AROUND 1,500 PEOPLE ARE EXPECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THIRD PAN-ARMENIAN CONFERENCE
ARMENRESS
YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENRESS: The third Armenia-Diaspora conference
is going to take place September 18-20 in the Karen Demirchian sport
complex.
Around 800 people from 47 countries and Pan-Diaspora organizations
have already presented applications for participation. Overall,
1,500 people are expected to participate in the conference.
Jivan Movsisian, secretary of the preparation commission of the third
Pan-Armenian conference and the head of the Diaspora ties department
at the Armenian Foreign Ministry, told Armenpress that they will be
receiving applications for participation until September 1.
At the plenary session which is going to take place September 18
with the participation of representatives of Armenian and Karabakh
presidents, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and Cilician
Catholicos Aram I issues on the Armenia-Diaspora partnership and
development prospects will be discussed.
The second half of the session will be devoted to the discussion of
the main issue included in the agenda – the program on the development
of Armenian rural areas. From September 19 to 20 a conference on
“New Answers to Old Questions: Armenians in the 21st Century” is
going to be held.
On September 20 second Armenia-Diaspora Pan-Armenian economic
conference is going to take place, on September 22 second international
conference “Armagroforum” will be organized. From September 22 to 24
exhibition of Armenian products will be held and on September 21 the
participants of the conference will take part in the events dedicated
to the 15th anniversary of the Armenian independence.
The first Pan-Armenian conference was held in September 1999 and the
second one in May 2002. Jivan Movsisian said that the third conference
provides the best opportunity to discuss, analyze and sum up together
with Diaspora Armenians the 15-year long way Armenia has passed and
to earmark the further activities.
“The main aim of the conference is to unite and do everything
by centralizing our opportunities for creating conditions and
opportunities for safe development of the people,” Movsisian said.

CHILDREN IN ARMAVIR LEARN ENGLISH
ARMENPRESS
YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS: Children of Armenia Fund (COAF)
charity foundation and Bryusov State Linguistic University carried
out “English Classes” experimental program during July-August in the
Armenian province of Armavir. Around 88 children from 6 to 8 years
old participated in the program.
Foundation’s press service official told Armenpress that the program
was initiated and financed by the COAF and carried out by the young
language specialists from the Bryusov University.
COAF is intending to initiate such like program in fall as well.

ARMENIAN FM TO PARTICIPATE IN “CASPIAN PROSPECTS 2008” CONFERENCE
ARMENPRESS
YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian is going to participate in the “Caspian Prospects-2008”
conference which will be conducted August 27-28 in Bled, Slovenia.
The conference is organized by the joint efforts of the Slovenian
Foreign Ministry and Ljubljana’s Strategic Researches Institute.
Armenian Foreign Ministry press service told Armenpress that during
the conference which is dedicated to the EU-South Caucasus relations
a discussion will be held over the geo-political, economic, strategic
and political prospects of the South Caucasian and Caspian regions.
Heads of states, foreign ministers, NATO and EU special representatives
in the South Caucasus, international experts and political analysts
are going to participate in the conference. During the conference
Armenian foreign minister is expected to deliver a speech.

AZG Armenian Daily #162, 26/08/2006
Obituary
CONDOLENCE
On occasion of death of great poetess, worthy daughter
of the Armenian people Silva Kaputikian, Tekeyan
Cultural Association of Armenia expresses its
condolence to the Armenian people in Armenia and in
Diaspora and the poetess’ son Ara Shiraz as well as
her other relatives.

AZG Armenian Daily #162, 26/08/2006
Home
ARMENIA DISCUSSES ISSUE OF SENDING ITS PEACEKEEPERS TO LEBANON
In upcoming weeks Armenia will discuss the issue of sending its
peacekeepers to Lebanon, RFE/RL quoted Geham Gharibjanian, deputy
foreign minister, as saying. “We continually get detailed information
from Lebanon via our embassy, and as soon as the international
peacekeeping forces are deployed and begin operating, our tasks will
become clearer.”

AZG Armenian Daily #162, 26/08/2006
Europe
PORTUGAL PROFITS BY GULBENKIAN INHERITANCE
Daniel Silva, correspondent of Agence France-Presse, writes from
Lisbon that though Portugal does not produce oil it nevertheless
profits by oil riches in the last 50 years. Those riches played a
big role in development of diverse spheres of the country.
The article that The Armenian Mirror Spectator published in its August
12 issue touches upon the Galust Gyulbekian Foundation. The Foundation
established in 1956 has brought the country a profit of 2 billion
euros by financing a number of rehabilitation centers, the country’s
philharmonic orchestra, libraries and educational establishments.
“The Foundation was a wonderful luck in the history of our country,”
sociologist Antonio Berton who is writing a book about the influence of
the Foundation on the country said last month during the celebrations
of the Foundation’s 50th anniversary.
Fleeing the Nazi occupied France at the age of 73, Gyulbenkian spent
the last 13 years of his life in a hotel in Lisbon and as an expression
of his gratefulness he handed down his fortune and the huge collection
of art works to the country with a hope that a charity foundation will
be founded. Thanks to correct handling assets initially estimated at 14
million euro rose to 3 billion that totals to 2 percent of Portugal’s
GDP and makes the Foundation the 6th biggest charity organization in
Europe. Among its holdings is Partex oil company that produces 13.5
million barrel of oil annually and exports it to Abu Dhabi, Angola,
Algeria, Brazil, Kazakhstan and Oman. 80 percent of revenue is spent
in Portugal, 20 percent in African colonies.
One of the first initiatives of the Foundation was creation of a
network of “mobile libraries” that provided Portuguese regions with
literature during the right-wing dictatorship in the country. The
second important task was providing scholarships to students. To date,
65.000 students, including Portuguese president Anibal Cavaco Silva,
benefited from the scholarship.
“I think we can never be sufficiently grateful to him for his
generosity,” Rui Vilar, president of the Foundation, said in an
interview with JL literary journal.
By Hakob Tsulikian

AZG Armenian Daily #162, 26/08/2006
Region
CONSTRUCTION OF KARS-AKHALKALAK-TBILISI-BAKU TO START 2007
“Kars-Akhalkalak-Tbilisi-Baku railway is of strategic importance for
Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Execution of the project will begin in 2007,” Trend agency referred
to Turkish press that quoted Binali Yildirim, transport minister of
Turkey, as saying.
“$320 million was allocated for the project’s implementation,” Yildirim
said adding that “thanks to the railway, Turkey will become the main
transit country in transporting goods from Europe to Asia.”
Yildirim said that currently the issue of another railway through
Nakhijevan to Iran is being discussed.
“We will carefully discuss that issue,” the Turkish minister said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZG Armenian Daily #162, 26/08/2006
Region
BEAUTY CONTEST IN CAUCASUS
The office of “Miss Caucasus” beauty contest in Armenia is 6 years
old. As a result of its activities in all Caucasian cities, beauty
contests were held in Nalchik (2003), Vladikavkaz (2004) and Yerevan
(2005). The upcoming contest will be held in Armenia and Artsakh. The
main “Miss Caucasus” event will be held at the National Opera and
Ballet Theatre on September 2. 20 Caucasian beauties will take part
in the contest displaying not only their attractive bodies but also
their national culture, song and dance.
The Azerbaijani beauties are unlikely to take part in the contest
as Mayis Safarli, deputy at the Azerbaijani parliament has already
condemned the participation of Nagorno Karabakh in the contest,
Ekho newspaper reports. Moreover, he threatened that this “illegal”
act of the Armenian authorities will be punished soon.
The aim of “Miss Caucasus” beauty contest is to “unite around “Peace
in the Caucasus” slogan and to preach beauty and national values,”
Arman Antonian, chairman of the preparatory committee of the contest,
told daily Azg.
By Susanna Margarian

Panorama.am
14:30 25/08/06
ARMENIAN FOREST AGENCY CUTS FORESTS
Armenian Forest has posted announcements at different TV channels
inviting people to buy firewood. It is utmost amazing that a forest
protection agency is engaged in such a sale when the forests are under
the danger of extinction. Panorama.am called the Armenian Forest and
introduced itself as a buyer to learn more on the details of the
sale. It turned out that the sale has nothing to do with sanitary
cutting. The agency said they sell 1 cubic meter of firewood per 4800
Armenian drams in case the buyer cuts the firewood and 9600 Armenian
drams if the agency makes the cutting. The commercial department
employee also ensured that there will be no problems on the roads since
“they are providing a document.”/Panorama.am/

Panorama.am
14:33 25/08/06
5000 AZERI SOLDIERS STARVED TO DEATH: INDEPENDENT POLITICAL SCIENTIST
“The allocations made to the Azerbaijani army are aimed to close
the eyes of the public,” Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan, an independent
political scientist, told a press conference today. He referred to a
Bulgarian member of parliament who has reportedly said at the European
Parliament that more than 5000 soldiers have died at the Azerbaijani
army since 1994 from starvation and diseases.
In the words of Melik-Shahnazaryan, the allocated funds stay at
the army for one month and after that return to the pocket of the
person who has made them. The political scientist says that the Azeri
leadership is composed of tats. He also says the financial leadership
is made up of kurds and the defense minister is lezgi by nationality.
The political scientist assured that Azerbaijan made a purchase
of weapons costing $900 million from Ukraine and Belarus, which,
he says, is a metal scrap. Melik-Shahnazaryan said the purchased
weapons belonged to Russia and the latter sold to third countries
because they were useless. The dream of Azerbaijan to become a strong
state does not come to reality even at the expense of oil dollars,
Melik-Shahnazaryan said. /Panorama.am/