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04/05/2005
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1) New Armenian Ambassador to US Assumes Duties
2) Armenian Delegation to Attend Pope’s Funeral
3) Armenia Dismisses Coach Casoni
4) Armenia, Azerbaijan to Mull New Karabagh Peace Plan

1) New Armenian Ambassador to US Assumes Duties

WASHINGTON, DC–Armenia’s newly-appointed Ambassador to the United States
Tatoul Margarian, arrived in Washington, DC and assumed the duties of his
office on March 31. Prior to his appointment, Margarian served as Deputy
Foreign Minister of Armenia.
According to an embassy press release, Margarian brings to his position a
wealth of experience in US-Armenian relations.
Margarian received the appointment from President Robert Kocharian on March
19, and is expected to present his credentials to President George W. Bush
shortly.
Prior to assuming this position, Margarian served as Deputy Minister of
Foreign Affairs of Armenia, beginning June 2000. In that capacity, he was the
Armenian coordinator for US-Armenia Strategic Dialogue, as well as the
NATO-Armenia Political-Military Dialogue.
Margarian also served as the President’s Special Representative for
Mountainous Karabagh negotiations, in 2002-2003.
His previous diplomatic assignments include a term as Deputy Chief of Mission
and Minister-Counselor at the Armenian Embassy in Washington, DC from December
1994 to January 1999.
Before joining the Armenian Foreign Service, Margarian served in Armenia’s
legislative and executive branches. He was Assistant to the Vice Chairman of
the Armenian Parliament from 1990 to 1991, and Assistant and Adviser to the
Vice President of Armenia from 1991 to 1994, and also served as Acting
Chief of
Staff to the Prime Minister of Armenia from 1991 to 1992.
Margarian was born on April 16, 1964, in Ghapan, Armenia. He holds a Master’s
degree in International Relations degree from the School of Advanced
International Studies at the Johns Hopkins University, and is a Doctoral
candidate at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He
graduated from the Yerevan University of National Economy in 1985, and
completed a PhD in Economics at the same University in 1988.
Margarian is fluent in English and Russian. He is married and has one son.

2) Armenian Delegation to Attend Pope’s Funeral

YEREVAN (Armenpress)–An Armenian delegation headed by Prime Minister Andranik
Margarian will leave for Vatican City on April 7 to attend the funeral of Pope
John Paul II.
The delegation includes Armenian ambassador to Italy Ruben Shugarian,
ambassador to France and Vatican Eduard Nalbandian, deputy foreign minister
Armen Bayburdian, as well as Catholicos Karekin II, who will be accompanied by
Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople Archbishop Mesrob Mutafian, Primate of
the
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) Archbishop Khajag
Barsamian, and Rev. Fr. Geghard Vahuni.
Catholicos Karekin II paid tribute to the pope’s legacy in a message of
condolence to the Vatican. “Throughout his 26-year reign, His Holiness Pope
John Paul II was a staunch defender of life and champion of justice,” he
wrote.
“His Holiness’s calls for peace and reconciliation in the world were anchored
in his moral convictions and love for humanity.”
John Paul was the first head of the Roman Catholic Church to set foot on
Armenian soil and describe the 1915 slaughter of Armenians in Ottoman
Turkey as
genocide–a fact emphasized by Karekin II. The pontiff spoke of a “moment of
grace and joy” as he arrived in Yerevan on September 25, 2001 on a three-day
visit that coincided with official celebrations of Armenia’s adoption of
Christianity as a state religion.
“For ever, the annals of the universal Church will say that the people of
Armenia were the first as a whole people to embrace the grace and truth for
the
Gospel of our Lord Jesus Chris,” he declared. “You zealously guard the memory
of your many martyrs: indeed, martyrdom has been the special mark of the
Armenian Church and the Armenian people.”
The pope had termed the 1915 tragedy a genocide in a joint communiqué with
Karekin issued in the Vatican in November 2000. Another joint statement signed
by the two spiritual leaders in Yerevan likewise referred to “the
extermination
of 1.5 million Armenian Christians in what is generally referred to as the
first genocide of the 20th century.”

3) Armenia Dismisses Coach Casoni

YEREVAN (Combined Sources)–Armenia’s French coach Bernard Casoni was fired on
Tuesday, following a string of poor performances, federation president Ruben
Hayrapetyan confirmed.
The former Marseille player and manager, who had landed a one-year contract
with the Armenian football federation last August, had been widely criticized
for his methods and tactical choices, as his side endured 4 consecutive
defeats
against Macedonia (3-0), Finland (0-2 and 3-1), and Czech Republic (0-3)
before
collecting their first 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign points against
Romania (1-1) and Andorra (2-1).
And last Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat in Holland appears to have been the last
straw
for the tactician.
“We were very dissatisfied with the coach’s work, especially his choice of
players for games and his work methods,” Hayrapetyan said.
A new coach is expected to be named within the next 10 days.
Armenia shares last place in European Zone Group One with Andorra after their
most recent defeat, a 2-0 loss to the Netherlands.

4) Armenia, Azerbaijan to Mull New Karabagh Peace Plan

MOSCOW (RFE/RL)–The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet in
London next week to discuss new proposals on Mountainous Karabagh put forward
by international mediators, a senior Russian diplomat said on Tuesday.
Yuri Merzlyakov, the Russian co-chair of the OSCE’s Minsk Group, said that
Vartan Oskanian and Elmar Mammadyarov may also agree a date for a meeting of
the two countries’ presidents, which he said is essential for further progress
in the peace process. “The parties seem to have reached a point where a
meeting
of the presidents should give a new impetus to the negotiations,” he said.
Mammadyarov announced last week that his new round of talks with Oskanian,
originally scheduled for March 2, will take place on April 15. The Armenian
Foreign Ministry confirmed that Oskanian will travel to London to meet with
the
Minsk Group’s French, Russian, and US co-chairs. But it said a face-to-face
encounter with his Azeri counterpart has yet to be confirmed.
Merzlyakov acknowledged that the London talks will determine whether Aliyev
and Kocharian will meet in Warsaw on the sidelines of the May 15-16 summit of
the Council of Europe member countries. The mediators hope that they will
discuss and present their opinion on the new peace proposals, he said.
“The co-chairs believe that a political decision is required at the highest
level,” he said. “It is possible that they will not agree to our proposals and
will suggest something else.”
The Russian diplomat refused to reveal those proposals, saying that they
require major concessions from both conflicting parties. “The co-chairs of the
Minsk Group have always said that public opinion needs to be prepared for
agreement and to be told that mutual concessions are inevitable,” he said.

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–Boundary_(ID_dWjkda3zvvoAa7/EOiqNQQ)–

Ukraine to join Nato?

Aljazeera.net, Qatar
Tuesday 05 April 2005, 3:57 Makka Time, 0:57 GMT

US President George Bush has said he supports the idea of Ukraine
becoming a member of Nato, but said the eastern European state still
had not met the requirements to enter.

Speaking at White House news conference with Ukrainian President
Viktor Yushchenko, Bush said membership in Nato “is not a given”.

“In other words, there are things that the Ukrainian government must
do in order to satisfy the requirements to be considered for Nato.”

Ukraine’s hopes of joining the alliance soon are hurt by the state
of its military, which is seen as underfunded and at times incompetent.

Nato members are also wary of antagonising Russia, which could fear
losing its naval base in the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol.

Bush noted that Ukraine also wants to join the European Union and
said “you don’t have to choose between the EU and friendship with
the United States”.

Yushchenko said his country was looking forward to US support in
accession to European and Euro-Atlantic security alliances.

Anti-Nato alliance?

Meanwhile, senior officials from three splinter territories in old
Soviet Union countries said on Monday they were ready for closer
military cooperation in the face of pro-Western revolutions in Ukraine
and Georgia.

“The revolutions in Georgia and Ukraine have created a new geopolitical
situation,” said Valeri Litskaya, external relations chief for
Moldova’s Russian-speaking separatist republic of Transdniestr.

Litskaya said he feared “growing pressure” on the secessionist
republics by Georgia and Moldova, which form part of a regional
association that also includes Ukraine and Azerbaijan.

“We have common interests, common threats and a historic common
destiny that pushes us to come together and unite,” said Sergei Chamba,
external affairs head of Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia.

Russian enclaves unite

Litskaya said a meeting of leaders from the breakway territories and
from the Armenian enclave of Nagorno Karabakh would meet in Abkhazia’s
main city of Sukhumi later this month.

Chamba said that in preparing for the meeting, “we discussed the
possibility of cooperating in the military domain”.

The president of Georgia’s separatist region of South Ossetia, Dmitri
Medoyev, said that if his region is attacked, it would count in support
from “brother peoples” in North Ossetia, Transdniestr and Abkhazia.

AFP

President says OSCE MG stepped up activity

Baku, April 2, AssA-Irada

President Ilham Aliyev met with the OSCE chairman-in-office, Slovenian
Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel on Saturday. The gist of the meeting
is not reported.

Receiving the OSCE delegation afterwards, President Aliyev said that
Azerbaijan attaches great importance to its co-operation with the OSCE.

“The Upper Garabagh conflict is a great obstacle for regional
development, stability and security,” said Aliyev, reiterating that
Baku supports a settlement exclusively within international legal
norms.

Touching upon the work done by the OSCE Minsk Group (MG), the President
said the Group has significantly stepped up its activity to solve
the conflict.

The OSCE chairman Rupel gave a positive assessment to the activities
carried out in Azerbaijan with support of the OSCE. He also welcomed
the latest presidential decree on freeing 114 prisoners.*

John Paul as gleaned from his poems
By Belinda Olivares-Cunanan

Philippine Daily Inquirer
Apr 04, 2005

“MY life will no longer be weighted/deep in my blood; the road will
no longer slip away from my weary feet; New time now shines in my
fading eyes: It will consume me, and dwell with my heart, And all
shall be full at the last/and left for nought’s delight.”

These lines-about a life slipping away and getting a taste of
heaven-might have run in the lucid mind of Pope John Paul II as
he hovered at death’s door, “aware that he is going to The Lord,”
as Cardinal Ratzinger put it, on the eve of the Feast of the Divine
Mercy. Actually, the lines were taken from a poem titled “Embraced
by new time,” written by a poet named Karol Wojtyla, who later became
the first Polish pope, and the third longest-reigning one.

***

Like millions of other Catholics, I spent the past two days absorbed
in JPII’s deathwatch, praying for him. As his condition worsened,
I dug up a booklet of his poems, gathered and annotated by my
former UP humanities professor, Josefina Constantino, now Sr. Teresa
Joseph Patrick of the Carmelites, for the silver jubilee of JPII’s
pontificate on Oct. 16, 2003. The poems, titled “The Easter Vigil
and Other Poems,” were written in his native Polish (translated by
Polish poet and professor Jerzy Peterkiewiez of London University)
and published between 1950 and 1966, as JPII began serving his
priestly ministry. Sister Teresa noted that while his poetry “was
generally profound and philosophical,” yet he was able to deliver solid
universal truths and deeply personal convictions with a radiance and
an invigorating freshness that expands the mind and lifts the heart.
She found resonances of Polish writer Joseph Conrad, English poet
T.S. Eliot, American Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins and even the
Spanish mystic St. John of the Cross in Wojtyla’s poetry.

***

In one poem, talking through the lips of the bishop (himself) as he
administered the sacrament of confirmation to the villagers, Wojtyla
says: “I am a giver, I touch forces that expand the mind.” In those
lines, he couldn’t have foreseen the profound influence he was to
have in the realm of spiritual renewal, ecumenism, the sanctity of
human life, the world’s youth and the Sacrament of the Eucharist
(he declared October 2004-2005 as the Year of the Eucharist). Church
historians consider as one of JPII’s legacies his huge role in the
dismantling of communism in Europe, which, in turn, is traced to his
profound respect for human rights, very evident in his early poetry.

JPII was famous for his great devotion to the Mother of God, and
this could be gleaned from the fact that his book of poems began with
“a little unassuming poem” on Mary titled “Her amazement at her only
child,” wherein she contemplated his Godhead even in his childhood:

” …In that little town, my son, where they knew us together, You
called me mother;

but no one had eyes to see the astounding events as they took place
day by day; Your life became the life of the poor, In your wish to
be with them, Through the work of your hands.”

It ends with the precious lines:

“I knew; the light that lingered in ordinary things like a spark
sheltered under the skin of our days-The light was you; It did not
come from me. And I had more of you in that luminous silence than I
had of you as the fruit of my body, my blood.”

***

In time he came to be referred to as John Paul The Great, in the
tradition of the Church’s more memorable popes, such as Leo The
Great and Gregory The Great. His almost 27-year reign saw the Church
embroiled in some of the bitterest controversies, but he didn’t shirk
from getting his preachings across, no matter how bitter it was for his
flock. He was known as the “Great Communicator” and his autobiography,
“Crossing the Threshold of Hope,” was a consistent bestseller. It’s
a bitter irony that toward the end he couldn’t utter a word; but,
in that, he gave us a shining example of how to bear afflictions with
more than just Christian fortitude. In the end he refused to die in
a hospital hallway, preferring to meet death in his own bedroom.

***

JPII utilized the mass media and man’s inventions, such as the
airplane, to bring his gospel around the world-the “travellingest” pope
in history. Some of those travels were efforts to promote ecumenism:
he was the first pope to visit a Muslim mosque and a Jewish synagogue,
and in his visit to the Holy Land in the Holy Year 2000, he apologized
to the Jews for the failings of the Church during their persecution. He
also reached out to the Protestants in Martin Luther’s backyard.

***

Everyone has his own memories of this man whom the youth have known
as their one and only pope. We followed him during his visits here
in 1981 and 1995. I recall how, in 1995, my brothers and sisters
and their families staked out in front of the house of my brother
Ed and sister-in-law Ninez in Para¤aque, hoping to catch a glimpse
of JPII from the airport. Ninez is not exactly the religious type,
but when he passed in front of her in his “Popemobile,” she murmured,
“It’s like seeing God.”

The last time I saw JPII was in Rome, at the canonization of Opus
Dei founder Josemaria Escriva in October 2002. His debilitating
Parkinson’s disease was very advanced even then, but he seemed buoyed
up by the 400,000 people from around the world who had trooped to
Rome. After the ceremony his “Popemobile” drove him up and down St.
Peter’s Square, and he repeatedly blessed the huge throngs. Cries
of “Viva Il Papa” lustily rose and many cried at the sight of the
charismatic Pope. But the shouts became more deafening when a ranking
official of the Armenian Orthodox Church went up to greet JPII,
who gave him a big embrace. JPII would be a tough act to follow.

–Boundary_(ID_MoiAIBvYVh/GQSQP8cnNBg)–

CEREMONIAL MARCH ON OCCASION OF 90th ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
TO START IN USA

YEREVAN, APRIL 2. ARMINFO. Hundreds of Californians will gather at the
Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church Hall in Fresno, Calif. to
attend official opening ceremony of the March For Humanity.

As the web site March for Humanity, youth walking the full 215 miles
will all be present and recognized.

The morning after, on April 2 the marchers will begin the historic
walk from Sunnyside High School in Fresno.

California State Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez to Speak at March For
Humanity Opening Ceremony

215 Mile, 19 Day walk will commemorate 90th Anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide.

ARMENIANS DRINK 5 TIMES MORE VODKA THAN WINE

YEREVAN, APRIL 2. ARMINFO. People in Armenia drink more vodka than
wine, says the president of the Union of Wine Makers of Armenia Avag
Haroutyunyan.

Per capital wine consumption in Armenia is 0.9 l while that of vodka
is as much as 4.7 l. In Europe people drink 50 times more wine than in
Armenia – 50 l a year per capita. Haroutyunyan explains that vodka is
preferred for its lower price which points to low living standard in
the country.

Meanwhile in 2004 the wine production totalled 6.163 mln l against
2.046 mln l in 2003. The wine exports totalled 211,800 l against
166,423 l in 2003 while imports 60,000 l.

ANALYSIS-U.S.-Russian rivalry on hold over Kyrgyzstan

By Christian Lowe

BISHKEK, March 29 (Reuters) – Kyrgyzstan’s change of power broke the
mould of recent revolutions in former Soviet republics because the
United States and Russia did not back opposing sides and neither
seemed greatly troubled by the outcome.

While revolutions in Georgia and Ukraine were seen as proxy tussles
between Moscow and Washington, in Kyrgyzstan — which has both
U.S. and Russian military bases on its territory — the two were happy
to stand back.

The opposition leaders who took power last week after stick-wielding
supporters forced veteran President Askar Akayev to flee the Central
Asian country said both the United States and Russia could keep their
bases.

“With our revolution the U.S. and Russian attitude to our events has
been very neutral and neither had any envy or suspicions regarding
(the other’s) intentions in Kyrgyzstan,” said interim Foreign Minister
Roza Otunbayeva.

“These two bases are crucial for us,” Otunbayeva told reporters on
Monday. “Russia is our close ally (and) … we want to develop our
relations with the West and first of all with the United States.”

STRATEGIC PRIZE

For Moscow and Washington the presence of the two air bases near the
capital Bishkek did not make Kyrgyzstan a strategic prize worth
fighting over like Ukraine and Georgia, many observers said.

Kyrgyzstan is small, poor and mountainous and, though it has a
Canadian-run gold mining concession, the country has none of the huge
oil and gas reserves of some Central Asian neighbours.

“It is not a geo-politically strategic country,” said a Western
observer, declining to be identified. “It lacks currently the kind of
strategic resources that Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan enjoy.”

A row of U.S. air force cargo planes glisten in the spring sunshine at
Kyrgyzstan’s main civilian airport Manas about 30 km east of the
capital, while the snow-covered Tien Shan mountains loom in the
distance.

Since early 2002, the United States has turned part of the airport,
whose runway was built to handle Soviet bombers, into a base for
operations in nearby Afghanistan.

“It’s actually the best of some bad options for getting supplies and
special gear into Afghanistan,” said defence analyst Daniel Goure of
the Lexington Institute think-tank in the United States.

For Kyrgyzstan, where most people have to live on one dollar a day,
the base means an annual income of millions of dollars.

“NO U.S. FOOTHOLD”

But for Washington it is a convenient location for its supply planes.

“This was not set up as a U.S. foothold in Central Asia,” said another
Western diplomat. “It would be wrong to say the U.S. getting the air
base here is part of a geo-political goal.”

To the northwest of Bishkek lies Russia’s Kant air base, opened in
October 2003 by President Vladimir Putin.

Moscow says the base is part of its contribution to the U.S-led war on
terrorism.

But one Western diplomat said its main function for Russia was to save
face after the United States opened a base in what had been seen as
Moscow’s backyard.

“It is not really operational in an effective way,” the diplomat said.

Kyrgyzstan, which shares a border with China, is a nominally Muslim
but overwhelmingly secular country of five million people.

Moscow and Washington say they are not alarmed by the revolution,
sparked by two rounds of parliamentary elections in February and March
the opposition accuses Akayev of rigging.

If Kyrgyzstan is not caught up in the rivalry between Moscow and
Washington, there is a third and increasingly important player
emerging in the region: China.

Western diplomats in Bishkek said the proximity of China had nothing
to do with the decision to open the U.S. base.

But one analyst disagreed. “(It) provides something for the Chinese to
think about,” said Christopher Langton of the International Institute
for Strategic Studies in London.

(Additional reporting by Michael Steen in Bishkek, Oleg Shchedrov in
Moscow, Madeline Chambers in London and Reuters Washington bureau.)

03/29/05 14:09 ET

Azeri official doubts Armenian report on OSCE chief’s Karabakh remarks

ANS TV, Baku
31 Mar 05

[Presenter] OSCE Chairman-in-Office [and Slovene Foreign Minister]
Dimitrij Rupel’s meetings in Yerevan have focused on the situation on
the [Armenian-Azerbaijani] front line.

[Passage omitted: reported details]

[Correspondent, over video of Rupel and Armenian Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanyan] The Azerbaijani president’s special envoy on the
Karabakh problem, Araz Azimov, has commented on Rupel’s statement that
Nagornyy Karabakh will be involved in [peace] talks as well.

I doubt that Mr Rupel could have made a statement of this kind. It is
not ruled out that the Armenian media might distort his statement. Mr
Rupel is coming to Azerbaijan tomorrow [1 April]. We will learn
whether he said this or not at private talks with him tomorrow, end of
quote.

