CANADA STANDS FOR CREATION OF A JOINT ARMENIAN-TURKISH COMMISSION OF HISTORIANS
Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 23 2006
Canada supports the Turkish initiative of creating a joint
Armenian-Turkish commission of historians to investigate the Armenian
Genocide issue, says the statement of the Turkish MFA, referring to
Canadian Foreign Minister Peter McKay’s declaration.
Head of the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted in his speech
that he supports the suggestion of Turkey and is ready to apply his
Armenian counterpart Vartan Oskanian to get the agreement of the
Armenian side.
Let us remind, that this initiative was not approved by official
Yerevan, since the Armenian Genocide is an irrefutable fact for the
Armenian side. Besides, according to a number of Armenian historians,
there was an unsuccessful attempt to realize this initiative of Ankara,
when a joint Armenian-Turkish commission was acting in 2201-2003,
which achieved no results. Director of the History Institute of RA
National Academy of Science Ashot Melkonyan had earlier told ArmInfo
that the Turkish side is interested in establishing such a commission,
since it will create a unique status quo, which is called to protract
the discussion of the question as long as possible in the process
of the country’s European integration. Moreover, existence of a
similar commission will serve as a guarantee of Turkey’s “democracy”
in European structures.
RA President Robert Kocharyan declared during a joint press conference
with Jacques Chirac in Yerevan that in a response letter to the
Turkish Prime Minister he has suggested creating an intergovernmental
commission to address all the issues.

DANIEL FRIED: THE US WANTS FAIR DIALOGUE OF ARMENIA AND TURKEY
Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 23 2006
The topic of the Armenian Genocide is very complex and demands a
complete and all-embracing answer, US Assistant Secretary of State
on Europe and Eurasia Daniel Fried said in a press conference in
Brussels, commenting on the adoption of the bill penalizing negation
of the Armenian Genocide denial by the French Parliament.
The Assistant Secretary of State noted that despite the fact that
the US has never characterized the events in the Ottoman Empire as
“genocide,” it does not mean that the US underestimates the seriousness
of the above-mentioned events or denies the mass killing of Armenians
in 1915. Daniel Fried noted that it is senseless to dispute over the
issue. In his words, Washington wants Armenians and Turks to have
fair approach to the question and according to him, some Turks are
already urging their government to behave this way.
“I’m not sure that resolutions like the bill adopted in the French
Parliament will endorse the process,” US Assistant Secretary of
State noted.
From: Baghdasarian

ETHNIC ARMENIAN KILLED IN SAINT PETERSBURG
Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 23 2006
Resident of Belgorod region, ethnic Armenian Henrik Vardapetyan was
killed in Kalinino region of Saint Petersburg.
NEWSru agency reports that he was thrice shot by unknown persons on
his way back from shop. Henrik Vardapetyan was a Russian citizen and
had been residing in Saint Petersburg for 4 years. A criminal case
has been launched on the case.

NKR DEFENSE ARMY HOLDING PLANNED STRATEGIC MILITARY EXERCISES
Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 23 2006
The Defense Army of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic is holding planned
strategic military exercises.
Head of the Press Service of NKR Ministry of Defense Senor Asratyan
informs that the exercises pursue the aim of rising the level of
cooperation between military divisions when carrying out military
actins or counterattack, as well as improvement of skills of the staff.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM VENTURE CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN
Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 23 2006
October 24 Enterprise Incubator Foundation announces the Science and
Technology Entrepreneurship Program (STEP) Venture Conference.
Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Program (STEP) Venture
Conference is aimed to present the results of Business Partnership
promotion grant. Within the grant scope, Armenian scientists joined
with private companies to develop new commercial opportunities, where
R&D products demonstrate their ability to enable revenue creation
and attract private investors’ attention.
During the Venture Conference, 10 such projects will be presented,
including preliminary market assessment, customer needs analysis,
and business development components.
The Conference participants will get a unique opportunity to get
familiar with real examples of collaboration between science and
private sector in Armenia as well as to find potential partnership
and investment opportunities.

VLADIMIR YAKUNIN’S OPINION NEGATIVE ABOUT CONSTRUCTION OF A RAILWAY BYPASSING ARMENIA
Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 23 2006
President of the “Russian railways” OJSC Vladimir Yakunin considers
that the project of construction of the Kars-Akhalkalak-Tbilisi
railway is an attempt to exert pressure over Armenia.
Yakunin told “Echo Moskvi” radio station that his attitude toward
the construction of the railway bypassing Armenia is negative,
Mediamax reports.
“It divides the unity of the railway network that remained from the
Soviet Union,” Vladimir Yakunin said. Moreover, he noted that it is
an attempt of exact states to exert pressure on our friendly country.”

