Author: Khondkarian Raffi

DIPLOMAS OF ARMENIAN UNIVERSITIES TO BE VALID IN COUNTRIES JOINED TO BOLOGNA AGREEMENT

YEREVAN, JUNE 2. ARMINFO. Diplomas of Armenia’s universities will be
valid in all the countries joined to the Bologna agreement of the
All-European educational system and ratified the Lisbon Convention
on recognizing qualification of higher education, stated director
of Armenia’s National education institute Viktor Martirossyan in an
interview to ARMINFO.

He noted that these documents will allow students to get academic
bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accordance with All-European
educational system standards. Martirossyan noted that reforms in
Armenia’s educational system will be completed till 2010. In his
words, some Armenian universities have agreements on validity of their
diplomas in some foreign universities. Besides, Armenian diplomas
are valid in universities of all CIS countries.

According to Armenia’s National Statistic Service, in 2004-2005 in
Armenian state universities studied 2972 foreign students, of them
901 from Georgia, 666 from Iran, 536 from India, 343 from Syria,
305 from Russian and 36 from Turkey. 806 foreigners study in private
universities. To remind, Armenia ratified the Lisbon convention in
March, 2005 and joined to the Bologna agreement early in May.

At the same time, as IRNA informs, ambassador of Iran to Armenia
Alireza Khakikiyan does not advise Iranians to study in Armenia, In
his yesterday’s speech in Tebriz he informed that Iranian students
face with big social problems within the study period in Armenia.
Ambassador stated that the Iranians graduated from universities and
institutions of higher education in Armenia, face with low mark of
Armenian diplomas. “Iranian families should not send their children
for continuing study in Armenia”, Khakikiyan stated. -r-

Soros Downplays Role in Georgia Revolution
By MISHA DZHINDZHIKHASHVILI

The Associated Press
05/31/05 17:53 EDT

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) – U.S. billionaire George Soros on Tuesday
praised Georgia’s “Rose Revolution,” which catapulted opposition
leaders to power 16 months ago, but played down the role of
organizations that received funding from his foundation.

During his three-day visit to the Caucasus Mountain nation, Soros
has been met with protests by Georgian nationalists who allege he
is the power behind the pro-Western government of President Mikhail
Saakashvili.

Soros told a news conference that critics have exaggerated the role
played by organizations who received funding from his Open Society
Institute, which was holding its 10th anniversary commemoration
in Georgia.

“I’m very pleased and proud of the work of the foundation in preparing
Georgian society for what became a Rose Revolution, but the role of
the foundation and my personal has been greatly exaggerated,” Soros
said in response to questions by reporters. “I think you here must
know more than anybody else that the Rose Revolution was entirely
the work of Georgian society.”

Protests against election fraud snowballed into demonstrations that
came to be known as the Rose Revolution. The demonstrations toppled
the corruption-tainted regime of Eduard Shevardnadze and catapulted
Saakashvili to power.

Soros, who met with Saakashvili on Monday, cited the subsequent
popular uprisings in Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan that threw out entrenched
leadership in those two former Soviet republics and brought some
opposition leaders to power.

“And I think that there is an inspiration throughout the region to
build freedom and less oppressive and less corrupt governments. But
the foundation is not engaged in preparing revolutions – that is not
the mission of the foundation,” Soros said.

Some Georgian politicians have alleged that Soros had personally
appointed seven Georgian ministers to their jobs and was paying
their salaries.

Up to this year, some government salaries were, in fact, paid by
international organizations, but as of 2005 the state budget has been
covering them.

“Neither I nor the foundation exerted any influence about the selection
of the people who were entitled to these supplemented salaries,”
he said.

The billionaire also said opposition protests during his visit were
a sign of Georgia’s democratic process.

HEAD OF RF PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION ARRIVES IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, May 30. /ARKA/. Head of the RF Presidential Administration
Dmitry Medvedev has arrived in Yerevan. Talking to journalists
on his arrival, he reported that during his visit all issues of
bilateral relations are to be discussed. Medvedev promised to report
detailed information tomorrow. He pointed out that these are economic
issues related to integration within the present-day integration
structures. According to him, the agenda will also include energy
projects, which are most topical and important fro the two countries,
“as well as all that is topical for Russian-Armenian relations.” “The
agenda is very broad and packed, quite elaborate, but also abstract or
philosophic,” Medvedev said. He also reported that he is scheduled
to hold meetings with the RA President, RA Minister of Defense,
Head of the RA Presidential Administration.

