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  • ArmenianNow - 05/22/2009

    ARMENIANOW.COM
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    Internet: www.armenianow.com
    Technical Assistance: (For technical assistance please contact Babken
    Juharyan)
    Email: [email protected]

    *************************** *************************************************


    May 22, 2009





    1. Gloomy forecast: IMF predicts deeper decline, slow recovery for
    Armenia's economy**



    2. Politics in Eurovision: The contest is over, but not the debates



    3. No cinema, no medical center: Crisis freezes large construction
    projects in Vanadzor



    **4.** Grow roots: While peace process goes on, Karabakh focuses on
    demographic and social issues



    5. Frontrunners and Underdogs: Different forces solve different
    tasks in Yerevan elections **



    6. **Reality Check: How real are the "roadmap" and "basic ideas"
    agreements?**



    7. Weathering the Storm: Statistics don't lie**



    8. Chemical concerns: Nairit workers' lingering questions over
    explosion at their plant



    9. Eurovision 2009, the Debate continues: the rich vocal of Arshakyan
    sisters fails to eclipse the gloomy performance and gothic make up



    10. No trespassing: Opening of National Assembly park still debated



    11. Nocturnal display: Museums in Armenia offer free late evening
    entrance as part of international campaign **



    12. Striking a balance: Turkish journalists in Armenia to promote
    information exchange **



    13. Sport: Armenia hosting AIBA world junior boxing championships





    ************************************************ ****************************


    1. Gloomy forecast: IMF predicts deeper decline, slow recovery for
    Armenia's economy



    By Sara Khojoyan

    ArmeniaNow reporter



    Armenia will see an even deeper slump in economy and a slow recovery
    process, according to a forecast by specialists of an international
    institution.



    Deputy Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the Middle East
    and Central Asia Ratna Sahay and Head of the IMF mission to Armenia Mark
    Lewis in the report called 'Regional Economic Outlook' predicted the highest
    decline in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for Armenia during the upcoming
    years, and the slowest recovery process.



    The IMF report included forecasts for eight countries in the Caucasus and
    Central Asian regions, including Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan,
    Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.



    Among these countries Armenia will register the biggest decline in economic
    growth. Moreover, the IMF has revised and presented a more negative outlook
    for Armenia.



    Thus, whereas in March it predicted a three percent fall, now thÅ negative
    prediction reached 5 percent. Moreover, only Armenia and Kazakhstan (2
    percent decline) have a negative economic growth prediction among the
    regional countries. According to the IMF, Azerbaijan is likely to have a 2.5
    percent growth and Georgia's economy is likely to grow by only one percent.




    According to the same forecasts, next year Armenia will at best manage to
    post a zero growth, while Azerbaijan's economy is likely to expand by 12.3
    percent and Georgia's by 3 percent.



    Manuk Hergnyan, head of the Economy and Values research center, explains
    such a negative forecast for Armenia mostly by the dependence of Armenia's
    economy on Russia's.



    "Since quite negative predictions are made this year for all the spheres in
    Russia (oil market, financial sector), the prognosis for largely
    Russia-dependent Armenia's economy is as negative," says Hergnyan,
    emphasizing that Armenia, most probably, won't avoid economic recession, and
    by the most optimistic scenario will show positive indicators in 2010 only.




    In conditions of the 6.1 percent GDP fall in Armenia in the first quarter of
    the year, the IMF predictions seem quite real. A few weeks ago, Armenian
    Economy Minister Nerses Yeritsyan considered this fall to be irreversible
    due to the rules of economics.



    "History shows that it will, in fact, be very difficult to turn back the 6.1
    percent decline in GDP during the first quarter of the year," said Yeritsyan
    in presenting his personal estimation rather and avoiding making
    predictions.



    The economy minister considers the funds that Armenia expects to receive
    starting in July, as well as livelier economic activities in summer months
    as possible means for alleviating the GDP fall.



    As Mark Lewis estimates, the abrupt fall in construction and mining industry
    will further deepen the economic crisis.



    According to the economic showings for January-March 2009 posted by the
    National Statistical Service, the highest reduction during the first quarter
    of the year was registered in construction - 21.9 percent.



    As for the mining industry, a 11.4 percent fall was registered during the
    first quarter of the year, even though during January-March more copper and
    molybdenum ore was produced than during the same period of the previous
    year.



    Artak Baghdasaryan, head of the department for economic policy and strategy
    development at the Armenian Ministry of Economy, told ArmeniaNow that the
    IMF forecast is based on the current indicators, however, they are expected
    to change for the better, taking into consideration the measures taken by
    the government.



    "It'd be quite difficult to say how realistic the predicted minus 5 percent
    is - equally difficult either to deny or to confirm. The forecast is based
    on the current trends, however, anti-crisis projects are being initiated now
    to overcome all that, including major investment projects in road
    construction, energy production, which can spur and alter the situation,"
    says Baghdasaryan.



    In Hergnyan's assessment, there isn't much the government can do about the
    mining industry, as in that sphere the international market prices for
    nonferrous metal are decisive.



    "In the construction field the government has more flexibility, and the plan
    to establish a mortgage fund can be viewed as an important initiative. The
    issue here is that in order to succeed the level of construction has to be
    increased countrywide, on the other hand, though, the government resources
    are limited," he says.



    "Allocation of handsome amount of money to construction would limit the
    chances to finance other stragetic and innovative fields. In the long run,
    it's better to direct finances to other spheres, in order to diversify the
    Armenian economy, which has a low level of diversification," adds Hergnyan.



    Nonetheless, he is convinced that it won't be possible to create diversified
    economy in Armenia in three years, despite Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan's
    statement on doing so.



    "The fundamental reasons preventing Armenia from having a diversified
    economy would not be possible to change in three years," says Hergnyan.



    Head of the 'Polit-economy' Research Center Andranik Tevanyan says that the
    state must take steps to maintain economic activeness in these two spheres.




    "Initial steps have been taken in these spheres: 20 billion drams (about
    $53.5 m) have been allocated as credit guarantee for construction companies,
    and the same amount is envisaged for the mortgage market: it may contain the
    slump in construction," says the economist.



    The Government has also allocated credit totaling $10 million to the mining
    industry, mainly to the Kajaran Copper-Molybdenum Plant.



    However, Tevanyan doubts economic recovery in the mining industry and
    construction may be enough for reviving Armenia's economy.



    "I would not take into consideration only these two components; there is a
    decrease in total consumption, as well as a 25 percent reduction in cash
    remittances from abroad compared to the same period last year, which results
    in a falling solvent demand," says Tevanyan.



    "If payments are decreased, it is natural that inflation should slow down,"
    says Tevanyan, considering the 0.7 percent inflation posted by the
    statistics service for the first quarter of 2008 credible. "Meanwhile, in
    terms of boosting the economy, it is better for people to have at least
    small incomes and see prices rising, than not to have incomes and see a
    reduction in prices."



    As a result of the deepening impact of the crisis, consumer prices are
    expected to rise this year and beyond. The IMF predicts a 3.6 percent
    consumer price inflation this year, and a 7.2 percent inflation for 2010.



    Experts say reforming tax and budget policy as a main means for overcoming
    the crisis.



    Tevanyan says that the current tax and budget policy is one of the main
    obstacles for economic development in Armenia.



    "The 2009 budget was increased by $700 million compared to 2008 on the basis
    of the then exchange rate of 305 drams per one US dollar. This is mainly
    thanks to companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises," says
    the economist. "As decline has been registered in the economy, the main
    burden of filling the budget will be put on taxpayers."



    "And even though the tax rates have not been increased, it is already being
    done through imposing fines on economic entities, like those imposed for not
    giving receipts to customers," adds Tevanyan.



    ************************************* ***************************************


    2. Politics in Eurovision: The contest is over, but not the debates



    Aris Ghazinyan

    ArmeniaNow reporter



    Some episodes of backstage life of Eurovision-2009 held in Russian capital
    Moscow last week can develop into a real political scandal. Last Saturday
    saw a grand finale of this popular pan-European song contest in which
    Armenia was voted by the continent's viewers and national juries into the
    top ten among 25 finalists.



    But the scandal had already burst out with no connection to the outcome of
    the contest. Not surprisingly, the Armenian-Azerbaijani standoff has stepped
    onto the show biz domain. Azerbaijan, the eventual third place finisher in
    the contest, that set the row going.



    It started in the buildup to the final when, under pressure from
    Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry, the organizing committee of the contest
    removed the image of the monument by Armenian sculptor Sargis Baghdasaryan
    called "We Are Our Mountains", one of the symbols of Nagorno-Karabakh, from
    the presentation video preceding the performance by the Armenian duo. The
    Azeri Foreign Ministry declared that the monument is located in the
    territory of Nagorno-Karabakh =80 "an integral part of Azerbaijan". The
    organizing committee of Eurovision, trying to avoid a scandal, immediately
    accepted Baku's argument.



    Nonetheless, the scandal was inevitable.



    The Union of Armenians in Russia made a statement: "For a wonder, that
    absurd demand was met. Even if we disregard the fact that it is a major
    violation of the contest rules and infringes upon the contestants' rights,
    the mere fact that the organizers were ready to fall so easily for the
    ridiculous reasoning brought by the Azeri side famous for its Armenophobia
    (fear of Armenians) is perplexing."



    While presenting the results of the Armenia tele-voting, singer Sirusho was
    demonstratively holding a clipboard with the image of the monument on its
    back, which she exposed to viewing several times. During the presentation of
    the Armenia vote tallies broadcast live from Yerevan, the image of the
    monument could also be seen on a background screen.



    Azerbaijan was quick to react. Political analyst Fuad Akhundov stated: "That
    monument, installed in 1997, is quite conspicuous by itself. Meant to depict
    elderly people "grown into earth" who themselves as if have become
    mountains, but built with rose tufa stone brought from Yerevan is a perfect
    demonstration of how Armenian ultranationalists have been and are still
    trying to catch hold of a foreign land and present it as theirs."



    It is noteworthy, however, that the Azeris are winking at a different fact.



    It turned out that the presentation video preceding the Azeri participants'
    act had a picture of the Mausoleum of Poets in the Iranian city of Tabriz.
    The Mausoleum of Poets is where many Iranian poets, scientists, visionaries
    are buried, including Hagani Shirvani, Asadi Tusi, Gatran Tebrizi,
    Shahriyar. The Mausoleum has an unusual design: it is an underground hall
    with modernist structure built on top of it. There used to be a traditional
    dome instead, but it collapsed in consequence of an earthquake. The
    tombstones with the mosaic depictions of poets are in the underground hall.




    Azerbaijan has always made claims for the northern part of Iran (Iranian
    Azerbaijan), calling its capital Tebriz "an ancient Azeri city" and by that
    evoking a hostile reaction from Iranian authorities.



    The Armenian side has already turned to the Iranian Embassy in Yerevan
    inviting its attention to the presence of the Iranian architectural complex
    in the Azeri participants' presentation video.



    Young people started sending messages to Iranian mass media saying that
    while blaming others Azerbaijan itself appropriated Iran's cultural
    heritage.



    The Iranian Embassy has taken interest in that message and intends to ask
    for explanations from the contest organizers.



    It became known that Azerbaijan did not broadcast the Armenian contestants'
    number so that nobody could vote for Armenia. And that is a major violation
    of contest rules.



    For example, in 2005 Lebanon's television networks could not assure that
    they would broadcast the entire contest, including the Israeli entry,
    without interruption, citing Lebanese legislation prohibiting the broadcast
    of Israeli content and decided to withdraw. But they were given a three year
    ban since they withdrew almost three months after the 'no consequence'
    withdrawal deadline.



    According to the head of the voting project of Armenia's Public TV Ruben
    Muradyan, "a complaint with a demand to penalize Azerbaijan's broadcaster
    has been sent to the organizing committee of Eurovision-2009". Muradyan
    says that if found at fault, Azerbaijan will face at least a fine, and
    possibly disqualification.



    Consequently, given the consistent steps on Armenia's part, Azerbaijan might
    face sanctions imposed by the organizers of Eurovision.



    The repercussions of Eurovision-2009 might still produce a loud political
    echo in the region...



    It should be noted that there were conflicts between the Armenians and Azeri
    last year as well, when the duet with Samir Javadzadze (native of
    Nagorno-Karabakh) and El'nur Guseinov was representing Azerbaijan at
    Eurovision-2008, and Sirusho was representing Armenia.



    Right after the end of the contest in Belgrade, where Armenia finished
    fourth, and Azerbaijan eighth, Javadzadze stated: "The fact that Azerbaijan
    is four steps below Armenia has upset us most of all. I am from Karabakh.
    Even if this is just a contest, still, they are our enemies. After the
    finale, we couldn't calm down till morning =80 we couldn't stop crying."



    "Most of all Armenians wanted to infuriate us and get in our way. They were
    laughing at us, making remarks and even offended one of the members of our
    delegation during a dinner, but then calmed down. It's a trait
    characteristic of their nation, it's their national peculiarity =80 they are
    Armenian, that says it all. They have to demonstrate their bad manners in
    everything."



    It was then that the Azeri structures promised "to gain a victory over
    Armenia in Eurovision-2009". El'nur Guseinov openly declared: "I am
    convinced that next year Azerbaijan won't be facing this problem anymore.
    Our country has collected enough information about the contest."



    ******************************** ********************************************

    3. No cinema, no medical center: Crisis freezes large construction
    projects in Vanadzor



    By Naira Bulghadaryan

    ArmeniaNow Vanadzor reporter



    The construction of a new medical-rehabilitation center in the center of
    Vanadzor was to have been completed in May and the construction works of the
    cinema were to have started at the beginning of the year.



    But the global economic crisis upset all the plans in the third largest town
    of Armenia and the works over two construction projects have stopped now.




    Tigran Papanyan, Head of the Town Planning and Architectural Department of
    Vanadzor's Municipality, says that the crisis, in fact, entered Vanadzor
    with all its manifestations and consequences.



    "There was an agreement that construction works would start as soon as the
    weather gets warmer. But later we found out that they cannot start the works
    because of the crisis. And there is no hope that the works will start till
    autumn," Papanyan says, referring to his conversation with the owner of the
    'Paradise' Company about the construction of the cinema in the town's
    central 'Artsakh' park.



    Yet three years ago - in 2006, the authorities of Vanadzor sold half of the
    'Artsakh' park to 'Moscow Cinema' LLC belonging to 'Paradise" company (which
    owns the Moscow Cinema House in Yerevan). They hoped that three years later
    the territory would turn into a theatre area, with a cinema halls and a
    well-preserved park.



    'Paradise' promised residents of Vanadzor that they would construct two
    halls - a big one (with 250 seats) and a small one (with 50 seats), and that
    they would be provided with modern digital equipments.



    Martun Adoyan, General Manager of 'Moscow Cinema' LLC, says that the crisis
    upset everything. "We should have already started the works connected with
    the land, but we can probably start them only in autumn," says Adoyan.



    He adds that even if they do not manage to lay down the foundation of the
    cinema in autumn, then in spring, next year, they will do everything
    possible to carry out works connected with the land.



    Construction stopped also in the territory not far from the park. Workers
    were last time seen in the construction site of the medical-rehabilitation
    center at the end of last year.



    Papanyan connects this with the crisis, too; whereas the owner of the center
    and the land, a businessman from Yerevan, Rafael Manucharyan, stopped the
    construction for reasons other than the crisis.



    He says that the construction of the center is not his only business, and
    that he will manage to finish the construction works till the end of this
    year. Under the construction permit, Manucharyan was supposed to finish it
    this month. But taking into consideration the fact that the construction
    works started almost six months later, the deadline was also postponed by
    half a year.



    Though it is already a year since the construction works of the center in
    the 600 sq. meter territory started, even the roof of the three-storied
    building isn't ready yet. Papanyan, referring to the 'Armenian Law on Urban
    Development' says that the constructor has the right to finish the work even
    two years after the fixed deadline.



    People in Vanadzor, however, hope that the incomplete construction projects
    in their town, whose suspension is mainly blamed on the world crisis, one
    day will eventually be finished.



    Owners of elite construction projects in the center of the town are also
    optimistic.



    Arthur Vardanyan, Head of 'Vipmerg' LLC, suspended construction
    indefinitely. However, he does not lose hope to resume work soon.



    "The crisis has affected construction," say Vanadzor Municipality
    representatives, citing the auction statistics.



    Papanyan brings as an example the recent auction announced by the
    Municipality. Only two of the 17 auctioned lots were sold.



    "There was no one wishing to participate in the auctions for those 15 lots,"
    says Papanyan and adds that previously there were only one or two lots left
    without bidders. Now the situation is completely different, even though the
    auction prices are rather low.



    Though looking for ways to end the crisis, the Vanadzor municipality has
    decided to increase tenfold the price of land of up to 100 square meters in
    order to fill the local budget. Otherwise, the economic crisis would hit
    hard the town's budget as well.











    .



    **************************** ************************************************


    4. Grow roots: While peace process goes on, Karabakh focuses on
    demographic and social issues**



    Naira Hairumyan

    ArmeniaNow Karabakh reporter



    Every time after the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk group on the Karabakh issue
    settlement make statements that the Armenian armed forces have to withdraw
    from the territories surrounding the former Autonomous Region of Nagorno
    Karabakh, the authorities of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic visit either
    Kashatagh (former Lachin) or Shahumyan (former Kelbajar) regions.



    Despite the confidentiality of the negotiations, it is well known that
    Azerbaijan is demanding the return of all the seven regions, however, the
    mediators are more inclined to see the two of the regions - Kashatagh and
    Shahumyan - under Armenian control. Armenia isn't making any official
    statements in this regard, and Karabakh insists on preserving its
    territorial integrity.



    Early in May, following the Prague meeting of the leaders of Armenia and
    Azerbaijan, the head of the Karabakh government called an urgent session
    during which the unsatisfactory rate of the Shahumyan region's development
    was discussed.



    The NKR jurisdiction proclaimed in 1991 applies to the 12,000 sq km area,
    only 4.4 thousand sq km of which makes former ARNK- a part of the
    Azerbaijani SSR before the collapse of the Soviet Union. The future of the
    regions around the former ARNK, consolidated in the Constitution of the NKR
    as a part of the state territory, is being disputed in the course of
    negotiations.



    After the conclusion of armistice in 1994, the now disputed territories were
    gradually made habitable. However, until now they are in deplorable
    condition: the infrastructures destroyed during the three-year war, the
    housing resources are in need of major reconstruction which in its turn
    needs major investment. Such investment is promised by international
    organizations and the mediating countries but only after the withdrawal of
    Karabakh Armenian armed forces and placement of peacekeepers instead.
    Karabakh is not in favor of that option and is trying to handle the recovery
    of those regions on its own.



    "It is not Azerbaijan's territory, and the sooner the political powers of
    the neighboring country recognize that, the sooner the final settlement of
    the issue will be reached," said NKR president Bako Sahakyan on May 9 in
    Stepanakert. NKR parliament factions released a statement saying that the
    territorial integrity of Nagorno Karabakh, as provided for by its
    Constitution, is not subject to bargaining.



    By the NKR government decree a standing commission on development and
    implementation of demographic policy was created in February 2009. At the
    first session of that commission the concept paper of the state demographic
    policy was discussed. According to its author, Minister of Social Welfare
    Narine Azatyan, NKR's demographic policy is also aimed at migration control
    particularly referring to the settlement of the territories.



    The repatriation program started in Karabakh in 1995, right after the
    establishment of the ceasefire regime. Ever since people who had lost their
    homes and belongings in Azerbaijan as a result of the war, have been moving
    to Karabakh as well as those who wanted to live in their ancestors' land.
    There are people wanting to move to Karabakh now as well, with immigration
    requests from Georgia, Russia, Middle Eastern countries, and Greece. The NKR
    Ministry of Social Welfare says they are considering those applications and
    once the mechanisms for implementation of the Concept of Demographic
    Development are specified, Karabakh will be able to accept the applicants.



