MILITARY TRAINING IS GOING ON IN NK
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
April 19, 2006 Wednesday
On the territory of Nagorny Karabakh’s region and some occupied
Azerbaijan areas Armenia separatists are carrying out military
training. Military units together with the mobilizing population
take part in the training. The training’s aim is to put Armenian
forces on a war footing. General-Colonel Mikhail Arutyunyan, deputy
defense minister, general head quarters’ commander will take part in
the training as an observer.

EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO PROTECTION OF CULTURAL VALUES OPENS IN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 19 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On April 18,
within the framework of the European Union -Armenia Cooperation
Committee, an exhibitiom dedicated to protection of cultural values
opened at the National Assembly. Armenian monuments being in the
territories appeared out of Armenia after the World War I are mainly
presented in the exhibition. Committee Co-Chairman Armen Rustamian
attached importance to opening of a similar exhibition, in the
sense of drawing the society’s attention to protection of historic
monuments. Representatives of the delegation of the EU-Armenia
Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, NA deputies, etc. participated
in opening of the exhibition which was initiated by the public
organization studying the Armenian architecture. As Noyan Tapan was
informed by the NA Public Relations Department, Armen Hakhnazarian, the
Chairman of the public organization studying the Armenian architecture,
presenting gems of the Armenian architecture, mentioned that the
goal of the organization is protection and valuation of Armenian
architectural values in the territories appeared out of Armenia after
the World War I. NA Deputy Hranush Hakobian attached importance to
organization of the exhibition, from the viewpoint of presenting
the Armenian cultural values to the European deputies. Mrs. Hakobian
emphasized that annihilation of archtectural monuments by neighbors
is inadmissible, reminding that both UNESCO and civilized world arise
the issue of protection of cultural values.

FOREIGN CITIZENS’ LABOR ACTIVITY IN ARMENIA TO BE REGULATED BY LAW
Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The concept of regulation of legal
relations concerning the engagement of foreign workforce in the
Republic of Armenia, which was submitted to the RA government,
envisages regulation of labor activity of foreign citizens in
the country. According to Acting Head of the Migration Agency of
the RA Ministry of Territorial Administration Gagik Eganian, the
concept applies to employees paid on a contract basis rather than to
investors. He said that a lot of foreigners are now working in the
services sector, whereas many Armenian citizens have to go abroad
in search of job. He noted that under the concept, preference will
be given to Armenian citizens in case of vacancies available. If
the RA citizen declines to fill a vacancy, it will be given to a
foreigner. The concept also envisages regulation of the issue of a
foreign citizen’s return to her/his permanent residence place after
finishing the work. For this purpose, either a draft law on labor
activity of foreign citizens in the RA will be developed or amendments
will be made to the RA Law on Legal Status of Foreigners.

ARMENIAN DM PRAISES LEVEL OF COOPERATION WITH RUSSIA
ITAR-TASS News Agency
April 18, 2006 Tuesday 09:21 PM EST
Armenia and Russia maintain a high level of cooperation in defense
and related technologies and their cooperative interests embrace a
broad spectrum of problems, Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sarkissian
says in an interview the Russian Army daily Krasnaya Zvezda published
Wednesday.
“We must by no means stop at what we’ve achieved to date,” he says.
“On the contrary, we must develop this relationship, all the more so
that we have a legal and historical basis for it as well as willing
to do it.”
Sarkissian mentions Armenia’s cooperation with NATO, saying: “We
don’t develop it at the expense of relations with Russia, since the
latter must expand in all areas but we realize it’s important to be
familiar with the experience gained in other Armed Forces.”
“Today’s Armenian Army includes mechanized infantry and Air Force
units,” Sarkissian says. “We don’t have separate branches and services
of the Army or separate staffs for them. We have a single Joint Staff
that guides the operation of all the units – five separate corps,
an artillery detachment, and antiaircraft defense brigades.”
“The total manpower [of all of those units] is 45,000 men and
officers,” he says. “Naturally, that’s too much for a country with a
population of just 3 million people, but we must keep it up because
of instability in Southern Caucasus and absence of solutions to the
Karabakh problem.”
The latter centers around the mostly Armenian-populated Azerbaijani
enclave of Karabakh that has been seeking independence, or some form
of association with Armenia since late 1980’s.
“Unfortunately, any of the smoldering conflicts in Southern Caucasus
may play the role of a detonator,” Sarkissian said. “The regions is too
small and all the countries there are interdependent on one another,
and that’s why a resumption of combat operations may have very bad
consequences, including for ourselves.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DEPOSITOR PRESENTS 35 SAVINGS-BANK BOOKS FOR COMPENSATION
Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2006
NOYEMBERIAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The depositors of former Savingbank
have to stand in a long queue at the social service unit of the city of
Noyemberian in order to sumbit an application for compensation. Head
of the social service unit Samvel Beglarian told NT correspondent
that 2,495 citizens, who are elibigle for compensation, must sumbit
their applications until May 12. It is noteworthy that one of the
depositors presented 35 sabings-bank books.

NEW MEMORIAL COMPLEX TO BE BUILT IN REGIONAL CENTER OF SYUNIK
Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2006
KAPAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The bas-reliefs symbolizing motherhood
and a miner, as well as a bust of Aram Manukian, foreign minister of
the First Republic of Armenia, and that of 17th century Armenian
Catholicos Movses Tatevatsi (Khotanantsi) will be placed in
Kapan’s central square. Sculptor Levon Tokmajian is the project
author. According to a decision of the local council of aldermen,
5 mln drams was allocated from the community budget for construction
of the complex at the place where there was a monument to Lenin
(it was blown up in 1989).

INTERNET CONNECTION TARIFFS TO DECLINE FOR ARMENIAN USERS FROM MAY 1
Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. A 10-30% fall in the tariffs of
Internet connection service is expected in Armenia from May 1,
Technical Director of Arminco company told NT correspondent. According
to him, the reduction in these tariffs is conditioned by the
fact that on April 15 ArmenTel reduced the lease price of the
high-capacity channels by about 30%. At the same time, the RA Public
Services Regulatory Commission approved ArmenTel’s formula of tariff
calculation in case the provider connects to the Internet through its
own satellite facility. This will allow to further reduce the Internet
connection tariff. According to G. Saghian, the greatest decline in
the tariff can be expected for those services, whose provision does
require the provider to have its own infrastructures. For example,
the companies providing “dial up” services will get an opportunity to
reduce the tariff to up to 30%. G. Saghian said that the reduction
of Internet channels’ lease prices by ArmenTel has become possible
thanks to technical re-equipment of the company. In his words, the
decline in international Internet connection tariffs four months after
an increase in the fixed-line phone tariffs is consistent with the
policy of comunication services rebalancing, which is stipulated in
licence No 60.

FILM “SEVAN: THREADS OF HOPE” TO BE DEMONSTRATED DURING FESTIVAL IN SLOVAKIA
Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The documentary films “City Becoming
a Desert” and “Sevan: Threads of Hope” on environmental problems
of Armenia (author – journalist Inga Zarafian) were demonstrated at
the Innovative Experimantal Art Center on April 18. “City Becoming
a Desert” shows the danger threatening Dalma gardens of Yerevan,
the poor state of Hrazdan gorge and the destroyed forests in the Nork
residential district. According to I. Zarafian, if things go on like
this, Yerevan will no longer be suitable for normal life. The same
is true with respect to Lake Sevan which is facing the threat of
becoming a swamp. “It is impossible for humans to live in concrete
surroundings, we must protect our nature,” she is convinced. To recap,
“City Becoming a Desert” won the main award of the competition of
journalist works on environmental protection held by the OSCE Yerevan
Office in 2005. “Sevan: Threads of Hope” will be demonstrated at a
festival in Slovakia on May 2-7.

RA CONSTITUTIONAL COURT RULES LEGISLATIVE GROUNDS OF GOVERNMENTAL DECISION ON YEREVAN’S CENTER DEVELOPMENT TO BE NOT IN LINE WITH CONSTITUTION
Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA Constitutional Court (CC)
on April 18 continued examining the application of the RA Ombudsman
Armen Harutyunian regarding the constitutionality of the governmental
decision on development of Yerevan’s center. Particularly, the
RA Omudsman disputed that a number of provisions of the RA Civil
Code and the RA Land Code, as the government’s decision No. 1151 on
Measures to Implement Development Programs within the Adminisrative
Border of the Kentron Community of Yerevan of August 1, 2002, are
in compliance with Article 31 of the RA Constitution. According
to the decision of the Constitutional Court, Article 218 of the
RA Civil Code and Articles 103, 104 and 106 of the RA Land Code,
based on which the government made the above mentioned decision,
do not meet the requirements of the RA constitutional provisions in
terms of regulating the legal relations on forcible alienation of
property for state and public needs. “Taking into account that the RA
National Assembly and the government are obliged to bring many legal
acts concerning the problem in question into line with requirements
of the Constitution and the decision of the Constitutional Court in
the shortest possible time and to regulate by law the legal regime
of property alienation for public and state needs in the supreme
public interests, the court sets the moment of such legal regime’s
taking effect – no later than October 1, 2006, as the deadline for
this decision’s legal norms recognized not in compliance with the
Constitution to lose thier force,” the CC decision says.

LOVE IS GOLDEN
Blacktown Advocate (Australia)
April 19, 2006 Wednesday
IT was love at first sight for Khorand Zeinali.
Fifty years ago the then goldsmith met his future wife Salbi at a
market in Tehran, Iran. The next day he visited her hairdressing
salon and asked her hand in marriage.
The couple, Christian Armenians, were married 18 days later.
“I felt in my heart she was right for me,” Mr Zeinali, now 75, said.
Though Salbi was at first coy demanding that her suitor ask her
parents for permission first the sentiments were mutual.
“I knew his family, I knew they were nice people . . . and he was
such a handsome man,” Mrs Zeinali, 66, said.
The couple spoke to the Advocate in Farsi as their daughter translated.
While Mrs Zeinali moved to their Marayong home eight years ago,
her husband could not make arrangements to follow from Tehran for
another three years.
They say the separation was tempered by a constant exchange of love
letters and international phone calls.
“It was like I had the world again when I saw her again,” Mr Zeinali
said.
They have five children three living in Sydney and 14 grandchildren.