Today 17 parties and the Forum of Intellectuals of Armenia issued a statement, which says, “Democratic and human values are jeopardized in Armenia.{BR} The growing illegality, social polarization of the society, continuing immigration, poverty and despair are the result of the corrupted and clan system formed by the incumbent and the absence of political will for the conduction of radical reforms...

October 27, 1999 entered the history of independent Armenia as the most tragic and shameful page. {BR} On that day 5 armed persons headed by Nairi Hunanyan rushed into the NA sitting hall and fired upon Chairman Karen Demirchyan, Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, NA Vice Speakers and some deputies. How and why did it happen? The court proceeding that has lasted for already three years did not give...

“Two days ago the Court of Appeals on civic cases failed to fulfill the demand of Article 16 of the RA law “On Referendum” and rejected the appeals on numerous violations,” the statement issued by Human Rights 96 party board says. {BR} “We consider that the authorities wish via artificial protraction of hearings to consign to oblivion the complaints on mass violations. “We also state that as result of such position of the juridical power...

Today Shavarsh Kocharyan represented the advantages of the draft Constitution in comparison to the previous one to those interested in the American University hall. According to him, the previous Constitution processed during the Karabakh war and adopted in 1995 deserves the mark «1», and the new one deserves the mark «3» (the mark «5»considering the highest). {BR} Shavarsh Kocharyan represented in his 40-minute speech 5 shortcomings of the...

Today the head of the Republican party fraction Galoust Sahakyan initiated a collection of signatures with the demand to convene a special session. As it was expected, the representative of the political power forming a part of the coalition had not difficulty in collecting the necessary sum of signatures which was 44. {BR} Galoust Sahakyan demanded a special session to discuss the 2006 draft budget....

«Everyone understands perfectly what I mean, they simply pretend that they don't», the representative of the Justice bloc to the Central Electoral Committee Felix Khachatryan announced after the Committee session. {BR} Today Mr. Khachatryan expressed his discontent with three of the two issues included in the CEC agenda. Nevertheless, his discontent was no obstacle for the issues to be confirmed....

Today the discussion of the 2006 budget started in the RA NA. «Armenia is a completely different country as compared to the one 5 years ago, accept it or not», Minister of Finance and Economy Felix Khachatryan expressed his content. {BR} Contrary to the claims that the budget has grown by 16% and the science, education and health fields will be more richly financed next year, deputy Aram G. Sargsyan...

The Union for National Self-Determination says “Yes” to the Constitutional amendments. “We say “Yes” not because the amendments are ideal or we admire the authorities who made them”, announced Paruyr Hayrikyan today. {BR} “We can prove that in many cases the European Convention of Human Rights is violated here. But this regress and the other shortcomings of the draft do not shadow the...

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) will today train around 90 Russian officials for participation in future election observation missions. {BR} The course, which will take place at the Diplomatic Academy in Moscow, is within the framework of a memorandum of understanding between the OSCE Secretariat and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "I welcome the interest...

Today during the traditional hour of statements 22 deputies wished to address the National Assembly. 9 deputies represented Justice and National Unity factions. {BR} Justice deputy bloc Grigor harutyunyan stated that the authorities are going to forge the referendum outcomes, bringing the following explanation, “The number of potential voters is being reduced artificially. The total number is shortened...

October 24 a group of Armenian journalists, who were returning from a regional conference held in Gudauri were ”taken hostage” at the distance of 50 km from Tbilisi, since the residents of the inhabited locality of Zhinvali blocked the Military-Georgian highway. {BR} With this move the residents protested against living without electricity. Over the debts the energy network administration deprived...

“Many of us perceive the Armenian genocide as a separate event, however it should be considered within the context of the world history and strategic developments of the epoch. We never tried to understand the causes of the Genocide.” {BR} In his documentary titled “Armin Wagner – Photographer of Genocide” director Tigran Khzmalyan tried to present the causes and consequences of the Genocide basing on the letters, memoirs and photos of...

“One cannot skim the Holy Book with dirty hands; purity of body and soul is needed”, Hanrapetutyun party leader Aram Sargsyan stated during today’s congress. {BR} When commenting on the upcoming referendum he thanked Europe for rendering the opposition the possibility of referendum and stated that it will become the victory of democracy. Chairman of the National Democratic Union Vazgen Manukyan is convinced that the referendum outcomes will...

The opposition Hanrapetutyun (Republic) party held today its congress in the open air near the Matenadaran depository of old manuscripts in central Yerevan after it has been denied premises in the government's sitting halls. {BR} The congress that was attended by major opposition leaders. Contrary to Hanrapetutyun party chairman Aram Sargsyan New Times party leader Aram Sargsyan welcomed the initiative....

Today the Armenian National Assembly discussed the proposals on introducing changes into the laws on the social sphere. {BR} Supposing that the adoption of the new laws will promote poverty reduction in the republic, the government decreed to raise the amount of the minimal salary of 13000 AMD with 2000 AMD in 2006. On the whole the deputies positively assessed the proposal. The NA also considered...

On October 25, in accordance with the agreement achieved beforehand with the NKR authorities, the OSCE Mission held a planned monitoring of the Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan armed forces’ contact-line to the east of the settlement of Talish of the NKR Martakert region.{BR} Two single shots had been made by the Azerbaijani party before the monitoring started but they did not hamper the OSCE representatives...

The RA President’s visit to Brussels was followed by the visit of the EU Three to Armenia which was represented by the RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan as the result of the active work of the RA authorities. “The succession of visits might be a coincidence but it testifies to the fact that we do not lose the moment”, announced the Minister today during the press conference in the Foreign Ministry...

On October 23 in Krasnodar the elections of the City Duma took place. In one of the electoral areas doctor Vladimir Marianyan was elected, the newspaper of Armenians in Russia “Yerkramas” informs. {BR} This is the first case in the post-soviet period when an Armenian is elected deputy of the City Duma. The fact can be considered sensational as according to all the analysts the most probable candidate to win in that area was the representative...

«Taking into account the experience of the past years it is difficult to assume that we will have ideal electoral rolls during the referendum, but the process of their correction has already started», announced the President of the Constitutional Referendum Preliminary Works Coordinating Council Mher Shahgeldyan. {BR} He also informed that the process of rising public awareness about the referendum...

“To my mind the revolutions in the post-soviet republics contributed to the healing of the public atmosphere. The budget of Georgia increased 4.5 times. In Ukraine 1200 companies were closed, some were brought cases against”, announced head of the Republican party today during the press conference. {BR} He finds that Armenia lost much not realizing revolution first. «Today Georgia and Ukraine are at the center of the world's attention». As...

«The anti-revolution movement proves that the revolution in Armenia has already started. It started in May, and I can see it», announced leader of the Republican party Aram Sargsyan. {BR} According to Mr. Sargsyan, the fact that they were not given a hall is also accounted for by the anti-revolutionary mood in the country. «It was not the Prime Minister but the system that refused me», he claims. The...

Today the Yerevan mayor Yervand Zakharyan informed that for the realization of the 2005 social-economic activity program of the city communities 46 billion 5 million AMD has been spent in 9 months instead of the envisaged 44 billion 93 million. Part of the expenses has been covered by the RA state budget, the other by the municipality, and the rest was invested by the communities. There were also other...

Providing technical and financial assistance for upgrading two outdated "melange" rocket fuel storage sites in Azerbaijan is the aim of an OSCE project, which will begin with a visit of a group of experts from 24 to 28 October. {BR} They will identify a suitable way to carry out the renovation of the sites and the technical and financial needs required. "Melange" is a highly unstable and toxic fuel...

Yesterday the elections of local governing bodies too place in the regions of Shirak, Aragatsotn, and Gegharqouniq. By preliminary data the Gyumri mayor Vardan Ghoukasyan and the Artik mayor have been re-elected. {BR} In Ashtarak Gagik Tamazyan has been elected mayor. In Talin the present mayor Mnatsakan Mnatsakanyan has also been re-elected. The elections in Aparan did not take place because of the...