    As Azatyan says, the scale of aid to the repatriates is being reconsidered.
    In particular, it's been determined to allocate 1 million drams ($2,700) to
    a migrant family through benefits, loans, equipment, instead of the current
    200-230 thousand drams ($540-620).



    The migration process in Karabakh during the past 15 years has had its ups
    and downs.



    Up to 12,000 people currently reside in the Kashatagh region alone. In 2008,
    47 families (462 people) moved to the region. The reason for such a low rate
    of settling this land famous for its favorable conditions for agribusiness
    is the lack of proper roads, housing, electricity and water.



    In 2008, Kashatagh farmers were given up to 70 million drams ($190,000) in
    agricultural loans, due to which 9,500 hectares of fields were sowed. In
    2009, 16 irrigation channels are to be restored with public funds,
    agricultural equipment will be leased. Two multi-apartment residential
    buildings are being constructed in the regional center Berdzor, 10 houses
    for large families with many children have been built.



    There are those who are willing to move to these lands even now, but
    Karabakh authorities have decided not to rush with the settlement and rather
    take their time to create conditions for people, so that they could earn
    their own living.



    The fact that when meeting the authorities people raise social rather than
    political issues speaks about one thing - both those who want to move to
    these lands and those who are already residing there are not afraid of the
    rumors on the withdrawal of those lands from under the control of the
    Armenian armed forces.



    Nonetheless, international structures prefer not to work on these lands.
    Several Diaspora organizations are operating here, assisting the residents
    of these lands with humanitarian aid.



    Both the administration of the region and the NKR authorities, however,
    admit that humanitarian aid alone is not sufficient to achieve full
    absorption of these lands.



    **************************************** ************************************


    5. Frontrunners and Underdogs: Different forces solve different tasks in
    Yerevan elections



    By Gayane Lazarian

    ArmeniaNow reporter



    For the third week political parties taking part in the Yerevan City Council
    elections have been holding their election campaigns, using all the 'playing
    cards' at their disposal to reach the desirable victory.



    Analyst Andranik Tevanyan, Head of the "Polit-economy" Research Center, says
    the main players will be the Republican Party, the Armenian National
    Congress (ANC), the Prosperous Armenia Party, and the Armenian Revolutionary
    Federation (ARF) Dashnaktsutyun.



    "After May 31 a new political situation will be created in Armenia," he
    adds.



    Do these elections have a political significance for all forces? According
    to Tevanyan, for the ANC these elections have super-political significance;
    however the same ANC promoted its de-politicization. The thing is, as
    Tevanyan says, that addressing his supporters at a rally on May 1, the eve
    of the start of the electioneering stage, touching upon many important
    issues for Armenia, ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who is now the ANC's
    top candidate in Yerevan elections, gave his consent to the Armenian
    authorities in this respect.



    "I want to mention that the ANC, excluding one organization that makes part
    of it, is for Armenian-Turkish relations to be settled as early as possible,
    and the ANC is ready to support all the positive steps taken by the Armenian
    authorities in this respect. Our only objection refers to the creation of a
    commission consisting of Armenian and Turkish historians for the study of
    the Armenian Genocide, because we do believe that it means nothing else than
    rejecting the Armenian Genocide," Ter-Petrosyan said.



    The most recent developments have proved that the current failure of the
    negotiations on Armenian-Turkish normalization is a result of the foreign
    policy being carried out by the Armenian authorities, says Tevanyan, who
    believes the fact that already during May 15 rally Ter-Petrosyan hurried to
    distance himself from that process was not accidental.



    "[President Serzh] Sargsyan feels cheated like a child. He was told to "give
    up the [recognition of] the Genocide," that is to say, to agree to the
    creation of a commission of Armenian and Turkish historians, and they will
    open the border. They got [a concession on] the Genocide, but did not open
    the border. And now they say "give up Karabakh, and we will open the
    border." No other head of state has found himself in such a miserable
    situation," the ex-leader asserted.



    Tevanyan believes that the ANC response is late.



    "They consider the problem of overtaking state power to be primary, but in
    order to politicize the problem of overtaking state power, it is necessary
    to be a clear 'opponent' of the authorities concerning the issues of
    Armenia's national security. But if you are not an 'opponent,' it turns out
    that there is a struggle for getting the power. The ideological struggle is
    forced out, and a paradoxical situation is created," says Tevanyan.



    However, the sections of the public that needs changes see the possibility
    of a power change only with the help of Ter-Petrosyan, says Tevanyan. He
    Tevanyan believes that Dashnaktsutyun may have placed a serious political
    claim over Armenian-Turkish relations by resigning from the governing
    coalition; however the short period is not enough for the public to perceive
    ARF as an alternative force. Dashnaktsutyun is trying to politicize the
    elections; however it does not raise the issue of a power change, the
    analyst says.



    According to the analyst, the Republican Party has the problem of getting 40
    and more percent of votes to govern Yerevan single-handedly, in which case
    it will be possible to make changes in the ruling coalition.



    "Prosperous Armenia and [the other junior coalition partner] Orinats Yerkir
    have to restrain their ambitions and rely on the generosity of President
    Sargsyan. In the event of a landslide victory, the Republicans may even stop
    consulting their coalition counterparts altogether," predicts Tevanyan.



    The analyst doubts Orinats Yerkir will even manage to clear the seven
    percent hurdle to get into the 65-seat municipal assembly, because, as he
    says, the party lacks an electorate as such.



    During the presidential elections this force relied on representatives of
    small and medium-sized businesses, whom it betrayed later by subscribing to
    the economic policy of the force it opposed.



    "Prosperous Armenia has some claims to that sector. They voted against the
    tax package in parliament, they opposed cash registers. The aim of
    Prosperous Armenia is to get as many votes as possible in order not to let
    the Republican Party to win by a landslide. And Prosperous Armenia's next
    goal, if they manage to achieve the primary goal, is to try to strengthen
    its position in the governing coalition," says Tevanyan.



    As for Dashnaktsutyun, the analyst believes that it will try to clear the
    seven-percent hurdle, and with the help of these elections will try to
    create its image of an alternative player. The People's Party, and the Labor
    Socialist Party of Armenia will settle their local issues. Tigran
    Karapetyan (People's Party) may even get more votes than Orinats Yerkir,
    adds Tevanyan.



    The analyst mentions that the victory of ANC is definitely getting 40 and
    more percent of votes.



