FESTIVAL OF APRICOT TO OPEN ON JULY 9 IN MOSCOW HERMITAGE GARDEN WITHIN
FRAMEWORK OF YEAR OF ARMENIA IN RUSSIA
YEREVAN, JUNE 8, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Apricot’s Festival
will open on July 9 in the Moscow Hermitage Garden within the
framework of the Year of Armenia in Russia. During the festival,
treating of Armenian apricot will be organized as well as a concert of
duduk (Armenian national pipe made of apricot-tree wood) will be
held. RA President’s Assistant Vigen Sargsian informed the Noyan Tapan
correspondent about it.
According to him, various events will be held in Russia till the end
of the year. An exhibition of children’s paintings on the themes of
the Bible and “Sasna Tsrer” epos will open at the Fine Arts Center of
the Moscow Pushkin Museum in July and August as well as an exhibition
of modern Armenian painters of Moscow will be presented.
Concerts of the “Hover” choir, RA People’s Artist Barsegh Tumanian
will take place in middle of June within the framework of the “White
Nights” festival in Saint Petersburg. Days of Armenian theater will be
organized in Moscow in September in which the Yerevan Hrachia
Ghaplanian Dramatic, Gabriel Sundukian National Academic and
Konstantin Stanislavski Russian Theaters will participate.
Besides cultural events, events of educational, economic and other
spheres will also be held within the framework of the Year of Armenia
in Russia.
According to V.Sargsian, the solemn closing ceremony of the Year of
Armenia in Russia will be held in November or December, which will
probably be held in one of palaces of Saint Petersburg.
“Those events are important to that extent that Russian
representatives of especially younger generation have possibility to
get acquainted with the Armenian culture and form an idea about the
Armenian people having history of milleniums,” Vigen Sargsian
mentioned.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

YEAR OF ARMENIA IN FRANCE TO OPEN ON SEPTEMBER 21, ARMENIA’S
INDEPENDENCE DAY

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Armenian and French
Foreign Ministers’ joint press-conference will be held in Paris on
September 12 in which the program of events envisaged within the
framework of the Year of Armenia in France will be presented. RA
President’s Assistant Vigen Sargsian informed the Noyan Tapan
correspondent about it.
According to him, the Year of Armenia in France will officially open
on September 21, the Independence Day of Armenia, and will last till
July 14, 2007, the day of the French Revolution. But the events will
continue till October-November of the next year.
According to V.Sargsian, a conference of sister cities will be
organized in Paris in October: Armenia and France have 27 sister
cities. A business forum will open in Paris in November, within the
framework of the Year in which Ministers coordinating branches of
Armenian economy and business delegations will participate.
According to V.Sargsian, main events of the Year of Armenia in France
will start in February, 2007, by the exhibition entitled “Surb
Hayastan” (Saint Armenia) to take place in the Louvre Palace, during
which about 40 Armenian khachkars (cross stones) will for the first
time be exhibited and treasures of Etchmiadzin as well as models
relating to Armenian Christian culture taken from Antelias, Jerusalem,
Venice San Lazzaro island will be presented. An exhibition of
paintings of Arshil Gorki, a great painter of Armenian origin of the
20th century as well as an exhibition entitled “Architecture of 12
Armenian Capitals” will open within the framework of the Year.

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Business and Financial Newswire
June 9, 2006 Friday 10:23 AM MSK
Armenia’s Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Plant boosts earnings 23% in
2005
The Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Plant increased net profit by 22.9% to
12.956 billion dram ($28.7 million) in 2005, from 10.537 billion dram
($23.4 million) a year earlier, company general director Maxim
Akopian said.
Commercial production and sales grew to 87.48 billion dram in 2005,
from 65.529 billion dram in 2004.
He said the company mined and processed 8.854 million tonnes of ore
last year, compared to 8.563 million tonnes in 2004. The company’s
contributions to the state budget almost doubled to 29.226 billion
dram, from 15.211 billion dram.
Akopian said this year would be even better than last year.
Zangezur will mine and process 9.9 million tonnes of ore in 2006, he
forecasted.
In 2008-2029, the company plans to reach annual production of 16
million-18 million tonnes of ore, and intends to invest $90 million
in modernization to achieve this goal, he said.
Zangezur also has joint projects to produce pure molybdenum and
molybdenum products with Armenian Molybdenum Production and the
Yerevan Pure Iron works. The company plans to invest $15 million in
these projects, as well as $15 million in studying the possibility of
recovering other metals from ore and tailings and setting up the
corresponding production facilities, recovering copper, molybdenum,
silver, gold, rhenium and sulfur. There are also plans to study the
economic viability of producing refined copper, in which the company
plans to invest $5 million, Akopian said.
Germany’s Cronimet Mining 60% of the Zangezur mine. The Yerevan Pure
Iron works owns 15%, Armenian Molybdenum Production (AMP) 12.5% and
LLC Zangezur Mining owns 12.5% on behalf of the plant’s former
management.

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BUSINESS AND PARLIAMENT ARMENIAN OFFICE OPENS
YEREVAN, JUNE 8, NOYAN TAPAN. “I hope that the educational program of
the International Association of Business and Parliament will become
an exemplary model for other programs being implemented within the
framework of the EU European Neighborhood Policy,” Europarliament’s
Vice Chairman Edward McMillan Scott stated during the opening ceremony
of the Armenian Office of the International Association of Business
and Parliament (IABP).
Head of the OSCE Armenia Office Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin attached
special importance to the IABP program in terms of promoting small and
medium enterprises, noting that they represent a basis of
democracy. He pointed out that the OSCE Armenia Office is actively
assisting the programs aimed at developing the cooperation between
Armenian parliamentarians and businessmen.
The IABP Armenian coordinator – Vice Speaker of the RA National
Assembly Vahan Hovhannisian underlined the importance of the program’s
mission, which consists in “building bridges” between business and
parliamentarians. The program aims to assist the Armenian
parliamentarians with extending the Armenian economic system as a
single complex and organizing their law-making activities.
IABP Secretary-General Frederick Hyde-Chambers expressed a hope that
the IABP Armenian Office will contribute to the establishment of
efficient and transparent relations between the RA National Assembly
deputies and business and become one of the factors of Armenia’s
prosperity.
The scheme of organizing regular meetings of businessmen and
parliamentarians and establishing their cooperation through joint
educational programs was first used in Great Britain in 1977. Later it
was applied in the Europarliament and 10 IABP member states. Armenia
intends to become a full member of the association.
IABP offices will open in Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia, which have
also applied for IABP membership, during Edward Mcmillan Scott’s
visits to these countries.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR DEDICATED THE YOUTH PROBLEMS WITH “3+3” FORMAT
BALTIC AND CAUCASIAN STATES STARTS ITS WORKS IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, NOYAN TAPAN. An international seminar entitled “3+3:
Baltic-Caucasus: Cooperation in Sphere of Youth Policy” opened on June
8 at the “Lusakert” resting house of Armenia. As the event organizers
informed, about 30 young leaders from Baltic and Caucasian 5 countries
presented applications for participation in the
seminar. Representative of one of the three states of South Caucasus,
Azerbaijan, did not arrive yet: Azeri participant presented
application for participation was to arrive in Armenia from the
territory of Georgia.
Boyana Urumova, the Special Representative of the Secretary General of
the Council of Europe expressed a hope that the change in the format
of the 5-day event is not final, she welcame holding of the event as a
display of regional cooperation. And one of the Armenian delegates
noticed that the “3+3” format has already been secured:
Armenia-Karabakh-Georgia and three Baltic states.
In the interview to the Noyan Tapan correspondent, Artur Poghosian,
the RA Deputy Minister of Culture and Youth Issues mentioned that the
mentioned initiative has no direct connection with big policy, but a
good idea became a basis for the mentioned event. To recap, President
of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus stated within the framework of the visit
paid to Armenia in April that “the time came to speak about one common
future of states of the South Caucasian and Baltic regions” and
expressed confidence that the format called “3+3” will become a
reality.
The goal of the youth event aimed to encouragement of regional
cooperation is, particularly, to study the experience of Baltic
countries’ European integration, two regions’ youth policy, to work
out jointly solutions of challenges and problems arisen in front of
youth, to create ties among youth organizations of the two regions,
etc.

TIGRAN PETROSIAN’S BUST UNVEILED IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. A bronze bust of
talented Armenian chess-player, world chess champion Tigran Petrosian
was unveiled on June 7 in Tigran Petrosian street at Davitashen
community of Yerevan. The bust’s author is sculptor Norayr
Karganian. The sculpture was made with the sponsorship of RA Defence
Ministry and Yerevan Mayor’s Office.
As the sculptor mentioned, the monument is still incomplete. By the
Defence Minister’s consent, figures of “thinking youths” will be added
at the bottom of the monument, who will be “watched” by the “chess
king” from above. The sculptor also emphasized that “an outstanding
person should get experience in the course of time and should not have
any blemish in his biography. Tigran Petrosian was just like this and
one needed courage for making a monument to him.”
RA Defence Minister, Chairman of the Armenian Chess Federation Serge
Sargsian, Yerevan Mayor Yervand Zakharian, Head of the community of
Davitashen Surik Ghukasian, the members of the Armenian chess national
team who have become winners and others took part in the unveiling
ceremony.
As Yerevan Mayor mentioned, the success Armenia has had in the recent
decade in the sphere of chess is connected with the work done by
Tigran Petrosian. According to him, today’s Turin success is also the
continuation of Tigran Petrosian’s success.
As Serge Sargsian characterized, Levon Aronian also has all
possibilities for becoming the world chess champion in the near
future.
To recap, Norayr Karganian is also the author of the monument to
Marshal Baghramian erected in Yerevan.

GOVERNMENT GIVES 7.5 MLN DRAMS TO EACH OF CHESS-PLAYERS THAT WON AT OLYMPIAD
YEREVAN, JUNE 8, NOYAN TAPAN. On June 8, RA government made a
decision, in accordance with the order set in 2001, to give monetary
prizes to the members of the Armenian national team and trainers who
took part in the 37th World Chess Olympiad, in the amount of 2.5 mln
drams (5950 thousand USD) to each of them. Besides, the government
added 5 mln drams to each of them from its reserve fund.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ISSUES OF DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL COMMUNITIES TO BE AMONG CENTRAL ONES AT
THIRD ALL ARMENIAN FORUM

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. One of the central
issue to be discussed at the Armenia-Diaspora third All Armenian Forum
will be the issue of development of Armenian agricultural regions, in
this respect a special attention is given to the development of 150
border villages. RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian informed about
it at the June 8 press conference.
He reminded that the forum will be held on September 18-20 in
Yerevan. As he estimated, much has been done for development of
relations between Armenia and the Diaspora over the past 15 years. At
the same time, new methods are necessary, as new problems have
emerged, the potential of Armenia itself has increased.
The Minister mentioned that the third forum will differ from the first
two forums as great attention will be paid to issues of economy and,
in particular, to complex development of rural communities.
Proceeding from this, the Armenian government, the entrepreneurial
circles and the Armenian Diaspora are faced with issues of development
and restoration of the infrastructure of rural communities, creation
of all necessary conditions for vital activity.
Vartan Oskanian declared that for implementation of this program
Armenia pins great hopes on the sponsors from the Diaspora.

RA GOVERNMENT ALLOCATES 117 U.S. DRAMS FOR HOLDING “ONE NATION, ONE
CULTURE” SECOND ALL ARMENIAN CULTURAL FESTIVAL

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The “One Nation, One
Culture” (“Mek Azg, Mek Mshakuyt”) second all-Armenian cultural
festival will be held in Armenia on June 23-30 for strengthening and
deepening the Armenia-Diaspora cultural ties as well as for presenting
the Armenia culture jointly. More than 2000 artists from Armenia,
Artsakh, France, Austria, Great Britain, Switzerland, U.S., Syria,
Lebanon, Iran, Russia, Georgia and Kazakhstan will participate in the
festival.
As Vigen Sargsian, the RA President’s Assistant informed at the June 7
press-conference, the festival held in 2004 for the first time became
a national celebration and strengthened “consciousness and sense of
being one nation.” According to V.Sargsian, if mainly amateurish
collectives were presented at the previous festival from Diaspora,
professionals are involved in the festival this year.
Tamar Poghosian, the Executive Director of the “One Nation, One
Culture” fund informed that the RA Government allocated 117 mln drams
(about 275 thousand U.S. dollars) for holding the
festival. T.Poghosian mentioned that the Government also undertook the
issue of providing conditions for Javakhk and Artsakh representatives.
The solemn opening ceremony of the festival will take place on June 23
at the Karen Demirchian Sports and Concert Complex. On the next day,
June 24, participants of the festival will visit Tsitsernakabert, then
will meet with Armenian cinematographers, and in the eventing, at
19:30, they will participate in the theatrical event to take place at
the Gabriel Sundukian National Academic Theater. June 25 will be
dedicated to literature: the participants will visit the Mother See of
Holy Etchmiadzin, then an exhibition-fair of book will open on the
Charles Aznavour square. Events dedicated to fine arts will be
organized on the same day. Concerts dedicated to people’s, classic and
estrada music as well as a dancing march festival will be held in
concert halls of Yerevan on June 27-28.
Concerts will be organized within the framework of the festival not
only in Yerevan, but in different marzes of Armenia and in Nagorno
Karabakh as well.
The solemn opening ceremony of the festival will take place on June
30.
To recap, “Nare and Narek”, the symbol of the “One Nation, One
Culture” festival has been kept.

ARMENIA PASSES AZERBAIJAN HAMMER – SYMBOL OF CHAIRMANSHIP IN BSEC PA

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, NOYAN TAPAN. The 27th session of the Parliamentary
Assembly (PA) of Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) ended on June 8
in Yerevan.
Armenia that had been presiding at PA BSEC over the past 6 months,
passed chairmanship to Azerbaijan. RA NA Speaker Tigran Torosian gave
the hammer – symbol of chairmanship in the organization, to head of
Azerbaijani delegation Asaf Hajiev for the latter to pass it to
Chairman of Milli Majlis Oktay Asadov. “I am sure that our
organization headed by the new Chairman, Mr Oktay Asadov, will
continue to follow its good traditions and will achieve greater
success in its activity,” Torosian mentioned.
Hajiev read the greeting of the new BSEC PA Chairman, which, in
particular, mentioned that all participants of the Yerevan forum are
invited to the Assembly’s next sitting to be held on November 22-23 in
the city of Baku.
In his speech Tigran Torosian mentioned the active participation of
all Assembly members in the session. “Unfortunately, there are
conflicts in the region that can be solved only thanks to a joint
purposeful work in the future. I want to express confidence that BSEC
PA’s activity will continue to be aimed at not only establishment of
firm economic, but also friendly contacts among our peoples,” the
Armenian Parliament Speaker emphasized.