Author: Karapetian Hovik

ARMENIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS GOING TO COMPILE A FILE OF VIOLATED RIGHTS
Lusine Vasilyan

"Radiolur"
14.07.2009 16:11

Former Deputy Prosecutor General Gagk Jhangiryan gave his first
press conference after the amnesty to speak about his future plans,
the probe into the case of March 1.

Gagik Jhangiryan informed that he will now coordinate the work of the
Legal Protection Center of the State-Legal Committee of the Armenian
National Congress.

According to him, the Center will keep in focus the court system
and will register all the violations. As a first step, the Congress
is going to compile a file violated rights, where they will gather,
register and rank any case of violation of citizens’ rights by state
and legal bodies and their officials.

Jhangiiryan noted that the center would keep in focus the issue
of the persons deprived of their liberty after the events of March
1. According to him, about 90% of the March 1 cases are in different
stages of appeal.

PACE RESOLUTIONS SIMPLY HELP ARMENIA TO SEE ITS PROBLEMS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
10.07.2009 16:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "PACE Resolution on Armenia does provide solution to
problems, it just focuses on their existence," NA ex-Speaker Tigran
Torosyan told today a news conference. Resolution wording, according
to him, hints the existence of an internal political crisis in Armenia.

Answering journalists’ questions about MP Zaruhi Postanjyan’s
statement, ex-Parliament Speaker said, "As seen by subsequent
reaction, Armenia has unserious attitude to PACE’s decision. Instead of
discussing the Resolution, everybody has focused on Zaruhi Postanjyan’s
conduct."

ARMENIANS MUST BE GIVEN RIGHT TO VISIT GRAVES OF THEIR RELATIVES IN AZERBAIJAN

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
10.07.2009 13:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Mutual visits can’t even be discussed, as until
now, any ethnic Armenian who arrived in Baku was sent back right out
of airport, regardless the person’s citizenship," South Caucasian
region expert, Arsen Melik-Shahnazarov told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter
in Stepanakert.

He reminded that European symphonic orchestra musician and a young
Bulgarian chess-player were announced as personae non gratae in
Baku. Among them, even a scientist from Yaroslavl, born in Baku,
Alexander Aghamov who was a Head of Russian Oncologists’ Delegation
bound for Baku. "All these people were refused from visiting Baku,
as their origin was doubted in Azeri capital. Still, they had no
indications as to their nationality in their passports, which means
Azeri special services were detecting their origin beforehand, based
on indirect indications," the expert noted.

Considering highly intolerant attitude of Azerbaijan, Melik-Shahnazarov
is bewildered, "Why then, people like Bulbuloglu, a representative
of intellectual elite at Azeragitprop, the one who’s repeatedly
discredited himself as a peacemaker, should walk over Artsakh soil,
imbued with the Armenian blood? What’s the sense behind shamanistic
rituals of racism and hatred promoters in long suffering Shushi? A
city, where Armenian population was first exterminated and banished,
and then fully estranged from its native country by chicanery of
"intellectuals" to which Bulbuloglu’s forefathers and companions
belonged?," Arsen Melik-Shahnazarov questioned.

"The current visit was more propagandistic and provided Azerbaijan with
an opportunity to trumpet the meeting of Azeris with the ‘Armenian
community of Karabakh’. Although it sounds as senseless as ‘Azeri
community of Azerbaijani Republic’, a tiny move has been made. So,
participation of ‘Azeri community of NK’ in International Alert
meeting has been already discussed," he said.

Melik-Shahnazarov welcomed Karabakh NGOs’ decision to refuse
participation in "untalented shows financed by British Petroleum"
and voiced hope that Armenian NGOs will do the same.

As to the possibility for Azeri citizens to attend cemeteries in
Nagorno Karabakh, it could be real on two conditions, according
to him. "First, Armenians should be allowed to attend cemeteries
in Shahumyan, Getashen and Northern Artsakh. Second, Azeri citizens
should have their passports stamped upon arrival in Nagorno Karabakh,"
Melik-Shahnazarov said.

ADB TO PROVIDE $80 MILLION CRISIS SUPPORT FOR ARMENIA

armradio.am
09.07.2009 17:59

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is extending $200 million in loans
and grants to help Armenia, Georgia and Tajikistan sustain critical
social spending programs that have been imperiled by the global
economic crisis.

ADB’s Board of Directors has approved two program loans of $80 million
equivalent for Armenia; two program loans of $80 million equivalent
for Georgia; and a program grant of $40 million for Tajikistan. All
the funds will come from ADB’s Asian Development Fund, a financing
facility that offers loans at low interest rates and grants to reduce
poverty in its poorest developing member countries. The loans are
expected to be fully used by the end of this year.

ADB’s funding support will allow the governments to deal with negative
shocks to budget revenue and maintain core spending programs for
critical social needs such as welfare payments and social services for
vulnerable groups. It will also allow them to push through with public
investments designed to preserve and create new jobs for economic
recovery. The funds complement assistance from other multilateral
agencies and bilateral sources, including the International Monetary
Fund, World Bank and European Union, and are aligned with the crisis
mitigation programs of the three countries.

"ADB’s programs, in tandem with the initiatives of other20development
partners, will support essential public spending to protect the poor
and vulnerable, as well as aid in the revival of the economies of the
three countries," said Xiaoyu Zhao, Vice President of ADB’s operations
in the region.

ARMENIA’S CASINOS, GAMBLING HALLS PAY 290 MILLION DRAMS WORTH STATE DUTIES IN Q1/Q2

/ARKA/
July 9, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, July 9. /ARKA/. Casinos and gambling halls in Armenia paid
state duties worth 290mln drams in the first half of 2009, the RA
Ministry of Finance reports.

Last month, gambling halls were fined 2.7mln drams, with casinos
paying penalties total of 2.2mln drams. In June, the local casinos
and gambling halls paid 85mln drams worth state duties.

The RA Ministry of Finance granted a license to a casino and a license
to a gambling hall, annulling four licenses. During the same period,
the ministry suspended five licenses for gambling operations.

The government agencies revealed violations, suspending six licenses
for gambling operations.

Licenses of 111 gambling halls, 11 casinos and one lottery were valid
as of July 1, 2009. ($1-364.54 drams)

CYPRIOT UNIVERSITIES OFFER SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ARMENIAN STUDENTS

/ARKA/
July 9, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, July 9. /ARKA/. Armenia students may apply for scholarships
to universities in Cyprus, the RA Ministry of Education and Science
reports. As part of its official development policy, Cyprus offers
2009-2010 scholarships to study in the fields of business, services,
public management, tourism, agriculture and forestry.

For long-term scholarships, Armenia’s citizens can apply to the
University of Nicosia. Short-term scholarships are available in other
universities of Cyprus participating in the program.

Long-term scholarships (more than 12 months) including transport fees,
tuition remission, a â~B¬750 monthly benefits, as well as benefits
for the arrival and departure and medical insurance.

Short-term scholarships (4-6 weeks) include transport expenses,
studies, â~B¬30 daily benefits, accommodation, medical insurance,
internal transport and departure/arrival expenditures.

Eligible candidates are citizens of the list of scholarship recipient
countries for the academic year 2009-2010. For more information about
the scholarships, visit

EDWARD NALBANDIAN: KARABAKH’S FULL PARTICIPATION IN THE TALKS NECESSARY

AZG Armenian Daily
09/07/2009

On July 8 Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received the
Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Yuri Merzlyakov, Bernard Fassier
and Matthew Bryza, as well as the Personal Representative of the OSCE
Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk. During the meeting discussed
were issues related to the preparation of the forthcoming meeting of
the Presidnts of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Moscow. Turning to the
negotiation process in the framework of the Minsk Group, Minister
Nalbandian stressed the necessity of the full participation of the
Karabakhi side in the process as an effective guarantee of the peace
process. The Co-Chairs expressed regret that the weather conditions
did not allow them to travel to Stepanakert. Commenting on Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov’s statement about providing autonomy
to Nagorno Karabakh within Azerbaijan, Edward Nalbandian said the
Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan is not the one to decide upon the status
of Artsakh, and the reight belongs to the people of Nagorno Karabakh.

RA PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN MET WITH THE REPRESENTATIVES OF OVER TWENTY TRAVEL AGENCIES TO DISCUSS A TOURISM-RELATED AGENDA.

Wedn esday, 8 July 2009

The speakers highlighted the need for having a unified State policy
in the field of tourism, extending the scope of the home tourism,
improving corresponding infrastructures, offering social guarantees
and providing for a more effective tax administration.

Meeting participants were proposed to look at the "low-budget holiday
and trips in Artsakh" package, meant to activate the flux of tourists
to the NKR, which in turn will promote prospective tourism in the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

As a result, it has been decided to organize a 3-day courtesy trip to
the NKR in order to get a closer view of the existing opportunities
and see how tourism can be best developed in Artsakh.

PRAGUE POLICE ARREST GROUP OF FOREIGNERS ROBBING SUPERMARKETS

Prague Daily Monitor
7 July 2009

Prague, July 6 (CTK) – The Prague police arrested four foreigners
from the former Soviet Union on Sunday who are suspected of robbing
supermarkets in the city, the police website informed Tuesday.

They armed group is suspected of six robberies in the past several
months, the police said.

The damage incurred is estimated at 2.5 million crowns.

If found guilty, the men face up to 12 years in prison.

The police say the gang knew the supermarkets because its members
worked as guards in them in the past.

The suspects who speak Russian, Ukrainian, Belorussian and Armenian
are aged 26 to 31 and they did not have any official job, according
to the police website.

A state attorney is to decide whether the men will be taken into
custody.

ARREST OF OPPOSITION ACTIVIST HAS PROVED THAT THE REGIME IS NOT GOING TO STOP ITS WAR AGAINST ITS OWN PEOPLE: ANC COORDINATOR

ArmInfo
2009-07-06 16:52:00

ArmInfo. The arrest of Tigran Arakelyan has proved that the regime is
not going to stop its war against its own people, the coordinator
of the Armenian National Congress Levon Zurabyan said during a
press-conference today.

To remind, Arakelyan was one of the oppositionists who were arrested
on July 1 while disseminating leaflets about July 2 rally.

"Arakelyan is charged with applying violence against policemen but
it was the police who attacked our guys. We have proofs that the
attack was planned and personally commanded by the head of the police
department of the Center community Ashot Karapetyan. On July 1 the
police acted like Gestapo," Zurabyan said.