At the press conference in Foreign Affairs Ministry the journalists were told that Ambassador Pier Herkole Ago is visiting Armenia for the last time. {BR} His office period expired. It is to remind that the group Mr Ago heads controls the implementation process of the CE-obligations of Armenia. Ago called that process as positive though saying there are some problems regarding the constitutional...

Converse Bank Chair Smbat Nasibyan informed journalists about 2003’ achievements and further plans of the bank. According to him, 2003 annual revenue of Converse Bank made 614.8 million drams, more by 145.3 million in comparison with the previous year. The number of bank customers increased by 62% making 8254. {BR} Nasibyan said that they find difficulty in returning the sums of the citizens...

During his visit to Azerbaijan OSCE representative on NKR Goran Len Marker met Nizami Bakhmanov, the head of Azerbaijani Commune in Karabakh. {BR} Bakhmanov voiced dissatisfaction over OSCE activity channeled to Karabakhi conflict settlement. He accused OSCE Minsk Group of idleness and announced: ”If the Group doesn’t take strict steps for the conflict settlement, Azerbaijan will use...

Answering the questions of journalists in airport Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev who is on the official visit in Russia announced that he is against the suggestion by OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Vyacheslav Trubnikov over involving Nagorno Karabakh in the negotiation process. {BR} ”The negotiation format is known – Armenia and Azerbaijan. Involving of any other third part is intolerable”, Ilham Aliev said.

Hrant Margaryan’s statements on Javakhk are stricter. ”Now Javakhk is the part of the Armenian agenda”, he says. {BR} ARF appreciates deeply friendship with Georgia and it can be interested in the territorial integrity of Georgia providing that “Georgian authorities themselves realize that they may endanger the common interests of Georgia if neglecting the demand on sovereignty...

”Armenian-Turkish reconciliation, opening of the Armenia-Turkey frontier is a false agenda as long as Turkey refutes the fact of Genocide”, Hrant Margaryan, ARF Bureau representative announced at the 29th conference of ARF. He is sure that Turkey doesn’t seek reconciliation, “it wishes to cause split that way”. He also thinks that the present Turkey is the same one which...

In the beginning of 2004 ”Republic” Party initiated joining the Opposition field for restoration of the constitutional order in the state. This initiative seemed to fail first. But this week 4 main powers in Opposition voiced willingness to unite. We were interested in the standpoint of Ara Sahakyan, ex-member of Armenian National Movement Party, ex Vice-Speaker of Parliament and “Armat”...

The CE’s ministerial committee’s Ago Group met Thursday with the PACE Armenian delegation. The delegation head and the Armenian National Assembly Vice-Speaker Tigran Torossyan made a report on process of fulfilment of commitments by Armenian side.{BR} One of the delegation members Shavarsh Kocharyan informed the Group about the fact of the opposition boycott in parliament. “Justice”...

Armenian National Committee representative Hilda Choboyan said Thursday Turkey is likely to become a full-fledged member of the European Union though the organization by the end of the year.{BR} In her opinion, the main obstacle on the way of Turkey membership might be the fact that a law on religious minorities isn’t adopted yet. German Christian-Democratic Party is strongly opposed to Turkey’s...

Armenian Apostolic Church leader Garegin the Second received the OSCE newly appointed head Vladimir Pryakhin on Thursday. Welcoming Pryakhin, Garegin II expressed appreciation of the OSCE role in democracy development process.{BR} Freedom of conscience and other religion-related issues were discussed at the meeting. Garegin II voiced concern at different religious organisation penetrated into Armenia...

Order for airports’ VIP saloons services was adopted by the government on Thursday.{BR} According to the order, services rendered to officials and official delegations will be paid from the state budget.

Today, after long-hour speculations, “People’s MP” parliamentary group decided to announce it is ready to be mediator between pro-governmental and opposition-minded forces in parliament. The decision got ruling coalition representatives’ approval. Galust Sahakyan said mediators would help to create better atmosphere in the country. Dashnaks’ leader Levon Mkrtchyan...

“Justice” parliamentary fraction secretary Victor Dallakyan said Thursday that, despite the boycott announced, he would be present at the parliamentary sessions where his legislative initiatives are discussed.{BR} And what about the laws approved in the opposition absence, he expressed disagreement with them.

Armenian National Assembly’s fractions and groups met Robert Kocharyan’s nominee for ombudsman post Larissa Alaverdyan on Thursday. The president’s nomination has been approved by a majority of the parliament but boycotted by the opposition MPs, because of the majority refusal to stipulate in the Human Rights Watch Law that “ombudsman is being nominated by president but only...

National Unity party members met Thursday with residents of Armenia’s province of Baghramyan. Speaking at the meeting on the opposition MPs’ boycott at the parliament recent session, a party member Gagik Kostandyan said some officials “are trying to threaten us from the National Assembly floor”. What is going on in legislative, justice and executive bodies is a real disgrace,...

Opposition’ conversations about the coming power change don’t seem serious to PM Andranik Margaryan. He is safe in his post. The only fact he is displeased with is that MPs in Opposition have decided to boycott Parliament activity. {BR} PM doesn’t consider that step as a Parliamentary crisis.

Armenian Foreign Affairs Minister Vardan Oskanyan isn’t going to resign. MPs Artashes Geghamyan and Shavarsh Kocharyan who partook in PACE session have recently demanded him to do that. MPs assure that Oskanyan’s complementary policy came to grief in Europe. Minister is not against to call what happened in Europe “fiasco”. But this matter regards the activity of the delegates...

Despite the statements of the Parliament Opposition, saying it is going to use the rostrum during exchanging questions and answers between Parliament and Government, only 3 MPs in Opposition posed questions to Government. {BR} Manuk Gasparyan was interested in the fate of Yerevan’ trams and the rumors spread as if Parliament Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan wishes to acquire the territory for...

On February 23 PACE Spokesman on Karabakh Terry Davis will visit the region. He will arrive in Armenia after Azerbaijan. Then he is intended to leave for Nagorno Karabakh. {BR} But the Azeri Media inform that Azerbaijan is against Davis’s visit to NKR. Azerbaijani Authorities have announced if even Davis insists on his intention to visit Karabakh, it is possible only if Karabakh is considered...

More than 100 Opposition figures of Azerbaijan arrested threaten Authorities to go for a hunger-strike if they don’t meet CE demand on political prisoners. {BR} Those are the people who were arrested during the disorders at Baku streets on October 15 and 16. They announce that they haven’t been examined for 3 months and the legal proceedings pass through breaking laws. Opposition representatives...

Howard Dean, the representative of Democratic Party and the candidate for USA presidency had sent a letter to the Washington Office of ARF, calling upon the Congress to recognize the Genocide of the Armenians. {BR} In the letter to ARF Mr Dean condemns President Bush for that in the pre-election period he had promised to recognize the fact of the Armenian Genocide but failed to do that after being...

Robert Kocharyan and Ilham Aliev may meet in the coming conference is Istanbul. OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Yuri Merzlyakov has informed about this the Azeri “525” periodical. {BR} He informed that the conference will take place soon “where Azerbaijani president and Armenia’s leader will meet”. Referring to the expected visit of OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to the region...

Parliament has discussed a bill under which beginning from 2005 May the citizens of Armenia will be obliged to register their property. {BR} By the bill only the property exceeding 2,5 million drams is under registration. By the way, there is another Law in force providing the officials to register their revenues. The officials themselves don’t treat the Law seriously.

Armenian capital’s former mayor Albert Bazeyan once again reminded Robert Kocharyan’s statements made when the president assessed Bazeyan’s activity in office. “Why he doesn’t put on trial former official, who acted illegally? Why he doesn’t prosecute me?”, asked Bazeyan saying Kocharyan has made libelous statements having nothing in common with reality and...