ARMINFO News Agency
September 23, 2005
OSCE TO SUPPORT ARMENIA IN ECOLOGY INITIATIVES
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 23. ARMINFO. “We and our Planet” educational and
environmental program was presented today at the Yerevan Museum of
Armenia’s Nature. The program has been initiated and implemented by
“Khazer” environmental and cultural NGO with the support of the OSCE
Office in Yerevan and the Aarhus Center.
Within the project 10 brochures and 5 posters have been published in
2004 on the following topics: the first betrayal against nature,
climate change, preservation of ozone layer, forest, water,
biodiversity, persistent organic pollutants, fish and birds of
Armenia, Lake Sevan problem, and genetically modified organisms. This
year the publications were enriched by 6 new posters and 4 brochures:
our environment and the Aarhus Convention, specially protected
natural areas, earthquake protection, and alternative energy.
Head of “Khazer” NGO Amalia Hambartsumyan noted that the program has
been implemented from 2003, 100 copies of 11 posters and 14 brochures
have been published within this period. 400 schools of general
education have already received the completes. The OSCE Office in
Yerevan allotted $4.000 for publishing the second completes, she
noted.
Welcoming the activists of Armenia’s ecological movement, Head of the
OSCE Office in Yerevan Vladimir Pryakhin named the program the
“family holiday”. He stressed that “titanic efforts of ecological
society do not go out in Armenia until the people of this country
live in harmony with nature”. Pryakhin also noted that the OSCE
welcomes the ecological initiatives in Armenia and will continue
supporting them.

ARMINFO News Agency
September 23, 2005
ARMENIA AND IRAN ARE GETTING READY FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW
HYDROELECTRIC POWER STATION ON RIVER ARAX
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 23. ARMINFO. The construction project of Meghri
hydroelectric power station will be discussed during Armenia’s Energy
Minister Armen Movisian’s coming visit to Iran. This statement was
made by the Minister answering the questions of ARMINFO
correspondent.
According to Mr. Movsisian, the feasibility study of the project has
already been completed, and it is left to arrange the financing. It
is planned to spend $140 million on the construction and finish it in
4 or 5 years. The satation’s gross output will amount 140 megawatt,
at the annual rate of 800 million kilowatt per hour. The construction
of a similar power station in Iran is also planned.-A-

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan, in Armenian
22 Sep 05
ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER UPBEAT ON THE COUNTRY’S FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan has said that political
stability and economic growth in the country, as well as Nagornyy
Karabakh’s independence, allow Armenia to make more progress in the
future. “There is political stability and economic development in
Armenia today. Nagornyy Karabakh is an independent political entity.
All this gives us an opportunity to make more progress in the next
decade,” Oskanyan said in an interview with Armenian Public TV in
connection with Independence Day on 22 September.
“Karabakh is part of Armenia and has demonstrated to the
international community that it can be an independent state,” the
foreign minister went on to say.
Commenting on Armenia’s foreign policy, Oskanyan said that “the main
goal of our foreign policy is to be vigilant and not to trample upon
the rights of our neighbours”. He added that Armenia has achieved
many positive results in its foreign policy and can manoeuvre
difficult situations in the region and achieve positive results.
At the same time, the minister expressed his satisfaction with
Armenia’s position in the recent UN human development report, but
added that a lot of problems still need to be resolved. “We are
several steps ahead of our neighbours. But I know that along with
this success, we also have shortcomings. More than 50% of our people
live in poverty. We are not a fully democratic country yet. There are
numerous problems which we should resolve,” he said.
Oskanyan also touched on constitutional amendments in the country and
urged the people to say yes to the reform. “This constitution will
help us with the process of democratization and change Armenia’s
authority in the international community,” he said. The minister
stressed that the leaders of the world support the amendments to the
Armenian constitution and believe that this reform is a historical
chance for Armenia.

Anatolia news agency, Ankara, in English
23 Sep 05
TURKISH MINISTER SAYS OPPONENTS OF ARMENIAN CONFERENCE HARM EU COURSE
New York, 22 September: Commenting on the decision of the Istanbul
Administrative Court to put on hold a conference titled “Ottoman
Armenians during the empire’s fall: Scientific responsibility and
problems of democracy”, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said:
“We are harming ourselves.”
“These are the last efforts of those who are trying to obstruct our
road before 3 October (when the EU is expected to launch full
membership negotiations with Turkey),” added Gul.

Mediamax news agency, Yerevan, in Russian
23 Sep 05
RUSSIAN ENERGY GIANT TO RUN ARMENIAN POWER NETWORKS
Yerevan, 23 September: The government of Armenia has decided to hand
over 100% of the shares of the closed-type joint-stock company
Electricity Networks of Armenia [ENA] to Russia’s Interenergo B.V.
company, a member of the Unified Energy System of Russia joint-stock
company, Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan said in Yerevan
today.
The minister stressed that the Unified Energy System of Russia is
taking all the commitments of the previous owner of ENA, [Britain’s]
Midland Resources Holding Ltd, Mediamax reports. Movsisyan said that
about two weeks ago, Midland Resources asked the Armenian government
to hand over 100% of the shares of the closed-type joint-stock
company Electricity Networks of Armenia to the Russian company.
The minister denied the assumptions that after completing the deal,
the Unified Energy System of Russia will become a monopolist on
Armenia’s energy market and noted that only 10% of power generation
in Armenia falls to the share of the Russian giant.
[Passage omitted: Details of the contract with Interenergo B.V.]

Albanian News Agency (ATA)
ATA news agency, Tirana, in English
23 Sep 05
ALBANIAN PRESIDENT SENDS MESSAGE OF “GOOD WILL” TO ARMENIAN PRESIDENT
Tirana, 23 September: President of the Republic Alfred Moisiu
congratulated Friday [23 September] in a message the president of
Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, sources close to Presidency Office make
known in a press statement.
“On occasion of Independence Day of the Republic of Armenia, I wish
to assure you of the good will to carry ahead the bilateral
cooperation with Armenia establishing it on stable basis,” President
Moisiu says among others in his message.

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan, in Armenian
22 Sep 05
ARMENIAN PRESIDENT, VISITING US BUSINESSMAN DISCUSS JOINT PLANS
Huntsman Corporation plans to implement programmes in Armenia in the
spheres of education and health, well-known US businessman John
Huntsman said at a meeting with Armenian President Robert Kocharyan
in Yerevan today. The Armenian president said that the government
will help Huntsman to implement the programmes.
Robert Kocharyan noted that the Armenian people are grateful to
Huntsman, who had offered help after the devastating earthquake of
1988.
This time Huntsman came to Yerevan with the owners of the Sharp and
Associates, Reud, Morgan and Queen companies.
[Video showed the meeting]

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan, in Armenian
22 Sep 05
ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, US SENATOR DISCUSS EXPANSION OF TIES
[Presenter] The Foreign Affairs Commission of the US Congress has
already adopted two resolutions condemning the Armenian genocide and
efforts to recognize the Armenian genocide will continue, Californian
Senator Jack Scott said at a meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanyan in Yerevan today.
The American senator also spoke about the opening of a regional trade
and investment centre of California in the Armenian capital.
[Correspondent] The regional trade and investment centre of
California will open in October, Californian Senator Jack Scott said
today. He did not hide his joy in this connection since he has spent
five years on the implementation of this programme.
[Jack Scott speaking in English with an Armenian voice-over] Why
should the regional trade and investment centre of California open in
Armenia? Because more than 50,000 citizens of Armenian origin are
living in California. Californian Armenians are very devoted to their
motherland and are doing their best to help Armenia’s development.
The opening of the office is the beginning of increasing trade
relations between Armenia and California. I am sure that the project
will be of benefit to both sides.
[Correspondent] At present, the trade turnover between Armenia and
the USA is 60-70m dollars with California having a big share in it.
Jack Scott said that thanks to the trade and investment centre, the
trade turnover will increase noticeably. He added that Armenians
living in California will be interested in agricultural produce,
fruits and vegetables from Armenia.
In turn, California will offer biological and information
technologies, engineering and agricultural produce. The trade and
investment centre will boost Californian export not only to Armenia,
but also to Ukraine, Georgia and Russia.
[Vardan Oskanyan] The senator is a good friend of Armenia. He has
made an important contribution to the promotion of the Armenian
question in California. Thanks to his efforts, the Armenian genocide
has been recognized in California.
[Correspondent] Speaking about the recognition of the Armenian
genocide, Senator Jack Scott said that they will continue their
struggle for its approval by Congress.
[Jack Scott] The resolution concerning the Armenian genocide was
passed at the Californian Congress with great difficulty because we
encountered a strong Turkish lobby. We will make every effort to have
the US Senate adopt a resolution on the Armenian genocide.
[Correspondent] Jack Scott noted that Turks are trying to persuade
them that there was no genocide. He said that he had met some Turkish
scientists and used facts and photos to prove the Armenian genocide.
Lilit Setrakyan, Arman Garibyan, “Aylur”.

Regnum, Moscow, in Russian
22 Sep 05
AZERBAIJAN TO BEAT ARMENIA BY 2015 – EXPERTS SAY
“Drastic changes will take place in favour of Azerbaijan in its
military confrontation with Armenia in the next few years,” this is
the result of an expert poll carried out by the Armenian Assembly of
America (AAA). According to the Yerevan newspaper Azg, 24 American
and west European experts, former officials and analysts took part in
the poll.
About 33% of the respondents consider that Azerbaijan will be able to
gain a military victory over Armenia by 2015. Only 4% consider that
Armenia will gain a victory by 2015. At the same time, 42% of the
respondents said that if the war starts in the near future, the
Armenian side will win, 29% predicted that both sides will lose and
others found it difficult to give a clear answer.
As for the status of Karabakh, 62% of the respondents think that
there is no point in expecting the status quo to change in the near
future.
International experts also expressed their pessimism about future
relations between the USA and Russia and Iran. At the same time, they
predict the further strengthening of American influence in the
Caucasus. They predict that Turkey will not join the European Union
earlier than 2020-25. Ankara will not recognize the Armenian genocide
and strengthen relations with Washington, although the USA might
recognize the Armenian genocide in the next five years, some of the
experts believe.
Asked who in the region will have the greatest impact on Armenia
(positive or negative), 45% said Azerbaijan, 16% – Turkey, 11% –
Russia, 9% – Georgia, as well as Iran, Iraq, etc.

RTR Russia TV, Moscow, in Russian
24 Sep 05
RUSSIANS, ARMENIANS ENJOYING EASIER BORDER CROSSING
As of today both Russian and Armenian citizens can enjoy a simpler
procedure for crossing the border between the two countries. They
only have to show their foreign-travel, diplomatic or service
passports and a document proving they intend to return to their home
country. This simplified procedure was introduced on the basis of an
agreement signed between Russia and Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress