Author: Karagyozian Lena

VRAM GYULZADIAN: BEING PART OF AUTHORITIES, OYK WAS ABLE TO UNDERTAKE AT PARLIAMENT ROLE OF OPPOSITION AS WELL
Noyan Tapan
May 23 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 23, NOYAN TAPAN. During the last three years, the “Orinats
Yerkir” (Country of Law) party, being a part of the Government, was
able to undertake at the Parliament the role of the opposing force
as well. Vram Gyulzadian, a member of the “OYK” faction stated about
it at the May 22 sitting of the National Assembly. According to him,
“being an opposition does not mean only to abuse the country President
and Defence Minister.” He expressed his astonishment on the occasion
that opposing forces of the Parliament “gives a hostile reception”
to the “Orinats Yerkir” party’s becoming opposition. “It seems we
came to this field to remove them.” “We have stated many times that we
have our way and that we must go in that way, we do not want to hamper
anybody and we do not need anybody’s salvation,” the “OYK” faction’s
representative stated. Gurgen Arsenian, the Chairman of the United
Labour Party mentioned on the same day in the interview to journalists
that the United Labour Party has never been opposing one. According to
him, during the 2003 presidential elections, the United Labour Party,
having supported Robert Kocharian’s candidature, critisized at the
Parliament the coalition’s activity, considering that it does not
assist implementation of Kocharian’s pre-electoral promises.

THEY WILL HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE RETURN OF THE DEPOSITS
A1+
[08:40 pm] 22 May, 2006
Despite the fact that the deadline of submitting applications for
getting compensation for their deposits in the ASSR Sberbank closed
on May 12, many people still try to submit applications.
Some of them claim they did not know about the deadline. Others claim
they were abroad. But the majority tries to get information about
the date and sums to be compensated.
On May 19 the RA Ministry of Labor and Social Issues summed up the
information submitted by the regional agencies of the social services
which received the applications of the citizens. According to the
information, 60 967 citizens have applied representing a total of
137 481 savings-bank books.
We learned from the RA Ministry of Labor and Social Issues that the
lists of the citizens who will et compensation will be made public
during the third semester of the current year, and the compensation
process will start. “Before that the data about the applicants must
be checked. That is what we are working on at present”, we were told
in the Ministry.

WILL THE AVIATION ISSUE BE DISCUSSED?
A1+
[08:17 pm] 22 May, 2006
Secretary of the Justice bloc faction Viktor Dallakyan announced today
about the initiative to gather signatures planning the discussions
the NA of the situation in the civic aviation and the activity of
the government in this connection in.
“On May 11 a legislative initiative has been introduced and in order
to discuss that draft on June 12 we offer the deputies to gather 44
signatures, to include the issue in the agenda and to discuss the issue
during the June 12 special session”, Viktor Dallakyan addressed the
NA majority. He mentioned that the issue is especially urgent taking
into account the circumstances of the May 3 crash of the Armenian
plane in Sochi.

TAX REVENUES EXAMINED PUBLICLY
By Mher Ohanian
Yerkir.am
May 19, 2006
The State Tax Service publicized the list of 1000 largest tax payers
of the country. The list shows that there are almost no changes among
the leaders of Armenian business.
The top three largest tax payers are companies with foreign capital.
Nevertheless, the fact that the list included 1000 companies as opposed
to the previous list of 300, can be considered a positive development
which can sober up a little the shadow segment of our economy.
What is the distribution of the tax payers?
The copper-molybdenum factory in Zangezur is the largest tax
payer. The company paid 5 billion drams in taxes in the first quarter
of 2006. The second largest tax payer is ArmenTel which paid 3.8
billion drams. The third largest tax payer is ArmRusGasArd Company
that has paid approximately 3.2 billion drams in taxes.
There are not many companies in the list that have changed their
position compared to the list of 300 largest tax payers publicized
earlier. One of such companies is K-Telecom, the second operator of
mobile telecommunications, which was the 15th in the last year’s list
while this year it moved up to the 7th position.
In the first quarter of 2006 K-Telecom paid 1.5 drams in taxes. The set
of hydro-power stations in Vorotan moved up from the 24th position it
occupied last year to the 12th this year. Fleetwood Company that was
the 5th in the last year’s list moved down to the 32nd position this
year. This company is a monopoly company importing sugar to Armenia.
The companies dealing with fuel, cigarettes and alcohol have stable
positions in the list of largest tax payers. Flesh and Kaghpetrol
Service Companies specializing in import and sale of petrol and diesel
occupy the 4th and 5th positions respectively. In the first quarter
of this year they have paid 3.6 billion drams in taxes. Grand Tobacco
and International Masis Tabak Companies specializing in production
and sale of cigarettes have paid 2 billion drams in taxes together.

