Opposition-minded MP Arshak Sadoyan intends to file a motion to Prosecutor Office demanding to launch a legal action against justice minister David Harutyunyan. He accuses the minister of abusing its authority and misleading the community about imbroglio over ArmenTel company.{BR} However, he isn’t so optimistic about the result. He says it is hard to believe that Prosecutor Office officials...

Central Election Commission has confirmed the results of by-election held at constituency N27. Last Sunday Arakel Movsissyan, brother of MP Mushegh Movsissyan killed in car accident in September, won a National Assembly seat in an uncontested by-election.{BR} However, the newly elected MP didn’t come to the commission to take his mandate. The head of the commission says the mandate can be handed later.

Few believed MP Hmayak Hovhanissyan could collect 66 MPs’ signatures to convene an extraordinary parliamentary session for discussing compensations for the people who lost their money deposited in the state bank yet in soviet epoch.{BR} But he did. The session is scheduled for Dec 20. Hmayak Hakobyan even managed to extract signatures from one Dashnak contrary to Dashnaktsutyun Party’s...

European Union will hold Thursday in Strasbourg a discussion over a report proposing to start negotiations with Turkey on its possible EU membership, Anatolu Turkish news agency reports.{BR} The agency says French and German Christian Democrats are thought to reject and English, Italian and Spanish Christian Democrats to approve the report. The agency also says French right-wing parliamentarians...

Independent MP Hmayak Hovanisyan has today collected signatures in Parliament all day long for holding a special session on December 20, at 12:00 PM. The out of turn session to be conducted on his initiative will discuss the issue of returning the money deposited in banks during the Soviet times. {BR} Under the regulations, the term of Hovanisyan’s initiative will expire tomorrow at 2:00 PM....

”No one can act against his national interests”, Armenian FM Vardan Oskanyan has announced at today’s press conference referring to the settlement process of Karabakhi conflict. {BR} ”Through the positive interference of Minsk Group and cooperating with Azerbaijan we managed to remove obstacles recently emerged on the way of resuming negotiations”, FM appraised the present...

”I have no concern that the Ukrainian version will reoccur in Armenia”, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan has said at the press conference today. He thinks there are no conditions for that here. {BR} According to him, the Ukrainian revolution put an end to pretensions of our Opposition since it became clear that the international observers accept or do not accept the results...

According to Viktor Dallaqyan, Secretary of “Justice” Bloc, 3 issues – the settlement process of Karabakhi conflict, the falsified presidential elections of 2003 and cessation of the separated part from “October 27” major case can be the reasons for the inward political developments and activeness in 2005. {BR} In connection with them, there can be 3 events – Trust...

The activity of the working group of NATO Military Committee was to take place in Azerbaijan, too, but Military Committee will assemble only in Georgia and Armenia, Arthur Aghabekyan, Deputy Defence Minister of Armenia, has informed today. {BR} ”Azerbaijan has dictated the condition that Armenia must not partake in the meeting in Azerbaijan”, Deputy Defence Minister said. He also said...

”At the political aspect Armenia-NATO cooperation is not my business but I assess is excellent from the military one”, Ferentz Kalmaar, head of working group of NATO Military Committee and Representative of International Military Headquarters told journalists. {BR} According to him, Armenia does everything to intensify that cooperation. Why isn’t this meeting held in Baku, too? “They...

The fact that discussion on 2005 state budget continued in Parliament today was display of the good will by Parliament Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan. He thinks discussion might fail. {BR} Under the order, the state budget bill is discussed in Parliament in presence of Government members. When MPs registered and the activity started today, none of Government representatives came to Parliament during...

During today’s discussion of 2005 budget in Parliament the parties and groups have introduced their attitude over the bill on it. All the parties in Coalition appraised positively the document. {BR} On behalf of his party ARF head Levon Mkrtchyan said: “We fully bear the responsibility for implementation of the clauses provided in the bill”. The members of ARF think that 2005 budget...

Former MP Vigen Khachatryan said Monday during a round-table discussion held by Cooperation in the Sake of Open Society initiative if constitutional amendments would prove to be mere imitation they would be rejected by people. He said the current parliament isn’t independent. That’s why it is dangerous.

A week-long festival of European movies will be open on December 13 in Moscow cinema in Yerevan.{BR} Greek, Italian, Polish, French, British and German movies will be shown there. Cinema is the best way of perception of Europe without language barrier, French ambassador to Armenia Henry Cuni said Monday at a press conference in Yerevan. European movie festival will be held in Armenia for the first...

On Monday, defense minister Serge Sargssyan, speaking in parliament, voiced his discontent at the fact that the 2005 state budget targeted more amount of money for science needs than for defense.{BR} A compromising decision was eventually made. 81,8 million drams will be allocated to defense, national security, law enforcement and justice areas. It makes 21,7% of the budget. It’s not a final...

Armenian Central Bank governor Tigran Sargssyan spoke on the 2005 state budget Monday in parliament.{BR} He said the situation in Armenia is not as bad as the republic population thinks. In his words, prices for potato, bread and vegetables have even slipped for the last months. Fish and seafood prices went up instead, Sargssyan said. Does the Central Bank retain control over the situation in...

Correspondent: What the commission opinion of the bills was? V.P.: The commission opinion can’t be called positive or negative, because Venetian Commission is a European institution and, as a rule, its remarks are worded diplomatically. However, if we put the diplomacy to one side and look at the essence, we’ll see the commission has made it clear that all the proposals submitted since...

By-election was held Sunday at constituency N 27 in Armavir, Armenia. The only candidate run for a seat in Armenian National Assembly was non-partisan Arakel Movsissyan. He won a parliament seat by getting 98,4% of the votes cast.{BR} As many as 27,474 came to polling stations of 40,520 people eligible to vote. 27,032 cast their votes for the candidate, 229 against and 213 ballots were announced invalid.

Armenian MPs continued Monday to discuss the 2005 state budget at their extraordinary session. Over forty issues are included in the session agenda.{BR} Scarcely 15 or 20 were present at the budget discussion.

Hovhannes Margaryan, the head of parliamentary commission on state and legal issues, speaking Friday at the discussion over amendments to electoral code, was asked can the amended code ensure journalists unhampered work during election process.{BR} The question surprised him. He said he had been the head of one of polling stations commissions during last year’s elections but never seen such...

Venice Commission, OSCE and international experts are waiting altered version of electoral code, the head of the OSCE Yerevan office Elaine Conkievich said Friday speaking at a meeting held by Cooperation for the Sake of Open Society initiative.{BR} He said they will wait patiently, as they want the version to conform fully to people interests. The head of the National Assembly’s commission...

OSCE conducted its regular monitoring of Armenian and Azeri troops contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.{BR} The monitoring founded no cease fire violence there.

“International Human Rights Day is not a holiday in Armenia, but the day of dreams”, Armenia’s Helsinki Committee’s chair Avetik Ishkhanyan said Friday speaking at a meeting staged by Cooperation for the Sake of Open Society initiative including 60 organizations to mark its first anniversary.{BR} In his opinion, only an every-day struggle can produce results. In his words,...

Beauty Days in Yerevan exhibition opened Friday in Moscow cinema.{BR} Festive candles, flowers and clothing are exposed there. Beekeepers union presented its products. The head of the union says beekeepers see beauty in honey. That’s why they are taking part in the event. There is even one of cosmetic surgery centers among the exposition participants. From 200 to 250 women, especially those...