COOPERATION IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS HIGHLIGHTED
National Assembly of RA, Armenia
June 21 2006
On June 20, the members of the NA Standing Committee of Defence,
National Security and Internal Affairs met the delegation of the
Committee of Foreign Relations, Defence and Security Affairs of the
Senate of the Czech Republic.
Aramayis Grigoryan, Committee Chairman expressed conviction that the
visit is an important step in the development of the Armenian-Czech
relations. He considered important the cooperation between the
parliaments, relevant committees of tow countries. The cooperation was
considered useful in the international organizations in particular,
within the framework of CE and NATO, the experience of the Czech
Republic in the integration to the European structures and experience
exchange in the legislative field was highlighted. Mr. Grigoryan
introduced the activity of the committee, the current level of
Armenia-NATO relations. The cooperation in the spheres of defense
reforms, fight against terrorism, improvement of the legal field was
considered important with NATO. Mr. Grigoryan noted that Armenia joined
the process of planning and reviewing Partnership for Peace, as well
as the agreement on the status of the Armed Forces NATO-Partnership
for Peace.
Rostislav Slavotinek, Vice President of the Committee on Foreign
Relations, Defence and Security Affairs of the Senate of the
Czech Republic, expressed conviction that the visit will boost the
friendship and cooperation of two countries. The cooperation at the
level of committees in the sphere of inter-parliamentary cooperation
was highlighted. Mr. Slavotinek briefly presented the structure of the
Czech parliament, the committee’s functions, spheres, and touched upon
the peculiarities of the Czech army, reforms of the police system. It
was noted that the Czech parliament is bi-cameral and consists of
Deputies Chamber and Senate. The Senate is shaped by the principle
of majority electoral system, 81 MPs. The Czech army is professional
from January 1, 2005, and it has 30000 soldiers. Mr. Slavotinek noted
that in the Czech Republic a military university of having high quality
and proposed the Armenian side to send officers there for training.
During the meeting the sides touched upon the problems of regional
cooperation, highlighted the activation of parliamentary cooperation.
Other issues of bilateral interest were also discussed, the directions
of further cooperation were pointed out.

ISLAMIC CONF ORG DEMANDS ARMENIAN FORCES PULLOUT FROM AZERBAIJAN
ITAR-TASS, Russia
June 21 2006
BAKU, June 21 (Itar-Tass) – Member-states of the Organization of
the Islamic Conference (OIC) have issued a demand to Armenia to
immediately, unconditionally and irrevocably withdraw its armed units
from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
The demand is formulated in the Baku declaration — the final document
of the 33rd session of the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers.
OIC urged the international community to take all the necessary
measures towards achieving a peace agreement on the dragged-out
conflict in Karabakh, a region of Azerbaijan having a predominantly
Armenian population.
The declaration says the Foreign Ministers urge OIC member-states
to support Azerbaijan’s efforts to restore its territorial integrity
and sovereignty.

CANADIAN PM HARPER APPOINTS NEW AMBASSADORS
Embassy Magazine, Canada
June 21 2006
In what is the largest appointment of heads of missions since the
Conservative government came to power in January, Prime Minister
Stephen Harper selected 26 new ambassadors to serve in destinations
around the world. Most of the new ambassadors are career foreign
service officers with years of experience behind them. Here are the
names of the new envoys and the destinations they will be heading to.
[parts deleted]
Libya
Haig Sarafian takes over from David Viveash as Ambassador to Libya. A
career diplomat, over the past 22 years Mr. Sarafian has worked in
Lima, Baghdad, Sao Paulo, Tunis, Damascus and Paris. He served as
Ambassador to Lebanon from 1998 to 2002. He has worked extensively on
Middle Eastern issues and was director general of the International
Trade Centre in Montreal from 1990 to 1993.
Russia
Ralph Lysyshyn succeeds Christopher Westdal as Ambassador to Russia
and Armenia. Mr. Lysyshyn has served in Lagos, Moscow, Washington
and Brussels and was Minister Counsellor at the Canadian Mission to
NATO from 1990 to 1994. He has also worked on arms control issues
and served as Ambassador to Poland Belarus from 2002 to 2005.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

33 FILMS PRESENTED IN THE “GOLDEN APRICOT” FESTIVAL
ArmRadio.am
21.06.2006 15:33
11 full-length films, 6 short films and 16 documentaries of Armenian
cinematographers are presented in the “Armenian Panorama” program of
the “Golden Apricot” international film festival.
President of the festival Harutyun Khachatryan told the journalists
today that there was a wish to include many more films in the program
to provide the opportunity to have a better notion what Armenian
directors in and outside Armenia produce. The election commission,
however, did not include some films in the program. Organizers say
that according to the rules of the festival no explanations are
given in case the films are rejected. These are solely not included
in the festival in case they do not correspond to the standards of
the festival.
According to the member of the creative council of the festival
Arthur Bakhtamyan, the palette of the “Armenian Panorama” is rather
multicolored and diverse this year. The only common thing is that
all the movies were filmed by Armenians.

ARMENIAN ALL-NATIONAL MOVEMENT PREPARING FOR 2007 ELECTIONS
ArmRadio.am
21.06.2006 16:07
Member of the Republican Party of Armenia Samvel Nikolyan declared
today that Armenia does not participate in regional processes,
since the return of Karabakh has been set as a precondition. As for
the Deputy President of the Armenian All-National Movement Andranik
Hovakimyan, he has found out that Levon Ter-Petrosyan was joking when
saying he would return if the whole nation asked.
“The Armenian All-National Movement is preparing for 2007 parliamentary
elections. However, it is preparing not in the classical sense, but
in an Armenian way. We model the existing situation and search for
the weak points of the authorities in power,” said Andranik Hovakimyan.
The Deputy President of the Movement found it difficult to predict what
kind of Parliament we shall have after the 2007 elections. However, in
case the events continue to develop according to the existing logics,
it is senseless to speak about a political representative body. We
shall have an appointed Parliament, and the ideology of the Parties
will not be important.
For member of the Republican Party faction Samvel Nikolyan everything
is completely predictable in the political field. He refutes the
information that the republicans are holding talks with “Prosperous
Armenia” Party over the 2007 elections. “You confuse the desired with
the reality,” he said.
Andranik Hovakimyan repeated once again that the Armenian All-National
Movement is against dual citizenship and predicted that this provision
of the Constitution will cause a mess. In Samvel Nikolyan’s opinion,
the arguable questions connected with dual citizenship, i.e. military
service, participation in elections and possession of land, will
become matters of dispute in the future.

MHER SHAHGELDYAN IS NO MORE THE HEAD OF THE ARMENIAN DELEGATION TO NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
ArmRadio.am
21.06.2006 17:50
Today Head of the Armenian delegation to NATO Parliamentary Assembly
Mher Shahgeldyan submitted his resignation to NA Speaker Tigran
Torosyan.
According to well-informed sources, this position will be entrusted
to Head of the NA Standing Committee on Defense, Internal Affairs
and National security Aramayis Grigoryan, who was appointed to the
position after Mher Shahgeldyan resigned from the position of the
Head of the same Committee.
To note, Mher Shahgeldyan refused to answer the question of “Radiolur”
correspondent about the issue of resignation.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

STEPAN BARSEGHYAN APPOINTED RA DEPUTY MINISTER OF TERRITORIAL ADMINISTRATION
ArmRadio.am
21.06.2006 17:55
According to RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan’s decree,
Stepan Barseghyan was appointed RA Deputy Minister of Territorial
Administration.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OSCE CRITERIA TO ASSESS THE FREEDOM OF PRESS IN SOUTH CAUCASIAN COUNTRIES VARY
ArmRadio.am
21.06.2006 18:00
“The OSCE’s approaches to the South Caucasian countries differ and we
try not to compare the level of freedom of press in Armenia, Georgia
and Azerbaijan,” OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Miklos
Haraszti said in Yerevan. In his words, the criteria of assessment
vary. “In one state the matters stand well with electronic media,
in another – with print media,” he remarked.

OSCE REGISTERS PROGRESS IN THE INFORMATION FIELD OF ARMENIA
ArmRadio.am
21.06.2006 17:39
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Miklos Haraszti is in
Yerevan on a visit. Having spent several days in Armenia, he collected
first-hand information about the state of media in our country. He
noted that the OSCE has registered progress in the information field
of Armenian in the recent years.
However, the organization will issue the official report in mid-July.
Miklos Haraszti assures that the report will not be based only on
the information gained from the meetings. OSCE members periodically
observe the information field of Armenia, they read, listen and
watch Armenian news programs. ” Armenia has registered considerable
progress in improving the legislation on mass media. We should note,
however, that the diversity of opinion of the mass media is somewhat
restricted,” he said.
According to the OSCE Representative on the Freedom of Media, the
diversity of opinions is observed in the print media, the same cannot
be said about more powerful media like television. In his opinion it
is important that the State Television has been replaced by a Public
one. The OSCE has registered also that in the recent years the number
of violations against journalists has decreased.

SERGE SARGSIAN LEAVES FOR MINSK TO PARTICIPATE IN SITTINGS OF CSTO SECURITY COUNCILS SECRETARIES’ COMITTEE’S AND DEFENCE MINISTERS’ COUNCIL
Noyan Tapan
Jun 21 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 21, NOYAN TAPAN. The delegation headed by Serge
Sargsian, the Secretary of the RA National Security Council attached
to President, the Defence Minister left for Minks to participate in the
sittings of the Committee of the Security Councils’ Secretaries of the
Collective Security Treaty Organization and of the Defence Ministers’
Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Colonel Seyran
Shahsuvarian, the RA Defence Minister’s Press Secretary informed
Noyan Tapan about it.