‘ARMENIA AND ARMENIANS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF WORLD CULTURE’ CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN KRASNODAR
Yerkir
20.03.2006 17:31
YEREVAN (YERKIR) – “Armenia and Armenians within the Context of World
Culture ” scientific conference will be held in Krasnodar April 25,
reported Yerkramas, the newspaper of Armenians of Russia.
The event was initiated by the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic
Church, the Kuban State University, the North Caucasian History
Institute and the Armenian community of Krasnodar. A collection of
speeches will be published upon completion of the conference, which
is dated to the to the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in the
Ottoman Empire in 1915-1923 when about 2 million of Armenians were
killed. It should be noted that a conference dedicated to the Armenian
Genocide was held in Kransodar in 2005 as well.
That time Turkish Consul General in Novorossiysk Ahmet Riza Derimer
protested the event and addressed a formal letter to the rector of
the Kuban State University. Nevertheless the conference took place
and a statements calling on the Turkish authorities to recognize the
Armenian Genocide was adopted upon its completion.

PROPOSAL ON PROVISIONAL COMMITTEE FOR ELECTORAL FRAUD INVESTIGATION REJECTED
Lragir/am
20 March 06
On March 20 the National Assembly confirmed the agenda of the March
20-23 meeting of the National Assembly and rejected the proposal of
setting up a provisional committee to investigate electoral fraud
during the constitutional referendum. Victor Dallakyan, the author
of this initiative, thinks that this committee is necessary for the
prevention of electoral fraud, as well as the fulfillment of the
stipulations of the Council of Europe. After the referendum the PACE
observers proposed to set up a committee to investigate irregularities
and give a political evaluation.
The Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs gave a negative
conclusion for Victor Dallakyan’s initiative. The minister of justice
Davit Harutiunyan said the stance of the government is definite:
there is no need to set up such a committee, since not all the state
institutions have been applied. Davit Harutiunyan means that the
opposition, for instance, have not appealed to the Constitutional
Court over electoral fraud.
During the March 20 meeting of the National Assembly Victor Dallakyan
announced that the government does not have the right to evaluate the
initiatives of lawmakers. “It is an interference with the internal
affairs of the National Assembly,” says Victor Dallakyan. The member
of parliament pointed out the importance of setting up a committee to
investigate the electoral fraud, hear the corresponding report of the
Public Prosecutor and give a political evaluation of the referendum.
The Speaker of the National Assembly Arthur Baghdasaryan said
investigation of electoral fraud is the responsibility of the law
enforcement agencies and they have to deal with it. Arthur Baghdasaryan
said the political evaluations have been voiced and all the political
forces have already expressed their opinion on the referendum. The
speaker of the parliament put to vote the question of including the
bill on a provisional committee on electoral fraud in the agenda.
Twenty MPs of the alliance Ardarutiun and National Unity voted for the
initiative of the opposition. Nobody voted against the proposal of the
opposition to set up a committee, but no one voted for the bill except
for the opposition either. Of the majority only the Orinats Yerkir and
the Armenian Revolutionary Federation voted. Both political parties
of the coalition abstained. The Republicans did not vote at all. The
United Labor Party and the People’s Deputy did not vote either.
MP Hmayak Hovanisyan assessed the behavior of the Republicans as
boycott.
And Victor Dallakyan, the author of the proposal, announced that by
voting down the initiative the parliamentary majority confirmed that
they had been involved in the electoral fraud.

TRACKING INDIAN BOLLYWOOD
Lragir/am
20 March 06
A group of 17 Indian businessmen headed by the Honorary Consul of
Armenia to the Indian city of Mumbai (former Bombay) has arrived in
Armenia to set up business relations with their Armenian colleagues
and to study the business environment in Armenia. The guests have
already visited the Armenian Development Agency, the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and met with local businessmen. On March 20 the
members of the delegation met with reporters.
Among the members of the delegation are representatives of the
leading branches of industry in India: diamonds, IT, pharmaceutics,
tourism, metallurgy, etc. Presently, imports from India total 11
million dollars, exports in the opposite direction total 400 thousand
dollars. According to the deputy foreign minister of Armenia Armen
Baiburdyan, trade between the two countries grows annually by 70 per
cent and still there is potential. Besides trade the Armenians and
Indians cooperate in education, science and culture. The cooperation
in culture promises to develop cooperation in other spheres. Three
representatives of the Indian Bollywood – Mukesh Bhatt, Sabir Boxala,
Ashok Mehta – arrived in Yerevan with the delegation.
Mukesh Bhatt opened his speech with the popular phrase in India
“tourism follows wherever Bollywood goes.”
Bollywood annually produces 1000 films. Mukesh Bhatt annually produces
5 films. He has produced 45 films, 27 were made abroad, in Switzerland,
Singapore, etc. Life revealed that after such films Indian tourists
tend to visit to the country. The Armenian ambassador to India
Ashot Kocharyan, deputy minister of foreign affairs Armen Bayburdyan
and the Indian ambassador to Armenia Rina Pandei and the producer
expressed hope that soon a romantic Indian film will be produced in
Armenia with all its subsequent consequences. Mukesh Bhatt hopes that
a romantic relationship will begin between Armenia and Bollywood and
will last long. He said he had been told that there is good scenery
in Armenia for shooting. Mukesh Bhatt said there is also warmth and
hospitality. The Indian reporter Gustasp Irani said unlike Singapore
and China, the Armenians have preserved their identity and are an
island of Christian culture surrounded with Arab culture.

ARMENIA COMMITTEE HAS SEVERAL DAYS OF LIFE
Lragir/am
20 March 06
The opposition alliance 17+1 met on March 20 at the Congress Hotel
of Yerevan for the first time in 2006. The main political forces
of Armenia – the National Democratic Union, the Liberal Progressive
Party of Armenia, Nor Zhamanakner, Hayrenik yev Pativ, Hanrapetutyun –
participated in the rally that lasted for an hour and a half.
After the meeting the leader of the Nor Zhamanakner Party Aram
Karapetyan told our reporter that the main problem is to form a
committee “Hayastan” or a civic action group.
“Seriousness is in two things: is there external influence and
financial means? Even if, God forbid, joint work fails, it will not
be a tragedy. Certain people will start a series of certain actions,
and finally a body will form by all means. It is important that 17+1
is safe and sound.” There are two ways.
Either the political parties form the coordinating body or, if not,
there is a proposal to form the committee by a civil movement.”
The leader of the Hayrenik yev Pativ Party Garnik Margaryan also thinks
that if there is not a visible process, it does not mean that nothing
is being done. A number of questions were solved in daily meetings. “I
am hopeful that the civil movement will form, and the movement will
begin. It is a matter of days, and there are all the preconditions.”

NKR PRESIDENT AND PARLIAMENTARIANS DISCUSS ISSUES REGARDING INCREASE OF EFFECTIVENESS OF INTERACTION OF VARIOUS BRANCHES OF POWER
Noyan Tapan
Mar 20 2006
STEPANAKERT, MARCH 20, NOYAN TAPAN. On March 18, President of the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic Arkady Ghoukassian had a meeting with
leaders of factions and groups of the NKR National Assembly on their
request. According to NKR Foreign Ministry Information-Analytical
Department, wide range of issues related to the activity of the
Karabakh Parliament, improvement of its legislative activity, increase
of effectiveness of interaction of various branches of authorities,
a number of other current issues including the coming parliamentary
hearings on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement were discussed
at the meeting in which NA Chairman Ashot Ghoulian, Secretary of
the Security Council, Chief of Staff of the President’s Office
Karen Babourian and Minister of Foreign Affairs Georgy Petrossian
participated.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY DECLINES INITIATIVE OF “ARDARUTIUN” FACTION
Noyan Tapan
Mar 20 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The regular four-days sittings
of the National Assembly started on March 20. There are about
50 issues and 28 international treaties certified by the RA
President on the agenda. Besides the draft laws, the 2004 report
concerning the RA Civil Service Council and the report of the Public
Television and Radio Company Council concerning the 2005 activity,
2006 program of the RA finance and credit policy, 2005-2007 program
on Privatization of State Property as well as the annual report on
the RA Ombudsperson’s activity and violation of the human rights
and fundamental freedoms in the country are among the issues on the
agenda. The Parliament declines by the vote the initiative of the
“Ardarutiun” (Justice) faction to put the draft on creating a NA
ad-hoc committee studying the law violations implemented during the
referendum on the constitutional amendments taken place on November
27, 2005 in the RA, on the agenda of the NA spring session. On March
17 the profile, the Standing Committee on State and Legal Issues
gave a negative response to the same issue. At the NA sitting the
“National Unity” faction was also for the “Ardarutiun” initiative. The
“ARF” and “Orinats Yerkir” (Country of Law) factions were abstaining,
the “ULP” and “RPA” factions and the majority of “People’s Deputy”
deputy’s group didn’t participate in the vote. Victor Dallakian, the
“Ardarutiun” faction Secretary estimated as negative the fact that
the Government gave a negative estimation to the above-mentioned draft
decision’s being put on the NA agenda. He explained not turning to the
Constitutional Court concerning the made violations with the fact that
the above-mentioned body “is an attache’ of the executive power so they
didn’t want to become participants of “a cartoon.” As for the issue,
NA Speaker Artur Baghdasarian mentioned that he publicly condemned and
condemns the electoral falsifications. He also reminded that 4 criminal
actions have already been brought based on the facts addressed by
him to the Prosecutor of the republic, among them judgement on one
case concerning sentencing to 6 months already exists.
According to the NA Speaker, corresponding bodies must give the legal
estimations of the violations implemented during the referendum,
and the political forces may give only political estimations what
has already been done.

“NEW TIMES” PARTY PREPARES TO HOLD ITS REGULAR CONFERENCE OPEN-AIR
Noyan Tapan
Mar 20 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The “New Times” (Nor Zhamanakner)
party had to turn to the Yerevan Mayor’s Office for holding the party’s
regular conference in the open-air conditions in the territory near
the Yerevan Matenadaran (Armenian repository of ancient manuscripts)
at 15:00 on April 4. The information service of the party gives
explanation in its March 20 message that it’s about a year that the
“New Times” party is in an information blockade, “a continuous process
of not giving halls” to the party for holding conferences and meetings
of its active members has recently added to all these.

ARMENIAN COMMUNISTS CONGRATULATE ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO “ON OCCASION OF CONVINCING VICTORY” AT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN BELARUS
Noyan Tapan
Mar 20 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The Central Committee of the Communist
Party of Armenia congratulated Alexander Lukashenko “on the occasion
of the convincing” victory at the presidential elections held on
March 19 in the Republic of Belarus. As it was mentioned in the
congratulatory message signed by First Secretary of Central Committee
of the Communist Party of Armenia Ruben Tovmasian, “the elections
results again demonstrated the striving of the Belarusian people for
living in a stable country”. In the opinion of the Central Committee
of the Communist Party of Armenia, Belarus made a qualitative leap
in economic development: “Thanks to the chosen way of development
the country was able to avoid negative consequences of the so-called
transitional period. The population of the fraternal Belarus with
their active participation in the presidential elections demonstrated
inflexibility before numerous provocations organized by the criminal
West,” the congratulatory message of the Armenian communists read.

ASHOT HOVAKIMIAN RELIEVED OF POST OF RA AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY TO LATVIA, LITHUANIA AND ESTONIA
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 20 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 20, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. By RA President
Robert Kocharian’s March 18 decree, Ashot Hovakimian was relieved of
the post of RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the
Republics of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Noyan Tapan was informed
about it by the President’s Press Service.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARSHAK SADOYAN: DEEPENING OF POLITICAL PASIVENESS DESTRUCTIVE
Noyan Tapan
Mar 18 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 18, NOYAN TAPAN. Today, when the “Ardarutiun” (Justice)
faction, “Azgayin Miabanutiun” (National Unity) party and other
opposing political forces show some pasiveness, it’s time to take
some steps in the direction of calling to life the good initiative of
the Intellectuals’ Forum Councillor to create civil movement. Arshak
Sadoyan, a member of the NA “Ardarutiun” faction, the Chairman of
the “National Democrates’ Alliance” party stated about this at the
March 17 press-conference, mentioning that he himself and his party
are for an organized political, “without a gun” struggle and have a
definite program of proposals. According to the speaker, if there are
forces which may implement a revolution during the coming few months,
the NDA isn’t against it. Otherwise, it is not only inadmissible but
also destructive to reduce activization of the society with “vain
promises.” So the deputy proposes to hold an enlarged gathering of
political forces during the coming 15-20 days and to adopt a statement
on struggle for the country’s future, freedoms.
Convention of a constituent assembly must follow that, where leading
bodies of an over-party movement in the name of civil society in
Armenia will be elected.
According to A.Sadoyan, the mentioned activities’ program was adopted
still in December, 2005, by the joint decision of 17 parties and 8
public organizations. The speaker expressed sorrow that the People’s
Party of Armenia hasn’t yet expressed its position on the occasion of
this program so he proposed to convene a sitting of the “Ardarutiun”
faction on March 24 to discuss the future actions. The deputy is
also sure that it’s necessary to actively involve the society as
well in the joint struggle to make electoral processes in Armenia as
just as possible. The Electoral Code to be reviewed soon may assist
it greatly. According to Sadoyan, one must reach the one that the
political majority accepts his proposal to hold a parallel electronic
vote, and the proposal of the “National Unity” concerning shooting
the whole electoral process in the polling stations. According to the
deputy’s accountings, this won’t arise great financial problems. This
concerns both publishing abroad special voting papers envisaged for
electronic vote and buying special equipment and video cameras for the
above-mentioned votion. He expects “assistance of democratic forces
of the world, international structures” as the latters officially
stated many times about assisting establishment of democracy in
developing countries.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress