ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Oct 27 2006
REAL ORGANIZERS OF TERRORIST ACT IN ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT ON OCTOBER 27
1999 HAS NOT BEEN PUNISHED SO FAR: HEAD OF RPA FACTION
The real organizers of the terrorist act in the Armenian Parliament
on October 27 1999 has not been punished so far, said Galust
Sahakyan, Head of the Republican party faction, at a briefing in the
Armenian Parliament, Friday.
He said that only the persons who became instruments in the hands of
the organizers of the terrorist act have been arrested. “In a
definite period of time, it will become clear wherefrom the blow was.
I can only say that the terrorist act was organized by external
forces,” he said.
In his turn, representative of the People’s Party of Armenia Stepan
Zakayan said that after the murder of the speaker Karen Demirchyan
and the prime minister Vazgen Sargsyan on October 27 1999, Armenia
has lost a definite part of its sovereignty. The incumbent
authorities are waging a policy of vassals. To prove his words, S.
Zakaryan said that the whole energy system of Armenia has been
transferred to Russia. “To prove their devotion to Georgia, Armenian
authorities have arrested one of the leaders of ‘United Javakhq’
organization Vahagn Chakhalyan, who was actively protecting the
rights of the Armenian community of Georgia,” he said.
On October 27 1999 terrorists killed the speaker Karen Demirchyan,
the prime minister Vazgen Sargsyan, a number of parliamentarians and
government members. The terrorists were sentenced to life
imprisonment, except Hamlet Stepanyan, who was imprisoned for 14
years.

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Oct 27 2006
ARMENIA FROZEN IN BOW TO EAST AND WEST: ARMENIAN MP
“Armenia has got a bit confused of humanitarian generosity and
political restrictions coming from Russia and USA”, an MP Alvard
Petrosyan said at the press conference today.
She pointed out that it is typical for small countries to be at the
same time attracted by East and West. But in the case of Armenia the
continuous bowing before the countries and cultures starts to acquire
a chronic character. “Armenia is speaking too loud of its demerits
and keeping silent about its merits and as usual it stresses that it
can’t survive without Russia”, said the MP and added that she doesn’t
consider this position right.
A. Petrosyan said that Armenians have to raise their self-appraisal
and learn to respect themselves. “If we were really a strong state
and not a slavish one, then no one would have dared to talk about the
necessity for Armenia choosing between of Russia’s or Georgia’s
interests”, said the MP.

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Oct 27 2006
THE AMOUNT OF TOURIST TO ARMENIA TO MAKE 400 THS IN 2006
The number of tourists coming to Armenia will make up 400 ths by the
end of 2006, Ara Petrosyan, Minister of Trade and Economy
Development, said at the international conference on the role of
youth in keeping and developing cultural-cognitive tourism’.
He said that the annual amount of tourists to Armenia increases by
20-25% for the last seven years. It means that the amount has grown
10 times within the period. To compare – 320 ths of tourists visited
Armenia in 2005, and only 40 ths – in 2000.
Hasmik Poghosyan, Minister of Culture and Youth Affairs, said that
apart from reach cultural-historical sights Armenia has all
prerequisites to develop its ecological and agricultural tourism.
Investments in development of tourism infrastructures will be needed
in this case. She pointed out that the Government is regularly
carrying out investment programs to restore cultural and
architectural memorials. Ministry of Trade and Economy Development
reports that half of the tourists come to Armenia to visit friends
and relatives. By estimates, 70% of the tourists are ethnical
Armenians. 31% of tourists arrive to Armenia on business or
diplomatic visits, 5% to improve health problems, and 1% to get
education.
There are 5 ths tourist organizations and operators in Armenia. Every
tourist spends approximately 800-1000 USD during his stay in the
country. About 500 ths USD is annually spent for tourism advertising
in Armenia. Experts say that it is far from being enough to invite
tourists in the state. To compare – in Jordan over 1.5 mln USD is
spent annually in tourism advertising. Tourism experts from Georgia,
Iran, France, Roumania and Belarus participate in the two-day
conference.
From: Baghdasarian

PRESS RELEASE
American University of Armenia
300 lakeside Drive, 5th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
Tel: (510) 987-9452
Fax: (510) 208-3576
Web: <; Contact: Gaiane Khatchatrian Email: [email protected] The American University of Armenia (AUA) is a privately endowed independent American institution of higher education in the Republic of Armenia. Located in the Capital, Yerevan, AUA currently offers graduate instruction leading to the Master's degree in eight fields of study: Business Administration, Industrial Engineering and Systems Management, Computer and Information Science, Political Science, Public Health, Law, Comparative Legal Studies, and Teaching of English as a Foreign Language. The College of Health Sciences was established in 1994 and has awarded over 100 MPH degrees. The Center for Health Services Research and Development is actively engaged in an increasingly expansive portfolio of projects in Armenia and the region. The College is an active member of the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER). AUA is currently seeking qualified candidates for the position of Dean of College of Health Sciences, who will be responsible to provide academic leadership in all aspects of the College, including strategic planning, curriculum, program growth and development, hiring and evaluation of faculty, spurring regional and international recruitment of MPH students, fiscal management, outcome assessment, and fund raising. The successful candidate will possess an appropriate terminal degree and a distinguished record of teaching; experience in generating and supporting development of external funding from a variety of sources; familiarity with current education policy issues and quality assurance practices; proven competence in strategic planning, fund-raising, and resource management. Previous experience in performing academic duties in an international setting is preferred. Clinical training is an asset. Recently retired or faculty in transition are encouraged to apply. Nominations and Applications, including a Curriculum Vita, letter of application and three references should be sent to: American University of Armenia Corporation, 300 Lakeside Drive, 5th Floor, Oakland, California, 94612. ATT: Gaiane Khachatrian, Recruitment Coordinator; [email protected]; Fax: (510) 208-3576. The position is available as of January 2007. Review of applicants begins immediately and will continue until the position is filled. AUA is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer.

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Oct 27 2006
ARMENIA BADLY ‘EXPLOITS’ THE 1915 GENOCIDE FACT: RECTOR OF RAU
“I think that we are badly ‘exploiting’ the fact of Armenian Genocide
in Ottoman Empire in 1915. Maybe we have a task and we are on the way
to achieve it – to press on Turkey with the whole world to
acknowledge the responsibility for the bloody facts in their history.
And only after we made them take over the responsibility for that can
we move forward”, said Armen Darbinyn, Rector of Russian-Armenian
(Slavonic) State University (RAU) at the meeting in the University.
“We want Turks to be better. Out strives for the world’s
acknowledgement of the Genocide resulted in that 22 countries, where
Armenian Diaspora is strong, acknowledge the Genocide”, said the
Rector. “What does asking for excuse mean? Only the strong can do
that. Germans have publicly asked for excuse of Jews for the
Holocaust. And to prove that they ‘purified’ themselves they adopted
a law on criminalizing denial of Jewish Genocide”, he pointed out.
A. Darbinyan added that there is no political party in Germany that
would come up with nationalist slogans. He goes on “There is a party
of the kind in Austria, in France, there are many of such in Russia,
but there is none in Germany. Turks are not ready to beg their pardon
before us. We want to press on them to make them purer, better,
nobler but we won’t succeed in it because they are not ready yet”.
“We are placing Turks in the core of our foreign policy and actions
that in the end lead to making Turks better. Maybe it is an important
task but we have other more important tasks. There is a task before
us – to make ourselves better. This is the goal we must achieve,
otherwise the victims we have had won’t be revenged”, stressed A.
Darbinyan. – MR-
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Lragir, Armenia
Oct 27 2006
UN WORLD FOOD PROGRAM COULD NOT OBTAIN CLEARANCE FOR SUGAR

Monopolies in Armenia affect not only the country’s economy but also
the work of the international organizations in Armenia. The Lragir
has learned that the UN WFP, which implements a food-for-work project
in Armenia, imported sugar to Armenia. The customs office denied
customs clearance saying that they need the permission of the
government first. The UN WFP representatives turned to the prime
minister, who promised to solve this problem but only after the
consignment of sugar imported to Armenia for sale is sold. And sugar
is imported to Armenia by the businessman member of parliament Samvel
Alexanyan. The UN informed the prime minister that the government of
the country has to pay a fine for the food they import that remains
at the customs office. We have learned that the prime minister said
there is no problem, and the government will pay the fine, which
totals several hundreds of thousand dollars.

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Oct 27 2006
MONUMENT FOR VICTIMS OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AND HOLOCAUST OPENS IN YEREVAN
“A crime against a whole nation cannot be forgotten,” said Chief
Rabbi of Armenia Gersh Meir-Burshtein at the opening of a Monument
for the Victims of Armenian Genocide and Holocaust in Yerevan.
He said that the Monument will serve a farewell speech for the
generations in order that they do not allow repetition of such
tragedies in future. “The silence on the point of Armenian Genocide
of 1915 led to the repetition of the tragedy during the World War II.
However, neither the Ottoman Turkey nor the Nazi Germany managed to
eradicate the cultural heritage of the Armenian and Jewish peoples,”
he said. “The world community must understand at last that conflicts
must be settled in a democratic way only,” Gersh Mein-Burshtein said.
In her turn, Head of the Department for Religion and National
Minorities, the Armenian Government, Hranuysh Kharatyan, indicated at
the indifference of the leadership of a number of countries to the
problem of xenophobia. Despite the public speeches of many public
organizations against this terrible phenomenon, no one is safeguarded
against racism, she said.
To recap, 6 million of Jews fell victim to the Holocaust during the
World War II. Earlier in 1915, 1,5 million of Armenians were killed
in the Ottoman Empire.

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Oct 27 2006
PROTEST RALLY IN AKHALKALAKI AGAINST LOCAL OPPOSITION LEADER’S ARREST
IN ARMENIA
Today, a protest rally was held on the Square of Liberty in
Akhalkalaki (Georgia) against Vahagn Chakhalyan’s arrest in Yerevan,
October 11. Chakhalyan is one of the presidium members of the “United
Javakhq” Democratic Bloc.
Javakhq-Info says that the population of the nearby villages
participated in the rally. The demonstrators expressed indignation at
the absurd charge instituted against Chakhalyan for trespassing the
Georgian-Armenian border, and claimed his immediate release.
At the end of the rally, the demonstrators made a statement that they
will take more rigid measures if their claims are disregarded.

Koha Jone, Albania
26 Oct 06
Commentary accuses Albanian foreign minister of “negligence” on
Kosovo issue
by Donat Syla “Failed diplomacy”
At a meeting with a Serbian politician, Albania Foreign Minister
Besnik Mustafaj said, among other things, that “the question of the
status of Kosova [Kosovo] should not affect the process of bilateral
cooperation” and that “the relations we are building between our two
countries must be durable and long-term regardless of the positions
adopted by the two sides over Kosova’s status.” As the head of
Albanian diplomacy, Mr Mustafaj must know the saying that the enemy
of my friend is my enemy. Or, in other words, the enemy of my brother
is my enemy. This is what the Canon of the Mountains [traditional
social/legal code] said.
Yet, without overcharging the issue with nationalist ideology, as we
are being told that it is not fashionable to mention that in the 21st
century, we must remark that, besides the Kosova issue, bilateral
relations between Albania and Serbia contain many elements that
undermine Albania’s position with regard to Serbia, especially in the
economic and diplomatic fields.
Why is it so? Because, despite all the destruction the Serbian
economy has suffered in the past few years, it still has the
necessary infrastructures to rise, to recover and to advance, also
with the help of the international community. In other words, the
Serbian economy will be the main one in the Western Balkans. US
diplomacy is also interested in its revival, as Daniel Fried [US
assistant secretary of state] stated during a visit he paid to
Belgrade recently, when he said that the United States wished to have
Serbia as a strategic partner and a leader in the region.
However, Albania has been showing immaturity in the diplomatic field
too, although it knows full well that, during the war in Kosova,
Serbia provoked it more than once in border incidents.
Besides, Serbia is facing criticism from international opinion and it
has not yet met its most elementary obligations under international
justice, as it has not handed over some of its main criminals
responsible for genocidal campaigns in the former Yugoslavia.
Here it is worth recalling that a little while ago France condemned
the Turkish genocide of the Armenians, although this issue directly
affects not the French, but a nation in a corner of Europe that is
striving to become a member of the European Union.
Foreign Minister Mustafaj stated recently that the issue of Kosova’s
final status would be postponed to next year. What is upsetting in
our foreign minister’s statements is that the man has been preaching
something that is not good for Kosova, something that also implies
Albania’s responsibility in this issue, which is a manifestation of
utter negligence in so important a matter.
To a certain extent, Mustafaj has paved the way for the international
factor to work for a solution to the Kosova issue that does not take
into consideration the interests of the Albanians, still less of the
Albanians who live outside Albania’s borders.
It is rather surprising that Albania has taken some bold steps in its
foreign policy towards another Balkan state – Macedonia, in this case
– knowing that backing the request of the Macedonian Albanians to
have their own flag or the request of most Macedonians to have their
country named Macedonia runs counter to Greece’s aspirations to the
territories to the north of its borders. If Albanian diplomacy had
not backed down on its statements on this issue, Albania would have
risked losing a very important economic source, taking into account
that Greek investors play a major part in the Albanian economy and
also that there are a considerable number of Albanians living and
working in Greece.
At a news conference during a Balkan conference held in Serbia a few
days ago, President Moisiu said in so many words that there could be
no compromise over Kosova’s final status. This he did in an exchange
with Serbia’s President Tadic who, among other things, tried to
present Kosova as a country in which terrorism and crime thrived. And
despite all that, Serbia wants to have Kosova back in its midst.
It follows that Serbia has nothing against dealing with “terrorists,”
or rather, terrorizing those it calls terrorists.
This can well be expected from a Serbian president. However,
considering how Albanian diplomacy has been acting over the Kosova
issue, one can clearly say that it has failed in defending the
interests of the Kosovars, as according to the head of Albanian
diplomacy the Kosova issue should not affect Albania’s relations with
Serbia.
In the meantime, Serbia is resorting to all manner of pressure to
present Kosova in the worst possible light to the international
community. The “revolted” Albanian president has, however, seen the
mistakes of Albanian diplomacy.
A sinister fate is, as always, following us both in Kosova and
Albania and, what is worse, this is due to the political
shortsightedness of our politicians.

Rompres news agency, Romania
27 Oct 06
Romanian EU commissioner nominee denies collaborating with Securitate
Bucharest, 27 October: Liberal Senator Varujan Vosganian, who was
nominated for European commissioner from Romania, on Friday [27
October] rejected accusations of having collaborated with the
Securitate, the communist-era secret police. “I never had any kind of
collaboration with any Securitate bodies,” said Vosganian, adding
there is no document to prove the accusations levelled against him.
He said the whole affair was a manipulation stirred amid his having
been nominated for European commissioner.
Vosganian stressed that his post-1990 incomes came from the senator’s
pay, the Armenians’ Union, the Romanian Authors’ Union where he is a
vice-president, and from the two micro-enterprises where he is a
major shareholder.