Author: Khoyetsian Rose

TURKEY TWO MORE SUSPECTS DETAINED IN JOURNALIST’S MURDER CASE

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
March 1 2007

Trabzon, 1 March: Security forces have detained two people in the
northern city of Trabzon for their alleged involvement in the killing
of journalist Hrant Dink.

The detainees, who were identified only with their initials as S.Y.
and I.O., were taken to Istanbul for further interrogation.

Dink, editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, was shot
dead outside his newspaper’s office in Istanbul on 19 January.

ARMENIA HOLDS THE 74-TH PLACE IN WORLD TOURISM RATING
By Ara Martirosian

AZG Armenian Daily
02/03/2007

According to information provided by the Armenian "Economy and Values"
partner of the organization, Armenia is the 74-th of 124 states in the
international tourism rating list. Armenia is the third most popular
tourist site among the CIS states and has disadvantage of only Georgia
(the 66-th) and Russia (68-th).

The World Economy Forum report says that the most popular tourist
state remains Switzerland, then come Austria and Germany. The lest
popular countries are Chad, Burundi and Angola.

The competitiveness of countries in the tourism sphere is defined by
three main parameters – corresponding legislation, business are and
infrastructures and human, culture and natural resources. Armenia has
considerable advantage in legislation (rated 65), natural, human and
culture resources (rated 62) and disadvantage in business area and
infrastructures (rated 96). Armenia is attractive in sense due to
high sanitary and hygiene conditions, the security of tourists and
the native people’s welcome for them, as well as suitable prices.

Armenia’s competitiveness mainly suffers from visa regime with the
states whose citizens go touring most frequently, problems with
nature protection, lack of local air and vehicle transportation
infrastructures, etc.

On the other hand Armenia is rated first by elementary education
level and the last by naval port infrastructures.

THE CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA PARTICIPATES IN THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING OF MECC

ArmRadio.am
01.03.2007 13:50

The meeting of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Executive
Committee started today in Egypt. The committee is formed of 24 members
who represent all the churches in the Middle East. The Armenian Church
is represented in this committee by Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian
(Primate of the Diocese of Tehran) and Bishop Kegham Khatcherian
(Primate of the Diocese of Lebanon), Communication and Information
Department of the Catholicosate informs.

The meeting will discuss issues related to the work of the Middle
East Council of Churches, its relations and its administrative and
financial aspects.

This meeting is held twice a year.

23 ARMENIAN COMPANIES AND ORGANIZATIONS JOIN UN GLOBAL AGREEMENT

Noyan Tapan
Feb 28 2007

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 28, NOYAN TAPAN. The main issues of the February 27
discussion "What is Corporate Social Responsibility and What is Done in
Armenia in this Respect" were: what is corporate social responsibility,
what approach does the government take to it? etc. In the words of the
RA Deputy Minister of Trade and Economic Development Tigran Davtian,
the idea of corporate social responsibility is a new one in Armenia
and so difficult to comprehend. However, it is time for the private
sector to engage in solution of social problems together with the
state. "More than 80% of the economy is private, almost 90% of GDP
is created in the private sector. So the private sector should also
participate in solution of social problems," the deputy minister
noted. In his opinion, there is no need to establish a body for
introduction of this system in Armenia. "The existing governance
systems are sufficient," he said.

According to RA Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Issues Artsvik
Minasian, economic entities should be involved in solution of such
social problems, as unemployment, issues of the disabled, etc.

It was noted that since 2006, the UN Global Agreement Office has
functioned in Armenia with the aim of promoting corporate social
governance. Among the principles of the UN Global Agreement are
defence of human rights, elimination of all types of forced labor,
etc. 23 Armenian companies and organizations have joined the Global
Agreement, including Ashtarak Kat company, Tufenkian hotel network,
Coca Cola and others.

ARNO BABAJANYAN’S MUSEUM TO BE OPENED IN YEREVAN

armradio.am
28.02.2007 10:38

The museum of famous Armenian composer Arno Babajanyan will be
opened in Yerevan, President of the international Babajanyan Fund,
the composer’s son Ara Babajanyan told ArmInfo. The preliminary
agreement on construction of the museum was reached with the Mayor
of Yerevan Yervan Zakharyan in the autumn of last year.

The exact place of construction of the museum is not known yet. In
Ara Babajanyan’s words, many interesting items have already been
collected for the museum.

Panorama.am
19:41 24/02/2007

FRANCE CONNECTED WITH ARMENIA BUT MAKES LITTLE INVESTMENT

Christian Estrozi, minister of territorial administration of France,
supports Nikola Sakozi as the president of France. He wants to see him
as future president of France because he believes that will not
endanger Armenia-France relations.

During the meeting with reporters in French University Estrozi said
Sakozi is also supported by the Armenia community in France. `I
believe relations with Armenia will become even more dense because we
have many commonalities,’ he said.

Asked why the French make little investment in Armenia, anyway,
Estrozi said arrangements were taken during he visit of Jacques
Chirac, president of France, to increase the number of enterprises in
Armenia. `It is a tendency to make more investment in Armenia,’ the
minister of territorial administration said.

Source: Panorama.am

Agence France Presse
22 février 2007 jeudi 1:28 PM GMT

Le psychiatre Edouard Zarifian, pourfendeur des psychotropes, est décédé

PARIS 22 fév 2007

L’universitaire et psychiatre Edouard Zarifian, dénonciateur d’une
psychiatrie reposant excessivement sur les traitements médicamenteux,
est décédé à l’ge de 65 ans, a annoncé jeudi sa famille dans le
carnet du quotidien Le Figaro.

