Author: Maral Takmazian

Ex-Karabakh mediator booed at NGOs conference in Azeri capital
ANS Radio, Baku
7 Jun 05
The former Russian co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, Vladimir
Kazimirov, who is mainly protecting Armenia’s interests and is
well-known for his obvious pro-Armenian stance, was deprived of a
chance of delivering a speech at a conference of NGOs in Baku today [7
June].
As soon as Kazimirov took the floor, members of the Karabakh
Liberation Organization [KLO] demanded that he recognize Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity before delivering his speech. The Russian
diplomat ignored this and tried to speak again. The KLO members
started chanting the slogan Get away from Azerbaijan.
Vladimir Kazimirov, who seemed to be confused, said that he had
visited Armenia to express his opinions during the parliamentary
hearings on [the settlement] of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict, not to
please the Armenians.
I have come to Baku now to express my views. I have, in general, no
intention of pleasing the Azeris, end of quote.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Turkey and the EU
Reason to worry
Jun 2nd 2005 | ANKARA
>From The Economist print edition
The country with most to lose from the EU referendums may be Turkey
WHAT do the French and Dutch rejections of the European Union
constitution imply for Turkey’s hopes of joining? If one believes the
country’s political leaders, nothing. “This result has nothing to do
with Turkey’s candidacy, we will continue on our path with the same
enthusiasm,” the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, told
parliament this week. His rhetoric was echoed by EU officials. And in
theory they are right.
The constitution makes no reference to Turkey’s membership. In France
(as in some other anti-Turkey countries, notably Austria) voters have
been promised the chance to stop Turkey joining in a separate referendum
on further enlargement, when the time comes. Moreover, last December’s
decision by EU leaders to promise Turkey the start of membership talks
on October 3rd was a political one that can be changed only by consensus
of all 25 EU members. Some optimists even venture to suggest that the
defeat of the constitution could pave the way for a looser EU that it
would be easier for Turkey to fit into.
Yet the reality is more worrying for Turkey. The French and Dutch noes
may be “the EU’s internal problem”, as Mr Erdogan claims. But they also
reflect growing hostility around Europe to further enlargement of the
EU-and, specifically, to the idea of taking in poor, big and Muslim
Turkey. There is also a good chance that Germany’s opposition Christian
Democrats (CDU) will win the election expected in September. The CDU
leader, Angela Merkel, is firmly opposed to Turkey’s membership and has
lobbied instead for a “privileged partnership” that has been roundly
rejected by the Turks. Her hostility to full membership for Turkey is
shared by France’s Nicolas Sarkozy, a would-be presidential candidate in
2007.
Against this gloomy background, the wisest course for Turkey, according
to the EU ambassador to Ankara, Hansjörg Kretschmer, is to ignore the
ructions in Europe and focus on implementing the sweeping reforms that
earned it the precious October date for talks. In one hopeful sign, Mr
Erdogan last week appointed Ali Babacan, his young and pragmatic economy
minister, to head the EU negotiations. Turkey is also about to sign a
protocol extending its customs union with the EU to the ten new members
that joined last year, including Cyprus.
This week a long-delayed new penal code came into effect. But despite
such radical provisions as making marital rape a crime, the code also
contains several controversial articles-for example one that allows long
prison terms for journalists who attack the Turkish military presence in
northern Cyprus or describe as “genocide” the mass slaughter of
Armenians during the first world war.
There are, indeed, disturbing signs that Mr Erdogan may be pandering to
a recent upsurge in nationalism that is being fanned both by
anti-Turkish sentiment in Europe and by the country’s hawkish generals,
whose power may be eroded by EU reforms. Besides continued police
harassment of Christians and other minorities, last month an appeal
court in Ankara upheld the banning of Turkey’s biggest teachers’ union
because it had said that the country’s 14m Kurds should be able to
educate their children in their mother tongue. Turkish academics had to
cancel a conference to debate the Armenian tragedy after the justice
minister, Cemil Cicek, accused them of “knifing Turkey in the back”.
Mr Cicek’s outburst, concluded one senior EU diplomat, was “confirmation
that the government no longer believes in the EU process.” That view may
be exaggerated, but there is disillusion with the EU among Mr Erdogan’s
conservative base. One example is perceived European indifference to
restrictions on the Islamic headscarf. It was surely with his
conservative base in mind that Mr Erdogan last week introduced
legislation to reduce penalties for those who run underground courses to
teach the Koran. The move brought renewed charges from Turkey’s fierce
secularists that Mr Erdogan’s real intention is to move the country
closer to an Islamic theocracy, and not to the EU. Turkey’s many enemies
in Europe would surely take pleasure in that.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RA PRESIDENT AND VENICE COMMISSION’S DELEGATION DISCUSS PROCESS OF CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS
YEREVAN, JUNE 3, NOYAN TAPAN. RA President Robert Kocharian received
the PACE Venice Commission’s delegation on June 2. As Noyan Tapan
was informed from the President’s Press Office, the process of the
Constitutional reforms was discussed at the meeting.

