ARMENIA DENIES SENDING MILITARY HARDWARE TO NKR REGION
Arminfo
1 Jun 06
Yerevan, 1 June: The Armenian Defence Ministry has flatly denied
Azerbaijani Defence Minister Safar Abiyev’s statement that Armenia
has been sending “a large amount of weapons and military hardware”
to the territories under Karabakh’s occupation.
Abiyev made this statement at a news conference after Azerbaijani-Tajik
military talks today. “The Azerbaijani defence minister’s statement
is absolutely wide of the mark and is a lie,” the spokesman for the
Armenian Defence Ministry, Col Seyran Shakhsuvaryan, told Arminfo.

ARMENIAN LEADER, WORLD BANK OFFICIAL PLEASED WITH BILATERAL RELATIONS
Arminfo
31 May 06
Yerevan, 31 May: Armenia takes first place on the World Bank’s
rating scale by the implementation of the bank’s programmes and by
the improvement of the business and investment climate, the regional
director of the World Bank on Europe, Central Asia and the South
Caucasus, Donna Dowsett-Coirolo, said at a meeting with Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan, the presidential press service has told
Arminfo.
The director of the World Bank’s representative office in Yerevan,
Roger Robinson, also attended the meeting.
The sides highly rated the implementation and results of joint
programmes. Expressing his satisfaction with the fact that Armenia
takes first place on the list, Kocharyan pointed out that the country
does not intend to stop at what it has achieved and will continue
the process of reforms.
The parties touched on tasks and work to be carried out in different
spheres. Kocharyan said that serious steps are being taken in order
to make the work of the customs and tax services more and more
transparent. An attempt is being made to minimize contacts between
the customs and businessmen.
The sides also discussed the fight against corruption. Kocharyan said
that active reforms have started in the judicial-legislative sphere
and that consultative assistance in this issue is expected from the
World Bank.

ARTHUR BAGHDASARYAN WILL SAY “YES” IN TIGRAN TOROSYAN’S FAVOUR
A1+
[06:17 pm] 01 June, 2006
“We shall have a show titled “secret close voting.”
There is not even a slightest doubt on the results,” announced Arshak
Sadoyan while referring to the NA Speaker’s elections. On the whole,
a number of deputies claimed today that it is no use holding elections
as it is already decided by the President’s office who will be the
next NA Speaker.
While answering the adherents of this opinion the only candidate
of the NA Speaker Tigran Torosyan noted that people of such opinion
first of all insult themselves and don’t rely on their votes.
“We cannot exclude the President’s participation in the events
taking place in the republic that exclusion will be but nonsense. The
President must naturally have his own approach to such questions. I
want to draw your attention to the NA characteristics where any
question is solved on the basis of political concord. That is to
say, at first political forces hold discussions on current events
in which the President’s opinion is also taken into account,” claims
Tigran Torosyan.
The proposal of Tigran Torosyan’s candidacy for the NA Speaker might
be dull if the Opposition didn’t ask him questions.
While referring to the question whether it was worth taking
responsibility for one year Tigran Torosyan mentioned that even if
he is incapable of implementing his programs within that short period
he will pave a way for them, and later his programs will be realized.
The overwhelming majority of the NA parties and factions announced
that they are of high opinion of Torosyan’s skills and abilities and
will vote in his favor. By the way, Tigran Torosyan was very modest
and reserved today and didn’t even try to anticipate whether he will
have the necessary 66 votes to become the NA Speaker.
The most striking among the speeches were two ones.
All wondered how ex Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan will vote in the
election. He announced that he was satisfied with Tigran Torosyan’s
work and fully supported his candidacy and will vote for him.
Baghdasaryan said that his decision was also determined by the
fact that the session of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation will be
convened in Armenian in 10 days, we shall have many guests and it
would be wiser to have the NA Speaker by then.
Arthur Baghdasaryan also informed today that the OYP will only
participate in the elections of the NA Speaker and won’t participate
in the other two elections; the heads of the two Standing Committees
and the NA Deputy Speaker.
The other striking speech was made by Artashes Geghamyan, leader of
the National Unity who started his speech by reminding the deputies
that their party didn’t participate in the NA previous elections. “We
intended not to participate this time either. But I possess some
information which I want to share with you,” announced Artashes
Geghamyan. Then he passed to the results of a polling held by an
American organization in Armenia according to which the Armenian
residents don’t believe either in the NA, the President or any other
organization.
It was difficult to understand from Geghamyan’s words about their
party’s decision on the NA Speaker’s elections. It is noteworthy
that the Opposition refused to participate in the balloting a few
days ago. The members of the “Justice” bloc stick to their decision
and won’t participate in the election.
As for the one-candidate elections without any alternative Tigran
Torosyan finds this fact a norman phenomenon. “I want to remind you
that the last few elections of the NA Speaker were one-candidate. I
see nothing strange or bad in it.”

A DISCUSSION ON THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN THE AMERICAN PRESS
A1+
[07:16 pm] 01 June, 2006
The Armenian Genocide continues to be the key issue of the American
press. An editorial referring to the Armenian Genocide was published in
the “New York Times” on May 17, 2005 critisizing the Turkish refuting
policy which puts the issue of the Turkey integration in the European
Union in question.
The statement of Nabi Sensoy, Turkish Ambassador to the USA was
published in the same paper on May 24 in which the Turkish official
notes that there are no legal warrants and evidence to prove the
Genocide and the historical studies are not satisfactory in this
context.
Referring to the incompatible claims of the Turkish Ambassador’s letter
Armenian Ambassador to the USA Tatul Margaryan released a letter to
the “New York Times” daily which was published on May 31.The press
service of the Foreign Ministry presents the letter fully.
“Regardless of the claims of the Turkish Ambassador that history must
be left to historians’ speculations and study, the Turkish authorities
make the history a precondition for establishing intergovernmental
ties with Armenia.
Turkey must first of all take into consideration its own history and
must eliminate all the vetoes and cease the pursuit of the Turkish
historians who ventured to study the events of 1915. Only in that
case the Turkish historians will have a chance to study the abundant
historical data including the verdict of the Military Tribunal of
1919 according to which the initiators of the Armenian Genocide were
condemned and sentenced to death.
The number of countries which have to interfere into the matter
because of the Turkish refuting policy and express their positions
on this score gradually increases.
The historians and lawyers including Rafael Lemkin who defined the term
Genocide and put it in usage as well as the International Union of the
Genocide specialists have already recognized that the events of 1915
fully go in line with the criteria of the Genocide Convention of 1948.”

OSKANYAN IS IN KAZAKHSTAN
A1+
[07:38 pm] 01 June, 2006
RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan is currently in Kazakhstan on
two-day official visit.
On June 1 he met with Kasimjomart Tokayev, Kazakh Foreign Minister. The
key topics of the discussion were a number of issues of international
significance.
They both expressed their satisfaction on the level of the mutual
political relations.
Oskanyan underlined the organisation of meetings of business circles
and the implementation of cultural programs in both countries aimed
at promoting the mutual economic relations and the further and closer
recognition of the two sides.
Then they referred to the significance of the mutually profitable
cooperation in the framework of international organisations, CIS and
the Euroasian economic cooperation organization.
They also focused on the energy and transportation issues. On this
score Minister Tokayev expressed his position on a number of regional
programs especially on the integration of Kazakhstan in the projects
of the Kaspits region.
Taking into consideration the possiblitlity of Kazakhstan to preside
over the OSCE in 2009 the Armenian Minister presented his Khazakh
counterpart the developments of the Karabakh conflict.
At the end of the meeting Vardan Oskanyan invited his Kazakh
counterpart to Armenia on official visit.
Tomorrow, Oskanyan will meet with the represenatatives of the Armenian
community in Almati and then he will return to Armenia.

RA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY STARTS PARLIAMENT SPEAKER’S ELECTION
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 1 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. During the first 20
minutes of the June 1 special sitting, the RA National Assembly adopted
the 23 drafts and legislative packages discussed on the previous
day, the most part of which envisaged amendments and additions to
acting laws. The Parliament started discussion of the issue on the
NA Speaker’s election. On behalf of the “RPA” faction, latter’s head
Galust Sahakian proposed NA Deputy Speaker and RPA Deputy Speaker
Tigran Torosian’s candidature. Hakob Hakobian, a member of the
“People’s Deputy” group elected from Etchmiadzin, according to the
beforehand given promise, proposed Galust Sahakian’s candidature
but the latter presented withdrawal. The only candidate proposed
for the NA Speaker’s post, presented briefly to the Parliament his
approaches concerning the future activity of the Parliament, not
considering purposeful to present his own biography and the working
activity implemented up to that moment. He only mentioned that he
has worked at the Parliament during the recent 7 years and occupied
the Parliament’s Deputy Speaker’s post which has always considered
honourable and obliging for him. According to him, undertaking the NA
Speaker’s post for a short time, he attaches importance to solution
of 3 problems. Those are: full involvement of the constitutional
amendments in the legislation, holding and preparation of coming
elections in correspondence with all the international standards and
creation of a necessary political atmosphere both in Parliament and
out of Parliament. According to T.Torosian, in the case of working
together, it will be possible to create all the necessry bases for
solution of the above-mentioned problems. He also stated that he
had worked jointly with former NA Speaker, Chairman of the “Orinats
Yerkir” (Country of Law) party Artur Baghdasarian for 3 years “in a
peaceful and very effective way,” and he himself would not like at
all that “anybody makes an attempt to interprete presenting of those
questionings as a contrast to that work,” that had been implemented
during the last 3 years.
From: Baghdasarian

RAFFI HOVANNISIAN WELCOMES DELEGATION OF FLETCHER SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL LAW AND DIPLOMACY OF TUFTS UNIVERSITY
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 1 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Raffi K. Hovannisian,
Armenia’s first Minister of Foreign Affairs, received Dean Stephen
Bosworth and Professor Alan Henrikson of the Fletcher School of Law
and Diplomacy at the headquarters of the Armenian Center for National
and International Study (ACNIS) today. They were accompanied by
Mrs. Christine Bosworth, Tufts University trustee Joyce Barsam, and
president Aso Tavitian of the Tavitian Foundation. As Noyan Tapan was
informed by the ACNIS, Raffi Hovannisian greeted his distinguished
guests, warmly recalling his acquaintance with Dean Bosworth and
his study under Professor Henrikson, who taught American Diplomatic
History to Hovannisian a quarter of a century ago. Hovannisian
offered a tour d’horizon of Armenia’s foreign and public policy, its
regional challenges and international prospects. Raffi Hovannisian
graduated from the Fletcher School, located in Medford, Massachusetts,
with a M.A.L.D. degree in 1982, specializing in International Law
and Diplomacy, the Foreign Policies of Communist Countries, and
Civilization and World Affairs. Founded in 1994 by Raffi Hovannisian
and supported by a global network of contributors, the Armenian
Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS) serves as a
link between innovative scholarship and the public policy challenges
facing Armenia and the Armenian people in the post-Soviet world. It
also aspires to be a catalyst for creative, strategic thinking and
a wider understanding of the new global environment. In 2006, the
Center focuses primarily on civic education, conflict resolution,
and applied research on critical domestic and foreign policy issues
for the state and the nation.

