Author: Nahapetian Zhanna

Y. MERZLYAKOV: ARMENIAN AND AZERI PRESIDENTS TO MEET IN KAZAN LATE
AUGUST

YEREVAN, JULY 15. ARMINFO. Armenian and Azeri presidents Robert
Kocharyan and Ilham Aliev will meet in August, 2005, the OSCE MG
Russian co-chair Yury Merzlyakov informed at today’s press-conference
in Yerevan, speaking on behalf of co-chairs with a short statement.

“The main result of this visit is that we can announce you about the
meeting of Armenian and Azeri presidents in Kazan in late August,
during the Council of CIS-countries’ presidents”, he said. Merzlyakov
also informed that the meeting of Armenian and Azeri foreign ministers
Vardan Oskanyan and Elmar Mamedyarov will take place shortly before
presidents’ meeting, probably on Aug 23.

YERVANT ZORIAN: ARMENIAN IT-SPECIALISTS REMARKABLE FOR TENDENCY FOR NOVELTIES

Pan ARMENIAN Network, Armenia
July 15 2005

15.07.2005 04:58

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The chief management of Virage Logic Corp notes not
only the importance of High-Tech development but also creation of
Know-How, Vice President and Chief Scientist at Virage Logic Corp
Yervant Zorian said in conversation with “.am” PanARMENIAN.NET
reporter. He also noted that the Armenian IT-specialists are
remarkable for tendency for novelties. Yervant Zorian informed that
the main purpose of his visit is to sum up the outcomes of the work
carried out by the group of 50 specialists of the Yerevan Office.
Besides he met with the members of the Armenian Academy of Sciences
to discuss the further practice in the semiconductor industry. The
meeting participants also considered the possibility of organizing an
international conference entitled “Computer Science and Informational
Technologies” in the Armenian capital. To note, Yervant Zorian was
awarded the 2005 IEEE Industrial Pioneer Award at the Design Automation
Conference. The award was for his contribution to design-for-test
technology through Built-In-Test solutions and design tools. In 2003
he was named by EE Times as one of 13 people “who are influencing
the course of semiconductor development technology and taking it into
realms that exceed the bound set by the inventors of the transistor
more than 50 years ago.” To remind, Virage Logic Corp entered Armenia
in 1999. The Corporation has established representations in 12 cities
of 7 countries throughout the world.

Pan ARMENIAN Network, Armenia
July 15 2005

NO GUARANTEES FOR KARABAKH SETTLEMENT TILL END OF YEAR

15.07.2005 08:55

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ During today’s press conference OSCE Minsk Group
Russian Co-Chair Yuri Merzlyakov stated that the progress in the
Karabakh conflict settlement is obvious. “There are elements that
allow speaking of settlement till the end of the current year.
However there are serious discrepancies and moot questions as well”,
he said. US Co-Chair Steven Mann noted that there are possibilities
but no guarantees for the settlement of the conflict till the end of
the year. “The issue may be settled in a year or in 100 years”, he
stated earlier. When commenting on the issue Personal Representative
of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk noted that even if the
Co-Chairs issue the finite draft agreement on the conflict settlement,
it does not mean that the issue will be resolved. “The agreement of
both parties to conflict is essential. There is no guarantee that a
proposal from outside will be adopted by the conflicting parties”,
he stressed.

Document on Garabagh conflict sparks discontent

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
July 15 2005

Baku, July 14, AssA-Irada

A draft document on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper Garabagh conflict
presented in an international seminar which started in Tbilisi, Georgia
on Tuesday has sparked discontent from the participating Azerbaijani
representatives. Deputy chairman of the parliamentary commission on
international and inter-parliamentary relations, MP Gultakin Hajiyeva
said the document serves Armenians’ national interests.

“The most scary fact is that the draft aims introducing Upper Garabagh
as an entity and proving that the region is developing dynamically,
with the economy, law, banking system being established there.”

Hajiyeva did not rule out that supplements and changes will be made
to the document, saying that the involvement of Azerbaijani experts
in the matter, although late, is appropriate.

Along with Hajiyeva, historian Musa Gasimov and representative of the
Azerbaijani community of Upper Garabagh Karim Karimov are attending
the event, which also brought together 20 experts.

The three-day seminar is organized by the International Crisis Group.*

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
July 14 2005

Azeri, Armenian FMs to meet in Moscow

Baku, July 13, AssA-Irada
The next meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers Elmar
Mammadyarov and Vardan Oskanian is due in Moscow August 22. The
meeting is to take place as part of a regular event of the
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Foreign Ministers Council,
the Foreign Ministry said.
The two ministers, who will meet four days prior to a meeting of the
two countries’ Presidents in Kazan, Russia, will focus on new details
relating to the settlement of the Upper Garabagh conflict.
Mammadyarov and Oskanian last met in Paris on June 17-18.*

Armenian politicians differ about referendum on Karabakh’s status

Aravot, Yerevan
13 Jul 05

Text of Margarit Yesayan report by Armenian newspaper Aravot on 13
July headlined “The new stage in the Karabakh issue”

The opposition is against returning five districts [to Azerbaijan]
while the coalition is for. Commenting on the latest option for the
settlement of the Karabakh issue, which was recently reported by Radio
Liberty, Aram Sarkisyan, representative of the [opposition] Justice
bloc, said: “What is suggested by the authorities is first of all
unacceptable to the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic [NKR], because Karabakh
is not ready to speak about returning the districts yet. And the
problem of Karabakh’s status has not been settled yet. For this
reason, it is unacceptable to return the five districts and postpone
the referendum for 10 years. I would like to tell Mr [Armenian
President Robert] Kocharyan once again that by doing so, he is putting
an end to the entire process that has been under way until today,
i.e. he resigns himself to [Azerbaijani President] Ilham Aliyev’s
principle of starting from scratch. It turns out that at present the
districts will be given away for nothing. Imagine, the so-called
displaced people return to their homes, this means that during the
referendum, the Azerbaijanis who lived in Karabakh before 1988 should
also return and Shushi [Susa] should also be resettled. This means
that serious demographic changes will take place here. I would like to
stress that they will also include children born after 1988, imagine
how many there will be over 10 years. But the referendum has already
been conducted in Karabakh. What new referendum do they mean?”

According to him, the most important issue is who is Kocharyan today
that he is able to sign any agreement on behalf of Karabakh? Who is he
from a legal point of view? He has not recognized the independence of
the NKR. He has not declared Karabakh part of Armenia, which would
have given him the right to sign any document on behalf of Karabakh.

Aram Sarkisyan is sure that “it is nonsense when they say that today
we return the five districts, keep Lachin [Lacin] and turn Kelbadzhar
[Kalbacar] into a guarantee of the referendum. Why is that referendum
becoming the most important problem? Who said that we have the right
to return Kelbadzhar? This means that we shall return the whole of
Karabakh. This is not an option for us.”

The views of the coalition forces differ. According to a
representative of the supreme body of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation – Dashnaktsutyun, Armen Rustamyan, this scenario may be
discussed. Mr Rustamyan said that the following was a positive idea:
an arrangement to settle the problem by means of a package scenario,
security guarantees and their direct connection with the status [of
Karabakh]. The next is the determination of Karabakh’s status through
a referendum: “This is really a positive approach as it pre-supposes
accepting that the settlement of the problem should be based on the
principle of the self-determination of nations. Certainly, we
conducted a referendum earlier, but the holding of a second referendum
may be discussed as a compromise, and this does not mean denying
preliminary approaches.” Armen Rustamyan said that a 10-year delay in
conducting the referendum is unacceptable: “The date for the
referendum is important because of demographic problems.”

The leader of the parliamentary faction of the Republican Party of
Armenia, Galust Saakyan, is sure that those who drew up this document
wanted to please the Armenians, as well as the Azerbaijanis. “I think
this is connected with the parliamentary elections that will take
place soon [on 6 November in Azerbaijan].” There is an opinion that
this is the scenario that will be discussed during the upcoming
meeting between Kocharyan and Aliyev in Kazan.

But Galust Saakyan thinks that no problem will be settled in Kazan
“because all problems may be settled after the autumn, when the
parliamentary elections will already have been held in Azerbaijan and
local government elections and a constitutional referendum in
Armenia.” Galust Saakyan is sure that the public will eventually learn
about this kind of document and will have its say as “nobody may
assume responsibility to say ‘yes’ to any scenario because the people
should resolve the problem in cooperation with political forces”.

OPENING OF FILM FESTIVAL “GOLDEN APRICOT” WAS MARKED WITH CONCERT

YEREVAN, JULY 12. ARMINFO. A concert was held at National Theatre of
Opera and Ballet on July 12, which marked the start of the Second
International Film Festival “Golden Apricot” under the motto
“Crossroads of cultures and civilizations”.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Vardan Oskanian
read the greeting message to the participants of the festival. Well-known
cinematographers from 45 countries arrived in Yerevan to participate
in the “Golden Apricot” Second International Film Festival, under the
“Crossroads of Cultures and Civilizations” motto. The opening ceremony
of the festival will take place today in the evening at the National
Opera Theatre. Film directors, critics, actors and producers will
present 140 films at competitive, out-of-competition and special
views. Three contests – of fiction, documentary and animation films
will be organized to elect the best works.

Nagornyy Karabakh Republic [NKR] gives population figures

Mediamax news agency
8 Jul 05

YEREVAN

The Nagornyy Karabakh Republic [NKR] had a population of 145.600 in
2004.

During January-June 2005, the natural rate of population growth came
to 13.3 per cent compared with the same period last year, the NKR
national statistics service has told Mediamax news agency.

[Passage omitted: population growth decreased by 316 people compared
with 2004].

The death rate has decreased by 7.1 per cent during January-June 2005,
compared with the same period of 2004.

A1plus

| 20:47:55 | 08-07-2005 | Social |

PENSIONERS WON

The citizens who did not receive their old-age pensions for six month will
complain no more. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and the people
renouncing social cards have finally reached an agreement. According to
member of the council `Christians Against Numbering People’ Khachik
Stamboltsyan, all their demands have been taken into account and they will
not continue their sit-down strike.

Khachik Stamboltsyan informed that they have been promised to make
legislative reforms so that the social card will be used in the social field
only. The cards used in other fields will have other numbers.

The most important achievement of the two-weak combat, however, is that the
pensioners will be able to get their pensions of 6 months which they did not
get because of the absence of social cards.

Armenpress

LINCY FOUNDATION WILL ALLOCATE $60 MILLION FOR NEW PROJECTS IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, JULY 8, ARMENPRESS: A press release by the Lincy Foundation
(established by an American Armenian billionaire Kirk Kerkorian) said the
Foundation announced on July 7 that it would allocate $60 million for three
new infrastructure projects selected by the Government of Armenia.
The work will commence once the necessary approvals have been obtained
and agreements between the Armenian government and The Lincy Foundation have
been signed. The Government of Armenia will implement these projects with
the assistance of The Lincy Foundation. The $60 million to be provided by
The Lincy Foundation would be used for the much-needed renovation of
schools, the upgrading of Yerevan streets, and the improvement of various
roads throughout Armenia.
The school renovation project would significantly improve the educational
environment for thousands of students who have been studying in dilapidated
school buildings for many years. The upgrading and improvement of various
city streets and roads would facilitate the movement of people and goods
throughout Armenia. These new projects follow Lincy’s successful completion
of $150 million of infrastructure renovation that included the construction
and repair of 270 miles of highways, 5 bridges, 2 tunnels, 17 major city
streets as well as the Republican Square in Yerevan, 3,674 apartments in the
earthquake zone, and 34 cultural institutions throughout Armenia. In
addition, The Lincy Foundation provided $20 million of loans to small and
medium-size businesses in Armenia.