NO NEED FOR CHANGING NK SETTLEMENT FORMAT
Arka News Agency, Armenia
June 19 2006
Yerevan, June 19. /ARKA/. There is no need for changing the format
of the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, Chairman of the Foreign Relations
Commission, RA Parliament, Armen Rustamyan stated at his meeting with
members of the Commission for International Relations, Defense and
Security, Senate of Czechia.
“There is no need for a new format, because the OSCE Minsk Group
has been dealing with this issue since 1992, is well acquainted with
the problem and has made three valuable proposals for the last eight
years,” Rustamyan said.
According to him, the reason for the lack of positive changes is
Azerbaijan’s constantly rejecting proposals and refuses to sign any
document contradicting its conception of solution to the problem.
According to Rustamyan, success in settlement of conflicts is only
possible through the development of regional cooperation, which is
seriously impeded by the policy of creating dividing lines in the
region being implemented by Turkey and Azerbaijan.

OSCE OFFICE TO FACILITATE SMALL, MEDIUM-BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT TO BE OPENED IN GORIS
Arka News Agency, Armenia
June 19 2006
Yerevan, June 19. /ARKA/. An OSCE office to facilitate small and medium
business development will be opened in Goris, Syunik region, Armenia,
Head of the OSCE office in Yerevan Vladimir Pryakhin told reporters.
“The center will be a kind of database on business potential in
the Syunik region,” Pryakhin said. According to him, the OSCE is
actively introducing developed information technologies in Armenia,
particularly in the country’s regions.
Pryakhin pointed out that the office will afford Armenia’s small and
medium business sector a unique opportunity to concentrate all the
information on this sphere in one place, for an effective start of
small and medium business in the Syunik region.
According to him, the project will be implemented by the OSCE with
the assistance of the Armenia Association of Small and Medium-Sized
Business.
Pryakhin could not cite the cost of the project (it has not yet been
completed) pointing out that the Goris Municipality has provided
premises for the office.
The presentation of the project is scheduled for the end of
June.

ARMENIA MUST BE READY FOR LOWER ECONOMIC GROWTH
Arka News Agency, Armenia
June 19 2006
YEREVAN, June 19. /AKA/. Armenia must be ready for lower economic
growth indicators, Dutch Minister of Finance Gerrit Zalm told reporters
in Yerevan.
40% economic growth is typical of countries in process of economic
rehabilitation, he said.
However, Zalm said that high economic growth rates are possible to
ensure in Armenia because the country still has necessary potential.
Speaking of the tax collection situation in Armenia, Zalm stated
that it can be ensured through the improvement of administration and
tax discipline.

DOUBLE CITIZENSHIP TO GIVE ARMENIANS WORLDWIDE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESERVE THEIR NATIONAL IDENTITY
Arka News Agency, Armenia
June 19 2006
YEREVAN, June 19. /ARKA/. Double citizenship will give Armenians
worldwide an opportunity to preserve their national identity,
political analyst Andranik Mihranyan, who is a member of Russian
Federation Public Chamber, told journalists on Monday in Yerevan.
In his opinion dual-citizenship institution will enable Armenians
living overseas to make their ties with their relatives closer and
even to return to their historical homeland.
What for expected difficulties connected with dual citizenship,
particularly with compulsory national service, the political analyst
said those enjoying double citizenship will fulfill their military
services at the countries where they live or registered.
“Many Russian citizens of Armenian descent want to have Armenian
citizenship though understand that initially this will be a symbolic
move because of lack of formal agreement between the two countries”,
Mihranyan said.

DOCUMENTS ON THE PLANE CRASH
Lragir.am
20 June 06
Member of Parliament Tatul Manaseryan told the news reporter of
Lragir.am June 20 that after the their initiative to set up an
ad hoc committee to investigate the causes of the crash of A320
had been rejected they set up a non-governmental task force on
aviation. Tatul Manaseryan asserted that he has a lot of information
but will not publish it for the time being. “It is a very sensitive
question, and every careless phrase can wound and produce grave
consequences.” The government of the parliamentary majority, which
refused their initiative on an ad hoc committee, will hardly provide
the information they possess to the task force. In answer to this
remark Tatul Manaseryan announced, “From time to time documents appear
in my hands, which pass to a restricted number of people.”

RA FOREIGN MINISTER EMPHASIZES THAT THERE IS UNUSED POTENTIAL IN ARMENIAN-CZECH RELATIONS
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 20 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 20, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Arman Kirakosian,
the RA Deputy Foreign Minister received on June 19 the delegation
of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Defence and Security
Issues of the Republic of Czechia. The delegation is in Armenia by
the RA National Assembly’s invitation.
The RA Deputy Foreign Minister attached importance to development of
the Armenian-Czech relations, at the same time expressing anxiety with
the not satisfactory level of the bilateral relations. He mentioned
the circumstance of the unused potential, especially stressing
the necessity of completing the legal-contractual field, what will
greatly stimulate activization of relations in the commercial-economic
sphere. It was also mentioned that the RA Ambassador’s pluralistical
accreditation in Czechia will give new breath to the Armenian-Czech
relations.
As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA Foreign Ministry’s Press
and Information Department, Arman Kirakosian presented briefly the
economic state of Armenia, later development of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict settlement, Armenian-Turkish relations. He mentioned with
satisfaction the cooperation among the Armenian community in Czechia
and the authorities, particularly emphasizing the conference in which
he made a report. The conference was dedicated to the Armenian Genocide
and was organized in April of the current year by the joint efforts
of the Czechia-Armenia Friendship Club and Senator Jaromir Stetina
who was present at the meeting.
The Czech side touched upon in his turn the parliamentary elections
taken place in Czechia, emphasizing that the Government of Czechia
are still at the stage of formation. The guests touched upon the
issue of Turkey’s possible membership to the EU and were informed
about Armenia’s position.

ENLARGED DISCUSSIONS ON BILL “ON YEREVAN” TO BE ORGANIZED
Noyan Tapan
Jun 20 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The current works and reforms in
the sphere of territorial government were discussed at the June 20
working meeting of RA President Robert Kocharian and RA Minister of
Territorial Government Hovik Abrahamian.
First of all they spoke about the necessity to give quick solutions
to problems connected with potable and irrigation water that emerged
in consequence of rise of air temperature. The President charged to
organize a duty and to strengthen control over the irrigation system
for villagers to get water in time an in a sufficient amount. They
also touched upon the changes made in the Yerevan Water Canal and
Armwatercanal.
H.Abrahamian presented the positions of the government and NGOs about
the bill “On Yerevan” and was instructed by R.Kocharian to organize
an enlarged discussion with participation of political forces, NGOs
and the government.
The issue of transferring social services to the jurisdiction of town
communities and the possibilities of implementing pilot programs in
some towns in the future was discussed. They also spoke about the
proposal of the State Committee of Cadastre to raise the cadastre
value of the land and decided that the respective departments should
present their motivations in connection with this issue.

OSCE MEDIA FREEDOM REPRESENTATIVE VISITS ARMENIA ON JUNE 19
Noyan Tapan
Jun 20 2006
VIENNA, JUNE 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The OSCE Representative on Freedom of
the Media, Miklos Haraszti, visits Armenia from 19 to 21 June to
collect first-hand information on the media in the country. Noyan
Tapan was informed about it by the OSCE Yerevan Office.
The visit, which comes at the invitation of the Armenian Foreign
Ministry, will help assist the country in further promoting free and
pluralistic media in pursuance of its OSCE commitments.
The Representative meets President Robert Kocharyan, the Chairman of
the National Assembly Tigran Torosyan, Deputy Foreign Minister Armen
Baibourtian, and Deputy Justice Minister Gevorg Kostanyan.
Miklos Haraszti was also to have discussions with the President
of the Council of Public TV, the Radio Company of Armenia, and the
President of the National Commission for Television and Radio, as well
as representatives of State and independent media, international and
non-governmental organizations.
The visit is co-organized with the OSCE Office in Yerevan.
Members of the media are invited to attend a press conference (followed
by a receptio) with Representative Haraszti at 14.00 on 21 June at
Hotel Marriott in Yerevan.

VILLAGES IN SOME REGIONS OF ARTSAKH VACATED
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 20 2006
STEPANAKERT, JUNE 20, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Villages in the
Berdadzor subregion of Shoushi, in some parts of Martakert and in
other places of Artsakh are being vacated. As Aramayis Hovhannisian,
Headmaster of the secondary school of the village of Karintak of
Artsakh, mentioned in his interview to Noyan Tapan correspondent,
currently the capitals of Armenia and Karabakh, Yerevan and
Stepanakert, have become “huge heads” and their “bodies,” regions,
have remained “dwarf.” As the Headmaster of Karintak school commented,
if we speak about it in the respect of the number of population,
we can say that the half of the population of Armenia and Karabakh
lives in Yerevan and Stepanakert and “indirectly we are turning
into city-states.”
According to Aramayis Hovhannisian, such weak regions can hardly
finance education in the future. “State dotations are needed for
maintaining education, I do not see any other variant for providing
a full-value education,” the Headmaster emphasized. In addition,
many village schools of Artsakh have few pupils, the total number of
pupils in them is 7, 8, 9 or 10. “A village exists with the young
generation. If there is no school, there is no village, either,”
Aramayis Hovhannisian is convinced.
“Most of villagers are unemployed: one should have a job in order
to keep his family, the state should support villagers. No family,
no village can be kept with the miserable social benefits. So, many
people have to leave our land conquerred at the price of our blood,
they go to where there is bread and job,” A.Hovhannisian said.
According to the Headmaster of Karintak village school, today this
problem partly concerns their village. Today the village of Karintak
has 600 inhabitants and 95 pupils attend the village school. The
inhabitants of this village having no sowing areas earn for their
living with money received from growing melons and gourds. “We are
able to live here by cultivating one inch of land realizing that to
leave the village will mean to surrender it,” Aramayis Hovhannisian
is convinced.

DECODING OF CRASHED A-320 PlANE’S RECORDS COMPLETED
Noyan Tapan
Jun 20 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The Interstate Aviation Committee on
June 17 completed the work on decoding of records made by the flight
recorder of A-320 plane that crashed near the Russian city of Sochi
on May 3. NT was informed about it from the spokesman for the head
of the RA Civil Aviation Department.
The flight recorder of the plane recorded information about 8 flights
(included the last tragic one) of the above mentioned plane during
a period from April 30 to May 3, 2006.
The total duration of records is 26 hours 20 minutes, including the
whole duration of the last flight – 1 hour 26 minutes.
The analysis results provided the following information:
a) the plane did not crash in the air,
b) the engines functioned until the plane hit the surface of water,
c) the amount of fuel in the plane was sufficient to make a safe
landing,
d) during the last minute, the flight was operated by the crew,
with the plane’s autopilot off.
It was indicated that based on the analysis and ongoing studies, a
conclusion about the causes of the crash will be made and respective
instructions on flight safety will be issued.