Author: Kalantarian Kevo

What do candidates possess?

Christine Khanumyan
07-07-2007 14:56:53 – KarabakhOpen

The presidential candidates submitted declarations of income and
property with the CEC.

It became known that the richest candidate is Armen Abgaryan. He has a
big house in Stepanakert, 769 sq m, another house on Demirchyan Street,
Yerevan, 100 sq m. In Yerevan Abgaryan owns a public place at 87a
Araratyan Street. He also owns Abgaryan and Sons CJSC, Kanakua, SEB
Petrol, Mister SEB and 55. Abgaryan also has two summerhouses, one in
the village of Noragyugh, Askeran, the other in Arabkir Community,
Yerevan, as well as a Mitsubishi Pajero car. The year 2006 was good in
terms of income. As a member of parliament he got 15 thousand drams a
month, as well as other income of 82.8 million drams. Abgaryan’s wife
did not have any income last year. His mother got her monthly pension
of 12.5 thousand drams, his sister got a monthly salary of 40 thousand
drams, as well as other income of 504 thousand drams. Abgaryan’s
daughter got 5 thousand drams a month. The total income of the Abgaryan
family in 2006 was 83 million 654 thousand drams.

Vania Avanesyan has an apartment 60 sq m in Stepanakert, a garage and a
VAZ 099 car. In 2006 Vania Avanesyan’s income totaled 1.88 million
drams.

Masis Mayilyan owns two apartments in Stepanakert, 63.5 sq m and 130.5
sq m. He holds 50 percent of shares of a public place, 270 sq m. In
2006, Mayilyan’s salary totaled 1.99 million drams, as well as 160
thousand drams of other income.

Hrant Melkumyan has an apartment 92 sq m in Stepanakert and a garage.
In 2006, Melkumyan’s salary was 1.86 million drams.

Bako Sahakyan has a house 253.5 sq m in Stepanakert, garden 0.02 ha, as
well as land for building a house. In 2006 his income was 6.66 million
drams. By the way, Mayilyan, Melkumyan, Avanesyan and Abgaryan have one
headquarters each, Bako Sahakyan has 9.

AZERBAIJANIS’ PROTEST CONTRADICTS TO PACE RESOLUTION

Lragir.am
05-07-2007 14:49:42

Rene van der Linden, president of the PACE, said during the meeting
with Speaker Tigran Torosyan on July 4 there is no progress towards the
resolution of the Karabakh conflict, and no efforts are made to shape
public opinion to solve the issue through talks, the public relations
department of the National Assembly reported. Speaker Torosyan said the
underlying index regarding the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue
is the opinion being shaped in Armenia, Karabakh and Azerbaijan, and
this index suggests that nobody in Armenia or Karabakh instills hatred
or hostility among the public against Azerbaijan, whereas Azerbaijan’s
efforts are made in the opposite direction. Evidence to this is the
reaction to the recent visit of the Armenian and Azerbaijani activists
to Yerevan, Stepanakert and Baku. Armenia and Azerbaijan appreciated
this initiative, whereas Baku met with reproach and protests through
the media and meetings. And this contradicts to the PACE resolution
which condemns propaganda of war and hatred. The speaker said the
international organizations will be helpful to the settlement if they
give an unbiased evaluation of the attitude of each country. Besides,
cases of propaganda of hatred and war cannot be explained by elections.
At least, no such cases were reported during the parliamentary
election, and as the presidential election is drawing nearer, the
public relations department of the National Assembly reported.

Armenian paper says draft laws aimed at banning Radio Liberty broadcasts

Armenian newspaper 168 Zham, Yerevan
30 Jun 07

Excerpt from report by Armine Avetyan in Armenian newspaper 168 Zham
published on 30 June and headlined "Slaves against freedom" and
subheaded "The first step against ‘Liberty’ has been made":

Yesterday [28 June] the National Assembly [parliament] passed in the
first reading the draft laws that will help terminate the broadcasting
of the Radio Liberty [Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, RFE/RL] on the
territory of Armenia. The drafts were adopted by 79 votes in favour, 16
against and one abstention.

The draft laws will be voted in the second reading over 24 hours, and
there is no doubt that MPs who come to the parliament just to push
buttons will pass them today because people who do not care for
freedom, do not need free speech either, neither do they care for the
[Radio] Liberty. All button-pushers want is for the government – that
thinks for them – to last as long as possible.

