WILL TRAGEDY ALWAYS BE OUR TEACHER?
By Hakob Avetikian
AZG Armenian Daily
05/05/2006
The morning hours of May 3 plunged our country into alarming grief. The
news of the tragedy has already spread when starting from 10.00 am
all local TV channels suddenly began airing details of the crash as
though receiving an order from a common headquarters.
Though today we have modern European jets and safety equipments and
services at the airport, the slovenliness that becomes a distinctive
feature of Armenian identity and is incompatible with air navigation
and our dislike for order were a serious concern for aviation
employees.
Planes of the best international air carriers also crash due to weather
conditions, flight controllers’ mistakes, technical failure or the
crew’s mistake. No air carrier is safeguarded against this. Neither
is Armavia.
Yet, air navigation is a sphere where all kinds of defects should be
excluded. Otherwise we will such tragedies.
Another bad trait in our identity – careless attitude towards the
others’ pain – came out again on May 3 when starting from the noon
TV channels aired the names of the perished passengers. The names
were also hung at the airport. No middle names were put in. No one,
fortunately, can guarantee that all passengers are dead. No one could
be 100 percent sure that Armavia roll was correct. Who can measure
the sorrow that numerous citizens went through while approaching the
rolls and reading the names of relatives or friends?
Once again we had to learn from our tragedies.

ARTSAKH IS MIGHTY WITH ITS FRIENDS
By Kim Gabrielian in Stepanakert
AZG Armenian Daily
05/05/2006
A considerable number of schools in Artsakh were built or repaired
on charity money in the recent years.
The new school building of Shekher village in Martuni region was built
on donations of Karpis Nikoghosian, French-Armenian benefactor and
chairman of the French Association for Artsakhi Relief, in 2002. These
days Karpis Nikoghosian was again in Shekher, villagers of which
consider him their countryman who lives in France. During each visit
the benefactor has a present with him. This time was no exception.
Mr. Nikoghosian arrived in Shekher accompanied by the city
construction minister of Nagorno Karabakh Republic and the head of
“Capital Construction” State Non-Commercial Organization. This time
Mr. Nikoghosian plans to build a gym for the school that will be 24
meters by 12 with an overall cost of $140 thousand.
The building expenses will be covered from donations of the
French-Armenian community. Construction works will kick off in
early summer.
The gym will not simply serve as a ground for physical culture classes
but will also serve the groups of amateur performances. In the Soviet
times theatrical groups of Shekher were famous not only in Martuni
region but also in other places of Nagorno Karabakh.
Besides helping Shekher in school construction, each year the
Nikoghosian family provides money for 3 students from the village to
pay tuition fees.
Residents of Shekher say: “Shekher has a prosperous future as it has
such a friend as Karpis Nikoghosian.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MOURNING DAYS IN ARMENIA AND RUSSIA
A1+
[12:00 pm] 05 May, 2006
Today in Armenia and Russia the state flags will be lowered in memory
of the victims of the May 3 aircrash.
May 5 in Russia and May 5 and 6 in Armenia are officially declared
mourning days. The record boxes of the plane A-320 which belonged
to “Armavia” have not yet been found. As a result of the crash 105
passengers and the 8-person crew of the plane perished.
By now only 53 bodies have been found 41 of which have been
recognized. 26 bodies have been transported to Armenia already. The
searches for new bodies and the record boxes are going on.

RELATIVES GIVE BLOOD
A1+
[12:06 pm] 05 May, 2006
In Sochi the relatives of the victims of the air crash are already
giving their blood for DNA analysis, RA Minister of Transportation
Igor Levitin informed.
Let us remind you that only 41 of the 53 bodies have been recognized.
The Minister also informed that by the request of the relatives of
the victims in Sochi a monument will be erected in memory of the
victims of the air crash of the plane A-320.

HYDROGEN SULPHIDE DECOMPOSES THE BODIES
A1+
[12:46 pm] 05 May, 2006
Special equipment will be transported from Novorossiysk to Sochi in
order to get the record boxes of the plane out of the water. French
specialists have also promised technical support.
RF Minister of Transportation Igor Levitin underlined the importance
of finding the bodies, the record boxes and other parts of the plane
as deep under the sea the bodies are quickly decomposed under the
influence of hydrogen sulphide, and the parts of the plane are damaged.

“ARMENFILM” DOESN’T EXIST ANY LONGER
A1+
[05:21 pm] 04 May, 2006
The state non-governmental organization “ArmenFilm” studio after
“Hamo Beknazaryan” was renamed a state non-governmental organization
“Armenian National Film Centre.” Amendments and additions were made
on this score in the Government’s resolution N417 on “the Creation
of State Non-Governmental Organizations” of April 17, 2002.

WE SHALL HAVE NEW SYMBOLS
A1+
[05:27 pm] 04 May, 2006
The Government passed the draft projects on “the RA Flag” and “RA
State Emblem” which will be presented to the NA. The corresponding
Ministries are to make interpretations on this score and involve them
in the bills.
The RA Government decided to hold a contest for the selection of
the RA hymn and the music. 2 million AMD will be allocated to the
RA Ministry of Culture and Youth in order to hold the contest, to
provide the necessary information and to grant the author of the
words and music. Each of them will be awarded with 700 thousand AMD.

IN ORDER TO PRESERVE THE AZERI CULTURE IN ARMENIA
A1+
[05:32 pm] 04 May, 2006
The RA Government allocated 2million and 308 thousand AMD in order
to find the Azeri graveyards and monuments of historical and cultural
importance, to fix their sites and to take photos.

THE SHAHUMYAN RESIDENTS WERE DISPLACED 15 YEARS AGO
A1+
[06:10 pm] 04 May, 2006
A large-scale military operation “Koltso” was implemented in April –
June, 1991, with the joint efforts of the USSR Interior Ministry and
special-purpose groups of the Azeri Interior Ministry in order to
evict Armenians from the Armenian villages Gatashen and Martunashen,
the region Shahumyan and Karabakh. At the same time, Armenia and
Nagorno – Karabakh appeared in economic blockade by Baku.
According to the NKR Foreign Ministry data, the increase of the
tension was determined by the above-mentioned “Koltso” operation as a
result of which the Karabakh conflict was taken to a new – military
level. According to the OSCE review, “the situation became more or
less tense from April to June, 1991, when the Soviet army displaced
Armenians from many rural areas of the region with the assistance of
the Azeri Interior Ministry. This act was realized very severely.”
“Unfortunately, neither the operative nor the military crimes carried
out within that period found their political and legal evaluation,
and this resulted in new vandalism from the Azeri side – ethnic
groups’ evictions.”
“The tragedy of Getashen, Martunashen and Shahumyan still continues
as the displaced Armenians haven’t got a right to return and they
haven’t been compensated.
These villages are left out in the reviews of international mediators
and in projects of the Karabakh conflict peaceful settlement,” this
is a quotation from the NKR Foreign Ministry statement.
By the way, there are many documents which testify to the fact that the
Azeri authorities find that the Karabakh conflict settlement is closely
connected with the residents’ displacement or their annihilation.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TRAINING COURSES FOR ARMENIAN PROSECUTORS
A1+
[06:19 pm] 04 May, 2006
YEREVAN, 4 May 2006 – Preventing and prosecuting sexual crimes was the
focus of a training course for Armenian prosecutors and investigators
that ended today in Yerevan.
The two-day event was organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan, the
Warsaw-based OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
(ODIHR), and the Training Centre of the General Prosecutor’s Office.
ODIHR has been helping Armenian prosecutors since November 2004,
with funding from the United States.
“Emphasis should be placed on appropriate treatment of victims of
all types of crimes, including sexual violence,” said Cynthia Alkon,
Head of ODIHR’s Rule of Law programme.
Tatul Badasyan, Deputy Director of the Prosecutors’ Training Centre,
praised the close co-operation with the OSCE, adding that it was
important to share the best practices in the field, including
investigative techniques and prosecution of cases of sexual violence.
Around 25 participants and two experts from Austria and the United
States discussed various case studies, international legal provisions,
and the psychology of investigations , as well as issues connected
with domestic violence, child abuse and human trafficking.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress