SINCE APRIL 1 RUSSIAN GAS IMPORTED TO ARMENIA FOR NEW PRICE
PanARMENIAN.Net
04.04.2006 00:10 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Since April 1 Armenia receives Russian gas at the
price of $100 for 1000 cubic meters, ArmRosgazprom spokesman Shushan
Sardaryan told PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. She said the outcomes of the
negotiations held by the Armenian and party and Gazprom representatives
will be announced upon their completion. Sardaryan also noted that the
gas tariffs for the population will change from April 10. To remind,
till April 1, 2006 Armenia used to pay $56 for 1000 cubic meters
of gas.

NATIONAL WEEK OF LIBRARIES STARTS
Noyan Tapan
Apr 03 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 3, NOYAN TAPAN. The National Week of Libraries started
on April 3 with the display of unique, ancient and archive books
kept at the National Library of Armenia (NLA) and the exhibition
of graphic works of Romanian Armenian artist Hrant Avagian. This
time the National Week of Libraries, which has been celebrated
for the fifth consecutive year on the initiative of the Armenian
Librarian Association NGO, has the motto “Library is a Crossroad of
Civilizations”. NLA Director Davit Sargsian noted that holding a week
of libraries has become a tradition and shows a tendency to grow from
the state into an all-Armenian event. According to him, this year a
number of libraries from the NKR, Javakhk and the Diaspora are also
participating in the event. D. Sargsian said that today more than a
thousand of Armenian libraries are in a poor state. “It has become
urgent now to replenish the libraries, provide them with information
technologies and improve their buildings,” he pointed out RA Prime
Minister Andranik Margarian and RA National Assembly Speaker Artur
Baghdasarian sent messages on the occasion of the National Week of
Libraries. The prime minister’s message in particular says that the
week of libraries has become a tradition which allows to restore the
attitude to a book that was typical of the reading Armenians. According
to A. Margarian, the draft law on libraries has already been developed,
which will help solve a number of problems and increase the salaries
in the sphere. 6 librarians were presented with the RA Prime Minister’s
letters of acknowledgement for their long activities in ths sphere. It
is noteworthy that the RA first lady Mrs. Bella Kocharian attended
the opening ceremony of the National Week of Libraries.

ARMENIA WILL SUFFER FROM U.S. WAR AGAINST IRAN
PanARMENIAN.Net
04.04.2006 00:35 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia cannot remain indifferent to the possibility
of U.S. hostilities against Iran but unfortunately it cannot influence
on the developments, political scientist Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan
stated in an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. In his words,
Armenia is not a member of the UN Security Council and doesn’t have
political significance for the powers. “It doesn’t mean we should
keep silent.
Iran is our friendly state but it’s not real to hope for serious
assistance from Armenia. Especially taking into account the unsettled
conflict with Azerbaijan,” he noted.
In the political scientist’s opinion, all including Armenia
will suffer from the war. “It will be a huge-scale humanitarian
catastrophe. Using its incontestable technical advantage America is
capable to bomb all Iranian power plants, bridges, ports, railway
stations and airports… There is also a threat of civic war that
can be provoked by Washington and Baku. Huge flows of refugees will
move to the neighbor states greatly damaging their economy. Besides,
the U.S. allies being in the hitting radius in the region will to all
appearance be attacked by Iran. In case Tehran succeeds in blocking
the Persian and Oman gulfs, Europe will face economic collapse,”
Melik-Shahnazaryan said.

AZIMOV: MAINTENANCE OF BAKU’S CURRENT POSITION DEPENDS ON “EFFICIENCY OF TALKS”
PanARMENIAN.Net
04.04.2006 01:11 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azerbaijan will keep on efforts to maintain the
dialogue on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, however the
opponent should know that the maintenance of Baku’s current position
depends on the efficiency of the talks,” Azeri Deputy Foreign Ministry
Araz Azimov stated. “The continuation of the dialogue for the sake
of formality or with taking into account somebody’s ambitions is
senseless. There is no other variant,” he said adding that “this
position was many times sounded by official Baku,” reported Trend
news agency.

KARABAKH SETTLEMENT CAN BECOME PRECEDENT FOR OTHER CONFLICTS
PanARMENIAN.Net
04.04.2006 01:20 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The talks on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement
are proceeding in normal course.
We all perfectly understand that this is a complicated issue and it’s
impossible to resolve it immediately, NKR Prime Minister Anushavan
Danielyan told journalists in Yerevan. In his words, there is optimism
for progress this year but it doesn’t mean that the matter will be
settled in 2006. As for the Kosovo model, the NKR Premier noted that
the Karabakh conflict settlement can become a precedent for the other
conflicts. When commenting on the frequent ceasefire violations,
the Premier said it’s a usual phenomenon.
When commenting on the latest statement by Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, who said that “the Armenian community
of Nagorno Karabakh can take part in the negotiations if they admit
Azerbaijani citizenship”, the NKR Prime Minister noted it cannot be
treated seriously. “We will hold talks with Mammadyarov if he admits
Karabakh citizenship as a representative of the Azeri community of
Nagorno Karabakh,” Danielyan said.

“GENOCIDE IN ME” DOCUMENTARY SCREENED IN OTTAWA
PanARMENIAN.Net
04.04.2006 01:58 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ March 31, on the initiative of the Armenian Cultural
Union of Ottawa a 50-minute documentary titled Genocide in Me was
screened in the Ottawa University, reported the RA MFA press office.
The documentary, shown in various states, is shot by young film
director Araz Artinyan and is about the influence of the Armenian
Genocide on three generations of the descendants of those who survived
the events of 1915.

MONUMENT TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS INAUGURATED IN FRENCH TOWN OF GAP
PanARMENIAN.Net
04.04.2006 02:57 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ April 2 Armenian Ambassador to France Edward
Nalbandian in Gap took part in the opening ceremony of a khachkar
erected in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide victims. In
Nalbandian’s words, it’s essential to remember and condemn this crime
against humanity. “A human being has no future, people have no history
and the humanity will lose face without memory,” he said. During the
unveiling ceremony Edward Nalbandian was decorated with the order of
Gap’s Honorary Citizen.
Parliamentarians, representatives of the Armenian Diaspora also
attended the event, reported the RA MFA press office.

LAST COURT SESSION ON RAMIL SAFAROV CASE TO BE HELD TOMORROW
PanARMENIAN.Net
04.04.2006 03:11 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Representative of the Armenian Defense Ministry
Hayk Demoyan and lawyer Nazeli Vardanyan representing the interests
of Gurgen Margaryan’s family departed for Hungary to participate in
the court session April 4, RA Defense Minister’s Spokesman, Colonel
Seyran Shahsuvaryan told PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. April 4 the Budapest
court will hear the final plea of the murderer of Gurgen Margaryan. On
the same day the prosecution and defense are expected to address the
court. The verdict will be announced April 13.
To remind, February 19, 2004 lieutenant of the Armed Forces of Armenia
Gurgen Margaryan, sent to Budapest to take English courses within
the NATO Partnership for Peace Program, was brutally hacked by Azeri
officer, who took the same courses. Safarov is indicted in compliance
with article 116.2 of the Criminal Code of Hungary (murder, committed
with special cruelty, and attempt at lives of over one person), which
provides for punishment varying from imprisonment of 10-15 years to
life sentence.

WORKSHOP ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN CUBA
By Melania Badalian
AZG Armenian Daily #060
04/04/2006
On April 25, workshop “Armenia and the Armenians in the Context of
World Culture” will be held at Archeological and Museum-Reserve after
Felitsin in Kuban, southern Russia. During the workshop an exhibition
of household articles of Kuban’s Armenians and culture; a concert of
Armenian folk music will close the workshop.
The initiators of the workshop are the Southern Diocese of the
Armenian Church in Russia, the state university of Kuban, the Center
for Ponto-Caucasian Studies, the Center for Study of Northern Caucasian
History and the Armenian community of Krasnodar.
The workshop is dedicated to the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
of 1915-1923 that claimed lives of more nearly 2 million Armenians,
Yerkramas Armenian newspaper of Russian informs reminding that suchlike
workshop was held in 2005, too. The last time it was held Turkish
consul general in Novorosiysk Ahmed Reza Demirer sent an official
letter to the rector of the Kuban university that hosted the workshop.
Nevertheless, the event took place and a document was adopted calling
on Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide if it wants to join the
European family.

BAKU READY TO AMASS POLITICAL PROFITS
By Aghavni Harutyunian
AZG Armenian Daily #060
04/04/2006
Baku is ready to negotiate with Nagorno Karabakh, if the NKR
citizens accept Azerbaijani citizenship. Elmar Mamedyarov, foreign
minister of Azerbaijan, made such a statement. According to him,
it is quite possible to hold negotiations with Nagorno Karabakh,
if the NKR Armenians accept Azerbaijani citizenship, recognize the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, its laws and Armenia leaves the
negotiation process.
“But I am afraid that Armenia doesn’t want Azerbaijan to hold direct
negotiations with the Armenian community of Nagorno Karabakh,”
Mamedyarov shared his fears with journalists. He added that if no
progress is achieved in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement
process, “Azerbaijan will have to use force to take back its occupied
territories.”
Naturally, the foreign ministry of Nagorno Karabakh responded
these absurd statements. According to NKR foreign ministry, the NKR
citizens were never and will never be Azerbaijani citizens. Besides,
NKR authorities were always for their participation in the
peaceful settlement negotiations as full-fledged side without any
pre-conditions.
Hamlet Gasparian, spokesperson of RA Foreign Ministry, stated in
the interview to PanAremain.net that Armenia can’t seriously treat
the statements of the Azerbaijani diplomats and will not step out of
the negotiations.
We just want to add that by making such absurd and idle statements
Mamedyarov tries to restore his own rating or has quite extraordinary
illusions. We wonder, what they are going to negotiate over if the
NKR people accept the conditions of Mamedyarov.