OUR FOREIGN POLICY AND PROPAGANDA ARE QUITE GOOD
Lragir.am
12 April 06
Vahram Atanesyan, Chair of the Standing Committee for External
Relations and Information of the NKR National Assembly, gave a news
conference April 10. The news conference was devoted to the massacres
in the village of Maragha, Martakert region, 14 years ago.
Early in the morning in 1992 after an air raid the Azerbaijani
combatants, assisted by a special division of the Soviet army
stationed in Azerbaijan, massacred the peaceful population of the
village. Maragha was not an emplacement, and this operation must be
characterized as a crime against peaceful population.
According to Vahram Atanesyan, about 100 peaceful people were
slaughtered in Maragha, mainly women, children and elderly people.
Presently, the village is controlled by Azerbaijan. Before April 10,
1992 Maragha had over 3000 inhabitants. After the war the natives of
Maragha remaining in Karabakh founded the village of Nor Maragha,
where 300 people live now. “In the context of settlement of the
Karabakh conflict the NKR leadership insist that the resolution of
the problem should include the restoration of territorial integrity
of NKR, particularly I mean the north of Martakert. In the past years
no relevant organizations in our country attended to the assessment
of the economic losses inflicted by Azerbaijan on NKR. No serious
investigation of facts of violence and illegal actions taken by the
Azerbaijani government and troops against the peaceful population of
NKR was carried out. As you know, a Provisional Committee on Facts
of Violence was set up by the NKR National Assembly, and I hope by
December 1, 2006 the committee will manage to sum up the findings on
the tragedy of Maragha and other illegal actions against the peaceful
population in NKR. We must be ready to extend forceful arguments to
the international community that Azerbaijan used the war to carry
out ethnic cleansing,” said Vahram Atanesyan.

300 TO BE PRIVATIZED
Lragir.am
12 April 06
On April 10 the National Assembly at last heard the Report on State
Property Privatization 2001-2003. The report was presented by Karineh
Kirakosyan, the head of the Department for Management of State
Property under the government of Armenia, who also presented facts
for 2004. During the discussion of such an important issue there were
hardly 20-25 members of parliament present, and from time to time two
or three oppositionists who have been announcing about illegalities
reported in the course of privatization.
By January 1, 2005 1925 medium-sized and big companies, 7266 small
objects and 80 unfinished constructions have been privatized. In 2004
companies were mostly privatized through direct sale and tender. 48
out of 69 were privatized by direct sale, 15 were put out to tender
and 6 were sold by auction. In 2004 privatization proceeds totaled
2.752 million drams and 45 million U.S. dollars. By January 1, 2005
privatization proceeds totaled 142.32 billion drams, 63.788 billion on
privatization certificates. Although in 2003 several times more state
property was privatized, privatization proceeds almost did not grow –
2.905 billion drams. The average price of privatization of a company is
35 million drams. 214 privatized companies were dissolved, 108 filed
for bankruptcy. In this period 6 nursery schools were privatized,
unused land of other educational institutions was alienated. 471
refugees and 71 residents privatized land.
Karineh Kirakosyan said about 300 companies failed to cover their
liabilities, some companies failed the labor liability or did not
report to the Department for State Property Management. A total of
6969 jobs, 3318 new jobs had been foreseen. The government filed
actions against companies which had failed their liabilities. Karineh
Kirakosyan cannot remember cases when the companies were returned to
the state, however, she clearly stated that filing of actions made
buyers to hurry up.
300 entities remain on the list of companies to be privatized,
concluded Karineh Kirakosyan.

