CHANGES ENVISAGED IN STAFF OF NA UNITED LABOR PARTY FACTION
Noyan Tapan
Apr 10 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Member of RA NA United Labor Party
faction Levon Poghosian has officially applied to RA NA Speaker
in connection with prematurely resigning his MP commissions. RA NA
Speaker Artur Baghdasarian informed about it at the April 10 plenary
sitting of the parliament. L.Poghosian grounded his decision by the
circumstance that the amended Constitution contains a ban on being
engaged in entrepreneurial activity while he is the Chairman of the
joint-stock board of the Mshak CJSC and will assume the post of the
company’s Director General after resigning the MP commissions. The
above-mentioned company is engaged in projecting, producing and
exporting high technologic equipments. As L.Poghosian informed the
journalists, the plant producing ceramical chips built in the Chinese
city of Nanjing at the end of 2004 uses many equipments produced
by Mshak. Poghosian informed that parallel with the entrepreneurial
activity he will continue his political activity remaining a member of
party’s board. According to Gurgen Arsenian, Chairman of the faction
and the party, it will be decided at the party board’s coming sitting,
which candidate of MP on the proportional list will replace Levon
Poghosian at the parliament.

RUBEN TOVMASIAN ADVISES NOT TO BLAME RUSSIA FOR BLACKMAILING ARMENIA
Noyan Tapan
Apr 10 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN. “We consider that friendship between
the Armenian and Russian peoples, which has been proved by centuries
and has been tempered in hard ordeals, should be eternal,” Ruben
Tovmasian, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist
Party of Armenia, declared at the April 8 press conference. He
regretted to say that anti-Russian moods are growing in Armenia. “An
anti-Russian hysteria rose in the country. Those who lift up their
hand against friendship between the Armenian and Russian peoples are
the enemies of the Armenians. We should not make the activity of the
two rotten systems in Russia and Armenia and secret agreements reached
between them the corner-stone of our interrelations,” the leader of
the Armenian communists declared. Tovmasian is against any bargain
on transfer of the Armenian property to another states, including
Russia. According to him, the transfer of the 5th block of Hrazdan TPP
to Russia was done against the will of the Armenian people. “They put
it on sale themselves, did the Russians come and take away this block
from us with rockets?” Ruben Tovmasian refuted the rumors that the
5th block of Hrazdan TPP was transferred to the Russian side under
the influence of blackmail of the Armenian leadership by Moscow and
advised not to blame Russia for blackmailing Armenia. According to him,
it is the U.S. that stands behind the kindling of the anti-Russian
hysteria in the Armenian society. “America is a bad country, the
American people is also bad as it did not hold Bush’s hand and did
not stop him when he unleashed the war in Iraq”.
Whereas, in Ruben Tovmasian’s deep affirmation, the bringing in Soviet
troops to Afghanistan in 1979, as well as to Czechoslovakia in 1968
and to Hungary in 1956 was undertaken by the USSR at the request of
the governments and to the advantage of the peoples of these states”.

NAGORNO KARABAKH REPUBLIC REAFFIRMS ITS POSITION TO SETTLE KARABAKH CONFLICT EXCLUSIVELY BY PEACEFUL MEANS
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 10 2006
STEPANAKERT, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “The cases
of violation of cease-fire regime on the contact-line of Nagorno
Karabakh and Azerbaijani armed forces have become frequent recently,
which has also become possible in consequence of lack of a proper
estimation to the bellicose statements vioced at the highest levels
in Azerbaijan,” this is mentioned in the April 7 statement of the NKR
Foreign Ministry provided to Noyan Tapan by the NKR Foreign Ministry
Information-Analytical Department. As the NKR Foreign Ministry
emphasizes, the incidents that led to the increase of the number of
victims on the contact-line deepen the mutual lack of confidence and
can lead to growth of tenseness in the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict
zone threatening the stability of the whole region. In this connection
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic reaffirms its position to settle the
conflict exclusively by peaceful means and expresses its readiness
to fulfil the termless commitments of the sides in the direction
of strengthening the cease-fire regime stipulated by 1995 February
6 agreement signed by heads of NKR, RA and AR defence department
heads. The NKR Foreign Ministry calls on another two sides, the
Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia, who have signed
under the above-mentioned agreement, to join the NKR’s initiative and
expresses the hope that with joint efforts and with the mediation of
OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs, as well as other international mediators
and interested sides it will be possible to reaffirm loyalty to the
above-mentioned agreement and to fulfil the mechanisms on localization
of the incidents on the armed forces contact-line stipulated by the
agreement. The Nagorno Karabakh Republic reaffirms its position with
respect to the fact that in addition to the unreserved preservation of
the cease-fire regime, the preconditions of the peaceful settlement
are the peaceful process with the participation of the sides of the
conflict, formation of means of confidence, as well as strengthening
of democracy and respect of human rights.

