Author: Tadevosian Garnik

VIVACELL – NOT MERELY IN WORDS BUT IN DEEDS

RIA Oreanda
March 27 2008
Russia

Yerevan. ">OREANDA-NEWS . March 27, 2008. It is a common knowledge that
the outcomes of organizational performance become visible best from a
distance of years. But there are exceptions sometimes. Not merely in
words but in deeds – ne could not provide better definition for todays
awarding ceremony in the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic
of Armenia that was held during the seating of the Presidium chaired by
the President of the Academy, Academician Radik Martirosyan. According
to the decision of the Presidium of National Academy, in recognition
of the considerable social investment made by VivaCell, as well in
recognition of significant contribution in terms of public and charity
activities, the General Manager of VivaCell Ralph Yirikian was awarded
the Golden Medal of RA National Academy of Sciences. The President
of the National Academy Radik Martirosyan expressed his tokens of
appreciation to VivaCell, mentioning that numerous social investment
projects implemented by VivaCell have not been limited to science
and education, but have also embraced the social sphere, culture, and
environmental protection, as well as the health care sector. VivaCell
is also one of the leading companies of Armenia. In the course of his
short speech addressed to the members of the Presidium of the Academy,
VivaCell General Manager Ralph Yirikian mentioned in particular that
as a company operating and making profits in Armenia, VivaCell is
dedicated to giving back to the society part of its profit, in the
form of multiple Corporate Social Responsibility projects.

Both as an organization and as a staff, VivaCell is a constituent
part of the society and cannot stay apart from the issues facing
society. Therefore, we extend our support to society. As of today,
nearly 30 Armenian and foreign scientists, public figures and
businessmen have been awarded the Golden Medal of the National Academy
of Sciences.

BIG TOURIST CENTER TO OPEN IN STEPANAKERT

DeFacto Agency
March 26 2008
Armenia

YEREVAN, 26.03.08. DE FACTO. A big tourist center will open in former
polyclinic’s building in Stepanakert, a shareholder of Tourist Center
CJSC Sergey Shahverdian told in an interview with Karabakh-Open.com.

The restoration works have already started.

According to S. Shahverdian, the building’s architectural appearance
will be completely maintained. A tourist agency and an information
center for tourists will be placed here. There will also be exhibition
halls and other services necessary in tourist industry.

The restoration works mainly financed by Russia’s Armenians will be
concluded in a year and a half. The territory of the park adjoining the
building, where an open-air exhibition is to be held, will be equipped
with modern amenities as well. "The Artsakh artists will have an
opportunity to exhibit and sell their works", Sergey Shahverdian said.

In his words, the idea to establish such a centre sprang up as early
as in 2004. "It was very important for us that the center should
be placed in an ancient building of the city restored in line with
historical-architectural and tourist requirements", S. Shahverdian
said. He also added they have made a right choice. "During the works
on pulling down additional walls and partitions we have found unique
arch apertures". "According to experts’ estimations, the building
was constructed in eighteen fifties, after tsar’s troops had been
dislocated in Karabakh", S. Shahverdian added.

DOWN WITH THE SYSTEM
Kyle O’shea

University at Buffalo – The Spectrum
d=36098
March 26 2008
NY

Normally the only screaming heard at a rock concert is from the
righteous audience, destroying their vocal cords singing for the band,
not political change. That is, unless you’re the politically inclined
rock-metal band System of a Down, which serves as the celebrity center
of the recent documentary Screamers.

Throughout the film, directed by Carla Garapedian, lead System singer
Serj Tankian goes as far as to publicly confront the former Speaker
of the House, Dennis Hastert. Though the Speaker is disinclined to
speak, Tankian is unperturbed.

Known primarily as a band that makes people kick heads in before
grabbing a picket sign, they have a reason for their passion. Every
member of the band is of Armenian descent, and each is the grandson
of a man who survived the Armenian Genocide of 1915.

The Grammy award-winning band condemns the US for refusing to publicly
acknowledge the genocide due to its temperamental relations with
Turkey. Screamers shows the Turkish government’s efforts to suppress
the existence of such events through forms of propaganda.

Live performances of the band playing around the world are interspersed
with an ethereal montage of various victims of genocide.

Images are shown of the Holocaust, Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda,
and Darfur.

The camera work of the band’s performances is unnecessarily
erratic. Too many shots are from bad angles and sometimes the lights
just blind the audience. At one point the filmmakers cut out from
System performing in one country, flashing over a brief educational
intermission before returning to the band playing the same exact song
elsewhere, which is confusing.

They do, however, show plenty of the group’s more intense and prevalent
songs, including "BYOB" and "Holy Mountain." Their performance is as
intense as it is riveting, and if the documentary doesn’t shatter some
misconceptions and open eyes, then check the pulse of the audience.

"This band didn’t start to change the world. This band didn’t start to
change your mind. This band just started to make you ask questions,"
said lead guitarist Daron Malakian.

In order to accomplish this goal, the audience is exposed to personal
accounts of both the drummer John Dolmayan and Tankian.

Bassist Shavo Odadjian has no family members left alive; he is the
last branch of his family tree. Tankian still has his grandfather who
is in a retirement home. System’s lead singer interviews his elder,
including a tragic home video of the man’s testimonial.

Some of the stories told are plain horrifying: children’s heads being
bashed together, and a clip of System organizing a protest in front
of a congressman’s office in Washington, DC, tallying the lives lost
to the multitude of genocides. The documentary closes with a haunting
series of the bands actual ancestors, most of whom are deceased.

As well as performing exciting shows, System of a Down is actively
involved in educating people about events that are rarely discussed in
general schooling. They hand out packets of information about racial
cleansing to their fans, which are addressed to the kids’ teachers.

Fans love the fact that the group is multifaceted, and not just out
to make some dollars. At the beginning of the film, people entering
the film’s testimonials explain their reason for loving the band,
and their efforts towards enlightenment.

Screamers pay homage to the victims of genocide while attacking the
governments that allow racial cleansing to continue. Though it is
not flashy, it is the brutal simplicity that proves to be effective.

They have no need to dress up their message; they know the truth of
it is provocative enough as long as people are aware of it.

DYNAMICS OF FASTER RISE IN WORLD PRICES CAUSES RISE IN PRICES FOR FOOD PRODUCTS IN ARMENIA

ARKA
March 27, 2008

YEREVAN, March 27. /ARKA/. The rise in prices for food products in
Armenia can be attributed to the dynamics of faster rise in the world
prices, particularly in the prices for grain, butter and sugar.

At a meeting of the interagency task group for price monitoring, RA
Deputy Minister of Trade and Economic Development Vahram Gushchyan
reported that a 41% rise in the prices for vegetable oil was recorded
in February 2008 as compared with the year 2006, with an approximate
180% rise in the world price for this product recorded.

A 128% rise in the international price for butter was recorded,
with a 28% rise recorded in Armenia.

A 120% rise in the world prices for grain crops was recorded, with
a 90% rise recorded in Armenia.

As regards sugar prices, they have shown a downtrend both on the
world and Armenian markets since 2006, whereas a rise in the prices
has been recorded on both the markets over the last two months.

"Among the main factors that caused a price rise are global climatic
changes and unfavourable weather, which cause yield reduction, and
a rise in the international oil prices," Gushchyan said.

As regards demand, the man factors are increased consumption due to
the population’s increased incomes as well as a sharp increase in
the bioenergy output.

He pointed out a sharp increase in the production of biofuel in
the world.

Cereals are used in biofuel production, which influences the world
demand.

In the context of the available scenarios of biofuel use and
development until 2020, international experts forecast a 26% rise
in the price for cereals, 12% rise in the price for sugar and an 18%
rise in the price for vegetable oil, Gushchyan said.

He pointed out that, with larger-scope scenarios considered, the
prices in question may rise by 72%, 27% and 44% respectively.

A rise in prices for a number of food products was recorded in Armenia
in February 2008 as compared with February 2007: a 26.1% rise in the
prices for grain crops, 46.9% rise in the prices for vegetable oil,
12.1% rise in the price for rice, 32.5% rise in the price for flour,
and 5.6% rise in the price for cheeses.

The prices for butter and sugar fell by 4.9% and 16.3% respectively.

EVERY ARMENIAN HAS THE RIGHT TO BE PROUD OF HAVING HAD A PRIME MINISTER LIKE ANDRANIK MARGARYAN

armradio.am
25.03.2008 16:56

RA President Robert Kocharyan, President-Elect, Prime Minister Serge
Sargsyan, Speaker of RA National Assembly Tigran Torosyan attended
the Pantheon after Komitas on the occasion of the first anniversary
of death of the ex-Prime Minister of Armenia Andranik Margaryan to
lay flowers at his grave. They were accompanied by RA Deputy Prime
Minister Hovik Abrahamyan, Defense Minister Michael Harutyunyan,
the Mayor of Yerevan Yervand Zakharyan, Prosecutor General Aghvan
Hovsepyan, RA Chief of Police Hayk Harutyunyan, Ministers, Members of
Parliament, representatives of the Republican and other Parties. The
leader of the Araratian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church
Navasard Archbishop Kchoyan served a requiem mass at the Pantheon.

According to member of the Republican Party faction Galust Sahakyan,
Andranik Margaryan was a great romantic, he could best develop his
image of a political and state figure. "Andranik Margaryan remained
the memory of people, because people managed to create an image and
point out what kind of a statesman it would follow."

