AZERBAIJAN KEEPS ARMENIAN PRISONERS OF WAR AS SLAVES
Panorama.am
16:28 11/04/06
The UNO proclaimed April 11 as day of those missing or those
kept in slavory. Today Armenia also remembers those missing after
Karabakh war. Today there are about 130 Armenian prisoners of war
in Azerbaijan. The data has been published by deputy chairman of
“Community and law” public organization Souren Hovhannisyan.
“At first Azeri government condemned Armenian prisoners of war and
sentenced them to 15 years, later they announced that there are no
prisoners of war in Azerbaijan which brought to a deadlock,” S.
Hovhannisyan says. The latter also informed that in the course of
meetings with Azeri mothers of those missing it became known that
Armenian prisoners are used as free man power.
As the head of department of Social Defence of Soldiers colonel
Harutyun Balayan says once the real location of prisoners of war was
already ascertained and when the community learned about it Azeri
government transferred the prisoners to another place.
A. Balayan did not exclude that there are Armenian prisoners of war not
only on the territory of Azerbaijan but Turkey as well.

ALBERT BAZEYAN EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT INCIDENTS WITH “YERKRAPAH” UNION
Yerevan, April 11.ArmInfo.Albert Bazeyan, chairman of “National
Revival” party, expressed concern about the recent incidents with
“Yerkrapah” union.
He said that the law enforcement bodies didn’t arrest one of
the initiators of the attempted murder against Sasoun Mikaelian,
member of “Yerkrapah” Union, though they were informed about that a
week earlier. Bazeyan said that the suspect who wasn’t arrested was
attacked and wounded. As a result, he was taken to the hospital. “If
the criminals are not punished, the crime causes another crime, while
the punishment of the criminals is of mere preventive character,”
he said.
He also reminded about the incident in Armavir, stating that Roustam
Gasparian survived by some miracle and is recovering at present.
Bazeyan believes that the threats of the authorities to deport Zhirayr
Sefilian, former commander of Shoushi battalion, is conditioned by the
fact that Sefilian and his colleagues criticized the recent tendencies
in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement.
“In the conditions, when the enemy constantly threats to settle the
conflict by unfolding military actions, the presence of the members
of “Yerkrapah” union of home guards in Armenia is very important,”
Bazeyan said. He called for all the participants of Karabakh war to
unite and struggle for the rights of their colleagues.

ITALIAN EMBASSY TO ARMENIA ANOUNCES GRANTS COMPETITION FOR STUDYING AT ITALIAN UNIVERSITIES
Yerevan, April 11. ArmInfo. The Italian Embassy to Armenia announced
a grant competition for studying at the Italian Universities. Roberto
Nociella, first secretary of Italian Embassy to Armenia, informed
at today’s press conference that the grant will be allocated in the
course of 26 months.
Those who want to participate in the competition may appeal to
the Embassy. The relevant commission will choose the winners. The
participants of the competition should have brilliants command of
Italian for their further study at the Italian Universities. The
preference will be given to those who want to enter the
architectural-construction Universities. The monthly grant will total
to EURO 619. The Armenian students will have to pay 50% of the tuition
fee, as well as the trip and food expenses. The Italian government
has allocated EURO 30 thousand.

ARMENIAN IT-SPHERE REPRESENTED IN VIENNA
Yerevan, April 11. ArmInfo. Armenian Information Technologies
representation in Europe has opened in Vienna, Head of Enterprise
Incubator Foundation (EIF) Bagrat Yengibaryan said at a press
conference, Tuesday.
At present 60% of Armenian companies engaged in the IT-sphere cooperate
with the USA, while only 10% of Armenian companies are represented
in Europe, he said. The opening of the representation in Vienna is
a regular initiative of the Foundation which aims to stimulate the
cooperation of Armenian and European IT- companies. B.
Yengibaryan said the representation in Vienna plans to gain at least
$200-300,000 orders for 2006. The representation will work to increase
the Europe’s awareness of the Armenian IT-sphere as well as to present
and distribute IT products and services, to ensure the cooperation
of Armenian and European companies for the purpose of establishing
joint ventures and implementing joint programs.
Head of Armenian IT-sphere representation in Vienna, Robert Trausnig,
says the representation will focus on off-shore orders, however direct
sale of Armenian IT-products is not ruled out either. R.
Trausnig believes Armenian IT- developments for health care,
communications and web-technologies spheres may be in demand
in Europe. He informs of the upcoming joint Armenian-European
conferences wherein the prospects and possibilities of bilateral
cooperation will be discussed. To recap, an Armenian Information
Technologies Representation opened in Toronto in the October of
2004 which had contributed to preparation of 7 contracts between 19
Armenian IT-enterprises and Canadian ones for about a year. Due to
the representation in Toronto, Armenian companies received about
$800,000 orders, with new programs for $1 million are currently
under discussion.

ARMENIAN LAWYER CALLS IMPOSSIBLE THE DEMAND OF AZERBAIJANI MURDERER-OFFICER’S ADVOCATES FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE COURT COMPOSITION
Yerevan, April 11. ArmInfo. The “advocates” of the Azerbaijani
murderer-officer Ramil Safarov demand replacement of the composition
of the court on the eve of the verdict announcement fixed for April
13, Azerbaijani agency APA reports. The Committee for protection of
R.Safarov’s Rights NGO demand a cancellation of the forthcoming court
session. They also demand sending a group of parliamentarians and
journalists to Hungary to achieve Safarov’s extradition irrespective
of the verdict.
In a phone conversation with ArmInfo, the lawyer Nazeli Vardanyan,
who represents the legal successors of the killed Armenian officer G.
Margaryan at the court, called the demand on replacement of the court
composition impossible at present. The lawyer believes the NGO’s
assemblies will not affect the proceedings. She says the Azerbaijani
party keeps misinforming the public. It’s worth mentioning that the
Azerbaijani party made public that the Prosecution had demanded
30 years of imprisonment for R. Safavor, whereas in reality, the
prosecution demanded life imprisonment without the right of pardon
for 30 years. N. Vardanyan says “if the Azerbaijani party intended to
challenge the judge, it should have been done by the lawyer and not
at present. They had enough time for it as the trial last for already
two years,” N. Vardanyan says. She says that due to his lawyer, who
tried to prove Safarov’s insanity, the latter occurred in rather a
ridiculous state. Now, he has to either prove his insanity or the
“appropriateness” of his deed, which will even aggravate his state.
To note, on February 19 2004, R. Safarov viciously axed the asleep G.
Margaryan in Budapest. Both the officers were undergoing an English
language course under the NATO PfP program. Safarov is charged with
Article 166.2 of the Hungarian Criminal Code ( first degree murder )
implying 10-15 years or life imprisonment. Chairing the trial is
the judge Andrash Vaskuti. Armenian and Hungarian lawyers Nazeli
Vardanyan and Gabriela Kaspar defend the interests of Margaryan’s
family and Hayk Makuchyan, Armenian officer whose life was attempted
by Safarov. Representative of the Armenian Defense Ministry Hayk
Demoyan attends the trial.

THE COUNTRY THAT WILL TRY TO RESOLVE THE KARABAKH CONFLICT THROUGH MILITARY MEANS WILL HAVE NO PLACE IN THE COE
ArmRadio.am
11.04.2006 18:13
President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Rene
van der Linden told in exclusive interview to MEDIAMAX Agency that
the country that will undertake military resolution of the Karabakh
conflict will be excluded from the Council of Europe.
“In case military actions restart in Nagorno-Karabakh, I do not think
that the presence of the country that employs armed forces for the
resolution of the conflict is possible in the Council of Europe,”
Rene van der Linden said.
PACE President called on the parties to the conflict to refuse form
militant statements and to realize that the conflict may be resolved
solely in the peaceful way.

RA PRESIDENT AND NEWLY APPOINTED AMBASSADOR OF HUNGARY ATTACH IMPORTANCE TO ACTIVIZATION OF BILATERAL BUSINESS CONTACTS
Noyan Tapan
Apr 11 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 11, NOYAN TAPAN. Arpad Szekely, the newly
appointed Ambassador of Hungary to Armenia (residence in Moscow)
handed his credentials to RA President Robert Kocharian on April
11. Congratulating the Ambassador on the occasion of undertaking the
post, the President expressed a hope that during his activity new
steps will be undertaken in the direction of widening the bilateral
relations. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the President’s Press Office,
the sides considered primary formation of the legal-contractual field
necessary for the cooperation and attached importance to activization
of the business contacts and planning of concrete spheres of mutual
cooperation. The Ambassador presented the political, economic state
of Hungary as well.

DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER OF ARMENIA AND AMBASSADOR OF HUNGARY MENTION NECESSITY OF COMPLETING LEGAL-CONTRACTUAL FIELD OF BILATERAL COOPERATION
Noyan Tapan
Apr 11 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 11, NOYAN TAPAN. Arpad Szekely, the newly appointed
Ambassador of Hungary to Armenia (residence in Moscow) handed on
April 11 copies of his credentials to Armen Bayburdian, the Deputy
Foreign Minister of Armenia.
Congratulating the guests on the occasion of appointment, A.Bayburdian
wished the Ambassador success in his responsible mission. During
the conversation the sides touched upon issues of bilateral
cooperation. The necessity of completing the legal-contractual field,
purposefulness of organizing visits at high level as well as holding
of consultations among the Foreign Ministries were bilaterally
mentioned. The Ambassador presented briefly the situation created
after the parliamentary elections held two days before in Hungary as
well as the Hungarian experience of Eurointegration. The RA Foreign
Ministry’s Press and Information Department submitted to Noyan Tapan
the Hungarian Ambassador’s brief biographic data. Arpad Szekely was
born in 1957 in the Hungarian city of Miskolc. In 1976 he graduated
from the Physics Department of the Foldes Ferenc Grammar School
of Miskolc. In 1976-1981 he studied at the International Journalism
Department of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. In
1981 he started work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary. In
1984-1989 he worked at the Embassy of Hungary to Germany. In 1990-1992
he worked as the Prime Minister’s Personal Assistant for Inner Policy
and Trade. In 1990 he was the representative of the Hungarian part
of the Hungarian-Bavarian Intergovernmental Council. In 2005 he was
appointed the Ambassador of Hungary to Russia. He knows Russian,
English, French. Married, has three children.

UNLIKE OTHERS, OPPOSITION’S SILENCE AND WEAKNESS NOT CAUSE VAZGEN MANUKIAN’S ANXIETY
Noyan Tapan
Apr 11 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 11, NOYAN TAPAN. “The opposition is estranged and
is not strong, but process of uniting goes on, and what will be the
result, we’ll see in future,” Vazgen Manukian, the Chairman of the
National Democratic Union stated in the interview to the Noyan Tapan
correspondent. According to him, confidential negotiations are in
process among the opposing forces at present, and it’s already felt
that uniting of all of those is not possible. Vazgen Manukian mentioned
that unlike others, today’s silence and weakness of the opposition does
not cause his anxiety: “Such a period of time always exists before
the storm: and that period of time is called incubation.” As for the
future of the existing “Ardarutyun” (Justice) and “17+1” formats,
V.Manukian mentioned that both alliance and “17+1” union gradually
start to have a formal club appearance where people gather and discuss
future and today’s issues: “I do not see that our 2007 activities must
be decided by strengthening of one of those formats, one must create
a new format.” So, according to the NDU leader, it would be funny if
parties related to the coming parliamentary elections as to a just
process and made an attempt to overpass the 5%. “It’s necessary to
gather a great power, and I think that the most purposeful thing would
be if two camps, the authiorities and the opposition, stand in front
of one another, and the struggle was for having power but not for
having few more places at the NA. Authorities of such a quality may
not bring Armenia forward, it must be changed, and the year of 2007
may become a proper occasion for doing it,” Vazgen Manukian stated.

HEAD OF YEREVAN POLICE EXPLAINS SITUATION AROUND INCIDENT AT “YERKRAPAH” UNION
Yerevan, April 10. ArmInfo. Nerses Nazarian, head of the Yerevan
Police, explained the situation around the incident with “Yerkrapah”
Union of Volunteers.
He said that the information about the clash that happened between
the policemen and the members of “Yerkrapah” union is false. At the
same time he added that the policemen of Kanaker-Zeytoun community
tried to enter the edifice of the union, when chasing a criminal.
Being unaware of the situation, the members of the union got irritated
with the behavior of the policemen and hindered their work.
“There was no clash, they just argued a bit,” he said. He added that
he personally met with General-Lieutenant Manvel Grigorian, head of
the union, and discussed the situation.
While the members of “Yerkrapah” union and the policemen were argued,
the chased criminal managed to escape.