AZERBAIJAN PROTESTS AT FORMER RUSSIAN KARABAKH MEDIATOR’S REMARKS – TV
ANS TV, Baku
20 May 06
[Presenter] Vladimir Kazimirov, a former Russian co-chairman of the
OSCE Minsk Group who mostly sides with Armenians and who is known for
his pro-Armenian statements, has made a new statement, causing serious
dissatisfaction. Azerbaijan was so displeased with the statement
that the Russian charge d’affaires to Azerbaijan, Pyotr Burdykin,
was summoned to the Foreign Ministry.
[Correspondent over archive footage] Vladimir Kazimirov’s latest
statement represents a dangerous trend that could deal a serious blow
to both the peaceful settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict
and Russian-Azerbaijani relations, said Novruz Mammadov, head of the
foreign relations department of the Presidential Executive Staff.
Kazimirov threw into question UN principles on national rights and
the inviolability of borders, which were confirmed by the Helsinki
Agreement signed in 1948.
Kazimirov said, quote, these principles do not work today. But
[Azerbaijani President] Ilham Aliyev believes in these principles as
dogmas, which is why he is in an impasse now. I do not even mention
that the war rhetoric undermines the basic moral premises of society
and adversely affects the psychology of the young generation, unquote.
[Passage omitted]
Mammadov believes that such statements, which could hamper the
settlement of the conflict, cannot coincide with the positions of
Russia and other co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group.
Pyotr Burdykin, head of Russia’s diplomatic mission in Azerbaijan,
today was summoned to the Foreign Ministry in connection with
Kazimirov’s statement. Baku expressed its dissatisfaction verbally
to Burdykin.
Tahir Tagizada, head of the ministry’s media and information
department, told ANS that Deputy Foreign Minister Xalaf Xalafov had
informed the Russian charge d’affaires of Azerbaijan’s dissatisfaction.
Tagizada said Burdykin had promised to relay Baku’s official position
to Moscow and inform the Azerbaijani side of measures to be taken in
connection with Kazimirov’s statement.

PRESS RELEASE
The Heritage Party
7 Vazgen Sargsian Street
Yerevan 0010, Armenia
Tel.: (+374 – 10) 58.08.77, 52.22.38
Fax: (+374 – 10) 54.38.97
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
Website:
May 22, 2006
Heritage Party Headquarters Still Under Lock: Court Case Delayed
Yerevan–Heritage Party Chairman Raffi K. Hovannisian’s legal claim against
the administration of the Paronian Theater was heard on May 19 at the Court
of First Instance of Yerevan’s Central and Nork-Marash communities. The
hearing was presided over by Judge Edward Avetisian.
The events leading to Hovannisian’s petition began on March 4, 2006, when
party representatives witnessed the unlawful replacement, without prior
notice, of the already-smashed lock of the outside door to the party’s main
office, whose space, located at 7 Vazgen Sargsian Street, Raffi Hovannisian
has leased since 1994. The lock was replaced by the chief engineer and two
members from the auxiliary staff of the theater. In the meantime, the entire
process was supervised by two unknown men who were sitting in a nearby car.
The very same day, the theater’s administration assumed responsibility for
this act and concealed its true architects. Since then, the party’s seal and
documents necessary for normal operations, as well as personal and family
belongings of Hovannisian and his staff, are kept under the control of the
theater’s management. Hovannisian had sent a communiqué to Armenia’s
Attorney General Aghvan Hovsepian and Police Chief Haik Harutiunian in
regard to the unlawful operation carried out against the office and formally
requested that they give an imperative legal assessment of what had occurred
and bring those responsible to justice. They, however, sent a reply stating
that the dispute between Hovannisian and the administration of the theater
is a civil disagreement and thus must be resolved by the courts.
An official claim was filed on April 11 at the Center-Nork Marash Court
against the Paronian Theater’s management wherein it was demanded that the
infringement upon the right of control and usage of property be lifted. In
order to prohibit the taking of certain actions by the theater’s management
against the property under its control, the plaintiff simultaneously
submitted a petition to restore the right of access to the belongings of
Raffi Hovannisian and the Heritage Party. The court ruled in favor of this
petition, and the order was forwarded to the Service for Mandatory Execution
of Judicial Acts at the Ministry of Justice. However, in an unprecedented
action that lacked clear explanation, this body returned the petition and
the order back to the Court. On May 19, Judge Avetisian sent the same ruling
to the aforementioned service a second time.
On May 19, the first hearing of the case opened in the absence of the
defendant, which had not presented a formal request for the continuance of
the trial. It had instead previously informed the court of its position that
the lease signed between the theater administration and the tenant was not
officially notarized and consequently void, and so the petition is
unsubstantiated and subject to dismissal. This “objection” by the defendant
became grounds for Vahan Grigorian, Raffi Hovannisian’s attorney to submit,
by way of introducing relevant evidence, a request for making additional
claims, in particular those which derive under the law by consequence of
nullification of contracts. The Court, taking all submissions into account,
adjourned and set a new hearing on June 1.
Founded in 2002, Heritage has regional divisions throughout the land. Its
central headquarters are located at 7 Vazgen Sargsian Street, Yerevan
375010, Armenia, with telephone contact at (374-10) 580.877, fax at (374-10)
543.897, and email at [email protected]

