Author: Toneyan Mark

BLOCKS OF APARTMENTS IN ASKERAN

KarabakhOpen
21-06-2008 13:32:11

Two blocks of apartments will be built in Askeran. In this connection
the government changed the temporary scheme of the use of land in
Askeran. The plot of land of 0.5 hectares owned by the local community
was sold to Artsakh Investment Fund for the construction of two blocks
of apartments for the mortgage loan policy.

By another decree of the president the former office of the Democratic
Party in Stepanakert which is 0.2 ha was transferred to the office
of the human rights defender.

MARIE YOVANOVITCH REFUSES TO CALL 1915 EVENTS GENOCIDE

arminfo
2008-06-20 12:20:00

ArmInfo. "We were troubled by Ambassador Yovanovitch’s refusal to offer
any meaningful rationale for the Administration’s ongoing complicity
in Turkey’s denials", ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian said.

To note, debates were held yesterday in the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee on approval of Marie Yovanovitch as U.S. Ambassadorial
nominee to Armenia. As ANCA told ArmInfo, M. Yovanovitch said in her
opening testimony: "The US government – and certainly I – acknowledges
and mourns the mass killings, ethnic cleansing and forced deportations
that devastated over one and a half million Armenians at the end of
the Ottoman Empire". Following these remarks, Sen. Menendez, who had
placed two consecutive holds on previous ambassadorial nominee Dick
Hoagland for denying the Armenian Genocide, meticulously questioned
Yovanovitch by presenting historical State Department documents
from the time of the Genocide and comparing those statements with
her opening remarks. Juxtaposing the eyewitness accounts of these
U.S. officials with the definition of the crime as outlined by the
U.N. Convention on the Punishment and Prevention of the Crime of
Genocide, Sen. Menendez asked whether the President’s annual April
24th remarks, Yovanovitch’s prepared statements, and her responses
regarding U.S. diplomatic reporting matched the U.N. Convention, to
which the U.S. is a party. Amb. Yovanovitch sidestepped this question,
stating instead that it is the President and the State Department
who set the policy of defining historic events. In her testimony,
she publicly confirmed that "It has been President Bush’s policy,
as well as that of previous presidents of both parties, not to use
that term", she said."

Sen. Menendez responded, "It is a shame that career foreign service
officers have to be brought before the Committee and find difficulty
in acknowledging historical facts, and find difficulty in acknowledging
the realities of what has been internationally recognized." He went on
to state, "And it is amazing to me that we can talk about millions,
a million and a half human beings who were slaughtered, we can
talk about those who were raped, we can talk about those who were
forcibly pushed out of their country, and we can have presidential
acknowledgements of that, but then we cannot call it what it is. It
is a ridiculous dance that the Administration is doing on the use of
the term genocide", he said.

OBAMA REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO ‘GENOCIDE’ RECOGNITION

Today’s Zaman
June 19 2008
Turkey

US Democratic presidential presumptive nominee Barack Obama has once
again voiced commitment to the official recognition of an alleged
genocide of Armenians in the final years of the Ottoman Empire.

In a letter sent to an influential lobbying group of the Armenian
diaspora, Obama said he shared the group’s view that Washington "must
recognize the events of 1915 to 1923, carried out by the Ottoman
Empire, as genocide."

"We must recognize this tragic reality. The Bush administration’s
refusal to do so is inexcusable, and I will continue to speak out
in an effort to move the administration to change its position,"
Obama said in the letter, addressed to Ken Hachikian, chairman of
the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA.) The letter was
published on ANCA’s Web page on Tuesday.

"I was deeply disturbed two years ago when the US ambassador to
Armenia was fired after he used the term ‘genocide’ to describe the
mass slaughter of Armenians. In a letter to the Department of State,
I called for Secretary Rice to closely examine what I believe is an
untenable position taken by the US government. A copy of that letter is
enclosed for your review," Obama also said, referring to the fact that
back in 2006, then-US Ambassador to Armenia John Evan reportedly had
his tour of duty in Armenia cut short by the administration because,
in a social setting, he referred to the killings as "genocide."

In August the White House withdrew its nomination of a career diplomat,
Richard Hoagland, after Democratic Senator Robert Menendez held up
confirmation hearings because of his refusal to call World War I-era
killings of Armenians a genocide.

Late in March, President George W. Bush nominated another career
diplomat, Marie Yovanovitch, who is currently ambassador to the Kyrgyz
Republic, to be US ambassador to Armenia.

"The ANCA has spoken to committee members about the value of carefully
questioning Ambassador Yovanovitch on the many issues she will face as
the US envoy in Yerevan, among them the recognition of the Armenian
genocide, Turkey and Azerbaijan’s ongoing blockades of Armenia, and
the need for a balanced US role in helping forge a democratic and
peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," ANCA said in
its report on Tuesday.

Yovanovitch’s confirmation hearing before the US Senate Foreign
Relations Committee is scheduled to take place on Thursday.

TURKEY RESUMED ACCESSION TALKS WITH EU

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.06.2008

Turkey has resumed its European Union accession talks. The agenda
includes legislative issues referring to property and company
rights. The whole process will take no less than 10 years, the
RFE/RL reports.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan claims that some states
pose artificial obstacles to the accession process. "We launched
talks on agriculture, transport, foreign policy and 15 other
directions. However, certain states hamper the process," he said.

Turkey opened accession talks with the EU in 2005 but progress has
since been very slow. In 2006 the EU suspended accession talks with
Ankara on eight chapters because of Ankara’s refusal to open its
ports and airports to traffic from Greek Cyprus. Ankara says it
is ready to open the ports and airports in return for EU steps to
ease trade restrictions on the Turkish Cypriots. The EU Commission
proposed direct trade with the Turkish Cypriots in 2004 after they
voted for a UN plan to reunite the island but the proposal, vetoed
by the Greek Cypriots, have never been approved.

ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY TO MOVE TO A NEW BUILDING ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2008

ArmInfo
2008-06-19 17:44:00

The Armenian defense ministry will move to a new building on September
21, 2008, RA Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan told journalists,
Thursday.

He said that during the June 19 working meeting with the generals and
officers of the defense ministry, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
gave some instructions on completion of the ministry’s new building. To
recall, the new building in Avan community of Yerevan has been built
since spring 2005, and the construction work is completed by 95%,
the minister said. He added that at the working meeting he presented
a report on the ministry’s activity in 2007 to the RA president.

PARLIAMENT SPEAKER TIGRAN TOROSIAN RECEIVES HEAD OF OSCE YEREVAN OFFICE, AMBASSADOR SERGEY KAPINOS

ARMENPRESS
June 18, 2008

YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS: Parliament Speaker Tigran Torosian
received today head of the OSCE Yerevan Office, ambassador Sergey
Kapinos.

The public relations department of the National Assembly said while
referring to cooperation with the OSCE Tigran Torosian said he received
Mr. Kapinos’ letter in which he expresses willingness of the Office
to offer expertise assistance for making a conclusion on changes and
amendments to the Armenian Law on TV and Radio.

Torosian said an ad hoc parliamentary commission was set up for an
inquiry into March 1-2 events in Yerevan, adding that the parliament
expects the OSCE Office to cooperate on this issue. Tigran Torosian
suggested also that the OSCE provide expertise assistance for
application of international experience in deciding the ad hoc
commission’s methodology.

Parliament chairman also referred to the status of fulfillment of
PACE resolution 1609 saying that the parliament adopted a relevant
statement which details the work done.

According to him, a lot has been done in all directions, but time
is needed for implementation of all recommendations listed in PACE
resolution. He said Armenia expects international organizations’
including OSCE’s assistance in enforcing democratic reforms.

Sergey Kapinos was quoted as saying that the OSCE Yerevan Office
stands ready to support Armenia in the process of strengthening its
statehood and deepening its predictability.

He said the OSCE is also ready to help Armenia fulfill its
international commitments without haste and in view of the current
realities.

Mr. Kapinos promised to convey the request of the Armenian authorities
for expertise assistance regarding the work of the ad hoc parliament
commission, to the OSCE leadership and inform Tigran Torosian about
the results.

IMF AND ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT TO CONDUCT NEGOTIATIONS IN SEPTEMBER ON NEW PROGRAM OF IMF ASSISTANCE TO ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan

Ju ne 17, 2008

YEREVAN, JUNE 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Thanks to the negotiations between
the IMF and the new government of Armenia in Yerevan on June 11-17,
a basis has been created for conducting negotiations in September
with the aim of launching a new program of the IMF’s assistance,
the division chief of the IMF Middle East and Central Asia Department
Marta Castello-Branco announced at the June 17 press conference.

In her words, by the results of the recent visit of IMF experts,
the Armenian government’s determination in the implementation of
economic reforms, in particular, its steps on tax policy and customs
administration improvement are quite satisfactory. She attached special
importance to the comprehensive rather than sectional implementation
of reforms.

