ArmenPress
April 21 2004

ARMENIA’S ECONOMY GROWS STEADILY

YEREVAN, APRIL 21, ARMENPRESS: Armenian national statistical
service said the GDP volume in the first quarter of the year grew by
7.5 percent against the same time span of last year amounting to
223.7 billion Drams. The GDP growth in March against February was
21.3 percent, it said.
The volume of industrial production in terms of money in the first
three months of 2004 was 114,532,000 Drams (indirect taxes not
counted). The growth rate of industrial production in the first three
months of 2004 was 2.8 percent over the same time span of last year.
The growth rate in March against February amounted to 20.1 percent.
The volume of electricity produced in the first quarter was 1.75
billion kw/per hour, a 7.1 percent increase over the first quarter of
last year. The volume of agricultural growth (indirect taxes not
counted) in the first quarter of 2002 stood at 35.2 billion Drams, a
6 percent growth against 2002 January and a 31.2 percent growth
against February 2004.
According to Armen Avetisian, the chief of state customs
committee, the volume of exports in the first quarter of 2002 was 85
billion Drams against 78 billion Drams in the first quarter of 2003.
The volume of imports in the same time span amounted to 164
billion Drams against 148 billion Drams in the first quarter of 2003.
Avetisian also said that the collection of import duties met the
projected targets in the first quarter of this year despite the
political crisis in the country, amounting to 24.8 billion drams
($44.6 million) or 4 percent more than projected by the government
budget.
Earlier the state taxation service reported that it collected 28.3
billion drams in first-quarter revenues, up from 23.5 billion drams
collected during the same period last year.
Armenia’s 2004 budget projected 257 billion drams ($460 million)
in tax and customs revenues.

ArmenPress
April 21 2004

ARMENIANS FROM TURKMENISTAN MOVE TO KYRGYZSTAN

BISHKEK, APRIL 21, ARMENPRESS: Armenian ambassador to Kyrgyzstan,
Eduard Khurshudian, told Armenpress that the Armenian community in
this former Soviet republic numbers some 3,000 people, formed mainly
during the Soviet times. He said also Armenian Muslims, known also as
Hamshen Armenians, count some 1,500 people.
Hamshen Armenians have no contacts with other Armenians. According
to ambassador, a lot of work is to be done to win them over as
different forces, including also the Turkish community are trying to
gain its support.
The Armenian community, which is mainly concentrated in the
capital Bishkek, runs its cultural center, a Sunday school. Among
community members are several successful businessmen, but no
Armenians are involved in local executive bodies. The ambassador says
many Armenians from neighboring Turkmenistan move to Kyrgyzstan,
which provides more freedom to ethnic minorities.
Hamshen Armenians, a little-known group of Armenian origin living
along the Black Sea in Turkey and Abkhazia in Georgia, number several
hundred thousand worldwide. The Armenian community is largely unaware
of this group to whom they are related ethnically and whose language,
called Homshetsma by its speakers, is closely related to standard
Western Armenian.
The Hamshen probably derive their name from a village of the same
name in Northeastern Turkey, near Rize, which seems to have been
itself derived from an Armenian prince Haman Amatuni who came there
with migrants from the Ayrarat district in the eighth century A.D.
They were forced to convert to Islam from the 16th century down to
the 1915 Genocide.
Yet, although the language has been mostly de-Christianized, the
Hamshen still observe the Armenian Christian New Year (celebrated on
the day of Epiphany), the Armenian Christian feast of Vartivar, and
the language retains the Armenian Christian word for God, Asdvadz.
Some of them privately acknowledge their Armenian identity or
roots, but publicly few will do so. Others consider themselves to be
Turks. There are important political factors at play in Turkey which
would discourage the Hamshen from openly professing their Armenian
origins.

Russian energy minister reports to Duma on electricity reforms, strategy

ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow,
21 Apr 04

Russian Energy and Industry Minister Viktor Khristenko has told the
State Duma that the recently established free market in electricity is
performing well, the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS reported on 21
April.

According to TASS, the minister told deputies during today’s
“Government Hour” that since it started operating in November 2003,
the market “has proved its effectiveness and has become one of the
most important steps of the first period of reform”. He noted that the
average daily volume of sales on the market had grown from 12m kWh in
November 2003 to 142m kWh in March 2004. Khristenko said this increase
had been accompanied by a rise in the number of participants on the
market from 14 to 75. A significant number of these are companies
independent of the national grid company, Unified Energy System of
Russia.

TASS also quoted Khristenko as saying that the “operation of the
market needs some adjustment”. In particular, he stressed the need for
a more balanced mechanism for setting prices.

Another TASS report quoted Khristenko as saying the average price on
the free segment of the market was lower than on the regulated
market. However, he also said prices on the regulated market were well
within the limits set by the government. “The price limits for
electricity in 2004 will be fully observed”. The report said that the
price limit per kWh is R0.846, and the current price is R0.822 per
kWh.

However, TASS reported Khristenko as saying that, unlike electricity
prices, gas prices would increase by more than the consumer price
index. He said serious measures needed to be taken to lower production
costs and increase the efficiency of the fuel’s use for the
electricity sector.

According to TASS, Khristenko said that among the government’s main
objectives in the reform of the electricity sector was the formation
of wholesale generating companies and territorial generating
companies, and the separation of 37 regional energy companies. He also
said that it is “vital to develop state regulation, and create a
system of antimonopoly control and ensure there was non-discriminatory
access to the market.”

“It is also necessary to create an integrated system of tariff
regulation during the transitional period,” TASS quoted Khristenko as
saying. He added that the question of Siberia joining the competitive
electricity market should be decided in 2004.

Khristenko also told MPs that energy integration could contribute to
the solution of political issues in the CIS, according to another TASS
report. “One of the key elements in this process is infrastructure
integration, which concerns not only the acquisition of assets of CIS
companies, but also the main planks of the distribution systems,”
Khristenko was quoted as saying.

The same report quoted the head of Unified Energy System of Russia,
Anatoliy Chubays, as saying that “the acquisition of assets in CIS
energy companies is a new strategy for us.” We have restored a single
energy system in 14 of the 15 former Soviet republics, and this means
that it is possible to take the next step – the acquisition of
companies,” Chubays was reported to have said. He added that, having
started this process in Georgia and Armenia, “we are now conducting
serious and complex negotiations with Ukraine, preparing for
negotiations in Kazakhstan, and planning vigorous activity in the
Baltic States”. Chubays also said that the company was not intending
to limit its activity to the CIS. “We are ready to participate in
tender processes in a number of countries in Eastern Europe,” Chubays
was quoted as saying.

Armenian opposition holds meeting before rally

A1+ web site
21 Apr 04

The Justice bloc and the National Unity Party held a meeting today to
discuss actions scheduled for today.

In an interview with Radio Liberty before the meeting, Justice bloc
leader Stepan Demirchyan spoke about the opposition’s positions over
the recent period.

“The impression is that nothing unites the opposition but violence
against the opposition and its supporters,” he said.

Armenian opposition activists detained ahead of rally – web site

A1+ web site
21 Apr 04

Employees of the criminal department of the Yerevan police arrested a
member of the Republic Hanrapetutyun Party, lawyer Karapet Minasyan, at
about 1400 0900 gmt today.

To all appearances, he will be set free after the rally scheduled for
today . Minasyan is not the only person arrested today. Several
opposition activists were taken to police for an “explanatory
lecture”.

SKRIN, 2004
SKRIN market and corporate news
April 19, 2004

Volgaburmash gains all stocks of Nairit in trust

JSC Volgaburmash, a drilling bits producer controlled by Samara
businessmen Andrey Ischuk, gained in trust all stocks of
Armenia-based ZAO Nairit, an artificial rubber and molds producer,
whose stocks were held by Armsvyazbank. JSC Volgaburmash controls 3
drilling bits plants in Russia and Ukraine, 11 enterprises producing
mineral wool insulation (10 of which are affiliated to Moscow-based
Thermosteps), 11 building and assembly departments. In 2003 the
holding’s consolidated turnover was $ 200mln, Vedomosti said.

Armenian National Committee of Canada
3401 Olivar-Asselin
Montreal, Quebec
H4J 1L5

April 21st, 2004
Contact persons: Robert Kouyoumdjian: (514) 336-7095
Shant Karabajak: (514) 334-1299
Aris Babikian : (416) 497-8972

PRESS RELEASE

CANADA RECOGNIZES THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

The House of Commons adopts bill M-380 presented by Mrs. Madeleine
Dalhpond-Guiral

Ottawa, April 21st, 2004 – The House of Commons adopted a motion
recognizing the Armenian Genocide by a majority of 153 votes. The
motion was presented by Mrs. Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral (M.P. Laval
Center) and seconded by Mr. Sarkis Assadourian (M.P. Brampton-Center),
Mr. Jason Kenney (M.P. Calgary-South-East) and Mrs. Alexa McDonough
(M.P. Halifax).

The passing of this resolution was the culmination of a 25 year
process which encompassed similar resolutions being passed by city
councils, provinces, and the Canadian Senate (July 13, 2002).

“This is a victory for truth and justice.” stated Dr. Girair
Basmadjian, president of the Armenian National Committee of Canada.

“Implicated in this course of action for over two decades, the ANCC
has constituted the driving force behind the process towards the
adoption of this motion,” commented Dr. G. Basmadjian. “The
accomplishment of this task was made possible through the mobilization
as well as the implication of our grass roots members who made sure
that all Members of Parliament were aware of the importance of t his
issue for our community. »

Canada now joins a long list of nations including France, Switzerland
and Russia which have recognize the Armenian Genocide of 1915.

AssA-Irada, Azerbaijan
April 19, 2004

RUSSIA, WEST UNHAPPY WITH ARMENIAN PRESIDENT

“The developments in Armenia will have the same effect as
ex-President Ter-Petrosian’s stepping down in 1998. The protest
actions may subside now, but not for very long”, says the Director of
the Political Innovations and Technologies Center Mubariz Ahmadoglu.
He said that even if the opposition comes to power in Armenia, it
will not change the country’s domestic and foreign policy, which will
remain pro-Russian, as there are no pro-West leaders in Armenia.

Ahmadoglu said the current tensions are weakening Armenia. “Both
Russia and the West are fed up with Kocharian’s political position”.
He added that this proves that time is up for the present regime in
Armenia.

South Wales Evening Post, UK
April 20, 2004

Centre date for drama

The play Two Questions of Intelligence is set to be staged at the
Dylan Thomas Centre, in Swansea. Real Time Theatre will be presenting
the political drama, written by Mike Joseph, suggesting links between
the Armenian genocide in the early 20th Century and the Holocaust.

It will be performed on Friday at 7.30pm.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
April 21, 2004 Wednesday 2:19 PM Eastern Time

Man carrying 3 kg of illegal diamonds detained at Moscow airport

MOSCOW

Customs officials at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo-2 airport have detained a
national of Armenia, who was trying to take into Russia a load of 2.6
kilograms of rough diamonds, press spokesmen for the airport’s
customs service said.

The smuggler, 39, was detained at 22:30 Moscow time Tuesday. When the
customers were checking the passengers of a Yerevan-Moscow flight,
they found that the man had a strange fabric belt under his sweater.

It contained 12 plastic bags with jewels the size of 0.5 carats to 2
carats. Their total weight was 2.65 kilograms.

Wednesday, the experts were working to establish the cost of the
confiscated consignment.

One of them indicated that a carat of a gem-quality stone would
usually cost about a hundred U.S. dollars, while the price of cut
diamonds would depend on the quality of cutting.

The Armenian man is now subject to a criminal case invoking charges
of smuggling.