Author: Virabian Jhanna

"Stars of teh Stage" project starting on Public TV

ArmRadio.am
23.03.2007 17:25

At last TV viewers will have the opportunity to watch the Armenian
interpretation of the international `Stars on the Stage’ project on
the Public TV of Armenia after the `Haylur’ news program today.

Parallel to the election campaign 10 pairs selected from famous
representatives of the Public Television and the Armenian show
business will compare their vocal capacities. The pairs include Nara
` Ashot Ghazaryan, Ani Kristi ` Karen Giloyan, Nune Yesayan ` Avo
Khalatyan, Sirusho ` Avet Barseghyan, Emmi ` Felix Khachatryan, Aida
Sargsyan ` David Hakobyan, Khoren Levonyan ` Arminka, Alla Levonyan `
Hovhannes Babakhanyan, Sofi Devoyan ` Arsen Safaryan. The project is
hosted by Shushan Petrosyan and Hrant Tokhatyan.

`Head of the Marxist Party of Armenia David Hakobyan will combine the
participation in the `Stars on the Stage’ project with the election
campaign. The aim of participation of the number one Marxist of
Armenia in the project is sacred ` to glorify the Armenian songs.
Politics is not handicraft, politics is art: with this Marxist idea
David Hakobyan explains his participation in the project and assures
once again that he does not pursue any political aims.

Those responsible for the Armenian version of the project promise a
very interesting show and have no fear that it can be conceived as a
simple copy. ` This is an international project, and every country
interprets it in its own way,’ General Producer of the Public
Television Hrach Keshishyan told ` Radiolur.’

ARMENIA AIMS AT KEY MARKETS WITH ITS PARTICIPATION AT GLOBE
Michael Verikios

Travel Daily News International, Greece
4&subcategory_id=098
March 22 2007

European countries, such as Italy, Spain, France, Germany and UK,
identified as key markets with a great potential for growth, are at
the centre of the promotional activities carried out by the Armenian
Tourist Development Agency (ATDA).

The Armenian tourist board is exhibiting with six major Armenian
tour companies at GLOBE, the new international trade show in Rome,
to promote the country in the Mediterranean and European areas.

Syuzanna Azoyan, ATDA’s marketing director, is presenting news and
promotional plans to press and trade operators at the Armenian stand
from Thurday 22nd to Saturday 24th March.

Armenia is getting growing attention by international media and tour
operators, who observe the country’s rebirth with great interest.

After the transition period which followed independence in 1991,
Armenia has made important investments in infrastructure and promotion
of the economic development. Tourism is one of the industries which
are getting major investments.

In fact, Armenia has it all to emerge as a new and important tourist
destination: safety, stableness, good structures, affordable prices,
geographic proximity, cultural affinity, good air connections,
impressive cultural heritage and artistic traditions, fantastic
natural environment and a welcoming population. American, French,
German, English and Japanese visitors already realized this and
represent the largest slice of Armenia’s travel market, thanks also
to effective commercials broadcasted on CNN and Euronews.

Armenia is offered mostly within religious and cultural tours focusing
on its great cultural and artistic heritage, the ancient sites on
the Silk Road, the original Christian architecture of the imposing
medieval buildings and UNESCO World Heritage sights, such as the
monastic complexes of Sanahin and Haghpat.

According to Syuzanna Azoyan, Armenia has much more to offer: adventure
and trekking holidays, nature and sport holidays, bird-watching,
camping, farm holidays, cycling tours, horse-riding, rafting and many
other activities.

MERCY OF GOVERNMENT OR LAWS?

KarabakhOpen
22-03-2007 12:59:01

When democracy in Karabakh is discussed, we normally recall the
election of mayor of Stepanakert in 2004 when the opposition candidate
Edward Aghabekyan defeated the pro-government candidate. This election
inspired the people of Karabakh, demonstrating them the power of
their vote.

Then the dull routine began. The government decided to make the
public acknowledge the "cost" of electing an opposition mayor. The
legislation was amended, and the City Hall was deprived of a number
of financial levers and its independence was shortened. The powers
of the government and the City Hall were turned into a puzzle. The
mess in legislation and personal accounts let the government "lend
a hand" to the City Hall whenever it was necessary or accuse it of
inactivity. The mayor talked about this but hesitatingly, and the
society did not become involved in a public dialogue.

The controversies appeared to quiet down for a while. However, in
an important political period the "acts" of the mayor were recalled,
and accusations were put forward.

Recently the Office of the Prosecutor General has checked the City
Hall, which Edward Aghabekyan said was "groundless". In response,
the procuracy published a lengthy list of "offenses" committed by the
mayor, which concluded that charges were brought against the mayor and
dismissed during the general pardon. The mayor’s statement followed,
who announced that he had never heard about these charges. Then the
ministry of finance released a statement on considerable sums the
government had provided to the City Hall.

And so on, in the rhythm of ping-pong.

