Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

YEREVAN TO HOST DAYS OF LEBANESE LITERATURE
Armenpress
Jun 29 2006
YEREVAN JUNE 29, ARMENPRESS: Armenia will hold Days of Lebanese
Literature. Levon Ananian, the president of the Union of Armenian
Writers, said they were negotiating with Lebanese culture ministry
the details of the event, which will be held most likely in autumn.
Ananian said before the start of the event in Armenia a monument to
prominent Armenian poet, Avetik Isahakian, will be erected in Lebanese
capital city Beirut.
He said the return event- Days of Armenian Literature in Lebanon-
will be held next year.

LLOYD: “I WILL PAY MY FIRST VISIT TO AZERBAIJAN AS A RAPPORTEUR IN SEPTEMBER OR OCTOBER”
Today, Azerbaijan
June 29 2006
“I’ll take up my duty at once. As rapporteur on Azerbaijan, I’ll pay
my first visit to the country to get acquainted with the situation
in September or October this year.”
“I have much to do,” the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly
Monitoring Committee new co-rapporteur on Azerbaijan, British
parliamentarian Tony Lloyd stated.
Mr.Lloyd said all issues related to development of democratic
institutions are interesting and important for him.
“I’ll bring to a focus effecting reforms in the rule of law and legal
system and improving of electoral legislation. Thus, next elections
are upcoming,” the co-rapporteur said.
Lloyd refused to comment on the current situation in Azerbaijan saying
he can do it only after visiting Azerbaijan and having talks there.
Regarding the Nagorno Karabakh conflict to be very serious and
dangerous issue not only for Azerbaijan and Armenia but for the entire
region, the co-rapporteur said he is not yet ready to comment on this
problem either, APA reports.
URL:

GULIYEV: “HUNGARY COURT OF APPEAL CAN CHANGE RAMIL SAFAROV’S SENTENCE WITH 10-15 YEARS OF IMPRISONMENT”
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
June 28 2006
“Struggle is on in legal sphere in Hungary Court of Appeal for
relieving Ramil Safarov from his sentence.
We think that this might change Ramil Safarov’s sentence with 10-15
years of imprisonment.” This statement was made to journalists by
Ramil Safarov’s Rights Defense Coordinating Council member Azay
Guliyev.(APA). Azay Guliyev has stated that no announcement is given
to press related to the activity of Coordinating Council. Because,
some groups make use of it. The experience showed that these kinds
of things did not help Ramil Safarov. Armenians made use of Court
process and achieved the most hard punishment to Ramil Safarov.
Everybody knows that the punishment given to Ramil Safarov is not
adequate to his deed.

BAKU BLAMES YEREVAN FOR DISTORTING ESSENCE OF KARABAKH TALKS
Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Military Newswire
June 28, 2006 Wednesday 9:22 AM MSK
The Azeri Foreign Ministry has denounced what it calls “the continued
attempts by the Armenian Foreign Ministry to purposefully distort
the realities in the negotiating process for the settlement of
the Armenian-Azeri conflict over Nagorno- Karabakh” in a statement
on Tuesday.
“The Armenian Foreign Ministry’s statement [] has become yet another
evidence of the persisting unconstructive position of Armenia in the
process to settle the conflict,” the Azeri Foreign Ministry said.
According to the Azeri Foreign Ministry, the OSCE Minsk Group co-
chairmen, particularly Matthew Bryza of the U.S., “only outlined
specific principles for a gradual peace settlement, which are being
discussed now and which cannot be taken out of the general context
of this document.”
“This sets the grounds for misunderstanding, confusion of the terms,
and speculations similar to those contained in the Armenian Foreign
Ministry’s statement,” it said.
“The definition of [Nagorno-Karabakh’s] status is impossible under
continued occupation and ethnical cleansing and therefore presumes
that the occupied Azeri territories be liberated and the entire
conflict zone demilitarized, which, given appropriate international
security guarantees, should provide conditions for the return of the
displaced Azeri population to their permanent residence. The Armenian
leadership acknowledges this as well,” the Azeri Foreign Ministry said.

SECURING AN OVERLAND CORRIDOR BETWEEN ARMENIA AND KARABAKH SHOULD BE ONE OF THE KEY POINTS OF REGULATION
Armenian Foreign Ministry Statement
AZG Armenian Daily
29/06/2006
Taking into account the statement that the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group presented to the OSCE Permanent Council, in Vienna, on June
22, and the interview that Matt Bryza, the new US co-chair gave soon
thereafter, where albeit partially, the principles of the settlement
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict were revealed for the first time,
and also taking into account the recent desperate calls by Azerbaijan
for a military solution and autonomy for Nagorno Karabakh, we would
like to make several observations.
1. The co-chairs have partially revealed the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
resolution principles; they have left out references to a corridor
linking Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia, and issues relating to Nagorno
Karabakh’s status until a referendum;
2. The co-chairs have, for the first time, affirmed that the people
of Nagorno Karabakh shall determine their own future status through
a referendum;
3. Those items over which the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan
continue to disagree does not include a referendum; that concept has
been agreed to by the presidents; The area of disagreement between
the presidents has to do with the sequence in which the consequences
of the military conflict are removed;
4. In an attempt to resolve this remaining area of disagreement, a
proposal was made by the co-chairs after Rambouillet. This proposal
was accepted by Armenia in Bucharest. Azerbaijan rejected it.
5. Armenia finds that the basic principles, overall, on the table today
remain a serious basis for continuing negotiations; Armenia is prepared
to continue on that basis to continue to negotiate with Azerbaijan;
6. Armenia believes that Azerbaijan’s wavering on these principles
is a serious obstacle to progress in the negotiations. If this
policy continues, Armenia will insist that Azerbaijan conduct direct
negotiations with Nagorno Karabakh.
7. Finally, we would remind Azerbaijan once again that regardless
of the size of their military budget, they cannot force the
people of Nagorno Karabakh to renounce freedom and the right to
self-determination.

CONFIRMATION HEARINGS FOR US AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA NOMINEE RICHARD HOAGLAND TO BE HELD IN US SENATE
ArmRadio.am
28.06.2006 10:42
Confirmation hearings for US Ambassador to Armenia nominee
Richard Hoagland are expected today in Senate Foreign Relations
Committee. Armenian Organizations of America and Congressmen launching
pro-Armenian activity consider that John Evans is being recalled
ahead of time because of publicly recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

ANOTHER LETTER FOR ROBERT KOCHARYAN?
Lragir.am
27 June 06
On these days there has been a more intensive indirect dialogue
between Armenian and U.S. officials in the form of statements. The
new OSCE Minsk Group co-chair, Assistant Secretary of State Mathew
Bryza made several interesting statements. Namely, he stated that
democracy in Armenia falls behind of Azerbaijan. Bryza had also
revealed the details of negotiations for the settlement of the
Karabakh conflict. The reaction of official Yerevan shows how serious
these statements are. The press secretary of the president and the
Foreign Ministry tried to reply to Mathew Bryza, and the former even
threatened that Armenia would publish the history of the past 7-8
years of negotiations. In the meantime, the Lragir.am has learned
that besides statements the U.S. officials sent a letter to official
Yerevan. The letter is said to have been written by John Danilovich,
Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
There is information that Danilovich touched upon democratization in
Armenia, which is the main stipulation of the Millennium Challenge
Account. Moreover, he even said that the United States may reconsider
allocating 235 million dollars to Armenia.

Congressional Record: June 26, 2006 (Extensions)
SENATE COMMITTEE MEETINGS
MEETINGS SCHEDULED
JUNE 28
2:30 p.m.
Foreign Relations
To hold hearings to examine the nomination of Richard E.
Hoagland, of the District of Columbia, to be Ambassador
to the Republic of Armenia.

27000 STUDENTS FINISH SCHOOLS THIS YEAR
Panorama.am
19:18 26/06/06
“Final exams at the republican schools are in process,” Lilit
Galstyan, press secretary of ministry education and science told
Panorama.am. June 28 is the final day of the exams and the following
three days are for those students who have not passed their exams. The
ministry has not summed up the results of the examinations yet.
By July 3, 19000 students from regions and 12000 from Yerevan will
finish their schools and can apply to higher educational establishments
on the same day since applications are already accepted there.
Applications are accepted until July 15. From July 20 to August 16
entrance exams at higher educational establishments will start.

NKR PREMIER: INVESTMENTS IN NKR ECONOMY INCREASING YEAR BY YEAR
Arka News Agency, Armenia
June 22 2006
STEPANAKERT, June 22. /ARKA/. Investments in the economy of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) are increasing year by year.
Production process in a number of economic sectors have been modernized
due to foreign investments, NKR Prime Minister Anushavan Danielyan
stated at the international conference “Nagorno-Karabakh Republic:
past, present, future.”
He said that a 3.7-fold increase in industrial output was recorded
in 2005 compared to 2000.
“In the first quarter of 2006 alone more industrial products were
manufactured than in 1999,” he said.
According to Danielyan, the internal revenues have increase by 43.2%
on average over the last three years, and exports totaled $38mln.
The NKR Premier also pointed out that this made budget revenues
possible, which had a positive effect on the social sector.
“As regards the population’s cash incomes, they have increased 2.2
times since 2000,” he said.
The NKR Premier said that social expenses budgeted in the NKR for
2006 have increased by almost 30% compared to 2005. About 3,500 jobs
were created in various economic sectors of the NKR in 2005.
Teachers’ salaries have been raised by almost 70%, and salaries of
medical and cultural workers by 30%. P.T. -0–