Author: Yeghisabet Arthur

Process of forgiving receivables of ArmenTel’s fixed communication
subscribers finishes on May 27

2008-05-27 17:05:00

ArmInfo. The process of forgiving the receivables of fixed
communication subscribers of ArmenTel company (Beeline brand) is
finishing on May 27.

ArmenTel’s PR service told ArmInfo that after completion of the process
of debt forgiveness, the subscribers will have a chance to see the real
amount of the debt for April 2008. Disconnection of the phone
communication of the specified subscribers (who make up 20% of the
total number ArmenTel’s fixed communication subscribers) will be put
off till July. Thus, debtor-subscribers’ communication won’t be
disconnected before July 1. If a subscriber has completely repaid the
debt, the amount for the period from January till March, will remain as
prepayment on his/her account.

To recall, on May 14 Beeline took a decision not to levy from the
subscribers the amounts of "from fixed to mobile numbers" calls which
were not settled in the specified period (from January till March) and
were presented in the bills for April.

ArmenTel CJSC is a branch of VimpelCom OJSC (Russia) and represents the
Beeline trademark in Armenia. ArmenTel provides fixed and mobile
communication services in Armenia.

KHAZAR IBRAHIM: "AZERBAIJAN EXPECTS ARMENIA TO DEMONSTRATE CONSTRUCTIVENESS AND WILL"

Today.Az
tics/45241.html
May 26 2008
Azerbaijan

We expect Armenian side to be constructive and demonstrate will during
the meeting of the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia to be held
in Saint Petersburg.

The due announcement was made by Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Khazar
Ibrahim at a traditional briefing.

He said Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov noted recently
that there are chances to advance in the negotiation process.

"If the Armenian side demonstrates will, the attainment of a
breakthrough in the negotiation process will be possible. And we
expect the Armenian side to demonstrate will, realize the reality and
undertake steps. Only in this case will the breakthrough be possible",
said Ibrahim.

SLOVAKIA: THOSE WHO DECLINE GENOCIDE WILL BE IMPRISONED

Panorama.am
19:53 26/05/2008

Till the end of this year the Parliament of Slovakia will make
correspondent legislative changes and reforms by defining imprisonment
for those who decline Armenian Genocide, said the deputy Prime
Minister and the Minister of Justice of Slovakia Stephan Harrapin
in Yerevan. According to him in January-February 2009 the norm will
be implemented.

S. Harrapin said that there is a law in Slovakia which defines a
punishment for those who decline Holocaust.

The Parliament will make reforms by using the same point of punishment
for the other genocides.

Note that according to the law declining of Armenian Genocide by
a citizen of Slovakia and by anyone in the territory of Slovakia
will define 5 years imprisonment. According to Harrapin even if the
punishment is too strict every democratic country should treat the
question like that.

Remind: the fact of condemning Armenian Genocide was adopted by the
Parliament of Slovakia in 2004.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version: nian.htm

THE ARMENIAN CHURCH PARTICIPATES IN THE WCC ECUMENICAL OFFICERS’ MEETING

The Ecumenical officers of World Council of Churches (WCC) member churches
convened a meeting in the organization’s Geneva headquarters on May 20-22.
Bishop Nareg Alemezian (Ecumenical Affairs officer of the Catholicosate of
Cilicia) and Father Hovagim Manougian (Assistant to the director of the
Ecumenical Relations Office of the Catholicosate of All Armenians in
Etchmiyadzine).

Some 40 representatives from churches in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin
America, Northern America and the Middle East participated in the meeting.

The following issues were discussed during the meeting: the main ecumenical
facets of each church, the reports of WCC project managers, the activities
of the WCC Youth Department, ecumenical relations and the mission of
churches in globalized societies, the imperative for the unity of churches,
the essential importance of ecumenical relations, the situation in the
Middle East and the need to overcome violence, issues related to the global
climate, immigration as an international phenomenon and understandings of
Christianity’s mission and evangelism today.

Bishop Nareg presented during the discussion interfaith and interchurch
activities of the Catholicosate of Cilicia and held meetings with
representatives from various churches, shedding light on the socio-economic
challenges Lebanon faces currently.

##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

RUSSIA TO CONTINUE MANAGING ARMENIA POWER PLANT
By M. Alkhazashvili

The Messenger
May 22 2008
Georgia

Russian company INTER RAO UES will continue managing the Metsamor
nuclear power station in Armenia after its initial contract expires
later this year, according to company officials.

Since 2003 Metsamor has been operated by Unified Energy Systems,
part of INTER RAO UES, in a five-year arrangement to help Armenia
pay off its USD 40 million debt to Russia for providing uranium.

Head of the INTER RAO board of directors Andrey Rapoport said that the
company plans to build a new power plant to replace the Soviet-built
Metsamor plant, which supplies the country with around 40 percent of
its electricity supply.

Armenia is under pressure from the EU to shut down Metsamor due to
safety concerns over its lack of a containment system to deal with
potential radioactive leaks.

Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsesyan has said that if a new plant
is built Metsamor can be shut down before it is due to in 2016.

GOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION FORMED IN CONNECTION WITH 17TH ANNIVERSARY OF NKR’S DECLARATION TO BE CELEBRATED SEPTEMBER 2

DeFacto Agency
May 21 2008
Armenia

YEREVAN, 21.05.08. DE FACTO. In connection with the 17th anniversary
of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s declaration the NKR government
has established a governmental commission.

According to the information DE FACTO received at the NKR government’s
Press Office, the composition of the commission headed by Armo
Tsaturian, vice Premier, NKR Minister of Agriculture, has also been
approved.

The Stepanakert city hall and regional administration have been
commissioned to form corresponding city and regional commissions within
ten days and present the festivities’ program to the governmental
commission till June 15.

THE GENOCIDE DEBATE

Toronto Star

May 21 2008
Canada

The decision to remove a book from the reading list of a new
high-school course on genocide smacks of bowing to pressure from a
well-organized community.

A committee of Toronto public school board staff and university
academics recommended removing Barbara Coloroso’s book, Extraordinary
Evil: A Brief History of Genocide, from the Grade 11 course after
the board received complaints from seven Turkish Canadian groups and
a 1,200-name petition. Coloroso’s examples of genocide include the
killing of 1 million Armenians in Turkey in 1915.

The review committee concluded that Coloroso’s book was "not a good
example of rigorous historical scholarship." But the complaints the
board received went far beyond the scholarly merits of the book and
into Turkey’s view that what happened in 1915 wasn’t a genocide at all,
even though Canada and other countries have labelled it as such.

To its credit, the review committee did not back off including the
Armenian genocide in the course content, although it noted that
students should be made aware of conflicting opinions.

The review committee’s decision to delist Coloroso’s book has been
appealed to a panel of trustees, who could recommend reopening
this issue to allow the full school board to vote on it. In the
circumstances, that seems appropriate.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY STARTS DISCUSSION OF ANNUAL REPORT ON EXECUTION OF 2007 STATE BUDGET

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 20, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA National Assembly on May 20
started discussion of the annual report on execution of the 2007
state budget.

According to the deputy minister of finance, chief treasurer of the
RA Atom Janjughazian, 13.8% economic growth was registered in 2007,
which exceeds by 4.8% the programmed index. Per capita GDP made 975,907
drams in nominal expression, growing by 18% as compared with 2006.

The level of unemployment declined by about 0.4% on the previous year
and made 7.1%. The number of the unemployed made 82,800 in 2007. The
annual incomes of the population increased by 25.7% as compared with
2006, the average salary grew by 21.2% and made 77,469 drams.

The nominal settlement exchange rate of the Armenian dram against
the US dollar made 304.1 drams in December 2007, increasing by 16.6%
as compared with December of the previous year. According to customs
statistics, the foreign trade of Armenia amounted to 4.439 billion
dollars, growing by 39.7% on 2006. In 2007, exports grew by 17.5%,
imports – by 40.7%.

ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER EXPECTS BETTER ECONOMIC PROGRESS

ARKA
May 20, 2008

YEREVAN, May 20. /ARKA/. RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsian said the
country’s economic progress was impressive last year, but it could
have been better. He stressed the importance of ensuring equal taxation
terms, so that everyone would be equal to law.

"This is the guarantee of our victory," the Prime Minister said today
at the parliament meeting.

Sargsian said budget receipts hit a record high of 33% last year. The
share of taxes increased by 1.6% in the country’s GDP. However,
the budget execution helped to revealed serious drawbacks in tax and
customs administrations in 2007, according to the Premier. Indirect
taxes had a lion’s share in the tax system, whereas direct taxes
decreased as compared to 2006. Sargsian believes the reasons for this
process are growing imports and the county’s inner political situation.

"Macroeconomic indicators of 2007 both impress and imposes high
responsibility," the Premier said.

He pointed out that last year GDP rose 13.8%, while inflation was 6.6%
and budget deficit made 1.5%. Sargsian said 2007 was a successful
economic year for Armenia in comparison with other CIS- members.

Countries with transitional economy become politically active
when they achieve economic progress and improve social conditions,
according to the Prime Minister. In this case, mistakes in government
activities become apparent and citizens demand correction of faults,
Sargsian said.

The budget surplus totaled 4.2bln drams (without credits and foreign
investments) in 2007 – 0.1% of GDP (against 0.6% GDP deficit in 2006).

Last year, Armenia’s budget receipts hit a record high of 570.1bln
drams – 29.7% (131.4bln drams) increase as compared to 2006. Budget
expenditures increased by 24.6% (111.8mln drams) to 565.9bln drams
in the reporting period. ($1 – 308.24 drams).

TWO PEOPLE KILLED IN ROAD ACCIDENTS IN ASHTARAK

ARMENPRESS
May 19, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 19, ARMENPRESS: A woman was killed and two other people
were seriously injured in a May 18 road accident in the town of
Ashtarak in Aragatsotn province.

According to local rescue service of the Emergency Ministry, the
killed woman was identified as Marine Saponjian, 52. She was in the
Vaz Russia-made car when it collided with a BMW.

According to the rescue service, the identity of the BMW driver was
not clear yet.

The other two, identified as M. Saponjian (29) and L. Saponjian, were
taken to Ashtarak hospital. Doctors say their condition is stable. The
BMW driver went into hiding. The rescue service said the police are
hunting for him.

The rescue service reported also about another accident in Ashtarak
in the early hours of May 19. One man died and another got injuries
when the GAZ 24 car ran off the road and turned over.