RIA Novosti, Russia
June 30, 2004
FEDERATION COUNCIL TO DISCUSS CFE TREATY RATIFICATION ON JULY 7
MOSCOW, June 30 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian parliament’s upper
chamber will discuss the issue of the CFE (Conventional Forces In
Europe) Treaty ratification at a plenary session on July 7, said
Mikhail Margelov, chairman of the International Committee of the
Federation Council.
“Our committee will consider the document on July 5, and we will
recommend the chamber to ratify it”, he said.
The senator reminded that the Treaty provided for introduction of a
strict national and territorial restraints system specifying the
ceiling for ground armaments and equipment deployment and outlining
exact time and quantitative frames of the ceiling alteration not to
undermine the regional stability.
“It removes the threat of accumulating the potentials for large-scale
offensive operations and, in fact, neutralizes the possibility of
heavy materiel’s dangerous concentrations along Russia’s borders”,
said Mr. Margelov.
At the same time, he stressed that the Treaty ratification enables
Russia to retain its military presence in Armenia and the Ukraine.
“For Russia, the CFE Treaty ratification is very important, because
the new states’ accession to NATO changes the European military and
strategic configuration”, believes the chairman of the profile
committee. According to him, the CFE Treaty is a fundamental document
determining Russia-NATO relations.
Mr. Margelov reminded that after Russia ratify the Treaty the same
should be done by parliaments of the parties to the Treaty. “Their
decision as to the ratification will show how much they want stable
security architecture”, he emphasized.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARKA News Agency
June 29 2004
International business forum `Regional Bridge 2004′ to take place in
Armenia on July 23-26
French Ambassador in RA awarded Grand Medal of Francophony
Economic Strategy and Policy Coordination Council at RA PM approves
its agendum
*********************************************************************
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS FORUM `REGIONAL BRIDGE 2004′ TO TAKE PLACE IN
ARMENIA ON JULY 23-26
YEREVAN, June 29. /ARKA/. International business forum `Regional
Bridge 2004′ will take place in Armenia on July 23-26, the Center for
Assistance to International Integration `Master’ told ARKA.
Businessmen from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Iran, Egypt and Turkey
will arrive in Armenia for establishment of partnership relations.
The forum includes round tables, special sessions, plenary and
section sittings.
The organizers of the forum are Center for Assistance to
International Integration `Master’, RA Ministry of Trade and Economic
Development and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. L.D. –0–
*********************************************************************
FRENCH AMBASSADOR IN RA AWARDED GRAND MEDAL OF FRANCOPHONY
YEREVAN, June 29. /ARKA/. Ambassador Plenipotentiary and
Extraordinary of France to Armenia Henry Cuny is awarded Grand Medal
of Francophony founded by the French Academy for merits and
popularization of the French language in Armenia. As the French
Embassy Press Service told ARKA, among Cuny’s special merits were
founding of French University Foundation and monthly bulletin La
Rotonda.
`Similar high evaluation of the authoritative French institution in
the field of art and literature is quite honorable for Armenia and
witnesses about high prestige of the French University and high
degree of knowledge of the students that were published in La
Rotonda’, the press release says. T.M. -0–
*********************************************************************
ECONOMIC STRATEGY AND POLICY COORDINATION COUNCIL AT RA PM APPROVES
ITS AGENDUM
YEREVAN, June 29. /ARKA/. The first sitting of the Economic Strategy
and Policy Coordination Council at RA PM was hold today in Yerevan.
As RA PM Public and Press Relations Department told ARKA, the Council
approved its agendum on the sitting that defines the order of the
organization and realization of this consultative body. According to
the agendum, the main purpose of the Council is presenting the
program proposals as well as receiving support and coordination of
the program implementation process. To organize its own works the
Council if required form working groups from the representatives of
the state bodies and local self-government bodies as well as donor
organizations and NGOs. The Secretariat of the Council is a
structural subdivision of the RA Government.
During the course of the sitting the body also discussed issues
related to proposals from Armenia related to Millennium Challenge.
Economic Strategy and Policy Coordination Council at RA PM was
founded on 21 June 2004 by decree of the RA Government. The Council
is headed by RA PM Andranik Margarian, his deputy is Vahram
Nersisyants, Advisor to RA President on Economic Issues. The Council
also includes Vardan Khachatryan, RA Finance and Economy Ministry, RA
Trade and Economic Development Minister Karen Chshmarityan and the
Chairman of the CBA Tigran Sargsyan. T.M. -0–

PRESS RELEASE
June 30, 2004
Embassy of the Republic of Armenia
2225 R Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20008
Tel: 202-319-1976, x. 348; Fax: 202-319-2982
Email: [email protected] ;Web:
New USAID Country Director for Armenia Sworn-in, Congratulated by Amb.
Kirakossian
The new US Agency for International Development Country Director for
Armenia, Robin Phillips, was sworn in on June 29, 2004, in a ceremony
attended by USAID Assistant Administrator Kent Hill, the newly-confirmed
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John M. Evans, Armenian Ambassador to the U.S.,
Dr. Arman Kirakossian, and representatives of the Armenian American
organizations. Director Phillips, who holds advanced degrees in Economics,
Political Studies, and Asian Studies, has held several important positions
at the USAID, most recently serving as Director, Office of Eurasian Affairs,
Bureau for Europe and Eurasia.
Congratulating Mr. Phillips and wishing him success in his new job,
Ambassador Kirakossian referred to century-long U.S. commitment to Armenia,
adding that the newly independent Armenia was proud to be a partner with the
U.S. on such global issues as combating international terrorism and
non-proliferation. He said that the Government of Armenia valued and
appreciated its cooperation with the USAID, other U.S. government agencies
within the framework of U.S. assistance programs. Ambassador Kirakossian
noted that “we may speak different languages, but our nations share similar
values and the same respect for democratic principles, human rights, and the
rule of law.”

ARKA News Agency
June 30 2004
Vardan Oskanian: present authorities of Turkey can and wish to hold
negotiations on establishment of mutual relations with Armenia
NKR Foreign Minister receives EU Special Representative in South
Caucasus
A bank with data of invalids is being founded in Nagorno-Karabakh
republic
*********************************************************************
VARDAN OSKANIAN: PRESENT AUTHORITIES OF TURKEY CAN AND WISH TO HOLD
NEGOTIATIONS ON ESTABLISHMENT OF MUTUAL RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA
YEREVAN, June 30. /ARKA/. Present authorities of Turkey can and wish
to hold negotiations on establishment of mutual relations with
Armenia, RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian stated today. He said
that during his unscheduled meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Regep
Erdogan it was confirmed that Turkey wants to establish bilateral
relations with Armenia. At this, he said that despite of previous
authorities of Turkey, present one indeed strive for settlement of
the issue.
Armenia and Turkey still do not have diplomatic relations. Corner
stone in relations between the countries is the fact of Armenian
Genocide in Ottoman Empire in 1915. L.D. –0–
*********************************************************************
NKR FOREIGN MINISTER RECEIVES EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE IN SOUTH
CAUCASUS
STEPANAKERT, June 30. /ARKA/. NKR Foreign Minister Ashot Gulian
received EU Special Representative in South Caucasus Heikki Talvitie,
NKR MFA told ARKA. During the meeting the parties discussed
perspectives of negotiating process of Karabakh settlement,
involvement of Karabakh in regional projects. Ashot Gulian spoke for
obligatory participation of Karabakh party in negotiations in case of
their recommencement and stressed that it comes from the logics of
negotiating process.
Gulian paid attention of Talvitie to the fact that since new
President of Azerbaijan Ilkham Aliev took the office, contacts
between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan stopped even at
non-government level and added that it does not contribute to
creation of atmosphere of trust and settlement of the problem.
Talvitie in his turn stressed the interest of EU in soonest
settlement of Karabakh conflict and establishment of stability in the
region. He said that EU plans to actively assist in settlement of the
conflict without replacing OSCE Minsk Group. L.D. –0–
*********************************************************************
A BANK WITH DATA OF INVALIDS IS BEING FOUNDED IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH
REPUBLIC
STEPANAKERT, June 30. /ARKA/. In Nagorno-Karabakh a bank with data of
invalids is being founded, according to NKR Minister of Social
Welfare Lenston Gulyan. According to him, the bank aims at more
detailed studying of the problems of invalids. He noted that about 3
thsd. invalids are registered in NKR as of today. They receive
monthly state pension and make use of the privileges. Most of them
come across the social problems, as well as those connected with
housing facilities, employment, treatment, etc. `In the created
database each invalid will have his/her register list, which will
contain all data about the person, such as education, specialty,
occupation, marital status, and housing facilities that would help to
solve housing problems of invalids’, he said.A.H. –0–

AllAfrica.com
June 30 2004
VOA’s ‘Music Man’ Retiring After 50 Years of Spinning African Music
United States Department of State (Washington, DC)
June 28, 2004
Posted to the web June 30, 2004
Bruce Greenberg
Washington, DC
They call him “The Music Man” at the Voice of America, where
83-year-old Leo Sarkisian, the indefatigable host of the highly
successful radio show “Music Time in Africa,” has been spinning
Afrocentric music for the masses in sub-Saharan Africa twice every
Sunday for 40 years.
“We are the most popular show on VOA by fan mail received,” Sarkisian
said when interviewed recently in Washington. “Forty percent of VOA’s
listenership is in Africa.”

Sarkisian, a naturalized U.S. citizen of Armenian descent, boasts
that he answers every letter addressed to his show.
“My wife and I devote our weekends to answering our fans,” he says.
“I’m limited by VOA budgetary constraints to mailing a maximum of 500
responses per month, and I do this because when you consider that the
annual income in that region may be about $25.00 a year, and it may
cost some kid 50 cents to buy a stamp to write me telling how he
listens faithfully to my program, and likes it, then I feel an
obligation to respond.
“Most cannot afford computers, but they may go into an Internet café
to e-mail us. You know, I get some 162 e-mails a month from the fans.
And we can’t answer them because they have no regular means of
accessing the Internet, nor do they have a personal e-mail account.
That says something.
“I also send a packet containing my newsletter, the latest VOA
calendar and programming schedule, and even an information brochure
on AIDS twice a year, and it goes out to all my listeners,” he added.
When discussing his retirement at the end of 2004, he says that his
show will go on smoothly without him. “I’ve hand-picked my successor.
He’s a young guy — 30-something — a Ph.D. in African music whom I
met some four years ago at a University of Michigan ethnomusicology
conference. You know, the University of Michigan has one of the
largest African studies programs in the country.
“I’ll still be active, though, because I’ve signed with the State
Department’s speaker programming series, which sent me and my
announcer, Rita Rochelle, on a tour of five Nigerian cities last
spring, where we had a tremendous reception.
“We traveled all over,” he said. Unfortunately, he added, his program
is in danger of losing its base among Muslim populations in Africa
because of budget cuts to programming in Arabic.
Sarkisian recalled his 2003 trip to Namibia, a country he says has
few American visitors. “I spoke at a university, was on television
and radio. They had an exhibition of my paintings [he’s an
accomplished portraitist]; I met with the university art department;
there were visiting dignitaries…”
He continued: “I went to Eritrea during the Ethiopian-Eritrean war,
and had an exhibit of my art there. … Every place I went was
amazing.”
He recalled his first trip to the continent in 1959. He was working
as music director for a media company in Hollywood and was sent to
Ghana to record that country’s folk music.
“Ghana had just become independent in 1958, so I was the first
private American citizen there. I was supposed to stay for about
eight months, but wound up staying for a year, working for Radio
Ghana; then went to Guinea. They had just received their independence
from France. The French departed, leaving little behind. I helped
Radio Conakry get back on the air by helping with the repair of its
broadcasting equipment.”
“Shortly after Edward R. Murrow became head of the U.S. Information
Agency [USIA],” Sarkisian said, “he made his first trip to Africa. In
Guinea, he told the ambassador he wanted to see me. We met, and he
recruited me for USIA. … He told me he wanted USIA to begin
broadcasts to Africa. And that’s how it began.”
During his long career, Sarkisian has had the chance to meet many of
Africa’s influential statesmen and artists, some of whom have
appeared on his program. A recent guest, Queen Lambikiza of the
kingdom of Swaziland, was on a U.S. visit this past May to promote
awareness of HIV/AIDS and the plight of its African victims through
the international release of a CD entitled “Songs of Life.”
The CD, which features such big-name performers as Aretha Franklin
and Paul Simon, is the product of RICA, the Royal Initiative to
Combat AIDS, a non-profit organization launched by her husband, King
Mswati III, whose nation has one of the highest rates of AIDS
infections in the world — almost 40 percent of its adult population
is infected.
Sarkisian added that the queen has a law degree and is an
accomplished singer. “She’s also a composer and has made several
recordings. She said that this is Africa’s way of reaching out to
help itself; to use the medium of music and song to reach the people
of all nations, genders, ages and races with a message of hope.”
The proceeds from “Songs of Life” will be used to combat HIV/AIDS in
14 sub-Saharan nations and to promote worldwide awareness of the
disease.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
)

Armenian minister denies Turkey to mediate Karabakh talks
Mediamax news agency
30 Jun 04
YEREVAN
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan today denied Turkish media
reports that increasing Turkey’s role in the Karabakh conflict
settlement had been discussed at the trilateral meeting of the
Turkish, Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in Istanbul [on 28
June].
Addressing a briefing in Yerevan today, Vardan Oskanyan said that the
Nagornyy Karabakh problem had been discussed at the meeting of the
Turkish, Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers only in general.
“We have repeatedly stated that Turkey, which has taken an openly
biased position in the Nagornyy Karabakh settlement, cannot pretend
playing the role of an impartial mediator. The Turkish authorities are
well aware of our position,” Vardan Oskanyan said.

Armenian foreign minister upbeat on NATO’s Partnership for Peace programme
Arminfo
29 Jun 04

YEREVAN
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan described NATO’s Partnership
for Peace programme as a right and well-thought-out initiative
speaking at NATO’s Istanbul summit today.
The department for public relations of the Armenian Foreign Ministry
has told our agency that in his speech, the Armenian foreign minister
also highlighted the spheres of cooperation between Armenia and NATO,
amongst which he mentioned political dialogue, the participation of
Armenian peacekeepers in NATO operations, Armenia’s participation in
NATO’s Partnership for Peace programme, including the organization of
the Cooperative Best Effort military exercises in Armenia in 2003.
The Armenian foreign minister expressed his hope that decisions taken
at this NATO summit would put new responsibilities on Turkey – the
sole NATO member from the South Caucasus region.
[Passage omitted: Oskanyan’s remarks on Karabakh]

Armenian party leader slams president for non-attendance at NATO summit
Mediamax news agency
30 Jun 04

YEREVAN
The leader of the Armenian Liberal Progressive Party, Oganes
Oganesyan, today criticized [Armenian President] Robert Kocharyan’s
decision not to take part in the NATO summit in Istanbul.
Speaking at the National Press Club today, Oganesyan said that the
president’s refusal to take part in the NATO summit could negatively
affect Armenia’s integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures.
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan refused to take part in the NATO
summit in Istanbul because of the absence of diplomatic relations
between Armenia and Turkey. The Armenian delegation in Istanbul was
headed by Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan.
Oganes Oganesyan said that Armenia should strive to join
NATO. According to him, already in five years Georgia, Azerbaijan and
Uzbekistan can become full members of the North Atlantic Alliance.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenia suggests hosting NATO exercises in 2005
Mediamax news agency
30 Jun 04

YEREVAN
Armenia has suggested hosting NATO’s Cooperative Associate-2005
military exercises within the framework of the Partnership for Peace
programme.
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan said this speaking at NATO’s
Istanbul summit on 29 June.
The Armenian foreign minister confirmed that Armenia was ready to
foster relations with NATO within the framework of the Individual
Partnership Action Plan. Vardan Oskanyan said that “today we can
assuredly say that Armenia is actively cooperating with NATO in all
the spheres which the allies have acknowledged as the priorities of
the partnership”.
The Armenian foreign minister stressed that “thanks to the positive
experience acquired by Armenian servicemen as a result of the
participation in peacekeeping operations under the aegis of NATO,
today we are discussing the possibility of boosting our participation
in international peacekeeping operations”.
Vardan Oskanyan recalled that Cooperative Best Effort exercises were
successfully held on the territory of Armenia in 2003.
“Thanks to our cooperation, Turkish servicemen could also participate
in these exercises. Who could think 10 years ago that Turkish
servicemen would take part in NATO exercises on Armenian land and the
Turkish flag would be waving in Armenia?” the Armenian foreign
minister said.

Armenia, Canada sign accord on eliminating double taxation
Arminfo
30 Jun 04
YEREVAN
The governments of Armenia and Canada have signed an agreement on
eliminating double taxation on income and property.
The agreement was signed in Yerevan on 29 June, the Armenian Ministry
of Finance and Economy told Arminfo news agency today. The aim of the
agreement is to create a favourable taxation regime between the
countries and boost investment. Armenia has similar agreements with 25
countries, and 17 of them are effective.
We have to say that the trade turnover between Armenia and Canada is
so small that the Armenian National Statistics Service has not
included it in its annual report for 2003.