LES STUDIO : RENCONTRE AVEC ROBERT GUEDIGUIAN
La Nouvelle Republique du Centre Ouest
26 juin 2006
Le cinema les Studio recevra, jeudi 29 juin, le realisateur Robert
Guediguian pour son film ” Le Voyage en Armenie “. Le voyage est
celui d’Anna, Francaise, qui vit assise dans ses certitudes, ses
valeurs. Sûre de sa vie. Mais son père, Barsam, qui est gravement
malade, sait qu’il est armenien de coeur et il veut revoir la terre
qui l’a vu naître. Il s’enfuit donc pour renouer avec ses origines,
mais il laisse suffisamment de traces pour qu’Anna le suive et le
retrouve. La-bas, pense-t-il, elle doutera, elle saura qu’il n’y a
pas qu’une verite. Le voyage d’Anna est donc un voyage initiatique,
riche en peripeties, qui va l’amener a remettre en cause son identite,
ses valeurs, ses sentiments.
Avec Ariane Ascaride, Gerard Meylan, Simon Abkarian…
La projection du film aura lieu, a 19 h 30 et sera suivie de la
rencontre du realisateur avec le public. Le film sera sur les ecrans
a partir du mercredi 28 juin, en sortie nationale.
– Jeudi 29 juin, a 19 h 30. Cinema Les Studio, 2, rue des Ursulines,
a Tours. Tarifs habituels. Tel. 02.47.20.27.00.
–Boundary_(ID_GLtOIvynhjPCjSVVIZ 2Oew)–

UAE FIRMS IN BID FOR OTE STAKE IN ARMENIAN TELECOM FIRM
Asia Pulse
June 26, 2006 Monday 4:17 PM EST
ABU DHABI June 26
A group including firms from the United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s has been
shortlised by the Greek telecom provider OTE for the sale of its 90
per cent stake in Armenian telecom firm Armentel, according to reports.
The group includes UAE firms Emirates Telecommunications Corporation
(Etisalat), Istithmar and Emergent Telecom Ventures (ETV).
The group is among four shortlisted bidders, said the Sharjah-based
Gulf Today.
Russia’s Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) and Vimpelcom, VTEL Holdings and
Knightsbridge Associates are the other bidders, it said.

YEREVAN DISSATISFIED WITH U.S. STATEMENTS ON KARABAKH TALKS
Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Military Newswire
June 26, 2006 Monday 6:09 PM MSK
Armenia is dissatisfied with media information about documents
discussed at Armenian-Azeri talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.
“Should such information be published in future, Armenia may publish
all documents discussed at the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations in
the past 7 – 8 years,” Armenian presidential press secretary Viktor
Sogomonian told Interfax on Monday.
His comments were made in response to a statement by Matthew J.
Bryza, deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian
affairs and co-chairman of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Minsk Group.
“Provisions of the framework agreement on the Karabakh settlement
published by new co-chairman of the Minsk Group Bryza, do not reflect
the essence of the project, irrelevant comments were made,” the press
secretary said.
“A draft agreement based on the ‘common state’ principle, as well
as documents discussed in Key West and a draft discussed recently
in Bucharest may be published,” he said. I am sure that everything
will become obvious, because Azerbaijan rejected all three drafts,”
Sogomonian said.
Earlier, Bryza said on air on Svoboda radio station that the parties
introduced a draft framework agreement that provides for the withdrawal
of Armenian troops from Azerbaijan, as well as the normalization of
economic and diplomatic relations between the countries, the deployment
of peacekeepers and international economic assistance to the Karabakh
region. He also said that a vote on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh
is envisaged at some stage.

