RUSAL-ARMENAL TO MANUFACTURE IN MARCH FIRST 100 TONS OF PRODUCTION AFTER BEING RELAUNCHED
Noyan Tapan
Mar 07 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN. RusAl-ArmenAl CJSC resumed its operation
in February and will manufacture the first 100 tons of its production
in March.
Artur Ashughian, Head of the Nature Use Economics and Mining Industry
Department of the RA Ministry of Trade and Economic Development,
said it at the March 7 press conference.
In his words, in 2005 alone, the company made investments of 39
mln euros for equipment modernization, which allowed the company
to produce 7 micron wide foil which is in great demand on the
international market.
To recap, work on re-equipment of RusAl-ArmenAl started in the
4th quarter of 2004. The first stage of the work was completed in
December 2005. 70 mln USD was spent on re-equipment of the enterprise,
with 30-35% of this amount being spent as salaries and payments for
equipment supply.
It is envisaged that since 2006 the enterprise will produce 25 thousand
tons of foil a year, with an annual production of 9 micron wide foil
amounting to 18 thousand tons.

FROM APRIL 10 FLIGHTS FROM “ZVARTNOTS” AIRPORT TO BE IMPLEMENTED ONLY AT NIGHT HOURS
Noyan Tapan
Mar 07 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN. From April 10, on the occasion of the
reconstruction of the runway of the “Zvartnots” airport of Yerevan,
during 80 days the flights will be implemented only at night hours
(from 20:00 to 10:30). As Noyan Tapan correspondent was informed from
the press service of the airport, repair works of the asphalt cover
will be implemented in the last 1200-meter part of the runway. The
rest parts were repaired during the last two years.

ALL WOMAN PASSENGERS TO BE GIVEN ROSES AT ZVARTNOTS AIRPORT ON MARCH 8
Noyan Tapan
Mar 07 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN. Yerevan Zvartnots airport’s manager
“Armenia International Airports” company will give roses to all woman
passengers on March 8, in connection with the Women’s International
Day. As Noyan Tapan correspondent was informed by airport’s press
service, such an action is carried out at Zvartnots for already the
third year.

LEVEL OF AFFORESTATION OF ARMENIA LESS BY 1-2% THAN PREVIOUS INDEX
Noyan Tapan
Mar 07 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN. On March 6, the problems of the Yerevan
air, water pollution, destruction of green belts, responsibility for
the damage caused to the ecological state, the measures and prospects
directed to the correction of the created state were discussed
at the enlarged parliamentary hearings on the theme “Yerevan City
Surroundings Problems”.
According to Vardan Ayvazian, the RA Minister of Nature Protection,
the level of the air pollution is especially higher in the center of
the Yerevan and in the communities of Arabkir, the main cause of which
are the exhaustions of transport. From 2006 it is forbiden by the law
to import cars without neutralizators, as well as the exploitation
of cars without the implementation of the demand of obligatory annual
measurings. Besides that, appropriate equipments are bought in order
to control the quality of the importing fuel. In order to control
the ecological state of the capital it is also envisaged to maintain
a movable expert laboratory in 2006.
According to V.Ayvazian, the level of the afforestation of the
territory of Armenia never surpassed the 11.2%, and today it is less
than it by 1-2%. The level of the afforestation of the territory of
Yerevan never surpassed the 2%. According to the new main plan of
the capital, in the forthcoming 15 years it is envisaged to add the
surface of the green territory falling to one person.
According to the Minister, the process of the collection of scraps,
sorting of garbage is also problematic.

SEVERAL YEARS OF GEOLOGICAL WORK NEEDED TO DETERMINE EFFIIENCY OF URANIUM MINE OPERATION AT GETIK
Noyan Tapan
Mar 07 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN. It will become clear only in a few
years how efficient it is to operate the uranium mine at Getik. Artur
Ashughian, Head of the Nature Use Economics and Mine Industry
Department, stated this at the March 7 press conference. According
to him, geological search is needed to determine the efficiency of
the mine operation. However, so far no company has applied to the
appropriate Armenian bodies for permission to carry out work at Getik.
To recap, the GGG comany (US) announced the expediency of uranium
mining at the Getik mine.

6% PRODUCTION GROWTH REGISTERED IN ARMENIAN MINING INDUSTRY THANKS TO INVESTMENTS AND HIGH PRICES ON INTERNATIONAL MARKET
Noyan Tapan
Mar 07 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN. In January 2006, production of the
Armenian mining industry sector made 14.3 bln drams (about 31.8 mln
USD), sales – 13.8 bln drams, and exports – 7.3 bln drams. Artur
Ashughian, Head of the Nature Use Economics and Mining Industry
Department of the RA Ministry of Trade and Economic Development,
stated this at the March 7 press conference.
According to him, the mining industry companies employed 10,495 people
in January 2006 against 10,345 in December 2005, with the average
salaries making 90.4 thousand drams and 80 thousand drams respectively.
Production of 248.5 bln drams was manufactured in the mining industry
in 2005 against production of 218.7 bln drams in 2004. The production
growth made 6% in 2005 against 43% in the previous year. Sales made
245.1 bln drams and 171.4 bln drams respectively. Building material
production, mainly cement production (its growth made 25% in 2004),
accounted for 13 bln drams of the 2005 production.
The department head noted that the increase in the indices of the
mining industry sector was fostered by the investments and high prices
of copper and molybdenum on the international market. Although these
prices have dropped by 30-40% in the last three months, they are
still high compared with the period prior to 2005.
In addition, according to A. Ashughian, the investments made in the
sector in 2005 contributed to the fact almost all of the copper and
molybdenum ores are processed in Armenia. Molybdenum ore is also
imported from China and Chile.

FESTIVAL OF BRITISH FILMS TO BE HELD ALSO IN GYUMRI FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 07 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On March 10, the 5th
Festival of British Films will start at the “Nairi” cinema with the
display of the film “Calendar Girls” by the British Director Nigel
Cole. As Nigel Townson, Director of the British Council in Armenia,
informed at the March 7 press conference, the Festival of British films
in Yerevan held for the fifth time was appreciated by the Armenian
film-goers, by which the organizing of the same festival in Gyumri
for the first time this year on March 17-19 is conditioned.
According to Nigel Townson, though he has come to Armenia recently,
he noticed that Armenians are lovers of best films and attend
cinema. “That fact became more obvious in the days of the festival
of European films held in Armenia recently. The cinema halls were
over-crowded, and there were always people gathered in front of the
ticket-offices,” Director of the British Council mentioned.
According to the tradition of the previous years, this time also
films which won prizes and took part in competition programs of the
festivals are brought to Armenia. According to Nigel Townson, in the
issue of selection of films they gave priority to the quality of the
films, and not to their being British or non-British.
Nigel Townson also mentioned that he has just come to Armenia and
is not so much acquainted with the Armenian cinema though he saw a
number of Armenian films in England last year.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ACCORDING TO CALIFORNIA COURIER, STATE DEPARTMENT FINALIZES DECISION TO RECALL US AMBASSAFOR TO ARMENIA JOHN EVANS
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 07 2006
GLENDALE, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The US Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia John Evans will be
recalled in the coming months and replaced by Richard E. Hoagland,
the current US Ambassador to Tajiskistan. According to the weekly
“The California Courier”, the US State Deparment recently finalized
its decision about recall of John Evans.
According to reliable Armenian governmental sources, Amb. Evans
informed high-ranking Armenian officilas last week about his
departure in the coming months, pending the Senate approval of his
likely successor.
Knowledgeable US sources in Washington confirmed to Harut Sassounian,
Publisher of “The California Courier” that Amb. Evans was recalled
for publicly aknowledging the Armenian Genocide.
Neither the ambassador not the State Department made any public
comments regarding these developments.
Last year, during a public gathering at the University of California
at Berkeley, Amb. Evans courageously said: “I will today call it the
Armenian G enocide… I informed myself in depth about it. I think
we, the US government, owe you, our fellow citizens, a more frank
and honest way of discussing this problem. Today, as someone who has
studied it … there’s no doubt in my mind [as to] what happened… I
think it is unbecoming of us, as Americans, to play word games here. I
believe in calling things by their name.” Referring to the Armenian
Genocide as “the first genocide of the 20th century,” he said: “I
pledge to you, we are going to do a better job at addressing this
issue.” Amb.
Evans also disclosed that he had consulted with a legal advisor at
the State Department who had confirmed that the events of 1915 were
“genocide by definition.”
Within days of making these statements, Amb. Evans issued “a
clarification” in which he said that “misunderstandings” might have
arisen as a result of his earlier comments. He said that he had used
the term “genocide” in his “personal capacity.”
Several months later the American Foreign Service Association took
the very unusual step of rescinding a “Constructive Dissent” award
that it had decided to grant Amb. Evans during a special ceremony
that was to be held at the State Department on June 17, 2005.
“The California Courier” reminded that during a hearing before the
House International Relations Committee last month, Cong. Adam Schiff
(Democrat of California) asked US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
several pointed questions regarding Amb. Evans. Cong. Schiff asked that
Secretary Rice explain in writing if the State Dept. played any role
in the reversal of the decision to grant Amb. Evans the “dissent”
award. Cong. Schiff also asked the Secretary State to assure the
House Committee that the Department of State has not taken, and will
not take, any punitive actions against Amb. Evans for speaking out
about the Armenian Genocide. Secretary Rice has not yet responded to
these questions.
It is noteworthy that the former US ambassadors to Armenia officiated
for three years each, while Joh Evans has not yet completed the second
year of his 3-year term of office.

ARMENIA JOINS EUROCONTROL ON MARCH 1
Noyan Tapan
Mar 07 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenia became the 36th member state
of Eurocontrol on March 1. NT was informed about it from the RA MFA
Press and Information Department.
Becoming a member of the International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO) in 1922, Armenia joined the International Civil Aviation
Union. Armenia was the first one of the former Soviet republics to
join the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) in 1996. Since
that time, Armenia has received ECAC technical assistance.
Armenia has developed jointly with Eurocontrol a program on
modernization of its air traffic management services. Armenian experts
have been sent to the Eurocontrol Office for this purpose.
According to Eurocontrol’s Director General Victor Aguago, Armenia’s
joining the Eurocontrol is one of the most welcome developments which
is fully in line with the programs aimed at developing the European
Air Management System.
He attached importance to this step in terms of creation of new
airways in the region in European and Far East destinations.
Eurocontrol is a European organization on air traffic safety, whose
main purpose is to develop the European Air Traffic Management System
under current conditions of air traffic growth.

RA MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS HIGHLY APPRAISES CONSTANT ASSISTANCE OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT TO ARMENIA
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 07 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TOADY. On March 7, a
thorough discussion over the dynamically developing and saturated
Armenian-American agenda, as well as a number of international and
regional issues, was held at the meeting of Matthew Bryza, USA Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs,
and Vartan Oskanian, RA Minister of the Foreign Affairs.
The Minister highly appraised the constant support of the American
Government to Armenia in the direction of the democracy, protection of
human rights and economic reforms. In that sense some details connected
with the decision of the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation to
give a big grant to Armenia were discussed.
Then the sides touched upon the energy issues of the territory within
the framework of correlation of energy possibilities with the other
countries of the region and of diversification of the energy sphere
of Armenia.
The Minister in short also presented some priority directions of the
foreign policy of Armenia, stressing out the process of implementing
of the Individual Partnership Actions Plan within the framwork of
Armenia-NATO cooperation, as well as the negotiations being held with
EU within the framwork of the New Neighborhood policy, the second
stage of which successfuly ended on March 6.
As Noyan Tapan was informed from the Press and Information Department
of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the end of the meeting the
sides discussed issues over the regional cooperation, as well as the
situation formed after the last stage of the negotiations round the
peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.