ONE DAY WE ALL WILL BECOME MEMBERS OF ONE EUROPEAN FAMILY, FRENCH DEPUTY OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CONVINCED
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 19 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The 8th annual
meeting of the European Union-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation
Commission started in Yerevan on April 18. The commission co-chairman,
Chairman of the RA National Assembly Standing Committee of Foreign
Relations Armen Rustamian expressed a hope that this meeting will
also proceed in “an atmosphere of serious and hot discussions and
debates”.”One can say confidently that since the last meeting in
Strasbourg, quite remarkable developments have taken place during
a year both in terms of deepening the Eurointegration processes
and taking yet another step in our relations with the EU,” he
noted. According to A. Rustamin, the interest that the Armenians take
in developing relations with the EU and in European developments is
increasing. “Democracy does not belong to us by right of succession,
and we have to struggle for these values, struggle together with our
friends so that these values will most completely and consistently
strike roots in Armenia,” Speaker of the RA National Assembly Artur
Baghdasarian stated in his welcoming speech. Considering the year
2006 important in terms of settling the Nagorno Karabakh conflict,
he said that “Armenia is making quite constructive efforts on this
path” and is pursuing the declared policy of solving the problem by
means of compromises. The commission co-chairwoman, French deputy
of the European parliament Marie Anne Isler Beguin noted that even
if public opinion of Europe as a whole does not yet perceive fully
the idea of cooperation under the European Neighborhood Policy,
“all members of our delegation are absolutely convinced that you
have European roots, and without indicating any date, I say that one
day we all become members of one European family.” In her words,
the commission members are well familiar with the problems facing
Armenia and are willing to assist with their solution. She pointed
out the Karabakh problem as the most important one, so the EU and the
European parliament are closely following the regional developments
and will pursue the goal of peaceful settlement of the Karabakh
conflict. “We don’t think that the Ramboillet meeting failed, just it
was not a summarizing, complete meeting,” Ms.Beguin underlined. At
the same time, she expressed a hope that an outline solution of
the conflict will be ready by the next meeting of the Armenian and
Azerbaijani Presidents, and it will be signed by the heads of both
states. According to her, EU representatives, especially ambassadors,
may play a great role in this issue.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER AND RUSSIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER DISCUSS BILATERAL RELATIONS, AS WELL AS URGENT AND LONG-TERM REGIONAL ISSUES
Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The dynamically developing bilateral
relations, and some international, as well as urgent and long-term
regional issues of mutual interest were discussed in detail at the
April 18 meeting of the RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and the
RF Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin who is on a regional visit
to Armenia. According to the RA MFA Press and Information Department,
the sides paid special attention to the ways of settling the conflicts
in the South Caucasus and the opportunities of restoring the transport
network, underlining the importance of peaceful solutions through
negotiations. The recent developments in Iran and issues concerning
the Armenian-Turkish relations were also touched upon.

BOOK “CHARENTS AND ART” PRESENTS GREAT POET’S RELATIONS TO ART AND HIS IMAGE IN ART
Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The presentation of the book
“Charents and Art” by Robert Davtian took place on April 19. The
book presents Charents’ art activity, his relations to art and his
image in art. As the author of the book mentioned, the estimation of
Charents’ huge and exclusive role in the art of the 20th century will
generalize the great poet’s heritage in the sphere of literature, art
and art criticism. According to R.Davtian, 1500 facts never published
before are presented in the book. According to art critics, the book
“Charents and Art” presents interesting data not only about history of
literary criticism but also about history of art. According to them,
the author has created a remarkable and valuable work that opens a new
page in the history of study of Charents’ heritage and history of art.