DAY OF EUROVISION DRESS REHEARSALS
By Toni Sant in Athens
Maltamedia Daily News, Malta
May 19 2006
Three dress rehearsals are scheduled for the Eurovision Song Contest
before the final show on Saturday evening. The first dress rehearsal
took place on Friday afternoon. A second dress rehearsal for Friday
starts at 2000 CET.
Following Friday’s first dress rehearsal, Fabrizio Faniello’s costume
for the final, a wedding suit without jacket and tie, was greeted with
comments of disapproval and disbelief. Eurovision fan club OGAE-Malta
president Deo Grech told MaltaMedia.com, “it’s simply not Fabrizio’s
style!” Non-Maltese websites, like esctoday.com and doteurovision.com,
have also published lukewarm comments about Fabrizio Faniello’s look
following the dress rehearsals.
Several members of the Maltese delegation and members of the press
told MaltaMedia.com what they think about the potential top 10 songs
to emerge from Saturday’s final, in no particular order.
Greece “I believe this will be one of the top two songs. Anna Vissi
has an aura of respect around her and this balad with a beat appeals to
Eurovision song lovers.” – John Demanuele, Assistant Head of Delegation
“A soppy song. I don’t like it! I personally prefer singers like
Pink, Shania Twain or Alanis Morissette.” – Nadette Bugeja, Maltese
Delegation: Head of Press.
Sweden “Carola can do no wrong. As expected this is a great song with
a fantastic show!” – Deo Grech, OGAE-Malta, Eurovision fan club.
“Typically Swedish. Not my number 1 favourite but it’s exactly what
Eurovision fans want.” – Claudette Pace, former Eurovision contestant.
Romania “It’s a great song! Mihai Traistariu has a great voice…but
no stage presence. My gay friends tell me they love it. I’m sure
many Italians will like it too…even though they don’t follow the
Eurovision.” – J.P. Attard, Producer, Where’s Everybody?
Ukraine “As impressive as Ruslana. Tina Karol has a nice real
smile. She’s not fake. A great song and a great voice. This year
Ukraine has everything Armenia doesn’t have” – Eileen Montesin,
official PBS Eurovision commentator.
Russia “This song has the ideal show. Quite unexpected. And it helps
that the singer is good looking, even if this poses some competition
for Malta’s entry.” – Frederick Zammit, Head of Programmes: Net TV.
Bosnia & Herzogovina “What an excellent song, to the taste of
Eurovision fans. It contrasts really well with most other entries,
which is why I’m convinced they did so well in the semi-final
voting.” – Cyrus Engerer, ESCMalta News Manager.
Spain “Spanish is such a sexy language! I expect it to be a hit all
over Europe this summer, whatever happens on Saturday night. It’s
a typical Las Ketchup song.” – Pablo Micallef, Producer, Where’s
Everybody?
“I don’t like the group but it’s not a bad song and the show is
excellent. Still, I don’t think it’s a winner, by any means.” –
Krista Caruana, Super One News journalist.
Turkey “It’s not the winning song…but then again I may be wrong. I
never expected Lithuania to get to the final, nor for Belgium to
be left behind. So maybe we’ll be in Turkey this time next year.” –
Pierre Cachia, Super One TV producer.
Finland Comments about Lordi’s Hard Rock Hallelujah are on everyone’s
lips.
Reactions are spread across the spectrum. From “good for a laugh” to
“if I wasn’t supporting Malta I’d support them instead, even though
I’m not a rock fan.”
Finland’s Eurovision entry is getting under more people’s skin with
every rehearsal. If it wins it will indeed change the face of the
Eurovision Song Contest. The EBU may even be forced to reconsider
leaving the voting completely up to the general public.
Speaking to MaltaMedia.com on Thursday afternoon, Bogdan Kopec,
managing director of Drakkar Entertainment, Lordi’s German record
label, said that many rock clubs in Germany are organizing special
parties for rockers to vote for Lordi during the 10-minute voting
period on Thursday and Saturday evening. If more rock clubs adopt
similar strategies for the final night, Lordi may very well be the
winners of the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest.
Saturday’s final dress rehearsal is at 1300 CET. The final show will
be broadcast live at 2100 CET on TVM and most other EBU affiliated
stations.
For more detailed information about Malta’s participation in the
Eurovision Song Contest see EurovisionMalta.com.

