Author: Maghakian Mike

ARAZ AZIMOV: RUSSIA SHOULD SEE ARMED ARMENIA DISADVANTAGEOUS

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Aug 3 2007

Russia’s relations with Armenia are in the level of military
alliance. These states pursue joint policy in the field of defense
or military cooperation. Their debates on arming policy of Armenia
are not ruled out in the framework of this cooperation, Azerbaijani
Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov told the journalists, APA reports.

He said that fact on Russia’s arming Armenia can be unpleasant.

"Russia should realize that future of this policy will not be
positive," he said.

Mr. Azimov also underlined that Azerbaijan will also pay attention
to the arming of Armenia.

"Fewer states or companies will sell arm to Armenia. Therefore Armenia
will need help of Russia. And in this case Russia should adopt sound
decision. If Russia wants to take measures on the peaceful solution
to the conflict, it should put an end to arming policy. Otherwise
next stage of the crisis can start," he said.

ARMENIA IS FORMING BRAND OF TOURISM COUNTRY

ARKA News Agency
Aug 2 2007
Armenia

YEREVAN, August 2. /ARKA/. Armenia is occupied with forming a brand of
a tourism country, said Head of Tourism Department of the RA Ministry
of Trade and Economic Development Mehkak Apresyan.

He said that the work over tourism image of the country began with the
broadcast of the advertisement-information trailer about Armenia on TV
channels CNN and EuroNews in March. The trailers should form Armenia’s
image as an attractive tourism country and implement investments.

"The task is to provide Armenia’s tourism competitiveness by presenting
îwn attractiveness. Our country has potential and can demonstrate
its unique originality, and we try to use out cultural and historical
heritage and make it our brand, moreover, Armenia is the first country
who adopted Christianity," Apresyan said.

He pointed out that Armenia has rich history, wonderful nature and,
the most important thing – national peculiarities.

In the first half-year of 2007, the number of tourists to Armenia
increased by 36% as compared to the same period in 2006 and made
181.2ths people.

According to the forecasts of the RA Ministry of Trade and Economic
Development, in 2007 the number of tourists visiting Armenia will
make 450ths, which will provide 20% rise as compared to the last year.

As compared to the official statistics, starting from 2001 the average
annual growth of tourists visiting Armenia has made 25%.

–Boundary_(ID_OBpx6F8tJUnJNCQgzQPVPA)–

AR RADIO AND RADIO LIBERTY SIGN AN AGREEMENT

armradio.am
02.08.2007 16:17

AR Radio Intercontinental and the Broadcasting Board of Governors
signed an agreement, according to which the programs of the Armenian
Service of Radio Liberty will be rebroadcast on the FM network of
Ar Radio with the duration of 2 hours 5 minutes a day, Radiolur was
informed from the Press Service of Ar Radio.

Ar Radio has 19 transmitters and covers more than 805 o Armenia’s
territory.

Ar Radio will continue cooperating with Radio Yerevan of the Public
Radio Company and will rebroadcast the programs of the latter with
the duration of 21 hours 55 minutes a day.

"We are glad that AR Radio continues cooperating with Radio Liberty
and the Public Radio Company and that the rebroadcast of the programs
of the latter will continue," reads the statement of the Press Service
of AR Radio.

"CIVIL FORUM OF JAVAKHK" FORMS NEW STRUCTURE

Noyan Tapan
Aug 1, 2007

AKHALKALAK, AUGUST 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The elections
of the new structure of the administrative body of the "Civil Forum
of Javakhk" organization took place on July 31. According to these
new changes, 13 memebrs were elected instead of the former 11. The
newly-elected members elected Nairi Iritsian and Misha Kolikidze as
co-chairmen of the forum on August 1. This election should currently
be endorsed by "The European Center on Issues of National Minorities".

According to "Javakhk-info", the account of Armen Darbinian, the
Chairman of the "Civil Forum of Javakhk", concerning the work done
last year was also included on the agenda.

Henceforth, Silva Makarian, the former Head of the Baralet village
and the current Acting Head, introduced the situation in Javakhk
connected with unenvisagable consequencies of the testing to be
implemented in October, as well as the results of the last testing. The
former Head was indignant with the fact that among 69 schools of the
Akhalkalak region only one school: that of the Chunchkha village,
has a director and about 700 schools of Georgia have remained without
a director after the first testing. In the opinion of S. Makarian,
if the expected testing is not prevented, schools in Javakhk will
have no perspectives. He proposed to turn to Georgian authorities
for the solution of this problem in order to conduct the expected
testing in the mother tounge or in the Georgian variant made easier.

G. Pasuri, a collaborator of the "European Center on the Issues
of National Minorities", mentioned that the educational reforms
implemented in Georgia are not approved even by the collaborators of
the Ministry of Education of the Republic. He presented the future
programs of the European Center, according to which a round table is
envisaged to be held with regard to educational problems in Javakhk at
the end of the year. It is also envisaged to invite representatives
of the Ministry, government, and other international organizations
in order to develop a united variant.

BENEFICIARIES OF SEVENTH STAGE OF US EMBASSY’S "COMMUNITY SELF-HELP FUND" PROGRAM ANNOUNCED

Noyan Tapan
Aug 1, 2007

YEREVAN, AUGUST 1, NOYAN TAPAN. The seventh Community Self-Help
Fund (CSHF) Grants Award Ceremony took place on August 1. The
beneficiaries of the program’s seventh stage have become the
village of Verin Getashen (Gegharkunik region) – a grant of 22.279
thousand USD allocated for restoration of a water pipeline, the city
of Vardenis (the same region) – a grant of 13.9 thousansd USD for
furnishing kindergarten No 1, the village of Agarak (Syunik region) –
19.15 thousand USD for repairs of kindergarten No 1, the village of
Aghin (Shirak region) – 22.189 thousand USD for improvement of the
water supply system, the village of Ayntap (Ararat region) – 14.389
thousand USD for repairs of the sport hall of school No 2, the city of
Charentsavan (Kotayk region) – 12.833 thousand USD for furnishing and
repairs of the water system of "Tsitsernak" kindergarten, the village
of Merdzavor (Kotayk region) – 20.185 thousand USD for furnishing
the community center, the village of Areni (Vayots Dzor region)
– 14.038 thousand USD for repairs of the cultural center, and the
city of Spitak (Lori region) – 21.389 thousand USD for repairs of
the Youth Center. The total cost of 9 programs of the CSHF’s seventh
stage makes 160 thousand USD.

In the words of the US Charge d’Affaires in Armenia, Ambassador Rudolf
Perina, since 2003 the Community Self-Help Fund, which is managed
by USAID and implemented through Save the Children international
organization, has provided 784 thousand USD in grants to 52 programs
in Armenia, with more than 65 thousand people being its beneficiaries.

The head of Save the Children Armenia Office Irina Saghoyan in her
turn noted that 562 people were given temporary jobs under 46 self-help
programs implemented. The office organizes tenders for grant programs
every six months. 87 applications for participation in the CSHF seventh
stage have been receiverd from communities. According to I. Saghoyan,
although co-financing from communities makes 20%, they expressed a
willingness to co-finance in the amount of 39.4% on average.

TURKEY ON THE EDGE
By Congressman Ed Royce

Greek News, New York
ews&file=article&sid=7224
EDT by greek_news
Aug 1 2007

As a member of NATO and a rare Middle Eastern democracy, Turkey has
had a special place in geopolitics. In a region hostile to the idea
of separation of church and state, Turkey has been the exception.

While Turkey’s experience with democracy and secularism has been
tumultuous, recent events are jarring, including its attack on the
Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Efforts to elect Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul as Turkey’s next
President troubled secular Turks, many of whom took to the streets.

Seen as someone who would turn back the clock on secular reforms,
from sexual equality to consuming alcohol, they are right to be wary.

The origins of Gul’s ruling AKP party are in fundamentalist Islam.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan’s political mentor and former
Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan came to power promising to "rescue
Turkey from the unbelievers of Europe" and to launch a jihad against
Jerusalem. The AKP, some say, has overcome these sentiments, but
caution is in order.

The steady rise of a radical brand of Sunni Islam in Turkey is
cause for concern. Islamic brotherhoods, such as the Nurcu and
the Fettullahci, have used loopholes in secular law to set up
extensive private educational systems. These organizations span
from preparatory schools, to universities, to business schools,
molding much of the leading cultural power, both at the popular and
intellectual level. Many secularists believe that these schools are
the madrassas of Turkey, and fear that they may be a Trojan horse for
radical Islam. Unqualified madrassa graduates are taking up positions
in the Turkish civil service.

Religious intolerance seems to have reached new levels in Turkey, as
evidenced by massive protests to the Pope’s November visit. In the
wake of his controversial comments on the nature of Islam, tens of
thousands of Turks rallied against the Pope. So vehement were these
protests that the Turkish government deployed 4,000 policemen backed
by riot trucks, helicopters, and armored vehicles.

The Ecumenical Patriarch has long been subjected to Turkish misdeeds.

Turkey is the only country not to recognize the 2,000-year-old
spiritual beacon to millions of Orthodox Christians. Furthermore,
Ankara’s demand that the Ecumenical Patriarch be a Turkish citizen
threatens the very institution, as less than 2,500 Greek Orthodox
citizens of Turkey remain, most of them elderly.

The Armenian Patriarchs of Istanbul endure similar hardships, having
to abide by the same restrictions for their religious appointments
to the Patriarchal see. The Armenian Orthodox community, the largest
Christian community in Turkey comprising of 70,000 citizens, today
has only 5 Armenian Apostolic priests and 2 Archbishops to oversee
the spiritual guidance of its 38 working Armenian churches throughout
Turkey. While Turkish authorities deny governmental interference
in religious matters, the closure of theological seminaries in 1969
has continued to take its toll on the Armenian Patriarch’s ability
to find clergymen who meet the criteria set forth by the Turkish
government. Unless Turkey changes its policies, the Patriarchs
and their respected Christian communities will disappear in the
foreseeable future.

In response to these affronts, I, along with several other members
of Congress, signed a letter to Turkish Prime Minister Erdoðan
urging him to end his limits on religious freedom regarding the
Ecumenical Patriarch. The practices of the Turkish government,
as we expressed to the President, "clearly reflect (his) policy of
viewing the Ecumenical Patriarchate as a strictly Turkish institution,
when in fact it provides spiritual and moral guidance for millions of
believers worldwide." Congress isn’t alone in its scrutiny of Turkish
repression. The State Department’s 2007 Report on Human Rights cites
Turkey’s denial of the Ecumenical Patriarchs request to reopen the
Halki seminary on the island of Heybeli, which was closed in 1971
when it nationalized all private institutes of higher education. If
Turkey is to remain a secular state, it must make serious efforts
to stop such behavior, and Congress must continue to press Turkey to
follow a path to religious tolerance of peaceful minorities.

Congressman Ed Royce (R) of California is the Ranking Member on the
Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade.

–Boundary_(ID_JmV1XjzCBBJbzKZJ4CJw8w)–

BY 2011 ARMENIAN FARMS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH SEEDS OF FIRST REPRODUCTION WHEAT

Noyan Tapan
Jul 31, 2007

YEREVAN, JULY 31, NOYAN TAPAN. On the initiative of the RA Ministry of
Agriculture and the Armenian Technology Group (ATG) Fund, a program on
development of seed growing will be implemented in Armenia in 2007-2011
with the aim of meeting all Armenian farms’ need for seeds of first
reproduction wheat. Gagik Manucharian, the head of the Cultivation
Department of the RA Ministry of Agriculture, said this during a talk
with NT correspondent.

According to him, within the framework of the program, seeds of
"super elite" high-reproduction wheat will be imported into Armenia in
the next two years, with its reproduction being organized in sowing
areas of Gyumri Selection Station (Shirak region), the Union of Seed
Producers (Syunik region), the Scientific Center of Cultivation and
Plant Protection (Armavir region) and the ATG.

It was mentioned that high-quality seeds from "super elite" and "elite"
wheat can ensure a crop yield of 9-10 tons from one hectare against
a yield of 4-5 tons from 15th-20th reproduction wheat currently grown
in Armenia.

Armenian National Committee of Canada

Comité National Arménien du Canada

130 Albert St., Suite/Bureau 1007

Ottawa, ON

KIP 5G4

Tel./Tél. (613) 235-2622 Fax/Téléc. (613) 238-2622

E-mail/courriel:national.office@anc-cana da.com

Press Release

July 31, 2007

Contact: Kevork Manguelian

Armenia’s Rural Poverty Eradication Initiative Among Topics Discussed by
CIDA and ANCC

Ottawa- Three high-ranking Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
officials met Aris Babikian, the executive director of the Armenian National
Committee of Canada (ANCC) at the agency’s Gatineau, Quebec headquarters on
July 26 to brief the ANCC representative on CIDA projects, with particular
emphasis in the Caucasus in the past four years.

During the 90-minute meeting, CIDA briefed Babikian with the agency
developments, policies, priorities and its focus on countries of strategic
interest to Canada. After the 2006 parliamentary elections and the formation
of a new government by the Conservative Party, the agency’s priorities have
been under review. New directions and priorities are expected to be
announced in September.

The CIDA officials also briefed Babikian on agency-sponsored projects in
Javak (southwest Georgia), training local Armenians as civil servants,
implementing legal aid programs for the Armenian minority, teaching
Armenians the Georgian language, and other projects.

In turn, the ANCC executive director updated the CIDA officials with the
latest developments in Armenia’s Rural Poverty Eradication Programme (RPEP)
program, analyzed recent Armenia parliamentary elections’ results, and the
positive assessment of the election process by the international community.

Babikian also briefed the Canadian Government representatives with the
Canadian-Armenian community’s contribution to Armenia since the former
Soviet republic gained its independence. The CIDA officials said that they
highly valued the private initiatives of Canadian-Armenians in Armenia.

The ANCC executive director urged CIDA to be more actively involved in
Armenia. Armenia deserve to be awarded for its successful implantation of
the principles of free market economy, freedom of speech, freedom of the
press, protection of civil and human rights of its citizens, and other
democratic ideals, said Babikian. He pointed out that many international
organizations have testified that Armenia is one of the most successful of
the former Soviet Republics.

The two sides discussed RPEP activities at length. The ANCC considers CIDA’s
sponsorship and involvement in the project as a positive sign and an
incentive to the Republic of Armenia to continue on the reform path.

Babikian presented CIDA representatives with a detailed documentation of
RPEP programs, Canadian corporate investments in Armenia, Canadian NGO input
in Armenia’s development, and provided reports from international
institutions which gave positive evaluation of Armenia’s economic, political
and social progress.

"We are quite optimist that our meeting created a positive outlook with the
CIDA officials. They were very attentive to our presentation and to Armenia’
s needs. We are confident that this visit will pay dividends in the near
future," stated Babikian.

-30-

The ANCC is the largest and the most influential Canadian-Armenian
grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a network of
offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Canada and affiliated
organizations around the world, the ANCC actively advances the concerns of
the Canadian-Armenian community on a broad range of issues.

Regional Chapters/Sections régionales

Montréal – Laval – Ottawa – Toronto – Hamilton – Cambridge – St.
Catharines – Windsor – Vancouver

MINISTER OSKANIAN VISITED BATUMI

armradio.am
27.07.2007 16:58

On July 27 RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, who is on a working
visit to Georgia, visited Batumi, the capital of the Autonomic
Republic of Adjaria where he had a meeting with the Prime Minister
of Adjaria Levan Varshalomidze. The interlocutors discussed the
opportunities of development of economic cooperation between Armenia
and Adjaria. Reference was made to the opening of the Consulate
General of Armenia in Batumi and issues connected with the visit of
Armenian tourists.

Minister Oskanian visited the St. Savior Armenian Church of Batumi
and talked to the religious leader.

Tomorrow on July 28 Minister Oskanian will visit Javakhk and will
have a meeting with representatives of the Armenian community and
Armenian Deputies of the Georgian Parliament.

On Saturday in Lori marz Mr. Oskanian will have a meeting with heads of
diplomatic representations and international organizations accredited
in Georgia.

NAGORNO-KARABAKH SHOWS THE WORLD IT CAN GOVERN ITSELF
Vadim Dubnov is an independent political commentator.

RIA Novosti
16:59 | 27/ 07/ 2007

MOSCOW. (Vadim Dubnov for RIA Novosti) – Good things sometimes come in
very small packages. On July 19, Maj. Gen. Bako Saakyan was elected
president of the tiny, self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, an
ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan near the border with Armenia. The
election served as a positive example for other nascent democracies.

Saakayan, who had previously served as head of the republic’s
national security service, scored a landslide victory with 85.4% of
the vote. He was followed by Deputy Foreign Minister Masis Mailyan,
who garnered 12.2%.

The former security chief faced no serious rivals and will succeed
lame-duck President Arkady Gukasyan, who declined to run for a third
term and will step down this August.

The elections in Nagorno-Karabakh, which closely resemble those in
Abkhazia and Kosovo, highlight the republic’s political continuity
and made clear that the candidates did not use their influence or
connections to government institutions to achieve victory.

The international community and Azerbaijan, which lost control over
Nagorno-Karabakh in 1992, condemned the elections and called them
illegal.

However, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) and Azerbaijan will have no choice but to cooperate with
President-elect Saakyan. The governments of Serbia and Georgia, as
well as international organizations, are also forced to deal with
the officially unrecognized leaders of Kosovo and Abkhazia.

Consequently, elections in self-proclaimed territories highlight
a worldwide legal conundrum and imply that different peace plans,
including the one advocated by former Finnish President and UN Special
Envoy for Kosovo Martti Ahtissari, cannot solve the problem.

Moreover, there are no other long-term alternatives because the people
of Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia and Kosovo do not want to be reintegrated
into, respectively, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Serbia. Nagorno-Karabakh
has no need to modify its policies because it does not have to become
part of Armenia and because it is not officially involved in peace
talks with Baku.

Although these tiny, self-proclaimed "garrison" states, which are just
starting out in this world, have a small population and a rudimentary
economy, they can eventually convert their local form of democracy into
the ordinary, grass-roots kind. The only alternative would be chaos.

Unlike elections in other parts of the Commonwealth of Independent
States, the Nagorno-Karabakh elections produced no surprises and
were not marred by any serious allegations of fraud. This fact was
itself a surprise to those who have always viewed Nagorno-Karabakh
as an unstable enclave.

Although the latest elections have nothing to do with independence
or international recognition, they prove that Nagorno-Karabakh, which
does not believe that the Ahtisaari plan will set a global precedent,
is a viable, albeit weak, state.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s and do not
necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.