POLES HAVE FEELING OF SPIRITUAL CONTACT AND HISTORICAL SIMILARITY WITH ARMENIAN PEOPLE, SENATE MARSHAL CONSIDERS
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Nov 7 2006
ETCHMIADZIN, NOVEMBER 7, NOYAN TAPAN. Catholicos of All Armenians
Karekin II expressed gratitude to the authorities of the Republic of
Poland for recognition of the Armenian Genocide in 2005 in the Polish
Seimas, as well as for honest and kind attitude constantly shown
towards the Armenian community. Receiving the official delegation
led by Polish Senate Marshal Bodgan Borusevich, accompanied by
representatives of RA NA and the Ambassadors of the two countries on
November 7 in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, his Holiness the
Patriarch congratulated B.Borusevich on the occasion of Poland’s
Independence Day to be marked November 11 wishing peaceful and
prosperous life to the godly Polish people.
“Such visits come to contribute to deepening of relations between our
two peoples and countries,” His Holiness emphasized touching upon
the ancient-old friendship between the two peoples and cooperation
formed between the two peoples.
B.Borusevich speaking about Polish-Armenian centuries-old relations,
mentioned the important contribution of Armenians to Poland’s
history. “True, currently our relations are not so close as in the
past, but sympathy towards Armenia and Armenians preserves… We feel
spiritual contact with the Armenian people, we also have a feeling
of historical similarity,” the Senate Marshal said.
During the meeting, the Catholicos of All Armenians touched upon the
issue of organization of the spiritual and church life of the Armenian
community in Poland. B.Borusevich said that soon the Polish authorities
will officially register the Armenian Apostolic Church and community.
They also spoke about the important mission of the church in the life
of the two peoples.

TURK YOUNG MAN RUINS PICTURES OF ARMENIAN EXHIBITION
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Nov 7 2006
ROME, NOVEMBER 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. A Turk young man, who
had done great damage during the exhibition presenting the Armenian
Genocide, was arrested in Italy. The exhibition was organized by
Piedro Kuchukian.
According to Marmara, the Turk young man visited the exhibition and
kicking the pictures, ruined them.

ORINATS YERKIR APPEALED TO PROCURACY
Lragir, Armenia
Nov 7 2006
Members of parliament Mher Shahgeldyan and Heghineh Bisharyan, Orinats
Yerkir stated November 7 that the political party has turned to the
Office of the Attorney General asking to find out the organizers
of the black PR against the political party. Mher Shahgeldyan says
their statement that the organizers are Serge Sargsyan and Andranik
Margaryan is the political aspect of the problem. “We made a statement,
now let the law enforcers make their statement.” For her part, Heghineh
Bisharyan added that if the government is not involved in this plot
against Orinats Yerkir Party, it is amazing that the government is
unaware of what is going on in the country.
The representatives of the Orinats Yerkir Party said they got the
information about Serge Sargsyan and Andranik Margaryan from the
TV companies, which broadcast denigrating reports, and the latter
promised to tell the same to the law enforcement agencies.
The political party first tried to avoid a scandal and settle the
problem quietly, and offered the members of the Republican Party
to stop if they are the organizers, or state that they are not the
organizers. The Republican Party did not reply, meanwhile Andranik
Margaryan and Serge Sargsyan stated that they are not involved in
this campaign against the political party.
The Orinats Yerkir Party did not report separate persons to the
procuracy. The representatives of Orinats Yerkir also said that
they had spoken about the unequal conditions of the pro-government
forces and the opposition before the Referendum on Constitution in
2005 and now they do not wish to appear as the most oppositionist and
chazed force. “We respect and we want to be respected. Our criticism
was realistic. There was a lot of criticizing because the negative
phenomena in the country are very many.” “We live in a small country
and everyone knows who has what, uses what, which are the sources,
and where the opportunities arise,” stated Heghineh Bisharyan. Mher
Shahgeldyan added that they have never resorted to black PR and will
never do. A news reporter asked to comment on the statement in the
official newspaper of the Orinats Yerkir Party that the international
organizations fear Arthur Baghdasaryan. Mher Shahgeldyan characterized
it as “the reporter’s blunder, which cannot express a standpoint
or approach.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

IDEOLOGICAL DISCREDIT
Aram Abrahamian
Aravot, Armenia
Nov 8 2006
Yesterday our communists celebrated November 7. As usual a group
of pensioners put wreaths at Myasnikian and Shahumian monuments and
then walked a little under red flags. Some people may laugh at poor
old men, who naively believe that there is machine of time, which can
send us to 30 years ago. But such people become lesser year by year,
and the problem of communist restoration isn’t actual any more.
The ideas of human equality, public useful work, social justice is
as valuable and utopist as any other idea. But in our former country
those ideas were being discredited systematically. Not going to the
early decades, let’s remember what happened to the middle generation in
’70-80-s. Each worker wanted to steal something from the factory of
“public property”, storekeeper was one of the respectable positions,
policemen and prosecutors had an image of robbers, secretaries of
regional committees were taking bribes from recruits etc. Those weren’t
“separate omissions”; it was a generally adopted practice.
What did remain from bright ideas? Almost nothing. When that system
reached to its logic end, our communists didn’t try to save the
rational, social0democratic part of that idea; instead they began
playing on nostalgia. The RA authorities delivered the last blow
to the communists, separating the Communistic Party into several
“Communistic Parties”. As a result our political system was deprived
of some important elements.
But the situation wouldn’t be so anxious if only communist idea was
discredited. Liberalism and nationalism were also discredited during
15 years. As a result of “market relations” use, we have several
illiterate officials, who rule the country, and the liberalism
have become an old nonsense, when even the member of former liberal
government Hakob Movses says that Turks, as an ethnos, aren’t able
to create a high level literature.
So, before parliamentary elections the lack of ideas has its objective
reasons.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

POLITICIANS DISCUSS ELECTORAL CODE AMENDMENTS
By Ruzanna Khachatrian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Nov 8 2006
The issue of forming electoral commissions featured prominently during
Wednesday’s discussions of amendments to the Electoral Code organized
by Armenia’s largest independent election-monitoring organization
called “The Choice is Yours”.
The Constitutional Court on Tuesday found the Electoral Code
provision allowing the presence of judges in electoral commissions
unconstitutional and ordered all judges currently involved in
commissions as members to stop their activities and lawmakers to make
appropriate amendments in the Code.
Senior Republican Party member Samvel Nikoyan thinks this is a matter
to discuss and reach an agreement. The ruling party’s representative,
however, stopped short of expressing either his party’s or his personal
view on who should replace judges in electoral commissions.
Gegham Manukian, of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, thinks
it is yet early to speak about concrete proposals. “But I am sure
that the issue will be specified before the second reading of the
Electoral Code,” he said.
Orinats Yerkir’s Hovannes Markarian thinks it will only be fair if the
political forces represented in parliament get an equal representation
in electoral commissions. “We have six political forces in parliament
— three opposition and three pro-government. So let’s enable these
political forces to be represented by two members each and we will get
12 commission members. This will be a fair approach,” he underlined.
“If we have five or six pro-government political parties winning in
next elections, what will happen in the commissions, will they not form
the commission by saying there is no opposition?” Felix Khachatrian,
a representative of the opposition Artarutyun faction in the Central
Election Commission, queried. “Three years ago we said judges have
no right to be present in commissions both by the constitution and
moral principles.”
And opposition “Hanrapetutyun” (Republic) Party senior member
Artak Zeynalian urged Armenia’s lawmakers to be more responsible
in adopting laws. “Every lawmaker at the National Assembly should
bear responsibility and make sure that no norm contradicting the
constitution and the rule-of-law principle is adopted.”

BIRTH RATE DECLINED TWICE
Lragir, Armenia
Nov 7 2006
According to the minister of employment and social security Aghvan
Vardanyan, the rate of the demographic growth in Armenia is highly
worrying, the news agency ARKA reports. The minister stated that
over the past 25 years Armenia has been facing serious demographic
problems. Against the annual 80-84 thousand children born in Armenia
the late 1980s and the early 1990s, the annual rate of birth has
been 40 thousand children over the past 2-3 years. The rate of birth
has halved. One of the chief reasons, according to Aghvan Vardanyan,
is the problem of government assistance to young families.

BELARUS PREPARED TO PROVIDE EVERY ASSISTANCE ON FINAL DOCUMENT ON RESOLUTION
OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT IN MINSK – BELARUSIAN AMBASSADOR
Author: S.Agayeva
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Nov 8 2006
Nikolay Patzkevich, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador
of Belarus to Azerbaijan, stated on 8 November in Baku that Belarus
is prepared to provide every assistance to the final document on the
resolution of the [Armenian-Azerbaijani] Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
in Minsk.
We are deeply concerned about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We
understand the essence and outcome of the conflict, he noted. “As
a result of our experience of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station,
Belarus fully understands the problems of internally displaced people,”
the diplomat stated. It results in multi-million losses in funds,
moral and human losses for the Government and the State.
“We hope the conflict will be resolved on the basis of international
principles and are prepared to render every assistance on the signing
of a peace agreement in Minsk.”

ARAM KARAPETYAN ANSWERS SERGE SARGSYAN
Lragir, Armenia
Nov 7 2006
In answer to Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan’s hints in his interviews
addressed to me I state that recently Mr. Sargsyan breaks down rather
often. Every time he answers an important question, he either calls
people wretched or says that criticizing him makes some people feel
more important. I should mention at once that unlike Mr. Sargsyan,
who became minister of defense by chance, with only philological
education, I became established in the sphere of science getting my
first academic title at the age of 26.
It is evident that though Mr. Sargsyan and I function in the Russian
geopolitical sphere, he has lost in this sphere by his short-sighted
and illogical moves, which is the cause of Serge Sargsyan’s nervous
breakdown.
Although we beieve that the minister of defense is real danger for
the society of our country, we agree that the reality has changed,
or as Mr. Sargsyan says, “it is not like 5, 7 or 10 years ago”,
and we will not hit a minister or another government official on the
head for expressing opinion. After the imminent change of power we
will quiely and in a civilized way lead the present government to
the nearest court of law.

ASSISTANCE SHOULD BE STOPPED UNTIL ELECTION 2007
Lragir, Armenia
Nov 7 2006
Amalia Kostanyan, Chair of the Center for Regional
Development/Transparency International stated November 6 that it is
not expedient to withdraw Armenia from the list of countries assisted
by the Millennium Challenge Corporation, reports the news agency
ARKA. Amalia Kostanyan said it is not right to deprive the people of
Armenia of assistance from international organizations, namely the
MCC because separate representatives of the government are corrupt.
“People are extremely poor and really need the help of the
international community.”
Instead Amalia Kostanyan thinks it is necessary to reinforce the
monitoring of the use of financial aid provided to the country. “Over
10-15 years that Armenia gets assistance no case of prosecuting a
government official for misuse or misappropriation of these funds
has been reported.” Amalia Kostanyan thinks the assistance of the
MCC should be stopped until the parliamentary election 2007.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OPENING BORDERS BETWEEN TURKEY AND ARMENIA IS IMPOSSIBLE UNDER PRESENT SITUATION – HEAD OF IGDIR MUNICIPALITY
Author: E.Huseynov
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Nov 8 2006
Opening the borders between Turkey and Armenia is impossible under
the present situation, the Head of the Igdir Municipality of Turkey,
Nurettin Aras, stated in an exclusive interview with Trend.
According to him, the European Union (EU) member-countries insist
on opening the Turkish-Armenian borders. “There are no relations
between Turkey’s entrance to the European Union and the opening of
the borders with Armenia, and it does not reflect within the Helsinki
Charter. However, the EU Head and member-countries are constantly
pressurizing Turkey on this issue and calls for its borders to open.
This matter is touched upon at each level and the pressure is
unavoidable,” Aras said. He stressed that recently, a number of
countries put this question as a condition for Turkey’s entrance into
the European Union. “Will the borders be opened as a result of these
pressures? Never!!! The Turkish Constitution does not allow it,”
he added.
According to Aras, to open the Turkish-Armenian borders it needs
not only to recognize the existing borders, but also Armenia should
improve its relations with Azerbaijan, as well as open the transport
route to Baku.
Aras positively assessed the initiatives to open a transit
corridor between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Iran via Nakchivan
Autonomous Republic. “Together with the opening of the rail link
Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku, there is no reason not to support the
construction of the railway stretches to Iran through Nakchivan. It
will be of mutual benefit. Consequently, the Silk Route will develop,”
Aras concluded.