Author: Kanayan Tamar

AVERAGE MONTHLY WAGE IN ARMENIA IN JAN-JUNE 2006 TOTALS AMD 59,618
($110.00 a month)
YEREVAN, July 20. /ARKA/. The average monthly nominal wage in Armenia in
January-June 2006 totals 59,618, 21.6% increase compared to January-June
2005, the Armenian National Statistics Service reports.
At the same time, the wage in the state budget sector totaled 41,844, 21.9%
higher than the level of January-June 2005, and compared to May, 3.5%
increase was recorded in June 2006. In the private sector the average
monthly wage totaled AMD 73,040 (20.7% higher than the level of January-June
2005 and 1.2% lower than the level of the previous month). 0.1% increase in
the general level of the average monthly wage was recorded in June 2006
compared to May.
The total money incomes of the Armenian population in January-June 2006 made
AMD 684,486.4mln, 17.4% increase compared to January-June 2005, the expenses
totaled AMD 685,371.8mln, 19.2% increase compared to January-June 2005.
At the same time, the amount of money incomes increased by 5.8% in June
compared to the level of the previous month, and the growth of money
expenses – by 0.7%. ($1 – AMD 417.46).

Refusal to accept responsibility
The Toronto Star
July 21, 2006 Friday
A mother’s hope turns to anguish
July 20.
Lately, we have been inundated with stories about the Lebanese
evacuations, and in particular, complaints from evacuees. Your latest
story about Lara Tcholakian fit this pattern.
Tcholakian and her husband work for U.S.-based firms and live
year-round in Armenia. They went to Beirut to visit her husband’s
family at a time when the U.S. and Canada were warning its citizens
not to travel there. Suddenly, having put themselves in harm’s way,
Tcholakian discovers her Canadian roots and demands immediate service
from the Canadian government (not the Armenian government, nor the
U.S. government).
Her mother is blaming the government and Stephen Harper for her
daughter’s dilemma. It seems that if anything goes wrong with any
Canadian citizen, the government and, by extension, the Prime Minister
are responsible.
What has happened to our society, where we complain about and make
demands of our government whenever we get ourselves into trouble? We
have turned into a bunch of crybabies, refusing to take responsibility
for our own welfare.
Sigmund Roseth, Mississauga

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT FORCED TO MISS INFORMAL CIS SUMMIT IN MOSCOW
Yerevan, July 21. ArmInfo. Armenian President Robert Kocharyan is
forced to miss the informal CIS summit to be held in Moscow July 21.
The presidential press service reports Kocharyan to have acute
infectious respiratory disease.
To remind, during the summit Kocharyan was to meet with Russian
President Vladimir Putin. Azeri media reported that Azeri President
Ilham Aliyev will also take part in the summit while the head of the
international relations department of Aliyev’s executive staff Novruz
Mamedov told Space TV company that Kocharyan and Aliyev might meet
during the summit.

Fresh apricots there for the picking
Mail Tribune, OR
July 19 2006
By REBECCA WOOD
For those who have dallied amid apricot trees bearing ripe fruit,
it makes perfect sense that nectar was the drink of the gods.
Though my Oxford English Dictionary does not associate the apricot
with nectar, common usage does, and it’s an association that I have
never doubted.
These aromatic, sensuous, buttery fruits originated in Armenia and
were purportedly brought to the West by Alexander the Great. The word
apricot is from the Latin, praecoquum, and means “early ripe.”
The best apricots are plump, juicy and soft. Their malic and citric
acid content give a lemony, plum-like flavor to this otherwise sweet
fruit. It’s a cousin to peaches, plums, almonds and cherries.
For an apricot to have a good flavor, it must be fully ripe when
picked; it then keeps no more than a few days. This explains why
most of the commercial crop are canned, preserved or dried and only
8 percent are available fresh.
Advertisement
We’re fortunate to have a local and organic U-Pick orchard – Valley
View Orchards in Ashland. They provide the buckets, and you can
harvest your own or purchase already-picked apricots.
Call 488-2840 for directions and hours. Valley View Orchards kindly
provides shady picnic tables for customers. So indulge yourself
for an afternoon of pleasure. Should you miss the apricot season,
the nectarine and peach season are close at hand.
Look for apricots during early summer and purchase those that yield
to a light touch and are golden all over with a rosy blush. Avoid
firm apricots with traces of green – they’ll remain sour.
Also avoid those that are overly soft, bruised, wilted or shriveled,
as they quickly decay. Handle apricots tenderly, as they bruise easily
and bruising causes rapid spoiling.
Apricots are delicious both raw and cooked. Raw, enjoy them out of
hand or add them to chutney, salsa, fresh fruit soup, smoothies,
sorbet, ice cream, salad or yogurt dishes or use as a garnish.
Cooked apricots enhance pies, cakes, crumbles and quick breads and can
be canned, candied or stewed. Their sweet-but-tart flavor compliments
meat – traditionally pork, veal and poultry. Substitute apricots
freely for peaches, mangos, papaya or nectarines.
Unlike the skin of apples or peaches, apricot skins are so tender
that they don’t require peeling. Once pitted, a squeeze of lemon
juice prevents the flesh from darkening.
Refrigerate apricots to prevent over-ripening and plan to use them
as quickly as possible. To heighten their flavor, however, serve at
room temperature.
Apricots have laxative properties. As their bright orange color
indicates, they’re an excellent source of beta carotene an antioxidant
that may reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.
Apricots are an excellent source of copper, cobalt and iron. These
minerals make them medicinal for blood-related disorders such as
anemia, acne, toxemia and tuberculosis.
Apricot kernels are a good source of amygdaline. This controversial
compound is thought to prevent cancer. It’s also known as vitamin
B-17 and laetrile.
In excess, however, the kernels may
be poisonous, so use with caution. See
ries/02life.htm.

MUM HEARS FROM KIDS AFTER LEBANON ESCAPE
Bulletin Wire
July 19, 2006 Wednesday
A Sydney mother has had an emotional telephone reunion with her
teenage son and daughter, members of an Armenian dance troupe who
have escaped war-torn Lebanon.
Rosemary Arabian, 16, and her brother Sion, 15, are members of the
Sydney-based Sevan Dance Group. The troupe’s 45 young performers, with
36 parents and supervisors are now safe in the Jordanian capital Amman.
The federal government organised three buses to pick up the group
and other Australian citizens from their Beirut hotel.
The convoy drove to the Syria capital Damascus early on Monday night
(AEST), before heading to Jordan.
Tatiana Arabian had her first conversation with her children since
they fled Lebanon on the Nine Network’s Today program this morning.
“Everything’s really fine. We’re all fine. There’s nothing to worry
about,” Rosemary told her mother by telephone from Amman.
“I’m good, Mum. We’re all fine.”
Ms Arabian told Sion she was anxious for the pair to return to Sydney.
“I miss you so much,” he said.
With tears in her eyes, Ms Arabian replied: “You can’t believe how
much I miss you, both of you. We all miss you”.
“I love you heaps. I love you heaps. You and Rose. I just want you to
come home and we can’t wait for that plane, you know, and we’ll come
to the airport first thing in the morning, whenever you are coming.”
Ms Arabian then urged Sion and Rosemary to stay together.
“You just take care, okay? And you just stick together. And don’t
misbehave,” she said.
“I love you, okay?”
Sion replied: “I love you too”.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian National Committee
Eastern Massachusetts
47 Nichols Avenue
Watertown, MA 02472
Contact: Sharistan Ardhaldjian
Tel: 917 428 1918
Fax: 718 651 3637
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
COURT DATE SET FOR MASSACHUSETTS LAWSUIT
SEEKING TO BLOCK TEACHING OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
BOSTON, MA – A hearing date on whether or not to consider an Assembly of
Turkish American Associations (ATAA) backed lawsuit to compel the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts to include denialist material in their
Armenian Genocide curriculum resource materials has been set for September
18th, reported the Armenian National Committee of Eastern Massachusetts.
U.S. District Chief Judge Mark Wolf scheduled a hearing for oral arguments
on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts motion to dismiss the lawsuit, filed by
the ATAA, two teachers and a student.
“We welcome the scheduling of a hearing date and look forward to the court
taking this opportunity to dismiss this clearly unfounded and deeply flawed
lawsuit,” said ANC of Eastern Massachusetts Chair Sharistan Ardaljian. “The
authors of this suit – in acting as effective surrogates for Armenian
Genocide deniers in Ankara – have committed a grave disservice to the truth,
to the cause of tolerance, and the growing worldwide movement to prevent
genocide.”
The ATAA lawsuit calls for the inclusion of their website in a list of
educational sources for teachers, as part of a teacher’s guide on genocide
education provided by the State. The ATAA lawsuit also calls for the
addition of other websites, including that of the Embassy of the Republic of
Turkey, which the ATAA had lobbied to include in the guide, but were
disqualified because they denied the Armenian Genocide, in direct
contravention of the Massachusetts statute requiring the teaching of the
Armenian Genocide.
Soon after the lawsuit was introduced, the Massachusetts District Attorney’s
office had filed a motion to dismiss the case. The Armenian Bar Association
joined with the Armenian National Committee of America, Jewish Alliance for
Law and Social Action, the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People (NAACP), and Irish Immigration Center, in filing a friend of
the court brief in March 2006, in support of the dismissal, arguing that
inclusion of Genocide denial materials in the curriculum would fly in the
face of repeated Massachusetts proclamations and State Resolutions properly
characterizing the Armenian Genocide as ‘genocide.’ The collective brief
may be read at: ae.pdf
#####

WHY THEY REMEMBER SCHOOLS AND HEALTH CARE WHEN THEY SAY CORRUPTION
Lragir.am
19 July 06
Agmak NGO (National Center for Monitoring of Liberalization) monitored
four directions of activities of the City Hall of Yerevan on a grant
provided by the state budget of Armenia. Agmak monitored auction
of land, the one window principle, education and the quality of
medicaid. The results of the monitoring were summed up on July 19.
The results are not reassuring.
The monitoring of three schools in each community in Yerevan showed
that the school councils do not work properly. Though in accordance
with the law a school council elects a director, there is a school in
Yerevan where the director changed the members of the school council.
Generally, as the chair of Agmak Lusineh Margaryan said, “in fact,
elections of school councils are not held at all”. With regard to
raising money at schools on one occasion or another 36.8 percent
said this phenomenon is growing dangerously. “60 percent think the
school is corrupt.” 60 percent think in senior school attendance is
unsatisfactory because schools fail to guarantee the level required
for universities. Only 4-5 percent pointed to the lack of adequate
control as the cause of low attendance.
The major complaint from medicaid is “if you do not pay, they are
not conscientious and are rude”. 11.7 percent said medicaid does not
work and in polyclinics they demand that people pay. 41 percent always
or regularly pay doctors in polyclinics, 36.5 percent announced that
they pay to get normal medical service, 31.8 percent pay because they
are made to pay and only 19 percent pay because they want to pay.
57.4 percent of our citizens know about the one window principle in
the City Hall, 30 percent are satisfied. As 6 percent said they pay
doctors because it is a custom, 46.9 percent prefer direct meeting
with officials to the one window principle. 75 percent say after the
introduction of the one window principle the activities of the City
Hall declined or did not change.
Agmak monitored 40 decisions on sale and rent of land in 2005 and in
the first quarter of 2006. 40 decisions decided the fate of 360 plots
of land. 69 plots were sold for the same price. “It is true that
neighboring plots of land can be sold for a similar price but not
for the same price,” says Lusine Margaryan, the chair of Agmak. In
most cases the price of auction was lower than the market price by
25 percent. “It means immense sums did not go to the state budget.”
Agmak announced the results of the monitoring for the public. Now it
is not clear if the relevant bodies will use these results. Meanwhile
Agmak reports that the City Hall has a lot of work to do.

Putin says G8 leaders agree to promote energy security
Today, Azerbaijan
July 17 2006
17 July 2006 [20:40] – Today.Az
The Group of Eight (G8) leaders agreed on joint efforts to ensure
global energy security at their summit held on July 15-17, Russian
President Vladimir Putin said at a news conference following the
summit.
“Our strategy is based on a common understanding of the fact that
humankind has a common energy future,” Putin said. “A future for
which we all share responsibility.”
The G8 has agreed on joint efforts to make energy infrastructure
more reliable, to diversify the production and supplies of energy
resources, to increase energy efficiency and to develop alternative
energy sources, he said.
Putin said Monday in his statement on the summit’s results that G8
leaders had agreed to reduce barriers to energy investment, making
it possible for energy producers and consumers to acquire upstream
and downstream energy assets in other countries.
Earlier this year Russia’s natural gas monopoly Gazprom unveiled
ambitious plans to acquire energy companies in Europe and swapped
some of its assets for ones owned by German companies BASF and E.ON,
triggering Europeans’ concerns about their dependence on Russian
energy. For its part, the European Union has sought to get access
to Russian pipelines and oil and gas deposits, while Russia has been
reluctant to provide it.
The group has also emphasized nuclear energy’s contribution to global
energy security, Putin said.
The G8 has also decided to cooperate in the promotion of education
to meet the challenges of a modern knowledge-based economy, Putin said.
Additionally, the group has announced that it will seek to fight
infectious diseases, including avian flu, AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria
and polio, he said.
The G8 leaders have said that they would seek to complete the Doha
Round of World Trade Organization (WTO) talks, which is mostly
focused on the reduction of agricultural subsidies, by the end of
this year. Other issues in the Doha Round include combating piracy and
counterfeiting, fighting corruption and promoting poverty alleviation
and peacekeeping programs in Africa.
The countries of the G8 have also agreed to fight the proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and in particular agreed to submit
the issue of Iran’s nuclear program to the U.N. Security Council
and urge North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program and stop
missile launches, Putin said.
In general the summit was uneventful in terms of major policy
announcements and was to a large extent focused on growing violence
in the Middle East and failed to deliver a long-awaited agreement
between the U.S. and Russia on the latter’s accession to the World
Trade Organization.
The G8 has announced their intention to combat terrorism and
its threats including nuclear terrorism, increase cooperation in
post-conflict stabilization, prevent violations of arms embargoes, put
an end to Israel’s current conflict with Lebanon and the Palestinian
National Authority, find a compromise between Serbia and Kosovo on
the issue of Kosovo’s independence and stabilize the situation in
Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan’s Darfur region and Azerbaijan’s breakaway
republic of Nagorno Karabakh.
/
URL:

VARTAN OSKANIAN DWELLS ON NUMBER OF REGIONAL AND HOME ISSUES AT “HAYELI” CLUB PRESS CONFERENCE
AZG Armenian Daily #133, 18/07/2006
Press Conference
RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian believes OSCE Minsk Group is the
most efficient mission for the peaceful settlement of Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. He stated this at the July 14 press conference at “Hayeli”
discussion club, when commenting on the statement of the Ambassador
of Iran to Azerbaijan Afshar Suleimani that the “activity of OSCE MG
is inefficient”.
“Although the co-chairs stated that their fantasy has been exhausted,
I do not doubt that they meant that their mission is exhausted. I
believe it will continue its active participation in the process,”
the Mr. Oskanian said. As for the various proposals not from OSCE
MG, they may be included in the agenda of the negotiations if they
are interesting, irrespective of who makes these proposals NATO or
Iran. “But I think it is senseless to speak of Iran as a key mediator
as OSCE MG has not exhausted itself yet,” he said.
As for the information that proposals to the conflict parties have
been prepared by Pierre Lellouche, NATO PA Chairman, Mr. Oskanian said
that first of all, NATO PA is not yet NATO, and secondly, they will
touch upon the suggestions when they are made. In response to the
question about the alleged fires in the territories under control
of NKR, the minister said he had no time to waste on Azerbaijan’s
provocations. “We shall not play the games dictated by the Azeri side,”
he said, mentioning that OSCE Mission made a monitoring visit to the
territories and did not confirm the information of the Azerbaijani
party.
In response to the issue about the situation in Upper Lars,
Mr. Oskanian said that Armenia still hopes for opening of Upper Lars
check- point on the Russian-Georgian border in the nearest future. The
negotiations with Moscow for this purpose are continued, he added.
At the same time he thanking the Georgian party for the alternative
way through the Roki tunnel, the check- point of the border with South
Ossetia, the minister stated that “it is an exception and none knows
how long the Georgian party will make this exception for us.” It’s
worth mentioning that Upper Lars check-point was closed 10 days ago.
Touching upon the latest developments in Lebanon, Mr. Oskanian said
that Armenia condemns any violence, whether it is hostage- taking
or application of weapons. “Especially if application of weapons is
disproportionate to the situation and aims to destroy infrastructures
and causes the death of numerous people,” the minister added. The
situation arouses concern, he said. “Our desire is to see restraint in
the region as it is a very fragile region. We also want establishment
of cease-fire and restoration of negotiations,” Vartan Oskanian
emphasized.
In response to the question, whether he intends to run for presidency
in 2008, Mr. Oskanian said: “I want to further make my contribution
to the development of Armenia. And the time will show how.”
The minister said he has not thought yet of running for presidency
as his attention is fully concentrated on his direct duties.
The minister gave a similar answer when asked whether he intends
to join a party. “I have not thought of it, and I have got no such
proposals,” the minister stated. Vartan Oskanian refused to comment
on the information that Defense Minister Serge Sagrsian joined the
proportional list of the Republican Party of Armenia like it was in
2003. “I do not want to comment on the activity of my colleagues.
Everyone resolves how to participate in the development of the country
independently,” the minister said.
Touching upon the issue of Azerbaijan’s growing economy, Mr. Oskanian
said that in order to “struggle” Azerbaijan’s oil, Armenia should
develop its own resources.
He said that Armenia has three powerful resources, the home and
foreign resources and Diaspora. Stating that there is much to do in
all these directions, he touched upon each of the resources. As for
the home resources, he said that soon the country will enter a new
stage conditioned by the coming presidential elections in 2008 and
the necessity to preserve the country’s course. Oskanian said that
one should not only chose between the political forces, but also
choose between the goals that a political force can achieve.
He said that the society should define the necessary goals and make
a choice between the political parties. He pointed out that the home
resources also include the second generation of the economic reforms
that are to be implemented. As for the resource of Diaspora, Oskanian
said that Armenia has used only 1-2% of its potential. He said that
one should develop the relations between Armenia and Diaspora and
make our country more attractive for Diaspora.
By Nana Petrosian

NKR President paying a short working visit to Armenia
ArmRadio.am
17.07.2006 17:55
July 17th NKR President Arkady Ghukasyan arrived in Armenia on a
short working visit. In the framework of the visit he will have
meetings with high state officials of the Republic of Armenia and
representatives of public circles.