FOR OUR NATIONAL INTERESTS
Editorial
Yerkir.am
June 16, 2006
National Assembly’s Armenian Revolutionary Federation faction
secretary Hrayr Karapetian announced on June 13 that hearings devoted
to drafting a law on dual citizenship are set up for June 23 at the
National Assembly.
Karapetian noted the ARF has already made public a concept of the law
that has stirred discussions. “We see the law on dual citizenship
as a priority for this National Assembly,” Karapetian said. “The
constitutional amendments allow us adopt such law. It would be
implemented to serve our state and our national interests by bringing
together our national capacities.”
National Assembly’s Foreign Relations Committee has set up the hearings
for June 23. The theme of the hearings is “Dual Citizenship Issues:
International Law and Experience.”
“We are inviting political parties and non-governmental organizations
to participate in the hearings because we believe we would hear views
on the issue, including the international experience, that would be
important before a draft law is put into circulation, to have a law
that would contribute to further development of our statehood.”

VAHAN HOVANISIAN: OUR PEOPLE HAVE SUFFERED THE MOST FROM STALIN REPRESSION
Yerkir.am
June 16, 2006
National Assembly has recently named June 14th the Day of Commemoration
of the Repressed. The initiative came from the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation.
Dozens gathered on Wednesday at a memorial erected in Yerevan to
mark the day for the first time. The event was organized by an NGO
called Hushamatian and was attended by National Assembly’s ARF faction
members, National Self-determination Union leader Paruyr Hairkian,
people who were victimized by the Stalin regime.
Addressing the gathering, ARF Bureau member and National Assembly
Vice-speaker Vahan Hovanisian said that our entire people have suffered
the most from the repression.
He recalled that the Stalin repressions – followed by those applied
by Lenin – were carried out in waves: first it was the ARF members
who were sent to jails and executed, then those who were called
Trotskyites, then others. And this had been going on until the collapse
of the Soviet Union.
“Unfortunately, the dreadful practice didn’t stop after the Soviet rule
was over, Hovannisian went on saying. “Under the Armenian National
Movement too there were political prisoners. There is none now,
and I am sure there will be none in the future.”
June 14th was chosen to mark that day because it was on June 14,
1949 that mass arrests were made in Armenia without any political
motivation taken into account.
“The goal of the project was to deport Armenians to Altay,” Hovannisian
said. “And this when thousands of Armenians returned to their homeland
hoping the Soviet Union would become a normal country after the
WWII. Most of them were deported to Altay.”
“The only guarantee that such things would not repeat in the future
is a strong and independent Armenia,” Hovannisian concluded.

THE FALL IN THE CURRENCY MARKET
Yerkir.am
June 16, 2006
Hundreds of currency exchange units in Armenia seem to be skillfully
using the signal sent by the Central Bank that “there will be no
interference into the currency market”. The exchange rate continues
to flow, therefore they can gain significant profit from the endless
fall of the exchange rate.
The fluctuations in the currency market
Currently the currency exchange units buy US dollar costs at a rate
of 410-415 drams, and sell it at 420-425 drams. In the beginning of
this year the exchange rate was 450-460 drams for one dollar. In the
course of the last month the US dollar depreciated by 35-40 drams. What
is the reason for this depreciation?
In the beginning of the year experts anticipated that the dollar-dram
exchange rate would fall to 400 drams for one dollar by June if
the Central Bank does not interfere. The prognosis turned out to be
true. So far the Central Bank does not want to interfere by collecting
the extra dollars from the market and replacing them with drams. As
a result, currency traders, and not only them, make profit.
In the meantime, the appreciation of the Armenian dram and the parallel
depreciation of the dollar take anecdotal scales. Even though trade
and financial transactions take place during the working day and the
exchange rate valid at the end of the day should be preserved at least
till the morning of the next day, the exchange rate in our country
changes even during the night (the dollar depreciates). This is why
some people say that the Armenian economy grows during the nighttime.
What are the Central Bank’s arguments?
The Central Bank representatives keep explaining that it is
unacceptable for the fiscal authorities of the country to interfere
into the currency market.
The main argument is that the Central Bank’s main function is the
preservation of price stability in the country while stabilization
of the exchange rate is a secondary issue.
The second argument derives from the first one. The Central Bank’s
monetary policies derive from the interests of Armenian citizens who
receive their income in Armenian drams. Those citizens who receive
their income – salaries, profits, interests, etc. – in foreign
currencies can think that their incomes are of secondary importance.
The Central Bank believes that our society would not agree to have
a fixed or regulated exchange rate while the price level would
be higher. If the Armenian dram depreciates the prices will rise
significantly, the Central Bank states.
It turns out that the appreciation of the Armenian dram has suppressed
the rise of prices. If the exchange rate is fixed then the prices
will inevitably rise. Therefore, there is only one solution … to
accept the fact of further appreciation of the Armenian dram since
it is impossible to pursue two mutually exclusive goals of monetary
policies – to stabilize both the prices and the exchange rate.
However, a number of simple questions arise in this respect. What is
the limit after which it will make no sense to speak about the role of
foreign currency in our market? At what point will it become possible
to state that the Armenian dram is the only currency in which all
calculations and transaction would be made?
Why is it that the central banks in Georgia or Russia can afford
to interfere into the currency market, a tool regularly used in
monetary-fiscal policies? Why is this impossible to do in Armenia?
The next question is why is it possible to allow a moderate inflation
(8-10%) in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Russia and a number of other CIS
countries? Why is it that in these countries no terrible things happen
because of such inflation and the economy and people’s real incomes
continue to grow while the same thing is impossible in Armenia?

ALIYEV, PUTIN PRAISE TIES
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Posted June 19 2006
Baku, June 16, AssA-Irada
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Friday met with his Russian
counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Conference on
Cooperation and Confidence-building Measures in Asia in the Kazakh
city of Almaty.
Along with bilateral ties, the two leaders exchanged views on
the latest developments in the region and settlement to the
Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict.
The heads of state praised the level of ties, citing as an example
the fact that Russian-Azeri commodities turnover doubled last year.
They also emphasized mutual achievements in the political field.
While in Kazakhstan, President Aliyev also met with Israil Deputy Prime
Minister Simon Peres. The two stressed the importance of expanding
the relations between Azerbaijan and Israel.
The president also had a meeting with a member of the Palestine
Liberation Organization’s executive committee Mohamed Saad Audiya.

HIGH-RANKING US OFFICIAL TO SUCCEED GARABAGH MEDIATOR
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Posted June 19 2006
Baku, June 16, AssA-Irada
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian
Affairs Matthew Bryza will succeed Steven Mann as the American co-chair
of the OSCE Minsk Group mediating settlement to the Armenia-Azerbaijan
Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict, says Armenian Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanian. He said the new appointment must be approved by the
OSCE Permanent Council at its meeting in Vienna next week.
Oskanian did not rule out that the diplomat will visit the region
after being approved for the post.
Touching on the latest meeting between Azeri and Armenian foreign
ministers in Paris, Oskanian said the discussions targeted seeking a
common approach to the issues that were not agreed during the prior
meeting between the two leaders in Bucharest. “I can’t say that we
achieved the goal. However, the meeting was beneficial and the talks
will be continued.”
The Armenian minister said it is premature to talk about the next
meeting of the two presidents, as it would be futile in the absence
of any rapprochement between the positions of the conflicting sides.
The latest talks between the two leaders in Bucharest and Rambouillet
did not produce any results.
Political analyst, director of the Center of Political Innovation
and Technologies, Mubariz Ahmadoglu, praised the new appointment. “As
I understand, Matthew Bryza knows the region just as well as Steven
Mann. He has repeatedly visited Azerbaijan and Armenia. His attitude
toward Azerbaijan could be considered objective,” he told AssA-Irada.
The expert said that greater hopes should be bound with Bryza than
his predecessor, considering his higher status.
“Mann used to come here and hold meetings and then report to the US
Department of State. These reports, along with others, then reached
Matthew Bryza. The latter, however, is able to keep in touch directly
with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.”
Ahmadoglu said that Russia and France will soon replace their co-chairs
with more high-ranking officials as well.
“It is very likely that co-chairing counties will set up a group of
low-profile diplomats. The taskforce will be permanently working in
the region,” the analyst added.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NEW CONNECTIONS IN LITERATURE
By Hovhannes Yeranian
Yerkir.am
June 16, 2006
In Yerkir’s previous issue we published an interview the chairman of
the Writers’ Union of Armenia Levon Ananian. He spoke about restoration
of cooperation in literature with the former Soviet countries. In
this issue, we continue the interview which this time deals with
foreign countries (not the former USSR). Several weeks ago Levon
Ananian complained that Yerkir does not cover numerous meetings and
events held at the Writers’ Union. This complain is justified and we
present to our readers’ attention this interview.
Q: Mr. Ananian, Diaspora should be taken into consideration when
literary establishing relations in the sphere of literature with
foreign countries. From this perspective, the Beirut convention was
rather interesting since it provided an opportunity to establish
connections not only with Diaspora Armenian literary circles.
A: Yes, I think it was important that the third convention of Armenian
writers was held in Beirut. I met with the Lebanese Minister of
Culture and we made a number of arrangements. First, a statue of
Avetik Isahakian will be set up in the center of Beirut, and we will
set a statue of Jubran Khalil Jubran in Yerevan. We have already sent
the sketches for Isahakian’s statue to Beirut. This statue is very
