OPPOSITIONAL POLITICIAN: “ORINATS YERKIR” PARTY WAS USUAL PR-PROJECT AND ITS AUTHORS TRY TO CLOSE IT AFTER ITS ELIMINATION
Yerevan, May 19. ArmInfo. The “Orinats Yerkir” party was a usual
PR-Project and after its authors try to close it after its elimination,
the “New Times” party leader Aram Karapetyan said during today’s
press-conference in the National press- club. According to him,
a part of “OY”, especially, businessmen-deputies, were expressly
involved in the party to assure its entry into the Parliament. Now
the same part swiftly leaves it. A part of politicians, which
tried to deal with politics, remains in the “OY”, but it will
remain without money, therefore, “it will hang in the air between
power and opposition”. Karapetyan is sure the “OY” leader Arthur
Baghdasaryan fully owes the Armenia’s President Robert Kocharyan
his chair, that’s why I doubt whether any actions of Baghdasaryan,
including his applications about transfer to opposition, are not
agreed with the President’s administration. “A force majeur, being
formed with the coalition split, is advantageous to the authorities,
since it is possible to dissolve the Parliament, if desired and thus,
to win time in the Karabakh conflict settlement. R. Kocharyan and his
administration understand it perfectly and use this possibility”, A.
Karapetyan said.

“SHEN-CONCERN” CJSC INTENDS TO ATTRACT CREDIT FROM EUROBANK TO SUM OF $5-6 MLN
Yerevan, May 19. ArmInfo. The “Shen-Concern” CJSC intends to attract
credit from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
to the sum of $5-6 mln to build a plant in Armenia for plasterboard
production, the Concern’s President Samvel Beglaryan told ArmInfo.
According to him, plasterboard is not produced in Armenia at present
and is imported mainly from Iran and partially from Russia. According
to Beglaryan’s assessments, Armenia imports about 1-1,5 mln sq.m
of plasterboard per year to the sum of $5 mln. To organize this
production, “Shen” intends to start development of a plaster deposit
in Armenia. As to Beglaryan’s estimations, the Eurobank’s credit
means will be enough to operate the quarry and to build a plant. This
project will be probably considered at the Eurobank’s general meeting
of shareholders to be held in London June 20-26, 2006. Then the
project will be discussed at the regular annual meeting of the “Shen”
shareholders in Yerevan on July 9. According to the President of
“Shen”, the year 2005 was successful for the Company in the whole,
as compared to the previous year. Thus, according to preliminary
estimations, the volumes of sales increased by 20-25% or by $300-400
thsd. as compared to 2004.
To be noted, the “Shen-Concern” CJSC was created in 1995. Thirty-six
percents of the Concerns’ shares belong to the EBRD, the rest part –
to the Armenia’s residents. The Concern owns a network of firm shops,
where 114 employees are engaged.

ARMENIAN-BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION FOUND FIRST IN ARMENIA MESOLITE MONUMENT, SITE OF NEANDERTHALS
Yerevan, May 19. ArmInfo. A group of Armenian and British
archaeologists will start diggings of Neanderthals’ site in the
karst caves of Ijevan mountain ridge, on the left bank of Agstev
river in 2006.
The group manager Boris Gasparyan told ArmInfo that the finding is
the first mesolite monument for the whole Armenia. The so-called cave
“Ovk-1” and the rocky shed “Ovk-3” were chosen for diggings. During the
last year’s reconnaissance investigations of caves, the archaeological
expedition found sites of Neanderthals there. “We’ve opened several
cultural layers during diggings and only after the seven layer’s
removal, we succeed to find a must layer, rich by bone remains and
magnificent stone tools of Neanderthals”, Gasparyan said.
Four archaeological layers were fixed there in the punched
reconnaissance hole. As Gasparyan noted, the last layer with the
mesolite-typical microlite tools from obsidian is the most important.
According to the preliminary conclusions of archaeologists, the Ijevan
hollow and the Agstev river canyon were settled in the must epoch
at the least (200,000-40,000 years ago). The scientists will start
the main diggings on June 10. The archaeologists do not consider it
appropriate yet to call the concrete age of findings, as the monument
materials have to pass complex radiocarbon analyses.

GROUP OF ARMENIAN AND FRENCH ARCHAEOLOGISTS FIND FIRST EVER OPEN SETTLEMENT OF PRIMEVAL MAN
Yerevan, May 19. ArmInfo. For the first time in Armenia a group
of Armenian and French archaeologists has found a open Stone Age
settlement in the territory of the National Park of Dilijan, Tavush
region.
The head of the group Boris Gasparyan says that the find is a planned
and organized proto-settlement near the village of Kalavan on the
right bank of the river Barepat. Last year archaeologists found in
Kalavan early Bronze age graves with remarkable ceramic and metal
articles. Deeper exploration revealed stone constructions, obsidian
and flint quarries, primitive weapons, bones of animals with spearheads
inside. Experts say that this may be not just one site but a settlement
consisting of several Stone Age camps.
The most remarkable finds are weapons of jasper, flint and obsidian
– mostly spearheads, cutters and scrapers. Experts infer that the
Kalavan settlers were hunters. They probably hunted goats and rams and
processed their bones and skins. The radiocarbon and geo-morphological
tests will show how primeval people lived there.

OPERATION IN BLACK SEA FOR SEARCH AND LIFT OF “BLACK BOXES” OF CRASHED ARMENIAN AIRPLANE IS RESUMED
Sochi, May 19. ArmInfo. The weather conditions allowed to down a
deep-water robot RT-1000 to the bottom the day before in the square of
search of “black boxes” of the “Armavia” Armenian Air Company’s A-320.
The deep-diving vehicle started to operate the day before at 7:30 PM
and finished today at 4:00 AM. According to the operational staff’s
data, “fragments are met on the bottom which remind the A-320 airborne
recorders by their color and contours”. “Some fragments are deep in
the sludge which delay the search work”, the source informed.
At present, the pilots who operate the robot, are given a short
break. If the weather allows, the deep-water operations will be
shortly resumed, the ITAR-TASS informs.
To be reminded, the airplane A-320 of the “Armavia” Company, which
was carrying out the Yerevan-Sochi flight, was wrecked on May 3 night
not far from Sochi. There were 113 people on board: 8 crew members
and 105 passengers, including 5 children. All of them died.

RF PUBLIC CHAMBER COMMISSION CONDEMNS ACT OF VANDALISM BY AZERBAIJAN AT ARMENIAN CEMETERY IN NAKHIJEVAN
Yerevan, May 19. ArmInfo. May 17 session of the Russian Federation
Public Chamber Commission for Cultural and Spiritual Heritage condemned
the desecration of Armenian cemetery in Nakhijevan as act of vandalism
by Azerbaijan. The editorial office of the “Yerkramas” newspaper
of Armenians of Russia informs ArmInfo that the session studied the
“Appeal of Moscow Roundtable Participants: Armenian Cultural Monuments
of Nakhijevan – act of vandalism by Azerbaijan.”
The session was chaired Metropolitan Klement, Moscow Patriarchy.
In his report, Victor Krivopuskov, President of the Society for
Friendship and Cooperation with Armenia, mentions the desecration
and ruining of the ancient Armenian cemetery with 4,000 khachkars
(middle age Armenian Christian monuments) by Azerbaijan in Old Juga,
Nakhijevan, in December 2005, despite the efforts of UNESCO.
Since the period when Nakhijevan became part of Azerbaijan, 27,000
hearths of Armenian cultural heritage of the 7-19th centuries
were destroyed. Factually, Azerbaijan is waging a state policy of
liquidating the ethnic proofs that testify to Nakhijevan’s belonging
to Armenia.
Speaking at the session were the historian and film director Kim
Bakshi, the writer and a member of the Union of Russian Writers
Council Valentin Osipov, President of the International Academy of
Spiritual Unity of Peoples, Georgy Trapeznikov, President of the
Russian-Armenian Commonwealth organization, Yuri Navoyan, Chairman of
Moscow Friendly Association “Nakhijevan” Sergey Abgaryan. They declared
that during the last years Azerbaijan has been waging a state policy of
falsifying the history of Russia and Armenia consciously misleading its
people and the international community, which affects the historical,
the present and the future interests of Russia, its relations with
Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The Public Chamber Commission for Cultural and Spiritual Heritage
expressed an intention to study how Azerbaijan preserves the cultural
and spiritual heritage of other peoples together with other commissions
of the Public Chamber for tolerance and freedom of religion, culture,
globalization and national strategy of development, international
cooperation and public diplomacy.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE ARMENIAN MEMBER OF THE GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT VAN BAIBURT CALLED FANTASTIC THE STATEMENTS THAT TURKISH SERVICEMEN WILL REPLACE THE RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES IN JAVAKHK, GEORGIA
Arka News Agency, Armenia
May 19 2006
YEREVAN, May 19. /ARKA/. The Armenian member of the Georgian Parliament
Van Baiburt called fantastic the statements that Turkish servicemen
will replace the Russian military bases in Javakhk, Georgia.
“First, the Georgian state has its own interests. Secondly, Georgian
borders on Armenia, considers and respects its interests,” Baiburt
told ARKA.
According to him, Georgia’s economic cooperation with Turkey is not
a ground for such conclusions.
“I am sure that time will come when Turkey establishes excellent
relations with Armenia,” Baiburt said. He added that the problem of
the Armenian Genocide, which is a most important component of national
consciousness, must not be ignored.
According to him, the rumors about Turkish servicemen’s arrival in
the region were spread by those interested in the Russian military
base in Javakhk.
“If Russia did not want to leave the region, it should not have signed
the documents of the Istanbul Summit and got involved in eight-round
negotiations,” Baiburt said.
“Russia should not have called on the local Armenians to support
its presence. Why should Georgia consider Armenians to be the ‘fifth
column’ in the country?” he asked.

LA COMMUNAUTE ARMENIENNE PROTESTE
Le Figaro, France
19 mai 2006
Pascal Chamassian, president du Conseil de coordination des
organisations armeniennes de France pour la region Provence-Alpes-Côte
d’Azur, a appele a “la demission du president de l’Assemblee nationale,
Jean-Louis Debre, qui a manque aux devoirs de sa charge en levant
la seance alors que le debat parlementaire aurait pu se poursuivre
jusqu’au vote”. Selon Pascal Chamassian, “tout etait ecrit d’avance
et nous venons de vivre un deni de democratie”. Jules Mardirossian,
president de l’association pour le memorial du genocide armenien
de Lyon – recemment profane – s’est dit pour sa part “d’autant plus
ulcere que notre combat n’a rien de communautariste, contrairement
au reproche qui nous est souvent adresse. Nous nous considerons
avant tout comme des Francais, et reclamons la protection de la loi
contre le negationnisme”. Pour le president du memorial du genocide
armenien de Lyon, “il est inconcevable de laisser des manifestants
turcs defiler dans une grande ville de notre pays avec des pancartes
où l’on peut lire : “Il n’y a pas eu de genocide armenien !”. Armen
Seropyan, president de la Jeunesse armenienne de France, a ajoute
que “l’ajournement de la proposition de loi dans des conditions
risibles provoque une grande humiliation chez les Francais d’origine
armenienne, qui ont toujours fait preuve de beaucoup de moderation
et de patience”.
–Boundary_(ID_bZEVd+1RNQ3m+z2ToVcIMA) —
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

VARTAN KHACHATRIAN IS ALSO HEAD OF EBRD YEREVAN OFFSHOOT
By Ara Martirosian
AZG Armenian Daily
20/05/2006
A delegation of the Armenian Economy and Finance Ministry headed
by minister and chief of EBRD Yerevan offshoot Vartan Khachatrian
will leave for the 15th annual meeting of the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development in London May 21-22, the press service
of the Ministry informs.
This is perhaps no extraordinary a news but for the information that
Vartan Khachatrian is also the head of EBRD Yerevan offshoot. Answering
our inquiries at the Ministry’s press service they said that the
economy and finance minister is also the holder of the head of EBRD
national offshoot.
It’s merely strange that Armenia’s economy and finance minister can be
meantime a head of an international organization in our country. What
law regulates these positions and why does not the same minister head
offices of, say, the World bank or the US Agency for International
Development?

KOCHARYAN: ARMENIA NEEDS TO INTENSIFY COOPERATION WITH ARABIC COUNTRIES
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
May 19 2006
YEREVAN, May 19. /ARKA/. Armenia needs to intensify cooperation with
Arabic countries, as the RA President Robert Kocharyan said while
accepting credentials from newly-appointed Ambassador of Kuwait in
Armenia Madjdy Ahmad Al-Dafiri (residence in Tehran).
According to the Press Service of the RA President, Kocharyan attached
great importance to the role of Kuwait in this process.
Touching upon relations between the two countries, interlocutors
pointed out existence of great potential for development of future
cooperation between the countries. When discussing development
of economic relations sides pointed out primary importance of
replenishment of agreement-legislative base, as well as information
exchange and direct contacts between business circles of two countries.
After completing the meeting Al-Dafiri presented the situation in
Kuwait and regional developments.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress