RUSSIANS DID NOT WARN US
Lragir.am
11 July 06
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan told news reporters July 11
that Armenia is in constant contact with the Russian party to
settle the problem of closing the checkpoint of Verin Lars on the
Russian-Georgian border. By the way, the Russian party closed the
checkpoint for repairs. Vardan Oskanyan declined to say whether the
Russian party had warned its strategic partner that the checkpoint
would be closed and repaired within a period. He mentioned instead
that 17 of the Armenian trucks crowded in Verin Lars crossed the
border in the territory of South Ossetia, however the Georgian side
emphasized that it is an exception and will not repeat. As for the
actions of Armenia, the minister declined to say anything.
By the way, Vardan Oskanyan announced that Robert Kocharyan did not
discuss the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline with the president of Iran.

LIBERATED TERRITORIES IN NKR CONSTITUTION
Lragir.am
11 July 06
“Unfortunately, neither official Yerevan nor official Stepanakert treat
the liberated territories duly,” Kiro Manoyan, ARF representative
in charge of political affairs and Hay Dat, stated July 11 at the
Hayeli Club. Expressing the standpoint of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation, he said they even propose setting down the dominance of
NKR over these territories in the NKR Constitution. In the meantime,
Yerevan and Stepanakert view these areas as an object of compromise
in the Armenian and Azerbaijani negotiations, states Kiro Manoyan.
The ARF member assures that these territories cannot be conceded,
and Armenia should concede something else. Kiro Manoyan hints at
the agreement of Armenia to hold a new referendum on the status of
Karabakh. According to Kiro Manoyan, it is a compromise, for Karabakh
has already held a referendum and established its will.
Kiro Manoyan says the fault of the Armenian side is that NKR and
Armenia have announced on the level of defense ministers that
they are ready to concede territories. These statements did not
produce any results, says Kiro Manoyan. He says the fact that the
self-determination of NKR is on the table of negotiations may be
considered a result, but “it is highly disputable,” says Kiro Manoyan.

CHANGE OF STATUS QUO A POSSIBLE PRECONDITION OF WAR
Lragir.am
11 July 06
Sabine Freizer is a representative of an influential but merely a
non-governmental organization and her words should not be accepted as
absolute reality, said Kiro Manoyan, ARF July 11 touching upon the
statement of the representative of the International Crisis Group.
Freizer said fruitless negotiations may cause the war to ignite. Kiro
Manoyan says there is always possibility of war, but it does not
depend on Freizer’s statements.
Political scientist Hmayak Hovanisyan advises not to be that
indifferent towards Sabine Freizer’s statements because the
organization she represents has close relations with the U.S.
Department of State. Hmayak Hovanisyan says they often release
information for the societies through NGOs.
The political scientist thinks that Freizer, in fact, repeats Levon
Ter-Petrosyan’s idea that if the talks stop, the war is inevitable. “I
personally think that these are speculative announcements,” said
Hmayak Hovanisyan, saying that an unnecessary change of the status
quo may be a possible precondition of war.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE DOCUMENT IS ACCEPTABLE FOR ARMENIA
Lragir.am
11 July 06
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan does not exclude that the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue will be discussed in G8 Summit in St.
Petersburg. He does not think, however, that Robert Kocharyan and
Ilham Aliyev will be invited to meet. “If there were serious progress
in Bucharest, they would be invited,” stated Vardan Oskanyan July
11. According to Vardan Oskanyan, the statement of the OSCE Minsk
Group Co-Chairs that they cannot come up with new proposals does
not mean that the Minsk Group-mediated process is over. “Simply the
co-chairs want to say that this is the balanced synthesis of what
the presidents and ministers have been discussing over the past two
years.” Vardan Oskanyan believes that the document is not ideal for
anyone and is acceptable for everyone who wants to reach the settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue on the basis of a compromise.
The chairmanship of the European Union has been assumed by Finland.
Vardan Oskanyan said the representative of Finland will visit Armenia
to discuss the plans of the EU New Neighbors Policy. Finland is likely
to adopt an action plan over the first two months. “I hope that it
will be so, and another country’s obligations will not impact our
relations with the EU.”

ARMENIAN ELECTIONS AND DIASPORAN INVESTORS IN ARMENIA AND KARABAKH
Lragir.am
11 July 06
The nation is again facing a presidential election in Karabakh. For
independent Armenia and Karabakh elections imply immense funds for
some people, for others a new means of bargain votes enabling them
to get privileges. The same is for our Diasporan “compatriots”.
In other words, some people give some money during the elections and
in return for it they get land or a company, which is about “to go
broke”, and assume certain “obligations”, which they never fulfill
or they fulfill from one election to another election.
As a result, people lose a number of important “objects”, such as the
sport base of Dzoraghbyur, which was transferred to the new owners
of Ararat Football Club in 2001 by the decision of the government
for 50 years, who assumed sponsorship of the club and reconstruction
of the sport base (including 32 hectares of fertile land and several
thousands of fruit trees), which was privatized in 2004 for only 14
thousand U.S. dollars. It is said that after this deal 400 thousand
U.S. dollars appeared in the pocket of certain people, whereas at
that time this land cost as much as 1.5 million dollars. Anyway,
these people enjoy the protection of the NKR president and prime
minister, acquired supporters, who come from Armenia, and started
“cheating” the first persons of the country. In the same period they
gave a promise to the Ministry of Defense they would buy part of the
building of the Institute of Physics for 12 million dollars and many
other promises, namely 5 hectares of land in the orchards of Dalma,
where a modern watch factory would be built and the production would
be exported, which made the leadership of the state go “silent”. After
all, presidential and parliamentary elections are drawing nearer in
Armenia. In the same period these “businessmen-benefactors” enjoying
the protection of the NKR president and prime minister started
privatizing several companies, such as the Karabakh Hotel, which was
reconstructed by Spitak Tnak in 2002. The project was worked out by
Armenian engineers invited from Italy (by the way, the “benefactors”
did not pay them, and these people left Armenia forever). The old
building was pulled down in 2005, before the election, and now they
are allegedly continuing the work of Spital Tnak, but it is not known
by what project.
They bought the only factory of lead in Armenia and Karabakh, the Karin
Factory with 7 quarries, the only sport base and stadium of Karabakh
and many other companies. Besides, they got 2000 hectares of pastures
known as Shrlan, and another 2000 hectares of land in Fizuli to develop
wheat production there. In return for these, several tens of thousand
dollars was paid to the pre-election funds of the president and prime
minister of Karabakh. After this deal the president and prime minister
of Karabakh were hosted by these “patriots” in Switzerland and the
United States, where they went on discussing what else they could buy.
What do we have now? Today we may say that nothing is done in Karabakh
except for a little work on the Karabakh Hotel. The other enterprises
are idle. And most importantly, these people pay tens of thousands of
dollars to slush funds before every election, while people receive
nothing. On the eve of the presidential election they have again
started working on these enterprises to display to people that they
were able to engage investors to reconstruct the country.
Recently President Ghulasyan has personally met with these people and
asked for their support to run a third term, promising it is already
clear what.
VARDAN GABRIELYAN
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

WILL TER-PETROSYAN’S RETURN BE HELPFUL
Lragir.am
11 July 06
The first president of Armenia should give up meetings in the shade
and become engaged in politics openly, announced Member of Parliament
Hmayak Hovanisyan July 11 at the Hayeli Club. He mentioned that the
former leadership cannot quit politics, and in this sense it is normal
that they are engaged in political processes. They should come out
of shade politics, however, and start open activities. The member of
parliament says it would be expedient if Levon Ter-Petrosyan returned
to the political stage and led liberal forces. Hmayak Hovanisyan thinks
it would be helpful for the rehabilitation of the political sphere.

Pesident of Georgia to participate in the opening of BTC oil pipeline
ArmRadio.am
11.07.2006 11:46
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili will leave for Turkey today
to participate in the official ceremony of opening Baku-Tbilisi-
Ceyhan oil pipeline.
During the visit to Turkey the Pesident of Georgia will dwell on
the issue of acquiring an extra amount of gas after exploitation of
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzrum gas pipeline. Georgia intends to receive about
2 billion cubic meters of gas at a reduced pride.

FOREIGNERS ADOPT CHILDREN
Lragir.am
11 July 06
The minister of justice Davit Harutiunyan told the news agency ARKA
that 44 Armenian children were adopted by foreigners in 2005. In the
first half of 2006 four children were adopted by families from foreign
countries. According to the minister, foreign families annually adopt
50-60 children from Armenia.
Davit Harutiunyan also informed that 75 percent of families adopting
children from Armenia are Armenians living abroad or families of
Armenian origin.
The majority of these families live in the United States, Russia,
France and other countries with Armenian communities.

NATO proud of cooperation with non-member states
ArmRadio.am
11.07.2006 13:37
NATO is proud of cooperation with countries, non-members of the
alliance, particularly the Transcaucasian ones, NATO Secretary General
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer declared yesterday in Madrid.
The Secretary General underlined that NATO’s cooperation with
non-member states has started being established after the end of
the cold war, “Arminfo” informs. “Relations were established with
countries of Europe, Transcaucasia and Central Asia,” Jaap de Hoop
Scheffer noted.
To remind, Armenia cooperates with NATO in the framework of the
Individual Partnership Actions Plan, which envisages conduct of
reforms in the security system of Armenia.

David Nalbandyan the third best tennis player in the world
ArmRadio.am
11.07.2006 14:00
With 3185 points Argentinean Armenian tennis player David Nalbandyan
is the third in the list of the best tennis layers of the world
issued by the Professional Tennis Association.
Swiss Roger Federer, winner of the last Wimbledon Championship is
leading the list with 7260 points. Rafael Nadal of Spain is the second
with 5125 points. Ivan Lyubichich of Croatia occupies the 4th place
with 3125 points.