ARMENIA AND SEYCHELLES ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
Armenpress
Apr 26 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS: Armenia’s Permanent Representative in
the UN, Armen Martirosian, and Jeremy Bonelam, the Representative
of the Republic of Seychelles, signed on April 19 a protocol on
establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Armenian foreign ministry said by signing the protocol both countries
committed to promoting mutual understanding, strengthening friendship
and cooperation between the two nations.

ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR IN MOSCOW ASKS RUSSIAN OFFICIALS TO REACT TO MANIFESTATIONS OF FASCISM
Armenpress
Apr 27 2006
MOSCOW, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS; Armenia’s ambassador to Russia, Armen
Smbatian, has officially asked Russian foreign and interior ministers
and Moscow mayor ‘to take decisive action to prevent manifestation
of fascism.”
The unusual wording was prompted by last weekend killing of an ethnic
Armenian teenager in Moscow, Vigen Abramyants, a Russian citizen. The
boy was stabbed to death by a group of Russian skinheads.
Moscow prosecutors have extended the pre-trial detention of a Russian
boy suspected of killing Abramyants, for 72 hours yesterday.
The murder of the Armenian boy and a subsequent attack on an Armenian
film director who was visiting Moscow have triggered a tough reaction
of Armenian media which accuse Russian law-enforcers of conniving at
hate crime.

THE NUMBER OF HEART DISEASES INCREASED BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER
A1+
[12:30 pm] 27 April, 2006
The number of heart diseases abruptly increased in Shirak
marz. According to the regional Cardio-Rheumatic Department chief
Arthur Stepanyan the number of patients within the 3 months of the
current year increased by 80 in comparison with the previous year data.
There have been about 280 in-patients in the regional hospital
since January. Their number has abruptly increased in the recent
days. According to the specialists this increase is determined by
the abrupt weather changes. Most of the patients are in complicated
hypertonic crisis; they have heart problems, attacks and violations
of heart rhythm.
The cardiologists state one important fact; the heart diseases prevail
among women recently. If only one out of 6 patients suffering heart
problems was a woman in the previous years now their number has also
increased. Men suffer from the illness more rarely.
There were 5 cases of death within the recent 3 months, and 2 of the
patients died because of chronical heart insufficiency.
“Tsayg” TV of Gyumri

NEW PHASE OF CHURCH – SCHOOL RELARTIONS
A1+
[12:46 pm] 27 April, 2006
Today the monk of the Syunyats eparchy Abgar Hovakimyan met the
teachers and pupils of Goris. The meeting was aimed at strengthening
the ties between churches and schools.
Each pupil must be aware of the history of the church and realise its
role and important. According to the eparchy representative school
visits will become more frequent and they will help pupils to suffice
their spiritual needs. School pupils will also get exhaustive answers
to all questions concerning them.
The offer was accepted by the teachers and pupils with great
enthusiasm.
“Last” TV channel of Goris

ARMENIAN SPORTSMEN IN THE FIRST PLACE
A1+
[01:05 pm] 27 April, 2006
The Yerevan Chess Academy team beat the leader of the tournament –
the Chelyabink “Ural” with the overall 4:2 in the 6th round of the
Russian Youth Chess open championship.
The Chess Academy victory was provided by Hovik Hayrapetyan and
Armine Babayan who were striking in the championship with their
excellent participation.
The Chess Academy tops the fixture table with 11 points after this
victory. The team “Uniline” occupying the 2nd place beat the Yerevan
“Mika” with the overall 4:2.
The adult leader the Ekatirinburg “Ural” beat “Meria” with the score
4.5-1.5 and is in the 1st place now.
Vladimir Hakobyan celebrated the team victory and provided one
point for “Ural.” Levon Aronyan’s team “Tomsk – 400″beat the Samara
“Permosteps” with the overall 3.5-2.5 and is in the 3rd place at
present.
Aronyan tied with Gelfand in the 1st round.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE EVICTED RESIDENTS THREATEN TO APPEAL
A1+
[02:25 pm] 27 April, 2006
The cold and rainy weather did not hinder the strikers from launching
an appeal in the yard of the Government building. The residents of
Northern and Main Avenues, and Abovyan, Kokhbatsi, Saralanj and
Kozern Streets and the gardeners of Dalma gathered opposite the
Government today.
They demanded the Government, especially Prime Minister Andranik
Margaryan to meet them. As usual, the strikers weren’t paid any
attention to.
The strikers complained of the decision of the Constitutional
Court. “Regardless of the fact whether the Constitutional Court is
imperfect or not, the Government’s decision is anti constitutional. We
want to see the Government representatives and make them change
their decision, and we want people responsible for this ferocity to
be punished. The Government still ignores the CC decision,” said the
chairman of the Defense Board of the Northern Ave. Vachagan Hakobyan.
By the way, they will hold a press conference, and their further
steps will be determined by its current.
“We are going to initiate acts of complaint with different streets
and parties. It is time to put an end to this.”
The strikers complained that there is certain delusion with the names
of the streets as the name of Byuzand street is frequently mentioned
whereas the rest of the streets remain aside or are left out.
Let us mention that the strikers were threatened as the evictions
still continue in different streets of the city.

OSKANYAN LEFT FOR KARABAKH
A1+
[03:32 pm] 27 April, 2006
Today RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan left for NKR on a 2 –
day call for usual consultation.
Vardan Oskanyan is to meet NKR President, the leaders of the Parliament
and Government and his counterpart in Stepanakert.
He will make a report in the Stepanakert University.

ARAM KARAPETYAN WILL RUN FOR PRESIDENCY
A1+
[04:34 pm] 27 April, 2006
“Karapetyan’s incident was a complicated one,” according to the “New
Times” party chairman Aram Karapetyan’s sources Robert Kocharyan said
these words after the assault on his bodyguards and drivers.
Let us remind you that the workers of the NSS stopped Aram Karapetyan
and his companions’ cars and arrested his bodyguards suspecting them in
hiding weapons. The bodyguards were set free the same evening whereas
their gas guns haven’t been returned so far though they promised to
give them back on April 25. Aram Karapetyan doesn’t know the reason
of breaking the promise as the NSS is a closed institution. The
most interesting is the fact that the order to keep gas guns was
issued by the deputy chief of police Hovhannes Varyan. By the way,
when Aram Karapetyan inquired how his bodyguards can protect him
without their guns, he received the following answer to his question,
“with their arms.”
The guest of the “Pastark” club refuted his initiation of the
assault. “If I am able to buy Serge Sargsyan and the whole NSS I
can be inaugurated,” announced Aram Karapetyan. He was sure that
“special operation” was implemented by the 1st group of “Alfa.” He
is concerned with their professional level as, “They got frightened
instead of threatening us.”
In Karapetyan’s words, they wanted to threaten him for his alternative
position in order to show home and foreign representatives that
“there are the rulers of the country.”
“The power exertion in political field always has its side effect,”
says Aram Karapetyan qualifying the incident as a “nonsense.” He
is sure that there is political concern in Karabakh and Iran. He
claims that we shall have 150 000 refugees in case we have conflicts
with Iran.
Aram Karapetyans deems the Russian position towards Armenia quite
normal as they must speak to Armenia critically but at the same time
friendly. He calls on close cooperation with Russia up to the level
of confederation underlining that it is the only way for Armenia
to solve its matters. According to him Robert Kocharyan has already
discussed the idea of forming confederation with Russia.
By the way, Aram Karapetyan maintains that the only way to preserve
the country’s stability is to change the authorities. The party “New
Times” promises to realize changes in 2006. Asked the question when
exactly, Aram Karapetyan advised to turn to other political figure with
that question (perhaps he meant the chairman of the party “Republic”
Aram Sargsyan)
Tomorrow the party members will hold a meeting besides Matenadaran. The
strikers will shout, “Gorik, go away,” instead of “Kocharyan, go away”
demanding the chief of the NSS Gorik Hakobyan to resign for his illegal
engagement into political procedures and for his non professionalism.
By the way, Aram Karapetyan calls on Opposition not to participate in
the NA 2007 elections lest anything changes in political sphere. In
response to the question of “A1+” about his participation in the
following presidential elections he said, “By all means.”

WHO MISAPPROPRIATES ARMENIA?
Panorama.am
14:12 27/04/06
“Unfortunately, today the Armenian Government doesn’t fully realize
what is said to be diplomacy: they try to bring a 3rd power which
greatly harms the Armenian independence. The Alliance and present
Government lead a policy to misappropriate Armenia.
They love the independence of the country so much that t they simply
“eat” it. And while exchanging diplomatic assets with any country
in order to recognize the Genocide we lose assets, credits and
prospective of development,” member of Armenian National Movement
said during the debates with President of ARF Bureau Armenian Trial
office Kiro Manoyan in “Hayeli” club today.
“In this case the recognition of the Genocide is neither a matter
of spiritual peace nor a way to testify the truth. Firs of all the
problem of Genocide recognition is a political issue,” K. Manoyan
contradicted to the accusations of A. Manoukyan saying that no party
has been dissolved during this government, whereas the ANM stopped
the activity of ARF during its officiating.

OSCE HOLDS TRAINING ON MONITORING PLACES OF DETENTION IN ARMENIA
ArmRadio.am
27.04.2006 10:53
A four-day training course to increase the professional capacity of
public monitoring groups to monitor places of detention started in
Tsakhkadzor, Armenia.
The course, organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan together with
the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR),
is for members of the two Public Monitoring Groups established under
the Armenian Ministry of Justice and the Armenian police. It will
focus on reporting on conditions in penitentiary institutions and
the rights of detainees.
“Improving conditions in the places of detention and protection
of detainees’ rights is a priority area for the OSCE,” said
Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, Head of the OSCE Office. “I commend
the establishment of the Public Monitoring Groups, initiated by the
Armenian authorities and supported by civil society. They create an
effective mechanism for identifying the existing problems which in
turn helps improve the situation.”
During the training course, the 24 participants will get acquainted
with national legislation and international standards for the treatment
of prisoners.
They will also acquire practical knowledge on how to organize a visit
to a place of detention and report on it.
A number of local experts and the Chairperson of the Bulgarian
Helsinki Committee will present the specifics of monitoring pre-trial
detention places and police custody besides discussing key areas of
concern. The training session includes extensive group exercises,
mock investigations and actual visits to a detention cell, as well
as the preparation of a report.