ARMENIAN-POLISH RELATIONS DEVELOP NORMALLY

ArmRadio.am
11.04.2006 15:00

On April 11 Chairman of the National Assembly Arthur Baghdasaryan
received the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Armenia Tomash
Knothe.

The Ambassador handed an official invitation to visit Poland. During
the meeting the parties attached importance to the development of
Armenian-Polish interparliamentary ties, the cooperation in the
framework of the EU New Neighbors Program and assistance to Armenia,
as well as the establishment of ties between the regions of the
two countries.

Issues related to the official visit of the President of the Polish
Senate to Armenia were also discussed.

ARMENIAN SOLDIERS WILL STUDY IN MILITARY INSTITUTIONS OF CSTO MEMBER STATES

ArmRadio.am
11.04.2006 15:11

The points of the agreement on training of military cadres of the
Collective Security Treaty Organization member states correspond to
the Armenian Constitution. Such decision has been taken today by the
Constitutional Court of Armenia.

Secretary of the Presidential Council on National Security, Defense
Minister Serge Sargsyan, who was presenting the interests of the
country, declared that the agreement was signed on June 23, 2005 in
Moscow. From the Armenian side the agreement was signed by President
Robert Kocharyan.

NAGORNO KARABAKH MP: COORDINATED NATURE OF AZERBAIJANI EXTERNAL PROPAGANDA SPEAKS OF ABSENCE OF DEMOCRACY

14:36 04/11/2006

“I would not say that we lose in the propagandist war to
Azerbaijan. The thing is, by us the external propaganda is not
coordinated by the authorities, as it is done in the neighboring
republic. This demonstrates that there is no democracy in
Azerbaijan. Media in Nagorno Karabakh can have different opinions on
one and the same issue, which shows the democratic nature of society.

Under the authoritarian rule in Azerbaijan this is practically
impossible,” Chairman of the Constant Commission on External of the
Nagorno Karabakh National Assembly Vagram Atanesyan is quoted as
saying by a REGNUM correspondent in Stepanakert.

The MP stressed the role of the parliamentary commission in propaganda
of NKR interests, in examining the facts of violence against citizens
of the Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Republic and the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic by Azerbaijan. He added the commission’s task is to “study
and submit to the international community facts of criminal policy
by Azerbaijan against peaceful settlements in Nagorno Karabakh, in
particular, ethnic purges in the city of Shushi in 1988, facts of
violence and other crimes carried committed during the so-called ‘ID
check’, The Ring operation held jointly by the Azerbaijani Special
Police Forces, internal troops by the USSR Interior Ministry and
USSR Defense Ministry in April-May 1991, facts of appalling massacre
in the village of Maraga, Martakert District, NKR, military crimes
in Shaumyan Dustrict, parts of Martakert and Askeran Districts,
NKR, occupied now by Azerbaijan, and all other criminal actions of
Azerbaijani armed troops towards civil population of Nagorno Karabakh.”

One of the main tasks of the propaganda, believes the MP, is informing
the international community on the essence of the national liberation
fight by the Karabakh people.

EVENTS IN IRAN TO MARK 91ST ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.04.2006 19:29 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Hay Dat Office in Iran will hold a number of
events to mark the 91st anniversary of Armenian Genocide. The office
plans to send all foreign diplomats accredited in Iran packages with
materials on the Armenian Genocide. The materials will include a book
by Swiss lawyer Alfred de Zayas in English and French. The book views
the Armenian Genocide from the point of view of the international
law. A similar package will be delivered to local media, MPs. Among
the events is translation and issue of three books on the Armenian
Genocide in Persian, organized by the Center for Studying the Armenian
Issue. April 18 a memorial evening of victims of the Genocide will
be organized. Intelligentsia representatives, MPs and wide public
will take part in the measure. April 24 a rally with participation of
Teheran Armenians is planned, reports the Alik Teheran-based newspaper.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERI LAWYER CONFESSES LIFE SENTENCE DEMANDED FOR SAFAROV

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.04.2006 19:56 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ April 13 the sentence will be passed in Budapest
concerning Ramil Safarov, who hacked Armenian officer Gurgen
Margaryan. Safarov’s lawyer Adil Ismaylov stated, “at the session
on April 4 the prosecutor demanded to deprive him of liberty for
30 years.” However, later it was clear that the prosecutor demanded
life sentence.

According to the Zerkalo Baku-based newspaper, after long protraction
had to confess that “unfortunately Armenians speak the truth this
time.” In this case, why it was necessary to state a week before that
the state prosecutor demanded 30 years, the newspaper asks.

As of whether politicization of the event hampered the trial of
Safarov, Ismaylov said, “it is quite normal that the case was
transferred to the political plane.”

“I believe politicization hampered the Azeri officer by no means. To
the contrary, I think the Azeri society could not use that factor to
the full,” the lawyer emphasized.

According to the Hungarian legislation, there are two options for
life sentence. According to the first the prisoner at the bar is
sentenced to life imprisonment without any conditions or chances
for release. The second is life sentence with a condition that the
accused has a right to submit an appeal for pardon in 30 years.

