Author: Virabian Jhanna

NA SPEAKER TO PARTAKE IN PACE STANDING COMMITTEE SITTING

ArmRadio.am
22.05.2007 11:52

May 23-24 in Belgrade Speaker of RA National Assembly, Head of the
Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe (PACE) Tigran Torosyan will participate in the sitting of the
PACE Standing Committee.

In the framework of the sitting Leo Platvoet will present reports
on the missing persons in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia and the
observation of the May 12 parliamentary elections in Armenia.

NOW AZERBAIJAN MAKES CLAIMS ON CIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.05.2007 16:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azerbaijan "is angry at a pro-Armenian mistake
committed on the web-site of CIS.

Particularly, politicians in Baku "are angry" about an information
on Armenia, which indicates that Nagorno Karabakh was handed over to
Azerbaijan by Moscow’s decision in 1920 and this is an irrefutable
historical fact. The information also mentions about 8 400 displaced
persons, who returned home in Nagorno Karabakh after the truce in 1994.

Speaker of the U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan Jonathan Hennick said,
"the information posted on the web-site of CIS is not the reflection
of U.S. official stance on the issue". "It is just an information
about the history of the region, and we do not claim that the whole
information on the site is correct," Hennick stated.

However, Press Officer of the Azeri MFA Khazar Ibrahim stated that
the information of CIS is a mistake. "Any kind of information posted
on official web-sites must adhere to the common stance that the
U.S. government has declared. We shall certainly deal with that issue.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will turn both to the U.S. Embassy in
Azerbaijan and our Embassy in the United States in order to introduce
amendments to this incorrect information posted on the web-site of
CIS," he said, Day.az reports.

PanARMENIAN.Net

RA CEC announced parliamentary election final results
21.05.2007 13:20 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian CEC announced May 19
the final results of the parliamentary elections by
proportional lists. CEC chairman Garegin Azaryan said
1391540 voters (59,98%) took part in the elections. 38
002 ballot papers were announced invalid.

The votes divided the following way:

The Republican Party of Armenia – 458 258 votes

Prosperous Armenia party – 204 483 votes

ARF Dashnaktsutyun – 177 907 votes

Orinats Yerkir party – 95 324 votes

Heritage party – 81 048 votes

United Labor Party – 59 271 votes

National Unity party – 49 864 votes

New Times party – 47 060 votes

People’s Party – 37 044 votes

Dashink party – 32 943 votes

People’s Party of Armenia – 22 762 votes

Republic party – 22 288 votes

Impeachment bloc – 17 475 votes
Communist Party of Armenia – 8 792 votes

National Democratic Party – 8 556 votes

Democratic Way party – 8 351 votes

National Consent party – 4 199 votes

Democratic Party of Armenia – 3 686 votes

Christian Democratic Renaissance Party – 3 433 votes

United Liberal National Party – 2 739 votes

Marxist Party of Armenia – 2 660 votes

Youth Party – 2 291 votes

Hnchakyan Social Democratic Party – 989 votes

FIRST REGIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON SLEEP MEDICINE IS TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN ON MAY 18-19

Arka News Agency, Armenia
May 17 2007

YEREVAN, May 17. /ARKA/. The first regional symposium on sleep medicine
is to be held in Yerevan on May 18-19.

The symposium is held by the European Sleep Research Society, Armenian
League of Young Neurologists and the National Institute of Healthcare
of the Armenian Healthcare Ministry, Chairman of the Commission on
public relations of the Armenian Medical Association Vahe Ter-Minasian
told journalists.

"The science of sleep is one of the rapidly growing fields in the
modern medicine and sleep disturbances are pressing problems of
clinical importance," he said.

According to Minasian, sleep disturbances remain beyond the sight of
the primary unit of the healthcare ministry and narrow specialists
in Armenia, whereas the international studies demonstrate that sleep
disturbance is a serious problem and may cause stroke, heart attach
and sudden death.

"While participating in this symposium, the specialists will acquire
the required knowledge in relatively new and rapidly growing sphere of
medicine and will replenish skills with newest methods and approaches,"
he said.

Ter-Minasian pointed out that world’s leading experts in the field will
make reports at the symposium. Among them are Chairman of International
Medical Association Marku Partinen (Finland), Chairman of European
Sleep Research Society Tomas Polmacher (Germany), Editor-in-Chief of
"Sleep Medicine Reviews" Jean Krieger (France), Chairman of Council
of European Sleep Research Society Claudio Bazetti (Switzerland)
and Secretary of this organization Diego Garcia-Boregero (Spain).

Ter-Minasian expressed hope that the symposium will promote the
development of medicine in Armenia in line with international
standards.

The Armenian Medical Association was founded in 2002. It has 600
members in 14 countries. Since February 2003 AMA is a full member
and official representative of International Medical Association in
Armenia.

ARMENIAN FORMER RULING PARTY QUESTIONS PARLIAMENTARY POLL RESULTS

Arminfo
18 May 07

Yerevan, 18 May: Improved falsification methods were used to rig the
12 May parliamentary election in Armenia, the board of the former
ruling party in Armenia, Pan-Armenian National Movement, has said in
a statement. Arminfo received the statement today.

According to the statement, pro-government forces frequently violated
current legislation during the months prior to the election and in
the course of the election campaign [as published].

Voters and members of electoral commissions were regularly bribed
en masse.

[Fake] ballots were dropped into ballot boxes in numerous instances,
which were recorded. Voters were brought to polling stations by taxies
and shuttle busses.

The vote count at some polling stations was suspiciously slow. There
were many instances of violence which often ended in murders. Dozens
of people sustained heavy bodily injuries. Some election headquarters
were set on fire.

The above instances made worse the atmosphere of fear that had already
been in place in society.

International observers also noted that the ruling party failed to
separate itself from the authorities during the election campaign,
that is, government resources were actively used.

Voters’ passports were collected en masse and on 12 May, voters were
forced to vote for the ruling party [Republican Party of Armenia,
led by Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan].

Fake passports were issued en masse, as a result of which most
falsifications were made, the statement says.

In view of the above, the Pan-Armenian National Movement party stated
that the outcome of the past election cannot be declared valid.

The party is prepared to resolutely fight for the victory of freedom
and democracy. "We call on society not to despair and not put up
with lawlessness.

Any unlawful authorities and dictatorship are historically doomed,"
the party’s statement says.

ORINATS YERKIR NOT TO BOYCOTT NEXT PARLIAMENT

Armenpress
May 16 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS: Chairman of the opposition Orinats
Yerkir party Arthur Baghdasarian said his party would not renounce
their parliament mandates, ‘because boycott is not the best means of
a political struggle."

Speaking to a news conference he said his party, as the biggest
opposition group in the next parliament, will step up efforts to
defense the interests of those voters who cast their ballots in favor
of the Orinats Yerkir party.

Baghdasarian cited the boycott of the outgoing parliament by then
opposition parties, saying it produced nothing. What is important,
according to him, is that the opposition in general, managed to garner
as many as 450,000 votes in May 12 parliamentary elections. He urged
the other opposition group, the Heritage party of Raffi Hovhanesian
to join it in challenging the election’s outcome at the Constitutional
Court.

However, Raffi Hovhanesian indicated on Tuesday that he would not
challenge the official results of the parliamentary elections, despite
accusing the authorities of stealing two-thirds of ballots cast for
his party.

"Zharangutyun will go to the parliament as an opposition party,
and being in minority will only raise our sense of responsibility,"
he said to a yesterday news conference.

GURGEN MARGARYAN WISHED EFFECTIVE ACTIVITY TO THE NEW PARLIAMENT

ArmRadio.am
16.05.2007 17:50

Gurgen Arsenyan, the President of the United Labor Party, which did
not overcome the barrier of 5%, congratulated the political forces that
will continue their activity in the National assembly and wished them
"productive activity for the sake of the republic of Armenia."

He expressed gratitude to the political allies and opponents, the
staff of the National Assembly for the four-year cooperation, as well
as to the Armenian people for providing the opportunity to the party
to be represented in the Parliament in the parliamentary election 2003.

Gurgen Arsenyan wished success to the Government in the accomplishment
of its programs and wished that the Government increase the trust
between RA citizens and authorities.

PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS OF ARMENIA WERE STRUGGLE NOT AGAINST AUTHORITIES BUT BETWEEN TWO PRO-PRESIDENT PARTIES, RF STATE DUMA DEPUTY FINDS

Noyan Tapan
May 16 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 16, NOYAN TAPAN. The results of the parliamentary
elections held in Armenia prove the succession of the boundary of the
present authorities of the country. Konstantin Zatulin, a RF State
Duma deputy, the Director of the Institute of CIS Countries informed
Interfax about it. K. Zatulin was involved in the group of Russian
parliamentarians arrived in Yerevan with the monitoring mission.

K. Zatulin emphasized some change of moods which has happened among
the citizens of Armenia since the previous, 2003 parliamentary
elections. "Not only political generation change but also change
of moods of the electorate took place during that period of time: if
criticizing the authorities was stylish in 2003 what opposition leaders
like Stepan Demirchian, Aram Sargsian, Artashes Geghamian did, none
of them entered the parliament now," the RF State Duma deputy said.

He also mentioned that the present parliamentary elections were held
not under the sign of struggle against the authorities, but under the
sign of competition between two pro-president parties, the Republican
Party of Armenia headed by Prime Minister Serge Sargsian and the
Bargavach Hayastan (Prosperous Armenia) party. In K. Zatulin’s words,
Bargavach Hayastan went to the elections under the demagogic slogans
of criticism of the government, at the same time stating about loyalty
towards the acting president.

In K. Zatulin’s words, the victory of the Republican Party got the most
part of the deputy mandates, by what it got possibility of forming
the government, means that S. Sargsian will not only keep the Prime
Minister’s post, but also become the main candidate for the future
president’s elections.

"But I think that the issue remains important if the Republican Party
will independently form the new cabinet of ministers or will propose
the Bargavach Hayastan and ARF parties occupied, correspondingly,
the second and third places at the elections, to form a coalition
government," K. Zatulin mentioned. I am not very agree with those
politicians and political experts of Russia who consider that the
present administration of Armenia is unequivocally pro-Russian. "It
would be a naivety to think in that way. The heads of Armenia intend
pro-Armenian, that’s, with keeping partnership relations with
Russia. It at the same time does not close doors in front of the
cooperation with the West. The two sides, both Russia and Armenia
must make many efforts for the partnership relations are turned into
really allies’ relations," K. Zatulin added.

RPA MAY NOMINATE SERGE SARGSYAN FOR RA PRESIDENT’S POSITION

ArmRadio.am
15.05.2007 15:07

Spokesman of the Republican Party of Armenia Eduard Sharmazanov does
not rule out that the party will nominate Prime Minster of Armenia,
Chairman of the Republican Party Council Serge Sargsyan for the
position of the Armenian President.

Eduard Sharmazanov stated today that "the results of the parliamentary
elections showed that the people relates the future of the country
with RPA, and that commits us to many things."

The RPA Spokesman stressed that the resignation of the present
government and the formation of the new one will be held in strict
accordance with the legislation.

Eduard Sharmazanov stressed that "Republican Party is ready for
cooperation with all the constructive political forces." Nevertheless,
he made a reservation, "cooperation is not an aim in itself and it
should have strong grounds."

ARF DASHNAKTSUTYUN IS NOT GOING TO BE "5TH WHEEL" IN GOVERNMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
15.05.2007 14:58 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "ARF Dashnaktsutyun party is not going to be the
"5th wheel" in the government. We have been supporting President of
Armenia beginning from 1998 and will continue to do that till 2008,"
ARFD Bureau member Vahan Hovhannisyan stated to a press conference in
Yerevan. He said party’s presence in the ruling coalition in 2003 was
a necessity, since neither of parties made majority. "But currently we
have quite another apportionment of forces and the Republican Party
will hardly turn to us with such a request. At least, we have not
received such a request up to this moment," Hovhannisyan said. He also
underlined in the previous government ministers from Dashnaktsutyun
worked honestly, and just their activity played decisive role for
people during elections. "All votes given to us by our citizens are
clear, we did not sink into bribes and pressure," Hovhannisyan is sure.

The Republican Party of Armenia led by Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan,
Prosperous Armenia party led by entrepreneur Gagik Tsarukyan, ARF
Dashnaktsutyun, Orinats Yerkir party led by former RA NA speaker
Artur Baghdassaryan and Heritage party led by Armenia’s first Foreign
Minister Raffi K. Hovannisian garnered over 5% of votes in the May
12 parliamentary election.