ARF DASHNAKTSUTYUN WON’T MAKE UP ITS MIND
Lragir.am
Oct 23 2006
Although a parliamentary election is going to be held in Armenia
in seven months, the election code has not been adopted yet, and no
possibility of political agreement on all the questions is outlining
yet.
The proposals of the political parties which are not represented to the
parliament are not taken into account. The debates are mainly about the
correlation of the proportional and majority seats. All the political
parties except the Republican Party endorse a 100 percent proportional
system of election. The ARF Dashnaktsutyun is faithful to its style,
“We are for the proportional system but we are not ready for it yet,”
this is the standpoint of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun which was reasserted
on October 23 at the National Assembly.
Unfortunately, the members of the ARF decline to say when we will be
ready for a proportional system of elections, in 10 years or in 110
years, and what we should do to prepare for it.
As usual, this time too only the opposition and one or two
representatives of the parliament majority were present. The
button-pushers referring to themselves as members of parliament did
not listen either. Shavarsh Kocharyan was trying to understand how
it happens that other bills are included in the agenda, meanwhile
the draft electoral code worked out by his political party has been
circulated since March 2006 but has not been included in the agenda.
Victor Dallakyan wanted to convey to everyone that the proportional
system is the right system, and politics is the business of the
political forces.
The deputy foreign minister of defense Arthur Aghabekyan stated about
the bill on the defense of Armenia that the offered ammendments are
not only meant to make the law compliant with the new Constitution
but are also important for the army. In particular, it is offered to
set down in the law that the defense minister is empowered to study
and evaluate the political-military situation, the military threats,
the degree of the country’s security, takes part in working out the
major directions of the military policy of the Republic. In the law
the ministry of defense is entitled to these powers. Besides, Arthur
Agabekyan said the defense minister will not fulfill these functions
alone but after consulting the corresponding agencies of the Ministry
of Defense and experts.

ADDITIONAL PROPOSALS INSTEAD OF PRINCIPLES OF PARIS?
Lragir.am
Oct 23 2006
The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan are meeting in Paris
on October 24. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs Fassier, Merzlyakov and
Bryza will participate in the meeting. On the eve the foreign minister
of Azerbaijani Mammedyarov and on October 24 the Armenian foreign
minister Vardan Oskanyan will have separate meetings with the French
minister of foreign affairs Philippe Douste-Blazy. The purpose of these
meetings is to discuss additional proposals of the OSCE Minsk Group.

ARMENIA IS READY TO MEDIATE RUSSIA – GEORGIA CONLICT
Lragir.am
Oct 23 2006
The Armenian government is ready to assist in the settlement of the
Russian-Georgian conflict if Russia and Georgia wish that, stated
Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan October 23 in Yerevan during the
news conference with his Belarusian counterpart.
“This is the problem of Georgia and Armenia, and the interference
of Armenia or Belarus is not expedient,” said Andranik Margaryan,
the news agency ARKA reports. The prime minister of Armenia added
that if Georgia and Russia want Armenia to assist in settling the
existing problems, the Armenian government is always ready. “However,
we have not been invited yet,” stated Andranik Margaryan.

FOUR MORE CHILDREN PER DAY OR GROWTH OF POVERTY
Lragir.am
Oct 23 2006
If in 2006 the Armenian government allocated 1.256 billion drams for
the one-time benefit on the birth of a child, next year the government
estimates to spend 1.326 billion drams.
The size of the one-time benefit paid on birth of a child will remain
35 thousand drams. In other words, if the government had estimated 99
children a day this year, next year the government hopes to see 103
children born every day. On the other hand, it should be taken into
account that the one-time benefit doubles for poor families. In other
words, it is possible that the birth rate will not grow, but there
will be more poor families, therefore 60 million more drams will be
required for one-time benefits. Meanwhile, the government thinks that
the demand for the passport of a citizen of Armenia will grow.
Against 142.862 million drams allocated for printing passports in
2006 the government has estimated 172.212 million drams for printing
passports of the Republic of Armenia in 2007.
The government also proposes “setting aside” 93.366 million drams
to reward lawyers who will provide free legal service in the cases
provided for by the Armenian legislation against 26 million drams
of 2006. In other words, the government supposes that either the
poor class will decide to go to court to solve their problems, which
is not particularly popular with people in Armenia, since even the
members of parliament and ministers prefer solving their problems
between themselves. Or the percentage of people who will prefer to go
to court will not change, but the number of people who cannot afford
to hire a lawyer will grow, which is the same as poverty will grow.
The comparison of the state budgets of 2006 and 2007 shows that the
alternative military service is not popular in Armenia. If in 2006
43.850 million drams was allocated to the ministries of health,
defense, social security for the alternative military service, in
2007 the same ministries will get only 26.876 million drams for the
same purpose.