ARMENIAN NAVY BAND AWARDED BBC PRIZE 2006

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.04.2006 20:29 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ April 7 at the award ceremony of Radio 3 Awards
for World music 2006 the Armenian Navy Band was recognized the Best
European Band. Being formed by percussionist Arto Tuncboyaciyan,
born in Istanbul, the band comprises 12 Armenian musicians.

The style Arto calls Armenian avant-garde is a mix of jazz and Armenian
folklore. The band uses instruments typical for jazz: saxophone,
grand piano, contrabass, as well as Armenian duduk, zurna and kanon,
BBC reports.

YEREVAN POLICE REPORT RISE IN GRAVE CRIMES

Armenpress
Apr 11 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 11, ARMENPRESS: Colonel Nerses Nazarian, chief of
Yerevan’s police department, told reporters on April 11 that eight
murders were reported to police in the first quarter of this year,
up from 3 murders reported in the first quarter of 2005.

He said four of this year’s murders had been disclosed and
investigation into another was accomplished. Overall, he said, 1,098
crimes were reported in the first quarter, a 13 percent growth from a
year ago. He said the number of grave and very grave crimes went up,
coupled with rise in drug-related crimes. Nazarian said 40 items of
illegally possessed arms were confiscated in the reported period,
including 8 automatic guns, 4 rifles, 20 pistols, 30 grenades and
4,0000 ammunitions.

DEFENSE MINISTER DEFENDS DEAL WITH GAZPROM

Armenpress
Apr 11 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 11, ARMENPRESS: Defense minister Serzh Sarkisian
joined today the country’s leadership to defend the government’s
decision to sell the incomplete fifth unit of the Hrazdan power plant
to Russia’s Gazprom in return for temporarily reducing the price of
Russian natural gas.

Talking to reporters Sarkisian said the government could not invest
$180 million to complete the construction of the fifth unit. “The
fifth unit of the plant can be compared with a house whose basement
was built only,’ Sarkisian said. The defense minister shrugged off
critics of the government who accuse it of selling out the country’s
major assets to a foreign country.

He argued that if Armenia had found money to make the unit operational
it would have felt the returns only in 2017. He said no one could
predict what the price of natural gas would be in a decade.

THE NA WORKS AGAIN WITH BREAKS

A1+
[01:04 pm] 11 April, 2006

Today the NA resumed its work with 103 deputies and held “rather
efficient” voting.

The bill on making changes in the “Law on energy” which aroused serious
disputes and was sent to the Parliament for further review was passed
with 86 “pros,” 6 “cons” and 3 “abstentions.” Then the deputies voted
the bill changes on “the list of products imported by individuals or
enterprises and exempt from excise-duty and having 0 percent customs
duty from which the value added tax is not levied.”

Only the fraction ND was against the bill and it took a 20 – minute
break “for lobbing,” the leader of the fraction Karen Karapetyan
informed “A1+” about it.

After the voting the above-mentioned bill was voted down with 60
“pros,” 0 “cons” and 0 “abstentions.”

Thus the fraction ND won and the bill was sent to the Government.

WHERE ARE THE 350 LOST SOLDIERS?

A1+
[02:04 pm] 11 April, 2006

“We are sure that your sons are alive and they will return by all
means. We beg you not to lose your last hope,” the high-rank officials
of the Defense Ministry have told the relatives of the missing soldiers
these words for 12 years in Erablur. The same words could be heard
today on the international day of Unknown Soldier and war prisoners.

The chairman of the “Unknown soldiers’ relatives’ council” Rima
Arakelyan spoke for the unknown soldiers’ mothers today, “We become
comforted when our sorrow and grief become universal.” This is a
quotation from Mrs. Arakelyan’s official speech. In fact the relatives
of missing soldiers have no comfort today. “We haven’t lost our
hopes. But it is already 14 years since my son lost, and I haven’t
heard from him all those years. We get information from non official
sources. We mustn’t betray our sons and we must confess; the country
does not take adequate measures to find our sons. We have nobody to
turn to and get a definite answer,” said Mrs. Arakelyan. They agree
that the country faces serious problems today but it mustn’t forget
the people who contributed to its victory.

According to the data of the “Unknown soldiers’ relatives’ council”
there are about 350 missing soldiers in our country the majority of
which got lost after the war while serving in the army. The efforts
of the relatives to find the missing soldiers haven’t had positive
results either. “The mothers of the Azeri lost soldiers also face the
same problem but they forget their grief when speaking of 20 percent
territory and demand it from us. This attitude is incomprehensible
for us,” assumed Rima Arakelyan.

Anyway, the Azeri women said during the meeting of Armenian and Azeri
lost soldiers’ mothers that there is at least one Armenian war prisoner
in Azeri homes in certain regions of the country. The question whether
this datum is warranted or not can’t be answered so far as Azerbaijan
declares that there are no war prisoners in their country. “The efforts
of finding missing soldiers are at a deadlock,” said the vice chairman
of “Community and Right” Suren Hovhannesyan. The missing soldiers’
mothers are sure that the measures of finding their sons will not have
their positive results unless there is a state approach to the matter.