"I wish to explain why I am sure that those are politically-motivated
bills and are ordered at 26 Baghramyan Street – the presidential
office. What was the need to debate those bills in an extraordinary
session [of the parliament]?" Yerevan Press Club expert Mesrop
Harutyunyan asked at yesterday’s news conference.

Amendments to two laws are debated at the National Assembly’s
extraordinary session: the law on TV and radio and the law on state
fees. Authors of the amendments suggest that the Armenian Public Radio
and TV should not have a right to allow any media outlet to broadcast
on its frequencies. Currently, the Public [TV and Radio] decides on its
own whether it should allow others to air on its frequencies. After the
law is passed, the Public [TV and Radio] will not have the right to
allow other broadcasters use its frequencies.

Under the amendments to the law on state fees, TV and radio companies
will have to pay 70,000 drams [about 200 dollars] for each programme of
other broadcasters aired on their frequencies. And since programmes of
only one "other broadcaster" – the Radio Liberty – are aired on the
Public [TV and Radio], there is nothing else left than to admit that
the goal of those draft laws is to terminate the broadcasting of the
Radio Liberty on the territory of Armenia.

"Usually, extraordinary sessions [of parliament] are called to debate
laws that are urgent and crucial for the society," Mesrop Harutyunyan
says. "Now, I am asking [President] Robert Kocharyan and [Prime
Minister] Serzh Sargsyan, who have drafted these amendments. I am not
asking [Justice Minister] Gevorg Danielyan because he is just a doer.
What crucial and urgent needs of the society do these draft laws meet
so that they had to be debated in an extraordinary session?"

[Passage omitted: if included on the agenda of regular sessions, the
draft laws would be discussed in parliamentary committees and by public
before being adopted]

No TV company was present at the yesterday’s news conference condemning
this draft laws. Neither a radio company was present. This fact led to
conclude that TV and radio companies were instructed from 26 Baghramyan
Street not to cover the news conference. This means that electronic
media is censored by the residents of this address.

"The authorities intend to fist of all impede the broadcasting of the
Radio Liberty," Ashot Melikyan, chairman of the committee for
protection of free speech, said yesterday. "I can compare this with the
shutdown of the A1 Plus [TV company]. High-ranking officials, however,
had promised during our meetings that any draft law on information
sector would be widely discussed before debated in parliament. [Former
Justice Minister] Davit Harutyunyan, in particular, gave such a
promise. These promises too are not kept. Also, OSCE representative on
freedom of the media Miklos Haraszti’s calls not to adopt these
amendments are ignored too."

The government explains that the amendments are needed to ensure
equality in economic competition in the broadcasting sector.

[Passage omitted: other views on the issue]

Our authorities have never worried about the channels that rebroadcast
[foreign] programmes because they have never caused problems for them;
they air programmes about Armenia very rarely. The Radio Liberty, in
contrast, airs programmes that deal with the Armenian domestic and
political life, and this poised danger to the authorities.

[Passage omitted: the president will undoubtedly sign the drafts into
law]

So, Armenia will become the next country following Uzbekistan,
Turkmenistan, Belarus and Azerbaijan to ban the broadcasting of the
Radio Liberty.

GEORGIA’S ATTEMPT AT REPATRIATION DISAPPOINTS MESKHETIANS

Turkish Daily News, Turkey
July 3 2007

A new parliamentary bill by Tbilisi is very unlikely to satisfy
Meskhetian Turks, a group of Muslims deported in 1944, as it denies
their national identity among other unpopular measures

FULYA OZERKAN ANKARA – Turkish Daily News

New legislation introduced by the Georgian government authorizing the
repatriation of a long-prosecuted Muslim minority but under strict
rules caused discord among Meskethians in Turkey.

Rustem Murseloðlu, a Meskhetian Turk whose father was among those
deported en masse to Central Asia in the 1940s, told the Turkish
Daily News that the new bill denies the identity of Meskhetian Turks;
describing them as Georgian Muslims even though Stalin’s original
deportation decree describes them as Turks.

Under the legislation, those returning must integrate with Georgian
society and renounce any other citizenship they have.

"I hold citizenship in both Turkey and Azerbaijan. Why shall I give up
my Turkish nationality? It is as if Georgian authorities are bestowing
us with U.S. citizenship," said Murseloðlu, head of an association
for education, culture and social solidarity with Meskhetian Turks.

Critical of Tbilisi’s policies toward resettlement of Meskhetian
Turks, he said: "These policies are aimed at assimilating us. There
are around 50,000 Meskhetian Turks in Turkey and a return is out of
the question under these circumstances," he stressed.

During World War II, the USSR deported Meskhetian Turks from regions
along Georgia’s border with Turkey to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and
Kyrgyzstan for supposed treason.

Until recently, Georgian authorities have delayed allowing Meskhetian
Turks to return for various reasons. In order to join the Council
of Europe in 1999, Georgia agreed to guarantee the return of the
Meskhetian Turks by 2011, an estimated 300,000 of which are scattered
in former Soviet republics.

Last month, Georgian lawmakers gave preliminary backing to the bill
introduced by President Mikhail Saakashvili’s ruling party intended
to benefit Meskhetian Turks, also giving legal authorization for the
repatriation of others "forcibly deported by authorities of the Soviet
Union from Georgia."

The bill, which was drafted in the course of eight years and which
must go through two more readings before adoption, is unlikely to
satisfy the expectations of Meskhetian Turks.

Yunus Zeyrek, a scholar at Ankara’s Gazi University who brought to
light the issue of Meskhetian Turks through his writings, prepared a
file in five languages (German, French, English, Russian, and Turkish)
defending Meskhetian Turks on the issue of repatriation and presented
it to officials of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe.

"This bill is a complete disaster and will never be accepted by
Meskhetian Turks," said Zeyrek, also head of the International
Federation of the Meskhetian Turk Associations. "The bill imposes a
quota on returning families, forces them to go through re-education
camps focusing on Georgian culture and language, and resettles them
outside their ancestral lands."

Armenian factor:

The presence of Armenians that moved into the lands vacated by
Meskhetians is one of the reasons for the Georgian government’s refusal
to resettle returning Meskhetians in their old lands fearing violence
with ethnic Armenians.

"This is false propaganda. The Armenians there are not economically
wealthy and believe the returning Meskhetians will contribute to the
revival of economic life," Zeyrek said. "I believe the Armenian factor
is being exaggerated."

Uncertainty:

Meskhetian Turks in Kyrgyzstan are complaining of uncertainty over
the contentious bill that received the tentative backing of the
Georgian parliament.

Murafeddin Sakimov, head of the Meskhetian Turks’ Association in
Kyrgyzstan, told the Anatolia news agency that the bill did not
provide any details on the returning process of Meskhetians to their
ancestral lands.

"As Meskhetians who were deported in 1944, we want to return to the
Meskhetian region," he said, dismissing the conditions laid down by
the Georgian government.

–Boundary_(ID_S6fGza43SVXbW7wcp+Yxjg )–

‘NEW LAW SHOULD NOT BE AIMED AGAINST FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION,’ RA FOREIGN MINISTER STATES

Noyan Tapan
Jul 2, 2007

YEREVAN, JULY 2, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA Foreign Minister, Vardan
Oskanian, at the June 29 press conference, commenting upon the bill
"On Making Amendments to the Law On Television and Radio" submitted for
parliament’s discussion by the government, said that it is unacceptable
if the new law is aimed against freedom of expression.

In response to the question of how he treats the stopping of
retransmission of the broadcasts of the Radio Liberty’s Armenian
service on the frequences of the Public TV and Radio Company, the
Minister said: "I will be pained if this happens and I think that
many figures in power think just this way."

It should be mentioned that the government is suggesting prohibiting
broadcasting of other organizations on the frequences used by the
Public TV and Radio Company. The government motivates the amendment
proposed by saying that the Public TV and Radio Company has a special
status and its activity is aimed at solution of problems of an
exclusively public nature. In the government’s opinion, the status of
the Public TV and Radio Company cannot be combined with the activity
of other organizations solving other private problems.

INDIVIDUAL ENTREPRENEURS ENGAGED IN TRADE AT FAIRS TO PAY TAXES BY FIXED PAYMENTS

Noyan Tapan
Jul 2, 2007

YEREVAN, JULY 2, NOYAN TAPAN. At the July 2 special sitting, the RA
National Assembly unanimously, with 82 votes in favor, in the first
reading adopted the bill authored by the government, according to
which, amendments and addenda are to be made to the RA law "On Fixed
Payments." The RA NA Speaker, Tigran Torosian, said that this is the
first bill of the NA of fourth convocation, in favor for which the
parliamentary opposition also voted, which shows that cooperation
around some issues is possible.

The bill, in particular, envisages to establish the order of
calculation and payment of fixed payments for individual entrepreneurs
engaged in trade activity through stalls at fairs, which will replace
VAT and profit tax.

