BUILDERS OF BAKU-CEYHAN OIL PIPELINE REFUSE TO COMPENSATE DAMAGE INFLICTED TO ARMENIAN VILLAGE
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 14 2006
AKHALKALAK, JUNE 14, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The
SPI-Capag-Petrofac company carrying out the construction of the
Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline in the territory of Georgia has inflicted a
land damage to the village of Ghado, Akhalkalak region, for using sand
necessary for the construction and has been refusing to compensate
the damage up to this day.
According to the A-Info agency, at the construction company they
explain that the land used by them belongs to the state and they
have the respective licence for using it from the Ministry of Nature
Protection.
The residents of Ghado insist that the sand used for the oil pipeline’s
construction is taken from the territory belonging to them and they
have the respective certificate of public ownership. Besides, the
residents of Ghado mention that a compensation in a large amount was
given in other regions when the territories of Georgian villages were
used for the same purposes. For the present, the inhabitants of Ghado
hope for the justice of the Georgian law-enforcement bodies. The
case made up on the basis of their complaints has already reached
the Georgian Prosecutor General’s Office.

TSALKA AND NINOTSMINDA CONSIDERED PROBABLE REGIONS FOR RESETTLEMENT OF MESKHETIAN TURKS
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 14 2006
AKHALKALAK, JUNE 14, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. In the opinion of
Teymuraz Lomsadze, Adviser on Issues of Repatriation of Meskhetians
of the Georgian State Minister on Issues of Conflict Settlement, the
most part of the territories where the Meskhetian Turks lived have
become ruined and their restoration will require large exenditures.
The State Minister’s Adviser mentioned that besides turning into ruins,
these territories are not rich in land, either, and the Turks should
be resettled in more convenient territories. According to the A-Info
agency, Georgians from different Georgian regions were resettled in
the most part of the Meskhetians’ territories and the lands of the
ruined territories were also given to them.
By the way, according to unofficial data, Tsalka and Ninotsminda are
considered as probable regions for resettlement of Meskhetians as
part of the houses of Greeks and Russians who have left these regions
are vacant.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EVENT DEDICATED TO 25th ANNIVERSARY OF FOUNDATION OF HOVHANNES SHIRAZ SATURDAY ARMENIAN SCHOOL TAKES PLACE IN VIENNA
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 14 2006
VIENNA, JUNE 14, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. A solemn event
dedicated to the 25th anniversary of foundation of the Hovhannes Shiraz
Armenian Saturday school was held on June 10 at the hall of the Park
Hotel Schonbrunn of Vienna. About 250 guests took part in the event.
According to RA Foreign Ministy Press and Information Department, RA
Ambassador to Austria Ashot Hovakimian and RA Resident Representative
to international organizations in Vienna Jivan Tabibian made greeting
speeches at the event. They solemnly gave graduation certificates to
the 11 leavers of the school.
The Armenian Ambassadors wished further development and success
to the school mentioning the school’s exclusive role in the issue
of preservation of the Armenian nation and its contribution to the
consolidation of the community.
They especially stressed the contribution of school headmaster Aghavni
Baroyan, lecturers, school founders and benefactors to education of
Austrian Armenians in the Armenian spirit.

ARMENIA PARTICIPATES IN BUSINESS FORUM IN SWITZERLAND ON JUNE 12-13
Noyan Tapan
Jun 14 2006
ZURICH, JUNE 14, NOYAN TAPAN. A business forum Swiss Forum & Current
Investment Hotspots in Emerging Regions was held in Zurich (Switzerlan)
on June 12-13. The Armenian delegation headed by the RA Minister of
Trade and Economic Development Karen Chshmaritian participated in
the forum.
According to the press service of the ministry, during the forum K.
Chshmaritian made a speech, in which he presented the overall
description of the Armenian economy, economic indices registered in
recent years, and the liberal investment climate. He spoke about the
activities of the Diaspora, noting the important role the Diaspora
plays in the establishment and development of business links. The
minister underlined Armenia’s willingness to extend its business
relations with Switzerland.
The Armenian delegation was received by Ambassador of the Swiss
Ministry of Economy, Special Representative Oscar Knapp. He pointed
out Armenia’s active participation in the business forum and expressed
confidence that it will help Armenia with raising its business rating
in Switzerland.
Armenia had its pavilion at the exhibition held within the framework
of the forum. The priority sectors of the Armenian economy and
the country’s business opportunities were displayed by the Armenian
Development Agency, the Enterprise Incubator Foundation, the National
Center of SME Assistance and other organizations.
The Armenian community of Switzerland took an active part in the
business forum and exhibition.

A-320 CRASH CAUSED BY HUMAN FACTOR
Yerevan, June 14. ArmInfo. The inter-state air committee has finished
to decode the black boxes of Armavia’s A-320 crashing near Sochi May 3.
One of the experts has told MK (Russia) that it is already known that
the crash was caused by “human factor” rather than some equipment
failure. The decoding has shown that the equipment was in good order
and that there was no lack of fuel. The main cause might be the
loss of orientation by the crew – i.e. when a pilot confuses the
sky with the earth. This can happen because of either distraction
or bad weather. The experts tends to think that in this particular
case it was bad weather. When the air controller sent the plane for
the second turn the crew flew it manually. The heel was too big –
one more possible cause. Now the committee is trying to find more
or less evasive wordings so as not to blame the crew – it is always
hard to blame people, especially when they are already dead. Still
the black boxes have shown that the equipment is out of suspicion.
To remind, A-320 with 113 people onboard fell into the Black Sea when
flying from Yerevan to Sochi May 3.

EDITOR OF AKOS DAILY HRANT DINK TO VISIT KRASNODAR REGION, RUSSIA
Yerevan, June 14. ArmInfo. In Sept 2006 the editor of “Akos” Armenian
daily (Turkey) Hrant Dink will visit Krasnodar region (Russia),
reports Yerkramas, Armenian daily f Southern Russia.
Dink’s visit will be personal nature but he is expected to meet with
representatives of the Armenian community of Sochi. The daily notes
that in Sochi and other nearby Black Sea resorts there are many
Armenians – who came there from Hamshen, a Western Armenian town,
now in Turkey. There are some Armenians in Hamshen too but they have
been Islamized.
To remind, in Feb 2006 Dink was sentenced to 6 months of probation for
“insulting the Turk’s national dignity.” Later the Court of Cassation
ruled that Dink was misunderstood and acquitted him.

RELATIVES AND FRIENDS COMMEMORATE VICTIMS IN AIR CRASH OF A-320 IN SOCHI
SOCHI, JUNE 14. ArmInfo. 180 people from Armenia left for Sochi to
commemorate the victims in the May 3 air crash. Hrach Makeyan, head of
the Sochi branch of the Union of Armenians of Russia, told “Interfax.”
“Today we will mark the forty days after the day of the tragedy. Not
less than 300 people will participate in the commemoration arrangement,
including the friends and the relatives of the victims who arrived
from Armenia, Sochi and Krasnodar region,” Makeyan said.
He told that at present the mourning procession is on the board of
a boat that sails to the place of the tragedy.
“They will throw flowers and wreaths onto the sea and go to the church,
as soon as they arrive in Adler,” Makeyan said.

ARMENIAN COMMUNITY IN TURKEY ANXIOUS ABOUT UPCOMING VISIT OF ARMENIAN CATHOLICS TO TURKEY: ZAMAN REPORTS
Yerevan, June 14. ArmInfo. The Turkish special services are concerned
over the probable actions of protest against the upcoming visit
of Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II to Turkey, the Turkish
newspaper Zaman reports.
The report prepared by the special services in connection with the
forthcoming visit focuses on the deep concern of the Armenian community
of Istanbul and Patriarch Mesrop Mutafyan. The report says the local
Armenian community takes a view that “Catholicos of All Armenians is
unaware of what and where he speaks about.” The newspaper says the
Catholicos was invited to Turkey on June 19-25 by the Greek Patriarch
of Turkey Bartholomew.

“SYNOPSYS” DOUBLES ITS STAFF IN ARMENIA
Yerevan, June 14. ArmInfo. “At present, 351 employees with higher
qualification work at “SYNOPSYS.” Today we opened 30 new vacancies.
Moreover, in 21 months the company will double its staff,” Rich
Goldman, director-general of “SYNOPSYS-Armenia,” said in the interview
to ArmInfo.
“Due to the complicated elaborations the Armenian branch of “SYNOPSYS”
occupies a unique place in the world and the quality of the Armenian
specialists’ work surpassed all our expectations,” R.
Goldman said. He emphasized that in case these indicators are
preserved, in coming years “SYNOPSYS” will carry out aggressive
expansion in the market of automatized technologies that the Armenian
specialists elaborate. Goldman said that in general, the company’s
projects are used in 80% of the micro schemes produced in the world,
in all the INTEL micro schemes, in 70% of mobile phones. He said that
one of the most important goals of the company is to decrease the
cost of the IT production. Goldman said that from this very viewpoint,
the experiments of newest researches by computer modeling was one of
the important steps the company took. This helps find and avert the
drawbacks committed in the projects before the production without
any considerable expenses.

SALES OF “ASHTARAK KAT” DAIRY PRODUCTS TO RISE BY 30% BY THE END OF 2006
Yerevan, June 14. ArmInfo. The sales of “Ashtarak Kat” dairy will
be increased by 30% by the end of 2006. Since January 2006 till May
inclusive, the company’s sales volume reached 703.6 million drams,
“Ashtarak Kat” Executive Director Khachatur Atanesyan told ArmInfo.
He said the company’s sales for 2005 totaled 1 billion 343 million
drams, net profit – 206 million 200 thousand drams as against 988.2
million and 120 million 800 thousand drams in 2004, respectively. Kh.
Atanesyan said the sales were increased due to the growing demand
for the company’s products.
He said to meet consumers’ needs, in the September of 2005, the
company started an exclusive production of candied cheese-curds of
four types: vanilla, chocolate, with peach jam and condensed milk
filling. In addition, the company launched production of 7 types of
yogurts and yogurt drinks. Kh. Atanesyan said the company’s products
are special due to the milk delivered from the highly mountainous
meadows in Armenia which are 2,000 m above the sea level. The company
has milk purchasing points in five regions of Armenia: Aragatsotn,
Lori, Shirak, Gegharkunik, and Syunik. Kh. Atanesyan assured
ArmInfo’s correspondent that the whole process of dairy production
is controlled in the system of up-to- date laboratories accredited
by the Armenian state standard. He said that guided by the principle
of mutually advantageous cooperation with farmers, “Ashtarak Kat”
effectively uses also the surplus milk in spring season. Thus, due
to the up-to-date technologies, whole milk power has been produced
since 2001. The ratio of nutrients in the dried milk is the same
with that in the original milk. Kh. Atanesyan said the company both
exports and uses the dried milk in the production in winter period.
To note, “Ashtarak Kat,” was founded in 1995 on the basis of the
cheese dairy plant in the village of Agarak, Aragatsotn region. The
company cooperates with 1,200 farms in 52 villages in Armenia and
employs 350 people.