TIGRAN TOROSIAN ELECTED NA SPEAKER
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 1 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. By the results of
the June 1 secret ballot, Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party of
Armenia Tigran Torosian who held the post of RA NA Vice-Speaker was
elected RA NA Speaker.
According to the protocol of the ad hoc calculating commission,
97 of 131 RA MPs took part in the voting. 94 MPs voted for Tigran
Torosian and 1 against. Two ballot-papers were recognized invalid. In
accordance with the decisions made earlier, the members of the
Ardarutiun (Justice) and National Unity factions did not take part in
the voting. Tigran Torosian was born on April 14 1956 in Yerevan. In
1978 he graduated from Yerevan Polytechnical Institute. He is an
engineer of electronic technics a candidate of technical sciences. He
is the author of more than 10 inventions and more than 30 scientific
works. In 1978-95 he worked at Yerevan Scientific-Research Institute
of Mathematic Machines.
In 1996-98 he was RA CEC member, in 1997-98 the editor-in-chief of
the Hanrapetakan newspaper. He has been a deputy of the parliament
of the previous two convocations. He has been NA Vice-Speaker of the
parliament of second convocation from 1999 November 2 and of third
convocation from 2003 June 12.
T.Torosian is also the head of the PACE Armenian delegation. Besides,
he has headed the ad hoc commissions on constitutional amendments
and on Armenia’s integration to European structures. He is married,
has two children. On June 2, RA NA will pass to the election of
chairmen of NA Standing Committee on Defence, National Security and
Internal Affairs, as well as Standing Committee on Social, Healthcare
and Nature Protection Issues. It is expected that the candidature
of non-partisan Aramayis Grigorian not included in any faction or
group will be nominated by the ARF Dashnaktsutiun faction for the
first post and the candidature of ULP faction member, Vice-Chairman
of the same committee Mnatsakan Petrosian for the second post.

SUREN HAROUTIUNIAN TO BE REPLACED BY OLEG YESAYAN ON POST OF RA AMBASSADOR TO BELARUS AND RA RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE IN CIS BODIES
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 1 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Under RA President
Robert Kocharian’s June 1 decrees, Suren Haroutiunian was relieved
of the post of RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the
Republic of Belarus, as well as RA Resident Authorized Representative
in CIS regulations and other bodies. As Noyan Tapan was informed
from President’s Press Service, Oleg Yesayan (residence Minsk) was
appointed to these posts.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH PRESIDENT AND FOREIGN MINISTER OF KAZAKHSTAN IN ASTANA
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 1 2006
ASTANA, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The RA Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian is on a two-day official visit to the Republic of
Kazakhstan on June 1-2. During a meeting with the Foreign Minister
of Kazakhstan Kasimzhomart Tokayev on June 1, the sides discussed
a number of issues of bilateral and international importance. The
meeting participants stated their satisfaction at the current
level of political relations between the two countries. They
expressed mutual interest in further extension of economic
cooperation, which is promoted by activities of the Armenian-Kazakh
intergovernmental economic commission, as well as by the legal field
formed and the absence of political disagreements between Armenia
and Kazakhstan. Minister Oskanian attached importance to meetings
of Armenian and Kazakh businessmen and to cultural events in both
coutries in terms of activization of bilateral trade and economic
links and offering the two peoples an opportunity to know each other
better. The ministers pointed out the importance of mutually beneficial
cooperation within the framework of the CIS, Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO) and Eurasian Economic Cooperation, as well
as various international organizations. The meeting participants
paid special attention to energy and transport problems. In this
connection Minister Tokayev presented Kazakhstan’s position on the
issue of the country’s involvement in a number of regional programs,
particularly in Caspian regional projects. Taking into account the
fact that Kazakhstan intends to hold the OSCE Chairmanship in 2009,
V. Oskanian presented to the Kazakh foreign minister the recent
developments of Karabakh conflict’s peaceful settlement. At the
conclusion of the meeting, Minister Oskanian invited his Kazakh
counterpart to pay a visit to Armenia at a time suitable for him. On
the same day, the Armenian foreign minister had a meeting with the
President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and made a speech before
students of the Institute of Diplomacy. According to the RA MFA Press
and Information Department, Minister Oskanian will meet with members
of the Armenian community in Almaty on June 2, after which he will
return to Armenia.