Individual entrepreneurs engaged in trade activity in Yerevan, in
territories not exceeding 7 sq.m. and in other places 10 sq. m. will
be considered as those paying fixed payments. The monthly amount of
the above mentioned payments in Yerevan, without zoning, will make
1815 drams per 1 sq.m, in regional centers, towns of Abovian and
Vagharshapat, 792 drams, in regions 660 drams, in the earthquake zone
and border populated areas 330 drams (nearly 1 USD).

INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTERS ON HIGH ALERT: KEY CHANNEL, SUPPORT GROUP THREATENED
Michael Hedges

followthemedia.com , Switzerland
July 2 2007

Foreign-originated broadcasts and foreign media support groups are
losing their welcome. Is somebody afraid of being bitten? Writing
new laws to hamper, discourage and foil foreign-originated broadcasts
from entering their ether-space is necessary, they say, for technical
reasons.

Armenia’s National Assembly passed (Friday June 29) on first reading
two amendments to its’ law "On Television and Radio." One amendment
specifically forbids Armenian Public Radio and Television from
broadcasting any programs they do not produce. The target, without
subtlety, is US-funded Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL),
known in Armenia as Radio Liberty. RFE/RL is the only foreign
broadcaster offering news programs on Armenian State radio,

Amendment number two imposes a stiff tax on any broadcaster for
offering programs from foreign broadcasters. Second reading is
scheduled early this week.

Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, however, spoke out Friday, saying
"It will hurt me if (Radio) Liberty stops going on air."

There’s an old newsroom saying that "dog bites man" is not a story.

"Man bites dog" is. Governments seek control over media. Imperious
governments seek control over media imperiously. Armenia’s President
Robert Kocharian said he doesn’t like people listening to Radio
Liberty. Coincidentally, Armenia will hold presidential elections in
2008. Dog bites man.

In this media-enhanced world, State media’s clumsy or cheesy offerings
bore local listeners silly, causing the broadcast equivalent of
carpal-tunnel syndrome as listeners push one different button after
another. The choices may be maddening but not as much as another
politician’s speech.

Late last year Azerbaijan’s National Radio and Television shut down
radio and TV broadcaster ANS for disregarding "warnings." ANS was
an RFE/RL affiliate. New rules came into effect January 1st barring
all local Azeri broadcasters from carrying the BBC, Radio Liberty
and voice of America programs. Azerbaijan will hold presidential
elections in 2008.

Zimbabwe’s government bought Chinese jamming transmitters, originally
manufactured in France, to control foreign broadcasts saying mean
things. Iran’s culture control police are said to round up evil
satellite dish owners.

North Koreans have a hard time listening to any broadcasts other
than those State-operated since "authorized" receivers are fixed
to State-operated frequencies. Being caught listening to foreign
broadcasts results in hard time in prison. That idea didn’t originate
in North Korea. Nazi Germany in 1933 imposed prison sentences – or
worse – for listening to foreign radio broadcasts. Fortunately for
Germans those laws have been remanded to the dust-bin of history,
with the exception of radio and TV (and now internet) license fees
to pay for public broadcasting. ("And how many radios do you have?")

Hostility toward message bearers – over the air, over the internet
or over the transom – increased on two events. Most cliche is the
universally accepted meme that "9/11 changed everything." Media expands
to the horrification presented, particularly when unanticipated.

More directly, Ukraine’s Orange Revolution is a source of continuous
reflection for every government – East, West, North or South. Media
trainers sent to develop journalists’ skills succeeded. Media freedom
advocacy NGOs got results.

Internews is well-known in developing and transitional regions as
an advocate for upgrading local media skills as a means of forming
a strong working platform for free and independent media. They
assist media infrastructures Afghanistan to, almost, Zimbabwa,
always supporting local efforts and best practices. Tin-pot despots
would rather not see Internews trainers showing the secrets of good
news video.

Russian tax authorities recently froze bank accounts of the NGO
Educated Media Foundation (EMF), formerly known as Internews Russia.

Additionally, EMF President Manana Aslmazyan faces criminal charges
for smuggling and may face others. NGO’s of all stripe and color
have been in the sights of Russian authorities, many being stripped
of legal grounds for operating in Russia.

Mrs Aslazyan’s most recent trials stem from the day last January
when she arrived in Moscow’s Sheremeto airport from Paris carrying
cash, discovered in a random inspection. Arriving in Russia carrying
more than US$10,000 requires disclosure. She had not and "higher"
authorities were called. Her explanation was not accepted and charges
were filed though she managed to return to Paris where she’s taken up
work with Internews Network. The authorities turned their attention
to EMF, functionally closing it down.

In May the Azerbaijan government ended cooperation with Reporters
Without Frontiers (RSF) after the press freedom NGO named President
Ilham Aliyev a "Press Freedom Predator."

Changing perspective just a bit (still "dog bites man"), this
story is also about money. State broadcasters in recent decades have
invited, with the full approval of their funding governments, foreign
broadcasters to provide their programs, offering air-time, sometimes
significant, on State channels. The reasoning is quite simple: cheap
(read: free) well-produced content. Some governments have gone so
far as to offer foreign broadcasters a frequency or two, very often
outside normal licensing rules. Again, cheap, well-produced content
fulfills a particular need.

The new media rules proposed in Armenia do not, precisely, forbid
foreign broadcasts on local frequencies. For local broadcasters to
air programs from foreign broadcasters there would be, in these times
of need, a fee. For RFE/RL that fee would be about $200 per hour. Do
the math: 4 hours a day, 365 days a year means more than $300,000,
sufficient for a personal assistant or five and that new BMW.

nia02072007.htm

PROFIT TAX AND INCOME TAX REVENUES OF STATE BUDGET INCREASE BY 15.4% AND 21.7% RESPECTIVELY IN JANUARY-MAY 2007 ON SAME PERIOD OF LAST YEAR

Noyan Tapan
Jun 29 2007

YEREVAN, JUNE 29, NOYAN TAPAN. In January-May 2007, profit tax revenues
of the RA state budget made over 31.7 bln drams (about 88.3 mln USD)
or 19.6% of the tax revenues. The high growth rate tendency continued
in 2007: profit tax revenues increased by 15.4% or 4.2 bln drams on
the same period of last year. A considerable growth was registered
with respect to payments by non-state enterprises, including those
operating with foreign investments.

According to the RA Ministry of Finance and Economy, the income tax
revenues of the RA state budget made 15.5 bln drams in January-May
2007, which made up 9.6% of the tax revenues. Most of income tax
revenues was received as revenues from the execution of labor
and civil contracts which amounted to 11.9 bln drams. Income tax
revenues increased by 21.7% or 2.8 bln drams on the same period of
2006. Revenues from the execution of labor and civil contracts were
the main source of this growth.

ICRC REPRESENTATIVES VISIT ARMENIAN HOSTAGE IN AZERBAIJAN

arminfo
2007-06-29 11:09:00

The Azerbaijani delegation of the International Committee for the
Red Cross (ICRC) visited Valery Suleymanyan, an Armenian hostage
in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani media reports that ICRC representatives visited Suleymanyan
for the third time already. They monitored the incarceration conditions
and the psychological status of the hostage. ICRC representatives
provided the hostage with articles of daily necessity and handed him
over some letters from his relatives. Azerbaijani media insistently
call Suleymanyan a POW, though the 48-year-old citizen of Nagorny
Karabakh Republic is a civilian.

Valery Suleymanyan was taken hostage on April 18 2007 losing his way in
the area of Martuni (along the contact line of NKR and Azerbaijan). He
has a wife and children in Martuni.

ACCORDING TO YERJANIK ABGARIAN, DANGER OF RESTARTING ARTSAKH WAR IS BECOMING STRONGER

Noyan Tapan
Jun 29 2007

YEREVAN, JUNE 29, NOYAN TAPAN. According to political scientist
Alexandre Manasian, the promotion of the Armenian side concerning the
Karabakh conflict is developing in the wrong direction. He mentioned
during the June 29 debate with Yerjanik Abgarian, a member of the
"Alternative" political NGO, that as a result of a wrong promotion
"a situation has been created where we are considered to be usurpers
of the territories belonging to us."

In Alexandre Manasian’s opinion, the approach, according to which
Armenia is fighting for the self-determination of Artsakh, is not
right, either, as in that case it would mean that Armenia accepts the
fact that the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh is a part of Azerbaijan. In
the political scientist’s conviction, it would be right if Armenia
accepted and introduced to other countries that currently only
consultations are being conducted between Yerevan and Baku in order
to continue the triple side negotiations interrupted some years ago.

As for Yerjanik Abgarian, he believes that "Turks are not good
diplomats, the thing is that there are no good ones to interact
with." He also observed that currently "those, who are not lazy" in
the international scene are speaking about the territorial completeness
of Azerbaijan. Y. Abgarian mentioned that the striving for status quo
leaves Armenia out of all international and regional projects. Instead,
he believes, the danger of restarting the Artsakh war is becoming
more and more real: the army of Azerbaijan is quickly arming itself.