ABOUT 85 MLN EUROS NECESSARY FOR IMPROVEMENT OF LORI AND SHIRAK REGIONS WATER SUPPLY AND DRAINAGE SYSTEMS

Noyan Tapan
Mar 09 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. About 85 mln euros is necessary for
improvement of water supply and drainage systems in Lori and Shirak
regions. As Noyan Tapan correspondent was informed by the Press
Service of RA Territorial Government Ministry’s State Committee of
Water Economy, RA government jointly with the KfW German bank has been
implementing a program aimed at improvement of water supply system of
these regions since the previous year, the first stage of which was
valued in the amount of 25.99 mln euros. At that, 23.37 mln euros of
this sum was given by the German bank (15.54 mln euros as a credit, the
rest of the sum as a grant) and 2.62 mln euros is the co-financing of
RA government. It’s envisaged to finish the program in three years. In
particular, it’s envisaged to implement improvement of water supply
and drainage systems in the town of Vanadzor, Lernapat, Darpas and
Shahumian communities in the Lori region, in the towns of Gyumri,
Maralik, communities of Akhurian, Azatan in the Shirak region. In
the rest of the communities it’s envisaged to place water-maters on
the entrance mains of the populated areas.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

VASAK TOROSIAN APPOINTED MEMBER OF RA STATE COMMISSION ON PROTECTION OF ECONOMIC COMPETITION

Noyan Tapan
Mar 09 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. In accordance with the March 9 decree
of the Armenian President Robert Kocharian, Vasak Torosian has been
appointed a member of the RA State Commission on Protection of Economic
Competition for a 5-year term. NT was informed about it from the RA
President’s press service.

ANCA WELCOMES END TO U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT’S THREE-MONTH SILENCE ON AZERBAIJAN’S DESTRUCTION OF HISTORIC DJULFA CEMETERY

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 09 2006

WASHINGTON, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “We welcome the
end to the State Department’s long silence on Djulfa, but regret that
it took three months and sustained international protest before our
government summoned the will to utter its first public condemnation of
a clear cut and thoroughly documented case of cultural desecration,”
said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian, commenting on the
statement made by U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew
Bryza at the press conference in Yerevan on March 7. Responding to
reporters’ questions by describing the destruction as a “tragedy,”
Matthew Bryza noted that, “it’s awful what happened in Djulfa. But
the United States cannot take steps to stop it as it is happening on
foreign soil. We continually raise this issue at meetings with Azeri
officials. We are hopeful that the guilty will justly be punished. We
are hopeful that in no other state of the region such things will
happen again, as there are great historic monuments in the Caucasus
and, frankly speaking, in all three states they are endangered.” In
December of 2005, approximately 200 Azerbaijani forces were videotaped
using sledgehammers to demolish the Armenian cemetery in Djulfa, a
sacred site of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The cemetery dates back
to the 7th Century and once was home to as many as 10,000 khatchkars
(stone-crosses).

PROJECTS ON OPERATION OF SMALL AND MEDIUM MINES TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 09 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The scientific research institute
Lernametalurgia has received a lot of orders, most of which are
related to studies on minerals found at small and medium mines. Artur
Ashughian, Head of the Nature Use Economics and Mining Industry
Department of the RA Ministry of Trade and Economic Development,
stated this at the March 7 press conference. He said that research
work at small and medium mines started in 2005. It was noted that
5-7 year projects requiring invsetments of 30-35 mln USD are needed
for the research and operation of such mines. It is envisaged that
the extracted ores will be processed at highly efficent plants to be
built within the framwork of these projects.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

30% DISCREPANCY BETWEEN GROWTH RATES OF CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING STONE EXTRACTION INDICATES EXISTENCE OF SHADOW IN BUILDING STONE EXTRACTION SECTOR

Noyan Tapan
Mar 09 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. About 300 licences have been
granted to the mineral extraction companies in Armenia, most of
which operate nonmetal or building material mines. Artur Ashughian,
Head of the Nature Use Economics and Mining Industry Department of
the RA Ministry of Trade and Economic Development, said it at the
March 7 press conference. According to him, there is a “shadow”
sector in the building stone extraction, which is indicated by the
fact that in Armenia, the growth rate of construction exceeds that
of building stone production by 30%. Whereas the difference in the
volumes of cement production and exports and the volumes of cement
use in construction are almost the same. According to A. Ashughian,
only two companies are engaged in cement production in the country.

4th SITTING OF ARMENIAN-UKRAINIAN INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION ON ECONOMIC COOPERATION TO BE HELD IN JUNE

Noyan Tapan
Mar 09 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The Prime Minister of Ukraine Yuri
Ekhanurov proposed that the 4th sitting of the Armenian-Ukrainian
Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation be held in
June 2006. During a meeting with the RA Prime Minister Andranik
Margarian on March 7, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Armenia Alexander
Bozhko noted the expediency of this proposal, as by this June both
the new parliament and government of Ukraine will be formed and it
will be possible to have most efficient discussions on problems of
mutual interest. According to the RA Government Information and PR
Department, A. Margarian considered the proposal of his Ukrainian
counterpart as acceptable. He said that Armenia is interested in
further development of friendly relations between the two countries,
noting the existence of a large Armenian community in Ukraine. The
Armenian prime minister expressed a hope that the pariamentary
elections to be held in Ukraine in late March will take place
sucessfully and in line with democratic standards.

