Author: Kanayan Tamar

S7 BECAME CANDIDATE FOR ONEWORLD MEMBERSHIP

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
26.05.2009 16:59 GMT+04:00

Last week OJSC "Siberia" (S7 brand) became a candidate to member the
global alliance Oneworld . According to the "Vedomosti" news paper,
quoting the representative of the Russian company Kirill Alyavdin,
"Siberia" will become a full member in 2010.

Reference letter was provided by the British Airways, the proposal
was affirmed by all members of the alliance, told Mr. Alyavdin to the
news paper. "Siberia" will become a full member of alliance in 2010,
within 1.5 year the company will adapt to the requirements of Oneworld.

According to the representative of Oneworld Michael Blant, Siberia"
airlines was chosen by the alliance since the company corresponds
safety requirements, quality of services and has a comprehensive
network in Russia and CIS countries.

Established in 1999 the global Oneworld alliance brings together ten
of the world’s biggest airlines, committed to providing world-class
service and value, as well as 20 branch carriers (British Airways,
American Airlines, Iberia, Finnair, JAL and others). 328.6 million
passengers are carried annually.

"Siberia" flies in 72 directions, 38 out of them are in Russia. Rout
network of "Siberia" airlines (S7 brand) will add 55 cities and 8
countries to the Oneworld flow chart, including Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Kazakhstan, Kirgizia, Moldavia, Tajikistan, Turkmenia, and Uzbekistan,
told Mr.Alyavdin to "Vedomosti" .

DASHNAKTSUTYUN INTENDS COUNTERACT FALSIFICATIONS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
26.05.2009 20:31 GMT+04:00

"For the first time such a large-scale local elections are held in
Yerevan and the serious struggle between participating political
forces takes place. Unfortunately, like at previous elections, during
these elections healthy discussion is absent between candidates,"
Armen Rustamyan, RA NA deputy from Dashnaktsutyun fraction told
a news conference today. Mr.Rustamyan emphasized, that the law
on Yerevan will be tested in practice for the first time. These
elections will reveal all advantages and shortcomings of the new
law, Mr. Rustamyan said. ARF Dashnaktsutyun is sure that, they must
use this chance for conducting fair elections, as far as possible,
since passions have already abated and there are good prerequisites
for conducting fair elections. "Dashnaktsutyun will make every effort
to escape falsifications this time. All 439 polling station will have
2-3 observers each from Dashnaktsutyun. We expect healthy collision
of interests, which will ultimately result in healthy elections,"
Rustamyan said. He also noted, that refusing from stamps in passports
of already voted will leave room for some falsifications.

Dominican Today , Dominican Republic
May 23 2009

Dominican Republic attends World Junior Boxing Championship

Santo Domingo.` Dominican boxers and fighters from 41 national teams
are participating in the World Junior Boxing Championship which
started today in Yerevan, Armenia.

Eight national teams that previously applied to be included in the
tournament, did not attend: Venezuela, Tunis, Check Republic,
Slovakia, Nigeria, Mongolia, Ghana and Botswana.Other teams, such as
Mexico, Argentina, Wales, Turkmenistan refused to participate.

In other news, some Internet sites point out that over the past
decade, Dominican boxing has been immersed in a crisis that has seen
boxers immigrate to the Unites States, few attractive new figures and
scarce attendance to uninspiring boxing cards.

But the panorama may change as a slew of former amateur stars have
been allowed to turn pro and provide promoters with the new blood
needed to bring the fans back to boxing shows.

Last year 15 top amateur boxers have joined the pro ranks to the
delight of boxing Commissioner Franklin Nunez. `We have improved our
relations with the Amateur Federation and we are now working hand in
hand,’ says Nunez, `and we have provided incentives for our local
promoters.’

Among the prospects who are making a name for themselves, are exciting
welterweight Melvin Betancourt (8-0, 6 KOs), recently elected Novice
of Year 2008, explosive featherweight Jenifel Vicente (11-0-2, 7 KOs),
slick bantamweight Geysi Lorenzo (9-0, 2 KOs), former amateur
lightweight standout Javier Fortuna (2-0, 2 KOs), just to name a few.

/5/23/32080/Dominican-Republic-attends-World-Junio r-Boxing-Championship

PRESIDENT OF CROATIA VISITED THE GENOCIDE MEMORANDUM

armradio.am
22.05.2009 16:48

Croatias president, who has visited Armenia due to the invitation of
the President of Armenia went to the Genocide Memorandum together
with the Justice Minister, Governor of Yerevan and the director
of the Armenian Genocide Museum. The president of Croatia, who is
the first time in Armenia, put flowers on the Memorandum for the
Genocide victims. After Styepan Masich wrote in the Memoriam Book of
the Genocide Museum.

WILL PRESCOTT AND COLUMBIER ARRIVE IN ARMENIA IN JUNE?

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
21.05.2009 17:36 GMT+04:00

In an interview with a PanARMENIAN.Net correspondent, NA Speaker’s
Press Secretary Nairi Petrosyan said that PACE co-rapporteurs
John Prescott and Jorge Columbier have sent a preliminary request
to PACE bureau on their arrival in Armenia from 8 till 10 June,
2009. Mr. Petrosyan also said that Parliament has not yet received
official address on co-rapporteurs’ visit. "Only after receiving such
address will it be possible to specify date for the visit and inform
public about it," he said.

OSKANIAN SAYS ARMENIA-TURKEY RELATIONS MAY GET WORSE

says-armenia-turkey-relations-may-get-worse/
May 21st, 2009

YEREVAN-Armenia’s longtime former Foreign Minister, Vartan Oskanian,
has said Turkey and Armenia will not be able to make progress in their
efforts to normalize relations if Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan continues to bring the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to the table,
the Turkish Today’s Zaman newspaper reported on Thursday.

Oskanian’s remarks came during a discussion with a group of Turkish
journalists who are in Yerevan this week participating in the
International Hrant Dink Foundation’s Turkey-Armenia Journalist
Dialogue Project.

Speaking to the journalists, Oskanian warned that Ankara could make
relations with Armenia even worse if Turkish officials continue to
politicize the negotiations.

"The moment we leave Karabakh out, we can improve Turkish-Armenian
relations. If we bring Karabakh in, I really don’t see this
happening. Karabakh is a separate issue," Oskanian was quoted by Zaman
as saying. "My conviction is that if Turkey normalizes its relations
with Armenia first, then the Karabakh solution will be much easier."

Oskanian said the Turkish Prime Minister began bringing the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to the forefront of Turkey’s negotiations
with Armenia three months ago.

"Until that time, I was really hoping that there was a change of
policy on the part of Turkey and we would get results," he said.

Visiting Baku last week, Erdogan reaffirmed his government’s intention
to link the two issues. "Occupation of Karabakh is the cause here
and closing of the border is the effect. It is impossible for us to
open the border unless that occupation ends," he told a joint press
conference in Baku with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev.

Turkey, a non-actor in the Karabakh conflict, has been seeking to boost
its role in the peace process by conditioning its own negotiations
with Armenia to a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict being
mediated by the US, France and Russia through the OSCE Minsk Group.

The French co-chair of the group, Bernard Fassier, on Monday warned
Ankara to drop efforts to link the two unrelated issues. He said
that linking the Karabakh peace process with the normalization of
Armenia-Turkish relations can jeopardize the new momentum in the
Karabakh talks.

Armenia’s Government has also criticized Erdogan for the statements,
saying they could hamper both processes.

Oskanian reiterated those warnings, stressing also that Erdogan’s
threats to Armenians deport Armenians working in Turkey were also
not helpful to fence-mending efforts between the two countries.

"I am beginning to be concerned that not only will Turkish-Armenian
relations not improve, but they may even get worse," said Oskanian,
who founded the Yerevan-based Civilitas Foundation late last year to
advocate peace and stability in the Caucasus.

UAR TO AWARD PRIZES TO CULTURAL FIGURES AND SCHOLARS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
20.05.2009 14:13 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ World Armenian Congress (WAC) and Union of Armenians
of Russia (UAR) continue their activities towards assisting Armenian
scholars and intellectuals. This is the second year they hold award
ceremony in collaboration with scientific and creative organizations.

This year, the ceremony will take place on May 25, in Aram Khachaturyan
concert hall. Armenian cultural figures and intellectuals will be
awarded prizes for best works in their spheres.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT REVISES LAW ON PSYCHIATRIC SERVICE

ARKA
May 19, 2009

YEREVAN, May 19. /ARKA/. Armenia’s National Assembly amended Tuesday
on final reading the RA Law on Psychiatric Service.

Though the lawmakers mainly edited the law, they are of major
significance, said RA Deputy Healthcare Minister Hayk Darbinyan.

The amended law provides for discharging individuals voluntarily
passing in-patient treatment. Patients can be discharged from
psychiatric hospitals if they do not expose society to danger. Or
else, curing specialists are allowed to send patients to compulsory
treatment.

The amendments also provide for protecting the rights of patients
and ensuring their safety. The patients have a right to subscribe to
medical magazines, be in correspondence with the outside world and
receive guests.

They can also send their complaints to the management of the medical
institution or to high-ranking officials, as well as mass media and
international human rights institutions.

The rights may be limited in case their execution hampers examination
or expertise and pose danger to patients.

CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS’ LEADER: ARMENIAN COMMUNITIES OUGHT TO PAY GREATER ATTENTION TO ARMENIA’S PROBLEMS

Noyan Tapan
May 18, 2009

YEREVAN, May 18. /ARKA/. Armenian communities worldwide ought to pay
greater attention to Armenia’s problems, Khosrov Harutyunyan, Armenian
Christian Democrats’ leader and former prime minister and ex-speaker
of Armenian National Assembly, said at Novosti International Press
Center on Monday.

"All of us must understand that we are one nation with common
problems."

Harutyunyan said that lobbyist organizations of Armenian communities
in the United States concentrate all their efforts on recognition of
the fact of Armenian genocide.

He thinks if they focused even 20% of their efforts on Karabakh problem
"we’d reach greater success here".

"The thing is that lobbyist organizations pay little attention to
national self-determination right as the only principle for settling
Karabakh conflict", Harutyunyan said.

He thinks the Armenian Diaspora is both wealth and problem for Armenia.

"Armenian communities overseas should understand that their decisions
should have impact on our children’s fate."

SETTLEMENT OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS IS NOT RELATED TO KARABAKH CONFLICT – EUROPEAN DIPLOMAT

Interfax
May 14 2009
Russia

There is no connection between the settlement of Armenian-Turkish
relations and the resolution of the Armenian-Azeri conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh, contrary to Turkey’s statements on this account,
a European diplomatic source told Armenian media outlets.

The diplomat referred to outcomes of Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s
meetings with Turkey’s partners during an energy summit in Prague
last week.

Gul said at those meetings that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan’s statements on this matter were forced and have nothing in
common with the real process of the settlement of relations between
Yerevan and Ankara, the source said.

Erdogan said at the Azeri parliament on Wednesday that the
normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations should be viewed in the
context of the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process.

Armenian presidential press secretary Samvel Farmanian told Interfax
earlier that the Armenian and Turkish presidents reached an agreement
at a meeting in Prague in early May to settle relations between the
two countries without preconditions.

Armenian Foreign Ministry press secretary Tigran Balaian told Interfax
that Yerevan and Baku did not discuss the withdrawal of troops from
the territories controlled by the Nagorno-Karabakh defense forces.

"The withdrawal of troops from the territories controlled by the
Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army was not discussed at the meeting between
the Armenian and Azeri presidents in Prague on May 7. The discussions
mainly concerned Nagorno-Karabakh’s status," Balaian said.