ARMENIA 2017
Lragir.am
12 April 06
Armenia will benefit from the sale of the fifth generating unit of the
Thermal Power Plant of Hrazdan to Russia. Thus Defense Minister Serge
Sargsyan, who is one of the core players in signing the Contract on
Generating Unit for Compensating for Gas, assessed it on April 11. “It
is quite beneficial, simply it is strange that everyone speaks up
without knowing what the fifth generating unit is.
Figuratively, the fifth generating unit is like a three-storey
building, only the basement of which has been built, and nothing
else,” says the defense minister, advising to check that his
words are true. And those who speak about other options of
reconstructing the generating unit and keeping it to Armenia do not
have reason. Particularly, the minister of defense believes that 150
million is not sufficient to repair the generating unit; moreover,
these funds need to be raised first.
“At least 180 thousand million dollars is required to make a fight
generating unit. And it would repay costs in 10 years at best.
That is, at best in 2017 we would have a company generating income.
And only Nostradamus could predict how much that income would be,
how high the price of gas would be by then, whether there would be
any income at all in 11 or 12 years,” says Serge Sargsyan.
If presently only Nostradamus would be able to tell the future,
the defense minister assures that in the future it will be much
easier to speak about the past. “I think we’ll have time to do this,
because presently there is no point in discussing it, we will offer
more figurative, more forceful arguments on the value of the fifth
generating unit and this step,” states Serge Sargsyan.
“What do we presently need as a people, as a nation: sell something
that does not exist for 250 million dollars or wait until we get some
cents in 2017? After all, can these people who speak so imagine the
consequences of selling gas to people and industry at the foreseen
price?” says the minister of defense.
What we need as a people and a nation is, in fact, an interesting
question to ask. On the other hand, it is interesting to know why the
question of needs of people and the nation is negotiated secretly
from people and the nation until the last moment. Why did nobody
ask people and the nation what they need? And why do they generally
tend to speak in the name of people and nation in Armenia and decide
instead of people and the nation? And do people and the nation want
to sell their own energy sector to another country?
“First of all, not the entire sector. Besides, if we think harder,
we will see that there is almost no difference. And finally, when
politics is mixed with economy, the outcome is neither politics nor
economy. We must see what offers favorable for our economy are made,
and let us not say we decline this offer for it is made by Russia, and
we accept that one, for it is made by Belgium,” says Serge Sargsyan.

DEFENSE MINISTER WILL SAY WHEN HE WANTS
Lragir.am
12 April 06
Defense minister declines to say anything concerning the parliamentary
election and the political force that he will support.
Whereas, in late January Serge Sargsyan stated that he needed two
more weeks to make a decision. Several months have passed since late
January but the defense minister still declines to speak about his
decision. “I think this is not a burning topic. Political processes
are going on normally and correspond to my plans,” said Serge Sargsyan
April 11. The defense minister did not tell news reporters, however,
when he would announce about his decision.
“When I think it is time,” says Serge Sargsyan. With regard to his
presidential aspirations he again resorts to convenience.
“We will see what the situation will be. It is early to speak about
this. We will see what will happen after the parliamentary election,”
announced the minister of defense of Armenia.

SITUATION AT THE BORDER IS CALMER
Lragir.am
12 April 06
Tensions on the Armenian-Azerbaijani front line are exaggerated,
stated Serge Sargsyan, Minister of Defense of Armenia, on April 11.
“There are always gunshots, you know there are gunshots today, but
there is no difference between today and three months or five months
ago. Even if there is difference, it is more of an easing of tensions,”
announced Serge Sargsyan. For the frequent visits of the OSCE Minsk
Group co-chairs to the region and the possibility of settlement of
the conflict over Karabakh by 2007, the defense minister of Armenia
says it is both possible and impossible.
“There are two answers to this question: yes and no. I cannot see
that the state of things today essentially differs from the state of
things two years ago,” says Serge Sargsyan, adding that as a minister
of defense he is prepared in case war starts.
“I have announced a number of times and now I state that the defense
minister of any country, and especially the minister of defense of
Armenia, should assume that the military actions may start tomorrow
or in two days,” says Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan.

INTERESTING DEVELOPMENTS CONCERNING IRAN-ARMENIA GAS PIPELINE
Lragir.am
12 April 06
Recently the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline has appeared on the way
of Russian-Armenian inventory, although the Armenian government
officials consistently refute the information that Armenia agreed
to sell the shares of the gas pipeline to Russia. In the meantime,
it is notable that Gasprom published information for a while and hid
it without refuting. On April 11 new, even confidential information
was given by Serge Sargsyan, Minister of Defense of Armenia, Co-Chair
of the Russian-Armenian Intergovernmental Commission. In answer to
the question on the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline Serge Sargsyan said a
few words which, however, mean much.
“Let us leave it for the next time, because there are other interesting
things about it,” stated Serge Sargsyan. If Serge Sargsyan says this,
no doubt there will be interesting things.
However, it is not clear how interesting it will be and whom it will
interest, because if we are going to face sale of property, it is not
going to surprise anyone in Armenia. But a new method would really
arouse interest.

PEACEMAKERS NOT WANTED
Lragir.am
12 April 06
Over the past week Lragir.am offered the question to its readers
whether peacemakers must be stationed in the zone of conflict
over Nagorno Karabakh. 67 per cent of our Armenian and English
speaking readers are against stationing peacemakers. 23 per cent
think it depends on which country’s troops will be stationed. 5 per
cent think stationing peacemakers can be acceptable only after the
settlement of the conflict, and 2 per cent believe that the ceasefire
is successfully maintained without peacemakers. And only 3 per cent
think that peacemakers must be stationed in the zone of the conflict
over Nagorno Karabakh.

NEW TARIFF FOR DRINKING WATER BEGINNING FROM JUNE 1
By Ara Martirosian
AZG Armenian Daily
12/04/2006
In the 4th Year of Lease the Price Will Go Down
Having won the tender for controlling Yerevan’s water and sewerage
system for 10 years, the French General Dez O Company offered putting
up the tariff for the first months of lease with a gradual decrease
in future. In a financial application to the Commission Regulating
Public Services of Yerevan Jur Company, the French Company offered to
make the price 172.8 drams for 1 cubic meter of drinking water. Gagik
Khachatrian, deputy chairman of Commission Regulating Public Services
of Yerevan Jur Company, gave explanation on this yesterday.
The main question to the deputy chairman was whether it is possible
that the Commission will turn down the French company’s request when
the Armenian government has already recognized General Dez O tender
winner approving of its tariff offer. Gagik Khachatrian said that
while announcing the tender the Commission Regulating Public Services
put forward its proposals and the Commission’s deputy chairman was
included in the jury. That is the tender jury took into consideration
this fact, and set a tariff in tender proposal. According to deputy
chairman, its is impossible that the authorities sign an agreement
with a winning company but then disagree with their own conditions.
Gagik Khachatrian informed that Yerevan Jur will begin functioning
on May 1 and probably on June 1 the new tariff will take effect. He
reminded that during the 10 years of lease the French company will
invest $20 million in accordance with the credit project of the World
Bank, 17.6 million euros from tariff-based sums and additional 6.4
million euros in the form of equipment and assets. Deputy chairman
stated that the size of the company’s benefits during the time of lease
will depend on decreasing water leakage. It is planned to reduce the
leak from 80 percent to 45 during 10 years. As the benefit of the
company holding natural monopoly may be greater than expected the
sides decided that once it exceeds 10 percent the profit should be
equally divided between the Armenian and French sides.
As to the tariff policy for the 10 ten years, Gagik Khachatrian
repeated that it will be gradually declining. Beginning from the 4th
year it will go down reaching the mark of 95 drams in the 10th year.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ZVARTNOTS AIRPORT TO RECEIVE FLIGHTS AT NIGHT TILL JUNE 30
Lragir.am
12 April 06
>From April 10 to June 30 Zvartnots International Airport will operate
at night. “Within these 80 days there will be no flights and landings
from 10.30 AM to 8.00 PM, because of repair of the 1.2 km middle
section of the runway,” stated Gevorg Abrahamyan, the press secretary
of Armenia International Airports CJSC. He said by July 1 works on
the runway will have been finished.
The press secretary of Armenia International Airports CJSC said
memos were sent to all the airlines cooperating with Zvartnost,
and the new schedule will cause no problems.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THERMAL POWER PLANT DEAL AT CONSTITUTIONAL COURT
Lragir.am
12 April 06
MP Manuk Gasparyan stated April 11 that he is going to appeal to the
Constitutional Court against the deal of selling the fifth generating
unit of the Thermal Power Plant of Hrazdan to Russia. Manuk Gasparyan
says it is a criminal bargain, attacking the country’s interests.
The member of parliament is convinced that the government of Armenia
has already sold the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline to Russia. Manuk
Gasparyan believes that the pipeline is the core of this deal.
His argument is the information on the official website of Gasprom.
The Russian company first announced about buying the gas pipeline,
then rephrased the sentence. Particularly, Gasprom announced about
buying the fifth generating unit of the Thermal Power Plant of Hrazdan
and other objects of the gas sector of Armenia.
“You see they artfully concealed it but the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline
was included in that deal. They simply hid the name. It is there by
hundred per cent. Besides, they will give the hydropower plant on
Arax to Iran to calm Iran,” says Manuk Gasparyan.
He also mentions that after the fifth generating unit of the Thermal
Power Plant of Hrazdan is transferred to Gasprom the latter will have
82 per cent of shares of Armrusgasard instead of the former 45 per
cent. Hence, Armenia loses 25 per cent of shares and the right to veto.
Manuk Gasparyan also states that the Armenian leadership accepted a
bribe from Russia, that is a sum much over the price of these objects.