ROBERT KOCHARIAN: “NEW SYSTEM OF MANAGEMENT OF INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION SUPPOSES SERIOUS REFORMS”

Noyan Tapan
Mar 09 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. RA President Robert Kocharian
received on March 9 the newly elected Rectors of four institutions of
higher education of Yerevan: State Medical University Rector Gohar
Kyalian, State Economy Institute Rector Yuri Suvarian, Rector of
State University of Architecture and Construction Hovik Tokmajian
and Theater and Cinematography State Institute Rector Hrachia
Gasparian. According to the information submitted to Noyan Tapan by
the RA President’s Press Office, congratulating the newly elected
heads of the educational institutions, the President mentioned that
they are the first rectors elected by introduction of the new system
of management of the institutions of higher education. According to
R.Kocharian, the system has a long-going goal and supposes serious
reforms of the system of higher educational institutions. He
expressed a wish to listen to what the heads of the institutions
are going to do in that direction. Presenting the main problems and
future actions of their spheres, the Rectors considered primary the
quality increase of education, improvement of the management system
and its making corresponding to modern demands, preparation of the
scientific staff. Mentioning that the first step in the direction
of improvement of management mechanisms of institutions of higher
education was taken, the country head expressed wish for the next
steps are successive. According to him, every reformation program
is connected with some difficulties and heads of higher educational
institutions must have enough will to overcome them and move the
reforms forward.

NUMBER OF VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS OF ARMENIA TO ADD BY 10 IN FUTURE

Noyan Tapan
Mar 09 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. 10 more new vocational schools will
open in different marzes of Armenia soon. At present 28 thousand
pupils study at 81 middle professional educational institutions of
the country, and 4 thousand pupils at 27 vocational schools. The
education lasts for three years in vocational schools, connected
with the level of the comprehensive education, and in the middle
professional school this lasts for two years. As Samvel Pipoyan, the
Middle Professional Education Department Chief of the RA Ministry
of Education and Science informed in the interview with the Noyan
Tapan correspondent, besides the state assistance, international
organizations acting in Armenia: TACIS and GTZ (German Technical
Cooperation), also support development and spreading of the sphere
of middle professional education. According to the Department Chief,
this is already the 5th year that the GTZ implements interregional
cooperation in the middle professional sphere. The first stage of
the program envisages preparation of the rulling staff, the second
one envisages re-training of lecturers. According to S.Pipoyan, the
pedagogical staff of this sphere of Armenia hasn’t been re-trained
already for 15 years. The TACIS organization implements the 3 mln euros
program “Assistance to Development of Professional System of Armenia”
which has three components: study and analysis of the job market,
re-training the lecturers, re-armament of the material-technical
basis. According to S.Pipoyan, at present the sphere of the middle
professional education has two most important and primary problems:
to solve the issue of giving at least one free professional education
to children of families of socially vulnerable strata and the issue of
cooperation of businessmen and the middle professional educational
sphere. According to him, a claim for preparing specialists was
presented up to this day by the “HayRusgazard” company, with the demand
of 100 specialists. According to S,Pipoyan, today employers in Armenia
aren’t sure in continuation of their business and consequently they
can’t work out long-lasting programs as well as to prepare future
specialists.

EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY OPENS IN UN ARMENIAN OFFICE

Noyan Tapan
Mar 09 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. An exhibition of photos and women
artists’ works dedicated to the International Women’s Day opened at
the UN Armenian Office on March 7. This was organized by the joint
efforts of the UN Armenian Office and the Association of Diplomates’
Wifes. The UN Development Program’s “Gender and Policy in South
Caucasus: Georgia and Armenia” program supported implementation of the
display titled “Creative Synthesis” of more than 30 paintings, gobelins
ann other works of women artists. 60 best works of the three painters,
Albert Babelian (Armenia), Sanan Aleskerov (Azerbaijan) and Natella
Grigalashvili (Georgia) are presented in the photo display titled
“Women of South Caucasus” presented by the UN Development Fund for
Women (UNIFEM). 12 photos having been presented in the UNIFEM 2006
regional annual calendar are among the above-mentioned works. UN
Resident Coordinator Consuelo Vidal and Chairwoman of the Association
of Diplomates’ Wifes Nani Oskanian were present at the opening of
the exhibition and addressed welcome speeches to the participants.

MONTH OF TREE PLANTING, SANITARY CLEANING AND IMPROVEMENT WORKS TO BE HELD IN NKR

Noyan Tapan
Mar 09 2006

STEPANAKERT, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. A month of works of tree planting,
sanitary cleaning and improvement will be held from March 15 to
April 15, 2006 in the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh. According to the
information of the NKR Government’s Press Service, Prime Minister
Anushavan Danielian signed the decision about that. The NKR “Public
Television-Radio Company” CJSC, “Azat Artsakh” (Free Artsakh) newspaper
editorial staff, other means of mass media are instructed to widely
cover the process and results of organizing and holding the month.