ARMENIAN OFFICIAL UNRUFFLED BY AZERI DEFENSE BUDGET
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
posted on March 13 2006
Baku, March 10, AssA-Irada
Armenia is not afraid of war and is not particularly concerned at
the fact that Azerbaijan’s military budget is expanding, its Defense
Minister Serzh Sarkisian has said. He said Armenia was prepared for
any scenario.
“As for Azerbaijan’s growing military capability, this does not
exactly mean that Baku will draw any benefit from that,” Sarkisian
said. The defense minister said the Armenian armed forces were
currently in a very good position and regarded this as one of the
key factors behind what he called “Armenia’s military supremacy”
over Azerbaijan. He indicated that the millions of dollars expected
to start flowing into the Azerbaijani state budget [oil revenues]
would not make a big difference on the military front.
“If combat-readiness was measured by the size of military budgets,
the world’s key oil exporters would have the strongest armies. This
is not the case.”
Sarkisian also said the deployment of international peacekeepers in
the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict zone was unlikely in the near
future because the parties to the conflict have to reach agreement
before that can happen.

ARMENIAN EMBASSY IN LEBANON TO DO WHATEVER NECESSARY TO MAKE BILATERAL TIES CLOSER
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 13 2006
YEREVAN, March 13. /ARKA/. Armenian Embassy in Lebanon will make
every effort for making bilateral ties closer, Armenian Ambassador
to Lebanon Ter-Ghevondyan said Friday at the ceremony of handing
credentials to Lebanese President Emil Lahood.
Ter-Ghevondyan expressed gratitude to Lebanese authorities for their
special attitude toward Armenia and Armenian people.
President Lahood, in turn, highly estimated centuries-long
Armenian-Lebanese ties. He stressed that warm relations between two
nations will become a strong ground for developing partnership at
all levels.

CE SECRETARY GENERAL SENDS FOLLOW-UP LETTER ABOUT SECRET PRISONS TO ARMENIA
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 13 2006
YEREVAN, March 13. /ARKA/. Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Terry Davis has written to Armenia as a follow-up to his inquiry in
the context of the alleged CIA secret prisons and rendition flights
in Europe. According to the CE Yerevan office, Davis has written
to the Foreign Ministers of 37 of the 46 Council of Europe member
states asking to complete or clarify their replies in response to
his initial request of 21 November 2005. According to the press
release, letters were also send to the following countries: Andorra,
Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark,
Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova,
the Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine and United
Kingdom. The deadline for the replies to the follow-up letters has
been set for 7 April.

ARMENIAN WOMEN MUST BE MORE ACTIVE IN COUNTRY’S POLITICAL LIFE, NA VICE-SPEAKER SAYS
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 13 2006
YEREVAN, March 13. /ARKA/. Armenian women must be more actively
involved in the country’s political life, Vice-Speaker of the RA
Parliament Vahan Hovhanesyan stated at a conference “Women’s role in
the formation of civil society.”
According to him, Armenian women must enjoy freedom ensured by our
society and actively join political parties. “Armenia’s legislation
grants women full right to take part in the country’s political life,
but many of them are not yet psychologically ready to exercise this
right,” Hovhanesyan said.
He also pointed out the importance of more women becoming
parliamentarians. He added that the reason why the number of women
parliamentarians is not large is the parliamentary election system
in Armenia.
“Many women find it difficult to run for Parliament by the
single-mandate election system, because election campaigns require huge
funds. Nor can they run for Parliament by the party-ticket system,
because in this case they must be members of political parties,”
Hovhanesyan said.
Only seven women are presently members of the Armenian Parliament:
Alvard Petrosyan (ARF Dashnaktsutyun), Hermine Nahdalyan (Republican
Party), Yehine Bisharyan (Law-Governed Country Party), Hripsime
Avetisyan (United Worker’s Party), as well as Emma Khudabashyan,
Hranush Hakobyan and Armenuhi Hovhannisyan (all without party
affiliation).
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ADA TO INVOLVE DIASPORAN BUSINESSMEN IN ARMENIA’S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 13 2006
YEREVAN, March 13. /ARKA/. The Armenian Development Agency (ADA)
intends to involve diasporan businessmen in Armenia’s economic
development, ADA Director General Vahan Movsisyan told a press
conference.
According to him, Armenia has a great potential abroad – about 6mln
people or 1.5mln Armenian families – which can ensure the local
economy’s rapid development.
“However, we are not using this potential to the full measure,”
Movsisyan said. According to him, surveys conducted by ADA revealed
about 300-400 diasporan businessmen that had no relations with
Armenia. “We must not expect investors to wish to come to our market.
We ourselves must encourage them, arouse their interest in investing
capital in Armenia’s economy,” Movsisyan said.
According to him, an ADA-held propaganda campaign resulted in the
formation of a trading network that united interested Armenian
businessmen. Movsisyan pointed out that ADA’s policy caused Canada
and Iran-based Armenian businessmen to come to Armenia.
Argentina-based Armenian businessmen are also expected to launch
activities here, and contacts are being established with US-based
Armenian businessmen as well.
“We plan to organize a business forum for businessmen in Yerevan in
June,” Movsisyan said.
He said that ADA attracts not only individual businessmen, but also
large companies, such as Microsoft, Ericsson, Sonix.

ARMENIAN TRADE MINISTER FOR EFFORTS TOWARD STABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 13 2006
YEREVAN, March 13. /ARKA/. The efforts being made in Armenia’s
economic sector must be aimed at ensuring the country’s stable
economic development, RA Minister of Trade and Economic Development
Karen Chshmarityan stated at his meeting with the IMF Resident
Representative to Armenia James McHugh and IMF executives.
“There is a necessity of directing efforts in the economic sector to
ensure Armenia’s stable economic development,” Chshmarityan said,
briefing the IMF representatives on the economic reforms being
implemented in Armenia.
For these goals to be achieved, the sides pointed out the necessity
of a number of reforms, particularly, the improvement of the customs
and tax environment, development of the banking system as a financial
instrument of business promotion, as well as struggle against shadow
economy.
The sides also discussed the current state of Armenia’s economic
development, process of cooperation and future plans.
For further cooperation to be better organized, Mr McHugh asked the
Minister to present the main tasks of Armenia’s economic strategy.

LACK OF INFORMATION TO BLAME FOR ETHNIC ARMENIAN UNREST – GEORGIAN GOVERNOR
Rustavi-2 TV, Tbilisi
13 Mar 06
[Presenter] There was another protest today in Akhalkalaki [mostly
ethnic Armenian town in Georgia’s Samtskhe-Javakheti province where
riots broke out on 11 March]. This time it was students of the
Javakheti branch of the [Tbilisi] state university who took to the
street. Their main demand was for the university branch to retain
its current status. Protesters were saying that students should not
get involved in political conflicts.
Simultaneously, the president’s representative in Samtskhe-Javakheti
[governor Giorgi Khachidze] was meeting Akhalkalaki residents and
Armenian nongovernment organizations.
The incidents on Saturday were today described as vandalism, but
members of Armenian nongovernment organizations also demanded that
government business in the region be conducted in Armenian. [Passage
omitted]
[Khachidze, interviewed after the meeting] Many problems arise as a
result of people not having enough information. Quite a few things have
been sorted out today and they have received a lot of information. The
better informed the public, the less likely such incidents will be.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ANOTHER ARCHITECTURAL MONUMENT IS DESTROYED IN CENTER OF YEREVAN THANKS TO YERVAND ZAKHARIAN AND MELIK GASPARIAN
By Ruzan Poghosian
AZG Armenian Daily
14/03/2006
Another historical-cultural monument – Amiryan 4/16 building – is
being destroyed thanks to the heroic efforts of Yervand Zakharian
and former deputy Melik Gasparian.
The building was included in the list of historical-cultural
monuments. And it turned out that the building lost its
historical-architectural value and was ruined in a night, after
Samvel Danielian, chief architect of Yerevan, called it an old,
rotten edifice meant that is to be destroyed.
Till mid-February, Lyudmila Harutyunian, public figure, owner of the
building, cherished hopes that the edifice will not be destroyed. But
everything turned upside down, when the court officials visited her
with the order to accept two agreement alternatives: either to get
$150 thousand of compensation or get a new flat in the block of flats
that is to be built on the place of the old edifice.
“We had to chose the second option and stop the struggle. I am
thankful both to the journalists and to the publicity that joined
me in my struggle for the building. Unfortunately, I should state
that another historical monument of 19th century is destroyed in
Yerevan. We have only photos of the edifice and our indignation with
the fact,” Harutyunian stated. She wanted to know who is interested
in this cultural genocide, who estimates the historical value of the
monument. “Who represents the state in Armenia. Our society lost the
struggle, as all the talks are faceless. I guess only officials are
powerful, as they define the fate of the buildings,” She expressed
concern.
“I wish this building were the last historical-cultural monument that
was destroyed in the center of Yerevan,” Lyudmila Harutyunian said
in the interview to Azg.

