NUMBERS EXAGGERATED AGAIN
A1+
| 14:13:49 | 26-09-2005 | Social |
“Poverty in the villages is to be reduced by 5% in the coming 5 years”,
said deputy head of the “Millennium Challenges” Fund Armenian group
Hovhannes Azizyan. According to him, the MC will spend about $175
million for reduction of poverty.
Mr. Azizyan informed that the Armenian Government managed to reduce
poverty from 50.7% to 47.5% in the last 5 years spending $100
million. Asked the question how they will reduce poverty for 5% only
spending a sum of 1/3 of the budget, taking into account the efforts of
the Armenian Government mentioned above, Mr. Azizyan said sincerely,
“The Government will continue to make efforts alongside with spending
the sum donate by the MC”.
The journalists also asked how it happened that Georgia has already
received its $300 million, and Armenia has not yet. Mr. Azizyan said
he did not know when Armenia will receive the sum. “It is not yet
clear what we must do in the end”, he concluded.

KENTRON COMMUNITY HEAD NOT CHANGED
A1+
| 12:59:18 | 26-09-2005 | Politics |
According to the Local Electoral Committee head Eghish Terteryan,
Gagik Beglaryan has been re-elected as head of the Kentron Community
with an advantage of votes about 32 thousand against 4 thousand.
According to the head of the Local Electoral Committee, the absence of
clear-cut data is accounted for by the fact that the computer failed
right when the final results were almost ready.
Worker of the CEC Tsovinar Khachatryan informed that the preliminary
results will be ready today at 02:00 p.m.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE PRICE FOR NEIGHBORHOOD
A1+
| 12:24:56 | 26-09-2005 | Politics |
“The EU and the Armenian side have agreed that the political reforms
are of primary importance in our country”, said RA Foreign Ministry
EU department head Armen Liloyan during the discussions in Tsakhkadzor
on September 23-25.
Armenia has already represented the report about the country to
Brussels where several priorities for the country are mentioned –
reduction of poverty, reforms in the power field, regulations of
human rights, conflicts, etc.
According to Mr. Liloyan, Armenia had also represented a pack of
offers. EU too has represented offers. “But they cannot be thoroughly
discussed as there is no program of activity”, said Mr. Liloyan.
This year in July the negotiations about the RA neighborhood with EU
were to be initiated, but “it turned out that they are not content
with the text”.
The next one, according to the representative of the Foreign Ministry,
was supposed to start on September 5. “But this time too it was
postponed because of the indefinite situation”, he commented.
What situation was it about? There is information according to which
it refers to the Cyprus air veto on Azerbaijan. This was the reason
why the negotiations with Armenia and Georgia were also postponed. “We
hope that the negotiations with Armenia and Georgia will resume with
a separate format, independent on Azerbaijan”, said Mr. Liloyan.

HOPELESS REFERENDUM
A1+
| 12:36:48 | 26-09-2005 | Social |
The chances for the Constitutional amendments to be adopted
are rather low, at least for the time being. The results of the
internet poll organized by “A1+” last week come to prove that 73.6%
of the participants of the voting have negative attitude towards the
Constitutional amendments.
318 citizens have answered the poll question “How will you vote at
the upcoming referendum on constitutional amendments?” The votes have
been distributed the following way:
I will not vote – 40.3%
Against – 33.3%
For – 21.4%
Undecided – 5.0%
This week our poll question is “Who should appoint members of
independent committees?” The opinion of every reader is important in
order to get the whole picture.
print version |
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

WILL THE RAILWAY BE RE-EXPLOITED?
A1+
| 19:17:32 | 26-09-2005 | Economy |
On September 21-22 the Armenian delegation with Gagik Minasyan at the
head participated in the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Parliamentary
Assembly in the Moldavian capital Kishinev.
In the 25th session of social, economic, technological and
ecological issues where the report about the development of regional
sub-structures has been discussed, the Armenian side has adopted
4 offers.
The Armenian managed to convince the participants of the BSEC
Parliamentary Assembly that the construction of the railway which goes
round Armenia is much more expensive that the re-exploiting of the
existing railway Kars-Gyumri-Tbilisi-Baku. “Thus all the 4 countries
of the region will solve the problem of economic integration providing
economic stability”, the Armenian delegates said.
Let us remind you that the offered project costs $400 million. With
the re-exploiting of the railway the volume of freight transportation
will increase considerably.
All the 8 members of BSEC were for the re-exploitation of the
existing railway, including Turkey. According to Gagik Minasyan,
in the convention which was adopted in Kishinev the offer of the
Armenian side has been included, and the issue of adoption of the
convention will be discuss in the BSEC plenary session in Tirana on
November 22 where Armenia will preside over the session.

CANDIDATE UNTIL TRIED
A1+
| 19:27:25 | 26-09-2005 | Politics |
The present mayor of Nor Hachin Armen Qeshishyan who is in criminal
isolator will participate in the elections of mayor on October 9. On
September 24 he killed the head of the Electricity network of Nor
Hachin Ashot Mkhitaryan.
According to the legislation Armen Qeshishyan can participate in the
elections as the court has not found him guilty yet.
The only known reason for the assassination is pre-electoral: the
preset mayor had put forward his candidacy, and Ashot Mkhitaryan was
for his opponent Babken Margaryan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

COURT COMING IN ACTION
A1+
| 18:55:13 | 26-09-2005 | Politics |
“If the court decides that the 129 ballots voted for Arayik Qotanjyan
which were considered invalid are valid, he will be elected head of
the Qanaqer-Zeytun community without second elections”, this is the
opinion of the NA independent deputy Manouk Gasparyan who supports
the candidate. He also informed that an action has been brought to
the Court of Appeal.
Let us remind you that the Local Electoral Committee had announced
the results of the September 19 election in Qanaqer-Zeytun and fixed
new elections.
After the reports of the LEC the ballot packs were torn and according
to the NA deputy 54 ballots from one area and 75 from the other were
“spoilt by hand” and considered invalid. The action by Arayik Qotanjyan
is about the “fate” is these ballots.
Manouk Gasparyan thinks that tomorrow the Court will send an order
to the LEC not to organize elections until the court makes a decision.
It is noteworthy that Arayik Qotanjyan was not recognized community
head as the number of errors exceeded that of the difference
between the votes received by Mr. Qotanjyan and his opponent Valeri
Haroutyunyan.

MASSACRES OF ARMENIANS IN 1915 NOTHING BUT GENOCIDE, TURKISH HISTORIAN CONSIDERS
Pan Armenian News
26.09.2005 04:24
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Scientific conference titled “Ottoman Armenians
During the Decline of the Empire: Issues of Scientific Responsibility
and Democracy” was held in the Bilgi University last week. In the
opinion of many exerts, it can give start to the discussion of the
Armenian issue by the Turkish society. “We should try to realize what
happened in 1915”, well known Turkish historian Halil Bektay stated
adding that at the beginning of the World War I the leaders of the
Ottoman Empire announced the hunting season against Armenians. In his
turn historian Fikret Adanir stated that the carnages of Armenians at
the beginning of the 20-th century are nothing but genocide. “It is my
personal opinion”, he said. “This conference will surprise Armenians
all over the world. Now some of them will have the courage to start
dialogue with Turks”, Los Angeles Times writes citing editor-in-chief
of Akos Armenian newspaper published in Istanbul. To remind, the
conference has been twice postponed, last time on Thursday, September
22 by a resolution of a Turkish court. It should be also noted that
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the court
resolution and called it incompatible with the norms of democracy
and civilized society.
Spokesperson for the EU Commissioner for Enlargement Krisztina Nagy
characterized the court decision as a “recurrent provocation”.

PRE-ELECTION HUBBUB IN GYUMRI
A1+
| 20:30:54 | 26-09-2005 | Politics |
On September 23 in the Shirak region the phase of putting forward
candidacies for the elections of local governing bodies started. The
first candidacy was that of the Gyumri present mayor Vardan Ghoukasyan.
At 05:00 p.m. the Local Electoral Committee N34 which includes
79 electoral areas in Gyumri had received 21 applications for
the posts of aldermen. 13 of the candidates do not belong to any
party, 4 of them represent the Republican Party, and the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation, the Orinats Yerkir Party, the Union for
National Self-Determination and “Democracy and Labor” Parties have
one candidate each.

VLADIMIR RUSHAYLO TO ARRIVE IN YEREVAN SEPTEMBER 27
Pan Armenian News
26.09.2005 09:08
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Chairman of the Executive Committee, CIS Executive
Secretary Vladimit Rushaylo will pay a visit to Armenia September
27-19, RA MFA press center reported. V. Rushaylo is scheduled to meet
with President Robert Kocharian, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and
Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan. September 29 the opening ceremony
of the Council of the CIS Ministers of Interior will take place.