SWITZERLAND STANDS FOR PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT
PanARMENIAN.Net
12.06.2006 13:28 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Swiss Federal Department for Foreign Affairs
stands for a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict,
Swiss FM Micheline Calmy-Rey stated at a press conference in
Yerevan. In her words, achievement of peace between Armenia and
Azerbaijan will not only lead to stability in the region but also to
normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations.
As for the Armenian Issue, Ms. Calmy-Rey underscored that the Armenian
Genocide in the Ottoman Empire in 1915 was recognized in Switzerland
at the state level as well as by Cantons and municipal bodies.
“Switzerland recognizes and condemns the Armenian Genocide. We are
ready to contribute to any kind of dialogue between Armenia and Turkey
for normalization of relations. But attempts have been fruitless so
far,” she said.
The Head of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs also
reminded that the Swiss legislation maintains an article providing
for criminal punishment for those who deny the Armenian Genocide and
propagates racial and national intolerance.

ARMENIAN CITIZEN SHOT DEAD IN MOSCOW
PanARMENIAN.Net
12.06.2006 13:44 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Two Armenian citizens were assaulted Saturday evening
in park near the North Boulevard, Moscow. A 44-years-old citizen of
Armenia was wounded in the chest and immediately died. A 24-year-old
man was taken to hospital. The investigators found a pistol at the
locus delicti. A criminal case was initiated. “A 52-year-old driver
and guardian of the Nogin meatpacking plant was detained as suspect of
murder,” Sergey Marchenko, a representative of the Moscow Prosecutor’s
Office informed, reported Interfax.

U.S. TO ALLOT $790 THOUSAND FOR TRAINING OF ARMENIAN MILITARY
PanARMENIAN.Net
12.06.2006 13:53 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The U.S. House Representatives has approved a draft
bill for provisions for U.S. Government’s foreign operations for
the fiscal year of 2007. The draft bill supported by 373 Congressmen
provides for $790 thousand within International Military Education
and Training (IMET) program for Armenia.
The similar amount is granted to Azerbaijan and Russia. Ukraine will
receive $1.725 million.
“The IMET is the part of U.S. common program for assistance in security
sector, through which U.S. Government grants education to the military
of allied and friendly countries,” the appropriate document says.
According to the document, total amount of budget provisions for
IMET program in 2007 is approved to be $88 million, reported Trend
news agency.

ANKARA THREATENS TO REFUSE FROM PARTICIPATION IN EU-TURKEY TALKS
PanARMENIAN.Net
12.06.2006 16:00 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey will not take part in the EU-Turkey meeting to
be held in Luxembourg on Monday if Cyprus’s initiative on blocking the
opening of talks over some issues is accepted, Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated. “We will not depart to Luxembourg if
24 EU Foreign Ministers approve Cyprus’s initiative,” Erdogan told
reporters in Monday.
Last Friday EU member state Cyprus blocked the opening of talks on
Turkey’s accession to the European Union by a demand to fulfill the
additional protocol to the Customs Union, which provides for the
opening of air and sea ports in the Republic of Cyprus during 2006,
reported Gazeta.ru.

ARMENIA TO PARDON PRISON CONVICTS ON THE OCCASION OF INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY
Armenpress
Jun 12 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS: A task force of justice ministry
officials set up at president Kocharian’s order to prepare an amnesty
that will be announced later this year in connection with the 15-th
anniversary of Armenia from the former Soviet Union, had a recurrent
meeting today chaired by minister David Harutunian.
The ministry said the meeting discussed the basic approaches towards
declaring amnesty for some categories of prison population. The task
force agreed to grant amnesty to those only who committed crimes
before June 1, 2006.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EUROPE DISAPPROVED THE ELECTION CODE
Lragir.am
12 June 06
The Commission of Venice reported on the Election Code of Armenia,
which can be considered a preliminary conclusion, said Speaker
Tigran Torosyan. According to Tigran Torosyan, the conclusion of the
Commission of Venice includes three subgroups: changes that Europe
approves, changes that need revision, and changes that will hamper
elections. The speaker says these subgroups are equal in size
Tigran Torosyan called the parliamentary forces to discuss this
question on June 19, and said that the opposition will hopefully
attend the debate.

RUSSIANS IN MOSCOW KILL ONE ARMENIAN, WOUND ANOTHER
Armenpress
Jun 12 2006
MOSCOW, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS: Two ethnic Armenians have been shot in
Moscow on Saturday night, Russian news agencies reported. One of the
men died, the other received injuries.
Moscow police have arrested a 52 year-old driver of a meat factory near
Moscow who is suspected on shooting and killing one of the Armenians
and heavily wounding the other. Police said the suspect killed the
Armenian by a rare model of pistol with a silencer.
In late April, a young Armenian man was killed by a group of youngsters
at Moscow’s central metro station. The 17-year-old Vahan Abramyants,
a student of a Moscow university, was standing on the platform with
several friends, when a group of shaved young men dressed in black
attacked them. The attackers looked like skinheads, members of radical
nationalistic movement.
Another 19 year old Armenian, Arthur Sardarian was stabbed to death
by a group of rampaging youths on a train in a Moscow suburb. Arthur
Sardarian, 19, was the sixth ethnic Armenian killed in Russia this
year.

ARMENIAN CHESS PLAYERS TO PARTICIPATE IN A NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENTS
ArmRadio.am
12.06.2006 16:45
The issue of holding the World Chess Olympics in Armenia for the
second time is not on the agenda. In response to the question of
“Armenpress” correspondent, Secretary General of RA Chess Federation
Gagik Hovhannisyan noted that the capitals of 2008 and 2010 Chess
Olympics are already known. These will be held in Dresden, Germany
and Khanti-Mansiysk, Russia correspondingly. Armenia can claim for
the right of holding the Chess Olympiad in 2012 or later.
Armenian Chess Players will traditionally participate in 2007 World
chess Cup. Levon Aronyan is preparing for the Dortmund tournament
for the title of the World Champion, Karen Asryan will participate
in an international tournament in China. “Mika” club of Armenia
will participate in the European Team Championship. In fall 2006
championship of under 20 chess players will be held in Yerevan.

OSKANIAN AND MAMEDYAROV TO MEET IN PARIS TOMORROW
Armenpress
Jun 12 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS: Armenian foreign minister Vartan Oskanian
said today he was flying to Paris to meet with his Azerbaijani
counterpart Elmar Mamedyarov on June 13. Speaking to a joint news
conference together with the visiting Swiss foreign minister Micheline
Calmy-Rey, Oskanian said the format and the agenda of his talks with
Mamedyarov were yet to be defined.
Oskanian said though the talks between presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan in Bucharest produced no outcome, they, nevertheless,
reaffirmed the bilateral willingness to continue the search for a
peace formula to end the Karabakh conflict.
“In Paris we shall try to narrow our differences and come to an
agreement,” Oskanian said. He said the talks contain positive elements,
despite a number of stumbling blocks, but added that solutions to
some issues that had remained as major obstacles for years were now
found. Oskanian said this positive trend should be maintained to pave
road for next meeting of the presidents.

NEW STATUES IN THE CAPITAL
A1+
[03:02 pm] 12 June, 2006
Very soon new statues will be erected in the capital.
In particular, in Ajapnyak community Gevorg Chaush’s statue will
be erected, a monument to Mher Lazarian will be erected near the
theater after Sundukyan, and another to Garegin Nzhdeh – near cinema
“Hayreniq”.
The Yerevan municipality announced a competition in order to make
the statues. The competition took place, but according to chief
architect of Yerevan Samvel Danielyan, the results were not really
pleasing. None of the participants of the competition won, and some
of them were asked to process their plans further and represent them
to the Council of Art and urban development.