Author: Torgomian Varazdat

ARMENIAN ADVOCATES OF JAVAKHK DEPRIVED OF RIGHT TO BE ENGAGED IN THEIR BUSINESS
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 06 2006
AKHALKALAK, JUNE 6, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Since June 1 2006,
the inhabitants of Akhalkalak and Ninotsminda regions have been
deprived of the possibility to use the services of local Armenian
advocates as the Georgian Advocates’ Association did not give the
respective powers to the Armenian advocates of Javakhk motivating this
by the circumstance that they do not master Georgian. Reporting this,
the A-Info agency mentions that this change will abruptly change
the conditions of the Armenians of Javakhk for the worse: they will
have to spend much more money for inviting an advocate from other
Georgian regions.

ACCORDING TO WB YEREVAN OFFICE DIRECTOR, APPRECIATION OF ARMENIAN DRAM INDICATES STRENGTHENING ECONOMY
Noyan Tapan
June 05 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 5, NOYAN TAPAN. The appreciation of the Armenian dram is
one of the indications of a strengthening economy. The World Bank (WB)
Yerevan Office Director Roger Robinson stated this in a response to NT
correspondent’s question. According to him, the dram’s appreciation
is also conditioned by cash flows to Armenia, as well as by the
depreciation of the US dollar against the pound, euro and the Russian
ruble in recent weeks. In his words, the Armenian economy is small,
so the external price shocks rapidly affect the market.
In the opinion of R. Robinson, the exchange rate of the dram stabilized
for a moment and will again do so after its appreciation observed
in the last few weeks, since the Armenian market is currently
“very efficient”. He noted that the Armenian production continues
to be competitive, at the same time a growth of productivity is
continuing. The WB representative expressed a satisfaction over rates
of development of the Armenian economy, and and the growing credits
from the banking system to the economy.

ROMANIA: CROUCH SAYS US BACKS DEVELOPMENT OF BLACK SEA FORUM
Rompres news agency
5 Jun 06
Bucharest, 5 June: The United States backs the development of
the Black Sea Forum for Dialogue and Partnership, Jack D. Crouch,
deputy national security adviser to US President George W. Bush,
told the summit meeting of the Forum held at Parliament Palace,
in the Romanian capital, on Monday 5 June.
The United States backs the efforts for the creation of a more
prosperous, freer and safer Black Sea region, said Crouch, a former
US ambassador to Romania.
He underscored the importance of the dialogue among the region’s
leaders with a view to finding solutions to the threats to the region’s
security and stability such as “frozen” conflicts, the trafficking
in weapons, drugs and people.
The US supports the Black Sea Forum since it deems it a foundation
for the creation of viable economic development and investment
opportunities in the region, as well as for providing the transport
routes for the energy resources of the Caspian Sea and Central Asia,
for building a regional mechanism of mutual support in the crises
provoked by natural disasters, Crouch stressed.
The US official highlighted the role played by the respect for the
democratic values and human rights and hailed the progress made in
this respect by Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.
The US deputy national security adviser announced the US government
will donate “a significant financial contribution” to the Black Sea
Fund that is to be set up with a view to financing the projects that
have common goals with those of the regional initiative.
The initiative to establish a Black Sea Forum was also welcomed
by the representatives of France – Frederic Baleine du Laurens,
director general at the French Foreign Ministry; Germany –
special representative Norber Baas; Italy – State Secretary Famiano
Crucianelli; Spain – special representative Pablo Zaldivar; Belgium
– Foreign Minister Karel de Guht; Poland – Undersecretary of State
Stanislaw Komorowski.
Messages of appreciation for the launching of the Black Sea Forum
were communicated by Sergey Ordzhonikidze, Director General of
the Geneva-based UN Office; Terry Davis, the Council of Europe’s
secretary-general; Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, OSCE secretary-general;
Brunson McKinley, director general of the International Migration
Organization; Erhard Busek, special coordinator of the Southeastern
Europe Stability Pact; Marek Belka, executive secretary of the
UN Economic Commission for Europe; Robert Simmons, NATO special
representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia; Peter Semneby,
the EU special representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia.

