KOCHARYAN APPOINTS S. MNATSAKANYAN CHAIRMAN OF RA NATIONAL STATISTIC SERVICE
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
May 15 2006
YEREVAN, May 15. /ARKA/. RA President Robert Kocharyan again appointed
Stepan Mnatsakanyan the Chairman of the RA National Statistic Service.
According to the Press Service of the RA President, Kocharyan signed
this decree on May 12, 2006.
Mnatsakanyan has been the Minister of State Register Statistics and
Analysis since 1998, which has been renamed RA National Statistic
Service in 2000.

NK SETTLEMENT WITHIN OSCE IMPORTANT, KOCHARYAN STATES
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
May 15 2006
YEREVAN, May 15. /ARKA/. At his meeting with OSCE Secretary General
Mark Peren Brichambaut , RA President Robert Kocharyan pointed out
the important fact that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is being settled
within the OSCE, which format is a rather efficient one.
The RA President made a high appraisal of the effectiveness, level
and prospects of the Armenia-OSCE cooperation.
The sides thoroughly discussed the processes going on in the OSCE
member-countries and the organization’s structural reforms. They also
addressed the Armenian-Turkish relations.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SITTING OF WORLD ARMENIAN CONGRESS GENERAL COUNCIL TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN ON 16 MAY
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
May 15 2006
YEREVAN, May 15. /ARKA/. The sitting of the World Armenian Congress’
General Council (WAC) will be held in Yerevan on 16 May, the WAC
public relations department reported.
The report on the activity in 2005-2005 of the WAC General Council
Bureau will be discussed at the sitting. President of the congress Ara
Abramyan is to give the report. The WAC’s tasks, related to the third
forum “Armenia-Diaspora” to be held in 2006, and also the project of
the program “Days of World Armenian Congress in Armenia and Artsakh –
2006″will also be discussed.
On 17-18 May the international conference “Caucasus Without Conflicts
and Terrorism: Dialogue of Civilizations on Caucasus Intersection”
will be held in the frameworks of the WAC activities.
The conference is organized together with “Dialogue of Civilizations”
Armenian National Center in association with the Russian Center of
National Glory.
Besides this, a sitting of the WAC experts’ commission who deal with
Armenian genocide issues will be held on 17-19 May in Yerevan.

CBA CHAIRMAN: ECONOMIC JOURNALISM INSTITUTE NOT DEVELOPED IN ARMENIA YET
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
May 16 2006
YEREVAN, May 16. /ARKA/. Institute of economic journalism has not
developed in Armenia yet, as the head of the CBA Tigran Sargsyan
said during interview with “ARKA” News Agency. He finds that it is
conditioned with the fact that in times of Soviet Union there were
no such independent and effective institutions.
“Today the exacting market decides and determines itself analytical
products worth paying. Development of professional economic journalism
is at a top important stage, in the process of which objective analysis
and demand appears in the market, Sargsyan said.
In his words, especially thanks to this gradually appear professional
economic journalists.
He emphasized that the CBA intends to put forth all efforts to
development of the sphere of economic journalism.

ARMENIA’S NOT BEING ADMITTED TO UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL NOT TO AFFECT COUNTRY’S EUROPEAN INTEGRATION
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
May 16 2006
Yerevan, May 16. /ARKA/. Armenia’s not being admitted to the UN
Human Rights Council cannot affect on the prospects of the country’s
European integration, Director of the Caucasian Institute of Mass
Media Alexander Iskandaryan told ARKA.
According to him, this process is not equal to the country’s European
integration. “European integration, which is the result of hard work
of many structures, is a process that will last for dozens of years
and produce certain results,” Iskandaryan said.
According to him, Armenia did not reach a desirable result in the
admission to the UN Human Rights Council for objective reasons.
“Particular persons in particular commissions failed to work well
together,” he said.
Iskandaryan also pointed out that the change of the RA Ombudsman
played an important role in this process as well.
On February 17, 2006, the Armenian Parliament elected new Ombudsman.
As a result of voting at the UN General Assembly on May 9, 2006,
Armenia was not admitted to the UN Human Rights Council. The country
did not receive enough votes to be admitted to the Group of East
European countries of the UN Human Rights Council. The group includes
Azerbaijan, Czec Republic, Poland, Romania, Russia and Ukraine.

EUROINTEGRATION FOR ARMENIA – PERSPECTIVE WITHOUT ALTERNATIVES: ARMENIAN SPEAKER
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
May 16 2006
YEREVAN, May 16. /ARKA/. Eurointegration for Armenia is the
perspective without alternatives, Armenian Speaker Artur Bagdasaryan
told reporters.
According to him, being a full member of the Council of Europe,
Armenia should continue fulfilling her commitments before this
structure. “Our country should display more determination in
implementing ‘New Neighborhood’ EU program, as democracy and freedom
bring to a totally new perspective of development,” Bagdasaryan said.
He pointed out that the further intensification of democratic processes
and consistent inculcation of European values in the country will
result in development of economy and prosperity of Armenia.
“A freely developing economy and society can do much more than all
governmental programs taken together,” Bagdasaryan said and added
that Armenia should employ much more determination while moving
toward Eurointegration.
The third round of negotiations on the development of the EU-Armenia
Plan of Actions in the frameworks of the “New Neighborhood” EU policy
was held in Yerevan on 3 May.
The European movement of Armenia recognized Artur Bagdasaryan as the
best European of the year.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN COMPOSER EDWARD MIRZOYAN AWARDED LEONARDO DA VINCI MEDAL AND DIPLOMA
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
May 12 2006
YEREVAN, May 10. /Novosti-Armenia/. Armenian outstanding composer,
public figure and pedagogue Edward Mirzoyan was awarded Leonardo da
Vinci Medal and Diploma. According to the Press Service of the RA
Ministry of Culture and Youth Affairs Mirzoyan was honoured for his
great service to his people.
“The medal was awarded to Mirzoyan by the European Committee for
Public Awards and Prizes adjunct to the UNO, at the presentation of
the RA Ministry of Culture and Youth Affairs and Armenian Peace Fund”,
press release notes.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER TO EXPLAIN HIS PARTY DECISION TO QUIT RULING COALITION
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
May 12 2006
YEREVAN, May 12. /ARKA/. Armenian National Assembly Speaker Arthur
Baghdasaryan is expected to explain why his Orinats Yerkir, one of
three governing parties, quits the ruling coalition.
Orinats Yerkir press service told ARKA News Agency that the party
board made this decision at its session held Thursday night.
The ruling coalition members are Armenian Republican Party, Orinats
Yerkir and Dashnaktsutyun.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MICROSOFT OPENS REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE IN ARMENIA
Interfax, Russia
May 16 2006
YEREVAN. May 16 (Interfax) – Microsoft opened an official
representative office in Armenia on Tuesday.
The company decided to open a representative office in Yerevan since
Armenia has high engineering and scientific potential, Vahe Torosian,
Microsoft vice president for the Middle East, Europe and Africa,
said at a press conference.
“Intellectual potential is very high in the region in general,
but particularly in Armenia,” he said, noting that Microsoft has a
representative office in Baku, but is not planning to open an office
in Tbilisi.
Torosian said the IT sector in Armenia has good prospects for
development and Microsoft’s arrival on the market could contribute
to it.
Microsoft plans to finish developing an Armenian version of the
Windows program by the end of the year, he said. At present, 100
company specialists, including Armenian ones, are working on programs
for Microsoft Windows Vista/Windows XP/MS Office, he said. Localized
versions of these programs will be in demand in Armenia and this is
another step towards developing information technologies, he said.

EUROVISION BRACED FOR HEAVY METAL
By Michael Osborn
BBC News entertainment reporter
BBC News, UK
May 16 2006
Thirty-seven countries are lining up for this year’s Eurovision Song
Contest in Athens on 20 May.
The 50-year-old musical event throws up a few surprises and a little
controversy every year.
An intimidating hard rock band, a multi-national pop group and the
return of a former winner are among this year’s ones to watch.
For their 40th attempt to win the Eurovision Song Contest, the Finnish
people have chosen metal act Lordi to represent them in Athens.
The five-piece will perform Hard Rock Hallelujah clad in gruesome
costumes and monstrous masks.
They refuse to appear in public out of costume, while their grotesque
make-up takes three hours to apply.
The band are so protective of their rock alter-egos, their real names
remain a secret.
Finland’s Lordi proclaim the coming of the “Arockalypse” with
their song.
They are known as Amen the unstoppable mummy, Enary the manipulative
valkyrie, Kalma the biker-zombie and Kita the alien manbeast.
Kita has the “combined strengths of all the beasts known to man”,
while he and the others are led by Lordi (The Lord).
With lyrics such as “wings on my back, I got horns on my head, my
fangs are sharp and my eyes are red, not quite an angel or the one
that fell, now choose to join us or go straight to hell,” Finland’s
choice has prompted some marginal controversy.
Lordi’s “Day of Rockoning” will be in the Eurovision semi-final on
18 May, where they hope to attract enough votes to propel them into
the grand final.
In 2005, Norway entered a glam rock act to make a splash at the
contest – they qualified for the final where they finished ninth.
[parts omiited]
ARMENIA – ANDRE The Eurovision family grows larger this year with
the inclusion of Armenia in the contest for the first time.
Andre has twice won best male singer at Armenia’s music awards
The former Soviet republic, which has land borders with Iran,
Azerbaijan, Georgia and southern Russia, is taking its first Eurovision
campaign very seriously.
One of the country’s best-known singers, Andre, will be the first
performer on stage in the semi-final on 18 May.
Armenia’s official Eurovision website is urging its sizeable
communities living abroad to vote for their song and land them a
place in the grand final.