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VAGRANT MENTALITY ON POLITICAL SCENE FRAUGHT WITH SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES: PRESIDENT
According to the President, the reason for the opposition's recent activity is spring. As regards the Prosecutor's Office, President Kocharian pointed out that this structure need to restore its authority and role among the government structures. "The authority of the Prosecutor's Office must be restored by people that are capable of doing it. To what extent, you will see," the President said. Beside the change of the Prosecutor General, the President promised personnel changes in the structures of the Prosecutor's Office. He explained the changed by his intention to strengthen the Prosecutor's Office in all aspects, including discipline and struggle against corruption within the structure itself. Yesterday, the RA presidential press service reported that, introducing the newly appointed Prosecutor General, the President pointed out that Aghvan Hovsepyan was Ra Prosecutor General for many years and was released from that post not because of faults, but as a result of the political situation. "And now that he is appointed Prosecutor General victory has in a sense triumphed," the President said. Kocharian stressed that raising its authority must become a priority task of the Prosecutor's Office. The President pointed out that the Prosecutor's Office must play an active role in battling corruption and organized crime. On the other hand, he stressed that the Prosecutor's Office must not interfere in private business. MURDERER-OFFICER TO RECEIVE SCHOLARSHIP YEREVAN, MARCH 19. ARMINFO. Azeri businessman, leader of the Organization of National Unity Nadyr Aliev has decided to grant scholarship to Ramil Safarov, the Azeri officer who killed his Armenian counterpart in Budapest Feb 19. The first sum was given to Safarov's father Thursday. The scholarship will be given until Safarov is set free and finds a job. While granting the scholarship Aliev said that the Azeri public is not active enough in protecting Safarov and does not use the incident "to expose the aggressive nature of the Dashnak separatists." JAVAKHETI NGOs WRITE LETTER TO CE SECRETARY GENERAL AKHALKALAKI, MARCH 19. ARMINFO. The political and social crisis in Georgia is the result of many unsettled problems, says the letter of representatives of Samtskhe-Javakheti NGOs to CE secretary general Walter Schwimmer. The rights of ethnic minorities are violated in Georgia. In fact this country does not honor its commitments to the CE. The Georgian authorities do not fulfill the constitutional principle of self-government. This problem is especially acute in Javakheti, a region with a majority Armenian population. In fact the region has been forced out of the government processes. No social-economic programs are being implemented there, poverty is looming dangerously large. To bring the region out of the crisis it is necessary to specify its administrative borders and to give it an autonomy status. The NGOs express wish to meet Schwimmer to tell him about the region's problems. HEAD OF MIGRATION AND REFUGEES DEPARTMENT OF ARMENIA TO VISIT MOSCOW YEREVAN, MARCH 19. ARMINFO. The head of the Migration and Refugees Department of the Armenian Government Gagik Yeganyan has gone to Moscow to meet there with Armenians living in Russia. He is to explain to them how the Armenian-Russian voluntary resettlement agreement works. Among other issues will be the procedure of provision of customs and tax concessions under Armenia's agreements with the WB, International Fund of Agriculture development and the German government. Yeganyan is to meet with Armenia's Ambassador to Russia, the heads of the local Armenian NGOs and the primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Russia. VOCALISTS OF LEXINGTON HIGH SCHOOL TO VISIT ARMENIA WITH CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM YEREVAN, MARCH 19. ARMINFO. A group of vocalists of the Lexington High School is to visit Yerevan late in April with a cultural exchange program, the web-site Lexington.com reports. The group is to give a concert together with an Armenian choir. Armenian and American folklore and church songs will be performed. The group is also scheduled to hold a meeting with a Conservatoire Professor, who will deliver a lecture on the theory of music. Beside the musical experience the children will gain in Armenia, they will take part in a benevolent action at an orphanage. This is the first cultural exchange program, but there is an intention to make such visits traditional from next year, Bryan O'Connell, Director of the choir, said speaking before the students. VARDAN OSKANIAN: STATEMENTS OF AZERBAIJAN'S PRESIDENT WILL LEAD HIM TO SNARE YEREVAN, MARCH 19. ARMINFO. The comparison of the Armenians of Karabakh with the Armenians who live in other states, weakened the grounds of the president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the necessity of settlement of the Karabakh conflict basing on the territorial integrity, and not on the rights of the peoples for self-determination. Foreign Minister of Armenia Vardan Oskanian declared in the interview to radio Liberty commenting on the speech of Ilham Aliyev in Bratislava. According to him, it is obvious that the presence of the Armenian people in the territory of Nagorny Karabakh goes back to much earlier historical period than the whole history of Azerbaijan's existence. In this connection it is simply ridiculous to draw a parallel between the Armenians of Karabakh and Armenians of other countries. The last statement of Aliyev much more strengthens the grounds of the Armenian side about that the people of Nagorny Karabakh has the right for self-determination. "It is just the case when the people wants to gain independence in the territory to which Azerbaijan does not have any historical and legal claims", Oskanian thinks. Concerning the statement regarding the foreign military presence in Armenia and possible influence of demilitarization of the South Caucasus on the settlement of regional conflicts, the minister pointed out that there is Russian presence in Azerbaijan too, the Ghabala radar, the importance of which much more than the physical presence of Russian troops in the territory of Armenia or Georgia. In the estimation of Oskanian, Aliyev declares about the necessity of demilitarization of the region only for that "to please several circles of Europe". 80 UNSECURED FAMILIES OF ARMENIA TO BE RESETTLED IN ARTSAKH WITHIN CURRENT YEAR YEREVAN, MARCH 19. ARMINFO. Within the 2004, some 80 unsecured families from Armenia will be resettled in the Nagorny Karabakh Republic, Executive Director of the Union of Public Organizations for Repatriation and Settlement "Yerkir" ("Country") Sevak Artsruni made this statement at a press-conference in the House of Journalists today. He said that within the coming two months, some 35 families from Armenia will settle in NKR. They will be provided with cottages and household plots (1,500-2,000 sq/m). Besides, Artsruni said that the migrants will receive definite privileges on legal basis, for example, exemption of taxes. It should be noted that the Union "Yerkir" (consisting of 5 public organizations of Armenia and Artsakh) operates from November of 2002. Artsruni said that development of bordering zones is important for Armenia like any other developing country. Thus, in 2003 in the NKR regions of New Shahumyan and Hadrout, several schools, kindergartens and hospitals were built due to the Union. The total cost of the program was $186,356 and 22,732 EUR. "Yerkir" representative said that in 2004 construction works will be carried out in Mardakert, Hadrout and New Shahumyan regions of Artsakh as well as in the Armenian regions of Tavush and Gegharkunik (in more than 30 populated areas). The program for 2004 will total more than $400,000. The programs are financed by charitable funds of France, Canada, USA: "France-Karabakh", "Armenia", "Monte Melkonyan" and Armenian foreign charitable-families. Sevak Artsruni said that at present the Union "Yerkir" registers families residing in Russia and other CIS signatory-countries, who want to return to their historical Motherland and have no such possibility. SECOND ARMENIAN FILM FESTIVAL IN NEW YORK YEREVAN, MARCH 19. ARMINFO. A Second Armenian Film Festival "Millennium Film Workshop" was held in New York on March 16-18, one of the event organizers, Anahit Kasabyan, told ARMINFO. She said that the festival aimed a presentation of Armenian film-makers to American spectators. Some 40 full-length and short films made by film-directors of Armenian origin from Armenia, France, the USA, Turkey, Russia, Netherlands and Canada were shot. Besides, photos and collages reflecting the national traditions of Armenians were exhibited. The First Armenian Film Festival was held on Feb 20, 2004 and was welcomed by Americans. Anahit Kasabyan said that the proceeds from the second festival will be used to organize a summer film-program at Yerevan Museum of Modern Art. CAR BLOWN UP ON MINE IN KARABAKH STEPANAKERT, MARCH 19. ARMINFO. The British NGO, The HALO Trust, engaged in demining of NKR territory has called on the population to be careful and pay attention to the signs informing of mine danger and not to pass unsafe roads. According to ARMINFO's special correspondent to Stepanakert, this call was necessitated by the incident on March 14 near to the populated area Nor Karminravan, Mardakert region, where a car was blown up on an anti-tank mine. As result, 3 were killed and 6 were injured. On the whole, since the begging of the year, 5 incidents have been registered, with 10 people were injured and 7 were killed. These indicators were 12 and 9, respectively, in 2003. YEREVAN, MARCH 19. ARMINFO. Armenian President Robert Kocharyan condemned the incident registered in the center of Yerevan on March 12 talking to journalists today. He said that those guilty in the incident must be brought responsible with all the strictness of the law. Speaking of participation of Ara Aramyan, the son of City Development Minister of Armenia Hayk Aramyan, in the incident, the president pointed out that after the Prosecutor General's Office makes its resolution on this case, the president, prime minister and political forces of the country must draw relevant conclusions. "On the whole, the country's officials and their families should be modest, otherwise, such incidents form a negative public opinion not only of the minister and his familiy, but also of the institute of power, on the whole." It should be noted that on March 12, as a reuslt of a dispute in front of cafe "Triumph" 5 were injured. A gun "Mauser" was confiscated from one of the participants in the incident, the aforementioned Ara Aramyan. The latter received a knife-wound. ARMENIAN FM URGES AZERBAIJAN STOP INCULCATING IMAGE OF "ARMENIAN ENEMY" IN PUBLIC YEREVAN, MARCH 19. ARMINFO. Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian urged Azerbaijan to stop the anti-Armenian propaganda and inculcation of the image of an "Armenian enemy" in Azerbaijani public, because it thwarts all the efforts toward the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement. The press service of the RA Foreign Office reports that Vardan Oskanian made his statement at a special session "Europe's Black Sea and Caucasus Neighbours" as part of the international conference "Toward a Wider Europe: The New Agenda" in Bratislava. Participating in the session were also the Georgian and Azerbaijani Presidents, Mikhail Sahakashvili and Ilkham Aliyev, Romanian Premier Andrian Nestese and Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passi. In his speech, the Armenian Foreign Minister appreciated the EU's role in encouraging democratic processes, social and economic reforms. The Armenian Foreign Minister pointed out that the "European context" will be useful in alleviating tension in regional conflicts and their settlement. HEADLINES OF FEBRUARY 19 MARCH
380 MLN EUR'S WORTH TECHNICAL AID PROVIDED TO ARMENIA BY EU IN
1998-2003
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YEREVAN, MARCH 19. ARMINFO. "A vagrant mentality on the political
scene is fraught with serious consequences," President Robert
Kocharian told reporters, commenting on the opposition's statements
concerning the President's changing the RA Prosecutor General out of
fear of the impending change of power.
