AZG Armenian Daily #059, 01/04/2006
Society
UNEMPLOYED TO BE RETRAINED OR GET NEW PROFESSION
Ara Petrosian, RA Deputy Labor and Social Security
Minister, represented the details of some government
decisions concerning the labor sphere. In particular,
he dwelt on the some issues of the unemployed people.
Petrosian said that it is envisaged that a program
aimed to re-training of unemployed people will be
implemented. They will receive second specialization,
including crafts and professions that are required in
the employment market. The program is financed by the
state budget allocations, sources of the social fund
and the donations of various donor organizations.
According to the program, the re-training courses may
last 3-6 months.
By another decision, the period after an individual
became a disabled person and is not capable of working
will be considered as seniority. RA Government also
approved the decision, according to which ill people
will receive sanatorium treatment benefits. This group
of people includes patients with tuberculosis, with
post-infarct complications, as well as post operation
treatment of stomach and duodenum complications.
By Ara Martirosian

AZG Armenian Daily #059, 01/04/2006
Economy
WORLD BANK ALLOCATES $ 8 MILLION FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECT IN
ARMENIA
The World Bank approved the renewable energy project for Armenia,
yesterday. $ 8 million will be allocated for implementation of
the project. The allocation includes $5 million donated by the WB
International Development Company and $ 3 million given by the Global
ecology Fund. Roger Robinson, head of the WB Yerevan office, stated
about this at the March 30 press conferences. It is expected that other
donors, including the European Bank for Restoration and Development
and Kafeschian Family Fund will allocate additional $10 million.
The Renewable Energy Project is aimed to utilize less dangerous
energy sources, securing higher level of energy safety. The
project consists of two integral parts, i.e. overcoming obstacles
and financing investments. The financial sources will be allocated
to the Renewable Energy Fund. On its turn, he fund will finance the
private investors. The experts expect that the implementation of
the project will secure 80 mega watts of capacity every year. This
will help grow annual production of electricity by 200 watts per
hour. Robinson stated that the committee of public services approved
quite an acceptable tariff that will help secure much bigger volume
of renewable energy in 20-30.
Particularly, the minor HPPs will have to pay 4,5 cents for electricity
proceeded from wind and bio resources.
By Ara Martirosian

AZG Armenian Daily #059, 01/04/2006
Home
ARMENIAN CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTION IS QUITE COMPETITIVE IN MARKET
One needs to produce high quality raw materials and goods, to establish
long-term business relations to contribute to the development of
construction sphere.
Gagik Galstian, head of RA Builders’ Union, stated this
during “Construction and Renovation Expo 2006” exhibition. The
production of the Armenian construction materials include stone
and concrete proceeding mainly, while the rest of the materials
are imported. According to Galstian the local production is quite
competitive in the market. He advices the local companies to purchase
high quality equipment to secure production of high quality goods.
The exhibition will last till April 1. Over 60 local and foreign
companies participate in the exhibition.
Their representatives stated that the exhibition helps get familiarized
with the new achievements in the construction industry and to establish
business relations.
Arsen Ghazarian, chairman of Producers Union, stated that the growing
volume of construction in Armenia during the recent few years
contributed to the development of construction technologies. He
said that over 10 companies producing construction materials were
established during the last few years.
Though the participants of the exhibition were satisfied with the
initiative, they expressed discontent with the marketing level in
the sphere.
Particularly, Yuri Sahakian, head of “Poly Serve” company, stated
that the number of the local construction related companies is small
and this factor hinders cooperation. He said that unfortunately,
his company has to import raw materials from abroad, and as a result,
instead of developing the local construction market, they contribute
to the development of the relevant markets in Turkey and the Arabian
Emirates.
By Gohar Gevorgian

AZERBAIJAN IS READY TO NEGOTIATE WITH KARABAKH…
A1+
[04:19 pm] 31 March, 2006
“The Azeri side is ready to negotiate with the Armenian community of
the Nagorno Karabakh only if they recognize themselves as citizens
of Azerbaijan”, the Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov announced
today.
According to the latter, the negotiations with the Armenian community
of Nagorno Karabakh will be possible if Armenia withdraws from
the negotiation process and the Armenians of Karabakh accept the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. “But I am afraid Armenia does
not want Azerbaijan to directly negotiate with the Armenian community
of Karabakh”, Mamedyarov said.
The Azeri Foreign Minister also mentioned that if there is not progress
in the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan
will liberate its territories by force, “Regnum” agency reports.

WHAT DO WE DO WITH THE NPS?
A1+
[05:50 pm] 31 March, 2006
The amendments to the RA Law on Energy will probably be discussed
during the coming NA four-day session. The amendments offer to make
it possible for the private sector to make investments into the atomic
energy field.
The head of the NA Standing Committee on Financial-Credit, Budgetary
and Economic Affairs Gagik Minasyan explained today in “Mirror” club
the advantages of the private sector for Armenia. According to him,
if previously the EU demanded to close down the Nuclear power station,
now it allows to open a new one which will have “regional importance”.
“At least 51% or, better, 75% of the nuclear power station must
remain state property for the sake of security; after all it is a
nuclear power station. It would be wrong to wholly privatize it”,
his opponent, head of the “New Times” party Aram Karapetyan said and
continued, “As a physicist, I know how the issue about uranium go on”.
Those who demand to close down the Station Aram Karapetyan says, “Can
you burn your house with your own hands?” He takes into account the
fact that the 40% of electricity is secured by means of the nuclear
power station.

