Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

ARMENIA’S NEW PRESIDENT TO TAKE OFFICE AMID OPPOSITION PROTESTS
Mariam Harutunian

Agence France Presse
April 9 2008

Armenia’s president-elect Serzh Sarkisian was to be inaugurated
Wednesday as his opponents gathered to lay flowers in memory of
protesters killed while contesting his February election victory.

Representatives of 58 countries were to attend the swearing-in
ceremony and a military parade in and around the capital Yerevan’s
opera house, said Viktor Sogomonian, outgoing President Robert
Kocharian’s spokesman.

A seventh-century copy of the New Testament from Armenia’s famed
Matenadaran collection of ancient Christian manuscripts and an original
copy of the constitution written after the country’s independence
from the Soviet Union was to be used for the ceremony.

It was to conclude with a blessing of Sarkisian by Catholicos Garegin
II, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Supporters of opposition candidate and former president Levon
Ter-Petrosian were meanwhile preparing to hold a memorial ceremony
outside the Yerevan mayor’s office, where post-election clashes left
eight dead.

"While the bloody regime is coronating its ruler, members of society
will gather to honour the memory of the dead and lay flowers where
these tragic events took place," Ter-Petrosian’s spokesman Arman
Musinian told AFP.

Public demonstrations are banned under a presidential decree passed
following the violence, which erupted after riot police dispersed
thousands of protesters who had rallied for 11 days to contest the
result of the vote.

Seven civilians and one security officer were killed in the unrest
and dozens were injured, many from gunshot wounds. A 20-day state
of emergency imposed after the unrest was lifted on March 20, but
authorities have not said when the ban on protests may be rescinded.

Police have arrested 90 people in connection with the unrest, including
many senior opposition figures.

The opposition claims the election was rigged to ensure Sarkisian’s
victory, but international observers said the vote had mostly met
democratic standards.

In his final televised address as president, Kocharian said on Tuesday
that he was leaving office with no regrets.

"Progress in the modernisation of the country is obvious, the lives
of its citizens have fundamentally improved," he said. "At the same
time, it is obvious that much remains to be done. Quality of life is
far from a desirable level. This is the task of the next president
and government."

Speculation had been rife in Armenia that Kocharian intended to take
Sarkisian’s place as prime minister following the inauguration, but on
Tuesday the ruling Republican Party nominated Central Bank Chairman
Tigran Sarkisian to head the new government. Tigran Sarkisian is not
related to the incoming president.

A mountainous country of about three million people — wedged between
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran and Turkey — Armenia has seen repeated
political violence and post-election protests since gaining its
independence with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

NEW PRIME MINISTER ASKS PARLIAMENT TO RELIEVE HIM OF CENTRAL BANK CHAIRMAN POSIT

ARMENPRESS
April 10, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 10, ARMENPRESS: The new prime minister Tigran Sarkisian,
who served as Central Bank chairman, asked on April 8 the National
Assembly (parliament) to relieve him of the post, parliament chairman
Tigran Torosian said today.

Under Armenian Constitution, Central Bank governor is appointed by
the parliament for a 6 year term.

MATTHEW BRYZA WILL PASS A LOT OF MESSAGES

KarabakhOpen
09-04-2008 20:43:10

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chair Matthew Bryza who participated in the
inauguration of the new president Serge Sargsyan in Yerevan on April
9 held an exclusive interview with radio Liberty in which he spelled
out interesting and important ideas regarding the political situation
in Armenia. In particular, Radio Liberty reports Matthew Bryza said
the events of March 1 were unprecedented and dramatic steps are
necessary to restore confidence that the country is moving in the
right direction.

In particular, he mentioned full restoration of all freedoms, freedom
of press, peaceful assemblies and marches. It is highly important
to release those people whose actions contained political elements
rather than criminal elements, at the same time, investigation must
be carried out, and the persons who committed election fraud and used
violence should be punished, independent from which camp they are,
the government or the opposition, Matthew Bryza stated. Therefore,
he said restoration of confidence in the judicial system is a primary
problem in this country.

With regard to his participation in the inauguration and answering
the question whether his participation means that the United States
considers the Armenian presidential election as democratic, Matthew
Bryza said he is just a modest American diplomat who is responsible
for this region and has arrived to establish effective ways of
communication, hoping that cooperation between Armenia and the
United States in all the spheres, including the issues of Karabakh
and security, and Armenia will again launch democratic and economic
reforms.