important in terms of presenting the Armenian culture.
Thousands of tourists from different countries visit Beirut every year.
Secondly, we made arrangements for several events. Days of Lebanese
literature will be held in Armenia. After that days of Armenian
literature will be organized in Lebanon. A number of Arab writers
will visit Armenian in 2007.Beirut is the non-official ‘capital’
of the Armenian Diaspora. Through cultural connections we will try
to preserve it like that because experience has shown that Armenians
remain more Armenian in the Middle East preserving their language
and culture than in Europe, USA and other countries.
During the Soviet period Beirut was our second capital in terms of
literature and culture. Unfortunately, the Armenian community in Beirut
is gradually weakening. Globalization does its job. However, we must
support this community that has active literary and cultural life.
Q: Conventions of Armenian writers writing in other languages are
a great opportunity to explore the literary trends in different
countries. Such information and analysis can be useful for the future
of Armenian literature.
A: The second convention of Armenian writers writing in other languages
will be held in 2007 in Armenia. At this convention we are ready to
establish qualitatively new connections and relations will Armenian
writers living and working in different countries and in different
languages. Each of them is a carrier of two literary traditions,
and we can use this reality that has emerged as a result of our
nation’s history.
Q: As far as I know a delegation of writers was supposed to visit
Iran. Why was this visit cancelled?
A: We have very good relations with Iran. We implement a number of
projects in cooperation with the Iranian Cultural Center. The visit
was postponed for some reasons. Last year we hosted several Iranian
writers in cooperation with the Armenian Organization for Cultural
Relations. The response visit was postponed and will be organized in
September instead of June.
We are thinking of organizing a friendship celebration at the bridge
in Meghri. An international conference was planned to be held in
Spahan, it was postponed till autumn as well. Ahmad Nurizade plays
an important role in promoting the Armenian literature. He is the
only foreigner who writes in Armenian.
A journal titled “Mihr” is published by the Iranian Embassy in Armenia.
This journal always pays much attention to the Armenian culture
and literature.
Eduard Hakhverdian has contributed greatly to the translation
of Iranian literature into Armenian. He has translated about 15
authors. We have made significant progress in literary and cultural
relations between Armenian and Iran.
Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my gratitude to the
Cultural Center at the Iranian Embassy in Armenia. The Center is very
interested in promoting Iranian literature in Armenia and visa versa.
What I said earlier about the importance of preserving the Armenian
community in Beirut is equally true for the Armenians in Iran. The
Armenians in Iran do not get assimilated, they preserve their national
identity. The Armenian community is very important in maintaining
friendly relations with Iran.
Both sides acknowledge the importance of cultural relations in addition
to economic and political relations, and this is very important.

ARMENIAN LOBBY BOYCOTTS REGIONAL TRANSPORT PROJECTS
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Posted June 19 2006
Baku, June 16, AssA-Irada
The Armenian lobby continues its efforts to boycott large-scale
transport projects being implemented in the region.
The Armenian organizations operating in the United States have
achieved the adoption of legislation that prevents US companies from
participating in the Gars-Tbilisi-Baku railway project.
The decision passed by the committee on financial allocations of the
US House of Representatives bans US companies’ involvement in the
project. US financial support to the project is also ruled out.
Commenting on the issue, executive director of the Armenian National
Committee of America, Aram Gamparian, alleged that the Congress’s
decision is of great importance and makes it impossible to render US
financial aid under the plans aiming to leave Armenia out of major
regional projects.
Georgian State Minister Kakha Bendukidze, for his part, called
the decision inappropriate, saying it shows US Congressmen’s
misunderstanding of economic estimations.
“The Gars-Tbilisi-Baku railway is a very interesting and efficient
project that may bring considerable dividends to its parties in the
future. As for the US Congressmen’s decision, I believe they were not
comprehensively informed about the economic benefits of the project,”
he said.

NATO SEMINAR TO MULL GARABAGH
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Posted June 19 2006
Baku, June 16, AssA-Irada
The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh will be
discussed at a Rose Roth seminar of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly
(PA) due in the Russian resort city of Sochi on June 22-24.
Discussions on “Security issues in South Caucasus” will be held at the
event as well. An Azerbaijani parliamentarian to attend the seminar
is not known at this point.
The NATO assembly mulled security issues in the region during its
previous session held in Paris late in May.

US INVESTOR CONDEMNS ILLEGAL TAPPING OF AZERI GOLD
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Posted June 19 2006
Baku, June 16, AssA-Irada
A foreign company has carried out exploration work on gold fields in
Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia, says president of US RV
Investment Group in charge of operating the deposits.
Rza Vaziri said the fact was ascertained through satellite footage
and work is underway to curtail the illegal activities.
He said that tapping the fields in the occupied land is against
international law and his company would take the matter to
international court.
“The documents, prepared based on the materials, have been forwarded to
lawyers, who will submit them through international court to Armenia’s
Foreign Ministry, its embassies in the USA, Canada and Great Britain
as well as the foreign company carrying out the exploration. The
documents will also be passed to relevant international institutions,”
the company official told journalists on Thursday.
Vaziri said the documents have also been submitted to the Azerbaijani
government and it is expected to issue its official response on the
matter in the coming days.
The company president said the territories rich in gold reserves
are Azerbaijan’s land and RV Investment Group reserves the right to
operate them, under the agreement it signed with the state. He said
the companies illegally working in these territories must suspend
their operation there. After the occupied areas are liberated, the
company will tackle work in these territories, Vaziri said.
He said the first gold will be produced from the Gadabay field late
in 2006-early 2007. The deposit located 350 km west of Baku possesses
an estimated 800,000 ounces of gold.
The Azerbaijani government signed a contract with RV Investment Group
on tapping gold deposits. The 25-year agreement, concluded earlier
by Azergyzyl state company, abolished in 1997, and RV Investment
Group (with Azerbaijan holding 51% stake and the US company 49%),
envisions developing 9 fields containing 400 tons of gold, 2,500
tons of silver and 1.5 million tons of copper. The fields are mainly
located in the Kalbajar, Zangilan, Gadabay, Dashkasan and Ordubad
western and southwestern regions. Three of the deposits are located
in Azerbaijani territories occupied by the Armenian armed forces.
$28m has been spent on exploration operations since April 2005.
Another $23m will be spent in the future, says Gerald Philips, general
director on operations at the Azerbaijan International Mining Operating
Company set up by RV Investment to operate the gold fields.

CONFERENCE OF ASSOCIATION OF FRIENDSHIP AND COOPERATION WITH ARMENIA HELD IN MOSCOW
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.06.2006 13:38 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A conference of the Association of Friendship and
Cooperation with Armenia was held in Moscow. The participants decided
to transform the organization from a regional into an inter-regional
and to change the name. From now on this association of people’s
diplomacy will be called the Association of Russian-Armenian Friendship
and Cooperation.
Outstanding Russian political figure, writer and political scientist
Victor Krivopuskov was re-elected the President for a 5-year term.
As Victor Krivopuskov told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, the conference
participants appealed to the Russian leadership and Russian nation
to condemn the vandalism committed by Azerbaijan on December 25, 2005
when 4 000 khachkars at the medieval Armenian cemetery in Old Djulfa
(Nakhichevan) protected by UNESCO, were severely demolished.
The delegates called on the Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani President
to demonstrate political will and adherence to century-old traditions
of peoples while settling the Nagorno Karabakh problem, to live in
peace, friendship and consent. “Only peaceful and just negotiations
can lead Armenia and Azerbaijan to mutual consent,” he said.
In a special statement the conference participants condemned the
murders of Russian citizens of Armenian origin committed through
national hatred in Moscow and other regions. They also expressed
concern over the inactivity of the law enforcers. “We appealed to
the Armenian Diaspora in Russia, the Armenian people and media not
to dramatize the situation and to avoid judging the whole nation by
the deeds of some malefactors. The Year of Armenia in Russia should
be used for strengthening and developing the ties between the Russian
and Armenian people,” Victor Krivopuskov said.