According to member of the Republican Party faction Samvel Nikoyan, the
atmosphere of tolerance and cooperation that Andranik Margaryan managed
to create around himself in the political filed and in the state, was
his great achievement. "His main admonition was that everything should
be done for every citizen to feel part of this state and family, for
every person to be able to make his contribution to the development
and reinforcement of the country, since any newly formed statehood
needs it," he noted.

"I have the impression that he is with us. This one year passed very
quickly, but the wound has not been healed yet. He was a national
politician, and we should note with pain that the word "national"
with which we characterize politicians is very rare among us today,"
Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan said.

The Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Standing Committee on
Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs Gagik Minasyan said every
citizen today has the right to be proud that our country has had a
Prime Minister like Andranik Margaryan.

COALITION – THE BEGINNING OF SERIOUS REFORMS
ARMEN TSATOURYAN

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on March 22, 2008

Due to the `Agreement on Political Coalition’ signed on March 21 by the
Republican Party of Armenia, `Rule of Law’, `Prosperous Armenia’ and
the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsoutyun, the
parliamentary and presidential elections, processes that lasted more
than a year, fall to the bosom of history together with the tumultuous
post-electoral developments.

It’s not accidental that signing the quadrilateral agreement on
political coalition coincides, in time aspect, with lifting the state
of emergency in our country. This means that after the period of the
political debates and accusations, the factions which signed the March
21 memorandum boldly commit themselves to helping the country overcome
the existing situation.

Despite the fact that during the presidential elections the Republican
and `Prosperous Armenia’ endorsed Serge Sargsyan while the other
parties – `Rule of Law’ and ARFD, endorsed Arthur Baghdasaryan and
Vahan Hovhannisyan respectively, they all, put together, received more
than two thirds of the total number of votes.

For a government which is in the process of formation, this creates
such a strong reserve of legitimacy that L. Ter-Petrosyan who, together
with his political supporters, is trying to dispute the election
results with his 21 percent of votes, will have less and less chances
in future. From now on, the way towards the realization of their
political goals will be `blockaded’ by the factions supporting the
candidates who occupied the 1st, 3rd and the 4th positions during the
elections. These factions also have an absolute majority in the
National Assembly elected in May 2007.

This is the first time the principles of the activities and the keynote
priorities of the political coalition, the obligations, the procedure
and the time limits of organizing the activity of its member parties is
defined in a concrete and clear-cut manner. The existing document
differs from the previous coalition agreements in that it does not
define the concrete spheres of the legislative and executive powers in
which separate parties belonging to the coalition may propose staff
members.

It’s obvious that only after the inauguration of the President-elect
and the clarification of the candidacy of Prime Minister will the
concrete role-castings of the staff members become clear within the
frameworks of the coalition agreement.

The principal and pivotal clause of the agreement on forming a
political coalition is the last paragraph defining the coalition’s
objectives. It runs as follows, `The parties to the political coalition
confirm their will and determination in realizing the objectives of the
coalition and assume a responsibility for the activity of the ruling
authority.’

This means that all the parties involved in the coalition will bear a
joint and individual responsibility for the ruling authority and first
of all, for the activity of the Government. In the meantime, the next
section of the agreement regarding the `Principles of the Political
Coalition’ adds that cooperation within the frameworks of the coalition
will be implemented `in conjunction with one another as well as with
the President of the Republic of Armenia’.

The third, more extensive section of the March 1 agreement defines the
keynote priorities which, together with general statements of question,
also contain a great number of new and interesting objectives. Let’s
enumerate some of them,

a) extending the scope of activity of the parliamentary opposition,

b) implementing programs boosting the activity of public unions and
structures,

c) introducing and applying new mechanisms in the state government
system; such mechanisms shall ensure a high efficiency in the activity
of the National Security Council

Besides, the document clearly defines the procedure of organizing the
activity of the newly developing quadrilateral political coalition.
According to it, the draft documents of conceptual and strategic
character are subject to preliminary discussion among the coalition
parties which should spare no effort for elaborating a joint attitude.
Upon the proposal of any of the parties, any issue concerning the
activity of the National Assembly and the Government may become subject
to discussion. For the implementation of all these goals, the parties
shall set up a coordinating council, based on the principle of equal
representation.

Thus, the March 21 `Agreement on Political Coalition’ signed by 4
parliamentary factions is a thoroughly elaborated, enhanced and
comprehensive document which, from the very beginning, maximum
decreased the possibility of any discord among the coalition members.
The goals and principles enshrined in the document will be in force
till the end of the activities of the fourth National Assembly. That’s
to say, till the next elections to be held on the republican scale, the
4 political factions assuming a political responsibility for the ruling
government, commit themselves to working jointly and unanimously.

The `Agreement on Political Coalition’ creates a political support
which is necessary for implementing the reforms in different spheres of
life in the Republic of Armenia and significantly increases the
opportunities of ensuring the country’s stable and unwavering
development and our people’s further progress.

Xinhua, China
March 22 2008

U.S. imposes sanctions on foreign firms

2008-03-22 05:35:08

WASHINGTON, March 21 (Xinhua) — The United States announced
Friday to impose sanctions on British, Armenian firms for
unauthorized re-exports of aircraft to Iran.

The companies that are under U.S. sanctions are Britain-based
Balli Group PLC and related companies, Armenia-based Blue Airways, as
well as Iran-based Mahan Airways.

The British and Armenian companies "knowingly" re-exported three
U.S. aircraft to Iran in violation of the U.S. Export Administration
Regulations and are preparing to re-export three additional U.S.
aircraft to Iran, according to U.S. officials.

The United States has imposed on sanctions on Iran for allegedly
trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of civilian nuclear
programs. Iran has denied the charges.

Editor: Mu Xuequan

LES ARMENIENS INTERDITS DE MANIFESTATIONS

Le Figaro
Vendredi 21 Mars 2008
France

ARMENIE. L’etat d’urgence sera leve aujourd’hui, mais les
manifestations resteront interdites. En tout cas " pendant un certain
temps ". C’est ce qu’a affirme hier Robert Kotcharian, le president
armenien sortant. L’etat d’urgence avait ete impose a la capitale après
les heurts entre policiers et opposants, qui ont fait huit morts et
de nombreux blesses, dont certains par balles, le mois dernier. Les
troubles avaient eclate après que la police ait tente de disperser les
milliers d’opposants qui manifestaient depuis onze jours a l’appel de
l’ex-president Levon Ter Petrossian, pour protester contre la victoire
a l’election presidentielle du 19 fevrier du premier ministre Serge
Sarkissian, successeur de Robert Kotcharian. L’opposition affirme
que le scrutin a ete entache de nombreuses fraudes.

" J’estime qu’il ne faut pas organiser de manifestations pendant un
certain temps, parce qu’elles vont a l’encontre de la stabilite du
pays ", a neanmoins affirme hier le chef d’Etat sortant. Ajoutant :
" Des gens qui ont pris les armes contre les forces de l’ordre
sont encore recherches. Et nous n’avons aucune garantie qu’ils ne
tenteront pas une fois de plus de destabiliser la situation ", a-t-il
explique. Le gouvernement a par ailleurs annonce que M. Sarkissian,
dont l’investiture est prevue le 9 avril, reserverait sa première
visite, lundi, a la Russie.

–Boundary_(ID_xcEYu0ddDhhCTykTVMTavA)–

M. HARUTYUNYAN RECEIVED CSCO

Panorama.am
15:35 22/03/2008

On 22 March the Defense Minister of the RA Michael Harutyunyan received
the representatives of the Defense ministers of Russia and Tajikistan
as well as the representatives of the Collective Security Contract
Organization (CSCO) and the united headquarter. The information is
provided by the press secretary of the ministry Seyran Shahsuvaryan.

During the meeting the military officials and the Defense Minister of
Armenia M. Harutyunyan affirmed the plan of the "Rubej 2008" military
exercises project. Note that the fourth stage of the military practice
will be held in Armenia in August 1-5.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT WARNS AGAINST PROTESTS AFTER STATE OF EMERGENCY LIFTED

AP
2008-03-20 15:00:06

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) – Armenia’s president warned his opponents
Thursday against holding protests after a state of emergency is lifted
in the politically tense Caucasus Mountain nation.

President Robert Kocharian said police would break up any unauthorized
protests held after the 20-day state of emergency ends at midnight
Thursday.

"If there are new attempts to rally, I will immediately order the
police to take steps in accordance with the law," Kocharian said.

Public gatherings were prohibited during the state of emergency,
which was imposed March 1 after clashes between protesters and police
left eight people dead and dozens injured.

The violence erupted after police forcefully dispersed protesters
who claimed the government rigged the Feb. 19 presidential election
and demanded a new vote.

A spokesman for opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian, Arman Masinian,
said authorities in the capital, Yerevan, denied permission to hold
rallies on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, citing public safety concerns.

He said the opposition would continue its struggle within the law
and has no plans to hold unauthorized rallies.

According to the official results, Kocharian’s favored candidate, Prime
Minister Serzh Sarkisian, won the presidency with nearly 53 percent
of the vote, while Ter-Petrosian received about 21 percent. Sarkisian
will be inaugurated April 9.

The opposition alleged widespread fraud and sometimes violent pressure
on its supporters.

Scores of opposition supporters were detained, and Sarkisian said
Thursday that 106 remain under arrest.

Western countries have expressed concern about the government’s
crackdown, while Russia _ which has close ties with Armenia and
maintains a military base in the ex-Soviet republic _ expressed
support.