Author: Kanayan Tamar

TENDER FOR BANKS TO RECEIVE CREDITS FROM WORLD BANK TO BE HELD IN APRIL
YEREVAN, MARCH 17, NOYAN TAPAN. A tender will be held in April to
choose banks which will receive credits from the World Bank (WB) for
repairs of Armenia’s heating systems. Tamara Babayan, Director of
the Fund of Renewable Energy and Energy Saving of Armenia, told NT
correspondent that the WB will provide the chosen banks with a 4.2
mln dollar credit to be repayable over 7 years at an interest rate
of 6-7%. The banks in their turn will lend this money to private
companies, condominiums, etc. at certain interest rates. These
funds will be used to solve some problems with the heating systems
of apartment buildings. According to T. Babayan, the banks will
determine themselves the interest rates, which, in all likelihood,
will make 10-12% annually. It was noted that 10-12 banks and credit
organizations showed interest in participating in the tender. The
banks meeting certain criteria will be announced the tender winners.

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 17 2006
PROJECT OF NKR CONSTITUTION DISCUSSED DURING THE MEETING OF
CONSTITUTIONAL COMMISSION
YEREVAN, March 17. /ARKA/. The project of the NKR Constitution
was discussed during the meeting of the Constitutional Commission,
according to the Press Service of the NKR President. According to the
press release, during the meeting the President of Nagorno-Karabakh
Arkadey Ghukasyan commissioned the expert group of lawyers to prepare
the conclusion, previously studying all suggestions referring to
this issue. Summarizing results of the session Ghukasyan emphasized
the importance of Constitution’s corresponding to the international
standards of democracy. He also emphasized that the final project
of the Constitution will be presented to the political forces of the
country as well as to international experts. The President commissioned
the expert group to prepare and submit to discussion the work schedule
of the Constitutional Commission. S.P. –0–

A1+ IS BEING EXILED
A1+
06:51 pm 16 March, 2006
On March 17 at 12:00 p.m the RA Compulsory Execution Services will
exile “A1+” from their premises on Grigor Lusavorich 15.. The editorial
staff learned about it today, on March 16, at 5:15 p.m. after the
visit of the Court officers to the editorial building.
They offered the staff workers to release the premises on their own
initiative. It is clear from the Court Officer S. Stepanyan’s decision
(it was presented to the editorial today) that besides leaving the
building, A1+ is also fined to 4000AMD as a state tax and 5000ADM as
an expenditure spent on managing activities.

ARMENIA WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO RIVAL WITH AZERBAIJAN – AZERI PRESIDENT
Author: S.Agayeva
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
March 16 2006
Armenia will never be able rival with Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev stated on 16 March to an opening ceremony of the 2nd
conference of the World Azerbaijanis.
Azerbaijan strengthens its power mint year by year and this year its
military budget is $600m. “I have charged recently to make equal the
military budget of Azerbaijan to public budget of Armenia in the near
future,” President said. Armenia will never be able to rival with
Azerbaijan. As soon the Armenian leadership realizes it as better.”
Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan should reconsider its participation
in peace talks on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution if it founds
Armenia violating the peace process and showing unconstructive
approach. The 12-year peace talks yielded no results, while it is
unknown how long will they continue. We are loyal to peace talks,
but our patience expires when we face with unconstructive position by
Armenia. If Azerbaijan sees the negotiation process to be of imitation
character, it will refuse from participation in it, he stressed.
Azerbaijan neither within 10 nor 100 years allow the annexation
of Nagorno-Karabakh. Any peace agreement is out question without
repatriation of internally displaced people, he assured.

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
375010 Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 562543
Email: [email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
14-03-2006
Minister Oskanian Receives Nikolai Bordyuzha
Secretary General of Collective Security Treaty Organization
On March 13, Minister Oskanian received Nikolai Bordyuzha, Secretary
General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), who
was in Armenia on a working visit.
During the meeting, the two discussed the present situation in the
CSTO region, and future prospects for increasing the efficiency and
further developing the organization.
Further, they focused on the prospects of cooperation with other
international organizations. In this respect, Secretary General
Bordyuzha briefed the Minister on his visits to the Central Asian
states and to UN headquarters.
The Minister and the Secretary General also discussed issues having
to do with the preparation of upcoming meetings of CSTO institutions
as well as the Council of Collective Security in Minsk.

ARMENIAN LEADERS, CIS SECURITY CHIEF DISCUSS TIES
Sources:
Regnum, Moscow 14 Mar 06
Arminfo 14 Mar 06
Yerevan, 14 March: Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and Nikolay
Bordyuzha, secretary-general of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO), discussed the main tasks which the CSTO faces
and ways of resolving issues in Yerevan today.
The sides also discussed how to improve the organization’s work
and make it more effective, the presidential press service has told
Arminfo news agency.
They also discussed preparations for a session of the CSTO which is
planned to take place in Minsk in June.
[Regnum news agency reported on the same day that Bordyuzha was also
received by Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan. “The sides discussed
the situation on the territory under the jurisdiction of the CSTO
and ways of improving the work and increasing the effectiveness of
the organization,” Regnum reported quoting the press service of the
Foreign Ministry].

SPECIAL ELECTIONS OF VILLAGE HEAD TO BE HELD IN DEBED, LORI MARZ, ON MARCH 12
Noyan Tapan
Mar 07 2006
VANADZOR, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN. Elections of the village head will
be held on March 12 in the village of Debed, Lori marz. The reason
of holding special elections is that the previous village head died
suddenly in a month after the elections of the local self-government
bodies held in October, 2005.
According to the information, he was at the steering whell of his
personal car at the moment of the death.

HOVHANNES IGITYAN: NEW REFERENDUM IN KARABAKH IS A TRAP
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.03.2006 23:06 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A new referendum in Nagorno Karabakh proposed at
the Rambouillet meeting of the Armenian and Azeri Presidents is a
trap, Chair of External Relations Commission of the National Assembly
of Armenia in 1995-1999 Hovhannes Igityan stated in a conversation
with a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. In his words, the returns of the
referendum on NKR’s independence in 1991 are in fact canceled if it is
the case. “The move can be considered as a concession by Azerbaijan,
however it is not so. The NKR should be the one to set conditions
of holding (or not holding) a referendum. A legal formula should be
“invented” for displaced persons and refugees – only the NKR Ministry
of Internal Affairs can deal with that,” Igityan remarked. At that
he added that the legal framework for recognition of Nagorno Karabakh
independence will be weakened.

‘ROOTS AND RICHES OF ARMENIA’
Medford Transcript, MA
March 8 2006
“Roots and Riches of Armenia” is showing at Springstep, 98 George P.
Hassett Drive, now through March 15.
This gallery exhibit features examples of traditional Armenian
decorative arts, textiles and clothing, in addition to contemporary
artworks by Minas Avetisian and Paradjanov, two men who distinctly
influenced Armenian art in the 20th century.
Articles on display are courtesy of the Armenian Library and Museum
of America and the private collection of Carolann and George Najarian.

PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN URGES JAPAN TO INVEST IN OIL INFRASTRUCTURE
Pravda, Russia
March 9 2006
Azerbaijan’s president on Thursday urged Japanese companies to invest
in his nation’s oil infrastructure, saying he hoped the Caucasus
country will soon become a major oil exporter.
President Ilham Aliev, in Tokyo on a four-day trip, told Japanese
Foreign Minister Taro Aso that Azerbaijan had implemented a range of
social and economic policies and had “high expectations” for increased
Japanese investment, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Aliev
told Aso he hoped Azerbaijan would soon become a major exporter of
oil and natural gas, according to the statement.
Aso said Tokyo was interested in maintaining strong bilateral
ties because of Azerbaijan ‘s importance, geopolitically and as an
oil-producing nation.
Aliev was slated to meet Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Friday.
Azerbaijan is rich in oil and gas reserves. But development of those
reserves has been hindered by conflict with neighboring Armenia over
the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave within
Azerbaijan.
The 18-year dispute, in which at least 30,000 people have been killed
and 1 million made refugees, has affected stability throughout the
strategic and oil-rich Caucasus region, reports the AP.