Medvedev did not ruile out the possibility of withdrawal of Russian
military bases from Georgia. “It is a rather complicated issue,
which must first all be discussed between Russia and Georgia,
but some aspects should be discussed with our other neighbors,” he
said. Speaking of the commissioning of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil
pipeline, Medvedev pointed out that Russia’s attitude to the project
is normal. “Let it work, and I hope for economic profitability,”
Medevedev said. P.T. -0–

4 DRAFT LAWS PASSED AT MAY 26 MORNING MEETING OF RA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

YEREVAN, MAY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. At the May 26 morning meeting, the RA
National Assembly passed 4 draft laws debated the day before, 3 of
which envisage amendments and additions to the laws currently in
force. In particular, the draft law on making amendments and additions
to the Law on Road Payments was passed in the second reading, which
specifies the order of calculating and making payments for driving
trucks registered in the RA on the motorways. The payment for driving
trucks registered in Armenia is fixed and shall be collected every
month. The draft law on making an addition to the Law on Taxes was
passed in the second reading. It provides that the laws that envisage
a change in a tax rate or introduce new types of tax and contain
provisions with stricter conditions for the tax payer shall take
effect no sooner than 30 days after their publication. This draft will
come into effect from January 1, 2006.

Today, Azerbaijan
May 28 2005

French co-chairman of the Minsk Group of OSCE Bernard Fassier held a
press-conference

28 May 2005 [17:31] – Today.Az

The French co-chairman of the Minsk Group of OSCE held a
press-conference in the embassy of France in Azerbaijan.

He called opening of the Azerbaijani part of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
main export pipeline an important historical event. Fassier speaking
about his activity as the co-chairman informed that the negotiations
process on regulating the Upper Garabagh conflict had intensified
since January. He valued positively the meeting of the Azerbaijani
and Armenian presidents Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharyan taken place
in Warsaw.

“This meeting was a step taken forward. Both sides realize that it is
necessary to sign a peace treaty. The details of the negotiations are
being kept in secret in accordance with the request of the sides for
the time being. However, the main details can be announced. The
dialogue process is held on the problems of withdrawing the armies
from the regions around Nagorno Karabakh and the status to be given
to Nagorno Karabakh in future”.

Bernard Fassier also brought into the consideration of the media
representatives that he had met with the foreign affairs minister
Elmar Mammedyarov and the president Ilham Aliyev in Baku.

The French co-chairman said that a comprehensive exchange of views
had been held in the direction of solving the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict in both meetings. The visit of the co-chairmen to Armenia is
planned to take place at the end of June. Bernard Fassier informed
that they would meet with the foreign affairs minister of Armenia
Vardan Oskanyan in the frame of the visit but he did not say exactly
whether the meeting with the president Robert Kocharyan would be
held.

According to the plan of the co-chairmen, the next meeting of the
Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign affairs ministers must take place in
the middle of June. After that meeting, the co-chairmen will visit
Baku, Yerevan and Nagorno Karabakh at the end of June.

Bernard Fassier said that the ceasefire regime was not only disturbed
by the Armenian side. “The co-chairmen gave a declaration about
disturbing of the ceasefire in April. I declare once again that
durable disturbing of the ceasefire threatens the piece negotiations
and results in unnecessary losses including human losses”.

URL:

IRANIAN-ARMENIAN OIL-PRESSING FACTORY TO BE CONSTRUCTED IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, MAY 27. ARMINFO. Iran and Armenia agreed to construct an
oil-pressing factory in Armenia, and a $15 mln credit should be
allotted for this purpose. As IRNA informs, the agreement was reached
during a visit of Armenian delegation, headed by Armenia’s deputy
agriculture minister Samvel Avetissyan, to Iran.

Avetissyan noted that prerequisites for fulfilling investments to both
countries by Iranian and Armenian entrepreneurs were created during
this 4-day visit. -r-

NKR FOREIGN MINISTER: IN SPITE OF ALL ITS DISADVANTAGES, KARABAKH IS
ESTABLISHED STATE WITH SYSTEM OF WESTERN-EUROPEAN VALUES

STEPANAKERT, MAY 26. ARMINFO. No development connected with Karabakh
problem or no preliminary arrangement may be realized without consent
and participation of NKR people, stated NKR Foreign Minister Arman
Melikyan in an interview to NKR Public Radio and TV Company.

Commenting on results of a recent meeting of Armenian and Azeri
Presidents in Warsaw he noted that this meeting, in fact, aroused
sufficiently big interest. At the same time, Melikyan noted that any
definite and visible result has not been registered. “The OSCE MG
Co-chairs confirm that there is a progress, Foreign MInisters consider
that one may speak about it, and they should continue working
meetings, however, this progress is unclear yet”, minister noted.

Answering a question if a variant of the conflict settlement stated by
Armenia’s President Robert Kocharyan at Warsaw summit is realizable,
Melikyan answered: “”It seems to me that yes. Not immediately, but
yes, as Nagorny Karabakh Republic, in fact, is the established state,
in spite of all its disadvantages, and it has the system of values
which exists in Western Europe”. -r-

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
May 25, 2005
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
Email: [email protected]

TURKISH GOVERNMENT CALLS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CONFERENCE PLANNERS “TRAITORS”
Organizers Postpone Istanbul Conference Indefinitely

Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly of America expressed outrage
today over the Turkish government’s latest assault on free speech, this
time threatening its own citizens for organizing an unprecedented
conference on the Armenian Genocide and challenging the state’s official
policy of denial. Due to the intense government pressure, event
organizers indefinitely postponed the Conference which was to begin in
Istanbul today.

In a press statement issued last night, organizers said that more than
720 people were to participate in the three-day Conference at Bosphorus
University entitled, “Ottoman Armenians during the Decline of the
Empire: Issues of Scientific Responsibility and Democracy.” The
postponement came after Istanbul’s chief public prosecutor threatened
yesterday to start criminal proceedings against conference organizers
and demanded copies of all academic papers that were to be presented.

Additionally, Minister of Justice Cemil Cicek’s diatribe in the Turkish
Parliament yesterday, coupled with his accusations of treason against
Conference participants for allegedly questioning Ankara’s denial of the
Genocide, also led to the eventual cancellation. According to Agence
France-Presse, Cicek said, “We must put an end to this cycle of treason
and insult, of spreading propaganda against the [Turkish] nation by
people who belong to it.”

Hrant Dink, editor-in-chief of Agos – an Armenian newspaper based in
Istanbul – told Assembly leaders that organizers were under direct
government pressure to call off the Conference.

“The thoughts and speeches of the Conference participants, historians,
while important, are not as important as what the Turkish government is
doing,” said Dink. “If the Turkish government will not even allow open
dialogue and discussion for members of its own society, how can it
possibly expect to enter into dialogue with others?”

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month called for
further study of the Armenian Genocide, while official policy still
rejects that Turkey committed genocide against its Armenian population
90 years ago. Moreover, Article 305 of the Turkish penal code
criminalizes public references to the Armenian Genocide.

“In the context of a law criminalizing speech on the Armenian Genocide,
the ongoing threats against any nation that reaffirms the facts of
history and now the outrageous cancellation of an academic conference,
Erdogan’s call for a historical commission must be rejected as a
disingenuous maneuver to delay the inevitable. Its current assault on
academic freedom must likewise be condemned,” said Board of Directors
Chairman Anthony Barsamian.

Turkey, for its part, characterizes itself as a mature democracy with
hopes of becoming the first Muslim nation to accede to the European
Union. But before the EU opens its doors, it has asked Turkey to
normalize relations with neighboring Armenia in addition to its
universal human, minority and civil rights criteria. The European
Parliament has gone further, calling upon Turkey to recognize the
Armenian Genocide. And senior European officials have repeatedly called
on Turkey to deal with the fact of the Armenian Genocide as part of its
ascension process.

A European Union diplomat today told Reuters that Cicek’s remarks are
“unbelievable.”

“It not only kills the government’s policy on the Armenian issue. It
will also kill support for Turkey’s EU drive,” the diplomat told
Reuters.

Meanwhile in Washington, Armenian issues supporters also expressed their
outrage with Turkey’s attempts to scuttle talk on the Armenian Genocide.

“On subjects that the Turkish government considers sensitive, there
appear to be no constraints on what officials will do to prevent free
speech and debate,” said Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues
Co-Chairs Congressmen Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone, Jr.
(D-NJ). “Internally the subject is criminalized, academic conferences
are cancelled and individuals are condemned as traitors. Actions like
this seriously undermine the credibility of Turkish Prime Minister
Erdogan’s proposal to establish a historical commission to study ‘the
developments and events of 1915.’ ”

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of
Armenian issues. It is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt membership organization.

### NR#2005-053

Brisbane Courier Mail, Australia
Townsville Bulletin, Australia
Advertiser Adelaide, Australia
FOX SPORTS, Australia
May 25 2005

Champ chases new fans
By Grantlee Kieza

KOSTYA Tszyu was a Russian who spoke no English and couldn’t even
order a sandwich in a cafe when he first hit Australia.

But he transformed himself into an Aussie icon by applying himself to
language classes, allowing his engaging smile to shine through and
pulverising anyone put before him.

A decade and a bit later, Australia’s IBF world flyweight champ Vic
Darchinyan – an Armenian with a big left but little grasp of the way
we speak – is being groomed to win over the hearts and minds of
Australia’s sports fans.

He is the world champ nobody knows but celebrity manager Robert
Joske, who oversees the careers of Steve Waugh, Justin Langer, George
Gregan and Clyde Rathbone, aims to change that with a campaign to
make Darchinyan a household name.

So, after swapping blows with some of the toughest little scrappers
in the world, Darchinyan is set to grapple with Shakespeare’s Henry
V.

Three times a week the whirlwind world champ visits voice coach
Therese Bennetts, who has helped to mould the speech of some of
Australia’s leading politicians, television presenters and corporate
heavyweights.

The flyweight hitman is one of her favourite pupils.

“Vic is a very good student, highly intelligent with a captivating
smile,” she said.

“My aim is to improve the clarity and colour of his speech and to
make him more charming for television interviews.

“I have told him that voice training is just like the gym — the
mouth is full of muscles and it needs discipline to get them in
shape.

“Soon we’ll be doing the prologue from Henry V and I’m sure he will
be wonderful.”

Darchinyan is likely to make his next title defence against Irishman
Damaen Kelly at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in late July.

He is also the subject of a documentary being made for the University
of Western Sydney by stablemate Lovemore Ndou who, between his other
lives as a world-rated junior-welterweight and a father of four, is a
hard-studying media and law student.

Ndou is making his film in conjunction with cameraman Karl Morrison
from Imaginescape and is interviewing many of Australia’s top boxers
for the project.

* KOSTYA Tszyu says age has not wearied him and that at 35 he would
beat the Tszyu of a decade ago.

Tszyu defends his world title against 26-year-old Ricky Hatton in
Manchester on Sunday week and told the British press yesterday
advancing age would not be an issue.

“I’m a fresh 35 and I would beat the Kostya of 25,” Tszyu said. “I’m
much smarter now.

“Ricky Hatton is 26 but he has had many wars in the last few years.

“When you’re fighting war after war after war, your body doesn’t like
it any more.

“It comes to the stage it gets used to getting hit and getting cut,
but one day it will say, ‘I’ve had enough’.”

HEAD OF ARMENIA’S CENTRAL BANK COMMENTS ON SHADOW TURNOVER

YEREVAN, MAY 24. ARMINFO. The volume of cash conversion operations of
exchange points of Armenia much exceeds the volume of similar
operations of commercial banks. Chairman of the Central Bank of
Armenia Tigran Sargsian informed during the news conference, noting
that in no country of the world exchange points implement such large
operations like in Armenia. The original objective of the exchange
points to provide service to the population and foreigners, in
particular, to implement exchange of currency in small volumes maximum
under $300, according to international standards like in many
countries.

He declared the Central Bank will strictly follow introduction of
these international standards in Armenia. Moreover, this problem has
been solved within law and Armenia has joined all the international
conventions. The chairman of the Central Bank does not see any other
way of fight against the shadow economy – “we shall not allow them to
legalize the money thieved from the Government”.

In the estimation of the Central bank of Armenia, the volume of the
shadow turnover makes up 35-40% in GDP and now the population of the
country is holding over $1 bln free cash fund, the considerable share
of which is circulated in shadow.

Sargsian reminded that all the efforts of the Central Bank earlier
aimed at recovery of the banking system allowed to clear it from
“unhealthy” banks and provided full transparency of its activity. Now,
at the second phase the Central Bank has started the development of
the infrastructures and establishment of order in this sphere within
the next three years, Sargsian said. The matter concerns the
organizations, which carry out money transfers, exchange points,
currency dealers and agents.