Une cérémonie religieuse aura lieu samedi à 14H00 à l’église
Saint-Samson d’Ouistreham (Calvados), ont précisé ses proches.

Le Pr Zarifian, d’origine turque arménienne, a été chef du service de
psychiatrie à Clermont-Ferrand, puis au CHU de Caen. Dans de nombreux
articles et publications, il a dénoncé l’influence des laboratoires
pharmaceutiques sur la formation des médecins et sur leurs
prescriptions.

A la demande des pouvoirs publics, il avait été l’auteur en 1996 d’un
célèbre rapport sur l’excessive consommation d’antidépresseurs en
France.

Saluant cette "grande figure de la psychiatrie française", le
ministre de la Santé Xavier Bertrand a estimé que ses réflexions
demeuraient d’actualité.

"Aujourd’hui encore, la nécessité de rénover l’expertise
psychiatrique et la place de la France comme premier consommateur
européen de psychotropes montrent à quel point les thèmes de
réflexion du Pr Zarifian demeurent d’actualité", note le ministre
dans un communiqué diffusé jeudi par ses services.

Cet homme au visage rond et aux yeux bleus, issu d’une famille
modeste, rêvait d’être journaliste. Il fut finalement médecin, même
s’il tint pendant deux ans la rubrique médicale du Figaro. C’est
pendant son internat qu’il fit la rencontre, qui marqua sa carrière,
avec le grand psychiatre Jean Delay.

Le Pr Zarifian réclamait que la psychiatrie soit "une médecine de la
subjectivité", car chaque patient "est un cas unique".

"Quand on soigne un malade, on est confronté à une histoire, une
parole, un contexte, des affects et des représentations qui sont
uniques", écrivait-il ainsi, quitte à en agacer plus d’un au sein des
professions médicales.

Le Pr Zarifian était l’auteur de nombreux ouvrages, dont "Les
jardiniers de la folie" (1988), "Des paradis plein la tête" (1994),
"Le prix du bien-être: psychotropes et sociétés" (1996), "La Force de
guérir" (1999) et "Le goût de vivre" (2005).

TURKEY CONCERNED ABOUT ARMENIAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY’S INITIATIVE TO
PROVIDE DIASPORAN ARMENIANS WITH OPPORTUNITY OF DUAL CITIZENSHIP

ANKARA, FEBRUARY 23, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The law on
citizenship, which was passed by the RA National Assembly in first
reading and which provides Diasporan Armenians with the opportunity of
dual citizenship, has caused concern in Ankara.

According to the Turkish newspaper "Zaman", because of this law Turkey
will have a new "headache" with Armenia. "Some people in Turkey think
that after adoption of this law, the Republic of Armenia will come
under greater influence of Diasporan Armenians because 3 million 3
thousand Armenians live in Armenia, while their number reaches 4-9
million abroad. These people get the right to vote in Armenia, which
makes the current problems between Yerevan and Turkey desperate," the
paper writes.

The newspaper "Marmara" (Istanbul) wrote that historian Sedat
Lachiner, expert in Armenian issues and ardent supporter of Turkey’s
official view on the Armenian Genocide, called adoption of the law on
dual citizenship in Armenia "disaster". He insists that after this,
official Yerevan will come under the influence of Diasporan Armenians,
particularly in foreign policy issues.

PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTERS MUST NOT HAVE DUAL CITIZENSHIP, MAK BELIEVES

Panorama.am
19:30 21/02/2007

United Working Party (MAK) voted against the package of legal acts
submitted by the government yesterday and proposed recommendation
to the government. The package included Law on Dual Citizenship,
which caused the protest of MAK.

Grigor Ghonjenyan, secretary of MAK block, says his party has made
recommendations saying some restrictions must be made in the law,
particularly that people with dual citizenship should not become a
prime minister or a member of government.

Hovanes Igityan, member of Pan-Armenian National Movement (HHSh) board,
said that in fact the people with dual citizenship are citizens of
Armenia and must enjoy the rights of the Armenian constitutions. He
believes that many will apply to the Constitutional court to consider
the restriction invalid and will eventually win.

Ghonjeyan cited the provision in the Constitution saying that he
rights and responsibilities of citizens with dual citizenship are
defined by law.

ARMENIANS TO ORGANIZE PROCESSION IN KHANKENDI DEDICATED TO 19TH ANNIVERSARY OF "GARABAGH MOVEMENT"

Ïðaâî Âûaîða, Azerbaijan
Democratic Azerbaijan
Feb 21 2007

Procession under the slogan "With steps of elders to final victory"
dedicated to 19th anniversary of the so-called "birth of Garabagh
movement" held in Khankendi.

Procession started from capital square of Victory up to square
Revival where the ceremony of granting awards to military units of
"defense army of Garabagh" was held. Event will be finished at
"Memorial complex of republic".

Documentary film on Garabagh war was shown at Officers’ House.

Organizers of the event were Garabagh youth and public organization
"Ayki Serund" ("Ayka Generation") and youth organization of the union
of warriors of Arzakh "Defender of motherland".

It should be reminded that on February 20, 1988, extraordinary session
of Nagorni Garabagh regional board of deputies was held during which
it was decided "On petition before Supreme Soviets of Azerbaijan
Soviet Socialist Republic and Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic to
transfer of Nagorni Garabagh Autonomous Region to Armenian Soviet
Socialist Republic"

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