SERGEY HAMBARDZUMIAN APPOINTED ACTING CHAIRMAN OF RA NATIONAL ACADEMY
OF SCIENCES
YEREVAN, APRIL 7, NOYAN TAPAN. RA NAS Chairman Fadey Sargsian’s
commissions have been stopped, according to his application. The RA
Government made the decision about that on April 6. Sergey
Hambardzumian was appointed the acting Chairman of the RA NAS, till
the RA NAS Chairman is elected according to the order fixed by the
legislation.

4TH SESSION OF INTERPARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND
RELIGIOUS FREEDOMS TO BE HELD IN YEREVAM IN AUTUMN
YEREVAN, APRIL 7, NOYAN TAPAN. Joseph Grieboski, the Secretary General
of the Interpalimentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious
Freedoms informed about the activity of the organization at the April
6 meeting with RA National Assembly Speaker Artur Baghdasarian. He
mentioned that the commission is formed of members of national
parliaments of the world and gives them possibility to raise problems
concerning the human rights and freedom of conscience. The central
office of this structure having a great international authority is in
Washington and units parliamentaries of few dozens of countries.
Touching upon the importance of the laws on human rights and freedom
of conscience for the civil society and development of democracy,
Artur Baghdasarian mentioned that the cooperation with the
Interparliamentary Conference is a good opportunity for exchange of
experience. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the NA Public Relations
Department, an agreement is reached at the meeting about holding the
4th session of the Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and
Religious Freedoms in Yerevan in autumn.

LEGISLATIVE REFORMS NECESSARY FOR INCREASING ROLE OF MASS MEDIA IN
ANTI-CORRUPTION STRUGGLE
YEREVAN, APRIL 7, NOYAN TAPAN. Cooperation of the National Assembly,
public organizations and mass media is unequivocally necessary for
having success in the anti-corruption struggle. This was mentioned at
the April 7 meeting of the working group discussing problems of mass
media within the framework of the conference dedicated to the theme
“Role of RA National Assembly – Civil Society Cooperation in
Anti-Corruption Struggle” organized by the NA, Eurasia fund, OSCE and
UN Development Program. As Boris Navasardian, the Chairman of the
Yerevan Press Club said in the interview to the Noyan Tapan
correspondent, it’s first of all necessary to increase the role of
mass media in the anti-corruption struggle and their level in covering
that theme. Journalists’ being protected by the law is also important
as covering of corruption event is a dangerous activity for a
journalist. According to B.Navasardian, it’s aslo necessary to exclude
events of corruption in mass media which are connected with activity
of different institutions having influence on mass
media. B.Navasardian found it difficult to mention to what extent the
mentioned problems are solvable in the nearest future as the
parliamentaries’ readiness has a great role in their solution what is
very difficult to expect, taking into account that the elections come
soon. According to the YPC Chairman, it became clear of the
discussions, held within the framework of the conference, with
participation of foreign experts, journalists’ public organizations
and journalists, that there are many things to do. Amendments in some
laws are primary among them: first of all in the Laws On Television
and Radio, Advertisement, Postal Communication. According to
B.Navasardian, it’s necessary to make an attempt to influence on
televisions, as on the most powerful mass media, as soon as possible,
to make their contents closer to public demands. According to him,
coverings dedicated to concrete facts of corruption must be in the TV
broadcast, otherwise, the society will not believe those demands of
the authorities that “a productive anti-corruption struggle is
promoted among us.”

PERSON SUSPECTED OF COMMITTING ATTEMPT UPON LIFE GIVES HIMSELF UP
ARMAVIR, APRIL 7, NOYAN TAPAN. On April 6, 24-year-old Samson
P. having previous convictions, being searched for committing an
attempted murder, gave himself up coming to Armavir police department
and presenting AKS-74 automatic arms with which he had committed the
attempted murder. Samson P. was arrested. The examination is carried
on by the Armavir region’s Prosecutor’s Office. To recap, at about
3:30 pm, April 1, an unknown person in a white car “Vaz-2174” with
licence plate 280C785 shot with an automatic arms of 5.45 calibre at
35-year-old resident of the village of Janfida Rafik Gasparian who was
driving a black Hummer car with licence plate 020C444 and ran
away. According to the report of Armavir Prosecutor’s Office,
R.Gasparian did not die and only got corporal injuries.

ATTEMPTED ROBBERY FOILED IN CURRENCY EXCHANGE OFFICE
YEREVAN, APRIL 7, NOYAN TAPAN. The Yerevan Arabkir Department of the
RA Police received on April 5 an alarm call from the currency exhange
office at 30 Komitas Street. Upon arriving at the scene of the crime,
the operative group found that two unknown persons, one of them armed
with a Voltran gas pistol, had entered the above mentioned office and
tried to steal money from the office employee. However, Arman H, who
was there at that moment, grabbed the pistol from the intruder’s hand
and, firing 3 times into the air, put the robbers to flight. Arman
H. received an injury in the head. The police confiscated the gas
pistol and 3 bullet cases found at the scene. An investigation is
underway.

A.BAGHDASARIAN: BAGRAT YESAYAN DOES NOT SPEAK WITH FACTS
YEREVAN, APRIL 7, NOYAN TAPAN. “Bagrat Yesayan does not speak with
facts. There are no issues on the RA agenda which were not discussed
for a long time, at least for the simple reason that our agenda is not
too full,” RA National Assembly Speaker Artur Baghdasarian said to
journalists on April 6, qualifying RA President’s Advisor B.Yesayan’s
statement concerning the anti-corruption struggle made on the same day
as one not corresponding to reality. At the break of the “Role of RA
NA – Civil Society in Anti-Corruption Struggle” international
conference organized at the Parliament, the RA President’s Advisor
said to journalists that “at last in the last year of its activity,
the NA undertakes one of those most important principles.” “I’m sure
that this statement won’t stay only as words, and we shall not be eye
witnesses of a state, when the most important anti-corruption drafts
remained at the NA for few months, if not for few years,” he
said. B.Yesayan also mentioned that he means, particularly, the drafts
on natural person’s property and income declaring and on
operative-investigation activity as well as the legislative
initiatives on amendments and additions to the Electoral Code aimed to
reducing the list of people with personal immunity.

