RA PRESIDENT RECEIVES FINNISH ORTHODOX CHURCH HEAD

YEREVAN, MAY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. RA President Robert Kocharian received
on May 26 Leo Makkonen, the head of the Finnish Orthodox Church and
Archbishop of Karelia and All Finland, accompanied by Karekin II
Catholicos of All Armenians.
The President of the republic expressed satisfaction on the occasion
of the Finnish Orthodox Church head’s visit and mentioned that the
states and peoples gain from the two churches’ warm relations.
Characterizing today’s mutual relations of the Armenian Apostolic
church-state as excellent ones, Robert Kocharian said that Armenia is
a region where the church, belief and preserving of traditions are of
fatal meaning. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA President’s Press
Office, Archbishop Leo and Catholicos of All Armenians appreciated
Finnish Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic Churches’ cooperation.
Attaching importance to interchurch contacts, they mentioned that as
Christian churches, they exchanged viewpoints concerning problems
arisen in front of the Christianity and mankind.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

REGULAR SESSION OF NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY STARTS IN PARIS

PARIS, MAY 26, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The regular session of
the NATO Parliamentary Assembly starts on May 26 at the Congress Hall
of Paris where the Armenian delegation is headed by Mher Shahgeldian,
the already former Chairman of the NA Standing Committy on Defence,
National Security and Internal Affairs, the Deputy Chairman of the
“Orinats Yerkir” (Country of Law) party left the coalition. According
to Radio Liberty, Alexan Karapetian from the “Azgayin Miabanutiun”
(National Unity) faction and Artur Petrosian, a deputy of the “MAK”
(“United Labour Party”) faction are in the staff of the delegation.
Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan also got invitations to
participate in the session. If Ilham Aliyev received the invitation
and even, according to the information placed in the NATO official
site, will make a speech, then Robert Kocharian did not leave
Paris. President’s Spokesperson Victor Soghomonian explained it with
“load of agenda” of the Armenian President. “OSCE Minsk Group
Ch-Chairmen’s visit to Yerevan is expected during those days,
celebrations of the Republic holiday are on May 28,” Victor
Soghomonian said the last week.

RA FOREIGN MINISTER AND RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SPAIN TO OSCE
DISCUSS PROGRAMS IMPLEMENTED BY OSCE IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, MAY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. Programs implemented by OSCE in Armenia
and the further tasks were discussed at RA Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian’s May 26 meeting with Resident Representative of Spain to
OSCE Carlos Sanchez De Boado. Expressing satisfaction with the opening
of the Syunik branch of OSCE Yerevan Office in the future, the sides
expressed confidence that this will contribute to the region’s
socio-economic development and solution of the nature protection
problems. Issues relating to OSCE’s assistance in improvement of the
electoral legislation were also discussed. RA Foreign Minister
presented the negotiations process and prospects of the Nagorno
Karabakh settlement, as well as the current state of Armenian-Turkish
relations. As Noyan Tapan was informed from RA Foreign Ministry Press
and Information Department, Ambassador De Boado’s visit to Armenia has
a cognitive character and has a goal to prepare Spain’s chairmanship
in OSCE next year. The Ambassador was accompanied by the Resident
Representatives of Germany, Norway and Liechtenstein to OSCE.

TIGRAN TOROSIAN: OYK PARTY’S CIVILIZED STEP SHOULD HAVE JUST OPPOSITE
RESPONSE

YEREVAN, MAY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The “Orinats Yerkir” (Country of Law)
party’s leaving the political coalition and declining posts undertaken
within the framework of the coalition agreements was a principal,
respectable and correct step. Tigran Torosian, the RA National
Assembly Deputy Speaker and the Chairman of the Republican Party of
Armenia expressed such an opinion, answering journalists’ questions on
May 25. According to him, in the world and particularly in many and
many countries – members of the Council of Europe, it is an frequently
met, usual event when coalitions do not keep their existence till the
next elections. According to T.Torosian, the OYK party’s quite
“civilized step”, though, “should have just the opposite response.”
Whereas, according to him, “the one that took place during the
statements’ time of the National Assembly and during the discussions
of the four-day sittings’ agenda preceded it, is absolutely
inadmissible, by the type of its expression.” At journalists’ request,
touching upon the conflict of the recent days of the “Azgayin
Miabanutiun” (National Unity) and “Orinats Yerkir” (Country of Law)
parties and the accusations in one another’s address, the NA Deputy
Speaker mentioned: “The most important thing is that the society
itself makes serious consequences arising of the happened as it must
elect a new parliament only in a year which must decide future life
for 5 years.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THEY THANK ANDRE AT RA NA FOR DESERVING HONORARY 8TH PLACE IN
“EUROVISION-2006” FESTIVAL

YEREVAN, MAY 26, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Andre who represented
Armenia at the “Eurovision-2006” song festival and members of the
creative group assisted him were received on May 25 at the RA National
Assembly. According to the initiator, Chairwoman of the NA Standing
Committee on Science, Education, Culture and Youth Issues,
organization of the meeting was provided by the NA staff’s great wish
to meet with Andre. She thanked the singer for deserving the honorary
8th place of the festival and for moments gifted to world-spread
Armenians. “Eurovision” again showed the Armenian people’s power and
unity, proved that Armenia and Diaspora are joint, together, function,
and there was a moment when during the semi-final and final, the whole
nation, become a man, were watching with bated breath, without
gossiping, without abusing, without slandering, and everybody’s heart
was beating harmonously with Andre’s heart,” H.Hakobian said. On
behalf of the National Assembly, Andre was given parliament’s named
watch, and Armen Martirosian, the author of song performed at the
festival and Ara Torosian (Murzik) who instrumented the work were
given named pens. Andre confessed that the most inspiring and, at the
same time, the most obliging thing during the festival days was
Armenians’ unity, and that his greatest task was to represent Armenia
honorably and to make our small country recognizable for the world in
what he and the group assisting him had a success. After few months
hard work, Andre is going to leave for rest for ten days. By the way,
as A.Martirosian informed, the lowest point for passing from
semi-final to final was 70, but Andre had 150 points, and the fact
that Armenian representative’s passing the next stage was stated at
the end was just a result of sortition.

MAIN MISSION OF “YELLOW BIRD” TO PRESERVE AND PASS TO GENERATIONS
TRADITIONS OF AMERICAN INDIANS

YEREVAN, MAY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. “It’s a great honour for me to be in
your country. Here people are warm and hospitable. I am glad that I’m
in a far and hospitable Armenia,” Ken Duncan, the “Yellow Bird” apache
tribe dance group head stated at the May 25 press-conference taken
place in Yerevan. According to Ken Duncan, the “Yellow Bird” dance
group may be considered a family group as well, as his wife, daughter
and seven sons are involved in it. And the group’s name is his wife’s
maiden tribe name. Besides the family members, apaches of other tribes
are also involved in this apache group having creative history of more
than 20 years. According to Ken Duncan, the primary mission of the
dance group is to preserve and pass to generations American Indians’
traditions. He mentioned that besides dancing performances, their
group also performs ancient stories and shows on those themes.
According to Duncan, as a dance group of American aborigines, they
present different phenomena of nature by music and dancing performances.
And according to him, culture is important for everybody understands
“where he comes from and where he goes to.” Besides the concert
mission, according to their ancestors’ traditions, the group builds
apache villages and settlements in different countries of the
world. One of Duncan’s sons presented his music instrument, a pipe
belonged to American aborigines by which he performed an interesting
music work: when a boy decided to court a girl, he starts playing pipe
and after the 4th performance, he gave it to the chosen girl. As for
the problem of using together the modern techniques and apache
traditions, according to Ken Duncan, they work and create by using
both variants: for example, “during the period of time when young
girls come to age, the whole tribe goes up to hills and implements
traditional ceremonial rites.” And in other cases, of course, they
make use of technics. 50 thousand apaches live today in the U.S. who
has a sovereign status there. The “Yellow Bird” group has had concert
tours during these years in different countries of the world. They
must leave for England immediatly after the Armenian tours.

