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NKR PRESIDENT: AZERBAIJAN NOT READY EITHER FOR NEGOTIATIONS OR FOR COMPROMISES IN SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT
"I have no great expectation from the year 2004 in the aspects of the negotiations process," he said adding that Karabakh's success do not Azerbaijani political figures in peace, and they try to hinder normal developments by all means. And the fact that once or twice in a month a regular anti-Karabakh hysteria envelops Azerbaijan is an evidence of it. "And it once more testifies that Baku does not want to negotiate and start a constructive dialogue," NKR President said. Arkady Ghoukassyan said that he is invited to Yerevan to meet the Special Representative of the European Union Heikki Talvitie. "Unfortunately, I have no opportunity to leave for Yerevan these days, so I have invited the representatives to Stepanakert. If the frameworks of their visit allow, they will probably visit Karabakh," President Ghoukassyan said. 940 CHILDREN LIVE IN ORPHANAGES IN ARMENIA YEREVAN, JANUARY 24. ARMINFO. 940 children live in 8 of 11 orphanages under the authorities of the RA Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, 311 of them in specialized institutions, Minister Aghvan Vardanian told journalists presenting the 2003 report. According to him, 282 applications for adoption were lodged, 206 of them, including 78 from foreign citizens, were satisfied. Under the government program of social assistance to the alumni of orphanages, 55 citizens received assistance, including 35 flats. Three orphanages in Yerevan, Gyumri and Nor Kharberd were repaired on donations of the "Hovard Karaghezian" benevolent fund. Vardanian reported that 5,000 of 15,064 disabled people received orthopedic assistance under state order, and 1,305 people received free medical assistance. The Minister also pointed out that six geriatric homes are working in Armenia, and 450 old people live in two of them, which are under the Ministry's authority. SECTION OF NORTHERN AVENUE FROM ABOVYAN TO OPERA HOUSE TO BE FINISHED BY LATE APR YEREVAN, JANUARY 24. ARMINFO. The section of Northern Avenue running from Abovyan Street to Opera House will be finished by late Apr, says Yerevan's mayor Yervand Zakharyan. The whole project covering 63,000 sq m will be finished in 2006. 40% of the work has already been done. Until recently land lots over the area were sold at $300-310 per one sq m as few investors believed in the project. 2 lots have been sold in the last few months - one at $800/sq m and the other at $1,000/sq m. Presently the municipality is negotiating the sale of the last 2,100 lot at $1,000. As for the displeasure of the people concerning the size of houses they get, Zakharyan says that 20% of the money is deduced as VAT , 10% as income tax, 5%-8% as the expenses of the office implementing the project. The compensation given to the population ranges from $250 to $450 per sq m depending on the number of owners per area. The bigger the number of owners the higher the price. In addition to the above expenses the municipality spends money on the construction of communications, water and gas pipelines and other public facilities like underground and two-storeyed parking lots. The above costs the municipality $200 per sq meter. HEADLINES OF JANUARY 24
EU SUPPORTS EFFORTS OF OSCE MINSK GROUP FOR PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF
KARABAKH CONFLICT
SPEAKER OF ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT AND ARMENIA'S FM DISCUSS THURSDAY INCIDENT WITH ARMENIAN MP IN US YEREVAN, JANUARY 23. ARMINFO. Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Artur Bagdassaryan and Armenia's Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan met today to discuss the Thursday incident with Armenian MP Tatul Manaseryan in the US. They said that urgent measures must be taken considering the aggravation of Manaseryan's health condition. The parliamentary press-service reports that Manaseryan has been allowed to meet with representatives of the Armenian Embassy to the US. To remind, Manaseryan was detained by the police after arriving at the Dallas Airport (Washington) and is being kept in the solitary confinement cell of Virginia. YEREVAN, JANUARY 23. ARMINFO. 14 Armenian NGOs are protesting against the Government's decision to place the ArmForest state non-for-profit organization under Agriculture Ministry's jurisdiction. Today they sent an open letter to President Robert Kocharyan and Premier Andranik Margaryan asking them not to ratify the decision. Welcoming the initiative to separate ArmForest from Environment Protection Ministry, the NGOs are nevertheless concerned over the planned reforms in the sphere. "The reforms will aggravate the situation even more." They say that forests must be controlled by one structure while having similar goals and functions ArmForest and Agriculture Ministry can enter into conflict leaving the forest problem in the background. Besides, the ministry does not have forest experts and will have to spend additional money for creating a relevant structure. The NGOs note that a package of legislative reforms has been drafted under the WB-Armenia program to manage natural resources and reduce poverty and the above decision contradicts the provisions of the new forest policy. Hence, they propose approving the new policy and only then effecting structural reforms. HEADLINES OF JANUARY 23
CIS TOTAL TRADE TURNOVER AMOUNTS TO $70 BLN
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STEPANAKERT, JANUARY 24. ARMINFO. Azerbaijan is not ready either for
negotiations or for compromises in the settlement of the Karabakh
conflict, NKR President Arkady Ghoukassyan t]old journalists.
