YEREVAN HAS TURNED INTO A CITY OF EXPULSIONS
A1+
02:42 pm 30 March, 2006
Four days ago the representatives of the Compulsory Services threatened
the gardeners of Gjurdjian St. to pull down their territories on
April 1 which have thousands of fruit trees.
The threats have begun since the autumn of 2004. A case was brought
against 14 gardeners, and 6 gardeners have already received a decision
of expulsion. About 400 – 500 families are doomed to become homeless.
The gardeners organized a protest on this score in front of the
Residence of Robert Kocharian demanding a fair solution to the
problem. They have turned to the City Hall, the Prosecutor’s Office
and the Ministry of Justice many times but all in vain. The gardeners
are forced to release the territories cultivated by them for 30 years
in order to restore the former view of the territories and they are
told that this action is motivated by the fact the gardeners illegally
took the forest territories. Whereas the gardeners claim that those
territories were not forests before, they were simply sloping places
of 50 – 60 degrees full of snakes and scorpions, stones and garbage
taken from the community Nor -Nork. “Before our moving here there
were many cases of infant deaths because of infection registered
in the maternity hospital of Masiv. It is already 10 – 15 years we
haven’t had such cases as we cleared the territory, planted trees
and enriched it with oxygen,” said the gardener Svetlana Movsisian.
They made an application to privatize the lands in the Soviet period
and the Government only cheered them up.
By the way, the gardeners have annually paid 14 thousand AMD as a
rent. They also turned to the Chief of the district Nor – Nork David
Petrosian with the same question who apologized them saying that the
matter is beyond his responsibilities and liabilities and it must be
solved by the City hall.
Today 3 gardeners handed a letter to the representative of the
President’s Office where they were told that their matter would be
discussed after the arrival of the representative of the City Hall.
“The President may not be aware of the occurring, his heart remorse
may wake up, let’s ask him not to make us vagrants, otherwise we
shall turn to all the embassies asking for political asylum in their
countries,” said Seda Melikian. Let us mention that she sent a letter
to the President 2 months ago and got the same answer.

ADEQUATE COMPROMISE FROM BOTH SIDES
A1+
07:40 pm 29 March, 2006
The group of the Dortmund Conference engaged in the Karabakh conflict
is in Armenia. The US co-chair Harold Sonders who is the ex secretary
of the ex US President announced during the round table held today that
their problem is to prepare the society for the peaceful settlement
of the conflict.
He noted that when they started the negotiation process in this format
five years ago, they could not agree in any issue. “Then gradually
we started to listen to each other and come to an agreement”, he said.
According to him, the document which is signed today, the draft of the
“Circular Agreement of Peaceful Settlement”, does not offer solutions
to the sides but expressed agreed principles.
Russian co-chair Vitali Naumkin noted that as a result of their
activity the status of Karabakh is legalized and the sides recognize
Karabakh as a negotiating party.
Professor Lyudmila Haroutyunyan participating in the round table said,
“The striving of the Armenian side for peaceful life must not be
exploited by the international community. According to him, it is not
yet time to establish peace. There is positive peace in Armenia, and
there is positive peace in Karabakh, and Azerbaijan speaks the military
language and calls for violation and war on the highest levels”. Mrs.
Haroutyunyan also said that the international community tends to
reach maximum compromise from the Armenian side.
Vitali Naumkin did not agree with Lyudmila Haroutyunyan and advised
her to read the agreement more carefully. He noted that Azerbaijan
was to have more trouble signing the agreement; and indeed they did.
General Lieutenant Vagharshak Haroutyunyan who represents the Armenian
side in the negotiations of the Dortmund conference considers the
fact that Nagorno Karabakh is considered a negotiating party in this
format the advantage of the agreement.

‘TREASURES OF HOLLY ETCHMIADZIN’ EXHIBITION TO OPEN AT PUSHKIN ART GALLERY
By Susana Margarian
AZG Armenian Daily
30/03/2006
‘Treasures of Holly Etchmiadzin” exhibition will be held at the Pushkin
Art Gallery in Moscow within the framework of Armenia’s Year in Russia
on April 1-20.
RA Embassy in Russia and the Mother See of Holly Etchmiadzin initiates
the exhibition. The official opening ceremony of the exhibition will
take place on March 31 in the Greek Yard of the gallery.
Mediabrend company informed that this is not the first exhibition of
the Armenian works of art and historical relics at the Pushkin Art
Gallery. In the 50s of 20th century the museum and the Armenian
archeologists carried out an expedition to the ancient Urartu
capital Erebuni. The excavation in the territory of the ancient city
lasted over 20 years. The archeologists revealed precious samples,
as well as well preserved constructions, including palace and temple
complexes with fresco galleries. Some of the samples revealed during
the excavations are exhibited in the Pushkin Art Gallery’s hall of
ancient civilizations.

MONITORING WAS CANCELLED BECAUSE OF SHOTS
A1+
08:43 pm 29 March, 2006
The monitoring of the contact line of the Karabakh and Azeri armed
forces near the settlement of Seysulan of NKR Martakert region
scheduled for March 29 did not take place over the shots fired by
the Azeri side from the occupied village of Karmiravan, reported the
information and analytical department of the NKR MFA.
The OSCE observing mission led by personal representative of the OSCE
CiO, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk as well as representatives of the
NKR Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs registered 3 shots. Due
to the absence of any guarantees from the Azeri side Andrzej Kasprzyk
cancelled the monitoring.

THE SCHOOL IS 75 AND POOR
Panorama.am
16:27 29/03/06
“No Armenian musical school has received musical instruments in the
last 30 years, informed the manager of Specialized Musical School after
Al. Spendiaryan Samvel Sahakyan at the press conference today. As he
said part of the instruments are out of order. There are no financial
means to buy new ones and the expenses grow. “In the Soviet times
the State financed musical schools. Today the expenses are covered
by means of the payments of the pupils.” Today the schools has 530
pupils and 72 teachers. The management of the school has turned to
the Municipality with the request to finance the activities dedicated
to the 75th anniversary of the school. And to everybody’s surprise
they received a positive answer. The Municipality is going to give 2
million drams to organize the ceremonies of celebration. The problems
of the school are not limited by the absence of heating system and
damaged instruments. As the manager said the school needs a repair
yet it “never appears in the list of schools to be repaired in the
scopes of LYNSI fund.”

CREDIT LINES TO ARMECONOMBANK TO BE INCREASED
Panorama.am
14:37 29/03/06
Armeconombank has carried on negotiations with the representatives of
foreign banks present in Armenia concerning the increase of the volume
of trade financing. In particular, the credit lines to Armeconombank
will be opened on the one hand and increased on the other hand.
Talking about the work of the International Banking Conference in
Yerevan Ashot Osipyan, president of Armeconombank, mentioned that
new instruments of trade financing and the advantages of their use
have been introduced to Armenia in the course of the 2 days of the
conference. The foreign participants suggested that such conferences
should be held annually. As the banker thinks banking conferences can
promote development of export in Armenia and increase of its volume.
Ashot Osipyan also informed that according to the results of the
conference two foreign banks and two native companies (importer
and exporter) will be awarded prizes – statuettes of God of Trade
Hermes. To note, the initiators of the three-day international banking
conference was the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development,
Armeconombank and the EU.

MINISTER OF ECOLOGY IS ILL
Panorama.am
14:32 29/03/06
At the moment the Minister of Ecology Vardan Ayvazyan is in “Nairi”
medical centre with pneumonia. Today the Deputy of the Minister Hakob
Manoukyan was present at the ceremony dedicated to the 20th anniversary
of the foundation of the Ministry. As the latter informed: “The
minister is in room N403. You may visit him,” he advised.
From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN LEADER, RUSSIAN OFFICIAL DISCUSS ANTI-DRUG EFFORTS
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
29 Mar 06
At a meeting today Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and the head of
the council and director of the Russian Federal Drug Control Service,
Viktor Cherkesov, spoke highly of cooperation within the framework
of the coordinating council of the heads of the anti-drug agencies
of the Collective Security Treaty Organization [CSTO] member states.
The sides stressed that an effective cooperation within the framework
of this structure secures good results. They also said that the fight
against the illegal drug trade should be stepped up and approporiate
measures should be taken.
[Video showed the meeting].

RUSSIAN OFFICIAL CALLS FOR JOINT ANTI-DRUG EFFORT IN YEREVAN
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
29 Mar 06
[Presenter over video session and news conference] The coordinating
council of the heads of the anti-drug agencies of the Collective
Security Treaty Organization [CSTO] member states has held a session
in Yerevan.
In reply to Azerbaijan’s accusations, the head of the council and
director of the Russian Federal Drug Control Service [FDCS], Viktor
Cherkesov, said that not a single fact of illegal drug trade has been
registered in Karabakh. Summing up the results of the work of the
coordinating council, Viktor Cherkesov called for joint efforts in the
fight against drug trafficking. The international drug mafia has been
very active and well-organized. Therefore we need to take additional
measures in the fight against it. The heads of the Russian, Armenian,
Belarusian, Kyrgyz, Kazakh and Turkmen police discussed these issues
at the session of the coordinating council.
[Viktor Cherkesov, captioned, in Russian with Armenian voice over]
More than 9,000 crimes have been solved. About 11,000 tonnes of drugs
were confiscated during the channel-2005 joint anti-drugs operation.
Apart from the CIS member states, Iran, Pakistan and Ukraine have
also been involved. The USA and Mongolia have joined us recently.
[Chief of the Armenian Police Lt-Gen Ayk Arutyunyan captioned] The
problem of drug abuse is not that serious in Armenia. There are no
drug addicts among children. We have not registered any increase in
drug dealing in Armenia. The situation is under control. We all have
to stay alert.

HARUTYUN KHACHATRIAN: WE HOPE TO RECEIVE BLESSING OF SPECTATORS BEFORE OUR LONG TRIP
By Gohar Gevorgian
AZG Armenian Daily
30/03/2006
We informed earlier that the world premier of Harutyun Khachatrian’s
“Poet’s Return” documentary took place on January 25-February
5. The film was highly appreciated by both the film critics and the
spectators. The Armenian premier of the film will be held on March
29 at “Moscow” cinema theatre.
The film is based on documentary materials and depicts the contemporary
Armenia through the character of Jivani, folk singer and poet. The
plot of the film develops around the trip of Jivani’s statute from
Yerevan to Javakhk, his homeland.
After the Armenian premier, the film will be shown in Washington, in
Prague, in Italy and in other foreign cities. Mr. Khachatrian said that
many Armenian art critics and film critics are invited to the premier.
“We hope to receive the blessing of the spectators our long trip,
“Harutyun Khachatrian stated.