DIPLOMAT’S SON SAYS HE NEVER THOUGHT HE’D BE ONE HIMSELF
Embassy, Canada
May 31 2006
Arman Akopian, the new Minister Counsellor and Charge d’Affaires at
the Embassy of Armenia, grew up the son of a diplomat, but he never
thought he would one day become one himself.
At a young age, Mr. Akopian embarked on an academic career in Arabic,
Hebrew and Aramaic studies at Yerevan State University in Armenia. At
that time, Armenia was part of the Soviet Union and Mr. Akopian says
opportunities for a career in diplomacy were limited. But that changed
when the Soviet Union collapsed and Armenia became independent in 1991.
But still, Mr. Akopian says he didn’t give any thought to following in
his father’s footsteps in the Foreign Service, and continued teaching
at the university. Then he was invited to join the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs as a desk officer in the Middle East Department.
In 1992, he was posted to Egypt as Second Secretary in the political,
economical and cultural affairs section of the Armenian mission
in Cairo.
“It took me two months to get used to it,” says Mr. Akopian, 42.
After his Egypt posting ended in 1995, Mr. Akopian was promoted to
the position of Second Secretary in the Middle East Department in
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Later he became First Secretary and
a member of Armenia’s foreign policy planning group.
Towards the late 1990s, Mr. Akopian became Director of the Middle
East Department. In 1999 he was posted to New York as Counsellor at
Armenia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations. In 2002, he became
Director of the Department of Arms Control and International Security
at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mr. Akopian arrived in Ottawa two weeks ago. He replaces Ambassador
Ara Papian, who left for Armenia early this year. But even though he
became a diplomat, Mr. Akopian continues to teach at the university
whenever he is working in Yerevan. He admits that he is still deeply
attached to academia and relishes every chance he gets to teach.
“Teaching young people is refreshing, it keeps you away from being
bureaucratic,” he says. Mr. Akopian says he chose to come to Canada
because of interactions with Canadians in multilateral forums like
NATO and the UN.
“I already had a very good knowledge about Canada even before coming
here,” he says, adding that he hopes to add to the cordial relations
between Armenia and Canada. Mr. Akopian is married and has two
daughters. In his free time he likes fencing, studying and playing
classical guitar and reading. In addition he also likes studying
languages and spending time with his family. Mr. Akopian speaks
Armenian, English, French, Russian, Arabic, Hebrew, Aramaic and Latin
and is the author of two books on modern Hebrew and classical Syriac,
an eastern Aramaic language.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EXPERTS NEED ABOUT 2 MONTHS TO ANALYSE DATA FROM CRASHED PLANE
ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 31, 2006 Wednesday
It will take a month and a half to two months to analyse data in the
flight data recorders from the Armenian Airbus-320 passenger plane
that crashed in the Black Sea off Sochi on May 3, Transport Minister
Igor Levitin said.
He said about 300 parameters would need to be analysed.
Levitin said Armenian specialists would help with the work because
conversations among the pilots and between the plane and ground
control were in Armenian.
Two flight data recorders from the plane were brought to Paris last
Saturday. Specialists will examine and open the so-called “black
boxes” to retrieve memory microchips that record different flight
data parameters and conversations in the cockpit.
After that the recordings will be analysed in Moscow by experts from
Russia, Armenia, and France.
The head of the CIS Interstate Aviation Committee, Tatyana Anodina,
said about 2,000 planes of the Airbus-320 type are operating around
the world, and everybody wants to get full and objective data about
the accident as soon as possible.
According to Anodina, two black boxes from the crashed plane record
conversations in the cockpit and plane system data. “Unfortunately
the voice recorder was seriously damaged but the data recorder,
according to preliminary information, is in excellent condition.
Recordings will be analysed in Russia, using equipment from France
where the Airbus-320 airliner was designed,” she said.
There were three flight data recorders aboard the plane but no signals
from the third one have ever been registered, which suggests that
its radio beacon was knocked off during the crash.
Flight data recorders used on aircraft of the Airbus-320 type withstand
the depth of up to 6,000 meters for 30 days, experts from the French
air crash investigation bureau said.
Each flight recorder weighs 10 kilograms, including a seven-kilogram
armoured casing for the gadget. The casing can withstand water pressure
at a depth of 6,000 meters, the temperature of 1,100 degrees Celsius,
and the compression of 2.2 tonnes.
Of 113 people who were abroad the plane, 51 bodies have been found
so far.
The Airbus A-320 of the Armenian airline Armavia plunged into the
Black Sea as it was making a landing manoeuvre in the early hours of
May 3. The accident claimed the lives of 113 people.

IVANOV COMMENTING ON SITUATION IN TRANSCAUCASIAN REGION
by Alexander Konovalov, Viktor Shulman
ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 31, 2006 Wednesday
The withdrawal of part of Russian armaments and military hardware
from Georgia to the Russian military base in Gyumri, Armenia, cannot
destabilise the military-political situation in the region, Russian
Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said here on Wednesday.
“Part of military equipment and hardware is really being withdrawn from
Akhalkalaki to the Russian military base of Gyumri. This cannot bring
about the destabilisation of the military-political situation in the
region, especially in view of the fact that the withdrawal does not
violate flank restrictions within the framework of the Conventional
Force in Europe Treaty (CFE),” he said at a press conference after
the end of the meeting of the CIS Council of Defence Ministers in Baku.
The most important thing is that “any scheme of the settlement of
the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, imposed from the outside, is not only
counterproductive, but also dangerous,” Ivanov continued. “A final
scheme of the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement should be based on agreements
reached by Armenia and Azerbaijan. In this case the guarantor countries
will take any steps for ensuring the fulfilment of the agreements,
while a difference way, which is sometimes imposed on us, is a way
nowhere,” Ivanov said.
Explaining Russia’s official stand on the Nagorno-Karabakh problem,
Ivanov stressed that Moscow favoured its peaceful political
settlement. “Contacts between Armenia and Azerbaijan within framework
of the Minsk Group under OSCE, with the mediation of Russia, the
United States and France, are going on rather regularly,” he added.

ARMS WITHDRAWAL FROM GEORGIA TO ARMENIA NOT DESTABILISING
ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 31, 2006 Wednesday
The withdrawal of part of Russian armaments and military hardware
from Georgia to the Russian military base in Gyumri, Armenia, cannot
destabilise the military-political situation in the region, Russian
Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said here on Wednesday.
“Part of military equipment and hardware is really being withdrawn from
Akhalkalaki to the Russian military base of Gyumri. This cannot bring
about the destabilisation of the military-political situation in the
region, especially in view of the fact that the withdrawal does not
violate flank restrictions within the framework of the Conventional
Force in Europe Treaty (CFE),” he said at a press conference after
the end of the meeting of the CIS Council of Defence Ministers in Baku.

FROM NEED TO GREED FILM TO BE SCREENED AT AUA
ArmRadio.am
02.06.2006 14:47
To celebrate World Environment day the American University of Armenia’s
Environmental Conservation and Research Center, Armenian Forests NGO
and the Armenia Tree project will present the film “From Need to Greed”
in the small auditorium of the American University of Armenia. The
film will address the issue of illegal logging in Armenia.
This is the fourth in a series of environmental films produced by Vem
Media Arts in Yerevan to be released. The 20-minute documentary film
on illegal logging and the deforestation of Armenia, titled “From Need
to Greed,” was funded by Armenia Tree Project, Armenian Forests NGO,
and the World Wildlife Fund Caucasus Office.
Produced by Manuk Hergnyan of Vem and written by Inga Zarafyan, the
documentary explains that forests provide food, shelter, clothing,
and fuel for people, but over time humans have started to destroy
this vital lifeline.
According to historical data, forests covered 20 percent of Armenia
at the turn of the 20th century, but by the early 1990s this area
was reduced to 11 percent and is now below 10 percent.

PRESIDNET APPOINTS JUDGES OF RA ECONOMIC COURT, PRESIDENTS AND JUDGES OF FIRST INSTANCE COURTS OF ARMENIA
ArmRadio.am
02.06.2006 14:55
June 1, 2006 RA President Robert Kocharyan signed a decree on
appointing Judges of the Economic Court of Armenia, Presidents and
Judges of First Instance Courts of Armenia to investigate the cases
of inability to pay.
Samvel Grigoryan was appointed Judge of RA Economic Court on.
Taron Nazaryan was appointed Judge of RA Economic Court.
Vladimir Aslanyan was appointed Judge of RA Economic Court. His
liabilities as the First Instance Court of Lori marz were terminated.
Gagik Hovhannisayn was appointed President of the First Instance
Court of Lori marz. His liabilities as Judge of RA Economic Court to
investigate the cases of inability to pay were terminated.
Arthur Ohanyan has appointed President of First Instance Courts in
Erebuni and Nubarashen communities of Yerevan. His liabilities as
President of the First Instance Court of Shengavit community were
terminated.
Surik Kostanyan was appointed President of eth First Instance Court
of Shengavit community. His liabilities as President of the First
Instance Courts of Erebuni and Nubarashen communities of Yerevan
were terminated.
Ara Kubanyan was appointed Judge of the First Instance Court of
Shengavit community of Yerevan. His liabilities as Judge of the First
Instance Court of Erebuni and Nubarashen communities were terminated.
Masis Rehanyan was appointed Judge of he First Instance Court of
Arabkir and Kanaker-Zeytun communities of Yerevan. His liabilities as
Judge of the First Instance Court of Erebuni and Nubarashen communities
were terminated.

FORMER US AMBASSADOR TO KOREA DOES NOT UNDERSTAND MOTIVES OF DECISIONS OF US STATE DEPARTMENT
Yerevan, May 31. ArmInfo. In a talk with an ArmInfo correspodent former
US Ambassador to Korea Stephen Bosworth said that he did not often
understand the motives of the decisions of the US State Department
when he was in office. He said this in response to ArmInfo’s request
to comment on the reports about the recall of US Ambassador to Armenia
John Evans.
To remind, many believe that the key reason for Evans’ recall was
his last year’s public recognition of the Armenian Genocide during
a meeting with US Armenians.
Bosworth said that the Armenian Genocide recogniton is a fundamental
issue. Nevertheless, one should not forget that Armenia has many
other interests and concerns that require close attention and urgent
solution.

BLACK SEA AND BALKANS NEWS AGENCIES FORM UNION
Agence France Presse — English
June 1, 2006 Thursday 4:33 PM GMT
A dozen national news agencies, mainly in southeastern Europe, have
formed an association to boost their cooperation, the Greek agency
Ana reported Thursday.
As well as Ana, the Union of Balkans and Black Sea News Agencies groups
Albania’s Ata, Armenia’s Armenpress, Azerbaijan’s Azertaj, Bulgaria’s
BTA and Georgia’s Caucasus-press, along with Ukrinform of Ukraine,
Rompress of Romania, Itar-TASS of Russia, Tanjug of Serbia-Montenegro,
Anatolia of Turkey and the Moldova agency.
Ana said the new body, formed at a meeting in Kiev and headed by
Ukrinform director Victor Samara, was designed to enhance the free
circulation of news and cooperation with regional and international
organisations to cover events that affect the lives of the region’s
inhabitants.

TRAIN WITH ARMY PROPERTY LEAVES RUSSIAN BASE IN GEORGIA FOR ARMENIA
Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Military Newswire
June 1, 2006 Thursday
Another train with army property from the Russian military base in
Georgia left for Armenia on Thursday, a spokesman for the base’s
command told Interfax-Military News Agency on the phone from Batumi.
“The train is carrying 45 vehicles,” he said.
The official said the destination was the Russian base in Gyumri.
“The first train left Batumi for Gyumri on May 25. It carried 54
units of military equipment, mainly logistical equipment,” he said.
A total of seven trains with military vehicles and other army property
will leave Batumi for Gyumri.
The headquarters of the Russian force in Transcaucasia told
Interfax-AVN on Thursday that the train that left Batumi was the fifth
this year to take out army property from Russian bases in Georgia.

LA TURQUIE ET L’ARMENIE ESSAYENT DE NORMALISER LEURS RELATIONS
Thierry Ogier
Les Echos
1 juin 2006
La Turquie a annonce hier des rencontres entre diplomates avec
l’Armenie pour tenter de normaliser ses relations. Actuellement,
elle n’entretient pas de relations diplomatiques avec ce pays voisin.
Trois series d’entretiens exploratoires ont deja eu lieu depuis
l’an dernier entre des sous-secretaires d’Etat adjoints aux Affaires
etrangères. La Turquie a reconnu l’Armenie peu après son independance
en 1991, mais n’a jamais etabli de relations diplomatiques avec
l’ancienne republique sovietique en raison de la controverse sur le
genocide dont les Armeniens estiment avoir ete victimes dans les
dernières annees de l’Empire ottoman, de 1915 a 1917. La Turquie
avait propose l’an dernier la creation d’une commission conjointe
afin d’enqueter sur ces evenements. Erevan a repondu par un “oui”
conditionnel, declarant qu’il fallait au prealable etablir “des
relations normales” entre les deux pays.
–Boundary_(ID_qLqYNPAjwzgwMBAEId9GnA)–