U.S. ADOPTS NON-EFFECTIVE APPROACH IN ISSUE OF NAGORNO KARABAKH SETTLEMENT, ARMENIAN EXPERT CONSIDERS
Noyan Tapan
Jun 26 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 26, NOYAN TAPAN. “The international structures have
made certain that Armenia and Azerbaijan draw out time and do not want
to settle the conflict,” Stepan Safarian, Director on Studies of the
Armenian Center for National and International Studies, declared in
his interview to Noyan Tapan correspondent.
According to him, the meetings of the two Presidents in Rambouillet and
in Bucharest demonstrated that the expectations of the international
community are vain and the Presidents will not sign the working
document on the negotiations table.
According to the expert, the change of the American Ambassador in
Armenia, as well as the substitution of the American Co-chair in the
OSCE Minsk Group mean that the U.S. will enter into the negotiations
process already from another positions.
Stepan Safarian expressed a supposition that at the moment the
U.S. conducts a serious discussion at different levels about the
further scenarios, including the new strategy and tactics in the
issue of the peaceful settlement of the conflict.
In response to the question, what one can expect from the possible
change in the tactics of the U.S. in the issue of conflict settlement,
the expert expressed confidence that the tactics will change. The
main reason of it is that the U.S. was not able to solve the problem
on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict: “In this issue
the U.S. has adopted a non-effective approach. Besides, not only the
conflict fails to be solved, but also prospects of democratization of
the two countries are sacrificed and authoritarian processes become
deeper and deeper there.”
According to him, the subsequent steps will be based on the discussion
of the long-term prospects of conflict settlement, democratization
of the societies, transformation of the conflict, etc.
In this context S.Safarian prognosed a real activization of the
home political life of Armenia. In particular, he connected the
developments in the negotiations process with the home political
developments in Armenia. “I think that all this, in its turn, will
result in a serious crisis of power. These processes will become more
intensive after the U.S. clarifies its new approaches.”

ARMENIAN-BULGARIAN RELATIONS ARE INSUFFICIENTLY DEVELOPED, ANDRANIK MANUKIAN SAYS
Noyan Tapan
Jun 26 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The 4th regular sitting of the
Armenian-Bulgarian intergovernmental commission on trade, economic,
scientific and technical cooperation is taking place in Yerevan on June
26-27. The commission’s Armenian Co-Chairman, RA Minister of Transport
and Comunication Andranik Manukian said that the Armenian-Bulgarian
economic relations are insufficiently developed, underlining the
necessity for their strengthening. In 2005, the commodity turnover
between the two countries made only 85 mln USD, with Armenia’s exports
amounting to 6-7 mln USD.
A. Manukian noted that there are a lot of unsolved problems in the
trade and economic relations between the two countries. Particularly,
up to now the sides have failed to come to an agreement on the issue
of Yerevan-Sofia air communication, to decide a company of which
country will operate flights.
According to the minister, the Armenian side takes a view that these
flights are not profitable.
It was noted that the RA Ministry of Agriculture intends to purchase
fruit and vegetable processing conveyers from Bulgaria. The problem
of Varna-Port Kavkaz ferry transportation is also under discussion.
A. Manukian attached special importance to the experience of the
Bulgarian side, which allows this country to join the European Union
in 2007.
From: Baghdasarian

GLOBAL GOLD MINING DEPRIVED OF LICENCE FOR MARJAN MINE EXPLORATION
Noyan Tapan
Jun 26 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 26, NOYAN TAPAN. 6 weeks ago the RA Ministry of Nature
Protection deprived the Global Gold Mining (GGM) company of its licence
for exploration of the Marjan gold mine (Sisian). Hamlet Avetisian,
head of the Earth’s depth protection department of the ministry,
stated this during a media tour to the Marjan mine organized by the
Club of Economic Reporters on June 26.
According to him, no work was done at the mine during three years
of GGM’s operation, which means nonfulfilment of its agreement
obligations.
H. Avetisian said that a British company and a Russian one are
interested in exploration of this mine. Right now the ministry is
examining the bid submitted by an Armenian company.
In the opinion of GGM director Ashot Poghosian, the ministry’s
decision is illegal, it may not deprive a company of its licence
without a court ruling.
According to him, if the ministry deprives them of the licence and
transfers it to another organization, this will be “the most precise
definition of confiscation”.
It was noted that according to preliminary information, the gold
reserves of the Marjan mine amount to 17.8 tons. The value of a ton
of gold on international market curently makes 20 mln USD.

EGYPT TO PARTICIPATE IN YEREVAN AGRICULTURAL FORUM IN SEPTEMBER
Noyan Tapan
Jun 26 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 26, NOYAN TAPAN. During the June 26 meeting, the
RA Minister of Territorial Administration, Co-Chairman of the
Armenian-Egyptian Intergovernmental Commission Hovik Abrahamian and
Egypt’s Deputy Foreign Minister Fatma Zahra pointed out the high
level of political relations between Armenia and Egypt, noting at the
same time the necessity to take active steps for further development
of trade and economic cooperation, for which both countries have a
substantial potential.
Stating a satisfaction at the results of the 4th joint sitting of
the Armenian-Egyptian intergovernmental commission which took place
during the official visit of the RA Prime Minister Andranik Margarian
in December of last year, the interlocutors expressed confidence that
the commission’s decisions will be consistently put in practice.
H. Abrahamian and F. Zahra noted once again that the most promising
sectors of bilateral cooperation are information technologies,
agriculture, energy, public health (particularly, pharmaceutics),
tourism, as well as spheres related to scientific-cultural and youth
issues. Units composed of businessmen to coordinate and implement
mutually beneficial projects have already been set up in the chambers
of commerce and industry of the two countries.
H. Abrahamian said that Armenia is interested in speeding up the
establishment of joint production of insulin in Armenia under the
agreement reached with the Vaxero pharmaceutical company (Egypt)
during the RA Prime Minister’s visit to Egypt.
According to the RA Government Information and PR Department, F. Zahra
stated that the Egyptian side will participate in the agricultural
forum to be held in Yerevan in September of this year.

CREATIVE DELEGATION OF “ONE NATION, ONE CULTURE” FESTIVAL VISITS TSAKHKADZOR ON JUNE 26
Noyan Tapan
Jun 26 2006
HRAZDAN, JUNE 26, NOYAN TAPAN. On June 26, the creative delegation
of the “One Nation, One Culture” second Armenian Cultural Festival
left for Tsakhkadzor. More than a dozen of dance ensembles and solo
performers from Spyurk were included in the delegation. The guests were
greeted by Kotayk Deputy Governor Levon Mikayelian and Tsakhkadzor
Mayor Garun Mirzoyan. Such dance ensembles as “Akunk” from Iran,
“Jeyran” from Tbilisi, “Artuyt” from Volgograd, “Huysi Astgh” from
Rostov-on-Don, “Narek” from Krasnodar and dance ensembles representing
a number of cities of Russian Federation presented their performances
to many inhabitants of Tsakhkadzor and Hrazdan who gathered in the
town square. “Mika” ensemble of Hrazdan, as well as pupils of art
schools of Charentsavan and Tsakhkadzor also performed.

ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER LEAVES FOR AJARIA ON JULY 7
Noyan Tapan
Jun 26 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian Prime Minister Andranik
Margarian will go on a working visit to Georgia on July 7 in order
to participate in the regular sitting of the Armenian-Georgian
intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation. NT was informed
about it from the RA Government Information and PR Department.

RA FOREIGN MINISTER TO PAY A WORKING VISIT TO GEORGIA ON JUNE 27-28
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 26 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 26, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On June 27-28, RA
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian will be in Georgia on a working
visit. During the visit the Armenian Foreign Minister will meet
with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, Foreign Minister Gela
Bezhuashvili, Parliament President Nino Burjanadze.
On June 28, Minister Oskanian will make a speech dedicated to problems
of regional policy at the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and
International Studies.
As Noyan Tapan was informed from RA Foreign Ministry Press and
Information Department, the delegation led by Vartan Oskanian will
return to Armenia in the evening on June 28.