Author: Nalbandian Eduard

PRESIDNET SARGSYAN HELD A WORKING MEETING WITH LEADERSHIP OF THE STATE CUSTOMS COMMITTEE

armradio.am
17.04.2008 18:25

Today President Serzh Sargsyan had a working meeting with the
leadership of the State Customs Committee of RA Government. The
meeting was attended by RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, Head of
President’s Staff Armen Gevorgyan, other officials.

According to the President, it is obvious that today’s work
and professionalism, technological level of the customs bodies
considerably differs from the previous years with, which is, of course,
an achievement.

However, according to Mr., Sargsyan, simultaneously there corruption,
sponsorship are flourishing in the system, and it, certainly, hampers
the economic development and causes fair anger.

During the meeting Serzh Sargsyan said: "In our country there are no
ways of solving social issues other than the tax and custom incomes.

Therefore, we must move along the path of self-cleaning, raise the
level of the services provided. The customs system should contribute to
the development of business, improvement of the business environment.

We all must live in a normal country, where it will be possible to do
business without any obstacles. All studies show that first of all, the
small and medium-sized businesses face problems. No big entrepreneur in
Armenia has problems, especially connected with the custom system. This
must hint something. No one should be privileged. Equal conditions
must be created for everyone. This is your primary task."

GEORGIAN SEPARATISTS PLEDGE COOPERATION AGAINST "MILITARY THREATS"

Interfax News Agency
April 15 2008
Russia

Sukhumi, 15 April: The presidents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia,
Sergey Bagapsh and Eduard Kokoyty, have said that Georgia’s increased
military expenditures represent a threat to their republics and that
they intend to work together to repel existing threats.

"Why is Georgia arming itself? – not against Russia, Armenia or
Azerbaijan. It will go to war against South Ossetia and Abkhazia. We
must be untied if a military threat emerges in one of our republics
– Abkhazia, South Ossetia or Dniester," S. Bagapsh said on Tuesday
[15 April] at a joint news conference in Sukhumi.

He said that all the actions of the leadership of the unrecognized
republics are directed at ensuring the security of their peoples.

"We also have friends and well-wishers. We are pinning our hopes on
the Russian Federation and we do not hide this. What Russia is doing
today in relation to Abkhazia and South Ossetia is part of a great
scheme which is called mutual assistance," S. Bagapsh stressed.

For his part, E. Kokoyty said that Georgia’s increased military
expenditures "cannot be a source of pride for Georgia, which has no
neighbouring states that would threaten its security".

"This speaks to a state’s weakness and to the fact that it does not
have the political and legal grounds to convince its everyone of its
rightness," Kokoyty said.

He also expressed his confidence that the existing conflicts cannot
be resolved through military means.

"It would be better if the Georgian leadership had instead spent these
billions on the social needs of Georgian farmers, who periodically
hold protest rallies in the streets of the Georgian capital,"
E. Kokoyty said.

DRAFT RESOLUTION ON ARMENIA READY

AZG Armenian Daily
16/04/2008

After-Election Crisis

PACE Monitoring Commission on April 14 discussed the draft resolution
to be involved in PACE agenda on Thursday on the issue of democratic
institutions’ functioning in Armenia.

According to the representative of the Armenian delegation in PACE
Avet Adonts, a draft resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly was
presented at the meeting of the Commission that will be discussed
and put to the vote on Thursday.

"Actually we have a draft resolution and the first draft resolution was
adopted by the Commission", informed Mr. Adonts and added that until
April 16 (at 10.00 a.m. of local time) the members of the Commission
can present their proposals and additions to this draft resolution
and there will be another chance to discuss the draft resolution,
and after that on Thursday the resolution will be put to the vote.

"The draft resolution involves many important points.

Firstly, it attaches importance to the dialogue between parliamentary
and non-parliamentary forces, secondly, provision of freedom for
those people, who didn’t commit a crime".

According to Adonts, it is clearly mentioned in the resolution that
it is maybe possible to review the place and role of the opposition
in the political system of Armenia.

The draft resolution mentions that on June the Parliamentary Assembly
will touch upon the issue and discuss what progress is recorded after
the adoption of the resolution’, mentioned Avet Adonts.

SAMAD SEYIDOV: "THE PROCESS CARRIED OUT IN ARMENIA HAD NOTHING IN COMMON WITH ELECTIONS"

Today.Az
/politics/44285.html
April 15 2008
Azerbaijan

General discussions on presidential elections in Russia, Serbia and
Armenia have been conducted at the spring session of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

APA reports that Samad Seyidov, Chief Delegate of Azerbaijan to PACE
has also delivered a speech at the discussions.

Seyidov expressed his disagreement with the report made by Special
rapporteur on Armenia John Prescott, who had observed the presidential
elections and post-election developments in Armenia.

Seyidov stated that the people had been killed and hundreds had been
arrested in Armenia.

His question was: since when have all these been included in CE
standards?

He expressed his anxiety about the tendencies in the Council of
Europe and added that there were double standards in respect to the
presidential elections in Armenia.

TOOK TO KARABAKH SIDE

KarabakhOpen
14-04-2008 17:42:32

On April 11 the NKR defense army caught an Azerbaijani soldier who was
about to cross the border to Karabakh, News Armenia learned from the
NKR State Commission for POWs and the Missing. The incident occurred
near the village of Yusifjanli, Aghdam region.

The Azerbaijani soldier did not have any ID. He introduced himself
as Viusal Shirsultan oghli Eybatov from the 190th brigade, born in
1989 in the village of Hilmani, Shamakhi region of Azerbaijan.

The relevant agencies of NKR are investigating the cause and
circumstances of the passage of the Azerbaijani soldier to the
Karabakhi side.

The NKR state commission for POWs and the missing has notified the
offices of the OSCE and the International Committee of the Red Cross
accredited to Nagorno-Karabakh about the incident.

ARMENIAN COMPANIES START NEGOTIATIONS ON PARTICIPATION IN CONSTRUCTION
OF OLYMPIC FACILITIES IN SOCHI

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, NOYAN TAPAN. A lot of construction, design and
building material manufacturing companies of Armenia have started
negotiations on participation in construction of Olympic facilities in
Sochi, the chairman of the Union of Builders of Armenia Gagik Galstian
announced on April 11.

According to him, some Armenian construction companies making part of
joint ventures have already begun construction work in Russia and
Ukraine. G. Galstian said that in the Soviet time the construction was
done by using precast reinforced concrete structures, whereas a united
construction method is used now, which is considered as more
earthquakeproof and suitable for decoration of buildings.

According to him, the annual construction growth has made at least 15%
in Armenia in the past few years. House-building makes up about 60% of
the total construction volume, while the rest is construction of social
and production facilities (mainly those of mining, metallurgical
sectors and food industry).

"EREBUNI" HISTORIC MUSEUM REPAIRED

Panorama.am
21:12 10/04/2008

Now the "Erebuni" historic museum is being partially repaired, said
Araxi Meshentsyan the deputy director of the museum to Panorama.am
reporter.

According to her 7 million drams were disposed from the state budget
to start the repairing activities.

The repairing process will probably take 1-2 years as the museum
should be profoundly reconstructed. She said that after a month the
examination of the rural part will start to find out which parts can
be excavated and which not.

NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK TO BE HELD FOR SEVENTH TIME ON APRIL 14-21 IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
April 10, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The National Library Week will be
held for the seventh time on April 14-21 in Armenian libraries. The
week being held on the initiative of the Armenian Library Association
and with the support of ARFD this year will be held under the motto
"Library – Key of Knowledge."

As Noyan Tapan correspondent was informed by Armine Ghazarian,
the Spokesperson of the National Library of Armenia, exbibitions,
book fairs, as well as meetings with prominent figures of science,
culture, and literature will be organized within the framework of
the Week. It was also mentioned that April 17 is declared Saroyan
Day. Events dedicated to the great writer’s 100th anniversary will
be organized in all libraries on that day.

KSISTOV PENDERETSKI VISITS THE MOTHER SEE OF HOLY ETCHMIADZIN

armradio.am
10.04.2008 16:16

On April 10 His Holiness Garegin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos
of All Armenians, received renowned composer and conductor Ksistov
Penderetski at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

Welcoming the composer’s visit to the Holy See, His Holiness noted:
"We are familiar with your works and today we are glad to get to know
you personally and express our appreciation of the service you render
to all humanity."

For his part, Ksistov Penderetski presented the history of his family,
turning to his Armenian roots and childhood memories.

The interlocutors spoke about the genre similarities between
Penderetski’s works and the Armenian religious music. Mr. Penderetski
expressed the wish to compose Armenian religious music.

At the end of the meeting the Catholicos wished success to the great
composer in his creative life and wished that the blessing of the
Holy Etchmiadzin always accompanies him.

SERGE SARGSYAN: I SHALL REMAIN COMMITTED TO ALL OF MY PRE-ELECTION PROMISES, AND WE SHALL JOIN OUR EFFORTS IN FULFILLING THEM

armradio.am
09.04.2008 15:50

The swearing in ceremony of the Presidnet of the Republic of Armenia
Serge Sargsyan took place today at the National Academic Theatre of
Opera and Ballet. Addressing the present, Serge Sargsyan said:

Distinguished President Kocharyan, Your Holiness, Fellow Citizens of
the Republic of Armenia, Dear Friends,

Today is an extremely responsible day for me. A few minutes ago, I
swore an oath to our people to unconditionally follow the provisions
of our Constitution. On this historic day, we all swear an oath:
I do it aloud, and ask you to do it silently. I am confident that
each of you has an oath of your own to serve our fatherland and people.

We all swear this oath for a brighter future of our country, for
development, for democracy, for the rule of law, for a stronger and
more prosperous Armenia.

May the Lord give me strength to not disappoint anyone of my
supporters! May the Lord give us all strength to overcome difficulties,
to find the cure for all the problems that worry the disappointed or
disillusioned ones, the ones who today need hope, faith, and optimism.

Dear compatriots, dear guests,

I recognize the enormous responsibility I have assumed. I know that I
will be the one whom you will consider responsible for everything. I
pledge not to avoid the responsibility, the magnitude of which I
realized when joining the Republican Party and declaring that I would
agree to be nominated for the presidential elections only in case the
Republican Party won the largest number of votes in the parliamentary
elections. I realize the magnitude of the responsibility now, and I
shall recognize it every day for the next five years. I shall bear
with honor the responsibility of being the President of all citizens
of the Republic of Armenia.

On this day, I wish to thank my supporters, all the individuals that
have voted for my program. I am grateful for the confidence. I assure
you that together we can improve life in our country. Today, I call
for a change.

Once again, we are proclaiming a new beginning for change. Everyone
must be ready to start change from one’s own self.

A part of our people supported other candidates, and I now appeal
to them: it was your right to vote for someone other than me, but I
do not have the right not to be your president. We should not part,
should not create division between various parts of our people, should
not disregard each other’s concerns and pain, and should not go beyond
each other’s reach. Even if a wall of misunderstanding stands between
us, I urge you to join us in eliminating that wall.

I express my gratitude to President Robert Kocharyan, a man who will
have a solid place in the Armenian history, as the decade of his
presidency were years of significant achievements for our country,
achievements based on which we have set ambitious targets for the
future. President Kocharyan has performed an invaluable role in
the establishment, advancement, and protection of the Republic of
Mountainous Karabagh. I am confident that generations will duly
appreciate his service and contribution to the development and
strengthening of our statehood.

Dear Friends,

Although the election campaign was intense and did not do without
insults, I wish to thank my opponents for the struggle, with a special
thank you to those who admitted their defeat with dignity, those who
reciprocated the extended hand of cooperation and accepted the offer
to come together to develop the Republic of Armenia.

I shall remain committed to all of my pre-election promises, and we
shall join our efforts in fulfilling them.

We shall build the Armenia that brings together all Armenians, one
that will be the fatherland of any Armenian.

We shall build the Armenia where mutual respect, love, and tolerance
will prevail.

We shall build the Armenia where our citizens and families will live
and realize their potential in security and dignity.

We shall carry out a proactive foreign policy, and do everything to
find a just, peaceful, and favorable solution to the Artsakh issue.

We shall build a strong, proud, and democratic state of Armenia,
where everyone shall be equal before the law.

I am confident that you, our fellow Armenians and friends, also hold
the key to the success of all of our initiatives. To accomplish this
historic mission, I once again urge us to unite. Unity will be the
platform for fundamental value creation and progress along the path
of democracy and freedoms.

I shall do all of this, because I wish to be a president who will fully
implement his program, bring peace and stable development to Armenia,
enhance the reputation and image of our country, overcome all of the
major problems we currently face, and be capable of foreseeing and
responding to all of the potential challenges. This is the type of
President I can and shall be.

I am ready to contribute all my strength for an atmosphere of
confidence to prevail in our society, for us to overcome any
polarization, rough confrontation, and discredit. Alone, no one
can turn Armenia into a country of dreams. All structures, various
political and non-governmental forces, and civil society need to
unite. This is where the President should act as the key actor in
uniting the nation, a man who must use all the tools and mechanisms
of power available to him in order to promote the best ideas and to
preserve, develop, and put to the best use our country’s most precious
capital, our human resources.

I shall seek ways of cooperating with all the political forces. My
efforts will focus on achieving the nation-wide objectives,
strengthening the link between generations, combining the interests
of different social groups, ensuring respect for ethnic minorities,
and preserving the Armenian identity.

I shall encourage a change of attitude towards the intelligentsia
in our country. It is long time for the state to treat seriously our
culture, scientific and educational potential, and every individual
engaged in intellectual and creative work.

I shall make my humble contribution to the strengthening of the
Armenian Apostolic Church, which will continue to remain a pillar of
the Armenian soul and national identity.

Dear Friends,

This ceremony takes place about a month after painful events, which
inflicted wounds that are still fresh. These wounds caused pain and
bitterness to all of us. Today, I urge to look forward, together
to seek and find the path of reconciliation, that of development
for the Armenia of future. I am confident that we cannot have real
and tangible success, unless we learn lessons from the past. What
happened should teach all of us a lesson of vigilance and sobriety,
compelling us to work with greater vigor and devotion.

Unchecked freedom can result in conflict with the public interests
and the rights of others. To prevent such conflicts and to reconcile
various rights and interests, the state may interfere with the exercise
of certain fundamental rights.

Limitations of fundamental rights, however, cannot be absolute, as they
would simply render the fundamental right meaningless. Limitations
should not undermine the essence of fundamental rights enshrined in
the Constitution.

For any limitation of rights and freedoms, including the right to
peaceful assembly, we must strike a fair balance between the public
order and respect for the rights and freedoms of others, on the one
hand, and the right to peaceful assembly, on the other.

Over a short period of time, along with dozens of other laws, we should
revisit the legislation regulating the right to peaceful assembly
with a view to safeguarding everyone’s right to peaceful assembly in
accordance with European standards and precluding any public event
that is either not peaceful or does not pursue a legitimate aim.

Dear friends:

Our people have given me their vote of confidence, and I must implement
my program during the next five years. Our people have confided in me
to overcome the challenges faced by our country and to meet everyone’s
expectations. Five years is a rather short period to do all of this,
hence it will be a period of everyday hard work. During this time,
we shall manage to do what is possible and beyond, to address the
development challenges faced by our country. That is why I consider
this ceremonial day a working day for me and my political team.

So thank you, and let us get down to work!

Let us get down to work, and forward, Armenia!