SERGE SARGSIAN PRESENTS PITER SEMNEBY PRINCIPLES BY WHICH ARMENIAN
SIDE TO BE GUIDED DURING KARABAKH ISSUE SETTLEMENT
YEREVAN, APRIL 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Serge Sargsian, the
Secretary of the RA National Security Council attached to President,
the Defence Minister recieved on April 6 the delegation headed by
Piter Semneby, the Special Representative of the European Union to
South Caucasus. Minister Serge Sargsian congratulated P.Semneby on the
occasion of his new appointment, wishing him successs in his future
activity. The EU Special Representative expressed hope that the
European Union-Armenia mutual relations will enter a new stage during
his officiating. Touching upon the Karabakh conflict settlement, the
sides attached importance to exclusion of re-start of military actions
and security of the continuous character of the negotiation
process. Serge Sargsian again presented those main principles by which
the Armenian side will be guided during the peaceful settlement of the
problem. As Noyan Tapan was informed by Colonel Seyran Shahsuvarian,
the RA Defence Minister’s Press Secretary, the participants of the
meeting also exchanged opinions concerning working out the Actions
Plan of Armenia within the framework of the European Neighborhood
Policy, relations of Armenia with neighboring countries and other
issues of bilateral interest. Renate Heike Peitsch, the Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the FRG to the RA participated in
the meeting.

AZERIS DECLINES PROPOSAL OF ARMENIAN SIDE TO SUBSTITUTE RADIO
MONITORING BY VISUAL OBSERVATION OF CONTACT LINE
YEREVAN, APRIL 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Within the framework
of the mandate of Andrej Kasprczik, the Personal Representative of the
OSCE Chairman-in-Office, radio monitoring of the contact line took
place near the village of Barkaber, in the Ijevan-Ghazakh part of the
Armenian-Azeri border, on April 6. At the place of holding the
monitoring, connection was established with the OSCE representatives
who are in the territory of Azerbaijan, headed by Andrej Kasprczik,
shots were fired by the Azerbaijani side during the observation, what
was fixed by the participants of the monitoring. Summing up results of
the monitoring, for increasing productivity of the actions, the
Armenian side proposed the OSCE representatives to substitute in
future the radio monitoring by visual observation of the contact line,
with direct participation of the commanders of bordering military
units, governors, communities representatives, but the Azerbaijani
side declined the proposal. As Colonel Seyran Shahsuvarian, the RA
Defence Minister’s Press Secretary informed Noyan Tapan, on the same
day, the radio monitoring was preceded by the OSCE representatives’,
Tavush Governor Armen Ghularian’s and military units commanders’
briefing at the Governor’s Office. A.Ghularian expressed anxiety on
the occasion of the fact that firings of the Ijevan-Noyemberian road
by the Azerbaijani side became friquent during the recent period.

SERGE SARGSIAN CONFIDES IN HUNGARIAN JUSTICE AND SURE THAT AZERI
CRIMINAL TO TAKE HIS DESERVING PUNISHMENT
YEREVAN, APRIL 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “I confide in the
Hungarian justice and am sure that the criminal will take its
deserving punishment,” Serge Sargsian, the Secretary of the RA
National Security Council attached to President, the Defence Minister
stated. As Colonel Seyran Shahsuvarian, the RA Defence Minister’s
Press Secretary informed Noyan Tapan, the Minister made the statement
in response to a question of a number of media representatives how he
estimates the measure of punishment proposed towards murderer Ramil
Safarov by the prosecutor’s charge at the last sitting of the court
procedure going on Budapest on the case of Armenian officer Gurgen
Margarian’s murder (the measure of punishment is life imprisonment,
within the right of presenting a claim for amnesty during the first 30
years), and what he expects of the final verdict of the court.

KAREKIN II CATHOLICOS PRESENTS PITER SEMNEBY MISSION OF CHURCH IN
PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT
ETCHMIADZIN, APRIL 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Karekin II
Catholicos of All Armenians received in the Mother See of Holy
Etchmiadzin on April 6, Piter Semneby, the EU Special Representative
to South Caucasus, accopanied by Heike Renate Peitsch, the Ambassador
of the Federal Republic of Germany to the RA. Welcoming at the Mother
See the EU Special Representative to South Caucasus, His Holiness
congratulated and blessed him on the occasion of the new mission,
wishing him, that his mission is crowned with complete successes. “We
are full of hope that owing to Your work we’ll be able to make peace
stable in this region and to develop and deepen cooperation in this
region and among peoples of this region,” the Armenian Patriarch
said. His Holiness also touched upon the mission of the church in the
affair of the peaceful settlement of the Artsakh conflict, mentioning
that the Church attepmts to do its best, to support those mutual
relations of peace and cooperation with the help of religious and
spiritual leaders. Piter Semneby remembered his first visit to Armenia
in 1987, and then during the days of the awful earthquake. In his
speech he also touched upon the obligations he has undertaken,
mentioning that he is called to support peaceful settlement of the
conflict. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the Information Services of
the Mother See, other problems of the region were spoken about at the
meeting, mutual relations existing between the Armenian Apostolic and
Georgian Orthodox Churches, problems of the Virahayots diocese were
touched upon. Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanian, the primate of the Armenian
Diocese of Georgia was present at the meeting.