VARTAN OSKANIAN APPRECIATES ICRC ACTIVITY IN ARMENIA
Noyan Tapan
Apr 10 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Prime Minister Vartan Oskanian
received Jakob Kellenberger, the Chairman of the International
Committee of the Red Cross, on April 7. The Foreign Minister
appreciated at the meeting the ICRC activity in Armenia, as an
impartial, nuetral and independent organization. As Noyan Tapan was
informed by the Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information Department,
the sides touched upon problems relating to the activity of the state
commission engaged in “Issues of Captives, Hostages and People Lost
Traceless.” The commission is created in 2000 by the RA President’s
decree, within the framework of the ICRC activity in Armenia. The issue
of implementing the Memorandum of Understanding concerning people lost
traceless, which was presented by the ICRC to the conflict sides in
2005, was also discussed.

34 ISSUES, 6 INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS ON DRAFT AGENDA OF COMING FOUR-DAYS SITTINGS OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
Noyan Tapan
Apr 10 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Drafts to the decision on making
additions to the agenda of the 7th session of the 3rd convention of the
RA National Assembly and to the agenda of the April 10-13 four-days
sittings of the National Assembly were discussed at the NA working
consultation on April 7. 8 drafts are involved in the additions
part of the agenda of the 7th session of the NA 3rd convention. 34
issues and 6 international agreements are put on the draft agenda
of the coming four-days sittings of the National Assembly. As Noyan
Tapan was informed by the NA Public Relations Department, the draft
decision on making additions to the agenda of the 7th session of the
3rd convention of the Parliament and the draft agenda of the April
10-13 four-days sittings of the National Assembly are to be affirmed
at the April 10 NA sitting.

NATIOANAL ASSEMBLY SPEAKER OF FRANCE AND RA AMBASSADOR PLANT ABRICOT-TREE BROUGHT FROM ARMENIA IN PARK OF ARMENIA OPENED IN CITY OF EVREUX, NORMANDY
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 10 2006
PARIS, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. A solemn ceremony
dedicated to the French-Armenian friendship took place in the city
of Evreux, Normandy, on April 7: the park of Armenia opened in the
central park of the city where Jean-Louis Debre, the National Assembly
Speaker of France and Edvard Nalbandian, the RA Ambassador in Paris
planted an abricot-tree brought from Armenia specially for that
purpose. Making a speech at the solemn ceremony organized on that
occasion, the NA Speaker of France touched upon the centuries-old
traditions of the Armenian-French friendship, emphasizing that at
present relations of Armenia and France are of brotherly character,
the birght evidence of what is the Year of Armenia to be organized
in France. The RA Ambassador mentioned in his speech that the planted
abricot-tree symbolizes in the best way the Armenian-French relations
with roots striken in the French land and having fruit with an Armenian
name. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA Foreign Ministry’s Press
and Information Department, during the private conversation before
the event, NA Speaker of France Jean-Louis Debre and Ambassador of
Armenia Edvard Nalbandian discussed current issues concerning the
Armenian-French relations.

CHARLES AZNAVOUR: I AM FRENCHMAN WITH ARMENIAN ORIGIN
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 10 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “I am not an Armenian
of France and I want to say very proudly that I am a Frenchman with an
Armenian origin,” world-famous singer Charles Aznavour declared at the
April 10 press conference at the French Embassy in Armenia. “I feel
myself a Frenchman by my land and education, but I am an absolute
pure-blooded Armenian by my heart, soul and my way of speaking. A
thing that enables me to have really a peculiar, an exclusive wealth,”
Aznavour said. Charles Aznavour also mentioned that he has been always
happy to see Armenia and France constantly closely connected with each
other. The singer has always wished French to be the second language
in Armenia, which, according to him, is almost impossible as Russian
is more spread in the country. “Nevertheless, I would like French to
be even if the third language in Armenia”. Aznavour also said that
each time he comes to Armenia he speaks Armenian better and there
will be a day when he will speak Armenian purely.

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.