EDVARD MIRZOYAN: LIFE ITSELF DICTATES THAT “NATIONAL GALLERY” FESTIVAL SHOULD BECOME TRADITIONAL
Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The “National Gallery” second musical
festival consisting of 8 series of concerts will start on April 20
in Yerevan. As festival founders Mariam Shahinian and Garik Nazarian
informed at the April 19 press conference, on that day at the Armenian
National Gallery’s wall-paintings hall the music-lovers will listen to
classical works by Armenian and foreign composers to the accompaniment
of the Armenian State Chamber Orchestra. According to Mariam Shahinian,
the “National Gallery” festival can be considered as completely
established. The newly founded festival already has an artistic
council headed by famous Armenian composer Edvard Mirzoyan. According
to maestro Mirzoyan, life itself dictates that this festival should
become traditional and should serve “our noble people”. As E.Mirzoyan
stated, the evidence of it is the experience and responses received
from the first festival. Member of the festival’s artistic council,
composer Tigran Mansurian congratulated those present and said that
this musical event is the best occasion for the best Armenian classical
musicians ans creators to perform. According to the organizers, this
year they have tried to include new names and new works than have been
never performed in Armenia. They mentioned that the wall-painting hall
having 350 seats is small for the spectators but they have done their
best for the students and the art-lovers to have an opportunity to come
to the concert by invitation cards or tickets bought at affordable
prices. They promised to invite foreign creators and performers as
well to the festival in the future.

IN 2006 “ARDSHININVESTBANK” INTENDS TO GIVE AMD 45 MLN TO RA NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 19 2006
YEREVAN, April 19. /ARKA/. In 2006, “Ardshininvestbank” intends to
give AMD 45 mln to the RA National Olympic Committee for development of
Olympic sports. According to the President of the bank Aram Andreasyan,
AMD 22,6 mln of this sum was already spent in Q1, 2006.
In his words, this money will be spent on trainings of Armenian team
of heavy athletics within the bounds of preparation for 29th Olympic
Games in 2008. “We hope that our team of heavy athletics will win
prizes at the Olympiad in China and will represent Armenian on high
level”, Andreasyan stated.
“Ardshininvestbank” CJSC was given license (N 83) by the CBA for
banking activities on February 27, 2003. The founder of the bank is
Russian “International Business-Center” financial industrial group.
100% shares of the bank belong to two enterprises, members of this
group. ($1 – AMD 450,15).

ARMENIA READY FOR PARTNERSHIP WITH TURKEY, PRESIDENT STATES
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 19 2006
YEREVAN, April 19. /ARKA/. Armenia is ready to establish partnership
with Turkey without any preconditions, RA President Robert Kocharyan
stated at his meeting with a delegation of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary
Cooperation Commission. The meeting participants discussed the
developments in Iran, stressing the importance of democratization in
Armenia, organization of elections in conformity with international
standards.
Stressing the importance of approving Armenia’s program of action as
part of the EU’s European neighborhood policy, President Kocharyan
pointed out that it will allow Armenia to have better systematized
relations with the EU and move on.
“As regards the future of Armenia, which has chosen the European way
of development, we see it in efficient management, political system
and economy, which goal is possible to achieve only through deep
and large-scale reforms,” Kocharyan said. At the parliamentarians’
request, the RA President informed them of the recent negotiations
for the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement and of Armenia’s position.

RA NA SPEAKER PRESENTS MAIN AMENDMENTS IN ELECTORAL CODE TO OSCE MEMBER-STATES’ AMBASSADORS
Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. It is the first time when all
political forces reached agreement about the draft Electoral Code. RA
NA Speaker Artur Baghdasarian declared this at the April 19 meeting
with Ambassadors of OSCE members-states accredited in Armenia and
representatives of international structures. The thoroughly presented
the main amendments informing that the draft has been already sent
to the Venice Commission and to OSCE for the expertise. Artur
Baghdasarian, answering the Ambassadors’ questions, mentioned
that the visit of OSCE and Venice Commission joint expert group to
Armenia is expected in June, during which discussions around the new
Electoral Code and around issues connected with administration will
be organized. Issues of advisory, technical and expert assistance
were also touched upon at the meeting. U.S. Ambassador John Evans,
OSCE Yerevan Office Head Vladimir Pryakhin, Ambassador of Italy
Marco Clemente, UN Resident Coordinator Consuelo Vidal, mentioning
inclusion of the proposals of the international structures in the
draft Electoral Code, attached importance to provision of legislative
bases and manifestation of political will for holding the 2007-2008
state elections in correspondence with the international standards
and expressed readiness to render assistance in this issue. As Noyan
Tapan was informed from RA NA Public Relations Department, at the
end of the meeting they came to agreement to continue the discussions
around the draft Electoral Code.

ARMENIAN STATE DANCE EMSEMBLE ALREADY HAS ITS WEB-SITE
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 19 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Armenian State
Dance Ensemble already has its web-site, which presents the history of
ensemble’s foundation, its biography, the photos and biographies of its
artistic directors, information about the ensemble’s studio, photos
from tours. The web-site also has an information department. Gagik
Karapetian, ensemble’s Art Director and Chief Dance Master, informed
about it at the April 19 presentation of the video-recording of the
concert tour the State Dance Ensemble had in February in Istanbul. The
Artistic Director said that in addition to the Istanbul tour, the
video-recording also presents the performances of all the items
on the current program of the ensemble. G.Karapetian informed that
in autumn they will already have 12 new items on their program. He
mentioned that this year the group has been replenished with young
girls, the boys will return from the military service soon and the
ensemble will start to work with new forces.

PRIOR TO ADMISSION TO EU TURKEY MUST OPEN ITS BORDERS WITH ARMENIA AND RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 19 2006
YEREVAN, April 19. /ARKA/. Prior to the admission to the EU Turkey
must open its borders with Armenia and recognize the Armenian genocide
of 1915, Chairman of the commission for the EU-Armenia parliamentary
cooperation Marie-Anne-Isler-Beguin told a press conference in Yerevan.
“I cannot imagine that the EU will admit a country having closed
borders with a neighbor country, and denying the crime committed
before,” she said.
According to her, the issue of opening the borders by Turkey and
recognition of the Armenian genocide was long discussed in the EU.
And now, a relevant resolution, imposing this requirement on Turkey
as a candidate for the admission to the EU, has been approved.
“We work on these issues every day, and our stand has not changed
over this time. Turkey must recognize the Armenian genocide,” she said.
The Armenian genocide of 1915-1923 is considered the first genocide
of the 20th century that was organized and systematically executed by
the Young Turkish government. Over 1.5mln of Armenians were massacred
in various regions of Western Armenia, which was part of the Ottoman
Empire in 1915.
The fact of this genocide was recognized by many countries. Among
them are Uruguay, Russia, France, Argentine, Greece, the lower house
of Italy’s parliament, parliaments of Greece, Cyprus, Belgium, Wales,
the National Council of Switzerland, the House of Commons of Canada’s
parliament and Poland’s Seym.

ARF YOUNG MEMBERS DRAW ATTENTION TO ISSUE OF PROTECTION OF ARMENIAN MONUMENTS IN NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 19 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The open-air
three-days photo exhibition untitled “Cultural Genocide” is
dedicated to the former and present state of the Armenian monuments,
monasteries and churches in Azerbaijan, Nakhijevan, Georgia, Iran
and Western Armenia. The exhibition opened in the yard of the central
subsidiary building of the Yerevan State University on April 18, on
the initiative of the ARF Dashnaktsutiun “Nikol Aghbalian” students’
union. As Abraham Gasparian, a member of the ARF “Nikol Aghbalian”
students’ union emphasized, Iran is a special example of a dialogue of
civilizations in the issue of protection of Armenian cultural monuments
as that country uses a special state policy in the direction of their
protection. “The creative genius of our Persian Armenian community
having history of more than 400 years is protected in that coutry what
may not be said about Georgia,” he mentioned. According to Gasparian,
“it was supposed that Christian monuments must be protected at least
in Georgia, but the real picture is another one, in contrast to all
statements about the brotherly ties of Georgia and Armenia.” Armenian
churches and monasteries in Georgia are periodically set on fire,
blown up, destroyed and distorted. The state policy led towards
Armenian monuments by Azerbaijan and Turkey, of course, may not be
called a dialogue of civilizations as still since 60s of the last
century they have been distorted and destoyed for one purpose, to
prove that Armenians are not owners in those territories. The “Nikol
Aghbalian” students’ union calls on the RA political institutions,
statesmen, mass media, public organizations, foreign diplomatic
representations accredited in Armenia to keep in pivot of practical
attention the issue of protection and defence of Armenian monuments
being the passport of the national identity wherever they are.