    "If they do not have power in Yerevan, in any case it is already a defeat
    for them, because the issue of power change will not be settled again. And
    if Ter-Petrosyan's team wins, in fact, we will have two powers, and I do not
    exclude that early elections will be held," says Tevanyan. "And if the
    Republicans achieve an outright victory, we will pass to a 'Turkmenbashi'
    system -stagnation."



    In this respect the analyst believes that ARF, Prosperous Armenia and ANC
    are 'strategic partners' in not allowing vote riggings, because it is not
    favorable for them if the Republican Party sweeps the elections.



    "But apart from this, each contestant has its own interest. The ANC cannot
    make a coalition with Prosperous Armenia, Dashnaktsutyun, and, especially
    with the Republican Party. As for other forces, I do not believe that they
    will pass the barrier. And if the ANC does not win, serious vacuum will be
    created not only within their team, but also in the political sphere and
    especially in the opposition," he says.



    Currently, the opposition Heritage Party, which is represented in
    parliament, is detached from these processes. Tevanyan predicts that if
    stagnation is formed in the opposition sector, Heritage will try to take the
    flag of an alternative opposition.



    "They are waiting. There is no concrete orientation yet. They got a field of
    'maneuvering' between ANC and Dashnaktsutyun. In case of vacuum they are
    likely to take up the banner. It is another question whether they will
    manage to do that or not," Tevanyan says.



    Tevanyan is sure that the new situation in Armenia after May 31 elections
    will be determined especially by foreign policy developments.



    "I think that beginning from June foreign pressures on the Armenian
    authorities over Nagorno-Karabakh will increase. Possible vote rigging and
    falsifications may multiply these pressures; however I am far from thinking
    we will witness processes similar to those we had during the presidential
    elections. Nevertheless, a new place will be opened in the opposition, and
    there will be a struggle for this very place to figure out who the real
    opposition opponent will be," Tevanyan says.



    ***************************************** ***********************************


    6. **Reality Check: How real are the "roadmap" and "basic ideas"
    agreements?



    A commentary by Jirair Haratunian

    www.aaainc.org



    April and May have been months of intense diplomatic activity concerning
    Armenia, Turkey and Azerbaijan, involving summitry among the presidents of
    the three nations and a large measure of United States involvement at the
    highest levels. As part of his first trip to Europe, President Barack Obama
    spoke in Ankara with unusual candor about relations between Turkey and
    Armenia, urging reconciliation and the opening of the border between the two
    nations. Obama encouraged Turkey to face the dark pages of its history, but
    he disappointed many Armenians by avoiding the Genocide label when
    referencing the events of 1915.



    In what appeared to be a choreographed series of announcements, Armenia and
    Turkey agreed to a "roadmap" that established the parameters within which
    they will negotiate the many issues that have kept the nations isolated from
    one another.



    The timing of the announcement, just two days before the April 24th
    anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, caused widespread suspicion.



    Was this a coincidence? Very unlikely, but it provided an excuse for
    President Obama to once again refrain from using the word Genocide, this
    time in his April 24th statement commemorating the 94th anniversary of the
    Armenian Genocide.



    The choreography continued during the meetings that quickly followed the
    roadmap announcement. The first of the subsequent meetings was in
    Washington, where Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, during separate
    audiences with the respective Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan,
    urged progress in the negotiations on Nagorno Karabakh.



    This was followed by a summit in Prague, under the auspices of the
    Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), wherein
    negotiators made a startling declaration that President Serzh Sargsyan of
    Armenia and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, had agreed to "Basic
    Ideas," which are said to constitute the parameters within which the Nagorno
    Karabakh negotiation process will proceed.



    Predictably both the "Roadmap" and "Basic Ideas" announcements caused fierce
    debate as well as resistance in both Yerevan and Baku. In Yerevan, the
    Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) party, objected to the Roadmap
    agreement, demanded that its terms be made public and ultimately resigned
    from the government coalition.



    In turn, the opposition movement, led by former President Levon
    Ter-Petrossian and the Heritage Party, also rejected the agreement
    announcement. Ter-Petrossian challenged the legitimacy of the Sargsyan
    Government to conduct reconciliation negotiations with Turkey and condemned
    what he said was acceptance of Turkish demands that a commission of
    historians be established to determine the validity of the Armenian
    Genocide. He also claimed that a link between the Karabakh and Turkish
    negotiations were now established in fact and that the core interests of
    Armenia and Karabakh had been undermined.



    The Sargsyan Government quickly denied that any preconditions exist in the
    negotiations with Turkey and specifically asserted that there is no link
    between the "roadmap" arrangements with Turkey and the resolution of the
    Nagorno Karabakh problem.



    In Baku, there was strong opposition to both agreements. Azerbaijani
    officials and political observers denied the existence of a "Basic Ideas"
    accord and opposed any end to the Turkish blockade of Armenia before the
    Nagorno Karabakh problem is resolved.



    Turkish reaction to Azerbaijan's objections were immediate. Prime Minister
    Recep Tayyip Erdogan hurried to Baku and repeated over and over that Turkey
    would not agree to open its border with Armenia until the Nagorno Karabakh
    problem was resolved. He also promised that Baku's demands that all captured
    territories be returned to Azerbaijan was fully supported by Ankara.



    So where does that leave the status of "Road Map" and "Basic Ideas"? Clearly
    their future is in serious jeopardy.



    Erdogan insists that a Karabakh settlement is a precondition for the end of
    Turkey's blockade of Armenia, while Aliyev insists that Azerbaijan's
    sovereignty over Karabakh and all regions occupied by Armenian forces is not
    negotiable.



    In contrast to Azeri doubts, Yerevan sees signs of progress under the format
    of the OSCE negotiations process. On May 16, Foreign Minister Edward
    Nalbandian told a regional conference in Yerevan, "Our foreign policy
    focuses on developing relations with neighboring countries in a way that
    highlights common concerns and interests rather than differences and
    disparities." He said that the two main security challenges facing Armenia
    are "the peaceful and just resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and
    the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations."



    Both of these objectives are commendable, however, resolving the complex
    historic issues with Azerbaijan and Turkey requires more than the eloquent
    expression of ideals. There will always be absolutists in each of the three
    nations who will challenge any hint of compromise. To overcome internal and
    external opposition the Armenian government needs to remain consistent in
    pursuing its stated priorities, be flexible in confronting emerging
    geopolitical circumstances and exercise a high level of diplomatic skill.
    Success will require the support of the citizens of Armenia and Nagorno
    Karabakh. They must have confidence in the fairness of any agreement. In the
    end, it is their security and the future of their children that are at
    stake.



    ************************************* *************************************

    7. Weathering the Storm: Statistics don't lie**



    By Richard Giragosian



    Speaking at a 13 May conference organized by the Union of Industrialists and
    Manufacturers, one of the largest business groups in Armenia, President
    Serzh Sarkisian launched a spirited defense of his government's response to
    the global economic crisis, minimizing the impact of the crisis on Armenia
    and arguing that the economy is set to rebound.



    President Sarkisian further argued that due to the government's "anti-crisis
    response," the Armenian economy has been able to prevent any "serious
    upheavals" through several "especially difficult months." Although
    admitting that there were "perhaps visible mistakes," any errors were
    quickly corrected and offset by undefined "important and hard work" by the
    Armenian authorities.



    Unfortunately for the Armenian president, the timing of his speech was not
    particularly helpful, as his spirited defense of his government's policies
    did little to reassure or refute professional economists at the
    International Monetary Fund (IMF), who released their own far more critical
    assessment of Armenia less than two days before Sarkisian's confident
    speech.



    The release of the 11 May IMF report details several systemic and unresolved
    shortcomings in the Armenian response to the global economic and financial
    crisis.



    Statistics don't lie



    In general terms, the objective reality of statistics, as numbers without
    commentary, is hard to ignore. In this sense, it is fair to say that
    statistics don't lie; statistics tend to educate rather than evaluate, and
    seek to reveal the full picture rather than obscure it. In economics, this
    is perhaps even more true and, as nearly every government has found, are
    nearly impossible to ignore.



    For the Armenian economy, the statistical record of recent months has been
    particularly bleak, with evident decreases in all categories, as several
    years of double-digit economic growth have abruptly ended, exports and wages
    have both contracted, while poverty and unemployment have only started to
    surge.



    But the discrepancy between the Armenian president's warm words of
    reassurance and the cold reality of negative economic statistics raise a
    more troubling concern, even beyond the question of sincerity or besides the
    issue of who is lying.



    More specifically, the Armenian authorities' lack of apparent recognition of
    the economic reality provokes fear that this crisis, unlike the country's
    earlier political crises, can not be overcome by political statements or
    even by ordering a state of emergency. What is needed most, yet is most
    absent today, is a state commitment to bolstering the social safety net for
    the poor and more vulnerable of Armenian society. This crisis is not the
    time to bailout oligarchs or their cartels and semi-monopolies. Rather, the
    government must address the crisis honestly but sincerely, and adopt
    adequate responses to the needs of the general population.



    The imperative is to address the problem



    >From that perspective, the imperative is to address the statistics. First,
    as the IMF findings point out, the authorities should pursue targeted state
    spending capable of aiding the poor and vulnerable groups through this
    crisis, especially in light of the shortfall in remittances. Such a step
    seems obvious, but after the February 2009 decision to provide $10 million
    in state funding for a mining corporation in Syunik, the authorities should
    rethink their priorities.



    Second, there needs to be more emphasis on community-level development, and
    opportunity, beyond a sole focus on business development. And the
    government's plan to channel most of the $50 million in World Bank loans to
    "small- and medium-sized businesses" through Armenia's commercial banks does
    little to provide direct help to communities. The dubious nature and
    obscure ownership of some of these "favored businesses" also casts further
    doubt on the plan's capacity to create real economic opportunity or even
    spur real job growth.



    And finally, the authorities, for their own good, given the danger of
    mounting socio-economic unrest, needs to recognize the hardship for ordinary
    consumers. For the average Armenian consumers, the economic crisis has
    generally been an abstract and far-away concern, but only until it impacts
    their daily life.



    But that impact on their life has started, especially as prices for water,
    utilizes, gas and other basic commodities, including food, have begun to
    rise significantly. Prices for electricity have risen by 20 percent, gas
    prices by some 14 percent and more, as the Russian-set price of its gas is
    set to surge by some 40 percent, and even the tariffs on water usage have
    begun to rise.



    Thus, given the deadly combination of falling living standards and rising
    prices, the ordinary Armenian citizens, who are already somewhat
    marginalized by the country's closed political system has little recourse
    and no patron to protect them. And in terms of Armenian economics, it is
    now time to accept that statistics don't lie, no matter how much politicians
    may try to ignore that maxim.



    .....................................

    R ichard Giragosian is the director of the Yerevan-based Armenian Center for
    National and International Studies (ACNIS). "Weathering the Storm" is a
    weekly column exclusively for ArmeniaNow.



    *********************************** *****************************************

    8. Chemical concerns: Nairit workers' lingering questions over explosion at
    their plant



    Karine Ionesyan

    ArmeniaNow reporter



    Eight days have passed since the explosion at Nairit plant LLC, however the
    cause of the disaster that led to four deaths is still unknown.



    On May 14 in late afternoon, a series of explosions rocked the Nairit
    chemical plant, a Soviet-era industrial giant specialized in synthetic
    rubber production, causing panic among residents in a southern suburb of
    Armenian capital Yerevan.



    Witnesses in neighborhoods in the area (the sprawling plant is located in
    parts of the Shengavit and Noragavit districts of Yerevan and the village of
    Aintap) say that the air blast broke the window glasses of nearby buildings
    and as well as vehicles.



    Early theories that still need corroboration by experts working to produce
    an official version of the events blame faults in the technological process.
    What is clear at the moment is that experts rule out foul play.



    Meanwhile, workers say that different theories are circulating among the
    plant staff, but the main reason, they think, is that the obsolete equipment
    at the plant.



    "They should have suspended the plant's operation and resumed it only after
    a major and final renovation, because chemistry is perilous as it is, and
    becomes more so when equipment gets old," says Seda Matinyan, 60, who has
    been working at Nairit's synthetic rubber workshop next to the one where the
    explosions occurred.



    One of the Nairit employees, who asked not to disclose his identity, told
    ArmeniaNow that often he went to the chloroprene workshop and talked to its
    employees. "They kept telling me that there are hundreds of dangerous odds
    and sods and they work with great difficulty trying to prevent damage.
    Renovation was only cosmetic, because the administration is guided by the
    principle of temporality, nobody is thinking of thoroughly repairing the
    workshop."



    Other employees think that the administration was probably convinced that
    the workshop was flawless, and thus didn't see the need to renovate.



    "But the day came when everything came to such an end," says Juliet
    Nahapetyan, 60, who left the ill-fated workshop just hours before the
    explosion.



    She says that when they finished work that day everything was in order when
    the next shift came to work, however, they themselves don't know what
    happened afterwards. "We are back to work again, with grief in our hearts
    for our men; why did it happen?" says the old woman with her hands
    trembling.



    More professional explanation is suggested by Jilbert Muradyan, candidate of
    chemical sciences, former head of the laboratory for rubber technologies at
    the Nairit scientific center.



    "The security level would be much higher if the workshop were renovated by
    January 2008 the latest, as provided for by Government Decree #1131 of
    August 18, 2006, and if a much safer and more profitable chemical element,
    namely butadiene, was used as the base raw material, instead of acetylene
    they are currently using. It should be noted that, in fact, in 1984 Nairit
    did just that - replaced acetylene with butadiene. But in 1993 it had to
    switch back as it wasn't possible to import butadiene because of the
    economic blockade of those years," he says.



    That hypothesis is under discussion among Nairit employees. "When dealing
    with chemical production it is impossible to provide 100 percent safety,"
    says Nairit's oldest worker Vardan Muradyan, 84.



    "Everything would be different if the workshop had been renovated and if a
    less dangerous butadiene were used in rubber production instead of the
    highly explosive acetylene," says Ishkhan Vardanyan, 58, a senior scientific
    worker.



    There have been a number of discussions on whether the explosion
    consequences are harmful for people's health and the environment.
    Environmentalists express controversial opinions:



    "It is natural that toxic gases were emitted into the atmosphere (Yerevan's
    atmospheric pool), which is harmful. Acetylene itself is a narcotic
    substance and affects eyesight, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems.
    I don't think all of that can vanish from the air in a day and, besides, the
    full consequences will yet come to light later," says chairman of the Green
    Union of Armenia Hakob Sanasaryan.



    Inga Zarafyan, head of the Ecolur information center, says she cannot give
    an accurate assessment of the accident at the moment, but thinks that the
    statements in connection with the accident by the Armenian Ministry of
    Environmental Protection claiming that no negative changes have taken place
    in the composition of the air, match the reality.



    "We have been informed that there is another workshop, the explosion of
    which could be much more hazardous. We are now thinking of monitoring it to
    clarify how safe it is to operate Nairit when there can be a threat of
    another explosion," she says.



    The Nairit plant LLC press service reported that dismantling works, lead by
    the director of the plant, his deputies and the head of the company
    services, have started at the damaged workshop to render it completely
    harmless. According to the preliminary assessment, the plant will have to
    spend 20 million drams ($55,000) to complete the work.



    Meanwhile, Nairit keeps operating, but is under a special regime until the
    completion of the investigation process and of the plant's expert
    commission's work.



    The plant administration is planning to give financial support to the
    families of the victims. Two bank accounts have been opened at Ararat Bank
    for this purpose:



    Dram account: 1510001664630100

    Dollar account: 1510001664630101



    Incidentally, a fire was reported at Nairit-2, a separate company involved
    in research and laboratory work but situated in the same industrial area,
    exactly a week after the explosions at the main factory. According to a
    report by the information service of the Rescue Service of the Ministry of
    Emergency Situation of Armenia, polyethylene items of 36 square meters had
    been burned in a fire that had broke out at Nairit-2's polyethylene
    production on Thursday evening. The company's own service reportedly managed
    to fight the fire before the arrival of the rescue service firefighters who
    later participated in "cooling" the place.



    **************************************** **********************************

    9. Eurovision 2009, the Debate continues: the rich vocal of Arshakyan
    sisters fails to eclipse the gloomy performance and gothic make up



    By Karine Ionesyan

    ArmeniaNow reporter



    The Eurovision Song Contest held in Moscow last Saturday caused a wave of
    distress and frustration in Armenia, raising more questions and new
    conjectures about the factual failure of Armenian singers on the most
    popular European musical contest.



    (And, while an IMF report paints a bleak future for the republic, while a
    city council race is reshaping capital politics, and while the Speaker of
    the House says amnesty is about to be declared for prisoners held in
    connection with March 1, 2008 lawlessness - no topic is being more debated
    in Armenia than Eurovision. Example: On its coverage of the contest outcome,
    ArmeniaNow readers left more comments on the Eurovision article, than were
    inspired in last year's presidential election coverage.)



    Inga and Anush Arshakyan sisters took the 10th place among 25 finalists,
    while before the contest many in Armenia believed that they would take the
    highest position. Even the top place was considered to be possible taking
    into consideration the sisters' high-quality voice abilities.



    Almost all Armenian TV viewers are unanimous that the low place taken by the
    sisters is determined by the bad show and the abundance of dark colors on
    the stage, at the same time the sympathy towards sisters did not weaken. The
    Moscow-based Fresh Art Company is the one who is blamed for the bad
    performance, since they were in charge of the Armenian singers' show on the
    stage, the dance, the clothes, and their heavy make-up.



    However, Sharm Holding, the producers of Arshakyan sisters does not blame
    the Fresh Art Company, saying that such impression from the show was only
    seen by TV.



    "The first day everything was seen even better from the hall than on TV. But
    this problem was settled soon, because the second concert was presented with
    brighter colors, the girls were taken a close-up of, the make-up was
    soften," says Rudik Ter-Galstyan who was in the Armenian singers' supporting
    group.



    And Anna Avanesyan, PR Manager at Sharm Company, stated that those who
    criticize, mainly do not understand show business.



    "It is noteworthy that according to the professional jury Armenia was in the
    15th place, and if according to the common voting the result was the
    10th place,
    it already means something," Avanesyan adds.



    According to her data, they get many complaints from the Armenian community
    in Greece, where it is mentioned that many people voted, whereas, as a
    result, Greece gave 0 point to Armenia.



    Armenian pop singer Syuzi believes that Arshkyans are one of the most
    professional acts in Armenia and she recalls the previous Eurovision
    participants from Armenia



    "If Andre made a better show on the stage, Sirusho's song was a hit, Hayko
    was more romantic, Inga and Anush, had the strongest voices, moreover if we
    take into consideration the fact that they did not have backing vocals at
    all," says Syuzi.



    Syuzi agrees that it was possible to have lighter and brighter colors, the
    clothes of the dancers and the singers could be different, anyway that was
    not the most important and decisive point. "The system of voting was
    changed, that is why everything happened that way," she says.



    In contrast to the previous Eurovision contests, this year the SMS sent by
    viewers determined only half of the decision, that is to say, there was also
    a professional jury; and the votes of viewers and the jury were counted by
    50:50 principle.



    Composer Aram Satyan believes that, to its disadvantage, once again Armenia
    tried to prove that it a more eastern nation than those living in
    neighboring countries.



    "It is already the fourth year that we participate in this contest, and the
    East has already throttled. Here the Union of Composers has a great role,
    which washed its hands, and it does not have any connection with what is
    happening with that contest," says Satyan in the press conference this week.



    President of the Union of Composers of Armenia Robert Amirkhanyan refused to
    provide any comment to ArmeniaNow.





    The judging breakdown:



    Israel - 8

    France - 6

    Sweden - 3

    Portugal - 4

    Iceland - 5

    Russia - 5

    Turkey - 6

    Ukraine - 2

    Romania - 7

    Finland - 1

    Spain - 4

    Czech Republic - 12

    Belgium - 7

    Belarus - 1

    Bulgaria - 6

    Macedonia - 1

    Poland - 2

    Cyprus - 4

    Slovakia - 3

    Netherlands - 5



    ********************************************* *******************************

    10. No trespassing: Opening of National Assembly park still debated



    By Karine Ionesyan

    ArmeniaNow reporter



    The idea of turning the fenced park near the National Assembly building into
    a public park has found both support and dissatisfaction among Armenian
    citizens.



    The National Assembly was built in 1947; its green area occupies some 1.5
    hectares. The National Assembly building is situated on Baghramyan Avenue,
    where there are also the Presidential Palace, several embassies and numerous
    offices. Not far from the National Assembly is Lovers Park, renovated and
    opened to public last year due to the sponsorship of Armenian-American
    philanthropists.



    Some believe the park, which is adjacent to the National Assembly, should be
    open to people and should not be separated from them by fences as they
    compare it to similar official buildings abroad, for example the park of the
    National Assembly of Georgia, which is not fenced. And others, like
    architect Mkrtich Minasyan believe that even though such a step is viewed as
    democratic, the park still cannot become public.



    "If we try to have a similar architecture with foreign countries all the
    time, can you imagine what Yerevan would be like? We are not in Tbilisi, and
    Baghramyan Avenue is not Rustaveli Street," says Minasyan, Chairman of
    Armenia's Union of Architects. "All the buildings on Baghramyan Avenue are
    drawn back, and they have parks in front of them which are fenced. Thus it
    is a town planning element, and not a means of creating a gap between people
    and parliament deputies," says Minasyan.



    The idea of making the park public was proposed by Narek Sargsyan, Chief
    Architect of the Republic of Armenia, about three months ago. But for now
    there is no concrete project and still it is unclear whether the fence will
    be taken down.



    "I have simply expressed my viewpoint, so that the corresponding bodies
    think about its realization, however it is not clear yet whether the park of
    the National Assembly will become public or not," Narek Sargsyan told
    ArmeniaNow.



    Arpine Hakobyan, a Yerevan resident, believes that the park should be open
    to public.



    "Since the deputies do not use that territory, they should open it, so that
    we can use it," says Hakobyan, 22, who brings her five-month-old child to
    the Lovers Park.



    Meanwhile, architect Minasyan fears that opening of the National Assembly
    park would lead to cafes and entertainment centers on its territory, as has
    been proved in every other Yerevan public space.



    "Authorities would better think about preserving the other parks," he says.
    "We have already lost Monument's upland, the forest zone of 'Sari Tagh' (an
    uphill district) also does not exist; the boundaries of the 'Komaigy' and
    'Victory' parks are torn up because of the newly constructed buildings, and
    as a result one resident of Yerevan gets less than 6 sq. meters of green
    territory instead of 20 square meters."



    Architect Albert Zurabyan is also categorically against the chief
    architect's suggestion concerning the changes in the National Assembly Park:




    "It is senseless to have a widely-used park in the city center, because
    there are a few residential apartments nearby. It would be better to create
    parks in the yards of those buildings, whereas, they have destroyed already
    existing parks there."



    Another architect, Alexander Danielyan, thinks the city authorities will
    only gain from making such changes in the city center, since the green zone
    of Yerevan has already suffered greatly. "They had better think about
    creating a national park in the Dalma parks (near Gagarin Street of Yerevan)
    instead."



    Anahit Bakhshyan, NA Deputy and Chairwomen of the Heritage Party's Board,
    believes that the opening of the park is a good idea; however she does not
    think it is realistic. "In that case they should also take into
    consideration the problems connected with security, because none of us has
    forgotten October 27," she says, referring to the 1999 assassinations in the
    National Assembly chamber in which she lost her husband, Deputy Speaker Yuri
    Bakhshyan.



    It is noteworthy that the idea of using the yard of the National Assembly
    building for different purposes is not new.



    Since 2005, Armen Ashotyan, newly appointed Minister of Science and
    Education who until recently was a member of parliament and headed its
    standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture and Youth Affairs, has
    advocated construction of a chapel for parliament deputies in the same
    territory.



    Priest Shmavon Ter Ghevondyan welcomes Ashotyan's suggestion.



    "Just imagine that every morning the employees of the legislative body
    start their work by praying, by asking for support from God for succeeding
    in their legislative activities in order to make laws pleasant for God and
    favorable for people. The existence of a chapel in the territory will also
    give a chance to state that our officials are also the devout and devoted
    sons of the Armenian Apostolic Church," says the priest.



    However, this objective has not been realized either, despite the fact that
    when Hovik Abrahamyan became Chairman of the National Assembly, he promised
    to work on it.



    Before the park was built in that territory after World War II, it used to
    be Yerevan's largest cemetery. According to a city legend, when that
    cemetery was destroyed, it was cursed by the residents of Yerevan.

    **************************************** ************************************

    11. Nocturnal display: Museums in Armenia offer free late evening entrance
    as part of international campaign



    By Siranuysh Gevorgyan

    ArmeniaNow reporter



    Last weekend art lovers in Yerevan and other towns in three provinces of
    Armenia had a chance to visit different museums free of charge till midnight
    thanks to the 'Museum Night' campaign.



    It is the fifth time Armenia joins the campaign that had been organized and
    held simultaneously by thousands of museums in 40 countries.



    On Saturday, May 16, from 6:00 pm till midnight, 17 museums of capital
    Yerevan and six museums from Armenian provinces (Syunik, Shirak and Lori)
    were open and free for visitors. According to the Armenian Ministry of
    Culture, all museums participating in the campaign presented 48 special
    shows, exhibitions, performances and even dances.



    As the spokesperson of the Ministry of Culture told ArmeniaNow, the other
    museums in other provinces were also open and free but only the above
    mentioned six museums presented special shows and exhibitions. In order to
    participate in this campaign, the museums must present special shows or
    events.



    The 'Museum Night' was founded in 1999, when the French Ministry of Culture
    suggested announcing a day of 'open doors' for public in France during a
    spring Sunday, so that people can visit museums free of charge. The
    initiative was named 'Museum Spring'. Later it was renamed 'Museum Night.'
    A
    couple of years later it attracted the attention of 39 member states of the
    European Cultural Convention (Paris, 1954) and the support of the Council
    of Europe. (Armenia joined the convention in 1997)



    Ministry spokesperson Gayane Durgaryan says that idea is to give people a
    chance to attend museums free of charge as well as to raise interest among
    young people towards cultural heritage.



    The Council of Europe, which this year celebrates the 60th annive
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