Author: Nahapetian Boris

Agence France Presse — English
September 7, 2006 Thursday 6:58 PM GMT

Italian climber dies on Mount Ararat: agency

ANKARA, Sept 7 2006

An Italian woman has died on Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey and a
second mountaineer is missing, the Anatolia news agency reported on
Thursday.

The Italian, whose identity was not immediately known, was part of an
11-strong team which reached the 5,136-metre (16,850 feet) summit on
Tuesday and was caught in a blizzard at a height of around 4,200
meters while descending, officials in the province of Agri told
Anatolia.

The woman died after she lost her footing and fell, while a second
member of the team, whose details were not immediately known, was
missing, the agency reported.

The mountaineers contacted the local authorities by mobile telephone
and a search-and-rescue team was dispatched to help them.

The group had not notified the authorities of their expedition,
officials told Anatolia.

Mount Ararat (Agri in Turkish) is located in Turkey’s easternmost
region, where the borders of Iran, Armenia and the Azerbaijani
exclave of Nakhchivan meet.

Most of it is a closed military zone and mountaineers need special
permission from the Turkish authorities for expeditions on the
mountain.

A1+

TRAFFICKING GROWS
[03:46 pm] 08 September, 2006

During the latest report of the UN State Department
Armenia was included in the second risk group in
connection with trafficking. The problem of
trafficking is growing deeper in Armenia. Private
non-governmental investigations testify to this. Today
two suchlike presentations took place.

The investigations were carried out by the Armenian
Aid Union and Armenian Sociology Association. In both
cases the US Embassy and the OSCE Yerevan office
supported the works. The first theme was "Illegal
trade and work exploitation of Armenian migrants"; the
second was "Children in Armenian children’s homes and
special schools". In the first case 2500 citizens
participated in the survey. 48 of them were exploited
during migration. Part of the cases can be considered
trafficking.

"Taking into account the fact that about a million
Armenians have left abroad to find work during the
last 12-14 years, the proportion presupposes that
about 20 thousand people have had similar problems",
the report says. The investigations prove that 2/3 of
the participants of the survey have been subject of
work exploitation, 15% were forced into prostitution,
and about 5% were forced into slavery.

By the way, the lists of countries where work
exploitation and sexual exploitation takes place,
differ a lot. From the point of view of work
exploitation Russia takes the first place followed by
Turkey, USA, Germany, Poland and Greece. From the
point of view of sexual exploitation the list is
topped by Turkey, Arab Emirates, Russia, Iran and
Syria. The second report revealed that from the point
of view of exploitation the children from children’s
homes and special schools are considered the risk
groups.

Factually, the investigations, as well as the
discussions after them do not offer any remedy for
this "disease". They just mention that we ought to
raise public awareness about the concept of
trafficking, as well as the mechanisms of leaving for
abroad and finding job there.

NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR EU COOPERATION CREATED UNDER ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.09.2006 14:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ During its today’s recurrent session the Armenian
Government decided to form a National Council for Cooperation with
the EU, as well as a Commission to coordinate the cooperation,
reports the Press Service of the Armenian Government. The statute
of the Council and the Commission were adopted at the meeting, as
well as their composition, chaired by the Armenian PM. The National
Council will include civil society representatives, elected based on
their experience and the goal of the organizations they represent.

ERDOGAN: "THE EP’S REPORT ISN’T BINDING"

Turkish Press
Sept 6 2006

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday said that the importance
of a controversial new European Parliament Foreign Affairs Commission’s
report shouldn’t be overblown, adding that the report wasn’t
binding. After a meeting with his Albanian counterpart Sali Berisha,
Erdogan told a press conference that the EP decisions weren’t binding,
and added, "We’ve never admitted such a thing about the so-called
Armenian genocide, our stance is clear and sharp.

Expecting this to be changed is fantasy. Moreover, the EP debated
this issue before and didn’t recognize any such genocide." In related
news, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Namik Tan stated that the report
emphasized elements divorced from common sense and objectivity and
that they were expecting this situation to be corrected in a vote
in the full EP at the end of this month. Meanwhile, European Union
Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn’s spokesperson Krisztina Nagy said
that the report would make an important contribution to debates over
Turkey after the vote in the EP’s General Assembly. EU-Turkey Joint
Parliamentary Commission Co-Chair Joost Lagendijk and German Green
Party MP Cem Ozdemir said that the EP report placed a new hurdle in
front of Turkey’s EU bid.

STUDENTS WHO HAVE SERVED IN THE ARMENIAN ARMY PROTESTING AGAINST THE ACADEMIC PROGRESSION SYSTEM

Yerevan, September 6. ArmInfo. Students who have served in the
military forces of the Republic of Armenia are protesting against the
newly adopted system of academic progression. Tomorrow, September 7,
more than 220 students of the Armenian state universities will hold a
protest action. According to the new system students included in the
chargeless education system can be charged in case of low progress
in studies.

In a conversation with ArmInfo correspondent a second year student
of the Yerevan State Medical University, Sergey Abgarian, said that
the protest is only about those students who have served in the
army and were included in the chargeless education system due to
certain governmental facilities. The administration of the Medical
University has promised the protesting students that they will not
be affected by the academic rating system. Nevertheless on September
1 it was stated that the students will be charged for low education
progress in any case, irrespective of their status. The former army
servicemen are afraid that their study progress will be underrated
by the professors so as to free vacancies in the chargeless system
for their relations and criminals. The students are also aware that
the new system is full of corruption risk. The administrations of
the universities refused to give any response to the protests and
the students decided to address to the Defense Ministry of Armenia
and Minister Serge Sarkisian himself. They are intended to organize
a protest demonstration also in front of the RA President’s residence.

They demand more respect and attention to those who has fulfilled
his duty to their Homeland.

Panorama.am

15:04 02/09/06

MINISTER OF TERRITORIAL ADMINISTRATION REPORTED AS MOST COURTEOUS
POLITICAL ACTOR

A survey of Internet users says that Hovik Abrahamyan, minister of
territorial administration, is the most courteous political actor in
Armenia. The respondents gave the most negative assessment to Vardan
Aivazyan, minister of nature protection. Karen Tchmarityan, minister
of trade and economic development, is close to Aivazyan with his low
scores.

The rating was conducted by Persons.am on a scale from `-5′ to `+5.’
Charles Anznavour received the highest score of +4.35 by the visitors
of this Internet site.

The rating may be biased with a lot of participation from the region
of Ararat as a result of which the mayor of Ararat exceeds with his
scores such renowned persons as Kirk Kurkoryan and Jivan Gasparyan.

Moreover, the former regional governor of this region, Hovik
Abrahamyan, was rated as `the most courteous’ political
leader. /Panorama.am/

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Sept 1 2006

Council of Europe Director of Culture and Cultural and Natural
Heritage to visit Azerbaijan

[ 01 Sen. 2006 19:10 ]

The second consultation within the Kyiv Initiative program attended
by all of the three Caucasus states as well as representatives of
Ukrainian and Moldovan Culture Ministries and Robert Palmer, Director
of Culture and Cultural and Natural Heritage of the Council of Europe
held at the Council of Europe yesterday.

APA’s Europe bureau reports, Yashar Huseynli, director of cooperation
with international organizations and programs sector of Culture and
Tourism Ministry represented Azerbaijan at the meeting.
The Kyiv Initiative is based on the experience of the project
"Support for Transition in the Arts and Culture in Greater Europe"
(STAGE), carried out between 2000 and 2005. It is a comprehensive
follow-up of the STAGE project which ended in 2005 – intends to
contribute through action and policies in culture and heritage to
democratic development and dialogue in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia,
Moldova and Ukraine.
Mr.Husyenli told the APA bureau that the STAGE project intends to
contribute to cultural tourism, cinematography, legislative,
financial and managing support in these fields.
`This project will enable Azerbaijan to have multiple and bilateral
cooperation with the Council of Europe and the participant countries,
except Armenia. Azerbaijan’s has voiced its official position in the
framework of this program. Thus Azerbaijan will not cooperate with
Armenia until it withdraws from the occupied Azerbaijani lands. The
importance of the Kyiv Initiative and Azerbaijan’s official position
there were uttered during Minister Abulfas Garayev’s visit to the
Council of Europe in April this year,’ he said.
Husyenli also said Azerbaijan has started the implementation of the
Kyiv Initiative, and the Alexander Duma in the Caucasus project,
which is accepted as the COE project at the initiative of the
Ministry is being implemented successfully.
`At yesterday’s meeting, we also discussed strategic framework and
action plan and also budget issues for 2006-2009 related to the Kyiv
Initiative,’ Huseynli said.
The sector director also said Robert Palmer, Director of Culture and
Cultural and Natural Heritage of the Council of Europe is expected to
visit Azerbaijan related to this project in late September and early
October.
Official inauguration of the Kyiv Initiative will be held in Romania
in autumn this year./APA/

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Sept 1 2006

John Evans: I do not retract my words on the 1915 Armenian genocide

[ 01 Sen. 2006 11:19 ]

`I assessed the 1915 `Young Turkish’ government’s actions against
Armenians as genocide and I do not retract this statement,’ said John
Evans, the outgoing U.S. ambassador to Armenia, APA reports.

Holding his last press conference in Yerevan before leaving for the
US, Evans stressed that his position regarding the so-called Armenian
genocide remains unchanged.
He said he has received a `nice note’ from Bush that thanked him for
his work in Armenia. He also commended Bush’s choice of the next U.S.
ambassador to Yerevan, Richard Hoagland, as a `consummate
professional.’
Evans was recalled from Armenia on March 7 this year. The reason for
that is believed to be his statement that Armenians suffered genocide
in the Ottoman Empire
`The Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the 20th century,’
Evans had declared during a February 2005 meeting with
Armenian-American activists in California.
But later on seeing this statement caused a serious dissatisfaction,
Evans told a press conference that his words were unofficially stated
which do not represent official position of his state.
`This expression belongs to me only not a politician. But I must say
this was not uttered on time,’ he said.
Richard Hoagland, currently the outgoing U.S. ambassador to
Tajikistan, has been confirmed by the U.S Senate as a new ambassador
to Armenia. /APA/

VTB ARMENIA CO-OWNER MAY SELL STAKE TO VNESHTORGBANK

SKRIN Market & Corporate News
August 31, 2006 Thursday 11:50 AM GMT

Armenian entrepreneur Mikhail Bagdasarov is planning to sell his 30%
stake of VTB ARMENIA (former ARMSBERBANK), the Banki.Ru information
portal reported. Bagdasarov is currently negotiating the sale
with VNESHTORBANK (VTB), which owns 70% of the bank and holds the
priority right to buy the shares. In addition, talks are under way
with other potential investors. Earlier in March 2004, VTB bought 70%
of ARMSBERBANK shares. VTB ARMENIA equity capital stood at $18 mln at
the end of 1H2006. Bagdasarov owns the ARMAVIA air company in Armenia,
the MICA CEMENT plant and the MICA LTD oil trader.

NKR NA CHAIRMAN ASHOT GULYAN RECEIVED BELGIAN SENATOR FRANCOIS ROELANTS DU VIVIER

ArmRadio.am
31.08.2006 17:58

Chairman of the NKR National Assembly Ashot Gulyan received today the
Head of the Foreign Relations and Defense Committee of the Belgian
Senate Francois Roelants du Vivier.

Press Service of the NKR National Assembly told "ArmInfo" that
the Senator associates his visit immediately with the necessity to
learn about the views of the Karabakhi side on the settlement of the
conflict. "It is impossible to understand the whole nature of the
Karabakh issue and the realities of the settlement process without
coming here," he said.

During the visit, featuring Heads of Standing Comittees of NKR National
Asembly Vahram Atanesyan, Rudik Martirosyan and Arayik Harutyunyan,
a number of issues of mutual interest related to the Karabakh conflict
settlement and the democratic processes in NKR were discussed.