DILIJAN TO BECOME TOURISM CENTER
Noyan Tapan
May 17 2006
DILIJAN, MAY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. A tourism association was founded with
the aim of developing tourism in Dilijan. The association is headed
by the city mayor Armen Santrosian. Besides, a tourism department
at the mayor’s office has functioned since early 2006. According to
A. Santrosian, about 20% of Dilijan rest houses and 80% of resort
houses will be available to tourists this summer. The city council of
aldermen has already approved the program on repair and asphalt laying
of Dilijan’s main streets with resources of the community budget. It
is envisaged to implement the program after rains stop. The drinking
water pipes and reservoirs will be repaired as well. $1.16 mln was
allocated from the World Bank credit resources for this purpose. The
program on water pipes repair will start this year and finish in 2008.

40 KM OF ROADS TO BE REPAIRED IN GEGHARKUNIK MARZ THIS YEAR
Noyan Tapan
May 17 2006
GAVAR, MAY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. 2 bln 800 mln drams (about 6.2 mln USD) was
allocated from the state budget for road construction in Gegharkunik
marz in 2006. In addition, 450 mln drams will be made available by an
IFAD program. NT correspondent was informed at the road construction
and transport department of the Gegharkunik regional administration
that this year’s allocations exceed 3fold those in 2005. A large
share of the indicated financial resources will be used for major
repairs of roads of the total lenght of 40 km. A 30-km section of
Martuni-Vardenis Road, 4.8-km section of Tsovaghyugh-Shorzha-Dzoravank
Road and a 5.2-km section of Dilijan-Dzoravank Road will undergo major
repair. The whole Gavar-Geghakunik motorway 10.4 km in length will be
repaired with IFAD funds. 530 mln drams was earmarked for operation
and winter maintenance of roads of the total length of 346.1 km.
From: Baghdasarian

RADIK MARTIROSIAN ELECTED PRESIDENT OF NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF ARMENIA
Noyan Tapan
May 17 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Elections of the President of the
Armenian National Academy of Sciences were held on May 17 at the
Academy. Candidatures of Director of the Institute of Mechanics of RA
National Academy of Sciences, Academician Lenser Aghalovian, Director
of the Institute of Radiophysics and Electronics of RA National Academy
of Sciences, Academician Radik Martirosian, Academician-Secretary of
RA National Academy of Sciences Eduard Ghazarian were nominated for
this post. Radik Martirosian was elected the President of RA National
Academy of Sciences receiving 46 “for” and 27 “against” votes.
Eduard Ghazarian received 36 “for” and 37 “against” votes and Lenser
Aghalovian 35 “for” and 35 “against” votes.

GREENISH-YELLOW WATERS FROM FORMER KAPAN ORE MINING AND PROCESSING ENTERPRISE FLOW INTO VILLAGE RIVER
Noyan Tapan
May 17 2006
KAPAN, MAY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. The greenish-yellow waste waters from the
tailing dump of the former Kapan ore mining and processing enterprise,
currently Dino Gold Mining Company flew into the land plots of some
residents of the Syunik rural community and into a small river flowing
through the nearby village.
The villagers expressed their concern to the company management
and ecologists that the animals drinking water from the river may
suffer. Head of the Syunik regional environmental protection inspection
Levon Petrosian told NT correspondent that the local residents
sent a letter to the company management, damanding that it should
rectify the situation within 20 days. “If no appropriate measures
are taken within the indicated period, the case will go to court,”
the inspection head said. At the same time, L. Petrosian informed NT
correspondent that the waste waters were examined in the laboratory
of the inspection and no dangerous elements were found. According to
him, a 5-7 km section of the river bed from the tailing dump to the
main waste disposal site should be changed into a closed system to
prevent any harm to the environment.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CONTRACT FOR DEVELOPMEMT OF RA POLICE COMPUTER NETWORK SIGNED
Noyan Tapan
May 17 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. A contract for $699,000 for development
of the RA Police Computer Network was signed at the US Embassy in
Yerevan on May 16. The company AEAI (Advanced Engineering Associates
International) and its Armenian partner Yerevan Computer Research and
Development Institute (YCRDI) have been selected by the US Embassy
to develop the network. This Project is included in the Letter of
Agreement on Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement between the US
government and the Armenian government. The specific goal of the
project is to increase the ability of Armeniam law enforcement to
conduct timely investigations, assist in the refinement of all law
enforcement databases to increase sharing between law enforcement
agencies, improve Armenia’s ability to access international criminal
databases and shorten the time it it takes U.S. and Armenian law
enforcement to ascertain the whereabouts of suspected international
criminals. According to U.S. Deputy Ambassador to Armenia Anthony
Godfrey, the program envisages granting 120 computers to be serviced
by 18 servers. The working points will be created in Yerevan and
63 regional offices, as well as at border crossing points. $70,000
will be allocated to establish computer connection during the initial
stage. First Deputy Chief of the RA Police Lieutenant General Ararat
Mahtesian said that 2-3 year work has been done to develop this
project. “The police will have the opportunity to function in the
most efficienrt way and share exact information with its units and
central staff,” he noted.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RA FOREIGN MINISTER AND NEWLY APPOINTED AMBASSADOR OF KUWAIT EMPHASIZE NECESSITY OF ACTIVIZATION OF CONTACTS AT STATE LEVEL
Noyan Tapan
May 17 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. On May 17, newly appointed Ambassador
of Kuwait to Armenia Majdi Ahmad Al-Dhafiri (residence Tehran)
handed the copy of his credentials to RA Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian. The Armenian Foreign Minister congratulated the Ambassador
of Kuwait on the occasion of his appointment and wished him success
in his high mission. The interlocutors discussed the bilateral
relations mentioning that there is a considerable potential for
development of cooperation. They spoke about activization of the
contacts at the state level, about possibilities of cooperation at
international organizations. Below are the biographical data of Majdi
Ahmad Al-Dhafiri provided to Noyan Tapan from RA Foreign Ministry Press
and Information Department: He was born in 1958 in Kuwait. He graduated
from the faculty of political science of Kuwait University. He worked
at Embassies of Kuwait in U.S., Italy, was the Resident Representative
of the State of Kuwait in Cairo Arab League, Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of Kuwait to Canada, Iran, Turkmenistan.
He is married, has two children.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PROGRAMS OF 572 THOUSAND DOLLARS TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN 6 RURAL COMMUNITIES OF TAVUSH MARZ WITH WORLD BANK FINANCING
Noyan Tapan
May 17 2006
IJEVAN, MAY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. A program on development of rural
enterprises and small commercial agriculture has been operating in
Tavush marz since early 2006. Pavel Tsutsulian, Coordinator of the
Tavush marz assistance team, told NT correspondent that work of the
total amount of 572 thousand USD will be carried out this year in
6 rural communities of the marz: Choratan, Verin Karmiraghbyur,
Norashen, Berkaber, Barekamavan and Archis. Under the program,
11 pieces of equipment and a bus will be purchased, as well as gas
supply services will be provided for the village of Archis. 6 pieces
of agricultural machinery will be acquired for Barekamavan, 3 – for
Norashen, 4 – for Verin Karmiraghbyur, and 2 pieces of machinery
– for Choratan. A 1-km drinking water pipe and a 3.5-km drinking
water network will be constructed in the village of Berkaber. A 8-km
drinking water network will be built in Norashen, and a 4-km one – in
Verin Karmiraghbyur. Milk purchase sites will be opened for Norashen,
Choratan and Verin Karmiraghbyur communities.

CREATION OF NEW DEPUTY GROUP BY DEPUTIES WHO LEFT ORINATS YERKIR FACTION BECOMES QUITE POSSIBLE
Noyan Tapan
May 17 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Following the Orinats Yerkir Party’s
(OYP) statement about its witdrawal from the political coalition, and
the OYP Cairman Artur Baghdasarian’s statement about his resignation
from the post of the National Assembly Speaker, unofficial negotiations
around future vacancies are underway in the parliament. Besides OYP,
the opposition factions Justice and National Unity are not taking
part in these negotiations. The negotiating sides avoid providing any
information, advising to wait until the NA Speaker officially sends in
his resignation and the process to follow. However, one can predict
even now that as a result of the recent OYP-related developments,
some rearangements are expected in the parliament. Particularly,
the creation of a new deputy group by the deputies, who have left the
Orinats Yerkir faction, becomes quite possible. According to the NA
regulations, a deputy group may be created by at least 10 deputies who
must submit to the NA Speaker a statement on creation of such a group.

ELECTIONS OF LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT BODIES TO BE HELD IN COMMUNITIES OF SYUNIK ON MAY 21 AND JULY 2
Noyan Tapan
May 17 2006
KAPAN, MAY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Regular elections of the local
self-government bodies will be held on May 21 in 8 communities of
the marz of Syunik.
According to No37 and 38 district electoral commissions of Syunik,
electoral commissions of polling stations were formed in all the 8
communities within the envisaged term. All the nominated candidates
were registered, no applications were got about self-rejection. On
coming Sunday, May 21, 1 candidade will struggle for the post of the
Goris Mayor and 1 for the post of Nyuvadi village head, 2 candidades
for each of the posts of the community heads of Soflu, Toronik,
Vardanidsor, Lehvazi, Aldara and Yegheg. 5 people among the nominated
candidates are members of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA),
others are non-partizan. A comparatively serious struggle is expected
among candidades for the councillor members only in Lahvaz where
7 candidades were nominated for 5 places. The number of candidates
nominated for the councillor members in the other communities does
not outnumber 5. Regular elections of local self-government bodies
were appointed on July 2 in 3 rural communities of the marz.
Elections of the community head will be held in Khalaj and Okhtar
(the region of Kapan), and of the councillor members in Ghzjugh (the
region of Sisyan). Soon members of No 37 and 38 district electoral
commissions will adopt the schedule for preparation and holding of
the July 2 elections.

RA DEFENCE MINISTER ESTABLISHES FACT OF EFFECTIVE COOPERATION WITH EMBASSY OF GREAT BRITAIN
Noyan Tapan
May 17 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Serge Sargsian, the Secretary of the RA
National Security Council attached to President, the Defence Minister
established the fact of the effective cooperation with the Embassy
of Great Britain at the meeting with Anthony John James Cantor,
the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the RA. The Minister
expressed confidence that new succeesses will be fixed during the newly
appointed Ambassador’s officiating. Touching upon the RA Armed Forces’
mutual cooperation in the peace-keeping mission, the Minister attached
importance to the main sphere of cooperation in the military sphere
which is teaching of the language to the officers’ staff. As Noyan
Tapan was informed by Colonel Seiran Shahsuvarian, the RA Defence
Minister’s Press Secretary, the sides touched upon the visit to be
paid to Great Britain by RA Deputy Defence Minister Artur Aghabekian.