NEWLY FOUNDED UNION ENGAGES IN ARRANGING HYPOTHECARY MARKET
AZG Armenian Daily
14/03/2006
Union of Mortgage Market Participants is founded in Armenia. In
this connection, the first sitting of founders took place today. The
union includes 8 commercial banks, 2 universal credit organizations,
4 insurance companies and 4 real estate companies.
The union is aimed to create preconditions for effective functioning
secondary market of mortgage credits, to elaborate strategy for the
mortgage market’s development, to improve regulation and to study
the experience of developed mortgage markets.
Tigran Sargsian, chairman of RA Central Bank, stated that the union
will represent general interests of professional participants of
the market and create equally acceptable rules for all of them. The
primary market and the relevant infrastructures will be formed in
2006. Sargsian said that donor sources will help increase mortgage
credits in the primary market, while in 2007, they will implement
the project of creating the second mortgage market. At present,
mortgage credits are allocated for 10 years in maximum, while the
minimal stake is 12% annually.
Ashot Osipian, chairman of Armeconombank’s Board, said that they will
discuss the program on development of mortgage market at the first
March 17 sitting of the union. It is decided that each sitting will
be held by a new chairman.
It’s noteworthy that the Union includes Armeconombank, Armenian
Development Bank, Unibank, Areximbank, Armswissbank, INECOBANK,
Arminvestbank, Bank “Ararat,” “Washington Capital” UCO, “First Mortgage
Company” UCO, “SIL Insurance” “Private Insurance,” “Nairi Insurance”
and “Prime Insurance” companies, as well as “Alta VIP,” “M & M,”
“Prime Realty” and “Elephant Realty” agencies.

ARMENIA USES EVERY OPPORTUNITY OF NATO MEMBERS AND PARTNERS TO TRAIN STAFF
PanARMENIAN.Net
13.03.2006 21:30 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Dozens of Armenian officers are trained at US
military education institutions, Deputy MOD Head, lieutenant general
Artur Aghabekyan stated.
“Today we consider the US-Armenian military cooperation program, which
provides for retraining of Armenian officers in US military education
institutions, an important achievement,” he said. In Aghabekyan’s
words, within the context of the cooperation two linguistic centers
are operative.
“Another similar center operates in interaction with the British
Council,” he reported. “We appreciate the military cooperation with
Greece, within which 100 Armenian specialists were trained,” the
Deputy Minister stated, adding dozens of Armenian officers continue
their education in that country. We use all opportunities of NATO
member and partner states to train our staff,” Aghabekyan remarked,
reports RIA Novosti.