Author: Zargarian Hambik

PanARMENIAN.Net

Armenia going to reject loan granted for nuclear power plant closing?
29.09.2007 13:58 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `Armenia intends to refuse from a 200 mln euro loan
the European Union was planning to grant for closing the only nuclear
power plant in the republic,’ a government official said affirming
that presently the state has no other energy sources.

Armenia has for a long time been under pressure of the European Union,
which insists on closing the outdated Metsamor nuclear power plant
built in soviet times, MIGnews.com reports.

European Commission’s Acting Director for Eastern Europe, South
Caucasus and Central Asia, Mr Gunnar Wiegand said recently in Yerevan
that the EU insists on soonest closing of the ANPP and the Euroatom is
ready to grant a 200 mln euro loan for it.

When in Yerevan, Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Manouchehr
Mottaki said Iran doesn’t exclude the possibility of financing
construction of a new NPP in Armenia.

The Metsamor NPP consists of two blocks. The first was put into
operation in 1976, the second – in 1980. The NPP capacity is 815
megawatt.

After the earthquake in 1988 the USSR government decreed to close the
plant.

In November 1995 the NPP was restarted. It processes 2 bln
kilowatt-hour annually.

ARMENIAN CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES ENTER MAINSTREAM EDUCATION

Reuters Alert, UK
Sept 27 2007

Source: World Vision Middle East/Eastern Europe office (MEERO)
Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this
article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are
the author’s alone.

Twenty children with disabilities in Talin town, Aragatsotn Region,
northwest of Armenia, attended public schools and primary educational
institutions this September after being treated at the newly opened
Child Centre of World Vision Armenia Talin Area Development Programme.

The Centre is the only professional facility for children with
disabilities in Talin town and surrounding villages where the
children receive support from a psychologist, art therapist and speech
therapist, and their parents receive counseling from a social worker
and legal advice.

‘Through Child Centres World Vision aims not only to support the
integration of children with disabilities through a number of services
but also seeks to change the attitude of the communities towards them,’
says Marina Hovhanissyan, child protection programme manager of World
Vision Armenia.

At the official opening of the Centre, the Mayor of Talin town,
Mnatsakan Mnatsakanyan, emphasised the importance of the community
members in the process of integration of children with disabilities
into mainstream education.

The Centre was established within the Talin Municipality Kindergarten,
which enables children with disabilities to communicate with their
peers and integrate into kindergarten activities.

The Centre will also provide training sessions on modern trends of
assessment and identification of child needs for the specialists of
Child Protection Unit of Aragatsotn Regional Administration.

‘Our joint efforts will bring more professional care to the children
with special needs of our region,’ says Gayane Danielyan, head of
Child Protection Unit of Aragatsotn Regional Administration.

[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and
not of Reuters. ]

HEAD OF YEREVAN DELEGATION OF ICRC ON TUBERCULOSIS-FIGHT: IT IS NOT THE TIME NOW TO REST ON WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED AND ADMIRE RESULTS

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Sept 27 2007

ArmInfo. The ICRC has worked hard for many years in Armenia to help
fight TB in the penitentiary system. These efforts have included the
provision of medicine, technical assistance and training, as well as
the construction and equipping of various facilities, including the
National Reference Laboratory, Head of the Yerevan delegation of the
International Committee of Red Cross James Reynolds told ArmInfo.

He said that the standard of TB treatment for prisoners in Armenia has
improved greatly over the years – as a result of better awareness,
infrastructure and staff know-how. As a result the ICRC plans to
gradually hand over its TB control in prisons programme during
2008 to the authorities (i.e. Ministries of Justice and Health). It
should not be forgotten, however, that TB is a difficult disease to
treat, requiring skilled and dedicated health professionals and the
cooperation of both the penitentiary staff and prisoners themselves. It
is essential to avoid complacency, and to continue to build the links
between the prison and civil health sectors – if TB spreads within
the prison system, sooner or later the rest of the population will
suffer too. Finally, Armenia is starting to benefit from important
funding from the Global Fund in this area; this provides an excellent
opportunity to keep the disease under control.