As for the statement by [president of the self-proclaimed Nagornyy
Karabakh Republic] Arkadiy Gukasyan [that Azerbaijan has been
destabilizing the situation], Azimov described it as another
provocation.

Ceyhun Asgarov for ANS.

Caucasus Environmental NGO Network
(CENN)

78 Electronic Bulletin:
Caucasus Environmental News
Dear Colleagues! Dear Reader (DR)!

Welcome to the March issue of the Caucasus Environmental News electronic
bulletin prepared by participants of the Caucasus Environmental NGO
Network (CENN).

You are welcomed to share with us your opinions about the CENN bulletin.
If you have any comments or questions, we will be happy to consider and
answer.

Thank you in advance for your assistance and cooperation.
CENN
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We are happy to inform you that current number of CENN members
constitutes of 6982!
Thanks for your interest in CENN!
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VISIT CENN WEB SITE:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Announcements

1.1. Competition Announcement

1.2. Small grants available from the Global Transparency Initiative

1.3. EIA Reports

1.4. EIA Reports

1.5. EIA Reports

2. News from Georgia

2.1 US unhappy at prospect of Gazprom buying pipeline

2.2 Energy ministry offers TELASI to purchase the whole
output of 9TH power block

2.3 Kulevi oil terminal to be put into operation by fall
2006

2.4 Baku – Tbilisi – Ceyhan oil pipeline will ease traffic
in Turkish straits

2.5 Chief of Forestry Department flees Georgia, citing
intimidation

2.6 US pushes for Kazakh Exports via BTC

2.7 Oil and gas projects prospects being considered in
Tbilisi

2.8 Mines found near Georgia pipeline

2.9 GIOGIE looks at pipelines future, past and present

2.10 Forestry Department head flees country, leaves trail of
tapes

2.11 Prospects of Georgian oil

2.12 BTC construction halted by protest

3. News from Azerbaijan

3.1. Azerbaijan: oil workers allege foreign discrimination

3.2. Azerbaijani Deputy Premier warns of ecological
dangers…

3.3. Sangachal terminal employs 3500 people

3.4. NGO’s database is created

3.5. Seminar on “Environment management for sustainable human
development” held

3.6. WB mission on poverty reduction to visit Baku

3.7. Shah-Deniz to become one of the 10 world’s largest
oil&gas projects

3.8. SCP construction to be over by third quarter of 2006

3.9. Because of BTC, Russia’s pipeline to become “dead asset”

3.10. Azerbaijan takes part at Moscow international travel and
tourism exhibition

3.11. Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline to be filled with oil

4. News from Armenia

4.1. Animals renamed to remove Kurd and Armenian references

4.2. RAO UES of Russia takes control of South Caucasian
energy system

4.3. Winter water world: Jermuk hopes to revive year-round
tourism reputation

4.4. Armenian President discusses Iran-Armenian gas pipeline

5. NGO News

5.1. Presentation of the environmental assessment program

6. International News

6.1. Increasing aid effectiveness to achieve the MDGs – with
or without the environment?

6.2. BTC construction works in Turkey completed by 93%

6.3. Youth to the front – two new WCPA scholarships for young
professionals in protected area management

6.4. NGO strategy meeting on the EU Environment and Health
Action Plan: final report

6.5. BTC a victory for Turkey

7. Calendar (International)

7.1. III International Conference Biodiversity and Role of
Zoocenosis in Natural and Anthropogenic Ecosystems Dnipropetrovsk 2005

7.2. Conference related to Public Health

7.3. Tenth International Journalism Summer School on “Working
of Journalists in the situation of crisis”

SUBSCRIBING INFORMATION

1. ANNOUNCEMENTS

1.1. Competition Announcement

The Royal Netherlands Embassy in Georgia is launching a competition for
small projects, contributing to the reshaping of Georgian society at a
local level. The competition is aimed at projects that:

· Combat poverty through development of sustainable activities
such as job and income creation, which will benefit target groups from
the local population as well as their environment, with emphasis on
equal gender participation.

Sustainability (i.e. the prolongation of the activities or their effect
after implementation) will be an important selection criterion.

The competition is open to local, duly registered, non-governmental,
non-profit making organizations or institutions, with relevant
experience and facilities. The Netherlands Embassy does not award grants
to individuals, to profit making or state run organizations and
institutions or to political parties.

The project proposals, in English, must be submitted before the 29th of
April 2005. The results will be made public by mind June. The maximum
contribution per project comes to GEL 18.000 for maximum project
duration of 12 months. Financial support will be provided for specific
program activities only.

Organizations willing to participate should demand the application form
by email, by regular mail, or withdraw one at the embassy:

The Royal Netherlands Embassy in Georgia

Sheraton Metechi Palace Hotel

20, Telavi street, 0103, Tbilisi

Tel: 995 32 77 45 04

Fax: 995 32 77 45 24

E-mail: [email protected]

1.2. Small grants available from the Global Transparency Initiative

Dear friends,

The Global Transparency Initiative (GTI), a network of civil society
organizations promoting transparency at the international financial
institutions (IFIs), announces a Request for Proposals for small grants
in the following categories:

a.. Case studies/Audits regarding access to information and the IFIs:
Small grants of US$500 to US$3,000 will be made to research and write
case studies about the negative consequences of a lack of transparency
by IFIs or the positive effects of transparency by such institutions, in
specific instances.
b.. Advocacy: up to US$5,000, will be available for key advocacy
activities which promote broader issues of disclosure by the IFIs or are
linked to other activities of the GTI. The GTI seeks to improve the
transparency of IFI’s by influencing the disclosure policies and
standards of these institutions. This grant is available to individuals
and civil society organizations involved in precedent setting
transparency issues within the context of specific campaigns.
c.. Translations: up to US$1,000, will be made to translate case
studies, transparency audits and other relevant documents produced by
civil society that discuss issues dealing with transparency within a
country context or within the operations of the International Financial
Institutions (IFIs).

Organizations and individuals are eligible to apply. Only complete
proposals will be considered. Proposals for case studies/audits and
advocacy will be reviewed on a quarterly basis, while proposals for
translations will be reviewed on a more expedited basis, wherever
possible within two weeks after they have been received.

Please find more information at:

1.3. EIA ReportS

Source: “Sakartvelos Respublica” (“Republic of Georgia”), March 1, 2005

In accordance with the Georgian legislation, “Georgian Railway” Ltd.
submitted EIA report to the Ministry of Environment of Georgia to obtain
an environmental permit for the activity of first category –
Reconstruction Works of the Railway Bridge on the River Mtkvari on the
Ksani-Dzegvi 2472-km.

In accordance with the Georgian legislation, “Koromi” Ltd. submitted EIA
report to the Ministry of Environment of Georgia to obtain an
environmental permit for the activity of second category – Development
of the Mineral Materials Deposit in Aspindza Region.

In accordance with the Georgian legislation, “Mshenebeli II” Ltd.
submitted EIA report to the Ministry of Environment of Georgia to obtain
an environmental permit for the activity of second category –
Development of the Mineral Materials Deposit in Aspindza Region, Rustavi
Village.

EIA reports are available at the Department of Environmental Permits and
State Ecological Expertise (87, Paliashvili Str., Tel: 25 02 19).
Interested stakeholders can analyze the document and present their
comments and considerations until April 14, 2005.

Public hearing will be held on April 14, 2005 at 12:00, at the
conference hall of the Ministry of Environment (68 A, Kostava Str.,
Tbilisi, VI Floor).

1.4. EIA Reports

Source: “Sakartvelos Respublica” (“Republic of Georgia”), March 1, 2005

In accordance with the Georgian legislation, “Nergebi” Ltd. submitted
EIA report to the Ministry of Environment of Georgia to obtain an
environmental permit for the activity of second category – Development
of the Sand Gravel Deposit in Zemo Avchala.

In accordance with the Georgian legislation, entrepreneur Solomon
Kvezereli submitted EIA report to the Ministry of Environment of Georgia
to obtain an environmental permit for the activity of first category –
Liquid Gas Service Station in Tbilisi (Gldani I m/r).

In accordance with the Georgian legislation, “Sigma” Ltd. submitted EIA
report to the Ministry of Environment of Georgia to obtain an
environmental permit for the activity of first category – Base and Black
Metals Processing Enterprise in Gardabani Region, Village Saakadze.

EIA reports are available at the Department of Environmental Permits and
State Ecological Expertise (87, Paliashvili Str., Tel: 25 02 19).
Interested stakeholders can analyze the document and present their
comments and considerations until April 14, 2005.

Public hearing will be held on April 14, 2005 at 12:00, at the
conference hall of the Ministry of Environment (68 A, Kostava Str.,
Tbilisi, VI Floor).

1.5. EIA Reports

Source: “Sakartvelos Respublica” (“Republic of Georgia”), March 11, 2005

In accordance with the Georgian legislation, “Georgian Railway” Ltd.
submitted EIA report to the Ministry of Environment of Georgia to obtain
an environmental permit for the activity of first category –
Construction of the Railway Bridge on Senaki-Samtredia Second Rail the
2235km.

In accordance with the Georgian legislation, entrepreneur Shalva Khubua
submitted EIA report to the Ministry of Environment of Georgia to obtain
an environmental permit for the activity of second category – Wood
Processing Plant in Tbilisi, 14, Feikrebi str.

EIA reports are available at the Department of Environmental Permits and
State Ecological Expertise (15 A Tamarashvili Str., Tel: 39 91 81).
Interested stakeholders can analyze the document and present their
comments and considerations until April 26, 2005.

Public hearing will be held on April 26, 2005 at 12:00, at the
conference hall of the Ministry of Environment (68 A, Kostava Str.,
Tbilisi, VI Floor).

2. NEWS FROM GEORGIA

2.1. US Unhappy at Prospect of Gazprom buying Pipeline

Source: The Messenger, February 28, 2005

In comments printed yesterday, February 24, 2005 in Georgian newspaper
“24 Saati” (24 Hours), the US Stated Department’s Caspian Basin energy
adviser, Steven Mann, warned Tbilisi to consider the pros and cons
before deciding on privatizing its gas pipeline. “The US categorically
opposes any step that could ruin its years-long efforts to secure
Georgia’s energy independence,” state Mr. Mann.

Spelling it out, the top US official added that the sale of the North
South pipeline to Gazprom would be perceived in Washington as “hindering
the realization of the Shah-Deniz project.”

As if he had anticipated the negative US reaction, Mr. Bendukidze
suggested on February 22, 2005 that the international consortium that
operates Shah-Deniz compete with Gazprom to acquire the North-South
pipeline. But the consortium leader, BP, has rejected the officer
outright.

2.2. ENERGY MINISTRY OFFERS TELASI TO PURCHASE THE WHOLE OUTPUT OF
9TH POWER BLOCK

Source: Sarke, March 4, 2005

Andrei Rappoport, the deputy chairman of the RAO EES management board,
will consider among other questions a new scheme of relations between
TELASI, Tbilisi energy distributor, and LLC Mtkvari Energetika during
his visit to Georgia scheduled for March 5. Mtkvari Energetika (9th and
10th power blocks of the thermal power station), as well as TELASI, has
been owned by RAO EES.

2.3. KULEVI OIL TERMINAL TO BE PUT INTO OPERATION BY FALL 2006

Source: Sarke, March 4, 2005

The construction of the oil terminal in Kulevi (the Black Sea coast of
Georgia, North Poti) which is to be put into operation by fall 2006 will
cost $150 million. The capacity of the terminal will make up 33 million
t of oil and oil products a year

2.4. Baku – Tbilisi – Ceyhan Oil Pipeline Will Ease Traffic In
Turkish Straits

Source: TurkishPress, March 16, 2005

Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline will lower the traffic in Turkish straits,
said a Turkish source.

”Aside from its economic benefits to Turkey, the oil pipeline will help
ease traffic in the Turkish straits of Bosphorus and Canakkale. We
estimate that at least 333 giant tankers will be eliminated per year
thanks to the (Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan) pipeline.”

According to information obtained by the A.A, the number of oil tankers
passing through the Turkish straits has dramatically increased in the
past decade. ”While the amount of oil carried by ships was
approximately 60 million tons in 1996, this amount jumped to 143,5
million tons in 2004.”

Turkish energy officials expect a rapid increase in the amount of oil
carried from Russia through the straits. ”When oil is transferred from
the Caspian region to Russia and then to Turkey, the tanker traffic will
likely show an increase. Each day at least 15 large oil tanker pass
through the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul.”

The Turkish straits have become an economic haven for thousands of ships
from Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria.

One Turkish official told the A.A that on the average one ship carrying
a foreign flag passes through the Turkish straits every 7 minutes.
”Every 50 minutes, a large oil carrier passes through the Turkish
straits.”

Asked about the importance of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, a
Turkish Ministry of Energy official indicated that there are some
economic benefits for the people of the region. ”However, the BTC oil
pipeline will help bring the risk of accidents in Turkish straits to a
minimum level possible. We are more interested in the safety of Turkish
cities than the economic benefits the BTC may bring to us.”

The BTC oil pipeline is approximately 1774 kilometers long. The portion
of the oil pipeline in Turkey is about 1074 kilometers.

2.5. Chief of Forestry Department Flees Georgia, Citing
Intimidation

Source: Civil Georgia, March 17, 2005

Chairman of the Forestry Department of Georgia Bidzina Giorgobiani fled
Georgia citing pressure from the authorities, particularly from the
officials of the Security Service, which is currently under the
subordination of the Interior Ministry.

Before his departure Giorgobiani recorded a short video tape and
distributed it to the Georgian television stations. In the tape, which
was broadcasted by the leading Georgian televisions on March 16,
Giorgobiani claims that officials from the Security Service fabricated a
criminal case against him after he unveiled a scheme of appropriation of
funds by the Security Service officials from the illegal trade of logs.

“Controversy [with the Security Service] started after I have cut all
the channels of illegal distribution of shares [from trade of logs],”
Giorgobiani said.

Reports say that Giorgobiani was convened in the General Prosecutor’s
Office a month ago for interrogation. The law enforcers suspected him
for alleged “negligence” while selling logs. He was released after
handing over to the General Prosecutor’s Office a written pledge not to
leave the city.

Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili declined to comment on this case and
only said that the General Prosecutor’s Office is in charge of
investigation.

In a video tape Giorgobiani said that he is going to Germany, “where I
lived for 9 years.”

Giorgobiani fled Georgia first time in early 90s after ouster of late
Georgian President Zviad Gamsakhurdia in 1992. Georgian daily Rezonansi
reported on March 17, that Giorgobiani returned to Georgia after the
request of late Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania who offered him a
position of Chief of Forestry Department last year

2.6. US Pushes for Kazakh Exports Via BTC

Source: The Messenger, March 17, 2005

The United States would support a Chinese plan to build a major new
pipeline to export natural gas from Kazakhstan, said the State
Department’s point man on Caspian energy issues.

But Ambassador Steven Mann told a forum of regional business
representatives last week that the United States has deep reservations
about the sale of neighboring Georgia’s main gas pipelines to Russia’s
state-controlled monopoly Gazprom, saying the deal could jeopardize
Georgia’s energy independence.

US officials have been pushing for Kazakhstan to ship more of its energy
reserves through the highly touted new pipeline that bypasses Russia by
going through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
pipeline is expected to begin operations on May 25.

2.7. OIL AND GAS PROJECTS PROSPECTS BEING CONSIDERED IN TBILISI

Source: Sarke, March 17, 2005

Around 150 delegates are taking part in a 2-day Georgian International
Oil, Gas, Energy and Infrastructure Conference – GIOCIE 2005, run by
British ITE Group, exhibition company, and its exclusive partner in the
Caucasus Iteca Caspian Ltd.

In his opening speech, Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli said how important
the conference was for Georgia to be crossed by the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
oil pipeline and the South Caucasian gas pipeline.

2.8. MINES FOUND NEAR GEORGIA PIPELINE

Source: EINNews, March 18, 2005

According to the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs, sappers have
defused 10 anti-tank mines found close to a building site for a
strategic oil pipeline Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan currently under construction
in this country.

The devices were armed and ready for use when they were found around 100
meters from the site in the village of Kide in southern Georgia where a
part of the BTC pipeline was under construction, the ministry said in a
statement.

There was started an investigation, said Georgian mass media.

2.9. GIOGIE Looks at Pipelines Future, Past and Present

Source: The Messenger, March 18, 2005

Participants at energy conference address needs for future gas pipeline,
importance of btc project and risks of privatization central gas
pipeline

Specialists in the oil and gas industry gathered in Tbilisi on Thursday,
March 17, 2005 to discuss recent energy issues in the Caucasus, mindful
of the fact that the much anticipated BTC pipeline will soon begin
operation and another pipeline will begin construction.

Also on officials’ minds was the possibility of privatizing Georgia’s
central gas pipeline, a move strongly unadvised according to the US
Ambassador to Georgia.

Industry and government officials had gathered at the Sheraton Metechi
Palace for the first day of the 4th Georgian International Oil, Gas,
Energy and Infrastructure Conference – GIOGIE 2005.

A main consensus was that the next two years are significant for
Georgia’s energy sustainability as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil
pipeline construction is to begin functioning by summer 2005 and the
Shah-Deniz South Caucasian Gas Pipeline (SCP) is now under construction.

Opening the conference, Georgia’s Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli
highlighted the reforms going on in Georgia. He named strong micro
financial performance as one of the positive results of the government’s
policy.

“We have been able to address social problems,” the prime minister said.
Economic and business reforms, Mr. Nogaideli thinks, will “open doors
for investments in Georgia.”

The prime minister added that one positive reform already undertaken by
the government is the tax reform that Mr. Nogaideli said is
characterized by “radical changes.”

Referring to the government’s current priorities, he named the energy
sector as a leading item. the construction of roads and other
infrastructure is the second priority according to Mr. Nogaideli.

Speaking at the morning panel discussion, the US Ambassador in Georgia
HE Richard Miles praised the upcoming completion of BTC construction as
“a major milestone for the region and for each individual.”

The BTC pipeline will be able to transport up to one million barrels of
crude oil per day and Ambassador Miles said the investments in the
energy sector are a key to success in the region.

HE Miles also addressed the possible privatization of the strategic
energy infrastructure such as the central gas pipeline coming from
Russia. “I should reiterate (US Senior Advisor on Caspian Basin Energy
Diplomacy) Steven Mann,” he said warning that the privatization of such
infrastructure will create a monopoly and therefore, “it is not in
Georgia’s interests.” However, HE Miles added, “it’s Georgia’s decision
to make.”

Conference speakers noted the significance of East-West energy projects
like BTC and SCP pipelines for the development of the region. “We must
be able to convince international investors that Georgia is able to
protect investors,” said Nikoloz Vashadze, the President of the Georgian
International Oil Corporation (GIOC). He added that the SCP gas pipeline
when constructed would become Georgia’s alternative source of gas.

The South Caucasus Gas Pipeline (SCP) will carry gas from the Shah-Deniz
filed to customers in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and other countries.
Spanning 690 km, it will be capable of carrying up to seven million
cubic meters of gas each year by 2006, with the possibility of doubling,
this capacity in the future.

The final pipe joint for the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) was unloaded
at Poti port in Georgia en route for Azerbaijan back in February.

Mr. Vashakidze noted on Thursday that Kazakhstan might participate in
the BTC pipeline operation since Kazakh oil can be carried through the
pipeline. He also says Turkey may construct an additional pipeline with
Greece to carry Shah-Deniz oil to Europe.

Nikoloz Natbiladze from the Economy Security Department of the Georgian
National Security Council outlined issues the government plans to
address in the near future in the energy sector. He said energy
facilities must be modernized and the energy reserve capacity must be
created in Georgia. “We must have such an energy sector that would not
be dependent on state subsides or donation from financial institutions,”
he said.

Nikoloz Natbiladze also added that there should be diversification of
energy sources so that the sector is not dependent on just one monopoly
and has a minimum of at least one alternative source of energy.

Georgian Deputy Minister of Energy and Fuel Alexander Khetaguri praised
the GIOGIE conference saying, “a previous conferences highly contributed
to the development of Georgia’s energy sector.”

He agreed with Mr. Nogaideli that the energy sector is a priority.
Alexander Khetaguri said currently his ministry plans to address two
issues in the sector to ensure self-sustainability of energy sources and
security of energy infrastructure. “The sector needs substantial
financial injections,” the deputy minister added.

The GIOGIE conference is one in a serious of energy exhibitions in
Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia and the former Soviet Asian countries. The
conference is organized by ITE Group Plc and its partner in Georgia
ITECA Kavkasia. President Mikheil Saakashvili sponsored the event.

The final day of GIOGIE 2005 is Friday and will include panel
discussions of electricity officials.

2.10. Forestry Department head flees country, leaves trail of tapes

Source: The Messenger, March 18, 2005

International affairs alleges he was involved in illegal logging, but
Mr. Giorgobiani counters that ministry employees were ones involved, and
that is why he faced intimidation

Following accusations that he was involved in Georgia’s illegal logging
industry, the head of the Forestry Department Bidzina Giorgobiani fled
Georgia sometime in the past week.

“It was impossible for me to stay in the country as the ministry of
security was intensively pursuing me. They achieved what they want — to
force me to leave the country. But I will not leave everything this way
and I will make them pay,” an angry Mr. Giorgobiani told Rustavi-2 by
telephone from Germany.

Before leaving the country Mr. Giorgobiani made a video recording
addressed to President Mikheil Saakashvili in which he explained how
employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs took timber to South
Ossetia and then sent it to different countries.

“Mr. President I want to ask you to end this unfair game and this
business,” Mr. Giorgobiani said in the tape, copies of which were copied
to the local television stations. “My relations with the Ministry of
Internal Affairs has become so strained after I stopped this dirty way
of making money in July August 2004 (while head of the forester
department),” reported Mr. Giorgobiani. He added that ministry employees
responded by falsifying documents to make it seem that he was involved
in this “dirty business.”

In the video recording that was first shown by Imedi TV late on March
16, 2005 Mr. Giorgobiani states that the ministry of internal affairs
was putting pressure on him because of the involvement of its employees
in illegal logging and money laundering.

In particular, Mr. Giorgobiani named head of the ministry’s
constitutional department David Akhalaia as being involved in shady
timber selling enterprises which in turn laundered money.

However, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Bidzina Bregadze said that
by leaving the country Mr. Giorgobiani had committed an illegal act, “as
he would have been imprisoned had he stayed at home.”

Mr. Giorgobiani implicated Minister of Internal Affairs Vano
Merabishvili in his accusations, saying that he had spoken with him by
telephone and that the minister had stated he was unaware of the
pressure being put on him. “But Vano Merabishvili knew everything – how
over the years money was made through machinations in the Forestry
Department,” said Mr. Giorgobiani.

Speaking with journalists on Thursday, on March 17, 2005 Vano
Merabishvili refuted the accusation and stated that Mr. Giorgobiani had
not cooperated with the prosecutor’s office, “By running away to another
country, Mr. Giorgobiani avoided cooperation with the law enforcement
officers. Now the case is in the prosecutor’s hands, and I can say
nothing, he said.

Mr. Giorgobiani also leveled other accusations against the ministry of
internal affairs, saying that one of its employees, Gogita Papashvili,
was specially sent to the Ministry of Environment to lobby several firms
that had paid “fees” to the South Ossetian budget when they were suppose
to pay to the Georgian budget.

“I opposed their action, but as it became clear later, Akhalaia and
other officials who control this department were also involved in money
laundering,” said Mr. Giorgobiani.

Following Mr. Giorgobiani’s departure for Germany, the ministry of
internal affairs questioned Deputy Head of the Forestry Department
Mzevinar Ansiani, who told Mze that the ministry was interested in why
Mr. Giorgobiani had decided to leave Georgia.

“I did not have any information about it until Mr. Giorgobiani himself
contacted me from Berlin. Before leaving, Mr. Giorgobiani told me to
held hold a press conference and I do not understand why he made such an
unexpected decision,” said Mzevinar Ansiani.

According to Mzevinar Ansiani the ministry of internal affairs was also
interested whether he had any information or video recording that Mr.
Giorgobiani has not shown yet. Mzevinar Ansiani answered that Mr.
Giorgobiani had not given him anything.

“Giorgobiani had already been questioned a month ago regarding the
possible illegal sale of timber in Samtskhe-Javakheti,” Deputy
Prosecutor General Kakha Koberidze told Rustavi-2.

Mr. Giorgobiani originally emigrated to Germany thirteen years ago.
According to Mr. Giorgobiani the main reason for leaving the country at
the time was because of pressure from the Shevardnadze’s government.

After the Rose Revaluation, however he returned to Georgia and according
to press reports, was appointed to the post of forestry department head
by late Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania.

2.11. Prospects of Georgian Oil

Source: The Messenger, March 21, 2005

The oil exploration company CanArgo has emphasized that it is using some
of the most modern equipment to drill for oil in Georgia, and according
to the company’s GEO Dr. David Robinson, they plan to drill a further
fifteen wells at cost of USD 40-50 million.

The first well using a horizontal bore drill has already been drilled
and drilling the next one will begin at the end of March. The horizontal
bore technique is designed to cut diagonally across an oil deposit
instead of straight down in order to access a larger section of deposit.

The CanArgo president believes the new oil fields in Georgia have huge
potential, although the oil is very deep. He also enthused that Georgian
oil is the best in the world – both light and pure as reported by
newspaper Khvalindeli Dge.

Georgia has an eighty year history oil exploration. During the soviet
era Georgia was producing 3,3 million tones per year, but after the
collapse of the Soviet Union financing of this sphere stopped. Currently
Georgia produces annually 82,000 tones, according to newspaper
Sakartvelis Respublika.

Mr. Robinson notes that the company is also working in Kazakhstan, but
that its biggest investments are in Georgia as the oil fields here have
excellent prospects. CanArgo will continue drilling horizontally to
increase the volume of exploration.

Horizontal drilling is the best way to exploit old wells, and Mr.
Robinson reports that this technique has already led to increased oil
production, with out put at the Manavi well in Kakheti now equaling
2,000 barrels a day.

The CanArgo president thinks that pretty soon Georgia will be producing
enough oil and natural gas to satisfy its needs and will be able to
export as well. in his opinion, Georgia will need to produce 40,000
barrels a day to become an exporter.

The company estimates that there are 190 million barrels of oil reserves
in Georgia – with reserves in Ninotsminda, Samgori, Kumisi, Teleti,
Varketili, Norio and in the southern part of the country. Mr. hopes to
construct an oil refinery as well, and also says that natural gas
production could activated in the country.

The company is not the only oil explorer in Georgia. Frontera and
Anadarko are both conducting exploration activities, with Anadarko
exploring off shore reserves in the Black Sea.

2.12. BTC Construction Halted by Protest

Source: The Messenger, March 25, 2005

Building of the BTC oil pipeline was suspended for five hours on
Tuesday, March 22, 2005 because of a village demonstration in
Akhaltsikhe region. According to Black Sea Press, villagers’ blame
consortium leader BP of damage to a 10-km irrigation channel and damage
compensation.

3. NEWS FROM AZERBAIJAN

3.1. Azerbaijan: Oil Workers Allege Foreign Discrimination

Source: Institute for war and peace reporting, February, 2005

A growing litany of complaints from Azerbaijanis employed by
international companies in Baku

The new Azerbaijani oil boom has brought a flood of foreign investment
to Baku, but many local Azerbaijani employees are complaining they are
working hard in poor conditions and reaping none of the rewards.

Twenty-four international companies are now exploiting the huge wealth
of the oil and gas fields of the Caspian Sea and forging ahead with the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline, currently the largest
construction project in the world, due for completion later this year.

Most of the workforce in these companies consists of local Azerbaijanis.
80% of the 15,000 people employed by the Azerbaijan International
Operating Company’s so-called “Early Oil” project, which sends oil to
the Georgian Black Sea coast, for example are locals.

However, many of the employees say they are being exploited as cheap
labour and denied elementary rights. “Forty-five people use one toilet
and one bathroom. They make us work like horses and pay us 100 times
less than the foreigners,” said a 43-year-old employee of the
Consolidated Contractors International Corporation, CCIC, the main
contractor in the construction of BTC, who preferred not to be named.

Mirvari Gahramanly, chairman of the Committee of Oil Industry Workers’
Rights Protection, told IWPR that contracts signed by CCIC were not in
keeping with Azerbaijani employment practices.

Under the contracts, said Mirvari Gahramanly, workers could be required
to do any work asked of them – although the working week is formally
fixed at 40 hours, the company has the right to ask workers to complete
their work in non-working time.

Sahib Suleimanov, CICC public affairs officer, refused to comment on
these allegations, referring IWPR to British Petroleum, BP, the company
that contracted out the work to CCIC.

Tamam Bayatly, head of BP’s press service in Baku, did not deny the
points Gahramanly raised, but said the contracts had been drawn up in
consultation with lawyers from the Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR.
She countered, “In the first place, if they did not like these
conditions, they should not have signed the contract. Secondly, overtime
is well paid. If our employees work 10 hours a day they receive twice as
much as usual.”

Another complaint of Azerbaijani employees is that they are made to work
on public and religious holidays and days of mourning. But Bayatly
rejected these claims, “In BP and its contractors, our employees can
decide for themselves whether to work on holidays or days of mourning.
If someone wants to earn more money they come to work. If they don’t,
they don’t.”

Akif Alizade, an independent lawyer, said that BP was technically in the
right. “The employees signed these contracts voluntarily and they are
obliged to honor the terms.”

“Maybe many of them did not even read what they signed,” said economist
Gubad Ibagogly. “And that’s not surprising in a country where there is
massive unemployment and minuscule salaries. Who will think twice, when
they are being offered [several hundred] dollars a month?”

Local CCIC workers receive salaries of between 200 and 1500 dollars a
month, which are higher than the local average. However, there is a big
discrepancy between what locals are paid and what foreigners receive for
the same work.

According to Gahramanly, BOS Shelf – another contractor working for BP
on offshore construction projects – has a four-tier pay scale with
locals placed at the bottom, irrespective of their skill-levels.

Aliniyaz Mamiev, who formerly worked as a mechanic for BOS Shelf, told
IWPR he was a victim of pay discrimination. He said he had been paid 328
dollars a month for his labour, while his colleague from the Philippines
had received between 2500 and 3000 dollars for doing the same job.

