AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF ARMENIA TO HOLD TRADITIONAL OPEN DOORS DAY ON MARCH 18
YEREVAN, MARCH 17, NOYAN TAPAN. The open doors day already became
traditional will be held at the American University of Armenia on March
18. Its goal is to inform visitors about the order and conditions of
entering the institution of higher education as well as to present
the AUA mission to entrants.
According to the information submitted to Noyan Tapan by the AUA,
owing to an exhibition organized in the foyer of the ground floor of
the institution of higher education, visitors will get acquainted
with the education departments and programs of the institution,
activity of the research center, students’ life. Entrants will be
informed about students’ credits and scholarships as well.

IT’S ENVISAGED TO INTRODUCE INCLUSIVE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM AT ANOTHER
8 ARMENIAN SCHOOLS THIS YEAR
YEREVAN, MARCH 17, NOYAN TAPAN. At present 157 disabled children attend
5 schools of inclusive education in Yerevan. Individual curriculums
were made up for 85 of them and the rest perfectly manage to learn
by school curriculums.
Susanna Tadevosian, Chairwoman of the Huysi Kamurj (Bridge of Hope)
NGO, informed about this at the March 17 press conference. She
mentioned that the inclusive educational program has been implemented
by the organization jointly with RA Ministry of Education and
Science since 2001, in comprehensive schools N 27, 150, 59, 100
and M.Sebastatsi educational complex. According to S.Tadevosian,
teams comprised of the director, a special teacher, social employee,
a parent and other specialists were formed at all schools of inclusive
education. The latters examine children’s medical documents, consider
their educational needs and make up individual curriculums at the
beginning of the schoolyear. The organization chairwoman stated
that children from orphanages and abroad are also involved in the
program. The educational needs of the latters are connected with the
Eastern Armenian language and spelling. S.Tadevosian also reported
that during the current year the inclusive educational program will
be introduced at another 4 Yerevan schools, as well as in Dilijan,
Ijeven, Noyemberian and Berd schools (Tavush region). It was also
mentioned that representatives of Moscow school N 1961 visited Armenia
for the purpose of getting acquainted with the experience of inclusive
education.

“ARMENIAN SOCIETY MUST BE PROTECTED OF ANTI-AESTHETIC CULTURE,” RA MINISTER OF CULTURE THINKS
YEREVAN, MARCH 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Gevorg Gevorgian, the RA Minister
of Culture and Youth Issues held a consultation with Chairmen of
the 7 creative unions on March 16, and presented his observations
and considerations concerning the present stage of the cultural
field. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the Press Service of the
Ministry, according to G.Gevorgian, the national culture goes away
of its sources day by day, today it’s a primary task to put the art
on national basis. According to the Minister, this problem must be
solved by joint efforts. G.Gevorgian also mentioned that one must
find ways to make controllable both “exported culture and imported
one for the society is protected from the outer culture often called
anti-aesthetic.”

“I AM” THIRD INTERNATIONAL YOUTH FILM FESTIVAL TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN IN MAY
YEREVAN, MARCH 17, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Cinematographers’
Union of Armenia will hold the “I am” international youth film
festival in May 2006 already for the third time. Up to 30 years
old young creators from Armenia, Diaspora or of foreign origin may
participate in the festival.
As the Noyan Tapan correspondent was informed from the festival
office, applicants may present for the competition films created
in 2005-2006. The works must be presented up to April 1 in VHS and
DVD formats.
The festival organization committee fixed 9 prizes: the best feature
film, best documentary, best students’ work, best operator’s work, best
director’s work, best music clip, best animation film, best advertising
clip, best video-art. All the prize-winners will get diploma and prize.

CHESS ENCYCLOPEDIA PUBLISHED FOR FIRST TIME IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, MARCH 17, NOYAN TAPAN. “The Chess Encyclopedia” was published
for the first time in Armenia by the publishing house Areg. It consists
of 6 parts and includes more than 500 word entries, about 300 chess
games, 44 chess openings and 150 photographs.
While following the principle of “dry” information typical of all
encyclopedias, the authors Samvel Gasparian, Gagik Hakobian and
Roland Sharoyan at the same time made an attempt to present the facts
and phenomena in a “non-encyclopedic language”. The two chapters –
“The Lives of 13 Chess Kings and 10 Chess Queens” and “The Armenian
Inhabitants of the Chess World” are especially notable.
Co-author Gagik Hakobian noted at the presentation on March 15
that it is imposible to cover the entire history of chess in one
encyclopedia. That is why it is envisaged to refresh the encyclopedia
every three or four years. “The Armenians are fond of playing chess,
and since the 1950s the Armenian chess players have been in leading
positions. One should not forget that Tigran Petrosian was the 9th
World Champion, and let’s hope that Levon Aronian will win the World
Champion title next year.”
The encyclopedia presentation was attended by the RA Minister of
Defence, Chairman of the Chess Federation of Armenia Serge Sargsian
and some other high-ranking officials.

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THE NEW ARMAVIA FLIGHT TO ISRAEL WILL RECOMMENCE FROM MARCH 23
YEREVAN, MARCH 17. ARMINFO. Yerevan-Tel-Aviv flights of Armaviua
company, sterted on January 1, 2006, were suspended due to lack of
passengers, reports the Armavia press center.
According to the information received, small quantity of passengers
flying to Israel is caused by the difficulties of the visa system.
Armavia has submitted this question to the Government of Armenia and
intends to recommence the flights to Tel-Aviv from March 23.
The company also informed that new prices are offered to Armavia
customers in 2006. From March the Armavia passengers are to pay AMD
700 for 1 kilogram of cargo when traveling by Yerevan-Amsterdam-
Yerevan, Yerevan-Paris Yerevan, Yerevan-Aleppo-Yerevan,
Yerevan-Frankfurt-Yerevan flights. The ticket price is $225.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

IN 2005 ARMAVIA INCREASED ITS PASSENGER TRAFFIC VOLUME BY 1,2
YEREVAN, MARCH 17. ARMINFO. In 2005 the Armavia company increased
the volume of passenger transportations 1,2 times v to 501 thousand
passengers, reports the press center of the air company.
According to information received, in 2005 the company realized 2841
flights, 1,2 times more than in 2004. Cargo transportation volume
remained on the same level v 1.815.683 kilograms. In January 2006
Amavia transported 26.700 passengers in February v 23.500.
Since July 2005 the company has been implementing a new policy of
increasing the flights and opening new routes. From summer 2006 new
flights to Anapa, Donetsk, France, Saint Petersburg, Samara, Odessa,
Simferopol, Beirut, Athens, Aleppo and Teheran will be available
at Armavia. In 2006 the company will purchase two A-319 airplanes,
produced in 2004.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

IFEX, Canada
International Freedom of Expression eXpress
March 17 2006
CAPSULE REPORT: Writers and academics favoring EU membership target
of criminal complaints, says CPJ in special report
Country/Topic: Turkey
Date: 16 March 2006
Source: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Person(s):
Target(s):
Type(s) of violation(s):
Urgency: Bulletin
(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a CPJ press release:
Turkish Nationalism and the Press
A CPJ special report: Free expression falls victim to EU opponents
New York, March 16, 2006 – Nationalists opposed to Turkey’s
engagement with Europe have sought out sympathetic public prosecutors
across the country to file criminal complaints against journalists,
writers and academics who favor EU membership, a new report by the
Committee to Protect Journalists has found.
Using loosely worded laws that criminalize the denigration of the
Turkish state, its identity and its institutions, conservative
secular nationalists – referred to by some as “the state within the
state” – are challenging writings and public comments on issues they
dislike, including the Kurds, the mass killings of Armenians under
the Ottoman Empire, and the security forces, CPJ found in its special
report, “Nationalism and the Press,” released today.
Five journalists were charged in December 2005 under Article 288 of
the penal code with attempting to influence the outcome of judicial
proceedings through their writings. Four of the five were also
charged under the controversial Article 301 of the code with
insulting “Turkishness,” and if convicted could face prison terms
from six months to 10 years.
Senior Editor Robert Mahoney attended the unruly opening of the
journalists’ trial on February 7 in Istanbul where hundreds of riot
police ringed the court room and the judge adjourned the case after
two hours. He interviewed several of the journalists standing trial,
government officials and activists for the report.
Since Turkey’s penal code was overhauled in 2005, cases have been
brought against 29 journalists under Article 301, according to the
local press freedom organization Bia.
For 40 years, Turkey has been forging closer political, economic, and
social ties with Europe, writes Mahoney. But the opening last October
of formal accession negotiations with Brussels has galvanized those
who feel Turkey has gone far enough in reforming itself along Western
lines to pass the EU membership test.
The prosecution of the five journalists is scheduled to reconvene on
April 11.
To read the report:
-06/turkey_3-06.html
CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that
works to safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information,
visit

KENYAN RELATIVE OF ARMENIAN PRESIDENT – JUST FIB
YEREVAN, MARCH 17. ARMINFO. The statements of Armenian businessman
Artur Sargsyan that he is relative of Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan is just a fib, says the spokesman of the president Viktor
Sogomonyan, commenting on the statements in the Kenyan press by two
Armenian businessmen from Dubai involved in a political scandal.
Artur Sargsyan and Artur Margaryan are accused by the leader of
the Kenyan opposition Rale Oding that they have been hired by the
authorities to attack the local media. The Armenians parried with
counter-charges that Oding has failed to pay them a $1.5 mln debt. In
a press-conference Sargsyan said: “My uncle is Armenian President
Robert Kocharyan, while I am a presidential candidate.”
The spokesman of the Armenian FM Hamlet Gasparyan says that the FM
is investingating the case. Armenia has no diplomatic representation
in Kenya and the investigation may take a while but the FM hopes to
find out the truth in a week.