RA FOREIGN MINISTER TO PAY A VISIT TO LEBANON

ArmRadio.am
10.04.2006 11:00

Today RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan will visit Lebanon. He is
scheduled to have a meeting at the Catholicate of the Great House
of Kilikia. The Minister will arrive in Lebanon from Syria, where he
had talks with President Bashar Asad and his Syrian opposite number
Valid Muallim.

ANDRANIK MARGARYAN: WE HAVE NOT GIVEN THE 5TH ENERGY BLOCK OF HRAZDAN THERMAL POWER PLANT IN EXCHANGE FOR LOW PRICE OF GAS

ArmRadio.am
10.04.2006 14:30

“We have not given the 5th energy block of Hrazdan Thermal Power Plant
to Russia in exchange for low price of gas. It was a profitable deal,”
Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan said.

According to the Prime Minister, in the course of three years the
gas price will stay the same or will rise a bit.

LEVON POGHOSYAN REFUSED FROM HIS DEPUTY’S MANDATE

ArmRadio.am
10.04.2006 15:44

NA Deputy Levon Poghosyan has refused from his mandate, deciding to
return to entrepreneurial activity.

Today Levon Poghosyan submitted a corresponding application to NA
Chairman.
From: Baghdasarian

PUNISHMENT OF A SINGLE DEPUTY BOYCOTTING A SESSION OF THE PARLIAMENT CANNOT BE CONSIDERED POLITICAL PERSECUTION

Yerevan, April 8. ArmInfo. Punishment of a single deputy boycotting
a session of the National Assembly cannot be considered political
persecution, said to ‘Voice of Armenia’ newspaper Vahan Hovhannisian,
Vice Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly.

Mr. Hovhannisian stated that the National Assembly must be respected
as a state institution, irrespective of its ‘content’. He said that
taking part in the sessions of the parliament is the compulsory
commitment of each deputy and those neglecting their duty must be
brought to responsibility, although the public may consider the
punishment as political persecution. Mr. Hovhannisian said that the
question of official punishment for scamper-deputies will be raised
in the Constitutional Court.

ROBERT KOCHARIAN: DEAL ON SALE OF HRAZDAN-5 WILL CONTRIBUTE TO DEVELOPMENT OF ARMENIAN GOODS’ EXPORT

Yerevan, April 8.ArmInfo. The deal on sale of the fifth block of
Hrazdan HPP will have positive impact on the economy of Armenia and
will contribute to development of export of the Armenian goods. RA
President Robert Kocharian said this during his visit to Kotayk.

According to him, thanks to this deal, Armenia will be provided with
Russian gas at low prices for three years. As for the discontent
of the opposition about the deal, he said that there are political
forces in Armenia that are always discontent with something.

PRESS SECRETARY OF THE PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA DENIES RUMORS OF HIS TELEPHONE CONVERSATION WITH SECRETARY OF STATE RICE

Yerevan, April 8. ArmInfo. The rumors about telephone conversation
between President of the Republic of Armenia Robert Kocharian and
USA Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice are false, stated to REGNUM
press secretary to the President Victor Sogomonian. He said that the
last conversation between the officials took place in February 2006,
before the meeting in Rambouillet.

TO THE VICE SPEAKER’S OPINION THE FORMER HEAD OF THE PRESIDENTIAL BOARD HAS NO SERIOUS PROBLEMS

Yerevan, April 8. ArmInfo. The former head of the Presidential Board
Artashes Tumanian has no serous problems, said to ‘Voice of Armenia’
newspaper Vahan Hovhannisian, Vice Speaker of the Armenian National
Assembly.

Mr. Hovhannisian said that Artashes Tumanian decided to do in for
politics and there’s nothing unnatural about it. Let us remind that
Mr. Tumanian, founder of the ‘New Country’ (Nor Yerkir) party, left
the party and cancelled the constituent session, refusing to explain
the reasons which caused debates among the politicians of Armenia.

ARMENIA PAID WITH ITS ENERGETIC INDEPENDENCE FOR THE RUSSIAN GAS

Yerevan, April 8. ArmInfo. The last deal with Gazprom was a serious
blow to the economical independence of Armenia, said in an interview
to ArmInfo Edward Agadjanov, independent economist.

To his opinion, handing all the energetic factors to Russia was a
serous mistake by the Armenian authorities. The expert said that
Armenia has lost its blocking share holdings by increasing Gazprom’s
share in ArmRosgazprom. Mr. Agadjanov said that Armenia could receive
aid from foreign donors for reducing the consequences of raise gas
prices if those objects were not given to Russia.

To Agadjanov’s opinion Russia did not succeed in preventing Iran from
entering the European market by blocking the way through Armenia. He
said that Iran still can enter Europe via Azerbaijan. Nevertheless
he admitted that Iran depends on Russia in sense of transporting
its recourses.

The matter is that the 5-th bloc of the Hrazdan HPP was sold to Russian
Gazprom for $248,8 million. The first part of the Iran-Armenia pipeline
is also to be handed to the Russian side by the agreement. This deal
aims recompensing the raise in gas prices for Armenian consumers.

ARMENIAN PREMIER SAYS SALE OF POWER PLANT’S UNIT TO STRENGTHEN ENERGY SECURITY

Mediamax news agency
10 Apr 06

Yerevan, 10 April: The sale of the fifth unit of the Razdan thermal
power plant is “the most successful deal in the energy sphere which
will strengthen Armenia’s energy security”, Armenian Prime Minister
Andranik Markaryan said in Yerevan today.

The head of the government said that the decision to sell the fifth
energy unit of the Razdan thermal power plant to the ArmRosGazprom
close-type joint-stock company is not connected with an increase in
the price of Russian gas supplied to Armenia, Mediamax reported.

Andranik Markaryan said that the decision to sell, upgrade and put
into operation the unfinished energy unit was planned long ago.

Andranik Markaryan noted that apart from money to be paid for
purchasing the facility, the Russian side pledged to invest 140m
dollars in two years’ time in the reconstruction and upgrade of the
fifth energy unit of the Razdan thermal power plant.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MP HITS OUT AT US DESCRIPTION OF ARMENIAN OPPOSITION AS “WEAK AND CAPRICIOUS”

Arminfo
7 Apr 06

Yerevan, 7 April: The description of the Armenian opposition as “weak
and capricious” by the US State Department report has deeply irritated
MP Agasi Arshakyan, deputy chairman of the National Unity Party.

“And I am not of a good opinion about them, the application of double
standards by the US Department of State is well-known,” Arshakyan told
our correspondent. The opposition and the authorities have equal power,
he said.

“The Armenian authorities are discredited and try to discredit the
opposition as well. We have no opportunity to prove our righteousness
before the people,” Arshakyan said. The Armenian people chose Western
values in the early 1990s, but later, they were disappointed because
of double standards of the West, he said.

“You turned a blind eye to demonstrations with involvement of thousands
of people in Armenia where 3m people live and kicked off a furore over
4,000-5,000 protesters in Belarus with 20m population,” Arshakyan
said in an address to US diplomats and described actions of the US
State Department as a manifestation of political corruption by the
West and encouraging weak governments in exchange of concessions.

He also said that the US criteria for freedom of conscience do
not coincide with Armenian criteria. “Favourable attitude towards
totalitarian and destructive cults is a trivial issue for us. We know
that Europe has values which are more proper to our people rather
than encouraging destructive sects and homosexuals,” the opposition
MP said. He also said that sects, which were banned in a number of
democratic countries, operate freely in Armenia.