Author: Tvankchian Parkev

ACCORDING TO IRANIAN DEPUTY AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA, PROBLEM RELATED TO IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM IS PURELY POLITICAL ONE

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 03 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 3, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. A discussion on
the problem of Iran’s nuclear program was held on April 3 at the
Noravank Scientific and Educational Fund. Ali Akbar Jouhar, Iran’s
Deputy Ambassador to Armenia, who had expressed an intention to
discuss the matter with Armenian analysts, made a speech during
the discussian. Speaking about the UN Security Counci’s recent
decision regarding the nuclear program of Iran, the deputy ambassador
stated that the problem is a purely political rather than a legal
or technical one. According to Ali Akbar Jouhar, Iran officially
declared that thanks to its scientists, it has received an opportunity
to obtain nuclear energy. In his words, Iran has such a right, since
it joined the Non Proliferation Treaty (NTP) and has honored all its
commitments. Many other countries which, unlike Iran, are not members
of the NPT and did not assume any commitments, are implementing
nuclear programs. Particularly, Israel has over 200 war-heads,
however, according to the speaker, nobody pays attention to it. The
US and a number of Western states believe that Iran does not need
nuclear energy because it has large oil and gas resources. According
to the deputy ambassador, a powerful nuclear plant was to be build
in Iran under an agreement reached with Western countries prior to
the Islamic revolution. “How is it that 30 years ago Iran with its
35 mln polulation was in need of nuclear energy, whereas Iran with
a population of over 70 mln and its developing production does not
need it?” the speaker underlined. He noted that the West expresses
suspicions about Iran’s intentions, as Iran at first did not report its
actions. There is concern that in case of continuation of its nuclear
program, Iran will make a nuclear weapon. He pointed out that in the
last 27 years, no country has come under Iran’s attacks or threats,
while Iran has been repeatedly subjected to aggression. Iran is
situated in the center of a region, in which crises have constantly
occured over the last 25 years, and, as the speaker put it, if it
is not for Iran, these crises would have spread now not only in the
region but also in the world. Therefore, the deputy ambassador noted,
both the international community and the region would benefit from
the existence of a powerful Iran, and vice versa, Iran’s weakening is
fraught with unpredictable consequences. Ali Akbar Jouhar said that
Taliban and Al Qaeda were created by the West itself, while today it
is Iran that is being suspected of terrorism. He noted that Iran,
which was subjected to Taliban’s aggression, provided the greatest
help to Afghanistan. Iran also assisted Iraq with its democratization
process. The fact that Iran is trying to support the peoples of
these countries, according to the deputy ambassador, is presented
as terrorism. He noted that the key issue related to Iran’s nuclear
program is that the West does not want any developing country to get an
opportunity to obtain nuclear energy on its own. He said that Armenia,
as well as other developing countries, which attach great importance
to the development of high technolgies, may later encounter this
problem faced by Iran. The deputy ambassador stated that Iran has
fully honored its international commitment by carrying out nuclear
work under the control of the International Atomic Energy Agency and
is determined to continue this work regarding the issue of its right.

ARMENIAN CEMETERY IN CYPRUS IN PITIABLE STATE
By Georges der Parthogh

AZG Armenian Daily
04/04/2006

The Nicosia Municipality has threatened to sue the Armenian Church
for failing to implement a court order demanding that the 300-year-old
Armenian cemetery be restored.

Doctor Vahakn Atarayan, Armenian representative in the Cypriot
Parliament, said that eleven months have passed since the municipality
asked the church to bring the historic 18th century cemetery back to
its pre-bulldozer state, but nobody is dealing with the problem and
nothing is being done.

Last April demolition work at the. cemetery was halted after the
Ministry of the Interior took out an injunction to stop the work.

The Armenian Prelature had started digging up the graves, as part of
its plane to put remains together in a new communal pit adjacent to
the small chapel, and convert the area to a park, while rumors were
ripe that it would be sold to real estate developers.

The late Bedros Kalaydjian who was the Armenian Representative at the
time had deplored the decision of the Church and had said that “the
demolition was carried out in an unprofessional manner and caused a
lot of grief and an insult to the memory of the deceased.”

Berge Kouyoumdjian is a concerned member of the community. In a letter
to the local press he said: “It is almost the first anniversary of
the cemetery’s cynical desecration, and I remember that soon after
this outrage, the municipality delivered an order with a time limit of
one month, instructing those responsible to restore this sacred site,
repair the chapel and clean up the area.

Nearly a year on, this order remains ignored and. the cemetery is
now in an even worse state. There is rubbish all over and the area
looks like a landfill site. Shards of human bone crushed by the
bulldozers and mixed into the soil are scattered on the surface so
that it is impossible not to walk on them. Historic headstones lie
in a heap and exhumed bones fill black rubbish bags in the derelict
chapel. When will we, the descendants of over 400 souls buried there,
see restoration work started on this European heritage site?

GAS MIRRORS CONTRADICTION WITHIN GOVERNMENT

Lragir.am
03 April 06

The expensive Russian gas will not impact the economy of Armenia
as it would seem. Despite the pessimistic feelings before the New
Year, over the recent weeks the government has been making optimistic
statements. Another optimist is the president of Mika Limited Mikhail
Baghdasarov, it “slipped out” during his press conference on April
1 that at the border of Armenia the price of Russian gas will be
68 dollars instead of 110 dollars per 1000 cubic meters. “It will
be even favorable for us, because Armenia will buy cheaper gas than
the other South Caucasian countries, and our production will be more
competitive,” says Mikhail Baghdasarov.

When later the news reporters wondered why Baghdasarov mentioned this
definite price of 68 dollars, the president of Mika Limited said simply
he had heard that the price would not go above 70 dollars. Of course,
if nothing changes, adds Mikhail Baghdasarov. “You know that anything
may happen,” says Mikhail Baghdasarov.

He also refutes the forecasts that the increase of the price of
gas will result in a higher price of such an important material as
cement. The owner of the factory of cement in Hrazdan says if the
price of gas is much lower than 110 dollars, naturally it will have
a little influence on industry.

Mikhail Baghdasarov says the cheapest cement in the region is in
Armenia, and since it is so, Armenia cannot keep the price of cement
too low, for they will come from our neighbor countries and buy all
the cement, and nothing will remain for our construction, since the
capacity of our factories cannot supply such a great demand. “In Iran,
for instance, cement costs higher, and they can come and buy all our
production, and nothing will remain for Armenia. Presently, Georgia
buys as much cement as the demand of the domestic market of Armenia
is,” says Mikhail Baghdasarov. According to him, the entire amount
of cement produced in Georgia goes to Azerbaijan, where the volume
of construction is very big, and Georgians buy cement from Armenia.

“We will export 30 per cent more cement to Georgia,” says Mikhail
Baghdasarov, adding that even if the price were 110 dollars, it would
not impact the export of cement, for the price of gas is going high
not only for Armenia, but also Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Baghdasarov’s statement actually contradicts to the forecasts of
the officials of the Ministry of Trade and Industry that the growth
of the price of gas will impact the volume of production of cement,
because the high cost will cause the exports to drop. However, in
the recent months there is a good deal of contradiction in Armenia,
and the problem of gas actually mirrors this state of things.

OIL INVESTMENTS IN ARMENIA

Investments in the oil sector are foreseen in Armenia. This became
known during the April 1 news conference, when the president of Mika
Limited Mikhail Baghdasarov spoke about his plans. “Yes, I am eager
to invest money in a new branch of the Armenian economy. In the
oil sector,” stated Mikhail Baghdasarov. He explained to the news
reporters, who were a little surprised, that oil sector does not
necessarily imply production of oil. “I mean chemistry,” mentioned
Mikhail Baghdasarov, telling about his plans to found a new chemical
company.

Mikhail Baghdasarov assures that the turnover of his companies counts
hundreds of millions, but the profit is much lower than it seems to
be. “For instance, my petrol company’s turnover is 87 million dollar,
but the profit is 1-2 per cent. A higher percentage of profit is in
markets and shops,” says the president of Mika Limited.

According to him, the turnover of Armavia owned by Baghdasarov is 108
million dollars, but the company still requires great investments,
and it has not reached the level of profitability. He refutes the
information that he is going to sell Armavia, although there is
already a buyer. “There is a buyer, a foreign company, but we are
not selling the shares of Armavia. It is to be done when the company
starts generating profit. Generally, there are buyers for all my
companies but I am not selling them,” says Mikhail Baghdasarov.

He thinks the company should be sold when it generates profit.

“For this one has to think and be creative,” says Mikhail
Baghdasarov. He brings the example of Kirk Kirkoryan, who buys
companies, which are in a bad condition, rehabilitates them and sells
them at a higher price.

Trial of young opposition members starts in Azeri capital

ANS TV, Baku
31 Mar 06

[Presenter] The trial of three members of the [opposition] Yeni Fikir
youth organization started today. They are charged with meeting
members of the Armenian security services in Tbilisi in July 2005
and accepting 2,000 dollars as payment for the task given to them.
According to information obtained during an investigation, the task
was to attempt to overthrow the [Azerbaijani] government.

[Correspondent over video of the trial] The leader of Yeni Fikir,
Ruslan Basirli, and his deputies, Said Nuriyev and Ramin Tagiyev,
face charges under articles 278, 192.2.1 and 192.2.2 of the Criminal
Code, that is an attempted coup d’etat and illegal entrepreneurship.

Judge Tofiq Pasayev presided over a preliminary session and allowed
reporters to film the trial only for several minutes. Petitions filed
by defence lawyers Osman Kazimov and Elcin Qambarov were the most
noteworthy part of the session. They said that the list of evidence
submitted to the judge is not satisfactory and that there are gaps
on the list. For instance, the prosecution has failed to produce
any evidence showing that Merabi Dzhibutia and Giorgi Isparyan, whom
Basirli met in Tbilisi, were members of the Armenian intelligence,
Osman Kazimov said. Second, the name of the embassy where the
defendants met and received instructions on preparing a coup d’etat
is not mentioned.

[Passage omitted: Prosecutor said that there is enough evidence,
judge decided to conduct the trial behind closed doors for national
security reasons]

AZERBAIJANI MP CLAIMS FOR AZERBAIJAN QUITTING ANTITERRORIST COALITION

Regnum, Russia
March 30 2006

As head of the pro-governmental People’s Front Yeni Azerbaijan Party,
MP Gudrat Gasanguliyev announced on March 29, “Azerbaijan should quit
the antiterrorist coalition established by Americans and withdraw
its corps from Iraq.”

According to him, if initiators of the coalition do not assist in
settlement of problems in Azerbaijan, there is no sense to remain in
the coalition, reports a REGNUM correspondent.

Gasanguliyev noted that member states of the coalition render financial
aid to Armenia and separatists from Nagorno Karabakh. “This is just
another reason for Azerbaijan to quit the coalition,” he said.

CONSTRUCTION AND REPAIR 2006 EXHIBITION OPENS IN YEREVAN

Noyan Tapan
Mar 30 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 30, NOYAN TAPAN. The second specilaized exhibition
“Construction and Repair 2006” opened on March 30 at Dynamo Stadium in
Yerevan. Over 50 companies from Armenia, Iran, Germany and Russia are
taking part in the exhibition. Chairman of the Union of Manufacturers
and Businessmen of Armenia Arsen Ghazarian noted at the opening
ceremony that the specialized exhibitions held in Armenia bear
evidence of the guaranteed development of various branches of the
Armenian economy. He pointed out the active competition currently
going on in the construction sector that accounts for a large share
of Armenia’s GDP. Chairman of the Union of Builders of Armenia Gagik
Galstian underlined the importance of holding construction exhibitions
from the point of view that such exhibitions offer an opportunity to
receive information about new technologies and building equipment to
satisfy the needs of the most demanding customer. During a talk with
reporters, A. Ghazarian expressed an opinion that Armenia is among
CIS leading countries in terms of quality of design and architectural
solutions in the construction sphere. He noted that the increased
construction volumes in Armenia encouraged a growth in the local
production of building materials. Particularly, over the last three
years more than 10 big building material enterprises have been set up
in the country. The exhibition will close on April 1. It was organized
by the Logos exhibition center with the assistance of the RA Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, the RA Ministry of Trade and Economic Developemt
and the Union of Manufacturers and Businesmen of Armenia.

WOMEN WERE 52.3 PER CENT IN 2004

Lragir.am
29 March 06

The National Statistics Service of Armenia, the Ministry of Employment
and Social Affairs, the UNDP Gender and Politics Program in the
South Caucasus and the International Development Agency of Sweden
published a statistical booklet entitled “Women and Men in Armenia”
in English and Armenia. The information in the booklet is based on
the facts of the National Statistic Service.

The booklet presents the main indices of 2004, describing the
gender issues in Armenia. The indices reflect the picture of gender
for demography, health care, education, social issues, as well as
breaches, employment, NGOs, as well as the organizations which adopt
political decisions.

In 2004 only 5 per cent of members of parliament of Armenia were
women. Women in the republican bodies of the executive are 39.7 per
cent, in regional administrations 37.8 per cent and judiciary 20 per
cent. Women in local governments comprise 56.3 per cent. The survey
suggests that 34 per cent of women and 65 per cent of men are daily
engaged in profitable work. In 2004 female convicts totaled 5.3
per cent.

Women in education, culture and arts, health care and social services,
as well as loan and state insurance totaled 54-78 per cent.

MONITORING OF CONTACT LINE BETWEEN KARABAKH AND AZERI ARMED FORCES SCHEDULED MARCH 29

PanARMENIAN.Net
29.03.2006 01:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In compliance with the mandate of the OSCE
chairman-in-office, a monitoring will be held in the contact line
between the Karabakh and Azerbaijani armed forces near Gapanli
village of Terter district on Wednesday. Harry Eronen and Peter Key,
field assistants to the special envoy of the OSCE chairman-in-office,
will monitor the Azerbaijani side of the frontline. Andrzej Kasprzyk,
the special envoy of the OSCE chairman-in-office, Olexander Samarskiy
and Imre Palatinus, special envoy’s fields assistants, are in charge
of monitoring the Karabakh side of the frontline.

ARMENIA IS CONSIDERED A FOE IN GEORGIA

Lragir.am
28 March 06

The news agency Regnum informs that the Georgian Kviris Palitra
Newspaper conducted a poll, and 28.1 per cent considered Armenia one
of Georgia’s foes.

Fortunately, the poll does not suggest that Armenia is the prime foe
of Georgia, for 34 per cent named Belarus among Georgia’s foes. 4.7
per cent of the participants of the poll think referred to Turkey as
a foe, and 1.6 per cent think the same of Azerbaijan. By this opinion
poll Russia was “recognized” the chief “enemy” of Georgia, for 95 per
cent of the participants of the poll conducted by the Kviris Palitra
Newspaper think so.

From: Katia M. Peltekian <[email protected]>
Subject: NA President Addresses On The Occasion Of International Theatre Day

NA PRESIDENT ADDRESSES ON THE OCCASION OF INTERNATIONAL THEATRE DAY

National Assembly of RA, Armenia
March 28 2006

Artur Baghdasaryan, NA President, addressed congratulations on the
occasion of International Theatre Day. It says:

“I warmly congratulate theatrical workers and undoubtedly, also the
admirers with their holiday – International Theatre Day.

Throughout the thousand-year history Armenian theatre have had
invaluable contribution into Armenian culture and history, and,
why not, also into the world theatre history. The Armenian artists
always have been at the centre of attention, awarding the people with
the wonders of art. And today, continuing their ancestors’ glorious
traditions, they promote moral-spiritual education and progress of
the society.

The draft on State Assistance to Theatre is circulating in the
National Assembly, the adoption of which will promote the development
of theatre.

Once again by congratulating all theatre people I wish health and
happiness, successes and that the theatre curtain would never go down.”