DESPITE POPULAR OPINION, REAL ESTATE PRICE IN ARMENIA ARE RISING NOT OWING TO IMMIGRATING IRANIAN ARMENIANS
Yerevan, June 6. ArmInfo. The threat of international financial
blockade that Iran has faced in connection with the latest ineffective
international negotiations on the national nuke program makes Iranians
transferring their personal savings abroad or converting them into
gold, writes The Washington Times. The newspaper reports some 200
billions of dollars were transferred from the country last year.
In the meantime, the popular opinion that the above tendency of
capital export from Iran is the key impetus of the “inexplicable”
rise of real estate prices in Armenia does not correspond to reality.
Talking to ArmInfo, Artem Pribilsky, Head of the Real Estate
Market, said the annual investments in real estate in Armenia by the
representatives of Armenian Diaspora can be estimated at $50-60 million
just on a hunch. It makes not less than 7% of the funds circulated
in the housing market. He said Iranian Armenians do not occupy the
“first class niche,” they are more likely to belong to the middle
class who do not claim elite and expensive apartments. The specialist
said that, as a rule, rich Iranian Armenians emigrate to Europe and
the USA, while the niche of elite houses in Yerevan is occupied by
officials or businessmen. A. Pribilsky believes the situation in the
real estate market stable despite the high prices.
And this stability is rather supported by the development of mortgage
crediting in the country.
To note, the annual growth of prices for houses and commercial
premises in Armenia for the last 2-3 years totaled about 25-30%. The
high growth rates are observed also in the mortgage crediting sphere
i.e. 2% for the first quarter of 2006, about $30 million.

ARMENIA TO INSTALL ADMINISTRATIVE COURTS IN 2007
Armenpress
Jun 07 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 7, ARMENPRESS: Justice minister David Harutunian told
reporters on June 6 that administrative courts will be established
next year to deal with disputes between citizens and government
agencies. Harutunian said administrative courts are a very important
component on the country’s road to building a true country of law.
Experts of the German Technical Cooperation Company (GTZ) are holding
now a seminar for Armenian judges and administrative officials. During
the first seminar Armenian officials are having an opportunity to
discuss a set of sensitive issues, to learn German experience.

NALBANDIAN TO FACE FEDERER IN MEN’S SEMIS
Armenpress
Jun 07 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 7, ARMENPRESS: World No. 1 Roger Federer will battle
third-ranked David Nalbandian, an Argentinean of Armenian descent, in
Friday’s semifinals after both players posted quarterfinal victories
Tuesday at the 2006 French Open.
David Nalbandian ousted sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko of Russia in
four sets to progress to the French Open semi-finals for the second
time in three years. Nalbandian, 24, won the Masters Series event
in Shanghai in 2005 after defeating world number one Roger Federer,
who he will now face in the last four at Roland Garos.
The 24-year-old Federer needs the French Open to complete a career
Grand Slam. The seven-time major titlist currently holds the Wimbledon,
U.S. Open and Australian Open crowns and is trying to become the
first man to hold all four Slams since Rod Laver in 1969. Only five
men have won all four majors-Don Budge, Fred Perry, Roy Emerson,
Laver and Andre Agassi.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT, HEAD OF REGIONAL COOPERATION BODY DISCUSS TIES
Arminfo
6 Jun 06
Yerevan, 6 June: Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has received
Leonodas Chrysanthopoulos, the secretary-general of the Black Sea
Economic Cooperation.
The sides exchanged views on the development of the Black sea
region and discussed economic and security issues, in particular,
the presidential press service has told Arminfo. Kocharyan and
Chrysanthopoulos noted the importance of working out approaches that
enable strengthening cooperation in the region.

SOLDIER WOUNDED IN ARMENIAN TRUCE VIOLATION – AZERI REPORT
Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
6 Jun 06
The Armenian armed forces have violated the cease-fire again. Azeri
Press news agency has reported that Azerbaijani positions came under
fire from the Armenian army positions in the occupied village of
Saricali in Agdam District last night. As a result, Azerbaijani soldier
Elmar Miriyev, who was drafted into the army from Davaci District
in April 2005, was wounded. The condition of the soldier, who was
immediately hospitalized, is serious at the moment. The Azerbaijani
Defence Ministry press service has also confirmed the report.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FIRST SEMINAR OF RETRAINING OF JUDGES ON ISSUES OF GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE LAW OPENS IN YEREVAN
Noyan Tapan
Jun 06 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 6, NOYAN TAPAN. The first seminar of retraining of judges
on issues of general administrative law is being held on June 6-9 in
Yerevan. The seminar is held under the aegis of GTZ (German Technical
Company), by the instruction of the Federal Ministry of Cooperation
of Germany, with the sponsorship of RA Ministry of Justice and RA
Cassation Court. The subject of study at the seminar will be the bases
of administration, which form the bases of new RA Administrative Law,
the acting law “On Administrative Legal Proceedings,” as well as the
draft Code of Administrative Legal Proceedings. The judges will have
a possibility to discuss all painful issues cooperating with their
German colleagues, to study the work of this system in practice,
after which to apply it in Armenia. RA Minister of Justice David
Haroutiunian mentioned in his interview to journalists that the
establishment of the administrative justice is important on the way
of becoming a legal state. The system of administrative justice to be
created will solve arguments between the executive power of any level
and citizens, it is supposed that the system be put into operation
next year. RA Minister of Justice explained that in the citizen-power
arguments of administrative legal proceedings the sides are unequal
in difference to the civil legal proceedings, primordially the power
is stronger than citizens, and such legal proceedings are required
that will protect the interests of citizens.

ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN ANNOUNCE NO PROGRESS IN KARABAKH TALKS IN ROMANIA
AP Worldstream
Jun 06, 2006
The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia said Tuesday that
talks between their countries’ leaders had made no progress toward
a settlement of the dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, but
that they had instructions to continue negotiations.
Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliev discussed the long-standing conflict on the sidelines of a
Black Sea summit in Bucharest, Romania, on Sunday and Monday.
Representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe, which is trying to broker a resolution of the 18-year-old
conflict, were also present.
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian told state television that
the talks had been conducted “in a normal atmosphere, but they did
not succeed in registering progress and giving a positive impulse to
solving the problem of the Karabakh conflict.”
Still, he said that he and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov had orders to try to find points on which they could
bring the two countries’ positions closer.
Mammadyarov said that, in spite of the lack of a breakthrough, the
Aliev-Kocharian meeting had seen a “wide discussion” of the details
of a settlement.
“We decided to continue the process and, if necessary, to hold another
meeting at the level of foreign ministers,” Mammadyarov said.
Nagorno-Karabakh is inside Azerbaijan but populated mostly by ethnic
Armenians, who have run it and seven contiguous districts since an
uneasy 1994 cease-fire ended six years of full-scale war. There are
sporadic border clashes.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER MURDERS OF ARMENIANS IN RUSSIA TO RF FOREIGN MINISTRY
Yerevan, June 6. ArmInfo. The Foreign Ministry of Armenia expressed
concern over the murders of the Armenians of Russia to the Foreign
Ministry of the Russian Federation, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia
Gegham Gharibjanyan told journalists, Tuesday.
He said Arthur Sardaryan who was murdered in an electric train in
Moscow was the sixth Armenian killed because of ethnic hatred in
Moscow since the beginning of 2006. The deputy minister stressed
that the Armenian authorities are competent to protect the interests
of the citizens and the compatriots in Russia. The problem will be
discussed at the highest level during the upcoming meetings in Moscow,
G. Gharibjanyan said. We must prevent such incidents, he said.
At the same time, he called groundless the statements by certain
politicians that attacks of skinheads on Armenians are provoked by
the state structures of Russia. “All of you know that the prosecutor
general in Russia was dismissed, and I think the fight against such
phenomena will become a starting point in the activity of the new
prosecutor general of Russia,> he said.
G. Gharibjanyan said the aggravation of tension in the inter-ethnic
relations in connection with the flow of cheap man power is observed in
different points of the world, and it should not be connected with the
so-called Slavonic fundamentalism. As regards the arrest of Senator
Levon Chakhmakhchyan and the statement by certain politicians about
political hidden motives of the arrest, the deputy minister said:
“The Armenian-Russian relations are of strategic partnership nature,
and the declaration of the year 2006 the Year of Armenia in Russia
is an evidence of it. So these relations cannot be connected with
separate persons.”

BROTHERLY AZERIS AND TURKS UNITING IN PATHETIC FIGHT AGAINST COMMON ENEMY – ARMENIA
Yerevan, June 6. ArmInfo. Some 250 Azeri intellectuals, scientists
and artists from 31 countries as well as MPs from Turkey, Azerbaijan,
Latvia and Estonia, are holding a forum in the Turkish city of Antalia.
June 7 the Azeri-Turkish federation will demonstrate a film about
“Armenian terrorism.” The same day they will hold a conference to
consider join plan of action of the Azeri and Turkish diasporas. The
participants in the forum will watch a film “We Are 50 Million Strong
Nation” about the 2nd Congress of World Azeris. They will also consider
forming an Assembly of American-Azeri Associations which will involve
US based Turks and Azeris. June 9 the Congress of European Azeris
will meet to hear the report on its last year’s activities.

STEPHEN MANN LEAVES POSITION OF OSCE MG CO-CHAIRMAN FOR KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT
Yerevan, May 6. ArmInfo. Stephen Mann, the OSCE MG co-chairman for
the Karabakh conflict settlement form the USA, passes on to another
position in the USA State Department, Azerbaijan Mass Media informs.
According to Mann, it is a usual rotation. “Another co-chairman will
represent the USA in the OSCE MG”, Man said. At th same time, S. Mann
expressed his attitude concerning the June 5 meeting of the Presidents
of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Bucharest with participation of the OSCE
MG co-chairmen. He noted that the Presidents had held very interesting
discussions. “Within the next few days, the co-chairmen will discuss
the results of negotiations, will schedule the next steps and will
inform about it at the regular session of OSCE Constant Council”,
Mann said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress