TURKS AND AZERIS OF AMERICA ENVISAGE TO HOLD DEMONSTRATION OF COMPLAINT IN NEW YORK ON APRIL 22
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 19 2006
NEW YORK, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Assembly of
Turkish American Associations and the Azeris’ Union of America envisage
to hold a demonstration of complaint in the “Times” square of New York
on April 22, two days before the memory day to the Armenian Genocide
victims. According to the Istanbul “Marmara” daily, Tomris Azeri,
the Chairman of the Azeris’ Union of America stated that their goal
is to make “massacres conducted by Armenians against Azeris” audible
to the world. According to him, “the world is not enough aware of
those massacres that were conducted by Armenians against Turks and
Azeris.” It is envisaged to place during the demonstration a huge
screen in the “Times” square on which a “documentary film” about
“the genocide implemented by Armenians” will be shown.

FIRST ISSUE OF “PRACTICE OF EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS” MAGAZINE PUBLISHED
Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The presentation of the first issue
of the “Practice of the European Court of Human Rights” magazine took
place on April 19. The magazine contains general information about
the history, structure, legal proceedings of the European Court
of Human Rights, verdicts brought in from 2005 up to March 2006,
statistical data, other documents concerning the court’s activity. The
court’s decision on the first complaint received from Armenia was
also published in this issue: RA citizen, member of the Hanrapetutiun
(Republic) party Armen Mkrtchian, according to the police, participated
in the unsanctioned rally of May 14 2002, for which he was arrested and
by the court’s decision an administrative fine was imposed on him. 5
decisions on cases accepted from Armenia up to now will be published
in the magazine’s next issues. It is envisaged to deliver the magazine
to judicial system’s structures, to the RA Chamber of Advocates, to
the Prosecutor’s Office, to educational institutions and NGOs. The
magazine is published by the Center for Democracy and Law NGO with
the financing of the Embassy of Great Britain in Armenia. Judge of
the European Court Alvina Gyulumian and Chairman of the Chamber on
Criminal and Military Cases of the RA Cassation Court Mher Khachatrian,
are, in particular, included in the magazine’s editorial board.

ELECTIONS OF CHAIRMAN OF NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF ARMENIA APPOINTED ON MAY 17
Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. Election of the Chairman of the
National Academy of Sciences of Armenia will be held on May 17. The
decision about it was made at the sitting of the RA NAS Chairmanship
on April 19.

MILITARY TRAINING IS GOING ON IN NK
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
April 19, 2006 Wednesday
On the territory of Nagorny Karabakh’s region and some occupied
Azerbaijan areas Armenia separatists are carrying out military
training. Military units together with the mobilizing population
take part in the training. The training’s aim is to put Armenian
forces on a war footing. General-Colonel Mikhail Arutyunyan, deputy
defense minister, general head quarters’ commander will take part in
the training as an observer.

EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO PROTECTION OF CULTURAL VALUES OPENS IN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 19 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On April 18,
within the framework of the European Union -Armenia Cooperation
Committee, an exhibitiom dedicated to protection of cultural values
opened at the National Assembly. Armenian monuments being in the
territories appeared out of Armenia after the World War I are mainly
presented in the exhibition. Committee Co-Chairman Armen Rustamian
attached importance to opening of a similar exhibition, in the
sense of drawing the society’s attention to protection of historic
monuments. Representatives of the delegation of the EU-Armenia
Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, NA deputies, etc. participated
in opening of the exhibition which was initiated by the public
organization studying the Armenian architecture. As Noyan Tapan was
informed by the NA Public Relations Department, Armen Hakhnazarian, the
Chairman of the public organization studying the Armenian architecture,
presenting gems of the Armenian architecture, mentioned that the
goal of the organization is protection and valuation of Armenian
architectural values in the territories appeared out of Armenia after
the World War I. NA Deputy Hranush Hakobian attached importance to
organization of the exhibition, from the viewpoint of presenting
the Armenian cultural values to the European deputies. Mrs. Hakobian
emphasized that annihilation of archtectural monuments by neighbors
is inadmissible, reminding that both UNESCO and civilized world arise
the issue of protection of cultural values.

FOREIGN CITIZENS’ LABOR ACTIVITY IN ARMENIA TO BE REGULATED BY LAW
Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The concept of regulation of legal
relations concerning the engagement of foreign workforce in the
Republic of Armenia, which was submitted to the RA government,
envisages regulation of labor activity of foreign citizens in
the country. According to Acting Head of the Migration Agency of
the RA Ministry of Territorial Administration Gagik Eganian, the
concept applies to employees paid on a contract basis rather than to
investors. He said that a lot of foreigners are now working in the
services sector, whereas many Armenian citizens have to go abroad
in search of job. He noted that under the concept, preference will
be given to Armenian citizens in case of vacancies available. If
the RA citizen declines to fill a vacancy, it will be given to a
foreigner. The concept also envisages regulation of the issue of a
foreign citizen’s return to her/his permanent residence place after
finishing the work. For this purpose, either a draft law on labor
activity of foreign citizens in the RA will be developed or amendments
will be made to the RA Law on Legal Status of Foreigners.

ARMENIAN DM PRAISES LEVEL OF COOPERATION WITH RUSSIA
ITAR-TASS News Agency
April 18, 2006 Tuesday 09:21 PM EST
Armenia and Russia maintain a high level of cooperation in defense
and related technologies and their cooperative interests embrace a
broad spectrum of problems, Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sarkissian
says in an interview the Russian Army daily Krasnaya Zvezda published
Wednesday.
“We must by no means stop at what we’ve achieved to date,” he says.
“On the contrary, we must develop this relationship, all the more so
that we have a legal and historical basis for it as well as willing
to do it.”
Sarkissian mentions Armenia’s cooperation with NATO, saying: “We
don’t develop it at the expense of relations with Russia, since the
latter must expand in all areas but we realize it’s important to be
familiar with the experience gained in other Armed Forces.”
“Today’s Armenian Army includes mechanized infantry and Air Force
units,” Sarkissian says. “We don’t have separate branches and services
of the Army or separate staffs for them. We have a single Joint Staff
that guides the operation of all the units – five separate corps,
an artillery detachment, and antiaircraft defense brigades.”
“The total manpower [of all of those units] is 45,000 men and
officers,” he says. “Naturally, that’s too much for a country with a
population of just 3 million people, but we must keep it up because
of instability in Southern Caucasus and absence of solutions to the
Karabakh problem.”
The latter centers around the mostly Armenian-populated Azerbaijani
enclave of Karabakh that has been seeking independence, or some form
of association with Armenia since late 1980’s.
“Unfortunately, any of the smoldering conflicts in Southern Caucasus
may play the role of a detonator,” Sarkissian said. “The regions is too
small and all the countries there are interdependent on one another,
and that’s why a resumption of combat operations may have very bad
consequences, including for ourselves.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DEPOSITOR PRESENTS 35 SAVINGS-BANK BOOKS FOR COMPENSATION
Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2006
NOYEMBERIAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The depositors of former Savingbank
have to stand in a long queue at the social service unit of the city of
Noyemberian in order to sumbit an application for compensation. Head
of the social service unit Samvel Beglarian told NT correspondent
that 2,495 citizens, who are elibigle for compensation, must sumbit
their applications until May 12. It is noteworthy that one of the
depositors presented 35 sabings-bank books.

NEW MEMORIAL COMPLEX TO BE BUILT IN REGIONAL CENTER OF SYUNIK
Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2006
KAPAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The bas-reliefs symbolizing motherhood
and a miner, as well as a bust of Aram Manukian, foreign minister of
the First Republic of Armenia, and that of 17th century Armenian
Catholicos Movses Tatevatsi (Khotanantsi) will be placed in
Kapan’s central square. Sculptor Levon Tokmajian is the project
author. According to a decision of the local council of aldermen,
5 mln drams was allocated from the community budget for construction
of the complex at the place where there was a monument to Lenin
(it was blown up in 1989).

INTERNET CONNECTION TARIFFS TO DECLINE FOR ARMENIAN USERS FROM MAY 1
Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. A 10-30% fall in the tariffs of
Internet connection service is expected in Armenia from May 1,
Technical Director of Arminco company told NT correspondent. According
to him, the reduction in these tariffs is conditioned by the
fact that on April 15 ArmenTel reduced the lease price of the
high-capacity channels by about 30%. At the same time, the RA Public
Services Regulatory Commission approved ArmenTel’s formula of tariff
calculation in case the provider connects to the Internet through its
own satellite facility. This will allow to further reduce the Internet
connection tariff. According to G. Saghian, the greatest decline in
the tariff can be expected for those services, whose provision does
require the provider to have its own infrastructures. For example,
the companies providing “dial up” services will get an opportunity to
reduce the tariff to up to 30%. G. Saghian said that the reduction
of Internet channels’ lease prices by ArmenTel has become possible
thanks to technical re-equipment of the company. In his words, the
decline in international Internet connection tariffs four months after
an increase in the fixed-line phone tariffs is consistent with the
policy of comunication services rebalancing, which is stipulated in
licence No 60.