Author: Tadevosian Garnik

600 IRANIAN COMPANIES ACTIVE IN ARMENIA

Mehr News Agency
June 18 2008

Iran’s ambassador to Yerevan announced on Wednesday that 600 Iranian
firms have been registered in Armenia so far, IRNA reported on
Wednesday.

In a meeting with a visiting delegation of merchants and marketing
managers from central Yazd led by the province’s Chamber of Commerce,
Industries and Mines, Ali Saqqaeian stated, "The major policy of the
country is based on expanding the export of non-oil products and that
is why representatives of the Islamic Republic abroad make efforts
to promote non-oil exports."

He said that 50-60 Iranian trucks bring consignments to Armenia
annually.

Saqqaeian criticized the traditional viewpoint regarding export and
explained that competition, quality, and marketing were the three
pillars of export today.

Chairing the delegation, the head of Yazd’s Chamber of Commerce,
Industries and Mines Aslanzadeh announced that Yazd province has
exported $236 million worth of products to 30 countries and ranked
11 in the country in the past (Iranian calendar)year (ended March
19,2008).

THEY DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT THEY WANT

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on June 17, 2008
Armenia

In my opinion, they don’t even know what they want. Sometimes there’s
such an impression that any proposal which hasn’t been made by them
is something bad.

Either the opposition is the defender of the people’s rights or the
authorities are the enemies of the people. And who has said that in
a parliament consisting of 131 members, 7 people should have as many
rights as do all the rest? That’s why the parliament has a majority. It
is the people that decide which forces should make up a majority and
which forces shouldn’t.

We are ready to sit in a constructive atmosphere and discuss all
the matters of concern with the minority, but it doesn’t mean that
all their proposals should be admitted," EDUARD SHARMAZANOV said to
our correspondent.

NOT CORRECT TO LABEL THE COMMITTEE FROM THE BEGINNING
LILIT POGHOSYAN

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
June 12, 2008
Armenia

Yesterday the parliament continued to discuss the bill authored by
Victor Dallakyan to set up a Committee on the investigation of March
1-2 developments. As we have already informed you coalition fractions
also joined this discussion.

The discussion mostly focused on the "parity" approach towards the
establishment of the committee. The thing is, everyone has its own
perception of the "parity" approach. The opposition wants to be
represented in the committee by the ratio of 50-50, which means
5 members from "Heritage" fraction that consists of 7 MPs and 5
from the coalition quartet, which represents 111 mandates in the
parliament. Below we introduce certain standpoints regarding the bill.

Naira Zohrabyan

"Bargavach Hayastan"

"Many MPs expressed opinion that we have already set up lots of
committees before, which didn’t enjoy public trust. Where is the
guarantee that the newly established temporary committee will enjoy
trust among the people?

In my view the peculiarities enshrined in this bill are real guarantees
for the before mentioned, which has never been in any committee set
up by now.

For the first time extra-parliamentary forces have the possibility
to participate in the works of the committee with the right for
consultative vote. How can they speak about parity? For the first
time the fractions will enjoy equal rights in the committee. Which
means proportionality is definitely provided.

The extra-parliamentary forces will have very important rights: to
express a special opinion that will be attached to the report. At
this stage no one can say how many extra-parliamentary forces will be
represented in the committee. Maybe 30, and all of them can express
their special opinion from the tribune of the National Assembly.

The involvement of the international experts in the works of
the committee, in my view will increase the trust towards the
committee. Better if the ex-Chief of the Police participates during
the session of the committee to answer all the questions linked with
him. It is not right and not correct to question the trust resource
of the committee beforehand.

Vardan Khachatryan

"Heritage"

Of course it is necessary to set up a temporary committee, to recover
the trust of our separated society. Which means the responsibility
of this committee towards the society should be much more than that
of all the other committees.

For me personally it is not desirable to see the coming elections under
the flag of March 1 developments. And if we fail to solve the issues
faced by our country properly and impartially, the coming elections
will definitely pass under that flag and we will face moral-political
problems. Therefore we must quit majority-minority intellectual
games. By the way Jesus Christ was crucified by the majority votes and
direct voting. So our fraction will abstain from voting for this bill.

(By the way in our previous issue, by mistake we wrote that "Heritage"
voted for the regulation changes extending the activity of the
opposition. Whereas the MPs of "Heritage" fraction abstained." – L.P.)

Artashes Shahbazyan

ARFD

The bill creates certain balance, between the authorities
and the activity of the opposition. The participation of the
extra-parliamentary forces can disperse all the concerns around the
word "imitation". The presence of extra-parliamentary and parliamentary
opposition is already a guarantee to exclude that imitation.

It is far not the number of the votes that pre-determines the
objectiveness of the committee. Everyone has equal rights to
participate in the discussions, moreover the minority can express
conclusion in the form of a special opinion.

For us it is unacceptable when some people are trying to privatize
March 1 developments or to blame the authorities for what happened. It
was our shame and in my view it is not right to privatize that tragedy
with the posture of hero.

And it is absolutely not important who will participate in the works
of the committee and who will not. There will be lots of speculations
regarding this. Because they know that most probably the tension
in the society will mitigate. But it is not an easy job, it needs
a very profound activity and the establishment of this committee is
the beginning of this activity."

GAGIK AYVAZYAN RELIEVED OF HIS POST
X-X-Sender: [email protected]
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A1+
12 June, 2008

On June 11 President Sargssian signed a decree on relieving Head of the
Service for Compulsory Enforcement of Judicial Orders Gagik Ayvazyan
of his post and appointing Mihran Poghossian to the same position.

ACCORDING TO RUBEN HAKOBIAN, IF SERGE SARGSIAN AGREES TO HOLD SPECIAL ELECTIONS, HE WILL BECOME A NATIONAL HERO

Noyan Tapan

Ju ne 10, 2008

YEREVAN, JUNE 10, NOYAN TAPAN. "The only efficient way to overcome
the home political situation formed in Armenia is holding of special
parliamentary and presidential elections," Ruben Hakobian, a deputy
of the former Supreme Council, who has been lately expelled from
ARFD, stated at the June 10 press conference. According to him, the
"sad tradition" of rigging elections and formation of illegitimate
authorities is the basis of all negative public-political phenomenon
of the present. Now, according to him, it is time to violate that
tradition and to hold normal, civilized elections. For that, as
R. Hakobian mentioned, President Serge Sargsian and his environment
should show a political will and agree to holding of special
elections. "In case of agreeing the current President will become
the best pro-state figure, a national hero," R. Hakobian said.

According to him, the assertion of some pro-governmental figures that
the people is not ready for fair, free elections is a manifestation
of hypocracy. The people, as R. Hakobian asserted, is always ready
for normal elections, while part of the authorities constantly tries
to buy, to pervert, to intimidate them.

R. Hakobian added that unless special elections are held in the
coming one or two years the deficit of power’s legitimacy will deepen,
"and the consequences will be deeper than on March 1."

TOP ARMENIAN GM KAREN ASRIAN DIES AT 28

Chessbase News
d=4687
June 9 2008
Germany

09.06.2008 – We have received word that one of Armenia’s leading
grandmasters, Karen Asrian, died today. Apparently he suffered a heart
attack while driving a car. Karen Asrian won the title of Armenia’s
champion for three times. He also earned gold medals during a 2006
Olympiad held in Turin. His final rating, in April this year, was
2630. In memoriam.

Karen Asrian was born on April 24, 1980. He won the national Armenian
Championship in 1999, 2007 and 2008, and the tournaments of Dubai 2001
and Stepanakert 2004. In 2006 he won the Chess Olympiad in Turin as
a member of Armenian team, playing on board three.

Asrian had a solid playing style, refusing to take much risk on
board. Combined with good endgame technique this made him an excellent
team player. His highest rating was 2634 (in October 2006), his final
rating 2630.

MSNBC reports that Asrian, apparently feeling ill, pulled his car into
a courtyard in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, early Monday and lost
consciousness. An ambulance crew pronounced him dead at the scene,
possibly of a heart attack. A moment of silence was held in his memory
before the opening of a speed-chess tournament in Yerevan on Monday,
after his death was announced by Armenian player Smbat Lputian.

EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION
for Justice and Democracy

Avenue de la Renaissance 10
B-1000 Bruxelles
Tel/ Fax: +32 2 732 70 27/26
Website :Eafjd

—————————————— ——————————-
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PRESS RELEASE

Friday, 6 June 2008 – please note the delayed delivery due to some
technical issues

Contact : Varténie ECHO

Tel. / Fax. : +32 (0) 2 732 70 27

EUROPE HALF-OPEN TO CAUCASUS, MOLDOVA AND UKRAINE

– 27+6 EURONEST Parliamentary Assembly to be launched as of mid 2009

– Free trade and visa free propositions by a Polish-Swedish initiative

– Reluctance from the European Commission

Brussels, 6 May – Two recent events, one after the other, encourage a
new stage in the relations between the European Union and its eastern
neighbours, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and,
to a lower extent, Belarus.

On May 26, during a meeting of the Council of the European Union,
the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, M. Sikorski, announced a joint
initiative between Poland and Sweden for an "ideological" improvement
of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). M. Sikorski then stated
that "in the East, we have European neighbours whereas in the South,
we just have neighbours of Europe". The joint initiative was welcomed
by many Member States, especially among the newcomers. The Czech
Republic which will chair the EU after France said it is pro.

A working document from the Council, that remained confidential, was
unveiled on the 5th of June, during one of the sessions during the
conference held in the European Parliament about this ENP-East. The
document records the new prerogatives that would bring this "deepened
bilateral cooperation", of which the most striking measures are the
progressive establishment of visa free and free trade area as well as
the gradual alignment with the "EU legislation, standards and norms".

The conference which gathered Members of the European Parliament and
MPs from the involved countries, enshrined the idea of a reinforced
cooperation at a parliamentary level. The works of the conference
led to a consensual final statement, which underscores that "the
Enlargement Policy and the ENP should be used in an interrelated
and flexible way, in order to respect the expectations of the East
European Neighbours" and that the progress of these countries "should
serve as a basis for the closer integration with the EU, including
the possibility of EU membership perspective".

The statement calls to the settlement of a EURONEST Parliamentary
Assembly, on the model of already existing EUROMED and EUROLAT,
respectively for Mediterranean countries and Latin American
countries. This assembly should group 60 MEPs and 10 MP for each of
the 6 involved countries. According to Mr Siwiec, vice president of
the European Parliament, EURONEST could be enacted at the beginning
of the next legislature term (June 2009).

"We commend this closer integration of Armenia and other involved
states to the European structures" stated Laurent Leylekian, the
executive director of the European Armenian Federation. "The accession
prospect remains distant, differentiated according to the progresses of
the States but it has never been affirmed so explicitly beforehand. It
is a plus for Europe which is well-perceived in the region but which
is reputed to ask much and to offer few" he continued.

Yet, the initiative gave rise to the reluctance of the European
Commission.

Mrs Ferrero-Waldner, the Commissioner for External Relations expressed
her preference for the classical approach of both Southern and Eastern
ENP, with an individualized treatment country by country, saying that
she sees "no added value" to the new approach.

Though supported by some MEPs, the Commissi on’s position led to
criticism by some others. Mrs Isler-Beguin, co-chairperson of the
Interparliamentary delegation with the South Caucasus stated that
she cannot imagine "how those countries could integrate more and more
and to comply with the criteria by the EU without a clear accession
prospect".

"The initiative is still fruitful: this meeting was for instance
the first one in which Georgia and Azerbaijan overcame the frozen
conflicts issue to address European issues" concluded Leylekian.

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Today’s Zaman, Turkey
June 7 2008

French Senate may block anti-Turkey referendum clause

A significant number of senators from the French ruling party are
opposed to a constitutional amendment that makes a referendum on
eventual accession of Turkey to the European Union compulsory, a
French senator has said.

Jean-Pierre Raffarin, a senator from the ruling Union for a Popular
Movement (UMP) and a former foreign minister of France, told French
RCF radio that a constitutional provision specifically targeting a
certain country is a mistake, the Anatolia news agency reported. "We
have talked about this issue in our group. Many members of our group
are against this amendment," Raffarin said. "A certain country cannot
be pointed out in a national constitution." The French National
Assembly, the lower house of the French parliament, last week passed a
package of constitutional amendments including a provision to make a
referendum obligatory for accepting new EU member countries with
populations over five percent the bloc’s total population, which
currently stands at about 500 million. With its population of 70
million, EU candidate Turkey appears to be the specific target of the
clause.

The provision needs to be approved first by the Senate and a majority
of both houses. The senate deliberations on the package are expected
to take place next week. If eventually approved by the senate and a
majority of both houses, it will make France the first country in the
world whose constitution contains clauses specifically targeting a
foreign country.

The controversial amendment is a divisive issue within the French
government. French State Secretary in Charge of European Affairs
Jean-Pierre Jouyet has warned that the plan to submit Turkey’s bid to
join the EU to a referendum is an "insult" which could spark a serious
rift between Paris and Ankara.

If the plan goes ahead, Turkey might spurn President Nicolas Sarkozy’s
project for a Mediterranean Union to improve links between European
countries and states around the Mediter-ranean rim, including Turkey,
Jouyet said in an interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP) late
Thursday.

"Parliament is sovereign and it does what it wants, but by taking the
risk of this amendment, we are taking the risk of a more serious rift
than we think with Turkey," in particularly in terms of trade, Jouyet
was quoted as saying by AFP. "If they feel that it is France … which
is creating the obstacle, it will be difficult for them to feel really
at ease in the Mediterranean Union," he said.

Socialist opposition deputies and some members of the UMP objected to
the amendment during its first vote in the National Assembly. Earlier
this week, Ankara condemned the French Parliament’s move, warning
Paris over the negative consequences of adoption of the clause by the
French Senate on "traditional friendship between the peoples of the
two countries."

Sarkozy, the former leader of the UMP, is a vocal opponent of Turkey’s
bid to join the EU, saying it does not belong to Europe. The
constitutional reform package originally abolished a clause calling
for a referendum on all future accessions to the EU and left the
decision on the matter to the president. But UMP lawmakers, keen not
to lose the vote of the French-Armenian electorate, pressed for
guarantees against Turkey’s possible accession to the EU and proposed
the amendment in question.

Panorama.am

17:22 06/06/2008

ARMAN KIRAKOSYAN AT -WILTON PARK- INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE

In 2-5 June -Wilton Park- international conference
took place in Tbilisi organized by the United Kingdom
foreign relations departments and the Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Georgia in the frameworks of -European
Union and Black Sea Neighborhood-. Officials of
foreign relations departments, parliaments, academies,
NGO-s, representatives of international organizations
and mass media were also invited to take part in the
conference.

According to the press service of the Foreign Ministry
of the RA, one of the speakers of the conference was
Arman Kirakosyan, the deputy foreign minister of
Armenia.

According to the source the topics discussed in the
conference were the strategy of EU European
Neighborhood, regulation of question in the South
Caucasus, and other issues of energy holders. Arman
Kirakosyan made a speech about the European
Neighborhood Strategy and NKR conflict regulation.

Source: Panorama.am

FOREIGN MINISTER HIGHLY QUALIFIES THE ACTIVITIES OF THE UNION OF ARMENIANS IN RUSSIA

AZG Armenian Daily
05/06/2008

Armenia-Diaspora

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian met recently with the
President of the Union of Armenians in Russia Ara Abrahamian and the
leadership of the Union in Moscow.

Armenian Foreign Minister highly qualified the programs carried out
by the Union of Armenians in Russia and wished the Union success in
its activities.

Mr. Nalbandian reaffirmed the resoluteness of the authorities to make
motherland-diaspora relations more active and effective.

The Minister informed that the works connected with the formation of
Diaspora Committee has started after the affirmation of the charter
of the committee.

The Minister also visited "Armenia" booth in the territory of the
All-Russian Exhibition Center and got acquainted with the exported
goods.

Together with the leadership of the exhibition center the Minister
discussed the opportunity of further widening of joint programs~R
implementation.

In the framework of the visit to Moscow Edward Nalbandian met with
the Chairman of the Council of Directors of Russian "Troyka dialogue",
Co-chair of "Armenia-2020" initiative Ruben Vardanian.

Prospects of Armenian economic development and also future programs of
"Armenia-2020" initiative were discussed during the meeting.