M. Castello-Branco expressed an opinion that the previous years’
two-digit indices of Armenian GDP growth will continue. 9.3% GDP
growth in the first four months of this year resulted in a growth of
the demand for import (it grew thanks to the increased remittances
from abroad), as a result of which the negative balance of the current
account has grown and pressure of the Armenian dram’s appreciation
has declined. Although the 12-month sharp inflation of about 10%
in April was mostly due to high prices of imported foodstuffs, the
prices of nonfood commodities also went up because of the growth of
international oil prices and the increased domestic demand. M.

Castello-Branco forecast that under conditions of the absence of
external shocks regarding the supply, the 12-month inflation will
decline and make 7% in December.

Accoridng to her, the developments in the fiscal sector were positive
and ensured good tax collection, expecially VAT collection indices. The
IMF official said that in case of greater tax revenues as compared
with the envisaged index, the budgetary deficit by 2008 results may be
less than the programmed index, which can be used to reduce inflation
pressure through the monetary and credit policy. In this connection
M. Castello-Branco positively assessed the raising of the refinancing
interest rate by the Central Bank of Armenia, which has tightened the
monetary and credit policy. She said that such mode of action should
continue in the future.

TO BECOME A LITMUS TEST

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on June 17, 2008
Armenia

Why should the Public Council be formed with the involvement of
intellectuals? The authority of the council is the moral reputation
it enjoys in the public rather than the force of law enshrined in the
legislation. It may become a litmus test or a measuring device which
will record to what extent the authorities are ready to listen to the
public," ARFD representative ARTASHES SHAHBAZYAN announced yesterday.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT RECEIVES HEAD OF OSCE YEREVAN OFFICE

ARMENPRESS
June 16, 2008

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS: Armenian President Serzh Sargsian
received today the head of the OSCE Yerevan Office, ambassador
Sergey Kapinos.

Presidential press service told Armenpress that the president greeted
the programs carried out by the office in Armenia and noted that a
good tradition of cooperation has been established with it.

"We have various samples of successfully carried out programs,
and we have stated many times that we are interested in the further
development of partnership," Serzh Sargsian said, underscoring the
involvement of new spheres and issues in cooperation.

Noting that the programs directed towards the support of reforms in
different spheres will continue, Sergey Kapinos gave a short outline
of the military-political, economic, nature protection and humanitarian
activity and programs carried out by the OSCE Yerevan office.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE TO THE KARABAKH CONFLICT NEGOTIATING PROCESS

arminfo
2008-06-16 13:04:00

ArmInfo. ‘If there is sincere aspiration for the conflict settlement,
no "precedents" can become an obstacle on this way. Public opinion
poll has been recently held in Azerbaijan as a result of which 29% of
population were for the military way of the conflict settlement. This
is a very dangerous tendency, which is the result of the militaristic
rhetoric that always sounds in Azerbaijan’, – Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandyan said in an interview with Russian
"Nezavisimaya gazeta".

He also added he thinks there is no country in the world which
would make boast of the tenfold growth of its military expenditure
and every third citizen wanted the war. War cannot be an answer,
it cannot be solution.

There is no alternative to the negotiating process. ‘For this reason
we hope that the meeting between Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents
on 6 June, which we consider positive and constructive, will make it
possible for us to continue the talks to find the settlement ways on
the basis of suggestions made by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs at
the end of 2007 in Madrid’, – Nalbandyan emphasized.

He also said that when the OSCE MG co-chairs visit the region they
always try to meet the leaders of Karabakh. Armenian president
and foreign minister always hold consultations with the Karabakh
leaders before and after meeting the Azerbaijani party, i.e. Karabakh
indirectly participates in the negotiating process. ‘But I don’t think
that direct participation of Stepenakert in the talks may make closer
the conflict settlement’, – Nalbandyan said.

When commenting on the speaker of the Russian State Duma Boris
Geyzlov’s statements made in Baku that the Russian party has potential
to affect the talks, Edward Nalbandyan said he is not aware of this
statement but he thinks the word "affect" should be understood in
the context of the negotiating process continuation, in which "we
highly appreciate the role of Russia as well as two other co-chairs
from the USA and France the efforts of which are directed not to
imposing solution but to supporting the parties in the way of the
compromising way out>, – the minister thinks. ‘I am more optimistic
and I hope that the negotiating process will have a result.

Anyway, we should make as much efforts as we can not to allow the
war actions restoration, this is Armenia’s approach and we hope that
Azerbaijan also understands this>, – Nalbandyan concluded.