VICTOR DALLAKIAN PROPOSES SETTING UP NA STANDING COMMITTEE

Noyan Tapan
Apr 10 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Secretary of the RA National Assembly
“Justice” faction Victor Dallakian on April 10 put forward a proposal
to set up a NA standing committee on gas tariff increases and the
alienation of 5th unit of Hrazadan Thermal Power Plant. Making
a decision on it requires that at least one third of the overall
number of the deputies sign under the respective document within 24
hours. V. Dallakian took the document on April 10 at 0:30 pm. By 2 pm,
19 deputies have already put their signatures to the document.

ARTUR BAGHDASARIAN: IT IS WORRYING IN POLITICAL SENSE THAT ARMENIA’S ENERGY RESOURCES ARE COLLECTED IN RUSSIA’S HANDS

Noyan Tapan
Apr 10 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The deal connected with the increase in
the Russian gas tariffs should be considered from three viewpoints –
political, economic and social. Speaker of the RA National Assembly
Artur Baghdasarian stated this on April 10. In his words, it is
worrying in the political sense that Armenia’s energy capacities are
collected in Russia’s hand. It means that the regulatory function of
the Armenian state should be enhanced. In his opinion, the Armenian
laws allow the state to implement a proper control. On the other hand,
it also means the diversification of energy sources, whose objective
may be to attract the European Union and other donor organizations to
the Armenian energy market, which will make it possible to develop
small hydropower plants and wind energy. In the economic sense,
according to the NA Speaker, it is profitable that Russia will make a
direct investment of 600 mln USD in the Armenian economy. The current
foreign debt of Armenia is 1 bln USD. So taking another loan of 150
mln USD for relaunching of the Hrazdan Thermal Power Plant’s 5th
unit is a “luxury for the country”. It is no less important from the
social point of view that the gas tariffs will be predictable until
2009 and there will be no increase in the electricity tariff.

PRIVATE SECTOR’S INVESTMENTS INCREASE IN URBAN DEVELOPMENT OF GYUMRY

Noyan Tapan
Apr 10 2006

GYUMRI, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Since 2002, the urban development
of Gyumri at the request of the private sector has amounted to
about 15 bln drams and is growing each year. Hrayr Karapetian,
Head of the Urban Development, Construction, Real Estate Cadastre
and Municipal Economy Department of Gyumri Mayor’s Office, told NT
correspondent about it. According to him, Gyumry Mayor’s Office holds
land auctions every week. 80% of such land plots is allocated for
house construction. H. Karapetian said that the land auction lots are
assessed at the cadastre value, with 20-30% discountes given to those
who carry out house construction work. Land plots to the builders of
trade and service facilities are sold in the amount of 100-120% of
their cadastre value. It was noted that the city of Gyumri is divided
into 4 zones based on the cadastre value of land: in the first zone,
the value makes 2,940 drams for a squre meter, and in the fourth zone –
810 drams (about 1.8 USD). The trade and service facilities of Gyumri
are mainly being constructed by the locals conducting their business
in Russia (Ekaterinburg, Blagobechshensk, Moscow) and Ukraine. At
the request of the private sector, residential houses, trade and
service facilities are mostly being built. H. Karapetian said that
some construction organizations from Yerevan have also been involved
in the urban development of Gyumri.

MHER SHAHGELDIAN: THEY HAVE GREAT POSSIBILITIES TO CONTINUE NEGOTIATIONS ON KARABAKH SETTLEMENT

Noyan Tapan
Apr 10 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN. One may not say that the Karabakh
negotiation process entered deadlock at the meeting of the Presidents
of Armenia and Azerbaijan taken place in Ramboillet recently. Mher
Shahgeldian, the Chairman of the RA NA Standing Committee on Defence,
Internal Affairs and National Security Issues expressed such a
confidence at the April 7 meeting with journalists at the “Pastark”
club. According to him, this was one of the negotiation stages, and
those negotiations have great possibilities to continue. Attaching
importance to the continuous character of the negotiation process,
the speaker expressed an opinion that the year of 2006 may become a
“window” for solution of the Karabakh issue. According to him, it’s
obvious that international structures and negotiators are interested
for the negotiations continue. The speaker found it difficult to say
for what compromises Azerbaijan is ready.

According to him, the martial statements of the Azerbaijani side
do not coincide with the position of the international community as
well as of Armenia, concerning settling the issue in a peaceful way,
and from this viewpoint, the probability of the Azerbaijani side’s
going to compromise must increase. He attached importance to the
circumstance that the universal approach of the international community
but not of separate states exists in this issue. At the same time,
Shahgeldian mentioned that negotiators may propose different models,
but the final solution depends on the conflict sides. The deputy didn’t
agree with the opinion, that the U.S. attempts to speed up solution
of the Karabakh problem. According to him, solution of the Nagorno
Karabakh problem is itself important for the U.S., from the viewpoint
of securing stability in the South Caucasian region. According to the
speaker, it’s impossible to implement directly the model of Kosovo in
Karabakh. But there are approaches in that model which may be used. At
the same time, it’s spoken about the participation of Nagorno Karabakh
in the negotiation process, observing the issue in the context of
the Eurointegration process.

ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH REPRESENTATIVE PARTICIPATES IN ANNUAL MEETING OF ACTION FOR CHURCHES TOGETHER ALLIANCE

Noyan Tapan
Apr 10 2006

GENEVA, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The annual meeting of the “Action for
Churches Together” alliance took place at the Ecumenic Institute of
Bossei, near Geneva, on April 5-7. Representative of the Armenian
Apostolic Church Karen Nazarian, the Executive Director of the
Armenian Interchurch Round Table also participated in the meeting. The
“Action for Church Together” is a special structure in the Churches
World Council system which allocates humanitarian aid in the case of
extreme situations and disasters. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the
Interchurch Relations Department of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin,
for securing the continuous character of the programs, it was decided
at the 2006 meeting to widen the ACT mandate and complete programs
implemented in extreme situations with development works as well.

VAHE SHAHVERDIAN: METAKSIA HAS BEEN AND WILL REMAIN BEAUTIFUL FAIRY-TALE AND UNIQUE CHARM OF ARMENIAN THEATER

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 10 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “Metaksia has been
and will remain the beautiful fairy-tale and the unique charm of the
Armenian theater. I don’t know and can’t say when a new Metaksia will
be born in the Armenian theater. Her place on the stage is vacant
up to this day,” Vahe Shahverdian, Art Director of Gabriel Sundukian
National Academic Theater, declared at the April 10 event dedicated
to well-known actress Metaksia Simonian’s 80th birth anniversary. Vahe
Shahverdian said that he is always angry when he hears such expressions
as “a beautiful actress”, “an attractive actress” addressed to
Metaksia as Metaksia became beautiful and attractive on the stage as
“her charm had a talent and her talent had a charm”. This was the
talent of being unusual and unique that Metaksia had on the stage. The
evidence of this are numerous roles the talented actress played with
an attraction and charm no one else has ever played on the stage
of the Armenian theater”. According to V.Shahverdian, Metaksia
Simonian’s best role was the role of Nastasya Philipovna in the
“Idiot” by Feodor Dostoyevski. At the Moscow tour in 1970, this role
played by the actress was estimated by well-known theatrical critics
Svobodin and Rudniski as “the best Nastasya Philipovna in the Soviet
Union”. “For unknown reasons, the Armenians have never spoken about
this. The theatrical world did not like her. The theatrical world
persecuted her. I can ground my words by articles and publications
written about her at that time,” V.Shahverdian declared. According
to the Art Director of the National Academic Theater, the actress
having an exclusive talent should have been buried in the Pantheon
after Komitas: “She should rest near the other Armenian great figures.

Metaksia’s place is there”. Vahe Shahverdian also mentioned that a week
of performances will be held on the occasion of the 80th anniversary
of the actress with the participation of theaters of Armenia, Artsakh
and Tbilisi, which will be concluded by a distribution of prizes.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CONCERT-ACTION ENTITLED “IT’S POSSIBLE” TO BE HELD ON INITIATIVE OF EMBASSY OF GREAT BRITAIN TO ARMENIA, ON APRIL 11

Noyan Tapan
Apr 10 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The concert-action entitled “It’s
Possible” will be held in Yerevan on April 11, on the initiative of
the Embassy of Great Britain. The goal of the event is to support
increasing the public consciousness towards a number of important
issues among the Armenian youth. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the
Political, Press and Public Ties Department of the British Embassy to
the RA, the concert-action to be held at the Al.Spendiarian Opera and
Ballet National Academic Theater will attach importance to three public
problems: clean Yerevan, refusal of corruption and legal awareness.

The concert tickets will be freely given to students of the
institutions of higher education of Yerevan.

SCIENTISTS EXPRESS ANXIETY THAT REFORMS OF SCIENCE TO BE HELD IN PERIOD OF CHANGING ACADEMY HEADS

Noyan Tapan
Apr 10 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN. At the April 10 sitting of the
Chairmanship of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, Prime
Minister of Armenia Andranik Margarian officially stated about RA
NAS Chairman Fadey Sargsian’s resignation. The decision about it was
adopted by the RA Government on April 6.

By another decision of the RA Government made on April 10, 2006,
Fadey Sargsian is appointed the RA Prime Minister’s Advisor. Before
the elections, Academician Sergey Hambardzumian will be the acting
Chairman of the NAS. While discussing the coming reforms in the sphere
of science, the Prime Minister stated that the package of reforms,
presented to the RA Government will be discussed only after elections
of the new Chairman of the RA NAS. Connected with it, some actual
questions were raised at the Chairmanship of the RA NAS: particularly,
issues of necessity of holding elections of correspondening members
as soon as possible and about elections of new directors of the
institute, connected with age qualification (65 years old). It was
mentioned that reforms must be held in calm situation, but not in the
period of changing heads of scientific departments and the Chairman
of the RA NAS. Academician E.Gabrielian proposed to make changes
in the Regulations of the academy as well, for the election for the
posts of the Chairman and academicians-secretaries is limited by two
terms. The Prime Minister promised that elections of corresponding
members will not be connected with reforms.

ARMENIAN-IRANIAN UNIVERSITY “ARIA” TO OPEN IN YEREVAN

Noyan Tapan
Apr 10 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN. “The two-year efforts of Armenian and
Iranian scientists aimed at founding an Armenian-Iranian University
in Yerevan were crowned with success: a new University “Aria” will
open in September this year in Yerevan”. Noyan Tapan correspondent
was informed about it by professor Garnik Asatrian, Head of the
Iranian Studies Chair of Yerevan State University (YSU). He also
heads the group of Armenian scientists working at the foundation of
the University “Aria”. According to him, the agreement about founding
“Aria” was reached between YSU and “Bayamenur”, the largest Iranian
University in the region, having 27 branches in Iran, as well as
in Afghanistan and in countries of Central Asia. Professor Asatrian
said that the Armenian-Iranian University will be in the system of
the private higher education institutions. It is supposed that four
faculties will work at the University at the level of magistrasy:
oriental studies, international relations and political sciences,
energy of biomass and ecology, as well as a faculty of radiophysics.

“The opening of the University is a very pleasing event that
demonstrates the high level of interrelations between Armenia
and Iran. This is the first joint scientific-educational and
cultural center,” G.Asatrian declared. According to him, as it is
planned, Armenian and Iranian specialists, as well as scientists
from Georgia, Russia and countries of West Europe will work at the
University. “I think that the University will become not only a center
for concentration of the scientific thought of the region but will
also create an opportunity to involve and concentrate the scientific
cadres who have had no demand by now and academic scientists who are
literally in a disastrous condition,” professor Asatrian declared.

MINASIAN AND ANASTASIAN IN LEADERS’ GROUP AFTER 3 TOURS IN EUROPE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Noyan Tapan
Apr 10 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The games of the 3rd tour were held in
men’s and women’s chess Europe championships. In the men’s tournament
representatives of Armenia Artashes Minasian and Ashot Anastasian ended
the game in a draw. Currently they have gained 2.5 points each and
share 2-18th places with a number of chess-players. They lag behind the
only leader, Ervin L’Ami (Holland) only with 0.5 points. The results of
the other Armenian chess-players are the following: Tigran L.Petrosian,
Tigran Kotanjian 2 points each, Arman Pashikian 1.5 points. The results
of the representatives of Armenia in the women’s championship are more
modest. Only Elina Danielian among them takes place at the top of the
tournament table. She gained 2 points and lags behind the leaders only
with several points. Another 3 Armenian women chess-players, Lilit
Mkrtchian, Nelli Aghinian and Siranush Andreasian, have 1 point each.