Putin stresses energy cooperation in talks with Kazakh president

ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow
19 Jun 04

Almaty, 19 June: Russian President Vladimir Putin has held a working
meeting with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

The Kazakh president thanked the Russian president for agreeing to
continue bilateral consultations in Almaty following yesterday’s
summits of the Eurasian Economic Community Belarus, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan and the Collective Security Treaty
Organization Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
and Russia in Astana.

Vladimir Putin noted that major Russian-Kazakh joint projects were
being carried out in various sectors of the economy. There are also
other major plans which concern not only the oil and gas sector, the
Russian president noted. He stressed the possibility of developing
cooperation in power engineering, specifically, in electric power
engineering.

Implementing these projects will make it possible for Kazakhstan to
enter foreign markets, Putin stressed.

Kazakh, Russian leaders arrive in Kazakh ex-capital for cooperation talks

ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow
19 Jun 04

Almaty, 19 June: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Kazakh
counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev have arrived in Almaty on the Russian
presidential aircraft, the Russian president’s press secretary,
Aleksey Gromov, told an ITAR-TASS correspondent.

During the flight the two leaders discussed the results of the summits
of the Eurasian Economic Community Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Russia and Tajikistan and the Collective Security Treaty Organization
Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Russia which
were held in Astana yesterday.

At a meeting in Almaty the two presidents will discuss issues relating
to the further development of bilateral cooperation.

The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec)
June 19, 2004 Saturday Final Edition

Flood of prospects try to make cut: 1,500 show skills CBC reality TV
show offers shot at NHL

by: JOHN MEAGHER

A 30-year-old pharmacist by day and a beer-league goalie by night,
Dikran Karlozian is one of 1,500 NHL longshots attending the Bell
Making The Cut Tryout Challenge this weekend at the 4-Glaces arena
complex in Brossard.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” said Karlozian, who was hoping
to survive yesterday’s round of cuts and eventually earn one of six
coveted invitations to an NHL training camp in 2005.

The three-day Montreal tryout camp is the last of seven stops in
a nationwide search for Canada’s best unsigned hockey players. The
public won’t know which skaters have been selected until the Making
The Cut reality television show airs this September on CBC and RDS.

While the odds of ever reaching the NHL are stacked against him,
Karlozian is taking an optimistic approach to his one and only kick
at the can.

“A 1-in-10,000 shot at the NHL is better than none at all,” he said.

“I’m looking at this as more of a chance to gauge myself against
better players out there. I honestly don’t actually expect to make
much of an impact unless I actually get some help from the hand of God,
or something.”

Since the Montreal camp began yesterday, legions of NHL wannabes
like Karlozian have gladly paid the $55 registration fee to be put
through their paces by a coaching staff headed by Scotty Bowman and
Mike Keenan. Assisting them will be Jacques Demers, Alain Vigneault
and Pierre McGuire.

A whittled-down group of players – or “survivors” – will be asked to
stick around for a series of contact 3-on-3 games in the afternoons.
Coaches and the scouting staff will then compare notes from the other
tryout camps held recently across the country, before issuing 68
invites to next month’s main tryout camp, to be held at an undisclosed
location.

>>From that shortlisted group, six eventual winners will be selected
to report to one of Canada’s NHL franchises: the Canadiens, Ottawa
Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and
Vancouver Canucks.

Wesley and Shawn Scanzano, identical twin brothers from Dorval, also
headed to Brossard in hopes of some day landing a dream job in the NHL.

Last season, the undrafted Scanzano twins toiled in the minors for
the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League.

Wesley, a 23-year-old winger, has previously attended the NHL training
camp of the Phoenix Coyotes, but never caught on. He is viewing this
weekend’s tryout camp as another crack at an NHL career that’s eluded
him since his junior days with the Quebec Remparts, where he played
alongside future NHLers Mike Ribeiro, Simon Gagne and Eric Chouinard.

“I’ve nothing to lose,” he said. “I’m just going there to do my best
and hope something good happens. If not, we’ll move on.”

Scanzano says making the NHL is as much about timing as talent. “You
have to be in the right place at the right time. I’ve spent the past
couple of years trying to make the NHL, so I thought this might be
my last shot.”

Shawn Scanzano has tasted success before, but never at the NHL level.
As a rugged junior defenceman in 2000, he won a Memorial Cup with
Brad Richards and the Rimouski Oceanic. Richards won the Stanley Cup
this year with the Tampa Bay Lightning and was named the Conn Smythe
Trophy winner as playoff MVP.

Karlozian is a late bloomer who has improved with age.

A Montrealer of Armenian decent, he didn’t start playing organized
hockey until he was 16. He has spent much of the last 14 years making
up for lost ice time.

“Hockey has already changed my life,” said Karlozian, who was obese
as a child, weighing 260 pounds at age 12.

Now a more solid 230 pounds, he says his beer-league goaltending
skills give him the confidence to reach for the NHL.

“I just want to take my shot and have a little piece of mind at the
end,” he said. “If I make it, great. If I don’t, well, at least I
took my shot.

“Who knows? If I make a couple of big saves, I might catch the eye
of somebody important.

“But I’m not going to cry if I don’t make it, because I have very
good career to fall back on.”

[email protected]

GRAPHIC: Photo: GORDON BECK, THE GAZETTE; Goalie hopeful Charline
Labonte, hoping to make the cut for the CBC reality series Making
The Cut, gets encouragement from NHL coaching greats Scotty Bowman
(left) and Mike Keenan at 4-Glaces Arena in Brossard.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

This week’s Armenia v World match

The Guardian (London)
June 19, 2004

This week’s Armenia v World match in Moscow provided a rare chance
for Garry Kasparov and Vishy Anand to compete head to head, though
the Armenian team, honouring the 75th anniversary of Tigran
Petrosian’s birth, was a strange mix. Kasparov has an Armenian
mother, Hungary’s Peter Leko has an Armenian wife and the Israeli
Boris Gelfand is an ex-pupil of Petrosian. Loek van Wely, the
lowest-rated GM on the World team, was on the end of a full-blooded
Kasparov attack. Yet the Dutch No1’s resilient defence would have
been rewarded if he had found 31 gxf6! when 32 Qxf6 Rxf6 33 Rxf6 Bxf3
34 Qg5+ draws by perpetual check. As played, Black resigned after 33
fxg6! because of Rxf6 34 g7 or 33 . . . fxg6 34 Rxg6+ Kf8 35 Qh8+
forcing mate. The World won 18.5-17.5. G Kasparov v L van Wely 1 Nf3
Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 Nc3 Nc6 4 d4 cxd4 5 Nxd4 e6 6 a3 Nxd4 7 Qxd4 b6 8 Qf4
Be7 9 e4 d6 10 Qg3 O-O 11 Bh6 Ne8 12 Bf4 Bb7 13 Rd1 Bh4 14 Qh3 Qf6 15
Be3 Bg5 16 Be2 Bxe3 17 Qxe3 Qe7 18 O-O Nf6 19 Rd2 Rfd8 20 Rfd1 Bc6 2

Bb7 26 Nb5 Qxc4 27 Nxd6 Qc7 28 Qxh4 Bc6 29 g4 Ba4 30 g5 Bxd1 31 gxf6
Rxd6? 32 Rg2 g6 33 fxg6! 1-0

M Adams v V Akopian

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Nd7 5 Nf3 Ngf6 6 Nxf6+ Nxf6 7 c3 c5
8 Ne5 a6 9 Bg5 Be7 10 dxc5 Qxd1+ 11 Rxd1 Bxc5 12 Be2 h6 13 Bh4 g5 14
Bg3 Ne4 15 Bf3 Nxg3 16 hxg3 Ke7 17 Bxb7! Bxb7 18 Rd7+ Kf6 19 f4! gxf4
20 gxf4 Kf5 21 Rxf7+ Ke4 22 Rxb7 Rag8 23 Rc7 Be3 24 Rc4+ Kd5 25 Rh5!
1-0

No 2836

White, playing up the board, checkmates in two moves, against any
defence. This week’s diagram is the opening round of the annual
Winton Capital British Solving Championship, to find the UK’s best
solver.

To enter, simply post White’s first move to: Paul Valois, 14 Newton
Park Drive, Leeds LS7 4HH. You should include a cheque or postal
order for £3 payable to British Chess Problem Society, and mark your
entry “The Guardian”.

Entries, which are open to British residents only, must be postmarked
July 31 or earlier. After the closing date all entrants will receive
the answer to the starting problem, a free copy of The Problemist
magazine, and, if successful, a postal round of harder problems. The
best postal solvers qualify for a £1,000 prize fund final in early
2005.

Last year nearly 90% of Guardian readers who entered the first stage
got it right. But be warned. This year’s starter problem looks harder
than in recent years, and I needed several attempts before finding
the key move. So check carefully before posting your answer.

Winton Capital also sponsors the British team at the annual world
solving championship.

No 2835 : Black should play Kb8! The game ended Kc7? 2 a7 Kb7 3 Nd6+!
Resigns as a pawn queens.

1ST LEAD: Horna replaces Nalbandian in Wimbledon draw

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
June 19, 2004, Saturday

Revised men’s draw for the 17.95-million-dollar Wimbledon
Championshiops starting Monday after withdrawal of fourth seed David
Nalbandian. Men Roger Federer, 1, Switzerland v Alex Bogdanovic,
Britain Julian Knowle, Austria v Alejandro Falla, Colombia Alberto
Martin, Spain v Fabrice Santoro, France Thomas Johansson, Sweden v
Nicolas Kiefer, Germany Feliciano Lopez, Spain v Richard Bloomfield,
Britain Cyril Saulnier, France v Michael Llodra, France Gilles
Elseneer, Belgium v Arvind Parmar, Britain Ivo Karlovic, Croatia v
Paradorn Srichaphan, 13, Thailand Carlos Moya, 9, Spain v Olivier
Patience, France Alex Corretja, Spain v Radek Stepanek, Czech
Republic Sargis Sargsian, Armenia v Marc Lopez, Spain Dmitry
Tursunov, Russia v Marat Safin, Russia Mikhail Youzhny, Russia v
Goran Ivanisevic, Croatia Jaime Delgado, Britain v Filippo Volandri,
Italy Irakli Labadze, Georgia v Kristof Vliegen, Belgium Jurgen
Melzer, Austria v Lleyton Hewitt, 7, Australia Guillermo Coria, 3,
Argentina v Wesley Moodie, South Africa Florian Mayer, Germany v
Wayne Arthurs, Australia Karol Kucera, Slovakia v Oscar Hernandez,
Spain Wayne Ferreira, South Africa v Ivan Ljubicic, Croatia Jonas
Bjorkman, Sweden v Raemon Sluiter, Netherlands Jan Vacek, Czech
Republic v Lu Yen-Hsun, Taipei Arnaud Clement, France v Joachim
Johansson, Sweden Ivan Pastor, Spain v Mardy Fish, 14, U.S. Sebastien
Grosjean, 10, France v Thierry Ascione, France Olivier Rochus,
Belgium v Gregory Carraz, France Daniele Bracciale, Italy v Jan
Hernych, Czech Republic Jan-Michael Gambill, U.S. v Max Mirnyi,
Belarus Robby Ginepri, U.S. v Janko Tipsarevic, Serbia-Montenegro
Fernando Verdasco, Spain v Glenn Weiner, U.S. Stefan Koubek, Austria
v Jose Acasuso, Argentina Julien Boutter, France v Juan Carlos
Ferrero, 6, Spain Tim Henman, 5, Britain v Ruben Ramierez Hidalgo,
Spain Flavio Saretta, Brazil v Ivo Hueberger, Switzerland David
Ferrer, Spain v Victor Hanescu, Romania Andre Sa, Brazil v Hicham
Arazi, Morocco Fernando Gonzalez, Chile v Martin Vassallo Arguello,
Italy Igor Andreev, Russia v John van Lottum, Netherlands Martin
Verkerk, Netherlands v Nikolay Davydenko, Russia Christophe Rochus,
Belgium v Mark Philippoussis, 11, Australia Jiri Novak, 16, Czech
Republic v Xavier Malisse, Belgium Antony Dupuis, France v Tommy
Haas, Germany Karol Beck, Slovakia v Jonathan Marray, Britain Potito
Starace, Italy v Tommy Robredo, Spain Dominik Hrbaty, Slovakia v
David Sanchez, Spain Mark Hilton, Britain v Albert Costa, Spain
Julien Benneteau, France v Tomas Berdych, Czech Republic Mario Ancic,
Croatia v Luis Horna, Peru Rainer Schuettler, 8, Germany v Robin
Soderling, Sweden Greg Rusedski, Britain v Davide Sanguinetti, Italy
Felix Mantilla, Spain v Kristian Pless, Denmark Todd Reid, Australia
v Vincent Spadea, U.S. Juan Chela, Argentina v Lars Burgsmueller,
Germany Thomas Enqvist, Sweden v Galo Blanco, Spain Todd Martin, U.S.
v Guillermo Canas, Argentina Lee Childs, Britain v Sjeng Schalken,
12, Netherlands Nicolas Massu, 15, Chile v Alexander Popp, Germany
Bohdan Ulihrach, Czech Republic v Albert Montanes, Spain Kenneth
Carlsen, Denmark v Richard Gasquet, France Andy Ram, Israel v Andrei
Pavel, Romania Taylor Dent, U.S. v Ramon Delgado, Paraguay Luis
Horna, Peru v Dennis van Scheppingen, Netherlands Alexander Peya,
Austria v Jeff Salzenstein, U.S. Yeu-Tzuoo Wang, Tailei v Andy
Roddick, 2, U.S. dpa bs gb

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Correction: 1ST LEAD: Pescosolido replaces Nalbandian in Wimbledon draw

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
June 19, 2004, Saturday

Horna becomes 33rd seed after Nalbandian’s withdrawal = London (dpa)
– Revised men’s draw for the 17.95-million-dollar Wimbledon
Championshiops starting Monday after withdrawal of fourth seed David
Nalbandian. Men Roger Federer, 1, Switzerland v Alex Bogdanovic,
Britain Julian Knowle, Austria v Alejandro Falla, Colombia Alberto
Martin, Spain v Fabrice Santoro, France Thomas Johansson, Sweden v
Nicolas Kiefer, Germany Feliciano Lopez, Spain v Richard Bloomfield,
Britain Cyril Saulnier, France v Michael Llodra, France Gilles
Elseneer, Belgium v Arvind Parmar, Britain Ivo Karlovic, Croatia v
Paradorn Srichaphan, 13, Thailand Carlos Moya, 9, Spain v Olivier
Patience, France Alex Corretja, Spain v Radek Stepanek, Czech
Republic Sargis Sargsian, Armenia v Marc Lopez, Spain Dmitry
Tursunov, Russia v Marat Safin, Russia Mikhail Youzhny, Russia v
Goran Ivanisevic, Croatia Jaime Delgado, Britain v Filippo Volandri,
Italy Irakli Labadze, Georgia v Kristof Vliegen, Belgium Jurgen
Melzer, Austria v Lleyton Hewitt, 7, Australia Guillermo Coria, 3,
Argentina v Wesley Moodie, South Africa Florian Mayer, Germany v
Wayne Arthurs, Australia Karol Kucera, Slovakia v Oscar Hernandez,
Spain Wayne Ferreira, South Africa v Ivan Ljubicic, Croatia Jonas
Bjorkman, Sweden v Raemon Sluiter, Netherlands Jan Vacek, Czech
Republic v Lu Yen-Hsun, Taipei Arnaud Clement, France v Joachim
Johansson, Sweden Ivan Pastor, Spain v Mardy Fish, 14, U.S. Sebastien
Grosjean, 10, France v Thierry Ascione, France Olivier Rochus,
Belgium v Gregory Carraz, France Daniele Bracciale, Italy v Jan
Hernych, Czech Republic Jan-Michael Gambill, U.S. v Max Mirnyi,
Belarus Robby Ginepri, U.S. v Janko Tipsarevic, Serbia-Montenegro
Fernando Verdasco, Spain v Glenn Weiner, U.S. Stefan Koubek, Austria
v Jose Acasuso, Argentina Julien Boutter, France v Juan Carlos
Ferrero, 6, Spain Tim Henman, 5, Britain v Ruben Ramierez Hidalgo,
Spain Flavio Saretta, Brazil v Ivo Hueberger, Switzerland David
Ferrer, Spain v Victor Hanescu, Romania Andre Sa, Brazil v Hicham
Arazi, Morocco Fernando Gonzalez, Chile v Martin Vassallo Arguello,
Italy Igor Andreev, Russia v John van Lottum, Netherlands Martin
Verkerk, Netherlands v Nikolay Davydenko, Russia Christophe Rochus,
Belgium v Mark Philippoussis, 11, Australia Jiri Novak, 16, Czech
Republic v Xavier Malisse, Belgium Antony Dupuis, France v Tommy
Haas, Germany Karol Beck, Slovakia v Jonathan Marray, Britain Potito
Starace, Italy v Tommy Robredo, Spain Dominik Hrbaty, Slovakia v
David Sanchez, Spain Mark Hilton, Britain v Albert Costa, Spain
Julien Benneteau, France v Tomas Berdych, Czech Republic Mario Ancic,
Croatia v Stefano Pescosolido, Italy Rainer Schuettler, 8, Germany v
Robin Soderling, Sweden Greg Rusedski, Britain v Davide Sanguinetti,
Italy Felix Mantilla, Spain v Kristian Pless, Denmark Todd Reid,
Australia v Vincent Spadea, U.S. Juan Chela, Argentina v Lars
Burgsmueller, Germany Thomas Enqvist, Sweden v Galo Blanco, Spain
Todd Martin, U.S. v Guillermo Canas, Argentina Lee Childs, Britain v
Sjeng Schalken, 12, Netherlands Nicolas Massu, 15, Chile v Alexander
Popp, Germany Bohdan Ulihrach, Czech Republic v Albert Montanes,
Spain Kenneth Carlsen, Denmark v Richard Gasquet, France Andy Ram,
Israel v Andrei Pavel, Romania Taylor Dent, U.S. v Ramon Delgado,
Paraguay Luis Horna, Peru v Dennis van Scheppingen, Netherlands
Alexander Peya, Austria v Jeff Salzenstein, U.S. Yeu-Tzuoo Wang,
Tailei v Andy Roddick, 2, U.S. dpa bs gb

EDITOR-NOTE:
Corrects that Ancic now plays Pescosolido instead of Nalbandian.

Federal Information and News Dispatch, Inc.
State Department
June 18, 2004

Loy of Homeland Security Dept. to Speak at OSCE Conference; Second
Annual Security Review Conference in Vienna June 23-24

TEXT: The OSCE’s second Annual Security Review Conference will take
place in Vienna, Austria, June 23-24, bringing together delegates
from the 55 OSCE participating states to exchange views on various
security issues including terrorism, arms control, border protection,
conflict prevention and crisis management.

Among those scheduled to speak is Admiral James Loy, deputy secretary
of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Following is an OSCE media advisory with more information:

(begin text)

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

Chairman-in-Office

18 June 2004

Media Advisory

OSCE CONFERENCE TO REVIEW BORDER SECURITY, ARMS CONTROL AND TERRORISM
THREATS

VIENNA, 18 June 2004 — A two-day conference to be held in Vienna
next week will focus on the OSCE’s activities in its
politico-military dimension, with issues such as combating terrorism,
border security and arms control on the agenda.

The second Annual Security Review Conference on 23 and 24 June will
provide a platform for the 55 OSCE participating States to exchange
views on risks and challenges to security across the OSCE region,
conflict prevention and crisis management.

Media representatives are invited to the opening plenary session of
the Conference, which around 350 political and military experts are
expected to attend, on Wednesday, 23 June, between 10:00 and 10:30,
at the OSCE premises in the Hofburg Congress Centre.

The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon
Passy, and the Chairman of the OSCE’s Forum for Security
Co-operation, Armenian Ambassador Jivan Tabibian, will deliver the
opening speeches at this session.

Journalists are also invited to a press conference in Segmentgalerie
I in the Hofburg Conference Centre at 13:10 the same day. In addition
to Chairman-in-Office Solomon Passy, speakers will include the EU
Coordinator on Counter-Terrorism, Gijs de Vries of the Netherlands,
and the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,
Admiral James Loy.

For admittance, please bring your OSCE press badge or a valid press
card to the security desk in the lobby of the Hofburg Conference
Centre, at any time from 9:30 onwards (main entrance from
Heldenplatz). Parking space is available for the press between 9:00
and 15:00 in the OSCE-reserved parking area on Heldenplatz. Temporary
parking permits should be collected from the security desk.

Advance background information and speeches will be posted on a
special conference website
, as and when these
become available.

Richard Murphy, Spokesperson/Head of Press and Public Information,
Press and Public Information Section, OSCE Secretariat, Kaerntner
Ring 5-7 1010, Vienna, Austria. Tel.: +43 1 514 36 180, +43 664 548
53 89 (mobile). Fax: +43 1 514 36 105. E-mail:
[email protected]

(end text)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs,
U.S. Department of State.)

Charity “Aida To Armenia”

Azat Artsakh – Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR)
18 June 2004

According to doctor of the children’s republic hospital Karineh
Tarkhanian, since 2003 wide-scale building works were carried out on
the third floor of the hospital by the French charity organization
“Aida to Armenia”. In October of last year a modern surgical
department was built, now the construction of wards corresponding
to the international medical standards is going on. Most probably
after the visit of the representative of the organization “Aida
to Armenia ” young pediatrician Stepan Berberian construction
works will start on the first and second floors of the hospital
building. “So far construction works were done only in one side of
the building. The other side where the children’s polyclinic and the
somatic department are placed no work has been done yet,” mentioned
Karineh Tarkhanian. She added that it is not clear yet whether the
program provides for the reconstruction of the mentioned side. This
will become clear only during the visit of Stepan Berberian.

NVARD OHANJANIAN.
18-06-2004

TOURISM IN KARABAKH

Azat Artsakh – Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR)
18 June 2004

The unique historical monuments and the magnificent scenery in Karabakh
provide ideal conditions for development of tourism. The advantages of
Karabakh may be enlisted longer but the topic of the article is why the
great potential is not used. The summer season has already started and
it would be desirable if it brought practical changes in the sphere
of tourism. There are about a hundred tourist agencies in Armenia,
which also offer tours in Karabakh. In Karabakh there are 2-3 tourist
agencies. By the way most of their agents have never been to Karabakh
but they successfully organize tours to Karabakh. There are a number of
reasons why the government should be interested that the local tourist
agencies offer their services to the tourists. First, authority. The
company organizing tours to Karabakh takes care for accommodation,
sends guides with the groups, takes care for visas trying to avoid
this if possible, makes up itineraries which are as a rule boring. The
aim is one: gain maximum profit making least expenses. Naturally
the foreigner does not get acquainted with the history and culture of
Karabakh. These itineraries can be considered as anti-advertisement for
Karabakh, which damage the authority of our country and the desire of
tourists to visit Karabakh once again. The professionalism of guides
from Yerevan cannot make up for the absence of real knowledge about
Karabakh that is not taken from books. Through the Internet we receive
opinions on these itineraries, which are not positive. In these cases
no attention is paid to the important fact where the tourist agencies
belong. Second, finance. Each tourist visiting Karabakh spends an
average of 100 US dollars daily. A standard tour in Karabakh lasts
for 3 days. The agency in Karabakh spends means for providing three
conditions as it was already mentioned. Transport is also from
Yerevan. Taxes are paid to the local budget. Naturally the profit
which is not difficult to count also stays out of Karabakh. According
to non-official data, the annual circulation in the sphere of tourism
in Karabakh totals 1 million US dollars 70 percent of which even
geographically does not enter Karabakh. And on the whole one can
have an idea of the size of income from tourism making a tour in the
offices of the tour agencies operating in Yerevan. Third, service.
The group arriving for a tour provides 6 persons with work. The large
mechanism of the sphere of service is operated: cafes, restaurants,
local food, souvenirs, accommodation service, etc. Tourists arriving
with local agencies and even separate persons more often turn to
these services than tourists served by the agencies of Yerevan. The
reasons are many. First, for a Yerevan agency it is difficult to
orient what kind of goods or services the local producer offers,
there are no practical connections and the tourist does not want to
take a risk. Second, there is no wish to spend on something which
is not profitable for the agency. The local tourist agencies view
this from a different viewpoint. Arrangement is made beforehand to
go on a trip to a certain place, and the organizer of the trip is
usually the party that offers services. Naturally, taking into account
competition, they want to make better and more interesting offers for
tourists first of all. Of course, the interests of the tourist agency
are not ignored either. Therefore, there is an additional system of
service which is not present in the above-mentioned itineraries but
brings significant income to everyone. Fourth, transport. The car
is the only transport to Stepanakert. The airport formally operates
but the weather does not enable using helicopters as a stable means
of transport. Transport improves year by year. The private sector
today can offer comfortable minibuses which will take the tourists
from Yerevan to Stepanakert and back in 5-6 hours, as well as trips
in Karabakh. Good knowledge of the local roads will naturally enable
the local drivers arrive in the shortest possible time. Fifth, the
philosophy of itineraries. This differs with Yerevan and Karabakh
tour agencies. Everyone’s aim is one, to make money, the approaches
are different. For Yerevan-based tour agencies which organize trips all
over the territory of Armenia Karabakh, naturally, is not in the first
place. Geographically Karabakh is far from the places which attract
tourists. The trip to Karabakh interests mainly Armenian tourists
who sometimes wish to see Karabakh. For the local agencies trips in
the territory of Karabakh are the only means to earn profit. And
organization of trips in Armenia and abroad are beyond their
abilities yet and will continue to be in the near future. Secondly,
the itineraries for the same route organized by the local agencies
are naturally better and full. The local guides know the history,
traditions, legends of our county betterâ^À¦ And when the first goal
is fulfilled and the group has already arrived, the second task occurs
– to do everything to make the tourist wish to visit Karabakh once
again. And this can be provided by quality service only. In this case
tour agencies of Yerevan cannot keep up with the competition. Sixth,
legal aspects. Till recently anyone in Karabakh could run the business
of tourism. There was no state control therefore the situation in
the sphere can be considered chaotic. After the adoption of the NKR
law “On Licensing” the activity of guides is, according to the law,
to be licensed. Is the government going to control the activity of
the Yerevan tour agencies, as well as the legal and natural persons
occupied with tourism in Karabakh? We turned to the head of the
department of licensing under the NKR Ministry of Development of
Industrial Infrastructures and Building Karen Shahnazarian. According
to him, there is no mechanism for enforcement of the law “On Licensing”
in the sphere of tourism because there is no law regulating the
sphere of business. As to the activity of the Yerevan tour agencies,
according to Karen Shahnazarian, all of them must have the license
of the Republic of Armenia where the places of organizing trips must
be mentioned. However, according to the law in effect the license has
force only in the territory of the republic where it was granted. Why
is the adoption of the bill on tourism delayed? With this question
we turned to the chairman of the committee on education, social
questions and health of the parliament Edward Aghabekian. He said
that the bill is with the committee but the government does not seem
to be interested. They intend discussing the bill in September. It
turns out that the chaotic situation will in the near future remain as
the main law on tourism in Karabakh. It is necessary to adopt the law
without delay. Seventh, the visa. According to the head of the consular
service of the NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs Youri Zakharian, the
order of visa granting will be changed in favour of the tourists. For
entering Karabakh foreigners must have visa the cost of which is 25 US
dollars. This year already the cost will be reduced. Admitting that
tourists often enter Karabakh without visa Zakharian mentioned that
they try to prevent such cases. Statistics. According to the data of
the NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the number of visitors to Karabakh
increases by 30-40 percent yearly. In 2003 this number totaled 2500
(mainly Armenians) from 70 countries. The number of people arriving
from Armenia and other CIS countries is not known. Hotels. Presently
there are a number of hotels in Karabakh, which correspond to the
international standards: “Lotus”, “Nairi”, “Heghnar”, “Shoushi”. This
sector successfully develops due to private investments. Along with
the hotel business the private sector also develops which practically
provides the whole spectre of hotel services plus the local colouring.

AA. 18-06-2004

SOCIETY MUST BE ATTENTIVE TO THEM

Azat Artsakh – Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR)
18 June 2004

In all countries there are orphanages which operate through the support
of the government and benefactors. The boarding school in Kashatagh has
been operating since 1996 and accommodates 30 children. In Kashatagh
there is one child from Stepanakert, two children were admitted to
the orphanages of Armenia. At the department of problems of family
and children under the Ministry of Social Security we learned that
there are 64 parentless children in the republic presently who are
mainly taken care of by their relatives and guardians. They receive
monthly state benefit of 3 thousand drams. According to the head of
the department Samvel Dadassian, parentless children also receive aid
from sponsors one of which is the German charity organization “Image
of Hope”. The organization provides food and clothes to parentless
children and single pensioners. The aid is given twice or three times
a year. Touching upon the aid provided by benefactors, S. Dadassian
also stated that for improving the material state and quality of life
of the parentless children in the republic the NKR Ministry of Social
security and “Karabakh Telecom” have worked out a joint program of
providing financial to children under 18 in 2004. “The program is
financed by Karabakh Telecom and once in three months these children
receive 10 thousand drams on the bank accounts in “Artsakhbank” opened
in the name of their guardians,” said S. Dadassian. The program will
be implemented up to January 1 of 2005. At the department of problems
of family and children we were informed that all the 64 children have
received their sum for the first trimester of 2004 and the payments
for the second trimester are currently made. Recently the government
of Armenia adopted a decision according to which the children who have
left the orphanage will be provided with flats. Speaking about the
housing conditions of parentless children living in our republic the
head of the department noticed that mainly living with their guardians
the children do not have the need for flats except for a family
(three children) who are homeless. Presently a survey is conducted
and in the future this problem will also possibly be solved. The
birth of a child is the beginning of a fairy tale. Unfortunately,
there are children for whom the fairy tale ends as soon as it starts.
Sometimes by fate and sometimes because of the careless attitude of
their parents a group of children today are parentless. The duty of
our state and the society is to do so that these children believe in
the existence of happy childhood.

ANAHIT DANIELIAN. 18-06-2004