Matthew Bryza says he is neither the president nor the foreign
minister of the United States, he is the deputy assistant secretary
of state who is not indifferent toward this region and this country
and is in charge of setting up relations and sustaining them. Matthew
Bryza thinks it is important to sustain working relations with the
main forces of Armenia, the president elect, the future government,
the opposition and the civil society representatives.

Matthew Bryza also said he has not brought along any written message
from the U.S. President George Bush, instead he has brought along
some oral messages which he is going to pass to as many people as
possible. As to the question when George Bush will congratulate Serge
Sargsyan, the U.S. diplomat said he cannot speak on behalf of his
president. He said he thinks Washington will react to the course of
events in Armenia at the top level, and when the citizens of Armenia
show that they are satisfied with the path along which the country is
moving, and the government makes dramatic moves, there will also be
a statement by President Bush or Secretary Rice, Radio Liberty reports

SERZH SARGSIAN PAYS TRIBUTE TO PEOPLE WHO DEDICATED THEIR LIVES TO CONSOLIDATION OF ARMENIAN STATEHOOD

ARMENPRESS
April 9, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS: Armenian President Serzh Sargsian,
immediately after assuming the office of president of Armenia visited
Yerablur pantheon to pay tribute to the memory of the people who
dedicated their lives to the consolidation of Armenia’s statehood.

Accompanied by the Armenian National Assembly Speaker Tigran Torosian,
Armenian Foreign Affairs Minister Vartan Oskanian and Defense Minister
Michael Harutyunian, heads of force institutions, Yerevan Mayor Yervand
Zakharian, other representatives of legislative and executive bodies,
S. Sargsian put flowers on the memorial to the Commander Andranik
Ozanian, Commander-in-Chief Vazgen Sargsian.

A NUMBER OF EVENTS TO BE HELD IN CANADA IN CONNECTION WITH 93th ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Noyan Tapan
April 9, 2008

TORONTO, APRIL 9, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Armenian
National Committee of Toronto (ANCT) will hold 2008 Genocide
Commemoration Events. A Genocide commemoration event is scheduled for
April 20 in Cambridge where the keynote speaker will be Professor
Kaprielian. Another event will be held in Hamilton on April 27th
(the keynote speaker: Mr. Chris Haroutyounian).

Yet another commemoration event is scheduled for April 24 in Ottawa,
in front of Parliament, to be followed by a political rally in front
of the Turkish Embassy. Armenian youth will organize a candle light
vigil in Toronto’s Queens Park on April 25.

NO REACTION ON AZERBAIJAN’S NOTE BY RUSSIA

Azeri Press Agency
April 9 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku. Lachin Sultanova-APA. Russia has not given reaction to
Azerbaijan’s note, Vasili Istratov, Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan
told APA.

Istratov stated that he had information about the above-mentioned
note from the press."I am unaware of Russia’s reaction on the note",
he said.

Azerbaijani Embassy in Russia has filed a note of protest to the
country’s Foreign Ministry on holding conference "After Kosovo: unity
of unrecognized states on the way to recognition" in the Institute
of CIS Countries headed by Konstantin Zatulin, First Deputy Chief
of Russian Parliament’s Committee on CIS Affairs and Relations with
Compatriots. The note requests to explain the participation of Nagorno
Karabakh separatists in the event.

TURKISH GOVERNMENT PROPOSES AMENDMENTS TO LAW LIMITING FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Southeast European Times
April 8 2008
MD

The Turkish government sent a proposal to parliament Monday aimed at
softening a widely criticised law that curbs free speech.

(Zaman, Turkish Daily News, Hurriyet, The New Anatolian, Sabah –
08/04/08; AP, Bloomberg, DPA – 07/04/08)

Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) submitted to
parliament Monday (April 7th) draft legislation aimed at easing
current restrictions on free speech.

The proposal contains amendments to the controversial Article 301,
which decrees jail sentences of three years or less for insulting
"Turkishness".

Prosecutors have used it to indict scores of prominent Turkish
intellectuals, including Orhan Pamuk, the 2006 Nobel Literature
Prize winner; Elif Safak, a prominent female writer; and Hrant Dink,
the ethnic Armenian editor-in-chief of a Turkish-Armenian newspaper,
Agos. Convicted of "insulting Turkishness", he was killed in January
2007 by a Turk who cited that charge as his motive.

Although most Article 301 trials have ended without a conviction,
the EU and international rights groups have long urged Turkey to
amend the law or scrap it altogether.

The proposal was submitted to parliament ahead of visits by
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and EU Enlargement
Commissioner Olli Rehn later this week.

It would require approval of any Article 301 prosecution by the
president, rather than by the justice minister or an expert committee,
as earlier envisioned. Currently, such cases can be filed directly
with the courts.

"The predominant inclination among the AKP is that [the] president’s
permission should be sought," government spokesman Cemil Cicek told
reporters.

The bill would also replace the elusive notion of "denigrating
Turkishness" with "denigrating the Turkish nation". The maximum
sentence would shrink to two years, potentially freeing those currently
jailed under this charge. In Turkey, jail sentences not exceeding two
years can be suspended until the offender commits the same crime again.

Given its clear parliamentary majority, the AKP should easily pass
the bill, even if the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP)
opposes, as it has vowed, any changes to Article 301.

It was not immediately clear when lawmakers would vote or whether
EU critics, who have been calling for outright annulment, will be
satisfied with the revisions.

The AKP has been criticised in recent months for slowing the pace of
EU-required reforms.

"Article 301 … is one of the priority areas that need to be
addressed," Tuesday’s Turkish Daily News quoted an official from
the EU Secretariat General as saying. "But it is not the only one,"
the anonymous source added.

A to-do list from Brussels reportedly seeks the urgent revision of
a number of other bills expanding freedom of expression.

Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said on Monday that Ankara would outline
its reform priorities.

"We are determined on the issue of reforms," he told reporters. "No
matter how hard they are, we believe reforms are important for
Turkey’s future."

PRESIDENT KOCHARIAN CONGRATULATES WOMEN ON MATERNITY AND BEAUTY DAY

ARMENPRESS
April 7, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 7, ARMENPRESS: President Robert Kocharian congratulated
today Armenian women on Maternity and Beauty Day which is marked on
April 7.

Kocharian’s message, sent to Armenpress by the presidential press
service, says as follows: "Dear women, I congratulate you on the
occasion of Maternity and Beauty Day. It is the inexhaustible maternal
vigor and care that make the role of women exclusive in our families
and in society for educating and growing younger generation.

May mothers’ hearts be filled with pride for their sons and daughters’
successes and worthy deeds. I wish you all warmness and family
happiness. Remain always womanly and beautiful."

PRESIDENT KOCHARYAN CONGRATULATES WOMEN

armradio.am
07.04.2008 10:35

RA Presidentt Robert Kocharyan issued a congratulating message on
the occasion of the Day of Maternity and Beauty.

"Dear women, I congratulate you on the Day of Maternity and Beauty.

Endless maternal zeal and diligence condition the exceptional role
of women both in family and society in bringing up the younger
generation. Let your maternal heart be filled with pride for the
success and deserved deeds of your children.

I wish warmness and family happiness to dominate in your homes. Be
always womanly and charming."

Interfax News Agency, Russia
April 4 2008

March 1 riots in Yerevan could have hurt Armenian economy – IMF

YEREVAN April 4

The mass riots that rocked Yerevan on March 1, leading to people’s
deaths, may reflect negatively on the Armenian economy, IMF permanent
representative in Armenia Nienke Oomes told Interfax.

These events could adversely affect the investment climate in
Armenia. However, it is too early to make assessments, she said. "We
still forecast 10% GDP growth in 2008, but this forecast is subject
to great uncertainty," she said.

"The most important thing for the government is to now minimize this
negative effect and discontent among people by taking concrete steps
that will demonstrate that the government has serious plans to
conduct reforms, to reduce corruption, to make the fiscal and customs
systems more transparent and fair and to increase competitiveness by
reducing monopolies," Oomes said.

On the morning of March 1, police dispersed a rally of supporters of
former Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosian on Freedom Square in
Yerevan. The Armenian Healthcare Ministry said that during riots
eight people died.