THREE ARMENIAN OPPOSITION PARTIES DEMAND FROM ARMENIAN AND
GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES TO TAKE URGENT MEASURES ON SOLVING PROBLEMS
ACTUAL FOR ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF GEORGIA

YEREVAN, MARCH 16. ARMINFO. Three Armenian opposition parties –
“Ramkavar Azatakan”, “Mighty Fatherland” and “Liberal-Democratic
Union” call upon to the Armenian and Georgian authorities to take
urgent measures on solving problems actual for the Armenian community
of Georgia, says a statement of these parties received today by
ARMINFO.

The statement notes that no problems should be in solving of the
problems taking into consideration the upcoming Armenian-Georgian
inter-state cooperation and centuries-old neighborly relation of the
two countries. Authors of statement note that the Churches of the two
countries may play a significant part in this matter. The parties
consider that demands of the Armenian community of Georgia,
particularly, of Samtskhe-Javakhq region, are quite fair taking into
account the resent events in Georgia and the hard social and economic
condition of the Armenian community. -r-

Economy and politics prompt Armenian fears at Russian withdrawal from Georgia

Aravot, Yerevan
15 Mar 05

Text of Naira Mamikonyan’s report in Armenian newspaper Aravot on 15
March headlined “Georgia trying to get rid of Russian military
bases. This implies social problems for Javakheti Armenians”

“As before, this year too the Armenian community of Georgia is going
to mark the anniversary of the Armenian genocide. On 24 April we will
gather in the Tbilisi pantheon, raise a cross stone and hold a liturgy
in memory of the genocide victims,” Georgia’s deputy economy minister,
Genadi Muradyan, said, commenting on claims raised at last Sunday’s
[13 March] rally in Akhalkalaki. He noted that the Georgian
authorities would also attend the event.

To recap, during recent discussions on the withdrawal of Russian
military bases from Georgia, the Georgian parliament issued an
ultimatum (reported by the Russian media) to specify the withdrawal
time by 15 May. If the response fails to please the Georgian
authorities, they will impose sanctions and deny entry visas to
Russian soldiers.

“We are against aggravating relations with Russia. This is being done
so that both Russia and Georgia can find mutually acceptable and
profitable ways of withdrawal,” Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili
said.

Russian media say that while the population of Batumi will not suffer
much from the withdrawal of the Russian military base, the situation
in Akhalkalaki will be quite different. The withdrawal of the military
base from this mostly Armenian region may seriously worsen social and
economic conditions there. Of course the Russian authorities, who have
never been against the Armenians pulling chestnuts out of the fire for
them, are now heavily relying on the support of the Akhalkalaki
Armenians and are probably not mistaken.

Some 10,000 people rallied in Akhalkalaki on Sunday [13 March],
signing, at the initiative of the One Javakhk NGO a demand that the
Georgian president and parliament should not only recognize the
Armenian genocide, but should also refuse to withdraw the Russian
military base from Akhalkalaki as “its presence ensures stability and
economic prosperity for the region”.

Commenting on the situation, Genadi Muradyan said that in fact there
were 3,000-4,000 and not 10,000 at the rally. As for the withdrawal of
the Russian military base, this was more of a social issue. “There are
people working at the base and if the troops are withdrawn they will
lose their jobs. But President Saakashvili spoke on Monday and said
that nobody in Javakheti will be left jobless, everybody will have
work and that they are drafting social and economic programmes for
Samtskhe Javakheti and, particularly, for Akhalkalaki.”

Asked if this response would satisfy the Akhalkalaki Armenians or if
the issue was political rather than social, Muradyan said: “Everything
is mixed up there and it is difficult to say for sure. An Armenian MP
in the Georgian parliament, Hamlet Movsesyan, said on Monday that the
Akhalkalaki Armenians were concerned lest the Russian bases be
replaced by other foreign, particularly Turkish, troops. They are
afraid of Turkey, as they still remember the Armenian genocide. But
the Georgian authorities gave assurances that there will be no foreign
troops in Georgia in general and in Akhalkalaki in particular.”

Asked if the Javakheti Armenians’ support for Russia in the matter
might generate anti-Armenian tensions in Georgia, Muradyan said: “We
should do our best to prevent tensions. We are raising these issues
before the Georgian government and, acknowledging that this is their
problem, we point out that they should do something to settle the
social problems of the 1,200 people working at the base. I think that
the people have the right to express their opinion on such crucial
issues,” Muradyan said.

USA, Russia pushing Armenian president towards Karabakh deal – newspaper

Iravunk, Yerevan
15 Mar 05

US pressure on Armenia is aimed at compelling President Robert
Kocharyan to sign a settlement on the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict, not
at orchestrating an “orange revolution”, according to an article in
Armenian newspaper Iravunk. “Both Washington and Moscow regard Robert
Kocharyan as a `politically written off’ figure who can be forced to
accept an unpleasant decision,” the article said. Some opposition
forces too would like Kocharyan to sign a settlement, as it avoids
them having to deal with the problem. A preliminary document is
expected to be signed during the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents’
next meeting in May, according to the article. The following is the
text of Ovanes Galadzhyan’s report in Iravunk on 15 March headlined
“Moscow and Washington have politically ‘written off’ Robert
Kocharyan”; subheadings have been inserted editorially:

US Senate committee hears criticism of Armenia

Of late not a day has gone by without a statement, report or
discussion that is negative for Armenia. During recent hearings at the
US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on “The Future of Democracy in
the Black Sea Area”, US Deputy Assistant Secretary John Tefft said:
“Further reform is hampered by Armenia’s relatively isolated position
and the ongoing Nagornyy Karabakh conflict, which has been an enormous
drain on the government’s resources for over 10 years.” Almost the
same was said about Azerbaijan, but for the note: “Azerbaijan
continues to offer [extensive and] invaluable support to the United
States for the global war on terror, including but not limited to
blanket overflight rights, the use of Azerbaijan military bases,
information sharing and law-enforcement cooperation.”

During the same hearings the director of International Security and
Energy Programmes at the Nixon Centre, Zeyno Baran, said the Armenian
diaspora “limits US ability to encourage democratic change in this
country” and “The US simply cannot put the same kind of pressure on
President Robert Kocharyan as it was able to do with President Leonid
Kuchma of Ukraine; it is inconceivable to think that Washington would
threaten to keep senior Armenian government officials out of the USA
in case of falsified elections.” The OSCE Minsk Group was criticized
during the meeting for its inefficiency in attaining a final
resolution.

USA wants Kocharyan to sign Karabakh settlement

All this confirms the report received from US sources that US pressure
on Armenia is directed not at orchestrating an “orange revolution” in
the country, but at compelling Robert Kocharyan to sign a document on
a settlement to the Karabakh conflict. By the way a preliminary
document is expected to be signed as early as late spring, during the
next meeting of the Armenian and Azeri presidents. Something not very
pleasant is also awaiting Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan in the next
few days – he is to familiarize himself with the findings of the OSCE
fact-finding mission to the liberated territories.

Moscow is showing no signs of opposition to Washington’s pressure and
hardly anything will change after Vladimir Putin’s visit to
Armenia. In exchange one can observe some trends for the US-EU to make
some mutual compromises with Iran and consequently alleviate their
pressure on that country. This reduces the urgency of the US
aspiration to have a military presence on the Iranian border, but it
is hardly likely to influence the USA’s strategic plans.

The question is why both Washington and Moscow want nobody but Robert
Kocharyan to sign the basic documents on the Karabakh conflict
settlement. The point is that the signing of such documents means the
discrediting of any government, even if they came to power on a
national revolutionary wave. Moreover, an “orange revolution” in
Armenia would make its new president quite a strong figure with an
indisputable resource of legitimacy and overwhelming national support
– a president that may prove quite stubborn in accepting settlement
scenarios that are unacceptable for the Armenian public. That’s why
the USA and not Russia are in no hurry to give the “green light” to
the Armenian opposition and to encourage government change in the
country.

But the selfsame Robert Kocharyan understands perfectly that, after he
has signed an unfavourable settlement document, both the West and
Russia will stop caring for the weak and discredited Armenian
government. Obviously, both Washington and Moscow regard Robert
Kocharyan as a “politically written off” figure who can be forced to
accept an unpleasant decision without being cared for politically
afterwards. Objectively some opposition forces would also like Robert
Kocharyan to ratify the documents to get rid of the problem, as it
carries corresponding risks and weighty responsibilities. That is
possibly the reason why the greater part of the Armenian opposition is
taking its time too.

Kocharyan planning no government reform

And how is Robert Kocharyan responding to these challenges? Following
his latest activities one can see that he is carrying out his own PR
by making public his own achievements – real or unreal – and his daily
ordeal for the sake of his country’s prosperity. In addition during
his recent visit to a carpet-weaving company he said one important
thing, that “there is no sense in making changes to a government that
is showing such indices”.

Robert Kocharyan has, thereby, called for government consolidation and
has made it clear to everybody that the government’s ruin will be ruin
for not only top officials but most oligarchs. This was also a step to
show that there will be no wide reforms or so-called government
revolution. It is clear enough that, when a president who has no
popular or external support starts drastically reforming executives or
infringing on oligarchs, he is running a very big risk. Besides he
cannot resort to a drastic measure like early parliamentary elections,
as Georgia’s example has shown that early parliamentary elections can
easily cause a national revolt.

Opposition in no hurry for revolution

That’s why the opposition is taking its time and, for example, the
Justice bloc says that it will start revolutionary activities not in
spring but at the right moment, the referendum on draft constitutional
amendments, which will hardly come soon. By this time government
cohesion will be non-existent, ruined by severe internal conflicts
during the September local elections. Robert Kocharyan’s statement has
also put an end to the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation-Dashnaktsutyun’s plans for personnel reforms and its
aspirations to gain new positions in the cabinet, which will sooner or
latter be expressed in public.

But the opposition is not only the Justice bloc. But analysing the
behaviour of the other opposition parties one can see no Western
tendencies either. This is natural as the parties are not receiving
any appropriate signals from the West. The National Unity Party too is
passive in its revolutionary efforts, limiting its activities to harsh
criticism of the prosecutor-general, Agvan Ovsepyan, and the
pan-national action to dance in a ring round the Aragats
Mountain. This party may also be waiting for the right moment.

The only party inclined to radical measures is probably New Times,
which is holding a congress in late March to start meeting the people
on 5 April. This is due to their leader Aram Karapetyan’s promise to
start a revolution in April. This is fraught with serious risks and no
coincidence that the government is already taking actions that might
lead to Karapetyan’s criminal persecution.

Kocharyan has staying power

So everybody is waiting to see how the external pressure on Robert
Kocharyan will end. He certainly has resources to delay this process,
but one cannot say for sure for how long they will last. This may last
much longer than might be expected, as the past seven years have shown
that the president has enough strength to withstand a blow and enough
intuition to take his bearings in risky situations.

CENN – March 17, 2005 Daily Digest

Table of Contents:

1. Baku – Tbilisi – Ceyhan Oil Pipeline Will Ease Traffic In Turkish
Straits

2. Chief of Forestry Department Flees Georgia, Citing Intimidation

3. US Pushes for Kazakh Exports Via BTC

4. CEPF project Newsletter

5. Let’s change the European Investment Bank actively and artfully!

6. Small grants available from the Global Transparency Initiative

7. Tenth International Journalism Summer School on “Working of
Journalists in the Situations of Crisis”

8. conference related to Public Health

9. NGO Strategy Meeting on The EU Environment and Health Action Plan:
Final Report

1. Baku – Tbilisi – Ceyhan Oil Pipeline Will Ease Traffic In Turkish
Straits

Source: TurkishPress, March 16, 2005

Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline will lower the traffic in Turkish straits,
said a Turkish source.

”Aside from its economic benefits to Turkey, the oil pipeline will
help ease traffic in the Turkish straits of Bosphorus and
Canakkale. We estimate that at least 333 giant tankers will be
eliminated per year thanks to the (Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan) pipeline.”

According to information obtained by the A.A, the number of oil
tankers passing through the Turkish straits has dramatically increased
in the past decade. ”While the amount of oil carried by ships was
approximately 60 million tons in 1996, this amount jumped to 143,5
million tons in 2004.”

Turkish energy officials expect a rapid increase in the amount of oil
carried from Russia through the straits. ”When oil is transferred
from the Caspian region to Russia and then to Turkey, the tanker
traffic will likely show an increase. Each day at least 15 large oil
tanker pass through the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul.”

The Turkish straits have become an economic haven for thousands of
ships from Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria.

One Turkish official told the A.A that on the average one ship
carrying a foreign flag passes through the Turkish straits every 7
minutes. ”Every 50 minutes, a large oil carrier passes through the
Turkish straits.”

Asked about the importance of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, a
Turkish Ministry of Energy official indicated that there are some
economic benefits for the people of the region. ”However, the BTC oil
pipeline will help bring the risk of accidents in Turkish straits to a
minimum level possible. We are more interested in the safety of
Turkish cities than the economic benefits the BTC may bring to us.”

The BTC oil pipeline is approximately 1774 kilometers long. The
portion of the oil pipeline in Turkey is about 1074 kilometers.

2. Chief of Forestry Department Flees Georgia, Citing Intimidation

Source: Civil Georgia, March 17, 2005

Chairman of the Forestry Department of Georgia Bidzina Giorgobiani
fled Georgia citing pressure from the authorities, particularly from
the officials of the Security Service, which is currently under the
subordination of the Interior Ministry.

Before his departure Mr. Giorgobiani recorded a short video tape and
distributed it to the Georgian television stations. In the tape, which
was broadcasted by the leading Georgian televisions on March 16,
Bidzina Giorgobiani claims that officials from the Security Service
fabricated a criminal case against him after he unveiled a scheme of
appropriation of funds by the Security Service officials from the
illegal trade of logs.

“Controversy [with the Security Service] started after I have cut all
the channels of illegal distribution of shares [from trade of logs],”
Mr. Giorgobiani said.

Reports say that Mr. Giorgobiani was convened in the General
Prosecutor’s Office a month ago for interrogation. The law enforcers
suspected him for alleged “negligence” while selling logs. He was
released after handing over to the General Prosecutor’s Office a
written pledge not to leave the city.

Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili declined to comment on this case
and only said that the General Prosecutor’s Office is in charge of
investigation.

In a video tape Mr. Giorgobiani said that he is going to Germany,
“where I lived for 9 years.”

Mr. Giorgobiani fled Georgia first time in early 90s after ouster of
late Georgian President Zviad Gamsakhurdia in 1992. Georgian daily
Rezonansi reported on March 17, that Mr. Giorgobiani returned to
Georgia after the request of late Georgian Prime Minister Zurab
Zhvania who offered him a position of Chief of Forestry Department
last year

3. US Pushes for Kazakh Exports Via BTC

Source: The Messenger, March 17, 2005

The United States would support a Chinese plan to build a major new
pipeline to export natural gas from Kazakhstan, said the State
Department’s point man on Caspian energy issues.

But Ambassador Steven Mann told a forum of regional business
representatives last week that the United States has deep reservations
about the sale of neighboring Georgia’s main gas pipelines to Russia’s
state-controlled monopoly Gazprom, saying the deal could jeopardize
Georgia’s energy independence.

US officials have been pushing for Kazakhstan to ship more of its
energy reserves through the highly touted new pipeline that bypasses
Russia by going through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. The
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline is expected to begin operations May 25.

4. CEPF project Newsletter

Dear Readers,

February Newsletter of Strengthening Conservation Alliances through
CEPF Coordination in Caucasus project is available on the following
site:

(There are available English and Russian versions of the Newsletter)

Lana Ghvinjilia

Communications Officer

WWF Caucasus PO

CEPF project

11 Alexidze St.

Tbilisi 0193 Georgia

Tel.: + 995 32 330155/54

Fax: + 995 32 330190

E-mail: lghvinjilia@wwfcaucasus.

5. Let’s change the European Investment Bank actively and artfully!

Every year the European Investment Bank (EIB) lends more than any
other international financial institution. It lends primarily to
European Union states but overall it has a current portfolio of
investments in more than 120 countries, with roughly 17% of these
investments going to new EU Member States and places such as South
Africa, Asia, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Latin America.

In view of the importance of the EIB’s financial role we are
challenging the ‘house Bank’ of the EU to become a positive European
source for the public funding of public benefits worldwide. We would
like to see an EIB which is fully accountable to the public and
transparent in all of its operations. We envision the EIB lending only
for environmentally and socially sustainable projects, based on clear
policies, standards and rules, both inside and outside the EU, which
can proudly state that it supports only projects that enjoy the
consent of all affected communities.

As a part of civil society’s call to concerned citizens and European
policy-makers to join efforts to make the EIB an institution that
supports people and the environment, we invite artists from Central
and Eastern European countries to participate in a social poster
design contest entitled “Public Funds for Public Benefits”.

Awards – Awards – Awards – Awards

There will be one first prize award of 1000 Euros and two runners-up
awards of 200 Euros. An international jury will decide the
prize-winners. The jury is composed of Professor Piotr Kunce,
professional artist and the Head of Poster Art Studio at Jan Matejko
Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow, representing the media, Jane MacKenzie
of the UK’s renowned satirical magazine Private Eye, and Tomasz
Terlecki, the Executive Director of CEE Bankwatch Network.

You can also vote for the best project

We would also like to give internet users the opportunity to vote for
the best project. Thus there will be a gallery featuring all submitted
projects on our website to allow the public to vote for their
favourite entry. The most popular design as voted publicly and
transparently by our web audience will also receive a prize worth 200
Euros.

Victory will establish you as a real bankwatcher

Not only is there the promise of financial reward by participating in
the contest, but you could also be the creator of the posters
promoting our campaign. Our intention is also to prepare a
street-exhibition featuring some of the submitted projects, which
would be shown in Brussels and Luxembourg around the time of the EIB’s
Annual Meeting in June later this year. So the projects will very much
stay alive after the contest and help to make the campaign visible.

The statute of the contest

The aim and the topic of the contest:

To gather original poster designs in A1 format (594mmx841mm) promoting
the EIB reform campaign of CEE Bankwatch Network. The contest serves
to widen the public’s knowledge about a public financial institution,
the EIB, and its imperfect way of functioning and also to encourage
civil society to participate in the process of monitoring the EIB’s
activities.

Organizer:

CEE Bankwatch Network

Jicinska 8

130 00 Prague 3

Czech Republic

Duration of the contest: March 1, 2005 – May 30, 2005

The deadline for sending competitive works: April 25, 2005 (on this
day we stop accepting works sent by mail or submitted by person)

The address for sending competitive works:

CEE Bankwatch Network

Czackiego 3A

r. 29, 70-216 Szczecin

Poland

With the sub-heading Contest

The founder of the prize:

CEE Bankwatch Network

The territory of the contest:

Belorussia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia,
Georgia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Macedonia, Poland, Romania,
Serbia and Montenegro, Slovak Republic, Ukraine.

Requirements of the application and participation:

a.. A competitive project entry can be sent by individuals;
b.. Every participant can make a maximum of three variations on the theme;
c.. Printouts in A3 format should be glued to stiff board. On the board’s reverse in the upper right-hand corner, there should be an original password;
d.. Projects have to be sent in two printed specimens with an electronic CD version ( 1:1 size, 300 dpi resolution, TIFF);
e.. Submitted projects have to be under the ownership of the senders, must not have been publicized previously and must not infringe upon another author’s rights;
f.. Submitted projects will not be returned and fall under the ownership of the organizers;
g.. Senders pay shipping costs;
h.. It is necessary for the projects to be accompanied by a completed application from the website in an enclosed envelope;
i.. It is necessary to put an original password on the envelope, the CD and the reverse of every project speciment;
j.. It is not permitted for the organizers and all persons engaged in preparing the contest to take part in the contest;
k.. Incomplete applications will not be taken into account;
l.. Participation in the contest indicates acceptance of the statute and agreement on free project exposure after the contest;
m.. The first-prize winner will also be obliged to make possible minor changes suggested by the jury.

Jury:

a.. Jane MacKenzie, London, Private Eye;
b.. Professor Piotr Kunce, Cracow the Head of Poster Art Studio at Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow;
c.. Tomasz Terlecki, Executive Director, CEE Bankwatch Network;

The jury will convene in order to choose the best project in April
2005 in Cracow. Following this meeting, an announcement will be
made. The decision of the jury is final. The first prize is
anticipated to be EUR 1000. There are also two second prizes equaling
EUR 200 and a so called audience prize, which is also for EUR 200.

We would also like to give our web audience the opportunity to vote
for the best project. That is why we are going to establish a gallery
of all sent projects on the webpage to allow visitors to choose their
favourite. The best project, chosen publicly and transparently, will
be awarded with the audience price of EUR 200.

6. Small grants available from the Global Transparency Initiative

Dear friends,

The Global Transparency Initiative (GTI), a network of civil society
organizations promoting transparency at the international financial
institutions (IFIs), announces a Request for Proposals for small
grants in the following categories:

a.. Case studies/Audits regarding access to information and the
IFIs: Small grants of US$500 to US$3,000 will be made to research
and write case studies about the negative consequences of a lack of
transparency by IFIs or the positive effects of transparency by such
institutions, in specific instances. b.. Advocacy: up to US$5,000,
will be available for key advocacy activities which promote broader
issues of disclosure by the IFIs or are linked to other activities
of the GTI. The GTI seeks to improve the transparency of IFI’s by
influencing the disclosure policies and standards of these
institutions. This grant is available to individuals and civil
society organizations involved in precedent setting transparency
issues within the context of specific campaigns. c.. Translations:
up to US$1,000, will be made to translate case studies, transparency
audits and other relevant documents produced by civil society that
discuss issues dealing with transparency within a country context or
within the operations of the International Financial Institutions
(IFIs).

Organizations and individuals are eligible to apply. Only complete
proposals will be considered. Proposals for case studies/audits and
advocacy will be reviewed on a quarterly basis, while proposals for
translations will be reviewed on a more expedited basis, wherever
possible within two weeks after they have been received.

Please find more information at:

7. TENTH INTERNATIONAL JOURNALISM SUMMER SCHOOL ON “WORKING OF
JOURNALISTS IN THE SITUATIONS OF CRISIS”

Mass Media Center School of Journalism, St.Petersburg State University

St.Petersburg, Russia

28 June – 6 July 2005

St.Petersburg, Russia

The Mass Media Center of the School (Faculty) of Journalism at
St. Petersburg State University (SPbGU) is inviting journalists,
scholars, educators, students, and communication specialists from
around the world to take part in the Tenth Annual International
Journalism Summer School, beginning June 28, 2005. This is the
excellent opportunity to widen the view on media studies studying
Russian media and journalism in the political, social, economic,
legal, ethnic, environmental and cultural perspective.

Leading university professors and professional journalists will lead
this course, which will include lectures and practical workshops
devoted to several issues, questions and problems related to the
development of the Mass Media. The main subject of the Tenth Summer
course will be “Working of Journalists in the Situations of
Crisises”. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss this
topic with professional journalists during the site visits to media
outlets as well as during a roundtable scheduled for July 6. Courses
are given by the best faculty and staff of the School of Journalism at
St.Petersburg State University and experienced professionals from a
wide variety of St.Petersburg Media.

The course also includes a cultural program, with sightseeing city bus
tour, excursion to the State Hermitage Museum, and performance at the
famous Marinsky (Kirov’s) Theater.

Working languages: English and Russian. The programme will be
conducted in Russian, with English interpretation.

Registration until: June 1, 2005.

Participants are responsible for the trip to St.Petersburg and for
getting of the Russian visas. Visa support is not included to the
tuition fee.

For more information, including application materials, contact the
Mass Media Center of the School of Journalism at

St.Petersburg State University: 1-aya Liniya V.O. Building 26, Office
602. 199004. St. Petersburg, Russia.

Telephone / Fax: (7-812) 323-00-67, 321-01-72.

E-Mail: [email protected]

Web sites: and

Contact person: Dmitry A. Ruschin, Ph.D., Associate Professor,
Director of the International Journalism Summer School and Winter
School on Public Relations at St.Petersburg State University. E-Mail:
[email protected] (main address) and [email protected] (additional
address).

MASS MEDIA CENTER

School of Journalism, St.Petersburg State University

1-aya Liniya V.O., # 26, office 606. St.Petersburg. 199004. Russia

Tel/Fax: (7-812) 323-00-67, 321-01-72.

E-mail: [email protected]

8. conference related to Public Health

Dear colleagues,

I am sharing with you this information about the conference related to
Public Health that will be organized in Armenia on September 17-20,
2005.

This is the Regional Public Health Conference and we expect to have
lots of local and international public health specialists as
participants. Your participation as well as sharing with this info
with your colleagues and friends would be appreciated. For more info
you are welcome to contact me.

Please visit the website, where you can find all info about the
conference

Best Regards,

Naira Gharakhanyan, MD, MPH

Health Program Coordinator

COAF Armenia

13 Yervand Kochar, Yerevan

Tel: (+374 1) 57 52 54

Tel/fax: (+3741) 57 53 55

Website:

9. NGO strategy meeting on the EU Environment and Health Action Plan:
final report

Dear Readers,

We would like to draw your attention to the final report of the NGO
strategy meeting on the EU Environment and Health Action Plan which
took place in Egmond aan Zee (The Netherlands) on 1 December 2004 and
was co-organized by the European Public Health Alliance Environment
Network (EEN) and the Dutch Platform for Environment and Health. The
report is now available both in English and in Russian, please find
both versions enclosed.

The meeting aimed to identify key actions proposed by WHO’s Children’s
Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe (CEHAPE) and to
recommend that they be taken forward within the EU Action Plan
framework. It also looked at how the EU’s Action Plan can be
implemented by examining areas such as biomonitoring, indicators, risk
communication and indoor air quality. The results were presented to
the EU member states and institutions at the Dutch Presidency
conference on December 2-3.

For further information please see our website at:

EPHA Environment Network

39-41 rue d’Arlon

B-1000 Brussels

Tel: +32 2 233 3875

Fax: +32 2 233 3880

E-mail: [email protected]

Please visit our new website:

*******************************************
CENN INFO
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)

Tel: ++995 32 75 19 03/04
Fax: ++995 32 75 19 05
E-mail: [email protected]
URL:

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Communist leader scoffs at calls to withdraw Russian troops from Armenia

Arminfo
16 Mar 05

YEREVAN

“Only the [Armenian] politicians registered in the Washington’s
personnel department today can speak about the need to withdraw
Russian troops from Armenia,” the first secretary of the Communist
Party of Armenia, Ruben Tovmasyan, has told an Arminfo
correspondent. He was commenting on frequent statements by some
politicians in the republic about the need of Armenia’s integration
into NATO and the withdrawal of the Russian contingent from Armenia.

Given such a bloodthirsty neighbour as Turkey, the demand for the
withdrawal of the Russian troops means initiating a repetition of 1915
[events in Ottoman Turkey described in Armenia as genocide]. “The
withdrawal of the Russian troops will means an end to Armenia,” the
leader of the Armenian communists stressed. He recalled that there had
been rises and declines in a 300-year-old history of the
Russian-Armenian relations, but at the same time these relations had
never cooled down.

The Western countries’ anti-Armenian position is an incontestable
fact, Tovmasyan said. In particular, none of the US leaders has ever
used the word “genocide” giving an assessment of the sad events in
western Armenia [northeastern Turkey] in the beginning of the last
century [1915].

Meanwhile, new steps have been taken in Russia for the international
recognition of the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire. For
example, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation this January
helped the Armenian communists to achieve a condemnation of the
genocide by the Union of the Communist Parties. The communist parties
of the former 15 Soviet republics called on their countries’
governments and also the international community to condemn the
Armenian genocide.

Tovmasyan said that the communist parties of foreign countries as well
as the socialist forces which have strong positions in a number of
Latin American and European countries are currently joining the
process of the recognition of the genocide.

COMMANDER OF MILITARIZED GROUPING “NATIONAL ARMY OF ARMENIA,”
45-YEAR-OLD RAZMIK VASILYAN DIED ON MARCH 14.

YEREVAN, MARCH 16. ARMINFO. Commander of Militarized Grouping
“National Army of Armenia,” 45-year-old Razmik Vasilyan died on March
14.

The press-service of the Armenian Defense Ministry informs ARMINFO
that Vasilyan was among the people who being full of ideas of Garegin
Nzhdeh considered immediate establishment of National Army the only
way of implementation of the program of liberation struggle. In the
spring of 1989 they established the grouping “National Army of
Armenia.” Vasilyan not only participated in the military actions, but
also used his command abilities to settle and prevent provocations.
Being Commander, he displayed himself as a private, being respected by
both the grouping members and the residents of the populated areas. He
remained devoted to his oath to continue serving to the Fatherland in
the structures of the Armenian Defense Ministry. Vasilyan was married
and had three children.

The civil funeral will take place today at 18:00 in the following
address: Tbilisi highway 16. The farewell ceremony will take place
tomorrow at 12:00- 14:00 in the House of Culture of Kanaz, the same
day at 15:00 the funerals will take place in the memorial complex of
felled heroes Yerablur.

NEW LAW ON PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION IN ARMENIA TO BE ADOPTED LATE 2005

YEREVAN, MARCH 16. ARMINFO. A new Law “On pre-school education” in
Armenia, as well as its standard acts will be adopted by the end of
2005, Armenian Minister of Science and Education Sergo Yeritsyan
informed at today’s press-conference.

He noted that in 2006-2008 compulsory study in country’s infant school
will be started from the age of 5. Teacher of these institutions will
be retrained within that period, too. 100 pre-school institutions in
county’s regions will be reconstructed and repaired this year. 682
state infant schools act today in Armenia of them 250 in Yerevan,
63220 children attend them regularly.

7% of children attend day nurseries, 2-5 years old children attending
kindergartens amount 25%. 11.811 employees are engaged in these
institutions. Their wages are not regulated by the state bodies as
they financed by communities, Minister noted. In his words, the
present legislation does not regulate also the activity of alternative
infant schools and the order of their licensing does not correspond to
the present-day standards. The new Law will elaborate provisions
allowing regulation of by-the-hour schedule of kindergartens’
attendance. -r-

NKR DM REFUTES AZERI REPORTS ON VIOLATION OF CEASE FIRE

YEREVAN, MARCH 16. ARMINFO. NKR Defence Ministry refutes pointblank
the Azeri media report that there has been an exchange of fire near
Agdam.

This is misinformation and an attempt to charge Nagorny Karabakh
republic with violating the cease fire regime. But it was Azerbaijan
who was responsible for the Mar 7 and Mar 9 incidents on the NKR-Azeri
contact line. The NKR DM also refutes the TURAN report of a Tuesday
skirmish also near Agdam.

Press Secretary of Armenia’s Defence Minister Seyran Shahsuvaryan says
that there was no exchange of fire on the contact line of Ijevan
(Armenia) and Gazakh (Azerbaijan) Mar evening – as reported by
Day.az. There was no fire on either Armenian or Azeri sides. This is
one more provocation, he says noting that Azerbaijan does not miss a
chance to remind of the section and to allege some skirmishes.

“WITHDRAWAL OF RUSSIAN TROOPS WILL MEAN END OF ARMENIA”, LEADER OF
ARMENIAN COMMUNISTS THINKS

YEREVAN, MARCH 16. ARMINFO. “Only the politicians, registered in the
Washington Personnel Department, may speak today of the necessity of
withdrawal of Russian military bases from Armenia”. First Secretary of
Communist Party of Armenia Ruben Tovmasian expressed such an opinion
talking to ARMINFO, commenting on the statements of several
politicians on the necessity of Armenia’s integration into NATO with
the follow-up withdrawal of the Russian contingent from Armenia.

According to Ruben Tovmasian, to require the withdrawal of Russian
troops, possessing such a blood0thirsty neighbor like Turkey, means to
initiate repetition of the 1915. “The withdrawal of the Russian troops
will mean the end of Armenia”, the leader of Armenian communists
stressed, reminding that the three centuries old history of
Russian-Armenian relations knew both rises and recessions, but at the
same time these relations have never cooled down. Tovmasian considered
indisputable the fact of the anti-Armenian position of western
countries. In particular, no one of the leaders of the United States
has ever delivered the word “genocide” in the estimation of the famous
events in Western Armenia at the beginning of last century. At the
same time, Russia takes steps towards international recognition of the
genocide of the Armenians in Ottoman empire. Thus, through the
assistance of the Communist party of Russian Federation in Jan of the
current year the communists of Armenia succeeded to achieve
condemnation of the Genocide in the Union of communist
parties. According to Ruben Tovmasian, the communist parties of remote
foreign countries, as well as socialist forces in Latin American and
European countries now are joining the process of recognition of the
Genocide.

JEWISH COMMUNITY OF ARMENIA APPEALS TO JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS OF WORLD
TO EXPRESS THEIR CIVIL POSITIONS ON ISSUE OF RECOGNIZING ARMENIAN
GENOCIDE IN 1915 IN OTTOMAN TURKEY

YEREVAN, MARCH 16. ARMINFO. The Jewish community of Armenia appeals to
the Jewish organizations all over the world to express their civil
positions on issue of recognizing Armenian Genocide in 1915 in Ottoman
Turkey.

An appeal, received by ARMINFO March 16, stresses that Ottoman Turkey
perpetrated monstrous crime against citizens of its country, inflicted
reprisals, annihilated 1,5 mln Armenians. This fact were consigned to
oblivion for decades and were not condemned by the mankind. Perhaps,
Holocaust would not occurred if the world in proper time stood
together against that atrocity, as it stands on the fight against
terrorism. No political or economical interests should prevent
recognizing tragedies common to all mankind, the document says.

In opinion of appeal’s authors, the issue of recognizing Armenian
Genocide in no way directed against Turkish people, and quite the
contrary, it will raise the country in opinion of civilization, as it
was in case of Germany acknowledged the fact of extirpation of 6 mln
Jews by the Nazi state. “On the eve of the Memorial Day of Genocide
victims April 24 we appeal to those who are not indifferent to the
acknowledgment of historical truth, and asked to bow down before the
memory of these victims”, the appeal says. -r-