Author: Nahapetian Samvel

ARMINCO FINED IN THE AMOUNT OF $5.5 THOUSAND

Panorama.am
21:02 30/03/2007

Internet provider "Arminco" was fined in the amount of 2 million
Armenian drams or $5.5 thousand. Public Services Regulatory Committee
reached the decision today. Having no respective license, Arminco
provided international telephone services. ArmenTel CJSC also supported
the happening. Arminco is assigned to stop international telephone
service provision based on the decision of the committee. The fine
will be paid to the Armenian state budget in the course of 2 weeks.

WILL TURKISH AUTHORITIES ALLOW PLACING A CROSS ON AKHTAMAR CHURCH?

ArmRadio.am
29.03.2007 14:30

Foreign Ministry spokesman Levent Bilman yesterday confirmed earlier
news reports that the Culture and Tourism Ministry has solicited the
views of the Foreign Ministry on the appropriateness of installing a
cross on the steeple of Akhtamar Church, which will be reopened today,
Turkish "Zaman" informs.

Levent Bilman noted it’s not compulsory to place the cross during the
opening ceremony. "Our ministry is still studying the issue before
offering our viewpoint. As you know, the restoration of historical
buildings is a long-term process," Bilman said. "By its very nature,
the issue will be evaluated in detail and then the Culture and Tourism
Ministry will be notified of our opinion."

The paper reminds that Turkish Armenians Patriarch Mesrob Mutafyan
called on the Turkish Foreign Ministry three days ago to return the
cross to its original place. The letter of the Armenian Patriarch
has been submitted to the consideration of the Turkish Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.

The newspaper reminds that an official delegation from Yerevan, as
well as representatives of the Armenian Diaspora will participate in
the opening ceremony.

AKHTAMAR CHURCH OPENED IN TURKEY

ArmRadio.am
29.03.2007 16:10

The Church of the Holy Cross on Akhtamar Island in Lake Van was
opened in Turkey today. The opening ceremony was attended by the
Armenian delegation headed by RA Deputy Minister of Culture and Youth
Affairs Gagik Gyurjyan. Also present was the Armenian Patriarch of
Constantinople Mesrop Archbishop Mutafyan.

>From the Turkish side the ceremony was attended by Culture Minister
Atilla Koch.

It’s worth mentioning that no cross has been placed on the
church. However, Atilla Koch declared yesterday that the cross would
be placed and religious masses would be organized in the church at
least once a year.

Let us remind that the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin refused to
participate in the opening ceremony, considering that the reconstructed
church will turn into a museum and the ceremony will not be held in
compliance with religious rituals of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

OSCE MISSION SAYS THE FIRES IN THE BORDER LINE AFFECTED THE REGION’S ECOSYSTEM

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
March 28 2007

"The monitoring group was not able to review firefighting equipment
in the eastern part of the contact line. Azerbaijani representatives
stated many times that their equipment and technical devices meet
modern standards and can be used in firefighting. They said that the
only obstacle to the work in the regions near the contact line is
mined areas, unexploded military equipment and fire from the opposite
side. The group visited firefighting departments in Nagorno Karabakh.

They found out that firefighting services are equipped with out-of-date
equipment used for 20-25 years. At the same time Nagorno Karabakh’s
relief prevents taking efficient measures against fires.

There is lack of equipment to extinguish fire manually in the
places where cars can not reach. There is also shortage of water,
it is connected with lack of irrigation system, artesian wells, and
lack of agreement and mutual activity between the two sides of the
contact line to use all water resources," says the report drawn up
by OSCE mission which monitored the fire-hit places, Bernard Snoy,
Coordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities told the
APA. According to the report, the fires caused damage of greenery and
economic losses. Economic losses in Nagorno Karabakh are estimated
to amount to 3.5 million Armenian drams ($9m).

"The head of Tartar region executive power said 10,548 families
suffered from the fires. Azerbaijani press writes that the damage is
estimated to amount to AZN7.5m ($8.6m). Economic losses to be caused by
the degradation of ecosystem have not been estimated yet. Some local
residents say that smoke started as a result of fire were dangerous
for the health of sick people. The head of Agjabadi executive power
said that smoke had a negative influence on the people suffering from
asthma and cardiovascular diseases as well as the elderly. There are
bullet holes on fire engines in Nagorno Karabakh and Tartar. Heads of
Tartar and Agjabadi executive powers said that the number of people
bitten by snakes increased. About 48 appealed to hospitals. It is
connected with migration of snakes and rodents from the fire-hit
places. The discussion over the influence of fires on environment
underlined several times that fires influence atmosphere and cause
climate change."

PRESIDENT, VP CONDOLE ARMENIAN LEADER

Emirates News Agency
March 27, 2007 Tuesday 10:02 AM EST

President, VP condole Armenian leader Abu Dhabi, March 27th, 2007
(WAM)–President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a
cable of condolences to Robert Kocharian, President of the Republic of
Armenia on the death of the Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margrayan.

H.H Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime
Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has sent a similar cable to the Armenian
President.

POLES AXE ARMENIA

Australian FourFourTwo, Australia
March 29 2007

Poland 1 Armenia 0

Poland extended their lead at the top of Group A despite making hard
work of a poor Armenia side.

A home win always seemed the most likely result with top playing
bottom and the gulf in class told in the 26th minute when man-of-
the-match Maciej Zurawski scored the decisive goal to give the Poles
a five-point lead after Portugal’s draw with Serbia.

The striker looked lively from the off and tested Roman Berezovsky
within three minutes with a right-footed effort from 12 yards.

Soon after Poland defender Dariusz Dudka was inches away from giving
the home side the lead when he headed Lukasz Gargula’s eighth-minute
corner over the bar.

Armenia took 21 minutes to call Polish number one Artur Boruc into
action, but the Celtic goalkeeper had little trouble taking Levon
Pachajyan’s inswinging corner from the left.

Boruc’s Hoops team-mate Zurawski continued to look a danger and was
again denied by Berezovsky with a vicious right-footer from the edge
of the area.

But soon the Celtic striker got the goal his efforts deserved when he
coolly steered Michal Zewlakow left-wing cross into the bottom-right
corner from 12 yards.

It was Zurawski who continued to take the game to the Armenians and
twice in the space of a minute he almost registered his second of
the game.

First Berezovsky came to the rescue with a smart save to deny the
striker from 20 yards before Armenian defender Karen Dokhoyan did
well to get in the way of his effort from similar range.

Berezovsky continued to be the busiest player on the field and
in the 40th minute he was again called into action to deny Jakub
Blaszczykowski’s shot from the left channel.

Pachajyan registered a shot for the home side in the 51st minute
but his 30-yard strike was always rising and finished well above
the crossbar.

But it was the Poles who always looked the more likely to double
the advantage.

Przemyslaw Kazmierczak’s well struck shot was just over Berezovsky’s
bar and a minute later Blaszczykowski’s fierce drive from 20 yards
fizzed just wide of the left post.

ARMENIAN AND UKRAINIAN FMS DISCUSSED GUAM INITIATIVE ON FROZEN CONFLICTS

PanARMENIAN.Net
28.03.2007 19:20 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On March 28, Foreign Minister Oskanian received
Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Minister
came to Armenia to take part in the funeral ceremony of Andranik
Margaryan, the Prime Minister of Armenia.

On behalf of Ukraine’s President and Government, Mr. Yatsenyuk
presented his condolences to the Armenian people. Minister Oskanian
thanked him for visit and the sympathy expressed. He noted the
importance of the continuing historical relationship between Armenia
and Ukraine, stressing the progressive cooperation in trade and
economy.

During the meeting, the two discussed the prospects of cooperation
within international organizations. The two also spoke of GUAM’s
initiative to introduce a resolution on frozen conflicts into the
UN General Assembly. To this end, Minister Oskanian briefed to his
colleague on the latest developments in the Nagorno Karabakh peace
process.

Minister Oskanian and Minister Yatsenyuk also exchanged views on
regional issues as well as on the Kosovo issue, recently presented
at the UN Security Council, the RA MFA press office reports.

CONDOLENCE BOOK OPENED IN GEORGIA

ArmRadio.am
28.03.2007 15:41

The Ambassadors of Great Britain, Sweden, France and Romania, and
Chinese Charge d’Affaires of China in Georgia visited the Armenian
Embassy in Tbilisi today to express their condolences on the death
of the Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan. The leader of the
Armenian Diocese in Georgia Vazgen Mirzakhanyan and clergymen also
visited the Embassy.

RA Ambassador to Georgia Hrach Silvanyan told Armenpress that Georgian
Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili is also expected to visit the
Embassy.

According to him, a memorial service will be held on Saturday.

Let us remind that the Georgian delegation headed by Prime Minister
Zurab Noghaideli is in Armenia.

Program of Actions in Case of Detection of H5N1 Virus Allows to Prevent Its
Further Spread in Armenia: Expert

Arminfo
2007-03-27 14:30:00

Despite the fact that presently the virus of bird flu is not revealed
in Armenia, it is incorrect to completely rule out its penetration
into the Republic’s territory, the Head of the state Veterinary
Inspection of RA Ministry of Agriculture Grizha Bagyan said at the
opening of exercises in Yerevan on operative response to the epidemic
of bird flu.

He noted that one of the factors that considerably reduced the risk of
H5N1 virus spread in the country is a tight control of the import of
birds and bird products to Armenia. "In the International Bureau of
Epizooty (France), we thoroughly verify all the data about detection
of new sources of the bird flu virus spread in the world, and the
permission for import of bird products from one or another
producer-country is based only on their conclusion", G. Bagyan
said. Moreover, the disinfection works are still carried out in the
boundary checkpoints. According to Bagyan, all the necessary
information about a spring migration of birds has already been
received and analyzed. Moreover, schedule of measures for the
epidemic-fight is clearly determined. "The program of actions will
allow us to prevent the further spread of H5N1 virus in Armenia in
case of its detection", G. Bagyan stressed.

To note, no cases of the bird flu disease were registered in the
Republic as of today.

Agence France Presse — English
March 27, 2007 Tuesday 5:24 PM GMT

Armenian church chief snubs Turkish invitation

The head of Armenia’s Apostolic Church has declined an invitation
from Turkey to attend the opening of a restored Armenian church, his
office announced Tuesday.

Catholicos Karekin II would not be attending because the restored
church was being converted into a museum and the ceremony would be a
non-religious one, the church said in a statement.

The Church of the Holy Cross was built on Akhtamar Island in Lake
Van, eastern Turkey, in the 10th century but abandoned after the
World War I killings of Armenians under Ottoman rule.

Restored by the Turkish authorities, it is due to be opened on
Thursday.

Relations between Turkey and Armenia are still strained over the
Ottoman-era killings, which took place between 1915 and 1917.

Yerevan describes the killings as genocide, a label that Turkey, the
Ottoman Empire’s successor, categorically rejects.

The murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who supported
the genocide position, has further strained relations. He was shot
dead in Istanbul on January 19.

Earlier this month, lawyers for his family filed a motion for a
judicial probe into officials they accused of being implicated in the
murder.