Author: Kanayan Tamar

CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS TO LEAVE FOR ISTANBUL FOR WEEK
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 19 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 19, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Karekin II Catholicos
of All Armenians will leave for Istanbul for a week.
Ara Gochunian, the editor-in-chief of the Istanbul “Zhamanak” (Time)
newspaper informed Radio Liberty, that “as in the case of Karekin I,
it is a return visit for the visit paid by Supreme Patriarch of the
Greek Orthodox Church Bartholomew I, who participated in 2001 in the
closing ceremony of the event dedicated to the 1700th anniversary of
adopting Christianity as the state religion in Armenia.” At the same
time, according to the same source, His Holiness Patriarch pays the
first patriarchal visit to Istanbul during his enthronement.
Unlike the visit paid by latter Karekin I Catholicos, the Istanbul
viceregent will receive His Holiness Karekin II. “Vazgen I Catholicos
once visited Ankara as well where he met with high-ranking officials
of the capital of Turkey. The present visit of the Catholicos of
All Armenians is not official, has a status of an interchuch visit,”
Ara Gochunian mentioned.

INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE ON “NKR: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE” TO BE HELD IN SHUSHI
ArmRadio.am
20.06.2006 10:39
NKR Government and the Yerevan State University have imitated a
four-day international scientific conference on “Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic: past, present and future” dedicated to the 15th anniversary
of Artsakh’s independence.
The opening ceremony will take place in Shushi.

ROLE OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS DISCUSSED AT OSCE-SUPPORTED SEMINAR IN YEREVAN
Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE)

June 19 2006
YEREVAN, 19 June 2006 – A two-day seminar on promoting small and
medium entrepreneurship (SME) for sustainable development, took place
in Yerevan on 17 and 18 June.
The event, organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan, the Armenian
Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the “Businesswomen Support
Centre” Foundation, focused on key problem areas for the development
of women’s entrepreneurship in Armenia, including tax legislation,
modern marketing techniques, and computer technologies.
An exhibition of goods and services, from enterprises run by women,
which was being held on the sidelines of the seminar, helped exchange
experiences and find new business partners.
“A business environment that allows start-up entrepreneurs to fulfill
their rights and freedoms is a precondition for SME development,”
said Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, Head of the OSCE Office. “We
believe that this discussion will help identify existing problems
and find common solutions.”
Lilia Gevorgyan, the President of the “Businesswomen Support Centre”
Foundation, thanked the OSCE Office for organizing the discussion and
presentation, adding: “The promotion of a balanced and non-stereotyped
image of businesswomen as equal players in the country’s economic
growth is a difficult task, and events like this are of great help.”
The OSCE Office in Yerevan encourages SME development in Armenia by
assisting the authorities in formulating and implementing State policy,
improving the legislative framework and encouraging business start-up
development in the regions.

INTERNATIONAL WORKING GROUP ON SEARCH FOR MISSING VISITING KARABAKH
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.06.2006 18:51 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The International Working Group (IWG) on the Search
for the Missing People, Hostages and POWs in the Karabakh conflict
zone arrived in Nagorno Karabakh on a two-day working visit. The
IWG members met with the NKR Foreign Minister Georgy Petrosyan, the
leadership of the NKR State Committee on Missing People and Hostages,
heads of the Stepanakert Office of the International Committee of
the Red Cross, IWG coordinator in NKR Albert Voskanian informed.
In the course of the meetings the issues referring to activation of
search for the missing and burial places were discussed. The requests
of the state commissions on missing persons and hostages of Nagorno
Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan were considered as well. June 20
the IWG will depart for Yerevan to proceed with the work, reported
De Facto news agency.

ALIYEV, PUTIN PRAISE TIES
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Posted June 19 2006
Baku, June 16, AssA-Irada
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Friday met with his Russian
counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Conference on
Cooperation and Confidence-building Measures in Asia in the Kazakh
city of Almaty.
Along with bilateral ties, the two leaders exchanged views on
the latest developments in the region and settlement to the
Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict.
The heads of state praised the level of ties, citing as an example
the fact that Russian-Azeri commodities turnover doubled last year.
They also emphasized mutual achievements in the political field.
While in Kazakhstan, President Aliyev also met with Israil Deputy Prime
Minister Simon Peres. The two stressed the importance of expanding
the relations between Azerbaijan and Israel.
The president also had a meeting with a member of the Palestine
Liberation Organization’s executive committee Mohamed Saad Audiya.

PRESS RELEASE
Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) – Yerevan Office
53-55 Pavstos Byuzand Street, 375010
Yerevan, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Inessa Grigoryan
Tel: (+374 10) 522076; 562068
Fax: (+374 10) 522076
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
Children of Armenia Fund – New York Office
630 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2100,
New York, NY 10111, USA
Contact: Mariam Dilakian
Tel: 212 – 994 – 8201
Fax: 212 – 994 – 8299
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
For immediate release
Dalarik Children Full of Expectations for New High School
COAF Awards Contract for the Renovation of the School in Dalarik
Yerevan, Armenia, June 16, 2006 ¾ Following town hall meetings with the
community and continuous discussions with the Coordinating Committee
elected by the Dalarik community, COAF signed a bi-lateral agreement
with the local Municipality delineating the cooperative arrangements
for the reconstruction of the Dalarik School.
Subsequently, through a transparent and competitive procurement
process, COAF awarded the reconstruction contract to Epal LLC,
a construction company based in Hrazdan.
In the words of Dr. Garo H. Armen, COAF Founder and Chairman, “the
stakes are higher than ever before. Without our immediate intervention,
this generation of young Armenians may forever lose the opportunity
to pursue the best in themselves.” Ensuring a better quality of life
continues to be at the heart of all activities pursued by COAF as
part of its integrated rural development program.
Pargev Saghatelyan, the Mayor of Dalarik, emphasized the importance of
providing the children of Dalarik a better environment with improved
sanitation and education.
This reconstruction project takes into account the additional needs
that arise from the 12-grade system approved by the Ministry of
Education for implementation in the next school year. The renovated
school will accommodate 630 children in an improved environment,
access to indoor lavatories with running water and central heating
system. This COAF initiative also includes complete refurnishing and
site development. The project is fully funded by COAF and is planned
for completion by the New Year.
Pro curement of the building design and reconstruction of other school
and kindergarten projects within the COAF Model Cluster is in progress
and will include public structures in Argina, Lernagog, Myasnikyan,
and Shenik. Complementing reconstruction projects, COAF is realizing
other infrastructure and economic development projects, together with
health care, social and educational development activities that aim
at building the capacity of rural communities for sustained growth
and economic vitality.
—————————
Epal LLC, founded in 2003, is presently managed by Eduard Hovsepyan.
Among its recent achievements in the field of infrastructure
development are a series of renovations of high schools in various
regions of Armenia, construction of heating systems, and design
and construction of private homes. The company has a skillful and
experienced staff and is equipped with necessary machinery and
equipment to carry out its work effectively.
–Boundary_(ID_1JF7NVk6qjQI4uRe65F09 A)–

What attracts the tourists to Artsakh are its people
ArmRadio.am
17.06.2006 14:31
“What attracts the tourists to Artsakh are its people with a unique
psychology and hospitality coming from the bottom of the heart,” said
Director of the NKR Tourism Development Agency Sergey Shahverdyan in
his talk with “Radiolur” correspondent.
Statistics shows that the number of tourists visiting Artsakh increases
with 40 percent annually. The tourists are interested not only in
this region rich in historical monuments, but also the mentality,
traditions of the people living here.
Artsakh has always been considered a country possessing a rich
historical heritage. Twenty years age 1 700 historical monuments
were counted here. Now the number is four times as much, since new
Armenian monuments were found on liberated territories.
In Sergey Shahverdyan’s words, ethnic tourism has also been developing
in Artsakh during the recent years. Karabakh hosts tourists from Italy,
France, Japan, Israel and other countries.

ARMENIA IS NOT TOLD, ARMENIA DOES NOT TELL
Lragir.am
15 June 06
Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan stated June 14 that Russia decides
how to handle the companies given to Russia in return for debt. The
point is that press ran information several days ago that the Russian
government, which became the owner of four big companies in Armenia,
is going to sell them. “It is Russia’s property, the property of the
government, and they decide to privatize them or hand over management
to another company or country,” said Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan
with regard to the rumored step of the Russian government.
Everything is not as bad as it might seem, however. We learned that
not only Armenia is not asked or told, or informed about matters that
concern our country, but also Armenia does not inform other countries
about all the processes concerning us. Namely, a senior official of
the Iranian Embassy to Armenia stated June 13 that he had not learned
about the intention of the Armenian government to transfer part of
the shares of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline to the Russians. “Is
it obligatory that we tell our neighbors everything that happens in
Armenia in writing?” counters Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan.
The problem is, however, that Iran states the arrangement on the gas
pipeline was made by Armenia and Iran and any changes or introduction
of another participant must be approved by both countries. In other
words, Iran must give its agreement to transfer shares to Russia.

“ARARAT” TRIES TO FIGHT THE CRISIS
A1+
[01:26 pm] 12 June, 2006
After several defeats in the National championship of Armenia “Ararat”
finally celebrated a victory beating “Kilikia” 3:2. Despite the fact
that Nshan Erzroumyan from “Kilikia” scored first, three goals (two
from Edgar Sarafyan) from “Ararat” gave them the desired three points.
As for “Kilikia”, this was their last game before the start if
the Intertoto Cup. On June 17 “Kilikia” will play with “Dinamo”
from Tbilisi.
“Ulis” suffered another defeat, this time from “Gandzasar” (2:1).

DELEGATION HEADED BY RA DEFENSE MINISTER TO LEAVE FOR BELGIUM
ArmRadio.am
12.06.2006 10:41
Delegation headed by RA Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan will leave
today on an official visit to the Kingdom of Belgium. The Minister is
scheduled to meet his counterpart and Head of Defense Staff of Belgium.
In Brussels Serge Sargsyan will participate in the sitting of the
North-Atlantic Council, where the process of accomplishment of
Armenia-NATO Individual Partnership Actions Plan is to be discussed.