JAVAKHK INTELLECTUALS TO DISCUSS THOROUGHLY STATE EXISTING IN REGION

AKHALKALAK, MAY 26, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Javakhk
Intellectuals’ Union envisages to convene on May 31 its 3rd conference
where the state existing in Javakhk will be thoroughly discussed.
According to the “A-Info” agency, Azat Shipaktsian, the Javakhk
Intellectuals’ Union Chairman informed that the conference will
seriously touch upon security guarantees of Javakhk Armenians, giving
the Armenian language status of the second state language in parallel
to the Georgian language in Samtskhe-Javakhk, and other problems.

RA PRIME MINISTER SATISFIED WITH RESULTS OF WORKING COMMISSION ON
COOPERATION BETWEEN MOSCOW AND ARMENIA GOVERNMENTS

YEREVAN, MAY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Prime Minister Andranik Margarian
received on May 26 Sergey Baydakov, the Co-Chairman of the Working
Commission on Cooperation between Moscow and RA Governments, the head
of the Moscow central administrative region and the delegation headed
by him. The RA Prime Minister expressed satisfaction with the results
of the second sitting of the Working Commission on Cooperation between
Moscow and Armenia Governments. Issues of cooperation in economy and
trade, education, health care, culture, sports, tourism and other
spheres of mutual interest were discussed at the meeting, solution of
which, according to A.Margarian, will assist further development of
the Armenian-Russian mutual cooperation. As Noyan Tapan was informed
by the RA Government’s Information and Public Relations Department,
Makar Nahapetian, the head of the Yerevan Mayor’s Office
Representation in Moscow presented in details results of the sitting
and reached agreements. S.Baydakov emphasized in his turn that the
commission’s sitting took place in a constructive and practical
atmosphere, in conditions of complete mutual understanding. He
expressed gratitude to the RA Government for organizing the
commission’s sitting at a high level. A.Margarian and S.Baydakov were
of the same opinion in the issue that a successful implementation of
decisions of the commission’s first sitting gives possibility for
planning and implementation of new drafts which must be observed
within the context of successive widening and deepening many-sided
relations between Armenia and Russia. The RA Prime Minister also
emphasized the important meaning of the Year of Armenia in Russia in
more strengthening the two countries’ people’s spiricual-cultural
traditional ties. This, according to A.Margarian, gives possibility to
activize mutual ties and contacts, to present in Russia more objectly
Armenia’s achivements and existing possibilities in diferent spheres.

NUMEROUS CLAIMS GOT FOR PARTICIPATION IN COMPETITION FOR IMPLEMENTING
CONSTRUCTION WORKS TO BE IMPLEMENTED BY “LINCY” PROGRAM

YEREVAN, MAY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The process of the competition for
implementing construction works of roads, schools and streets of the
capital by the financial resources of the “Lincy” foundation was
discussed at the May 25 sitting of the Programs Management Council of
the foundation. Armen Gevorgian, the RA President’s staff head, the
Chairman of the “Lincy” Programs Management Council headed the
sitting. According to the information submitted to Noyan Tapan by the
RA President’s Press Office, the sitting participants mentioned that
construction organizations are greatly interested in the competition,
and numerous claims have already been got. It was decided to study in
details in working groups the presented competition packages paying
great attention in them especially to those conditions by existence of
which the high quality of the contruction works to be done and the
labour discipline of the organization implementing it will be most of
all guaranteed.

FIRST CHURCH TO BE BUILT IN SEVAN WITH ASSISTANCE OF FRENCH ARMENIAN
BENEFACTOR

ETCHMIADZIN, MAY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. Karekin II Supreme Patriarch and
Catholicos of All Armenians received on May 25 a group of French
Armenian pilgrims accompanied by Armenian Apostolic Surb Church
benefactor Sargis Petoyan. His Holiness welcame with satisfaction the
pilgrims’ visit to the Fatherland and the Mother See of Holy
Etchmiadzin, the cherished spiritual center of the whole Armenian
people. His Holiness Patriarch presented the pilgrimes challenges
arisen before the Church and its present activity in the sphere of
preparing churchmen, the people’s Christian up-bringing, church
construction and social service. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the
Information Services of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Patriarch
of All Armenians expressed appreciation and his blessing to Sargis
Petrosian by charity of who the first church will be built in the city
of Sevan.