The standard of TB treatment for prisoners in Armenia has
improved greatly over the years – as a result of better awareness,
infrastructure and staff know-how. As a result the ICRC plans to
gradually hand over its TB control in prisons programme during
2008 to the authorities (i.e. Ministries of Justice and Health). It
should not be forgotten, however, that TB is a difficult disease to
treat, requiring skilled and dedicated health professionals and the
cooperation of both the penitentiary staff and prisoners themselves.

It is essential to avoid complacency, and to continue to build the
links between the prison and civil health sectors – if TB spreads
within the prison system, sooner or later the rest of the population
will suffer too. Finally, Armenia is starting to benefit from important
funding from the Global Fund in this area; this provides an excellent
opportunity to keep the disease under control. This issue should
be treated very seriously. I can only say that it is not the time
to rest on what has been achieved and admire the results, James
Reynolds resumed.

COMMUNITY RADIO REACHES GEORGIA

Media Helping Media, UK
Sept 26 2007

The BBC World Service Trust has launched a radio station in Georgia
that has people stopping in the streets.

People gather in the town centre of Ninotsminda in Georgia’s Javakheti
region, to listen to the country’s first community radio station.

Programmes are broadcast through a loudspeaker strategically placed
at a city centre crossroad, a popular meeting place for locals.

Community Radio in Ninotsminda (Radio NOR) broadcasts two hours
of music with regular news bulletins every day. A magazine style
programme with local and national news, reports, interviews and
phone-ins, is broadcast twice a week.

Resident involvement

The station is run by local residents, mainly ethnic Armenians,
who form the majority in this mountainous region.

Residents come to the station to sing songs, read poetry, and learn
how to produce their own programmes. There are also opportunities to
learn new skills from computer literacy to radio presentation.

‘If this radio had existed when I was young, I would have been famous
by now’.

So says Karine Arutyunyan’s grandfather whose voice could only be
heard at a local church prior to the launch of the station, but now
the loudspeaker carries the sound of the Armenian folk songs they
sing together.

Connecting communities

The station is part of the Trust’s making waves project, which promotes
the rights of Armenian and Azeri minorities living in the enclaves
of Javakheti and Kvemo-Kartli.

Head of the station, Ararat Tttyan said: ‘Even though few people are
yet able to listen to us, the importance of this radio station cannot
be underestimated. It does have impact on people’s lives.’

‘They come to us, wanting to voice their opinions and share their
problems. They feel that we are part of this community.’

The station hopes to expand its audience and has applied for a
broadcasting licence.

For a small town nestling in the mountains of south-west Georgia,
the launch of the station was a significant development.

The town is frequently cut off from the rest of the country by severe
weather and suffers from high unemployment rates and poor access to
basic amenities.

Previously, the only source of information in Armenian was a local
TV station, which broadcasts local news and translates evening news
bulletins from national TV stations.

Making waves

Staff received nearly eight months of training and preparation lead
by consultants from the BBC World Service Trust, IREX Europe and
Georgian Association Studio Re.

A similar station has been set up by the project in the Azeri populated
area of Kvemo-Kartli, in south east Georgia which will also go ‘on air’
soon through a loudspeaker.

This project is funded by the European Union under its European
Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights Programme.

It is co-funded by the Global Conflict Prevention Pool through
British Embassy in Georgia, the Open Society Georgia Foundation and
the Eurasia Foundation in Georgia.

The BBC World Service Trust gave permission for this article to be
reproduced on Media Helping Media.

PRESIDENT KOCHARIAN WARNS TAX OFFICERS AGAINST FAVORITISM AND PROTECTIONISM

Armenpress
Sept 26 2007

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS: President Robert Kocharian
summoned today top officials from the State Taxation Service
(STS) to learn whether its leadership is able to meet the projected
targets. Kocharian’s press service said if the answer was "yes," the
president wondered what mechanisms it was going to apply to achieve
the objective.

Kocharian was quoted as saying that the STS’s ultimate task is to
drastically improve tax administration.

"Tax collection indices should be linked with economic growth to
constitute ‘a normal’ percentage of the overall GDP," he said,
implicating that taxes still make an insignificant portion in the
overall GDP.

Kocharian said the volume of shady economy is still big, blaming tax
officers for helping companies to avoid taxes.

Kocharian said this is not an insurmountable task, adding that a
crackdown on shady economy would result in a very tangible outcome.

"There are serious reserves and the STS should simply display
resolution and work honestly,’ he was quoted as saying.

Kocharian also demanded that tax bodies revise their modus operandi,
warning that he is going to keep a close eye on their performance.

RECURRENT EVENT OF DIPLOMATS’ WOMEN ASSOCIATION
By Marieta Makarian

AZG Armenian Daily
26/09/2007

Consolidating the women of the accredited ambassadors and diplomats of
Armenia five years ago, Mrs. Nani Oskanian founded the Diplomat’s Women
Association, which carries out various charitable programs in Armenia.

"Azg" daily had a conversation with the Director of the Association
Nani Oskanian, who informed that on September 23, from 12 p.m. to 7
p.m. in "Marriot-Armenia" hotel took place the event titled "Market
and casting of lots".

The accredited embassies in Armenia, Consuls of Honor, and
businesspersons participated in the fair, where the businesspersons
presented their products, souvenirs and dishes of their countries.

Diplomat’s Women Association has 43 members today, who participate
in charitable programs with pleasure.

"This year’s "Market and casting of lots" was wider, as the women
ambassadors of Brazil and Kazakhstan also join us, which is a valuable
step, and I want to thank all the ambassadors that contribute to our
country’s progress together with us. I want to thank the sponsor of the
1st "Market and casting of lots" the first lady of Armenia Mrs. Bella
Kocharian, the Chairman of "Grant Holding" Hrant Vardanian and his
wife Zina Vardanian, the authorities of "Vivacell" and the general
sponsor of this 5th "Market and casting of lots" Chief of "ACVATEK"
Khachatur Khachatrian", mentioned Nani Oskanian.

In the framework of charitable programs, the Association provided
No.1 kindergarten of the village Karakert (province of Armavir) with
furniture, bed linen and kitchen accessories two years ago. Last Friday
the new members of the Association Council visited the kindergarten,
where kindergarten’s children thanked the benefactors by their dancing
and songs.

The next village was Lernagog that the Association Council members
visited. The school was also reconstructed with the help of the
"Children’s foundation" and the benefactors.

"I am very much impressed with the works done and will participate in
the programs with pleasure, as I saw important things done with the
help of the donated money", said the Ambassador of Brazil to Armenia
Mrs. Renata Siley.

OSKANIAN: ARMENIA CONSISTENT IN COMBATING TERRORISM

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.09.2007 12:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian met
yesterday with Sergey Karev, the Officer-in-Charge of the Security
Council Counter-Terrorism Committee’s Executive Directorate, the RA
MFA press office reported.

The CTED head assessed highly Armenia’s endeavors for combating
terrorism and said Armenia is among the states which systematically
submit reports in compliance with UN Security Council resolution on
combating terrorism.

For his part, Minister Oskanian noted that Armenia is consistent in
struggle against terrorism and fulfills the commitments undertaken
to the international community. "Armenia ratified 12 out of 13 UN
Conventions including the one against nuclear terrorism, which was
signed by the Prime Minister.

Trend News Agency

21.09.2007 14:45:08

Presentation of Film on Nagorno-Karabakh to Take Place in London

Great Britain, London / Òrend corr G. Ahmadova / On 27 September in
London the University of Modern Arts, Azerbaijani and Armenian
journalists from Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh will present
their jointly-shot film on Nagorno-Karabakh. That is a unique
collective work by the journalists from both nations which have been
involved in military conflict for over 10 years.

The film is a product of the conflicting sides’ initiative entitled
`Dialogue Through Film’ and the British NGO of `Reconciliation
Resources’, according to the report of the London Institute. The
makers of the film will take part in the discussions about their
collective work.