THE “A1+” CASE IS DESCRIBED IN 4 VOLUMES, 500 PAGES EACH
A1+
[06:23 pm] 31 March, 2006
“This year the European Court will make a decision about the TV Company
“Nojjan Tapan”, and “A1+” will have to wait a little more as they have
participated in many competitions, and their case is larger in volume”,
head of the Investigating Journalists’ Association Edik Baghdasaryan
informed during the discussion today. He had had an interview with
one of the judges of the European Court.
Head of “A1+” Mesrop Movsesyan informed that the case of “A1+” is
described in four volumes, 500 pages each.
The RA ex Ombudsman Larissa Alaverdyan was also interested in the case
and found out that this was unprecedented in the history of the Court;
and it can make the course slower.
And what if the European Court hears the case of “A1”?
According to those present, we will have another moral victory. And
the financial compensation will unfortunately come not from Amalyan’s
pocket, but from the state budget.

H1 IS IN THE SIXTH PLACE
A1+
[06:39 pm] 31 March, 2006
Coordinator of the Civic National Initiative Hovsep Khourshoudyan
informed that a thousand bugs have been installed in different houses
in order to carry out a rating investigation about which TV Company
people watch most. Although the results of ht investigation are secret,
but “Armenia is a small country, and we could find it out”, Hovsep
Khourshoudyan said and informed that the H1 is only in the 6th place.
“Today and always the most watchable TV Company is “A1+”, member of the
political council of the Republican Party Artak Zeynalyan announced.
And Hovsep Khourshoudyan underlined that the TV Company which gets
as much money from the budget as the science field is in the 6th
place. “And still they compete with the others in the commercial
field”, he added.

DEAD INFANT FOUND IN THE DUMP
A1+
[06:47 pm] 31 March, 2006
Today the residents of the Gyumri Ani district found a dead body
of an infant in the dump. According to the witnesses, the body was
wrapped in a plastic bag.
A worker of one of the shops near the dump was the first to see the
child. The resident of the nearby buildings which gathered there
after the woman cried for help also saw the child. According to them,
there was a crowd of people at the moment the child was discovered.
According to the residents, they told the Gyumri police about the
bag. The police workers came to the dump, asked those present several
questions and took away the bag. But the Gyumri police refuted the
information. According to the head of the department, they are not
aware of anything.
“Tsayg” TV Company of Gyumri

ALMOST NO MONEY WILL BE SPENT THIS YEAR
A1+
[07:09 pm] 31 March, 2006
Armenia will manage to carry out work costing 4-6 million by the
program “Millennium Challenges” if it finishes the preparation
phase till autumn. The SU Fund has allotted 235 million 650 thousand
USD to Armenia to reconstruct the village roads and to improve the
irrigation system.
The Minister of Finance and Economy Vardan Khachatryan returned to
Armenia after signing an agreement with the head of the MC Fund John
Danilovich in the USA. He rendered a press conference today about
the details of the business trip.
The Government is ready to carry out all the works financed by the MC
Fund on the highest level as the financing can be ceased if the heads
of the Fund are discontent with anything. The most important part
of the information given by the Minister is that after signing the
agreement the US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice invited the Armenian
Minister Vardan Oskanyan and Vardan Khachatryan to her office and had a
private conversation with them about issues concerning Armenia and the
settlement of the Karabakh conflict for 10-15 minutes. The Minister of
Finance and Economy did not inform any details about the conversation.
According to the report given by Vardan Khachatryan, 945 km of village
road will be reconstructed for which 167 million 100 thousand USD will
be spent. The Government has decided to spend 145 million USD for
the programs “Village Development”, “Irrigation”, and “Construction
of New Water Reservoirs”.
The rest of the sum – 23.5 million, will probably be spent on
consultations, the salaries of the workers of the “Millennium
Challenges” state non-commercial organization and on financing of NGOs.
Vardan Khachatryan also said that the head of the MC Fund John
Danilovich will come to Armenia in two weeks.

‘ARMAVIA’ PRESENTED THE NEW A-319 AIRPLANE
Yerevan, March 31. ArmInfo. Armavia company has purchased an A-319
airbus. On the presentation of the airbus the head of ‘Mika Limited’
and owner of Armavia Mikhail Bagdasarov noted that the technical
equipment of Armevia is being renewed and its customers serviced
at a high level. Armavia strives to insure security and reliability
therefore it could not be included in the recently published list of
insecure air companies.
In the interview to ArmInfo, Mikhail Baghdasarov said that in May
the company will purchase another A319 plane on leasing grounds. In
fact, there will be 5 air busses, 2 planes YAK-42, one IL-86 and one
YAK 40. He emphasized the importance of the fact that the purchased
planes are almost new. “Such planes will impart the company with a
special status both in CIS and in Europe,” Bagdasarov stated.
The company is in good terms with “Aeroflot,” “Sibir” “Krasavia,” as
well as with “Air France,” “KLM,” “British Airways,” and “Leufthanza”
air companies. He stated that this is conditioned by the fact that
“Armavia” follows a right path. “I want to say that at present, there
are a number of new directions for the activities of our company
and they will yield good results. I think that the company should
pull itself together. In case, we manage to do that, we will become
very powerful. This means that we should correct the drawbacks that
developed the Armenian aviation for over 10 years. The situations
changes so briefly that we may face its full revival very soon,”
Bagdasarov said.
Bagdasarov says that together with AirFrance Armavia will resume
flights to Paris; in the summer the company will start flying to Anapa
and Donetsk; and is considering resuming flights to St.Petersburg,
Samara, Odessa, Simferopol, Beirut, Aleppo and Athens.
The flight to Tel Aviv will be resumed after the opening of an Israeli
consulate in Yerevan. During holidays Armavia is going organize
charter flight to Cyprus and Antalia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress