Armenia’s Renewed Communists’ Party did its best to criticise Communists’ Party of Armenia at its conference. But praise to Robert Kocharyan didn’t suffer from it . Though the subject both over coming presidential elections and seconding Kocharyan’s candidature at them stood out at the conference, ARCP didn’t officially announced to back up Kocharyan. Yuri Manukyan, first secretary...

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Armenian Democratic Party held Thursday its routine session today. Pre-election irregularities topped the session agenda. The party leader Aram Sargssyan said authorities were hampering signature collection by opposition candidates. He also said the 16 opposition parties’ alliance is to come up with special statement soon. Opposition parties embarked on working out a motion to be submitted to National...

“Unlike advanced-democracy countries, control in Armenia is being carried out not in favour of those controlled”, International Development Agency representative Steven Lidi said Thursday at National Assembly. The organisation representatives have been scrutinising the National Assembly Control Chamber activity since April 2002. Key objective of the program is to promote transparent and open system of democratic administration. However, it...

The speeches of pro-government parties at the congresses differ from the ones of radical Opposition by one thing as a rule – after evaluating in details the situation at present reporters announce they will second Kocharyan’s candidature . ”Hzor Hayrenik” Party as well announced its active support to the present president. “Presidential elections are very important event for any party. They will decide the precondition for progress...

Dziunik Aghajanian, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia came up Tuesday with a statement on the New INS Regulation. ”The US government, had as part of their security concerns, issued an `order`, which would require that foreign nationals from certain countries, including Armenia, follow special registration regulations with the US Immigration and Naturalization Service. We...

Joseph Ralston, Commander-in-Chief of NATO and USA Forces in Europe, is against the version of military solution to Karabaghi conflict. At the meeting with Chairs of Parliament Committees for Foreign Relations and Defence, NATO General expressed a standpoint the problem is to be solved in a political way . Ralston stated within OSCE Minsk group USA takes part in the settlement of Karabaghi conflict.

Though exercises “THE BEST ATTEPMT-2003” under NATO patronage will take place in Armenia. Joseph Ralston, Commander-in-Chief of NATO’ European Forces, who is on a day visit in Armenia, announces he has arrived in Armenia to meet political figures and commanders of Defence Ministry of Armenia. Later he stated: “I’m not here to hasten NATO-Armenia relations more than the level, accepted by Armenian people.” But he doesn’t hide that...

On occasion of visit by Joseph Ralston, Commander-in-Chief of Europe’ Allied Forces and Commander of USA Armed Forces in Europe, Lieutenant – General Vagharshak Harutyunyan, former Defence Minister answers our questions. “How do You assess closing in of relations with NATO?” “We implement the agreement concluded with NATO - “Cooperation for Peace” . We have signed it and we must collaborate. On the other hand we are the members...

ANCA Calls On The Bush Administration To Explain New Regulation Requiring Registration of Armenian Citizens In a deeply troubling development, the Republic of Armenia will be added to a list of countries whose non-immigrant male nationals over the age of 16 residing in the United States must register with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). After September 11, 2001, the...

Document on cooperation was signed today between Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez and Education and Science Mnister Levon Mkrtchyan. The Corps leadership says teaching of English in Armenia is badly in need to be upgraded.

National Democratic Party has no intention to support any candidate in upcoming presidential elections, despite the party is included in the alliance created by 16 opposition parties, which has put up a number of candidates for the presidential elections. But it doesn’t mean that the National Democrats are disappointed with the alliance, the party leader Shavarsh Kocharyan said today speaking in “Azdak” club. He finds the alliance’s efforts...

National Democratic Party’s leader Shavarsh Kocharyan didn’t launch his candidacy for coming presidential elections. He expressed his concern about the elections’ effectiveness saying there are too many candidates running for the presidency. “One Kocharyan has already ruled the country. Whether it is not enough? Do you want to elect another Kocharyan?” he joked.

Armenian Embassies can be occupied with arranging presidential elections. At today’s sitting CEC made a decision over how our compatriots, residing abroad, will carry out their suffrage. The most controversial one was the issue of the election lists . National Unity representative Zaven Pluzyan says thousands of Armenians reside and work abroad, though still registered in Armenia. For instance,...

On December 12 at the session of OSCE Permanent Council the regular report of its Representative on Freedom of the Media Freimut Duve on the situation with media freedom in the region was presented. In the section on Armenia Mr. Duve noted: “I am still concerned regarding the state of affairs around the two independent TV stations : “Noyan Tapan” and “A1+” . Following a court decision in favor of “Noyan Tapan” on 2 December, I...

At suggestion of printed Mass Media of provinces president Robert Kocharyan met the editors of more than ten newspapers, published in the provinces. Robert Kocharyan considered as especially important the province approach to the events in the republic , stating a very responsible period of time, regarding both presidential and parliamentary elections, begins. Problems of the province newspapers...

Aram Sargsyan, Democratic Party Chair and candidate for presidency of Armenia, is going to introduce a complaint to the OSCE observers in Armenia. He put in an application to CEC, demanding to provide equal conditions of struggle for all the candidates. If the requirement is not met, Aram Sargsyan will appeal to Court . Public TV Company way of working displeased Aram Sargsyan. In his application...

National Democratic Union challenges Central Election Commission decision, which declines to register of Vazgen Manoukyan who was nominated by a number of initiative groups as a presidential candidate. Alexander Butaev, one of the party leaders, says he doesn’t rule out that the Commission is acting under political order. The initiative groups launched legal proceedings against the Commission....

“National Unity Pilgrimage” organisation has put up in total four candidates for presidency: Raffi Hovhannissyan, the head of Armenian Center for National and International Studies; Lenser Aghalovjan and Rafael Ghazaryan, both academicians, and Rafael Hambardzumjan, the head of the Pilgrimage. Despite such an abundance of candidates nominated, the organisation announced it intended to support only Raffi Hovhannissyan.

Today Parliament finished voting of all the issues of special session. 43 out of introduced 44 were voted for and approved. Government representative Hovik Abrahamyan suggested Parliament to take Criminal Law Code, put for the second reading, out of discussion. Parliament agreed to the offer. Let’s remind the issue over death penalty in Armenia has a bearing on the above Law Code . Authorities...

Armen Aghayan, Secretary of Social Organisation for “Defence of Liberated Territories”, thinks Turkey is still the most dangerous enemy of Armenia in the region . “Political climate of our country is so immoral that it is difficult to find someone whose personal interests will allow him to be guided by the country’s ones” , Mr Aghayan says. Today’s report of Aghayan was conditioned by participation of Turkish military sub-unit...

CIS Observers’ Mission will post 40 people to Armenia to watch presidential elections process in Armenia. After meeting CEC Chair Artak Sahradyan, Yuri Yarov, CIS Executive Secretary, informed the observers will arrive in Yerevan a month earlier the elections, from January 19. “There are 11 provinces. And we know what our task is”, Yarov says. The observers will represent election committees of CIS countries and CIS Parliamentary...

President Kocharyan met Tuesday with some law enforcement agencies. “Our country has accomplished a great deal in its efforts in the freedom-of-speech area”, presidential press service quoted president Kocharyan as saying, however, without mentioning how law enforcement representatives reacted to his words. Hot discussion was held over human rights issues, the press service reported. Kocharyan...

December 10 once has been declared as Human Rights International Day in Armenia. Today, traditional presentation of human-right-related new publications is held in the U.N. mission in Yerevan. Before presenting the publications, the U.N. representative Valeri Tkachuk read up the U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s address to all countries’ governments, communities and individuals urging them to commit themselves to comprehensive law observance.