The film includes 6 parts – `A Fairy Tale On Karabakh’, `A Tough Nut’,
`Swept Away By Life’, `Beetle-eaters’, `13 Years Past’, and
`Revival’. Three parts were shot by Azerbaijan and the other three by
the Armenians.

The presentation ceremony is expected to be attended by members of
Great Britain’s Azerbaijani and Armenian diasporas.

The conflict between the two countries of South Caucasus began in 1988
due to territorial claims by Armenia against Azerbaijan. Armenia has
occupied 20% of the Azerbaijani land including the Nagorno-Karabakh
region and its seven surrounding Districts. Since 1992, these
territories have been under the occupation of the Armenian Forces. In
1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which
time the active hostilities ended. The Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group ( Russia, France and USA) are currently holding peaceful
negotiations.

ASTURIANA – SONGS FROM SPAIN AND ARGENTINA BY DE FALLA, GRANADOS, GINASTERA, GUASTAVINO, BUCHARDO & MONTSALVATGE – KIM KASHKASHIAN, VIOLA/ ROBERT LEVIN, PIANO – ECM NEW SERIES
John Sunier

Audiophile Audition
Sept. 18, 07

Everything about this collection puts it on a very high level and
rates a top recommendation.

I had never been much of a fan of the viola until I heard some of
the varied recordings of Kim Kashkashian. Her viola played on the
soundtrack of Ulysses Gaze the music of Eleni Kariandrou, on an album
of Berio’s transcriptions of Sicilian folk songs, and on music of
the Armenian composer Tigran Mansurian. In all her work with modern
music she has shown a predilection for the song form.

This new release presents transcriptions for viola and piano of vocal
songs coming from the folk milieu. She and her partner at the piano
developed the transcriptions themselves, attempting to communicate a
wide range of emotions in the pieces – flamboyant, sensual, violent,
tender, passionate or reflective.

The album title comes from the initial selection by Falla; four pieces
by Granados follow, drawn from a collection of 12 Tonadillas written
"in the ancient style." The characters in the songs were inspired by
Goya’s art. Montsalvatge is also represented by four songs. The major
Falla suite is a transcription of his Seven Popular Spanish Songs,
of which one is also again titled Asturiana.

One can easily listen without paying attention to the specific
composers or songs. Just let them flow in a wonderfully atmospheric
series of improvisations on the Spanish theme, full of color,
dynamic contrasts and drama. Those of us who in general prefer the
instrumental to the vocal can still partake of the expressiveness of
the vocal line without having to hear lyrics. Everything about this
collection puts it on a very high level and rates a top recommendation.

ARMENIA’S HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS SHOULD CONDUCT MONITORING TO JOIN EUROPEAN RATING SYSTEM

ARKA
September 18 2007

Armenia’s higher educational institutions should conduct monitoring to
join European rating system, said Armenia’s Minister of Education and
Science Levon Lazarian during his report in the closing conference on
"The strategic planning of the sphere of higher education: modern
experience and perspectives" launched in the State Engineering
University of Armenia (SEUA).

He said that higher educational institutions should estimate their
activity and possibilities due to some definite criteria.

"Every higher educational institution should determine its place in
the countries educational system, its problems and tasks.

Besides, higher educational institutions should estimate possibilities
of access to international level or to become an institution of a
regional importance," he said.

Lazarian pointed out that these results will be studied and assessed
in the Ministry of Science and Education and based on them the picture
of the stated educational system of Armenia will be visible.

"It is very important that our higher educational institutions were
fair and objective in conducting the monitoring and forming ratings,
as wrong information may harm Armenia’s authority," Lazarian said.

At present there are 16 state higher educational institutions in
Armenia as well as four institutions on the basis of interstate
agreements – Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) State University, French
University of Armenia, American University of Armenia and Institute
of Information and Communication Technologies of the European Regional
Academy.

The number of students in Armenia’s state higher educational
institutions totals 65,000. There are 72 private higher educational
institutions in the country with 25,000 students studying there.