HAYK BABUKHANIAN CALLS ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES FOR ACTIVIZING THEIR
EFFORTS IN PROTECTION OF RIGHTS OF THEIR CITIZENS IN RUSSIA

YEREVAN, JUNE 2, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. As a state Armenia
should more actively protect the rights of its citizens living in
other countries, but Armenia, in essence, is doing nothing in this
direction. Hayk Babukhanian, Deputy Chairman of the Constitutional Law
Union, declared this at the June 2 discussion at the Hayeli (Mirror)
club dedicated to cases of violence towards Armenians that have become
frequent recently. According to him, one should not consider the
recent murder of the 19-year-old boy in Moscow out of touch with the
processes going on in Russia. “We see that there is a problem of
racialism and Fascism in Russia and the Armenian authorities should be
consistent in the issue of protection of the rights and interests of
their citizens in this country.” In the opinion of another participant
of the discussion, former Armenian Parliament Vice-Speaker Karapet
Rubinian, national hatred and Fascism existing in Russia is first of
all the problem of Russia itself: “These phenomena did not do good any
country in the world, especially as we speak about such a
multi-national state as Russia.” Karapet Rubinian expressed confidence
that today’s Russia has sound forces capable of resisting
manifestations of Fascism and racialism, but these forces in Russia,
as well as in Armenia, are marginalized, and everything is decided
only by forces of authoritarianism dominating in this country. In his
opinion, the best solution of this issue for Armenia is return of
Armenians from Russia to the homeland. According to Hayk Babukhanian,
the reason of such processes is that Russia is a non-formed state and
has not been determined yet, whether it wants to become a superpower
or a democratic state. Undoubtedly, different groupings arise in this
period, which look for those guilty in the problems of their country
and one cannot exclude that Russia’s enemies, who want to blow up it
from within, can stand behind these groupings. In this context we
should also consider the problems of Russia in the Caucasus increasing
day by day.

BUSINESS DOESN’T RECOGNIZE NATIONALITY
A1+
[03:22 pm] 01 June, 2006
The second Armenia – Diaspora congress will be held on September
20 which has been held since 2003. Tigran Davtyan, Deputy Minister
of Trade and Economic Development invited a few journalists to
participate at today’s press release and presented them the objective
of the congress.
According to the press secretary of the Ministry they wished to hear
few questions and didn’t want the information to be distorted in the
torrent of questions.
During the press conference Tigran Davtyan informed that the start
of the congress is already announced and the tenders of participation
are received. Each businessman is to pay 100 EUs for his participation
but the sum will become 50 EUs by September 1.
About 300 – 400 businessmen from Armenia and the Diaspora participated
in the previous congress. There were also representatives of
international organizations. This year the number of the businessmen
is supposed to exceed 500. In the newly opened Ministry website one
can read the Minister’s open letter-invitation according to which
foreign businessmen can also have their participation and contribution
to the congress as “business doesn’t recognize nationality and has
no frontiers.”
1.5 milliard USD investment was done in Armenia within the recent 4 –
5 years, only 500 million USD was invested last year. According to
the Deputy Minister the sum of the past 5 years investment was equal
to that of the previous 10 years. The investments were comparatively
more in the recent one and a half year.
The main investments were done in mining industry, telecommunication
and in high tech spheres.

CIS TO REVIVE?
A1+
[02:43 pm] 31 May, 2006
On June 1-2 in Tsakhkadzor in the House of Writers a
scientific-practical conference will take place titled “CIS as a
new structure of cooperation between the states: achievements and
perspectives of development”.
Scientists, political figures and diplomats from different CIS
countries will participate in the conference. The CIS Executive
Committee will be represented by its deputy head Asan Kozhakov.
The opening of the conference will take place on June 1. RA NA
deputy Speaker Vahan Hovhannisyan and deputy Foreign Minister Gegham
Gharibjanyan will make speech.

VLADIMIR KARAPETIAN: IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS REFERENDUM REMAINS RECOGNIZED AND CIVILIZED WAY OF EXPRESSING PEOPLE’S RIGHT
Noyan Tapan
May 31 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 31, NOYAN TAPAN. “We greet the decision of Chernogoria
authori ties and people to create an independent state. We congratulate
and wish success to the people of Chernogoria in the issue of building
their statehood,” Vladimir Karapetian, Acting Spokesperson of RA
Foreign Ministry, declared commenting upon the results of the May
21 referendum held in Chernogoria at the request of mass media. RA
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson emphasized that in this peaceful
divorce Armenia especially attaches importance to the fact that the
Chernogoria people’s right of self-determination was expressed through
a referendum, “which is a proof that in the international relations
the referendum remains a recognized and civilized way of settlement
of such issues and expressing the people’s right.”

RUSSIA HAS NO CLEAR MECHANISM FOR FIGHTING XENOPHOBIA – ABRAMIAN
ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 30, 2006 Tuesday
Modern Russia does not have a clear mechanism for the suppression
of xenophobia, Russian Armenian Union President Ara Abramian said on
the Ekho Moskvy radio on Tuesday.
“The nationalities question is acute. It is necessary to pool efforts
for elaborating common mechanisms of the suppression of xenophobia. I
call on all governmental agencies, religious and public organizations,
and citizens to work together for the solution of this problem and
speak of it daily,” he said.
It is necessary to develop a governmental and public policy for
educating the younger generation, he said.
Ethnic Armenian Vigen Abramiants was killed in the Moscow metro
on April 24, the Day of the Armenian Genocide, he said. Back then
Armenian young held a protest on Moscow streets. “Yet I think that
such protests are no way to fight xenophobia. They will not reduce
the crime rate,” Abramian said.
“A frank dialog with schoolchildren and college students is a way to
resolve the problem,” he said.
Another murder was perpetrated on Tuesday. Artur Sardarian, 19,
was killed near the Klyazma station of the Moscow railroad.

ARMEN NAZARIAN EUROPE VICE-CHAMPION
Noyan Tapan
May 30 2006
TAMPERE, MAY 30, NOYAN TAPAN. Three representatives of Armenia took
part in the Europe Championship of judo held in the Finnish city of
Tampere. Only Armen Nazarian (weight category of 60 kg) was able to
gain a medal. He reached the final and only in the final was defeated
by world champion Greg Falo (England). Nazarian took the second place
and was given a silver medal. Another two judoists from Armenia,
Hovhannes Davtian and Ghazaros Grigorian did not gain any medals.

US Fed News
May 26, 2006 Friday 12:58 AM EST
USDA TO DONATE WHEAT FOR ARMENIA
US Fed News
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service has
issued the following press release:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that it will
donate 2,500 metric tons of wheat to Armenian Technology Group, Inc.
(ATG), a private voluntary organization, for use in Armenia.
ATG will sell the wheat in Armenia and use the proceeds to continue
supporting the seed industry in the country over an 18-month period.
Project activities include a production loan program for
seed-producing farmers, and marketing and business development
services that will provide better market access, training and
information services to seed, vegetable, and fresh fruit growing
farmers.
The donation will be made under USDA’s Food for Progress program,
administered by the Foreign Agricultural Service. The supply period
for this donation is fiscal year 2006.
The Food for Progress program provides for donations of agricultural
commodities to needy countries to encourage economic or agricultural
reforms that foster free enterprise.
This year, USDA expects to donate around 560,000 tons of U.S.
commodities to 28 countries under Food for Progress.
For further information, contact Cristina Fundeneanu of FAS at (202)
720-6868, or by e-mail at [email protected].
FAS news releases are available on the Internet at