition will be set
up to form a government this time too. It is hard to say what kind of a
political mosaic there will be after the election, what the conditions
will be and what partners the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
– Dashnaktsutyun [ARFD] may have. If a government is formed that
passes decisions not based on consensus, the Dashnaktsutyun will not
participate in it," [ARFD Bureau representative] Hrant Margaryan said.

FRENCH GROUP’S PARTNERSHIP IN PIPELINE PROJECT REPORTEDLY SUSPENDED

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
April 5, 2007 Thursday

["PARTNERSHIP OF GAZ DE FRANCE TO NABUCCO PROJECT POSTPONED" –
AA headline]

ANKARA (A.A) -05.04.2007 -Partnership of the "Gaz De France" to the
Nabucco Project envisaging construction of a pipeline to transport
Azerbaijani and Iranian natural gas to Europe through Turkey, has
been suspended for a while.

Sources said that Omv of Austria, Mol of Hungary, Bulgargaz of
Bulgaria and Transgaz of Romania accepted Gaz de France’s becoming
the 6th partner of the project while Petroleum Pipeline Cort (BOTAS)
of Turkey put reservations.

Approval of a bill on so-called Armenian genocide by the French
parliament last year influenced the Turkish party’s decision.

Meanwhile, construction of the 3,300 km-kilometre pipeline is expected
to begin in 2008 and is planned to be finished in 2012.

The construction is estimated to cost 4.6 billion euro. The cost is
to be shared among the five gas companies in each of the countries.

The transport capacity of the pipeline will reach up to 25.5 billion
cubic meters per year in the long term, around or after 2020.

COMMEMORATION EVENT TO BE HELD IN US CONGRESS ON APRIL 24

ArmRadio.am
05.04.2007 12:37

On April 24 a commemoration evening dedicated to the 92nd anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide will be held on Capitol Hill. For several
years the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide has been marked in
the US Congress at the initiative of the Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs
Frank Pallone and Joe Knollenberg.

Armenpress was told from the Press Office of the Armenian Assembly of
America that this pan-Armenian event will be held in conjunction with
the Armenian Embassy in the US and will feature former US Ambassador
to Armenia John M. Evans as the keynote speaker.

CURRENT BUDGETARY TRANSFERS INCREASE BY 10.3% IN JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2007 ON SAME PERIOD OF LAST YEAR

Noyan Tapan
Apr 04 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 4, NOYAN TAPAN. In January-February 2007, current
transfers made 30.7% or 14.2 bln drams (about 39.5 mln USD) of
current expenditures of the RA state budget. The quarterly program on
allocation of current transfers was fulfilled by 63.5%. According to
the RA Ministry of Finance and Economy, over 4.4 bln drams of transfer
allocations was spent on benefits, 3 bln drams – on pensions, and
2.9 bln drams – on subsidies to communities. The total amount of
transfers grew by 10.3% on the same period of 2006. Subsidies and
benefits increased by 19.9% and 11.8% respectively in the first two
months of 2007 on the same months of 2006.

In the first two month of 2007, subsidies of over 2.1 bln drams (5.8
mln USD) were provided from the RA state budget, which made up 4.6%
of current expenditures: the quarterly program on subsidizing was
fulfilled by 40.3%. The amount of susidies from the state budget
exceeded by 29.6% or 489.3 mln drams the index of January-February
2006.

23.8 bln drams was allocated from the state budget for
purchase of goods and services, which made up 51.6% of current
budgetary expenditures: the quarterly program was fulfilled by
48.4%. Expenditures on purchase of goods and services grew by 7.9%
or 1.8 bln drams compared with January-February of last year, which
is mainly conditioned by an increase in expenditures on comprehensive
education, as well as primary and hospital medical aid.

More than 5.3 bln drams was allocated from the RA state budget for
financing of capital expenditures in January-February 2007. Capital
expenditures of the state budget grew by 45.9% or about 1.7 bln
drams on the same period of last year, which was mainly due to an
increase in capital expenditures in the spheres of defence, education,
health care and water industry, as well as by allocations from the
RA government’s reserve fund.

In January-February 2007, crediting from the RA state budget amounted
to 2.9 ln drams, with this sum being provided to the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic (NKR). 45.4 mln drams of previously provided credits was
re-paid to the RA state budget. As a result, net creiting made 2.8
bln drams. Net crediting of the state budget grew by 20.7% on the
same period of 2006 – at the expense of the increased amount of the
credit to the NKR in 2007 on last year.