Author: Nanijanian Alex

Russia & CIS General Newswire
November 29, 2007 Thursday 3:43 PM MSK

Minsk Group calls on Baku, Yerevan to prepare base for peaceful
settlement – diplomat

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov and Armenian Foreign
Minister Vardan Oskanian have discussed ways to progress at the
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement talks.

The meeting took place in Madrid. It was attended by Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs
Nicholas Burns, and co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group.

French co-chairman of the Minsk Group Ambassador Bernard Fassier told
journalists after the meeting that the goal of the 15-minute meeting
was "to encourage the parties to prepare a base for a peaceful
settlement."

"We will come to the region in late January to learn the position of
the presidents [of Azerbaijan and Armenia]," Fassier said.

Mamedyarov will also meet with Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE
Representative on Freedom of the Media, foreign ministers of Finland
and the Czech Republic, as well as the OSCE secretary general, on
Thursday.

PRESS RELEASE
United Nations Development Programme Armenia
Performance Budgeting Project
14 Petros Adamyan Str., Yerevan 0010, Armenia
Contact: Zara Amatuni
Tel: 374-10-56-60-73
Fax: 374-10-54-38-11
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

December 4, 2007

Celebration of Completion of the Projects on Town Park Renovation in
Ijevan and Street Reconstruction in Dilijan

On December 3, 2007, the newly renovated Town Park of Ijevan, Tavush
marz was opened before many visitors who came to participate in the
inauguration ceremony. The event was held on the Day of Ijevan and was
attended by honorable guests, among them Hovik Abrahamyan, Minister of
Territorial Administration and Deputy Prime Minister, Vardan Vardanyan,
Minister of Urban Development, Armen Ghularyan, Governor of Tavush marz,
representatives of the United Nations Development Programme Armenia
(UNDP), United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as
well as local officials, community residents and mass media.

Renovation of the Town Park has been acknowledged by the local community
as a top priority activity aimed at preserving the image and cultural
heritage of Ijevan. The park renovation project has been co-sponsored by
UNDP, USAID and Ijevan municipality and implemented within 2006-2007.

Renovation works have entailed mounting of an irrigation network,
drilling of an artesian well for watering the lawns and filling the park
pond, graveling of paths, construction of the lighting network as well
as installation of new benches and refuse bins. An exceptional
collection of stone sculptures exposed at the park has been rearranged
and put on newly built pedestals. The sculptures have been created by
local and foreign craftsmen over the recent two decades during the
international sculpture symposia organized in Ijevan.

The opening event was marked by the presentation of an album titled
Ijevan: Havened Sculptures. Designed and published with UNDP support,
the album introduces all the 68 artworks showcased at the Ijevan Town
Park and is intended for wide distribution among tourists and other
interested parties.

The same day another accomplishment was celebrated in Tavush marz.
Together with the guests, local officials and community, UNDP Armenia
marked the launch of a repaired 330-meter long street of Dilijan town.

Under the joint project of UNDP and Dilijan municipality, the street has
been fully renovated including the construction of lighting network,
installation of railing, asphalting of pavement and building of pavement
edges. The railing at its full length has been decorated with moulded
and wrought statuettes to provide a special look to the newly renovated
street.

The street reconstruction was prioritized by the community of Dilijan
and carried out as a result of applying the performance-based budgeting
methodology at the local level.

Dilijan and Ijevan have been among the first communities to cooperate
with the UNDP’s Performance Budgeting Project on investing this advanced
budgeting model which enables to significantly increase the work
efficiency and transparency of the local governance and to involve
active citizen participation in the whole process of budget planning,
execution and monitoring.

For more information on UNDP activity in Armenia, please visit our
website

————————————- —————————

/UNDP is the UN’s global development network. It advocates for change
and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help
people build a better life. We operate in 166 countries, working with
them on their own solutions to global and national development
challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of
UNDP and our wide range of partners.

ARMENIA’S FOREIGN MINISTER TO HEAD FOR STRASBURG ON DECEMBER 7

ARKA News Agency
Dec 3 2007
Armenia

YEREVAN, December 3. /ARKA/. Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs
Vartan Oskanian is to head for Strasburg on a working visit on
December 7.

Oskanian is to meet with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Tierry Davis, members of the Ago Monitoring Group of CE Committee of
Ministers and the Chairman of the European Court on Human Rights Jean
Paul Costa in Strasburg.

On December 8 Armenia’s Foreign Minister is to leave for Italy where
he will meet with the authorities of the city of Konelio and will
visit the Chamber of Commerce, the Association of Manufacturers and
the wine-making school.

On December 9 an awarding ceremony will be held in the Academic
Theatre of Konelio: there Armenia’s Foreign Minister will receive
"Chivilitas" award for being a permanent supporter of dialogue in
international relations.

MINISTER OSKANIAN TO MEET WITH OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS TOMORROW

armradio.am
16.11.2007 14:55

October 17 in Paris RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian will meet
with the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia),
Bernard Fassier (France) and Matthew Bryza (USA).

Mr. Oskanain told Armenpress that issues of continuing the negotiation
process on the Karabakh conflict resolution, the non-agreed question
will be in the core of attention.

According to Vartan Oskanian, if the Co-Chairs suggest to meet with
Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov on the sidelines of the OSCE
Ministerial meeting in Madrid scheduled November 29-30, the Armenian
side is ready to accept the suggestion.

As for the meeting of Presidents, there is no such opportunity before
the presidential election in Armenia in 2008.

AAC EASTERN DIOCESE LEGATE INSTALLED NCC PRESIDENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
15.11.2007 19:18 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Archbishop Vicken Aykazian who was installed as
President of the National Council of Churches (NCC) in the USA, which
is the leading force for ecumenical cooperation among Christians in the
United States with 45 million faithful members in 100,000 congregations
in all 50 states, the Armenian Assembly of America reports.

Archbishop Aykazian, who is the legate of the Diocese of the Armenian
Church of America (Eastern) in Washington, and ecumenical officer,
will serve as the 24th NCC President since the Council’s beginnings
in 1950. He is the third Orthodox president and the first from the
Oriental Orthodox tradition to lead the NCC.

The Assembly also commends the General Assembly NCC for urging Congress
to pass the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H. Res. 106).

During the NCC’s annual meeting last week, the General Assembly passed
a voice vote in support of the resolution. The NCC’s statement said,
in part, that the NCC "strongly urges the leadership of the U.S.

House of Representatives to bring forth this legislation before the
end of this Congress." "I believe that these types of meetings are
extremely important for the recognition of past genocides and the
prevention of future genocides," said Archbishop Aykazian.

DISABLED MUST HAVE CHANCE TO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN ELECTIONS

Panorama.am
16:16 15/11/2007

"We developed a special election order at the consent of the Central
Electoral Committee before May parliamentary elections. However, it
did not serve its aim," Suren Ohanyan, chairman of "Disabled persons
rights protection" NGO, told a news conference today.

In his words, the procedures aimed for blind people.

"There were special cardboard with the help of which the blind could
vote. Many thought, they were coded papers and later it would be
known who voted for whom.

Therefore, many did not accept that procedure," Ohanyan said. He
said in the upcoming presidential elections, they are going to be
more consistent and assure people that they are following the law.

Jemma Baghdasaryan, department head at the ministry of employment and
social affairs, said facilities are going to be built at the election
communities to ensure that the people with disabilities can enter
the buildings.

IN THE COURSE OF 9 MONTHS, THE INCOMES OF "HAYPOST" GREW BY 40%

Mediamax News Agency
Nov 14 2007
Armenia

Yerevan, November 14 /Mediamax/. One of the key tasks of "HayPost"
is the creation of the human capital, which will secure high rating
and authority for the company.

Mediamax reports that the General Director of "HayPost" Hans Boon said
this in Yerevan today, presenting the personnel and social policy of
the company.

As Hans Boon informed, the official negotiation stage with the trade
union beings today, following the results of which, a three-year
collective labor agreement will be concluded, based on the principles
of social responsibility.

According to Boon, the employees, who have the wish and the skills
to work in "HayPost", will be provided with a reliable workplace, and
the salary will be based on the principle – real payment for real work.

The reformations in "HayPost" will aim at the establishment of
proper conditions for the work of employees, provision with a
social and insurance packages. "HayPost" is also carrying out work
on implementation of a pension scheme for its employees, including
private pension insurance.

Work is in process in "HayPost"on establishing a center of retraining
of the personnel, in certain cases the employees will gain the
opportunity of retraining within the framework of international
programs.

Touching upon the latest curtailment of the personnel, Hans Boon
stressed that exactly 100 employees were fired from "HayPost", and
not 200 or more, as certain media informed, and those curtailments
should be to greater extent considered as disciplinary measures.

"Basically, these are the people, who acted against the interests of
"HayPost" and the transparent policy, held by the company", Head of
the Company Hand Boon stressed.

In the course of 9 months of the current year, the incomes of
"HayPost", as compared to the same period of 2006, increased for 40%.

However, Hans Boon noted, "the company is not yet very profitable,
since the reforms in process require expenditures".

On November 30 of 2006, the trust management of the Armenian national
postal operator, "HayPost", was handed over to the Dutch "HayPost
Trust Management" Company.

