Author: Toneyan Mark

Armenian NPP to start mothballing program
Interfax
June 10 2004
Yerevan. (Interfax) – The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant will have
a program ready to mothball the station by the end of 2004, the
country’s Trade and Economic Development Minister Karen Jshmartain
said at a press conference on Tuesday.
The topic was discussed during the fifth meeting of the EU-Armenia
Cooperation Committee in Brussels on June 4, he said.
The meeting decided to set up a working group of power engineers on
closing the nuclear power plant. The working group should review all
the financial and technical aspects of mothballing the station and
present their own program, Jshmartain said.
The European Union has not set any concrete timeframe for closing the
NPP without replacing its capacity with other sources. A project to
build an Iran-Armenia gas pipeline was discussed as an alternative
to the NPP, but the volume of gas would not be enough to replace the
energy capacity of the NPP, Jshmartain said.
The committee also discussed a project put forth by Armenia to build
a new NPP in Armenia to replace the old one.
The EU confirmed that it is ready to extend Armenia 100 million
euros to close the NPP and replace its capacity, although Armenian
specialists think that at least $1 billion is needed for this.
The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, which has two reactors with a total
capacity of 815 megawatts, was closed in 1988 due to political and
economic reasons. The NPP’s second reactor was restarted at a capacity
of 407.5 megawatts in 1995.
ZAO Inter RAO EES, a subsidiary of Russia’s Unified Energy System,
and Armenia signed a contract in September 2003 to hand over trust
management of the NPP to Inter RAO EES.
The Armenian NPP generated 1.9 billion kilowatt hours of electricity
in 2003, or 36% of the total generation of electricity in Armenia.
The first meeting of the EU-Armenia Cooperation Committee took place in
2000 in Brussels. The committee was set up by a partnership agreement
signed on April 22, 1996.

EU to give 100 million euros to close Armenian Nuclear Plant
PRAVDA, Russia (RosBalt)
June 9 2004
The European Union is ready to finance the closure of the Armenian
Nuclear Power Plant. As reported by a Rosbalt correspondent, Minister
of Trade and Economic Development, Karien Chshmaritian, reported the
news at a press conference while commenting about the results of the
Armenia-EU conference held in Brussels on June 4.
He stated that a concrete date for the plant’s closure has not been
set, because Armenia is not in the financial position to finance the
closure. According to Karien Chshmaritian, the EU confirmed its intent
to allocate 100 million euros for the closure of the Armenian Nuclear
Power Plant, and the organization of alternative energy sources.
Last year, the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant was transferred to the
Russian joint-stock company EEC Russia for asset management.

ARKA News Agency
June 3 2004
The issues of Karabakh conflict settlement discussed by Kocharian and
Steven Mann
RA President Kocharian receives the members of the CIS Customs
Council
RA President receives the Armenian- Russian interParliamentary
commission on cooperation
*********************************************************************
THE ISSUES OF KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT DISCUSSED BY KOCHARIAN AND
STEVEN MANN
YEREVAN, June 3. /ARKA/. The issues regarding Karabakh conflict
settlement were discussed by RA President Kocharian and co-Chairman
of OSCE Minsk Group from the USA Steven Mann. According to RA
President’s Press Service Department, Mann introduced the results of
the meetings held in Baku where he had arrived from.
According to RA MFA Press Service Department, the same issue was
discussed also during the meeting of Man with RA Minister of Foreign
Affairs Vartan Oskanian. Mann confirmed the readiness of OSCE Minsk
group co-Chairmen to find mutually advantageous solutions for the
parties in the conflict. Also, the previous meetings between RA and
AR ministers of foreign Affairs, as well as some issues regarding the
regular meeting of the Ministers on June 21.
OSCE Minsk Group co-Chairman arrived in Armenia from Azerbaijan where
he participated in the 11th international exhibition-forum of oil and
gas. In the framework of his visit to Baku, Mann had meetings with
the AR President Ilham Aliev and the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Elmar Mamediarov. A.H. –0–
*********************************************************************
RA PRESIDENT KOCHARIAN RECEIVES THE MEMBERS OF THE CIS CUSTOMS
COUNCIL
YEREVAN, June 3. /ARKA/. RA President Kocharian received the members
of the CIS Customs Council session held in Yerevan. According to RA
President’s Press Service Department, in the course of the meeting
Kocharian expressed hope that the contacts and the share with
experience will contribute to more effective work organization. In
his turn, Michael Vanin, the Chairman of the Council of CIS Customs,
the Chairman of RF State Customs Committee noted that in 2004 it will
be the 10th anniversary since the Council’s functioning, and
significant progress has been achieved so far. According to him, year
by year the volume of trade turnover between CIS states grows. This
means that administrative barriers are removed and right work is
done. He attached great importance to simplification of customs
procedures and to struggle against contraband.A. H.—0–
*********************************************************************
RA PRESIDENT RECEIVES THE ARMENIAN- RUSSIAN INTERPARLIAMENTARY
COMMISSION ON COOPERATION
YEREVAN, June 3. /ARKA/. RA President Robert Kocharian received today
the Armenian- Russian inter-Parliamentary commission on cooperation.
According to the President’s Press Service Department, during the
meeting Kocharian noted that the agreements reached during his last
visit to Moscow, are consequently being implemented. In his turn,
Nikolai Ryzhkov, the Co-Chairman of Armenian-Russian
inter-Parliamentary committee, Member of RF Federal Assembly
Federation Council informed the RA President, that the commission
session held in Yerevan was in the atmosphere of productive
discussions, where the issues of economic cooperation between the
countries and collaboration in international structures were
particularly emphasized. He also mentioned that there was made a
decision about the formation of working groups, which will organize
discussions on cooperation between individual administrative subjects
of the two countries and encouragement of small and medium
businesses. Ryzhkov said that bilateral economic relations are
gradually improving as a result of the sustainability of Armenia’s
and Russia’s economies, the activities of large joint enterprises and
implementation of the signed contracts. According to Ryzhkov, the key
role in further development of economic relations will play the
recently formed Association of Russian-Armenian Economic Cooperation,
which already has its representative office in Armenia. L.V. –0–
*********************************************************************

PRESS RELEASE
June 6, 2004
American University of Armenia Corporation
300 Lakeside Drive, 4th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
Telephone: (510) 987-9452
Fax: (510) 208-3576
Contact: Gohar Momjian
E-mail: [email protected]
USAID SUPPORTS AUA STUDENT LOAN PROGRAM
USAID/Armenia’s Spring 2004 Newsletter highlights its support of
the American University of Armenia’s (AUA) student loan program.
Through a USAID-funded grant program, created by its implementing
partner, the Eurasia Foundation, AUA received a $40,035 grant to
continue providing financial aid options to make certain that every
deserving student can afford a quality education. This grant enabled
AUA to provide $28,800 in loans and $11,235 to administer the program.
The USAID newsletter notes that higher education is essential for
Armenia’s development, but it must be both affordable and sustainable.
AUA piloted and structured Armenia’s first student loan program in
2002 in response to the global economic downturn and rising student
fees. Currently the $6,000 tuition fee is subsidized by AUA, and the
student is asked to pay $1,750 per year, which is comparable to many
of the other private institutions in Armenia. Over 70% of AUA students
receive financial aid in the form of scholarships, work-study, and
loans. The student loan program is an innovative concept and a model
for replication by other universities.
“In AUA’s commitment to admit and retain students with demonstrated
scholastic achievement and high intellectual potential, the
University is determined to support student decisions to seek and
complete a degree at AUA,” stated AUA President Haroutune Armenian.
“The loan program is a great step forward in increasing access to AUA
and instilling a sense of personal and institutional responsibility
among students as they repay their loans and extend the privilege to
other students in succeeding years.”
Private contributions in memory of Dr. Steven Abashian and Nishan and
Eskohee Abashian, and from the Turpanjian Family Foundation, Mr. Heros
Noravian and Dr. Emma Zargarian, Dr. and Mrs. Haroutune Armenian,
and Dr. Patricia Boyle more than match the Eurasia Foundation grant
to make AUA’s education more accessible.
—–
The American University of Armenia is registered as a non-profit
educational organization in both Armenia and the United States and is
affiliated with the Regents of the University of California. Receiving
major support from the AGBU, AUA offers instruction leading to the
Masters Degree in eight graduate programs. For more information about
AUA, visit or

SAAKASHVILI MET ARA ABRAHAMYAN
A1 Plus | 16:29:41 | 01-06-2004 | Politics |
During the Georgian-Russian business forum recently held in Moscow
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili met Ara Abrahamyan, Chair of
Union of Russia’s Armenians.
Georgian Parliament member Van Bayburdyan states that Ara Abrahamyan
was among those 5 big businessmen of Russia who met the Georgian
President in private.
At the meeting the Armenian businessman expressed willingness to make
solid investments in rebuilding the Abkhazia railway.
“A-INFO” released the information.

Azeri Village Poised on the Edge of the Abyss
By Chloe Arnold
The Moscow Times
Tuesday, June 1, 2004. Page 11.
LAHIC, Azerbaijan — Hussein Ali is not a happy man. The little wooden
house where he has lived all his life has started to give way and if
he doesn’t watch out it will slip off the hillside and tumble hundreds
of meters into the ravine below.
The residents of Lahic, a ramshackle village high in the Caucasus
Mountains, are starting to wonder how long they can continue to live
here. Every year, when the snows start to melt and the streams that
trickle down the mountains become gushing rivers, they lose a little
bit more of their land.
“That used to be our potato field,” Intigam Ismailov, another resident
of the village, told me. He pointed to a thin strip of earth clinging
to the scree. Far below us, there was no sign of the rest of the
potato patch; only a dust-coloured river, snaking its way south to
the Caspian Sea.
During the long summer months, most Azeris escape the scorching heat
of the capital and head north to cooler climes. In the old days, they
went west to Karabakh, where the land is so fertile they say you can
push a twig into the ground and it will grow into a pomegranate tree.
But since the war with neighboring Armenia, Karabakh has been off
limits to Azeris, and now they go elsewhere during the hottest part
of the year.
Lahic is a four-hour drive from the capital — the last hour a
20-kilometer stretch that is not for the fainthearted. The narrow track
wends its way up a dramatic gorge with soaring red cliffs and glimpses
of snow-covered peaks even higher in the sky. The path regularly gets
washed away, and halfway up there are three rusty machines that are
called into service every time a section of the road gives way.
At the end of the pass, you come to Lahic, a close-knit community
where families have lived in the same house and farmed the same land
for hundreds of years. They even speak their own language, a dialect
of Farsi, first spoken by their ancestors, who came from Iran over
1,000 years ago.
The local skill is copper-work, and as you wander the village’s single
cobbled street, you hear the constant tapping of hammers on metal as
craftsmen forge another delicate candlestick or samovar. They rely
on tourists and rich weekenders to buy their trinkets to help make
ends meet.
But with half the village poised to slide off the mountainside,
no one knows how much longer Lahic will exist.
“None of us wants to leave,” Intigam told me sadly. “But when your
house is edging its way toward the brink of a precipice, it may be
time to move on.”
Chloe Arnold is a freelance journalist based in Baku, Azerbaijan.

US trade with Upper Garabagh creates storm
Azer News, Azerbaijan
May 27 2004
The reports on the signing of a deal between two US companies with
“Garabagh Telecom”, an entity operating in the Azerbaijani lands
occupied by Armenian and Russian military units, have caused serious
concerns in some news media and the Milli Majlis (parliament).
Some opposition and independent newspapers as well as individuals
even blame Reno Harnish, the US Ambassador to Azerbaijan, for
justifying his country’s attempts to establish economic relations
with the separatist leadership of Upper Garabagh. The reason is due
to the opinions expressed by Harnish during his talk with journalists
following the 8th meeting of the US-Azerbaijani working group on
economic cooperation held in Baku last week.
The fact that the US Ambassador called Upper Garabagh ‘a country’ in
passing, as well as his saying that the US doesn’t impose commercial
restrictions against any country was called sensational by most
newspapers. In particular, the opposition-minded “Yeni Musavat”
newspaper, a publication of the Musavat Party, issued a critical
article about Harnish, urging him to give an explanation on the
matter. The newspaper even compared him with the former US Ambassador
Stanley Escudero, who Yeni Musavat says didn’t have such a good image
in Azerbaijan. The public seems to have found a reason for expressing
displeasure with the US government with regard to the Garabagh
conflict. And what is the reason for the public dissatisfaction and
negative attitude towards the US government? Why do people who
considered the United States the most reliable and powerful ally of
Azerbaijan in the 1990s, today doubt it? The main reason is that the
United States shows double standards towards Armenia and Azerbaijan,
it has failed to observe ‘a principle of justice’ in the settlement
of the Garabagh conflict and that it doesn’t differentiate between an
aggressor and a sufferer. People think that the United States is
taking advantage of the slogans of human rights, democracy,
territorial inviolability of states as well as combating terrorism
and the drug business, only for its political goals. The United
States indirectly supports Armenian separatists, who are involved in
drug business and terror attacks in the occupied territory of
Garabagh, but has imposed sanctions on Azerbaijan for about ten
years. Don’t the US intelligence agencies know that Armenian and
Arabian terrorists have been cooperating since the beginning of the
20th century? Azerbaijani MPs didn’t remain indifferent to the issue
either.
MPs’ protest
At a Tuesday session of the Milli Majlis (parliament), MPs protested
strongly against some US companies’ attempts to make investments in
the occupied lands of Azerbaijan, particularly in Upper Garabagh.
According to MPs, the business relations between the companies of the
US, which is a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, and separatist
forces in Upper Garabagh contradict the national interests of
Azerbaijan. MPs proposed that the issue be discussed at the
parliament and the US Ambassador to Azerbaijan be informed about it.
They also decided to address the US government in connection with the
issue. Speaker Murtuz Alasgarov said that the US companies’ activity
doesn’t express the standpoint of the US government. He noted that
however, the issue should be considered seriously. Alasgarov
underlined that he would appeal to the Foreign Ministry in order to
clear up the matter and ask it to bring the issue to the notice of
the US Ambassador.
Ambassador denies trade ties
US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Reno Harnish, told a news conference
after a meeting held at Baku State University (BSU) on Wednesday that
the US has not made any investments in ‘Upper Garabagh’ and that
Washington does not support trade relations with the self-proclaimed
republic. He pointed out that negotiations are the only fair
alternative in settling the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper
Garabagh. The latest statement of the US Ambassador eased the heated
debates but did not put an end to them. While pursuing its policy in
the region, the United States should take into account the national
interests of its partners as well. For this, it should be a fair
judge and put an end to its double standards.

Federer aims to bury the French Open jinx
The Star Online
Monday May 24, 2004
Wimbledon and Australian Open champion Roger Federer will have to take
the hard road if he is bury his embarrassing French Open jinx when
the second Grand Slam event of the season gets underway here today.
The Swiss world number one, widely considered the finest player of
the current generation, has suffered successive first round defeats
on the slow, red clay of Roland Garros in the last two years.
To add to his problems, he could face triple Roland Garros champion
Gustavo Kuerten in the third round here with Argentina’s David
Nalbandian and former world number one Marat Safin of Russia waiting
to pounce later in the draw.
However, with defending champion Juan Carlos Ferrero horribly out of
form with a wrist injury and with serious doubts over US Open winner
Andy Roddick’s ability to adapt his booming game to the slow surface,
there may never be a better opportunity for Federer to triumph here.
Ferrero must face former world number two Tommy Haas of Germany in
his first round match.
Federer also has the added psychological advantage of having defeated
another leading rival Guillermo Coria in the final of the Hamburg
Masters, ending the Argentinian’s 31-match unbeaten run on clay in
the process.
“I’m more relaxed now. The last two years, I went to Paris with very
high hopes. I thought that if I had been in the quarter-finals of the
French Open in 2001 and had won Hamburg in 2002, I can do better at
the French,” said Federer whose win in Germany was his fourth of the
year and 15th of his career.
History says otherwise.
In 2002, he was dumped out of the first round here by Morocco’s Hicham
Arazi while last year it was the turn of Peru’s Luis Horna to take
the Swiss player’s scalp in straight sets.
Federer’s best showing here remains his 2001 quarter-final finish
and he is aware that with Ferrero having not played for a month,
it is Coria who remains a major threat.
The 22-year-old Argentinian is a master of clay where he has won
all of his eight titles, the most recent of which was in Monte Carlo
last month.
Reigning US Open champion Roddick also has a lot to prove.
Like Federer, he has lost in the first round here on his last two
visits with his 2003 exit at the hands of Armenia’s Sargis Sargsian
prompting him to enlist Andre Agassi’s former coach Brad Gilbert to
help him out of his slump.
It certainly had the desired effect with the young American taking
his first Grand Slam title at the US Open in September.
Agassi, now 34, remains many people’s sentimental favourite to add
the trophy to his 1999 triumph as he sets out on his 16th French
Open campaign.
But his build-up has not been impressive.
He made a first round exit at St Poelten on Monday at the hands of
world number 339 Nenad Zimonjic in what was his first clay court
outing of the season.
Safin will also be a contender after a miserable 2003 campaign which
was wrecked by injury.
The Russian was a semi-finalist here in 2002 and hammered home his
recovery by making the final of the Australian Open in January. – AFP

Libération
20 mai 2004
CINEMA
Potes belges;
Cannes 2004. Hors compétition. Docu belge sur un trio sympathique de
Pieds Nickelés du cinéma.
par DOUHAIRE Samuel
On trouve de tout dans la section “Cannes Classics”. Des
documentaires sur des figures aussi éminentes qu’Henri Langlois, le
père de la Cinémathèque française, Serguei Parajdanov, le prophète
visionnaire du cinéma arménien, ou Glauber Rocha, le gourou du cinema
novo brésilien.
Mais aussi un vibrant hommage à trois Pieds nickelés du cinéma
wallon, présentés avec beaucoup de sympathie dans un documentaire de
Frédéric Sojcher, cinéaste lui-même belge d’une trentaine d’années.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (sic), l’homme masqué, Jacques Hardy et Max
Naveaux sont des “cinéastes à tout prix”, animés d’une foi enfantine
dans le cinéma, malgré ou peut-être grâce à l’indigence des moyens
dont ils ne disposent pas.
Ils tournent dans leur jardin et montent dans leur garage des nanars
invraisemblables interprétés bénévolement par leurs proches. Et comme
le dit Jean-Jacques Rousseau, le plus allumé des trois, proche de
l’entarteur Noël Godin et de la désormais star Benoît Poelvoorde :
“J’aimerais bien que Steven Spielberg échange ses budgets avec les
miens. Il ne ferait pas aussi bien.” Cinéastes à tout prix devrait
être diffusé avant la fin de l’année sur les chaînes câblées de Ciné
Cinéma. Avec, on l’espère, quelques perles de ces trois Ed Wood
belges.
Cinéastes à tout prix, documentaire de Frédéric Sojcher (Belgique), 1
h 06.

Russian, Armenian defence ministers to discuss mil cooperation
ITAR-TASS, Russia
May 20 2004
YEREVAN, May 20 (Itar-Tass) – Russian Acting Defence Minister Sergei
Ivanov’s two-day working visit to Armenia that will begin on Thursday
will focus on Russian-Armenian military cooperation issues.
Ivanov will have talks with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisyan,
and they are expected to sign joint documents.
The two ministers will discuss developing Russian-Armenian relations in
the area of military and technical military cooperation and exchange
views on military issues, including ensuring regional security,
the Armenian Defence Ministry’s press secretary Seiran Shakhsuvaryan
told Itar-Tass.
Russian-Armenian military cooperation is considered the most advanced
area in bilateral relations.
The Russian military base in Armenia is believed to be one of the
most important constituent parts of Armenia’s national security.
The Russian Defence Minister on Friday will chair a meeting of the
CIS defence minister council.
Among the main issues on the agenda are development and supporting
of combat readiness of the CIS united air-defence system.
The meeting will discuss a draft programme for ensuring comprehensive
resistance of CIS countries to air attack forces and means.