Foreign films back in Tempe Series started by foreign-flick fan to
open in Tempe with ‘Mooladé’
Geri Koeppel
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 3, 2005 12:00 AM
East Valley film fans can once again view movies from such places as
Senegal, Argentina and Armenia without having to travel to far-away
places like Scottsdale.
Randy Montgomery of Chandler is starting the One Night Cinema film
series again tonight, bringing five films that have never been shown
in the Valley to the Pollack Tempe Cinemas, on the southeastern
corner of McClintock Drive and Elliot Road.
“Films that are made in other countries present different points of
view than films made in Hollywood,” said Suzanne Woodford of Mesa. “I
am sure there are many more people like ourselves who would enjoy a
change of pace from the car-chase, chick-flick, don’t-go-in-the-house
horror, standard mainstream movies.”
Montgomery, who works in radio marketing, organized two film series
last summer and single-night screenings during the year. They
attracted enough following to plan more.
“The series allows me to showcase films that normally wouldn’t play
in Phoenix and also to serve the underserved foreign film element in
the East Valley,” he said.
When the Madstone Theater in Chandler closed a year ago this week, it
left moviegoers in these parts with just one theater – Harkins Valley
Art in Tempe – showing foreign and independent films. Many patrons
drove to Harkins Camelview 5 in Scottsdale.
Montgomery scoured the Internet to find well-reviewed films. All are
new to him except Mooladé, which he saw in Tucson.
At the first screening at 7:30 this evening, dance/drum group Africa
Tam Tam will perform, and doors will close at 7:25.
–Boundary_(ID_PPIBfKoJA2b7Jt7WTyiYdw)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESENTATION OF NEW PROJECT IN SAINT PETERSBURG DEVOTED TO ARMENIA
Pan Armenian News
19.05.2005 03:13
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ May 13 International Creative Meetings in Mokhovaya
new project was presented at the House of National Cultures in Saint
Petersburg. The event was organized jointly with Union of Concert
Figures of Russia and Haverzhutyun (Eternity) philanthropic fund,
reported the Yerkramas newspaper of Armenian of Russia. These events
aim at promoting cultural tolerance in Saint-Petersburg, and as the
initiative of implementation of the project issued from the Honored
Artist of the Republic of Armenia Tamara Harutyunian, it was decided
to devote the first evening to the Republic of Armenia. Chairman of the
Council of the Regional Armenian National-Cultural Autonomy Vyacheslav
Lazarian opened the evening. Representatives of the Armenian Apostolic
Church, Georgian and Azeri communities were present as special
guests. All those gathered had an opportunity to dive into the world
of art. Sounds of Komitas music were already heard at the entry. The
diversity of the classical music compositions, Armenian classical
literature presented by the Armenian Friendly Association of Saint
Petersburg was astonishing. The guests saw works of Armenian artists
V. Yepremian, R. Hovakimian, A. Gasparian in the small hall. The
main attention of the guests was directed at the concert part of the
evening. The appearance of Honored Artist of the Republic of Armenia
Tamara Harutyunian formed an atmosphere of mysterious silence in the
hall, where everyone was captivated by the sounds of the masterly
classical performing art. As if in oblivion those present applauded
meeting also the other no less talented performers. The evening
finished in a banquet for the guests and participants, among whom
were many famous theater, musical and public figures, though an
ordinary person would have felt a member of the creative elite in
that atmosphere.

ACCORDING TO MHER SHAHGELDIAN, STATE SHOULD INCREASE BOTH REQUIREMENTS
AND SALARIES IN POWER STRUCTURES
YEREVAN, MAY 13, NOYAN TAPAN. Chairman of the RA National Assembly
Standing Committee on Defence, National Security and Internal Affairs
Mher Shageldian told reporters on May 13 that in 2004 the defence,
national security, law enforcement and emergencies departments were
fully financed. Last year’s financing of the Armenian power structures
was discussed at a closed joint meeting of the NA standing committees
on the same day. According to M. Shahgeldian, it is desirable to
increase financing of some spheres but the state allocates as much
funds as possible. He noted that during the discussions,
representatives of the departments indicated where funding needs to be
increased. In partcular, the matter concerns increasing funds to be
allocated for salaries, technical equipment and international links
establishment. He expressed a view that along with presenting high
requirements to the departments’ staff, the state should find
appropriate resources in order to raise their salaries. M. Shahgeldian
said that the state is facing problems with salaries increase in many
other spheres as well. In particular, it is necessary to increase
budgetary revenues through the fight against corruption in order to
make more funds available for the social, health and educational
spheres.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1plus
| 16:53:45 | 10-05-2005 | Politics |
THREE-STAGE PENSION SYSTEM
The reformation of the pension system that started in 1999 has entered its
practical stage. The government has passed the package of new conceptual
approaches to come into force in 2006, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs
Aghvan Vardanyan stated during a press conference today.
The acting computing system based on the solidarity of generations, when the
employees pay social fee to provide pension, will be replaced with a
three-stage system with three constituents. The first one is the state
provision of pensions for those, who are unable to earn money, the second is
the state accumulative provision, when the pension will be paid out of
personal social fees and contributions and the third is the voluntary
provision of pensions, when a citizens or employer can allot extra payments
to the employees.
Aghvan Vardanyan hopes that the new system will allow smoothing the
shortcomings and raising the pensions. Thus if a person gets a salary of 40
thousand AMD his pension makes 20-25% of the sum at present, thanks to the
new system the sum will go up to 60-80%.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1plus
| 15:58:58 | 11-05-2005 | Politics |
INTERPOL STILL LOOKING FOR SIRADEGHYAN
The RA Police have decided to work transparently, and the transparency was
secured by Vardan Eghiazaryan, head of the Interpol RA national center
today. He announced that for them Vano Siradeghyan «continues to be a
criminal. He is still wanted by the Interpol and of course there is
information about him which are operative», announced Vardan Eghiazaryan.
The results of the search of Vano Siradeghyan have not given significant
results, although there are operative facts that are not subject to
announcing.
Vardan Eghiazaryan has also represented the work done by them. Armenia has
been member of the Interpol for the last 12 years, and the Armenian Interpol
Bureau efficiently contributes to the combat against international
criminality.
Up to now 431 people have been internationally wanted, 168 have been found,
and 140 people wanted by different countries have been found in Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A-UTILITY ENDS ITS OPERATION IN ARMENIA
Armenpress
YEREVAN, MAY 2, ARMENPRESS: The Italian A-Utility company that had won
five years ago an international tender for operating the Yerevan Drinking
Water and Waste Water Removal Company, accomplished last Saturday its
activity in Armenia.
Company chief manager Richard Walkling told a final news conference that
the company’s major goals were to improve drinking water supplies in the
capital city, to repair water reservoirs and pumping stations, as well as to
improve collection of fees. He said it was a unique project for Armenia.
He said in the first stage of the project’s implementation the company
worked to solve water supply and quality problems, to ensure a gradual
passage to 24 hour long supplies. To that end the company sought to regulate
relations between water consumers and the company, to repair water supply
network. It also worked out an effective fee collection mechanism. As a
result water meters were installed at all water reservoirs supplying water
to Yerevan, at the entrances of blocks of flats and enterprises. Also
240,000 households installed water meters, who pay now regularly water fees.
He also said 66 percent of households have 24 hour water supplies.
Walking said due to these works the amount of water losses reduced 53
percent from previous 79 percent, resulting also in annual $7 million
savings.
He said the World Bank released a credit that was used to prepare a
project for effective removal of waste water. Seven international companies
are going to participate in a tender for implementation of second water
supply improvement project, funded by a World Bank $20 million credit. The
tender will select a new operator for the system.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pan Armenian News
BOOK ENTITLED `ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AND HISTORIC MEMORY’ ISSUED IN TURKEY
29.04.2005 08:37
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Istanbul-based Belge publishing house with the assistance
of human rights activist Ragip Zakarolu published a book by member of the
Yerevan Institute-Museum of Genocide, Doctor of Philology Verjine Svazlian,
Yerkir online reported. The book entitled `Armenian Genocide and Historic
Memory’ was published in the Turkish language to help the Turkish society to
learn the truth about historic facts. The book tells about the carnages
perpetrated in 1915-1922 and includes annotations in the Armenian, French,
German and Russian languages, evidence of over 65o people, who survived the
Genocide, as well as photos and maps. To note, Mr. Zakaoglu was invited to
take part in `Ultimate Crime, Ultimate Challenge. Genocide and Human Rights’
International Conference held Yerevan recently. However, due to some
personal reasons he did not arrive.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress