LAKE SEVAN RISES BY 43 CM IN ONE YEAR
Noyan Tapan
Jun 07 2006
SEVAN, JUNE 7, NOYAN TAPAN. According to the data of Armstatehydromet’s
Gegharkunik regional subdivision, on June 1 2006, Lake Sevan was
1898.58 m high from the sea surface. According to the same source,
as compared with May 1 2006, the lake has risen by 27 cm and as
compared with June 1 2005 by 43 cm.

AGBU REBUILDS VILLAGES IN HADRUT REGION
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 07 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Armenian
General Benevolent Union (AGBU) rebuilds 3 villages in the NKR
region of Hadrut. Levon Kebabdjian, a member of the AGBU Central
Board of Directors is the initiator and coordinator of the program
on restoration and resettlement with refugees of villages suffered
from the Artsakh war.
According to the information submitted to Noyan Tapan by the AGBU
Armenian representation, AGBU Armenian Director Ashot Ghazarian and
NKR Prime Minister Anushavan Danielian visited the region of Hadrut
recently to get acquainted with works being done in the villages being
rebuilt by the AGBU, to discuss new programs. Other officials of the
NKR were in Hadrut as well.
One of the goals of the visit was final affirmation of the territory
for rebuilding another village in Hadrut by means of Michael Ansour,
a member of the AGBU Central Board of Directors. It was considered
purposeful to rebuilt the village of Jrakn near Norashen. The AGBU
proposal to rebuild another village in future was discussed as well. It
is possible that it will be one of the villages near Bareshen what
will give possibility to use infrastructures of Bareshen.
The AGBU started a program of rebuilding villages in the region of
Hadrut 5 years ago. The first village founded by the organization here
is Norashen rebuilt by the AGBU French branch where 22 families live
today. The village has a kindergarten where a school and emergency
room are temporarily placed as well. Construction of the new school
building will finish soon in Norashen.
Works of rebuilding of the village of Bareshen are being done by
efforts of the AGBU London branch. 6 dwelling houses are being built
here at present.
Raimond Haroutiunian, the head of the Young Workmen’s Board of the
AGBU Tehran branch allocated the 500 dollats gathered as a result of
the event organized recently in Tehran to assist AGBU resettlement
programs to furnishing of a classroom in the Norashen school.

82% OF ARMENIA’S TERRITORY SUBJECTED TO DESERTIFICATION, 26% TO EXTREME DESERTIFICATION
Noyan Tapan
Jun 07 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 7, NOYAN TAPAN. About 82% of Armenia’s territory is
subjected to desertification, and 26% – to extreme desertification. At
the beginning of the 20th century, 20% of the territory of the country
was covered by forest, however, in the early 1990s this area was
reduced by 11% and currently makes less than 10%. The UN Resident
Coordinator in Armenia, UNDP Resident Representative Ms. Consuelo
Vidal stated this during a press conference held on the occasion
of International Day of Environment on June 5. According to her,
deforestation creates numerous problems that affect directly the social
and economic situation in Armenia. “We are appealing to the government,
civil society and the mass media to make a concerted effort to combat
desertification,” she said.
RA Deputy Minister of Nature Protection Simon Papian pointed out such
practical environmental protection-related steps taken in Armenia over
the last three years as raising the level of Lake Sevan by 1.8 meters
and making 90% of water use legal. In his words, the legislative
field on environmental protection has been fully updated, although
there is still much to be done in the sphere.
This year’s subject was “Desert and Desertification, Do Not Make Dry
Lands a Desert”. Dry and not irrigated areas with a population of
about 2 billion now make up 41% of the world’s territory.

EDUARD TOPCHIAN GIVEN TITLE OF RA HONORED ART FIGURE
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 07 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. By RA President Robert
Kocharian’s June 6 decree, Art Director and Principal Conductor of the
Armenian State Philharmonic Orchestra Eduard Topchian was given the
title of RA Honored Art Figure for his contribution to development of
classical performance art and on the occasion of the Orchestra’s 80th
anniversary. Noyan Tapan was informed about it from the President’s
Press Office.

“HRANT MATEVOSIAN CREATED A LITERATURE THAT SHOULD BE TREATED AS A WORLD PEAK,” RUSSIAN INTELLECTUALS CONSIDER
Noyan Tapan
Jun 07 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 7, NOYAN TAPAN. A memorial evening dedicated to great
Armenian writer Hrant Matevosian’s 70th anniversary was held at Moscow
Central House of Writers within the framework of Year of Armenia in
Russia. As Noyan Tapan correspondent was informed by David Matevosian,
Director of the Hrant Matevosian Foundation, the jubilee event was
initiated by the Armenian Embassy in Russia, Russian Federal Agency
of Culture Development, International Association of Russian Writers’
Unions, as well as RF and RA Culture Ministries.
Russian and Armenian intellectuals were also present at the
event. Mikhail Sinelnikov, Felix Kuznetsov, Sergei Shevelyov, Rustam
Ibrahimbekov, Felix Meloyan and Roman Balayan were among them. They
emphasized that H.Matevosian’s creation “unanimously obliges to
treat it as a high world peak and not to think that this literature
is comparable with the samples of the world culture.”
According to them, the generation of the 60-s has left a huge trace
in the world cultural heritage. This is the “generation of war” born
in 1920-40 – Hrant Matevosian, Sergei Parajanov, Vasili Shukshin,
Andrei Tarkovski and others.
“20-year-old young people do not know who is Hrant Matevosian, but the
public and lack of the state policy is more to blame for this,” the
intellectuals said considering important translation and publication
of Armenian and Russian writers’ works. “A Russian child should know
Hrant Matevosian, Hamo Sahian and an Armenian child Andrei Bitov,
Vasili Shukshin,” the intellectuals consider. According to them,
we should bring up our generations with this culture for the sake of
the future of our homeland.
“… Maybe today’s youngest generation, may God give them a long life,
will see the day when Hrant will be properly appreciated. What he
has done for the Armenian language can be compared only with what
Pushkin has done for the Russian language…,” Russian writer Andrei
Bitov had once said in one of his speeches.
According to the Hrant Matevosian Foundation Director, it is necessary
that Hrant Matevosian’s unpublished works be translated, published
and the works abridged in the years of the Soviet censorship be
republished. It is also time to include the writer’s works in the
school textbooks: according to David Matevosian, we cannot bring up
the generation only with H.Matevosian’s story “Green Field” included
in the textbooks of middle classes.

KARABAKH CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM TO BE HELD ON DECEMBER 10
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 07 2006
STEPANAKERT, JUNE 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. By Nagorno Karabakh
Republic President Arkady Ghukasian’s decree, the constitutional
referendum will be fixed for December 10. NKR National Assembly
Vice-Speaker Rudik Hyusnunts informed radio Libery about it.
As he affirmed, on June 15, the President will give the draft
Constitution to the Parliament Speaker Ashot Ghulian and the document’s
discussion will start in September.
Nagorno Karabakh has no Constitution by now.
The Nagorno Karabakh referendum of independence took place on December
10 1991.

PLENARY SESSION OF BSEC PA STARTS IN YEREVAN
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 07 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The plenary session
of 27th convention of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea
Economic Cooperation (BSEC PA) started at the Parliament of Armenia
on June 7. As Tigran Torosian, the newly elected Chairman presiding
at the session informed, parliamentary delegations from all the BSEC
member-states, excluding recently separated Serbia and Chernogoria,
participate in work of the plenary session in Yerevan.
Parliamentarians from 12 countries, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine,
Serbia and Chernogoria, were involved in the BSEC PA up to the recent
times. As a result of separation of Serbia amd Chernogoria the number
of BSEC PA member-countries reached 13. Armenia, which has presided
at the organization during the last half year, will pass at the end
of the sitting its commission to the country next by alphabit order,
Azerbaijan, representatives of the Parliament of which also participate
in the Yerevan sitting.
As Tigran Torosian mentioned in his speech, the BSEC PA widens
its activity year by year, becoming a most important factor for the
political and economic stability in the region. “I’m sure that economic
cooperation among countries of the region, openness and accesability
of transport communications may create an atmosphere of trust, such
necessary for solution of the most important problems of the region,”
Torosian mentioned.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT VICE-CHAIRMAN SEES NO REASON IN PRACTICE FOR ARMENIA NOT TO JOIN EU IN COMING 10 YEARS
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 07 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “In practice I
see no reason for Armenia not to join EU in the coming 10 years,”
European Parliament Vice-Chairman Edward Macmillan-Scott, who is in
Yerevan on an official visit, declared at the June 7 press conference
at RA National Assembly. He also mentioned that personally he is
“open before the issue of Armenia’s and RF’s membership when the
convenient time comes.” Meanwhile he emphasized that like the other
members of the European Parliament he also has some reservations in
connection with Turkey’s possible membership to EU. According to him,
the European Union is not a closed organization, just the negative
results of the EU constitutional referendum held several months
ago in Holland and France gave rise to some problems for membership
of new countries. Rather a great number of Europeans, also in the
above-mentioned two countries, are anxious about EU’s extension
and especially about Turkey’s possible membership. Nevertheless,
the process of new countries’ membership is rather active.
In response to the question on the prospects of Armenia-European
Union relations and some delay in the issue of implementation of
the European Neighborhood policy because of Azerbaijan, Scott said:
“My personal preference is that we should show an individual approach
to any country taking into consideration their cultural and historic
differences.” He also stated that the above-mentioned approach is
used towards the Balkan states and he as a personality and not as a
EU official sees no reason for not applying the same approach in the
South Caucasus. As a member of the European Parliament Commission of
Foreign Relations with the largest working experience, he promised
to speak to his parliamentary colleagues as he gets to Brussels and
to persuade them “for excluding any artificial delay in this process.”

ROBERT KOCHARIAN: IT IS IMPORTANT TO STIMULATE COOPERATION WIHOUT WAITING FOR CONFLICTS SETTLEMENT
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 07 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. RA President Robert
Kocharian addressed the participants of the 27th plenary session of
the Parliamentary Assembly (PA) of Black Sea Economic Cooperation
(BSEC) being held in Yerevan. President’s Assistant Vigen Sargsian
read the address on June 7, at the plenary session of PA BSEC at RA NA.
“Up to this day time BSEC has acted successfully in development of
economic cooperation in the region. Nevertheless, there is still a
great potential.
Joint investments to regional infrastructures, especially in the sphere
of energy and transport should be stimulated,” the Armenian President’s
address read. According to him, cultural, educational, scientific
programs, tourism development can also have great importance.
Robert Kocharian’s address mentions that the parliamentarians with
their law-adopting activity can form a favorable legal-contractual
field for effective cooperation in the region. “Use of the common
potential of our countries is possible only under conditions of
more liberalized economics. This should envisage free circulation of
capital, goods and services, open borders in the whole region. It is
important to stimulate cooperation without waiting for the settlement
of the current conflicts and smoothing over the disagreements.
Cooperation itself can have a favorable influence on the process of
overcoming the existing difficulties.”
“Our countries are faced with common challenges of organized crime
and terrorism and at the same time they have common striving for
deepening the European integration. This means that we can unite
our efforts for a large-scale regional cooperation,” the Armenian
President’s address read.

SERGEI LAVROV: ACHIEVEMENT OF ENERGY SECURITY REQUIRES JOINT ACTIONS OF ALL PARTICIPANTS OF MARKET
Noyan Tapan
Jun 07 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 7, NOYAN TAPAN. Achievement of energy security requires
joint actions of all participants of the energy market. This was
mentioned in the address of current BSEC Chairman, RF Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov to the participants of the 27th plenary session of
BSEC PA.
According to him, issues of providing energy security were by right
put to the center of discussion in the coming session of BSEC PA. The
same subject in the global context will be one of the main themes at
the forthcoming summit of the Big Eight in Saint Petersburg. According
to Lavrov, energy security can be a safe guarantee against destructive
competition for energy resources and a pledge of stable development
of world economics.
“Russia on its part fully fulfils all commitments assumed by it,
concerning energy supply of its partners, strives for creating a
system of energy security, which takes into account the interests
of all states, both consumers and suppliers of energy resources,”
RF Foreign Minister’s address read.
Lavrov mentioned that other issues vitally important for the states
of the Black Sea region are also on the agenda: fighting economic
crime, raising the role of the civil society in promotion of economic
cooperation, dialogue of cultures in interests of deepening trust
between peoples.