NATO INTERIM ASSESSMENT MISSION TO FURNISH OUTCOMES OF VISIT JUNE 14
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.05.2006 19:19 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ May 18-19 the NATO Mission was in Armenia to make
the interim assessment of Armenia’s Individual Partnership Action
Plan, reported the RA MFA press office. The discussions of the NATO
representatives and the Armenian IPAP commission were dedicated to
the measures referring to the IPAP implementation. The final outcomes
of the visit will be furnished in Brussels June 14.

PYUNIK FALL SHORT OF PERFECTION
by Khachik Chakhoyan
from Yerevan
uefa.com, Switzerland
May 18 2006
Photo: Levon Pachajyan has scored three goals for Pyunik this season
(©AFP)
FC Pyunik have started the season in daunting form but the
title-holders failed to add the Armenian Cup to their haul.
Impressive form In four league games, Pyunik have scored eleven and
conceded just one, confirming they will be the side to beat with 3-0
wins against two of their challengers for the 2006 crown, FC MIKA
and Yerevan rivals FC Banants
Cup defeat However, they have not had things all their way. MIKA showed
their quality in the Armenian Cup final by beating the champions 1-0,
Armen Shageldyan scoring the only goal as the Ashtarak team lifted
the cup for the fifth time in seven editions.
MIKA resurgent A home defeat by Pyunik in their second game of the
campaign had left MIKA on a solitary point, but they have since looked
livelier, claiming back-to-back victories and showing the kind of
steel needed to mount a title bid.
Banants disjointed The same hardly applies to Banants who have only
four points from their four matches. The promise of a 6-0 mauling
of FC Shirak evaporated with losses to FC Ararat Yerevan and Pyunik,
and a goalless draw against FC Gandzasar Kapan.
Ararat impress Newly-promoted Gandzasar and Ararat have both
performed well, playing exciting football and demonstrating plenty
of discipline. Gandzasar are level on points with third-placed MIKA
while Ararat are second, four points behind Pyunik.
Ulis struggling Meanwhile, FC Ulis Yerevan, who escaped relegation in
their previous guise as FC Dinamo-Zenit Yerevan last term, already
appear to be favourites for demotion. After five rounds, they have
yet to register a point.
nd=2/newsId=422169.html
–Boundary_(ID_9bNRDIg/Sb EcRQDmMvXPIA)–

ARMENIAN SPEAKER QUITS
By Rita Karapetian in Yerevan
Institute for War & Peace Reporting
May 18 2006
Resignation of parliamentary chairman may be a prelude to a bid for
the presidency.
A year before the next parliamentary election in Armenia, the speaker
of parliament has resigned, opening up a serious rift inside the
governing coalition.
Artur Baghdasarian made his shock announcement on May 12, declaring
at the same time that his Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law) party was
going into opposition.
Orinats Yerkir was one of three pro-presidential parties that formed
the ruling coalition in 2003, along with the Republican Party of
Armenia and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (generally known as
Dashnaktsutiun). As the second largest party with 20 out of the 131
seats in parliament, Orinats Yerkir was awarded the post of speaker
and the ministries of town planning, education and science, as well
as culture and young people.
The coalition has been slowly breaking up, and prior to Baghdasarian’s
announcement, the three parties had already announced their intention
to run separately in next year’s parliamentary election.
Bagdasarian, 37, has indicated that he has ambitions for the next
presidential election, due in 2008. A lawyer by training, he speaks
good French and is identified with the policy of integrating Armenia
into European institutions, as well as with social justice for
the poor.
Tensions within the coalition reached crisis point in April when
Orinats Yerkir deputies voted against the government’s progress report
on its privatisation programme.
The party’s deputy leader Mher Shahgeldian told journalists that
Baghdasarian had informed the prosecutor general of specific cases
of abuse in the privatisation process.
In a later interview with the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine
Zeitung on April 19, Baghdasarian said that if the next presidential
election involves the same level of fraud as the last one, “neither
domestic nor external forces will accept them”.
Baghdasarian also said that Armenia hoped to become part of NATO and
that Russia should not put obstacles in the way of that happening.
This provoked an irritated response from President Robert Kocharian,
who said, “Armenia does not intend to join NATO. Membership of the
[Commonwealth of Independent States] Collective Security Treaty and
the current high level of military technical cooperation with Russia
is sufficient to ensure the security of our country.”
Kocharian added that Armenia had no plans to aspire for European
Union membership, either.
The president said he met the parliamentary speaker every week, so that
“it was strange to learn what his point of view on this was from the
German press”.
However, Baghdasarian then reiterated his views in a speech to
parliament, saying that both he and his party supported stronger
relations with NATO and that they saw the country’s future within
the EU.
Baghdasarian’s coalition partners rejected his views, and said he
had no right to use parliament as a platform for them.
Kocharian’s press secretary Victor Soghomonian said the president was
convinced that the departure of Orinats Yerkir did not spell crisis
for the coalition.
“A change in the composition of the ruling coalition is a normal
event in any civilised country,” said Soghomonian. “Nothing unusual
has happened, particularly if you consider that there have been
differences of opinion inside the coalition and it’s only to be
expected that these would come to a head in the pre-election period,
as we have seen over the last month.”
Orinats Yerkir itself had already begun to split into pro- and
anti-government factions, so only nine members of its parliamentary
group followed their leader into opposition. That has allowed the
government to retain its parliamentary majority. Two of the ministers
holding posts awarded to the party are staying in their jobs.
Deputy speaker Tigran Torosian of the Republican Party is widely
expected to be elected as the new head of parliament.
David Petrosian, political commentator for the Noyan Tapan news agency,
thinks Baghdasarian has ambitions to become Armenia’s version of
Mikheil Saakashvili or Viktor Yushchenko – the leaders who emerged
from the Georgian and Ukrainian revolutions.
But his close association with the current regime makes that unlikely –
“People whose hands are clean don’t get involved in dirty business,”
remarked Petrosian.
Political analyst Stepan Grigorian said it was not yet clear how
Orinats Yerkir would position itself now.
“Time will tell whether Orinats Yerkir really becomse an opposition
party,” he said. “If it teams up with political forces that are really
in opposition to the authorities, then it is possible that there will
be a movement similar to those in Georgia and Ukraine.”
Veteran opposition leader Vazgen Manukian argues that the withdrawal
of Orinats Yerkir from government is a momentous event which shows
how the authorities both create and destroy political parties.
However, opposition deputy Shavarsh Kocharian speculated that the
apparent split was in reality coordinated with the authorities so as
to create a loyal “opposition” party.
Describing the ex-speaker as a politician driven by ambition, Kocharian
(no relation of the president) said, “It is obvious that in certain
circles in the West, there is a favourable view of Baghdasarian. But
if this trend is to last or strengthen, it will depend on whether
the people accept him.”
Rita Karapetian is a correspondent with Noyan Tapan news agency.