ARKADY GHUKASIAN: SHOUSHI RESTORATION IS A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE NOT
ONLY FOR ARTSAKH BUT ALSO FOR WHOLE ARMENIAN PEOPLE
STEPANAKERT, JULY 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Issues relating
to Shoushi restoration and development strategy were discussed at the
July 7 meeting of NKR President Arkady Ghukasian with the delegation
headed by Yervand Zakharian, Yerevan Mayor, Chairman of the Shoushi
Rebirth foundation.
Yervand Zakharian, in particular, said that the fund is already working
at a number of important issues, including 4-5-year program of town
restoration and development, elaboration of programs of development
and infrastructures restoration, as well as obtaining funds for their
implementation and creation of jobs in the town. He mentioned water
supply problem as a priority one and added that the Shoushi Rebirth
foundation closely cooperates with the NKR government.
Arkady Ghukasian in his turn highly evaluated the fund’s creation and
the striving for uniting the efforts by different public and state
circles of Armenia, Spyurk and Artsakh around the idea of Shoushi
restoration. He stated that the town restoration is a matter of
principle not only for NKR, but also for the whole Armenian people
and Shoushi should regain its former fame of one of the All Armenian
spiritual and educational-cultural centers.
According to the Acting Spokesperson for NKR President, a number of
representatives of Armenian business circles cooperating with the
fund were included in the delegation. NKR government members and
businessmen took part in the meeting.

Iran and Armenia sign 7 documents
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
July 7 2006
[ 06 Jul. 2006 17:24 ]
Within Armenian President Robert Kocharyan’s official visit to Iran,
the two countries signed 7 documents.
APA reports quoting to Armenian Mass Media that the documents are
agreements and memorandums on energy, economic, industrial, juridical
and cultural understanding and cooperation.
Armenian and Iranian presidents attended the signing ceremony.
Foreign Ministers-Manuchehr Mottaki and Vardan Oskanyan signed an
agreement on development of economic and industrial infrastructure of
Armenia, Energy Ministers-Perviz Fattah and Armen Movsesyan signed an
energy agreement, Iranian Justice Minister jamal Kerimi-Rad and
Vardan Oskanyan signed an agreement on juridical understanding and
cooperation as well as extradition of criminals, Iranian culture and
tourism officer Takha Khashami and Armenian vice-foreign minister
Armen Kirakosyan signed a agreement on cultural heritage.
The sides also signed documents on funding construction of power
mains between Iran and Armenia. /APA/

RA NA ADOPTS DECISION ON ANNOUNCING AMNESTY
YEREVAN, JULY 7, NOYAN TAPAN. At the July 7 sitting, RA National
Assembly unanimously, with 84 votes, adopted the decision “On
Announcing Amnesty.” RA President had applied to the parliament
with such a proposal in connection with the 15th anniversary of
RA independence.
The decision will come into force on the day following the official
publication and will be applied to persons having committed crimes
until June 1 of current year inclusive. The decision on amnesty is
subject to fulfilment until September 30 inclusive. As a result, it
is expected that over 300 convicts will be released. Most of them
will be persons setenced for crimes envisaging maximum 3 years’
imprisonment. Besides, persons towards which the penalty was not
conditionally applied or serving of the sentence was postponed, as well
as persons sentenced to punishments not connected with imprisonment
will be released. First or second group disabled sentenced to maximum 5
years’ imprisonment, persons who turn 60 until September 30 inclusive,
as well as persons having committed a crime before they were 18 and
not having served sentence connected with imprisonment earlier will
be released. The persons sentenced to 5 years’ imprisonment having
participated in the Great Patriotic War, fights for RA defence or
persons equalized to them will be released.
Persons not convicted before for committing a deliberate crime,
as well as those having convicted for committing a crime due to
carelessness will be released under some conditions.
With some exceptions, criminal cases being examined by investigation,
preliminary examination bodies and courts on crimes committed until
June 1 2006, as well as the non-served part of the sentence will
be quashed.
The decision on amnesty does not extend to persons having committed
grave and especially grave crimes, as well as to a number of
kinds of crimes not considered to be grave, in particular, illegal
deforestations, electoral falsifications, profanation of corpses
or places of burying. The amnesty will not extend, either, to those
having intentionally violating the order of serving sentence, to those
having committed a crime at a penitentiary institution, in cases of
repeated commission of especially dangerous crimes and in a number
of other cases.

RA PRESIDENT VISITS EMBASSY AND AMBASSADOR OF U.S. AND CONGRATULATES
EMBASSY STAFF ON OCCASION OF U.S. NATIONAL HOLIDAY
YEREVAN, JULY 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On July 7, RA President
Robert Kocharian and Mrs Bela Kocharian visited the Embassy of the
U.S. in Armenia. They congratulated Ambassador John Evans and Embassy
staff on the occasion of the National Holiday, Independence Day of
the United States of America.
As Noyan Tapan was informed from RA President’s Press Office,
expressing satisfaction with the current level and development rates
of Armenian-American relations, the President gave assurance that
the formed strong contacts will continue to develop seccessfully.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian Youth Party calls to unite around presidents of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh
Regnum, Russia
July 7 2006
On July 7, Armenian Youth Party (YPA) presented letter of the country’s
intelligentsia to presidents of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh Robert
Kocharyan and Arkady Gukasyan during its press conference. REGNUM
publishes the whole text of the address:
“Armenian intelligentsia, which was at the origins of Karabakh
movement and participated in Armenia’s gaining of independence and in
Artsakh’s liberation (Artsakh is Armenian name of Nagorno Karabakh –
REGNUM), believes today too that at current tragic hour it should
unite around the Armenian authorities for the sake of Armenia and
Artsakh’s well-being. Armenian intelligentsia supports both presidents
and calls on public opinion to unite around the presidents in order
to settle problem fairly.”
Yerevan State University Rector Aram Simonyan and Yerevan Valeriy
Bryusov Linguistic University Rector Suren Zolyan signed the statement
during the press conference. As YPA Chairman Sarkis Asatryan informed,
signatures’ collecting will last for ten days. After that, the
intelligentsia’s appeal will be handed over to presidents of Armenia
and Republic Nagorno Karabakh.

ARSHAK SADOYAN SUGGESTED JOHN EVANS TO FINANCE A DEMOCRATICAL
NEWPSPAPER IN ARMENIA
Yerevan, July 7. ArmInfo. On a today press conference leader of the
‘National-Democratic Bloc’ party Arshak Sadoyan informed about his and
his fellows’ intention to start publishing a democratical newspaper
and issuing democratical TV and radio programs. He suggested that
those projects should be partly financed by the USA, as Ambassador
John Evans promised to assign $7 million for holding transparent and
democratic elections in 2007. Mr. Sadoyan assured that such usage of
the promised millions will be the most effective.
Mr. Sadoyan also told about his project to apply electronic calculation
of votes.

BREAKDOWN OF ROBOT PILOT OF AIRBUS A-320 COULD NOT LEAD TO AIR CRASH:
HONORED PILOT OF USSR
Yerevan, July 6. ArmInfo. The breakdown of one of the robot pilots of
Airbus A- 320 belonging to Armavia airline that crashed near Sochi
could not lead to the air crash. Dmitry Atbashyan, President of the
National Aviation Association of Armenia, honored pilot of USSR, made
this statements in an interview with ArmInfo commenting on the article
in the “Moskovsky Komsomolets” that the breakdown of the robot pilot
could be a reason of the crash. Atbashyan mentioned that A-320 has no
robot pilots, it has systems of stiffness and controllability. Probably
one of these systems failed, which, however, could not lead to the
crash, he said.
D. Atbashyan believes that a complex of reasons could lead to
the crash: breakdown of the equipment, bad weather, insufficient
equipment at the airport in Adler unable to fulfill even the commands
of the own federal administration. Among the key reasons of the crash
D. Atbashyan mentioned the strong wind shear. At the same time, he
called the acts of Grigor Grigoryan, crew captain, right in the given
situation. D. Atbashyan said he would act in the same way. Commenting
on the report of the “Moskovsky Komsomolets” that the interference
of the second pilot, whose acts contradicted to that of the captain
aggravated the situation, D. Atbashyan said it could not lead to the
crash but for “second causes”. In addition, he believes that the crew
could not act in different ways. He thinks that the failure in the
systems could make commands contradicting to the acts of the pilots.
To recap, the crashed A-320 Airbus killed all on board.
From: Baghdasarian

Azerbaijani foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov is on a visit in Germany
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
July 7 2006
[ 07 Jul. 2006 18:23 ]
Azerbaijani foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov who is on a visit in
Germany, yesterday visited Marshal Foundation of Germany, joined the
seminar with participation of private company, strategical institute,
and other organization leaders.
Foreign Ministry Press and Information Policy Office chief Tahir
Taghizade has told APA that, making a speech in the seminar, Elmar
Mammadyarov spoke on regional problems, relations of Azerbaijan with
neighboring countries, energy and transport projects implemented
at the initiative of Azerbaijan, especially Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and
Baku-Tbilisi-Arzurum pipelines, Baku-Tbilisi- Gars railway station,
integration of Azerbaijan to Euroatlantic area, European Union new
neighborhood policy activity, Azerbaijan-Armenia, Nagorno-Garabagh
conflict’s settlement talks through peaceful way.
Elmar Mammadyarov visited Azerbaijani embassy’s new building in
Germany, met with associates of the embassy.
Today in the end of the visit, Elmar Mammadyarov will meet with Defense
Ministry state secretary Christian Shmidt, economic cooperation and
development deputy minister Ms. Kotman and Germany-Azerbaijan Forum
leadership./APA/

Suren Zolyan: Armenian society is ready to discuss process of Karabakh settlement
Regnum, Russia
July 7 2006
“There are principles, unacceptable for Armenia, in the framework
agreement, presented by OSCE MG co-chairs to the parties of Karabakh
conflict. But if we categorically reject it, it will give Baku a new
ground to accuse Yerevan that it is not ready for talks,” such opinion
was expressed by Yerevan Valery Bryusov Linguistic University Rector
Suren Zolyan during a press conference in Yerevan.
According to him, the most positive outcome of declassification of
document (made by Matthew Bryza), which lies on negotiating table,
is fact that society is finally fully involved into Nagorno Karabakh
negotiating process and, as events have shown, it is ready to discuss
the problem. “Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement is the problem
of the whole our nation; the more we will be consistent the more
positive will be changes in the question. Statement, which is not
quite acceptable for us in such raw state, showed that our society is
ready to discuss the problem, as well as authorities, which represent
people,” the university rector resumed.
New US Co-Chair of OSCE Minsk group on Nagorno Karabakh settlement
Matthew Bryza declassified content of the document, presented by
mediators to two presidents. The agreement envisages normalization of
Armenian-Azerbaijan economic and diplomatic relations. The framework
agreement appeals to withdraw Armenian troops from Azerbaijani
territories, where they are deployed now. Other theses include in
particular deployment of peacekeepers, international economic support
of Nagorno Karabakh, economic development, and finally at some stage,
voting on Nagorno Karabakh future status is envisaged.
From: Baghdasarian

L.MKRTCHIAN: NEW SYSTEM OF GRADUATION AND COMMON EXAMS AT SCHOOLS
WILL HELP DECREASE CORRUPTION RISKS
Yerevan, July 07. ArmInfo.The new system of graduation and common exams
at schools will help decrease the corruption risks. Levon Mkrtchian,
RA Education Minister, said this today.
He stated that notwithstanding the positive experience of the
foreign countries, Armenia isn’t ready for full application of the
new system. He added that an imperfect system application may cause
complicated problems and proceeding from this, Mkrtchian stated that
our country will fully pass to the new system in 3-4 years.