Author: Yeghisabet Arthur

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ADOPTED AMENDMENTS TO LAW ON EDUCATION
Azat Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
25 Aug 2006
On August 23, the National Assembly met to discuss the amendments
to the NKR Law on Education. Speaker Ashot Ghulian emphasized
the importance of ideas of members of the parliament and teachers
expressed during the August 21 parliamentary hearings, as well as the
explanations by the officials invited from the Republic of Armenia. The
minister of education, culture and sport Kamo Atayan emphasized the
necessity of introducing the 12-year school education and presented
the preparations. The conclusion of the Social Committee, which
was presented by Arpat Avanessian, chair was positive. Touching
upon the preparations, namely special furniture for 6-year-old
children, as well as training of teachers, Member of Parliament
Lyudmila Barseghian emphasized the importance of the problem and
therefore she said she would vote for the amendments. Member of
Parliament Gegham Baghdassarian said the parliamentary group ARF –
Movement 88 accepts the idea and essence of the new system but would
abstain from voting because they thought, “it would be preferable
if the adoption of the new system was not compulsory, but conscious,
and what is more important, after due preparations, what we failed to
do.” At the same time, he said, ” considering the importance of public
debates, we propose continuing these debates even after adopting the
new system.” The speaker said during the parliamentary hearings an
arrangement was made to resume the hearings by the end of this year
or in the middle of the academic year to discuss the difficulties,
preparations, as well as the advantages and disadvantages, which will
become clear later. As for the compulsory adoption, he said it is
impossible, because everyone is free to express their opinion. There
were no other opinions, and the bill was put to vote. The absolute
majority voted for the amendments. After the voting Speaker Ashot
Ghulian made two announcements, which referred to offering proposals
on the draft conclusion of the parliamentary hearings on the Karabakh
settlement in April and the upcoming debates on the draft of the NKR
Constitution. NKR National Assembly Press Secretary
AA. 25-08-2006

ARMENIAN COMMUNIST PARTY: “THERE WERE, THERE ARE AND THERE WILL BE NO FAIR ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA”
Regnum, Russia
Aug. 24, 2006
The Communist Party of Armenia is going to participate in the 2007
parliamentary elections on its own, on August 24, CPA Central Committee
First Secretary Ruben Tovmasyan stated during a press conference
in Yerevan.
According to him, the party has completely reconsidered outcomes of the
2003 parliamentary elections (the CPA did not collect necessary number
of voices and did not get into parliament – REGNUM); it is sure of its
success in 2007. Also, Ruben Tovmasyan stated, the Communist Party
“is not going to share its power and strength with other political
parties even in aspect of cooperation and joint struggle for the
sake of fair elections.” “The Communist Party has been repeating its
slogan for honest and fair elections for more than 80 years. However,
there were, there are and there will be no fair elections, however
hard you try to unite,” the communist is sure.
Also, Ruben Tovmasyan stressed, cooperation is possible under
four conditions, which may be fulfilled by no parties except for
the Communist one now: struggle for social justice, improvement of
living standards of ordinary people, striving for Armenia’s joining the
Russian-Belarusian union, and struggle against criminality, corruption,
and bribes. According to Mr. Tovmasyan, the whole Armenian people
are electorate of his party. As for possibility of social revolution,
the communist stressed that Communist Party had come to power through
revolution, but “revolution is not a children’s toy.”

STATISTICAL SYSTEM TO EVALUATE EXPENSES OF ARRIVING AND DEPARTING TOURISTS TO BE INTRODUCED IN ARMENIA WITHIN A YEAR
Noyan Tapan
Aug 23 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 23, NOYAN TAPAN. A statistical system to evaluate
the expenses of arriving and departing tourists will be introduced in
Armenia within a year. Vahe Danielian, member of the State Statistical
Council, stated this.
Responding to a question of NT correspondent, he said that with the
aim of introducing this system, the RA National Statistical Service
(NSS) will conduct in September 2006 a research at border points on
the purpose of visit of those arriving in Armenia and leaving the
country, as well as their expenses in Armenia and abroad. According
to V. Danielian, at border points, the counters of the RA NSS will
distribute questionnares to 5% of those arriving in Armenia and leaving
it in order to determine their expenses in Armenia and abroad. A
questionnare developed and guaranteed by the World Tourism Organization
will be used. Surveys conducted by using such questionnares allow to
assess the gross product created in the tourism sector.

NKR FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE OF OSCE CHAIRMAN-IN-OFFICE
Noyan Tapan
Aug 21 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 21, NOYAN TAPAN. Georgi Petrosian, the NKR Minister of
Foreign Affairs received on August 21 Andrzej Kasprczik, the Personal
Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office on Karabakh Conflict, by
the latter’s request. It is said in the information submitted to Noyan
Tapan by the NKR Permanent Representation to the RA. Issues of mutual
interest, particularly, problems provided by the fires arisen on the
contact line of the NKR and Azerbaijani Armed Forces were discussed at
the meeting taken place at the NKR Permanent Representation to the RA.

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
August 18, 2006 Friday
BAKU IS NOT STINGY WHERE THE ARMY IS CONCERNED;
The Azerbaijani military in the focus of Ilham Aliyev’s attention
by Sohbet Mamedov
PRIOR TO SENDING ITS ARMY TO SOLVE THE KARABAKH PROBLEM, AZERBAIJAN
MAY BOOST ITS NUMERICAL STRENGTH TO 180,000 MEN; Azerbaijan is building
up its military potential.
“Armenia is given a chance to withdraw from the occupied Azerbaijani
territories of its own volition and have the problem solved without a
bloodshed and war,” President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev recently said.
So sharply-worded a statement from the leader of Azerbaijan started
observers wondering if Azerbaijan could launch a military operation in
Karabakh. Military expert Lieutenant-Colonel (retired) Uzeir Jafarov
believes that numerical strength of the Azerbaijani military (the
regular army and reservists) prior to a campaign in Karabakh may be
boosted by general mobilization to 180,000 men.
“The hostilities may be declared in advance or they may be sudden.
Once the hostilities are under way, our country may inform the UN
and its neighbors of the objectives of the operation. The decision
on the use of the national army in combat will be made on the basis
of acting domestic legislation. The matter is regulated by the law
on military duty and on state of emergency,” Jafarov said.
The expert is convinced that if the army is found adequate and up to
the task, additional mobilization is not going to be needed.
First-echelon units of the regular army and their auxiliaries are
capable of at least liberating the occupied territories at this
point. Only unexpected developments will necessitate deployment of
additional forces, the expert said.
Analyzing official Baku’s latest steps, specialists agree that
development of the national army is truly a priority in the focus
of attention of the political leadership. The 2006 military budget
amounted to $700 million. Aliyev is determined to match the Armenian
military budget in a year or two. The state treasury in the meantime
is not the only source of finances poured into development of the
national army. Azerbaijani Armed Forces Assistance Foundation was
established on August 17, 2002. There is more than $3 million in
its bank accounts nowadays. The money may be used for development of
the army, design, production, maintenance, and upgrade of military
hardware, military research, weapons procurement, and so on.
The process of adaptation of the regular army to NATO standards is
gaining momentum in the meantime. Colonel Ramiz Meliko, Chief of the
Defense Ministry PR Department, claims that the process will be over
by 2008.
Source: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, August 15, 2006, p. 6
Translated by A. Ignatkin

RA GOVERNMENT APPROVES DRAFT TO 2007 PROGRAM ON CHILDREN’S RIGHTS
PROTECTION
YEREVAN, AUGUST 18, NOYAN TAPAN. The draft to the 2007 annual program
on protection of the children’s rights was approved at the August 18
sitting of the RA Government. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA
Government’s Information and Public Relations Department, it will
be presented according the fixed order to the National Assembly in
the RA draft law “On 2007 State Budget.” The program was worked out
in correspondence with the RA law “On Children’s Rights.” The annual
program is aimed to improvement of the legislation of the children’s
sphere, to children’s social security, improvement of health care
problems, reforms of the education sphere, organization of rest,
entertainment and cultural life. It was mentioned at the sitting that
the program is consonant with the strategic program on overcoming
poverty adopted by the RA Government and is aimed to the strategy of
reforms on social protection of children in difficult life situations.

Panorama.am
17:06 18/08/06
A NEW PACKAGE PROMISES REFORMS IN SCIENCE
Levon Lazarian, minister of science and education, indicated failures
in the system of science, saying the number of scientists goes
down while scientific institutions grow. The minister said there are
5,000-6,000 scientists and about 200 scientific institutions in Armenia
now. Most are registered as closed stock companies, he informed.
The government session today approved the list of reforms to be
implemented in the field of science. An inter-ministry group had been
established by a president’s decree coordinated by the ministry of
education and science and National Academy of Sciences. The package
of reforms suggests three approaches: research of international
experience, establishment of new institutions and development of
management mechanisms. It envisages more than two dozen events,
including, problem identification, definition of priorities,
development of a concept paper, cooperation with the European Union,
legislative improvements, etc.
The minister said they will refrain from rapid and sharp changes,
saying, “scientists of different fields will be incorporated into
the system.” He voiced his hope that a Fund for Science will be
established, saying “all world countries have come to such an
idea.” /Panorama.am/

ZEYNALOV: KARS LOCAL AUTHORITIES HEAD STANDS BEHIND FORCES TRYING TO OPEN TURKEY-ARMENIA BORDER
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Aug. 16, 2006
“There are forces trying to achieve Turkey’s opening borders with
Armenia. Head of Kars local authorities Naib Alibayoglu stands behind
these forces,” Azerbaijani consul-general to Kars Hasan Zeynalov told
journalists, APA reports.
He said he had talks with Kars local authorities head for not bringing
up this issue.
“He has recently told the Armenian media he is making efforts to
achieve in opening Turkey-Armenia border. These forces are against
Turkey. But we do not fear the forces trying to break Turkey-Azerbaijan
friendship. The Turkish government’s official position is important
here,” the consul-general underlined.
Zeynalov also said they are trying to open Baku-Kars flight to makes
it easy for Azerbaijanis living in the area of the consulate to travel
to the home country.
“This flight is economically profitable and would ensure Azerbaijanis
living in Kars to have more information on truths about the country.
On the other hand, they can struggle against the forces aiming to break
the friendly relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan,” he said.

CHILDREN OF ARMENIAN OFFICIALS KEEP FLOCKING TO LAW SCHOOL
By Irina Hovannisian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Aug. 15, 2006
The law school of Armenia’s biggest and most prestigious university
remains exceedingly popular with teenage children of senior government
officials and other influential individuals, education officials said
on Tuesday.
According to the Education Ministry, more than 12,400 young people
have been vying this summer for about 10,000 places available at the
state-run Armenian universities. The winners will be chosen on the
basis of admission examinations that are administered by a high-level
commission formed by the ministry. The process began late last month
and will end on Wednesday.
As always, competition is particularly tight for 120 places at the
Law Department of Yerevan State University (YSU). Only 20 of its
first-year students, to be selected later this month , will study
there free of charge. The others will have to pay an annual tuition
fee of 660,000 drams ($1,700), a hefty sum which is beyond the purse
of most Armenian parents.
That is a reason why Armenian law students come from well-heeled
families that can not foot the bill. Quite a few of them also have
influential parents who hold senior positions in government. YSU
officials confirmed that the pool of Law Department applicants this
year includes the offspring of Armenian customs chief Armen Avetisian,
Environment Minister Vartan Ayvazian, police General Hovannes Varian
and Deputy Minister for Local Government Vache Terterian.
Education Minister Levon Mkrtchian denied a widespread perception that
their enrollment is a forgone conclusion, saying that he instructed
university officials handling the exams to be particularly “strict”
towards such applicants. He also insisted that their parents have
not attempted to influence the selection process.
“Officials in the Republic of Armenia are citizens of our country
and their children too have the right to receive higher education,”
Mkrtchian told RFE/RL.
“I don’t want to pretend that we don’t know in advance about applicants
whose parents are senior officials,” said Edik Gevorgian, a YSU
professor who oversees exams on Armenian history which prospective
lawyers have to pass. “There were officials who informed us in advance,
but not in order to give their kids preferential treatment.”
Gevorgian also insisted that many of those young people are gifted
individuals who deserve to study at YSU and work as lawyers,
prosecutors or judges after graduation. “For example, parliament
deputy Hakob Hakobian’s daughter and nephew passed their history
exams brilliantly,” he said. “The daughter of [former Karabakh army
commander] General Samvel Babayan also did well. Just because she is
a former official’s daughter doesn’t mean she can’t be bright.”
Paying bribes for enrolling in prestigious programs of state
universities has long been commonplace in Armenia, a problem
acknowledged by Mkrtchian. Speaking to journalists last month, he
pledged to take anti-corruption measures that will significantly
scale down the practice.

TBILISI AWAITS ARRIVAL OF SENIOR IRANIAN DIPLOMAT
RIA Novosti, Russia
August 14, 2006
TBILISI, August 14 (RIA Novosti) – Iran’s deputy foreign minister
will arrive in Georgia Monday on a two-day visit, where he will hold
talks with the South Caucasus country’s president and other leaders,
a national news agency said.
Novosti Georgia said that as well as meeting with President Mikhail
Saakashvili, Mehdi Safari would hold talks with Prime Minister Zurab
Nogideli and Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili.
The two countries became energy partners earlier in the year, when
Georgia signed an emergency contract with the Islamic Republic for
natural gas supplies in the midst of a nationwide energy crisis. The
Georgian leadership has expressed an interest in establishing long-term
gas imports from Iran, including the construction of a gas pipeline
connecting the countries via Armenia.