Frankly speaking, the society of Stepanakert does not care who is
to blame that the roofs are not repaired, and there is no running
water in apartments – the mayor or the prime minister. Someone has
pushed the society into empty and lengthy spats to get it forget the
key question: if the mayor is oppositionist, does he have the right
to work? What determines the work of the mayor, the prime minister,
the public official – the mercy of the government or clear-cut laws?

RUSSIA’S FM TO FOCUS ON BROAD RANGE OF MULTIFACETED TIES WITH ARMENIA

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
March 21, 2007 Wednesday 04:45 PM EST

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will make an official visit
to Yerevan on April 3-4 to discuss a broad range of bilateral and
international issues, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartain Oskanian told
a news conference here on Wednesday.

"Bilateral relations that are multifaceted and embrace security,
economy, culture, and education will be at the top of the visit’s
agenda," Oskanian said, stressing, "The Karabakh problem will
undoubtedly be among the themes at the upcoming talks."

The parties are going to discuss all events that occurred in the region
recently, specifically in terms of energy and transport security,
Oskanian said.

While visiting Armenia, Russian foreign ministers usually pay specific
attention to "global problems that are related to the situation
in Armenia or the region," in particular Palestine, Kosovo, NATO
enlargement, and the U.N. and OSCE reforms, the minister said.

JERMUK RESORT TOWN TO HAVE CABLE ROAD

ARMENPRESS
Mar 21 2007

JERMUK, MARCH 21, ARMENPRESS: A resort town of Jermuk in the Vayots
Dzor province, where the eponymous mineral water is produced,
looks set to have a cable road. Local authorities plan to launch
its construction either in late April or early May and bring it to
completion in early November.

Azat Hovsepian, an official at the local governor’s office in charge of
urban projects, said the government has released 1.3 billion drams from
its reserve funds to that end. The cable road will be 1000 meter long.

Hovsepian said the idea to build a cable road is to give a push
to tourism development and make the town more attractive for
holiday-makers not only in summer, but also in winter.

ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER ATTACHES IMPORTANCE TO EXTENSION OF ARMENIAN-ROMANIAN ECONOMIC COOPERATION

Noyan Tapan
Mar 21 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 21, NOYAN TAPAN. Expressing satisfaction over the
development of the Armenian-Romanian political relations, during
the March 21 meeting with the newly appointed Romanian Ambassador to
Armenia Krina Rodik Prunariu, the Armenian Prime Minister Andranik
Margarian attached importance to activation and extension of the
bilateral economic cooperation.

Underlining the importance of Romania’s joining the European Union
on January 1, A. Margarian expressed confidence that in this status
Romania will have its positive participation in further development
of Armenia-EU relations and implementation of the EU-Armenia Action
Plan. He said that Armenia also anticipates Romania’s support and
participation in implementation of Armenia’s Individual Partnership
Action Plan (IPAP) with NATO.

K. Prunariu in her turn assured the Armenian prime minister that
Romania as a full and equal member of the EU is interested in rapid
development of Armenia and all bilateral programs and intitiatives
to be implemented will be aimed at further deepening of EU-Armenia
relations.

During the talk, the sides underlined the role of the Romanian Armenian
community in development of bilateral links, particularly economic
relations, especially as, in the words of the ambassador, Romania’s
current minister of economy is a member of the Armenian community.

Speaking about trade and economic relations between the two countries,
A. Margarian and K. Prunariu noted that despite an increase in
commodity turnover in recent years, these relations are still far from
being satisfactory. They spoke in support of efficient implementation
of the cooperation agreements reached in various sectors of economy,
as well as steps for development of the bilateral cooperation. It
was pointed out that activation of business links and establishment
of cooperation among the commerce and industry chambers and the
development agencies of Armenia and Romania will promote economic
relations and increase the trade turnover. In this connection the
sides attached special importance to the work of the Armenian-Romanian
trade-economic and scientific-technical commission, whose second
sitting took place in Yerevan in October 2006, while the next one
will be soon held in Romania.

According to the RA Government Information and PR Department, at the
conclusion of the meeting, A. Margarian stated that the Armenian
government is willing to provide possible assistance to the newly
appointed ambassador of Romania in implementing her diplomatic ativity
in Armenia.

CONSTRUCTION OF KARS-AKHALKALAKI-TBILISI RAILROAD HAS NEGATIVE EFFECT ON PABSEC IMAGE: ARMENIAN MP

Arminfo
2007-03-20 20:01:00

Signing of the agreement on constructing the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi
railroad has a negative effect on the image of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, as during its sessions
in Kishinev and Tiraspol PABSEC made a statement about inexpedience of
constructing this railroad, Gagik Minasyan, the head of the Armenian
delegation, said during a session of the PABSEC Committee on Economic
and Nature Protection Issues held in Athens.

He reminded that PABSEC’s statement emphasizes that the construction of
the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi railroad will create new dividing lines in
the region, which will hinder its stable development. The statement
points out the necessity of reactivating the existing railroads,
particularly, the Kars-Gyumri-Akhalkalaki railroad. "Despite this
statement, three members of PABSEC – Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan
signed an agreement on constructing a new railroad, casting doubt on
the role of PABSEC as an organization which regulates and contributes
to stable development and peace in the region," G.Minasyan said.

He added that PABSEC member countries positively perceived this
statement.

Moreover, the organization’s leadership offered to present the document
at the Committee’s session in Varna for the further reconsideration
of the document at PABSEC’s plenary session.

IRANIAN, ARMENIAN PRESIDENTS OPEN GAS PIPELINE

ITAR-TASS, Russia
March 19 2007

TEHERAN, March 19 (Itar-Tass) – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
and Armenian President Robert Kocharian have inaugurated a gas pipeline
on Monday intended to ensure Armenia’s energy security. The ceremony
took place in the Armenian settlement of Agarak on the border between
the two countries.

Robert Kocharian underlined that he regards completion of the gas
pipeline project as the new proof of friendship between Teheran
and Yerevan.

The two presidents have signed a protocol on broadening cooperation
and reaffirmed their intention to broaden bilateral contacts.

It has been reported that bad weather marred the ceremony Monday. It
has been heavily raining on the border between Iran and Armenia,
and air temperatures have dropped below zero point.

The gas pipeline 141 kilometers long (including 40 kilometers on
the Armenian territory) has connected gas transportation systems of
the two countries. The gas pipeline runs from Iranian Tabriz to the
border with Armenia and further on from the Armenian settlement of
Megri to Kadzharan.

Our produce gets spoilt before it gets to the shop

19-03-2007 12:43:42 – KarabakhOpen

The land liberated through sacrifices cannot be returned, and freedom cannot
be given away. We fought for freedom, and it was the most important thing
for us. Arkady Arzumanyan, a 73-year-old inhabitant of the village of Togh,
Hadrut region, began with these words.

He thinks we cannot exchange freedom for promises. But we need a government
which is able to defend our independence, says the former director of the
village school, father of four children, one of them killed in war.

Now he lives in the neighboring village of Mokhrenes with his other son who
is a teacher.
`I live with the family of my son. We work hard to earn our living. We work
the land, we grow wheat, vegetables, we keep cows, hens,’ Arkady Arzumanyan
says. `I think the state of the villages will improve if the population of
Stepanakert becomes 200 thousand ` we will be able to sell our products,’ he
says.

`Our produce gets spoilt in the field. There are no processing factories, no
canneries. The government should think about it,’ he says.

NUMBER OF REGISTERED CRIMES GROWS BY 12.5% IN JANUARY-FEBRUARY THIS
YEAR IN YEREVAN AS COMPARED WITH SAME MONTHS OF PREVIOUS YEAR

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, NOYAN TAPAN. 659 crimes have been registered in
2007 January-February in Yerevan, which is more by 73 cases or 12.5%
as compared with the same index of the previous year. Reporting this
at the March 19 meeting with journalists, Police Major-General Nerses
Nalbandian, Head of Yerevan Police Department, explained that the
growth of the number of crimes is conditioned by "consistent policy of
disclosing latent crimes and more complete registration of committed
crimes."

Six aforethought murders have been committed in the first two months
in Yerevan against five murders committed in the same period of the
previous year. Four out of the crimes have been already disclosed.

15 criminal groups with 42 persons have been rendered harmless. 63
cases of crimes committed by them have been already disclosed.

Cases of hooliganism have decreased by 41% and cases of robbery by
33%. As a positive tendency N. Nazarian also mentioned the fact that
the number of crimes committed with fire-arms has decreased by 40%. 18
units of fire-arms illegally kept by people have been confiscated by
Police, including 2 sub-machine-guns, 9 pistols, 3 grenades and over
300 bullets of various calibres.

In N. Nazarian’s words, the growth of indices in fighting narcotism by
24 or 80% is the continuation of the improvement that started last
year. Cases of revealing drug sellers have grown almost twice. 700 g
various types of drugs have been confiscated in the first two months
of 2007.

The growth of cases of apartment thefts is alarming: they have grown
by 24 cases or by 52%. Thefts committed by penetrating into an
apartment through the window prevail among them – 34, the number of
thefts committed by breaking the lock is 16, thefts through an
adjusted key 12, thefts by entering an apartment from through open
doors 8.

A growth of tendency of car hijacking has been registered in the first
two months of current year. 28 cases of car hijacking have been
registered, 9 out of them have not been disclosed yet, 19 cars were
robbed. In 23 cases hijacking was committed in yards of houses, 5 from
streets. 22 out of them were committed at night.

Disclosure of registered cases has grown this year and made 83.9% as
compared with 83.1% in the same period of the previous
year. Disclosure of grave cases made 71.7% as compared with 71.4% in
the same period of the previous year, disclosure of especially grave
cases made 60%.