3.2. AZERBAIJANI DEPUTY PREMIER WARNS OF ECOLOGICAL DANGERS…

Source: RFE/ RL Newletter, March 8, 2005

Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Abid Sharifov, who is also chairman of
the State Committee for Emergency Situations, stated at the seminar
organized by the French Embassy in Baku on March 7, 2005 that Azerbaijan
is vulnerable to earthquakes, landslides, and flooding. He explained
that the entire country is part of a seismically active zone, while 50%
of its territory is threatened by floods. Mr. Sharifov later told
journalists that Azerbaijan cannot at present afford to create a
separate ministry to deal with emergency situations.

3.3. SANGHACHAL TERMINAL EMPLOYS 3500 PEOPLE

Source: State Telegraphic Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Azertag,
March 17, 2005

According to Mr. Rob Kelly, President of Azerbaijan Int’l Operating
Company’s (AIOC) ‘Shahdeniz’ project, construction works on ‘Sanghachal’
terminal, which is the part of the project, outstripped the schedule by
6 %.

There were put in order Rolls-Royce generator and air compressors,
condensate measuring set, stabilizing panel, was completed construction
of reservoir bases as well as the exchange and heating systems. Body of
the oil heater at the height of 25-floor building, convection oven,
inside pipes and preventor block have already been built. Construction
of tank and commutation hall is in progress.

The terminal currently employs 3500 people.

3.4. NGO’S DATABASE IS CREATED

Source: State Telegraphic Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Azertag,
March 17, 2005

The National Non-governmental organization’s Forum is carried out a
project on building a electronic database and recreation of directory
for NGO.

Within the projects framework, which is carried out with a financial
support of the Eurasian Fund of the United States Agency for
International Development, in the database will collecting over 1000
NGO’s informations and directory to be placed in web-site in Azerbaijani
and English.

3.5. SEMINAR ON “ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT” HELD

Source: State Telegraphic Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Azertag,
March 17, 2005

A seminar dealing with a new curriculum entitled “Environment Management
for Sustainable Human Development” has been held by the Western
University and Mississippi Valley State University.

The seminar attended by famous scholars and specialists and
representatives of the Ministries of Education and Ecology and Natural
Resources as well as the Mississippi Valley State University focused on
the necessity to train new skilled specialists specializing in
environmental issues in order to implement economic, social programs and
projects, which meet the requirements of the sustainable human
development conception.

The seminar participants heard the reports on “Human Development
Conception and Sustainable Natural and Social Environment Management”.

3.6. WB mission on poverty reduction to visit Baku

Source: AssA-Irada, March 19, 2005

A mission led by the World Bank (WB) senior economist on the South
Caucasus region Christian Peterson will visit Baku on March 21.

The goal of the visit is to hold talks over a credit agreement within
the State Program on Poverty Reduction and Economic Development, the WB
Baku office told AssA-Irada.

During the visit to last till April 2 Peterson will hold meetings at
several government bodies. The Draft credit agreement will be submitted
to the WB Board of Directors for approval after the talks.

The first portion of a loan amounting to $20 million may be allocated
early in April if all activities are carried out on schedule.

Issues relating to the budget of the Caspian Shipping Company and
approval of rules for registration of legal entities with the Ministry
of Justice were discussed and agreed upon during the last visit by
Peterson to Baku in January.

The Bank is expected to allot a total of $60 million for the State
Program in three equal portions. The WB loans are allocated for 35
years, with a 10-year grace period and 0.75% annual interest rate.

The program, which started in 2003 to complete in 2005, requires a total
of $3 billion, of which $1.7 billion is to be provided from foreign
sources and the rest from local sources.

3.7. SHAH-DENIZ TO BECOME ONE OF THE 10 WORLD’S LARGEST OIL&GAS
PROJECTS

Source: State Telegraphic Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Azertag,
March 20, 2005

According to the Azerbaijan International Operating Company, drilling of
3 exploration wells at Shahdeniz field located 40 km offshore in the
Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian has allowed to estimate gas and
condensate reserves at 38 trillion cubic feet and 2,1 million tons
respectively.

First gas from the field is planned to be pumped by the South Caucasus
Pipeline through Georgia to Turkey and further to Europe by the end of
2006. The total cost of the project is US $4,1 billion. Started in
November 2003, it is so far more than 51 percent completed.

3.8. SCP CONSTRUCTION TO BE OVER BY THIRD QUARTER OF 2006

Source: State Telegraphic Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Azertag,
March 20, 2005

Constriction of the 690 km long South Caucasus (SCP) gas pipeline to
pump the “blue fuel” from Shahdeniz field in the Azerbaijan sector of
the Caspian Sea to Turkey and further to Europe is reported to finished
in the 3rd quarter of 2006. To date, 220 km long canal has been dug in
the 443 kilometers long Azerbaijan section of the pipeline, 188 km of
pipes have been welded together, and auxiliary objects have constructed,
with 5 million man-hours worked without a lost-time accident. The
construction involves 2 thousand employees, 1500 of which are locals.

3.9. Because of BTC, Russia’s pipeline to become “dead asset”

Source: UPI Energy Watch, March 22, 2005

The State Oil Company of Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and the Azeri
International Operating Company (AMOK), operator to the
Baku-Novorossiysk oil pipeline, intent to cease exporting oil through
the pipeline by mid April. The BTC pipeline meanwhile will begin
exporting oil this autum andf is expected to pump more than 50 million
tones of oil annually. Azerbaijan intends to reroute oil from the
Baku-Novorossiysk oil pipeline to the BTC as the country looks to find
technical oil with which to fill the BTC. For every ton of oil Baku
pumps to Novorossiysk and it pays $15.67. Azeri First vice Premier Abbas
Abbassov announced that because Baku high quality oil is getting mixed
with Russian low quality oil, the price of the oil has fallen at the
Russian port by $4-5. Abbas Abbassov said that SOCAR’s annual losses
could amount to $50-100 million.

Troika Dialog investment company expert Valeriy Nestorov said: “What we
are saying is that in the future oil will not be going into the
Baku-Novorossiysk oil pipeline thus this pipeline will become a dead
asset. This is bad for Russia, of course, since Rosneft will lose very
important income from the transportation of Azerbaijan oil.” Russian
Federation Ministry of Industry and Energy officials stated: “So far no
official documents have been received from the Azerbaijani side
regarding this matter. The pipe is not going to stay dry.”

3.10. AZERBAIJAN TAKES PART AT MOSCOW INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AND
TOURISM EXHIBITION

Source: State Telegraphic Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Azertag,
March 26, 2005

The 12th Moscow International Exhibition “Travel and Tourism / MITT
2005” opened in the ‘Expocenter’ at Krasnaya Presnya on March 23.

There were tourist’s companies from 150 countries those had been
represented their services. It is fourth time that the Ministry of
Youth, Sports and Tourism of the Azerbaijan Republic taking part at this
prestigious event.

Tourist opportunities of the Azerbaijan Republic were presented at 3th
pavilion. According to Mr. Zakir Aliyev, Head of the Department of the
Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Tourism, Azerbaijani exposition drew an
attention of many foreign tourist companies and visitors. ‘We have hold
business talks with an official representatives of more than 100 tourist
companies of Russia and other countries’, he stressed.

Among the Azerbaijan exhibitors has been a well-known tourist companies
as Improtex Travel, Sevgun Travel, AIT Agency, Azari, STI, Christens
Beach, Grand Hotel Europe. Along with exhibiting companies, exhibition
hosts about 10 visiting tourist companies.

Azerbaijani exposition also features promotional materials, brochures
with full information of Azerbaijani recreation areas and resorts, as
well as ‘Panorama of Azerbaijan’ magazine, ‘Welcome to Azerbaijan’
Guidebook and other materials.

The exhibition will complete its work on March 26.

3.11. Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline to be filled with oil

Source: RBC, March 25, 2005

The process of filling the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline with oil
will begin in May 2005, Natik Aliyev, president of Azerbaijan’s National
Oil Company, has told reporters. He noted that the process of filling
Azerbaijan’s section of the pipeline with oil would start in May, and
the corresponding process for Georgia’s section of the pipeline would
begin in July. The pipeline construction work in Turkey is to be
finished by June 30 of this year, Aliyev remarked. “All our indicators
and estimates are showing that we will fulfill the existing schedule,
which envisages that the first tanker with Azerbaijani oil will be
loaded in Ceyhan in September 2005,” he added.

As reported earlier, the length of this pipeline is 1,767 km, including
443 km in Azerbaijan, 248 km in Georgia and 1,076 km in Turkey. The
pipeline’s capacity is 50m tons of oil a year. The pipeline construction
started in April 2003. Shares in the project are distributed between: BP
(30.1 percent of shares), Azerbaijan’s National Oil Company (25
percent), Unocal (8.9 percent), Statoil (8.71 percent), TPAO (6.53
percent), ENI (5 percent), Itochu (3.4 percent), ConocoPhillips (2.5
percent), Inpex (2.5 percent), TotalFinaElf (5 percent) and Amerada Hess
(2.36 percent).

4. NEWS FROM ARMENIA

4.1. Animals renamed to remove Kurd and Armenian references

Source: UAE, March 6, 2005

Turkey is renaming three indigenous animals to eliminate references to
Kurdistan and Armenia, the Environment and Forestry Ministry announced.

The old names were given by foreigners with designs on the country’s
unity, it said.

A species of red fox known as Vulpes Vulpes Kurdistanica will now be
known as just Vulpes Vulpes, a species of wild sheep called Ovis
Armeniana was changed to Ovis Orientalis Anatolicus, and a type of deer
known as Capreolus Capreolus Armenus was renamed Capreolus Cuprelus
Capreolus, a ministry statement said.

“Foreign scientists, who for years researched Turkey’s flora and fauna,
named species they had never come across with a prejudiced mind,” it
said.

4.2. RAO UES of Russia takes control of South Caucasian Energy
System

Source: PanARMENIAN.Net, March 7, 2005

During the recent two months it became quite obvious that the RAO UES of
Russia is going to take the energy system of Armenia under control, IA
Regnum reports. According to President Anatoly Chubays, the energy
holding “is thinking of the expansion of the export of the Armenian
processing capacities and of more complicated export constructions such
as export of the Armenian electrical power to Georgia and Iran.” In
future the RAO UES is going to take the control of the whole energy
system of the South Caucasus. To note the company already owns a part of
Georgian and Azeri power grids. As for Armenia, the Russian giant has
purchased the complex of the Sevan-Hrazdan cascade of hydroelectric
power stations, the Hrazdan HPP and presently manages the financial
flows of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant. In May 2003 the RAO UES of
Russia founded the International Energy Corporation CJSC for
administering the Sevan-Hrazdan cascade of hydroelectric power stations
conveyed to Russia to pay off the debt for the nuclear fuel delivered
for the Armenian NPP.

4.3. Winter Water World: Jermuk hopes to revive year-round tourism
reputation

Source: ArmeniaNow Reporter, March 10, 2005

While mild weather has been welcomed in the capital, about 170
kilometers south-east of Yerevan, the forested resort town of Jermuk is
still deep in winter. Here on the plateau, 2070 meters high above sea
level, the thick snow layer of Jermuk glows under sun rays as if
shedding light of diamond grit. The only noise-maker of the local
nature, still enjoying winter sleep, is the waterfall, which from 60
meters height flow into Arpa River running through the town.

Once famous for its curing complex and water treatment, today Jermuk is
trying to again attract winter guests by restoring heating systems in
health resorts.

In comparison with Tsaghkadzor known for providing active winter rest in
Armenia, the main advantage of Jermuk with its typical mountainous
climate is the curable mineral water.

The curing complex of seven resorts of the town includes inner and outer
usage of thermal waters, diet therapy, gymnastics, walk therapy in the
open air, climatic and physiotherapeutic procedures.

“In the past our curing complex was dealing with visitors arriving from
all the former Soviet republics the whole year round,” says Stepan
Avagyan, the head of Jermuk Business and Tourism Association “Fifteen
years have passed, and today our main goal is to return that very
contingent to Jermuk.”

In the city, founded in 1935 on the basis of mineral waters, today the
visiting card is still the mineral water gallery, where one can enjoy
several natural springs free of charge. The lowest temperature of the
waters is 30C, with 65C the highest.

In 1951 the first factory of mineral waters was established in the town.
During Soviet times its production, that is mineral water Jermuk, was
exported into 50 countries. Today the leading companies here, producing
mineral waters, are “Jermuk Group” and Jermuk Parent Enterprise.

Here patients with diagnosis of the alimentary canal, liver,
gall-bladder diseases, diabetes and gynecological illnesses pass courses
of water treatment.

The flow of visitors to Jermuk, mainly from the regions of Armenia,
begins in May and last till September. During Soviet times, however, all
the year round the town with 2,000 resort beds received 20,000 visitors
annually from Russia only.

The first step of fame rehabilitation of Jermuk among CIS countries took
place last week, when local businessmen invited ambassadors of Russia,
the Ukraine and Belarus in Armenia to acquaint themselves with the
opportunities of the resort winter rest in Jermuk.

The weekend getaway was supported by Urban Institute financed by USAID.
Last year the Urban Institute helped finance and organize Jermuk’s new
tourism association, as part of similar involvement in 12 towns
throughout Armenia.

According to the specialists Jermuk business and tourism center is among
the most successful ones, where the powers and businessmen are already
united.

“It is so pleasant that all the businessmen involved in Jermuk tourism
business take part in the development of the economic association. That
means that in all the projects related to Jermuk they will be present
with an associated team,” says Ara Petrosyan, the Deputy Minister of the
Trade and Economy Development of Armenia.

Two years ago the previous state health-resort complex in Jermuk was
actively privatized by businessmen.

“Today problems put in front of us are changed. The private owners
understand that they should repair the resorts to return their visitors.
Today the customer pays and demands up-to-date service: he is not
satisfied with the former conditions,” says Stepan Avagyan.

In Jermuk’s health-resorts depending on quality of service, one-day rest
ranges from $18-80. Businessmen assure that during the first five years
all the city’s medical and rest buildings will meet contemporary
requirements.

“Today increase of ‘nostalgic’ tourism is registered in CIS countries:
that is the tourists visit the places they have been during Soviet
times. It is conditioned on the likeness of the mentality and customs,
as well as on the absence of language obstacles,” says Deputy Minister
Petrosyan.

According to him Armenia has a great potential of tourism development,
the proof of this is the statistics in the mid of 80s, when the number
of visitors into Armenia surpassed 600,000.

4.4. Armenian President Discusses Iran-Armenian Gas Pipeline

Source: The Messenger, March 18, 2005

The president of Armenia Robert Kocharian discussed issues relating to
the construction of a gas pipeline linking Armenia with Iran with the
directors of the Russian companies Gazprom and RAO UES Alexander
Ryazanov and Andrei Rapport in Yerevan on Wednesday, March 16, 2005.

According to Prime News, the prospects of cooperation in the energy
systems of the region were also discussed at the meeting.

5. NGO NEWS

5.1. presentation of the Environmental Assessment Program

On March 17, 2005 Caucasus Environmental NGOs Network (CENN) organized
presentation of its Environmental Assessment Program. Presentation was
conducted in the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural
Resources of Georgia.

The main objectives of the seminar were:

· Presentation of recommendations resulted from the study
,,Assessment of effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
system in Georgia”- conducted by CENN in 2003-2004 years;

· Sharing international experience on Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) system;

· Introduction of two projects of the Environmental Assessment
Program. (,,Strengthening of Environmental Assessment (EIA/SEA) System
in the South Caucasus Countries” supported by the Bank Netherlands
Partnership Program (BNPP) and the World Bank, and “Improvement of
Environmental Assessment (EA) Practice in Georgia through Development of
EA Implementation Tools” supported by the Government of the
Netherlands);

· Identification of priority sectors for preparation of EIA
instructions.

Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Georgia
Giorgi Papuashvili, Representative of Netherlands Commission for
Environmental Impact Assessment A.Kolhoff, employees of various
departments of the Ministry and representatives of Caucasus
Environmental NGOs Network (CENN) attended the presentation.

The presentation invoked a great interest among the participants. As a
result of the seminar MoE staff members received information about CENN
Environmental Assessment Program. Participants expressed their readiness
in active cooperation with CENN and willingness to support organization
in project realization.

During the last part of the presentation participants identified
priority sectors for preparation of EIA instructions.

Prepared by CENN

6. INTERNATIONAL NEWS

6.1. INCREASING AID EFFECTIVENESS TO ACHIEVE THE MDGs – WITH OR
WITHOUT THE ENVIRONMENT?

Source: IUCN March 3, 2005

It is clear that the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals
requires the doubling of aid from the international community and
substantial improvements in the way that aid is used – but the role of
conservation and the environment seems to be less clear. “There is truly
little recognition outside of the environment community that
biodiversity loss affects the very basis on which poverty eradication
and development more broadly depends. To put it in other terms, MDG 7 on
environmental sustainability underpins the achievement of all the other
MDGs”, said Sebastian Winkler, Senior Policy Officer of The World
Conservation Union.

6.2. BTC CONSTRUCTION WORKS IN TURKEY COMPLETED BY 93%

Source: State Telegraphic Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Azertag,
March 6, 2005

Construction-assembly works in the Turkish part of the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan MEP have been completed by 93 percent, the BOTAS
Company that engaged in construction of the pipeline said. In 1074 km of
the 1076 km pipeline the pipes have been welded, while 1037 km of pipes
were covered.

The Turkish part of the pipe will be pumped in early June.

6.3. YOUTH TO THE FRONT – TWO NEW WCPA SCHOLARSHIPS FOR YOUNG
PROFESSIONALS IN PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT

Source: IUCN March 15, 2005

Junior Ranger Tshegofatso Monama challenged 3,000 participants at the V
IUCN World Parks Congress when he said: “The problem I have about parks
is that they do not offer opportunities. They should offer opportunities
to the young because as I look out here I see only old people who are
going to die!” Responding to the need to involve more young people in
protected area management and conservation, IUCN’s Programme on
Protected Areas and the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA)
launched a youth training scholarship programme at the 3rd IUCN World
Conservation Congress (WCC, Bangkok, Thailand, November 2004). The
programme, developed and implemented in partnership with the Consortium
for International Protected Area Management (CIPAM), will offer two
scholarships for talented young professionals to attend a protected area
management seminar and to develop an action plan implementing the new
seminar skills and results. Graduates of the seminars will be offered
professional mentoring subsequent to the course. The initiative is the
first undertaking of a partnership focused on increasing protected area
professional capacity amongst young protected area practitioners.

6.4. NGO strategy meeting on the EU Environment and Health Action
Plan: final report

Dear Readers,

We would like to draw your attention to the final report of the NGO
strategy meeting on the EU Environment and Health Action Plan which took
place in Egmond aan Zee (The Netherlands) on 1 December 2004 and was
co-organized by the European Public Health Alliance Environment Network
(EEN) and the Dutch Platform for Environment and Health. The report is
now available both in English and in Russian, please find both versions
enclosed.

The meeting aimed to identify key actions proposed by WHO’s Children’s
Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe (CEHAPE) and to recommend
that they be taken forward within the EU Action Plan framework. It also
looked at how the EU’s Action Plan can be implemented by examining areas
such as bio-monitoring, indicators, risk communication and indoor air
quality. The results were presented to the EU member states and
institutions at the Dutch Presidency conference on December 2-3.

For further information please see our website at:

EPHA Environment Network

39-41 rue d’Arlon

B-1000 Brussels

Tel: +32 2 233 3875

Fax: +32 2 233 3880

E-mail: [email protected]

Please visit our new website:

6.5. BTC a Victory for Turkey

Source: Washington Times, March 22, 2005

The opening of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline in May has Turkish
officials proclaiming victory in Ankara’s 14 year long war with Russia
over increased tanker traffic through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles. A
Turkish Ministry of Energy spokesman said: “Aside from its economic
benefits to Turkey, the oil pipeline will help ease traffic in the
Turkish straits of Bosphorus and Canakkale. We estimate that at least
333 giant tankers will be eliminated per year thanks to the pipeline”.
Oil transit in 1996 was approximately 60 million tones; in 2004 it had
leaped to 143.5 million tons.

7 CALENDAR (INTERNATIONAL)

7.1. III International Conference Biodiversity and Role of
Zoocenosis in Natural and Anthropogenic Ecosystems Dnipropetrovsk 2005

ZOOCENOSIS-2005

4-6 October, 2005

III International Conference Biodiversity and Role of Zoocenosis in
Natural and Anthropogenic Ecosystems Dnipropetrovsk 2005

Dnipropetrovsk 2005

Conference Sections

a.. Biodiversity and functional role of invertebrates in aquatic
ecosystems.
b.. Biodiversity and functional role of vertebrates in aquatic
ecosystems.
c.. Biodiversity and functional role of invertebrates in terrestrial
ecosystems.. Biodiversity and functional role of vertebrates in
terrestrial ecosystems.

Conference Themes

1.. Biodiversity (zoodiversity) as a functional basis of ecosystem
organization.
2.. Functional structure of zoocenosis in various ecosystems and its
change under conditions of transformation.
3.. Population structure of zoocenosis in natural and transformed
ecosystems.
4.. Morphological and physiological adaptations of animals in
transformed ecosystems.
5.. Basic directions of animals’ adaptive process to ecosystems
transformation at different levels of organization (genetic,
physiological, biochemical, organism, population, ecosystem).
6.. Animals in conservation and formation of primary and secondary
biological production.
7.. Animals in geological and biological circulation of substances and
in energy transformation.
8.. Zoocenosis role in soil formation.
9.. Animals in self-purification of aquatic and terrestrial systems
under technogenic influence.
10.. Animal populations in homeostasis of ecosystems sustainability
under conditions of technogenesis.
11.. Zoocenosis in conservation and rehabilitation of general
biodiversity.
12.. Zoocenosis in formation of biotic communications (consortium,
biocenosis, ecosystem, biosphere).
13.. Applied problems of studying zoocenosis as a functional component
of ecosystems and biosphere.
14.. Reserved and protected territories in conservation of a genofund
of important functional elements of zoocenosis.
15.. Mathematical modeling of a biodiversity, structure and functions
of zoocenosis.

Call for Abstracts:

The Organization Committee invites you to submit an abstract. Official
languages of the Conference: English, Russian, Ukrainian. Abstract
format: up to 3 pages in MS Word (any version), Times New Roman, 14 pt.
Line spacing and margins are undefined. After the first mention of
scientific (Latin) name of a species it is necessary to specify a full
surname of the description author and year. The quantity of
abbreviations in the text should be minimal. Figures (diagrams) are not
allowed. Please reduce number of references to a minimum since papers
should be written without the list of literature.

Abstract submission: please send your abstract by E-mail:
[email protected]. Do not send printed abstracts. Deadline for abstract
submission: 10 JULY 2005.

Text should be carefully verified. Authors are responsible for quality
of published materials.

The organizing committee reserves the right to reject the materials
which are not adequate to the program and conditions of the Conference
on subjects, stylistics and the contents.

The organizing committee plans to decrease registration fee as much as
possible. So, information on the registration fee, meals, travel and
accommodation will be noticed in the second circular. It will be placed
on a site of conference in the beginning of September, 2005 or
dispatched personally to contributors, who submit abstract and
application form. Excursions to Prysamarsky International Biospheric
stationl, Dniprovsko-Orelsky Nature Reserve, mining grounds of wood
rehabilitation in Western Donbass are planned.

Accepted abstracts will be also arranged on the Internet site of
Department of Zoology and Ecology of Dnipropetrovsk National University
(). Abstracts of I and
II International Conferences (in 2001 and 2003) are placed at the same
site.

Conference secretary

Dr. Viktor V. Brigadirenko

Phone: +38 0562 469282,

E-mail: [email protected]

7.2. conference related to Public Health

Dear colleagues,

I am sharing with you this information about the conference related to
Public Health that will be organized in Armenia on September 17-20,
2005.

This is the Regional Public Health Conference and we expect to have lots
of local and international public health specialists as participants.
Your participation as well as sharing with this info with your
colleagues and friends would be appreciated. For more info you are
welcome to contact me.

Please visit the website, where you can find all info about the
conference.

Best Regards,

Naira Gharakhanyan, MD, MPH

Health Program Coordinator

COAF Armenia

13 Yervand Kochar, Yerevan

Tel: (+374 1) 57 52 54

Tel/fax: (+3741) 57 53 55

Website:

7.3. TENTH INTERNATIONAL JOURNALISM SUMMER SCHOOL ON “WORKING OF
JOURNALISTS IN THE SITUATIONS OF CRISIS”

Mass Media Center School of Journalism, St.Petersburg State University

St.Petersburg, Russia

28 June – 6 July 2005

St.Petersburg, Russia

The Mass Media Center of the School (Faculty) of Journalism at St.
Petersburg State University (SPbGU) is inviting journalists, scholars,
educators, students, and communication specialists from around the world
to take part in the Tenth Annual International Journalism Summer School,
beginning June 28, 2005. This is the excellent opportunity to widen the
view on media studies studying Russian media and journalism in the
political, social, economic, legal, ethnic, environmental and cultural
perspective.

Leading university professors and professional journalists will lead
this course, which will include lectures and practical workshops devoted
to several issues, questions and problems related to the development of
the Mass Media. The main subject of the Tenth Summer course will be
“Working of Journalists in the Situations of Crisises”. Participants
will have the opportunity to discuss this topic with professional
journalists during the site visits to media outlets as well as during a
roundtable scheduled for July 6. Courses are given by the best faculty
and staff of the School of Journalism at St.Petersburg State University
and experienced professionals from a wide variety of St.Petersburg
Media.

The course also includes a cultural program, with sightseeing city bus
tour, excursion to the State Hermitage Museum, and performance at the
famous Marinsky (Kirov’s) Theater.

Working languages:

English and Russian

The programme will be conducted in Russian, with English interpretation.

Registration until: June 1, 2005.

Participants are responsible for the trip to St.Petersburg and for
getting of the Russian visas. Visa support is not included to the
tuition fee.

For more information, including application materials, contact the Mass
Media Center of the School of Journalism at

St.Petersburg State University: 1-aya Liniya V.O. Building 26, Office
602. 199004. St. Petersburg, Russia.

Telephone / Fax: (7-812) 323-00-67, 321-01-72.

E-Mail: [email protected]

Web sites: and

Contact person: Dmitry A. Ruschin, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Director
of the International Journalism Summer School and Winter School on
Public Relations at St.Petersburg State University. E-Mail:
[email protected] (main address) and [email protected] (additional
address).

MASS MEDIA CENTER

School of Journalism, St.Petersburg State University

1-aya Liniya V.O., # 26, office 606. St.Petersburg, 199004, Russia

Tel/Fax: (7-812) 323-00-67, 321-01-72.

E-mail: [email protected]

***************************************************************************

Subscribing Information

This CENN lists are created to maintain e-mail discussions of Caucasus
Environmental NGO Network members. By sending the letter on address
[email protected], all subscribers will receive it.

To subscribe or unsubscribe from CENN mailing list service, please send
an email message to [email protected] and places the subscribe or
unsubscribe command as the first line of the message body. For example,
if a mailing list called CENN, one would subscribe or unsubscribe by
placing the value: SUBSCRIBE CENN or UNSUBSCRIBE CENN as the first line
of the message body. The message subject is irrelevant and can be left
blank. For more information, please visit CENN web page at:

CENN, on behalf of the Caucasus Environmental NGOs, would like to
express gratitude to the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
(SDC) for provision of financial support for regional environmental
networking program.

For more information about the program, please visit CENN web-page:

***************************************************************************
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)
E-mail: [email protected]
URL:
************************************************** *************************
Editorial policy: CENN both solicits and accepts submissions for
environmental information to the Caucasus Environmental News Bulletin.
Although, CENN retains the right to edit all materials both for content
and length. The information provided for the Bulletin does not
necessarily represent the opinion of CENN and SDC.
***************************************************************************
CENN INFO
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)

Tel: ++995 32 75 19 03/04
Fax: ++995 32 75 19 05
E-mail: [email protected]
URL:

REFORMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
30 March 05

In NKR the law on higher and post-graduate education is to be adopted
soon. The bill has already been approved by the Ministry of
Education, Culture and Sport. The bill will also be discussed by the
government and then proposed to the National Assembly. To find out
what changes and innovations are expected in the system of higher
education we had a talk with the head of the department for higher and
secondary education of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport
Sos ARZUMANIAN. Sos Arzumanian: `Perhaps many people already know that
the law was adopted in the Republic of Armenia too. Having a common
system of education, the NKR bill on higher and post-graduate
education is identical to the RA law. According to the bill, the
system of education should provide necessary liberties important for
the improvement of the quality of education. At the same time it is
attempted to clarify the functions of the government in this
sphere. The bill maintains the major directions and the system of
higher educational institutions fulfills those functions. The next
innovation brought about by the bill is the introduction of the two
degree education: the undergraduate course for obtaining bachelor’s
degree and the graduate course for obtaining master’s degree. The bill
introduces several new notions as well, such as the credit system
which means following the principles of human liberties in
education. The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System will
be introduced in Artsakh giving students access to the European higher
education area. That is to say, having collected the necessary amount
of credits students from Artsakh can continue their studies at other
universities both in the same country and in other countries. In other
words, the credit system means access to the European
universities. The bill also involves the system of student grants.
Students will be given a chance for free education depending on how
well they study, taking into consideration the social factor as
well. Importance is attached to the educational standards and
curriculums which will be worked out in accordance with modern
standards. The bill has a new approach to the state policy for higher
and post-graduate education. The bill maintains equal rights for all
the accredited higher educational institutions independent of the form
of organization thus solving the problem of difference between state
and non-state university diplomas. After the adoption of the law each
university will grant its diploma bearing the number of the
accreditation licence. The new bill eliminates the state diploma. The
introduction of the new order of giving diplomas will act as a
stimulus for the educational institutions, includingthe state ones, to
become accredited as soon as possible. It should be noted that the
process of accreditation will not be easy, and it will take the given
institution much effort to meet the requirements for accreditation. A
university will be accredited if the qualification of 60 per cent of
the students and graduates of two years is evaluated as positive. At
least 75 per cent of the specialties must be accredited. Certainly the
committee for licensing and accreditation should be much more
demanding in reference to accreditation than licensing in order to
favour the improvement of the quality of higher education. After the
application of the law admittance will be held in accordance with the
curriculums for the bachelor’s course. In art colleges the former
curriculums will not be replaced in certain specialties. Until the
academic year of 2009 – 2010 the former system of five year
education will exist along with the two degree system. The
introduction of the credit system is planned in the academic year of
2006 – 2007.’

SVETLANA KHACHATRIAN.
30-03-2005