ZAGS DEPARTMENT HEAD ACCUSED IN BRIBERY
Panorama.am
14:20 20/06/06
Panorama.am reports that ZAGS department head Sona A. is charged based
on item 3, part 3, article 311 of Criminal Code for large size of
bribery promising her 4-10 years of imprisonment. Sona A. is charged
for taking a bribe against changing a person’s surname.
According to accusation, Sona A. has taken a bribe amounting USD 600
from citizen Kharazi Kalashyan in order to change his surname in the
passport since Kalashyan was deported from Russia and could not enter
the country with the same passport.

DEPUTIES EXPRESS CONCERN ON CENTRAL BANK POLICY
Panorama.am
14:33 20/06/06
“The devaluation of dollar and evaluation of the Armenian dram are
not related to economic patterns but to paradoxes,” Gagik Melikyan
from Republican Party told a debate today during a discussion with
his opponent Tatul Manaseryan from opposition. He is sure that Central
Bank has become uncontrollable, “a state within a state on which the
whole population depends on.”
Tatul Manaseryan shared his concerns saying “authorities are also
discontent with CB Head Tigran Sargsyan’s policy.”

UNITED WORKING PARTY TO PARTICIPATE IN ELECTIONS ON ITS OWN
Panorama.am
14:52 20/06/06
The chairman of United Working Party (MAK) Gurgen Arsenyan told a press
conference today that they do not intend to leave politics. Arsenyan
thinks that people are tired of socialis-populist parties such
as Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Justice block, National
Unity and so on. MAK leader thinks it possible to cooperate with
All-Armenian National Movement and Jarangutiun (Heritage). Speaking
about 2007 election, he expressed his clear disposition saying “we
will go to elections on our own” meaning that they will not join
any union.

GUL AND ALIYEV DISCUSS PARTICIPATION OF ARMENIA IN KARS-AKHALKALAK PROJECT IN BAKU
By Hakob Chakrian
AZG Armenian Daily
21/06/2006
Organization of Islamic Conference Demands Not to Ignore the Issue
of 1 Million Azeri Refugees
On June 19, Baku hosted the 33d session of foreign ministers of
the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). In his opening speech
Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev underscored that Islam preaches
love, brotherhood and peace and therefore cannot be equalized to
terrorism. Meanwhile, he turned to the participants “with a hope to
help overcome the Armenian occupation.”
Only Zaman daily perhaps reports on Aliyev’s speech.
Interestingly, Turkish press slurs over Turkish foreign minister
Abdullah Gul’s speech and focuses on the latter’s meeting with his
Iranian counterpart instead. In his speech Gul touched upon Armenia
in the context of the so-called occupied territories, and this fact
was covered only by small circulation newspaper Turkie.
According to Turkie, Abdullah Gul called on the participants for
unity and reconciliation for restoring peace, stability and security
in the region.
Gul touched on the blockade against Moslem Turks in Cyprus and then
went on to warn Armenia.
Turkie writes that Gul viewed the “frozen and unsettled” conflicts
in the South Caucasus as an obstacle on the path of stability and
democracy in the region and said: “Despite the 10 year long Armenian
occupation we are still looking forward to liberation of occupied
lands.” Meanwhile he reminded of 1 million Azerbaijani displaced
people adding:: “Other international structures can ignore this fact
but the Organization of Islamic Conference ought not do that.”
Rounding off Gul called on Armenia to respect international regulations
and implement long-term constructive policy towards its neighbors. The
same Ilham Aliyev received Gul. According to Turkie, they exchanged
thoughts over the construction of Kars-Akhalkalak-Tbilisi-Baku railway
link and probability of Armenia’s participation in the project.
Despite the reports of Day.az that every participant of the session
clearly backed Baku in Nagorno Karabakh issue and the serious document
prepared by OIC experts, bypassing of Turkish foreign minister’s
statements about Armenia and “Armenian occupation” by Turkish printed
media and public TV allow us to conclude that his words were directed
to the Azerbaijani audience.
Contrary to this, Aliyev-Gul discussion of Armenia’s participation in
the railway project must be considered a signal to the international
powers.
Though this signal is conditioned by international powers’ reluctance
to finance the project, by doing so Gul offsets his warning to Armenia
that was only covered by Turkie newspaper.

PUBLIC ORGANIZATION CONDUCTS AN ACTION TO ATTRACT ATTENTION TO REFUGEE PROBLEMS
Panorama.am
15:08 20/06/06
June 20 is the day of refugees around the world.
Seiran Martirosyan, coordinating council member of Kringo public
organization told a press conference today that there are more than 20
mln refugees across the world, 1,5 mln of them living in Caucasus. The
PO does not have information how many refugees there are in Armenia
right now. However, the organization is concerned that the refugees
in Armenia should be provided with housing. Kringo has organized an
action today to attract the attention of public officials to the
problems of refugees. They have distributed house designs made of
paper to children who have made houses and handed out to people. The
PO has also sent e-mail messages to different organizations on the
state of refugees.

SHADOW ECONOMY IN PETROLEUM MAKES UP 400%, OPPOSITION SAYS
Panorama.am
15:13 20/06/06
In a debate with Gagik Melikyan, Tatul Manaseryan from opposition
stated that twice as little petroleum is reported in Armenia today
against 1995 in case of cars being three times more than in 1995.
“The decline in petroleum demand may be explained that cars are being
fueled now with gas,” explained his opponent Gagik Melikyan. However
Manaseryan did not agree saying that gas-feeling stations are opening
every day. Manaseryan is sure that if shadow economy in Armenia is
70-80%, the shadow in petroleum is 400%.

ANTI-SMOKE PROJECT IMPLEMENTED
Panorama.am
16:47 20/06/06
Despite of the fact that our country has ratified World Health
Organization convention on fight against smoking and has adopted a
law on limitation of tobacco use but nothing has been changed with the
adoption of these documents because they have not been reached to the
addressees, Vahe Ter-Minasyan, head of public relations department
of Armenian Medical Association said. The organization has been
implementing OSI project on fight against smoking trying to engage
first help medical clinics in anti-smoke fight.
A monitoring has been conducted including unexpected visits to 30
medical clinics. The monitoring revealed that 17 out of 30 clinics
have anti-smoking posters, smoking is prohibited in the halls of 25
of them and cigarettes are not sold in neither of them.
As a result of the monitoring, number 22 clinic has been announced as
the winner and has been provided with a computer as planned in the
project. The Head of the clinic Ludmila Lazarian said they needed
a computer direly.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CHILDREN FROM REFUGEE FAMILIES TO SPEND VACATIONS IN VANADZOR
Panorama.am
17:10 20/06/06
More than 10 children of Armenia from refugee families will have
an opportunity to spend two-week vacation in summer camp Tsitsernak
within the framework of charity action organized by PR Association of
Armenia. 20 days ago the Association organized fundraising in internet.
During that time more than half million Armenian drams were transferred
to a special account. According to Anush Begloyan, executive director
of the association, both local and diaspora Armenians participated
in the action. The fundraising will continue until July 1.
Children were selected by Mission Armenia from the most insecure
families living in unfavorable climate environments.

MEETING JAVAKHK BASIC DEMANDS ONLY WAY OUT OF CRISIS TODAY
PanARMENIAN.Net
20.06.2006 14:26 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russian military bases would be withdrawn from
Georgia sooner or later, political scientist Hrazdan Madoyan stated in
an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net. In his words, an event took place,
which made null and void Russia’s policy since almost Peter the Great:
Russia withdrew from the Caucasus.
“All roads are open to panturanism. The base in Armenia is important
to us, it solves a tactical, not strategic task. Upon Turkization of
Javakhk – a thing Turkey has worked for always and to which Georgia
suicidally contributes – Turks will restore the Turkish zone from
Anatolia to Azerbaijan. Armenia becomes a secure enclave, fully
dependent on the will and desires of Turkey. Thus we say that Javakhk
is a matter of life to Armenia,” he remarked.
Madoyan underscored that Armenians of Javakhk are not unprotected. “The
population of the region can protect itself. Another matter is that
it will ricochet Armenia, which will be involved in a conflict as in
1988. Meeting Javakhk demands is the only way out of the crisis today:
making all Armenian regions and villages a joint administrative unit,
providing it administrative autonomy, refusal of central authorities
to change the demographic situation, free communication with Armenia,”
the political scientist said.
Madoyan is also sure that Kars-Akhalkalaki-Baku project will be
implemented in case Armenians do not excite a rebellion – not
necessarily an armed one. “If they do not rise, it will be the end
of Javakhk,” he stated.

GEORGIAN POLICY OF ACCENTED ANTI-ARMENIAN NATURE FOR PAST 100 YEARS
PanARMENIAN.Net
20.06.2006 13:50 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Organizations speaking on behalf of the people of
Samtskhe-Javakheti region can be conditionally divided into two or
even three groups, political scientist Hrazdan Madoyan stated in an
interview with PanARMENIAN.Net. In his words, first group includes
organizations created by Armenians in Javakhk itself. “Their
differences refer to the tactical moves for struggle for their
rights. However, they are united that the policy of Georgian
central authorities within past 100 years and before was of accented
anti-Armenian nature. It is aimed at expelling Armenians from the
region, where they have lives for at least 3000 years, or changing
the demographic situation to make Armenians minority without a right
of vote. This group of organizations really reflects the opinion of
the people,” Madoyan remarked.
The second group, in Madoyan’s opinion, is composed of organizations
functioning or registered in Armenia.
“The authority of these is not large. These organizations avoid
everything which can be interpreted as politics,” he said.
“The third group is represented by odious organizations or
personalities like Georgian MP Van Bayburt, who serve not to Georgian
authorities, but individual leaders. Tbilisi guides them and Javakhk
has a respective attitude towards them,” Madoyan said.
He also reminded of various Georgian organizations in Javakhk. “They
are all extremely nationalist, they deny opportunity of cooperation
with Armenian organizations and pursue the official court of “Javakhk
without Armenians.” Past year owing to the launching of the plan
of Turkization of Javakhk, activation of Turkish organizations is
noticeable in the region: leaflets threatening Armenians are spread,
which may also be provocation of Georgian special services,” Madoyan
underscored.