Category: News

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES AMENDMENTS TO LAW ON INTERNATIONAL
AGREEMENTS
YEREVAN, AUGUST 12. ARMINFO. Armenian government approved the
amendments to the law on international agreements, Head of legal
department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Levon
Amirjanian informed during the briefing today.
According to him, the new law is designed to eliminate the defects and
omissions existing in the same law adopted as far back as July
2002. The new law aims to improve the process of concluding
international agreements and increase the efficiency of their
fulfillment.

GEORGIA AND TURKEY AGREE FOR CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY KARS-AKHALKALAKI
TBILISI, AUGUST 12. ARMINFO. Georgia and Turkey agreed for
construction of railway Kars (Turkey) – Akhalkalaki (Georgia). This
agreement was reached within the framework of the visit of the
delegation of Turkish businessmen, headed by Prime Minister of Turkey
Recep Erdogan, to Tbilisi.
RBC was informed in the State office of Georgia, the implementation of
this project will cost $600 mln for the Turkish side.
We shall remind that the possibility of lifting the blockade of the
railway Kars-Gyumri-Tbilisi was earlier discussed. The possibility of
launching this section of the railway was discussed during the meeting
of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Turkey in Istanbul on June 27,
during the NATO summit.

LAW-GOVERNED STATE OUT OF QUESTION: RUZAN KHACHATRYAN
YEREVAN, AUGUST 12. ARMINFO. “The results of trials of opposition
representatives once more convinced us that a law-governed state in
Armenia out of the question. The RA Court of Appeal, which considered
Vardan Zurnachyan’s claim, and the Court of Cassation, which
considered Artak Gabrielyan’s claim, demonstrated their full
dependence on the ruling regime,” Ruzan Khachatryan, Press Secretary
of the “Justice” bloc told ARMINFO.
“From April to August, trials were held in Armenia, which proved the
undemocratic and antinational essence of the ruling regime. The
criminal charge trumped up against the Justice’ bloc is a singular
phenomenon. An opposition bloc, which was second after mass
falsifications, as well as hundreds of thousands of our supporters, is
prosecuted. This is the face of the present-day law-governed Armenian
state,” Khachatryan said.

VISA REGIME BETWEEN RUSSIA, ARMENIA SIMPLIFIED
YEREVAN, AUGUST 12. ARMINFO. The RA Government approved draft
amendments to the protocol on visa regime between Armenia and Russia,
which considerably simplified this procedure, Levon Amirjanyan, Head
of the Legal Affairs Department, RA Foreign Office, told a news
briefing.
According to him, this is the Russian side’s initiative. The Russian
side proposed bringing the current agreements to conformity with
international standards and reducing the number of documents necessary
to get a visa.

Armenian foreign minister, US envoy to OSCE discuss expanding cooperation
Arminfo
12 Aug 04
YEREVAN
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan and the US ambassador to the
OSCE, Stephan M. Minikes, have discussed prospects for settling the
Nagornyy Karabakh conflict.
At the meeting the sides discussed the activities of OSCE structures
and departments, including its Yerevan office, and wide-ranging
problems related to regional security, the press service of the
Armenian Foreign Ministry told Arminfo news agency.
The sides expressed their hope that cooperation between Armenia and
the OSCE will continue and deepen in a constructive way.

ROBERT KOCHARIAN: “THE ARMENIAN-POLISH RELATIONS DEVELOP QUITE
DYNAMICALLY”
YEREVAN, August 13 (Noyan Tapan). The Armenian-Polish relations
develop quite dynamically. RA President Robert Kocharian said about
it, receiving newly appointed Ambassador of Poland to Armenia Tomash
Knohte on August 13. The newly appointed Ambassador of Poland to
Armenia presented his credentials to the RA President. Robert
Kocharian mentioned the importance of the development of mutual
relations with Poland in the context of the European direction of the
foreign policies of Armenia. Stressing that Poland has been a full
member of the European Union since 1 May 2004, the RA President
mentioned that Armenia, which is on the way to the European
integration, within the framework of the European Union found a new
partner in the person of Poland supporting its aspirations. According
to the RA presidential press service, the sides considered the
official visit of the RA President to Poland scheduled for September
5-7 as key in the matter of the further development of the
Armenian-Polish relations.

COOPERATION OF ARMENIA AND OSCE TO STRENGHTEN
YEREVAN, August 13 (Noyan Tapan). RA Minister of Foreign Affairs
Vartan Oskanian received Ambassador Steven M. Minikes, Head of the US
delegation to the OSCE, on August 12. During the meeting the sides
discussed the activities of the OSCE structures and departments, its
Yerevan Office, as well as the wide circle of problems regarding
regional security. The sides also discussed the Karabakh problem, the
processes and prospects of the settlement of the confrontation.
According to the press service of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
the sides expressed hope that Armenia-OSCE cooperation will continue
and strenghten in a constructive spirit.

DRAFT LAW “ON JUSTICE SCHOOL” PASSES INTERNATIONAL EXAMINATION TODAY
YEREVAN, August 13 (Noyan Tapan). The draft law necessary for the
establishment of the justice school in Armenia is subjected to
international examination today. RA Minister of Justice David
Harutiunian told journalists about it on August 13. He mentioned that
in case of the positive answer of the international examination, the
draft law is likely to be submitted to the RA National Assembly for
discussion till the end of this year. David Harutiunian didn’t exclude
that current judges will be also retrained in the school parallel with
the training of new judges.

CHILDREN ALSO SUFFER FROM FAMILY VIOLENCE
VANADZOR, August 13 (Noyan Tapan). The research on 400 cases of family
violence has been conducted in nine marzes of Armenia since October
2002. The research results were presented during the August 13 seminar
in Vanadzor organized by the Helsinki Association of Armenia (HAA) and
the “Tsovinar” public organization. HAA Chairman Mikael Danielian
noted that family violence is not limited to cases when husbands
batter their wives. According to him, one motive for family violence
is the fact of being a sexual minority member either by husband or by
wife. At the same time, M. Danielian noted that the Association
undertakes protective measures with respect to victims only if they
seek the organization’s help. It was also mentioned that the research
done in the Lori marz revealed that not only women but also children
suffered from family violence. Anna Hakobian, Chairwoman of the
“Tsovinar” organization, reported that their interference in the cases
of family violence does not pursue the goal to dissolve marriages, and
they intervene in these conflicts only when the case gets to court and
the victims need free legal defense.

PROBLEMS OF ARMENIAN EDUCATION DISCUSSED AT PAN-DIASPORA CONFERENCE
HELD IN ANTELIAS
YEREVAN, August 13 (Noyan Tapan). Over 70 delegates from 18 hubs of
the Diaspora participated in the Pan-Diaspora Conference on Armenian
Education held in Antelias on August 5-7. The Pan-Diaspora Conference
was held under the patronage of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the
Great Cilician House. Hranush Hakobian, Chairwoman of the RA NA
Commission on Education, Science, Culture and Youth Affairs, and Levon
Ananian, Chairman of the Armenian Writers’ Union (AWU), represented
Armenia at the conference. The AWU Chairman told NT’s correspondent
that reports entitled “Current Situation of Armenian Education by
Statistic Data and Estimation of Results of Armenian Education”,
“Prospects of Armenian Education”, “Role of Children’s-Junior
Literature in Armenian Education”, as well as other reports were heard
during the conference.
According to Levon Ananian, “the conference showed that the primary
problems in the educational-cultural sphere are put before the
Diaspora”. That’s why participants of the conference considered that
it is necessary to pay special attention to the development of the
children’s-junior literature, because the aesthetic education should
start from childhood. Levon Ananian mentioned that the work should be
carried out in order that the children’s books should be published in
Armenia both in Western Armenian and Eastern Armenian. The problem of
the closing of the Melgonian Gymnasia of Cyprus was also touched upon
during the conference.
According to Levon Ananian, this anti-national policies should be
stopped. “Our national structures and foundations resolve their
problems in narrow circles, meanwhile problems agitating the Armenian
people should be submitted for open discussion,” said the Chairman of
the Armenian Writers’ Union. Levon Ananian said that the problem was
arisen during the conference to establish the Pan-Armenian Educational
Center in Beirut and the Open University in Aleppo. “This conference
is a fine simulus, which should contribute to the Pan-Armenian forum
to be held in Tsaghkadzor on August 27-29, because if there is the
Armenian school, there is the Armenian nation, if there is no Armenian
school, it means there is no Armenian nation. And the school in the
Diaspora is the stronghold of the Armenian preservation,” Levon
Ananian concluded.