Author: Markos Nalchajian

A1plus
| 19:27:24 | 01-07-2005 | Social |
THE SOCIAL MINISTRY RETREATING?
The Social Ministry has decided to compromise and has agreed to introduce
changes into the Law `On Social cards’ but they are still against the
non-obligatory principle. Today the RA Government Religion and National
Minorities Administration head Hranoush Kharatyan informed us about it.
Khachik Stamboltsyan, Aram Grigoryan and Hranoush Kharatyan met the deputy
Social Minister. After long discussions, according to Mrs. Kharatyan, `the
Social Ministry hinted that they agreed to make compromise and admitted the
necessity to introduce changes, but only part of the participants of the
sit-down strike were pleased with it. The other part was against it as they
admitted only the non-obligatory principle’.
The sit-down strike went on today.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SHIRAK AIRPORT CUSTOMS POINT FITTED WITH X-RAY AND TELEVISION CAMERAS
FOR INNER CARGO CONTROL
YEREVAN, JUNE 21, NOYAN TAPAN. According to the press service of the
RA Government-affiliated State Customs Committee (SCC), within the
framework of the State Department’s Export Control and Related Border
Security Assistance Program (EXBS), the customs point of Shirak
Airport was fitted with x-ray and television cameras for inner cargo
control, which will help raise the quality of customs services to
international standards. It was noted that the SCC carries out
systematic activities aimed at increasing the efficiency of the
customs check methods at all the customs points and customs houses, as
well as at simplifying the procedures used. For this purpose, modern
equipment will be installed at other customs points as well.

ARMRUSGASPROM RESUMES SUPPLYING ELECTRICITY TO GEORGIA
YEREVAN, JUNE 17, NOYAN TAPAN. ArmRusgasprom resumed supplying
electricity to Georgia from June 17. Noyan Tapan’s correspondent
was informed about this by the company’s Press Service. To recap,
the electricity supply was stopped on May 15, due to increase in
the tariff by the company. According to the same source, the term of
the current agreement on electricity supply signed with the United
Georgian Distribution Energy Company will expire in late June. The
electricity will be supplied by a reconsidered tariff. To recap,
Karen Karapetian, ArmRusgasprom board’s Chairman-Executive Director,
declared the other day that supply will be carried out by a new tariff
increased by 1.18 cents, by a tariff of 2.68 cents for 1 KWt/h. To
recap, from December 2002 up to April 2003 ArmRusgasprom exported
nearly 178 mln kWt/h electricity amounting to 4.45 mln dollars and
from October 2004 up to May 15 2005 141 mln kWt/h electricity amounting
to 3.6 mln dollars to Georgia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE: GERMANY AND TURKEY REBUKE EACH OTHER
Pan Armenian News
18.06.2005 05:06
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made
a negative statement over the adoption of the Armenian Genocide
Resolution by the German Bundestag, reported France Presse Agency. «I
suppose it is incorrect from the political point of view. Moreover it
is mean that the German Parliament sacrificed the question in favor
of the Armenian lobby without discussion,» Erdogan said. He blamed
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder for not preventing adoption of the
resolution. In its turn the Federal Government criticized Erdogan’s
statement. As remarked by assistant of German Government’s official
representative Thomas Steg, «it is a balanced resolution.» Steg also
rebuked Erdogan’s statement over the attitude to Federal Chancellor
Gerhard Schroeder. «Germans are exactly those, who know that not
carrying out the historical duty and readiness to reconciliation and
forgiveness are indispensable for forming good and peaceful future
of peoples,» he said.
–Boundary_(ID_kBZM4KVpC2cxes/fbIOQrQ)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

GOLDEN JAM FOR OUR SPECTATORS
AZG Armenian Daily #112, 18/06/2005
Cinema
“We are going to have a new Armenian film for each year. And each
year we will open “Golden Apricot” international film festival with
that new Armenia film,” the organizers of the film festival stated. As
compared to the last year, there will be two competitions at the film
festival, one for Armenian, and the second for foreign films. Harutyun
Khachatrian, director of “Golden Apricot” film festival is sure that
the Armenian cinema has its unique place in the world. He said that
contemporary Armenian directors continue the path of Parajanov and
Peleshian.
The members of “Armenian Panorama” Jury, the films included in the
festival, as well as the envisaged arrangements were introduced to
the journalists at the press conference on June 16. On June 12-17
“Cinema Is Means of Intercultural Dialogue” international seminar
will be held in Yerevan, besides the festival. Evenings dedicated to
Hrant Matevosian, Mher Mkrtchian, Henrik Malian, Khoren Abrahamian,
Aghasi Ayvazyan will be held. There will also be meetings with Arsine
Khanjian. Krystoff Zanussi and Claude Miller.
“Armenian Panorama” program aims at uniting and representing the
pieces of the Armenian film directors from all over the world. “They
will familiarized with our films, with the Armenian culture, while we
will learn more about them. It~Rs also very important that we will
have the opportunity to enrich our film collection with new films,”
Garegin Zakoyan, chairman of “Armenian Panorama” competition, said
at the press conference.
Atom Egoyan, chairman of the Fiction Film Jury, will deliver master
class lectures together with the other prominent figures of the
world~Rs cinema at the cinema hall of the Yerevan State Picture
Gallery.
Susanna Harutyunian, head of festival programs, sad that they are
going to show documentary films shot in Chili, Nicaragua, Turkey,
Russia, Georgia, Lithuania about the contemporary life.
This is the second year the film festival is held. The specialists said
that it grew and ripened in a year. It is symbolized by the logo of
the festival that pictures apricot jam on bread. “The apricot ripened
in a year and became jam and now we treat it to our spectators,”
Harutyun Khachatrian said.
By Tamar Minasian
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1plus
| 14:04:19 | 10-06-2005 | Official |
PROBLEM OF 0.5% SOLVED
Today Robert Kocharyan had a working meeting with Labor and Social Affairs
Minister Aghvan Vardanyan.
The main issues of the meeting were the old-age pension reforms, poverty and
family pensions, and the results of the newly-created Labor State
Inspectorate and the introduction of the social cards.
Employment issues have also been discussed. According to the Ministry data,
since the beginning of the year the unemployment rate has been reduced by
0.5% and now 135 thousand people instead of 142 are looking for jobs.
The Minister has also represented the course of the carrying out of the
order about adding by 5000 the premium of the Great Patriotic War veterans.
A reference has also been made to the possible variants of adding the
pensions of the other veterans too.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PROVISIONS OF ARMENIAN-GERMAN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT CORRESPOND
TO ARMENIA’s CONSTITUTION
YEREVAN, JUNE 7. ARMINFO. Provisions of the Armenian-German
intergovernmental Agreement on financial cooperation within the
Caucasian Initiative’s framework correspond to Armenia’s
Constitution. Such a verdict was returned today by Armenia’s
Constitutional Court.
As informed Armenia’s deputy minister for finances and economy David
Avetissyan, presenting at the courtroom country’s president’s
interests, the Agreement was signed in Yerevan by Armenia’s minister
for finances and economy Vardan Khachatryan and Germany’s Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Heike-Renate Peitsch on
April 7, 2005.
According to the Agreement, Germany will give 7.5 mln euro for the
renewable energy development in Armenia. 6 mln euro will be allotted
as a lax credit for technical modernization of the acting small
hydroelectric power stations (HPS). The credit will be given on 40
year with 0.75% annual profits and the first 10 year repayment
period. The Program will be implemented within 2 years from the day of
its ratification by country’s parliament. A German-Armenian
reinvestment Fund on renewable energy will be established to manage
the credits. In its turn, the Fund will give credits to the small HPSs
through Armenia’s commercial banks to be elected by a tender. The
rest 1.5 mln euro will be given as grants and directed to conducting
consultations for the heads of banks and HPSs.
To note, Germany has given Armenia 127 mln euro since 1995, of them
100 mln euro are credits, and the rest sum are grants. -r-
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RECURRENT MEETING OF ARMENIAN-GEORGIAN INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION TO BE HELD IN SEPTEMBER
Pan Armenian News
02.06.2005 06:36
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The recurrent meeting of the Armenian-Georgian
Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation will be held
in September. The respective agreement was reached in the course
of a meeting of the Armenian and Georgian Prime Ministers Andranik
Margaryan and Zurab Nogaideli in Tbilisi June 2. The parties said they
were satisfied with the activation of bilateral contacts and mutual
visits, which in their opinion stimulates bilateral commercial and
economic relations. The Armenian governmental delegation headed by
the PM is in Georgia on a working visit to take part in the recurrent
CIS Summit of Government Heads, reported Novosti-Gruzia (News Georgia).
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

REGULAR SESSION OF ARMENIAN-GEORGIAN INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION ON
ECONOMIC COOPERATION TO BE HELD IN SEPTEMBER
YEREVAN, June 2. /ARKA/. Regular session of Armenian-Georgian
Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation is to be held
in September. According to RA Government’s Press and Public Relations
Department, the arrangement was made in the course of Armenian Prime
Minister Andranik Margaryan’s meeting with his Georgian counterpart
Zurab Nogaideli in Tbilisi. At the meeting, both sides expressed their
satisfaction with bilateral ties and mutual visits activation, which,
in their opinion, gives new impetus to trade and economic relations
between Armenia and Georgia. They also pointed out the effectiveness
of the commission activity.
Armenian governmental delegation headed by PM Andranik Margaryan is
now in Georgia to attend the CIS prime ministerial session on June
1 to 3. M.V. -0–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri official points to positive trends in Armenia’s stance on Karabakh
Trend news agency
30 May 05
Baku, 30 May: Positive trends are finally discernible in the position
of the Armenian administration on the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict,
Trend news agency has quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov as
telling a news conference on the issue today.
The deputy minister described as quite positive the stepped up
negotiations to resolve the conflict. He said the efforts of the
Azerbaijani side were currently aimed at implementing a concept
which includes the liberation of occupied territories, the return
of the Azerbaijani population to their lands, the creation of a
normal atmosphere for the coexistence of the Armenian and Azerbaijani
population after the latter’s return to Karabakh, and the establishment
of diplomatic and economic relations with Armenia.
Azerbaijan does not see a solution to the problem in the mere return
of occupied territories, the diplomat said and stressed that the
main objective was to ensure conditions for a normal and peaceful
coexistence of the Azerbaijani and Armenian population.
Before that can happen, it is necessary to change the current
situation. Territories have to be vacated and cleared from mines and
communication lines have to be restored as well, the diplomat added.
The deputy minister said that all this could not be done without the
assistance of international organizations. Touching on the issue of
security, the diplomat said experts had already started discussing
issues relating to the provision of security guarantees to those who
will be involved with restoration work.
Azimov did not rule out that this work might be carried out by
international peacekeeping forces.
Also being discussed in the negotiations is the provision of
guarantees, the diplomat said. He added that the guarantees are
considered at three levels: legal, practical and political. The
deputy minister believes that the UN Security Council should adopt a
resolution which would envisage the use of sanctions against countries
violating such agreements.
Azimov confirmed Azerbaijan’s position on the return of not five but
seven occupied districts, adding that the temporary withholding of
one or two districts could hurt the negotiating process and atmosphere.
The deputy minister then ruled out the possible impact of Azerbaijan’s
parliamentary elections on the negotiations.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress