MILITARY-MEDICAL FACULTY AT YEREVAN STATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY IS OF TOP SIGNIFICANCE FOR ARMENIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 28 2006
YEREVAN, March 28. /ARKA/. Military-medical faculty at Yerevan
State Medical University is of top significance for Armenian Defence
Ministry, Deputy Defence Minister Arthur Aghabekyan told journalist
on Tuesday.
He said at a conference focused on military medicine that 20 to 40
earn the university diplomas of military doctors every year.
In his words, this faculty graduates are highly-qualified and their
skills are being upgraded day by day. “Besides, we give them an
opportunity for tuition-free postgraduate internship”, he said. As
many as 12 military doctors completed their internship in 2005,
Aghabekyan said.
The faculty was opened in 1994. 36 military doctors earned diplomas
in 2005.
Military doctors from Albania, the U.S.A., Georgia, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Ukraine and Austria attended the conference.
The conference is organized by Armenian Defence Ministry and the U.S.
Army European Command.

ARMENIA SHOULD OCCUPY ITS PLACE WITH SOVEREIGN RATING ON WORLD’S FINANCIAL MAP: CBA CHAIRMAN
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 28 2006
YEREVAN, March 28. /ARKA/. Armenia should occupy its place with
the sovereign rating on the world’s financial map, Chairman of the
Central Bank of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan during the international
banking conference on foreign trade financing.
According to him, as a result of the Armenian Government’s negotiations
with two world rating companies, Armenian will be awarded a sovereign
investment rating during the nearest months.
“It is important for Armenia that all potential investors recognize
Armenia on the financial map and followed changes of our rating
afterwards,” Sargsyan said.
He believes that the sooner this process starts, the better, because
the country needs to have a rating history. “One cannot guarantee that
the rating will be high or low, because it should be real,” he added.
The international banking conference on foreign trade financing is
held in Armenian on March 28-30. The conference is organized mainly
by the EBRD and “Armeconombank”.

AN AGREEMENT ON GIVING ARMENIA $236,5 MLN BY “MILLENNIUM CHALLENGES” CORPORATION SIGNED IN WASHINGTON
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 28 2006
YEREVAN, March 28. /ARKA/. An agreement on giving Armenia $236,5
mln by “Millennium Challenges” corporation for 5 years was signed
in Washington. According to the Press Service of the RA Ministry
of Finance and Economy, on Monday the document was signed by the RA
Ministry of Finance and Economy Vardan Khachatryan and the Executive
Director of the “Millennium Challenges” American corporation John
Danilovich. The US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice made a speech
during the event.
Members of the Armenian delegation, namely the Chief Adviser of the
RA President on Economy Vahram Nersisyna, RA Minister of Foreign
Affairs Vartan Oskanian, RA Ambassador in USA Tatul Margaryan and
other officials were present during the ceremony.
Today the program of “Millennium Challenges” on Armenia is going
to be presented to journalists, NGOs, entrepreneurs as well as
representatives of the Armenian community in USA.
On December 20, 2005, “Millennium Challenges” approved the program
on Armenia amounting to 235,5 mln. According to the results of
implementation of the program, the level of rural poverty is expected
to reduce by 6% by means of securing stabile growth of agricultural
production in Armenia.
Components of the program are reconstruction of rural roads – $67,1
mln., program of irrigated agriculture – $145,67 mln. (including
the subprogram of agricultural stability amounting to $32,42 mln),
monitoring and estimation – $5,08 mln., as well as management and
control over the program – $17,19 mln.

EU MAP SHOWS AZERBAIJAN’S NG AND NAKHCHIVAN PROVINCES AS ARMENIAN TERRITORY
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
March 28 2006
Some parts of Azerbaijan’s territories have been shown as a territory
of Armenia on the website of the European Union European Commission
directorship for energy.
Azerbaijan’s province Nagorno Garabagh, which is under occupation
of Armenia, the surrounding regions and the Nakhchivan Autonomous
Republic have been shown as the territory of Armenia on the map,
in the Gas section of the website.
The Azerbaijani Embassy to Belgium, which has been accredited in the
EU, has sent an inquiry to the EU General Directorship of External
Relations regarding this issue today. The 3rd secretary of the Embassy
Anar Jahangirli told APA that the Directorship contacted the embassy
and said the mistake will be corrected.
The website of another European Union organization-European Parliament
has also shown Azerbaijan’s territory in a wrong way recently. Though
the occupied territories of Azerbaijan were not shown as Armenian
territory, Nagorno Garabagh province was presented as a separate
organization on the website.
After the Embassy’s interference in the issue this technical mistake
was corrected.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

From: Katia M. Peltekian
Subject: NA President Addresses On The Occasion Of International Theatre Day
NA PRESIDENT ADDRESSES ON THE OCCASION OF INTERNATIONAL THEATRE DAY
National Assembly of RA, Armenia
March 28 2006
Artur Baghdasaryan, NA President, addressed congratulations on the
occasion of International Theatre Day. It says:
“I warmly congratulate theatrical workers and undoubtedly, also the
admirers with their holiday – International Theatre Day.
Throughout the thousand-year history Armenian theatre have had
invaluable contribution into Armenian culture and history, and,
why not, also into the world theatre history. The Armenian artists
always have been at the centre of attention, awarding the people with
the wonders of art. And today, continuing their ancestors’ glorious
traditions, they promote moral-spiritual education and progress of
the society.
The draft on State Assistance to Theatre is circulating in the
National Assembly, the adoption of which will promote the development
of theatre.
Once again by congratulating all theatre people I wish health and
happiness, successes and that the theatre curtain would never go down.”

DEPUTY FM STYLIANIDIS TO VISIT YEREVAN
Macedonian Press Agency, Greece
March 28 2006
Deputy Foreign Minister Evripidis Stylianidis will be on a formal
visit to Yerevan, Armenia on March 29-30.
The 4th Greek-Armenian Joint Inter-Ministerial Committee meeting will
take place during the visit as well as the signing of the bilateral
economic cooperation protocol. Also, a memorandum of understanding
will be signed by the Federation of Greek Industries, SEV, and the
association of manufacturers and businessmen of Armenia.
The Deputy Foreign Minister will have talks with Armenian President
Robert Kocharian, Prime Minister Andranik Margarian, Minister of
Agriculture Davit Lokian, Minister of Commerce and Economic Development
Karen Chishmaritian, Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosian and
Patriarch Karekin II of Armenia.
Mr. Stylianidis will also visit Scholl 132 in Yerevan, the
construction of which was funded by Hellenic Aid, the Foreign
Ministry’s International Development Cooperation Directorate, and he
will lay a wreath at the Monument of Genocide.

PACE TO DISCUSS ISSUES ON REFUGEES IN SOUTH CAUCASUS
Prime News Agency, Georgia
March 28 2006
Tbilisi, March 28 (Prime-News) – Spring session of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will be held in Strasbourg
on April 10-13.
Tigran Torosyan, Vice Speaker of Armenian Parliament, head of Armenian
delegation at the PACE stated about that at the press conference.
According to him, agenda of the session includes issues on refugees
and IDPs in Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

RA DEPUTY FM: BEST RELATIONS DEVELOP BETWEEN ARMENIA AND GREECE AMONG EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 28 2006
YEREVAN, March 28. /ARKA/. Best relations have developed between
Armenia and Greece among European countries, as the RA Deputy Minister
of Foreign Affairs Armen Kirakosyan stated during the reception in
honour of the national holiday of Greece, Independence Day on March
27. “I highly estimate Armenian-Greek relations”, he stated.
In his words, age-old relations have developed between the two
countries. “From the moment of establishment of our state system
our intergovernmental relations became those friendly relations,
which have existed between the two nations”, Kirakosyan emphasized.
In his words, a large legislative field for developing cooperation
in all spheres, namely political, economic and defense exists between
our two nations.
Particularly he pointed out training of Armenian servicemen in Greek
military institutes, trainings of Armenian peacemaking troops as well
as cooperation within the framework of the NATO program.
“Active cooperation develops in cultural and educational spheres as
well”, he stated.
At the same time Kirakosyan finds that the level of economic
cooperation between the two countries can’t be considered satisfactory.
“I don’t think that we are satisfied with the level of trade-economic
balance”, he stated and pointed out the necessity of additional
investments.
“No other large-scale Greek investments were registered in Armenia
except for the “ArmenTel” telecommunication company”, he stated.

ARMENIA GETS US AID GRANT, PROMISES ELECTION REFORMS
By David Gollust
Voice of America
March 28 2006
State Department
Armenia has become the eighth country to receive a grant under the
Bush administration’s Millennium Challenge foreign aid program.
Accepting the $235-million grant at a State Department ceremony Monday,
Armenia’s foreign minister said his government will be responsive to
international criticism of its handling of a constitutional referendum
last November.
Condoleezza Rice with the Armenian delegation at the State Department
in Washington The Millennium Challenge program, a key initiative of
the Bush administration, makes aid money contingent on recipient
countries’ meeting commitments to democratization, open markets,
and fighting corruption.
In accepting the $235-million Millennium Challenge grant to fight
rural poverty in his country, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
pledged that his government will take action to address international
concerns about the constitutional vote.
The United States and European countries were among the critics of
the November 27 referendum on a package of constitutional amendments.
Armenian opposition parties challenged official results that said 65
per cent of eligible voters had turned out and approved the package
by a 93 percent margin. Council of Europe observers said the vote
had been marred by fraud and ballot-box stuffing.
The semi-private Millennium Challenge Corporation, which administers
the aid program, reiterated U.S. concern when it announced the
five-year grant in December.
At Monday’s ceremony attended by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice,
the Armenian foreign minister said corrective steps are already under
way to assure the fairness of legislative elections in May of 2007
and a presidential vote in 2008:
“Our task until then is to partner with the United States and European
governments to implement the necessary corrective steps to improve
the conditions necessary for an honest and fair expression of peoples’
voices,” said Vartan Oskanian. “In this regard, we welcome the American
proposal for certain structural reforms and education and public
outreach efforts. We have already begun the process of verifying
voter lists. We are making progress in reforming the electoral law
with the active participation and agreement of all political forces
in our parliament.”
For her part, Secretary Rice noted that Armenia had acknowledged the
“difficulties” of last year’s vote and promised corrective actions.
She said the United States stands ready to help insure that the
legislative and presidential elections are free and fair.
The Armenia program aims at helping the country’s rural poor by
building nearly 1,000 kilometers of roads in the countryside and
improving irrigation and water distribution systems.
Foreign Minister Oskanian said two-thirds of rural Armenians do not
have access to central water systems, and efforts to move crops to
market are hampered by a poor secondary road system.
Nonetheless, he said despite the unresolved conflict with neighboring
Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh and other problems, including a lack
of mineral wealth, the Armenian government’s liberal policies have
produced the highest economic growth rates in the region.
At the grant ceremony, attended by leaders of the Armenian-American
community, among others, he pledged that the process of democratic
and economic reform in his country is “irreversible.”
The grant to Armenia is the second-largest thus far under the
Millennium Challenge program. It brings the total amount of funds
committed to $1.5 billion to a total of eight countries, mainly in
Africa and Latin America.
Started in 2004, the program got off to a slow start as would-be
recipient-countries wrestled with complicated eligibility rules,
but it has gained momentum after a personnel shakeup last year.
The Bush administration had hoped to be able to dispense $5 billion
a year under the program but congressional funding has fallen well
short of that goal.

EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE SOUTH CAUCASUS PROPOSES BAKU TO CHOOSE BETWEEN WAR AND INVESTMENTS
Regnum, Russia
March 28 2006
The European Union (EU) will take a direct part in the resolution
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Trend report citing Peter Semneby,
the EU special representative for South Caucasus, as stating to local
ATV television channel.
“The resolution of conflict in South Caucasus is one of the EU’s
priorities. It signals to more active attraction of the organization
to the resolution of the problem situation,” stated Semneby in his
interview for Radio Liberty. According to Semneby EU’s mandate in
the issue has been expanded and resolution of conflict situation was
included in it.
“Unless the conflict is resolved, Armenia might turn out in
isolation,” the Swedish diplomat stressed. Moreover, Semneby did not
conceal his concerns over the calls to the armed resolution of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.
“Attempts for the armed resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
might lead to serious results. It might sharp drop in inflow of
investments in Azerbaijan,” he underlined.