ALCATEL, SUN MICROSYSTEMS AND MICROSOFT ARE EXPECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN IT-MONTH IN ARMENIA
Yerevan, July 3. ArmInfo. Representatives of MICROSOFT, SUN
Microsystems and ALCATEL are expected to visit Armenia to take part in
a Month of Information Technologies scheduled for September-October
2006, Enterprise Incubator Foundation Director Bagrat Yengibaryan
told ArmInfo.
He said over 20 events in the IT-sphere are to be held in the course
of the IT- Month. EIF Director mentioned the key events: business-forum
under Armenia- Diaspora Forum on September 20; World E-Content Congress
scheduled for the first week of October; IT-exposition “Digitec-2006”
on October 6-8 at K.Demirchyan Sport and Concert Complex.

TREASURES OF MOTHER SEE HOLY ETCHMIADZIN INACCESSIBLE TO ORDINARY CITIZENS OF ARMENIA
Yerevan, July 3. ArmInfo. Treasury of Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is
factually inaccessible to ordinary citizens of Armenia although it is
open for foreign tourists. “Whoever you are, even the president, it is
me who can allow you to the Treasury or not,” the treasury custodian,
who introduced himself as deacon Noy, told ArmInfo’s correspondent. He
explained that the issue is not regulated, and to see the treasury,
one can just hope for a special attitude by him or by Museum Curator
Paren or at least by Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II.
ArmInfo’s correspondent failed to contact His Holliness Karekin II.
The Chancellery of the Mother See explained that deacon Noy could
allow them to the museum, hereby confirming that there are no relevant
regulations.
To note, at many world confessional and historical centers (Vatican,
Kremlin, etc..) visits to museum-treasuries are strictly regulated
by international museum standards. It is very difficult to imagine
that an average novice could chose who to allow to the museum the
rich or the poor, natives or foreigners.

SKINHEADS ATTACK TWO ARMENIANS IN MOSCOW
Yerevan, July 3. ArmInfo. On 2 July in the evening, a group of teens
attacked two Armenians in a tube train. Both the Armenians, Vacheh
Tovmasyan (20) and Varazdat Hakobyan (23) got knife wounds. At the
underground station “Kuznetsky Most” they applied for first aid and
were hospitalized. The attackers escaped. The injured say they were
attacked by aggressive young people in black and with knives as soon
as they came out of the train.
To note, Rashid Nurgaliyev, RF Interior Minister, said at a press
conference in Yerevan, that 4 Armenians have been killed in Russia
since the beginning of the year.
Another citizen of Kazakhstan, student of Military-Engineering Academy
of the Russian Defense Ministry, Amantay Yerbozov, and two citizens
of Uzbekistan, were attacked and taken to hospital with wounds. The
attackers escaped this time as well. Militia do not rule out that
the attacks are a result of xenophobia.

ARMENIAN SPECIALIST TO TAKE PART IN SIMULATION OF CRASHED A-320 PLANE FLIGHT
Yerevan, July 3. ArmInfo. An Armenian specialist, representative of
the Chief Department of Civil Aviation, deputy head of the department’s
Security Inspection, Gagik Galstyuan, left for Toulouse Monday to take
part in the simulation of the flight of A-320 plane, which crashed
near Sochi May 3. The press secretary of the Chief Department of
Civil Aviation Gayane Davtyan told ArmInfo.
The simulation will base on the comparison of flight data recorder
(FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR). It may take few days.
Afterwards, the International Aviation Committee will pass the final
resolution.
To note, A-320 Airbus belonging to Armavia air line crashed on May
3 night killing all on board.

NEXT 3RD ALL ARMENIAN FESTIVAL “ONE NATION, ONE CULTURE” TO BE HELD IN 2008
Yerevan, July 1. ArmInfo. The ceremonial closing of the 2nd All
Armenian Cultural Festival “One Nation. One Culture” took place Friday
evening in the Republic Square in Yerevan. The ceremony was followed
by a concert program and fireworks.
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan addressed the participants
and organizers of the festival: “The festival once more proved that
the centuries- long history, culture and art of Armenia are great
forces uniting Armenians world wide. If this unity is concentrated
in Armenia, specifically, in Yerevan, it is quite another level,
another force,” he said. On behalf of President Robert Kocharyan,
who patronizes the festival, Vardan Oskanyan announced the festival
completed. In his turn, the interpreter, poet Avet Barseghyan said
the next 3rd festival will take place in Armenia in 2008.

WHEN WILL ARMENIA KEEP IN LINE WITH EUROPEAN STANDARDS?
By Ara Martirosian
AZG Armenian Daily
04/07/2006
The recent seminar held at Congress Hotel was dedicated to Armenia’s
prospects for European integration and the economic relations between
Armenia and Europe.
Tigran Jrbashian, head of the Yerevan office of the Center for the
Armenian-European Economic Policy and Legal Consultations, was the
first to hold a speech at the seminar. He represented the indicators
that Armenia has currently achieved, as well as the indicator that is
still ahead until 2008 and 2015, according to the agreement signed
between Armenia and EU. He pointed out the volume of the per capita
gross production that currently costs $600, while in 2015 it should
amount to $ 2700. He also touched upon the correlation of the export
and the gross production volumes. At present, Armenia’s export makes
19,5%, while in 2015 it should total to 36,4%. According to several
indicators, in particular, the liberation of economy and the low
inflation level, Armenia keeps in line with the European standards. As
for the economic competitiveness indicator, there is still much to do
in Armenia, as it will hardly manage to meet the European requirements
by 2015.
Vahagn Ghazarian, head of the relevant department at RA Trade and
Economic Development Ministry, represented the Armenian-European
Economic Relations, and the indicators that define the current
situation in this sphere. In particular, he said that Armenian
foreign trade turnover currently amounts to $2 billion 718 million,
while the annual trade turnover with EU makes $1 billion 33 million.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RUINS OF POST-URARTIAN FORTRESS DISCOVERED IN TSAKHKADZOR
By Melania Badalian
AZG Armenian Daily
04/07/2006
As the tradition has it, once upon a time the surroundings of Berdi
Glugh settlement were covered with flower gardens, and the wind
would scatter the flowers all over valleys thus giving birth to the
name of Tsakhkadzor (valley of flowers). Old-timers tell that there
used to be shabby houses that were crumbled later on. According to
historiography, during the rule of the Arsacid (Arshakuni) Dynasty
the royal family used to spend holidays in this region. These facts
made the Forests For the Next Generations NGO embark on the study
of the lands stretching southwest from the Writers’ Home. The group
of enthusiasts was looking for the trace of the famous palace of
prince Prosh who settled in Tsakhkadzor. Having discovered 5-6 lines
of stone walls, the NGO applied to the Ministry of Culture asking
to come and take a professional look at the findings. As a result
of a survey by the specialists of the Agency for Preservation of
Historic and Cultural Monuments and the Institute of Ethnography,
ruins of a post-Urartian fortress built of huge basalt stones. The
archeological finding is dated back to 6-5 centuries BC. “The walls
of the inner fortress have preserved and only northeastern part is
damaged as a result of a road constructed by Viva Cell to erect
its cell-phone tower. The inner fortress has a surface of 5.000
sq. m. The fortress was used in the middle ages too. It has a great
historic-archeological value. It’s a subject to serious scientific
research and therefore no construction works should be carried out
here,” reads the experts’ conclusion.
NGO member Movses Manukian told daily Azg: “I think serious excavation
should be carried out. Tsakhkadzor is developing today as a resort
city and the fact of an ancient sight can add to its attractiveness. We
will clearly pursue that the government does not allot these lands.”

ARMENIAN CONSTITUTION READY TO COMBAT CORRUPTION
By Ruzan Poghosian
AZG Armenian Daily
04/07/2006
In the course of the closed sitting, RA Constitutional Court decided
that the commitments fixed in the Anti-Corruption Convention signed
in New York on October 31,2003, keep in line with RA Constitution.
The Anti-Corruption Convention was adopted by means of international
collaboration. It is meant to combat corruption through technical
assistance. 140 countries participate in the Anti-Corruption Convention
adopted by the UN. 52 of these countries have already ratified the
convention. Armen Martirosian, representative of Armenia in the UN,
signed the Convention in New York on May 19, 2005. The convention
came into force on December 14, 2005.
Kim Balayan, member of RA Constitutional Court, held a speech on the
abovementioned issue during the sitting.
After, David Harutyunian, RA justice minister, representative of
RA president at RA Constitutional Court, answered the questions of
the judges.

JERMUK MAYOR ELECTED
Panorama.am
13:20 03/07/06
Yesterday Vardan Hovhannisyan from Armenian Republican Party was
elected as the mayor of Jermuk at community head elections. He was
competing with two more candidates – Ashot Karapetyan belonging
to no party and Vachagan Hovhannisyan from Armenian Revolutionary
Federation. Vardan Hovhannisyan was elected with 2352 of votes from
total of 3480 participating voters.

SKINHEAD GROUP, WHO BEAT AN ARMENIAN, ARRESTED IN KRASNOYARSK
PanARMENIAN.Net
04.07.2006 14:07 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In late June a group of youth beat an Armenian
citizen on Tatyshev Island in Krasnoyarsk.
The victim got serious bodily injuries. Initially criminal proceedings
were instituted over the fact on article 213 of the Criminal Code
of the Russian Federation – “hooliganism”, however when a group of
minors were arrested on suspicion of committing that crime, the adult
complicit of the beating is also arrested. He introduced himself
as “leader of Krasnoyarsk skinheads” and motivated his actions by
national dislike. After his arrest the Federal Court of the Soviet
region of Krasnoyarsk brought a charge against him on article 282 of
the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation – “instigating hatred or
animosity, equally as humiliating human dignity on national ground,
publicly, by using violence.”
The case is in the execution of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Soviet
region. The investigation is checking the complicity of the person
arrested to committing similar crimes. According to Aide of Krasnoyarsk
Territory Prosecutor Yelena Pimonenko, this is the first shaking
demonstration of nationalism in the region. “And the Prosecutor’s
Office will undertake all efforts to prevent such delinquency at
once. We have a strict approach to that phenomenon not to admit its
spreading,” Yelena Pimonenko underscored, reports the Yerkramas,
the newspaper of Armenians of Russia.