LIST OF COUNTRIES WITH POTENTIAL FOR INVESTMENT ANNOUNCED: ARMENIA NOT IN THE LIST

Panorama.am
15:40 14/11/2007

International Control Risks company has prepared a report, Risk Map
2008, where it announced the names of the countries where political
and safety risks are low and the foreign investors may freely make
investment.

BizNews.lv reports that foreign investors are most protected
in Denmark, Finland, Spain, Lichtenstein, Monaco, Norway and
Andorra. Political and security risks are assessed here as "trivial."

The level of risks is "rather low" in Baltic states, as well as many
other countries of Europe. In Russia, and also in Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Georgia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan the political and security risks are
assessed as "rather high" in terms of foreign investment. Belarussia
is considered a country of high political risks.

YURI GEVORGIAN’S "TAROT" OPERA STAGED IN AUSTRIA

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Nov 13 2007

VIENNA, NOVEMBER 13, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The premiere
of famous composer Yuri Gevorgian’s "Tarot" opera received a warm
welcome by the art-loving Austrian spectators. The opera with two
acts and ten scenes was first presented at the theater of the city
of Perchtoldorf lately. The opera’s name means playing cards, with
the help of which the singer performing the main part, a young man
named Sam, who appeared in the other world in consequence of deparved
life, tries to return to real life. The other parts are mystical:
opera singers played parts of the main angel, the devil, the death,
clown, priestess, who with their many ordeals showed the main hero
the difficulties, sufferings and losses of life, the final result of
which was returning the hero to real life.

As opera’s author said in his interview to Noyan Tapan correspondent,
the work’s subject is modern, and with mystical parts and many scenes
he intended to present today’s life and everyday troubles, the constant
conflict of the good and the evil, strong will manifestations of a
man and his purposeful actions for the sake of his beloved woman and
human dignity.

Y. Gevorgian said that he composed the "Tarot" opera within a year,
but due to some problems he staged it only three years later. The
libretto was written by Austrian author Manfred Hrubant.

It should be mentioned that the "Tarot" is Y. Gevorgian’s third opera:
the first was the "Fire" and the second "The Wound of Armenia," which
was ordered on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Armenia’s
and Russia’s friendship. The composer originating from Yerevan,
who is currently residing in Vienna, is the author of symphonies,
cantatas, operettas, various instrumental works and songs.

ROBERT FISK ABOUT GEORGE BUSH: TURKEY TRANSFORMED THE LION INTO A LAMB

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.11.2007 15:52 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "How are the mighty fallen!

President George Bush, the crusader king who would draw the sword
against the forces of Darkness and Evil, he who said there was only
"them or us", who would carry on, he claimed, an eternal conflict
against "world terror" on our behalf; he turns out, well, to be
a wimp. A clutch of Turkish generals and a multimillion-dollar
public relations campaign on behalf of Turkish Holocaust deniers
have transformed the lion into a lamb. No, not even a lamb for this
animal is, by its nature, a symbol of innocence but into a household
mouse, a little diminutive creature which, seen from afar, can even
be confused with a rat. Am I going too far? I think not," renowned
British journalist Robert Fisk writes in The Independent.

"The "story so far" is familiar enough. In 1915, the Ottoman Turkish
authorities carried out the systematic genocide of one and a half
million Christian Armenians. There are photographs, diplomatic reports,
original Ottoman documentation, the process of an entire post-First
World War Ottoman trial, Winston Churchill and Lloyd George and a
massive report by the British Foreign Office in 1915 and 1916 to prove
that it is all true. Even movie film is now emerging, real archive
footage taken by Western military cameramen in the First World War,
to show that the first Holocaust of the 20th century, perpetrated in
front of German officers who would later perfect its methods in their
extermination of six million Jews, was as real as its pitifully few
Armenian survivors still claim," he continues.

"But the Turks won’t let us say this. They have blackmailed the Western
powers, including our own British Government, and now even the U.S.,
to kowtow to their shameless denials. These (and I weary that we must
repeat them, because every news agency and government does just that
through fear of Ankara’s fury) include the canard that the Armenians
died in a "civil war", that they were anyway collaborating with
Turkey’s Russian enemies, that fewer Armenians were killed than have
been claimed, that as many Turkish Muslims were murdered as Armenians."

"Former Representative Robert L Livingston, a Louisiana Republican, has
already picked up $12m from the Turks for his company, the Livingston
Group, for two previously successful attempts to pervert the cause
of moral justice and smother genocide congressional resolutions. He
personally escorted Turkish officials to Capitol Hill to threaten
U.S. congressmen."

"Who would have thought that the leader of the Western world, he who
would protect us against "world terror", would turn out to be the
David Irving of the White House?" he resumes.

David John Cawdell Irving is an English writer specializing in the
military history of World War II.

Irving’s status as a historian has been widely discredited as a result
of controversy arising from his Holocaust denial and misrepresentation
of historical evidence.