IHL INSTRUCTORS’ COURSE FOR ARMENIAN ARMED FORCES
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4. ARMINFO. A five-day training course on
International Humanitarian Law (IHL) for 12 officers of Armenian Armed
Forces has started today in the resort town of Tsakhkadzor (30 km
north of Yerevan). The course for future IHL instructors is organized
by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in cooperation
with the Ministry of Defence of Armenia.
The press-service of ICRC Office in Yerevan told ARMINFO that
conducted by the ICRC regional IHL expert, this course focuses on the
effective use of the “IHL for Commanders” and “IHL for Instructors”
manuals, used as a didactic tool for IHL training in the Armenian
Army. The course also covers topics such as conduct of operations,
commander’s responsibility, behaviour in combat and the ICRC and its
activities.
Similar training courses have been organised in the past. Through such
course. the ICRC seek to ensure that officers from Armenian Armed
Forces know and respect the rules and principles of IHL. The ICRC
stands ready to support the Armenian military authorities in
Integrating IHL into the teaching and combat training of the Armenian
armed forces, the source reports.

PAN-ARMENIAN GAMES MOST IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF ACTIVATION OF
COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF TIES BETWEEN ARMENIA AND DIASPORA:
ARMENIAN PM
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4. ARMINFO. Pan-Armenian Games, which have already
became a tradition, are the most important component of activation of
cooperation and development of ties between Armenia and the Armenian
Diaspora. Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan made this
statement during his meeting with the members the of the World
Committee of Pan-Armenian games today.
The Armenian Governmental press-service told ARMINFO that Vice
Chairman of the Committee Roland Sharoyan presented Andranik Margaryan
the program connected with organization of the games, the agenda of
the discussions on the forthcoming games, including plans for the
coming 3-4 years. In his turn, Premier Margaryan expressed readiness
for contributing to the Committee, pointing out the necessity of
gradual expansion of the geography of the participants and an increase
in the number of the participant-states.

GOVERNMENT UNWILLING TO HELP GIFTED CHILDREN
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 14. ARMINFO. Fifteen winners of international
mathematics, physics, informatics, and chemistry competitions have
received presents of the RA National Academy of Sciences (ANAS). The
ceremony of presenting the gifted children with encyclopedias and
photo cameras was held on the occasion of International Science Day.
Head of republican and international competitions Garnik Tonoyan
compared looking for talents to prospecting gold in the country’s
entrails, pointing out that the Government is rather passive in this
matter. According to him, the pupils’ achievements are their own
service, as ordinary comprehensive schools have not potential for
preparing talented children. Schools have no manuals, and teachers
cannot answer gifted children’s questions. Tonoyan stressed that the
International Scientific-Technical Organization, which allegedly spent
20mln. USD on revealing talented children, has not actually spend a
single dollar to sponsor the participants in international
competitions. “The matter is that the Government has no strategy to
support talented pupils,” Tonoyan said. As a result, Armenian
prodigies do not receive such good prizes as their peers from
Azerbaijan and Georgia. The winners of competitions visited the
country’s scientific centers, where scientists told them about their
achievements in mathematics, physics, medical genetics, etc..

ROBERT SIMONS HOPES FOR JOINT EXERCISES TO BE CONTINUED
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4. ARMINFO. Robert Simons, NATO Secretary General’s
Special Representative to the Caucasus and Central Asia, hopes that
although the “Cooperative Best Effort 2004” exercises in Baku failed,
the practice of joint military exercises will be continued.
In his interview to the “Izvestiya” newspaper Simons stated that the
Euroatlantic Partnership Council has a fundamental principle: all the
member-states have the right to take part in joint activities. “In
this case, the Azerbaijani authorities were not ready to ensure
Armenian representatives’ participation in joint exercises, though so
much had been done to prepare them. We clearly stated our position to
the Azerbaijani Government,” he said.
According to Simons, the problem was in Azerbaijan’s allowing Armenian
servicemen to arrive, but not in its being not ready to take part in
the joint activities. “If the exercises had been held in a third
country, we would receive them gladly there. Other exercises are being
and will be planned,” Simons said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PARTICIPANTS OF SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF MARKETS OF CAPITAL
STRESS IMPORTANCE OF FURTHER STRENGTHENING OF BUSINESS RELATIONS
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4. ARMINFO. International Conference of Markets of
Capital, initiated by Thessaloniki Stock Exchange Center, was held in
Thessaloniki on Sept 25-26. ARMINFO was informed in the press office
of the Armenian Stock Exchange Armex, representatives of Armex and
Securities Commission of Armenia took part in the international
conference. Noteworthy, a Memorandum on cooperation was signed between
Armex and Thessaloniki Stock Exchange Center in March of the current
year.
Over 100 representatives of state regulators, institutes and
professional participants of the market of capital of Greece,
bulgaria, Cyprus, Egypt, Georgia, Jordan, Italy, Russia, Romania, the
Ukraine, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Sweden and other countries
took part in the conference.
During the conference the participants had discussed a wide circle of
issues concerning perfection and further expansion of the cooperation
in the region, as well as prospects to overcome existing and possible
difficulties in this sphere. The representatives of all the
delegations had stressed the importance and necessity of further
strengthening of business relations between the markets of the
countries of the region, in particular, establishment of a united
information center, which unites information about the markets of
capital of the aforementioned countries, including legislative and
normative field.
Resources in the press office of the Armex did not exclude that the
tradition of holding similar conference will become annual.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CHINA ALLOCATES 100MLN. USD FOR CONSTRUCTION OF RUBBER-PRODUCING PLANT
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4. ARMINFO. China has allocated 100mln. USD for the
construction of a plant to produce chloroprene rubber by Armenian
technology, the Armenian participant in the project, Director of the
“Nairit 2” CJSC Albert Sukiasyan told ARMINFO.
According to him, the construction of a plant with a designed capacity
of 30,000 tons of rubber a year in the province of Shaahsi was started
a year ago. The Armenian share in the authorized capital of the
“Shaansi-Nairit” CJSC is 40%, and that of China 60%. Sukiasyan pointed
out that the State Bank of China lent a credit, and the Armenian side
is to contribute with technologies and equipment. Sukiasyan pointed
out that a rubber-producing plan is already operating in Shaansi, but
is was closed for environmental reasons. The old plant is to be shut
down after the new one is put into operation, 50km. away from the
city. Sukiasyan reported that China’s yearly demand for rubber is
100,000 tons.
An agreement on the establishment of a JV was signed on October 2001
between the RA Ministry of Trade and Economic Development and the
Shaansi group of joint-stock companies of synthetic rubbers.

KARABAKH CANNOT BE PART OF AZERBAIJAN: ARKADY GHUKASYAN
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4. ARMINFO. “Nagorny Karabakh will either become an
independent state or join Armenia,” President of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic (NKR) Arkady Ghukasyan stated at a meeting of the Armenian
General Benevolent Union (AGBU).
According to him, it is impossible for Nagorny Karabakh to be part of
Azerbaijan. “And we are trying to prove the international community
and the mediators that an attempt to re-join Nagorny Karabakh to
Azerbaijan is a direct way to a war,” Ghukasyan said. He pointed out
that the international community realizes it now.

ACTIVE MEMBERS OF PPFSA ARE PREPARING TO ACTIONS OF PROTEST AGAINST
ARRIVAL OF ARMENIAN DEPUTIES TO BAKU
BAKU, OCTOBER 4. ARMINFO-TURAN. The Party Popular Front Single
Azerbaijan (PPFSA) of single Azerbaijan considers inadmissible arrival
of the Armenian deputies to Baku for participation in the seminar
Of the parliamentary assembly of PACE. Press-release of the PPFSA
reads that the active members of the organization are going to hold in
front of the building of the Milli Mejlis, Foreign Ministry and the
embassies of the countries-members of NATO in Baku. Relevant agreement
was sent to the Town hall.

CAUSTIC SODA PRODUCTION TO BE SET UP IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4. ARMINFO. A number of foreign companies are showing
interest in a 30mln. USD project of setting up the production of pure
solid caustic soda in Armenia initiated by the “Nairit-2” CJSC, Karen
Karapetyan, Head of the Information Department, Armenian Development
Agency (AAA), told ARMINFO.
According to him, the project was submitted to the Eurasian Economic
Union (EAEU) in Moscow on September 20. US companies showed the
greatest interest in the project. Karapetyan pointed out that
investments are to be directed to the purchase of up-to-date
equipment. Production is expected to be organized at the “Nairit 2”
CJSC. The project envisages the production of 50 to 100 thousand tons
of caustic soda a year. Karapetyan reported that the principal raw
material in the production of caustic soda is table salt. Salt
solution is leached from under the ground, and the formed cavities are
expected to be used for storing fuel and oil products. The storage
will allow oil-processing enterprises to be established in
Armenia. Karapetyan said that the Rustavi-based “Azot” plant is a
large consumer of caustic soda in the region.

Azeri pressure group vows to thwart Armenian presence at NATO seminar
ANS TV, Baku
5 Oct 04

[Presenter Ceyhun Aliyev] The Karabakh Liberation Organization [KLO]
is planning to stage protest actions against Armenian MPs’ visit to
Baku [to attend the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Rose-Roth seminar on
26-28 November].
[Correspondent over video of news conference] The Armenian MPs’ visit
to Baku should be thwarted, the KLO chairman, Akif Nagi, told a news
conference today. He said that opinions on the issue varied.
[Nagi] As long as Azerbaijan and Armenia are at war, as long as our
lands are under occupation, establishing any relations between
Azerbaijan and Armenia both at the official or unofficial levels is
beneficial to Armenia. Today Armenia has an interest in establishing
relations with Azerbaijan to demonstrate to the world that allegedly
nothing is happening between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
[Correspondent] Nagi said that this position was inadmissible. He
added that the KLO would do its best to thwart the Armenian MPs’ visit
to Baku. But he did not speak about details of the planned actions.
Afat Telmanqizi, Baxtiyar Salimov, Zeynal Zeynalov for ANS.